Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 15-01-2023

China an important part of Guyana’s energy equation

–– President

Ali says

By Tamica Garnett

NOTING that Guyana sees China as an important part of the country’s energy equation, President Dr. Irfaan Ali encouraged the world’s second largest economy to be part of Guyana’s public bidding process in the auction of 14 offshore oil blocks.

Guyana has already seen quite a lot of interest generated in the new bidding round, which was launched in early December 2022, and is scheduled to run until April 2023.

“We continue to encourage China, as we encourage every single one, to participate fully in the public bidding process of this energy platform that we’re developing at the global scale,” President Ali said.

The Head of State encouraged China to throw their hat in the ring, as he discussed Guyana-China relations with Wang Guan on The Leaders Talk, a flagship programme of the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Speaking about energy cooperation with China, going forward, President Ali said he sees China as a “very critical” partner for Guyana in the energy sector, not only as it pertains to the development of the country’s oil-and-gas industry, but also when it comes to the area of renewable energy.

“Cooperation is very critical; China has the technology and the re-

source, from a capital perspective and from a human resource perspective, to fast-track and accelerate investment in greener energy providers. For example, hydropower, solar, and wind,” the President said.

Given the sheer large-scale nature of the projects in the energy sector and a void of human resource and technical expertise in developing countries, the support from developed countries such as China for energy initiatives is imperative.

The President pointed to Guyana’s ongoing plans to develop an energy corridor with Suriname and northern Brazil as one such largescale project where there exists room for China to invest.

“A great problem of the developing world is the capital cost for some of these alternative energy solutions, so what China has to do is to work at the global scale in supporting these alternative Energy initiatives,” the President noted.

Aside from assistance in the energy sector, the President pointed out that with the world also facing a climate crisis, food crisis and inequality crisis, there exists much scope for China to provide leadership and technical assistance.

Noting that China is an important development partner for Guyana, President Ali conveyed that the relationship between Guyana and China has been an evolution built not only

on economic prosperity, but mutual social, political, and cultural advancement of both countries.

Bilateral trade between Guyana and China grew an impressive 123 per cent in 2021, amounting to US$700 million. President Dr. Ali is said to have described the China Guyana relationship as imperishable.

“China is an important bilateral partner for Guyana. The Chinese business Community is integrally integrated into economic and social framework of Guyana,” the President related.

“In every area if you look at the trade and commerce you will see

a lot of Chinese investors. In every area of development, in any area of advancement in the country you would see Chinese investors or Chinese nationals playing an important part.”

According to the President, the Chinese contribution to Guyana is as rich and diverse as the six people of our country, and has influenced all aspects of national life. This is due to the government having an equal and respectful platform, in which the investment and presence of Chinese nationals in Guyana has not only been welcomed but supported.

“We are not just host to Chinese investments;

we have people-to-people link. Chinese people are part of our country, part of the diversity of our country, part of the bloodline of our country.

So when I said that, I meant that from a

people perspective, from a country perspective, from a human perspective; Chinese are an equal part of Ghana because they make up the six people.”

President Dr. Irfaan Ali with China’s Ambassador to Guyana Guo Haiyan

Exxon prepares to start up $2 bln Texas oil refinery expansion

(Reuters) Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) in coming days will sharply boost gasoline and diesel production at its Beaumont, Texas, refinery, people familiar with the matter said, completing a $2 billion expansion first considered nine years ago.

Initial startup of a 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) crude distillation unit (CDU) at the 369,000 bpd refinery is expected by Jan. 31, the sources said, making the Beaumont refinery the second largest in the United States.

It is the first major expansion to U.S. oil processing in nearly a decade, adding the equivalent of a mid-sized refinery, and coming online as scheduled at a time when U.S. President Joe Biden has been urging refiners to produce more fuels, or face

penalties.

An Exxon spokesperson declined to discuss the date of the unit’s initial startup.

Exxon has previously said the unit will start production in the first quarter of this year.

“Construction of the new crude unit is completed. We have initiated startup procedures and commissioning is underway,” said Exxon spokesperson Chevalier Gray in an emailed statement. “The unit will add 250,000 barrels

per day of all new supply for the refined products market.”

U.S. stockpiles of diesel and gasoline are near fiveyear lows, and profit margins for producing motor fuels in the U.S. Gulf Coast region are near record levels.

Refiners are earning about $35.40 per barrel using the industry’s crack spread <CL321-1+R>, a profit measure which compares the cost of crude oil to sale prices for gasoline and diesel, according to Refinitiv.

“Right now, margins are sensational,” said Garfield Miller, president of refining investment banker Aegis Energy Advisers Corp. “These

margins tell you that as far as the U.S. Gulf Coast is concerned, there is plenty of demand relative to supply.”

SHALE OIL TO DIESEL

The new CDU, called BLADE for the Beaumont Light Atmospheric Distillation Expansion project, was under consideration as early as 2014 and formally approved in 2019. It is planned to process Exxon’s crude oil pumped from the Permian shale field in West Texas and New Mexico.

Exxon said on Friday the total cost of BLADE is $2 billion. In a filing posted on Sept. 28 with the Texas Comptroller’s office in support of property tax reductions, the company said its total cumulative investment was $1.2 billion.

Turning on the new equipment will not immediately generate big new volumes of gasoline and diesel. Exxon plans to bring the new CDU up slowly to deal with potential startup problems,

the people said.

The new CDU, which will be the third at Beaumont, will increase the refinery’s capacity by 68%. CDUs do the initial work of turning crude into feedstocks for all other units at the refinery.

BLADE was constructed from modular sections over four years, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020’s massive decline in motor fuel demand that led to a record annual loss for the No. 1 U.S. oil firm.

Operators at the Beaumont refinery this week were purging the new CDU of air in preparation to introduce its first crude, the people familiar with the matter said.

The new CDU will make up for the refining capacity to be lost at the end of this year when Lyondell Basell Industries (LYB.N) shutters its 263,776 bpd Houston refinery, said analysts.

“Up until COVID, the U.S. added the equivalent of a world scale refining facility to existing capacity every year through expansions, de-bottlenecking, and tweaks,” Aegis Energy Advisers’ Miller said.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, six U.S. crude oil refineries have closed dropping U.S. capacity from 18.98 million bpd to 17.9 million bpd, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration report issued in June.

POST-PANDEMIC MILESTONE

Exxon’s Beaumont expansion marks a return to an era of steady refining capacity gains through processing tweaks and adding new equipment to existing plants.

There are several major oil companies adding refineries outside the United States, said Matthew Blair, managing director of refiners, chemicals and renewable fuels research at energy banking firm Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

“Overall, there are quite a number of new refineries on the docket this year,” Blair said, citing projects in Kuwait, Mexico, Nigeria and China.

“This will help rebalance global markets and bring down product cracks,” he added, using the industry term for processing margins.

Jair Bolsonaro to be investigated as part of inquiry into far-right Brazil riot

(Guardian News) Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro will be investigated as part of an inquiry into an alleged attempt to topple the country’s new government, the supreme court has announced.

Thousands of radical followers of the far-right populist marauded through Brazil’s three most important democratic institutions last Sunday, apparently convinced by a tsunami of fake news that last October’s presidential election –which Bolsonaro lost – was rigged.

Following those attacks in Brasília, Bolsonaro shared a video on social media which used false information to question the victory of his leftist adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was sworn in as president on 1 January.

Late on Friday, the Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes accepted a request from the attorneygeneral’s office that the expresident be included in the investigation as a result of that post, which Bolsonaro later deleted.

Brazil’s failed coup is the poison flower of the Trump-Bolsonaro symbiosis

The television network Globo said the investigation would examine whether Bolsonaro was one of the “intellectual authors” of the 8 January attacks, in which extremists armed with metal bars and slingshots ransacked Brazil’s congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace.

During his four-year term Bolsonaro, a former paratrooper notorious for his authoritarian tendencies,

relentlessly worked to undermine Brazil’s electronic voting system.

The Donald Trump-supporting radical, who flew to the US on the eve of Lula’s inauguration, has refused to publicly concede defeat in the election – something many hardcore supporters have taken as tacit support for their ongoing crusade to overturn the result.

In a statement Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Frederick Wassef, said the former president had “always repudiated every kind of illegal and criminal act” and been a “defender of democracy”. Wassef denied Bolsonaro had played any role in Sunday’s violence, which, without evidence, he blamed on “infiltrators”.

Earlier on Friday, Brazil’s foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, denounced what he called last Sunday’s “utterly reprehensible” attack on his

country’s young democracy, which was re-established in 1985 after more than two decades of military dictatorship.

Speaking to a small group of foreign correspondents in Brasília, Vieira said he believed the forceful response of Lula’s government would deter further attacks. More than 1,000 alleged insurrectionists have so far been arrested, among them military officials, while federal police are pursuing those who bankrolled the violence.

“The impression I have is that the manner in which the government reacted will discourage any kind of new adventure because the punishments will be increas -

ingly severe,” Vieira said.

The foreign minister added: “I hope that everyone has realised that the government is not messing around with this and that strong and firm measures have and will be taken in accordance with the law if there is any other kind of initiative.”

There is as yet no evidence that Bolsonaro was directly involved in planning Sunday’s far-right rebellion, which was condemned by world leaders including Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden.

However, suspicions that Bolsonaro may have been involved grew this week after the issuing of a warrant for the arrest of his former justice minister, Anderson Torres, for potential acts of omission. During a search of Torres’s home in Brasília, federal police officers reportedly found a draft decree that sought to authorise an emergency intervention in Brazil’s

electoral court designed to overturn the election result.

Torres, who has denied wrongdoing, was arrested at Brasília airport on Saturday morning after flying back from the US where he was purportedly on holiday at the time of the attacks.

Political commentators described the supreme court decision as dire news for the former president.

“Bolsonaro has become a toxic character,” the journalist Eliane Cantanhêde told the GloboNews television network.

“But radical extremist Bolsonaristas boast a network of fake news and online brainwashing”, that would not disappear in the case of Bolsonaro’s political

demise, Cantanhêde added.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Lula said he suspected the rightwing rebels had inside help in storming his presidential offices.

“Many people were complicit in this … Many people in the military police were complicit. There were many people in the armed forces here inside [the palace] who were complicit,” Lula said.

“I am convinced that the door to the Planalto palace was opened so these people could get in because I didn’t see the front door had been broken down. And that means that somebody facilitated their entry here.”

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro

Improving Lives

BUDGET Day is Monday, January 16. This is the third budget presentation by the PPP/C administration since its return to office in August 2020.

Because of the elections fiasco and trauma caused by the then APNU+AFC coalition government, the PPP administration was effectively denied roughly six months of its elected term in office and consequently, in the preparation and implementation of the 2020 budgetary plan, even though significant social and economic gains were made, including the reversal of several draconian taxes imposed by the then regime on the backs of the Guyanese working people.

