Guyana Times September 8, 2018

New Commander pledges crime reduction strategy P11 in Berbice

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

Issue No. 3680

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, September 8, 2018

PRICE

Policeman nabbed attempting to throw contraband into Lusignan Prison

WHAT'S INSIDE: Nominees for Chancellor, CJ

P9 Granger insists Justice Benjamin “very competent” …despite dismal track record in Belize

Page 7

Elections petition

Local law school

Delays in hearing Govt submitted an indictment on deficient feasibility Judiciary – Jagdeo study – CLE President CDC delivers aid to Venezuelan refugees Page 3

Page 2

$80 vat included

Teen charged for wounding Policeman P12 Speeding Cop hospitalised after Carifesta Ave accident P11

Page 14

GPL blamed for equipment damage at NA Hospital P15

The Civil Defence Commission, led by acting Director General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, on Friday distributed additional supplies to Venezuelan refugees in Region One (Barima-Waini), including areas such as Whitewater and Khan’s Hill, in Mabaruma

FITUG highlights high Teachers resume duty unemployment, cost of after 9 days of strike living, crime Page 10

…as union engages Finance Ministry on 2019 budget

Guyana bids farewell to first Chilean Ambassador P15

Page 9

Lone gunman robs minibus conductor P7

2 news

saturdAY, september 8, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Elections petition

Delays in hearing an indictment on Judiciary – Jagdeo O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed his frustration over the long delays in the hearing of the 2015 Elections Petition filed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and has since said that it is an indictment on the part of the Judiciary.

Jagdeo was at the time commenting on President David Granger’s statement about revising the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) structure, which is currently using the Carter Formula. The Opposition Leader lamented that the People’s National Congress (PNC), which is the largest party in the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) alliance, never had an issue with the composition of GECOM before but with the elections results.

On this note, he posited that unlike the actions the PNC took when they lost the 1997 elections, the PPP is still awaiting the court to fast-track its elections petition that was filed following the 2015 polls.

“Until now, we can’t get our court case heard which is in itself an indictment of this Judiciary and those who now run the Judiciary.” Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the PPP, went on to draw attention to the urgency such cases

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

are given in other countries. “…An elections petition must be heard urgently, continuously.

Look at what is happening in so many countries in Africa, within a month-three weeks, the courts get together, they hear the petition and they make a ruling so they can move forward. This case, we’re on three and a half years and we’re no closer to getting it heard,” he asserted.

After losing the 2015 General and Regional Elections by just over 4500 votes, the petition was filed on behalf of the PPP/C, seeking to challenge the valid-

ity of the outcome of the 2015 General and Regional Elections which it said were not held in conformity with the Constitution of Guyana.

The matter, which was filed in the name of PPP/C parliamentarian, Ganga Persaud, essentially requested a recount of all ballot boxes for the last elections and fresh elections were also called for. He had claimed that the elections were “unlawfully conducted” and that the results of the elections were affected.

He cited procedural errors and instances of fraudulent and/ or suspicious actions during the elections. Unrest, fake Statements of Poll (SoPs) and multiple voting were among the reasons for the petition. Further, the presence of ‘huge mobs’ at several polling stations and other strategic places, particularly in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), were also cited by the party as another cause for intimidation and fear.

But the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield had described the petition as frivolous and vexatious. He said too that the petition discloses no reasonable cause of the action and asked for it to be struck out.

But before demitting office, former Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang overruled Lowenfield’s

The High Court

summons to have the petition struck out. Justice Chang had ruled that the summons to strike out the petition was premature and therefore the court should proceed in hearing it.

Attorney representing Lowenfield, Roysdale Forde, had filed an appeal and further disclosed that Chang erred in law when he failed to direct his mind to the summons and to apply the proper principles applicable to the striking out of the petition.

Forde said the Judge erred in law when he made a finding and determination with respect to Article 163 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana and its relationship with Section 42 of

the National Assembly Validity of Election Act, Chapter 1:04 without affording the Appellant an opportunity of responding to the said finding.

The appeal of the former Chief Justice’s ruling is currently in the Full Court of the High Court before acting Chief Justice Roxane George and Justice Franklin Holder, pending a verdict.

With the petition still languishing in the High Court for more than three years, the Opposition has since announced its intention to approach the Court of Appeal to fast-track the case.

news

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, September 8 – 03:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Sunday, September 9 – 04:00h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, September 8 – 15:40h-17:10h and Sunday, September 9 – 16:20h-17:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Early morning sunny intervals are expected to give way to thundery showers and light rainfall, while sunny intervals are expected to return in the afternoon. Partly cloudy to clear skies can be expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Southerly and East North-easterly and Northeasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 03:14h and 15:44h reaching maximum heights of 2.76 metres at each scheduled high tides.

Low Tide: 09:15h and 21:36h reaching minimum heights of 0.50 metre and 0.53 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, september 5, 2018

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

Local law school

Govt submitted deficient feasibility study – CLE President

W

hile President David Granger on Friday impressed on the Council of Legal Education (CLE) the need for a local law school, Council President Reginald Armour has noted that Guyana’s feasibility study is deficient, and more work has to be done.

On the sidelines of the ceremonial opening of the CLE meeting at the Marriott Hotel on Friday, Armour was asked for an update on the feasibility study the Guyana Government did into a local law school.

The report and business plan were submitted weeks ago by Guyana’s Government. Armour explained that a subcommittee looked at the report.

However, he revealed that the study does not sufficiently address concerns regarding quality assurance and the curriculum.

“A subcommittee has looked at that feasibility study. We’ve met with the Government of Guyana feasibility study committee. We did that (earlier) this week.

We’ve expressed certain concerns we have, to do with the fact that the feasibility study does not sufficiently address quality assurance, curriculum and the proposal of a school at the moment is not compliant with our treaty,” Armour said.

“And we’ve asked the Government of Guyana to do some work and come back to us. They’ve agreed to that.

I’ll be discussing that with Council this morning and out of that decision from Council, I expect the most that will happen is that we’ll fix a timetable to continue discussions with the Government of Guyana.”

Armour assured that territories in the Caribbean region are not necessarily barred from establishing their own law schools.

CLE President Reginald Armour

But he noted that it’s another matter when the Council has to give its approval.

“There’s nothing to exclude any country from having a law school. If they then come to the Council of legal education and say would you approve our law school, we then have to do a number of quality assurances and curriculum monitoring tests to ensure it reaches the standard that we adhere to. (But) all possibilities exist and that’s what we’re discussing this morning.”

Improved legal education

President Granger who gave the feature address at the ceremony, meanwhile noted the crucial role of the Council of Legal Education.

But he reminded the attendees of the need to improve access to legal education throughout the region, including Guyana.

“The Council’s contribution to the Caribbean jurisprudence is undisputable. The Council, however, should seek new ways of improving access top and delivery of affordable education, to all corners of the Caribbean.”

“There’s much work to do for the Council to improve access. These measures should include, if necessary,

embracing new technologies which support their objectives. It should also ensure that non-discriminatory admissions to the regional law schools are (pursued),” President Granger said.

The Hugh Wooding Law School takes in 25 Guyanese law students each year.

Granger made it clear to the Council that Guyana’s demand for lawyers cannot be satisfied with the quota in place.

During his address, Granger noted the importance of improving overall access to legal service.

According to the President, legal aid programmes will be rolled out in previously underserved areas.

“Legal Aid services need to become regionalised. The support for the criminal justice programme will soon facilitate the provision of Legal Aid services to many of our hinterland communities. Access to the courts is being enhanced with new magisterial districts and specialised courts.”

“Two new magisterial districts; the Upper Demerara Magisterial

AG Basil Williams

District Court and the Rupununi Magisterial District Court were commissioned over the past year.

The establishment of these district courts reduces the need for residents to travel out of their home regions to access legal services,” the President outlined.

It was only a few days ago, ahead of Guyana’s hosting of the three-day meeting of the CLE, that Williams had given all assurances that the path was cleared for the establishment of a local law school in Guyana.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, september 8, 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

Local law school

I

n January 2017, the Government of Guyana, through its Attorney General, Basil Williams, made an important announcement, much to the delight of many Guyanese, especially law students: that Guyana will establish its own law school by 2018. The law school was to be named the JOF Haynes Law School.

For many years, our law students have been faced with very difficult times due to the many hurdles they had to cross in gaining admission to the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS). Many had reached frustration point, and even had to abandon their dreams of becoming certified in the field of law; since not only are the costs associated with studying at HWLS very high, but the process to gain entry was burdensome and not even guaranteed.

There were many calls from various stakeholders, especially University of Guyana students themselves, for the Government to move in this direction; and it was indeed pleasing to have learnt that the nation was one step closer to seeing this project become a reality.

However, we are almost to the last quarter of 2018, and many questions have since been raised as to the level of progress made so far in ensuring this project becomes a reality. In fact, so far, we have been hearing conflicting reports coming from various quarters regarding the setting up of the school. For its part, the Government has been saying that the logistical arrangements are being worked out to set up the law school here.

In fact, just a few days ago, AG Williams gave all assurances that the path has been cleared for the establishment of the school. But former Attorney General Anil Nandlall has told sections of the media that Guyana has not received the necessary permission to set up the law school, and has accused the Government of proverbially putting the cart before the horse.

AG Williams, on the other hand, is claiming that Guyana has “gone past” the stage of receiving permission, and that the go-ahead has been ‘recommended’. Williams revealed that the feasibility study has been received, and many of the issues surrounding the school’s establishment would be brought up for discussion by Cabinet.

Our view is that this is regarded as a national project, and, in the first place, a bipartisan approach should have been taken towards its implementation. It would be to our country’s benefit if our leaders pool their talents and resources and work towards ensuring that a law school that is of very high grade and is well recognised and respected is established here.

No one can underestimate the level of preparation needed, and the time and resources required, before such a project finally comes on stream. There are two main issues that must be considered, and would need much effort from key personnel involved to ensure all arrangements are adequately in place. First, the law school must be given the necessary accreditation and recognition, so that all graduates are properly licensed to practise law here and elsewhere in the Caribbean. At the moment, only graduates from the HWLS are legally recognised to practise at the bar.

Secondly, the school must be equipped with the necessary facilities and personnel, such as a library and qualified staff, to deliver the curriculum. It could be recalled that AG Williams had given the necessary assurances that the law school would be accredited, and its programme recognised throughout the Region. Assurances were also given that the lecturers contracted would be of high standards, to ensure that the students are offered quality legal education. As mentioned earlier, while all of this sounded good on paper, we are not certain as to what progress has been made in relation to achieving these key requirements.

Many of our students are eagerly awaiting the establishment of our own law school. We had stated before that establishing a law school here would not only ease the level of frustration our students face in gaining admission at HWLS, but will show the rest of the region that Guyana can also be a leader as it relates to the study of various areas of the law.

A section of the display at Castellani House on Friday, showcasing a variety of crafts that were made for Amerindian Heritage Month 2018. Some of the handcrafts include knitted hats and hammocks, jewellery that was made from colourful beads and tibisiri containers in all sizes (Dexter Ceres photo)

Govt made a ‘wrong turn’ with GuySuCo

Dear Editor, The Skeldon Estate is much touted to be a dismal failure engineered by the PPP Government, and has been used ad lib by many politicians as the proverbial ‘whipping boy’. This is done until now, whenever GuySuCo is being discussed.

However, the CoI commissioned by this Government gave detailed capital expenditures which can transform the entire GuySuCo, making it viable and profitable by 2020. This is the same argument proposed by the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Jagdeo, who has said that the $30 billion syndicated loan can be utilised to keep all the estates going.

The more I analyse the scenario, the more I am convinced that GuySuCo can be saved from the guillotine; but the political will to do so is unabashedly lacking by this Government!

Let us put this into perspective.

The vendetta against the sugar industry is historical, and was aborted in 1991 when there was a massive privatisation drive by the PNC to sell and enrich. However, the opportunity presented itself again in 2015, and the Coalition Government lost no time in getting back on track to sound the death knell of the industry.

The mantra that “GuySuCo is too big to fail” sounds hollow, weak, and misleading to the extent of being deceptive.

It is an accepted and un-

disputed fact that Skeldon Estate is capable of producing 75 tons per hectare, 1,000,000 tons per annum, 110,000 tons of sugar, 40,000 tons of molasses and a tc/ts of around 9 tons of cane to produce a ton of sugar. In addition, the co-generation plant has the capability of generating 40mWh of power.

In the years 2015 and 2016, even though it had not reached this potential, Skeldon Estate was producing in excess of 30,000 tons of sugar per annum. The CoI had recommended that US$5.2 million budgeted for Skeldon from 2016 to 2020 could bring the estate to realise its true potential.

The CoI had concluded that Gy $21 billion, or US$102 million, can restore and secure (all) the estates in satisfactory operating condition. It must be borne in mind that the SPU has now secured $30 billion, which is more than was recommended for the entire sugar industry!

The CoI has made it clear that “mechanisation is increasingly important to sugar cane production in Guyana”, and can improve cost efficiencies to such an extent as would make the industry viable and profitable.

Why did the Government fail to go this route, a recommendation for which it had paid in excess of $52 million?

The CoI had estimated that with the recommended capital injection, by the end

of 2017, Skeldon would have produced 61,745 tons of sugar, Rose Hall 37,836 tons of sugar, and Wales 29,243 tons of sugar, for a total of 128,827 tons of sugar. At the current moment, the entire industry would barely eke out 100,000 tons of sugar. With the recommendation of the CoI, the entire industry would have produced 300,386 tons of sugar!

