Guyanatimes 3 july 2018

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Issue No. 3612

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Exxon to invest US$10M in UG, conservation

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Bandits shoot at car during foiled robbery P11

Page 3

– feasibility study to determine specific areas for funding

Hinds blasts Govt for closing sugar estates

Stolen GRA vessel recovered, 4 arrested P12

Page 9

Police raid mining camp, 5 arrested with illegal shotgun P2

Audited financial statements show

NCN’s current P7 assets overshadowed by $96M in liabilities

Members of the Felix Austin Police College during the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Inter-Division Annual Duck Curry Competition, which was held on Sunday at the Police Training Centre, Camp Street, Georgetown (Carl Croker photo)

Rape accused Knife-wielding found hanging bandit attacks, robs housewife in lock-ups

Page 11

Page 2

Projects in P14 Bartica on hold following closure of sandpits

2 news

tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Rape accused found hanging in lock-ups

B

hagat Ram Jailal, also called “Baggot” or “Davo”, of Lot 49 Ocean Garden, Meten-MeerZorg, West Coast Demerara, was found hanging in a cell at the Leonora Police Station on Monday at about 5:30h.

Based on reports received, the 61-year-old farmer had been arrested on Sunday at about 13:00h following an allegation that he had molested a 12-year-old female.

After vehemently denying the allegation, he had been placed in the lockups as the Police continued their investigations, but on Monday morning he was found hanging by his shirt from the window grill.

The Police have confirmed that there were four other prisoners in the cell when Jailal met his demise.

An investigation has been launched into the man’s demise.

When Guyana Times contacted Bibi Jailal, a

A sister-in-law of the dead man told the Guyana Times that she is in a state of shock at the passing of Jailal. “When meh husband -- which he is he eldest brother -- dead, he (Jailal) was here all de time helping out… I never know he to be a bad person; he de always helpful,” the woman stated.

She explained that, up

Leonora Police Station

daughter of the dead man, she explained that she also had received the news of her father’s demise on Monday morning.

“All the Police tell me is that my father passed away… When I asked how, they tell meh that he hang heself… Something nah right; he and four other people went in de cell, and he dead… Something happen in deh,” the woman surmised.

The grieving daugh-

ter recalled that she was at home on Sunday when her brother called to relate that their father was arrested and was being held at the Leonora Police Station.

“I went to the station, but when I reach, the Police already put he in the cell, and they say I couldn’t reach he,” she told the Guyana Times.

Prompted to comment on the allegation her father had faced, the daughter posited that she could not swear for her father, but she noted

that the child whom he has been accused of molesting is a relative.

The alleged victim reportedly resides with her mother and other siblings at Parika, EBE, but they would frequent the Jailal home at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara. The dead man’s daughter has refused to believe that her father had been a child molester.

“I don’t know why he do it, if he do it”, she said in a solemn voice.

to the time of his demise, Jailal had been taking care of his grandchildren, who are motherless.

Jailal’s daughter, 29-year-old Dhanwantie Ram of Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo, had been strangled to death by her husband following a rocky relationship.

Police raid mining camp, 5 arrested with illegal shotgun

F

ive persons have been taken into Police custody following the discovery of an illegal shotgun and pellets at a mining camp at Laurubang Backdam, Mazaruni River, Region Seven.

Based on reports received, Police ranks in ‘F’ Division were on an ATV patrol when they received vi-

tal information, and they went to a mining camp and carried out a search, during which one 12-guage, singlebarrel shotgun was found, along with 100 pellets.

At the time of the raid, five men were at the mining camp, and they have all been taken into custody.

They are being processed for court in this week.

Suspect in dominoes competition killing still at large

P

olice on West Bank Demerara (WBD) are still on the hunt for the suspect in the murder of 38-year-old John Choong, who formerly resided at Sisters Village, WBD. This was revealed to Guyana Times by Police on Monday.

Choong, a father of three, sustained head injuries during an altercation with the suspect at a dominoes competition on Father’s Day and died two days later while receiving treatment at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH).

After the man’s demise, the suspect, who was said to be in his early 20s, went into hiding, fearing that he would be incarcerated for the man’s demise.

Choong was a worker at the Wales Sugar Estate up to 2017. However, he later took up employment as a hire car operator to provide for his family.

This publication was told that Choong would often play dominoes at Sideline Dam, Sisters Village on weekends with other men in the area.

Reports were that some time after midnight on June 16, 2018, Choong and the suspect got into an argument and then a scuffle.

The now dead man was reportedly pushed into a nearby drain where he hit

Deceased: John Choong

his head.

It was further reported that Choong received 10 stitches to his head before being released from the WDRH on June 17.

He, however, went back to the Hospital on June 18 to clean the wound. On June 19, when he revisited the medical facility, he was admitted and succumbed one day later. A post-mortem proved that he died as a result of cerebral haemorrhage.

This newspaper also reported that the late Choong and the suspect had settled the matter before Choong’s wound turned septic.

Choong’s spouse is a housewife and it is said that she is very distressed over her family’s future. The taxi driver was buried last week.

news

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, July 3 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, July 4 – 09:00h-10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, July 3 – 07:25h-08:55h and Wednesday, July 4 – 07:55h-09:25h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals followed by lightly cloudy skies and light rain showers expected during the day with thundery showers and partly cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South to North-easterly between 1.34 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 07:31h and 20:01h reaching maximum heights of 2.48 metres and 2.37 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 13:33h reaching a minimum height of 0.75 metre.

SATURDAY, June 30, 2018

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DAILY MILLIONS 05 06 07 11

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18

– feasibility study to determine specific areas for funding

By Jarryl Bryan

FERRY SCHEDULE

F

Exxon to invest US$10M in UG, conservation

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

E

xxonMobil on Monday made a commitment that its philanthropic arm will be investing US$10 million into Guyana’s conservation efforts and in collaborations with the University of Guyana.

The ExxonMobil Foundation in the United States engages in a number of philanthropic activities with a focus on advancing education and training.

With the company’s local subsidiary having discovered in excess of three billion barrels of recoverable oil off Guyana’s coast since 2015, the Foundation has turned its attention to Guyana.

According to a statement from the company, the US$10 million will be provided in tranches over a period of five years, with part of the money intended for Conservation International Guyana. The initial grant money will fund a feasibility study that would work out the scope of the programme.

“Once defined, Conservation International Guyana and the University of Guyana will deliver the education, training, research and retention programmes that would help ensure that economic growth reinforces Guyana’s environmental development goals. The investment is also intended to expand conservation areas in the Rupununi Wetlands”, a statement from the company has said.

According to that statement, money will go towards “mangrove restoration, and management and support improvements to community-based fishing on Guyana’s coast, a sector the Government of Guyana has identified as critically important to the wellbeing of the Guyanese people, and support the work of the University of Guyana’s Greening Research and Innovation Centres.”

President of the ExxonMobil Foundation, Kevin Murphy, was quoted as affirming that money will go towards supporting the Government’s objectives in the Green State Development Strategy.

“This partnership will support the highest conservation priorities for the country, as well as education and training for sustainable employment,” he said. “It (also) demonstrates the value we place on our long-term relationship with the citizens of Guyana.”

Conservation International Guyana and the University of Guyana will be recipients of the US$10 million grant coming from the ExxonMobil Foundation

Meanwhile, Chairman of the University of Guyana Council, Professor Nigel E. Harris, related in the statement that the funding presented an opportunity to build relevant capacity to train students, and revamp the university’s research and outreach capabilities.

“A central feature of Guyana’s development plans is its Green State Development Strategy which envisions a commitment to a green economy, sustainable development, and protection of its forests and fresh water resources aligned with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” Professor Harris has said.

“Funding support for a collaborative effort between Guyana’s leading university, Conservation International and ExxonMobil Foundation

promises a critical opportunity to build relevant teaching, research, and outreach capacity at our university that is necessary to underpin Guyana’s 2030 vision for an inclusive, green and prosperous state”, the statement has also said.

With initiatives in place like the 371,000 hectares of forest preserved at Iwokrama, Guyana is an important part of conservation and as a carbon market. Iwokrama is dedicated as a place of research, and its forests account for 1.6 per cent of Guyana’s land mass. Its 371,000 hectares is also equivalent to two per cent of Guyana’s forests.

The Iwokrama centre itself was established in 1996 in order to manage the forest area. This was arrived at following an agreement between the then Government and the Commonwealth

Secretariat.

The United Nations (UN) has classified combating climate change as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 13.

According to the organisers of World Earth Day, at least two million people die globally from indoor and outdoor pollution. It is also estimated that by the year 2030, food prices will go up by 50 per cent due to climate change.

The rising temperature, global warming, and other ecological imbalances are due to the fact that half of the world’s rainforests are gone. The deaths of 70,000 persons in Europe were due to rising temperatures in 2003. These imbalances are also leading to frequent flooding and other disasters across the globe, which include forest fires, again impacting the trees.

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, july 3, 2018

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

Anti-corruption policies

O

ver the past three decades, Caribbean and Latin American Governments have been struggling to reduce the growing levels of corruption which are affecting the overall socioeconomic development and prosperity of their states.

While some Governments have successfully put legislative and judicial measures in place to ward off and tackle corruption more frontally, others are struggling to salvage and protect the remaining scarce resources and commodities from the hands of powerful and influential political agents within their respective territories, because of the fear that they will be mismanaged or siphoned off in a secretive manner.

And there are those Governments that are singing the mantra and talking the talk about fighting corruption at every level of the society. They roll out bold and laudable initiatives aimed, on the surface, at reducing corruption by protecting state assets from theft, as they boldly declare war on their political predecessors to recoup stolen revenues or monies and state assets that were mismanaged, improperly handled, and allegedly used as gifts to party financiers.

Those types of Government often accomplish little, because the work of those agencies established to fight corruption becomes less independent in nature, and more entrenched in politics and subjective in scope. The anti-corruption policies somehow morph into tools of political oppression, and are usually discredited because, many times, the heads of the agencies that are tasked with leading the anti-corruption fight are known individuals with political links and a history of questionable alliances.

In the case of Guyana, the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) is headed by Dr Clive Thomas, who is a Working Peoples Alliance party politician and a member of the governing alliance.

The country’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is headed

by Sydney James. Several other agencies which play key roles in fighting corruption, malpractices -- both political and economic in nature -- and wrong doings are neither independent nor established without the influence of the political directorate in some shape or form. Hence the conflicts over the appointments of the country’s GECOM Chairman, a substantive Chancellor of the judiciary and Chief Justice, and the selection of an Ombudsman.

Guyana must do more to implement systems that guarantee the independent appointment of suitably qualified individuals with the right balance of integrity and ethics to key positions within organisations that are critical to the anti-corruption fight.

Perhaps the positions adopted by the leading UK anticorruption barrister John McKendrick could provide food for thought on the importance of the fight against corruption.

McKendrick believes that the rule of law is essential for economic development. He contends that corruption undermines and weakens the rule of law. He believes that an independent judiciary is essential to the rule of law.

He draws attention to the position held by former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Tom Bingham, who also argues that the rule of law is essential for economic development. It therefore goes without saying that the successful conduct of trade, investment and business is promoted by a body of accessible legal rules governing commercial rights and obligations.

McKendrick declares that no person is likely to do business in a country where the parties’ rights and obligations are vague or undecided, or the means by which such rights can be enforced are unclear.

Bingham quotes Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank, who, when asked what he considered the single most important contributor to economic growth, answered: “The rule of law.”

And even though many Caribbean countries that feature on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) would like to have a better ranking, Transparency International has said that a country’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 100, where 0 means a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean. A country’s rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories included in the index. Last year’s index includes 177 countries and territories; yet, many countries, including Guyana, continue to perform poorly despite their best efforts.

Corruption, therefore, ought not to be seen as a Government problem, but rather as a societal one, including the press and the private sector. Ultimately, citizens can vote Governments out, as the people of Jamaica did in 2011 after the “Dudus” debacle, and here in 2015.

He added that the UK Bribery Act could be a template for the Caribbean to emulate. McKendrick pointed out that it is a short piece of straightforward legislation, and it is something that jurisdictions can apply.

Football Fever: These three youngsters were captured by Guyana Times photographer, Carl Croker kicking footballs in the National Park on Monday as their parents watched on

Chambers of Commerce: remaining relevant and providing continuous leadership in Private Sector development Dear Editor, The role of the Chamber of Commerce encompasses: business counselling

by Chamber staff; business workshops and seminars; business expansion assistance; plant visits; work force data; business retention; business recruitment; commercial site inventory; economic development committee; office space inventory; small business council; business registration info & forms; commercial and industrial site facilities and contact; transportation capacity etc.

In today’s business environment, Chambers of Commerce must carefully navigate the waters between expectations and delivery of business assis-

tance. In many instances, the role that the local chamber plays is dependent upon other organisations in the community.

In those scenarios, the partnership between the organisations reduces the Chamber’s significance, enables product/service duplication, and limits the efficiency of service delivery. It is also imperative that Chambers take the initiative in areas where their strengths are an advantage. Such would be the case with distributing business-related information and assistance.

These two areas offer opportunity for contact between the Chamber and the business community. Where there is an economic development organ-

isation that has an active business retention and expansion programme, Chamber staff or senior volunteer(s) should be encouraged to be part of the visitation teams.

Establishing a relationship via the site visits gives the business an opportunity to meet a Chamber representative, and the staff member the opportunity to make a follow-up contact.

Such contact also puts the Chamber at the table when addressing business-related issues.

The local Chamber must remain committed to helping local companies grow their businesses by taking the lead in programmes and efforts that help create a strong local economy, and make our

community a great place to do business.

The Chamber must continue to be an integral component of the community by offering a wide variety of programmes and initiatives that positively impact the economic vitality and quality of life.

Members should be able to capitalise on the contacts, resources and support provided by the Chamber. The aim of the Chamber is not only to develop its members, but to strengthen the community in which they serve, and this will enable the Chamber to be more effective and competent.

Sincerely, Michael Hercules

Trifling with trivia Dear Editor, Recent media reports indicate that our Local Government authorities are concerned about ‘renaming of regions, villages, boundaries and flags’.

Isn’t it time we get serious about more substantive issues of economic and

social development, rather than pursuing such trivialities?

There is a plethora of painful matters that cry out for attention: water supply, garbage collection, drainage & irrigation, repairs to roads and bridges, maintenance of playgrounds and

community services like burial grounds, while our leaders worry about our names and sizes etc. which is akin to parents worrying about the ‘looks’ of their children while they suffer a multitude of heath maladies and poor basic education.

Please, Mr Minister, Chairmen, Councillors and all Local Government leaders, can we get more serious about the substantive issues at hand?

Sincerely, Nowrang Persaud

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guyanatimesgy.com

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News

Grade 6 Linden students sensitised on local governance

Linden Mayor Waneka Arindell interacting with students of the One Mile Primary School

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he Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC) is on a mission to sensitise primary school students across Linden on local governance and the various roles and responsibilities needed for the system to work. The programme is targeting Grade Six students, and is completely knowledge-based.

Interactive sessions with Linden Mayor Waneka Arindell and LMTC Public Relations Officer Tiffany Stoll have been conducted at the Royal Halls of Learning, Watooka Day School, One Mile and Mackenzie Primary schools. Mayor Arindell has said that all primary schools in Linden and the Bamia Primary School on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway will be targeted.

According to the Department of Public Information, the discussions are delivered in two

Linden Mayor Waneka Arindell has described the support from the Education Department and teachers, as well as the response from the students, as overwhelming.