All of that is now, as it were, water under the bridge and Guyanese can now look forward to a budget that will

bring further benefits to them and their children. Indeed, there is now an air of expectancy that this year will be better than last year in terms of their overall standard of living and quality of life.

Guyanese have every right to have such expectations of the 2023 national budget which, from all indications, will further build on the accelerated developmental trajectory which the country has been experiencing in recent years.

As pointed out by VicePresident Dr Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent interview, citizens can expect measures consistent with the framework and goals that the PPP/C administration established very early on.

This budget, like previous budgets, is an annual work

plan which, as noted by Dr Jagdeo, is characterized by continuity and consistency necessary for economic policy and decision-making. In this regard, the budget is not a public relations document, but a policy document with resources to support the goals that the PPP/C has outlined through its national development strategy and its elections manifesto. It is more about consistency and predictability over ‘newness.’

This is all the more necessary and relevant, given the country’s promising future due to the emerging oil-and-gas industry, which would generate significant budgetary resources to further accelerate the transformation and modernization processes currently underway.

And, in the words of VicePresident Jagdeo, “the country

has a great economic future, but that future is not a given. It could easily be eroded by a fickle government that is not clear on what it wants to achieve and that is why we said we are not going to be anecdotal and convenient. This is what differentiates us in the PPP from the other parties, being stable and predictable.”

Without getting into specifics, Dr Jagdeo indicated that there will be several predictable items in the budget that aligns with the fulfilment of promises made by the PPP/C government, including increases to old age pension and financial support to parents of schoolchildren and to other vulnerable segments of the population.

Similar observations were made by Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr

Ashni

stages of the budget. These included, but are not limited to, the private sector, government agencies and civil society.

people.

According to Dr Singh, the budget is constructed within the context of President Dr Irfaan Ali’s philosophy of One Guyana. Guyanese, he said, “are united around the common cause of advancing and developing our country and the fact that people start participating and benefitting from the incredibly exciting transformation that is taking place, and that even more so will continue to take place in the future of this beautiful country.”

One important characteristic of this, and for that matter, all past PPP/C budgets, has been the involvement of key stakeholders in the preparatory

Only recently, the President, Prime Minister, VicePresident, Finance Minister and other senior government officials engaged key stakeholders in a consultative meeting to listen to their concerns and suggestions with a view to incorporating these, to the extent possible, in the budget formulation.

The PPP/C administration must be commended for presenting to the nation another budget early in the new year. This will allow for the early implementation of the plans and programmes of the several budget agencies which are all aimed at enhancing the quality of life of all Guyanese.

Continuous registration is the way to go

Dear Editor, PRESIDENT, Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali assented to the National Registration (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2022, on December 13, 2022.

The essentials of objective improvements attained via the changes, pave the way for an enhanced, transparent and facilitative mechanism to support and provide GECOM with an improved, time-responsive, and accountability framework to support readiness for the various elections to be held under its mandate.

After widespread national consultations engaging various representative stakeholders, the sweeping objective amendments to the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, were recommended, revised debated, and advanced as appropriate. Fixed periods for voter registration, regular removal of deceased persons from the Official List of Electors, and cyclic issuance of national Identification Cards are among

the significant amendments to the National Registration Act (NRA).

GECOM is now mandated to facilitate registration transactions throughout the year with two small breaks, during which the publication and finalization of a valid Official List of Electors (OLE) will be facilitated.

Significantly, any eligible person can now approach the established GECOM offices for continuous registration of voters to be done in two periods, from January to May, with the qualifying date being June 30, and from July to November, with the qualifying date being December 31, provided that they will be 14 years and older at the qualifying dates.

Persons are reminded that they must be Guyanese citizens by birth, naturalization, or a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, to apply for registration, providing that they were never registered. Consequently,

qualifying persons can now update their records and make sure that all their information is correct concerning the various transactions that legally support voting at the Local Authority Area where they are living.

Hence, all name changes (because of marriage), date of birth, occupation, or updating their addresses, can now be done during the ongoing Continuous Registration almost all year round.

The PPP/C government must be commended for putting better systems in place, so that elections and (byelections) can be held when necessary.

There is also an updated position to deal with issues relating to the names of deceased people being on the list. New sections 8A, 8B, and 8C are inserted concerning the cancellation of the registration of persons who are dead. It requires the Registrar General of Births and Deaths to send to GECOM once every month, a list of all

persons 14 years and older, whose deaths were registered in the preceding month.

Further, supportive reconciling positions are mandated by the health departments and the Commissioner of Police, regarding persons who have died, which reflects a gap position with the report from the Registrar General of Births and Deaths.

With this process now in place, GECOM will be able to have a short period of Claims and Objections; proceed with the address of any necessary corrections and after cross-matching, publish a supplementary list.

Hence, GECOM will be ready to communicate its readiness for the holding of Local Government Elections to the Minister of Local Government, to facilitate the necessary announcements of the dates for the due LGEs.

All GECOM permanent offices around the country are fully staffed and

equipped to facilitate all the necessary transactions during this period of Continuous Registration. Further, it must be noted that the main political parties have appointed scrutineers in all areas, so that GECOM can conduct verification of all transactions using a collective approach and this togetherness will likely guarantee a successful process.

Importantly, under the amended act, references to residency and houseto-house registration are removed. Instead, GECOM will be responsible for the establishment of offices in registration districts, at which registration officers will receive registration applications from eligible persons with addresses in that district.

It is also noteworthy that stricter penalties have also been imposed for breaches in provisions of the act, which ought to be a deterrent for those who may wish to consider conflicting

clandestine activities.

Notably, the Act makes provision for GECOM officers and party scrutineers to visit persons unable to attend registration offices due to physical incapacity. Under new subsection (4A), a registration officer, with the approval of the GECOM commissioner, may visit the address of the person to accept his or her application for registration.

The updated positions leave no room for the flimsy excuses commonly and conveniently projected by the Opposition and their cohorts. For the upcoming LGEs, GECOM will have to establish Electoral Registrar Offices in every Local Authority Area during the Claims and Objections process. This will further enhance and enable GECOM to produce the best possible List for the LGEs.

Let us have LGEs now! Yours respectfully, Neil Kumar.

Singh, who said that the 2023 Budget will continue to deliver on the things that are necessary to improve the lives of the Guyanese

Gov’t donates $3.5M to rebuild houses affected by ‘Linden landslide’

PRIME Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Saturday donated a total of $3.5 million to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) as part of the government’s efforts to assist the families whose houses were destroyed by a landslide last year.

The Sunday Chronicle understands that the money will be used to help with the ongoing rehabilitation work on the two houses that were destroyed at Poker Street, Wismar, Linden.

During the simple handing-over ceremony, the Prime Minister who is currently executing the duties of President, said that “the donation was facilitated through the Prime Minister’s Office Special Projects fund, which will help with the displaced Bobb and Frazer families.”

Brigadier Phillips, during his remarks, also reflected on his childhood days of playing cricket in the Poker Street area and he even rested under one of the houses after a good game of the sport.

Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Dwight John, explained that the Prime Minister’s visit was welcome and appreciated by the residents of Poker Street, especially the ones whose houses and livelihoods were directly affected by the landslide.

“The families are very happy that the Prime Minister kept his word and came back to ensure that the people of the area were taken care of. He

didn’t forget them and they appreciated that,” John said.

The landslide that occurred on November 30, 2022, was reported to have been caused by Charlie Thakur, an excavator operator working for the private contractor and lumber yard owner, Symon Harry.

According to reports, the operator was digging to locate a drain at the time, which he believed would have alleviated the

flooding situation in the community. According to Harry, the operator went too close to a pocket of water, which caused the land to shift.

During his visit to the area, the Prime Minister inspected the site and met with residents of the community and later visited Second Phase Wisroc.

While there, Brigadier Phillips conducted a walkabout and addressed the residents there; he assured them that their com-

munity and by extension, Region 10, will not be left out of the “massive” development that is taking place in Guyana.

“We are looking for investors to create opportunities in Linden. I can assure you that Linden will not be left out of any development,” the Prime Minister said.

He reassured them that there will be development in infrastructure, education, ICT connectivity and the establishment of recre-

ational facilities, among other developments, for the region.

The Prime Minister also visited West Watooka and assessed the roads that are in a deplorable state.

He listened to the concerns raised by the residents and assured them that the government will look into farmer-assistance, small business grants and or loans, and infrastructural development.

Meanwhile, the REO thanked the Prime Minister for resolving the issue at Block 22, where a road is being constructed.

According to the REO, “they were supposed to build a road there, but there was a disagreement between the residents and the road being built; the Prime Minister would have [sic] resolved that issue, and now work will resume on Monday, hopefully.

The contractor will commence work on the roadway, which will bring relief to the hundreds of residents who live in that area. It will be of benefit to all.”

(Cindy

Parkinson)

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and team inspect the state of roads at Block 22

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips listens to the concerns of residents at Wisroc Village

Providing care and support to those facing end of life

NO one knows the day or the hour that death will knock at your door, but discussions and preparations surrounding the end-of-life processes can only serve as a tool to prepare caregivers and family members to provide the best care and support for those on their way out.