This is again evidence that Dr Jagdeo is absolutely correct! It is still not too late to use the $30 billion syndicated loan and make the entire industry operable again.

The CoI had recommended that each estate be involved in co-generation and the processing of refined sugar, for which there is a demand of 200,000 tons within Caricom. It must be noted that the SPU is regurgitating the same recommendation. The CoI had specifically recommended: the installation of high- and medium- pressure boilers, and to perform the necessary modifications to the drives and process that would reduce power requirements.

A boiler and turbine alternator cost only US$11 million. The excess electricity would have been sold to the national grid.

It must further be noted that the CoI had recommended that Skeldon factory be retained and make reliable by remedying the faults and narrowing the mismatch between field and factory; and that a sugar refinery should be built at

Skeldon to brand and sell molasses. However, the CoI noted that no capital expenditure was done at Skeldon in 2015. This would seem to suggest that the factory was deliberately allowed to deteriorate, so that it can be placed under the guillotine!

It is evident that this Coalition Government conveniently followed the recommendations of the CoI, and disregarded some recommendations because that course of action suited its vindictiveness.

Government deliberately exacerbated the debilitating conditions which exist in the industry as a prelude and an excuse to sell.

Furthermore, it deliberately took the ‘wrong turn’ to magnify the sufferings of the sugar workers and their families (perceived as PPP supporters), who did not get a wage increase since 2015; have had many benefits snatched from them; and are still anxiously awaiting receipt of their severance payments.

However, the Coalition contradicted itself in more ways than one; as is manifested in the fact that on one hand it says that Skeldon, Rose Hall, Wales and Enmore are not viable, but is yet claiming to the investors that those estates can be made viable and profitable. If that is so, then why are we selling those estates?

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor, Region Six

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018

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

I doubt teachers, GOGEC supports parents will forget closer cooperation, Dear Editor, Appearing in the letter columns of the September 7th 2018 edition of the State newspaper was a letter purportedly written by one Ms Elizabeth Williams.

The letter comprised of the same contents and tone of paid Government propagandists over the last few days on social media platforms; to wit, that I had said to teachers “if you don’t like your salary, quit.”

In what was clearly an organised but colossally failed attempt to distract the nation from the poor and disgraceful governance that caused a nationwide teachers’ strike, Government bloggers and Ms Williams resurrected an article dated 31st May 2012 -- which was published in a section of the media, but whose publication was admittedly an error, and which said article had been withdrawn.

Like those bloggers, all Ms Williams’s accusations and assertions are based on that said article.

It has already been widely circulated on those same social media platforms that the article which was being used as gospel was withdrawn and an apology was issued to me for its contents. I copy here in its entirety the subsequent article dated the 1st day of June 2012, apologis-

ing to me. I do this for the benefit of your readers.

“On Thursday, March 31, 2012, this publication carried a story with a headline “IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE SALARY, QUIT – MANICKCHAND”.

The story gave the distinct impression that teachers at a consultation in Berbice said en masse that they did not want the automatic promotion policy to continue as they were not being paid for the remedial classes, and that the Minister of Education had said to teachers that if they do not want to do the remedial classes for students as a result of the automatic promotion policy then they should quit the profession.

We are satisfied that the story inadvertently misrepresented the views of both the teachers as well as the Minister of Education.

It is true that a teacher raised the issue of payment for the remediation classes, citing the needs of families of teachers. The Minister received that as one of the reasons the programme was not as successful as it was envisioned to be and duly recorded the reason.

It is also true that, during the course of the day, the Minister did indeed have an inspirational talk with teachers, which had absolutely nothing to do with automat-

ic promotion and/or remediation classes, where she praised teachers for being much more than teachers every day, discussed with teachers their almost sacred duty to mould minds, and emphasised that what teachers do today will determine what Guyana looks like tomorrow.

It was during this session that the Minister indicated that the ministry had no space for the handful of teachers who are comfortable with turning up to school late every day, putting their heads on a desk, not teaching, and (at) the end of the day saying that salary was not enough while still receiving that salary.

We apologise to the Minister and to the teachers for any confusion, hurt and/or strained relations that our story would have unintentionally caused.”

In other words, Editor, I simply did not say what the letter writer alleges I said.

I would be happy to sit down with Ms Williams, if she exists, and answer any and all questions she may have about what was done under and by the PPP/C Government for teachers and the educations system as a whole; what our plans were; what we think are remaining gaps, and how we plan to fix those. I would be happy to hear from her too, about what she proposes.

In the meanwhile, I doubt that teachers and

the GTU and/or parents and children have forgotten and/or will be distracted from the fact that our teachers were forced to strike and march the streets and dams and mountains of the nation and sing and chant and protest the Govt to force the said Govt to treat with them respectfully and fairly. I doubt they have forgotten that it is the Minister of Labour of this Govt that said teachers are selfish and uncaring. Or that the President, after he appointed a Task Force close to three years after the last multi-year agreement expired, to address the issue of teachers’ salary and conditions of work, ignored the recommendations of the Task Force, just as he reneged on all his party’s campaign promises to teachers and students alike.

I doubt that they have forgotten the hypocrisy of the Prime Minister, asking them sheepishly to be patient while he draws down every month an enormous, underserved salary with vulgarly extravagant benefits. Or that the Minister of Education queried arrogantly the necessity of some of the benefits the teachers were asking, as she herself climbs on their backs to pay for her own education.

Sincerely, Priya Manickchand Former Education Minister

collaboration with T&T

Dead Editor, The Guyana Oil & Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) has noted statements made by concerned organisations, members of the public, and Government ministers regarding our relationship with Trinidad and Tobago as it relates to an impending signing of an MoU between our two countries.

The Guyana Oil & Gas Energy Chamber wishes to place on record that it supports closer co-operation and collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago and all other partners in Caricom.

While we are not privy to the contents of the MoU, we support developing closer linkages with Trinidad and Tobago, particularly in the oil and gas sector.

If this MoU is in the interest of Guyanese businesses and Guyanese people, and would benefit them in a positive and significant way, then the Guyana Oil & Gas Energy Chamber supports this MoU. There are mixed signals coming from politicians of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago about the closure of Petrotrin and the way forward.

Trinidad’s Honourable Prime Minister Keith

Rowley is saying that some of the equipment is too old, the company is losing billions of dollars, and Government cannot afford to keep it afloat; it's costing the nation too much.

The Opposition Leader, the Honourable Kamla Persaud-Bissessar, is saying Petrotrin has new equipment, and the industry could be saved by, among other things, looking to partner with Guyana in refining its oil.

However, notwithstanding the foregoing, GOGEC is of the view that a careful analysis should be made of the operations of Petrotrin and its demise, to see if mismanagement was a major contributing factor.

The Government and all stakeholders should work together on the way forward.

The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber will work with the Government, all local business organisations, and all investors from Trinidad and Tobago and further afield to help us develop the oil and gas industry for the benefit of all Guyanese, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

Sincerely, Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC)

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018

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R

esearch shows just how vital early language exposure is to future benchmarks for lifetime success, including reading at grade level and graduating from high school. It all starts early.

Experts, including librarians who follow national and international research, tell us that adults should read to children starting at birth – many suggest reading out loud during pregnancy – for at least 20-30 minutes per day. That’s about four picture books a day, during the years when their brains are developing the fastest.

It’s also the time when reading can be easiest for adults, including struggling readers and English language learners, because the books are more accessible. Getting a reading “buddy” is also an option, and librarians can help.

Adults who model the reading habit are another important component for children, and together, we can find a way for every family.

Speech sounds stimulate brain activity. The more reading young children hear, especially in an interactive setting where they can react (as with facial expressions and, as they get older, questions) and we can respond, the more the language-related regions of their brains will be activated and strengthened. It also

Foundation

strengthens the bond between the reader and the child.

If we follow the half-hour-a-day advice until a child reaches age five, it adds up to something like 7000 children’s books before kindergarten.

Every parent and caregiver knows that it doesn’t take long for kids to identify “favourite” books, which will be read over and over again.

That’s great, and it’s good for the adults in a child’s life to note and track evolving interests and curiosities in order to encourage further learning.

But variety also matters to expand the number of words a child hears, along with different sentence patterns and subject

matters.

Even if we build at-home libraries, through both donations and purchases, none of us is likely to accumulate thousands of children’s books on our own. Our public libraries are essential to the goal of raising readers – again, knowing that so many of the other goals we have for children depend on early language skills.

Through libraries, each family has access to thousands of children’s books.

Librarians can also work with families on transportation issues and mobile library access; again, together, we can find a way for every family.

Check out the library cards for kids, and while you’re at it, get a card for the adults in your household, too. Libraries are now interactive centres of community life, with access to technology and expanding services to support families and children.

By developing and modelling the “library habit”, we can make kids first in reading and help to give every child a first chance to succeed. (Adapted from delawareonline.com)

E

ncourage literacy in your home and community. Here are some great tips to start everyone on the road to reading.

Ask your child questions about the story you're reading to ensure comprehension.

Book family time to read with your children every day.

Create a special reading place in your home, with your child's favourite books within reach.

Donate funds to a literacy cause.

Encourage children to read words on TV, street signs, mugs and T-shirts.

Find new stories to read with your children every week.

Vary their length and subject matter.

Give your time to read aloud to a child.

Have a child read a book to you.

International Literacy Day is today. It is held on September 8 every year. Celebrate the day by picking up a book and reading to a child.

January 27 is Family Literacy Day in Canada and November 1 in the United States.... [Why not celebrate both!]

Keep teens reading. Give them books, newspaper articles and magazines about things that interest them – music, movies, TV and computers.

Let children count out the change when making a purchase. Reinforce the importance of Maths in everyday life!

Make every day a learning day. Ask your children to make a shopping list, read recipes together or help them make a calendar of their weekly activities.

Newborns benefit from reading too!

Organise a children's book club with friends in your neighbourhood.

Pick one day a week to make a regular visit to the library.

Quiet, cosy reading spaces are good places for your child to read independently.

Remember that children learn by example – if you recognise the importance of reading, your children will too!

Start early! It's never too early to read to your children.

Treat a child to a story a day.

Use reading time to create a special bond with a child.

Volunteer your time – help with tutoring adults, reading to children Write a letter.

X-ercise your mind! Reading ability is like a muscle, if you don't exercise it often, you will not maintain the same level of reading ability as you get older. So – "use it or lose it"!

You are the key to improving a child's reading ability by placing a high priority on reading in your home.

Zap off the TV – pick up a book instead! (readingrockets.org)

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Policeman nabbed attempting to throw contraband into Lusignan Prison

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rank of the Guyana Police Force has been caught attempting to throw a bag containing contraband items into the Holding Bay of the Lusignan Prison.

According to Director of Prisons (ag), Gladwin Samuels, the incident occurred at about 04:18h on Friday, after the Police rank, who is stationed at the East Coast Demerara penitentiary, was scheduled to start work at 06:00h but showed up at the Prison two hours before his shift was due to begin. He was observed going to the fence of the Holding Area, where he attempted to get a black plastic bag over the fence.

“He was observed [by other Police and prison officers], and the ranks raised an alarm and promptly arrested him. The bag, however, got caught on the fence and was retrieved by the ranks on duty,” Samuels detailed.

The plastic bag, when examined, was found to contain one cellular phone, one cellular phone charger, and seven packs of cigarettes.

The contraband items found in the bag

The cop was detained before subsequently being handed over to an Inspector of Police who came on duty.

He was then escorted to a Police Station for further investigation.

This incident comes on the heels of heightened measures being employed by authorities to curb the perennial problem of contraband being smuggled into the prisons. In fact, these efforts have resulted in several prison officers being caught facilitating the illegal trade, which is said to be a “big business”.

The Director of Prisons had disclosed during a press conference several weeks ago that several prison officers had been relieved of their duties after they were found to be working in collusion with each other in order to facilitate the movement of suspected contraband into the Lusignan Prison Holding Bay area.

Prisons Director Samuels had decried the behaviour of such ranks. “It is quite disturbing, it is quite embarrassing, to have to face these situations on a daily basis. But this is not a situ-

Lone gunman robs minibus conductor

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s he was making his way home on Thursday evening, a minibus conductor was attacked and robbed by a lone gunman in the vicinity of Front Road, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Based on reports received, the 32-year-old bus conductor, who also is a res-

ident of West Ruimveldt, was walking towards his home when the gunman approached him from behind and tapped him on his shoulder.

As he spun around, he was confronted by a gun pointed to his face.

The gunman confiscated $45,000 from the conductor

before disappearing in the community.

The conductor proceeded to the Police Station and reported the incident. Police ranks went to the scene as they commenced investigations, but no CCTV camera was present in the area.

Investigations are nevertheless ongoing.

ation whereby the prison administration is failing to act; the reality of it is, despite we would do vetting and so forth, these prison officers are drawn from communities…and for some strange reason, despite they’re given their dos and don’ts, they allow themselves to be sucked into the financial gains that these activities can bring you,” the Prison Director had lamented.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had also expressed disgust at the continuous attempts to smuggle contraband into the prisons, and the discovery of various illicit items at several prison facilities across the country. He had said that steps are being taken to curb

The bag was stuck on the barbed wire fence after attempts failed to throw it into the Holding Area of the Lusignan Prison

this practice.

Further, he had gone on to surmise that the lack of proper management at Guyana’s penal facilities was probably contributing

to the increasing instances of smuggling attempts and the discovery of dozens of contraband items within the prison system.

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Arrest warrant issued for alleged fraudster

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eil Benjamin of Lot 254 Section C Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, who earlier this month was arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly on a fraud charge detailing that, between October 7, 2017 and February 28, 2018, he ob-

tained $725,000 from Keisha Cameron by falsely pretending that he was in position to purchase a Toyota Allion motorcar for her, knowing same to be false, has had a warrant issued for his arrest on Friday after he failed to make a court appearance to answer the charge of fraud.

