Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 02-07-2021

FRIDAY 2nd July, 2021

' No.106409

No evidence to suggest spraying nose with saline solution prevents COVID-19

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Rice earnings top US$123M for first crop

–– 280,878 tonnes of paddy produced despite unfavourable weather conditions

SEE PAGE 03

Police: father of Henry boys never livestreamed post-mortem 15 PAGE

Guyana maintains Tier 1 status in TIP fight 02 PAGE

Son allegedly beats mother 12 to death PAGE

UG introduces four new Master’s 04 Degree prgrammes PAGE

The Government of Guyana has undertaken to mitigate the impact of flooding across the country through critical investments geared at enhancing drainage systems, especially in farming communities which have felt the brunt of the floods experienced recently. Seen here is the ongoing work on a culvert at Unity, East Coast Demerara (ECD) (Adrian Narine photo)

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Guyana maintains Tier 1 status in TIP fight

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

–– hailed for increased detection, prosecution of traffickers

By Rehana Ahamad

THE Government of Guyana fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of Trafficking in Persons (TIP), according to a report released by the U.S. State Department on Thursday.

The comprehensive document has acknowledged that the government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period. As a result, Guyana has remained on Tier 1 of the TIP index.

Among the accomplishments Guyana has achieved is being recognised for its completion of a draft amendment of the Combating Trafficking of Persons Act, increased identification and investigation of trafficking-related matters, the launch of the first ever bilingual anti-trafficking hotline, and the opening of trafficking shelters outside of the capital area.

Notwithstanding those accomplishments, the report has indicated that authorities in Guyana have investigated and prosecuted fewer suspected traffickers, identified fewer victims of trafficking, and did not provide adequate screening or shelter for child and male victims. There are also insufficient labour inspectors, and their training in human trafficking is inadequate.

As a result of the shortcomings, the U.S. State De-

partment has highlighted a number of priority recommendations, among them the implementation and training of law enforcement officials and front-line responders in written trauma, informed victim identification and referral procedures; reducing delays in court proceedings and pre-trial detention of suspects and funding specialised victim services, particularly for child, adult male, and Venezuelan victims in their native language.

It was also recommended that Guyana vigorously investigate and prosecute sex and labour trafficking cases under the TIP Act, including those involving child victims, and hold convicted traffickers, including complicit public officials, accountable by investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and imposing sufficiently stringent sentences.

The report also recommends that police and law enforcement officials be held accountable for abuse of vulnerable individuals and intimidation of victims in shelters, and urges the authorities to provide additional protection for victims to testify against traffickers in a way that minimizes re-traumatisation.

Further, the report has called for the strengthened capacity of labour inspectors to identify and refer victims of labour trafficking, and wants the execution and publishing of

a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for anti-trafficking policies and efforts, as well as increased engagement with officials involved in anti-trafficking activities in other countries, to exchange best practices in trafficking investigation and screening, including ways to maintain shelter location confidentiality.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED The report has noted that in 2019, the government identified 102 victims, 63 of whom were victims of sex trafficking, while 39 were caught in a ring of labour trafficking. This represented a decrease from 156 identified victims in 2018 and 131 in 2017.

“The victims came from Guyana as well as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Venezuela,” the report notes.

Just recently, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government instituted visa requirements for Haitian nationals travelling to Guyana, a move that follows the continued detection of undocumented Haitians who are suspected to be victims of trafficking.

The U.S. report also points to the assistance that the Government of Guyana has given to victims of violence and trafficking.

To this end, it was noted: “Victims could receive shelter, food, training, and psychological therapy.”

The government has defended the implementation of visa requirements for Haitian nationals, saying that it is yet another effort to prevent children and other vulnerable persons from being trafficked to Guyana The report also points to the efforts of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, which has funded transportation costs and police escorts for victims staying outside a shelter, as well as the granting of deportation relief to 135 foreign victims.

“The government reported granting foreign victims temporary residence status and work permits if requested. The government reported facilitating the repatriation of one Guyanese national trafficked abroad, to whom it provided counselling and reintegration assistance,” the TIP report acknowledges.

Only recently, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall defended the government’s move to implement visa requirements for Haitians

travelling to Guyana. Nandlall said that the move is in keeping with the country’s international obligation to help prevent trafficking in persons. It is believed that Haitians account for the largest group of persons being trafficked to Guyana.

As a matter of fact, immigration data has revealed that some 38,187 Haitians who travelled to Guyana between the period of 2015 and June, 2021, failed to leave the country, at least through legal means; this is coupled with mounting complaints about Guyana being used as a trans-shipment point in the overarching scheme of human trafficking by various foreign governments.

Specifically, the TIP report has recognised Guyana

for having increased its efforts to prevent trafficking altogether.

“The government monitored human trafficking in the country, and released the results of monitoring in the media. The government reported that 25 hotline calls resulted in trafficking investigations during the reporting period,” the report indicated.