Just like discussions surrounding the beginning of life or the birthing process, the end of life or death is also a process whereby organs begin to shut down

Apart from war , natural disasters and terrorism, instantaneous death may be caused by accidents, crime and suicide, which does not require any provision of care or support to the deceased

However , for the masses who experience natural causes of death, mainly due to non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, it may be estimated that half of the number of deaths occur in the 70 plus category in richer countries, and may require assisted care services in their final days

This is a more obvious requirement in poorer countries where infectious diseases dominate as the cause of death, such as diarrhoeal diseases and HIV, both occurring in all age groups. However, death from infectious diseases may merely require services of support and care for a shorter period of time

The global death rate for 2022 was 8.4 per 1000 versus 8.8 per1000 in 2021; a gradual decline from 12.5 per 1000 in 1972 These statistics may be the genesis of a global map

to providing care and support to those facing end of life

At the end stage of life basic services such as personal hygiene, nutritional and spiritual support is in dire need by caregivers In cases of end-stage cancer, which may affect all ages, professional palliative-care services are equipped to offer pain relief and mild sedation to smoothen the transition in their departure from such painful conditions

There are 10 established signs that death is near Many persons do not wish to speak about such events for various reasons such as fear, superstition or their individual belief systems But with such invaluable knowledge, one can be better prepared mentally and emotionally, becoming the anchor to the rocking boat in the storm

Those signs are:

* Loss of thirst and appetite – choking can occur if feeding is forced Only sips of water or ice cubes may be tolerated

* Dry eyes or dry mouth – a wet sponge or a lubricating eye drop may provide comfort

* Sleepiness and confusion upon awaking

* Loss of interest in favourite activities and persons – some patients become unresponsive

* The senses of hearing and touch remain activated – comforting words and showing signs of affection are appropriate at this time

* Some persons may experience delirium – restless movements such as sheet or clothes-pulling – in such cases calming music or mild sedation can provide comfort

* Changes in breathing may be observed –irregular breaths sounding shallow or gurgling can be heard as the jaw muscles relax

The organs of the body are all connected and interdependent So depending on the causative illness the corresponding organs begin their process of shutting down

Winding down to the final hours before death, some persons’ lips may become bluish, breathing may cease extensively or the dying person may complain of feeling cold Insulation may be provided using blankets Sounds of moans and groans in the final stages do not necessarily indicate physical pains experienced, unless they pull away when being touched

Actual life lessons learnt when compared to reading about a phenomenon is like “chalk to cheese.” Having personally watched death in slow motion for two of my closest relatives in 2022, you are forever changed

It emphasizes the inadequacies of human beings and the limitations of medical interventions When your fight is floored, making you feel helpless and fragile, inner strength can be regained from connecting to the source of life

Death is inevitable for all life forms However, most humans facing end of life will go through five phases of the emotional cycle; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and lastly, acceptance, which is referred to as the Kubler-Ross’s five-stage model

The first stage of “it cannot be happening to me” gives the dying person some time to come to terms with the actual reality of the situation Then having accepted death, one may become angry and ask “why me?”

In all of this transitioning, it is important that the closest relative or caregiver remain emotionally stable and not react to the lashing out, since most likely that person will be the recipient of such outbursts Not many persons go through the next phase, which is where the person will try to buy extra time by bargaining with God or bartering with the doctor, if they have the resources. Then, having realized that the end result will be the same, depression sets in

Some persons who would have lost their independence because of a stroke would have initiated this grieving process for themselves over a period of time So this type of depression would have just escalated when realization hits that this is the final separation from their loved ones

The final stage is acceptance when they would have reached that point of calm and peace, having worked through the previous phases Those who are spiritually inclined will actually look forward to meeting their maker and their loved ones who would have passed

A needs assessment will provide details of the requirements for palliative care for terminally ill patients The Department of Public Information approximates that 78 percent of those persons requiring palliative or hospice care globally are from low- or middle-income

countries

It may be projected that just less than half, 25.7 million persons out of an average 56.8 million, need this type of service in their last year of existence

Assisted care may also be required for a subset of the surviving stroke patients Forty percent may not survive a stroke after one year. Those without male relatives to physically assist with the limited mobility of patients could be extremely challenging

Likewise, a selected few who are disabled by frequent epileptic episodes may also require such assisted care, especially if mental disorders coexist Epilepsy, though not considered life-threatening, may reduce life expectancy from two to 10 years, but may impact on quality of life and more importantly, may negatively impact on patients’ livelihoods, although protected by The Equality Acts and The Health and Safety protocols recommended

Palliative care or hospice comes at a high cost when sought professionally, since it is exclusively offered by private entities For those caregivers who are the sole bread- winners and may not be able to afford hospice facilities, you are placed in a tight corner to choose between providing financially , physically and spiritually, all of which are required, whilst still maintaining your individual life.

The unequipped caregivers are told by health care professionals to just make their loved ones comfortable, since curative processes are no longer a consideration. However, it can be setting up the caregiver for failure, especially if that caregiver has not been schooled or resourced on providing relief for the dying body. Addressing the fears or anger of the soon-to-be deceased when you are not trained in social work, psychology or religious teachings can in itself be emotionally and mentally challenging.

There are a few pointers to keep in mind, which can smoothen the transition of your loved one from this life to the life beyond It has been perceived that they can still hear sounds, since the last-activated sense is the sense of hearing, even in comatose states So telling your loved ones that you love them or attending to their last needs show that you care and will be a great assurance to them Expression of gratitude for the role they played in your existence or even expression of forgiveness for any wrongs they would have committed, may ease the burdens on their hearts when departing for another destination

For further discussion, contact the pharmacist of Medicine Express PHARMACY located at 223 Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets.

If you have any queries, comments or further information on the above topic kindly forward them to medicine.express@ gmail.com or send them to 223 Camp Street, N/burg. Tel #225-5142.

True cost of Guyana’s Uaru-Mako Field Project

EXXONMOBIL’S fifth project at the Uaru-Mako field is expected to be the largest yet in Guyana with a proposed development cost of US$12.7 billion (GY$2.6 trillion), according to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) compiled by Acorn International and released this month.

The Uaru-Mako field is estimated to hold over 1.3 billion barrels of oil and could produce as much as 263,000 barrels per day.

The EIA process is modelled after similar regulations used in the United States and other countries. It requires impact assessments for projects that explore any theoretically possible environmental impacts, explores how impacts can be mitigated and offers public-engagement opportunities to give citizens more power over decisions that will impact them. This is crucial for Guyanese to have an input in the future of the oil-and-gas industry.

EIAs done in Guyana are done in accordance with international best practices and allow for a transparent analysis of the environmental consequences in decision-making. Generally, the critical stages of an EIA include screening to decide whether a proposed project should be subject to EIA, scoping to identify important impacts and issues that need to be addressed for the study, the actual EIA study and preparation of the report, and finally the presentation of findings to the public.

The EIA also contains critical environmental data that can help put minds at ease. Despite public concerns about fisheries, the expert analysis found that impacts were likely to be limited to areas within 100 metres of offshore production vessels—a vanishingly small part of the 26,800-square kilometre Stabroek Block.

The Uaru-Mako project, initially estimated to cost some US$10 billion, is now expected to exceed that sum due to inflationary pressures in the economy, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Rielly, Chief Financial Officer at Hess Corporation, revealed during

their third quarter earnings call, that the development will break even, despite the inflationary pressures.

“

The Uaru project is going to have industry-leading returns and a low cost of supply; the cost of the Uaru project, will be higher, reflecting the current market conditions as well as additional scope to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Rielly said.

While front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for the Uaru-Mako project is already underway and first oil is targeted for the end of 2026, more work remains to be done before ExxonMobil Guyana and its partners reach final investment decision (FID), due to ongoing evaluations of the new cost considerations during the development process.

It is important to note that although the increased costs were unexpected, the people and Government of Guyana will not be expected to cover these costs. ExxonMobil and its partners will continue to provide the capital needed to develop the offshore resources.

These cost pressures on the project are not unique to Guyana and are being felt on oil-and-gas projects across the globe.

Guyana continues to be in a unique position as the Guyana-Suriname Basin has one of the most competitive break-even points in the world, according to a report from Rystad Energy. This means that although costs to develop are increasing, Guyana will still see significant wealth due to its 50 per cent share of all profits. Guyana already has more than US$1.4 billion in its Natural Resource Fund.

The Uaru-Mako development project would be a sizeable investment in Guyana that will see approximately 38-63 development wells, installation and operation of subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) equipment; installation and operation of a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel; and eventually, project decommissioning.

Not only is all this critical infrastructure being put in place, but this project will

also see an oil- production rate of 250,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and upper oil-production limit of around 263,000 bpd. That would significantly increase Guyana’s revenues and con-

tinue its path into the upper ranks of oil producers.

Importantly, the Acorn International EIA study also highlighted that the project will be producing 540 million standard cubic feet of

gas per day, which could help power the electric grid and develop other industries. The project will also require up to 540 new employees to drill and complete the development wells.

The fifth and largest project to date is yet another sign that Guyana remains on the right path to develop its resources, while protecting the environment.

Three political lightweights and a recording

RECENTLY, a recording surfaced with what appears to be a conversation involving three political lightweights from the opposition, the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNC/R).

From the recording, it appears to be the voices of PNC/R Executive Members Roysdale Forde, Ganesh Mahipaul, and Mohamed Faaiz Mursaline.

The first two were seemingly intrigued and surprised by the details surrounding the resignation of Mursaline from the party.

They kept asking about the leader, Aubrey Norton’s alleged involvement in the blank cheque debacle and racism allegations, which led the conversation down the path of discussing issues of accountability,

governance, transparency and management in the PNC/R.

The trio then purportedly hatched a plan to write a letter to the 15 members of the party’s Central Committee ahead of Wednesday’s party meeting, detailing all of the concerns which would be signed by Mursaline.

Some other persons were named and came up for discussion on the recording, among them Volda Lawrence, Carol Joseph-Smith and Gary Best.

Mahipaul and Forde would be spotless in the end, through the eyes of fellow political party leaders.

Firstly, the PNC/R must be concerned about this internal political development; it is never good when the party’s business is

aired in the public domain for everyone to see or hear.

In fact, someone close to or right in the party might have made the recording of what was seemingly meant to be a private conversation. They then intentionally released it on social media, mass media, and in certain political circles.

Maybe this 21-minute recording could be followed by other videos of other opposition and powerful PNC/R politicians discussing Norton’s leadership in less disparaging ways apart from lightweights Forde and Mahipaul.

In any case, it is a serious breach of the party’s rules of confidentiality and privacy to have such a recording made public in which the party’s business is on blast.

This requires a sweeping investigation, because someone must be held accountable or disciplined.

Secondly, the rift is growing between the Norton faction, the old yet powerful party members, and those who form the generous middle-class elites. There is also a disconnect between the middle-class and the working-class in the party when it comes to this opposition holding the government accountable.

All of this factionalism is retarding and affecting the development and growth of the PNC/R.

One must note that it is 2023, and opposition politicians are still scheming, fighting and setting each other up, as this recording demonstrates. The lack of trust and confidence in the party’s leadership will erode everything the PNC/R strives to do while it is not in Executive Office.

It has taken a servere blow with the resignation of party-strongwoman Lawrence, who recently came back to the limelight, only to find the party changed and still on a political rollercoaster. She is not as vocal as she used to be now; she is not the only one to resign or walk away from Norton’s PNC/R.

As quiet as it is kept, Joseph Harmon, Van West Charles, Stanley Ming and others are all watching the party fall from grace and self-destruct.

Then, there is the coalition fallout. Norton appears aloof and delinked from reality. Every single strong political ally that is worth anything has already broken off the ties it had with the PNC/R, either officially or unofficially.

Where is the WPA? Gone.

Where is the AFC? Gone.

Where are the other ‘paper’ members of APNU? Non-existent or in hibernation.

Where is the PNC/R? Present, but fighting against itself and the political demons within.

Thirdly, the Wednesday meeting will prove very interesting, because tempers will flair when certain issues are addressed for the first time since the party’s Congress.