The matter will continue later in this month.

Recap

According to the Prosecution’s case, on July 6, 2017, Keisha Cameron had a conversation with 52-yearold Neil Benjamin, a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) sub-contractor, in which she told him she wanted to purchase a used motorcar.

The woman was reportedly advised by Benjamin to purchase a new car instead, provided that she allowed him to take her to his auto dealer.

Facts related that the woman gave Benjamin $170,000 as a down-payment on the vehicle, for which she was never given a receipt. On two other oc-

casions he allegedly collected other monies from Cameron, totalling $725,000.

The Prosecution’s case is that after several months had passed, the woman inquired about the motorcar, only to be later told that Benjamin had never made any down payment for the vehicle.

A report was made to the Police and the contractor was arrested and charged.

The Police prosecutor had objected to Benjamin being placed on bail, and had informed the court that Benjamin had previously been charged for matters of a similar nature and was presently before the court.

He was, however, placed on $200,000 bail.

Fraud charge dismissed against clerk

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awle Peters, a clerk of De Sinco Trading Limited, who in June had been facing 15 counts of fraud before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly, had one of those matters dismissed against him on Friday when the Chief Financial Officer of the company refused to give evidence against him in a matter involving the alleged embezzlement of $59,522.

On his first arraignment in court back in June 2018,

the 22-year-old Peters, of Hardina Street Georgetown, had denied the charges after they were read to him.

The court had heard that, between February 14 and March 28, 2018, Peters had embezzled a total of $1,046,712 while being employed at the company’s Sheriff Street, Georgetown location.

He was placed on $330,000 by Magistrate Leron Daly following his first court appearance.

The battle…

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…is joined? ots of teachers breathed a sigh of relief that their strike’s over and they can get back to what they do best – teach our children to get qualified for their adult responsibilities. In other words, to secure the future of all of us in Guyana. But it didn’t have to come to this, did it? If only PNC leaders would keep their word! But then, old people say “if pigs had wings they’d fly”!! It’ll never happen.

And teachers should remember this – all 10,000 of them - when they trek to the polls in 2020. Before the election, just like in 2015, the PNC/APNU – and whoever they inveigle to get into a coalition since the AFC will be long dead and buried – will come around with all kinds of sweet talk. They’ll promise the moon and the stars – not to mention doling out oil money directly into their bank accounts!

But did they promise Public Servants “substantial raises” if they were elected in 2015 didn’t they?

And that teachers would be the “highest paid” of them all. And what did teachers get? The same thing that Nagamootoo – who was once a teacher! – got: larwah!! But to the teachers’ eternal credit, they didn’t take their larwah lying down like Nagamootoo.

No siree Bob!! They used all avenues open to them to demand their living wage, and when they realised they were being given the royal run around – they used their ultimate weapon: STRIKE!!

Can you imagine what could’ve happened if Nagamootoo had developed a pair and went on strike when Granger stiffed him from all the powers promised in the Cummingsburg Accord?? Maybe he should’ve remained a teacher and retain some testicular fortitude!! Guyana might’ve seen some real compromise in governance – not the unilateralism that Granger has been allowed to get away with – until now!!

Your Eyewitness must once again admit he had his doubts about the nature of the standoff early on. He felt for sure the PNC of Granger would’ve had the good sense not to tee off such a large bloc of supporters. If he was willing to go down that route, it could only mean he really didn’t need their votes or felt so secure they wouldn’t switch to the PPP, he could thumb his nose at them!! In a situation where a mere 5000 voted separated him from the PPP, he had to be ABSOLUTELY sure of getting back into office.

If he now imitates Burnham and cracks down on the GTU for daring to stand up to him, we’ll all know he has a sure bet up his sleeve. Let’s see the arbitrators! …over prison contraband It seems that nary a week goes by when a sweep by prison wardens don’t turn up an amazing collection of contraband. In all of the prisons – save Mazaruni.

But then it’s possible we just don’t get reports from that locale – or no sweeps are conducted. It’s hard to believe those prisoners are sticking to the straight and narrow. Especially when a substantial number of the Camp Street population was transferred there after they burnt their dorms down to the ground!!

Now you’d think by now the authorities would’ve wised up to all the tricks of the smugglers’ trade – but it aint gonna happen. There’s just too much money involved when you consider the pay of the wardens!

Banks found out a long time ago that if you want employees not to steal them blind they shouldn’t create a moral hazard by paying them peanuts.

Similarly, just like with teachers, the Government offered a lot of fat talk about improving their conditions of work and their wage structure.

And all they got was Larwah. Expect more contraband!! …over elections Opposition Leader Jagdeo suggested the UN should supervise our 2020 elections. He should’ve demanded they also send down some of their peacekeeping troops.

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

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Nominees for Chancellor, CJ

Granger insists Justice Benjamin “very competent”

Teachers resume duty after 9 days of strike

…despite dismal track record in Belize

President David Granger

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resident David Granger is maintaining support for his nominee for Chancellor -- Belizean Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin --to take over the judiciary in Guyana despite his performance in Belize being criticised by the Belizean Bar Association.

Asked about his nominee’s background on the sidelines of an event on Friday, President Granger reiterated his support for Justice Benjamin, and confronted the issue of the backlog of cases in Belize for which Benjamin was criticised.

“I don’t know if there is any Judiciary in the Commonwealth Caribbean which doesn’t have a backlog of cases,” he said. “I don’t think that the allegations of the Bar Association are substantial enough for me to change my opinion. We had a process, by which all persons interested in the position of chancellor had applied and had been interviewed by an expert panel,” he explained.

“I am advised by that panel, and I am prepared to stick by the advice of that panel.

So I have not changed my view on Justice Benjamin; he’s very competent, he’s Guyanese-born, and I think

he’s working towards reducing that backlog.”

Asked what distinguishes Benjamin from other potential candidates, Granger reiterated that the interview panel has already evaluated the candidates. He noted that interested persons had a chance to apply, and some -for example, Justice Roxane George -- did not.

Justice Benjamin was nominated by President Granger for the position of Chancellor, while the current acting Chancellor, Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards, was nominated for the position of Chief Justice.

Back in February, Jagdeo had rejected the two nominees, though he never stated his reasons publicly.

The Guyana Bar Association had even passed a motion calling on President Granger to confirm Justices Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Roxane George in the respective positions of Chancellor and Chief Justice.

It is expected that Granger will have another meeting with Jagdeo in the near future to sort out these appointments.

Before his tenure had come to an end, former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Sir Dennis Byron, had zeroed in on the trend of persons being appointed to top positions in Guyana’s Judiciary, but being forced to act for years while their confirmation remains in limbo.

In an address to the Guyana Bar Association, he condemned the fact that since former Chancellor Desiree Bernard had demitted office, an agreement had not been reached for the substantive appointment of a Chancellor.

“This has brought us to the situation today, where

Students gathered outside the St John’s College on Waterloo Street, Georgetown

Justice Kenneth Benjamin

the number one and number two officials of the Guyana Judiciary have not been substantively appointed. This is a most unfortunate state of affairs,” the legal luminaire had stated.

“This situation has moved well beyond what ought to be acceptable in a modern democracy, where respect for the rule of law is maintained.

“The Constitution envisages the Judiciary of Guyana to be headed by officials who are substantively appointed and enjoy all the legal and institutional mechanisms to secure their tenure,” Sir Dennis had continued, adding that the delay was a breach of the spirit and intent of the Constitution.

Justice Cummings Edwards was appointed by President David Granger in May of this year. Prior to that, she acted as the Chief Justice from December 2015.

She was never confirmed to the substantive position.

Edwards replaced Justice Carl Singh, who retired after having acted as Chancellor since 2005. On the other hand, the currently Acting Chief Justice, Roxane George, was also appointed to her position on the same day as Edwards.

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large number of teachers turned up to work on Friday, after staying four days away from their classrooms and a total of nine days from duty due to a salary dispute between the Education Ministry and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU).

Although many students were not present in the schools this newspaper visited, those who were there were being taught and supervised.

A few teachers posted statuses on social media on Friday, expressing their joy to be back in school to do the jobs they love.

Some students, also turned out to school for the first time for the semester on Friday.

President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Mark Lyte, on Thursday called off the nationwide strike wherein about 4000 teachers were off duty.

He assured his cheering teachers that no deductions will be made to their salaries, and there will be no loss of seniority. The decision to call off the strike came after an agreement was arrived at for the Education Ministry and the GTU to go to arbitration.

Thousands of children across the country were affected, although the Education Ministry would have drafted a contingency plan wherein about 400 substitute teachers were deployed.

These substitutes included volunteers, trainees and retired teachers.

Students were being sent

home in some cases, while some were left with no option other than to return home due to school gates and doors being closed.

The arbitration committee will be agreed upon by the two bodies on Tuesday, when they meet to discuss the way forward.

Teachers descended to strike and protest action after several failed talks with the Education Ministry in regard to wage increase.

A 40 per cent salary increase for public school teachers was proposed for the year 2016. Over time, the percent-

age would be increased for all categories of represented teachers.

For the year 2017, the Union was hoping to have bargained for a 45 per cent increase, which would then increase to 50 per cent for the remainder of the years indicated in the agreement (20182020). They recently changed their demands and said they were willing to accept a ‘substantial’ payout from the Government even after the GTU rejected Government’s request for teachers to agree to a debunching payoff of $200 million for 2018/19.

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FITUG highlights high unemployment, cost of living, crime …as union engages Finance Ministry on 2019 Budget

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he Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) on Friday said it has engaged the Finance Ministry on talks for the final budget before Guyana gets deeper into the oil industry as of 2020.

During a meeting that was organised by representatives of the organisation and Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma, the discussion circled around the development of the upcoming budget as part of its pre-budget consultations and ways to deal with some of the issues that has been affecting Guyanese.

While the Federation sided with the Government’s intention to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), it stated that there is the need for “institutional safeguards and appropriate policies” to avoid any downsides that many countries are currently facing. This is necessary since large sums of money will flow into the country when oil production begins.

Another scenario, which baffled the Federation was the high unemployment

rate which noted that as many as 12 per cent of Guyanese were jobless at the ending of September last year and out of this figure, one out of five were youths. As such, the solution suggested included the implementation of training programmes for unemployed individuals as well as the introduction of a national job bank.

“Vexingly, we pointed out that large proportions of the unemployed were jobless for more than a year, indicating that jobs were difficult to come by.

On this matter, we urged the Government to urgently consider training or re-training programmes for those who are unemployed. We suggested too the Administration consider the establishment of a national job bank to allow employers and prospective employees,” the union noted.

It added that while this number has increased over the past year, another issue to worry about is the high cost of living along with the increased prices for other commodities. Additionally, the minibus fares were in-

FITUG’s President Carvil Duncan

creased and the water rate is soon to follow.

From 2014 to 2017, tax revenues have risen from $136.5 billion to $171.5 billion with the VAT and Excise receipts growing by nearly 25 per cent and Income Tax revenues rising by just over 31 per cent.

During the engagement, FITUG called for increases in the Old Age Pension and some interventions to reduce utility costs.

“We urged the Government to consider increasing the Old Aged Pension to $30,000 per month; reducing the Excise

Tax on fuel towards reducing the public transportation costs; reintroducing electricity and water subsidies for old aged pensioners, among other things.”

Pleas were also made for considerations to be made in the closed sugar estates and the fact that the plights of the workers should not be ignored. As such, budgetary allocations should be

made to ensure that their children can attend school and also for the retrenched workers to be engaged in workshops to assist with the obtainment of another job.

“We called on the Administration to consider an income support mechanism to ensure families can meet their obligations and send their children to school, among other things; introduction of school bus services to transport all school-aged children from their homes to school and to establish skills training programmes to allow the former sugar workers and the youth to receive skills that are demanded by the labour market,” FITUG stated.

It added that recently, the country has seen a plague of increased criminal activities which the agency believes can be dealt with, by expanding emergency response in all regions.

According to the organisa-

tion, the most effective way to end this scourge is by reducing the high unemployment rate.

In the public infrastructure sector, it was highlighted that large sums of monies being allocated towards the main roads and bridges while many communities are faced with impassable roads, poor draining and dilapidated bridges.

“We should not ignored and we suggested the Budget 2019 seeks to strike a balance towards allaying these difficulties our people face.”

Public health was also on the agenda for areas to be addressed in the 2019 Budget scheme. In many cases, it is being reported that there are no drugs available at the health facilities.

It was suggested that procurement systems are geared at ensuring the availability of drugs and there is an equitable spread of resources in all regions.

Diamond residents complain of intolerable music levels

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he residents of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, have now become frustrated after exhausting almost every effort to put an end to the intolerable levels of music, frequently played by a popular night club in the scheme.

It was explained to Guyana Times that the popular night spot, G3 Building, located at the head of the housing scheme – between Avenue A and B – would play music so loudly, it would disturb residents several streets away.

“Every night from about 9 o’clock to till 6 o’clock in de morning, they is be playing the music. You can’t get to sleep, the place is just

pounding away. All the windows and everything just vibrating,” a concerned citizen said.

Another resident related that on many occasions, residents in the area have contacted the Police but to no avail. “When we contact the Police, them is come but when they are coming, they (nightclub owners) have somebody who is watching out for the Police so they is turn off the music,” the resident said.

According to the resident, such an occurrence happened only last Saturday evening.