It also pointed to the drafting of a National Action Plan to Eliminate Child Labour, which deals with the recruiting, retaining, and training labour inspectors to more effectively monitor child labour and extractive industry workers, particularly in light of Guyana’s fast-growing oil operations where children are particularly vulnerable to forced labour.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Rice earnings top US$123M for first crop –– 280,878 tonnes of paddy produced despite unfavourable weather conditions

By Rehana Ahamad GUYANA’S rice industry continues to be one of the leading income earners locally, raking in US$123,023,868 (G$25.7 billion) from the export of paddy, rice and rice by-products between January and June 2021.

This is according to Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, who said that during the aforementioned period, some 280,878 tonnes of paddy were produced.

These figures represent an improvement when compared to the corresponding period last year, which saw the exportation of 242,000 tonnes of paddy, rice and rice by-products, and earnings of US$99 million.

According to General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Kuldip Ragnauth, some 98 per cent of this year’s spring crop has already been harvested, while a small amount remained in the fields and suffered damage due to the ongoing floods.

He said that so far, in some regions, rice farmers have commenced cultivation for the second crop in a timely manner, with Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) completing some 90 per cent of their target; Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 80 per cent, and Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), almost 70 per cent.

Unfortunately, known rice-producing communities

in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) remain inundated, forcing many farmers to delay, or in some cases, boycott the new autumn crop altogether.

As it is, the recommended period of sowing for the second crop ended on June 30, and Ragnauth said that it is not recommended for farmers to start sowing beyond this period.

“We know farmers have the propensity of going beyond that sowing period, and we know flooding would have delayed their sowing, but we believe that [with] the rains, [and] with water being in the fields for so long, it is not recommended; it will be going too late. GRDB advises farmers to stick to the sowing period, and we maintain that position,” Ragnauth reasoned.

He said that in communities where rice farmers began

sowing early, most of those crops have been lost.

There are two rice crops annually, the first being spring, and the second autumn. The second (autumn) crop is planted around AprilJune, and is reaped in the September-October period, while the first (spring) crop is planted in November-December, and harvested in March-April.

Asked whether the ongoing floods will affect the September-October harvest,

crop. He had confirmed then that in excess of 30,000 acres of rice had already been sown across the country, with the inclement weather threatening the outcome of the intended harvest.

As it is, a number of extension officers from the Ministry of Agriculture are working along with farmers to minimise damage and safeguard the rice being planted. He noted that various field officers, including those from the National

tasked with providing daily updates.

Minister Mustapha had acknowledged that once the May-June sowing season passes, rice farmers would not be able to participate in the autumn rice crop, thereby affecting the outcome of the second rice crop for 2021, and the country’s economy as a whole.

Guyana’s rice industry has always been a leading income earner for the country.

In 2020, the industry raked in US$236.2 million (G$51

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

Floodwaters prevented harvesting of a small amount of this year’s spring crop

Head of the Guyana Rice Development Board, Kuldip Ragnauth

Ragnauth responded in the affirmative. He noted, however, that the country will not be severely impacted by the expected shortfall, since there will still be enough rice to satisfy the local demand, as well as the secured export markets.

Earlier in the month, Minister Mustapha had outlined his ministry’s efforts to minimise the effects of the floods on the autumn rice

Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), are tasked with executing daily monitoring. Stemming from this, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is

billion). This came from the exportation of 574,312 tonnes of paddy, rice, and its by-products for that year.

As far as this year goes, Guyana is expected to be

able to export 649,480 tonnes of paddy, rice and its by-products, to the value of close to US$257.3 million.

Notwithstanding the challenges, Ragnauth believes that rice farmers are resilient and resourceful people who will be able to weather the ongoing storm, and get back up on their feet.

“With their hard work and commitment, and with the support from government,” the GRDB head posited that the impact of the floods on rice might not be as devastating as many are projecting it to be.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

UG introduces four new Master’s Degree programmes

THE Department of Environmental Studies of the University of Guyana’s (UG)’s Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES) will officially launch four specialised Master of Science and Master’s Degree programmes in October 2021.

According to a statement released by the university, the courses will be taught by leading academics and experts from reputable local, regional, and international universities, agencies and organisations, as well as the private sector.

This new suite of programmes adds to the several other new programmes being offered by the university in the new academic year.

Those and other programmes were introduced as part of a response to the growing need for quality affordable and relevant programmes in Guyana and the Caribbean.

The four specialised programmes on offer for the Master of Science and Master’s Degrees are: Environmental Management, Natural Resources Management, Oiland-Gas and Renewable Energy, and Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management.

The Environmental Management (EM) programme seeks to promote the use of environmental safeguards in organisations, and will provide skills and knowledge related to the processes or activities that cause environmental degradation and

pollution, and the approaches to effect sustainable change.

It is designed to equip the aspiring Environmental Manager with a complement of technical skills and expertise, which will contribute to the formulation of efficient, dynamic, safe and sustainable industries.

The programme will provide exposure to analytical skills and research, current environmental management systems, ‘green’ technology approaches, sustainable energy pathways, pollution control mechanisms, and environmental and occupational health.