If they do meet and discuss the recording, or issues of financial accountability, transparency and audit, then the issue of the motion of no-confidence brought by the Florida PNC/R Chapter in Norton’s leadership will arise.

If this doesn’t occur, there is room for Joseph-Smith and others in the party’s management and the issues of racism or racial intolerance to be discussed either partially or completely.

After all, there are much too many complaints made in the past two years about racism or racial insensitivities of leading persons in the PNC/R shown to other members who are of East Indian, Amerindian and mixed origin.

Also, the allegations against Norton made by Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Mahipaul and Mursaline and others must not be swept under the carpet.

As the saying goes, if you must cut one’s foot off to stop the whole leg and body from going bad, one will have to let go of one’s foot.

Similarly, the PNC/R must not save face; it must not shy away from making the tough decisions that it will have to make before it is too late.

If any party leader or politician would deflect and make all sorts of excuses, and give all sorts of half-baked explanations for racism, discrimination, and a lack of financial accountability and transparency, they must be booted; drain the swamp, or call in the political elders or political priests to perform an exorcism.

Finally, the PNC/R needs to get its act together, or it will sink further into the political wastebasket. It is a strong and united party, but if this factionalism, divisions, dullness, confusion, discrimination and racism continues, it will self-implode.

With just hours before the reading this year of the biggest National Budget ever to be presented, all that hangs in the political air are reminders of blank cheques, a controversial recording, a lack of leadership and betrayal, racism and the PNC division. This will not do.

It’s not cute when the political opposition is not at its best.

Mental health in the new year

By Vanessa Cort

THE start of the new year brings greater concern for mental health, which has drawn increasing attention over the past decade.

Put on the “back burner” for so many years because of the stigma attached to it, mental illness is now being discussed like never before. This is in large part due to the fact that celebrities and world-famous athletes have been admitting to mental health challenges and promoting widespread debate.

Many, like tennis star Naomi Osaka and record-breaking gymnast, Simona Biles, have gone a step further and put their careers on hold, while announcing stress-related depression and anxiety. They declared themselves unable to perform until they had addressed their problems and won the support of many across the globe.

Indeed, it has been pointed out that mental illness, like its physical counterpart, can affect anyone, regardless of status, race, gender or wealth. However, while people openly admit to being physically ill and seek medical help, they often ignore or deny mental illness and so fail to seek the appropriate treatment. Feelings of shame and embarrassment cause many – men in particular - to hide their anxiety, stress or depression.

Yet, as with any illness, the sooner a mental health issue is recognised and acknowledged, the sooner it can be treated. Left alone, the condition will not disappear, as many sufferers believe, but will only get worse.

In his continuing bid to educate the general public about mental health and engage the attention of companies and organisations, Guyanese Clinical Psychotherapist, Shane Tull, last year published his timely book: “The mental health pandemic.’

Since then, he has made several presentations--both locally and abroad-- and held seminars on the subject, along with his consultancy. Now the psychotherapist is reaching out to religious bodies to “address mental health awareness in

Guyana.”

Tull notes: “Mental health continues to plague our communities in Guyana. It’s imperative that we recognise mental health [as being of equal importance] as physical health.”

He reminds the religious community of the biblical scripture, “brethren I wish above all things that you prosper and be of good health, even as your soul prospereth” and calls for an open discussion of mental health in this country.

His concern is echoed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) which states, “Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health.”

An example is given of how depression increases the risk of many physical health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, while chronic conditions can increase the risk of mental illness.

The devastating effect of mental illness can be seen when persons develop chronic conditions such as post-partum depression, diagnosed in the young Guyanese mother who killed her grandmother and the thousands who each year take their own lives.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), makes that salient point: “Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress

and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes.”

The WHO also notes that throughout our lives, a host of factors can negatively impact our mental health, such as unfavourable social, economic and environmental circumstances, while our individual responses may vary widely.

An article on Global Mental Health by several writers tells us that, “About l4 per cent of the global burden of disease

has been attributed to neuropsychiatric disorders, mostly due to the chronically disabling nature of depression and other common mental disorders.”

This all makes it clear that mental health is of concern to everyone and we can no longer afford to stigmatise it and its sufferers.

For in so doing, we are ensuring that mental illness will persist and grow – an outcome we do not desire.

Tourism ministry wants greater partnerships with international agencies

–– to utilise services of local-content creators for social media

By Cassandra Khan

AS part of efforts to publicise Guyana as a destination country, Minister of Tourism, Industry and

Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, says the ministry has been advocating for greater partnerships with international agencies to utilise the services of local-content

creators for social media and other publications.

The tourism minister said this during her address at the ministry’s Village Video Competition Prize Giv -

ing Ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Friday.

Minister Walrond, noting that the ministry received 16 “excellent presentations,” said that there were video submissions from almost every region in Guyana.

Many of the producers of the videos, she said, have demonstrated that the capacity is available locally to produce quality content. As such, she related that the ministry will continue to facilitate initiatives such as these to enhance content creation and to be able to identify them with the objective of facilitating lucrative opportunities for Guyanese, while exposing Guyana’s tourism product to a global audience.

“There are some incredible shots and natural sounds of the environments and even the chatter of the community and villagers. This brought to life the dynamism of our communities. I’m confident in any of these top five videos we are recognizing today can make it on the international level…” the tourism minister stated.

She noted that the objective of the competition was to showcase the beauty and diversity of Guyana and to affirm the ministry’s point that every region of the country has tourism potential.

“You’ll see that we received multiple submissions from almost every region of Guyana, with multiple submissions from Regions Four, Nine and 10… the Department of Tourism has worked with all and continues to work with all regions

to establish Tourism Committees,” she said.

Walrond explained that the committees would drive tourism from the regional levels simultaneously and that the Guyana Tourism Authority has been working with many communities to develop their products into full-fledged tourism offerings.

“We are doing this because tourism has a positive impact on the lives of residents and these residents are the best individuals to carry this mantra, because they know their province better than anyone else,” she said.

The tourism minister added: “The village video competition sought to get residents involved in content creation because you are on site, you know the locations… the best time to capture the right images.”

She explained that based on the analytics of the videos posted, the viewership originated from different parts of the world.

“It was not just Guyanese who were looking, every video that is produced or photo that captures the aspect of destination Guyana serves as a marketing tool,” she said.

Minister Walrond explained that if the ministry had to tender for marketing such as those videos and snaps, it would cost hundreds of millions of US dollars.

“We encourage Guyanese to keep taking photos and videos of the various destinations as you travel around and share these images. Many tourists spend significant time researching where they intend to visit

and these images will pop up in the feed when they search for them,” she noted.

Additionally, the ministry has been focusing on tourism influencers who can act as brand ambassadors.

“The primary targets are those individuals who have significant social media following and are inclined to promoting Guyana as a tourism destination… so, you will see more Guyanese actively promoting the destination on their social media pages as we work collaboratively to boost our tourism product,” she said.

Meanwhile, for the village video contest, Hana Andrews won ‘Most Reactions’ with a video about Pakuri Village.

In first place was Shannon Holland with 39 points for his video on Mapari, Katoka Village in Region Nine winning $400,000; in second, Damian Lackna and Darrin Smith tied. Damian produced a video on the Rupununi and Darrin on Wakapao, winning prizes of $150,000 each.

In fourth place came Danielle Swain and Shatanand Anude for their video on Ubudi Lodge, Moraikobai, winning $75,000 and in fifth, Jeff Simon for his video on Rewa Eco-Lodge, winning $50,000.

The tourism minister related to the attendees that their videos will be used for promotion, locally and internationally.

Additionally, the GTA will evaluate the potential of the sites covered in their videos and potentially work with the winners to streamline new products.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, and Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Kamrul Baksh, along with the winners of the Village Video Contest

CANU destroys some 1,300lbs of cocaine, marijuana

By Cassandra Khan

THE Customs Anti- Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Saturday destroyed approximately 454.7 kilogrammes of marijuana (or more than 1,000 pounds) and 140.6 kilogrammes of cocaine (or about 300 pounds) which were seized during various operations.

The destruction took place at the former Ministry

Benn; CANU Head, James Singh and Chief Fire Officer (ag), Gregory Wickham.

Minister Benn stated that President, Dr Irfaan Ali has committed to bringing more resources and support to the fight against drug trafficking.

“In terms of the fight against drug trafficking, drug use in the community, our work is onerous, our work is risky. That is work which has to be done by the coun-

“We need more help in respect of this fight. We need help in terms of the assets, the resources, to help prevent the flow of drugs through Guyana,” Minister Benn stated.

Meanwhile, the Head of CANU, Singh, noted that the drugs which were destroyed on Saturday were not all the drugs that the agency had seized.

“Unfortunately, we can-

According to Singh, CANU remains committed to fighting the scourge of narcotics within Guyana in an effort to have a safer country for all and to ensure that Guyana isn’t labelled a “narco-state.”

Singh related that there were issues with narcotics being fed into schools last year and as a result, CANU started a programme with the Ministry of Education to

CANU has visited several schools.

“We’ve actually done a PowerPoint presentation for the teachers, sensitising them on both narcotics and also one for the students.”

Singh said that the aim is to cover all the schools in the various communities through a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education.

Additionally, the CANU Head revealed that there are

Singh said CANU would like to bring those persons before the courts in Guyana, and after serving their prison sentences, then they can be extradited to other countries.

“The aim is to produce persons before the court…we want to send a strong message that the government is serious about fighting narcotics, within Guyana and also [that] Guyana will not be used as

of Housing tarmac, on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, after the associated matters in which arrests were effected, were concluded at the Magistrates’ Court.

Present at the destruction exercise was Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson

tries like ourselves who are trans-shipment countries for drugs to other places who are the consumers,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

He noted that Guyana has the difficult task of interdicting and preventing the movement of drugs.

not destroy all the drugs that we have found so far because they have to be presented as evidence in court,” Singh explained.

For the year 2022, CANU seized more than 3.7 tons of marijuana and 120 plus kilogrammes of cocaine.

sensitise both teachers and students in various schools across the country about different types of drugs, how they are peddled and how they are concealed.

“I’m happy to say that we have a programme that is continuing to this year, where

several joint investigations ongoing as it relates to known suspects who are wanted in other territories for questioning linked to narcotics.

He explained that often, persons who are of interest in narcotics cases outside of Guyana are extradited.

a trans-shipment point for narcotics to other territories,” he noted.

Singh added that CANU wants a better relationship with the communities because a lot of the agency’s successes are as a result of the public’s help.

Transparent, legal process used for Carbon Credits revenues

–– Finance Ministry assures nation

THE government on Saturday reiterated that any expenditure of revenues garnered from Guyana’s forest carbon-credits sale is underpinned by the existing legal framework, where there is full scrutiny by the National Assembly.