Much to the residents’ dismay, they complained that as soon as the Police leave, the owners of the bar would turn the music up again. A

57-year-old resident told this newspaper that he has been living in the area for over 10 years and the last two years, since the nightclub opened, has been the most miserable ones of his life.

He said the situation was not as severe as when the club first opened, but has now reached the point where residents have become completely intolerable of the situation.

The frustrated man, not knowing what else to do, or where else to turn for help, said he has lost hope of getting a good night’s rest and is now calling on the relevant authorities to conduct an investigation which will bring peace in the community.

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New Commander pledges tactic to reduce crime in Berbice

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ewly appointed Police Commander of Berbice – B Division Clifton Hicken plans to implement strategies to further reduce crime in Berbice and to foster a better relationship between Police and the community.

Assistant The Commissioner, who recently took up the new post, has already started to paint a different picture of the Police in Berbice, one which many have welcomed.

Hicken, who has been at the helm of Berbice unit previously, on Friday said that one of his main focuses will be the establishment of a stronger and more productive operational policing strategy in his Division. In addition, training of Police Officers and greater involvement of the Community Police Groups will soon be implemented in the Division.

“It is very important that members of the public have access to the leadership of the

Division, because we can militate against anything that is escalated,” he told the media on Friday.

The Assistant Commissioner who also met with sections on the business community and persons in the market where he promised greater Police presence, adding that that under his watch there will be an opendoor policy which will allows members of the public to have access to himself and senior officers. These include station

Speeding Cop crashes on Carifesta Avenue stopped in his path.

However, this publication was told by persons at the scene that the cops were racing along Carifesta Avenue when the incident occurred.

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Officers at the scene of the accident with one of the bikes that were involved in the accident

olice Constable Brown of the Traffic Headquarters at Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) after he lost control of the motorcycle he was riding along the southern carriageway of Carifesta Avenue at about 17:00h on Friday, and it ended up in a nearby trench, causing him to sustain inju-

ries about his body.

According to information emanating from Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Superintendent Ramesh Ashram, the incident occurred after Constable Brown and Corporal Muhammed had refuelled at the Kitty Gas Station the motorcycles they were driving, and were proceeding in a westerly direction along Carifesta

Avenue en route to Traffic Headquarters in Kingston.

The ranks are alleging that a Route 44 minibus suddenly stopped in front of them, and Constable Brown swerved to avoid a collision.

He lost control of motorcycle CJ 3377 and was thrown overboard while the motorcycle was left on the parapet. Brown was immediately rushed to the GPHC by the same minibus which had

Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken meeting with vendors in the New Amsterdam Market on Friday

sergeants.

“I will be dealing with the youths for their development is critical to me,” the Commander said, even as he recounted his involvement in that community during a previous tour of duty. Meanwhile, Deputy Commander

Superintendent Wayne Dehart, who has responsibility for operations, has noted that among the strategies to be improved on will be Police patrols in Angoys Avenue.

Angoys Avenue is often referred to as a haven for criminals.

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196th independence Anniversary

“Guyana-Brazil relations have never been stronger” – Granger …Brazil pledges support to Guyana in Venezuela border controversy

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s Brazil celebrates its 196th anniversary of independence and 50 years of bilateral ties with Guyana, President David Granger on Friday evening said the ties between the two counties have never been stronger.

The Head of State was at the time speaking at a reception held at the Ambassador’s residence in honour of its 196th independence anniversary.

President Granger noted that Brazil’s Independence celebration this year is auspicious as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between our two states.

He noted that GuyanaBrazil relations are founded, most importantly, on mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the inviolability of borders and international law and the maintenance of international peace and security.

“Guyana-Brazil relations

President David Granger and Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana, Ambassador Lineu Pupo De Paula shared a toast at the reception on Friday evening

were reinforced by bilateral talks with President Dilma Rousseff when I attended intensified over the past year.

They have included: the Summit of the Common Market of the South in Brasilia in July 2015. Highlevel engagements have my meeting with President

Temer on the margins of 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017; my State visit to Brazil in December 2017 and the signing, during that visit of the two Complementary Agreements, of a high-level Brazilian delegation in-

cluding then Minister of Defence, the Honourable Raul Jungman; and Minister of Justice, Honourable Torquato Jardim; my participation in the World Water Forum hosted in Brasilia in March 2018; and a visit to Guyana by Honourable Aloysio Nunes Filho, Brazil’s Minister of External

Relations in July 2018,” President Granger said.

He noted that Guyana and Brazil are cooperating within the Union of South American States (UNASUR), the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC), the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) to preserve Latin America and the Caribbean as zone of peace and the GuyanaBrazil relations have witnessed cooperation in agriculture, defence, education, energy, health, infrastructure security, sport, trade, transportation and water.

Meanwhile, Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana, Ambassador Lineu Pupo De Paula in his remarks, echoed similar sentiments, as he noted that the cooperation between Guyana and Brazil has particularly intensified over the past three years, in a number of areas.

Moreover, he stated that Guyana can continue to be assured of Brazil’s support

on the Guyana-Venezuela Border controversy.

“I think we have every reason to consider the last three years as one of the most important moments in our long relationship.

We are countries that share common values and moreover, we have a large border between us. We are working hard. Brazil welcomes with satisfaction, the decision by the United Nations Secretary General to send the issue of the border controversy to the International Court of Justice.

We affirm that the International Court represents the natural course for the settlement of disputes. Guyana can be assured that regional stability will not be shaken. One of the fundamentals of our foreign policy is the respect of international agreement and Brazil also defends the peaceful solution of controversies.

Guyana knows that we are brothers, we are neighbours and we will follow the path of progress together,” he said.

Teen charged for wounding Policeman

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ineteen-year-old Jobe Caesar of Lot 58 Cross Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown was on Friday arraigned before Magistrate Leron Daly on a charge of unlawfully wounding a Police Corporal on September 3 in the vicinity of Pineapple Street, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

The teenage footballer denied that he unlawfully wounded the corporal, but reports are that at about 15:30h on September 3, the

virtual complainant went to his child mother’s residence and allegedly found her in a compromising position with Caesar.

An argument erupted between the two men; and during the resultant fight, the teen allegedly wrestled a firearm from the corporal’s hand and used it to discharge several rounds at the cop.

It was further alleged that, after the ordeal, the Policeman visited the East

Ruimveldt Outpost and reported the matter, and was placed under close arrest.

The firearm was subsequently handed over to the Police.

The prosecutor is further contending that the defendant has, on several occasions, threatened to harm the cop.

Caesar has been placed on $40,000 bail, and is expected to return to court on October 1.

Vendor’s murder

Alleged mastermind slapped with murder charge

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hirty-two-year-old Roy Stanford of ‘A’ Field, Sophia, alleged mastermind in the shooting death of Bourda Market cheese vendor Troy Ramalho, committed on August 15 during the course of a robbery, was on Friday remanded to prison after being arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of murder.

Late last month, two other men who are also said to be implicated in the murder were remanded to jail.

During Friday’s court

hearing, taxi driver George Patron told the court he was not a part of the heinous crime that was committed, and that he was only a taxi driver who was hired to take the men to the location.

The trio are expected to make their next court appearance on September 24.

Reports are that, after the killing, Patron allegedly admitted to investigators that he had transported Morris and two other men to the scene of the robbery.

The taxi driver reportedly told Police he had picked

up the men at Stabroek, Georgetown, and they had asked him to drive to Robb Street, Georgetown.

He claimed he was told to wait for the men to return, and was instructed to park on Alexander Street, between Regent Street and North Road.

According to him, after the men had excited the vehicle, he heard gunshots, after which they came running towards the car. He reportedly told Police the following day he was given $40,000 by the men, who are known to him.

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

ebration. We’re particularly focusing on the work of Stephanie Correia who is a stalwart in ceramics, painting and graphic designing. She passed away many years ago so we’re paying homage to her especially.”

Hailing from Surama Village in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the works of Lorenzo John are on display as one of the new introductions. Additionally, some of the sculptures were done by Oswald Hussein and paintings by Desmond Alli. This is the first-year paintings were featured by Alli, who is mainly a sculptor. continued on page 14

A painting depicting an Amerindian chief

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s Amerindian Heritage Month continues, art and craft is next on the forefront as the art gallery and exhibition commenced on Friday at Castellani House, situated on the corner of Vlissengen Road and Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

For three weeks, the general public will be able to visit the gallery and witness some of the finest artworks by talented young Guyanese artists, sculptors and craftsmen. The annual exhibit sought to pay homage this year to the famous ceramist

Stephanie Correia, while highlighting the works of youths.

Speaking with Guyana Times in the midst of the event, the organiser and Lokono artist, George Simon, noted that the focus was centred on portraying the best of Amerindian talent through diversified representations of the culture and traditions.

“This is an annual exhibition to celebrate Heritage Month. It’s an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and craft. It has become a tradition of Heritage Month cel-

GBTI gives bursary awards to Early Savers

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The proud awardees at Friday’s ceremony

he Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) on Thursday handed out bursary awards to 15 of its Early Savers’ students who sat the National Grades Six Assessment on March 28 and 29.

The brief but significant ceremony was hosted at the bank's Kingston, Georgetown office and was attended by the Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Owen Pollard, among executives from the banking institution.

The recipients who received an undisclosed amount of cash were urged by the Education Officer to continue working hard.

He said, "You will encounter many changes that you will have to adapt to... whilst many persons are there to guide your path, you have to make the final deci-

sion".

Pollard also charged the parents of the beneficiaries to continue supporting their children as many parents tend to lose interest in their children's education as they grow older.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of GBTI, Richard Isava encouraged the students to not stop at one achievement.

According to him, "It's not about how many goals you score but how many obstacles you overcome".

Among this year's recipients was NGSA's top performer, Naila Rahaman.

Early Savers from two other banking locations also received bursary awards on Friday.

The Bank nonetheless vowed to continue its drive in helping to mould minds.

A selection of craft made with tibisiri straws and carvings made from wood

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CDC delivers aid to Venezuelan refugees S

cores of Venezuelan refugees in the Barima-Waini region, who fled their home country to escape worsened economic and social conditions, were recipients of a number of relief items distributed by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) on Friday.

The exercise focused on the Khan’s Hill and White-Water communities. The mission was led

by CDC Director General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, and comprised representatives of the region’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.

Among the items distributed were food and other relief items. The food items were compliments of DeSinco Trading Limited, which donated 50 food hampers to the CDC last month.

The other relief items were donations from the International Organisation for Migrantion (IOM) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The distribution of the items was conducted by Major Archer and his ranks

based at White Water and Maburama, while transportation support was provided by both the Police and Defence Forces, as well as by the RDC. In addition to distributing the relief items, the mission also interacted with the migrants and residents in the communities with the aim of monitoring and evaluating Government's response to the influx of migrants from Venezuela in Region One. Over the past two years, Venezuela has been experiencing worsening econom-

ic turmoil following the decline of oil prices on the world market. The country is in its fourth consecutive year of recession.

Reports coming out of the Spanish-speak State reveal there is massive food shortages and limited access to basic healthcare and basic amenities, such as electricity in certain parts.

Additionally, there continues to be rampant outbursts of looting and violence across some of the most affected cities in the neighbouring country.

To this end, scores of

Guyanese living in the neighbouring country have been returning home and there has also been a high

influx of Venezuelans escaping to Guyana to seek refuge.

Back in July, Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley had disclosed that some 268 Venezuelan refugees are in his region alone, staying in churches and makeshift tents with little to no belongings.

He had decried the lack of support from Central Government in providing assistance for not only returning Guyanese but also Venezuelan refugees, saying the region’s already small budget is being strained.

In response to the influx of returning migrants, Government has established a Multi-Sectoral

Committee to coordinate the national response and assistance to these refugees. Moreover on Thursday last, local public officers undergo a one-day training on the international best practice in assisting migrants and protecting them from abuse and exploitation of any kind.

The workshop was aimed at capacity building to better equip representatives and agencies to respond effectively to this and other such occurrences in the future. It focused on issues such as human trafficking and migrant smuggling, migrants’ vulnerabilities, and direct assistance and referral systems for migrants.

Public Health Minister conducts outreach in Region 10

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Minister Volda Lawrence greeting staff at the LHC on Friday

ublic Health Minister Volda Lawrence and a team of medical professionals on Friday wrapped up a three- day visit to medical institutions in Linden and other parts of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). During the visit, which commenced on Wednesday, the Minister toured several health facilities, including the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), Upper Demerara Hospital (UDH) and the Kwakwani Hospital. She also conducted closed door meetings with Linden nurses, tutors and students of the Charles Rosa School of Nursing, doctors attached to the LHC as well as members of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC)

Health Committee.

Following the meeting with the Regional Health Committee on Thursday, Minister Lawrence in addressing Regional Councillors, Regional Chairman Renis Morian and Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph noted that she had fruitful discussions with the Committee.

"Let me report to you that we have had fruitful and very deep thought discussions, and I'm quite certain that like myself, that they are leaving satisfied that we could have been afforded this opportunity to not only speak of the negatives but also of the positives; and to highlight what we're going to do going forward,” she

noted. The Minister also told the Councillors who form part of the Regional Health Committee that while the Public Health Ministry has a mandate to ensure access, equity and timeliness in the delivery of healthcare, it is their responsibility to ensure that they work in close collaboration to take care of persons in the region. "You are responsible for their health. Foremost, we are the overarching body that enables that to happen. Let us continue to work together," she iterated.

On Wednesday, the Minister was also present for the officiation of the LHC Management Committee.

Heritage Month brings unique...