The Natural Resources Management (NRM) programme is designed to promote the sustainable management of natural resources within Guyana and territories which share a similar geophysical and tropical landscape.

While building competencies in the conduct of environmental assessments, and the use of geospatial technology, the programme will also provide exposure to core courses which will serve to enhance research and analytical skills.

The aspiring Natural Resources Manager taking this course can garner specific skills needed for the management of ecosystems, parks, protected areas and water, forest, land and coastal resources.

The Oil and Gas and Renewable Energy (OGRE)

Friday July 2, 2021 10:00hrs - 11:30hrs

programme emerged with the need to furnish Guyana’s oiland-gas and renewable energy sector with trained personnel possessing industry-specific skills to promote the sustainable utilisation of energy resources. It offers a unique blend of courses that expose students to the operations of the dynamic energy sector, while providing tools for the development of research and analytical skills.

This programme focuses on the environmental consequences of energy use, the minimisation of the impacts of the sector, and opportunities for use of renewable energy, and includes courses such as: Environmental Management of the Offshore Environment; Energy Economics; Renewable Energy Simulation; and Health, Safety and Environmental Management for the Oil and Gas Industry.

The Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (CCDRM) programme is a specialised one, designed to address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management issues in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.

The programme is multi-disciplinary in structure, merging the streams of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management. Students will be able to make clear linkages between the impacts of climate change, and the implementation of disaster risk management approaches.

It consists of core courses

such as: An introduction to climate change science and modelling; climate change policy and negotiations; climate change impacts; mitigation and adaptation; community-based disaster risk management, and disaster risk management in the caribbean.

ENHANCING EMPLOYABILITY The programmes will be multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, and serve to enhance the employability of students by incorporating new-age skills for future work opportunities.

They aim to build capacity among national and regional professionals by equipping them with working knowledge, skills and technical expertise in a range of areas such as ecosystem services and valuation; national, regional and international environmental law and policy; environmental management and monitoring tools and techniques; environmental economics and policy; build pollution control and waste management approaches; management of natural resources; climate change and disaster mitigation, and environmental policy formulation and appraisal.

Apart from building academic capacity, the programmes will also offer tools which will aid in building professional competencies in the areas of data analysis with the use of statistical software,

communication through written reports and oral and visual presentations.

Other important tools are scientific analysis and writing, geographic information system (GIS) mapping and software application, life cycle analysis, environmental management systems, and environmental impact assessment.

Qualifications gleaned from the programmes are expected to prepare graduates for managerial and technical appointments within the specified fields.

Furthermore, the careful selection of elective courses, particularly within the Environmental Management and Natural Resources Management programmes, can allow for specialisation.

Potential career opportunities that could be pursued upon completion of the programmes include: Climate Change Analysts, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Coordinators, Environmental Monitoring Technicians, Environmental Policy Analysts, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Managers, Pollution Analysts and Quality Control Analysts.

The respective Master of Science and Master Degree programmes consist of a combination of core and

elective courses, which are to be completed over two years (4 semesters).

The Environmental Management and Natural Resources Management programmes each have eight core courses and four electives, while the Oil and Gas and Renewable Energy and the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management programmes each consists of 11 core courses and one elective course.

Students enrolled in the Master of Science programmes will be required to complete a research project, while those in the Master’s Degree programmes will be required to complete the scientific demonstrations in research and environmental leadership courses.

Courses will be delivered using hybrid approaches constituting of “in class sessions” and “online platforms” such as Zoom and Moodle. Delivery will be conducted through the employment of various teaching strategies, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, labs, and fieldwork.

Anyone desirous of viewing a full list of UG’s degree offerings can visit: https:// www.turkeyenonline.uog. edu.gy/srms/student/prospective/about_applying/ offeredprogs.php

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

GPF kicks off 182nd Anniversary with traditional drum service

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday kicked off its 182nd Anniversary celebrations with the traditional DrumHead Service at the Police Officers’ Mess on Eve Leary.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday morning witnessed the traditional piling of drums and laying of flags during the Force’s Drum-Head Church Service to commemorate the occasion.

The Drum-Head Service is the precursor to a series of activities to commemorate the establishment of the Police Force here on July 1, 1839.

Then called the British Guiana Police Force, the entity started with 245 ranks. Today, the institution has several thousand members at posts all over the country.

President Ali, who was accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and several members of the Joint Services, believes that a stronger Force would help to bolster the economic development that will revolutionise Guyana.

In outlining his vision for the Guyana Police Force at their annual Officer’s Conference held in March, the Command-

er-in-Chief had coined the term “Smart policing” as in S.M.A.R.T: Systems, Manpower, Attitude, Reliability and Technology.

IMPORTANT COMPONENT He has said, ad nauseam, at numerous forums that technology is an important component of the overall process of repositioning, restructuring, rebranding, re-organising, retooling and repairing the Force’s image and service delivery.