“Forest-carbon revenues and the approach being applied represent every facet of a transparent and legally underpinned process for the allocation and utilization of carbon-credits revenues, using Guyana’s national system for doing so – the National Budgetary Process,” the Ministry of Finance (MoF) clarified in a statement issued on Saturday.

The MoF was at the time addressing attempts by a recently published article that sought to negatively paint the government’s utilisation of money from the carbon-credit sale in the 2023 Budget, which is scheduled to be unveiled on Monday.

“Views that seeks [sic] to distort or falsely represent

the facts surrounding the structures that have been publicly communicated, legally grounded and anchored by transparency and accountability provisions of our Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, including the work of our Public Accounts Committee, with the deliberate intent to mislead the public,” the MoF statement noted.

“These views seek to diminish what our government stands for, which is for all revenues to be used for the national good of all our people, using national processes, in a fully transparent manner.”

Earlier this month, Guyana received its first payment of $75 million for carbon credits under the agreement with the Hess Corporation. The payment was the first in a multi-year agreement that will be worth a minimum of US$750 million up to 2030.

In announcing the receipt, the government noted

that two further payments of US$37.5 million each will be made during 2023 – one in January and one in July – bringing the total amount available for appropriation in this year’s National Budget to US$150 million.

With the National Budget being the vehicle whereby the government expends money to serve the people of Guyana, the MoF noted that the use of any other process for expenditure of the money should be strongly resisted.

“These processes represent everything that is required from best practice for strong financial management, transparency, and fiduciary arrangements, through parliamentary processes and subject to both ex post and ex ante scrutiny, as is fundamental to the national budgetary process,” the Finance Ministry noted.

It is in Chapter Two of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that the government outlines the proposal for the use of national legislative and

regulatory structures for the administration of all revenues to be earned from forest-carbon financing. This was supported by all stakeholders through the seven months of consultations on the draft LCDS 2030, which was launched in October 2021 for consultations.

“ The National Assembly, including through its committees, will have oversight of the investment of all national revenues received from forest- climate markets and managed via the Consolidated Fund through the budgetary process,” the LCDS noted.

Chapter Two of the publicly available LCDS 2030, page 42, outlines in clear detail that: “ All revenues will be transparently administered via the Consolidated Fund, enabling them to be scrutinised and approved by the National Assembly via the National Budget process.”

Aside from being stated in the LCDS, the PPP/C government has further publicly stated that every pay-

ment and payment source will be communicated publicly at the point of payment, and at the point of transfer into the Consolidated Fund, when the payment value in Guyana dollars will also be communicated.

For the revenues to be expended, the Minister of Finance has to request the National Assembly to approve withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, which shall be included in the Annual Budget Proposals, in keeping with established budgetary process enshrined in law.

All transactions will be appropriately tagged with a unique identifier on the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) within the Ministry of Finance to enable the execution of annual audits.

To prepare for these new revenue flows, the first draft of the LCDS 2030 proposed that all revenues would be invested through a combination of: national programmes outlined in the draft LCDS 2030 (e.g. renewable energy as described

in Chapter 3; land titling as described in Chapter 4; repairing canals and protecting against climate change as outlined in Chapter 5), and community/village-led programmes for indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) as set out in Village Sustainability Plans or equivalent, put together by communities themselves.

“The transparency with which the current PPP/C government is currently handling receipts and expenditure of the carbon-credit revenues presents a stark contrast to practices of the previous APNU administration where a US$18 million signing bonus received on the oil contract was not declared, and was hidden away.

The hidden money was not subject to any scrutiny or financial structure, was understood to be a gift by some, and is devoid of any recognition of legal requirements, such as the national budgetary process and parliamentary oversight.”

Some 1,300lbs of cocaine and marijuana were destroyed by CANU

Constable Doris promoted after attaining pilot licence

CONSTABLE Troy Doris was recognised by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for completing the requirements for the Private Pilot Licence - Single Engine certificate and graduating as the valedictorian of his programme.

On Friday last, during a simple ceremony at the Commissioner’s Conference Room, Eve Leary, Commissioner of Police (ag), Clifton Hicken applauded Constable Doris’ “stellar accomplishments” and lauded his father, Sergeant Troy Doris, for supporting his son in this endeavour.

The Top Cop stated that as a motivator and reward, a letter would be sent to the

Police Service Commission requesting that Constable Doris be elevated to the level of Cadet Officer.

“The force is going places, and this will be an organisation that is contemporary and second to none,” the Top Cop declared.

According to Hicken, “in order to accomplish a contemporary police force, partnership is necessary. We need to develop our people to meet the standard that is necessary...and to create infrastructure that is conducive, and build the bridge between the police and the public.”

Furthermore, the Top Cop said the Force’s Executive Leadership Team has

decided that emphasis this year would be placed on operational priorities, performance, professionalism, and accountability.

Hicken stated that Guyana is undergoing rapid infrastructural development, which would challenge the GPF.

Speaking about the force’s strategic plan and under the “Developing Our People” pillar, Deputy Commissioner - Administration Calvin Brutus, noted that a proposal was made for the establishment of a Police Airway, which he said is for the “independence, efficiency, and effective operational capabilities of the Guyana Police Force.”

In this regard, Brutus pointed out that capable persons were selected to be trained in aeronautical engineering and to undergo cadet courses.

Brutus noted that Constable Doris commenced training online in 2018 and completed the practical training of his course at the Flight Training Institute Barbados Inc. on January 8, 2023.

“We are proud as an organisation,” Brutus declared.

Three other police ranks are currently enrolled in the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School; one in his second year and two in their first.

According to Brutus, the

force intends to continue training ranks in all necessary fields.

Finally, Brutus assured that the GPF will continue to support Constable Doris in furthering his studies to pursue a programme in multi-engine certification.

In his response, a joyful and enthusiastic Doris thanked God and the force’s administration for supporting his aspirations.

The 22-year-old Doris, who joined the Guyana Police Force on March 7, 2019, noted that being a pilot and being part of a major development in the force is a great feeling.

Doris recalled his first encounter entering the Officers’ Training Centre, where

he saw a sign that read, “Am I a Credit to the Force?” and asked himself, “How can I be a credit to the force?”

He aspires to become a certified flight instructor to teach his colleagues and help in the GPF’s self-sufficiency agenda.

His father, Sergeant Troy Doris thanked the force’s administration for its unwavering support while noting that being a pilot has been his son’s dream since the tender age of four, when, while cleaning the yard with his parents, he spotted a plane and told his mother that “one day he would be a pilot and he will put her in the front seat of the plane.”

From left: Deputy Commissioner ‘Admin’ Calvin Brutus; Constable Troy Doris; Top Cop, Clifton Hicken; Head of SPU, Nicola Kendal and Sergeant Troy Doris senior (GPF photo)

Constable Troy Doris (right) and his father and Sergeant Troy Doris (Snr)

Chinese Medical Brigade, CNOOC launch medical assistance fund

THE 18th Chinese Medical Brigade and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL) established the CNOOC- Chinese Medical Team Medical Assistance Fund in Georgetown on Friday last.

The Medical Assistance Fund received $2,000,000 from CPGL. The Chinese Medical Brigade provides medical assistance and review, and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) serves as the fund trustee.

The fund’s establishment is good news for most of Guyana’s patients who cannot afford the costs of medicine and medical tests.

Captain of the Medical Brigade, Chu Xuehui, said that 2023 would mark Guyana’s 30th anniversary of Chinese medical assistance. He noted that establishing the medical assistance fund was an excellent start to the

30th-anniversary series.

The captain added that the co-operation between enterprises and medical teams reflects China’s social responsibility in the health field.

“The collaboration of medical technology and funding will bring more benefits to Guyanese. In the follow-up medical work, the medical team will strictly control and rationally use the medical assistance fund so as to make full use of the fund for the neediest patients,” he noted.

President of CPGL, Mr. Liu Xiaoxiang, noted that CPGL had been concerned about and supported health education in Guyana for years.

“In the later stage, CPGL will invest more funds to improve people’s health in Guyana and train medical talents,” he stated.

Pedestrian dies in Vreed-en-Hoop accident

–– minibus driver in custody

LINDEN

The driver is in custody, assisting with the investigation.

The Guyana Police Force noted that the accident occurred at about 18:10 hours. It involved a minibus with registration BAB 1624 driven by Claude Pilgrim, a 40-year-old from Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo.

Police said that the minibus was speeding east along the northern side of New Road Vreed-en-Hoop and the driver alleged that Johnson ran across the road into the path of the minibus.

The pedestrian was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said that notice of intended prosecution was served on the minibus driver. A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver, and no trace of alcohol was found on his breath.

Johnson’s body is currently at the Ezekiel Funeral Parlor awaiting a post mortem examination.

Officials of the 18th Chinese Medical Brigade and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL) after signing the CNOOC- Chinese Medical Team Medical Assistance Fund

Johnson, 55, of Lot F-D New Road Vreed -en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD), died on Friday after a speeding minibus crashed into him while he was crossing the Vreed-en-Hoop roadway.

Road Safety Council launched in Region Nine

POLICE Regional Division Number Nine, on Friday, launched its Road Safety Council at the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce Building, Lethem.

Those elected to hold office are Chairman - Lindon Franklyn, Vice-Chairman - Thakurdeen Rambarran, Secretary - Keisha Vincent, Treasurer - Benedict Francis, Treasurer - Rolston Welcome, Committee Members Daniel Gajie, Sherwin Aims-

wick and John Macedo.

According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the election of the officers was a smooth process, and the new office bearers were charged by the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, to work closely with the Force “as we seek to ramp up our information dissemination when it comes to road safety.”

Deputy Commissioner (ag) ‘Operations’, Ravindradat Budhram, noted that the region is now receiving more motor vehicles and cycles, which will aid in its traffic control as development is rapidly accelerating.

Traffic Chief, Superintendent Dennis Stephen, noted that the partnership between the police and the Guyana

National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) is integral to reducing accidents, incidents and the loss of life.

The Coordinator of the GNRSC, Ramona Doorgen, noted that the collaboration between the two organisations would see more regions actively involved in road safety measures.

Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo and the Chairman of Region Nine, Brian Allicock, lauded the government’s initiative of making road safety a countrywide priority.

Minister Benn then distributed several safety helmets to motorists before he engaged in a brief walkabout in Lethem with the newly-elected members of the Road Safety Council.

Two escape from prison van

POLICE are hunting two inmates who kicked open the door of the prison van transporting them to Lusignan prison, East Coast of Demerara (ECD), on Friday and escaped.

The prisoners were identified as Ryan Wilson, called ‘Pepsi’, a 28-year-old of Lot 69 Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo and Shamar Singh, a 22-year-old from Hague, West Coast Demerara.

