Sunday Times November 3, 2019

Nationwide coverage coverage from from the the best best news news team team in in Guyana Guyana Nationwide Issue No. 4096 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON BEACON OF OF TRUTH TRUTH THE

Sunday, November 3, 2019

PRICE

Oil and gas bring important transformative agenda – Irfaan Ali

$120 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

See story on page 9

Wanted P13 Guyanese pirates nabbed in Suriname

DPI intensifies boycott of Guyana Times, Stabroek News on ads

Body with stab wounds found in P10 Region 9

Page 3

Govt failed to make fact-based decisions for sugar industry – Jagdeo Page 2

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo addressing the diaspora in Canada on Friday evening during a dinner hosted by the Association of Concerned Guyanese in Toronto, Canada

20 arrested in EBD P11 Police raid $30B bond

Millions spent but no improvements – fmr Agri Minister P15

35 years of satisfying service: P16 Commander Kevin Adonis retires

Elections 2020

Potential elections observers given cold shoulder by GECOM …Private Sector waiting 2 months to hear from GECOM See story on Page 7 …says follow-up letters ignored

Rogue cops blamed for P15 Police failures

2

news

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt failed to make fact-based decisions for sugar industry – Jagdeo

I

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

nstead of closing sugar estates and creating an economic and social vacuum, a fact-based approach that included impact studies should have been pursued by the Government. This is according to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, on the campaign trail in Canada.

Jagdeo was at the time addressing members of the Association of Concerned Guyanese at a dinner in Toronto, Canada. He acknowledged that sugar needed transitional help but indicated that the Government’s approach was anything but transitional.

General elections are due

on March 2, 2020. While he acknowledged that some from the Party’s rural agriculture base were led astray by false promises from the coalition at the last elections, Jagdeo was confident that any votes from the sugar belt that the Party lost in 2015 have returned to his party.

“We've made it clear, sugar needs transitional help.

But if this government had only taken a fact-based approach by doing a feasibility study for the industry; even if you have a company, you will do a study before you privatise it or anything of the sort,” the Opposition Leader said.

“This is an industry, yet they have made serious decisions that would affect 50,000

A section of the gathering in Toronto on Friday evening

lives in Guyana, without any regards for any study. No feasibility study, no social impact study, no diversification study. Those persons would lose their jobs and would be forced to fend for themselves".

Jagdeo recalled that it was President David Granger, himself, who said he would be guided by a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and spent $70 million in order to establish one. Despite all of that, the CoI’s findings were disregarded.

"They recommended no closure. As soon as the report came out, he made a decision to close (the estates),” Jagdeo recalled in his address to the packed house

that was composed primarily of the Guyanese diaspora in Canada.

Back in 2017, the Government had announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Subsequently, in November of that year, GuySuCo announced plans to retrench 2500 workers by the end of that year. Amid much criticism, over 7000 were retrenched, with some having to fight for the severance they

were legally entitled to.

T h e Government then established the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) under the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) to take over the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets that were earmarked for sale.

The SPU then recruited Price Waterhouse Coopers to conduct a valuation of the assets to be privatised and divested. It is under-

stood, however, that with the Government in a caretaker status after losing a NoConfidence Motion last year, that process has been suspended.

news

3

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

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

Sunday, November 3 – 09:00h – 10:30h and Monday, November 4 – 09:30h – 11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, November 3 – 08:25 – 09:55h and Monday, November 4 – 09:50h – 11:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine with a short period of midday showers is expected during the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 08:32h and 20:46h reaching maximum heights of 2.17 metres and 2.21 metres.

Low Tide: 02:00h and 14:18h reaching minimum heights of 0.87 metre and 1.10 metres.

saturday, november 2, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

01 04 10

17 22 25

FREE TICKET

23 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

05 13 14 19 26 LUCKY 3

9

2

4

9

Afternoon Draw

7

3

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01

02

04

08

PAY DAY

10 13 16 SUPER PAY DAY

friday, october 4, 2019

07 09 11 13 15

05 06 08 10 21

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

DPI intensifies boycott of Guyana Times, Stabroek News on ads

H

aving experienced discrimination in relation to the distribution of State advertisements since the assumption of the APNU/ AFC coalition into office in 2015, the side-lining of Guyana Times by the Stateowned Department of Public Information (DPI) has worsened with little, and as of recent, absolutely no ads being received.

Advertisements generated through DPI reached an all-time low by the end of October. In fact, in the month of September, this newspaper only received one ad from the DPI and none in October.

This issue of declining ads from the DPI, through which many of the State’s ads pass, was raised in a letter sent to the Director of DPI, Imran Khan. It was outlined in the October 23, 2019-dated correspondence that since an earlier letter in August 2019 regarding outstanding balances owed to Guyana Times, the number of ads that were once received from the DPI is no longer forthcoming.

“This is a cause of great concern for us, as comparatively, based on the information released by your agency, the Guyana Times newspaper received on average only 10 per cent of the State advertisements. That percentage reflects an already miniscule allocation to the Guyana Times newspaper,” the letter stated.

The correspondence further pointed out that after the first letter was sent in August, the publication only received a total of $20,930 in ads from the State agency in September. This, it was outlined, is against the backdrop of advertisements being proliferated consistently to the other dailies, especially to the State-owned Guyana Chronicle and Kaieteur News, during the same period.

The other daily newspaper, Stabroek News, has complained of similar reduction of ads from DPI, reveal-

DPI Head Imran Khan

President David Granger

ing on Friday that, it too, has not received any ads from the State agency in October – a move which the newspaper said earlier this month is an attempt to muzzle it for being outspoken against the coalition’s violation of the Constitution following the December 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Motion.

Stabroek News had previously disclosed that after advising DPI back in May that there will no new placements of ads until a substantial amount of its outstanding debt was settled, it observed a sharp decline in the number of State ads placed per column inches.

But in its letter just last week, Guyana Times pointed out that no such condition was put forward to the DPI, as it sought to ascertain the reason behind the reduction in the ad allocation.

“We, at this juncture, would like to make it clear that at no point did we refuse accepting advertisements from DPI, nor have we called for same to be ceased until the amounts owed to us have been cleared… Least we conclude that it is an attempt to “punish” us for the journalistic line we have taken, where we seek to not only carry the views and opinions of Government, but also the views and opinions of the Opposition, which can be deemed to be critical of the incumbent Administration,” the correspondence detailed.

Referencing the InterAmerican press freedom

Declaration of Chapultepec, the newspaper sought clarity on the lack of State ads from the DPI but there has been no response to date.

On the other hand, attempts by DPI to honour outstanding payments have since been incremental with Guyana Times, being informed only on Friday that a “part payment” will become available on Monday for monies owed eight months ago. This newspaper was promised a payment of $900,000 from a total amount of $1,421,345.20 owed for the month of March 2019. However, DPI has racked up a total debt of $11,482,910.40 for the period of March 2019 to the end of September 2019.

Earlier in October, data issued by DPI showed that while the other three daily newspapers were getting the bulk of Government ads, Guyana Times was getting a portion of ads that was the least of the four.

According to the graphs, between January 1 and September 19, 2019, a total of $177,114,612 was paid by DPI for newspaper ads. Of that amount, Guyana Times only received a mere eight per cent ($13, 450, 099), while Kaieteur News got 37 per cent ($68,130,977), Stabroek News received 30 per cent ($51, 780, 354) and Guyana Chronicle 25 per cent (43, 753, 162).

Meanwhile, during the period of June 2015 to September 2019, the graph highlighted that Guyana

Times only received 10 per cent ($72, 175, 528) of ads, while Stabroek News got 26 per cent ($196,121,278); Kaieteur News with 27 per cent ($207, 373, 258), and Guyana Chronicle received 37 per cent ($292, 488, 281).

This situation exists even as President David Granger, a former journalist himself, contended on Friday that all media houses should be treated equally and that there must be a fairness in the distribution of State ads.

“I do not support the withholding of advertisements. I have not investigated the matter but once the commercial dispute is settled [between Stabroek News and DPI], it will return to normal. Papers, media houses… they must all be given fair access to the advertisements of the State.

It’s a State resource, it’s not a resource for one company… We have ensured that all of the media houses are treated equally because they prove the people with accurate information,” the Head of State said during a local radio programme.

Moreover, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo last month had also stated that all private media outfits should benefit equally from the State ads, despite their editorial position.

“I think all private media, regardless of where they stand, that they enjoy State [ads],” he stated.

Jagdeo, who himself was criticised for doing the same under his presidency, admitted that his approach was wrong at that time.

Based on his past decisions on this matter, the Opposition Leader noted that going forward, a People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration will have a new approach in this regard.

“Looking forward, I think we must have, in the new Government, an arrangement where all the private media benefit from State assets. State ads must not be used in a punitive manner,” Jagdeo posited.

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019

Views

GBTI donates to cancer support groups

Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 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

The right to vote

H

anding down her decision in August on the objected-to House-to-House registration exercise, Chief Justice Roxane George had cited the words of Justice Claudette Singh in her judgement on the “Esther Perreira case”, when the latter had vitiated the results of the 1997 elections. She did so on the ground that the agreement by the overwhelming majority of the National Assembly – comprising the PPP and the PNC – to require an ID card as a prerequisite for voting was unconstitutional.

Justice Singh had explained eloquently: “It is axiomatic that no right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined… it becomes clear, then, that any prohibition, restriction or limitation on the right to vote must be viewed with a close and critical eye, since any such encroachment would be a bar to that voter’s right to have a voice in the elections of his representatives in government”.

This right arises from the most fundamental principle of the Constitution, in Art 9, which declares, “Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercise it through their representatives and the democratic organs established by or under this Constitution.”

This has been described as part of the “Basic Structure” of our Constitution, which cannot be altered even by a “legal” amendment to the Constitution. To fetter a right grounded in the sovereignty of the people is to plunge a dagger into the heart of our sacred right to be human.

Justice George buttressed Justice Singh’s articulation of the principle by pointing out in her August ruling: “The right to be registered to vote and the right to vote are sacrosanct and fundamental. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Guyana has acceded and which is incorporated into our Constitution, (see art 154A (1) and the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution) establishes the right to vote as a matter of international human rights law and provides that every citizen has a right to vote”.

But for the same Justice Claudette Singh, in her new role as Chair of GECOM, to now order that some 28,000 persons who had legally been registered to vote but did not uplift their ID Cards since 2008 must be stricken from the Preliminary Voters List, is tantamount to refusing to hark to her own caution, that “any prohibition, restriction or limitation on the right to vote must be viewed with a close and critical eye, since any such encroachment would be a bar to that voter’s right to have a voice in the elections of his representatives in government”.

She has ordered that the individuals who have not uplifted their ID Cards be informed to do so through the mail, and if within 21 days they still have not complied, their names will be stricken from the PLE/OLE, but remain on the NRR. Let us therefore examine “with a close and critical eye” Chairman Singh’s decision. The rationale could be that these individuals are either dead, chose not to have an ID Card, or are not present at the address.

However, there is already a procedure for removing individuals who become deceased from the OLE and NRR: through the death certificates issued by the General Registrars’ Office, or from “objections” during the Claims and Objections period. The recent operation of these processes has not thrown up the identified names.

Secondly, there is no legal requirement for a citizen to have an ID, since a passport can also be used for identification purposes. Thirdly, if individuals are to be removed because they are not at the address, then this is in violation of the CJ’s ruling that residency is not a requirement for voting.

At best, the GECOM Chair’s order can only be regarded as an effort to “clean up” the OLE. The fundamental right to vote cannot be sacrificed at the altar of bureaucratic efficiency.

Staff of GBTI along with President of the Guyana Cancer Foundation Bibi Hassan, Cheryl Caines and Marion Williams of the Periwinkle Club receive cheques from GBTI. The donation is part of the bank and its employees’ effort at recognising and supporting the voluntary organisations. The two organisations care and support patients and families of those who suffer from cancer

GECOM has no legal authority to exclude Dear Editor, According to information available via the media, the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided in favour of the exclusion of the particulars of registrants/ electors from the Revised List of Electors (RLE) which will naturally follow the ongoing Claims and Objections exercise.

This would mean that the concerned persons would also be excluded from the Official List of Electors (OLE) to be produced for the imminent General and Regional Elections. As of now, I am treating this information as not being the official position of GECOM, since it has not come from the Chairman herself, nor from a GECOM media release. And even if it were the official stance of GECOM, it cannot be an established position that is beyond review, considering that (i): GECOM has no legal authority to exclude from any ‘voters’ list’ bona fide registrants who meet the criteria for inclusion, and (ii): there is the precedent of GECOM having revisited and overturned previous decisions made under the stewardship of former GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally in the best interest of the free, fair, and transparent conduct of registration and electoral projects.

The ongoing controversy that has been generated by the abovementioned GECOM position necessitates that I make a contribution, albeit from the outside, with the hope and expectation that by outlining indisputable facts, I would have provided valuable grounds for GECOM to revisit this matter with a view to ensuring that no eligible person is denied his/her constitutionally guaranteed right to vote to elect a govern-

ment of his/her choice.

It is in this regard that I note the following: 1: Article 42 of the Constitution provides the authority for persons entitled to be registered as citizens. Accordingly, Article 42(2) provides that “any application for registration under this article shall be made in such manner as may be prescribed.”

2: The National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, provides the prescriptions for the registration of citizens of Guyana, as mandated by Article 42 of the Constitution.

3: Specifically, Section 6 of the National Registration Act provides the conditions for registration of persons as citizens of Guyana.

4: Section 9 of the National Registration Act mandates the Commissioner of Registration (the Chief Elections Officer is also the Commissioner of Registration) to “establish a Central Register” of Registrants, which is the National Register of Registrants (NRR).

5: Section 8 of the National Registration Act provides that: “Without prejudice to the provisions of section 15(6), the registration of a person may (my emphasis) be cancelled or altered in accordance with any regulations made in that behalf.”

6: Section 14 of the National Registration Act, which deals with “Preparation of Preliminary Lists (PLE), prescribes that “…the Commission shall direct the Commissioner (of registration) to prepare a preliminary list, in which he shall enter the full name, the address, the occupation and the serial number on every registration record of every (my em-

phasis) person registered for those purposes who is qualified for registration…” with reference to the qualifying date.

7: Section 15 of the National Registration Act, and the associated regulations delineated in the NATIONAL REGISTRATION ( R E S I D E N T S ) REGULATIONS, provides the prescriptions for the conduct of Claims and Objections.

8: Section 35 of the NATIONAL REGISTRATION ( R E S I D E N T S ) REGULATIONS provides that “the Commissioner (of Registration) shall revise the list (including that for each registration division) by way of the annexation thereto of supplementary lists in such form as determined by the Commissioner, containing all such changes and additions to the list (including that for any registration division) as are necessary from time to time by virtue of the final determination of claims and objections or by virtue of the Commissioner being satisfied that at the time of the publication of the preliminary list, entries thereof were omitted and a supplementary list together with the list or that for any division shall constitute the revised list, or that for the respective division, as the case may be, at the date of the latest of such supplementary list.”

In consideration of the above, it is crucial for the following deductions to be noted: a. Every registrant listed in the NRR met all of the criteria, including verification of their residency status, for registration before their applications were approved,

culminating with their inclusion in the NRR. Hence there can be no question about the legitimacy of persons listed in the NRR. In this regard, and since there is no proposal by, or intention of, GECOM to cancel the registration of anyone listed in the NRR, I will not deal with the issue of cancellation of registration. b. It must be obvious to all concerned that the PLE which is being used as the basis to conduct the ongoing Claims and Objections exercise was properly prepared in accordance with the provisions of Section 14 of the National Registration Act, resulting specifically in the capture of every person who met the criteria for inclusion therein. c. Careful examination of all of the above referenced legislation will reveal that there is no provision for any elector listed on the PLE to be omitted from the ensuing RLE and OLE because of his/ her failure to collect his/her National Identification Card from GECOM. d. In fact, Regulation 35 of the NATIONAL R E G I S T R A T I O N ( R E S I D E N T S ) REGULATIONS clearly stipulates the conditions associated with the preparation of the RLE. Essentially, the RLE will always contain the data included in the PLE, as amended by GECOM on the basis of registration transactions done during Claims and Objections and approved by GECOM. In view of the foregoing, it must be clear to all concerned that any exclusion of persons listed in the PLE from the RLE and OLE because they are yet to collect their National Identification Cards from GECOM would be without legal authority. continued on page 5

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019

5

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

GECOM has no proper policy Lewis is less of a trade on the issuing of ID cards unionist and more of a Dear Editor, The ‘genesis’, or ‘origin’, of an Identification Card (ID) in Guyana is rooted in registration with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The Guyana Constitution, Cap. 1.01, is instructive on who is qualified to vote, and the National Registration Act, Cap. 19.08, is pellucid regarding how the appointed Registration Commissioner at GECOM can delete a registered person’s name from the Register of Registrants or the Voters’ List. The intent of these laws is not elastic, to be stretched beyond their limits at the whimsical convenience of anyone.

In delivering free and fair elections, the focus of GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, must therefore be on ensuring that every legitimately qualified Guyanese voter has a chance to exercise their right to vote. The nation expects her to be impartial, and not be influenced by the clan of detractors at GECOM, who now conveniently pursue and take pride in doing everything to delay and dodge National and Regional Elections.

The move to remove registered persons’ names from the Revised List of Electors (RLE) for failing to uplift Identification Cards, and finally from the Official List of Voters, is illegal and wrong.

The headlines of popular and widely circulated news media scream ‘25,000 persons risk being barred from voting if they don’t collect national ID cards’. These Guyanese citizens have done what they are constitutionally required to do.

They were registered!

I am aware of many citizens working and studying overseas who plan to return to vote. Some of them did not pick up the identification cards because of GECOM’s consistent bungling of the issuing process over the years. Many persons would testify that when they visited one GECOM Centre for the ID, the officials informed that it was at another, which also resulted in a futile visit.

GECOM was just not ready in many instances, and their offices frustrated many by giving them the royal ‘run around’.

Media articles reporting on the issues state, “GECOM Chair Claudette Singh on Tuesday ruled that more than 25,000 persons who have not collected their National Identification (ID) Cards will be given 21 days to do so, failing which, their names would be struck off the voters list and they would not be allowed to vote.”

Although the reports suggest that the persons re-

moved from the RLE would be kept on the National Register of Registrants (NRR), by striking their names off the RLE, GECOM would be effectively disenfranchising those persons without cancelling their registration, contrary to Section 159 of the Constitution: and Regulation 38 to Cap. 19.08.

The foregoing smacks of irrationality, as myriad reasons exist for their failure to uplift the ID Cards.

Is GECOM attempting to put the lives of thousands of Guyanese on hold within 21 days? Will GECOM fund the airfares, or replace a possible loss of jobs for registered Guyanese who may not have uplifted the ID Cards for reasons which are associated with GECOM’s inefficiencies?

I challenge GECOM to publish a comparison of the list of persons who did not uplift the ID Cards with the list of persons issued replacement ID Cards and a catastrophic revelation of this possible nullification will emerge.

The reasons include that it became easier for some to declare their ID card lost and process a replacement because of the push-around they had experienced in trying to collect the original they never collected.

Could GECOM state if it had ever informed registrants of a time limit when they MUST uplift the ID Cards, and the consequences for not doing so? The answer certainly cannot be the cancellation of their registration or denial of their right to vote.

The very fact that GECOM is currently taking more than 3 weeks to issue a replacement ID Card is evidence of its inefficiency and lack of regard for applicants’ time and other priorities. Indeed, many would have opted for the use of their passports as the alternative identifier, with the view to picking up the ID Card when it is most convenient and less frustrating.

Are there alternatives, or is the ID card even necessary for one to vote? The current situation is therefore disgusting, illegal, and unfair, emphasising a lack of necessary consideration for the systemic innuendos of the framework, while bowing to the whimsical tantrums of the PNCR-biased Commissioners.

During the current Claims and Objections cycle, hundreds of persons went to GECOM offices around the country and did their correct transactions with the appropriate signature and ‘Stamp’ by reputable Justices of Peace. GECOM staff told these persons that they would receive their ID Cards within two to three weeks’ time. How pathet-

ic. Weeks and months have elapsed, and most of these applicants are still awaiting their ID Cards from GECOM. Will GECOM also exclude from the RLE some from this category if they have to leave the country, or is not around whenever GECOM might be ready?

Further, it is evident that during the controversial House-to-House (H2H) registration, the Secretariat threatened and deceptively coerced many residents to do the registration, while the enumerators and PNCR scrutineers told them that they would be getting ‘new ID Cards’. Many citizens have expressed concerns which confirm our suspicions that leading administrators in the Secretariat utilised these actions in an attempt to mask the big corruption problem at the GECOM. The poor quality cameras that GECOM bought at a very high price is one example, which needs some form of justification for spending and kickbacks.

Many of the GECOM handpicked staff complained bitterly that the selected trainers did not give many of them the opportunity for training on the use of the cameras. We must understand that the Secretariat imposed the H2H activity on the nation to fuel and cover up the suspicious spending, while delaying the elections.

GECOM must now publically reveal to the nation how much taxpayers’ money the organization spent on the controversial/truncated H2H Registration.

Further, we must know how much money they expended on the purchasing of cameras, the fingerprint kits, and the many millions on meals, snacks and other unnecessary vouchers.

It is of note that the H2H Registration List GECOM posted is irrelevant to the purpose of cross-referencing, because there are no Identification Card Numbers to allow individuals or political parties to check on duplications and other suspected padding of the lists. Added are the numerous mistakes of misspelt names and unclear addresses.

The ID cards’ issue is a seriously challengeable matter which I urge the Chair of GECOM, Madam Claudette Singh, to review.

Hence it is imperative that GECOM provide an ID Card when a person appears in person with all their relevant documents. Then GECOM must be more responsible and caring to this nation with respect to their ID and their “right to vote”.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

PNC defender, activist

Dear Editor, I noticed that Mr Lincoln Lewis, using everything he’s got, is spending all his time in ongoing attacks against President Jagdeo and the PPP. Notwithstanding that the PNC kicked him out and David Hinds as Chronicle columnists, these gentlemen cannot help themselves, but must defend the Coalition that is trampling on the Constitution and wallowing as an illegal caretaker Government.

You have to give Lewis and Hinds A+ for loyalty to the PNC and their pro-Afro politics. At a time when trade unionism needs strong advocates with the emergence of oil, and when workers need to be organised, Lewis spends most of his time politicking for the illegal usurper Government, and attacking President Jagdeo for defying the creeping PNC dictatorship.

Lewis has shed his trade unionism cloak to become a full-fledged PNC politico to make sure the PPP does not

win again. It would do Lewis well if he would spend time dealing with his own union issues and designing strategies with the TUC to make sure the new oil-related companies would allow collective bargaining.

Truth be told, both Lewis and Hinds spoke out against the PNC in the dark days of PNC dictatorial rule, at a time when we needed black voices to speak out against the wickedness of the PNC. Burnham and the PNC had become a disgrace to black people, and the more intellectual types, such as Lewis and Hinds, were bold enough to take the side of the suffering masses. They are to be applauded for that.

That was the era when Rodney and the WPA mocked Burnham as a “King Kong,” and as having a reverse Midas touch. Even recently, Hinds and Lewis, as Chronicle columnists, were critiquing and faulting the PNC for its many failures.

So it is somewhat surprising that, even though they have been dissed by the

PNC, these comrades are so committed to the PNC, despite the rapid corruption and its many violations of the Constitution after the Government was defeated in December 2018.

Nevertheless, President Jagdeo, well loved by at least half of the country, continues to drive fear in the hearts of the PNC machinery, and that’s why he is revered among his supporters as the one who can deal with PNC bullyism. When you look out there, there are many Johnny-comelately aspirants who want to be President, but where are they when the PPP is on the streets withstanding the PNC dictatorship and holding the Government accountable.

Lewis should know that the PPP would always defend democracy and the rights of all Guyanese. That is their record and that is their history.

Sincerely, Jerry Singh

GECOM has no legal authority...