“It has been good so far; the discussions were interactive. They were taught how residents of the township have the responsibility of paying rates and taxes, and how the Council has the responsibility of garbage collection and so forth….

The response was wonderful, I was moved by the questions they have asked; we left our phone numbers

Students of the Mackenzie Primary School doing role play on what they would have learnt

parts, and include talks on the roles and responsibilities of the elected local government officials.

The officials include the Mayor, Councillors and Administration, as well as the residents of the municipality. It aims at stimulating the young minds on what local governance involves, and how they also

can play a role in the development of their township.

The sessions are also aimed at strengthening leadership roles within the school system. Role plays are performed by the students to practise what they have learnt. The programme began on June 19 and is expected to last three weeks.

as well,” she explained.

The Mayor said the LMTC has already been receiving calls from the students, who have been sharing their concerns on roads within their communities

and other issues. The local governance sensitisation programme runs in tandem with the Junior Mayor programme, which targets secondary schools.

The programmes were initiated to train youths from the school level, because following the

2016 Local Government Elections, officials realised that students were not fully knowledgeable about the system and what it entails. The aim is to address this shortfall, since Local Government Elections will be held at the end of the year.

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Foundation O

By Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD

“H

e pushed me!”

“She won’t let me have a turn!”

“They’re being mean!” Tattling involves one child reporting another child’s misbehaviour to someone else, almost always an adult. It’s one of the most annoying things children do. It’s also extremely common.

How often do kids tattle?

Gordon Ingram and Jesse Bering (2010) at Queen’s University Belfast conducted an observational study of the tattling behaviour of 40 children, ages three- to fouryears, at two preschools.

Over the course of 66 hours of observation, spread across 30 days, they documented 354 instances of tattling. (Pity those poor teachers!) The average rate of tattling was a bit over one report per child, per day, but the daily rates of tattling for particular children ranged from zero to more than six.

What do children tattle about?

The most common topics for tattling were property disputes, physical aggression, and rule violation. Of the tattling reports that could be verified, 90 per cent were true and most of the rest involved mistaking an accident for deliberate meanness.

This suggests that, although preschoolers can and do lie, their tattling very rarely involves deliberate lies.

For about three-quarters of tattling, the goal was for children to get help for themselves and/or to get the other child in trouble.

Another 16 per cent focused on enforcing rules.

Why do children tattle?

The short answer to why children tattle is that it works!

In almost half of the cases in the Ingram and Bering study (47%), teachers responded to tattling by supporting the tattler through either direct intervention or suggesting a solution. In about one-fifth of the cases (22 per cent), teachers acknowledged the tattler’s complaint by listening or saying they’d talk to the other child later (but never did). Neutral responses to tattling, involving either questioning what happened or why (12 per cent), making excuses for the misbehaving child (11 per cent), or ignoring the tattler (10 per cent). Taken together, these neutral responses happened about one-third of the time.

Reprimands for the tattler (3 per cent) or both children (3 per cent) happened rarely.

Overall this means that tattling children have a 69 per cent chance of getting a positive response (intervention or acknowledgment) and a 94 per cent chance of getting either a positive or neutral response.

But beyond simple practicality, there’s a deeper reason behind children’s tattling: It’s an intermediate step in social development between direct, physical aggression and more sophisticated forms of interpersonal problem solving (Ingram, 2014). During a conflict with a peer, a twoyear-old is likely to hit or yell at a peer, a preschooler will tattle, an 8- to 11-year-old will

gossip about the offender, and teens become increasingly able to disengage or negotiate.

So, children who tattle have obtained enough socialemotional skills to refrain from hitting, but not enough to solve the problem on their own.

Tattling also implies some degree of understanding of right and wrong, or at least an ability to predict what behaviour adults are likely to disapprove of. As children get older, they also consider peer reactions. Ivy Chiu Loke and her colleagues (2011) presented children with vignettes about various types of misbehaviour. Six- to sevenyears-olds thought tattling was appropriate to report all wrong-doings, but eight- to ten-year-olds believed that it was appropriate to tattle about serious wrong-doing, such as stealing, but not about trivial misbehaviour, such as someone not eating vegetables at lunch.

This differentiation between tattling about serious versus trivial misbehaviour is likely to reflect a balancing of concerns about adult rules and peer acceptance.

Older elementary school children criticise peers who are “snitches” or “tattletales”.

Causing unnecessary hassles for a peer is not a good way to make or keep friends! Another study of 12-18-year-old boys found that kids who tattled a lot were less well-liked by their peers (Friman et al., 2004).

How should adults respond to tattling?

If we think about tattling as an intermediate step in social development, this suggests a few ways adults could respond:

– Offer empathy Simple acknowledgment along the lines of “It bothers you when he does that” supports and recognises the self-control that young children show in not hitting a peer. With little ones, you could also ask, “Do you need a hug?” However, unless it’s a serious problem, we don’t want to leap to solve the situation for kids who tattle, because that teaches them that adult intervention is the best and only way to deal with peer conflict.

– Distinguish between trivial and serious misbehaviour You may want to post a list of guidelines distinguishing between telling versus tattling. Telling is about solving serious issues. Tattling is just an attempt to get a peer in trouble. Your list could include questions such as: Will anyone get hurt? Will anything get broken? Have you tried to solve it on your own? If the answer to all of these is no, then it’s not a situation requiring adult involvement.

– Encourage direct problem solving Ultimately, our goal is to teach kids healthy ways to resolve conflicts with peers on their own. Talking things through with an adult can be an important stepping stone toward this. Ask questions to help your child consider options: “What could you do to solve this?” “What could you say to her?” “What else could you try?” “What can you do while you’re waiting?”

“What can you do if he won’t listen?”, or “How do you think she’ll react if you do that?”

(Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

nce you understand some of the causes of tattling, you can work on preventing the behaviour in your own child.

Point out tattling. If you and your child catch another kid tattling, use the opportunity as a teaching moment. “Bring the action to her attention, and ask what she thinks about what the kid is doing. Does she understand that what the child is doing is tattling, and why it’s wrong?” Lawrence Balter, PhD, a child psychologist and parenting expert says.

Take time to talk about what the other child could have done instead of tattling (ignore it, walk away, and so on).

Explain fairness and justice. “Kids are so literal, and

sometimes their tattling is about making the other kid look bad to get that sense of justice,” Dr Balter explains. When talking to your child, say something like, “Sometimes people don’t follow the rules the way they should. I know it’s upsetting to you because you are trying to do the right thing.” Tell your child that she can’t change the way other children behave, but that the most important thing is always keep her own actions fair and just.

Explain your expectations. Explain that, although tattling on trivial actions is bad, it’s important to speak up if something appears dangerous. You wouldn’t want your child complaining every time Suzie steals a crayon from her, but you would need your child to mention if Suzie is pulling the dog’s tail, a harmful action. The difference between tattling because something is significant or dangerous and tattling on something that’s not is very subtle, and it can be difficult to expect a child to understand it. In Social Rules for Kids, author and speech-language pathologist Susan Diamond, MA, suggests one way to guide kids on what to say when something could be dangerous: Explain to your child that she could say “’I tell the teacher when...I feel threatened, scared, nervous, or hurt by a student or group of students.’”

For the opposite approach, kids should practice saying, “’I do not tell the teacher when...a student is not right, calls me a name, calls someone else a name, taps a pencil.’” Then help kids focus on what they should do instead, like “relax, focus on my work, ignore, [and so on],” Diamond advises.

What to do if your kid already tattles

This might seem counterintuitive, but do not make a big deal about tattling. “When your child tattles, this gives you a chance to investigate what his motivation is,” Dr Balter says. Don’t chastise him; instead, point out (gently) that if he keeps calling attention to his friends’ behaviour in a negative way and getting them in trouble, they won’t want to play with him. You can try other tactics prior to a playdate.

“If you know your kid tends to feel intruded upon and tattles mostly because he doesn’t like others playing with certain toys, designate beforehand what everyone will play with and what you’ll put away,” Dr Balter says. “That’s one easy way to stop kids from running up to you and tattling.” One more thing to keep in mind: For kids around three to four years old, tattling can be a sign of exhaustion. “When kids are cranky and tired, anything goes,” Dr Balter explains.

Taking a short break for a nap, TV, or lunch could help keep the behaviour at bay. (Excerpt from parenting.com)

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Audited financial statements show

NCN’s current assets overshadowed by $96M in liabilities – entity’s future dependent on financial support from Govt

T

he National Communications Network (NCN) financial reports for the year 2015 have raised questions about the state of the entity’s finances, showing that as of the end of the year the company had excessive liabilities.

The company’s total assets for that year were $1.369 billion, including current assets of $90.931 million and non-current assets of $1.278 billion. This is a decline from the previous year’s figure.

According to the report, the company’s current liabilities exceeded its assets by some $96.6 million.

Current assets are considered to be cash and cash equivalents, inventories and amounts it would have billed

The National Communications Network

its customers. Non-current assets, on the other hand, include NCN’s property and equipment.

In the report, Auditor General Deodat Sharma noted that title deeds for property with a net book value of $474.5 million were unavailable. In addition, it was found that a fixed asset register was

not maintained by the company.

“Further, the company only recognised annual depreciation charge on additions to fixed assets during the year,” he had stated. “I was, therefore, uncertain of the ownership, existence and valuation of non-current assets stated at $1.8 billion and deprecia-

tion charge of $881.1 million in the financial statement.”

Nizam Ali and Company Chartered Accountants, who also audited the financial statements, had noted the existence of 24 financial statements explaining the company’s current liabilities exceeding its assets by $96.6 million.

When the coalition Government had launched a forensic audit into NCN back in 2015, the financial state of the company was one of the things examined. It had found, among other things, that NCN did not maintain a fixed asset register since 2015.

Auditors had reported that the company made attempts to outsource oversight of the fixed asset register, with little success.

Because of the amount of accounting work, company officials had advised that they would be unable to undertake the management of the fixed asset register.

Recommendations

The report of the foren-

sic auditors had contained a number of recommendations for NCN to improve its operations. These recommendations had included having systems implemented to ensure that all statutory audits are completed on a timely basis.

It was also recommended that the company carry out a complete verification of all non-current assets, which should form the basis for the preparation of an upto-date fixed asset register; establish a definitive credit policy, which should be documented and approved by the Board of Directors; and establish a debt collection committee with specific responsibility to collect all outstanding debts within six months.

“Speak up and out, let your voices be heard” – REO Jaikaran

R

esidents of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) are being called on to speak out against domestic violence.

The charge was made

by Region Three Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikaran at a march and rally against domestic violence and suicide on Saturday.

“Silence is also a form of violence; therefore, one should not stay silent whenever they are in a relationship that has violence … those who face violence need to speak up and let your voices be heard; do not be ashamed,” the REO stated.

Jaikaran told the participants that the public has to adopt the mindset that domestic violence was a disease in society. He pledged the Administration’s back-

at the JC Supermarket at Meadow Bank and concluded at the West Demerara Secondary School.

The exercise was a collaborative effort between

Region Three REO Denis Jaikaran (in white cap); members of the United Bridge Builders Mission and other participants during the march and rally against domestic violence and suicide

ing to end all forms of violence.

“I pledge the Administration’s support to participate and play a meaningful role to ensure that

sensitisation occurs within the Region and the country as a whole, so that all can understand that violence cannot be condoned.”

The walk commenced

the regional administration and the US-based non-profit organisation United Bridge Builders Mission.

The organisation was established in 2006 by

Bonita Montaque and Lisa Cabanara in the US to serve international communities; it then expanded to Guyana to help address the social ills affecting Guyanese.

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Jury to hand down decision in Laing Avenue shooting

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ecaptured prison escapee Stafrei Alexander is today expected to know his fate in relation to the attempted murder of fellow Laing Avenue resident Curtis Thom, who was shot at his home in March 2015.

Alexander has denied that he had tried to kill his neighbour, but a High Court jury will decide on his innocence or guilt during deliberations.

Stafrei Alexander has been accused of discharging a loaded firearm in the direction of Curtis Thom, who had sustained gunshot injury hours after his daughter’s christening. The court heard that after the christening,

Accused: Stafrei Alexander

based on his beliefs, Thom had proceeded to walk into his home backwards when Alexander mumbled remarks and pointed a gun at him.

Thom was shot twice, and was hospitalised for sev-

en weeks, during which he obtained surgery to correct his injuries. Based on the account of an expert witness, a .38 revolver was the firearm of choice on the night in question.

Alexander is being represented by attorneys-at-law Stanley Moore, S.C. and Maxwell McKay, while attorneys Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt are the state’s prosecutors in this High Court trial.

Alexander, who is also known as Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander, was apprehended in late July last year after a special operation in Berbice.

This came weeks after he had fled the Camp

Street Penitentiary during an inferno, around the same time when several prisoners, including death row inmate and Bartica mass killer Mark Royden “Smallie” Williams and now dead former Policeman and prisoner Uree Varswyck, had fled. Prison officer Odinga Wickham was killed during that ordeal, and century-old sections of that penitentiary had been flattened.

Alexander had previously fled lawful custody for six months, before finally being recaptured at Kurupukari Crossing in the Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo) in May 2016.

Man who claims he found chairs in trash granted bail

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ifty-year-old Anthony Daniels, who allegedly had stolen three chairs belonging to Ron Robin at Sussex Street, Georgetown on June 21, 2018, has

been granted bail by City Magistrate Leron Daly.

Daniels, a gardener of Sussex Street, Georgetown, denied the allegation against him, and claimed he had found

the chairs in the trash.

According to the defendant, he found the chairs in the garbage, and had asked for the owner’s permission before he removed them.

However, the owner has claimed that Daniels stole his chairs.

Daniels has been placed on bail in the sum of $10,000, and is scheduled to return to Court today.

Man admits to stealing cigarettes from friend

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evon Williams of Hadfield Street, Georgetown admitted to Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly that he had, on June 18 last, pushed and robbed

his friend Cyril Preston of 10 packs of cigarettes and $4000 cash at Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

The Court heard that Preston and Williams are friends; and on the day

in question, Preston was standing at a shop when Williams approached him, pushed him, and grabbed the items from his hand before making good his escape.

The matter was reported to the Police, and Williams was arrested and later charged.

Williams has been fined $70,000, with an alternative of 2 months in prison.

Construction worker fined for drunk driving

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hirty-seven-yearold Vibert Gilkes of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara was late last week fined $7,500 for driving under the influence of al-

cohol.

The Police claim Gilkes was intoxicated when they stopped him as he was driving motorcar PTT 708 on the La Grange Public Road,

WBD on June 24, 2018. They say a breathalyser test done on Gilkes found his blood alcohol level to be 40 micrograms above the prescribed limit.

Charged and made to appear before Wales Magistrate Dylon Bess, the defendant pleaded guilty to the offence. Accordingly, a notation was made on his driver’s licence and he was fined.

Tuschen man charged for assaulting neighbour

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hirty-four-year-old Munilall Narine of Lot 1623 Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo appeared last week before the Leonora Magistrate to answer a charge alleging that he assaulted his neighbour Jasmine Singh on June 7, 2018.

Narine had previously been charged for assaulting the woman after they had been embroiled in an argument. Following that incident, he was placed on a bond to keep the peace, but he has violated that bond.

He has now been placed on $50,000 bail, and will return to court on July 12.