Singh was arrested for

simple larceny and the possession of narcotics, while Wilson was arrested for indecent assault.

The Guyana Police Force subsequently dispatched a wanted bulletin for the two escapees who kicked open the prison van door around 16:15 hours while the vehicle was on the eastern end of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, heading to Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara.

(Seated from left) Ramona Doorgen, Coordinator GNRSC; Mr. Earl Lambert, Chairman, GNRSC; Traffic Chief, Superintendent Dennis Stephen; Chairman of Region Nine, Brian Allicock; Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo; Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ (ag), Ravindradat Budhram and Commander of Region Nine, Senior Superintendent Raphael Rose flanked by other representatives

Region Two launches ‘Mash 2023’

informed the gathering that as part of the region’s calendar of events for the celebration, this year, of Guyana’s 53rd anniversary as a republic, a day of sports for persons with disabilities will be held, in addition to storytelling

in schools, a nature walk, cultural extravaganza, decorative building and school gardening; day of cleaning and cooking, and the ceremonious flag-raising ceremony.

The Education Department will be hosting

a Dramatic Poetry, Dance, Masquerade, and Costume competition, while the Children Regional Road Parade will be held on February 21, and the Grand Road Parade on February 23.

THE town of Anna Regina came alive Friday afternoon when the Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) Mash Committee officially launched Mashramani with a cultural programme at the Anna Regina Car Park.

The programme was held after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and featured cultural items such as dances, songs, live steel pan, and calypso music.

Chairperson of Region Two, Vilma De Silva, in her remarks said that this year’s celebrations will be held under the theme, “Mixing and Mashing as One Guyana”.

She said this year’s activities in the region will be bigger and better, but urged everyone to celebrate with caution, given that the pan-

demic is still raging.

“We have done remarkable work since we took office; we have seen tremendous changes, and every sector has changed. We developed this region together.” De Silva said.

On Friday morning, the committee hosted an Inter-Faith service before the actual launch of the event.

The service was held in the boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), and featured prayers and songs from the three main religions, namely Pandit Ravin Nateram of the Hindu community, Imam Baksh of the Islamic community, and Pastor Trenton Parris of the Christian community.

Regional Executive Officer, Susannah Saywack

Pupils of the CV Nunes Primary School performing at the launch of the event

Members of the Mashabo Dance Troupe performing at the launch of ‘Mash 2023’

Sod turned for new $14M multi-purpose North Sophia community ground

THE community of North Sophia has signed a $14 million contract with the Local Govern-

ment and Regional Development Ministry for the construction of a new multi-purpose communi-

ty ground and safe space for children.

At the sod-turning ceremony on Saturday, Local

Construction works ongoing at the North Sophia Community Ground Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall noted that the project is a fulfilment of a commitment made by the Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, upon request by residents.

“On the directive of the Vice President who has made a commitment to the people of North Sophia to construct a community centre and to do some upgrading work towards creating a safe space for people within the community and so this morning we are here to turn the sod for the construction of the community centre and all the attendant work that has to be done.

“We are happy too that we have so many young people employed here. This project will last a few weeks with 30 persons employed and it is part of the government’s commitment to greater collaboration within our communities,” the minister noted.

Currently, work is being done on the lining and digging of the foundation. The steel works are also ongoing to ensure the casting of the foundation can be executed on Monday.

Once completed, fencing will commence. Construction works are expected to be completed by the first week of February.

The construction of the 30 x 30 building with a 20-foot span to facilitate a shed is the first phase of the project. The government has committed to injecting more resources, once completed to further enhance the community ground.

Similarly, Tourism Minister, Oneidge Walrond stressed that the project will be owned by the community and serves to build closer relations and development.

“This is going to be a

space where the community has an opportunity to work together. It is going to be a safe space for the children and already they’ve been a request for the senior citizens to come out and plant flowers when the building is set up.

“A place for children to come and have their lessons, a safe space for them to play after school. There is going to be many organised activities here… and so this community centre, as simple as it may seem is going to provide all of that, so it’s going to be a tremendous benefit to the community and as government, we have responded and this is another promise that we have fulfilled,” she said.

A programme will be launched for senior citizens, especially those who are considered shut-ins, to have them meaningfully engaged through exercise among other activities.

Meanwhile, Chairman of North Sophia CDC, Uriah France said the project is impactful as it provided many youths from the community with employment.

He noted that, “it is a really good initiative really good on their part in terms of helping a lot of persons to be gainfully employed. So hopefully we can continue with this and have more persons employed within the community.”

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy was also present at the sod- turning ceremony.

(DPI)

(From left)- Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy; Tourism Minister, Oneidge Walrond; Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall alongside residents and construction workers of North Sophia

$865M in road contracts awarded for Leguan Island

- 28 new roads to be constructed

rently under construction in various regions across Guyana. (DPI)

RESIDENTS of Leguan, Region Three, will soon benefit from major enhancements to their communities following the award of 28 road contracts on Friday last.

The contracts, valued at $865 million, will see 10 contractors from the island working to build 8.1 kilometres of road in various communities across the island. This forms part of government’s commitment to ensuring development in all parts of the country.

Speaking during an engagement at the office of the Leguan Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, urged contractors to ensure the work is completed within the stipulated time and to work in a way that minimises inconvenience to the residents. He also reminded contractors of the ministry’s standards for road construction.

The minister pointed out that it was impractical to bid for contracts they were incapable of executing.

“I am in no mood

to push any elephant up any stairs. I am not dealing with contractors who bid for their contracts, and then when it is in their hands and it’s time for them to execute it, it’s hard,” he expressed.

He also addressed contractors’ concerns about the supply and demand of resources on the island, and cases of suppliers inflating the price of construction materials.

Minister Indar also encouraged the contractors to employ residents from the island, so that they may benefit.

Among the projects, is the Leguan Stelling, which is expected to be completed by June. Construction of the roads is part of a collaboration among the Public Works, Housing and Water, and Local Government and Regional Development ministries.

In 2022, the ministries embarked on a joint venture to identify which roads were in disrepair and needed immediate intervention.

Some 1,100 roads were identified, a number of which are cur-

Works in progress at the Leguan Stelling

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar

Permaul’s X1192 against...

FROM BACK PAGE

Providence sward.

Both batters gained in confidence as their partnership progressed with Ramnauth being the more aggressive of the two.

Before virtually empty stands, the left-handed Ramnauth, elegantly stroked Motie through cover for four while fellow left-hander Canadian-born Nandu, looked solid as he played the supporting role.

After seeing off the new ball pair of Clinton Pestano and Demitri Cameron, who struggled for consistency, the pair look well set for big scores.

Ramnauth punched Motie for a boundary before edging Shamar Joseph for four while Nandu clipped Cameron to ropes as the 50 was posted in 15 overs.

Nandu, the son of former Guyana leggie Arjune Nandu, cut off-spinner Kevin Sinclair for four and punched him to the cover boundary when he bowled short.

Ramnauth was taken at mid-wicket as Motie broke the partnership at 60-1 as Imlach joined Nandu and by Lunch the score was 89-1 with Nandu on 35 and Imlach on 11.

After the Interval the 100

came up in 35 overs as Imlach deposited Sinclair for the first six of the match before pulling Sylus Tyndal for four.

Sinclair troubled the batters, especially the right-handed Imlach, on a surface which offered a bit of turn, as he and Motie, bowling in tandem, kept the batters in shackles on a still fast outfield despite the prolonged adverse weather.

The compact Nandu soon reached his 50 with his sixth boundary when he got on top of short ball from Sylus Tyndal and ‘opened’ the face of the bat as the ball galloped into the wide thirdman boundary. His fitty was achieved from 124 balls.

Looking a bit uncomfortable against the spin, Imlach was stumped by Anthony Bramble to give Motie his second scalp at 146-2

Anderson joined Nandu and took the score to 163 before Nandu was run out and when Akshaya Persaud topedged a sweep to backward square off Motie, Permaul’s X1 had slipped from 146-1 to 163-4

Anderson pulled Johnaton Rampersaud for couple of scorching boundaries before he fell to Anthony Adams for 26 decorated with five fours, but like a few others before

him, he threw his wicket away when well set for a big score to leave his team on 190-5.

Garfield Benjamin and Yearwood took the score to 192-5 by Tea.

After the break, Benjamin (4) was run out at 201 but Yearwood spanked Cameron, bowing with a blond patch at the front of his hair, for four.

Ali-Mohammed lofted Motie for six before Yearwood, after playing some delightful drives, was bowled by Joseph, who also trapped Junior Sinclair (0) LBW at 248-8 as two wickets tumbled for four runs.

Mohammed kept going before edging Joseph to the Keeper who also accounted for Nail Smith (0) leaving Chanderpaul’s X1 to bat two overs.

Mohammed kept going before edging Joseph to the Keeper who also accounted for Nail Smith (0) leaving Chanderpaul’s X1 to bat two overs.

The Guyana Harpy Eagles will travel to Antigua for the first match against defending Champions Barbados from February 1 before going to Grenada where they will battle the Windwards from February 8-11.

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Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup

Verma and Sehrawat inspire India to statement win

TWO stunning performances from opening batters Shafali Verma and Shweta Sehrawat saw India overcome South Africa in a run-fest on the open-

ing day of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

Runs flowed as India got their campaign off to a winning start against South Africa in Benoni, putting

down an early marker as tournament favourites.

A stunning flurry of early runs saw South Africa get off to a lightning-quick start, with openers Simone

Lourens and Elandri Janse Van Rensburg doing the damage. The score was 56/1 after just four overs when Janse Van Rensburg fell for 23 off 13, and the pace of scoring slowed slightly as the innings went on. Lourens top-scored with 61 from 44, before some late hitting lifted the Proteas up to an impressive 166/5.

India’s reply got off to the perfect start, with star player Shafali Verma putting the host nation to the sword early on. Verma struck 45 from just 16 deliveries, including one over where all six balls went to the boundary, before being caught off Miane Smit.

But Verma’s fellow opener Shweta Sehrawat kept the momentum going, finishing unbeaten on a brilliant 92* from 57 as India chased down their target with still 21 balls remaining.

Sri Lanka pushed close by USA

Sri Lanka recovered from a sluggish start with the bat to beat USA in their opening match of the tournament.

Dewmi Vihanga Wijerathne was the star with the ball, taking 3/11 from her four overs as the American side struggled to get going.

Disha Dhingra (18 from 26) and Ritu Priya Singh (22 from 23) ensured that a reasonable target was reached, but 96/9 was never likely to seriously trouble a talented Sri Lankan batting line-up.