It is of crucial importance for all concerned to note that, universally, election management bodies (EMBs) spare no effort to ensure that every elector is guaranteed his/her constitutional right to participate in elections and to vote for the election of a government of his/her choice. This is one of the pillars on which elections are democratically conducted in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions and international best practices. In this regard, it would be very detrimental to GECOM, and by extension the Guyanese nation as a whole, should bona fide electors be excluded from the Official List of Electors because they have not collected their National Identification Cards.

I would be among the first to agree that among those persons who have not collected their ID Cards would be those who have died or migrated. But what about those who are alive?

What offence have they committed? Which legislation have they breached? Surely they cannot be penalised by being denied their right to vote because they have not collected their ID Cards -- an act that carries no punitive measure.

It is my considered view that, instead of illegally excluding the concerned persons from participating in the elections, GECOM must put in place legal and administrative checks and balances to guard against any form of skullduggery at the elections, but in this case specifically, voting by impersonation. This does not

require any reinvention of the wheel. Such safeguards already exist, and were applied successfully in General and Regional Elections since 2006.

In conclusion, I wish to note that the purpose of this letter is in no way, shape or form intended to undermine the integrity or work of GECOM or its staff, nor to demonstrate bias for or

from page 4

against any political party. My singular objective is to add clarity to any further deliberations on this matter, which would result in no person who is eligible to vote at the upcoming elections being denied his/her constitutional right to so do.

Sincerely, Vishnu Persaud

6

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019

Page

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

Easy relaxation practices to share with your children and teens

By Monica Foley, MEd

E

veryone experiences times when they wish they could relax for a few minutes. Taking a few moments to engage in simple, everyday relaxation techniques will help to sustain and strengthen you throughout your day.

If you have relaxation practices that work for you and help your body to re-energise, you might wonder how you can encourage your children to join you. After all, their lives can be stressful as well – they’re trying to get good grades, make friends, and adapt to all of the changes that are part of growing up.

Sure, it would be quite a challenge to try to train a toddler to meditate for a half hour when they can barely sit still long enough to eat. The idea is almost comical. However, there are age-appropriate relaxation activities suitable for any stage of development—from preschoolers to teens.

In this article, you’ll learn how to help your children develop greater mindfulness and relieve stress.

Sharing relaxation practices with younger children

Even small children can relax and focus if you use movement and sound t o

make it interesting. It also helps if you can provide role modelling to your child by managing stress constructively as well. Try these techniques with your young child:

well.

Take turns teaching

Make it fun

Be sure to present relaxation practices as a helpful tool rather than punishment.

Pay attention to your child’s limits so they’ll stay engaged.

Keep it brief

As little as one minute of seated meditation can be an achievement for a preschooler. Plan multiple activities, so you can switch things around if your child seems to be losing interest.

Practise deep breathing

Focusing on the breath is an excellent starting point at any age. Ask your child to imagine filling his stomach and chest with air and then releasing it like a balloon.

Taking five slow deep breaths will do the trick. The proper technique is to inhale and exhale deeply through your nose and out your mouth. Let your child know that deep breathing can be done anywhere when they’re feeling stressed.

Play music

Does your child have some favourite

songs? Take turns singing different parts or ask her to listen for specific notes.

Close observation is a form of mindfulness.

Take a walk

You can also meditate or appreciate your surroundings while you’re moving around. Go to the park together and identify as many different kinds of flowers as you can.

Stretch

While at first, it may seem difficult for your child to relax while doing homework (especially if they aren’t a fan of extra school work!), there are some techniques you can show them how to do when they’re completing assignments to help create a sense of calm. You can demonstrate to your child how to do the following stretching exercise: roll your head around, from side to side and from front to back with your eyes closed.

This technique helps to relieve neck tension, increasing blood flow to the brain, which is a natural and easy way to relax.

Smile

Encourage your child to smile whenever possible.

Smiling is proven to help relax and rejuvenate your body. Explain to your child that smiling will help to make them feel better because it releases chemicals in their bodies that make them feel good. In fact, smiling can even help to lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

Laugh

Laughter has been proven to be an instant stress reliever. When you can, use humour so you and your child can have fun and be energised. Tell a funny joke or story, play a fun game or sing a silly song with your kids as you’re driving.

Watch humorous age-appropriate videos on YouTube together.

Encouraging laughter in your home will create a peaceful environment you’ll all enjoy.

Talk to your child’s teacher and/or guidance counsellor Some schools are including stress management, yoga, and meditation in their curriculum. Check out what’s available and see if

there’s anything you can do to help, as well as practise with your child at home.

Sharing relaxation practices with teens

With teens, you can build on the techniques designed for younger children and introduce some new activities. As many adolescents experience anxiety and depression, meditation may be especially valuable during these years. Be sure to let your family doctor know if your teen is feeling anxious and/or depressed.

Share these strategies with your teen:

Increase time gradually Keep in mind your teen’s interests and abilities. If they benefit from meditating, they may want to sit for an hour or more a day.

Otherwise, you can suggest other ways to relax, such as yoga or working on hobbies they find relaxing.

Share experiences

Listen enthusiastically to what your teen thinks about relieving stress and living mindfully.

Discuss and share your own thoughts and feelings as

Give your teen a chance to instruct you. If you do guided meditations together, you could alternate being the one to do the reading and providing directions. If you usually do tai chi, let your child know that you’d appreciate their help in coming up with new ideas for some variety.

Search for apps

There are several apps available for relaxation and meditation, and many of them are free. Ask for their help in finding something intriguing—they’ll love utilising technology for inspiration. Your teen may prefer something created for their own age group, or they may be happy with a more general app geared towards everyone.

Sign up for classes

If you’re still looking for something more, see what’s available in your neighbourhood.

Check event listings at your local library and learning centre to find courses on meditating or gardening.

Additionally, Facebook and Meetup are great resources to find community wellness events.

Whether you use a smartphone app or a simple meditation cushion, children and teens can benefit from relaxation practices. Introduce your sons and daughters to positive habits that can help them grow up to be happy and peaceful. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

Meditation

T

he goal of meditation is to focus and understand your mind – eventually reaching a higher level of awareness and inner calm. Meditation is an ancient practice, but scientists are still discovering all of its benefits. Regular meditation can help you to control your emotions, enhance your concentration, decrease stress, and even help you become more connected to those around you.

With practice, you’ll be able to achieve a sense of tranquility and peace no matter what's going on around you. There are many different ways to meditate, so if one practice doesn't seem to work for you, consider trying a different type that works better for you before you give up.

Choose a quiet, peaceful

environment.

Wear comfortable clothes Decide how long you want to meditate.

Do some stretches before you start to prevent stiffness Sit in a comfortable position Tip: Don’t feel restricted to sitting if that’s not the most comfortable position for you. You can also meditate standing, lying down, or even walking –the most important thing is to be comfortable!

Close your eyes. ...

Simply breathe naturally... make no effort to control the breath; Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation.

(Adapted from wikihow.com and gaiam.com)

news

7

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Elections 2020

Potential elections observers given cold shoulder by GECOM …Private Sector waiting 2 months to hear from GECOM …says follow-up letters ignored

B

oth the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), along with several international organisations, have written to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) seeking observer status for the upcoming elections on March 2, 2020, but to date, their applications are still in limbo.

In the case of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Chairman and retired Captain Gerry Gouveia noted that a letter requesting observer status was sent to GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh soon after her appointment.

“They said it hasn’t been discussed as yet but they’re in the process of doing that. And they’ll let us know as soon as they’re finished… that (follow-up) was about two weeks ago. We first wrote her a few weeks after she was appointed,” Gouveia explained.

Justice Singh was sworn in as GECOM Chair since July 2019.

When contacted, GCCI President Nicholas Boyer also related to this publica-

tion that they are yet to get confirmation of their observer status from GECOM. “We (were told) that our application has been received. And they’ve acknowledged receiving it. But they haven’t given us any sort of response saying it was approved or will be approved by any date,” Boyer explained.

“We’ve written a while now… sometime between three and four weeks ago... and then we sent a follow-up this past week. We requested two things. We requested to meet with GECOM and we requested observer status.

It’s a bit concerning because we haven’t had any sort of meeting or any engagement”.

This newspaper was told that several other organisations both locally and internationally have also applied but are yet to receive any response from GECOM. The PSC has, in the past, been vocal about GECOM keeping in line with the law, as it sought to prepare its machinery for elections. When it seemed that GECOM was dragging its feet and beginning an unsanctioned Houseto-House Registration exer-

cise, Gouveia had written directly to Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, urging him to halt the exercise and speed up elections preparations.

In a subsequent ruling, Chief Justice Roxane George had ruled that while House-to-House was not illegal, GECOM should consider other forms of verification. GECOM subsequently scrapped the exercise but not before Governmentnominated GECOM Commissioner Desmond Trotman wrote a letter in the press attacking Gouveia for his advocacy.

PSC and GCCI’s revelations come following Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo contending at previous press conferences that GECOM had declined help from organisations like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It was only recently that it was announced that GECOM would be benefiting from the technical expertise of retired Chief Electoral Officer of Canada’s elections body, Jean-Pierre Kingsley.

His appointment is be-

ing funded by the Canadian Government. According to GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, the Canadian High Commission here had offered the elections body technical assistance in the form of providing an expert and the seven-member Elections Commission had ac-

cepted the offer, which resulted in the former Canadian Electoral Officer being appointed.

GCCI President Nicholas Boyer

PSC Chairman Gerry Gouveia

8 NEWS

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Taxi driver remanded for issuing fake US notes

A

taxi driver was on Friday remanded to prison after he allegedly issued counterfeit US dollars to several persons in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Anil Singh, 39, of Vergenoegen, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West

Demerara), reportedly issued fake US dollars to Indra Ramoo of East Canje, Berbice.

It is alleged that on October 4, with intent to defraud, he issued 800 fake notes to Ramoo, purporting that it was authentic US currency.

Singh reportedly went to the woman’s business place

and told her that he had just returned from the United States and had no local currency. He told her that he wanted to purchase a few items from her shop but can only pay in US dollars.

The woman agreed and was handed what appeared to be a US$100 and returned

GY$16000 as change to the taxi driver.

After the transaction was completed, Singh allegedly told her that he did not want to go to the busy shopping area to change some more of the notes and asked her if she can charge 700 more. turn to page 13

Mout’ open…

I

…on Granger’s dictatorial bent n five years, we can count the number of times Granger has faced the independent media corps on one hand – which only has five fingers!! But we can now understand his reluctance after the revelations that emerge even when he consents to packaged, prearranged soft-ball interviews. Just listen to how he responded to one deferentially posed question as to how he views his DPI’s yanking of ads from the SN over the past few months.

The DPI had “explained” its action was precipitated by the newspaper insisting that they won’t accept any new ads unless their mounting arrears were cleared up. But this was patently and blatantly a lie, and this newspaper conclusively knew this. While the SN had pointed out that the <<Guyana Times>> had also suffered the same fate, the latter hadn’t made the same demand!! But even though the SN didn’t know this, they came to the inescapable conclusion that they were being punished because they’d been highlighting the high-handed actions of the PNC government in the wake of the NCM. This, of course, was also the “sin” of the Times!!

The PNC was reverting to its old posture on the free press: they were to be dealt with “condignly”, to use Burnham’s pet phrase! Back in the day, it was by banning the importation of newsprint, since at that time the Government didn’t even CONSIDER giving any ads to any but the state newspaper! Since there was no “carrot”, the “stick” it was! Which was Burnham’s preferred method in any case!

But back to Granger’s response: he blurted out that the ads were cut or stopped because the SN wasn’t reporting news about the Government “fairly”!!

Imagine that!! The specific “unfair” reportage he cited was the SN’s non-reporting of Granger’s speech at one of the events commemorating QC’s 175th anniversary!! It was an unforgivable sin of omission!! The Editor-in-Chief, ironically himself a Queen’s “old boy”, pointed out that there were any number of reasons why the event wasn’t covered, like the mundane ones of not having a reporter available at the time. Again, he couldn’t have known that Granger had to be full of bloviating hot air, since he admitted G/Times had covered the event but they had suffered the same fate of “off with their ads”!!

Granger was clearly disingenuous, of course, since his excuse of SN blanking his speech was ex-post facto to the original DPI’s decision!! But, more fundamentally, even if we accept the criterion of “fairness” for newspapers to get Government ads (paid for by the taxpayers of Guyana) who determines what is fair?? The Government?

Was it fair for the state media to blank Opposition events for five years?? ...on Granger’s journalistic betrayal Granger has violated journalistic standards set by international agreements that Guyana has signed on to. The Inter-American “Declaration of Chapultepec” on press freedom categorically prohibits the use of Government advertising for the rewarding or punishment of news media. No carrot-and- stick approach allowed!!

Principle 7 of the Declaration insists: “…the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists.”

While Principle 10 couldn’t be more explicit: “No news medium nor journalist may be punished for publishing the truth or criticising or denouncing the government”.

But this shouldn’t be surprising to any of us: this man has consistently violated the highest law of his land – the Constitution – which he’s explicitly sworn to uphold and defend! But Granger’s trampling on press freedom cannot be excused for another reason: he was the recipient of a US Government Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship to attend the University of Maryland’s Journalism School in 1993!

He should be stripped of his diploma!! He’s a disgrace to the US programme. …Granger’s lack of integrity Granger introduced the phrase “fit and proper” into the popular Guyanese lexicon. Ironically, he’s proven to be most “unfit and improper” as President of Guyana, for lacking its fundamental requirement: Integrity!

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

news

9

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil and gas bring important transformative agenda – Irfaan Ali

P

residential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Irfaan Ali, says that the budding oil and gas sector will bring a transformation agenda and create a host of new opportunities for Guyana.

Only last week, it was revealed that commercial production in the oil-rich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana will commence in December. There have been 14 oil discoveries made thus far in the Stabroek Block, amounting to more than five billion oil-equivalent barrels. The Liza Phase 1 development is expected to produce some 120,000 barrels of crude per day and it is estimated that Guyana will earn some US$300 million annually.

However, during a recent interview, Ali pointed out that the use of resources that will come from the emerging petroleum sector is important. He was at the time speaking about plans his party has for the industry if it wins next year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections.

“The important thing about oil and gas is the transformative agenda

it brings with it and that transformative agenda must be one that not only rebuilds our infrastructure but be one that opens us new areas for more jobs, for higher-paying jobs, whether it’s in the hospitality industry – we’ll have three to four new hotels here very quickly— whether it’s in the logistics industry, a Deep Water Harbour, opening up new trade routes like the road to Lethem, bridging the Corentyne River,” he stated.

According to the Presidential Candidate, these are all investments that are linked to the oil and gas industry, and with the resources expected, the country can move at a faster pace with such transformational types of investments.

However, Dr Ali – an economist – posited that Guyana does not need to use resources directly from the petroleum sector to do some of these projects. He noted that the country will have the capacity to back investment like these.

He went on to outline that measures will have to be put in place to ensure that resources are used for social safety nets to ensure that there are transfers –

PPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

cash or targeted transfers to the vulnerable, the elderly and other such groups so that all Guyanese benefit from the sector and that there is no disparity or inequality.

“Then we have to ensure that we manage the resources in such a way that we

save for future generations,” he added.

On this note, the PPP Presidential Candidate contended that Guyana’s future should not only be about the oil and gas industry. Doing this, he said, will be an injustice to the economic potential of Guyana.

“The oil and gas sector would be an impetus to advance the other sectors at a very faster rate. But we have to ensure that in advancing the other sectors, we advance it in a competitive environment so that we remain globally competitive. And we also invest in new areas, emerging areas, that can bring tremendous benefit to our people and our country,” he stressed.

To this end, Ali asserted that there need to be measures in place to ensure transparency and accountability in order to guard the emerging sector against corruption.

“We already said that we’re going adopt the Santiago principles in ensuring accountability and transparency. We also have to ensure that there are regular audits and that expenditure by Govt from oil and gas resources passes through a proper parliamentary system – not hidden in any way from the population— and you must be held criminally liable for non-dis-

closer of expenditure or revenue in the oil and gas sector,” he stated.

Another step the PPP Presidential Candidate said they are also looking at is the involvement of civil society bodies and individuals in the transparency and accountability process.

“One of the things that we’re looking at is having civil society play a role in transparency and accountability and even in the audits as well as reviewing expenditures in the oil and gas sector,” he noted.

Furthermore, Ali outlined that when the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) is established, it will be at arms-length from politicians.

“Expenditure out of this fund would be approved properly through a parliamentary process. You [currently] have the regulations that see the political arm – the Executive – playing a dominant role. That cannot be the way we handle our oil and gas resources,” he asserted.

10 news

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

Body with stab Uitvlugt, Stewartville residents wounds found complain of rapid squatting in Region 9 I T

he body of an unidentified male was discovered in the wee hours of Saturday morning by a villager in Tabatinga, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) after a man heard persons arguing outside of his home.

Reports are that at about 02:20h on the day in question, the man had been asleep but was awoken after he heard several voices speaking loudly in another language (Spanish). He then heard a shout and then screams before silence prevailed.

It was then that he ventured outside of his home and noticed a body lying on the street in close proximity to his house. He then contacted Police. However, despite the prompt response by Police, the man had already succumbed.

When contacted, Region Nine Police Commander Superintendent Keithon King confirmed that six Venezuelans are currently in Police custody and are being questioned about the incident.

He stated that his ranks, upon arrival to the location, noticed several stab wounds about the unidentified male’s body.

According to Commander King, the dead man appears to be of Venezuelan descent and noted that in Region Nine, it is not unusual for Venezuelans to travel from Bon Fim, Brazil, to visit the Tabatinga area in Guyana for recreational or shopping purposes.

He explained that in light of information provided by the man who made the report, the six persons were arrested.

The Commander added that Police ranks are visiting Venezuelans in the community with photographs of the dead man with the hope that someone can identify him.

n recent time, squatting has become a major problem in Uitvlugt and Stewartville, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and residents are now complaining that developmental works have been stalled because of such activities.

During a recent visit to the area, persons protested that they were frustrated at the rate in which strangers were erecting new structures illegally on open spaces. One woman who lives along the public road, requesting anonymity, said it has become uncontrollable and is stymieing development within the community.

There was supposed to be a road leading to the koker but it has been overgrown with bushes. Now, they are refusing to clear the surrounding land, claiming that it “invites” persons to build on the lands.

“People that live around here used to clear up here.

It used to be clear clear. We stopped it. Why? Because people coming and occupying the lands at the back that was cleared. There isn’t

Overgrown shrubbery on what was supposed to be another roadway

supposed to be houses there.

That is supposed to be a road going back there,” she explained.

She said that the illegal erections are sitting on land that is supposed to be used for drains and other irrigation systems. This part of the community that lines the Atlantic Ocean and is subjected to constant flooding due to overtopping.

The occupied lands were once marked off to be developed into proper irrigation systems. But this has been cancelled attributable to the illegal occupants. With the drainage proposal, the like-

lihood of flooding would be averted greatly.

“If we getting flooding, blame the authorities.

Because they have a duty to protect us and stand up when illegal activities are being conducted wherever “.

On Tuesday night, the Stewartville sluice buckled under pressure after heavy waves ruptured a section of its wooden door.

It was indicated that the problem could have been solved much faster if there was better access to the koker. The space occupied by the squatters were initially a road leading to the seawall.

Now, it is inhabited and other houses are in the process of construction at the site.

“When GuySuCo came, they were trying to use this road but they couldn’t. What I’m saying is the Government should’ve made this a priority. This is the road here to get to the seawall. Nothing is being done. We haven’t seen no Minister yet. I’m not saying that you could have stopped the water but you have to make preparations.

What if the people couldn’t get their equipment through any other road?”

NEWS

11

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

20 arrested in EBD Police raid T For a new (sharing) political culture

A

s we enter the stretch to the elections ribbon of March 2, 2019, we witness a prime characteristic of politics in Guyana: a welter of new politicians, who insist that their programmes and ideas - all appearing full-blown from their brows and inscribed in elaborate “manifestoes” - will solve Guyana’s problems once they are elected to high office.

Not solve the problems together, mind you, but individually. They ignore that the incumbent “big parties” all started out the same way after one glorious moment of togetherness, and we’re yet no further out of our political morass than we were at independence.

We believe that, in a severely divided society like Guyana, such an approach Ravi Dev is bound to fail. In societies such as ours, the prime prerequisite for new approaches to succeed is missing – a broad enough support base to obtain the legitimacy necessary for the necessary radical programmes to succeed. This would be true for almost any issue before the people, much less a whole new system of governance; not to mention a whole new political orientation.

So how does one proceed? Cautiously, we believe, by trying to build consensus rather than conflict.

In 1990, we outlined our approach in a paper called, “For a new political culture”. The bottom line, we asserted, was that the old politics of “we” against “them” had to go. But how could we get to the politics of “us”. First and foremost, we declared, by not pretending that we are a singular “us” at the present time; we have to work at it.

We might have become one at the Warriors game, but all bets were off once we left the stadium. We have to accept that we had inherited a state but not a nation. Has anything changed since then?

Not much fundamentally, but at least the PPP, and the PNC with its AFC appendage have been given the opportunity to demonstrate whether their way of going it alone could deliver “us” into the promised land with their ideas.

I do not think anyone doubts that we are very far from that happy state. The oil stakes seem to have polarised us further.

We suggest that the new parties work to conduct a dialogue in which they place on the table the fears and hopes of the people they hope to represent, and work on building institutions and changing mindsets that could address the identified fears, to deliver the declared hopes.

We cannot forget that changes in moral and cultural consciousness precede changes in political behaviour. It would not move us forward if, rather than “discussion and deliberation”, we engaged in “polemics”. The French postmodernist Michael Foucault drew what he considered to be the "essential" distinction between entering discussion and engaging in polemics, which is very apropos to all of us at our historical moment: In "discussion", participants implicitly understand commitments entailed by "the acceptance of dialogue", and avail themselves only of rights that "are in some sense immanent" in the "dialogic situation" itself. In "polemic," by contrast, the intent is not merely "to wage war", but to regard "that struggle as a just undertaking."

The polemicist proceeds unconstrained by mutual rights and commitments, and treats each interlocutor not as "a partner in search for truth, but an adversary, an enemy who is wrong.

It appears that, unfortunately, the new parties are all poised to launch in polemics – if they have not already done so. It is not a road that should be travelled again. The PNC and PPP will be justified in considering them as gnats. The former will not become obsolete with any wave of the wand, whether by a fairy Godfather or even a combined Centre Force. We are not sure they need to be obsolete.

What is needed is a recognition by the new parties that they should commit to work with them together, and not separately; and demonstrate this in their own cooperative activities. In working to build a Centre Force, the new parties will get the opportunity to expose the idea of a unified approach to these old formations. This is how consensus is built – slowly, but surely.

A Centre Force can deny both the PPP and the PNC a majority in Parliament; can insist that both of them work together on a national programme, since the Constitution demands a majority vote to even spend a penny.

wenty male suspects were arrested on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) on Saturday morning during a four and a halfhour Police operation.

Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) EBD Sub-Division Commander Kurleigh Simon, when contacted, said that the operation commenced at 04:30h and ended at 09:00h. He added that the Police exercise was

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

The suspect had evaded Police and had gone into hiding since he committed the crime but after receiving information from residents along the EBD corridor, the Police were able to apprehend him.

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

He is also imploring to victims of crimes in those villages to either make contact with the Police or visit the Police station to participate in an identification (ID) parade of those arrested.

Commander Simon noted that more patrolling by Police Officers, especially at night, can be expected along the EBD corridor— in partic-

Police raid executed based on the influx of complaints coming from residents in the Diamond, Grove and Craig villages recently. This is the second raid in one month in the area.

He explained that several ranks from various Police stations along

Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) EBD Sub-Division Commander Kurleigh Simon

ular, those areas where petty crimes have been frequently occurring over the past few months.

He reminded that persons need to feel safe where they live and that families should be able to sleep peacefully at nights without having to worry whether their homes will be broken into or worse.