Simon stated that no ceramic creations were submitted this year to be featured but there have been improvements in the craft section. In this area, a variety of handmade hammocks, tibisiri ornaments, amethyst jewellery and customised shirts were on display. Meanwhile, the walls of the nineteenth century building were revived with dozens of kaleidoscopic abstract paintings essentially depicting the wilderness of the forests and the practices that are evident in the Amerindian culture.

Some of Guyana’s premi-

um timbers were also used to craft a selection of sculptures with high quality finishes.

“The exhibition is not terribly complex. There is a number of sculptures by Oswald Hussein and for the first time, we have paintings by Desmond Alli, who is a sculptor and a painter.

Sadly, we don’t have any ceramics and for some reason, we didn’t have anyone to exhibit ceramics here.

That is missing but the craft aspect of it is gradually developing. And that is good for the exhibition itself.”

from page 13

The exhibition is ongoing every day until September 29. Those who are interested in the items or would like to visit the exhibition can do so at Castellani House.

Other activities scheduled for the coming weeks include the Indigenous Heritage Day at Shulinab Village in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), a hinterland school education tour, educational lectures, Indigenous games and the annual heritage fundraiser dinner.

news

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GPL blamed for damaged Linden traffic violators fined equipment at NA Hospital S T he Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has been blamed for the damage to several pieces of integral equipment at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

This was conveyed to the Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) by head of the Regional Health Committee, Zamal Hussain.

While not much information has been released on what equipment has been damaged, Guyana Times has confirmed that the New Amsterdam Hospital mortuary is out of operation.

The Berbice Regional Health Services (BRHS) Department on Friday was reluctant to provide information on the extent of the damages.

However, Hussain told the RDC that information was provided to the Regional Health Committee by the Director of BRHS, Jevaughn

Stephens, which stated that important equipment had been damaged.

“GPL was changing some transformer outside of the hospital and damaged a set of equipment in the hospital and right now they can’t be repaired and they will have to be replaced…,” the Councillor told the RDC Hussain tried to get the RDC to support a move to take GPL to court for the damages but Regional Chairman David Armogan

said it was the responsibility of the Public Utility Commission to do that.

Meanwhile, sources close to the New Amsterdam Hospital have since said the power company has since replaced some of the damaged equipment, but officials remain tight-lipped on the matter.

Hussain said the BRHS is currently looking to replace some equipment but could not provide any details.

everal Lindeners who appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday were fined for committing traffic violations.

Cleveland Thomas, 28, of Lot 99 E Green Valley, Wismar, Linden, was fined $40,000 for two traffic violations. Thomas had faced charges of failure to produce a driver’s licence and failure to submit to a breathalyser test on August 25, while at Burnham Drive, Wismar. At the time he was the driver of motor vehicle PMM 8703.

On Wednesday, a Police witness gave evidence against him and the prosecution closed its case. Given the option to provide a sworn statement, unsworn statement or

stay silent, Thomas opted to give an unsworn statement refuting the charges against him. He was found guilty of failure to submit to a breathalyser test and failure to produce a driver’s licence and as such was fined $20,000 for each violation.

Meanwhile, Hansel Murray, 43, of Lot 909 Phase 1-B, Wisroc, Wismar was found guilty of two traffic violations and ordered to pay a fine of $20,000. The father of five was accused of being an untidy hire car driver and misconduct.

According to the prosecution’s case, on July 23, 2018, while on the Amelia’s Ward public road, he drove motor vehicle HC 9290 clad in slippers and spoke to the Traffic Police that stopped him in a very loud tone. Asked

by the Magistrate why the court should not impose the maximum penalty, Murray said he is a father of five school-aged children and is very sorry for his actions.

Magistrate Nurse told the traffic offender to take such things into considerations before acting irrationally on the road.

Additionally, Rayon Lewis who was a no show at court on Wednesday was fined $7500 with an alternative of one-week imprisonment for driving under the influence of alcohol. The court heard that Lewis on August 20 on the Washer Pond road, drove motor vehicle PLL 9553 while his breath alcohol level was 41 micrograms which is above the legal limit.

Fire guts ‘junkies’ shack in Grove

Guyana bids farewell to A Chilean Ambassador

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenridge shakes hands with outgoing Chilean Ambassador Claudio Rachel Rojas

G

uyana bid farewell to its first Chilean Ambassador, Claudio Rachel Rojas on Thursday evening.

Ambassador Rojas was lauded by several Government representatives for his work in Guyana. Among the officials attending the ceremony at the Cara Lodge Hotel, were Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenridge.

Delivering brief remarks, Minister Greenridge noted that the historic opening of the Chilean Embassy in Guyana and the appointment of Ambassador Rojas in 2015 has yielded discernable results.

“We have been able to have meetings at the presidential levels which have been marked by significant steps, significant improvement in the level of cooperation. His Excellency, Ambassador Rojas has mentioned some of these in areas that are very im-

portant to us ranging from language, telecoms, mining and so forth. So, I think we are especially pleased that the efforts and the energy that he has put into his assignment here have yielded such visible fruits and we are very pleased about that,” Minister Greenridge is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Ambassador Rojas said it has been a wonderful experience for him serv-

ing in Guyana. He noted that both countries faced similar challenges, adding that the steps taken over the past three years were aimed at building stronger ties between the two countries.

“We honour our cultural differences because we believe that in diversity there is richness but also we honour the fact that whatever we do in the field of foreign affairs, we do it for the good of our fellow citizens,” the outgoing Ambassador said.

The Ambassador Rojas noted that since independence, Guyana remains one of the few countries in the Western hemisphere to have maintained a democratic system unlike Chile and other states that have experienced phases of military rule.

Ambassador Rojas was also presented with a token of appreciation for his service.

The Ambassador was the first resident diplomat from Chile since the country established formal relations with Guyana in 1971.

fire started in the East Bank Demerara community of Grove in the wee hours of Friday completely razed a wooden shack occupied by at least three men described as “nuisances and junkies”.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but Guyana Times has been made to understand that a lighted cigarette was left on a mattress.

Based on reports received, and an alarm of “Fire!” was raised in the community at about 03:00h on Friday; and neighbours rushing to the scene were able to contain the blaze to the shack. By the time the fire tenders arrived at the scene, the wooden shack was completely gutted.

One neighbour told this publication that his household was awakened by the scream of “Fire!”, and without hesitation, his relatives went into firefighting

The house moments after it went up in flames

mode. “We jump up, put on the water pump and started to soak our home; because, a few years ago, the same shack was set on fire and our home received severe damage… we had to spend like $3 million to repair (it)”, he detailed.

He said his relatives were taking no chances this time around; because, on a daily basis, several “drunk

men” would assemble at the shack and drink all day.

“Initially, it was four brothers who occupied the house; one went to jail and the other in the bush, but every day is a session at the house -- drinking and cussing”, the man stated.

The Guyana Fire Service and the Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire.

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018

Regional

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro ‘lost 40% of blood in stabbing’

B

razil’s presidential front-runner, Jair Bolsonaro, lost 40 per cent of his blood after he was stabbed on Thursday, hospital officials say. The farright politician was attacked at a campaign rally in Minas Gerais.

Doctors say he suffered a deep and life-threatening wound in his intestines, but is now recovering well. His son, Flavio Bolsonaro, said it was unlikely that his father would be able to return to campaigning before next month’s election.

He said his father was still weak and had trouble speaking, adding: “He cannot go to the streets, but we can.”

The controversial politician has won supporters for his tough stance on crime, but has outraged many in Brazil with racist and homophobic comments.

Polls suggest he will get

A Brazil’s Presidential front-runner, Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed on Thursday. The far-right politician was attacked at a campaign rally in Minas Gerais. Doctors say he suffered a deep and life-threatening wound in his intestines, but is now recovering well

the most votes in the first round of the October presidential elections if former President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva remains blocked from standing, but is unlikely to win a run-off.

Left-wing Lula had been the long-standing favourite but he is currently in prison, appealing against a ban on

his candidacy that was imposed after his conviction for corruption.

Hospital director Eunice Dantas told reporters on Friday that Mr Bolsonaro had lost more than two litres of blood, and was in shock, when he arrived. He is now stable and “in excellent clinical condition” after being

operated on, she added, although he will need to spend at least a week in hospital.

Bolsonaro’s family say the knife had penetrated 12 centimetres (4.7 inches) into his abdomen, Reuters news agency reports. He has now been transferred to a hospital in São Paulo. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Nicaragua strike brings country to standstill as crisis continues

S

hops, banks and businesses across Nicaragua stayed closed on Friday in the latest 24-hour strike called by Opposition leaders since protests against the Government of Daniel Ortega broke out in April.

In the Centro Comercial, an upscale shopping centre in downtown Managua, the usually bustling avenues were empty, save for the watchmen outside shuttered storefronts and a short line of men wait-

US Cop walks into apartment she thought was hers, kills man from St Lucia

ing to use the ATM outside a closed bank.

Friday's strike was called by the opposition Civic Alliance to demand the release of activists including student leaders Edwin Carcache and Alejandro Centeno, who were imprisoned this week on charges of terrorism.

“With 200 political prisoners and [new] murders every day, this strike is just one more sign that nothing is normal here in Nicaragua,”

said Ana Margarita Vigil, a 40-year-old national director of the outlawed opposition Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS).

After security forces and paramilitaries retook rebel strongholds in July, Ortega's government has attempted to draw a line under the crisis, but protests have continued, and negotiations brokered by the Catholic Church have stalled.

Most shops and small

businesses in the capital were closed on Friday, while in the nearby city of Boaco, local media reported only seven per cent of businesses were open.

Jorman Estrada, 23, lounged outside the bar where he normally works as a waiter. “All the bars, restaurants and businesses in this neighbourhood decided to close today to support the national strike. We all have to work together to end the repression,” he said. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Texas Police Officer will face criminal charges for fatally shooting a man after walking into the wrong apartment following her shift, officials said Friday.

Authorities were seeking to charge the officer, who has not yet been named, with manslaughter. Dallas Police U Renee Hall told a news conference the incident was "a very unique situation."

"We have ceased handling (the incident) under our normal officer-involved shooting protocol," the chief said, adding that the officer's blood was being tested for drugs and alcohol.

The shooting took place Thursday night, after the officer's shift had ended. While still in uniform, she told authorities she mistakenly walked into the apartment belonging to Botham Shem Jean in an upscale complex near downtown Dallas.

Police did not yet know

what interaction occurred between the officer and the victim. After the officer shot Jean, she called emergency services and told responding officers that she had thought she had entered her own apartment.

"Right now there are more questions than answers," Chief Hall said.

The 26-year-old Jean was an immigrant from the small Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. He had graduated from a private Christian college in Arkansas in 2016 and had since been working for a major accounting firm in Dallas. "Botham frequently led worship for chapel and for campus events," Harding University said in a statement on Facebook. "The entire Harding family grieves today." The Texas Rangers, a state-wide law enforcement agency, will conduct an independent investigation of the shooting. (Excerpt from

Jamaica Observer)

OAS announces creation of working group on migration crisis in Venezuela

Barbados Govt officially working with IMF

B

arbados has entered an official programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The announcement was made by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley earlier on Friday during a joint media briefing with IMF representative Bert Van Selm at Government Headquarters, Bay Street.

Van Selm said the IMF would consider the programme by early October and if approved, the island would have immediate access to US$49 million in funding.

He reiterated the poor state of the Barbados economy which has been characterised by low growth, high debt and a widening fiscal deficit,

Prime Minister Mia Mottley (at left) and International Monetary Fund representative Bert Van Selm

while international reserves had fallen below adequate levels at US$240 million.

Van Selm said the Barbados Economic Recovery

and Transformation (BERT) programme, which was announced by Mottley recently, was a step in the right direction towards “strong, sustain-

able and inclusive growth”.

“This important commitment of IMF resources is a vote of confidence in the BRT plan,” he said.

The plan is anticipated to lower debt to 60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2033, almost 100 per cent lower than the current unsustainable level of 157 per cent.

“While the initial implementation period will be challenging, Barbados will emerge stronger and more dynamic from this programme and it would be in a better position to generate growth and job creation for the people of Barbados,” Van Selm said.

(Nation News)

State of emergency declared in parts of Belize City; US Embassy issues security alert

T

he United States (US) Government has issued a security alert for American citizens in Belize, after authorities declared a state of emergency in two gangplagued areas of south side Belize City.

On Thursday, the US State Department informed citizens of check points throughout the South side and urged them to exercise increased caution in the area, avoid crowds, keep a

low profile, be aware of their surroundings, be vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs, and use caution when walking or driving at night.

National Security Minister John Saldivar announced that the state of emergency, declared through a statutory instrument signed by the Governor General on Tuesday, was being implemented for an initial 30-day period, to tackle the escalation of gun violence

in the area, but said it could be extended.

The development came on the heels of a weekend in which six people were gunned down, with the majority of those shootings believed to be gang related.

Acting Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said police had tried to have dialogue with rivalling gangs for the past few months to restore order, but that had not been as

successful as anticipated, and firm action had to be taken.

Under the state of emergency, police have the authority to incarcerate gang members and their affiliates for 30 days, without them been charged for any crime. More than 100 people have already been detained. The acting Police Chief said citizens on the right side of the law had nothing to fear as police exercised their powers.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

OAS Permanent Council in session

T

he Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on Wednesday analysed at a special meeting “the migration crisis” in Venezuela and, following the meeting, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro announced the creation of a working group to analyse the migration issue, which will be chaired by exiled Venezuelan politician David Smolansky.

Almagro, who requested the meeting, noted that “there are millions of Venezuelans who have fled the country with the hope of re-establishing their most basic rights. No country can face this wave of migrants and refugees in isolation.

The approach must be collective following the principle of shared responsibility.”