Succession…

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…in the PPP ith the (strained) decision of the CCJ – Guyana has to become a full-blown dictatorship for Art 90 to be considered to “affect” the people’s sovereignty in Art 1 &9!! – PPP General Secretary Jagdeo gracefully accepted he cannot become a candidate for the Presidency. Apart from the exultation and joy in the PNC ranks that the PPP wouldn’t be able to field their strongest candidate, it was obvious the party had to select another standard- bearer in 2020.

But it was interesting when Jagdeo -- as the General Secretary of the PPP -- said he’d be involved in the process of selecting that standard-bearer; the PNC-AFC elements got their buktas all into knots as they protested Jagdeo making himself a “kingmaker”!! It’s not – as some thought – that they misunderstood the defined role of the GS in the PPP, but it was their overwhelming fear of Jagdeo being in any way involved in PPP politics.

And the question of “why?” is crucial to understand what’ll be playing out between now and 2020. Your Eyewitness has said this before, but he thinks it bears repetition: the PNC and its camp followers are scared shitless of Jagdeo because he faced down their most violent attack against a PPP Government!! When Hoyte launched his “slow-fyaah-mo’ fyaah” campaign, he revealed the PNC’s mindset when he “explained” that “the only thing the PPP understands is force.”

This assessment had been adumbrated by Burnham in the 1960s when he mounted the first violent attacks against the then PPP Government – with the aid of the CIA and local forces – and Jagan backed down. Jagan claimed he did it not to split the country further, but the PNC then and now saw it as a sign of “weakness”. So when Jagdeo neutralised the PNC’s trump-card of their “kith and kin” in the coercive forces, the PNC wasn’t only flummoxed, they were scared shitless!!

Even with him not being the presidential candidate, they don’t want him around; especially come 2020, when it is becoming clear as daylight the PNC intends to rig the elections to control the coming oil money!! And in your Eyewitness’s estimation, that’s why when General Secretary Jagdeo outlined the necessary qualities of the next PPP presidential candidate, he said, “The person would have to be hard-working, possess management skills, and be COURAGEOUS.” Now, it was also obvious that individuals would put their hands up for the job; but one hoped they’d understand the policies and traditions of the PPP have to be followed.

And if someone doesn’t like the rules, then all they gotta do is get them changed by a majority vote at the next Congress!!

Candidates who’re lawyers should especially appreciate this internal “rule of law” approach!! …of Bridges Minister of State in the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, has just promised he’d be supporting moves to NOT dismantle the old Demerara Bridge when the new one is built. Your Eyewitness thinks this is a very solid and forward-looking position. Right off the bat, since it’s clear that the new Bridge ain’t getting built in the next five years, Minister Harmon is signalling that the PNC will be in office then!! Just as how Ramjattan knew what the CCJ would be ruling before the announcement, it seems that Harmon’s “in the know” about the 2020 elections!!

But additionally, there are the practical aspects to having the Bridge remain in place. For instance, the folks from the lower West Bank area – where, serendipitously, Harmon’s from – won’t have to get jammed up by going all the way to Versailles -- where the hordes from West COAST Demerara will be “boring in”.

The question, however, is whether, with the reduced traffic on the old bridge, Harmon would be approving the $500 million subsidy to maintain it!! …in Amaila Winston Jordan wants Jagdeo to explain how Fip Motilall won the “rights” to Amaila Falls HydroElectic Project.

Couldn’t he simply ask fellow Minister Cathy Hughes, who did Public Relations for FIP’s company Synergy, which owned those rights?

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

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Hinds blasts Govt for closing sugar estates

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Political commentator David Hinds

s many dismissed sugar workers continue to deal with financial challenges and reduced employment, Government is being encouraged to visit the affected communities to see how its policies have impacted on former employees of GuySuCo and their families.

This was the admonition of outspoken political commentator and Working People’s Alliance executive David Hinds, who told Guyana Times in a recent interview that Government must conduct social and ethnic impact assessments in moving forward with future decisions.

He made these comments at a recent event at Patentia, West Bank Demerara, a village that is contiguous to the now closed Wales Sugar Estate. Patentia residents have, in recent days, complained of increased criminal activities, including petty theft and robberies.

“I think that when you are making decisions to lay off so many people, you have to think about the impact of families and on communities; and I think the decision makers did not put enough

thought into that impact, and we are clearly seeing that here,” Hinds expressed at Patentia.

The political commentator surmised that when the breadwinner is out of work and cannot provide in timely manner for children, it affects the education and physiological state of their offspring. He reasoned that uncertainty impacts upon children, and acknowledged that crime would increase.

“People would look for alternative ways of survival, and that’s where the deviant things like crime come into play,” he noted.

Observing claims that Government “meant well” by taking its decisions on the sugar industry, Hinds conceded that he is not surprised by perceptions that certain groups could feel disenfranchised and discriminated against.

He, however, explained that all Administrations of Guyana should take extra care in analysing how groups respond to State policies of the Government of the day.

“I take the point that because a Government is of

one ethnic group, and you’re implementing a policy that will in the main affect the other ethnic group, you have to be extra careful. My point is that they did not intend to discriminate, but they were not careful. When you are implementing a major policy, you should have an ethnic impact assessment to see how policies would affect groups in certain ways, because we live in a country of ethnic sensitivities,” Hinds reasoned.

He added, too, that severance packages are not enough for the severed workers, who would have been able to structure their lives from a steady income. He also called on Government to visit the communities to see how residents are suffering from policies.

“I am in favour of the restructuring of the sugar industry largely because I think that it is causing too much to subsidise; but my point is that the ordinary people must not be the sufferers. Therefore, Government now has to come back into these communities and hear from people. Government must be mature enough to say we may have erred,” Hinds told this publication.

Patentia, West Bank Demerara

“You don’t stop from being a cane cutter on Monday and walk into another job on Tuesday,” he added. At the same time, he called on corporate citizens to throw in their lot to assist the communities affected by Estate closures.

Government ordered the closure of Wales Estate based on cost-saving measure due to billions of dollars that were allocated to the declining sugar industry.

However as a result, nearly 4000 workers from Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon were dismissed in late 2017, and over 1000 were dismissed from Wales in the previous year. This

means that over 5000 persons and thousands more family members are likely to have suffered from the Government’s policy.

Just recently, an overseas-based businessman, through prominent Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram, made to the Patentia Secondary School a US$2 million donation, which included stationery supplies and haversacks; and one student from the distant community of Free and Easy, WBD was

given a bicycle to travel to school.

Attorney Ram noted that four other schools on the West Bank of Demerara are slated to receive similar donations, while there are also plans to give a few scholarships to students.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times reported on Sunday that there were three recent robberies in Patentia – one committed on a pensioner in her 70s, and the others on two shops in the area.

(Shemuel Fanfair)

10 news Visually-impaired Linden student excels at NGSA tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– secures place at President’s College

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isually-impaired 12-year-old Lindener Dimitry Waldron has managed to secure 495 of a maximum 529 marks at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations.

Waldron, of Wismar Hill Primary School at Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), has secured a spot at a top high school in the community, the Mackenzie High School and has even been officially offered a place at one of the country’s top schools, President’s College.

Waldron, who has congenital toxoplasmosis, is yet to decide upon which career he would pursue in the

Disciplined Service, but he has narrowed the possibilities to a soldier or policeman. He is among the top 10 students at Wismar Hill Primary School.

The genetic disease, which has partially affected his vision, is caused by a protozoan parasite, toxoplasma gondii, which is transmitted from mother to foetus causing visual, hearing, motor, cognitive and other difficulties with the child.

Waldron has siblings who are also affected by the said condition. His mother, Ronella Jervis, told this publication that her son, who wears glasses, was able to write his examinations without the help of a read-

Visually-impaired 12-yearold Dimitry Waldron

er or writer, which is usually assigned to visually-impaired students.

For Waldron, being offered a place at President’s College is nothing but a

dream come true, since he has always wanted to attend one of the top Grade A schools in Guyana.

However, Jervis said the family was still deciding whether or not to send him so many miles away to attend school given his condition.

The elated student told Guyana Times that he was proud of himself and his achievement, although he noted that Social Studies Paper 2 was a bit difficult and presented a bit of a challenge.

Success is no stranger to Waldron, since he was also among the top 10 students of his school at the National Grade Four Assessment two years ago.

“I feel really happy. I feel he could have done a bit more, but I am still proud of him. We are really happy,” his ecstatic mother told this publication.

She said it was a challenge preparing for the exams, but with the assistance of his cousin, father, teachers, brothers and herself, he was able to do revision exercises.

The mother explained that her son was also assisted in preparing for the examinations by teachers of the Blind Unit within the Wismar Hill Primary School.

Her sons, despite being affected with the conditions are excellent achievers, as

Jervis, a mother of seven, is a firm believer that education is a must.

Both her 16- and 14-yearold sons were also awarded places at the Mackenzie High school, after writing the NGSA. She said while her second son, who attended the Blind Society Unit at the Wismar Hill Primary in Linden, received the necessary assistance with writing his entry exams, life at high school has been difficult for both boys.

“You show people you got the ability and you could do much better” is something Jervis said she always tells her children. (Utamu Belle)

Enmore businessman kidnapping/murder

Accused dies after prolonged illness T

hirty-two-year-old Sheldon Chase, who had been on remand for the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Enmore auto spares dealer Rajendra Singh, also called “Sunil”, whose body was later recovered in the Le Repentir Cemetery, died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).

Guyana Times understands that Chase had, for the past few months, been undergoing dialysis at the GPHC, but took his final breath at the medical facility on Saturday last. Chase had reportedly been in an out of hospital, and thus could not have attended court when the matter was called. He, along with five others, had been on remand since 2014.

The forty-year-old auto spares dealer of Lot 15 Foulis, Enmore, ECD had been kidnapped five days prior to his death. When his body was discovered in the Le Repentir Cemetery, his hands had been tied behind his back with a piece of rope. A white cloth has also been tied around his neck.

Investigators confirmed that he had been strangled before his throat was slit, and he was believed to have been tortured.

Singh’s body had borne several marks of violence, which indicated that he had been severely beaten. A bullet wound was also visible to his head. The businessman had been clad in a pair of black socks, a pair of short blue pants, and a blue t-shirt.

There had been fresh bloodstains around his body, which was tied to an abbey tree.

By a tattoo on one of his arms, the businessman had been positively identified by a close relative who is also a police rank. A cousin of the

Murder accused: Sheldon Chase

dead man had subsequently turned up at the scene, but there were no signs of the businessman’s immediate family members.

The kidnappers had reportedly contacted the family on one day prior to the discovery, requesting that the Gy$25 million ransom be dropped off at a certain location.

The kidnappers had re-

Murdered businessman Rajendra Singh

portedly contacted Singh’s family after kidnapping him, and they had given the family an ultimatum of 12:00 noon on Tuesday to deliver the money – a deadline the family did not meet.

Police ranks at the scene said the kidnappers initially wanted to kidnap the businessman’s 13-year-old son, but instead captured him.

Since the kidnapping, the

man’s wife and son have not been seen in public.

Minutes after the kidnapping, Singh’s family had been contacted. A ransom of Gy$50 million had been demanded for the businessman’s safe return. After the initial amount could not be raised, the kidnappers had phoned the businessman’s wife requesting Gy$25 million instead.

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Bandits shoot at car during foiled robbery Gunmen rob NIS clerk

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axi driver Kurt Grant managed to evade two gunmen who, at about 23:45h on Sunday, attempted to rob him as he went to make a pick-up in Freeman Street, East La Penitence Georgetown. In the process of his lucky escape, however, his car was shot at, and sustained damage.

The 42-year-old East Ruimveldt, Georgetown resident detailed that he received a telephone call to make a pick-up in Freeman Street; and when he arrived at the location – a popular fish shop -- he picked up a passenger who gave his name (not stated here).

He said he was about to drive off when two men,

both clad in dark clothing, suddenly approached the vehicle, PVV 3376, and one of them attempted to open the left side back door thereof.

He said that having spotted the men, he had already locked the vehicle. As such, the man’s attempt failed to open the door; but his ac-

complice whipped out a gun from his pants waist and discharged a single round in the air.

This prompted Grant to speed away from the men, but in so doing, he ended up in a nearby ditch. He attempted to reverse but got stuck. By then, one of the bandits discharged another round, hitting the motorcar.

Grant said he was somehow able to reverse out of the ditch, and he quickly drove off the scene, heading straight to the Brickdam Police Station, where he lodged a report.

The Police, having visited the scene, are in the process of investigating the incident.

while at vulcanising shop

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clerk of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), who resides at BB Eccles, East Bank Demerara, was on Monday relieved of her jewellery by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, at Agricola, Greater Georgetown.

According to information received, Lorna Carrington, 50, and 42-year-old Ron Holder of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown had gone to a vulcanising shop located on the Agricola Public Road to patch a tyre for her car. She was standing next to her car while Holder had gone into the vulcanizing shop when

the two men confronted her and confiscated her gold chain and two gold rings.

Upon realising that Carrington was being robbed, Holder confronted the men, but one of them took out a handgun from his pants waist and discharged a round in the air before they ran into an alleyway through which they escaped, leaving their pedal cycles behind.

The Police were contacted and the area was combed, but the two men had already disappeared without trace.

The police have since retrieved one spent .32 shell at the scene as investigations continue.

Interfaith service launches National Co-op Week 2018 Knife-wielding bandit

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rayers for cooperation, unity and blessings for the country marked the official launch of National Co-operative Week 2018.

An inter-faith service hosted at the Ministry of Social Protection, this morning attracted a number of representatives and invitees from the various religious denominations.

Prayers from the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Bahai faiths all called for citizens to cooperate and work together to make a positive change in the country and the lives of each other.

The service is a collaborative effort between Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Co-operatives, the Guyana National Co-operative Union Limited and the Guyana Co-operative Credit Union League Limited.

Advisor Francis Carroll speaking on behalf of the

attacks, robs housewife

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Co-op staff performing a special item during the service

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott, reiterated that the government’s goals can only be achieved through cooperation.

“Whatever we do, wherever we go, we need to always remember that we are always our brother’s keep-

er, and today, plans and programmes of the current administration most, if not all will only succeed if we approach them from the spirit of Cooperativism,” Carroll said.

The theme of this year’s national cooperative week 2018 is “Cooperatives:

Sustainable Consumption and Production of Goods and Services“. It begins today July 1st and ends on Saturday, July 7.

Cummings Street, Georgetown woman is now counting her losses after she was attacked by a knife-wielding bandit and robbed of her valuables a stone’s throw away from her home.

Forty-eight-year-old Sonia Hernandez has said that, at about 9:30h on Sunday, she was a short distance away from her home, walking along Cummings Street when she felt someone pulling on her handbag. As she turned around to see who it was, she saw a man holding on to her bag, and she began to fight him off.

However, the perpetrator whipped out a knife and demanded that she surrender her handbag. Out of fear,

Hernandez said, she complied with the demand, and the man quickly fled the scene with the bag, which contained US$110, a scale, and keys to her home, among other items.

As the knife-wielding bandit attempted to disappear from the scene, he was stuck by a motorcar. Nevertheless, he managed to get up and run into a nearby yard.

The Police were contacted and the area was combed, but there was no trace of the bandit. There was also an attempt made to find any building with a surveillance camera, but none was observed.

Investigations into this brazen early morning robbery are ongoing. No arrest has as yet been made.

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Stolen GRA vessel recovered, 4 arrested

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our men are now in Police custody after they were nabbed in the vicinity of Muneshwer’s Wharf -- on Water Street, Georgetown -- with a vessel belonging to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The 55-foot wooden boat, painted in while and green and carrying black strips, went missing from the Marine Wharf at La Penitence, Georgetown between 00:30h and 02:15h on Sunday.