12

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

13

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com20

Wanted Guyanese pirates nabbed in Suriname T

he two men, who the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had issued wanted bulletins for in connection with the killing of four fishermen in Berbice last month, were on Friday afternoon arrested in Suriname.

On Wednesday last, the wanted bulletin was issued for the duo.

Those nabbed in Suriname were 21-yearold O’Brian Fraser of Lot 66 Eversham Village, Corentyne and 21-year-

Nabbed in Suriname: Anonth Boodrage and O’Brian Fraser

He stated that the GPF contacted Surinamese authorities to request their assistance in apprehending the two suspects, who were at that time said to be hiding somewhere in the Surinamese territory.

According to Commander Brutus, the overseas cops and local Police were working handin-hand to ensure that the

shore was identified as one of the four fishermen.

The following day, another body washed up on the foreshore. The men were identified as 36-year-old Kawal Kissoon, also called “Ajai” of Letter Kenny Village, Corentyne (whose body was discovered first), and Otto Lamar Petrie 20, of Lot 90 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant.

Charged: Lenox Grimmond

old Anonth Boodrage of Lot 97 Belvedere Village, Corentyne.

Reports are that authorities in neighbouring Suriname arrested the two in a fishing boat that moored at a port there.

Authorities there had been following the issue since it was confirmed that pirates had attacked “Sara 1”— a fishing vessel from the Corentyne.

Information coming out of Suriname stated that the men are expected to be handed over to Guyanese authorities this week.

Commander of Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus, had told Guyana Times on Thursday last that Dutch law enforcement officials from the neighbouring country, Suriname, had been assisting the GPF in locating the two wanted men.

Charged: Suresh Sundat and Narine Dhanrajh

men are caught and that justice is served in a timely manner.

On October 11, the body of a man was discovered on the Abary foreshore, at the time, he was not identified. One day later, Sara 1 was found on the Foreshore at Wellington Park, Corentyne without the crew of four.

It was then the body found at the Abary fore-

The other two who have not been found are Marvin Tamesar, also called “Buddy” and “Bin Laden”, and Vishnu Seeram, also called “Kevin” – both of Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant.

Police later arrested two men, who later confessed to the crime. It was reported that they told investigators they attacked

Taxi driver remanded ...

From page 8

Again, the woman agreed but later realised that she had been conned.

In Court on Friday, Attorney Rodwell Jagmohan, in a bail application, asked for Singh to be released on bail. However, in objecting to bail, the Police Prosecutor informed the Court that Singh is being investigated for the same offence committed on two other persons.

Additionally, he also allegedly issued US$500 counterfeit notes to another person

Anil Singh

at Port Mourant and 1100 of similar notes to a business person at Rose Hall Town.

When asked why those charges were not before the Court, Magistrate Renita Singh, sitting at the Albion Court, was told that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had asked the Police to take the notes to the lab for them to be analysed.

As such, Singh was remanded and the case will continue on November 19.

Sara 1 and demanded that the crew hand over their catch. According to a Police source, the men, in their confession, claimed that the crew did not comply and were subsequently bound and thrown into the sea.

It was also reported that the two men also provided investigators with the names of their accomplices.

They were placed before the Court on Wednesday last, charged with the murder of the four fishermen during an act of piracy.

According to the charge, the act took place within the Corentyne Magisterial District.

Suresh Sundat, 22, of Belvedere Squatting Area and Narine Dhanrajh, 30, of Belvedere Village were charged with murder of the four crew members during an act of piracy and remanded.

On Wednesday, Police arrested 38-year-old Lenox Grimmond of Cromarty Village. He was placed before the Court on Friday and also remanded.

Mon Repos fisherman feared drowned after falling into Demerara River

A

Fisherman David Mohan

53-year-old fisherman, of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD), is feared drowned after he fell overboard while in the vicinity of the Demerara River mouth during a fishing trip.

Missing is David Mohan, also known as “Icebox”. Speaking with Guyana Times, Sherry-Ann Mohan, the missing man’s daughter, said that on Thursday at about 23:00h, she received a call from her brother informing her that their father fell overboard and cannot be found.

“He is a captain and he is the owner of the boat ...that is what he does for a living since he was 12 years old. He works with my brother and another crewmember. My brother

called and informed us,” the daughter told this publication.

She added that her father usually suffers from high blood pressure but she is unsure if he might have tripped or might have fallen because of the illness.

Further, she explained that the matter has been reported to the Police and searches were conducted in the area on Thursday through Saturday but to no avail.

Meanwhile, reports are that the family found some of the man’s fishing nets around the Parika area, West Coast Demerara, which might pose a possibility that the man might have drifted in that direction.

“At this point, I have no fear, all I have is hope,” the daughter said.

14 NEWS Organic certificate needed EPA and noise management at local farms – IICA A T SUnDAY, november 3, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

lthough Guyana has boasted about its food security and sustainable methods of growing produce, there is a need for local farmers to be accredited with a certification to prove their methods of operation, and, moreover, the quality that is retailed to the population.

This is according to Country Representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Wilmot Garnett, which was explained during the AgriTourism Expo on Friday.

According to him, training persons to add value to their products is also on the list of recommendations for officials in the agriculture sector.

“The task at hand is to train producers on how to value add agricultural products and activities and diversifying their income base.

Ensuring the accreditation of farms for the agro-tourism industry, including organic certification, link producers to markets, especially the diaspora, while promoting intra and extra-regional

trade,” Garnett said.

He recognised that financing remains a big challenge in the industry and its subsectors, especially manufacturing and agro-tourism.

“The issue of finance remains a principal concern but for money to flow into the agro-tourism sector, financiers and entrepreneurs involved in the production, post-harvest, handling, agro-processing along the value chain will have to learn a lot more about each other and develop an agenda of mutual trust,” Garnett posited.

IICA has been collaborating with Guyana to formulate the establishment of a Food Safety Authority – a requirement under the Food Safety Bill 2016. This technical cooperation, he insisted, is open to the other Member States.

“The statutory instruments for the Food Safety Bill were passed and now we’re in the process of assisting Guyana with a Food Safety Authority. It’s not only producing the best to

IICA Country Representative Wilmot Garnett

export but remember to consume at home,” he said.

The establishment of a Food Safety Authority and other matters related to food safety are addressed in the Food Safety Bill 2016. The Authority will have the power to seize food and issue notification of unsafe food.

Provision for a “general offence and penalty” is provided for in the Bill, which means that for any general offence, there will be a fine

of $20,000 and imprisonment of six months.

The Bill also speaks to: requirements for registration, licensing of food business, the power to charge fees, suspend and revoke licence; return of licence, permit to engage in street food vending, the requirement for a health certificate, application for a permit, granting or refusing of permits, and cancellation of permits.

Provisions of permits for food handlers and obligations of operators of food-handling establishments are also included in the Bill.

Since 2017, United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana Greg Quinn has called for the speedy enactment of the food safety regulations, even as the Bill gained the attention of a Parliamentary Select Committee.

Back in February, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder told Guyana Times that the US-imposed catfish ban would have been resolved faster had the Authority been in place.

Women charged to contribute in new Monkey Mountain lapidary T he Pakaraima Lapidary Facility was commissioned on Friday in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), allowing for semi-precious stones to be shaped and transformed into jewellery.

The facility was constructed at a cost of $16 million and will boost economic activities in Monkey Mountain and other surrounding villages in the region. It is equipped with an exhibit section and equipment to be used for cutting and designing the stones. Collaboration with craftsmen will invent cases made from wood and other locally-sourced materials to display the jew-

The Pakaraima Lapidary Facility

ellery pieces.

At the commissioning ceremony, Toshao of Monkey Mountain, Lincoln Singh related that they will seek to boost tourism within the community with this new addition.

Meanwhile, Indigenous

Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock indicated that employment and training will be provided to villages through the lapidary facility.

It was highlighted that this activity is environmentally friendly and sus-

tained using natural stones collected in the area. These stones, such as agate and jasper, will be developed into valuable products that can be retailed.

Meanwhile, First Lady Sandra Granger stated that the stone-processing facility has many potentials to develop the community. Neighbouring Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) also has a chance to benefit.

So far, 20 residents within the villages have trained to cut and polish the stones, along with ten youths who would have attended the Brazilian Institute of SENAI in Boa Vista, Brazil for training as lapidary technicians.

hat brush-cutter at work at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning; the vibrations from the music set being played in the neighbouring village; hammers pounding away at the construction site down the street. Noise is a daily occurrence, as it can be described as unwanted or excessive sound, and includes vibrations which exceed permissible or allowable levels.

Many people, especially noisemakers, are quick to think of noise as a by-product of recreation, their livelihood, or give no thought to it at all. Often, it’s the neighbour who is trying to sleep after a long day, or is desirous of having some quiet family time, who would raise an alarm or file a complaint with the relevant authorities. Whether we like it or not, noise is all around us, as sources of noise are ever present. Situations involving noise nuisance/disturbance often escalate when they become regular features.

Effects of noise on health Frequent exposure to noise can have serious implications for human health; including, but not limited to, the following: increased heart rate leading to elevated blood pressure, sleep deprivation, headaches and migraines, psychological triggers for people with PTSD, anxiety etc.

Noise also affects animals: hearing loss, disruption of migratory patterns, escape from predators, and abandonment of territory and loss of ability to reproduce.

Categories Day-time Limits(dB) Night-time Limits(dB) Residential 75 60 Institutional 75 60 Educational 75 60 Industrial 100 80 Commercial 80 65 Construction 90 75 Transportation 100 80 Recreational 100 70 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is mandated under the Environmental Protection Act, Chapter 20:05, Laws of Guyana, to stem the creation of pollution havens, and to preserve and protect the integrity of the natural environment. Further, the Noise Management Regulations established in 2000 set standards and gave the Agency enforcement powers for noise management.

Activities producing noise from construction, installation, operation, modification or extension of any facility must be authorised.

Anyone who wishes to operate a loudspeaker or any other soundmaking device or equipment at a public space (e.g. barbecues, shows, nightclubs) or at any private premises must seek permission from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Depending on the nature of the activity, the EPA grants two types of noise permits - Short Term Noise Permit and Long Term Noise Permit.

What you need for a Short Term Noise Permit • Police approval • NDC approval • Guyana Fire Service permit • Proof of event • Affidavit • Proof of rental (if you are renting the space) • $4000 fee • ID of applicant Noise Management Task Force The Ministry of Public Security, in collaboration with other various stakeholders, took the initiative to establish an Inter-Agency Task Force to combat noise nuisance. The unit was established “having recognised the right of citizens to live in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, and free from undue discomfort,” The main goal of the Task Force, according to Coordinator Mr. Deonarine Ramaroop, is to ensure a greater enforcement of the laws/ regulations on noise nuisance, which in turn will reduce the discomfort caused by noise pollution across the country.

The Task Force currently comprises representatives from the Ministry of Public Security – (Coordinating Agency); Guyana Police Force; Guyana Prison Service; Guyana Fire Service; Ministry of Natural Resources; Environmental Protection Agency; Ministry of Communities; Ministry of Public Infrastructure; Central Housing and Planning Authority; Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown; and the Guyana Revenue Authority.

The key objectives of the Task Force are: • enforcing existing (or create new) rules governing codes for all buildings that cater for the use of amplified sound equipment; • enforcing silent zones; • eliminating the proliferation of loud music in public transport vehicles; • recommending amendments to laws that allow the use of available technology to establish and measure noise levels for the purpose of compliance and prosecution; • curbing random and spontaneous appearance of open air and roadside “boom boxes”; and • examining complaints made about industrial noise, and taking necessary action as deemed fit to eliminate or reduce the level of noise discomfort.

Equipping officers to tackle noise For the second time this year, the EPA collaborated with the Ministry or Public Security and the Noise Task Force to conduct the third Noise Management Training with officers of the Guyana Police Force from Regions 5 and 6, from Wednesday, October 23, 2019 to Thursday, October 24, 2019 at the Central Police Station Recreation Hall, New Amsterdam Berbice. The training was aimed at building technical capacity of Police officers to respond to noise pollution reports from the public, and to aid in the courts’ prosecution process of offenders. Police officers were trained in the areas of EPA law, nature of evidence, and footage for noise nuisance, including the use of the decibel noise meter. https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/07/07/task-force-tocombat-noise-nuisance-established/ You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

news

15

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

$30B bond

Agricultural, rural development and industrialisation:

Is agriculture still key in developing economy context?

G

uyana is regarded as a country with vast agricultural potential.

In fact, it is often said that Guyana is, or can be, the food basket for the Caribbean; yet, the Caribbean Community food import bill will reach close to US$10 billion by 2020, more than two and a half times Guyana’s GDP. Today’s article examines this thematic construct by reviewing the empirical literature that exists around studies with respect to agriculture as a pillar of economic development. Forthcoming articles will therefore contextualise this empirical evidence in the case of Guyana.

The past 20 years have witnessed a steep decline in the availability of public resources for agriculture and rural development.

Between 1983 and 1987, and 1998 and 2000, the annual average allocation of official development assistance (ODA) for agriculture in the least developed and low-income countries fell by 57 percent, from US$5.14 billion (2002 prices) to US$2.22 billion.

Lending from international institutions followed a similar pattern, while domestic public spending has remained stagnant at best. The result has been reduced incentives for rural investment.

Serious questions have also been raised regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of public resources’ mobilisation for agriculture and the rural space. An important question in the debate regarding rural development has been the relationship between agriculture and the rural economy. In certain respects, past policy perceptions and practices have often equated to rural development with agriculture, and rural development policies have been subsumed under an agriculture policy package.

The issue of how and under what conditions agriculture is a driving force of rural growth has received scant attention, or has given mixed messages, including on the position of major multilateral financing institutions. Recently, however, the emergence of national and international commitments on poverty and related targets -for example, the Millennium Development Goals and the Poverty Reduction Strategies at the country level -- coupled with the failure of past paradigms to achieve mass reductions in rural poverty, has given new impetus to the role of agriculture in development and poverty reduction; while, at the same time, new rural development models have emerged --in Latin America, for example -- emphasising a broader approach, in which rural and urban spaces are viewed as a continuum and their interactions are emphasised.

The importance of agriculture in development: historical perspectives As early as the beginning of the 20th century, economists observed that wealthier countries were characterised by a smaller portion of their input coming from agriculture and relatively less labour resources tied to the same sector. They also noted that the process of development itself was characterised by a monotonic decline in the relative importance of agriculture and the primary sector in the economy, both in terms of GDP and employment.

Therefore, if the process of development is characterised by a shrinking agricultural sector, should the development “recipe” then suggest policies that are biased against agriculture and in favour of other sectors of the economy, to accelerate development? Or should agricultural growth be promoted to facilitate this structural transformation? History would show, to this end, that the policies that developing countries implemented from the late 1950s until the late 1980s (particularly in Africa and Latin America) had apparently followed the first strategy.

Proponents argued that the primary sector, though passive, played an important role in development. Some active roles the agricultural sector performs throughout development include (1): Agriculture provides food necessary for a growing economy, as food demand, although at a decreasing rate, grows with income.

(2): Agricultural exports generate the foreign exchange necessary to import capital goods. (3): Agriculture, as the larger sector in less developed countries (LDCs), is the only sector capable of generating the savings mass that the non-agricultural sector needs for capital accumulation; and (4): a growing agricultural sector creates a larger stock market for the non-agricultural sector. These linkages still remain relevant for developing economies with a large primary sector, like Guyana.

Empirical evidence also shows that successful industrialisation experiences are usually preceded by periods of dynamic agricultural growth. For example, countries that embark on a successful industrialisation path first experience fast agricultural expansion, fuelled not by absorbing resources from the rest of the economy, but by rapid increases in productivity. Among the countries that experienced this are the Asian giants India and China, with fast industrialisation preceded by fast productivity growth in the agricultural sector.

By: JC Bhagwandin, MSc Email: jbbankingadvice@gmail.com (The author is an experienced Macro-finance and Research Analyst, and a Senior Lecturer of BBA/MBA programs at Texila American University, University of Bedfordshire, and the Association of Business Executives (ABE) programs in Guyana. The discussions and analyses presented are exclusively his own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper or the institutions he is affiliated with).

Millions spent but no improvements – former Agri Minister

W

hen Government closed four sugar estates, against the advice of its own Commission of Inquiry (CoI), low production from Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was expected.

What was not expected was that they would fail to meet even the low production targets they set for themselves.

In an invited comment from this publication, former Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy questioned why GuySuCo continued to flounder, despite benefitting from a $30 billion bond that was arranged on its behalf by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited-Special Purpose Unit (NICIL-SPU).

He cited the recent figures released by the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU), which had indicated that sugar production was lagging in all three functioning estates: Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt.

“APNU/AFC argued that downsizing by closing four sugar estates and operating only three at Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt would bring efficiency and restore sugar to profitability. But GuySuCo failed to reach its target in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 and now it expects to fall far below the target for 2019”.

“Where is the efficiency from downsizing?” Dr Ramsammy asked, adding that for 2019, the target was a modest 104,000 tonnes. It is presently not expected to even reach 90,000 tonnes. “In fact, it is likely GuySuCo’s production will continue to lag behind in the coming weeks.

Already week 11 was dismal,” Ramsammy said.

The former Minister posited that GuySuCo seems

to also have problems with management, besides the problems it already has with a depleted and unmotivated workforce and unpredictable weather.

“The management of GuySuCo appears to either be unable to cope with the many difficulties or they just simply do not care.

Maintenance of the factories, the dams and canals and the field operations, including agricultural practices has been poor,” he added.

$30B bond

GuySuCo's management and NICIL have had their spats in the public eye previously. And Ramsammy noted that there has been

Former Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

NICIL-SPU insists (billions) have been dispensed to GuySuCo”.

He added that on the other hand, GuySuCo insists it has not received

Serious doubts remain about what GuySuCo’s production figures will be for 2019 year-end

a lack of accountability in how the $30 billion bond was put to use. At one point, SPU Head Colvin HeathLondon had said that GuySuCo failed to account for how they used the money allocated to them, something GuySuCo had denied.

“NICIL-SPU borrowed $30B on the books of GuySuCo to ostensibly invest in improvement in the factories, fields and in agriculture. But no one, not NICIL-SPU, not GuySuCo and not the Agriculture Ministry, can account for the $30B, even though

that amount. NICIL too, he stated, insists GuySuCo must explain what they have done with the money before more money can be dispensed, adding that the Agriculture Ministry insists they have no idea who has the money and why the $30B loan was taken.

Ramsammy noted that the lack of transparency and accountability is troubling since “after more than two years, after paying out more than $1.5 billion in interest, and more interest payment is now due,

Guyanese are still without any information where the money is, who spent it, if it has been spent”.

Sugar crop

Meanwhile, the GAWU indicated in a press release on Saturday that it received a memorandum dated October 29 from the GuySuCo stating that the Corporation had decided to extend the ongoing second sugar crop to December 20, 2019.

“Our Union in a statement of October 25 did point out that the Corporation could not have realised its production target by the time the crop was set to end.

Of course, in that statement that based on the performance of the Corporation during the crop thus far, we estimated that the target may not be realised at Albion and Blairmont Estates”.

The Corporation, the Union added, in its memorandum, said “there is the possibility of some Estate[s] carrying over canes into 1st Crop 2020” but according to the Union, it seems to say that the sugar company is anticipating that not all the canes would be harvested and thus, the crop target will be missed. Time, of course, will ultimately answer this question.

Rogue cops blamed for Police failures

T

he failures of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in its corruption and crime-fighting techniques are being placed on the shoulders of rogue cops within the organisation.

According to President David Granger during a local radio interview on Friday, the fact that corrupt officers in the GPF are tampering with evidence and preventing the course of justice has prevented successful convictions in many matters that have been placed before the court of law.

Their actions, or lack of, have also contributed to a number of cases never even reaching a court so that justice could be served, the Head of State said.

Zeroing on the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and its lack of suc-

with differently.

Blame

President of Guyana, David Granger

Police Commissioner Leslie James

cess in prosecutions under his administration, the President noted that rogue Police Officers are to be blamed.

He stated that there is a need for the GPF to be one that is “capable, more able to get the evidence and bring

these cases to court so that these people could be prosecuted”.

According to the President, he is disappointed in the way in which the GPF has handled some matters, which should have been dealt

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, Police Commissioner Leslie James, when asked about the poor performance of SOCU, told the media that the prosecutors attached to that Unit are responsible for what transpires in the courtroom.

“Let me make it very clear, notwithstanding the fact that SOCU does, in fact, come under the aegis of the Commissioner of Police and by extension the GPF; the prosecutors of SOCU that is what I have inherited. They were not necessarily recruited by the GPF. However, I can tell you that as late as yesterday (Thursday), I met with a few of the prosecutors and that matter I am currently addressing”. turn to page 16

16 news

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

35 years of satisfying service: Commander Kevin Adonis retires

A

fter dedicating 35 years of service to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Assistant Police Commissioner (APC) and Commander of Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Kevin Adonis, retired over the weekend.

On Saturday, <<Guyana Times>> caught up with the outgoing Commander who reflected on his journey over the past three and a half decades.

A young Adonis would have spent most of his childhood in the care of his grandmother at their Stewartville, West Coast Demerara (WCD) humble abode.

At the tender age of 18, the now-dedicated officer had just completed his secondary education and aspired to enter the teaching profession. Little did he know that he would have to take a job with the GPF as a result of unsuccessful attempts at gaining other employment opportunities.

Initially, he had planned to spend two years employed by the Force, he told this publication.

“I grow up in a home very poor, contented and everything. There was no other option and with that contentment, I went into the job and remained like that all the time. Mind you, I planned just to go in the Force for just two years and ended up spending 35 odd years,” the Commander said.

He added “in those days, I had applied many places and I ended there and that was my last choice. All the applications returning to me that there is no vacancy and they would give me feedback whenever there was a vacancy”.

Detailing his experience in the GPF, Commander Adonis recalled that he was first stationed at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU), Eve Leary. The TSU was and still is a specialised Police unit formed and trained to handle situations that are beyond the capabil-

ities of ordinary law enforcement forces because of the level of violence – or risk of violence – involved.

Some of the missions that ranks attached to this Unit are deployed to include the serving of search warrants for dangerous persons, arresting or neutralising dangerous or deranged armed persons, and intervening in high-risk situations such as shootouts, hostage-taking and terrorist incidents.

After a brief stint in this portfolio, Adonis was then transferred to the Force’s Finance Department. As a result of his exemplary performance in the posts he was assigned, the young policeman quickly elevated ranks, attaining the post of Police Sergeant within the course of a mere three years.

On reflection, the now Police Commander vividly recollected that “climbing the ladder of success” was not an easy undertaking.

“You must always look up to the Almighty for guidance and be truthful and honest.

There were many challenges, how I overcame them, I am a staunch Christian, I believe in facing any challenge that I encounter through life, and I pray a lot. And I get results when I pray”.

After three years serving the GPF, the then Sergeant Adonis was transferred to the former Police D Division (West Bank-East Bank Essequibo), which has now been renamed to Region Three Policing Division.

This was the start of his journey in serving each policing Division and being promoted to the post of Police Commander, a position which he held for over 10 years.

Just two months ago, Commander Adonis was promoted to the post of APC and now at the age of his pre-retirement, he is at the helm of the Police in Region Seven, commanding young officers and junior ranks

Forestry worker missing over a month …family suspects foul play, decries lack of assistance from Police

T

Police Commander and Assistance Police Commissioner Kevin Adonis

throughout that zone.

At the time of his recent and last promotion before exiting the GPF, his message to young Police ranks was to remain steadfast in their pursuit of success.

“I am encouraging others to be dedicated because dedication pays off. It shows clearly that once you have discipline in the GPF and you have goals, set your goals and work towards it, it will pay off, the Almighty knows that I deserve it and that was it”.

Glancing at this future plan, the Police Commander stated that he can now “relax and travel” after spending so many years of uninterrupted service to law enforcement.

“I worked continuously 35 years. I did not report sick at any time. I cannot recall reporting sick”.