At the meeting, the Assistant Executive Secretary of the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), María Claudia Pulido, referred to the measures that

the IACHR recommends as a humanitarian response to the “serious crisis that has forced the migration of thousands of Venezuelans in recent months”.

“The crisis has a cross-border scope that requires a regional response based on respect for human rights. The OAS and the member states cannot remain unmoved by the many forms of suffering experienced by Venezuelans,” she said.

President of the Migration Policy Institute, Andrew Seele, said that, although Venezuelan migration is not the only one in the region, it is the “most worrying” one.

“We are at the beginning of the migratory flow and not at the end, there are strong reasons to believe that the Venezuelans who have left will not return any time soon to their country, and we must be prepared, since many more will leave,” he said. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

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Around the World

Syria war: Russia Iraqi protesters set fire to Iran consulate in southern city of Basra rejects Turkey's

calls for Idlib truce

A

ngry protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Basra Friday, setting a fire inside as part of ongoing demonstrations that have turned deadly in the past few days, a security official and eyewitnesses said.

On Friday evening, Iraqi security officials announced a citywide curfew. “Security forces will arrest anyone present in the street,” a statement from Basra Operations Command said.

At least 10 protesters have died in clashes with security forces since Monday, including three who were shot dead by security forces on Thursday night as protesters lobbed Molotov cocktails and set fire to a Government building and offices of Shiite militias in the city.

Residents of Basra and other cities in Iraq’s oil-rich southern Shiite heartland have been protesting since July over endemic corruption, soaring joblessness and poor public services. Clashes erupted earlier this week, leaving several civilians and police dead. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered an investigation into the violence which shows no sign of abating.

R

Iraqi protesters watch the official building in flames as they demonstrate against the government and the lack of basic services in Basra on September 6, 2018

The violence prompted the temporary head of Iraq’s parliament, the eldest lawmaker, to call an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the snowballing protests.

The protesters shouted anti-Iranian slogans outside the Iranian consulate Friday evening, including “Iran, out, out!” before they stormed it and set a fire inside. Smoke could be seen rising from the building.

Protesters also burned an Iranian

flag. Many residents of the predominantly Shiite city accuse Iranianbacked political parties of interfering with Iraqi politics and some hold them responsible for mismanagement and the poor services in the city.

The rare attack comes amid a political crisis and against the backdrop of the Basra protests, adding to overall tensions in the country. (Excerpt

from France24)

ussian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Turkey's calls for a truce to prevent a "bloodbath" in north Syria.

At a trilateral meeting with Iran and Turkey, Putin said Russia would continue its fight against "terrorists" in Idlib province.

Idlib is the Syrian opposition's last major stronghold, with almost three million residents. Syrian military forces, backed by Russia and Iran, are poised to launch a major offensive there soon.

The three-way meeting in Tehran had been seen by many as a final chance to prevent a large-scale battle in Idlib. Syria has been in a civil war since 2011, after a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad turned into a conflict that has killed more than 350,000 people.

Iran, Russia and Turkey have played central roles in the Syrian conflict. Turkey –

which has long backed some rebel groups – fears an allout assault will trigger another major refugee crisis on its southern border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian and Iranian counterparts: "We don't want Idlib to turn into a bloodbath."

However, Russia and Iran are allied to Syria's President Assad, and say jihadist groups in Idlib must be wiped out. Russian air strikes, and thousands of fighters backed

by Iran, have helped the Syrian military attack rebel areas. At Friday's meeting, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani argued that "fighting terrorism in Idlib is an unavoidable part of the mission of restoring peace and stability to Syria".

Meanwhile, Putin said "the legitimate Syrian government has a right and must eventually take control of its entire national territory".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Woman and son critically Greek PM to promise economic relief injured in giraffe attack after years of bailout austerity

G

The Williams family live and work on the wildlife reserve. Giraffes can behave unpredictably if they feel threatened

T

he wife and son of a British scientist are in a critical condition after being attacked by a giraffe on a wildlife reserve in South Africa. Katy Williams and three-year-old Finn were flown to hospital in Johannesburg on Monday after being trampled by a female giraffe who was with her calf.

Sam Williams, who works on the Blyde Wildlife Estate,

said the giraffe may have seen his wife and son as a threat.

In a statement, he said he would "take one day at a time and remain positive". His wife and son are said to be in a stable but critical condition in a private hospital in Johannesburg.

Both British-born Williams and his American wife (who is also a British resident) are scientists with postPhD experience in animal-re-

lated fields. The family live and work on the reserve in South Africa's Limpopo province.

It is understood Mrs Williams, 35, and Finn were attacked at around 18:00 local time on Monday, about 150m from their home. Mr Williams, who was returning from a run, witnessed the attack and was able to chase the giraffe away before calling the emergency services. (Excerpt from BBC News)

reek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to announce on Saturday some economic relief for Greeks who have swallowed the bitter pill of austerity during years of financial crisis, in a keynote policy speech that may be overshadowed by protests.

The leftist leader must strike the right balance between an angry public that wants to be rewarded for years of sacrifices and markets, easily unnerved by any sign of deviation from the path of fiscal consolidation in the post bailout era.

The country emerged from its third international bailout last month after eight years of strict supervision by its foreign lenders - its euro zone partners and the Washington-based International Monetary Fund.

Tsipras, who was cata-

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras leaves the Presidential Palace following his meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (not pictured) in Athens, Greece, June 12, 2018

pulted to power in January 2015 on promises to end austerity but was later forced to sign up to a new bailout, hopes to boost his sagging

poll ratings this year before a planned general election in 2019.

At the annual trade fair in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Tsipras will indicate the beneficiaries of this year’s fiscal outperformance, which the government puts at 800 million euros (US$931.28 million).

He is also expected to outline his medium-term economic policy, pledging tax cuts and lower social security contributions for some groups, while also promising to continue structural reforms and remain fiscally prudent.

Outside the venue where Tsipras will speak, unions have planned rallies to demand a reversal of bailout reforms, which they say have hurt workers rights and plunged Greeks into poverty. (Excerpt from Reuters)

North Korea turns 70: all eyes on missile 'Act of espionage': France accuses Russia of trying to spy on satellite data displays at upcoming military parade

T

he French Defence Minister has accused Russia of attempting to intercept France’s satellite communications, calling it an act of espionage. Florence Parly said Russia tried to intercept transmissions and spy on a satellite providing secure communications for the French military last year.

In a speech outlining France’s space policy and security issues, Parly said that the Athena-Fidus satellite, operated jointly by France and Italy, was approached “a bit too closely” by Russia’s

Luch-Olymp craft, known for its advanced listening capacity.

“It got so close that we might have imagined it was trying to intercept our communications,” she added. “Trying to listen to your neighbours is not only unfriendly, it’s an act of espionage.”

Parly said officials took the “appropriate measures” and continued to monitor the satellite after it left, and observed it manoeuvring near other targets as well, she said.

Last month, Washington accused Moscow of developing anti-satellite weapons and cited “very abnormal behaviour” of a “space object” deployed by Russia last October.

French President Emmanuel Macron, is expected to set out plans next year for a “space defence strategy”, and an advisory committee is expected to make proposals by November. Parly said: “We’re at risk; our communications, our military manoeuvres and our daily operations are at risk if we don’t react.”

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

N

orth Korea is set to hold a massive military parade on Sunday to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s founding, a powerful display of martial might as talks with the US over the country’s nuclear weapons program stall.

The parade will coincide with visits from foreign dignitaries and a large-scale choreographed performance known as the Mass Games, held for the first time in five years. The display of military hardware and phalanx-

es of goosestepping soldiers is likely to be larger than another parade held earlier this year, though more subdued compared with last year, according to analysis.

Whether large intercontinental ballistic missiles are included in the parade will be key. They could be seen as a provocative move. North Korea has suspended nuclear and missile tests as talks continue with US officials.

Satellite images did not show vehicles used for carrying ICBMs in the parade staging area, but “they could

still be onsite but housed in the heavy equipment shelters”, according to monitoring group 38 North. It will “likely be considerably larger than the military parade earlier this year,” 38 North analyst Joseph Bermudez wrote.

Mintaro Oba, a former US diplomat who focused on North Korea policy, said: “If it does display ICBMs, it would be wise for the United States to take it in stride as another North Korean propaganda spectacle and not as something that should materially affect negotiations.”

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

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saturdAY, september 8, 2018

ARCHIE

A personal change will leave you unsure about what (March 21- to do next. Look at whatevApril 19) er transpires as a blessing in disguise. The outcome will be beneficial, regardless of the initial blow.

ARIES

Travel plans should be in TAURUS the works. Getting together (April 20- with friends or relatives will May 20) give you a sense of belonging.

The information shared with you will change the way you move forward.

dilbert

An emotional matter will GEMINI (May 21- build if you or someone else June 20) is not honest regarding your feelings. Don’t let personal matters interfere with what you need to accomplish.

Embrace new beginnings.

Getting involved in some(June 21- thing you have never done beJuly 22) fore will bring you in contact with interesting people who will encourage you to make positive lifestyle changes.

CANCER

Peanuts

Before you take on new LEO projects, make sure you can (July 23- afford the cost involved. Avoid Aug. 22) extravagant people and pastimes. Joint money matters will lead to an argument.

You can’t lose if you folVIRGO low through with your plans.

(Aug. 23Your perception and insights Sept. 22) into trends and what will and won’t work will lead to positive change.

Calvin and Hobbes

Keep your head down LIBRA (Sept. 23- and your mind set on whatOct. 23) ever journey you embark on.

Listen to the advice of others, but don’t let anyone railroad you into something you don’t want to do.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — HOSTILE (HOSTILE: HOS-tuhl: Feeling or showing enmity or ill will.) Average mark 29 words Time limit 45 minutes

SUDOKU

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Can you find 42 or more words in HOSTILE? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — BEGUILING begin begun being bile bilge bine binge blini blue bluing bugle bulge bung bungle gibe glen

glib glue gluing guile ingle lien lieu line ling luge lune lung lunge niggle nubile

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

Let your creative imagiSCORPIO nation take charge. Indulge (Oct. 24in emotional situations that Nov. 22) make you think about love, life and how you’d like to live.

Make romance a priority.

solution for last published puzzle

Be careful whom you trust. Someone will offer a pretty picture to entice you to participate in something that isn’t in your best interest. Invest in you, not in someone else.

Invest in your home and CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- family. Make changes that Jan. 19) will add to your assets and make the people you love happy. An unexpected professional opportunity will come your way.

Pay more attention to the AQUARIUS way you look and how to best (Jan. 20- make improvements that Feb. 19) won’t put your bank account in jeopardy. Stabilizing your personal finances will ease stress.

You’ll have an opportuniPISCES (Feb. 20- ty to get involved in a partMarch 20) nership. Whether it’s personal or professional, you should consider what’s being offered.

You stand to benefit if you are willing to make a change.

saturdAY, september 8, 2018

Ishant, Bumrah headline India's strong performance T

hey were craning their heads, looking at the England dressing room, waiting for a sign.

He was due to come out and they wanted to say thank you. Finally, Alastair Cook stepped out into the sunshine and basked in the applause.

He kept their company for a good four hours and as usual, while their minds to drifted to more important matters, like the bills that they had left to pay or the date they were planning to impress, he led England to a position of strength with his 57th half-century. The crowd would look up from their phones, see Cook still in the middle and go back to their business.

After tea though, a peaceful day at the Oval turned frenetic. Jasprit Bumrah had Cook dragging on for 71.

Three balls later, he bowled a vemomous inswinger that trapped Joe Root lbw for 0 and five balls after that, Ishant Sharma had Jonny Bairstow caught behind with one that held its line just outside off-stump and England were suddenly 134 for 4, from 133 for 1. India's fast bowlers had been excellent with their discipline. There were a million plays and misses - actually, it was only 74 but Mohammed Shami beat Moeen Ali's bat four times in a single over. All of that meant there was no let-up in pressure and once they got a wicket, more followed, as is expected of a bowling attack that has such variety.

Danger lurked even as the shadows lengthened at the ground, and the batsmen thought they had done enough to justify their captain's decision to bat at the toss. That's a direct result of the threat each of India's bowlers pose, including Ravindra Jadeja, brought into this match in place of R Ashwin, who is said to have aggravated his hip injury.

Jadeja's accuracy took out

Alastair Cook was England’s top scorer on day one, with 71, as they finished the day on 198 for seven

Ben Stokes in the 78th over and Ishant broke through from the other end, twice, ending Moeen's innings at 50 off 170 balls and then rushing Sam Curran back to the pavilion for 0.

The last session of play produced six wickets for 75 runs, lending merit to how well-stocked this Indian attack is. England saw off the skiddy fast bowler who troubles batsmen with his wideof-the-crease angle and awkward action, but were unprepared for the tall one with the ability to probe away in the off-stump corridor, straightening the ball off the seam. Both of them wouldn't have been as threatening without their partner kicking everything off after lunch with a special spell.

Shami earned 34 edges and plays-and-misses in 22 overs, including 18 from Moeen alone.

The skill of the Indian seamers flipped not one but two big stories on the day.