Based on reports received, the moored vessel was last seen by a GRA security guard at about 00:03h.

Upon discovering that the boat had gone missing, an alarm was raised and the GDF Coast Guards were alerted. A search party was put together, and during pa-

idents of Annandale, East Coast Demerara were on board. They were immediately arrested. They remain in Police custody as investigations continue.

Paralysed lad shows improvement – mother thanks public for assistance

B The stolen boat

Ruling in Red House case likely for August

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s the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC) challenge to the President’s revocation of its lease continued at the High Court, the Attorney representing both the CJRC and Attorney General Basil Williams made their submissions to acting Chief Justice Roxane George.

As such, the parties are set to return on August 27, 2018 either for clarification or ruling. At the last court appearance, the acting Chief Justice had appealed for the timelines to be honoured, saying that predetermined timelines were totally derailed when Attorney Anil Nandlall’s submissions were late.

In late December 2016, President David Granger gave the occupant of Red House 48 hours to vacate the premises, a move which Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo described as “unconscionable and vindictive”.

At that point, the move was not in isolation as a backand-forth exchange erupted between the coalition Government and the occupant.

The Research Centre was established in 1999 to promote research into and publish materials on the life, work and ideas of late President Dr Cheddi Jagan.

trols in the Demerara River, the boat was sighted in the vicinity of Muneshwer’s wharf.

When the vessel was apprehended, four male res-

The Red House

The prime land on which Red House sits was leased to the CJRC Inc for 99 years for G$12,000 per year.

Former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Donald Ramotar had disclosed that he approved the lease in his capacity as President of Guyana. He was President from 2011 to 2015.

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Administration was initially averse to the small fee being charged and had started engaging the directors of the Research Centre on the possibility of transforming the Red House into a hub for all former Presidents.

The Management Committee, which in-

cluded former President Ramotar, had strongly objected to this move, and told the Government to find independent sites for the establishment of similar research centres for the other Guyanese leaders.

Ramotar had posited that former Presidents Desmond Hoyte and Forbes Burnham never shared the same ideology and philosophy of Dr Jagan and contended, therefore, it would be a “total dishonour” for Red House to be converted into a depository for all past Presidents.

It was subsequent to these comments that AG Williams opined that the lease was invalid, after which President Granger moved to revoke the said lease.

ibi Khan, mother of eight-year-old Matthew Zaman who became paralysed following an accident on the Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara in December 2017, is counting her lucky stars that the young boy is showing signs of improvement.

Khan related that she had been praying for her son over the months, and this is a stage of comfort with the development in his condition.

The mother of eight explained that Zaman could not speak, or move his hands and legs, but is now able to sit up with little assistance.

“We try to see if we could get him to sit up, but he can’t sit up for long; he does sit up for 10 minutes at a time”, the elated woman told Guyana Times during a telephone interview. Although he showed some improvement, he cannot breathe without the help of a tube in his throat.

Khan added that she has been contacted by several organisations throughout the country, and they willingly contributed to the cause with the aim of getting Khan better.

Other persons have shown interest in Zaman’s case, and are also willing to assist the family. “People (are) donating things for him, but he needs financial help,” Khan’s mother noted.

Nevertheless, she is thankful for all the love and appreciation shown to her and little Matthew Khan over the last few months.

Little Matthew was struck by a minibus outside their home at Lot 20 Felicity Railway

Injured: Matthew Zaman

Embankment, East Coast Demerara on December 18, 2017 while he was playing.

The mother, who was almost brought to tears as she recalled the incident, said she was at work when she heard about her son’s tragedy, and she immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where, to her horror, when she arrived there, her son was motionless.

Little Matthew sustained a fractured skull, which resulted in swelling in the brain; damage to his lungs, and injury to his spine, which hinders his mobility. At just eight years old, the child’s life has come to a drastic point, where he is unable to function like a normal child his age.

Breathing only with the help of tubes, due to the damage to his lungs; and feeding only through tubes

as well, little Matthew has met a cruel fate.

Recognising this, his mother said, she quit her job as a domestic worker to care for her baby. Khan, a mother of eight, said she had no other option but to leave her job.

She said this phase of their lives has become very challenging. Matthew’s dad does not play a role in his life, after his parents separated when he was just two years old; so his mother is left to grapple with all the expenses of raising her children and caring for Matthew. Khan says she has a 26-year-old daughter who assists her.

The driver involved in the accident had allegedly been charged for dangerous driving last December, and was released on $100,000 bail.

The matter was adjourned until July 23.

Students of Little Red Village Primary recognised for their achievements

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he six most outstanding students of the Little Red Village Primary School, Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast were recently honoured by Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) Youth and Culture Officer Herald Alves.

As an encouragement for students in the farflung areas of the Region, Alves decided to honour the six best all-round students by rewarding them with a backpack and school items.

The Head Mistress of

the school was very thankful for the kind gesture, noting that the presentation would help to motivate students to work harder for a better and brighter future, especially those in the far-flung areas who are seldom remembered.

In addition, two parents were honoured for their support towards the school. The gifts were donated by the Youth and Culture Department of Region Two, Andrea Benjamin and KEY International.

Region Two Youth and Culture Officer Herald Alves posed with the children and two parents

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Caricom Heads to tackle critical issues at 39th regular meeting W hen the Caribbean C o m m u n i t y (Caricom) Heads of Government gather for the 39th Regular Meeting in St James starting tomorrow, they will be tackling a number of critical issues that impact the economic and social advancement of the countries of the Region.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who assumed Chairmanship of the Conference of Heads of Government on July 1, will steer the meeting, which is scheduled to take place from July 4 to 6 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in James.

About 200 foreign officials are expected to attend the meeting. These include Heads of State and Government of the Community and their delegations, officials from other regional and hemispheric international bodies and

Flashback: Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness arrives at the opening ceremony of the 38th Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in July 2017 at the Grenada Trade Centre, Grand Anse, St George's, Grenada

M&CC addresses City Constabulary misconduct cases

…seeks to engage officers in training

institutions, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, both local and overseas, who are accredited to Caricom.

Among the key agenda items are crime and security strategy, disaster management and climate change, and implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Other areas for discussion include the upcoming 2018 G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which will be the first to be held in South America.

The Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ministry indicates that Jamaica's chairmanship will place particular focus on the CSME given its critical importance in facilitating the expansion of investment and trade in goods and services as well as the free movement of people across the Region.

Prime Minister Holness is expected to address his colleague Heads of Government on the Report of the Commission to Review Jamaica's Relations within the Caricom and CARIFORUM Frameworks.

The Commission, led by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, looked at the effectiveness of Jamaica's membership within Caricom, with respect to trade in goods and services, investment, international competitiveness and job creation.

The report, which was tabled in the House

of Representatives on February 6, 2018 and debated on June 19, 2018, includes 33 recommendations aimed at addressing the structural and organisational deficiencies within Caricom.

Among them is that Member States should facilitate the full, free movement of people within Caricom, except in cases of security and public-health risks.

They should also push for the harmonisation of customs laws, regulations and procedures, among other things.

Another key recommendation is for Jamaica to seek a clear, definite commitment from all Member States to a specific, timebound, measurable and verifiable programme of action to fulfil all their obligations and complete other requirements for the CSME to be fully established and operational within the next five years.

The Prime Minister recalled that the Caricom Heads had approved an implementation plan in July 2007, which mandated Member States to implement their outstanding actions on the Caricom Single Market within four years.

The time frame, he said, is notably less than what the Commission has recommended.

“The implementation plan, I should note, failed to address the Single Economy [E], so within this context, the Commission compels us

to finally take the bold move towards addressing the elephant in the room,” he added.

Speaking at a press briefing on June 28, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, said the Single Market would “be undoubtedly, an interesting matter for Heads to consider”.

The Senator said that Jamaica would also be calling for the governance within Caricom and Caricom institutions to be effectively addressed, and a performance-based results approach adopted.

“Certainly, there will be an assessment of what institutions are functioning well, what institutions may no longer be necessary and, therefore, be an unnecessary drain on resources.

We believe that this is the type of analysis that must be conducted in the shortest order, in order to ensure that our resources are being appropriately directed and utilised,” she noted.

Senator Johnson Smith said that matters such as dispute resolution and compliance and a review of the bases for assessment of Member States' financial contribution to Caricom and regional institutions must also be addressed by Caricom.

The Heads of Government will also tackle crime and violence and the implications for the development of the Region. (Excerpt

from JIS)

NGSA shows major gender gap in top 1% Town Clerk Royston King

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he Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has announced a more holistic approach to dealing with reports of assault and misconduct levied against officials of the City Constabulary.

Town Clerk Royston King told Guyana Times that discussions have been facilitated with Chief Constable Andrew Foo to address the issue.

Additionally, the M&CC’s Human Resources Management Committee now has the responsibility of recording these cases.

“We have since had discussions with the Chief Constable. The second thing we’ve done is: we have removed reporting responsibilities, particularly in the area of human resources, from under the Legal Affairs Committee to the Human Resources Management Committee,” King told this publiation.

King also announced that additional consultations would be held with the City Council to emphasise the focus being placed on the

City Hall

way the public is treat by Constabulary officials.

“It has to come up to Council for a discussion; we want to have a more focused approach, (especially in regard to) how we manage the Constab human resources, particularly in terms of discipline and sanctions against misconduct,” King posited.

It was also related that the Council is seeking to implement training for all officers attached to the City Constabulary.

“I have engaged a training officer of the City Council to provide a schedule of training activities for officers and ranks of the Constabulary. I have written the Chief Constable to ask him (about) reports on some allegations [that] I have been receiving with respect to misconduct of some of the ranks,” King detailed.

There have been, in the past, numerous reports of City Constabulary officers

being involved in acts of misconduct with citizens.

In one instance, a taxi driver who allegedly was unlawfully arrested by the City Constabulary has accused the officers of assaulting him. The man had allegedly parked his vehicle outside the National Hardware building on Water Street when he was approached by three officers of the Constabulary and accused of obstructing the flow of traffic. An eyewitness at the scene, who subsequently spoke to this publication, revealed that Mohabir was not guilty of the accusations levelled against him, since his vehicle, HB 3474, was parked within the demarcated lines.

It was also noted that there was, in the area, no traffic buildup which could have caused a disturbance in traffic.

Mohabir was subsequently released on $5,000 bail.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry

I

n light of the release of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results, it was evident that there was a gender gap with a greater number of females placing in the top one per cent of the country compared to the number of males.

Out of the 174 students who placed in the top one per cent, 104 were female, while 70 were male.

The gender gap is an issue which Guyana has seen for a number of years as it

relates to academic performances. At the announcement of the results last week, these numbers were addressed by Education Minister Nicolette Henry, who explained that there was approximately the same number of males and females at the primary level.

However, the ratio is disrupted at the secondary level, where the number of males is reduced by half.

She stated, “At the primary level and nursery level, we have ratio of 1:1 of boys and girls. By the time they write CXC, we have two girls to every one boy. So, somewhere along the continuum, we’re losing them.

That is data and enough reason for us to act.”

She noted that male underachievement at these examinations required “strategic” intervention and hence, a symposium was organised last week by the Ministry in collaboration with the University of Guyana (UG); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Caricom to begin work on bridging the gender di-

Top student Naila Rahaman

vide.

“These issues require evidence-based, scientific and proven strategies to address and, therefore, we’re bringing the experts. We have people who are from the international community, the regional community, our academic community, and other communities.”

The NGSA results were announced on Thursday last with the top performer being Nalia Rahaman of Westfield Prep, who secured a perfect score of 529 marks.

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 10 top NGSA performers honoured …Region came second according to analysis – Education Minister

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Education Minister Nicolette Henry and education officials pose with the top students of Region 10

welve top performers in this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations who hail from the mining town of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) were recognised for their out-

standing performances by Education Minister Nicolette Henry on Sunday.

The students were honoured at a ceremony hosted at the One Mile Primary School, from where most of the Region’s top students were drawn.

Those honoured were the Region’s top student Shakina McGregor, who secured 521 marks; Somira Dainty; Latanya Edwards; Zaria Jacobis; Oroyo Trotman; Anton Ward and Zalika Dey of One Mile Primary School.

Projects in Bartica on hold following closure of sandpits Mayor stated.

He noted that while the municipality is affected, the other challenges come from the fact that all works have been stalled until the matter is resolved and the sandpits are up and running. It is a situation that is considered as “unbearable”.

“Of course, that means that all government proj-

“I spoke with the commissioner of GGMC just a few days ago and subsequently wrote him. It is my belief that if they do not act appropriately, then I think the people of Bartica will have to decide the way forward and I will leave that to them. Not the councilors and the Mayor, but the people of Bartica will have to decide

Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall

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lmost two weeks after an order was issued for the closure of sandpits in Bartica by the Natural Resources Ministry, the Town Council has been facing some challenges as it relates to other pending projects.

This was related by the Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall who explained that the municipality has met the requirements that were demanded to improve the working conditions of the sandpits.

However, those facilities are yet to be reopened.

“One of our agencies responsible for mining came into Bartica and close what we would refer to as one of our sandpits. To date, that facility remains closed and of course, it is causing some major challenges for the municipality. Despite the municipality would’ve met the requirements that were demanded by the agency, that facility remains closed,” the

The others were Seraiah Doris- Walker of Amelia’s Ward Primary; Shakina London, Shannia Flatts and Makayla Moseley of the Watooka Day Primary; and Owen Hooper of Regma Primary.

Minister Henry, in her address, pointed out the Region would have performed second best in this year’s examinations compared to the other administrative regions across the country.

She noted that this was testimony that with a bit more effort there could be more improvement in the Region’s performance.

The Minister congratulated the students, noting that they were performing well at a time when prioritising education was of utmost importance.

“I believe that when you would have excelled, when you do well, you should be recognised. You should also be encouraged to continue to do better and it is my expectation that this is the beginning of a very long and positive journey for you and that we’ll be hearing and seeing much more about you in terms of your academic journey,” the Education Minister posited.

She added that education has to be recognised now more than ever, primarily because quality education went hand in hand with development even as Guyana was set to become an oil-producing country.

In this regard, Minister Henry stressed the need to continue to develop human resources and human capacity in an effort to encourage and support young aspiring leaders to ensure that they have whatever it took to move the country to prosperity.

She told those present

Minister Henry presents a plaque to Zaria Jacobis of One Mile Primary

that it takes a village to raise a child and everyone in the country to deliver education, as she thanked and applauded the parents of the students.

Minister Henry also stated there was still more work to be done, since quite a large number of students were unable to achieve more than 50 per cent.

“The idea is to ensure that when a student enters secondary school, that student is well prepared to matriculate at the CSEC level ... and so, at the primary level we have to ensure that we do due diligence and prepare our children well,” she said.

The Minister added that in looking at data from across the Caribbean Region it was observed that Guyana has quite a lot of work to do, not only with regard to examination results but with student at-

tendance and dropout rates among other areas.

As such, she said it would take the efforts of all, including the input of parents, and a paradigm shift.

“We have a lot of work to do in the Ministry ... we also have a lot of work to do in the communities and so while I’ve recognised the students, I’ve recognised the parents, I certainly want to urge and ask of you to commit to taking education forward, as a Region, as a community...,” the Minister said.