Presently, Commander Adonis is finalising his release from Region Seven and this mantle will be taken up by Police Commander, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord, who departs the Region Three Policing Division to take over.

Meanwhile, recently-reinstated Policeman Simon McBean, who in September was promoted to the post of APC at the same time as Commander Adonis, will be heading the Region Three Policing Division. (Kristen Macklingham)

he family of 26-yearold Michael Banfus is losing hope that they will ever know what happened to him after he went missing in September without a trace.

Over a month has passed since he disappeared and the family is left in doubt, even as they decry the lack of assistance by Police in their plight. On Saturday, this newspaper visited the family’s home in Diamond, East Bank Demerara and was told that a missing persons’ report was made after Banfus disappeared.

Cousin of the missing young man, Vianne Banfus, told this publication that since a missing persons’ report was made, investigators visited the apartment of the young man at Cummings Lodge, Georgetown, which he shared with another person.

In explaining how they learnt about his disappearance, the older Banfus related that her cousin (Michael) was last seen by relatives at the Amerindian Hostel, then at Everest Cricket Club where the Amerindian Heritage Games were hosted.

“On the 28th of September, my sister texted me and asked me when last I see Michael or when last

I spoke with Michael…. So I asked her what happened, and then she texted me back and told me Michael is missing…I go through his profile, and I see his friends saying ‘Michael where are you please get contact with us’, ‘are you safe, please contact us’, but there was no answer…They said Michael is missing since the 22 (September 22),” she explained.

Fighting tears, Banfus further added that after being told by a family friend that Michael sometimes spends the weekend in Berbice, she, along with co-workers of the young man, visited the person’s home only to be told by the friend’s family that he (the friend) had allegedly committed suicide, and Michael was unknown to them.

“I went to Berbice two times with the forestry, because his best friend said Michael spends the weekend in Berbice with a friend but we went to the person house and the family of the person that committed suicide said they never saw this person (Michael), I don’t know how true it is because he never introduced none of us to his friends”.

The 26-year-old is originally from Kurukabaru Village, Region Eight

Missing: Michael Banfus

(Potaro-Siparuni) and has been residing in the capital city, as he is currently employed as a forestry technician but is studying at the Cacique Accounting College.

Anyone with information regarding the young man is asked contact the nearest Police station.

Berbice religious leader arrested on rape allegations

A

religious leader in Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) was on Saturday arrested at the Number 51 Police Station for questions into rape allegations.

The religious leader was invited to the station and turned up in the company of his attorney when he was arrested and questioned. He was subsequently released on station bail and will have to return to the station as the investigation continues.

On Wednesday last, the parents of a 27-year-old mother of one made the report to the Police alleging that the rape incident occurred in May. The Police were told that the young mother was being taken home by the religious leader in his car after a religious function when she was raped. Investigators took statements from the woman on Thursday. Meanwhile, the woman’s mother told Police that they were told by senior officials of the religious body

that the organisation will be embarrassed if her daughter was to report the incident back in May. They further asked that a Justice of Peace in the community be contacted and the matter was then discussed with the Justice in the presence of the religious leader. As a result of a recent incident, the young lady’s father said that the family was advised to go to the Police although five months had elapsed. The investigation is continuing.

Rogue cops blamed...

Just September, it was announced that former Head of that agency, Sydney James, who had been on administrative leave amidst allegations of mismanagement of funds at the Unit, would not have returned to his post.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had told reporters that James’ contract has not expired and that he was at that time “still on administrative leave”.

Probe

Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner also had told reporters that the probe into James’ operations at SOCU is still in progress but that his illness has resulted in a delay of its

closure.

“What I can tell you about Mr James, I understand that he has fallen ill recently and we are following up on that. It is dependent on how soon he recovers from his illness, then we will continue speaking with Mr James. But as you know, there has been a designated Head of SOCU in the person of Ms Althea Padmore and there is a handover that is currently in progress but Mr James is currently sick,” the Top Cop stated.

The decision to send James on leave came months after a special audit had unearthed several instances of mismanagement of funds and falsification of documents at the entity. The audit had also found some unaccounted-for

from page 15

expenditure which could not be verified by a paper trail.

The audit was ordered by the Police Commissioner in February. Although the Top Cop has not commented on the findings of that audit, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had described the revelations as “damning”.

The probe into the operations of the white-collar crime-fighting Unit was triggered after the former British adviser, Dr Sam Sittlington, had made a number of allegations against the Unit.

Following those allegations, James was questioned over allegations of improper spending. This was in light of the ongoing investigation and audit which was conducted after the termination of the British adviser’s services.

guyanatimesgy.com

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019

17

Regional

Illegal loggers kill Amazon Indigenous Cuba denies stoking Latin warrior who guarded forest, wound another American social unrest

I

llegal loggers in the Amazon ambushed an Indigenous group that was formed to protect the forest and shot dead a young warrior and wounded another, leaders of the Guajajara tribe in northern Brazil said on Saturday.

Paulo Paulino Guajajara, or Lobo (which means “wolf” in Portuguese), was hunting on Friday inside the Arariboia reservation in Maranhao state when he was attacked and shot in the head. Another Guajajara, Laercio, was wounded but escaped, they said.

The clash comes amid an increase in invasions of reservations by illegal loggers and miners since right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office this year and vowed to open up protected Indigenous lands to econom-

ic development.

“The Bolsonaro government has Indigenous blood on its hands,” Brazil’s pan-Indigenous organisation APIB, which represents many of the country’s 900,000 native people, said in a statement on Saturday.

“The increase in violence in indigenous territories is a direct result of his hateful speeches and steps taken against our people,” APIB said.

APIB leader Sonia Guajajara said the Government was dismantling environmental and Indigenous agencies, and leaving tribes to defend themselves from invasion of their lands.

“It’s time to say enough of this institutionalised genocide,” she said in a post on Twitter.

C

Paulo Paulino Guajajara was hunting on Friday, November 1 inside the Arariboia reservation in Maranhao state when he was attacked and killed by illegal loggers

Brazil’s federal Police said they had sent a team to investigate the circumstances of Paulino Guajajara’s death. APIB said his body was still lying in the forest where he was killed.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

uban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denied Friday that the country is behind recent social unrest in Latin America and rejected US allegations that it is supporting Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.

"Maliciously people are accusing Cuba of being behind what is happening in Venezuela and the recent popular protests against the pitiless neoliberalism that's advancing in this region," said Rodriguez at an event in Havana, called the Antiimperialist Meeting.

Washington has accused the Caribbean island nation of providing military support to help prop up the government of socialist leader Maduro.

The US is backing his rival Juan Guaido's claims to be the South American country's interim leader.

"The United States

needs to blame Cuba for its resounding failure in Venezuela, and needs to justify the tightening of its blockade" against the islands, added Rodriguez at the meeting that brings together various international leftist coalitions.

Last week, Luis Almagro, the Organization of American States' secretary general, hit out at a "pattern" of destabilization emanating from Venezuela and Cuba, and aimed at Colombia, Ecuador and Chile.

Last month, protests against the Government broke out in Ecuador and Chile.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump "denounced foreign efforts to undermine Chilean institutions, democracy or society," in a phone call to Chile counterpart Sebastian Pinera.

A senior State

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, pictured in September, described accusations of meddling as malicious

Department official blamed Russia for stoking the unrest, a charge Moscow rejected.

Rodriguez said Cuba has no involvement in Latin American protests beyond "the example of the Cuban revolution, as Che Guevara said". (AFP)

Ex-Salvadoran soldiers confirm El Mozote massacre victim accounts Bolivia’s Election Audit Chief

T

wo former members of the Salvadoran military on Friday confirmed details given by the victims of the 1981 El Mozote massacre in which 1000 civilians were murdered by the military over the course of three days in what is described as the worst mass killing in modern Latin American history.

The two new protected witnesses testified in the ongoing case against 17 high-ranking military officers for the El Mozote massacre.

The witnesses were the first former members of the military to confirm the victims' version of events - that soldiers forced innocent civilians, including kids and elderly, out of their homes in the country's northern province of Morazan, shot them, and then burned their hous-

es. The Salvadoran military has repeatedly denied this version of events, instead calling it a clash between soldiers and armed rebels.

In December 1981, the country was in the early days of a civil war that left more than 75,000 dead in a conflict between leftist guerillas and the Salvadoran military. The massacre is considered one of the most brutal in Latin America in the 20th century for the large number of victims and brutal tactics used, including rape and torture.

A UN-backed truth commission identified the UStrained Atlacatl Battalion as the perpetrator of the El Mozote massacre. The Reagan administration provided millions of dollars of aid to the Salvadoran state during the country's civil war in the name of fighting

makes surprise resignation

T

The urns of six children, victims of El Mozote massacre, are seen during a wake in San Salvador, El Salvador [Photo by: Jose Cabezas/Reuters]

communism.

The witnesses, "Juan" and "Sol", whose voices were distorted while they answered questions from behind a screen, identified themselves as former members of the Atlacatl Battalion. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

he head of an international body auditing Bolivia's disputed election results resigned unexpectedly on Friday, casting further uncertainty over a vote that sparked deadly riots and delivered President Evo Morales a fourth term.

The chief of the technical mission from the Organisation of American States (OAS), Mexican Arturo Espinosa, announced he is stepping down from the role just a day after beginning the review of the controversial poll.

"I have decided to withdraw from the audit so as not to compromise its im-

partiality. I should have informed the OAS about previous public statements (declarations) about the electoral process in Bolivia," he wrote in a tweet.

An OAS spokeswoman later confirmed his resignation to AFP. Espinosa wrote two articles related to Bolivia's elections for a Mexican news website in the past two weeks, including one – published after the election – which raised doubts over the poll's transparency.

The 20 October election result, ratified on Friday

by Bolivia's own Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), saw Morales narrowly se-

cure the 10-point gap needed to win outright – but only after an abrupt and unexplained shift in the vote count in his favor.

Opposition candidate Carlos Mesa criticised the TSE's latest result calculations, saying that they show Morales committed a "fraud" and "an aggression against the good faith of the international community."

The 66 year-old former president has also refused to take part in the OAS audit, calling instead for the results given by the electoral court (TSE) to be annulled as a precondition of his co-operation. (AFP)

Caribbean Public Safety Ministers Trinidad: Woman chopped worried about 'violent events' M to death in St Helena

A

close male relative is in Police custody for the murder of 24-yearold Dolmati Mangroo, who was found hacked to death on Thursday afternoon by relatives.

“They went to feed the pigs and they saw a big pool of dry blood on the floor,” one relative said.

“They went inside where they found her body, the blood was already dry on her,” the relative continued.

Guardian Media visited Mangroo’s St Helena home on Friday and one relative told us that the body bore several chop marks, a sight the family described as too much to bear.

“I don’t know how my mother will cope,” the relative said.

“Her neck was slashed

and she was missing fingers like she tried to brakes the chop,” the relative continued.

Mangroo’s body was found at her boyfriend’s Damien Drive Santa Monica Trace home on Thursday; however, she did not live there. The 24-year-old lived with her parents some streets away at Misty Drive on the same Trace.

However, the relative believes that Mangroo’s death was premeditated and they suspect that she may have been abused, although she never showed any signs.

“The day before he sold all his pigs, is like he knew what he was going to do,” the relative told Guardian Media.

The family member said that the Mangroo’s close

male relative of one year was an alcoholic and she was helping him turn his life around.

“When she met him he was homeless,” the relative said.

“They would go to church every week together,” the relative continued.

The family member said it seemed like Mangroo’s male relative was having a relapse and the victim gave him an ultimatum. “She told him that if he continues they will not be able to work,” the family member told Guardian Media.

However, Mangroo’s last message to a family member via WhatsApp gave the impression that something was wrong even though she did not admit it. (Excerpt from T&T Guardian)

inisters responsible for public safety in the Americas, including the Caribbean, have voiced strong concern at what they describe as “the violent events occurring in the region”.

“We commit to consolidation, strengthening, and international cooperation in public security, while at the same time voicing our concern at the violent events occurring in the region,” said the ministers and heads of delegation, in a joint statement on Thursday, at the conclusion of the two-day Seventh Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas here in Quito, Ecuador.

The ministers said these “violent events” undermine democratic institutions “and have resulted in the disruption of public order through pillaging, unrest, and the

destruction of public and private property, without prejudice to the legitimate right to demonstrate and to peaceful protest in accordance with the law.”

The statement was made pursuant to paragraph 3a of the “Document of Port-ofSpain: Institutionalisation of the MISPA Process”, according to the Organization of American States (OAS).

“Consequently, we declare our opposition to said acts of violence, crime and insecurity, including those perpetrated as an organised

attack on peace,” the ministers said.

They also reiterated their support for democratic institutions, the rule of law, human rights, the right to freedom of expression, assembly, demonstration, and protest.

At the same time, the ministers underscored “the importance of boosting actions to prevent, confront, investigate, and prosecute those criminal activities and conspiracies to commit crime, which threaten public security.”

Likewise, the ministers rejected “any form of violence” and called for “guarantees to protect the integrity of everyone and for full observance of human rights”.

“We consider that dialogue is the best mechanism for settling disputes,” the ministers said. (CMC)

18

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Over a dozen killed in car bomb Judge blocks Trump’s rule requiring prospective immigrants to have health insurance attack near Turkey-Syria border

A

federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked a Trump administration proclamation that would have required prospective immigrants to prove they would have U.S. health insurance within 30 days of their arrival or enough money to pay for “reasonably foreseeable medical costs.”

Judge Michael Simon in US District Court in Portland, Oregon, granted a 28-day temporary restraining order that prevents the rule from taking effect on Nov. 3. The legal challenge against it will continue.

In an 18-page order, Simon said the potential damage to would-be immigrants and their families justified a nationwide block.

“Facing a likely risk of being separated from their family members and a delay in obtaining a visa to which family members would oth-

President Donald Trump

erwise be entitled is irreparable harm,” he wrote.

Seven US citizens and an advocacy organization filed a lawsuit to block the rule, arguing it “rewrites our immigration and healthcare laws

by Presidential fiat” and could bar hundreds of thousands of prospective immigrants.

Prospective immigrants had been scrambling to figure out how to get the necessary coverage, navigating a complex healthcare bureaucracy that has, for the most

part, not previously catered to those who are not yet in the country.

The Trump proclamation said it aims to stop healthcare providers and taxpayers from bearing “substantial costs in paying for medical expenses incurred by people who lack health insurance or the ability to pay for their healthcare.” It cited data that “lawful immigrants are about three times more likely than United States citizens to lack health insurance.”

Healthcare policy experts say immigrants use the US system less often than Americans. According to an analysis by Leighton Ku, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University, recent immigrants without insurance accounted for less than onetenth of 1% of US medical expenditures in 2017. (Reuters)

Thailand reopens cave where boys' soccer team was trapped for weeks

T

hailand has opened the famous Tham Laung cave to the public, after the removal of equipment that was used in last year’s dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped underground for weeks.

Hundreds of people flocked on Saturday to see the cave where the of Wild Boar Academy soccer team was rescued from in July 2018. The visitors created so much traffic that authorities

had to allow up to around 30 people to enter at a time.

Duangporn Sookawong, 75, who came all the way from the southern Songkhla province, said she believed that the rescue was a miracle and the boys were lucky that they were able to survive despite being stuck in the dark, complex network of caves for almost three weeks.

Wild Boars Academy’s coach Ekapol Chanthawong and 12 boys had gone to explore the Tham Luang

caves in Chiang Rai province on June 23, 2018, when a rainy-season downpour flooded the cave system and trapped them underground.

They survived for nine days on water dripping from rocks before they were discovered. An international effort to rescue them ended on July 10 when they all were brought out safely, to the relief of millions of people in Thailand and abroad who had been gripped by their fate. (Reuters)

Mali: Dozens of troops killed in military outpost attack

A

t least 53 soldiers and a civilian have been killed in an attack on a military post in northeast Mali, according to the country's Communication Minister.

The attack, one of the deadliest against Malian forces, took place in Indelimane, in the Menaka region close to the border with Niger, Yaya Sangare wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the group's Amaq news agency reported without citing evidence.

He said the situation had been brought "under control", adding: "A search and the process of identifying the bodies is continuing".

Ten survivors were found at the outpost, which suffered "significant" damage, according to Sangare, who did not give further details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Mali's army has been struggling in the face of an insurgency that has spread from the arid north to its centre [Photo by: Luc Gnago/Reuters]

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Vall, who has reported extensively from Mali, said the attack involved at least three suicide bombers who detonated explosives inside the military camp, according to security sources.

He added the death toll could rise.

The Malian Government earlier condemned the "terrorist attack", saying it had left numerous dead or wounded but without giving

a precise toll.

"Reinforcements have been dispatched to secure the area and hunt down the attackers," it said in a statement.

The attack comes a month after two attacks killed 40 soldiers near the border with Burkina Faso, but several sources told AFP news agency the death toll had been downplayed.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A

t least 13 people have been killed in a car bomb explosion in the Syrian town on the border with Turkey, according to the Turkish defence ministry.

The bombing ripped through Tal Abyad, one of several once Kurdishcontrolled towns seized

by Turkey last month, on Saturday.

"Based on first findings, 13 civilians were killed and around 20 others injured" in the explosion in the northeastern town, Turkey's defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The town has witnessed some of the heaviest fightings since the Turkish military launched an operation in northeast Syria against the Kurdish armed group People's Protection Units (YPG), which for years was allied to the United States in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.

An AFP news agency correspondent in Tal Abyad saw the skeletons of two motorbikes ablaze in the mid-

The town has witnessed some of the heaviest fightings since the Turkish military launched an operation last month in northeastern Syria

dle of a rubble-strewn street.

A group of men carried the severely burnt body of a victim onto the back of a pickup truck, as a veiled young woman stood aghast by the side of the street.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-Turkey fighters and civilians were among the dead and injured in the car explosion.

"We condemn this inhuman attack of the bloody PKK/YPG terrorists who attacked the innocent civilians of Tal Abyad who returned to their homes and lands as a result of the Operation Peace Spring," Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Twitter.

No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Dresden: The German city that declared a “Nazi emergency”

A

city in eastern Germany has declared a "Nazi emergency", saying it has a serious problem with the far-right.

Dresden, the capital of Saxony, has long been viewed as a bastion of the far-right and is the birthplace of the anti-Islam Pegida movement.

Councillors in the city - a contender for the 2025 European Capital of Culture - have now approved a resolution saying more needs to be done to tackle the issue.

But opponents say it goes too far.

"'Nazinotstand' means similar to the climate emergency - that we have a serious problem. The open democratic society is threatened," local councillor Max Aschenbach, who tabled the motion, told the BBC. Mr Aschenbach, from left-leaning satirical political party Die Partei, said he believed it was necessary to take action because politicians were not doing enough to "position themselves clearly" against the far-right.

"The request was an attempt to change that. I also wanted to know what kind

of people I'm sitting with in the city council of Dresden," he said.

The resolution acknowledges that "right-wing extremist attitudes and actions... are occurring with increasing frequency" and calls on the city to help victims of far-right violence, protect minorities and strengthen democracy.

Aschenbach said adopting the motion showed the city council's commitment to fostering "a free, liberal, democratic society that protects minorities and resolutely opposes Nazis."

(Excerpt from BBC)

9 children killed in Afghanistan mine blast N ine Afghan children were killed on Saturday when a mine exploded as they walked to school, Police said, the latest victims in a growing toll of civilian casualties in the war.

The blast happened in the northeastern province of Takhar. Saturday is a school day in Afghanistan.

“This area is under Taliban control and since security forces launched attacks to clear it, the Taliban have planted anti-personnel mines,” Khalil Asir, a spokesman for the provin-

cial Police, told Reuters.

“Unfortunately, today, one of those mines exploded and killed nine primary school students,” he said.

The children, aged nine to 12, included four from what Asir described as a “Taliban family”.

A spokesman for the Taliban, who are fighting to oust foreign troops and defeat the US-backed Government, was not immediately available for comment.

Civilian casualties have been increasing to record levels this year, despite ef-

forts by the United States and Taliban insurgents to reach a peace deal.

A record 4313 civilians were injured or killed between July and September, a 42 percent increase from the same period last year, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said last month.

The toll included more than 1000 deaths, the bloodiest period since the mission began collecting figures in 2009. It brought the number of civilian casualties for the first nine months of the year to more than 8000. (Reuters)

19 Watford denied leveller as Chelsea move to third G sunday, november 3, 2019

oalkeeper Ben Foster was denied a stunning headed equaliser in stoppage time as Chelsea hung on for victory at Watford to move third in the Premier League.

In blustery conditions, the visitors opened the scoring after five minutes when Jorginho's delicious pass allowed Tammy Abraham to lift in his 10th goal of the season.

Foster made two superb stops to prevent Frank Lampard's side going further ahead before the break as he denied both Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount.

But he could not prevent Pulisic following up his hattrick against Burnley last Saturday with another goal as the American tucked in Abraham's low cross.

Watford, who remain bottom of the Premier League and are still searching for their first league win of the season, were handed a lifeline when Gerard Deulofeu tucked in a video assistant referee-awarded penalty, his first goal of the season.

And the hosts almost equalised when Foster's header deep in injury time

was superbly saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who sparked celebrations among his team-mates with the last action of the match.

But overall, Watford could not match a superior Chelsea side who recorded a fifth successive away win in the league, and a club-record equalling seventh away victory in all competitions.

Lampard's side can slip back into fourth behind Leicester, who face Crystal Palace on Sunday and have a superior goal difference, yet it was another impressive step forward for his young side who are now two points behind second-place Manchester City.

Chelsea show style and substance in gritty win Chelsea's defeat by Manchester United in the Carabao Cup ended their seven-game winning run, but on the evidence of this game it has done little to dent their confidence.

With Abraham, Mount and Willian restored to the team, and Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic pulling the strings in midfield, Watford struggled to get hold of the

guyanatimesgy.com

ball in the early stages.

When the hosts finally had a sustained period of possession after half an hour, they could have been three goals down.

Abraham's opener was a work of wonder from Jorginho, who is now a fans' favourite after becoming a lightning rod for the frustration last season under Maurizio Sarri.

But Chelsea's top scorer could have had a second as Foster also stopped Pulisic's header and somehow tipped Mount's shot onto the bar, also denying the midfielder again in the second half after a fast break.

Although Chelsea finished third last season, their away form often faltered under Sarri. This season, however, they are showing steel, suggesting that a similar finish may be possible despite losing Eden Hazard in the summer and being in the midst of a two-window transfer ban.

Win eludes Watford again despite soft penalty Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores said in his programme notes that he can "feel" his team getting

England international Tammy Abraham scored his 10th goal for Chelsea this season

closer to their first Premier League win of the season following three successive draws.

Setting up in 5-3-2 system, they had to contain Chelsea for the first half hour, as the visitors threatened to put the game out of sight.

But following Foster's heroics, they grew into the game as half-time approached, giving their shivering fans something to warm to.

Deulofeu's fizzing effort was the closest they came before the break and Kurt Zouma had to be sharp to block Andre Gray's early second-half shot.

Once Pulisic scored his fourth of the season, the game looked to have petered out and yet there was still time for VAR to intervene with 10 minutes remaining.

Having been on the wrong end of two VAR decisions against Tottenham last month, Watford will not

have minded that the penalty award looked soft.

Jorginho appeared to trip Deulofeu but the contact looked minimal, with referee Anthony Taylor deciding against the spot-kick.

The VAR thought differently, and although Watford pressed for an equaliser with Arrizabalaga saving from Foster's header in injury time, Chelsea fans were able serenade "Super Frankie Lampard" once again on the road.

United States GP: Valtteri Bottas on pole position

M

ercedes' Valtteri Bottas took pole position for the United States Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton only fifth as he stands poised to seal the title.

Bottas headed Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Hamilton in a very closely contested session.

Bottas was 0.012secs ahead of Vettel as 0.108secs covered the top four.

Bottas ends a run of six consecutive pole positions

by Ferrari stretching back to the Belgian GP in August.

