Black Immigrant Daily News

The Inter-Secondary Schools Association (ISSA) has announced that Saturday’s round of matches in the schoolboy football competition will not be played because a tropical storm watch is now in effect for Jamaica.

This comes after ISSA previously announced that “based on discussions with the relevant agencies, ISSA has decided to tentatively bring forward all schoolboy football games (except for the televised game) scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 pm pending a final decision to be communicated at 6:00 pm.”

Following that announcement from ISSA, the Met Service said in a bulletin that the weather system, which is currently classified as a tropical depression, should begin to impact Jamaica and its territorial waters as early as midday on Saturday with an increase in showers and gusty winds.

In action on Friday, Wolmer’s Boys’ School clipped Hydel High 1-0 in Group E of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition but it was the high-riding Mona High that stole the show with a thumping 9-1 win over the home team Papine High.

The Craig Butler-led Mona High registered their fourth consecutive win to lead Group E with a maximum of 12 points. They have rattled up an impressive 30 goals while conceding just four times.

At Heroes Circle, Jahmani Bell scored the all-important goal in the 58th minute as Wolmer’s Boys defeated Hydel High and consolidated second spot with nine points. They are three points ahead of Hydel High sitting in third spot on six points.

Camperdown High secured their first win of the season with a 7-0 whipping of Kingston High and moved into fourth spot on four points. Papine High with a point and Kingston High are at the bottom of the group.

Meanwhile, in Group C, Haile Selassie High blanked Bridgeport High 2-0 at Dunbeholden to maintain their lead atop the group with 10 points from four games.

Charlie Smith High stayed in second spot despite being held to a 2-2 draw at Tivoli Gardens High.

Edith Dalton James moved into third spot on six points after they defeated Vauxhall High 1-0.

In Group D, St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) dismissed Spanish Town High 6-1 at Prison Oval to consolidate the top spot with 10 points ahead of Norman Manley sitting second with six points.

Former champions Excelsior High took charge of Group F with a 1-0 win over Jose Marti High and moved to 10 points.

Campion College continued their good run with a 1-0 win over Kingston Technical to be in second spot on eight points. Kingston Technical are third with four points,

Friday’s result

Group CBridgeport High 0 Haile Selassie 2Tivoli High 2 Charlie Smith High 2Vauxhall High 0 Edith Dalton High 1

Group DSpanish Town High 1 STATHS 6

Group ECamperdown High 7 Kingston High 0Papine High 1 Mona High 9Wolmer’s Boys 1 Hydel High 0

Group FCumberland High 1 Clan Carthy 1Jose Marti 0 Excelsior 1Kingston Technical 0 Campion College 1

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Black Immigrant Daily News

INGEZONDEN Op 9 september bezocht Mark Rutte, premier van Nederland, met zijn minister van Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en een

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Black Immigrant Daily News

It looks like the Opposition’s drawing a line in the sand on having a “clean” voters’ list before they will participate in any election – local or national!! Now, on the surface of things, who can quarrel with such a request?? But in our dear Mudland – as we Guyanese should know – very few things “on the surface” have to do with what’s really going on – or going down!! Is it the mud?? The problem’s about– as far as your Eyewitness can tell – what’ll satisfy the Opposition.

Their main objection is that for a country with a population of our size, the voters’ list is outta whack at 90+ percent of our 758,000!! Meaning that 90% of Guyanese are over 18 years?? Can’t be!! And in this inflated list, the PPP could do a lot of hanky-panky!! But who are the Guyanese on the VL? All of us know that the “excess” names are primarily due to Guyanese who’re there legally but have since migrated. Now, several of our Caricom neighbours, like Barbados, have a higher percentage of voters to adult population than us – but they don’t kvetch. That’s understandable, however, they never had a party like the PNC, which rigged elections for 28 years, and have rigging on their mind.

But you gotta hand it to the PNC in the “having no shame” category. This isn’t “pot calling kettle black”; this is the cauldron calling karahi black!! Imagine that the same list was the base in 2011 when the PPP – in office – was checkmated at the polls by the PNC, and barely clung on to the presidency by the hair on their chinny-chin-chin. Three years later – with all the opportunity to do whatever the PNC think they do to rig – the PPP LOST the elections to the PNC coalition!! And now they claim the PPP rigged from the OUTSIDE!??!But one may say, ‘Why not use records from the Immigration Dept to flag all those migrants who’ve departed legally and then remove them from the list??’ Well, two things: that wouldn’t take care of the “backtrack” – and who might just outnumber the “legals”!! Then there are the Courts, who’ve pointed out that it’s unconstitutional to strike any Guyanese citizen from the list. This’ll prevent them from voting – just because they’re migrated – even though Guyana allows dual citizenship!!

Your Eyewitness suggests that since it appears that Pres Ali might meet LoO Norton on the matter, they should agree on what was done in 2007. If you can’t raise the bridge – lower the river!! Don’t change the Voters’ List – which the Courts’ll knock down – update the current National Register of Registrants’ Database (NRRDB) through HtH registration.The Voters’ list is extracted from this!!

…Europe’s mess

Now that QE II’s funeral’s over (whew!!) maybe Europe’s gonna deal with Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons if the Ukrainians – armed to the teeth by the US via NATO – increase the gains they’ve made recently. Now, quite early in the day, your Eyewitness had suggested that the Ruskies’ move into the West via Belarus was just a feint – while they concentrated in the South West towards the great prize of the port of Odessa.