They hit pause on Cook's party and muted public outrage over Virat Kohli's team selection. The extra batsman finally came into the XI but it was Hanuma Vihari, a 24year old debutant, and not Karun Nair, who was left on the bench for a fifth Test in a row. He'll be ending his tour feeding his team-mates balls in the nets, running drinks out to them and dreaming about that time when he was

SCOREBOARD

England 1st Innings AN Cook b Bumrah 71 KK Jennings c Rahul b Jadeja 23 MM Ali c †Pant b Sharma 50 JE Root (c) lbw b Bumrah 0 JM Bairstow † c †Pant b Sharma 0 BA Stokes lbw b Jadeja 11 JC Buttler not out 11 SM Curran c †Pant b Sharma 0 AU Rashid not out 4 Extras (b 25, lb 3) 28 TOTAL (90 Overs, RR: 2.2) 198-7

Yet to bat: SCJ Broad, JM Anderson Fall of wickets: 1-60 (KK Jennings, 23.1 ov), 2-133 (AN Cook, 63.2 ov), 3-133 (JE Root, 63.5 ov), 4-134 (JM Bairstow, 64.4 ov), 5-171 (BA Stokes, 77.5 ov), 6-177 (MM Ali, 82.3 ov), 7-181 (SM Curran, 82.5 ov) BOWLING: JJ Bumrah (21-9-412), I Sharma (22-10-28-3), GH Vihari (1-0-1-0), Mohammed Shami (22-7-43-0), RA Jadeja (24-0-57-2)

a triple-hundred scoring Test cricketer.

The think-tank's choice to go into the game with only four specialist bowlers Hardik Pandya was dropped - also came under scrutiny in the morning when it seemed like the pitch - despite the grass on it - was rather slow.

Cook got into his innings with a rasping cut shot and followed it with a bowler-crippling pull for another four, showing off just how much time he had to play anything pitched short. But the tap on the freebies was closed after lunch and England had to survive on the strength of their will and the merit of their technique.

Cook had fun doing just that. It had been nine innings since his last half-century.

But from the moment he, reluctantly, ventured out to a cover drive in the second over of the day, he looked like the old grizzled warrior that put an outrageous price on his wicket. He invited balls on his pads with his leaves outside off and put them away with much glee. He won't experience such thrills again, not in Test cricket at least, and so it was time to indulge.

Even if he didn't quite feel like it, the people would have willed him on.

Two days ago, he said he was asked to roll down his car window while on the road because a fan wanted to say thank you. Here, at the ground, there were banners proclaiming gratitude for 12 years of service. There were men dressed up as chefs, mimicking the umpire's signal for boundary every time Cook hit one. London came to watch him. He put on one last show of trademark defiance. But for once in this series, it was the England middle order that came up short against an unrelenting Indian bowling attack. (ESPN cricinfo)

19

Former USA Gymnastics trainer jailed on sex abuse charge

A

former USA Gymnastics trainer was arrested and jailed in Texas after being accused of sexually abusing a child at a team training facility in Huntsville, jail officials said on Thursday.

Debbie Van Horn, 64, was being held in the Walker County Jail on a single abuse count. There was no lawyer listed for her in jail records.

She is due to be arraigned on Friday, according to a media report.

In June, she was charged by a grand jury in the county and former team doctor Larry Nassar was charged with six counts of sexual assault that allegedly occurred at a training camp in Huntsville run by gymnastics coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi. The Karolyis were not charged and have said they knew nothing about the alleged assaults at the training camp.

Van Horn was arrested at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston by Homeland Security officials after getting off a plane from China,

Debbie Van Horn

the Huntsville Item newspaper reported, citing the local district attorney.

Nassar, who also worked at Michigan State University, was sentenced in Michigan in January to up to 175 years in prison for abusing young female gymnasts who were entrusted to his care.

The Karolyi facility has been used for regular training camps but shortly after the Nassar sentencing, USA Gymnastics canceled training sessions there. (Reuters)

Olympic champion cyclist paralysed after training crash G

ermany’s double Olympic and world track sprint cycling champion Kristina Vogel has announced she has been left paralysed following spinal injuries sustained in a serious crash during training.

Vogel, 27, who won Olympic gold in the track team sprint at London 2012 and individual sprint gold at Rio de Janeiro four years later, collided with another cyclist at 38mph while training at the Cottbus Sport Centre Velodrome in June.

The 11-time world champion has lost the use of her legs after the accident severed her spinal cord.

“It is shit, there’s no other way to put it. No matter how you package it, I can’t walk anymore,” Vogel told Der Spiegel. “But I believe that the sooner you accept a new situation, the sooner you learn to deal with it.”

Vogel had been training for the German Grand Prix on a concrete track when the crash occurred. She was airlifted to a clinic in Berlin where she was placed in a medically-induced coma before undergoing several operations.

Before Friday’s interview in Der Spiegel there had been no updates on her condition since undergoing surgery in June.

“I didn’t want people to see me that injured,” Vogel, who plans to hold a press conference on Wednesday, added. “Now I can say I have reached a point where I can say: here I am and I am fine. I am still the same crazy person. I want to be a source of motivation for others.”

The Kyrgyzstan-born cyclist also had a serious accident in May 2009, when she was knocked off her bike by a vehicle. She suffered severe injuries and was placed in an artificial coma for two days.

But she returned three years later to win the team sprint with Miriam Welte at the 2012 London Olympics. Vogel became the first German to win Olympic gold in the individual sprint in Rio de Janeiro four years later despite a broken saddle. (The Guardian)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, september 8, 2018

CONCACAF Nations League…

GRFU lacks Heated encounter leaves funding ahead Guyana locked in a draw of RANs 7s A steamy exchange of words at their respective press conferences has caused the Guyanese and Barbadian national football teams to have stirred up anticipation and expectation for great and unexpected things to happen at their CONCACAF Nations League meeting.

So said, so done. The teams delivered nothing but thrills and chills in their 90minute encounter, but the result was one that neither team had expected.

The National Track and Field Centre at Leonora saw football fans on Thursday evening pouring in to see Guyana compete with old rivals Barbados.

The match got underway at 7pm on the dot, with the Guyanese team playing an attacking style, as promised by Head Coach Michael Johnson.

In retrospect, the matchup could easily have gone Guyana’s way. However, as fate would have it, the Golden Jaguars had one too many fruitless attempts.

The first half’s play was enough to make the vociferous crowd’s heart skip a beat when Guyana’s strikers missed out not only one, but three solid attempts at goal.

Aside from sketchy striking and poor on-field decisions, one could chalk up playing against the wind as another factor that played a crucial part in the eventual result of the game.

Playing with the wind this time around, Guyana got off to a firing start with a goal several minutes af-

Dwayne Schroeder

P Forward player Andrew Murray controlling possession of the ball during the encounter

ter the second half began. Portugal-based player Trayon Bobb was the one to make the breakthrough for Guyana.

Expectedly, the goal was met with loud applause and cheers from the crowd, but they were soon silenced when Guyana’s momentum seemed to have rubbed off on Barbados, who saw the chance and managed two sneaky but brilliant plays to net two goals back-to- back from Hallam Hope.

Knowing that they needed a goal, or even two, Guyana bounced back to their attacking ways, controlling possession of the ball once again. With assistance from local boy Vurlon Mills, Neil Danns was able to secure the goal.

In the opinion of spectators, the game flew by a lit-

tle too quickly, leaving both teams to settle for a draw.

After the encounter, Head Coach Johnson expressed disappointment with the result. “It was a good point in the end. It actually feels like a loss, you know. The first half, it could’ve been three or four, could’ve gone our side.

And I don’t know (by) what slackness, lazy play we conceded two silly goals! But fair play to the team, they found it in themselves to dig deep.

And even then we looked like we could’ve pinched another one for 3-2,” Johnson said.

However, the coach noted that it would be a good game to reflect on. “When we finally qualify, we’ll look at that and think, ‘Hey, it was a good point’,” he said.

On the other hand, goal scorer Neil Danns, although not content with the out-

come, noted that the game has a lot of positives that the team can work on.

“We’re going to take the positives from it. We went into the game 2-1 down and the boys showed real character and real spirit to come back and clinch that point.

That’s how far we’ve come!

That game feels like a loss; couple years ago we would’ve been cheering about a draw, but today, we know that standards are being set so high,” Danns stated.

Guyana’s next CONCACAF Nations League game is scheduled for October against Turks and Caicos. In November they will take on French Guiana.

In March of 2019, the Golden Jaguars will then return home to challenge Belize for a chance at qualification.

resident of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU), Peter Greene, has discussed the recently concluded Americas Rugby Challenge (ARC) 15s and the more-than-familiar position of the GRFU being short of funds as it seeks qualification for the Pan American Games, to be held in Peru 2019.

The claim is being made that the GRFU had submitted its list to the National Sports Commission (NSC) for the 2018/2019 year; but in a recent meet with Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, the GRFU was nowhere listed among the names to receive funding from the Government.

The GRFU seems to be under tremendous financial strain after recently paying a medical bill that amounted to over two million dollars.

This strain had implications for the holistic unity of the team, which has both local and overseas-based players competing in the ARC. Among other members of the GRFU present on Friday at Olympic House

were Guyana’s 7s team Captain Dwayne Schroeder and the 15s Captain Ryan Gonsalves.

Gonsalves defended his team even after the horrendous defeats Guyana suffered at the hands of Colombia and Paraguay at the 2018 ARC. His contention is that in the game of rugby, sometimes you win, or come out on the other end.

Gonsalves urges Guyanese fans to support the team even in their time of loss. The captain was confident of a better showing with the current selection, but he said things seemed not to have gone their way on this occasion.

Last year the team had made it to the finals, but this year wasn’t their time, he reasoned. Nevertheless, according to the GRFU boss, the team will bounce back strong with assiduous training.

However, if they do manage to show at the upcoming Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championships, it is expected that the side would give a good account of itself.

BMW Championship…

Rose second, McIlroy and Woods slip back

Justin Rose showed some good form on the greens on Friday

E

ngland's Justin Rose shot a seven-underpar 63 to move into second place after the second round of the BMW Championship in Philadelphia.

Rose, 38, finished the day 11 under, two off the lead, to climb the leaderboard as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods moved in the opposite direction.

McIlroy had a one-under 69 for a nine-under total, one shot ahead of 14-time major winner Woods, who bogeyed his final two holes in a levelpar 70.

Xander Schauffele leads on 13 under.

The American shot a six-under 64 on a day when tee times were brought forward because of the threat of bad weather.

McIlroy's 69 saw him fall six places to jointseventh on nine under, while Woods is tied for 12th.

England's Tommy Fleetwood sits one shot behind Woods after hitting eight birdies for an eight-under-par round of 62 to charge up the leaderboard.

Woods followed his 62 on Thursday - his lowest opening round since 1999 - with three birdies and three bogeys for a level-par 70.

The American, who was this week named as a wildcard pick for the Ryder Cup, said on pgatour. com: "I hit it just as good and putted it just as good. Nothing went in. That's the way it goes.

"That round today was easily six, seven under par. It turned into even par which is not what I needed to do."

Schauffele narrowly missed out on an automatic spot in Jim Furyk's United States Ryder Cup team but could earn the fourth and final wildcard pick with a strong performance this weekend.

He said: "I feel like I'm sort of on a mission here. I have lots to prove to myself... and I just want to win and just handle my business." (BBC Sport)

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21

CPL week 4 round-up…

Stars, Tridents drop anchor – Play-offs loom near

W

ith the league stage tapering to a close, the CPL’s fourth week was full of drama and emotion. Two teams dropped out of the playoffs race, while two left-hand batsmen lit up the tournament in between some ordinary umpiring decisions.

Home advantage? What’s that?

After Jamaica Tallawahs lost all their designated ‘home games’ in Florida earlier this season, it was Barbados Tridents’ turn to suffer the same fate - in their proper backyard too. They were assigned five games at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval, but five straight losses - including three last week sunk their chances of qualification.

That, together with St Lucia Stars’ six-wicket win against Tridents o n Sunday, ensured we already know the four playoff teams, despite four league games remaining to be played.

Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors - with two games in hand - are best placed to secure a top-two finish, while St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Tallawahs are set to round off the top four.

Pollard’s unfulfilled return to Barbados

Stars’ Kieron Pollard is never too far away from a controversy, and he was in the middle of o n e last week when Tridents’ Jason Holder had him Oshane Thomas

lbw off a full toss.

Pollard, captain of the Tridents franchise for the past four years, had left the team before this edition and was clearly looking for a big innings against them when he walked in at 80 for 3 in the tenth over, but Holder’s inswinging full-toss rapped him on the pads and appeared to be missing the leg stump, when the umpire raised his finger.

The Stars captain looked flummoxed and was visibly upset as he ended his season with a first-ball duck against his former team.

However, when the decision was not reversed despite replays showing Holder overstepping, Pollard wore a bemused look in the dugout, sarcastically clapping the umpires’ decision and forcing coach Brad

Hodge t o visit the third umpire’s office to fully understand why the lbw decision was not overturned.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first poor umpiring decision of the season, and Pollard’s men won the game by six wickets anyway.

Batsman of the week

Colin Munro has struck five half-centuries in his last eight CPL innings, none better than his 56ball 90 against Warriors on Wednesday. The innings took Munro to within 23 runs of the CPL record of 458 runs in a season - set

by Chadwick Walton last year - with two league-stage games still in hand.

Munro plundered ten fours and four sixes in his innings, smacking both Imran Tahir’s legbreaks as well as Rayad Emrit’s medium-pace to all corners of the Queen’s Park Oval. He reached his half-century in 39 balls before going into overdrive, taking Guyana captain Emrit to the cleaners. He was eventually out in the 17th over, looking to slog Romario Shepherd, falling ten short of a fifth T20 hundred.

But by the time he was dismissed, Trinbago were set for a big first-innings total.

dismiss Tridents’ Shai Hope last week the ball of the CPL.

Smith, Warner watch

David Warner, finally produced a match-winning innings, after s o m e g o o d scores earlier in the season that just didn’t transl ate into wins.