The end of qualifying was an anti-climax as only Verstappen of the top five was able to improve the lap time set on their first runs and Hamilton even aborted his lap.

And it was an unusual turnaround for Hamilton,

Vettel 'congratulates' Bottas

who had beaten Bottas in the first two sessions.

It was Bottas' fifth pole of the season, while Hamilton has only four.

But it adds little jeopardy to the climax of the championship, however, as Hamilton will surely become a six-time champion as long as he finishes the race.

Bottas' only hope of extending the battle to the next race in Brazil is if he wins the race, but even in that scenario Hamilton needs only to finish eighth to tie up the championship.

Hamilton, who was 0.292secs slower than Bottas, said he only had himself to blame for what he described as "probably the worst qualifying I've had for a long time".

"The car was great," he said. "I just wasn't on form and I just couldn't pull the laps together. It was me. I

will continue to work at it and I hope tomorrow I can do a better job."

Hamilton said he was not thinking about the prospect of winning the championship.

"I am trying to figure out what went wrong and how I can get myself to the front," he said. "It is going to be a tough challenge trying to get past two Ferraris and a Red Bull and Valtteri."

Mercedes finally back on top Mercedes have not had a pole position since the German Grand Prix back in July, but they have looked more competitive over a single lap for the entire weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.

Hamilton would have been expected to be the man to lead their charge against Ferrari, but it was Bottas who came up trumps when

it mattered and Hamilton who underperformed.

Leclerc's preparations for qualifying were hampered by an engine breakdown on his final lap in final practice that led to him missing the entire session and forced Ferrari to change his engine, fitting an older specification of power-unit.

In the circumstances, he did well to qualify just 0.096secs behind team-mate Vettel.

Verstappen was the only driver in the top five who managed to improve on his final lap but he missed out on pole by just 0.067secs.

Inevitably, there will be chatter about the circumstances for Ferrari's first qualifying defeat for so long.

The Italian cars have dominated F1 over a single lap for two months, their pace founded on their prodigious straight-line speed, and a car upgrade at the Singapore Grand Prix that gave them more downforce.

But on Saturday morning governing body the FIA issued a technical ruling underlining that it would be considered illegal for any team to tamper with the operation of the meter restricting fuel flow. This came as a response to an inquiry from Red Bull, in the context of Ferrari's advantage, into certain potential methods of increasing the fuel flow.

Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff said: "Certainly the three teams were much

closer together in terms of straight-line performance here in the US but I wouldn't sat this is down to any specific event, it's just a fact we have won our first pole position since Hockenheim and we were really in the mix."

Behind the top six,

McLaren's Carlos Sainz excelled in setting seventh fastest time as best of the rest, 0.328secs quicker than team-mate Lando Norris in eight, with Renault's Daniel Ricciardo and Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly completing the top 10.

Levante recover to beat Barcelona

L

Lionel Messi has scored six goals in his last five games in all competitions

a Liga leaders Barcelona conceded three goals in seven second-half minutes as Levante came from behind to defeat Ernesto Valverde's champions.

Lionel Messi had put the visitors ahead with a 38th-minute penalty following Jorge Miramon's foul on Nelson Semedo.

Jose Campana levelled for Levante after 60 minutes, before Borja Mayoral completed the turnaround two minutes later and Nemanja Radoja added a

third.

The video assistant referee then denied Messi as his side failed to respond.

The Argentine appeared to have scored an excellent solo goal after a determined run, but Antoine Griezmann had strayed offside in the build-up.

Defeat for Barcelona, their third in 11 league games this season, means Real Madrid could claim top spot in La Liga when they host Real Betis later (20:00 GMT).

20

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Anisa Mohammed's last-ball strike gives West Indies women one-run win et was part of West Indies' wobble - they went from 51 for no loss to 77 for 3 - but Taylor and the return-

i n g Chedean Nation put on a 78-run stand to take their side close to 200.

W

ith India women needing nine off the last over with two wickets in hand, West Indies women offspinner Anisa Mohammed plucked both wickets, including one off the last ball, to give the home side a one-run win in the series opener in North Sound. During her fifth five-wicket haul in ODI cricket, Mohammed

a positive start with Priya Punia and Rodrigues putting on 78 for the opening stand. By the 40th over, they were well-placed at 170 for 2, but Puniya's dismissal for 75 off 107 balls triggered a terminal slide.

India lost their last eight wickets for 54 runs and were edged out.

Punia's second fifty in only her fourth ODI, however, might come as a pleasant headache for India w o m en because

Anisa Mohammed

also passed 150 wickets to put West Indies women 1-0 up in dra-

matic fashion.

Stafanie

Taylor was also central to the victory, following up her 94 off 91 balls with the wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shikha Pandey to finish with figures of 2 for 30 in her ten overs. Taylor was motoring towards her sixth ODI ton, but Harmanpreet Kaur's blinding one-handed catch at the

edge of the boundary denied her the milestone.

Taylor and opener Natasha McLean provided the platform for West Indies' innings by making half-centuries. While McLean (51 off 82 balls) was more sedate, Taylor struck eight fours and two sixes and scored at a strike rate of 103.29. McLean's wick-

Although the lower order couldn't quite land the big blows, they passed that mark comfortably enough. Seamer Pandey and offspinner Deepti Sharma picked up two wickets each for India women.

In their chase, India had

Smriti Mandhana, the side's first-choice opener and vice-captain, is set to join the squad in the Caribbean ahead of the second match on November 3.

(Cricinfo)

Historic LeBron battle 'crazy Bailey back in training stuff' for Doncic for Bayer Leverkusen

L

uka Doncic described the opportunity to do battle with LeBron James as "crazy stuff", although his Dallas Mavericks were beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in an overtime NBA thriller.

A gripping encounter went to the additional period after James assisted Danny Green's buzzer-beating three-pointer to complete a 10-point comeback from the Lakers, who eventually prevailed 119-110.

But much of the focus was on basketball's reigning king and potential heir on an historic night.

Doncic and James became the first opponents in NBA history to manage tri-

ple-doubles of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in the same game, also becoming the youngest and oldest players respectively to achieve this feat.

Dallas star Doncic (31 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists) revelled in the opportunity to take on an alltime great in this manner.

"That was just some crazy stuff for me," he said.

"I've been following him. He was my idol from the beginning. I can play against him and play a game like that."

James (39 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists) was full of praise for his opponent, although he insisted he did not look at the game as an individual tussle.

"I don't really get into the one-on-one battle," he said. "Obviously he's a great young talent. I love his game, his ability to not only create shots for himself.

"But you guys know I love the fact that he can get great looks for his teammates. That's what I thrive on, that's what I've always believed in, and he just plays the game the right way."

Doncic responded: "The words that he said after the game were something that were very special for me.

"They [the Lakers] are a championship team. We had a chance to win. We did some great things out there and we should be proud of ourselves." (Sportsmax)

J

amaica international Leon Bailey has begun light training after recovering from his latest injury setback.

The 22-year-old Bundesliga talent has endured a stop-start kind of season after first suffering a hamstring injury towards the end of last term. The winger recently sat out of action for a full month after sustaining an injury during the team’s Champion’s League tie away

Leon Bailey

to Lokomotiv Moscow.

The player’s return to the pitch was, however, short-lived as he suffered a setback while preparing to return the team for its encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt. While the player has recovered from the latest hamstring injury, however, it is unlikely that he will feature against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

In addition to Bailey the club has also seen injuries

affect Daley Sinkgraven, Lars Bender, Wendell and Charles Aranguiz. The coach, however, would not recover the roles if any the players will play in the weekend’s fixture.

"Daley Sinkgraven and Lars Bender won't play.

Wendell, Charles Aranguiz and Leon Bailey all trained with us yesterday, but very lightly. That’s all I can say about it at the moment," Bayer Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz Bosz said.

sunday, november 3, 2019

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE Left Hand Drive Toyota Corolla $380,000 neg. 680-3863 3 Caterpillar (326 D2L) Excavators for Sale, 2 Hyundai (300LC-95) Escalators for Sale. Escalator hours: 4,000 – 6,000 Hours. Price from: $18m - $22m (negotiable). Contact: 691-0131. Address: Opposite Massy Stores in Providence.

For sale as is, 2006 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, $1.2M call 651-9620.

LAND FOR SALE TRANSPORTED HOUSELOTS SARAH JOANNA EAST BANK DEMERARA # 673-9231 / 216-4063/ 685-5476 2 Acres for Housing. Vreed-en– Hoop, W.C.D. 621-6918, 697-7731

property for sale Property for Sale by Owner. Price is negotiable. Address: 179 Albert Street between Regent and Charlotte. Contact info: 695-7223/ 643-5989.

For Sale: 1 Greenheart Wooden Building Only. $230,000 price negotiable. Call: 501-3706/ 652-7454 Lot 90x90 excellent location at EBD, convenience, security and plenty privacy 12.5M. Has 2 family older house. WhatsApp 592-601-3232

spirituality & ASTROLOGY Are you having trouble with Health, Money/Love Life and Domestic Problems. Removal of Obstacles of any kind. Then I can help. Call / WhatsApp : 671-8919.

TO LET FOR RENT BY OWNER. 8000 sq ft of warehouse/office space on the BV (Beterverwagting) Public Rd, East Coast Demerara.

Multiple air-conditioned offices. USD $4500 NEGOTIABLE. Call or Whatsapp 592-610-6580 To Rent: 1 Fully Furnished 2 Bedroom Apartment (Mosquito Screen, Wifi, Hot and Cold Shower, Security Camera , A.C). 154 Regent Oronoque St. G/Town.Call: 5013706/ 652-7454

VACANCIES Handyman to assist with yard work, etc. $3,000 per day - 680-3863 Pump Attendant - 680-3863 Store Helper - 624-0033 • Lorry Driver/Salesman, • Van Driver/ Salesman. *Must have sound secondary education *Ages between 25-40 years. Call: 617-1809 Female live in Domestic wanted to work in Trinidad.Must be single between the ages of 25-38.Meals and Accommodation is provided.

WhatsApp or call for more info.tel:1 868 386 5302,1 868 386 4621.

1 Live in Maid. Preferably Cuban or Venezuelan National. Salary: $80,000 Tel.: 639-2037 Vacancy exists for one (1) Sales Supervisor. Must have experience in managing Sales personnel, implementing Sales strategies and delegating tasks and duties. Send C.Vs / applications to email: innovationsamericamng@gmail.com Vacancy exists for Salesman/ Saleswomen to work at Innovations America. Experience in Sales (Plumbing, Electrical and Hardware) is a necessity. Send application/C.Vs to email: innovationsamericamng@ gmail.com

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

guyanatimesgy.com

21

Fourth EBFA/Ralph Green U-11 League

MVP Hendricks leads Vurlon Mills Academy to title over Riddim Squad

T

he Fourth Edition of the Annual East Bank Football Association (EBFA) / Ralph Green sponsored Under-11 League came to an exciting climax yesterday afternoon at the GFF National Training Centre when Vurlon Mills Academy stormed to the championship trophy ahead of Riddim Squad.

One of the three teams invited who are not members of the EBFA, Mills Academy boys stormed back from being a goal down to wrest the title 2-1. The third-place match saw immediate past champs, Timehri Panthers, defeating Kuru-Kururu Warriors 3-1.

Scoring for the Panthers were Estaban Medina in the 3rd minute, Shaquan Kaleb in the 14th, and Jadan Tasher, their most consistent scorer, sealing the deal with the third in the 15th minute -- his sixth of the tournament.

Warriors got their consolation goal off the boot of Levi Madison in the 20th minute.

The final turned out to be an exciting match-up as predicted, with both teams being evenly matched. However, a few errors

by Riddim Squad allowed Millis Academy to drive home their advantage and eventually lift the championship trophy.

Riddim Squad’s leading player and Captain, Jaheam Lewis, who took away the plaques for being the Most Disciplined and Most Promising Player, handed his side the lead with a well-placed cross which he tapped in at the last post in the 5th minute of play.

The Mocha-based side was looking good, and matched the Academy boys up until the 14th minute, when Mills Academy was awarded a free kick just outside the box after a hand ball. Riddim Squad failed to set up a wall, and this excited the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Malcolm Hendricks, who blasted the ball into the back of the nets, with goalkeeper Joseph Magaram and two defenders left awe-struck, as did their teammates and fans.

On the other hand, the powerfully struck goal resulted in Hendricks’ teammates and supporters -- which included many parents, including fathers -- erupting in joy as the game was now leveled at 1-1.

On the resumption, the game ebbed and flowed at both ends, with sponsor Ralph Green and GFF Executive Member Dion Inniss enjoying proceedings. As the minutes ticked away and seemingly headed towards extra time, it was Hendricks whose presence in the box delivered the knockout punch and winning goal.

He was positioned at the last post at the right time to punch in a well directed pass in the 28th minute to seal the match and ink their names on the championship trophy, which was presented to the team by sponsor Ralph Green.

Innis and Green, in brief remarks before the presentation, complimented the association for the sterling work it has been doing to promote youth football. Inniss predicted

that in a few years’ time, many of the players on show in the tournament would go on to represent Guyana, once they remain focused and disciplined.

He also complimented the EBFA for inviting teams from outside the association, and commended the many parents who took the time to be at the matches on a weekly basis. Green committed to his investment on youth development, and also thanked the parents for coming out and show vital support to their kids consistently.

Ending as the tournament’s leading goal scorer with a total of seven (7) goals was Diamond United’s Rick Ramatar. His tally included a helmet-trick.

Copping the Best Coach plaque was Vurlon Mills, while

Vurlon Mills Academy Captain Christian Enderson receives the Fourth EBFA Ralph Green U-11 League Champions’ Trophy from Ralph Green

the Team Sportsmanship Award went to Riddim Squad.

Vurlon Mills Academy’s Shakel Marshall was named the

Best Goal-keeper. He received a plaque and pair of goalkeeping gloves, compliments of National Goalkeeper Coach Ian DeViera.

Riddim Squad’s goalie

Joseph Magaram also received a pair of goalkeeping gloves, compliments of GFF Executive Committee Member Dion Inniss.

1st annual A Ally and Sons Memorial cycling 50-miler…

New faces aiming to dominate W

ith top local cyclists Jamual John, Curtis Dey, Paul De Nobrega, Christopher Griffith and Michael Anthony engaged in Cuba, some ‘new faces’ will be aiming to dominate today’s inaugural staging of the Ahmad Ally and Sons Memorial 50Mile Cycle Race.

This event, which has Berbicians in feverish expectation, pedals off from the New Amsterdam premises of the A. Ally and Sons super store at Main and New Streets at 11:00h, and proceeds to the Nand Persaud Rice Complex at #36 Village Corentyne, before returning to the point of origin

for what many anticipate to be an unforgettable finish.

This race is organised for the Ally family by the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC). Coordinator of this event, Randolph Roberts of the Flying Ace Cycle Club, told this publication that all is set for today’s event.

Lucrative prizes are on offer for the first ten finishers and the first five novice riders. Eight sprint prizes are also up for the taking, and it is anticipated that cyclists countrywide would be engaged in furious flight for the top spot.

The A. Ally and Sons super store was one of the leading sponsors of cycle racing in New

Amsterdam a few years ago, before taking a hiatus from the sport. Company CEO Fizal Ally will be on hand to send the riders on their way; and, along with family and staff, will be on hand for the presentation of prizes.

Top-notch rider Briton John is not in the national team in Cuba. He is anticipated to be having his ‘eye on the prize’ in this event.

Flying Ace’s very own Balram Narine will also be aiming to finish the race in first position, while Andre ‘Padlock’ Green and Andre Hicks would likewise be vying for the top spot.

Briton John would ‘have designs’ on this race (Brandon Corlette photo)

Female 17 T20 Franchise…

Lower Corentyne, Georgetown to contest final T

he third and final preliminary round in the GCB Franchise Female 17 and Under T/20 League was contested on Saturday, November 2, and witnessed Lower Corentyne and Georgetown emerging on top of the points table. As a result, they will compete in the final on Monday 4th November 2019.

At the Young Warriors Ground inBerbice, Georgetown beat Upper Corentyne by 93 runs.

Upper Corentyne’s Shenzia Luke hit 15 to the top score for her side, before MVP Naomi Barkoye grabbed 2-4 to help her side win after they batted first and posted 129-1. Barkoye was also the star of the day as she earlier slammed 58 not out for Georgetown, before taking two wickets.

Lower Corentyne win by 109 runs against East Bank Juliana Grimmond leaped to 42 in her innings, drawing support from, not out batter, Ashley Ramnauth (32), Shania Simon (18) before falling to Aaliyah Hutchinson with 2-24 to

see lower Corentyne surge to 125-3 in the allotted 20 overs.

In reply, East Bank collapsed at 16, all out, off the bowling of Jamie Campbell whose 5 wickets from 6 runs saw her winning her second player of the Match for the tournament thus far.

wickets each from Shemika Edwards, Sarah Amin and Tilleya Madramotoo which helped keep their opponents at bay. In reply, the home team cruised to 59- 4 and were gifted with 21 extras as opener Vinita Ballkishun topscored with 15.

East Coast vs Essequibo at Lusignan Ground, East Coast beat Essequibo by 6 wickets Batting first, Lisa Charles contributed 21 to see Essequibo score a total of 58 all out after East Coast were led by two

West Demerara capture the win by 6 wickets West Berbice batted first and posting 74-6 in their allotted overs. Alicia Fordyce and Renessa Ryass both made 10, while Shamain Henry took 3-13

and Arianna Bukan took 2-14.

In reply, West Demerara raced to 75-4 in 16.2 overs, with Vapine Pitamber top scoring with 33, Bukan pitching in with 12, and Keshna Boondanlall making 10. Mairam Telford took 2-14.

Both of the teams heading into the finals have acquired a total of 12 points. Georgetown, placed in Group ‘A’, will battle against Lower Corentyne from Group ‘B’ in hope of capturing the GCB Franchise Female 17 & Under T/20 League title.

22

guyanatimesgy.comom

SUnDAY, november 3, 2019

2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50…

Johnson’s Jaguars looking to go all the way in Super50

By Brandon Corlette

taken Jaguars into the final against the Combined Campus & Colleges (CCC) Marooners, a match which the Jaguars lost by six wickets.

Reflecting on that final, the stylish, lefthanded Johnson had this to say: “In limited-overs cricket, on that day you have to play well. I think we were highly favoured to beat CCC, but they were better on the day”.

G

uyana Jaguars finished the 2018 Regional Super50 tournament as runner-up team, but had a wealth of positives to take away from the tournament.

The Jaguars lost only two of the 10 matches they played in 2018 (including the final), but won six out of those ten. One match was a no result, and the other was Composition of Jaguars squad, abandoned. and preparation process Speaking to Guyana Times Sport, In giving an insight into the Jaguars Captain Leon Johnson disclosed Jaguars’ preparation for the 2019 that the Jaguars would be aiming to edition of this tournament, Johnson take the positives and use them to said the team has prepared nicely. cross the final hurdle.

“We have been doing work before “There were a lot of positives the actual Franchise League had in that tournament. We started. The guys have performed spoke about that during well in the league, and we had a few the meeting. We are trying practice matches, where we won to replicate this and get to one and lost one. the knockout stages, and “The match which we lost was go all the way this year”, an eye-opener, especially for the Johnson explained. bowlers, but everything has gone In the 2018 semis, well,” Johnson disclosed. skipper Johnson had led the Commenting on the team into the final against composition of the Jamaica Scorpions by scoring squad, Johnson said a high-class 101 in a highthe team features a Raymon Reifer pressure match wherein they mixture of youth and was consistent for chased 273. experience, with a lot of Jaguars in 2018 That performance had

guys returning from last season.

“We have the experienced senior players and some guys that went to the final.

These senior guys will lead by example, and bring the young ones along. It is a good opportunity for the players that came in to make their mark. A lot of guys have come into the Jaguars squad and gone on to represent West Indies”, Johnson declared.

He added that players are aware of opportunities they get for higher representation.

and skipper Johnson, who chalked up that memorable century, finished the 2018 season with 222 runs.

Chandrapaul Hemraj also had recorded a brilliant 103* which was a career defining knock for him in the 2018 season.

Clinton Pestano was the leading bowler for the Jaguars, with 15 wickets, including a hat-trick.

Ramaal Lewis had 13 wickets, while Romario Shepherd and Veerasammy Permaul each had 10 wickets.

After game one in 2018, which Jaguars lost to Trinidad and Tobago, they had bounced back with five consecutive wins in the Group stage. Jaguars will Jaguars consistent run in 2018 be aiming to clinch their first It took some top performances Super50 title since 2005 when they from the Jaguars players to reach the leave Guyanese shores tomorrow, final in the 2018 Regional Super50.

Monday November 4, and play their Barbadian Raymon Reifer had a fruitful first match on November 7 at the season with the bat, scoring 323 runs Brian Lara Cricket Academy against in seven innings. He recorded four West Indies Emerging Players team. half-centuries at an average of 64.60.

Guyana Jaguars squad reads: Currently enjoying some form, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Christopher Barnwell had a good Hemraj, Leon Johnson (Captain), Christopher season, with 282 runs, averaging Barnwell, Raymon Reifer, Anthony 47 in eight innings he batted. The Hat trick star: Bramble, Gudakesh Motie, seasoned campaigner had a highClinton Pestano Veerasammy Permaul, Clinton score of 99* in his 2018 season. was the leading Pestano, Ronsford Beaton, Nial The axed Trevon Griffith had Jaguars bowler Smith, Jonathan Foo, Kemol scored 235 runs in that 2018 season, in 2018 Savory and Ramaal Lewis.

Sky Plus-Nand Persaud Group of St Agnes are Champs! Companies horse race set for today Pee Wee Football

A glimpse of the third place playoff

S

t Agnes Primary copped their first ever Courts and Banks DIH sponsored Pee Wee 11 and under Championship on Saturday evening after a riveting final.

Following North Georgetown primary’s disqualification owing to overaged players, Genesis Primary were moved up to the final encounter against St. Agnes, whilst Soesdyke Primary were given a chance to contest the third place playoff.

St. Agnes Primary had been a staple in the Pee Wee competition for the entirety of its existence but the title has always eluded the Georgetown school.

However, the tables were turned on Saturday evening as they held off their opponents from West Demerara, Genesis Primary for the en-

A St Agnes’ Darius Chester led his team to their first Pee Wee victory

tirety of regulation time.

Both sides displayed excellent skill but it all went up in smoke in the first half of extra time as eventual MVP Darius Chester found the back of the net for the first and only goal of the final.

In the third place playoff, Soesdyke primary outplayed Tucville Primary 2-1 to take

the 3rd position.

In the individual awards, St. Agnes’ Darius Chester was adjudged the most valuable player while their coach Troy Wright was seen as the best coach. St. Pius’ Jamal Fraser received the highest goal scorer award for his 18 goals while Genesis’ Sundya Grandison was given the best goalkeeper accolade.

n exciting one-day, seven events’ programme of horse racing will grace the ancient county today at the Nand Persaud racing facility at Macedonia Estate, Number 36 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

A programme titled “All Races Are Classic” is being presented by Sky Plus Inc in association with the Nand Persaud Group of Companies, and this is the ninth horse racing event to be held at that company’s racing facility.

Guyana’s top horses will battle for supremacy over 880 and 660 yards respectively, with more than $1 million in cash, trophies, and other incentives up for grabs. The feature event will be for horses classified G3

and Lower, and will be run over 880 yards, or four furlongs, for a winning purse of $225,000 and a trophy.

There is an event for the H3 Maiden & GuyanaBred Open, which will race over 660 yards, or three furlongs, for a winning take of $200,000 and a trophy.

The event for Guyanabred, 2- year-old maiden horses will be run over three furlongs for a take-home prize of $150,000 and a trophy.

There is an event for animals classified J and Lower which will be run over four furlongs for a winning take of $150,000 and a trophy.

Two ‘L Class’ races will be run over three furlongs.

One is strictly for stallions and the other is strictly for mares, and they each carry

a winning prize of $100,000 and a trophy.