But with Ukraine developing spunks, looks like Putin isn’t about to lose face to have someone like Zelensky – who was literally a comedian before he became president – stare him down. The trillion-dollar question, of course, is how far Putin’s gonna go? But that means really how far will the WEST go to have Putin save face – and Russia not be treated like a “shithole country”. The former KGB boss has signalled that he’s backing the referendum with Ukraine’s western provinces to join “Mother Russia”.

Best let that be!

…in cricket

How sweet it is!! Your Eyewitness isn’t one to gloat – well, not too much!! So he won’t dwell too long about predicting that our Warriors would start their winning streak on Wednesday night.But he’s saving his “black tongue” for the elections!!

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Black Immigrant Daily News

PARAMARIBO — De politie van Geyersvlijt heeft vrijdag omstreeks 00.50 uur, na een melding, een lijk van een manspersoon langs

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Black Immigrant Daily News

With a tropical storm expected to pass Jamaica this weekend, preparations are in high gear across the parishes, including St Mary and Clarendon, which have been greatly impacted by weather systems in the past.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica has had a severe weather alert in effect for the island, with a tropical storm watch being announced at 5:pm om Friday.

The weather system, which is currently classified as a tropical depression, should begin to impact Jamaica and its territorial waters by Saturday, the Met Service said in bulletin number eight.

By then, sections of the island should see an increase in showers and gusty winds.

At the Central Government level, then Acting Prime Minister, Dr Horace Chang, said the relevant public agencies are all on alert in respect of possible negative impacts from the weather system.

At the local level, and given the fact that Port Maria has been repeatedly flooded in the past by torrential rain – the last time being in February of this year – the town’s Mayor, Richard Creary, has indicated that drain cleaning has already commenced.

Other preparations are also in high gear, said Creary.

“Our shelters have been checked and they have been found suitable,” he said during a radio interview on Thursday.

“Our shelter managers are all in place. We have a WhatsApp group that they communicate with our disaster coordinator, and they have been put on high alert based on the impending system,” the mayor continued.

He confessed, however, that Port Maria and another seaside town in the parish, Annotto Bay, could experience some amount of flooding.

Richard Creary

“But, as you well know, there are areas in St Mary that you prepare as best as you can, but if the rain comes and comes in a certain magnitude, there is basically nothing you can do (to prevent flooding),” Creary said frankly.

According to him, the drain-cleaning programme remains ongoing, and every month councillors in the parish receive funds to do drain cleaning, especially those known to cause flooding.

The cause of February’s flooding in the St Mary parish capital that affected residents and scores of businesses, was blamed on the Otram River that runs through the town.

Creary expressed the view that the river needs to be “dredged”.

“There are fishermen who tell us that you used to be able to go up the Otram River with their engine boats. Now, not even a paddle boat can go up the Otram River, based on how silted that river is.

“I do believe it needs dredging, and nothing has happened since February. I am hopeful it will be dredged eventually,” said Creary, adding that the National Works Agency (NWA) would be responsible for the dredging exercise.

Another town where flooding has been an issue in the past relative to weather events is May Pen, the capital of Clarendon.

That town’s Mayor, Winston Maragh, has confessed that like Port Maria, May Pen is prone to flooding.

“The town of May Pen will flood. We have outgrown the drains in the town,” he admitted.

“It will flood as long as we have excess amount of rainfall. We can’t run from it. It’s just how the town was designed years ago,” Maragh informed.

He proposed that a “huge amount of funds” is required “to acquire properties in order to widen all of these drains” in the town.

Winston Maragh

With the weather system fast approaching the island, the May Pen mayor disclosed that Clarendon currently has 93 shelters that have all been checked by the parish’s disaster coordinator.

Additionally, he said the coordinator is ensuring that all shelter managers are prepared for any situation relative to the weather system.

In relation to drain cleaning, Maragh said: “From time to time, we do clean our drains.

“We are expecting that some other funds might come to assist us, because the parochial revenue fund is not enough to do all our drains,” he indicated.

Over in western Jamaica, the St James Municipal Corporation has also heightened its preparation for the severe weather expected this weekend.

This was disclosed by Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Richard Vernon, who was speaking to media on Thursday.

He said based on dialogue with the parish’s disaster coordinator, all shelters have been assessed.

For those schools used as shelters, Vernon said classes will be dismissed there by 12:30 pm on Friday, to facilitate further preparations.

The main trouble area for Montego Bay is the South Gully, which has been cited as the perennial cause of flooding during weather events.

“We have looked at the South Gully… and the other major infrastructure in Montego Bay that usually contributes to floods, and of course, the National Works Agency, they have been alerted,” said Vernon.

He revealed that the municipal corporation will be working closely with NWA as they look at other problem areas that cause flooding.

Added Vernon relative to the possibility of flooding in Montego Bay: “Once there is a certain volume of water within a short period of time, there will be flooding, because we have a capacity issue, but we have to ensure that we advise the residents accordingly.”

However, he advised that drain-cleaning exercises will be ongoing.

In the old capital of Spanish Town, Mayor Norman Scott said he is still awaiting funds to do drain cleaning.

Norman Scott

“There are some critical drains that are in need of cleaning, and in so far as the ministry (of Local Government and Rural Development) is concerned, we had a meeting yesterday (Wednesday) and they are hoping that the funding will be dispatched to the municipal corporations today (Friday),” Scott explained.

Shelter managers, said the mayor, are on high alert if the need arises from any impact of the weather system.

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