Also present at the occasion were Assistant Chief Education Officer (ACEO) Owen Pollard, Acting Regional Education Officer Keane Adams, Regional Unit Coordinator Simone King, Regional Executive Officer Orrin Gordon, Head Teachers, teachers, and parents.

Alphonso donates to Charity Nursery School

A Sand pit

ects are on hold. That also means that private contractors cannot work. The banks are calling us and asking us what is happening and it’s a situation that is getting unbearable to say the least,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Mayor Marshall also posited that attempts were made to engage the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and if a positive outcome is not generated, then the Council would remain on the sideline and the decision would be left to the people of Bartica.

the way forward.”

Just two weeks ago, there were orders to close the sandpit following at Five Miles, Bartica following “dangerous safety infraction” that was said to have occurred there during a visit by the Minister within the Natural Resources Minister, Simona Broomes.

Men were seen shoveling from a steep drop with unstable overburden which could have proven to be detrimental to those workers.

Additionally, millions were reportedly owed in royalties to the GGMC.

lfro Alphonso and Sons Enterprises in Charity on the Essequibo Coast donated a computer and printer to the Charity Nursery School on Friday last.

Assistant General Manager Ryan Vanslygtman handed over the $150,000 gift to the Head Teacher, Kim De Mattos at a simple ceremony. The official during the handing over said the gift would assist the teachers in the delivery of quality education to the 140 students who attend the school.

Head Teacher De Mattos related that the computer was a much-needed piece of equipment and expressed gratitude to the company for the timely donation. She promised to take good care of the computer system, noting that it would greatly as-

Alfro Alphonso and Sons Enterprises Assistant General Manager Ryan Vanslygtman hands over the donation to Head Teacher Kim De Mattos

sist them.

Deputy Head Mistress of the school, Vanessa Imamudeen, Parent-

Teachers Association (PTA) Secretary Verlene Walcott and others attended the simple presentation ceremony.

news

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tuesDAY, july 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parfaite Harmonie begins ‘Blazin’ with GTT

Staff of GTT at Parfaite Harmonie on Saturday

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n an effort to continue to ‘do more’ for its customers, telecommunications giant GTT has spent two days in Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) conducting registration and installation of its most recent superfast Internet service powered by fibre-optic cable – GTT Blaze.

This was the second phase of the on-the-spot registration and installation exer-

cise that began on Saturday, June 30 and ended on July 1.

The first phase was conducted two weeks prior.

Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI) was the Support Officer, Sherissa Critchlow, who said that this was an effort of GTT to provide more services to the area, since the residents only previously accessed the mobile service.

“The aim is that these areas here are grassroots areas in our view, because we haven’t done anything here apart from mobile, so we want to come down here, give customers that change to have really awesome service,” she explained.

“We don’t want them to wait; we want when they come to get signed up, in just a few hours, the technicians will call them and we’re at the home installing Blaze.”

When asked about the response of the residents, the Support Officer said that they had accomplished over 200 sales the day prior and from those sales, half of the installations have been completed.

“The response has been great, as anticipated; everyone is excited about the superfast Internet services.

As much as there’s rain, our technicians are still out there getting those installations done. So, we anticipate that all of those customers that we would’ve signed up during the course of this

CCPA hosts special parenting training in Region 10

Coomacka parents doing an acrostic on parenting

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he Linden branch of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) is on a mission to significantly decrease incidents of child abuse by targeting parents who are neglecting their children, thus leaving them vulnerable.

For 2018, hundreds of parents from eight communities across Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) have benefited from this special parenting training. During the week of June 17-22, 86 parents from Coomacka Mines graduated and 56 from the community of Amelia’s Ward.

Other communities that benefited were Canvas City, Victory Valley, Old England,

tiative was the brainchild of Director of Children Services, Ann Greene. In a previous interview, Greene had said that one way to reduce the incidents of child abuse was to raise awareness among parents. Many parents, she said, lack the capacity to parent responsibly, thus putting their children at risk.

In an invited comment, Moore said: “Parents have to see that they need to be the role models for their children by the example they set … when they get frustrated, they can come to CCPA for guidance on how to deal with the situation.”

Moore revealed that parents found guilty of ne-

A section of the graduating group at Linden Foundation Secondary School, Amelia’s WardA section of the graduation at Linden Foundation Secondary School Amelia’s Ward and Nottinghamshire. glect would now face the full The Department of Public brunt of the law. As such, Information (DPI) report- the Agency’s initiative aims ed that acting CCPA super- to prevent familial situations visor in Region 10, Huette from reaching to this stage, Moore revealed that the ini- while decreasing incidents of

abuse in the Region.

At a recent graduation held at the Linden Foundation Secondary School in Amelia’s Ward on June 21, acting Linden Town Clerk Orleena Obermuller advised parents, “Good parenting means teaching him or her(the child) to lead a good and happy life in our imperfect world. Being a good parent means you need to teach your child morals: what is right and what is wrong.

Setting limits and being firm and kind can be two keys to good discipline.”

One graduate from the parenting training, Marcia Peters, explained that the programme was of tremendous benefit to her, and made a commitment to share what she learnt with others. “It has been a tremendous thing for me. I learned how to better deal with problems with children and I hope that this is a continuous programme, so that everybody that missed it will able to get the opportunity to learn how to handle situations better,” she said.

Statistics in 2017 revealed that Region 10 has the highest child abuse rate, with child neglect topping the charts followed by child sexual abuse.

The CCPA will be targeting as many communities as possible until the entire Region 10 has been reached.

Other programmes such as the teenage pregnancy prevention programme will also be rolled out.

A technician installing the service in the area

weekend will get installed.”

Currently, the Blaze service is in approximately 20 areas and is still expanding.

Critchlow made it known that the company has put in immense efforts towards sensitising the public on the service and encouraging them to sign up.

Teams are present on the

roads, making calls, and customers have even been receiving blast texts on when the service would be available in their areas. Persons are also encouraged to visit retail stores to get signed up.

As the service is made available in respective areas, after signing up, persons can get installed in 45-50 days.

Critchlow is encouraging potential customers to consider the benefits of the service: “Think of what you can do with up to 50mbps of service. You can stream your videos better, gaming, no longer are you buffering. Students who want to do online programmes and so forth, now with Blaze you can do so much more, whether it’s for studies, play, or work.”

Persons are encouraged to get signed up as soon as possible.

The service incurs a $12,000 installation fee that does not have to be paid up front, but when customers receive their first bill.

Customers purchasing this service will receive three things from each package: landline service, Internet service and a backup battery which gives power for 4-6 hours.

Significant reform needed to transform regional aviation industry

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he President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr William Warren Smith, is calling for a new paradigm in the aviation industry, defined by connectivity which is convenient, flexible, and reasonably priced.

Speaking at the June 29th Aviation Day Caribbean, Dr Smith noted that transforming the Caribbean airline industry would demand significant reforms and actions by regional governments, but would also lead to a better overall customer experience, and to aviation making an even bigger contribution to regional economic activity.

The CDB President said the cost of intra-regional travel is a major deterrent to travel, and in many instances, high taxes have made fares uncompetitive. He noted that a reduction in these costs could lead to an increase in travel.

“Intra-regional fares have risen steadily, to the point where it is often cheaper to fly to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States than it is to fly to neighbouring Caribbean islands. […]

Studies commissioned by CDB confirm that air travel is price-elastic, so that reductions in these imposts should lead to increased travel, which in turn should lead to additional tax revenue flow to replace some of the revenues foregone.

“Additionally, one should expect secondary benefits to Government revenue arising from the in-country spend associated with the larger number of visitors,” Dr Smith noted.

Specific measures recommended by the CDB President to revamp the aviation industry include harmonising regulation across the Caribbean; adopting and implementing a comprehensive open skies agreement; and strengthening the internal operation of Caribbean

CDB President, Dr William Warren-Smith

airlines.

CDB had partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) to host Aviation Day Caribbean, which was held at the Hilton Barbados Resort.

IATA Regional Vice President for the Americas, Peter Cerdá, has said air transport is vital to supporting sustained economic development in the Caribbean.

He noted, however, that while the global aviation industry is doing well, the profit per passenger in the Latin America and Caribbean region is less than half the global average.

“The lack of growth in Caribbean connectivity is due to a combination of high taxes, fees, and charges in air transportation, as they add to the cost of travel and make the Caribbean an expensive region to operate in.

(They also create) regulatory barriers, including the lack of liberalisation in air services, and an inefficient and aging infrastructure.”

Cerdá added that while many countries consider raising taxes and fees to be a quick revenue generator, the long-term impact is not often considered.

“According to a study published by IATA, each $1 of ticket tax could lead to over 40,000 fewer foreign passen-

gers; $20M of reduced tourist expenditure; 1,200 fewer jobs. While we understand the budgetary challenges facing many Governments in the region, imposing heavy fees and taxes on aviation and air travel directly affects levels of tourism and business travel—the very things required for a vibrant economy.”

Minister of Tourism and International Transport for Barbados, Kerrie Symmonds, who also spoke during the opening ceremony, outlined several new revenue measures adopted by the Government of Barbados, including a new tax on air travellers. He said the Government intends to use the additional revenue to enhance the airport facilities by, among other things, introducing automated passport control kiosks, and upgrading the departure lounge.

“While we accept that there has been some disquiet; and while we, with the greatest possible reluctance, have gone to the point of institutionalising the increases in departure tax, […] we believe that we can treat this as an investment towards making the airport experience and all that has gone with it traditionally a completely different and enhanced one, as we go forward into the future,” said Minister Symmonds.

Aviation Day Caribbean brought together experts in air travel, tourism and economic development, as well as Government authorities, to discuss how aviation can deliver even greater benefits to the region.

CDB has also released a study, titled Air Transport Competitiveness and Connectivity, during Aviation Day. The study raises awareness about the options available to improve the competitiveness of the regional air transport.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, july 3, 2018

Regional

New Mexican President offers cuts to US-bound migration

M

exican Presidentelect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he had spoken with President Donald Trump on the phone and offered to reduce USbound migration in exchange for American assistance.

“I received a phone call from Donald Trump and we spoke for half an hour,” the fiery leftist wrote on Twitter, in one of his first messages after winning a landslide victory Sunday.

“I proposed exploring a universal deal (involving) development projects that would create jobs in Mexico and, by doing so, reduce migration and improve security,” he added.

“The tone was respectful and our teams will be holding talks.”

Trump also mentioned the phone call in an Oval Office briefing.

“I just spoke with the President-elect of Mexico,” he told reporters.

“I think the relationship is going to be a very good

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addresses supporters, in Mexico City on July 2 [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]

one. We had a great talk.”

Trump’s anti-trade and anti-immigration policies have infuriated Mexico, and Lopez Obrador would not seem the most obvious candidate to mend ties with his country’s giant northern neighbour and key trading partner.

He had vowed during the campaign to “put (Trump) in his place.”

But he was more conciliatory in his victory speech Sunday night, saying he

wanted “friendship and cooperation” with the United States.

Trump said a change in Mexico’s leadership might make a difference.

“I think he is going to try and help us with the border,” he said.

Ironically, there are parallels between the two leaders. Both are free-trade sceptics with populist tendencies who fired up a disgruntled base with anti-establishment campaigns. (Al Jazeera)

DLP “lost its way” – High Commissioner

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he Democratic Labour Party (DLP) got a 30-0 whipping from the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in the last General Election because it was no longer “for the people”.

And for it to be resurrected from the political ashes, the Party must bury some of its old leadership baggage.

That was the frank assessment from outgoing High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Reverend Guy Hewitt, as he addressed the Annual General Meeting of the DLP’s United Kingdom branch in London on Sunday.

He attributed the May 24 defeat to a “most egregious, homophobic, bordering (sic)

on misogynistic, election campaign, [that] created a serious and fatal disconnect between the Government and the governed”.

The Anglican cleric also took a swipe at the leadership.

“Political leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence, inspiration and integrity. Impact involves getting results, influence is about creating and spreading a vision, inspiration is to get others to follow you, and integrity is the means to ensure that what is done, happens in a just and compassionate manner.

“If and when a political leader senses that he

has run his course, he has a duty and responsibility to share that well in advance with those he leads, and where necessary, make way . . . ,” he added.

But Hewitt said the party hierarchy and candidates had to take some responsibility “for their failure to act when they should have known better”.

“Between 2008 when the DLP was elected to office and 2018 when they were routed at the polls . . . there was a sense amongst the populous that the DLP were no longer ‘for the people’,” said Hewitt, who noted he was asked to give his opinion on the results. (Excerpt from Barbados Nations)

OAS urges greater collaboration with Jamaica

D

irector of International Law at the Organisation of American States (OAS), Dante Negro is urging Jamaicans to be more actively involved in matters concerning the OAS. Negro, who was speaking at a Forum at the University of Technology, Jamaica on Friday noted that Jamaica’s participation in the work of

S

Aerial view of Barbuda

fishermen can use the facility for the purpose for which it was built.

The Member of Parliament for Barbuda, Trevor Walker, explained that in order for the fishermen to meet required exportation standards, they

must do so from “a sanitised facility approved by the EU [European Union] and the complex is that facility.”

He also indicated that fishermen need uninhibited access “to fill their diving tanks with air there as well.”

Jamaica, including work on arbitration matters, cooperation on secured transactions, and discussions on the concept of electronic warehousing.

He said that while many persons associate the OAS with political questions, the Organisation is also active in private and commercial law issues as a means of promoting economic development.

(Jamaica Observer)

T&T PM tells ASJA to reject anti-Muslim talk

ASJA Girls’ San Fernando principal Yasmin Rahaman-Singh, left, with staff members; second from left, Aliyah Amarsingh, Lazina Ali, Raziah Mohammed-Pedro, Faria Khan, Nailah Hosein, Shabana Hosein and Shayna Karim

P

rime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has told the Muslim community to reject any talk pertaining to the Government attempting to impose anti-Muslim policies or laws against Muslims in T&T. Rowley made the comment while addressing the annual Eid-ulFitr dinner hosted by the Anjuman Sunnat ul Jamaat Association (ASJA), T&T’s largest Islamic organisation, at the Centre Pointe Mall, Chaguanas, on Saturday.

“If any person is seeking to tell you or to advance their understanding of any difficulties that we may have, or any misunderstanding, or any challenge

Barbudans and Police clash over use of fisheries complex cores of Barbudans were engaged in a five-hour standoff with Police on Sunday over access to the Fisheries Complex, intermittently chanting “no retreat, no surrender” as they vowed not to hand over the keys for the building to anyone.

The Complex has been serving as accommodation for Police Officers in Barbuda since September last year, as the rebuilding of the hurricane-ravaged island continues.

But, the Barbuda Council has decided that due to the open season for lobster which began Sunday, the officers should vacate the building so that

the OAS does not need to be confined to treaty cooperation.

He suggested that Jamaican entities could also work with the Organisation through implementation of model laws, sharing of best practices, workshops, and forums.

Negro gave examples of recent work of the OAS that could provide guidelines for

“Without this complex lobster cannot be shipped to the EU market and it would be a huge blow for us, it is an $8 million dollar industry,” he reiterated.

The complex, according to Walker, was a gift to the people of Barbuda, particularly the fishermen, from the Government of Japan.

He said if the instruction was given by the government to the police to take the keys, it was on a false premise because the central government “has no authority over this building… we cannot allow Gaston Browne and his government to come here and intimidate us.” (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

that this country has, I ask you today to reject all conversations, all misinformation, about anti-Muslim policies in T&T,” Rowley told the gathering.