The other event, labelled as the ‘4th & Below’ from races 5 and 6, will see those animals competing over three furlongs for a winner’s prize of $100,000 and a trophy.

The champion jockey, trainer and stable will all be rewarded with trophies and other incentives, compliments of Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall.

Boasting the only horseracing facility where the horses run in a straight line from start to finish, the Nand Persaud Group of Companies has the complete package: racing track, promotional group, race horses, and stables. The company also imports, produces, and sells feed.

guyanatimesgy.com

sunDAY, november 3, 2019

23

Kishore, Prashad, Tewari shine in 14th MACORP tournament I

t was a splendid day on the greens at the Lusignan Gold Course, as Mahin Tewari, Lloyd Fung-A-Fat, Shonnella London Patrick Prashad and Avinda Kishore took home top honours in three flights and special awards.

With the tee-off at 12.30pm, some 58 golfers turned out to the Lusignan Course to compete for trophies, bragging rights and other prizes. The sizeable crowd was increased by spectators and enthusiasts for the sport. While many of the more seasoned players were up in the age bracket, the youngest golfer on Saturday was Jonathan Mentore, who is just 11 years old.

The golfers made their way back in at sunset and when the cards were finally completed and scrutinized some long- time players finally made the podium positions, while those who have been steadily improving saw the fruits of their labour.

Avinda Kishore walked away with the “best gross” and “longest drive” awards

Johnathon Mentore was the youngest golfer on the greens

Videsh Persaud took away the ‘Nearest to the pin’ special award for his shot, which ended up 3 feet from the pin. On the other hand, Avinda Kishore had the longest drive of the day.

In the 20-36 flight, Lloyd Fung-A-Fat was the man to beat with a net of 94 and gross 66. Second place was MACORP’s Jordi Pinal with a net of 96 and gross 68, while longstanding player Peyton George took third with a net of 96 and gross 68.

In the 10-19 flight Mahin Tewari remained consistent with another win. He had a net of 79 and gross 65. Following him were Deoram Didanauth with a net 84 and gross 68, and completing the podium was Ian Gouveia with a net 84 and gross 68.

In the women’s division, Shaunell London outplayed the small pool of female competitors; striking a net 87 and gross 72 for a win. Second place went to Joann Deo who had a net 92 and gross 77.

The championship flight, 0-9, is where the experienced and dominant butted heads. At the end of the day, Patrick Prashad emerged as the best of the group with a net 76 and gross 67 for the win.

Kassim Khan made second with a net 75 and gross 67 while Mike Mangal finished third with a net 76 and gross 67.

The best gross was also copped by Avinda Kishore, while the best net was won by Mahin Tewari.

Speaking after the presentation ceremony was MACORP CEO Guillermo Escarraga who was quite elated with the way the tournament unfolded on Saturday. While thanking those who turned out to the course and those who support MACORP’s everyday business, Escarraga also affirmed that the company’s relationship with the sport will go on for years to come.

“We had a really large crowd and it was a challenge but in the end it was a really successful tournament and we look

MACORP CEO Guillermo Escarraga got in on the action although he was not competing

forward to many more years in this relationship with the Lusignan Golf Club,” Escarraga stated.

This tournament was the second on hosted in 2019 by MACORP and their 14th collaboration with the Lusignan Gold Club (LGC). (Jemima Holmes)

James elected GFA President O

tis James was this morning elected as the new President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) through a unanimous decision. With association football being at a standstill in the city for years, James has a few plans to reignite the flames.

The Georgetown Football Association’s extraordinary general meeting was hosted on Saturday morning at the Pegasus Hotel, where the executive body election was on the agenda.

The Extraordinary meeting was organized by the Guyana Football Federation whose intention it was to return the GFA ti a state of ‘normalcy’ after the association went dormant for years, stifling club football in the city.

Prior to the election a slate body was drafted and that group of persons were this morning unanimously elected as the new GFA executive with 9 votes out of 9 clubs, who were eligible to vote.

The new executive committee comprises President Otis James, Vice Presidents Dirk Exeter, Clifton Adams, Secretary Fizal Khan,

Secretary/ Treasurer Penny John and Treasurer Lomel Johnson.

Speaking with this newscast, new President Otis James noted this this is a turning in the tides for the GFA. Well, this executive of the GFA we call it the new GFA. We intend to turn all the tables around so not just football plays but Georgetown returns back to its glory.

This new dawn of the GF, this new executive is willing to make the best use of their two years to change all the dynamics of Georgetown football. Our plans for the GFA is remarkable,” James stated.

When probed about the new body’s plan for football in Georgetown, James explained that the association intends to get going as soon as possible.

“We’re planning on opening the season very soon. I think we’ll try to get the youth tournaments up, we have the U17 overdue to launch very soon. We’ll start the U17, followed by the U15 and Seniors and

The fresh GFA Executive

during school closing time we’ll see if we can get some football in. but within two to three months or maybe in the new year we’ll see a whole lot going on with the GFA,” the

new GFA boss explained.

Meanwhile, newly elected general secretary Fizal Khan disclosed that he was pleased with the noncontroversial manner in which the election was conducted.

“I was very impressed and it was great to see a unanimous decision. We got

all nine votes obviously because we were the only slate but there was nobody sitting on the side and saying no, or any controversy which at times can be synonymous with football,” Khan explained.

Owing to the lack of football in the city the GFF was

forced to intervene, to ensure that the administrative arm of the game became functional once again. This resulted in the GFF appointing an IMC for the GFA in July of 2018 in accordance with the guidelines and provisions of the GFF constitution. (Jemima Holmes)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Kishore, Prashad, Tewari shine in 14th MACORP tournament

Page 23

The winner’s row on Saturday evening

2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Regional Super50…

Page 23

Johnson’s Jaguars looking to go all the way in James elected Super50 Page 22

GFA President

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.

November 03, 2019

TIMES BOLLYWOOD:

Page 14

Nawazuddin Siddiqui receives the Golden Dragon Award at Cardiff International Film Festival

FREE DISTRIBUTION

The Seven Ponds Monument (Photo by Deopaul Somwaru)

2 Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

By Safraz Hamid

A

s I drove down G u y a n a ’ s Corentyne Public Road towards the capital city of Georgetown, I could not help but admire the beauty of the small South American country that I was visiting. The tall coconut palm trees lining the side of the road and the occasional meandering lake off in the distance reminded me of why I always felt at peace in Guyana.

Yet, I was aware that behind this picturesque tropical landscape lied an unsettling reality. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in the past decade Guyana has consistently ranked as a nation with one of the highest rates of suicide.1 In 2015, it was estimated that 30.6 suicides were committed per 100,000 people, a suicide rate second only to that of Sri Lanka.1 Why is suicide such a common phenomenon in a small country where most of its inhabitants live seemingly easygoing lifestyles? Here, I explore some of the social, cultural, and historical forces underlying Guyana’s high suicide rate. I then discuss what needs to be done for Guyana to shed its designation as the “suicide capital of the world.”

Roughly speaking, there are two primary ethnic populations in Guyana, those of East Indian origin, referred to as Indo-Guyanese, and those of African origin, referred to as Afro-Guyanese. Though Indo-Guyanese comprise about 39.5 per cent of the country population, they account for threequarters of the documented suicides in Guyana. A study by the Mibicuri Community Developers (MCD), a local NGO, found that in East Berbice, 81 per cent of suicides are committed by Indo-Guyanese even though the ethnic group makes up only 44 per cent of the East Berbice population.

This disparity begs the question: why the Indo-Guyanese?

What is different about the East Indian population that predisposes it to disproportionately commit suicide in Guyana?

Answering this question requires exploring the history of slavery in Guyana.

Beginning in the late 18th century, the land that is now present-day Guyana was colonized by the British Empire.

Up until 1834, the British relied on slaves from Africa to work the many fields and plantations throughout Guyana.

In 1834, following the United Kingdom’s Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, the British ceased importing African slaves and, instead, adopted a system of indentured servitude.

As part of this system, the British Empire contracted people from India to work in Guyana for a period of 7-10 years as indentured servants. After completing their required years of work, the Indian servants were given the choice of returning to India or accepting land in Guyana and making the country their new homeland. It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of the indentured servants chose to remain in Guyana and continued working on fields in the rural parts of the country. Meanwhile, the African population, which had not been given land by the British, moved into the urban centers of the country.

This spatial ethnic divide—Indians in rural regions and Africans in urban centers—persists today. The IndoGuyanese population works mostly agricultural jobs in rural areas while the Afro-Guyanese mainly have public sector jobs in the cities.

Guyanese sociologist Paulette Andrea Henry suggests that there is a link between the agricultural lifestyle of Indians and the high rate of suicide documented among the Indian population. She hypothesizes that the rural locality of the Indo-Guyanese and their tendency to work in the agricultural sector increases their exposure to pesticides and other toxic agrochemicals that can be ingested to commit suicide.

Her claim is supported by data from the Ministry of Public Health that indicates that the regions of Guyana that purchase the largest amounts of agrochemicals are the same regions that report the greatest number of suicides.

Furthermore, her hypothesis is consistent with the fact that the majority of suicides in Guyana occur via ingestion of poisonous chemicals.

Poisonous agents account for approximately 65 per cent of all suicides in Guyana compared to only 17 per cent and 25 per cent in the United States and Canada, respectively.

According to Henry, because Afro-Guyanese do not generally work in the agricultural sector, they are not overexposed to these poisonous chemicals and are thus not at high risk for attempting suicide.

While scholars like Henry have pointed to an unsettling phenomenon permeating the predominately rural Indian population in Guyana, what is puzzling is that in countries with larger agricultural sectors than Guyana, like China, Indonesia, and Brazil, the suicide rates are not alarmingly

high. The farmers in these countries are also overexposed to toxic agrochemicals, but they are not committing suicide at the same rate as the Indian farmers in Guyana. Why? Why are the Indo-Guyanese reaching for and ingesting agrochemicals?

One possible explanation is that a “suicide contagion” has overtaken Guyana.

“Suicide contagion” is a term that describes the process by which exposure to the suicide of one or more persons influences others to commit suicide. It is characterized by a spatiotemporal clustering of suicides, similar to what was observed after the death of Marilyn Monroe.

Susan Scotti, a journalist for the Medical Daily, believes that this phenomenon can partly account for the clustering of suicides among the Indo-Guyanese population. For spatial clustering of suicides, she points to evidence for a “suicide belt” in East Berbice, a farmland area along the Corentyne River. This area includes the region where the 2015 MCD study found that 81 per cent of suicides were committed by Indo-Guyanese. As for temporal clustering, most scholars point to the infamous 1978 Jonestown massacre as a possible trigger for suicides in Guyana.

Since the event, the suicide rate in Guyana has steadily increased from 1.4 suicides per 100,000 people in 1984 to its current rate of 30.6. Clearly, the “suicide contagion” hypothesis is an interesting one that warrants robust investigation. Perhaps researchers in Guyana can replicate the landmark study by epidemiologists Sonja Swanson and Ian Coleman (2013) who showed that the suicide of a schoolmate increased the risk of suicidal behavior in Canadian youth.

This would provide better insight into the cognitive and psychological processes that cultivate suicide contagions not only among the Indo-Guyanese but also among other global populations at high risk for suicide.

Perhaps we do not have to settle for a speculative hypothesis like the “suicide contagion” to answer why Indo-Guyanese farmers are committing suicide at alarming rates. For years now, public health scholars have documented the stigma of mental illness that is prevalent throughout Guyana. Savitri Persaud, a mental health expert in Georgetown, worries deeply that “mental illness is misunderstood” in many rural parts of Guyana.

Symptoms of mental illness, Persaud explains, are often attributed to witchcraft or to the “evil eye” of ill-wishers in the community. With very few psychiatrists employed in the en-

tire country, these misunderstandings get reinforced by untrained religious leaders who are both highly respected and trusted by community members. Moreover, because it is believed that one can “catch” mental health illness from someone, the same way one “catches a cold,” those who have symptoms of mental illness are often ostracized and isolated from the community.

Such misunderstandings about mental health become particularly alarming when we consider that depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and other mental diseases are prevalent among populations in Guyana.

A recent study revealed that mental illness affects nearly 1 in 4 people with only 10 per cent of patients being treated for their condition. So while it may be that access to poisonous chemicals represents a convenient means to commit suicide, Guyana’s poor mental health awareness is likely the underlying problem that is causing many to end their lives.

The problem is clear. Guyanese, particularly those of Indian descent, are committing suicide at disproportionate rates. What now? What should be done to stop this?

The regional governments have distributed storage cabinets with locks to farmers to limit their accessibility to toxic agrochemicals and to encourage safer handling of pesticides. Though there are currently no reports about changes in suicides rates in regions where this intervention has been implemented, it should be clear from my discussions above that this would not be an effective manner of solving the problem. Tackling the issue of suicide requires addressing the stigmatization of mental health that is prevalent

throughout Guyana.

At the federal level, this can be done in several ways.

One way is by allocating more funds for treating mental health illnesses. Currently, less than 1 percent of the health budget is set aside to address psychiatric and psychological illnesses. Additionally, the federal government should repeal the law that criminalizes attempted suicide.

Because attempted suicide is rooted in mental health issues, it should be addressed by family members and doctors, not the police or court system.

Even more can be done at the local level. There have been early grassroots efforts by community NGOs to bring awareness to mental health issues. For example, volunteers at The Guyana Foundation have worked to challenge the current misconceptions about mental health by visiting schools to educate children about the symptoms of mental illness, conducting mental health training sessions for religious leaders and social workers, and writing op-eds in local newspapers about the prevalence of mental health illness. This type of outreach by community-level organizations will be critical for overcoming Guyana’s high suicide rate.

I am confident that, one day, the natural beauty of Guyana, which I have come to adore, will no longer be tainted by the grim reality of a society that neglects its mentally ill members and drives them to commit suicide. (The author used a number of local sources in the compilation this article)

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

3

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

I

n January of 1994, then President, the late Cheddi Jagan called a meeting with Yvonne Hinds, the wife of his Prime Minister, where he flouted the idea of her taking over the realms of the Guyana Relief Council (GRC).

That meeting happened on January 10, 1994, and though she felt that it was just a discussion, Hinds would later find out that rather it was already decided that she would be in charge for the affairs of the GRC. On January 17, 1994, Hinds was given her formal mandate as the head of what was then called the Guyana Fire Relief Council or the National Relief Council.

The Council was headed by Mavis Benn who was at the helm from the inception in 1986.

When Hinds took over and the National Relief Council became the GRC they were being housed at an Office on Camp Street in Georgetown.

“When I visited the Office there on Camp Street, there were about 20 staff including a cook. At that time the Relief Council was under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. The office we had to work with had nothing. Very little equipment and then it was the days of typewriters and there no working typewriters. We had to start from scratch so I told Minister Henry Jeffrey that let him take back the staff and I would just keep the most senior person and the cleaner. So we did that and then we started all over,” she remembers.

As the GRC was now transforming itself and getting back on its proverbial feet, tragedy struck. A tenement yard on Hadfield Street was destroyed by fire and over 108 persons were left homeless. With its mandate being the assistance of all in need, the GRC was obligated to provide some form of assistance to those in need.

Strapped for finances and resources, Hinds took it upon herself to put out a call for aid and approached many of her friends for assistance. Then-President Jagan also donated a number of items to assist the victims of the tragedy.

“It had these people that would send stuff for Dr Jagan back then they would send like oil, flour and rice and he told me when they send he will send it over to us so we could help those people. At the time the Relief Council did not have a bank account and we had no money so when people would donate we would take that money and buy things and pack hampers and send it to the people.

We kept a note but we got a bank account until later,” she noted.

The GRC formal bank account came about after they would have held their first fundraising ball, which remains their biggest event on the calendar to this day. The fundraising ball was held at the Pegasus Hotel and raised $1 million which gave the GRC the much-needed footing back then.

However, just as they were finding their balance and establishing themselves as an organization that was ready to provide assistance at any given time, the owners of the office space at Camp Street came back and requested they pack up and move on. This led Hinds and her staff to Lot 228 South Road, Georgetown.

Tragedy came knocking at GRC’s door once again on February 3, 1995, when the South Road location went up in flames. The fire, believed to be of electrical origin, left the GRC homeless and they had to start from scratch all over again.

Dejected but not willing to give up, Hinds moved the operations to the Prime Minister’s official residence and they operated there for over a year.

The GRC has previously found a Cabinet document which revealed that they were given a piece of land in Festival City, North Ruimveldt.

But they did not have the finances to rebuild at the tie after the fire.

So, a GRC member

noticed an unoccupied government building at Lot XX Public Road, Ruimveldt and it was then that Hinds began making representation for the GRC to be given that building. She wrote to the Minister of Communications and Works and was given the go-ahead to occupy the building.

“The Minister told us that they have no money to fix up the place and that we have to fix it up. We agreed and we did the repairs and through donors, we furnished and repaired.”

The following year, in 1996, the GRC became an autonomous nongovernmental agency and Hinds was elected to remain at the helm and to date, she still occupies that spot.

After they became an independent body, the GRC then began its preparations the construction of a Secretariat at its Festival City location. However, due to its mandate and the funds were diverted to all sorts of relief missions.

The GRC then began negotiations with the Government of Guyana through the Works Ministry in collaboration with the Housing Ministry for the plot of land at XX Public Road.

They traded the Festival City plot for their current location.

The Shelter After the acquisition of the plot of land, the GRC then proceeded to make a plan for the construction of a shelter so that they can provide better relief to those in needs. In August of 1999, they approached the Japanese Embassy in Venezuela and discussed their request for funding for the Emergency Shelter.

The discussions lasted over six months and in the end, the Japanese government through its Grass Roots Programme gave the GRC US$60,000 for the shelter. The shelter cost the GRC some $30 million and was completed in March 2002. In addition to the Japanese Government, several other agencies and foreign governments pitched in with aid.

The Shelter provides relief to victims of disasters.

Now the GRC notes that finances are tough. Donations are not coming in as it used to and managing the day to day operations is becoming increasingly difficult.

However, it has been 25 years and according to Hinds they are nowhere near finishing or giving up.

4

Sunday Times Magazine

NOVEMBER 03,2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Feature

‘When you see the light’ – First book

G

B.A.Eddie

uyanese born Beatrice Ann Edmondson who goes by the authors' name B.A.Eddie is about to launch her first book called “When you see the light”.

The book, that was published in August 2015, is the first of many novels that the author has been inspired to write; but however, it is her first publication.

The novel is about domestic violence/spousal abuse and its prevalence around the world even in religious families. It focuses on stories of everyday people in villages like Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara, the capital city and travels all the way to Linden in Region 10. The book carries the message that domestic violence should not be tolerated, and they are solutions.

According to the author, the story was written as fiction and is about awful domestic violence and spousal abuse directed towards women. It speaks to women of today’s society while telling the story of many women in the past with a hint of the life of some of her family

in pieces.

She said that if the names characters, places and incidents in the book resemble locales or persons living or dead; something that was entirely coincidental. Nevertheless, she added that her writings have a religious undertone but not too much to lose the sto-

ryline.

B.A. Eddie explained that she was inspired to write this book after her now-dead sister shared her experience of spousal abuse, after seeing her father abuse her mother as a child and also witnessing many of her family members being brutally and physically abused.

“I know I was very small when all these things happened but the guilt of not speaking hid the memory inside me. How else can a child process something like that? They lock it away until they are older”.

Meanwhile, she said that sometimes “in our lives we find ourselves with certain behaviours and are unable to understand why we act the way we do. Some of us may not even be conscious of our actions since it reflects something that may have occurred way back and now that we are adults we are mirroring those actions.”

Abuse has a domino effect in the sense that it not only affects the person being abused but also those around them. Quite often, the effects of domestic abuse trickle down to the children in the relationship as they witness, firsthand, the actions of the abusers. Those same children would sometimes associate the abuse with the normalcy of a relationship which means the continuation of the vicious cycle.

Therefore, she advises men and women and those in relationships to respect each other.

“Not because it is not physical it is not abuse. It can be psychological, sexual, emotional, or financial”.

She added “…. abusive behaviour involves power control and one should never believe the words ‘baby I would never do it again’. When you see the Light the escalation of the abuse can be clearly seen, the novel makes it clear abuse in any form must not be tolerated and not to save the marriage for the sake of the children”.

B.A. Eddie was born in Georgetown Guyana, South America, and now resides in Brooklyn, New York where she pursued study to become a paralegal. She obtained her elementary and secondary school education in Guyana before migrating to London, England.

She explains that she makes it her duty to reach out to families as well as individuals; to Christians and non- Christians alike, and addresses issues of everyday life. She devotes her time to reading and analyzing mystery and history books. In her opinion, these two categories are closely knitted. In some instances, she wishes the stories to end differently.

When you see the Light is expected to be officially launched with the author’s second publication in Guyana early next year.

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 5

Feature

By Lakhram Bhagirat

K

nowing that you are different from everyone else can be one of the most intimidatingly beautiful things to happen to someone. However, being different can also lead to isolation and feelings of dejection.

So when Chandradatt Jagdeo realised that he was different from most of the males around him, he began a process of self-isolation. He never interacted with anyone beyond what was necessary. He kept himself glued to the television set watching shows about embracing the diversity.

It would be safe to say that at age 8, he had very little idea of how different he was but what he knew was that he was definitely different. Now, ten years later he has realised what his difference was and has now embraced it.

At the age of just 14, Chandradatt took a bold step. It was a step that even grown men today cannot fathom taking. He logged on to Facebook and announced to the world just exactly what him different was. It was a bold step taking into consideration that he had told the world that he is gay.

But for the first time, Chandradatt felt like himself. He felt like the weight of the world had just fallen off his shoulder. Being out to the public meant that Chandradatt can, for the first time, be his authentic self and live his truth.

However, living that truth came with a price that he was not prepared to pay.

Chandradatt comes from a very reserved village in the East BerbiceCorentyne region. So when he publicly announced that he was gay, there were expected and unexpected lash back from the community and those around him.

“Growing up in Adelphi Village was good. I was always a quiet child and kept to myself. When I came out there were people in the village who would tease me.

To this day when I would walk they would call me names like ‘fish’ and the ‘b-word’ but I does just ignore them. But my family is there for me and people who are friends with the family does respect me,” he said.

Going back to his decision to come out of the proverbial closet, Chandradatt remembers the feeling of being dejected. While still in school, he began his first homosexual relationship and being a novice at it meant that he was taken advantage of.

“It was December 8,

2016, when I started to talk to this boy and we would talk every day. I was just in From Three at that time. So we planned to meet up two days before Valentine’s Day and I skipped lessons and went to meet with him. We hung out and so on but on Valentine’s Day he dumped me because I was not good looking enough for him.

“It was my first relationship and I was feeling so heartbroken because I really liked this guy to the point where I was loving him. I came home and I cried and so on. My mother found out and she thought that it was just a phase and never took it seriously but she was angry because the phone bill was like $20, 000,” he remembered.

It was that incident, the first taste of heartbreak, which left the young man searching for some semblance of himself. It led him to social media. Like many millenniums, Chandradatt likes vicariously on social media and he always knew that it would be inevitable to hide his true self.

However, he never thought that revealing his true self would be as a result of being heartbroken. When he came out on Facebook, Chandradatt said he was lost.

“When I was about in Grade 2-3 when I realised that I was gay or different at that time.

Over the years I came to realise that I was also the black sheep when it came to school as well. In class, I would be teased a lot and whenever they had like guys playing cricket I would be drawing and making stuff. I was mostly artistic and from there on I carried the same traits in high school.

“When I came out on social media I felt free. I felt light but I was not ready for what the next day held. Throughout my school life I was bullied but the very next day I was not prepared for. The next day the entire school was in a ruckus and everybody found out and then that same day I was taunted and bullied. I cried in class so much. Some of the teachers there spoke to me and it helped eased the pain but at the same time I had no one I could relate to and there was no one to comfort me. The male students they bullied me. I was punched, I was pushed into the wall, and I was bullied for my money. When I came out it was like I was free but it was like hell in school…,” he remembers.