During the feature address at the commissioning

John Police Station on the East Coast Demerara last week, the President had again explained the importance of technology and people-centred policing.

At that event, the President announced that work was already underway to expand the Smart City programme, which will see greater technological use, including surveillance cameras, to aid crime-fighting and intelligence gathering.

“That is why easy access to technology and the training component that comes with it is such an important part of un-learning

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At the Force’s traditional Drum Head Service in celebration of its 182nd Anniversary are, from left: Acting Police Commissioner, Mr. Nigel Hoppie; President Dr. Irfaan Ali; and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, along with other high-ranking GPF officers

The Guyana Police Forces’ choir leading the worship session on Thursday (Office of the President photos) and re-learning to meet the of the Drums goes back of a Computer Training future requirement demand. to a long-standing milCentre at the Cove and Part of leading is to create itary tradition of dedian efficient environment, cation used to receiving one in which people have divine blessings and probelief in the systems, and tection prior to engaging one in which the system in battle. Such practice, itself is efficient; not where he added, emerged due files are misplaced and to situations in shifting lost. One in which there is battlefields, and the intraceability, so that there is ability to access religious sanctuary. greater accountability.

A convenient location That is what technology helps us to do; that is is therefore identified in the direction we’re head- the field, and the drums are ing in,” President Ali said. arranged to perform the sacred function.

Being a paramilitary LONG-STANDING organisation, the GPF adTRADITION Chairman of the pro- opted this tradition among ceedings, Deputy Com- many others in existence.

Ranks of the Guyana Police Force during the Piling missioner (Administra- The regimental banners of the Drums ceremony in celebration of the Force's tion) (ag), Calvin Brutus, were substituted by the Na182nd Anniversary explained that the Piling tional Flag and the Police

Flag, respectively.

Acting Police Commissioner, Nigel Hoppie; National Security Adviser, Captain Gerry Gouveia; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess; and other high-ranking GPF officers were also in attendance.

In his message to mark the occasion, Reverend Dr. Murtland Raphael Massiah charged the leadership of the Force to have a keen sense of vision, to improve on the progress that has occurred since its establishment in 1839, telling them that they must now run their leg of the relay.

“If you do not understand your mission, you will not be able to achieve the level of success that you have set up, or those who plan and organise the programme have determined.

Leaders not only have a keen sense of mission, but leaders must leverage the power,” Massiah said.

He reminded the ranks of their role as part of a collective, telling them that when one member of the GPF does not uphold their duty, the entire Force is criticised. He reminded them that they must be mindful of this, and that every rank must understand that they have a duty to

uphold and to protect the integrity of the institution.

He also advised the members of the Force to ensure that they not only seek advice, or work based just on the advice given by their adviser, but that they must also take the time to ensure that they do their own research to gather what the public expects of them, and how their performance can be improved.

He further advised the ranks to adapt to the changes in society, and to embrace the use of technology to ensure that they can better fulfil their mandates.

He reminded the ranks that leaders must be able “to adapt to adversity”, and use it to improve the overall performance of the Force.

He also reminded the ranks that their leaders need timely and accurate information, and that they need to provide that information to help bridge the gap between the public and the police force.

“We must never reach a place where we become producers of false information; we have to deliver our nation from that kind of environment. And you, as the Force, you have a role to play. Please serve the people,” Massiah charged the ranks.

(Office of the President)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Tajeram Mohabir

CSEC examinations and COVID-19 THE Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) examinations have commenced in an environment of the COVID-19 pandemic which has had, over the past year, a disruptive effect on classroom teaching.

The examinations are administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), which was established in 1972 under agreement by the participating governments in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Education Ministry, in an effort to minimise the effect of such disruption, has implemented new and innovative methods of education delivery. These include the use of information and communication technologies, in conjunction with limited face-to-face teaching.

The Ministry of Education must be commended for having risen to the challenge, and successfully put in place the necessary arrangements to ensure that our students are not only adequately prepared to

sit the examinations, but that they do so in a safe and COVID-free environment.

According to Education Minister Priya Manickchand, students are expected to do well at both the CSEC and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

These examinations mean a lot to our students, as they represent the culmination of five years of secondary schooling, in the case of the CSEC examinations, and an additional two years of preparation for the CAPE examinations. Performance at these examinations is crucial, and could have a defining impact on the future academic and professional development of students.

The number of students now sitting for the examinations has increased significantly, due to a policy decision taken by the PPP/C administration to convert Community High Schools into discrete secondary schools. Several primary tops have been merged with the then Community High Schools, and are now preparing students

who otherwise would not have had an opportunity to sit the CSEC examinations.

Not only are more students sitting the CSEC examinations, but the overall performance of our Guyanese students is much better today, compared to under the previous PNC regime. The performance back then placed Guyana as the worst performing country in the entire Caribbean.

That performance deficit has now been largely corrected, thanks to several policy interventions by the PPP/C administration, especially in the critical areas of teacher training, curricula reform and infrastructural development, which, cumulatively, have impacted positively on the delivery of quality education at all levels of the education pyramid.