“If you do nothing else in defence of T&T reject that, because that is not a fact, it might suit one or two persons to carry that conversation.”

In an obvious reference to conversations from some quarters that the Government was discriminating against the Muslim community via the action of the T&T Police Service during raids connected to the Carnival terror plot in February and intended anti-terrorism legislation,

Rowley assured those gathered that this was far from reality.

“Whatever might be interpreted as being anti-Muslim, there is nothing that could create the reality of a hostility or of a misdirection than a conversation based on misinformation, a conversation that is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” the PM said.

“Brothers and sisters, this country is a beautiful place, it is only in this country that we can be free as we are now. We know of no other country in the world where we the people gathered here in this room who live on these islands could be freer than we are than in this island.” (Excerpt from Trinidad

Guardian)

TTUTA stands firm: No marking of SBAs without pay

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he Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) is holding firm to its position that its teachers will not be marking School Based Assessment (SBAs) for Forms Five and Upper Six students come September, unless they are compensated for doing so.

This is outlined in a letter dated July 2, the Association President Lynsley Doodhai dispatched to Education Minister Anthony Garcia. In the letter, Doodhai affirmed this was not in the job description for teachers and advised its members accordingly.

He said it was time teachers were treated fairly and equitably and for the exploitation against them to cease. Doodhai slammed Garcia for the lack of consultation with the union on the

controversial issue, but affirmed its willingness to dialogue as it was prepared to take this matter to its natural end.

“The Association is aware that on May 11, 2018, you (Garcia) convened a meeting regarding compensation for the marking of SBAs with certain representatives of the MoE and other stakeholders within the education system. We note with concern, the deliberate omission of the Association, the sole representative body of the teachers, from discussions of this nature,” Doodhai wrote.

He also noted that it is particularly unfortunate that the Association had to learn of the Minister’s intention to seek legal advice on the way forward from the media, rather than the Minister.

(Trinidad Newsday)

tuesDAY, july 3, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Thailand cave rescue: Boys found alive after 9 days T

welve boys and their football coach missing in caves in Thailand for nine days have been found by divers, in a drama that has gripped the nation.

They were discovered by two British divers on a ledge in a cavern after a marathon search operation in the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai. The challenge now will be to extract the party safely, with rising water and mud impeding access.

Families of the missing group were ecstatic at news of the rescue.

Rescuers had hoped they would find safety on a ledge in an underground chamber nicknamed Pattaya Beach, but they were found 400m (440 yards) away having moved to higher ground to avoid the rising water.

The two British rescuers, believed to be Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, were flown into Thailand early last week.

There was jubilation among family members camping near the caves

In video posted on Facebook by Thai Navy SEAL special forces, one of them can be heard speaking in English to the group, as they sit on a ledge above water in a cavern,

picked out by torchlight.

"How many of you?" the rescuer asks.

"Thirteen!" comes the reply.

"Thirteen? Brilliant!"

The boys were discovered by two British divers on a ledge in a cavern after a marathon search operation in the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai

The group appear to ask when they will be taken to safety and one of the unseen rescuers replies: "Not today. There's two of us. We have to dive. We are coming. OK?

Many people are coming. We are the first."

One of the boys is heard to say: "Eat, eat, eat, tell them we are hungry." (Excerpt from BBC News)

Germany migrants US aims to reduce Iran's oil revenue to zero crisis: Interior Minister Seehofer will not resign

G

ermany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer says he will not resign, after hours of crisis talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He said the two conservative parties in the governing coalition had agreed on how to prevent illegal migration across the border from Austria.

He had earlier threatened to quit, but said tighter border controls had been agreed.

Merkel says a good compromise was found, Reuters news agency reports.

Seehofer leads the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).

"After intensive discussions between the CDU and CSU we have reached an agreement on how we can in future prevent illegal immigration on the border between Germany and Austria," Seehofer told reporters as he was leaving the CDU's Berlin headquarters.

Seehofer was demanding a right to turn irregular migrants away at Bavaria's border, but Merkel defended a deal reached with the EU. Top CSU officials had said they wanted to stay in Government with Merkel's CDU. Merkel got backing from both the CDU and CSU at a parliamentary meeting on Monday. Seehofer was not there. (Excerpt from BBC News)

America's Indo-Pacific strategy will cost you – China to India

T

he United States State Department has spelled out a campaign of "maximum economic and diplomatic pressure" to drive Iran towards negotiating a "better" deal to replace the Iran nuclear deal.

State Department Director of Policy Planning Brian Hook told reporters on Monday that Iran is not a "normal" country and must meet 12 demands in order to be relieved of US sanctions.

"Normal countries don't terrorise other nations, proliferate missiles and im-

I

Global Times, which is run by People's Daily – a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, said that India is stand to lose more than it can gain from the socalled Indo-Pacific strategy of US. "The subtext of this strategy of the United States is that it hopes India can play an essential role in balancing the rise of China. Does India really want to play the role that the US expects?

Don't forget that this strategy has a strong military stance against China.” (Excerpt from Economic Times)

poverish their own people," Hook said.

"This new strategy is not

about changing the regime, it is about changing the behaviour of the leadership in

Harvey Weinstein faces 'Dead' woman found new sex assault charges alive in South Africa morgue fridge

A

The Hollywood producer has pleaded not guilty to the first set of charges against him

H

ndia should not fall victim to the United States' purpose of containing China's rise and instead it should look to China for ways of self-development, the hardline Chinese state media outlet Global Times has said in an editorial.

"The US has been generous about its fondness for India in rhetoric. But whether the fondness is what Indians need the most, or if the value is worth the price, remains undetermined," the editorial said, referring to the cancellation of the USIndia "2+2 dialogue".

In a tweet on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said extra Saudi oil would help offset a decline in supply from Iran [Reuters]

Iran to comport with what the Iranian people really want them to do," he said.

The State Department said new sanctions, which it described as "snap back" sanctions, will begin on August 4, targeting Iran's automotive sector and its trade in gold and other key metals.

A second set of sanctions will snap back on November 6. This set will target Iran's energy sector, focusing on petroleum-related transactions, plus transactions with the central bank of Iran. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

ollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein is facing fresh sexual assault charges.

They involve a third woman in a case dating back to 2006, Prosecutors say.

The film producer, aged 66, faces life in prison over the charges – one count of criminal sexual act and two of predatory sexual assault.

Weinstein had already been charged with rape and other sexual crimes in May against two women. He pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Also, he has previously said via his lawyer that he has never had non-consensual sex.

The new charges are punishable by a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

"This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survi-

vors who have come forward," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. "Our investigation continues."

He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of either of the first offences relating to the first two women. (Excerpt from BBC News)

South African woman is recovering in hospital after being discovered alive in a mortuary fridge.

The woman was taken to Carletonville morgue, in Gauteng province, having been declared dead by paramedics following a road accident.

Ambulance company Distress Alert said she had shown "no form of life", South Africa's TimesLive website reports.

But when a morgue worker returned to check on the body in the fridge, he found the woman was breathing.

An official has confirmed to the BBC the woman is now being treated in a hospital east of Johannesburg after being referred by forensics officers. She has not been named.

An investigation into the incident is being carried out, with the family demanding answers.

"As a family we won't talk about this unless the Police, paramedics and the mortuary officials who were involved are present. We need answers," a family member told the BBC, speaking on condition of anonymity. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

Israel enacts law to freeze Palestinian funds equal to prisoners' stipends

I

srael enacted a law on Monday to financially penalise the Palestinian Authority for paying stipends to Palestinians jailed

by Israel, their families, and the families of those killed

by Israeli forces.

The 120-seat Parliament voted 87-15 in favour of the legislation that orders holding back part of the roughly US$130 million in tax reve-

nues that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians each month under interim peace agreements.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas has limited selfrule in the occupied West Bank where Israel retains overall security control.

Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank and the Gaza

Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Islamist Hamas group, bitter rivals of Abbas’s more secular Fatah faction, controls the Gaza Strip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly demanded that the Palestinians, who view prisoners as national heroes, stop paying stipends to them and their families.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, july 3, 2018

ARCHIE

Get involved in fun events or sign up for a physical chal(March 21- lenge. Participation will enApril 19) hance your life and lead to personal growth. Romance is favored.

ARIES

Don’t leap before you look.

TAURUS Test the waters and find out (April 20- what works for you before May 20) you venture in too deep. Back away from an argumentative situation.

dilbert

Taking short trips, engagGEMINI (May 21- ing in lively discussions and June 20) contemplating what’s available to you will help you find the right path. Don’t act in haste; time is on your side.

Aim high and trust in your ability to bring about positive (June 21- change. Let your uniqueness July 22) shine through in all that you do.

CANCER

Peanuts

Your desire for change LEO will lead you down a slippery (July 23- slope. Don’t jump into someAug. 22) thing before you know what’s entailed and how much it will cost. Choose to be cautious.

Your creative imaginaVIRGO tion will be in overdrive. If (Aug. 23you harness your ideas and Sept. 22) give them a realistic spin, you will develop a quite profitable plan.

Calvin and Hobbes

Keep moving forward.

LIBRA (Sept. 23- If you lag or stop along the Oct. 23) way, you will miss your mark. Look, see and do, and don’t stop until you reach your destination. Romance will brighten your day.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — LYRICAL (LYRICAL: LIR-ih-kul: Suitable for singing; rhapsodic.)

SUDOKU

Trust in yourself. Don’t SAGITTARIUS let someone take advantage (Nov. 23- of you or use emotional tacDec. 21) tics to persuade you to get involved in something that doesn’t benefit you directly.

Personal improvements are highlighted.

A change will do you good.

CAPRICORN Rearrange your furniture or (Dec. 22- alter your routine to add to Jan. 19) your convenience or to fit in something you want to pursue.

Average mark 15 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 21 or more words in LYRICAL? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — ORACLES

oral orca race rale rase real role rose acre aloe also

arose care carol case cero clear close closer coal coarse cola

cole coral core lace lase laser lore lose loser earl sale

scale scar scare sclera score seal sear serac sloe soar socle

solace solar sole sora sore

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

Pour your heart and soul SCORPIO into something you love do(Oct. 24ing.

Don’t let what others do Nov. 22) or say drag you down. It’s up to you to put your plans in motion.

solution for last published puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Do what suits you and refrain from following someone who tends to be extravagant or indulgent. Personal or spiritual growth will give you a new perspective on life, love and happiness.

Express your ideas and listen to the feedback you get from someone you trust.

Your ideas may be unique, but they must be practical as well if you want to be successful.

tuesDAY, JUly 3, 2018

Neymar, Firmino take Brazil past Mexico

B

eneath the fancy hair, the absurd solipsism and the antics of a latterday Sun King, it is good to be reminded sometimes that Neymar is an exceptionally gifted footballer. It was his goal that broke the deadlock and if his influence on this game was far more positive than in any in the group stage, it was almost entirely because he played without that same furious determination to be the protagonist.

But, of course, he is the same Neymar, the same diva who must always be the centre of attention. Just when everything seemed to be going well, just when it seemed there might be an argument he was growing into his role, he reacted ludicrously as Miguel Layún picked the ball from between his feet as he lay by the side of the pitch. Perhaps the Mexican midfielder did brush his ankle but the fourth official was roughly six inches away and saw nothing untoward, and neither did VAR.

Neymar, though, bucked and writhed as though he had just trodden on the third rail. Within seconds, once no card had been produced, he was back up and running as normal. It was hard to paint that as anything but the most scandalous simulation by a player who combines the most sublime skill with the most shameful self-indulgence.

It was a great shame, for until then everything had been going so well, both for Neymar and the team that keeps threatening to emerge from his shadow. Until they tired towards the end of the first half, Mexico had controlled possession and territory.

Neymar had been reduced to a peripheral role, an occasional outlet, played high up field to be a conduit for breakaways, to attack Edson Álvarez, something he did so well in combination with Philippe Coutinho that it was Brazil who looked the more dangerous.

But at half-time it remained goalless and there was a sense that Brazil could be facing a

long battle in the sapping heat.

But six minutes into the second half Neymar picked up the ball on the left. In familiar style he skipped inside, scuttling past his full-back.

Mexico got back, packed the edge of the box. It seemed certain that Neymar would take on a right-footed shot and the ball would be blocked. But then he did something utterly unexpected: he passed.

It was a backheel, but this was not one of his needless tricks designed to showcase his own ability or demean a defender, punishing them for having the temerity to stand up to him. This was a pragmatic backheel, one that changed the shape of the attack, that set Willian, making a crossover run, in space on the left side of the box. He crossed low and Neymar was there at the back post to claim his reward.

As a parable of the benefits of playing for the team it could hardly have been bettered.

The goal was not just a symbol of Neymar’s improved display, but of Tite’s clever

to get the final touch and score his first goal of the tournament. gameplan.

Photograph: There were T a t y a n a m o m e n t s Firmino celebrates his goal Zenkovich/EPA of rapid But this side is about far interplay, little darts and flurries that gave an indication more than Neymar. This is a of a potentially great side Brazil of many parts that are lying not too far beneath the looking increasingly coherent surface. For all that Mexico despite a possible weakness at offered the idea of a threat, full-back. Fagner, brought in at only a string of fine saves from right-back in place of Danilo, Guillermo Ochoa, reprising struggled against both Carlos his excellent display against Vela and Hirving Lozano, who Brazil in the last World Cup, switched flanks repeatedly as prevented Brazil from having though both were desperate the game comfortably sewn up to have a go at Dani Alves’s before the hour. The game was replacement’s replacement.

Set against that apparent eventually sealed by Roberto Firmino a minute from time. vulnerability, though, is Brazil’s Neymar will claim an assist, most underrated quality. They although there is no doubt are prepared to play without he was shooting when Ochoa the ball, prepared to draw deflected the ball into the path opponents on, and the two central defenders, Thiago Silva of the Liverpool forward.

Neymar turns in Willian’s and Miranda, protected by low cross at the far post Casemiro, are good enough after Gabriel Jesus narrowly to at least restrict the clear failed to get the final touch chances they give up.

Yet to an extent Mexico and score his first goal of the were complicit in their tournament.

Neymar turns in Willian’s own impotence. It has low cross at the far post after been a feature of Mexico’s Gabriel Jesus narrowly failed tournament so far that they

19

do not make the most of their chances, that they sweep forward in green waves that do not necessarily produce much, a result of a lack of ruthlessness with the final ball and perhaps of a reluctance on the part of the midfield to get forward and support the forward line. Decision-making, again and again, let them down.

Brazil fans celebrate advancing to World Cup quarter-finals after win over Mexico – video But it would be wrong to portray this as the Germany game redux, just with a different result. There was a sense of control about Brazil that Germany never approached, a feeling throughout that they were holding Mexico at arm’s length, restricting them, by the end, to hopeful charges at the box or speculative long-range efforts.

It was a game won with an impressive defensive performance and enough attacking flair that it always seemed a matter of when rather than if they would score. There are even signs that Neymar is beginning to use his talent for the collective.

(The Guardian)

Froome cleared by UCI in anti-doping investigation

C

hris Froome is free to ride in the Tour de France after cycling’s governing body, the UCI, dramatically announced that it had closed its case against the Team Sky rider.

The World Anti-Doping Agency also confirmed that while one of Froome’s urine samples at the Vuelta a España last September did exceed the permitted levels of salbutamol, it was satisfied that it did not constitute an adverse analytical finding (AAF).

Froome, who will be going for a fifth yellow jersey in this year’s Tour when it begins on Saturday, said that he had never doubted that his case – which had taken nine months to investigate – would be dropped.