A cautious Sri Lankan reply saw both openers fall relatively cheaply, with the score just 32/2 after 8.1 overs. But Vishmi Gunarathne (34* from 40) and Manudi Nanayakkara (32* from 31) led the recovery to see the Lankans home with

an over to spare.

Bangladesh stun Australia in tournament opener

Bangladesh registered their first-ever win over Australia at any ICC tournament as an inspired runchase saw the Tigers give an early indication of their title credentials with a shock yet convincing win.

Tournament favourites Australia recovered from two early setbacks, rallying to a competitive total of 130/5 after winning the toss at Benoni. Ella Hayward (35 from 39) and Claire Moore (52 from 51) steadied the

remaining.

Bangladesh had entered the tournament in fine form after strong performances in the warm-up matches. But this landmark and deserved victory over Australia is an early indication that the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup is going to be wide open.

UAE register comprehensive win over Scotland

UAE put their first points on board against Scotland with a comfortable win in their opener.

In their Group D encounter against UAE, nothing went Scotland’s way after they were sent in to bat.

The Scots lost wickets at regular intervals and ended up posting 99/9 from their 20 overs. Indhuja Nandakumar (2/20), Vaishnave Mahesh (2/19) and Samaira Dharnidharka (2/22) were the pick of the bowlers, with Emma Walsingham (37 from 33) comfortably Scotland’s top-scorer.

UAE looked to have lost

ship with their partnership of 76 runs after Disha Biswas (2/25) had removed both of the openers cheaply.

In reply Bangladesh took the fight to the opposition with a strong top-order performance from Dilara Akter (40 from 42) and Afia Prottasha (24 from 22).

Though Chloe Ainsworth (2/9) brought Australia back into the game, Sumaiya Akter (31 from 25) ensured that her side crossed the line with seven wickets in hand as Bangladesh reached their target with 13 balls still

their way after a watchful start to the chase, as three wickets fell in the space of three overs to leave them 45/3 approaching the midway point of the second innings.

But Samaira Dharnidharka (23 from 27) and the impressive Mahika Gaur (33* from 25) moved up through the gears after that flurry of wickets, with Gaur still out in the middle as UAE reached their target with just under four overs still remaining. (ICC Media)

Shweta Sehrawat

Shafali Verma

GSA’s VP pleased with government support of sports

…David Fernandes says 2022 was best year for squash

“We are pleased that we have noticed in the last two years more and more the government has started to view sports an important to the identity as a nation and are willing to spend on all sports, not just squash, has begun to be given more support by the government which is a great thing but I think also there is a need for corporate sponsorship is important to the development of youth and Guyana as a nation in sport,” informed Fernandes.

“I want to thank the players, especially the senior players, who in 2022 took on more responsibility. We have young leaders of the sport going into the future who have already shown that they have the talent necessary to do it both in the management of the sport and the way they represent the country.

I think Guyana National Captain Alex Arjoon, one of the young reps on our committee…

Dejay Dias along with others like Nicolette, Ashley Khalid have shown that the senior team is in good hands.

I would like to thank the sponsors who have helped us over the year, the ministry, the government and the Sports Commission for their support and Georgetown Club as well which is one of our main facilities and the parents for giving their kids an opportunity to

be a part of a great sport and hopefully 2023 will see more amazing things happen,” Fernandes noted.

Fernandes informed there is a packed schedule for 2023 and that he is hoping that the youths are fitter, stronger and faster and perform even better this year and feels that if they put in the work, no doubt the GSA will achieve their goals.

By Sean Devers

‘THE Junior team excelled while the senior team did very well, while individual players performed brilliantly throughout the year, so for that reason I would say that 2022 was one of our best years’.

These were the words of Guyana Squash Association (GSA) vice-president David Fernandes who had previously been at the helm of the GSA.

Fernandes informed that in junior CASA, boys’ team of Shomari Wilshire, Samuel Ince-Caravel, Nicholas Shiloh, Brenno Ben Phang, Michael Alphonso and Josh Verwey won gold.

The girls’ team of Kirsten Gomes, Abosaide Cadogan, Riley Rodrigues, Safirah Sumner, Avery Arjoon, Tiana Gomes, Milia Maikoo and Dwilene Coates also won gold as Guyana took the team title.

Shomari Wilshire (U-19), Nicholas Verwey (U-17) and Avery Arjoon (U-13) won gold while Kirsten Gomes (U-19), Mickey Alphonso (U-17), Safirah Summer (U-15) took silver with Tiana Edwards getting bronze.

In the Pan Am Squash Championships, Nicolette Fernandes won gold while the girls of Ashley Khalil, Nicolette Fernandes, Gabriella Fraser and Mary Fung-a-Fat, won bronze.

In Senior CASA, Guyana won the overall team gold as the men’s team of Shomari Wilshire, Alex Arjoon, Jason Ray Khalid, Samuel Ince-Caravel, Daniel Ince and Nyron Joseph won gold while the Women comprising Ashley Khalid, Ashley DeGroot, Taylor Fernandes, Akeila Wilshire and Victoria Abosaide also won gold.

Tiane Edwards, Ramon Chan-a-Sue, Bryan Young and Michelle Lowe represented Guyana in the Veterans Category.

The men’s doubles winners were Nyron Joseph and Jason Ray Khalid.

In the women’s singles; Ashley Khalid, Taylor Fer -

nandes, Ashley DeGroot and Akeila Wilshire finished one to four, with Khalid beating Fernandes in the final in a repeat of Guyana’s National Open.

This was the first time that four ladies from the same country were contesting both semi-finals.

In the mixed doubles, Taylor Fernandes and Daniel Ince finished second.

The men’s over-40 winner was Ramon Chan-a-Sue while the women’s doubles was won by Ashley Khalid and Ashley DeGroot.

In the World Masters Over35 Nicolette Fernandes won gold while Richard Chin copped

“In terms in what I would like to see I think these things are coming together…more facilities and we need more coaches. One of the challenges is getting people to commit to coach. The time spent voluntarily is becoming less of a possibility so we have to find funding to pay coaches. Most countries in the world have qualified and skilled coaches.

Columbia is really an up and coming country in squash and their junior program has reaped the benefits they have worked on and I think that their coach who has come from Europe has done a great job.

Obviously coach Ince, our coach here in Guyana has done a fantastic job over the years but

bronze in the Masters over-50.

Towards the end the Verwey siblings (Joshua & Nicholas), Samuel Ince-Carvalhal, Mohryan Baksh and Kirsten Gomes participated in the Canadian and USA Junior Open while Samuel competed in the British Junior Open.

“I think everyone from youths right up to seniors did well and I think that once they keep up the good work no doubt that we can see squash again do well this year.

“The biggest challenge, and this is for all associations, is funding. We have continually had to seek funding.

now he is in his 70s and looking to throttle back a bit and be behind the scenes” added the VP.

Fernandes disclosed that young Niron Joseph coming up but said that if the GSA wants to the sport to spread wider and will need more coaches.

“The media has supported us…yourself and Akeem Greene just to mention two individuals but we would like to see a bit more coverage of matches locally on TV.

E-networks has been doing a great job in promoting, not only squash, in terms of using their media to promote sports,” the GSA Executive posited.

The fantastic four: Ashley, Khalid, Akiela & Ashley

Nicolette, Taylor Ashley & Mary Fung-a-Fat at the Pan Am Championship

Rishabh Pant expected to be out of action for most of 2023

Rishabh Pant is unlikely to play any cricket for most of 2023 and is set to miss a slew of marquee tournaments including the IPL.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the medical update given to the BCCI on Pant, who survived a car crash on December 30, says the wicket-keeper batter has torn all three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks.

As a consequence, Pant is in danger of being sidelined for at least six months, which could also potentially affect his chances of being fit for selection for the ODI World

Cup, scheduled to take place in India in October-November.

Last week, Pant underwent knee surgery after his right ligaments were damaged in the accident that occurred when he was driving from Delhi to meet his family in Roorkee. As one of India's top contracted players, Pant was airlifted from Dehradun at the BCCI's behest and flown to Mumbai last week to be put under the supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the specialist surgeons contracted by the board.

The BCCI issued three medical bulletins since the accident and the surgery, including one that stated

Pant had also injured his right ankle. ESPNcricinfo has learned that all three ligaments in the knee - anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, which are

necessary for movement and stability - have been torn in Pant's case. It is understood that in the surgery conducted recently, both the PCL and MCL were reconstructed. Pant will need to undergo

another surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but the doctors will wait for at least six weeks before going ahead with it.

There is no definitive timeline given by the doctors yet on how long it would take Pant to resume training, but both the BCCI and the selectors have concluded that the wicketkeeper-batter would be out for a minimum of six months.

Pant, who last featured in the away series in Bangladesh in December, was rested for the home series against Sri Lanka. On Monday he was absent from the squads announced for the New Zealalnd series followed by the first two Tests of the Bor-

der-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Pant, who is Delhi Capitals' captain, will also miss the IPL, which begins on April 1. Another key match Pant will be absent from is the World Test Championship final in June in case India make it to the summit clash.

The selectors have named KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper options in Pant's absence for the first half of the Australia Test series. Bharat and Kishan will also contest the keeper's role in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.(Cricinfo)

Stunning comeback heps Man UTd beat Manchester City

MANCHESTER United staged a stunning late turnaround to come from behind and beat Manchester City in a dramatic derby at Old Trafford.

City looked to be closing the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal after substitute Jack Grealish headed them in front from Kevin de Bruyne's cross on the hour, only for United to send their fans into raptures with a superb recovery.

Erik ten Hag's side drew

Rashford was the central figure again four minutes later when he swept in substitute Alejandro Garnacho's cross at the Stretford End to move United to within one point of City, who remain five points adrift of Arsenal.

United make statement United left Etihad Stadium in early October chastened and bruised following a 6-3 thrashing, a scoreline that actually flattered thembut Ten Hag insisted lessons had been learned.

saw them lose at home to Brighton before being overwhelmed at Brentford.

The debate over Fernandes' equaliser will go on, but what is inescapable is the significant improvement under the disciplinarian and tactically astute Ten Hag to the point where United are looking solid in the top four and may even be casting a glance at leaders Arsenal, who are six points ahead of them.

The sight of the dimin-

United.

The reborn Rashford was not deterred by missing two first-half chances to pounce and turn Garnacho's cross past exposed City keeper Ederson for the winner.

United's recovery has been slow but assured under Ten Hag and the scenes at the final whistle demonstrated that a giant that had lost its way is slowing finding itself again.

City disappointed - and furious

City's players were left with a mixture of emotions at the final whistle following this tumultuous defeat.

The Premier League

champions looked in control following Grealish's goal after a shaky first half, only for United to turn the tables on them amid chaotic scenes late on.

City were bitterly disappointed at the loss and infuriated by the decision to allow Fernandes' equaliser.