Only recently, the World Bank approved US$ 3.5 million in additional financing to improve education in the country. The financing is earmarked to further enhance the delivery of secondary education in the country, specifically the teaching of math-

ematics, increase enrolment in secondary schools, the provision of equipment and training to support innovative technology-assisted learning. The funding will also be used to complete construction of two secondary schools, supply resources to those schools, and the construction of a new secondary school. The new financing will support the pilot of a “smart classroom” initiative to better respond to the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, the education sector, in general, and secondary education in particular are expected to see significant improvements with the injection of additional financing by the World Bank.

The PPP/C administration has done well, in terms of the democratisation of education in the country, and making quality education much more accessible to students in all parts of the country, especially in the hinterland regions, which, historically, had been neglected by the previous PNC administrations.

Caribbean-American Legislative Week wrapped up with a number of critical recommendations

Dear Editor,

CARIBBEAN- AMERICAN Legislative Week wrapped up with a number of critical announcements and recommendations which serve to reinforce the CARICOM/ United States partnership under the Biden/ Harris administration.

Before getting into details about the week’s deliberations, I would like to highlight and commend the level of Guyanese participation in this year’s deliberations which were held virtually. The deliberations were officially declared open by Ambassador George Talbot of Guyana on behalf of Foreign Minister Hugh Todd and benefitted from comprehensive contributions during the week from Education Minister Priya Manickchand, former ministers Carl Greenidge and Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, National Security Adviser Gerry Gouveia, Professor Edward Greene, Dr. Troy Thomas, Dr. Vincent Adams, Ramesh Dookhoo, Rishma Eckert and Desmond Sears, among others. Oh for the brain power of our dear land of Guyana!

By way of background, Caribbean-American Legislative Week is one component of Caribbean- American Heritage Month, which is celebrated each June in the United States and is organised by the Washington, DC-based Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS). For more than two decades, Caribbean American Legislative Week has served as a forum to advance recommendations on, and concerns about US/

Caribbean relations. Prior to COVID-19, these deliberations were held on Capitol Hill, the White House, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organisation of American States (OAS).

In the interest of brevity in this letter, I will focus only on the US/Caribbean Diplomacy Agenda component of the deliberations which I had the honour to chair on the opening day of the week’s engagements. The United States, through its representative Mr. Pedro Martin, acting director of the Office on Caribbean Affairs at the US State Department, delivered a comprehensive report on the ongoing and new initiatives being taken by the Biden Administration to reinforce the US/Caribbean partnership.

First, Martin announced that a total of 20 million vaccines would be made available to the Caribbean and Latin America by the end of June. He also disclosed the possibility of Caribbean countries receiving additional vaccines from an allocation of 500 million, which are to be donated by the United States to 92 low and middle-income countries, as well as from another programme geared to assist small island states in the Caribbean, Pacific and North Atlantic.

In a later panel on the diplomacy platform, Guyana’s former health minister Dr. Richard Van- West Charles requested the US to consider allowing the CARICOM Region to purchase vaccines through US purchasing arrangements, in the event the donations do not satisfy the

needs of the Region. He said purchase through the US would provide for lower purchase prices due to volume and ensure effectiveness of the vaccines acquired.

Noting the sharp decreases in revenue experienced by CARICOM countries as a result of the pandemic and its devastating impact on their economies, Martin disclosed a menu of initiatives being developed under the US 20/20 Enhanced Strategy for Development in the Caribbean which include collaboration in areas such as health, education, disaster preparedness and resilience and public safety and security.

In declaring the deliberations open Ambassador George Talbot, Guyana’s top envoy to CARICOM and director of the Division of the Americas in the Foreign Ministry, praised the ongoing level of the US/Caribbean partnership while advancing recommendations for reinforcing the relationship. He thanked the US for the announced donations of vaccines noting that the Americas, including the United States, with 13 per cent of the world’s population has accounted for 40 per cent of the pandemic’s cases and 48 per cent of deaths, globally. These statistics he pointed out highlight the need for equitable and efficient vaccine distribution and urged the US to encourage the G7 countries to implement commitments given regarding vaccine distribution.

Pointing to the devastating impact of the pandemic on the CARICOM member states, Talbot said that debt to GDP ratios in the Re-

gion have gone up significantly with financing gaps nearing four billion US dollars annually.

He made a case for increased attention to be paid by the international community to the Region’s external debt which has been compounded by the pandemic. He urged Caribbean diaspora organisations to assist in helping to bring this issue to the attention of the relevant agencies and international financial institutions.

Also impacted by the pandemic is the issue of food security, a recent survey in CARICOM revealing that 2.7 million people in the Region are food-insecure since COVID-19, compared to 1.7 million in 2020, a 58 per cent increase which impacts 15 per cent of CARICOM’s population. Talbot urged that the US government seek to encourage heightened US private-sector investment in agriculture in the Region.