“I am very pleased that the UCI has exonerated me,” he said. “While this decision is obviously a big deal for me and the team, it’s also an important moment for cycling.

“I understand the history of this great sport – good and bad. I have always taken my leadership position very seriously and I always do things the right way. I meant it when I said that I would never dishonour a winner’s jersey and that my results would stand the test of time.”

Froome could have faced a twoyear ban and the loss of his Vuelta title if he had been found guilty.

Team Sky’s Chris Froome

It had been expected that the Briton would have to undergo a controlled pharmacokinetic study, which would have attempted to replicate the “unique circumstances” that may have caused the abnormal levels of salbutamol in his body. However, in a statement, Wada accepted this was not “practicable”.

This, it said, was because of the difficulties of “adequately recreating the unique circumstances that

preceded the 7 September doping control [eg illness, use of medication, chronic use of salbutamol at varying doses over the course of weeks of high intensity competition]”.

Froome’s defence appears to have rested on a 1,500-page reported that his legal team submitted to the UCI this year.

The Wada decision not to issue a detailed explanation of its decision has led to criticism from anti-doping experts, including Dr Robin Parisotto, a scientist who worked on Cycling

Anti-Doping Foundation’s Biological Passport.

Speaking to Cycling News, Parisotto said: “I’m quite bemused and it’s hard to comprehend how a salbutamol level that high could not constitute an AAF. It’s now about having full access to the reasoned decision as it’s hard to comment without it. This is a case where they need to release the report in order to silence the agitators. I’m bamboozled, to be honest.”

Froome has continued to race throughout the investigation and in May broke away from the field on the Colle delle Finestre at the Giro D’Italia to become only the third rider to win three consecutive grand tours.

But his participation was a divisive matter among some in peloton with Tom Dumoulin, who finished second, saying the British rider should have removed himself from racing while the case was ongoing.

However, the Team Sky principal, Dave Brailsford, said the UCI’s decision had vindicated Froome’s decision to carry on. “We have always had total confidence in Chris and his integrity,” he said. “We knew that he had followed the right medical guidance in managing his asthma at the Vuelta and were sure that he would be exonerated in the end, which he has

been. This is why we decided that it was right for Chris to continue racing, in line with UCI rules, while the process was ongoing. We are pleased that it has now been resolved.”

Froome, who has always protested his innocence of any wrongdoing since the adverse analytical finding was revealed by the Guardian last December, said he was delighted his ordeal was over.

“I have suffered with asthma since childhood,” he said. “I know exactly what the rules are regarding my asthma medication and I only ever use my puffer to manage my symptoms within the permissible limits.

“I appreciate more than anyone else the frustration at how long the case has taken to resolve and the uncertainty this has caused. I am glad it’s finally over.”

The UCI, meanwhile, has defended the length of its investigation. “Whilst the UCI would have obviously preferred the proceedings to have been finalised earlier in the season, it had to ensure that Mr Froome had a fair process and that the correct decision was issued,” it said.

“Having received Wada’s position on 28 June 2018, the UCI prepared and issued its formal reasoned decision as quickly as possible in the circumstances.” (The Guardian)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesDAY, JUly 3, 2018

Belgium knock Japan out of World Cup with late goal

I

t will go down as a World Cup classic, a wild and chaotic game that will be talked about in years to come, in particular that dramatic moment, with almost the last kick of the evening. Belgium went from one end of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye and scored the goal that had Thibaut Courtois charging out of his area to embrace Roberto Martínez.

Nacer Chadli, one of two second?half substitutes who helped to swing the balance of this rollercoaster game, coolly converted, sidefooting home to complete a remarkable comeback in which Belgium recovered from two goals down to set up a quarter-final with Brazil in Kazan on Friday. Jan Vertonghen and Marouane Fellaini, who also came off the bench, got Belgium’s other goals on a night when Japan deserved so much more.

Akira Nishino’s side were terrific and their devastation at the end was there for all to see. Genki Haraguchi had given them the lead early in the second half with an arrowed finish and Japan were in dreamland when Takashi Inui scored a brilliant second.

Martínez looked to the heavens at that point but it was the Belgium manager’s substitutions that turned this game rather than any help from up above. It was breathless stuff.

Disciplined, tireless and rugged in their defending, Japan made life as difficult as possible for Belgium from the outset as they sat deep and snapped into tackles. Belgium had 26 touches in the Japan area in the first half – the most of any team in this World Cup – but registered only two attempts on target. That was the story of the opening 45 minutes.

Hazard showed some nice touches. Dries Mertens threatened on

Nacer Chadl guides in Belgium’s winning goal at the end of a breathtaking breakaway

the right and Kevin De Bruyne began to probe from deeper, in that slightly withdrawn role that makes him more of a quarter-back than a playmaker in this Belgium team. Yet that final pass, or that killer touch in front of goal, was missing.

Japan deserve credit in that respect.

Maya Yoshida, the Southampton defender, was particularly impressive up against Romelu Lukaku in that opening period. The centre-half used his body well to prevent Lukaku from cleanly gathering a low cross from Mertens that skidded into the six-yard box and he put his body on the line again and again.

That passage of play was

symptomatic of a frustrating first half for Belgium. Hazard, sprinting onto a pass from Mertens, took one touch too many and by the time he pulled the trigger, just inside the Japan area, Yoshida got across to block. De Bruyne, set up by Mertens, failed to cleanly connect on the edge of the area and Hazard, shooting from distance, saw his effort beaten away

by Eiji Kawashima. It was possession without penetration.

Japan had threatened sporadically prior to the interval. Shinji Kagawa, so graceful in the No10 role throughout, drilled a low show wide after only 60 seconds, following a mistake by the disappointing Yannick Carrasco, and

there was an almost an embarrassing moment for Courtois at the other end of the half, when the goalkeeper allowed Yuya Osako’s toe-poke to slip through his legs.

What followed, though, was extraordinary as Japan scored twice in quick succession. The first was a breakaway as Japan, seizing possession deep inside their own half, carved Belgium open. Kagawa’s pass inside Vertonghen was sublime, teasing the central defender into thinking he could intercept. Haraguchi, sprinting clear on Vertonghen’s outside, ran onto the ball and drilled a wonderfully-placed angled shot across Courtois.

Now the game had come

alive. Belgium almost equalised immediately. Hazard, set up by Mertens, stroked a first-time shot from 12 yards that cannoned off the post. That felt like a potential turning point a few minutes later, when Japan scored again. Kompany, starting a tournament game for the first time since the last World Cup, tried to head clear but the ball fell to Kagawa, who fed Inui. In space and with Axel Witsel far too slow to close him down, Inui accepted the invitation to shoot and curled an exquisite shot that beat the despairing dive of Courtois. Martinez looked shell-shocked.

Lukaku’s glancing header from Thomas Meunier’s cross slid agonisingly wide of the post shortly afterwards but Martinez had seen enough. Fellaini and Chadli replaced Carrasco and Mertens in what felt like a desperate roll of the dice. It worked, too, albeit not before Japan had come close to scoring a third, when Courtois stuck out a boot to repel Hiroki Sakai’s low centre.

Then Vertonghen’s looping header, from such an acute angle, sailed over Kawashima and dropped inside the far post after Japan had made a mess of trying to clear De Bruyne’s corner. Now Belgium had real hope.

Five minutes later they were level.

Hazard, twisting and turning on the left, floated over a cross that Fellaini, towering above Makoto Hasebe, headed home emphatically. Chances came and went at both ends in a frantic finale – Kawashima made a superb double save, and Witsel nearly put through his own net – before that remarkable counter-attack that started with Courtois releasing De Bryune and ended with Chadli scoring so dramatically. (The Guardian)

Williams beats Rus to reach Wimbledon 2nd round

S

erena Williams battled blustery conditions to reach the Wimbledon second round with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus. Seven-time champion Williams, the 25th seed after having a baby in September, did not have it all her own way against the left-hander's formidable forehand.

After winning the first set when Rus sent a forehand long, she had to fight back from a break down in the second.

Williams faces Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova next.

The 36-year-old American, tipped for another title in a wide open women's draw, was not happy with her performance in what is her second Grand Slam tournament since her return to the WTA Tour.

She needed six match points before finally sealing the victory when world number 105 Rus netted a backhand.

A straight-set win in the

first round at Wimbledon is nothing new for Williams, but in playing her first match here since 2016 she said she was still finding her bearings on grass.

Now addressed by the umpire as "Mrs Williams" and ranked 181 in the world, the rustiness in her game showed when she left the crowd laughing as she tried and failed to pat the ball off the ground and on to her racquet before a serve.

In gusty conditions on Court One, where the players' towels blew off the chair, fans held on to their hats and serve

tosses were repeated, Williams made 29 unforced errors.

"I wasn't quite used to

that level of wind," she said.

"Looking back I'm glad I had that wind as in the future I will be able to play a bit better.

"I'm happy to get through that, I didn't play my best but I will get there."

When Williams returned to Grand Slam tennis at the French Open in May, she was sporting a black catsuit to help her deal with blood clots.

That was replaced at Wimbledon with a white long-sleeved dress and fleshcoloured compression tights, but what were still apparent were her powerful shots that took her to the Roland Garros fourth round before she was

forced to pull out with an injury that affected her serve.

During the warmup against Rus she repeatedly circled her serving arm but she managed five aces and showed no sign of it

still bothering her.

"I took a lot of time off with serving. I just started serving when I got here," she said.

"My serve is a little playing catch-up but doing better than I hoped."

A slip on the grass did not affect her game, but her errors did keep her on the court longer than necessary.

A noisy first set, where she roared when she hit winners made way for a quieter second set and when Rus' backhand mistake handed her victory there were no wild celebrations.

"I feel like I maybe was just overly anxious and overly, over-trying, overdoing it [earlier]," she said.

"But towards the end, I definitely was more calm, just making my shots, just playing a more serene game."

Williams has been seeded here despite her lowly ranking, which is in contrast to Victoria Azarenka last year after the Belarusian's return from maternity leave.

Former world number one

and two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, who beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon second round on Monday, said that the fact she and Williams had been treated differently was leading to a healthy debate.

"I think it's an important conversation that has been started," the 28-year-old said.

"This conversation has led to numerous meetings, numerous occasions where we are discussing the rules and how can we be a leader in sports to have the best maternity policy.

"A couple of days ago we had a big meeting, and I feel like we are moving in a really good direction. I feel that our voices, as a player council, are heard. We do implement things that are going to be important for players.

"But my main thing is that it has to be for everyone, and the rules have to be applied for everyone. So that is one thing that we haven't come to the conclusion yet, but it's coming." (BBC Sport)

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hree-time NBA champion LeBron James bid farewell to Cleveland on Sunday after agreeing to a four-year US$154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 33-year-old forward leaves the Cavaliers to join an iconic franchise that has won 16 NBA titles but is rebuilding after posting a losing record for five consecutive seasons.

James bid farewell to Cleveland via his Instagram account.

“Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible four seasons,” the four-time NBA most valuable player, and 14time All Star, said on his “This will always be home.”

His agency revealed he was heading for Los Angeles.

“LeBron James, four-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA finals MVP, 14-time NBA All Star, and two-time Olympic gold medalist has agreed to a four year, US$154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers,” Klutch

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LeBron James (left) shares a light moment with Lonzo Ball

Sports Group said on Twitter.

The decision by the game’s best all-around player to leave his native Ohio for Los Angeles, where he has a home, will make the Lakers an instant contender in the Western Conference where the Golden State Warriors have won three of the last four NBA titles, defeating Cleveland each time.

The other title, for the 2016

season, went to the James’ led Cavaliers.

Originally signed by the Cavaliers in 2003, James, who grew up in Akron, left Cleveland in 2010 to join the Miami Heat and led them to four consecutive NBA Finals, winning in 2012 and 2013.

He returned home to the Cavaliers the next season and ended a championship

ew Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos said he was joining “one of the three biggest teams in the Premier League” as he joined the club from Borussia Dortmund.

The Greece international, 30, joined for an undisclosed fee for what the Gunners describe as a “long-term” deal.

Prior to making 186 appearances for Dortmund he played for Werder Bremen, Genoa and AC Milan.

“I feel very good, everything is special,” Papastathopoulos said.

He told Arsenal’s website: “It is a beautiful moment and I am very happy that for the next years I will be here. Arsenal are one of the three biggest teams in the Premier League.

“I’m a normal defender. I like to defend. I like that my team doesn’t take goals. I like a zero in the defence and I will do everything to help to achieve this goal.”

Papastathopoulos, who has 79 caps, will wear

the number five shirt for the Gunners.

He becomes Arsenal manager Unai Emery’s third signing since taking over from Arsene Wenger in May. The Gunners have already signed defender Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Italian champions Juventus, while Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno has agreed to join from Bayer Leverkusen.

Papastathopoulos will link up again with former Dortmund team-mates Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

“They called me not every day but a lot of times telling me to come here,” he said. (BBC Sport)

21

drought for Cleveland with the NBA title in 2016.

But despite claiming the Eastern Conference crown for a fourth straight year, James was given a blunt reminder of how far short the Cavs are of a championship caliber team when they were swept 4-0 by the Warriors in the Finals.

Speculation about James’ future began in advance of last season with the 76ers and Rockets rumored to be suitors, while the Cavs had hoped to keep him in Cleveland.

The Knicks and Clippers were also mentioned as possible destinations but in the end James opted for Los Angeles, who are run by former Lakers great Magic Johnson.

James enjoyed perhaps his most influential season in Cleveland to carry the team to the Finals, and finished the regular season averaging 27.5 points per game, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds while playing in all 82 contests. (Reuters)

Arsenal sign defender from Borussia Dortmund

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James agrees to 4-year, US$154M deal with Lakers T

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Sokratis Papastathopoulos

ICC approves harsher penalties for ball-tampering A player found guilty of ball-tampering can now be banned for up to six Test matches or 12 ODIs. This is among the consequences of the ICC approving significant changes to its code of conduct during its annual conference over the weekend in Dublin.

Changing the condition of the ball, previously a Level 2 offence, is now a Level 3 offence. Sanctions for Level 3 offences have also been hardened: where they would have earlier earned a player eight suspension points leading to a maximum ban of four Tests or eight ODIs - it will now earn 12 suspension points.

Level 4 offences, meanwhile, will earn a minimum of 12 suspension points.

Harsher punishments for ball-tampering have been on the cards ever since the issue reared its head during the

Newlands Test in March. The ball-tampering controversy led to Cricket Australia banning Steven Smith and David Warner from international cricket for a year and Cameron Bancroft for nine months. The ICC’s codeof-conduct sanctions were far less severe: a one-test ban for captain Smith and three demerit points for Bancroft, the player who attempted to alter the ball’s condition using a foreign object.

After that rancourous series between South Africa and Australia, the ICC cricket committee, headed by former India captain Anil Kumble, recommended that the ICC take a harder view of code-of-conduct violations. At the time, ICC chief executive David Richardson, who sits on the cricket committee, told ESPNcricinfo that Kumble’s

panel “came hard” at personal abuse and balltampering specifically.

The upgraded sanctions are a result of the ICC board approving the cricket committee’s recommendations.

Four new offences have also been included in the code of conduct. These are: attempting to gain an unfair advantage (cheating, other than ball-tampering - level 2 or 3), personal abuse (level 2 or 3), audible obscenity (level 1), and disobeying an umpire’s instructions (level 1).