With S t a r s chasing 136 against Tridents, Warner - in at No. 4 - anchored the innings after an early wobble, grinding out an unbeaten 45-ball 42 to secure a Stars victory in their final game of the season. Warner finished with 220 runs in nine innings, at an average of 31.42 and a strike-rate of 111.67.

He hit only four sixes and 19 fours in the Bowler of the week Twenty-onewhole season. year-old fast bowlThe season Colin Munro er Oshane Thomas ended early for of the Tallawahs was Tridents’ Steven the best bowler of the Smith, as he flew week. He’s taken at back to Australia least one wicket in every with an abdominal strain. game so far, and his per- The injury was revealed formances with the new as by Tridents captain Holder well as the older ball have ahead of their game against been impressive. Over the the Stars. Smith fared modpast three weeks, Thomas estly through the season, has shone for Tallawahs ev- scoring 185 runs in severy time his captain Andre en innings at an average of Russell has thrown him the 26.42 and a strike rate of ball. Barring his first match 127.58, while also taking - where he took three im- three wickets and winning portant wickets - Thomas Player of the Match in one of has not conceded more Tridents’ two league-stage than eight per over in any victories. (ESPNcricinfo) game. Some are deeming his toe-crushing yorker to

Sane leaves Germany squad for ‘private reasons’ M anchester City winger Leroy Sane has left Germany’s team hotel for “private reasons” and will not be available for Sunday’s friendly with Peru.

Sane was left out of Germany’s squad for the World Cup in Russia.

However, he made a brief substitute appearance in Thursday’s Uefa Nations League goalless draw with France.

Germany tweeted on Friday that after discussions with head coach Joachim Low, “Leroy Sane has left the team hotel in Munich for private reasons”.

International team-mate

Leroy Sane

Toni Kroos claimed earlier this week that 22-yearold Sane, who has made 13 senior appearances for Germany, was not fulfilling his potential and must im-

prove his attitude.

“Sometimes you have the feeling with Leroy’s body language that it’s all the same if we win or lose,” Real Madrid midfielder Kroos

said.

“He’s a player who has everything you need to be a world-class player but sometimes you have to tell him he has to perform better.”

Sane, who cost £37m plus add-ons when he joined City from Schalke in August 2016, has yet to start a Premier League game for the champions this season.

He was left out of the 18man squad for their most recent match, a 2-1 Premier League win over Newcastle on 1 September, although manager Pep Guardiola afterwards rejected reports that he was unhappy with the player’s attitude. (BBC Sport)

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, september 8, 2018

Djokovic beats Nishikori Woodley defends Welterweight to reach US Open final UFC 228…

gold after year hiatus O

n Saturday night in Dallas, Darren Till has the chance to become the UK's poster boy of mixed martial arts, and one of the biggest fight-sport stars on the planet.

Not bad for a 25-year-old who, just a couple of years ago, was nursing stab wounds on a one-way flight to Brazil.

Love it or loathe it, mixed martial arts is a sport for this social media and reality television age, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is like the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent rolled into one.

You could even compare its president, Dana White, to head judge Simon Cowell, though the latter is blessed with much more hair.

The UFC, by design, is a sporting superstar factory, churning through athletes from across the globe in search of its next pay-per-view main event.

'Niggles' but no doubt as Till eyes Woodley

For every Ronda Rousey, Georges St-Pierre or Conor McGregor, you'll find thousands of practitioners of the sport all chasing the same dream - a UFC championship belt.

But it takes far more than just talent in the fighting arts to become a champion in the world's foremost MMA promotion.

You need the elusive X-factor, too; the ability to hold a room in the palm of your hand, to engage an audience through social media, and to attract fans and sponsors to box-office events in their droves.

WME-IMG, now rebranded as Endeavour, bought the UFC for $4bn (£3.1bn) - the same price Disney paid George Lucas for Star Wars - little over two years ago. You'd better believe they want a return on their investment.

Multi-millionaire McGregor is comfortably the most successful mixed martial artist in the 25-year history of the sport. Yet he's far from the most talented fighter on the roster.

In fact, he may not even be the best in his current weight class.

But, in prize fighting, celebrity has a value that goes toe-to-toe with ability. If you have the right ingredients required on the UFC checklist of superstar potential, you

N

Tyron Woodley (left) and Darren Till at the weigh-in

can expect to be fast-tracked past athletes with a decade of experience without so much as a cursory jab.

This weekend, Till will become only the third Briton to fight for UFC gold. It's one of the most rapid rises to title contention in UFC history - in just his seventh bout, Till gets the opportunity to become champion of the world.

It's not because the UFC is short on contenders. The 170lb weight class is one of the busiest and most talent-packed in the game.

But Till has been meticulously groomed for this moment, most probably since his UFC debut three years ago.

Having stepped in at nine days' notice in Brazil, he won in sensational fashion, then broke off from his native Scouse twang into fluent Portuguese during a victory speech that sent social media into overdrive.

Till is yet to lose in 18 MMA contests

Back then, Till had fewer than 8,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram. He now boasts well over half a million.

Like most social media celebrities, he's handsome, of course, but it's his inner-city roots that attract followers perhaps even more rapidly than his athletic pursuits. With no management-imposed filter, his bad-boy identity is free to run

wild.

After being stabbed in a Liverpool nightclub aged 19, Till was put on a one-way flight to Brazil by his coach to escape the distractions of home.

The plan was for a six-month foray, but it was almost four years until he returned home.

That's a measure of the man's persistence and mentality.

The Englishman may be relatively new to the sport's upper echelon, but his personality and ability have attracted the attention of the fans, and White, who - during a recent training camp in Las Vegas - could not stop himself watching 'The Gorilla' prepare for battle.

Till's 15 years of Muay Thai training ensure that, as does a head coach who demands nothing short of blood and tears on a daily basis.

But it's the whole package that meant Till went from fourfight UFC novice to a headline spot against a former world title contender in Gdansk last October.

Fan favourite Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone took the latenotice switch of opponent in his stride. It was almost like he was the last to know as Till tore him apart inside five minutes.

The reward? A shot at number one-ranked Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson in Liverpool in May. Roared on by the home support, Till rubber-stamped a points victory with a late bludgeoning knockdown that torpedoed him into this weekend's Dallas headliner.

ovak Djokovic moved closer to equalling Pete Sampras's tally of 14 Grand Slams after outclassing Kei Nishikori to reach the US Open final.

Serbia's Djokovic beat the Japanese 21st seed 6-3 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting with Juan Martin del Potro.

Djokovic and Argentine Del Potro, who advanced when Rafael Nadal retired injured from their semi-final, meet in the final on Sunday at 21:00 BST. "It means the world to me.

I am trying to be the best that I can be," he said.

"I am working hard every day and trying to reach certain heights that I visualise every time I accomplish something big.

"I don't see any limits. I keep on going and hopefully you are enjoying my tennis."

The 31-year-old moved to within one Grand Slam triumph of American great Sampras by winning Wimbledon in July, his first major triumph since the 2016 French Open.

Djokovic, who suffered with personal and injury problems during 2017 and the early part of this year, looked back to his best at Wimbledon and has continued that form at Flushing Meadows.

If he beats Del Potro to equal Sampras, only Roger Federer (20) and Nadal (17) stand above him in the alltime list.

Although Djokovic has struggled with the heat and humidity at times, there were

Novak Djokovic

no such problems as he looked energetic in cooler conditions during Friday's night-time semi-final.

The 2011 and 2015 champion suffocated Nishikori with his deep returning, controlling the points and rarely allowing his opponent to drag him into long rallies.

Djokovic's level rarely dropped throughout a twoand-a-half hour victory, the only slight concern being his inability to convert the plethora of break points which came his way.

The sixth seed only took one of five in the first set and missed another four in the first game of the second set.

But his patience was eventually rewarded at a fourth opportunity in the fifth game, and he then broke twice more in a much simpler third set.

Djokovic has not dropped a set since his second-round win against American Tennys Sangren.

Nishikori, 28, was aiming to

US Open 2018…

del Potro reaches final as injury stops Nadal

Woodley v Till head to head

His opponent - Tyron Woodley - isn't the champion the UFC needs or possibly wants. He's a 36-year-old local community leader, a family man, a TV analyst, and a throwback to the former US college wrestlerturned-fighter that, for a considerable time, dominated the sport.

He hasn't fought for more than a year and likes to complain about the lack of respect and dollars he says he is afforded by the company.

He wants to pick his opponents rather than take on the next contender in line, and is all too often an outspoken thorn in the backside of UFC bosses.

(BBC Sport)

become the second Japanese player to reach a US Open final at this year's tournament, following 20-year-old Naomi Osaka's semi-final triumph over American Madison Keys on Thursday.

While Osaka will face her idol Serena Williams in her first major final on Saturday, Nishikori will have to wait for another chance to play in his second.

The 2014 US Open runnerup could not be faulted for his endeavour, but was powerless to stop his thumping groundstrokes continually being put back into play by Djokovic.

More success came Nishikori's way when he was able to move into the net, particularly in the second set when he conjured up two break points.

However, he was unable to take either and wilted as Djokovic went on to take his second match point with a stunning retrieving backhand down the line. (BBC Sport)

Rafael Nadal received medical treatment before eventually throwing in the towel

J

uan Martin del Potro will compete in his first Grand Slam final for nine years after defending champion Rafael Nadal retired from their US Open semi-final.

Argentine third seed Del Potro was leading 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 when Nadal quit because of a knee problem.

Top seed Nadal, 32, twice needed medical attention before conceding.

Del Potro, 29, last competed in a Grand Slam final when he won at Flushing Meadows in 2009.

He has since suffered a catalogue of injury problems, contemplating retirement after a series of wrist injuries before fighting back to his highest ranking this year.

But the extremely likeable and exceptionally talented del Potro deserves

to reach the final. It’s not the way he’d have wanted to get through, but take no gloss off a fine performance. He was simply magnificent on Friday evening.

“Well it is not the best way to win a match. I love to play against Rafa because he is the biggest fighter, I don’t like to see him suffer and I am saddened for him. But anyway the key of the match was the first set, we both played good tennis and I did well in the tie-break.

I am so happy to be in the final again. It means a lot to me, I didn’t expect to get into another grand-slam final. This is my favourite tournament, and my biggest memories are here in 2009. But I was a kid, and now I am much older.”

Del Potro is scheduled to meet the winner of the other semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Japan’s Kei Nishikori. (BBC

Sport)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, september 8, 2018

23

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

Coaches dub Warriors/ Tallawahs clash... crucial

By Clifton Ross

W

ith the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in its crunch stage, Head Coaches Mark O'Donnell and Johan Botha have acknowledged that the Guyana Amazon Warriors versus Jamaica Tallawahs clash is certainly a must win for both teams.

Saturday night’s big game will see the Warriors returning home in the first of their pair of matches at Providence weeks after they first commenced their

GAW Head Coach Johan Botha, Warriors all-rounder Keemo Paul, Jamaica Tallawahs pacer Kemar Roach, and Coach Mark O'Donnell during Friday’s pre-match press conference at the Marriott

Saturday, Botha believed that the side will definitely bounce back and tighten up as they look to secure a good spot on the table. “We would want to bounce back, we have some training today and we are looking forward to a good training session as well as looking forward to a good game tomorrow night”.

Meanwhile, both teams wrapped up their final practice session on Friday at Providence, with tonight’s clash set to be a firecracker with both teams on a race to the top. The first ball is

Guyana Amazon Warriors players warming up on Friday before net practice

2018 campaign at the venue.

This time they return tied on 10 points but in third place, while the Tallawahs, who are in 4th position, are looking to secure a win with the playoffs approaching.

O’Donnell, the Tallawahs’ coach, and Warriors’ coach Botha, during their pre-match press conference on Friday at the Marriott Hotel, were both confident yet cautious, knowing the high stakes at risk for both teams.

“Crucial game tomorrow night. The front 4 has been decided, it’s just a question of order. The order of finish is very important. We need to beat Guyana to ensure we have a chance of making that top three”, O'Donnell said.

While the Tallawahs have a decent winning streak coming into this game, the Warriors are currently in the midst of trying to forget their previous loss to the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Botha has admitted being happy with the team’s progress, He added that he was glad to pick from a fullfit squad.

“We are happy to have 5 wins out of 8. We have 2 games to go, so tomorrow is

a big game, and everyone knows that. It’s nice to have everyone else fit. Keemo

Sohail Tanveer at practice on Friday

Warriors during the net sessions on Friday

Paul is back and fit, so it’s good to have everyone fit to pick from”, said Botha.

The Warriors have racked up 200 against the Tallawahs a few matches ago, thus winning the encounter as Jamaica folded for 130-odd, prompting O’Donnell to admit that they will be keen on restricting the Warriors from posting big total.

“We will try not to chase over 200, we were on par in the last game but we lost some wickets. They are a good side and they are a good side here (in Guyana).

We also know that playing in Trinidad and in Guyana you get massive support and I think the game is sold out, so that alone is absolutely brilliant for T20 cricket”.

The Warriors have been a better bowling side than they have been batting, due to runs coming mainly from Shimron Hetmyer and now opener Luke Ronchi. Their bowlers, however, have been world-class, from international spinner Imran Tahir, their leading wicket-taker, to Guyanese pacer Romario Shepherd who picked up three wickets in the last game played.

Imran Tahir after on of his mystery deliveries during practice on Friday

Knowing that the loss to TKR could be used against them by their opponents on

expected to be delivered at 20:00h.

saturdAY, september 8, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Coaches dub Warriors/ Tallawahs clash... crucial

Page 23

Djokovic beats Nishikori to reach US Open final Page 22

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