Critical to strengthening the US/Caribbean partnership is assistance with digital transformation, which Talbot disclosed forms part of a CARICOM economic report entitled Speeding Up the Economy 9.58, taken from Usain Bolt’s world record. He said the report points out that digital transformation goes beyond technology and includes training, upscaling and modern digital regulations.

Editor, thank you for affording me the space in your letter column to inform readers about just aspect of the deliberations.

Yours sincerely, Wesley Kirton

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Protecting young boys from sexual violence also means protecting others

Dear Editor,

IN Guyana, we have many single-parent households, a significant number of which are headed by women.

A lot of these households are economically insecure and can result in the parent being unable to invest as much time and effort into raising their children as they might like.

While the reasons for this are many, a large part has to do with the lack of accountability by many men when it comes to childcare. Lack of positive male figures can often result in young boys being more vulnerable to violence and choosing paths that are not good for them or others. This is why it is necessary for them to have access to those who are positive role models.

Given the cultural stigma associated with male sexual violence, many are reluctant to speak on it and create supportive environments for those who have experienced assault. Working towards a safer community however, means doing away with ideas that do not serve those who are most vulnerable.

Men need to recognise that refusing to talk about the implications of sexual violence against children just contributes to the maintenance of it, resulting in traumatised children who often lack trauma- focused care and grow into adults unable to lead healthy lives.

Advocates for the care of young boys must begin with having open and honest

conversations surrounding the ideas of manhood and what is really healthy for their growth and development. Too often, young boys and men are thought to internalise their pain and trauma, thereby resulting in a lot of instability within their lives. Boys need to have safe spaces to talk about how they are and the experiences that they have without fear, shame and judgment. Having men who are in touch with themselves and their place in the world can be very important in helping to provide some much-needed support for young boys. Being a positive male figure in the lives of young boys does not mean that one has to be part of a community group or organisation necessarily; rather, one can start small within their own homes and social groups as it is only through sustained efforts on all fronts that we will be able to achieve the goal of effectively and sustainably caring for young boys.

We do however, need advocates that are anti-violence and who understand how harmful aggressive expectations of masculinity can be. It is important for men to take a look at their own relationships with each other and romantic partners and examine how these relationships can have a good or bad impact on young boys. Those who grow up in chaotic familial environments can often begin to see violence as a norm.

As a result, when violence is inflicted on them, there is the internalised belief that

it is normal and just and can often go on to become abusers themselves if they do not receive the support that they need.

Protecting young boys from sexual violence also means protecting others, as it is only through the continued challenging of the culture of violence that we can begin to

make the long-term progress that is needed in our homes and communities.

Yours sincerely, Akola Thompson, Blue Umbrella Consultant - ChildLinK

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Tax relief for COVID-19 supplies extended to December 31

THE Government of Guyana’s tax relief measures to support individuals and corporations amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been extended to December 31, 2021.

According to a statement from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), COVID-19 prevention, care and treatment supplies are exempted from custom duty, and value added tax (VAT) and excise tax.

The list of specific items exempt from the aforementioned taxes include COVID-19 test kits, equipment for face and eye protection, thermometers, alcohol solutions, hand sanitisers and other disinfectant cleaners, wadding, gauzes, bandages, cotton sticks and similar articles, multivitamins and

syringes among a series of other medical equipment and supplies.

The full list can be viewed at https://www.gra. gov.gy/tax-relief-for-covid19-supplies-extended-tojune-30-2021-2/.

The VAT, duties and excise tax waivers on medical supplies associated with the testing, prevention and treatment of COVID-19, along with Vitamin C and multivi-

tamins, took effect on March 26, 2020.

Previously, the items included on the list would have attracted duties ranging from 5-20 per cent and VAT of 14

per cent.

The waiver was originally intended to end on June 30, 2020, but due to an extension, this date was pushed to June 30, 2021, and now, to December 31, 2021.

Businesses were asked to cease charging VAT for these supplies, and consumers, to be vigilant and ensure that they are no longer being charged VAT for these items.

Fire at GPL’s power plant leads to shutdown THE Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) was, on Thursday, forced to shut down all power generating units at its Garden of Eden, East Bank of Demerara (EBD) facility, after a 16.7 MVA transformer caught fire at around 14:22hrs.

According to a statement from the utility company, the loss of 27 megawatts, as a result of the fire, caused a

cascading effect, disrupting service to all customers in the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS).

At the time of the interruption, the DBIS was generating approximately 132 megawatts of power. Remedial efforts to restore power, however, commenced immediately thereafter with the first area being repowered at approximately 14:27hrs, while incremental restoration

continued, and the final area was repowered at approximately 15:22hrs.

“Accordingly, our Engineers are currently executing a technical investigation to determine the root cause of the fire,” GPL said, adding: “The GPL offers sincere apology for the inconvenience caused and is committed to providing quality service to you our valued customers.”

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No serious illnesses, water-borne diseases recorded during floods

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

–– says Health Minister

CONTENDING that local health authorities were able to adequately manage and respond to the needs of residents in the wake of countrywide flooding, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has said that no serious illnesses or cases of water-borne diseases have been recorded.