The match referee will now hear all Level 1, 2 and 3 charges as well as appeals, with a judicial commissioner only hearing Level 4 charges and appeals. This is significant, because it reduces the scope for players to get sanctions overturned. For example, the

judicial commissioner hearing Kagiso Rabada’s appeal against a Level 2 sanction overturned a two-match ban for making physical contact with an opponent, ruling that there wasn’t enough evidence to say if Rabada’s contact with Steven Smith matched the “inappropriate and deliberate” definition covered by the code of conduct.

The ICC has also introduced an appeal fee, which players or members of support staff, will have to lodge before appealing a code-of-conduct charge. The fee will only be refunded if the appeal is successful.

The ICC Board has also agreed to look into how member boards can be made accountable for its players’ behaviour, whereby boards can be penalised if its players’ offences add up to “exceed certain thresholds”. (ESPNcricinfo)

22

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tuesDAY, JUly 3, 2018

Global T20 Canada….

ExxonMobil Under-14 Tournament…

Chase, West Indies “B” team Tucville, St George’s advance chalk up 2 wins

C

ricket West Indies “B” side have chalked up two victories so far in the continuation of the sixteam Global T20 Canada tournament at Maple Leaf ground, King City, Toronto.

On Sunday, Jamaican Fabien Allen cracked a belligerent, unbeaten 75 to lead his team to a fascinating three-wicket victory over Edmonton Royals. The “B” combination, replying to Royals’ competitive 155 all out in 19.4 overs, reached 159-7 off 18 overs. They were wobbling at 66-6 before the right-handed Allen began his assault, hitting eight towering sixes and four fours from just 30 deliveries.

The 23-year-old Allen, who has to date appeared in 12 firstclass matches for his native country, batted at number eight.

Nicolas Pooran and Brandon King, having scored attractive fifties in the first match against Montreal Tigers, failed to make an impression on this occasion, making only 13 and 5 respectively.

Openers Justin Greaves and Guyanese Sherfane Rutherford started the innings and posted 21 runs before South African bowler Wayne Parnell removed Rutherford for 11, while soon after Greaves departed via catch to Kevin O’Brien off Pakistani quickie Sohail

Tanvir for 19.

Skipper Anthony Bramble (01) and Shamar Springer (15) also fell in quick succession, along with King and Pooran; but Allen counterattacked brilliantly despite a three-wicket haul from left-arm orthodox spinner Hassan Khan.

Earlier, Royals took first strike at the insertion of West Indies “B”, but began things quite precariously, losing Luke Rochie (09) and Andre Fletcher (04) quickly, while wickets continued to fall steadily until Farhan Behardien batted with some amount of purpose to score a responsible 29.

H e

Obed McCoy

Fabien Allen

was nicely backed up by O’Brien, who played with great aggression, spanking five sixes and three fours in his 17-ball 49.

Enthusiastic left-arm seamer Obed McCoy delivered well on a responsive pitch, claiming 4-22 from 3.4 overs; while Kavern Hodge and Rutherford collected two wickets each to be in the wicket column as well.

In the initial game, West Indies “B” beat Montreal Tigers by two wickets, also at the same venue in sweltering conditions the previous day. Tigers, who have now suffered two consecutive defeats, piled up a challenging 184-9 at the expiration of the 20 overs, while the Caribbean boys replied with 187-8 with five balls remaining.

Sikandar Raz top-

scored for the Tigers with 48, while Sunil Narine chipped in with 28, and 26 came from Moises Henriques as McCoy once again took three wickets for 31 runs from four decent overs. He was ably supported by Jerimiah Louis and Khary Piere, both snatching two wickets.

When West Indies “B” batted, they were some struggles early, until Pooran and King linked up and participated in a handsome 93-run four-wicket stand.

Pooran went for 58 and King 56. Springer also showed excellent form by thumping three sixes in an unbeaten 26.

Captain Lasith Malinga took two wickets for 33 runs and Peter Siddle, another international fast-bowler, snared two scalps.

In the other two completed fixtures over the weekend, Edmonton Royals beat Toronto Nationals on Saturday by a comprehensive eight-wicket margin, and Vancouver Knights overwhelmed Winnipeg Hawks by six wickets the following day.

The action is set to continue on Monday with another double-header at the same facility. From 11:00hrs, Toronto Nationals will tackle Winnipeg Hawks, and then at 16:00hrs, Montreal Tigers will collide with Vancouver Knights. The final is expected to take place on July 15.

(Ravi Madholall)

A

fter four weeks of scintillating football, the Under-14 boys showed up once again on Saturday to book their spots in the quarter final round of the ExxonMobil/ Petra competition.

The knockout round kicked off on a high note with a nail biting matchup between Marian Academy and St. George’s Secondary. With both teams determined to advance, the fight was taken to the end, with both teams scoring 2 goals. The game went into a penalty shoot-out, and St. George’s barely edged past Marian with 3 penalties to two.

Later in the afternoon, Tucville Secondary effected a complete onslaught on the Carmel Secondary team.

Rayheam Marques brilliantly led the charge with 4 goals to Goal Scorers Marian Academy: Daniel Lowe Malik Barker St George’s Secondary: Dexter Hector (2) Vergenogen Secondary: Kwesi Gill Nashaun Livan Chase’s Academy: Kevin Mullin (4) Jaleel Alcindor Sean Cato Joshua Daniel Tucville Secondary: Shadrock Bishop Rayheam Marques (4) Garfield Caesar (2) Dwayne Kellman South Ruimveldt: De Andre Allen

his name. Scoring a whopping 9 goals, Tucville also managed to restrict Carmel to a goalless run.

Chase’s Academy and Buxton Secondary also got in on the fun, both teams racking up 7 goals to trounce their opponents, Uitvlugt and Ann’s Grove Secondary respectively.

Meanwhile, Vergenogen enjoyed a 2-0 victory over East Ruimveldt Secondary; while St. John’s trounced South Ruimveldt 3-1, and North Ruimveldt Multilateral edged past Queenstown with a 3-0 win. Dolphin Secondary won their matchup with Annandale via penalty kicks 3-1.

The action continues this Saturday, July 7, at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue. Both Boys and Girls teams will be on show.

St John’s: David Xavier Akeel Bennett Own Goal Buxton: Samuel Garnett (2) Tyrice Dennis Makhaya Jervis (3) Ronald Howard North Ruimveldt Multilateral: Shaquan Favorite Orlando Dickie Yannick Norton Dolphin Secondary: Judan Younge 37 Annandale Secondary: Collin Henriques 33

NYSCL/Independence Cup 2018…

"Rapper" blasts Regal Masters to title T

op-order batsman Eoin “Rapper” Abel scored a vital half century, while pacer Parsram Persaud took five wickets in extremely hot conditions to hand Regal Masters an easy 61-run victory over Better Hope Masters to win the Masters title in the 12th annual New York Softball Cricket League (NYSCL) Independence Cup on Sunday at the Roy Wilkins Park in Queens New York.

Abel, who scored 52, walked to the crease to face the second ball of the match, after opener Mahesh Chunilall was taken at short cover off the first ball, when Regal won the toss and opted to bat. Despite the early loss, “Rapper” played his shots, which brought him success over the three days in the Big Apple, where he scored 250 runs including three half centuries in five games to be adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

At the 10-over break,

Regal Masters had recovered from the loss of Chunilall to reach 75 for 2, with Abel on 52 from 43 balls and Mohendra Arjune on five. Abel and opener Throy Kippins (18) put on 60 runs for the second wicket against some testing Better Hope bowling, with temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius.

After the break, Abel, who won a prize for scoring the highest individual score of the tournament when he hit 90 against Tropical Springs on Friday, faced two more balls before he was sent back without adding to his six boundaries. His dismissal exposed the pugnacious middle order, which saw the new champions scoring 87 runs for the loss of five wickets in the second 10 overs of their innings.

Rudolph Baker continued his good run in the tournament with another counterattacking innings of 42 (6x3; 4x3) from 23 balls, while David Harper worked the gaps for 20 not out (14

The jubilant Regal Masters with the ‘Eagle’ – the symbol of supremacy

balls; 1x4) as Regal Masters finished on 162 for 7, which turned out to be too much for the opposition.

Baker and Harper combined for 57 runs for the seventh wicket from less than 5 overs of positive batting.

Bowling for Better Hope Masters, H Walker and G Singh picked up two wickets each.

In reply, Better Hope were sent packing for 101 in 18.2 overs, with Persaud returning figures of 4-0-15-5 which earned him the prize of best bowling figures and Man of the Match in the final.

At the presentation ceremony, team owner Mahendra Hardyal thanked the organizers for their hospitality, and stated, “The Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc representative teams’ Regal All-Stars and Regal Masters, are here to stay.”

Hardyal also used the opportunity to congratulate his teams, and to invite all teams for the lucrative Prime Minister’s Cup tournaments in Georgetown from October 19 to 21.

In the Pro tournament for teams with players over 50 years of age, Ontario Royal Canadian Masters beat New York President’s XI, while SVC All-Stars dethroned NYSCL All-Stars in the Open category.

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tuesDAY, JUly 3, 2018

23

Windies going for improved Test ranking W

INDIES Captain Jason Holder and his team are within reach of an improved Test ranking if they can beat Bangladesh, who tour the West Indies starting July 4 in Antigua.

Holder and teammates Shane Dowrich and Shannon Gabriel have all had upward movement in Test Player Rankings since the series against Sri Lanka. Holder is now 54th in batting, 6th in the all-rounders’ list, and has a career-best 25th ranking among bowlers.

Dowrich is 51st among the batsmen, and Gabriel is now at 12th place following his manof-the-match 13 for 121, giving the 3rd best haul ever by a West Indies bowler.

The chance to move from ninth place is possible if the WINDIES win a match in the series. Here are some scenarios: Drawn series – Bangladesh 75, Windies 72 Windies win 1-0 – Windies 75, Bangladesh 69 Windies win 2-0 – Windies 77, Bangladesh 67

The 13-man squad to face Bangladesh for the Two Tests reads: Jason Holder – Captain; Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach and Devon Smith.

According to a release from Cricket West Indies (CWI), the Selection Panel “expects to see a greater effort from the top 5 batters, and see them return to the focus and discipline we know they are capable of in the upcoming series against Bangladesh, after some very competitive cricket against ICC 6th ranked Sri Lanka, which ended in a one all draw.

“We congratulate the team on a drawn series, but recognize that victory was within our reach. The Selection Panel also acknowledge and commend the strong performances of Captain Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, and Man-of-the-Series, Shane Dowrich.”

The full schedule for the 2-Tests, 3-ODIs, 3-T20s is: Thu, Jun 28 to Fri, Jun 29

Tour Match – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua (10 am daily) – MATCH ENDED IN A DRAW

Wed, Jul 4 to Sun, Jul 8

1st Test – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua (10 am daily)

Thu, Jul 12 to Mon, Jul 16 Thu, Jul 19 Sun, Jul 22 Wed, Jul 25 Sat, Jul 28 Tue, Jul 31 Sat, Aug 4

2nd Test – Sabina Park, Jamaica (10 am daily) Tour Match – UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI vs Bangladesh, Sabina Park (9:30 am) 1st One-day International – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana (9:30 am) 2nd One-day International – Guyana National Stadium (2:30 pm) 3rd One-day International – Warner Park, St. Kitts (9:30 am) 1st Twenty20 International – Warner Park (8 pm) 2nd Twenty20 International – Central Broward Regional Park, United States (8 pm)

Sun, Aug 5

3rd Twenty20 International – Central Broward Regional Park (8 pm)

Lee continues winning streak at Marian Chess Championships

I

Doris cites injury for API performance

The complete winners' row

n order to continue their mandate in the Chess in Schools initiative, The Marian Academy Chess Club concluded one of their termly chess competitions over the past weekend. The institution, which has a thriving chess club, seeks to develop their students’ academically through the sport.

With a total of 57 students (19 from the Primary Department & 38 from the Secondary Department), the first piece was moved at 9am using the competitive FIDE (World Chess Federation) tournament rules and regulations.

Expectantly, Ethan Lee continued on a marvellous stint,

whilst William Escarraga topped the primary section with 6 wins from 6 draws, to take the title from Ronan Lee. In the primary competition, William Escarraga, who lost only one game, defeated his opponents convincingly with superb tactical combinations and mating patterns. Finishing in second place was Louis DaSilva, who tied on 6 points with Escarraga but had to settle for the number 2 spot because of the Swiss system, since Da Silva lost to Escarraga. Emerging in 3rd place was Bradley Walton, who continues to show great improvement, especially when he won against Ronan Lee on time control playing for

Prize winners: Primary Champion: William Escarraga Runner up: Louis DaSilva Best Female: Jnae Singh Best Primary 4: Bradley Walton Best Primary 3: Marcus Hinds Best Primary 2. Sean Fraser Best Primary 1: Kyle Couchman Best Prep B: Milan Ramautarsingh Secondary Champion: Ethan Lee Runner Up: Roshawn Washington Best Female: Sasha Shariff Best Form 4: Odit Rodrigues Best Form 3: Racquel Ramlall Best Form 2: Rachel Ramlall Best Form 1: Gareth Dasilva

T Ethan Lee receives his trophy

numerous stalemate patterns in an expectedly losing position.

The Secondary Department had a much more scintillating competition, with a number of experienced national players vying for the top spot. The ever improving Ethan Lee was out to win from the first encounter. After finishing 4th in this year’s National Junior Chess Championship, Lee had a good tournament at the CARIFTA Chess Championships in Paramaribo, Suriname, and he also took the St Stanislaus College Chess Championships this year.

Playing confidently, Lee had a loss-free scorecard, winning 7 out of 7 games played, to be crowned the Marian Academy

Chess Champion.

Lee defeated National elected female player Sasha Shariff in a much anticipated showdown that was played right down to a fantastic endgame from both parties.

However, he was too tactical for the young female sensation Sasha, who eventually took the best female prize in the secondary department. Taking second place was another player who participated in this year’s National Junior Chess Championship. Roshawn Washington finished on 5.5 points, ahead of Odit Rodrigues, Sasha Shariff, Bradley Walton, Joel Wong and Jamal Lanndery respectively who all finished on 5 points.

riple jump hero and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Troy Doris has credited his less-thanstellar performance over the weekend to his injury recovery journey.

At the Aliann Pompey Invitational on Saturday, Doris had a best leap of 16.09m, which fell short of a podium spot. The event was won by Donald Scott with a jump of 17.22m. In a comment invited from Doris after the competition, the triple jumper disclosed that he wasn’t too elated about his first home showing.

“Not happy with the result.

It’s not really the range where I perform. I’m just happy to leave healthy after having that major injury at the Commonwealth Games. It’s tough trying to get back preparing for CACs and the AP Invite,” Doris stated.

Explaining how the

injury might have affected his performance, Doris said, “If you spend nine months preparing for one meet like the Commonwealth Games, I’m back at month seven because of an injury.”

Looking to the future, the USA-based athlete noted that he is focused on continued training, so as to better prepare for his upcoming engagements.

“I think I just need to keep training. I don’t think anything is physically wrong with me, I just think it’s mental.”

Meanwhile, the triple jumper is happy about his first performance on home soil. Despite his injury, Doris is taking away the massive crowd support as one of the positive aspects of his performance.

“But now that I have the confidence of competing in front of the home crowd, it’s a little bit better,” he said.

TuesDAY, JUly 3, 2018

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

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Brazil, Belgium set up intriguing quarterfinal showdown

Pages 19&20

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