Rashford was clearly offside as he chased Casemiro's pass, but did not touch the ball, leaving it for Fernandes to whip his finish beyond Ederson.

City's argument, with justification, was that Rashford was having a significant impact on the incident even without touching the ball because his presence

clearly put him in a position where he had an effect on Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji's ability to make a challenge.

Referee Stuart Attwell consulted his assistant and the goal was given, much to City's anger as their players confronted the official at the final whistle.

City, trying to recover from Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final loss at Southampton, were not their usual fluent selves but their unhappiness at the result will be even more acute because of their discontent at the decision that went against them.

Golden State Warriors thrash San Antonio Spurs in front of record crowd

straight defeat and a seventh loss in eight games.

It eclipses the previous

cord of 62,046

The Spurs, who normally play at the AT&T Center, were playing at their old arena as part of the celebrations of the franchise's 50th-anniversary season.

level in contentious fashion with 12 minutes left as Bruno Fernandes scored despite the presence of Marcus Rashford in an offside position, City's protests that he had interfered with play ignored despite the flag going up.

And so they have. This win means United have lost only one of their past 19 games in all competitions and are now on City's heels in third place in the table, barely credible after that derby beating and a dreadful start to the season that

utive Luke Shaw winning a series of headers in among Erling Haaland and others in stoppage time and Raphael Varane fist-pumping and whipping up the fans at the final whistle was a sign of the renewed belief and confidence surging through

go Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks in 1998.

Jordan Poole scored 25 points off the bench as the Warriors ended a three game losing streak.

It is the Spurs' fourth

Defending champions Golden State led for the majority of the game and were up by 14 points at half-time.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 22 points, Klay Thompson had 16 and Stephen Curry added 15.

Elsewhere on Friday,

John Collins tipped in the game-winner with less than a second remaining in the Hawks' 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers. New York point guard Jalen Brunson helped the Knicks to a 112-108 win over the Wizards in Washington after scoring 34 points.

Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 19 points as the Sacramento Kings beat the Houston Rockets 139-114.(BBC Sport)

THE Golden State Warriors thrashed the San Antonio Spurs with a 144113 win in front of a NBA record crowd of 68,323 at the Alamodome on Friday.

league regular-season re

that watched Michael Jordan's Chica

Marcus Rashford has scored in each of his last nine appearances at Old Trafford.

Rishabh Pant survived a car crash on December 30 • PA Photos/Getty Images

Amsterdam and Poole secure GBA’s Best boxer, Best coach accolade

THE meteoric rise of ‘Dynamite’ Desmond Amsterdam in 2022 culminated in remarkable fashion yesterday, as the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) standout secured the Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) most prestigious honor, the ‘Boxer of Year’ accolade.

Amsterdam was selected as the 2022 Boxer of the Year by the local governing authority following a thorough process, which saw coaches and members of the executive analysing the local and international exploits of the respective hopefuls.

The soft-spoken but hard-hitting Sergeant Amsterdam during a brief comment, said, “It’s a very happy moment, and I feel so proud of myself to be selected. I don’t have the words to describe how I feel but I feel proud, and it’s an auspicious moment for me and I will continue my best in 2023 to keep improving and achieving more goals. I would like to thank our President Steve Ninvalle who has been charting this progressive course not only for me, but for boxing in Guyana and the Carib-

bean.” Amsterdam said.

Amsterdam’s eventual selection seemed a mere formality given his spectacular exploits in the 2022 calendar year. His resume during the aforementioned period is of historic proportions and reads like a highlight reel.

Amsterdam clinched a bronze medal at the prestigious Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Championships in Ecuador, before battling to a quarterfinal place at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

He then concluded his international campaign with another historic bronze medal capture, this time at the

South American Games in Paraguay.

The aforementioned feats did not go unnoticed and were duly rewarded by International Boxing Association (IBA), as Amsterdam became the highest-ranked Guyanese boxer on 23rd in his division. His medal at the AMBC tournament marked the first time that a Guyanese boxer won a financial reward at any IBA sanctioned event.

On the local front, Amsterdam also copped Gold at the Terrence Ali Open Championship, following the event’s two-year absence.

By the same token, experienced coach Terrence Poole MS has been adjudged the Best Coach following an identical eclectic process.

Poole during brief remarks said, “Numer ous times I have won this award but it simply means that hard work pays off. I have made a lot of sacrifices for the sport and won all the national competitions. I was able to walk away with it easier because one of the high points of 2022 was achieving a Triple Crown champion in Troy Glasgow, who won gold at

the Novice, Intermediate, and Open Championships which is not something that easily or normally occurs. I am very pleased with the award and thank the executive of the GBA, especially president Steve Ninvalle for their continuous efforts in developing the sport."

Also, Jermaine Craig has been adjudged the Best Referee for 2022 and made it a clean sweep for the Guyana Defence Force at the awards.

Meanwhile, GBA President Steve Ninvalle disclosed that while an official date is yet to be finalised, a presentation ceremony will be staged where commemorative plaques will be presented to the respective awardees to honour their accomplishments.

According to Ninvalle, “Desmond Amsterdam’s rapid ascension is evident of what can be garnered if dedication, discipline, and commitment are fundamental tenets of your mentality and approach to the sport, as well as serve as the proverbial North Star for your sporting and

personal ambition. His accomplishments, both internationally and locally, which led to his eventual crowning or acquisition of the Best Boxer accolade,

should serve as evidence of what can be achieved once the athlete's commitment and the association's developmental programmes are harmonised.

THE country’s biggest 3x3 basketball tournament, the Rawle Toney Classic, will take place on March 18 – 19 at the Burnham Basketball hard court.

According to organiser Rawle Toney, first held in 2019, the 16team tournament this time around will be a club competition, with teams coming from Linden, Bartica, Berbice and Georgetown.

Toney added that several teams from the Caribbean have signalled their interest in participating, which he said will help to boost

the competitiveness of the tournament.

“The idea is to strengthen club basketball, and since there are now two formats of the game, it is only fitting that clubs be given a chance to compete. It’s about also giving clubs some revenue,” Toney said.

Last year, the team comprising Harold Adams, Stanton Rose and Shelroy Thomas took home the championship trophy, championship ring and other prizes.

Thomas was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Additionally, Ad -

ams, Rose and Thomas represented Guyana at the Islamic Games in Istanbul, Turkey and the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup in Miami, Florida.

Toney said other details regarding the tournament will be made available at the launching on February 1. The Rawle Toney 3x3 Classic serves to give 3X3 basketball a platform in Guyana that’s unmatched by the conventional 5-v-5 format.

Over the years, the tournament enjoyed support from GoMoseley Media, The Muse Bar, Brother’s Security, Mack -

eson, Hennessy, MVP Sports, Trophy Stall, Hits and Jams Entertainment, E-Net,

Jacob’s Jewellery, FireSide Grill, Team Mohamed’s, Star Party Rentals, Shi-Oil,

Slingerz Entertainment, Government of Guyana and other notable entities.

Terrence Poole

Desmond Amsterdam

Flash Back! From left, members of Team Linden, Harold Adams, Shelroy Thomas, Organiser Rawle Toney and Stanton Rose pose with their replica trophies and Championship rings.

Nandu, Joseph, Motie shine in practice match at Providence

Permaul’s X1 192 against Chanderpaul’s X1

By Sean Devers

WATCHED by the National Selectors on a rare sunny day in the middle of the rainy season, the opening day of the first four-day practice game to select Guyana’s team for the 2023 first-class tournament which commences in Antigua next month, was contested at Providence yesterday.

By the end of the day Veerasammy Permaul’s X1 were dismissed for 192 in 86 overs against Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s X1 in a match missing eight senior players, including West Indies players Hetmyer, Shepherd, Paul, Rutherford and Skipper Leon Johnson.

Their total was built around a well-constructed 78 from 147 balls, 190 minutes with five boundaries from West Indies U-19 Batter Mat-

thew Nandu.

Nandu shared partnerships of 60 for the first wicket with Rampatab Ramnauth who made 27 from 58 balls, 84 minutes with five fours and 86 for the second wicket with

Tevin Imlach whose 33 lasted 79 balls and 90 minutes and included three fours and a six. Shamar Yearwood (36), Renaldo Ali-Mohammed (34) and Kevlon Anderson (26) all got starts.

Pacer Shamar Joseph, who took the four wickets, had 4-30 while fellow Berbican left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie 3-38. Chanderpaul’s X1 were 3-0 with the Skipper on two and Chanderpaul Hemraj on

one heading in the second day today.

After a delay of 30 minutes due to damp spots on the pitch, Chanderpaul’s X1 invited Permaul’s X1 to bat on a track with tinge of green and lush

Tiger Rentals Under-13 football tournament

green outfield.

Nandu and 17-year-old Berbician Rampatab Ramnauth started in a circumspect manner under fluffy white clouds which drifted above the

East Bank, Berbice, Upper Demerara register wins

Intense action between Georgetown (left) and East Coast that battled to a 1-1 draw yesterday (Delano Williams photos)

THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre (NTC) at Providence was a hive of activity yesterday afternoon with four thrilling matches in match day two of the Tiger Rentals Under-13 development football tournament. Registering victories were East Bank Football Asso-

ciation (EBFA), West Berbice ATC and Upper Demerara. The day’s play kicked off just before 11:00 hours with two simultaneous matches. In the first game, EBFA defeated Bartica 2-0 while West Berbice proved too good for West Demerara with a similar 2-0 victory.

Twelve-year-old Nicholoi Archer and Clifton Sampson accounted for East Bank goals with one each, while Quivion Julius of Rosignol Secondary scored the first for West Berbice with Leron Grosvenor getting the second.

In the other matches yesterday, East Coast were held to a

1-1 draw by Georgetown ATC after being up 1-0 thanks to Mark Glasgow but Darius Chester found the back of the net to ensure Georgetown walked away with a point.

Meanwhile, Upper Demerara defeated East Berbice 3-0 in the fourth and final game. Devon Stuart got two goals while

Darius Chester scored the other.

This inaugural tournament is sponsored by Tiger Rentals that has plugged in over $10m. The tournament will feature clubs and Academy Training Centres (ATC) going head to head for top honours while member associations of the GFF have been funded to run

inter-association football tournaments.

On January 7th, the EBFA kicked off their inter-association tournament with two matches at the NTC. Diamond United edged Agricola Red Triangle 4-3 while Timehri A team defeated Herstelling Raiders 8-0.

Devon Stuart (left) and Darius Chester scored for Upper Demerara

West Indies U-19 batter Matthew Nandu scored an elegant 70 yesterday at Providence (Sean Devers photo)

Tucber Park’s Shamar Joseph grabbed 4-30 (Sean Severs Photo)