At that time he was a student at the New Amsterdam Multilateral Schools and the teachers there were supportive but not the same could not have been said for the male students. Moving forward, Chandradatt said that the bullying continued throughout the remaining of his high school years and there were times he felt like giving up.

“There were many days where I felt like giving up and wanted to end it all. But I am a big fan of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and my favourite wrestler is Sasha Banks and she taught me how to fight and never give up. So when I felt like giving up I would come home and cry my eyes out and be reminded of the struggles of the wrestlers I admire and where they are now today.

I would be inspired and I pick myself up and move on.”

Chandradatt is currently at the University of Guyana’s Berbice Campus reading for his Bachelors in Biology before he enters into the field of medicine. He aims to become a doctor and make a difference in the lives of everyone he encounters.

For Chandradatt, the struggle is nowhere near the end. On social media, he is an aggressive advocate for people to be treated equally despite gender identity or sexual orientation.

At the moment, he is focusing on making a difference one person at a time.

6 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

november 03, 2019

Feature

Preserving our literary heritage by Petamber Persaud

B

its of Guyanese literature could easily straddle the category of trick or treat, depending on whether you are the writer or the reader.

How do you handle the eerie sounds in Edgar Mittelholzer’s ‘My Bones and my Flute’. Can you hide from the whispering wind.

As soon as you closed that chapter, you have an encounter of the third kind in Pauline Melville’s ‘The ventriloquist's tale’ and her ‘Shapeshifter’. Run from the jumbie and butt up wid de grave!

Would you take the advice freely issued from ‘A Voice from Cuffy’s Grave’ by Ivan Forrester.

Of course, you’d want to think twice when booking into one of those night shelters on Lombard Street in Michael Jordon’s novel ‘Kamarang’ even if you have a strong bina.

Another Michael, this time Michael Castello in a manuscript ‘Rubberoadsters’, recreates mysteries of Rubber Road in Mabaruma. You can’t imagine how a straight road can be so convoluted and mysterious leading to disappearances and transfigurations. Many of the thirteen tales in this manuscript are spun from ‘real-life incidents’ giving credence to ‘facts are stranger than fiction’.

Moving from Region 1 to Region 6, we find Stephanie Bowry in her series of ‘True True Story’ confessing that her blood curdling and gruesome stories ‘are the experiences of real people in real places’.

Don’t step into the water. You should be duly scared of black water especially after reading Cyril Dabydeen’s ‘Dark Swirl’ and/or Ryhaan Shah’s ‘Weaving Water’.

Now it’s time to get into your costume – it’s folklore time, ah-mean Halloween time.

‘Moongaza’

By Rooplall Monar

Two a’clack ah manin Moonlight shine Daag bark Bow wow wow Fram de ole loco-line Memba…

Neighba Stella picknie Dead blue in she belly Cause she see Moongaza Same night dem fowl cack crow Cook coo roo roo Memba watchman Djoko?

Drop. Stone dead.

E mule tramp e Kick e Mash e Cause e tek shade foh Moongaza

‘ol higue’

By Wordsworth McAndrew Ol' woman wid de wrinkled skin, Leh de ol' higue wuk begin.

Put on you fiery disguise, Ol' woman wid de weary eyes Shed you swizzly skin.

You suck me baby till um dead?

Find de baby, lif de sheet, Mek de puncture wid you teet', Suck de baby dry.

"Ow me God! You bruk me hip!

Done now, nuh? Allyou done!"

Is whuh you sayin' deh, you witch?

Done? Look, allyou beat de bitch.

Whaxen! Whaxen! Whaxen! Plai!

You gwine pay fo' you sins befo' you die.

Lash she all across she head

Whaxen! Whaxen! Pladai! Plai!

Die, you witch you. Die. Whaxen! Whaxen! Plai!

Whaxen! Whaxen! Plai!

You feel de manicole 'cross you hip?

Beat she till blood start to drip.

Stepping Stones Embedded like a rose of gold, Was the content in her heart.

But like rust, leisurely invading the glitters Was her internal conflicts.

A brimming mind of love was raided by hatred The effect of a broken home and neglecting, Infidelity, abuse, agony, the main ingredients of many.

It led to an incumbent, violent, shattered marriage That robbed her of her dignity, pride, and her phantasms of life.

Momentarily.

Left in isolation, self-inflicting mortality were singing accapella in her ear

Me skin raise big!

Ow Moongaza! Moon…Ga…za!

Me picknie! Me picknie!

O Gaad neighba, Lawd!

Moongaza mouth wid blood.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo. com

But resistance hidden within was at war Mentally debating what's left for me and how much?

Struggles became her pious companion in pitch dark That blurred her from the woman she fantasized, A phenomenal one.

But despite the immediate presence of all odds, A new woman simultaneously rose with the sun, Beaming, toiled, gained independence and revive her esteem and lost pride Her glittering was seen once again, brighter around the world When the crowd applauded Which I just labelled as my steeping stones.

By Nickalos Mobin

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 7

Feature

+Our health is perhaps the most important thing and quite often we take it for granted. We have conditioned ourselves to believe we are healthy until we fall sick and that should be the only time we go to the doctor.

However, we need to be constantly checking on our health not only for our own benefit but for also those around us. For 33-year-old Shirlean Alexander, it was this idea of checking up on herself that led her to the discovery of cancer.

Like many people, when Shirlean got her diagnosis, she felt that it was a death sentence. But the journey to her diagnosis was one that was filled with a lot of questions and countless doctor’s opinions.

“In January 2013 there was a lump on my neck and I thought it was mums and I left it there for 2 weeks. So when it did not go away I went to the hospital and they did an ultrasound and they said it is a lump and they advised a biopsy. They did the biopsy and sent it over to the Georgetown (Public) Hospital and it came back with a recommendation of surgery because they can’t find anything.

“I was afraid to do a surgery so I decided to get a second opinion at another hospital and they recommended an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and after they saw the results they advised surgery as well,” she remembers.

At the time of the medical advice, Shirlean had a vacation already planned so she took her vacation to relax as well as contemplate her next medical move. Before going on her vacation, Shirlean had a persistent cough which only intensified.

She knew that something was wrong when she had been coughing for over six months. So that led her to another hospital in Georgetown.

“When I returned from the vacation, I went to get a third opinion from another doctor. I was still scared of the surgery because I did my own research and found that when you do surgery on your throat you could lose your voice and so on and also the doctor advised that.

So I was scared. Based on all the tests I provided the doctor with, he also recommended that I do a surgery as well.”

However, before Shirlean could have done the surgery she had to get rid of her persistent cough. Tests would reveal that the cough was as a result of acute bronchitis. She was placed on a treatment regimen and was still unsure of whether she wanted to do a surgery on her throat or not.

As fate would have it, Shirlean was working with a Pharmaceutical Company at that the time and constant interactions with doctors there led her to cement the fact that she needed surgery. A doctor at the company relayed, through Shirlean’s coworkers, that she should no longer postpone the surgery since the lump in her neck had the possibility of becoming cancerous.

When she heard the word cancer, Shirlean became fearful but knew that it meant the surgery was now inevitable.

So in November of 2013, some eleven months after her receiving medical advice, Shirlean had her surgery done. The doctor performing

Shirlean’s surgery had advised her that he would be taking out one of her thyroid glands since taking out both would mean her having to live on thyroxin medication for the rest of her life. She felt somewhat relieved at that.

When the doctors went into her throat, they took out the lump with the affected thyroid gland and sent it for further testing since they had no information that it was cancerous at that time. Shirlean was at home recuperating when two weeks later she received a call from her doctor to visit him.

“When I went to see him he told me that I had cancer.

I was shocked. They told me that I had papillary thyroid carcinoma and that I would need to do another surgery to take out the other thyroid gland. That was two weeks after my first surgery so I was concerned and I asked my doctor if my body was ready for another surgery and he said I am strong enough. So they went back in and took out the other thyroid gland.”

After her second surgery, Shirlean was advised that she would need further treatment to ensure that the cancer cells are killed. She was given the option of travelling to the United States of America or Trinidad for treatment since it was not available in Guyana. Weighing the financial implications and the urgency of the treatment, Shirlean chose the Medical Diagnostic Center in Trinidad.

There she met Dr Omar Khan, a Guyanese, ho administered her 131 Radioiodine therapy treatment.

According to WebMD, radioiodine therapy is a nuclear medicine treatment for an overactive thyroid, a condition called hyperthyroidism, and also may be used to treat thyroid cancer. When a small dose of radioactive iodine I-131 (an isotope of iodine that emits radiation) is swallowed, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and concentrated by the thyroid gland, where it begins destroying the gland's cells.

After she received her first radiation treatment in June 2014, Shirlean has been visiting Trinidad once per year for checkups and more treatment. At the moment, based on her last visit in August 2019, she is cancer-free.

“Now that I have taken care of myself I realized that taking care of your health is important. Take your health seriously always and make sure that you get your regular checkups.

You have to eat healthily and exercise. Treat your body like your cellphone because if your cellphone runs out of credit then you will do everything to get credit so that is what you should do with your body. Do everything to make sure it is healthy,” the mother of 1 advises.

8 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

OCTOBER 27, 2019

Feature

I

f you’ve ever been asked why you love Guyana, its rich, diverse culture, hospitable people and of course its exotic wildlife come to mind, but what about its floral landscape? Guyana boasts one of the most impressive collections of flora on the planet.

From the coastal plains, interior savannahs, forested highlands and hilly, sand and clay areas, a massive 80% of Guyana’s landscape is covered with unspoiled rainforests and flora. This translates to over 8000 different species of plants. Of these, hundreds are put to use in cultural settings, medicine and job creation. An even higher number play an integral role in preserving and maintaining the ecosystem. So on your next trip, make it a point to experience Guyana in bloom, a natural seasonal phenomenon that proudly screams, “Is we own!” A few favorite species are profiled below.

The Cannonball Tree (Couroupita Guianensis)

The name of this towering tree is as unorthodox as the striking features it embodies. It reaches up to 110 feet high with leaves as big as 12-22 inches long. It’s massive, 10 inch spherical fruits resemble rusty cannonballs of which they take their name. When they fall, they hit the ground bursting with a thundering sound reminiscent of a cannon firing. What’s even more intriguing about this strange tree is that the fruit develops straight out of the trunk. The flowers are just as striking with a salmon-red color, developing in enormous bunches up to 12 feet long along the trunk of the trees. The sweet smell of the flowers attract birds and other pollinating insects that feed on its nectar.

When mature, the fruits possess an unmistakable stench with bountiful antibiotic, antifungal and antiseptic benefits. The fruit pulp, in addition to the juice extracted from the leaves and the bark, aids in the treatment of wounds, skin infections, colds and malaria. The hard shells of the fruits are traditionally used as containers.

If you’re interested in exploring these natural wonders, several cannonball trees can be spotted along Brickdam, Georgetown. One, outside of the St. Mary’s School on Brickdam, is over 100 years old. There’s also one standing as proud as ever in the Botanical gardens.

ters in water. When the flowers first bloom at night, they are white and open. On the second night, they become pink. These flowers can grow up to 40 centimeters in diameter and are usually pollinated by beetles.

The Victoria Amazonica is not only known for its amazing stature, it also embodies a rather intriguing story steeped in mysticism and lore. The legend, as adapted by Guyanese author Odeen Ishmael, suggests that in a little village off the river banks of Guyana, lived 12 curious little girls. Every single night, they tried to touch the moon, but they were always unsuccessful.

One girl, Neca was as determined as ever and longed to become as beautiful as the moon goddess. One night while the other girls were asleep, Neca saw the bright moon towering over the trees along the river bank and decided that she’d finally be able to touch it. She dived into the water, with hopes of finally reaching the moon only to end up disappearing beneath the deep still waters and drowning.

The moon goddess witnessing this decided that she wanted to immortalize Neca’s memory.

The moon goddess brought Neca’s body from the depths of the river and transformed her into a large majestic water lily. That lily is known today as the Victoria Amazonica.

Whenever you’re in Guyana, you can spot this beauty along the shallow waters of the Amazon River basin, such as oxbow lakes and bayous of the Rupununi River. This natural spectacle can also be seen in the ponds around Rewa’s Grass Pond and Karanambu Ranch in central Rupununi.

Greenheart (Chlorocardium Rodiei)

Greenheart has garnered the reputation of being the strongest and most durable wood in the world. What’s even better is that Guyana has the distinction of claiming it as its own. Found in the pristine rainforests among a multitude of other stately trees, the greenheart tree grows between 50-130 feet tall. It’s trunk is approximately 1-2 feet in diameter. It possess extremely large leaves and can be identified by the size and distinctively textured feel. It’s wood ranges from light-green to dark olive green with brown or black markings. Uniquely, it is almost completely immune to decay, water resistant, and highly resistant to marine organisms and fire. Due to the durability, it has been harvested as commercial timber since the late 18th century.

The greenheart tree can be found throughout Guyana’s rainforests in places such as the rainforests of Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, usually on rich soils, in swamps and in the alluvial flats, marshes and uplands of the Amazon Basin.

These rainforests, including the greenheart species, support over half of the plant and wildlife of Guyana which are considered to be the world’s oldest ecosystems.

Sacred Lotus (Nelumbium)

Lush pink and white lotuses overflow in the trenches along Guyana’s coastland especially during the rainy season, creating a vivid portrait of color and beauty. Over a period of three days, the blossoming lotus flower rises above the water to unveil its beautiful petals, which in the evening, close and withdraw beneath the surface. No matter how murky the water is, the lotus always emerges flawless and beautifully intact. Known as the Sacred Lotuses in both Hinduism and Buddhism, these plants represent purity, divinity, and are widely recognized as a symbol of life, fertility and ever-renewing youth. They are popularly used in religious practices and rituals – weddings, blessings, offerings and spiritual decor. The leaves of this lotus are also used in IndoGuyanese culture when serving the famous 7-curry dish (7 different kinds of curry) prepared for religious and other special gatherings.

This is arguably the holiest flower for the Hindus. They revere it with the divinities Vishnu and Lakshmi who are often portrayed on a pink lotus iconography. Brahma (the Creator),Vishnu (the Protector) and Shiva (the Merger) are all associated with this plant. Ancient Hindu teachings suggest that the lotus arose from the navel of Lord Vishnu and at the center of the flower sat Brahma. For Hindus, the lotus represents the belief that within each human, the spirit of the sacred lotus lives.

Giant Water Lily (Victoria Amazonica)

The Victoria Amazonica lily, the National flower of Guyana – is the largest water lily in the world with leaves spanning more than three meters across with thick stalks submerged 7-8 me-

Crabwood tree (Carapa Guianensis)

Carapa Guianensis, commonly known as Crabwood, is found mainly in the rainforest canopy, predominantly along rivers, on periodically flooded or swampy locations, and on the low hills of the hinterland. If you’re in Guyana and interested in seeing one of these beauties up close, just check along the marshlands of Barima/Waini in Region 1, the Pomeroon/Supenaam in Region 2, and at Iwokrama and Mabura. This tree reaches up to 180 feet tall and is valued for its mahogany-like quality wood – which is one of the most expensive types of wood found in Guyana. It produces high quality furniture, flooring and plywood.

There are also health benefits that stem from this tree. It’s seeds are used in the production of what is locally known as crab oil that is used in a number of different ways. From mosquito repellant, hair oil treatments, skin treatments and even as a laxative, this oil is valued among Guyanese. This led to the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS) facilitating the processing and sale of the seeds of the Crabwood tree to benefit coastal communities. This positive and successful venture generates income for the locals and provides an incentive to conserve the trees. The people of Waini now harvest the seeds during the two seasons annually and sell the oil to the North West Organics Company (NWOC) formed by the conservationists of the GMTCS. Bina Hilla Shop and the Rock View gift benabs are retailers of this oil in the North West and Rupununi districts of Guyana.

There is so much more to Guyana’s vast floral landscape. From the exotic orchids, heliconias, carnivorous sundews, delicate maidenhair ferns to the dramatic staghorn ferns and thousands of other species, Guyana’s floral landscape is an attraction in and of itself. (Emerging Destinations)

guyanatimesgy.com

november 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine

9

Health

Rabies R

abies is a deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals. The rabies virus is usually transmitted through a bite.

Animals most likely to transmit rabies in the United States include bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks. In developing countries of Africa and Southeast Asia, stray dogs are the most likely to spread rabies to people.

Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease nearly always causes death. For this reason, anyone who may have a risk of contracting rabies should receive rabies vaccinations for protection.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu and may last for days.

Later signs and symptoms may include: • Fever • Headache • Nausea • Vomiting • Agitation • Anxiety • Confusion • Hyperactivity • Difficulty swallowing • Excessive salivation • Fear brought on by attempts to drink fluids because of difficulty swallowing water • Hallucinations • Insomnia • Partial paralysis

should receive the rabies vaccine.

This includes traveling to remote areas where medical care is difficult to find.

Diagnosis

At the time a rabid animal bites you, there's no way to know whether the animal has transmitted the rabies virus to you. For this reason, treatment to prevent the rabies virus from infecting your body is recommended if the doctor thinks there's a chance you have been exposed to the virus.

Causes

Rabies infection is caused by the rabies virus. The virus is spread through the saliva of infected animals. Infected animals can spread the virus by biting another animal or a person.

In rare cases, rabies can be spread when infected saliva gets into an open wound or the mucous membranes, such as the mouth or eyes. This could occur if an infected animal were to lick an open cut on your skin.

Animals that can transmit the rabies virus Any mammal (an animal that suckles its young) can transmit the rabies virus. The animals most likely to transmit the rabies virus to people include: Pets and farm animals • Cats • Cows • Dogs • Ferrets • Goats • Horses Wild animals • Bats • Beavers • Coyotes • Foxes • Monkeys • Raccoons • Skunks • Woodchucks In rare cases, the virus has been transmitted to tissue and organ transplant recipients from an infected organ.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of rabies include: • Traveling or living in developing countries where rabies is more common, including countries in Africa and Southeast Asia • Activities that are likely to put you in contact with wild animals that may have rabies, such as exploring caves where bats live or camping without taking precautions to keep wild animals away from your campsite • Working in a laboratory with the rabies virus • Wounds to the head or neck, which may help the rabies virus travel to your brain more quickly

Treatment

Once a rabies infection is established, there's no effective treatment. Though a small number of people have survived rabies, the disease usually causes death.

For that reason, if you think you've been exposed to rabies, you must get a series of shots to prevent the infection from taking hold.

Prevention

To reduce your risk of coming in contact with rabid animals: • Vaccinate your pets. Cats, dogs and ferrets can be vaccinated against rabies.

Ask your veterinarian how often your pets should be vaccinated.

• Keep your pets confined. Keep your pets inside and supervise them when outside.

This will help keep your pets from coming in contact with wild animals.

• Protect small pets from predators.

Keep rabbits and other small pets, such as guinea pigs, inside or in protected cages so that they are safe from wild animals. These small pets can't be vaccinated against rabies.

• Report stray animals to local authorities. Call your local animal control officials or other local law enforcement to report stray dogs and cats.

• Don't approach wild animals. Wild animals with rabies may seem unafraid of people. It's not normal for a wild animal to be friendly with people, so stay away from any animal that seems unafraid.

• Keep bats out of your home. Seal any cracks and gaps where bats can enter your home. If you know you have bats in your home, work with a local expert to

find ways to keep bats out.

• Consider the rabies vaccine if you're traveling. If you're traveling to a country where rabies is common and you'll be there for an extended period of time, ask your doctor whether you

10 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

november 03 2019

Feature

30

is the new 20. It is one of your best phases in life. The 30’s is just more fun with mature. It is also the time when you really need to start taking care of your skin in a more care then earlier.

Those of you who have been regular with your skin care earlier need not worry at all. You most likely already have skin that is properly nourished and will still hold off showing those ageing signs. As you are moving on in your years, it is time to change your skin care routine.

Most women in their 30’s may have had their babies. This also means that your skin may show the post-delivery skin symptoms like pigmentation, uneven skin and dark circles. As difficult or drastic as it may sound, taking care of your skin in the 30s is more about following the basics and ensuring you keep your skin is well-nourished at all times. (Style Craze) Here are some beauty tips that will ensure you have healthy skin in your 30s:

Follow the CTM routine

This is important! The cleansing, toning and moisturizing routine is something most of us end up ignoring all through our younger days. When you hit your 30s, it is even more important that you follow it to the T. The CTM routine will help to clear your skin of any accumulated dirt and grime. It will also keep your skin looking fresh and healthy.

Whether you prefer natural or commercial cosmetics for skin care, look for key ingredients that help your skin look youthful and radiant.

Anti-oxidants, vitamin C, glycolic and hyaluronic acids help prevent premature ageing and severe dryness. As a result, it keeps your skin fresh and bright.

Look For Key Ingredients That Benefit Skin

kitchen. Apply some yogurt on your face and neck. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then wash off with lukewarm water. For some variation, add a bit of honey to it.

Facials

Facials are a great way to keep your skin looking young and radiant. Even if your schedule is hectic, make the time to go to a spa for a facial at least once a month. It will do wonders for your skin and you will feel the dramatic change in your skin texture.

Exercise

Walk for 30 minutes or just hit the gym. Indulging in regular exercise will not only cleanse your skin but will also nourish your blood cells. This further helps to flush out the waste products from your skin. Exercising regularly helps reduce stress, prevents acne and will keep you healthy overall. Being healthy and fit = beautiful skin naturally.

Exfoliate

You will need to exfoliate your skin at least thrice a week to reveal brighter skin and get rid of dead skin cells. Make a simple scrub by mixing fine granules of sugar with lemon juice and honey.

Water

Eat Well

Include lots of fruits and veggies in your diet. Fresh fruits and vegetable salads will help your body to get rid of toxins. This will help reveal healthy skin.

Supplements

Take Vitamin C and Vitamin E supplements to ensure that your skin is strong and maintains its elasticity. These vitamins produce collagen which helps maintain the skin elasticity for a longer time.

Indulge in face masks

You don’t need to buy expensive face masks off the shelves or head to the spa. A great way to indulge in some naturally beneficial skin treatment is to use ingredients from your

To keep your skin hydrated from within, drink plenty of water every day. Experts recommend drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water every day.

It is essential not just for a healthy body but beautiful skin as well.

It also helps in eliminating the toxins from your body.

Be Healthy

For those who cannot give it up, reduce your smoking and intake of alcohol. These are known to pump in toxins in your body causing your skin to look unhealthy. Cut down on the same and your skin will surely benefit.

Night Cream

Use a night cream that will take of your skin as you sleep. Night creams are known to hydrate the skin and help reduce patchy skin.

Eye Cream

30’s is the time when fine lines and wrinkles start to appear. Use a good quality night cream that not only helps reduce these fine lines but will also keep those dark circles away. Invest in a good eye cream to take care of those fine lines that first appear around the eyes.

Body Lotion

Your face is not the only area that needs care. To get beautiful skin all over, make sure that you apply body lotion all over your body twice a day. Concentrate on areas that are prone to dryness such as your elbows, knees, heels, etc.

Hydrating Your Skin

It is a skin care routine that everyone should practice. Keep your skin hydrated with a great moisturizer that is richer than the ones that you used while you were in your 20s. Using a serum with your moisturizer can also help in providing hydration to your skin. It helps in removing fine lines, dark circles, open pores, etc.

Sunscreen Is Important

Sunscreen is essential at any age. Never go out without it. Sunscreen that contains an SPF of 30 or more is ideal for women above 30. If you use a foundation, choose one that contains SPF. It will protect you against the harmful sun rays. These natural beauty tips for women over 30 are great to follow and beneficial. Try them out and tell us which ones you are already following!

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 11

Recipes

LAMB CHOWMEIN

Ingredients • 1 lb ground lamb • 1/2 onion, diced • 1 tbsp mince garlic • 1 tbsp chopped thyme • 1 hot pepper, finely chopped • 1 tbsp oil • 1 cup shredded carrot • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp black pepper • 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder • 3 tbsp hoisin sauce • 3 scallion, finely chopped • 1 - 12 oz package chowmein noodles • Thinly shredded cabbage (optional) Instructions 1. In a large pan or wok add oil. When oil is hot, add lamb, then add salt and

cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Be sure break up lamb using a spoon.