During his daily COVID-19 update on Thursday, the Health Minister said that while there were some reported cases of mild diarrhea, the health system was not overwhelmed.

The minister related that at the height of the floods, the local health authorities were on high alert for infections, especially among children.

“As you would know, during this period, while I might say more than half of the population were at risk for these flooded waters, we didn’t have any case of drowning; we didn’t have

any outbreaks of any sorts.

We were on the lookout for acute diarrheal diseases, especially among children,” Dr. Anthony said.

He reiterated that while there were a few reports of diarrhea, the local authorities were able to quickly respond to those who contracted the viral infection.

“While we had a few cases of those, it wasn’t anything that was overwhelming, so I think given all the challenges that we currently have rolling out vaccination and looking at other things and so forth, the health system performed relatively well, and I would want to acknowledge the work that the nurses and doctors and other professionals in the health system would have done in the various regions to make sure that people stay safe,” Dr. Anthony said.

The minister also noted that the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management

Agency (CDEMA), in a preliminary report, recommended that additional action be taken to be better prepared for any instances of a similar disaster in the future.

“They have suggested some additional actions in the future that perhaps the Health Ministry can undertake, and we will review those recommendations when we get them to see how we can implement them. But, by and large, I think the health sector performed well,” Dr. Anthony related.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) reported that due to moderately improved weather conditions and drainage of lands, the floodwaters have begun to recede across the country.

However, given the extent of the flooding, there still remains some amount of water in some communities.

Residents in Kwakwani, in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), had been battling with severe flooding since late April. But despite this, there were no reports of water- borne diseases in the region and across the country (Photo courtesy Solomon McGarrell)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Disabled People’s Network to benefit from much-needed assistance

AHEAD of the operationalisation of plans to offer comprehensive training and development opportunities to persons with disabilities in Guyana, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, on Wednesday, met with representatives of the Disabled People’s Network (DPN) to discuss issues facing persons with disabilities.

Among the members of the 68-member group who met with the minister were Treasurer/Coordinator of DPN, Praimnauth Sukhdeo and Vice-Chairman, Bhoj Seeram.

The group raised several concerns with Minister Persaud, who subsequently committed to assisting in the

best way she could.

Minister Persaud also committed to helping the group with funding for food, and transportation to their monthly meetings.

Further, she listened to concerns and complaints about access to work projects, among other issues, persons with disabilities face, and assisted them with food hampers.

Additionally, Minister Persaud committed to helping them with accessing training programmes.

“They will be part of the larger training programme that we have planned for persons with disabilities,” she said, adding: “These training programmes are quite extensive and will allow persons

not only personal development, but a chance to be employed or start their own business.”

According to Dr. Persaud, the ministry is currently in the process of fine-tuning the programmes and they are expected to be rolled out towards the end of this month.

Sukhdeo said he is looking forward to more interactions with Minister Persaud, and stated that the meeting with the minister was excellent and surpassed his expectations.

The DPN has several members who are shut-ins, and unable to actively participate in the group because of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the moment, about 20 members are active.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, meeting with members of the Disabled People’s Network, on Wednesday

Haitian charged for illegal entry A 33-year-old Haitian identified as Michelet Murat, on Wednesday appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Number 51 Village Magistrate’s Court, where he pleaded guilty to illegally entering the country.

According to police reports, Murat was arrested on June 28, 2021, for having

arrived in Guyana by sea and disembarked without the consent of an Immigration Officer. He was charged contrary to Section 34 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act, Chapter 14:02. Murat pleaded guilty, and was fined $15,000, or three weeks imprisonment.

The Government of Guyana had recently expressed concerns over Guyana being

used as a trans-shipment point to facilitate migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

It is against this backdrop that of the 42,100 Haitian nationals who entered the country for the period 2015 to June 17, 2021, only some 3,913 have been registered as having legally departed these shores.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Hinds assumes duties as Guyana’s ambassador to the US

FORMER Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, who served briefly as President of Guyana, on Thursday, assumed duties at the Embassy of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana as Guyana’s ninth ambassador to the United States and fifth Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States.

According to a release, Ambassador Hinds has had a career working in Guyana, beginning at the Demerara Bauxite Company in 1967 and staying on after its nationalisation in 1971, unto 1992 following which he served as Prime Minister and Vice-President of Guyana from 1992 to 2015.

Ambassador Hinds also served as Execu-

Samuel Hinds, Guyana’s new ambassador to the United States tive President of Guyana from March to December 1997, following the passing of former President, Dr. Cheddie B. Jagan.

Ambassador Hinds attended the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (1963-

1967) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, and is also the holder of an Honorary Doctorate of Science (1994) from that university.

He therefore brings to his new post, a wealth of experience having served in the highest offices of Government and looks forward to the further strengthening the extant relations between Guyana and the US, as well as with the Organisation of American States, the release said.

Guyana and the US established formal diplomatic relations on May 26, 1966.