2. While the meat browns, place a large pot of salted water on the fire and bring

to a boil and cook chowmein according to directions on the package. Strain

and set aside.

3. Add onion, garlic, thyme, pepper and Chinese five spice powder then stir

and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the onion softens. Add ½ cup of water

and hoisin sauce to the lamb and cook for about 5 minutes until all the

liquid evaporates.

4. Add shredded carrots, onions and stir fry for about 2 minutes, don’t overcook!

5. Add lamb and vegetable mixture to the chowmein and mix to combine using

a tong or large fork.

6. Add scallion and black pepper and additional salt if needed.

7. Add a tsp of oil to the large frying pan over high heat and add the chowmein.

Stir fry for about 2 minutes then remove from heat. Serve with thinly

shredded cabbage. (Jehan Can Cook)

Loft Bedroom Ideas That'll Make Any Space Instantly Cooler Loft bedrooms are the cool kids of interior design. No contest. There's just something about these wide-open, shared-ceiling spaces that exudes effortless style. But having everything under one ceiling—usually even all in one room, if the loft is on the smaller side—comes with its challenges. So whether you're looking for inspiration for a warehouse-style loft or you're looking for small apartment solutions, these loft bedroom ideas will help you maximize both style and functionality.

Obscure the Railing Whatever you do, though, make sure the space has plenty of character. You've got to feel like you there, right? In this lofted bedroom, there's no shortage of color, personality, and texture. And in this, the sense of whimsy actually works to create extra privacy. The railing is almost touching the sloped ceiling and the bench against, along with the throw pillows and baskets, obscure our view of the railing and the room below.

Use Every Inch If there's space in your lofted bedroom, try to squeeze in something extra that you want to keep separate from the communal space below, like a workspace or hangout area.

SWEET BREAD ROLL

Ingredients • 2 to 2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour • 3 tbsp sugar • 1 (2-1/4 tsp) packet Yeast • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/4 tsp cinnamon • Pinch of cloves • 1/2 cup raisins, finely chopped • 1/2 tsp orange zest • 1/2 cup milk • 1/4 cup water • 2 tsp butter Instructions 1. Combine 3/4 cup flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl and

set aside. Combine milk, water and butter in a microwave safe bowl and

microwave for 15 second increments until the water is warm but not hot,

about 120 to 130 degrees. The butter won’t be fully melted.

2. Add finely chopped raisins and orange zest to the milk mixture and mix to

combine. Add milk to flour mixture and beat using a mixer for 2 minutes

on high. Add 1/4 cup flour and beat on high speed, then add remaining flour

to form dough, about 1 to 1 1/4 cup flour.

3. Divide rolls into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls then place in a greased

8x8 square baking pan. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 10

minutes. Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake for

20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and brush the top

with melted butter. Serve warm. (Jehan Can Cook)

NO BAKE BUTTERFINGER CHEESECAKE

Ingredients • 2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs • 5 tbsp butter, melted • 2 tbsp granulated sugar • 2-8 oz pack cream cheese • 3/4 cup powdered sugar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 cup heavy whipping cream • 1 cup Butterfinger crumbs, about 7 fun-sized • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips Instructions • Mix chocolate wafer crumbs, melted butter and sugar together in a bowl.

Place into a 9 inch springform baking dish. Press on the bottom and sides

to form a crust.

• Place in fridge for 30 minutes.

• Place room temperature cream cheese in a bowl and beat using a mixer

for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Next add powdered sugar and

vanilla extract and beat to combine.

• In a separate bowl with a clean beater, whip cold heavy whipping cream

until stiff peaks form. Add whipping cream and crushed Butterfinger

pieces and gently fold to combine.

• Add filling into crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

• To make the spider web, melt milk chocolate chips in a microwave at

20 second intervals, while stirring in between. This should take about

40-60 seconds.

• Place melted chocolate in a piping bag and pipe the chocolate to create the

spider web. Sprinkle with additional crushed Butterfinger and it is ready

to serve! (Jehan Can Cook)

Create Separation With Curtains To create a little more privacy and separation between sleep, eat, and play zones, hang a curtain around the bed area. This ECT.etera-designed loft at Hotel Covell features curtains that wrap all the way around the bed, from wall to wall.

Focus on the Floor When the bedroom loft ceiling is exceptionally low, you won't have enough space on the walls for decor and artwork without making things feel claustrophobic. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it!

Just take it to the floors instead. Here, the crimson carpeting makes the bedroom pop, and the fun neon lucite piece introduces some art while also casting a soft glow to the space.

Hide Your Bed Under a Platform If you live in tiny studio apartment, consider a DIY trundle bed/ solid platform with a retractable bed under it. In this space, the wooden platform makes space for a sofa so there's somewhere to sit instead of the bed (this way, it doesn't have to feel like a bedroom if you want to have guests over). It's like a better version of a Murphy bed.

12 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Puzzles

ACROSS 1 5 10 16 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 36 37 40 41 42 45 46 48 50 52 54 55 57 58 59 60 62 66 67 69 71 72 74 76 78 79 80 83 (hyph.)

85 88 89 90 93 95 97 98 100 101

Apply a mudpack Harness parts Rock cushions Montgomery -- of Hollywood Caesar's bones Without exception Ms. Lansbury "Walk Away --" Doctor's advice Out of the sack Array Shout for joy Xylophone cousins Flow back Sun-dried brick "Road" movie locale Furry friend Sincer k.d. -Flight dir.

Mountainous st.

Mme. in Madrid Once called Genetic material Physics unit Long steps It gets whacked Cambodia neighbor Jungle knife Show distress As should be Like one Ranger Top off Kid who rode Diablo Hit the books Mild Account book Razor brand Type of socks (2 wds.)

LIII doubled Minneapolis suburb Wolf, say Breezy refusal Copter's landing place Like most covered bridges Roasting rods Speaks hoarsely Pouts Crystal's sister First Sums for CPAs Capitalize on Poet W.H. --- Dawn Chong Marble basis

106 108 110 112 113 115 116 117 118 120 122 123 124 128 129 130 131 132 133 135 137 139 140 142 144 148 150 153 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Counting-rhyme opener Cultivated soils Wandered around Sheik colleague Improbable wish Oahu neighbor Gov. agent (hyph.)

Malfoy at Hogwarts Umbrella spoke Pharaoh's river Bogus Spurted forth Tight braid What RNs dispense -- Lobos of music Contented sighs Exist Makes haste Cleveland hoopster NYC district Tent securer Antiquity Electrical unit Famous Khan Mollycoddled Keen Repairs pipes "Hare Krishna," e.g.

Rub the wrong way Tex-Mex snacks Writer -- Welty Oasis sight Like some chatter Hagar's pooch Cactus habitat Feeling no pain Gazed at Campus building Between ports Gorbachev's domain Tie-dye cousin Chamomile infusion (2 wds.)

Fly Not neat Prior to Dec. 31 word Deadly black snake -- -- whim Barracks off.

Vaccines Miss a syllable Early Brits Hudson Bay tribe Villain -- Luthor Toughened

KATHLEEN SAXE

WORD GAME TODAY'S WORD -- JAVELINS (JAVELINS: JAV-lins: Light spears thrown as weapons of war or in hunting.)

Average mark 40 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 56 or more words in JAVELINS? TODAY'S WORD -- JAVELINS

jail jeans jive aisle alien alive anile anise anvil vain vail valise vane vase

veal veil vein venal venial vial vile vine visa vise elan evil lain lane

lase lave lean lien lenis lens line live liven isle nail naive nave navel

navies sail sale saline salve sane save seal silvan sine slain slave snail snivel

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" are not allowed, but "bake" and "baking" are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

19 20 30 32 34 38 39 41 42 43 44 46 47 49 51 53 54 56 59 61 63 64 65 67 68 69 70

Catty?

Wyoming range Tangy Lesage hero Gil -Gambles Bird beak Composer Ferde -Fibula companion Fire starter Age on the vine Columns Sweet roll Eggnog time Coasted along "Arabian Nights" bird Firm, as pasta (2 wds.)

Nessie's hideout Gymnast -- Korbut Balcony section Engineering toy Swipe Flivver starter Singers Hall and -Brief swim Cream puffs More sassy Was a candidate

73 75 77 81 82 84 85 86 87 91 92 93 94 95 96 99 102 103 104 105 107 109 111 114 117 119 121

Shade-loving plant Panoramic view Robins' domiciles Urn homophone Happy -- -- clam Sheens Fishtailed Baffling question Nobelist -- Curie Egyptian boy-king Take -- -- view of Know somehow Andes ruminants Revival shout Sz. option Verve Mosque official Old cattle town More polite Form a gully Sailors' tales Grades He overthrew Galba Cosmonaut's lab Twilights -- Raton, Fla. Kind of system

122 123 124 125 126 127 130 134 136 137 138 140 141 143 145 146 147 149 151 152 154

Trudge on wearily Horrifying Swindles Garage squirter Mark down Buckled, as lumber Rights a wrong Prize greatly Laces into (2 wds.)

Rascal Ghostly Oktober ending Clothing, slangily IRS employee Orderly She, to Marie Legal document Rocky crag One of the Stooges It's c-c-cold!

Yes, in Tokyo

See Solution on page 14

guyanatimesgy.com

november 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 13

Tech

Samsung unveils new YouTube Music gets Siri and foldable flip phone concept desktop web app support

S

amsung has teased a new foldable phone concept onstage at the company’s developer conference today. The new concept, which Samsung didn’t name, looks more like a traditional flip phone thanks to a foldable display that allows the device to fold in half.

“This brand-new form factor that we’re now exploring will not only easily fit in your pocket, but it also changes the way you use your phone,” explained Hyesoon Jeong, head of Samsung’s framework R&D group, onstage at Samsung’s Developer Conference. The idea behind the concept is to take Samsung’s foldable smartphone technology and push it to “become more compact,” and extend to new device form factors.

Samsung didn’t spend much time detailing the device, nor when the company plans to make this available. There was no mention of the hardware involved, and whether Samsung has improved its foldable display technology from last year.

The company did use this mysterious device as a bridge to discuss an upcoming update to its One UI efforts with Android. “As a pioneer in the foldable category, we understand that every innovative form factor requires an equally innovative user experience,” explained Jeong.

Samsung has been working on improving its Android user interface since it debuted the Galaxy Fold device earlier this year, and the company is now working on One UI 2. which looks like a more refined version of the changes the company introduced with the S10 and Note 10 this year.

One UI 2 includes more glanceable information, better reachability for one-handed use, and “more vibrant hues” throughout the OS. Animated icons will be available too, and a full dark mode. Overall, it looks like minor but useful changes to the customization Samsung offers today with its Android handsets.

Software aside, this new clamshell / flip phone foldable hardware looks like the future of devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. While the Fold started off life with a lot of screen issues, it is clear Samsung isn’t ready to give up on foldable display technology. Samsung didn’t provide solid details today, but the company is teasing that the future of foldable phones might look like the popular Motorola Razr of the past. (The Verge)

Apple’s 5G iPhones will reportedly be powered by its first 5-nanometer chips

Y

ouTube Music is getting a pair of small but helpful updates today: full support for Siri, and support for being installed as a desktop web app.

If you’re on an iOS device, you’ll now be able to ask Siri to play songs straight from YouTube Music. For the longest time, Siri only supported Apple’s own music sources. But in iOS 13, Apple added the ability for Siri to tap into third-party apps with a long-overdue update. Spotify added support for this feature earlier this month, and now YouTube is following suit with support from its own music streaming service.

The other new feature, desktop web app support, means you can now have a standalone YouTube Music app on your computer, instead of having to visit the site in your browser.

Since it’s a web app, there isn’t much of a difference from just visiting the website, but it can be nice to have your music player living in its own window, without the browser’s interface around it. It’ll be able to have its own icon to launch from, too.

If you want to install the web app, your browser will likely add a small icon to the right side of your address bar when you visit YouTube Music. The web app doesn’t appear to be available for everyone yet, but YouTube says support is rolling out.

The features put YouTube Music just a bit closer to being on par with Spotify when it comes to native platform support. Spotify, in addition to having a web player, also has a desktop app (though it’s far from perfect). YouTube Music’s app isn’t native, but it’s a step in the right direction toward feeling at home on each platform. (The Verge)

Sony is shutting down its live TV service PlayStation Vue in January 2020

S T

hree of Apple’s phones will release with 5G connectivity next year with Qualcomm’s X55 5G modem, Nikkei reports. This modem will reportedly be paired with a new Apple chipset — likely to be called the A14 Bionic — that’ll be the first from the company to be built using a 5-nanometer process. In general, moving to smaller manufacturing processes makes chips more efficient while allowing more processing power to be packed into a smaller space.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors that Apple is planning on releasing its first 5G phones in 2020, nor is it the first time we’ve heard there’ll be three of them. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made a similar prediction back in July. What’s new are the reports of the exact Qualcomm modem Apple plans to use after the two companies settled their ongoing legal dispute back in April. In the longer term, Apple is thought to be working on its own inhouse modems having acquired the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business in July.

The report also corroborates previous rumors that Apple is planning to switch to a 5nm fabrication process for its chips next year, moving away from the 7nm process that it’s used since the A12 Bionic chip debuted in 2018. Apple rival Huawei is also thought to be working on a 5nm chip of its own that’s set to launch in a similar period next year.

As well as 5G connectivity and a new chip fabrication process, next year’s iPhones are also expected to be Apple’s first redesign of its flagship phones since 2017, and could feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. In addition to its three flagship devices, Apple could also release a low-cost successor to the iPhone SE towards the beginning of the year. (The Verge)

ony is shutting down its live TV streaming service PlayStation Vue on January 30th, 2020, the company announced on Wednesday. The sudden announcement of the shutdown comes just a week after a report published by The Information saying Sony was looking for a buyer for the service, which has continually lost money for the company since its launch in March of 2015. Sony has repeatedly raised the price of Vue to try to offset its rising costs, most recently by $5 across all plans back in July.

“Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected. Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business,” Sony said in a blog post announcing the shutdown. “PlayStation fans can continue to access movie and TV content through the PlayStation Store on PS4 and via our partnerships with top entertainment apps.”

PlayStation Vue launched four years ago as an early competitor in the so-called payTV market, which is a restructured form of cable made popular by companies like Sling.

Like most other vendors, Sony offered a skinny bundle of channels with the option to add more premium ones, like sports and entertainment channels, by paying a higher monthly subscription fee. After the price hike, the entry-level Vue plan cost about $50 a month. At its height, Vue amassed about 500,000 subscribers, which is far less than competitors like Sling and YouTube TV, The Information reported last week.

Ultimately, it looks like Sony couldn’t make the economics work, as the cost of licensing cable channels far outweighed the money Sony could recoup on subscriptions. Vue’s demise is also a signal that customer interest in traditional cable bundles, skinny or otherwise, continues to shrink. As a result, major players in the entertainment industry are throwing immense resources toward building out proper, on-demand streaming services to compete with Amazon and Netflix. That includes Disney with Disney+, Apple with Apple TV Plus, AT&T with HBO Max, and NBCUniversal with Peacock, among others. (The Verge)

14 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Kris Jenner fires back at Blac Chyna in lawsuit over past assault allegations

B

A

ctor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been honoured with the prestigious Golden Dragon Award at the Cardiff International Film Festival for excellence in cinema in the global arena. The Gangs of Wasseypur actor was presented the award by counsel general of Wales, UK, Mick Antoniw, on Sunday at an event in Cardiff.

“Thank You Mr. Mick Antoniw, the Counsel General of Wales, UK & “Cardiff International Film Festival” for bestowing me with the prestigious Golden Dragon Award,” Nawaz tweeted. The actor has made a mark internationally with Netflix’s Sacred Games, Ritesh Batra’s Photograph and BBC UK’s McMafia.

Cardiff Festival which commenced on Thursday, October 24, and ended on Sunday, October 27, also honoured veteran Hollywood actor Judi Dench with the Lifetime

Achievement Award. He also congratulated Dench writing, “Congratulations #DameJudiDench on receiving the Lifetime Achievement award.”

Moreover, the actor was also part of the festival’s official jury along with Indian TV actor Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya among others.

On the work front, he has recently appeared in the Netflix series Sacred Games opposite Saif Ali Khan.

Meanwhile, the actor is also awaiting the release of his

forthcoming quirky comedy Motichoor Chakhnachoor where he will be seen depicting his romantic side opposite Athiya Shetty.

The film also stars Vibha Chibber, Navni Parihar, Vivek Mishra, Karuna Pandey, Sanjeev Vats, Abhishek Rawat, Sapna Sand and Usha Nagar in pivotal roles. The Debamitra Biswal-directorial is produced by Rajesh Bhatia and Kiran Bhatia and will hit the theatres on November 15 this year. (Hindustan Times)

fulfilled as the one he loves, Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) does not reciprocate his feelings. In his journey, he comes across different people who make him realize the power of unrequited love.

Directed and written

by Karan Johar, the film grossed Rs 152.60 crore at the box office. The flick also featured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan in lead roles. (Hindustan Times)

BO has ordered a Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, straight to series.

The new prequel is written by Ryan Condal (Colony), with George R.R. Martin set to co-executive produce. The project is based on Martin’s 2019 book Fire and Blood, and is a history of House Targaryen (the ancestors of Daenerys) as they fight through a civil war. The 10-episode project is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

HBO executive Casey Bloys made the announcement at an event for HBO Max, AT&T’s streaming service coming May 2020. The news came just hours after news broke that HBO canceled a previously announced Game of Thrones spinoff se-

Shah Rukh Khan saved Aishwarya Rai’s manager after her dress caught fire

A

which you have been arrested or publicly accused of assault, battery and/ or any other acts of physical violence against other PERSONS from January 1, 2008 through the present,” per The Blast.

As Chyna’s lawsuit claims, “Rob Kardashian is an abuser intent on destroying Angela White, the mother of his baby, who left him in 2016. In revenge, the Kardashian-Jenner family became media predators, slut-shaming her on

social media and killing her hit television show [‘Rob & Chyna’], which had already begun filming a second season.” Her suit also claims Rob physically abused her.

Chyna, 31, also had executive producer Ryan Seacrest dragged into the lawsuit, deposing him over his involvement with “Rob & Chyna” and the Kardashian family.

The case is ongoing, though the Kardashians are hoping the lawsuit gets thrown out. (Page Six)

ries on Tuesday.

It appears part of the reason HBO pushed forward with House of the Dragon is because the “established history penned by Martin to serve as a backbone for the story,” according to Entertainment Weekly. The other pilot only had some “vague references to build

on.” The goal is to eventually have the events of the new series lead up to The Dance of the Dragons. It’s a major moment in the Seven Kingdoms history, leading to an all out civil war between two rival faction of House Targaryen.

It’s unclear when House of the Dragon is expected to air.

H

A

s multi-starrer movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil clocked three years of its release on Monday, the film’s director Karan Johar marked the day by sharing a picture of the hit movie.

Karan shared a poster of the movie on Instagram and wrote: “A film closest to my heart....had the best time filming it and have indelible memories! Thank you to the entire cast and crew that made this experience so memorable. ...it’s about the liberation of a broken heart.” @aishwaryaraibachchan_ arb @anushkasharma #ranbirkapoor@dharmamovies The story of the film revolved around musician Ayan’s (Ranbir Kapoor) quest for true love. His desire, however, remains un-

lac Chyna‘s lawsuit against the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan is still ongoing, but now Kris Jenner has fired back.

Chyna filed a lawsuit in 2017 against the family over claims of assault, battery, domestic violence, defamation and interference with prospective economic relations.

In new legal documents obtained by The Blast, the 63-year-old momager has requested Chyna hand over all text messages and emails that she sent to ex-fiancé Rob Kardashian from Dec. 1, 2016, until present.

Jenner is also requesting all contracts related to her son and Chyna’s nowdefunct reality show, “Rob & Chyna.” Chyna’s lawsuit claims the KardashianJenners banded together to have the show canceled.

They’ve vehemently denied the allegations.

She also wants the Lashed salon owner to “describe each occasions on

ctor Shah Rukh Khan turned hero in real life when he saved the life of Aishwarya Rai’s manager at Amitabh Bachchan’s recent Diwali party on Sunday. According to a report in mid-day, publicist Archana Sadanand’s lehenga caught fire at the party and Shah Rukh was the one to put the fire out.

Sadanand, who has worked as Aishwarya Rai’s manager for many years, was admitted to the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai and is kept in isolation in the ICU to prevent infections.

Doctors says that she has suffered 15% burns on her right leg and hands. Even Shah Rukh suffered some minor burns and injuries.

When the accident occurred around 3am, only a few guests were left at the party. “Archana was with her daughter in the courtyard when her lehenga caught fire. Those around were stunned and didn’t know what to do. Shah Rukh had the presence of mind, rushed to

Archana, and put out the fire. He, too, sustained minor burns while dousing the flames with a jacket. His only thought was to put out the fire,” a source told the daily.

Sources from the Nanavati Hospital told Mid-day that Archana is recovering well. She was made to walk for a few minutes in the ICU on Tuesday but is not allowed to meet visitors yet.

Shah Rukh had attended the party with his wife and interior designer Gauri Khan. Others who attended the party included Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor.

Amitabh, who was recently rumoured to be unwell, threw a lavish Diwali party for his industry friends after many years.

He took to Twitter to share pictures from the Laxmi puja and the decorations outside his home.

“On the auspicious festive week

our love and prayers to all,” he tweeted with pictures of himself, wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek, daughterin-law Aishwarya and granddaughter Aaradhya doing the arti.

“On this auspicious day and week of Deepawali .. love and affection from our abode JALSA .. and prayers for fulfilment , peace and prosperity,” he wrote with the pictures of his home. (Hindustan Times)

guyanatimesgy.com

OCTOBER 03, 2019

Sunday Times Magazine 15

16 Sunday Times Magazine

guyanatimesgy.com

NOVEMBER 03, 2019

Fun Times

Archie

ARIES (March 21April 19)

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Helping others will make you feel good. A financial gain or gift is heading in your direction. Share your thoughts with a loved one.

TAURUS (April 20-May TAURUS 20) -- Take emotions out of the (April 20- equation if you want to make May 20) a sound choice. Stay focused on what's doable and on whom you want to include in your plan. Romance is in the stars.

GEMINI (May 21-June GEMINI 20) -- You can reinvent (MAY 28- your strategy. If you share June 20) your thoughts with a loved one, their suggestions will help you put your plans in motion.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Try something new and (June 21- exciting. A change will expand July 22) your mind and encourage you to make personal changes that will improve your relationship with someone important.

CANCER

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Dilbert

Peanuts

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -Activity should be your priority.

Sign up for a physical challenge.

An emotional matter will make more sense once you've had time to mull over the facts. Romance will enhance your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -An incident will encourage you to get involved in something you care about. If you volunteer your skills and services, you will make a difference and leave an impression on someone influential.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Spend time with friends.

Refuse to miss out on something you want to do. Do what's best for you, and ignore someone trying to control your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) SCORPIO (Oct. 24- -- Listen to others, but don't Nov. 22) give in to someone using emotional tactics to take advantage of you. Temptation should not play a role in the decisions you make. Do what's right.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Calvin and Hobbes

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) -- If you put your energy where it counts, you will come out on top. Don't let anyone mislead you. Disillusionment will stand between you and what you want.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- If you intuitively size up situations, you'll offset a problem that could lead to a disagreement. Your time is better spent on love and romance.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. AQUARIUS 19) -- Channel your emotions (Jan. 20- into something entertaining.

Feb. 19) A positive change to your appearance or image will give you a new lease on life. Make plans with a loved one.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March PISCES (Feb. 20- 20) -- Use your intelligence Mar. 20) when dealing with people from your past. Don't let anyone corner you. If you don't want to do something, don't do it.