Formal diplomatic relations were also established with the Organisation of American States in 1991.

Ambassador Hinds with embassy staffers

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Son allegedly beats mother to death

A WEST Berbice man has been detained by the police after he allegedly bludgeoned his mother to death on Wednesday evening.

The woman has been identified as 64-yearold Teshwattie Jaglall, called “Auntie Babo”, of Number 3 Village, WCB. Her lifeless body was found lying on the ground with multiple injuries, including to the wrist, right shoulder, fingers, elbow, eyes and head. She was clad in a long, black nightwear.

It is alleged that the suspect’s son, Deonarine Dukhoo, called “Dinesh”, would frequently physically and verbally abuse her for money. And on Wednesday, be-

children, aged six and three, were asleep.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the six-yearold granddaughter witnessed the brutal attack. On the night in question, the woman was reportedly beaten until she became unconscious.

It is also alleged that after committing the act, the suspect put his three-yearold son to sleep, and subsequently left for work. When she was sure that he’d left, the six-year-old reportedly DEAD: Teshwattie Jaglall used the opportunity to try to fore leaving for work, he was revive her grandmother, who seen beating the woman with was lying on the ground. But after several attempts, the a cutlass.

The woman allegedly child eventually fell asleep.

Early Thursday morndied during the course of the ing, the police were sumnight while her two grand-

The house in which the incident occurred moned to the house, where they discovered the woman lying motionless on the ground. It is unclear who contacted the police, but the Guyana Chronicle understands that Jaglall shares the house with the suspect and his two children.

Jaglall’s neighbours told the Guyana Chronicle that they were informed by the suspect that he’d found his mother in an unconscious state after returning from work on Thursday morning.

Dukhoo purportedly told neighbours that three persons had broken into the house and killed his mother; however, police said that there were no signs of forced entry into the house.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, a neighbour, Tar-

mattie Sukhraj, recalled hearing the suspect cussing and abusing his mother, but said she was too scared to call the police, since Dukhoo would accuse her of being an informant.

“He does always be beating her; since yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), he was beating her, but I don’t want to be involved, since he does curse that I would carry news on he,” Sukhraj said, adding: “It look like since last night this happen, because he is a security at a school, and like he beat her last night, and he left her to die. And when he come this morning, he say three persons went in and do that. I ask he wha happen, and he say, somebody go in de house and kill she, if I see anything. I say no, ‘cause I went out since 10. Then

he say he left to go work around 10pm, and when he come, how he find she like that.”

The neighbour alleged that she also heard screams, followed by loud cursing on Tuesday evening.

“She would have blackand-blue marks all over her body sometimes… One time he hit her with a bat, and it split in two. She proper suffer with him,” Sukhraj said.

Despite the abuse meted out to her by her son, the woman purportedly never ceased to care for him or her grandchildren. She was described as a kind individual.

A cutlass, suspected to be the murder weapon, was found at the back of the house. Investigations into this matter are ongoing.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

‘!nnovate Guyana’ targets advancement in science, technology, agriculture

THE Guyana Economic Development Trust (GEDT), an independent US and Guyana-based organisation that supports researchers, thinkers and doers in the areas of science, technology and agriculture on Wednesday announced the rebranding of its science and technology start-up programme to “!nnovate Guyana”.

The rebranded online platform, which was designed to centralise and provide access to support resources for start-ups, including technical assistance and access to capital for successful ideas, aims to demonstrate to the public that Guyana is a place where innovators live.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GEDT, Oslene Carrington, said that “!nnovate Guyana” is a hub for innovation in Guyana, and locals can now register for its programmes easily through its new website.

“Guyanese can now register for programmes such as the Guyana Innovation Prize, sponsored

CEO of the Guyana Economic Development Trust, Oslene Carrington

by GTT; the new Economic Development Accelerator, sponsored by USAID, from the American people; find civil society start-up and small business resources; and learn about virtual entrepreneurship programmes around the world, all supporting the innovation ecosystem in Guyana.

We are really excited to bring this platform to Guyana, as we continue to provide the necessary resources,” she said.

Sharing his enthusiasm to be part of the programme, was CEO of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company

GTT’s Damian Blackburn (GTT), Damian Blackburn, who said he is excited to see the growth behind !nnovate Guyana.

“This programme fits hand-in-glove with one of the company’s promise to innovate for all in our country,” Blackburn said, adding: “Innovation is one of the hallmarks of the telecommunications industry but is equally important in other sectors, and we are proud to be a part of this initiative. I am truly thrilled to see the growth of ‘!nnovate’ Guyana, and believe the projects that will come out of this will truly benefit those in and for Guyana.”

Carrington related that the new platform also showcases Guyanese inventiveness through its “!nnovate Guyana TV”, a new YouTube channel.

This platform presents some of Guyana’s many innovators, from scientific researchers and technologists to creatives, including artists and persons with invaluable traditional knowledge and skills.

Persons are encouraged to watch the promotional video for !nnovate Guyana TV at www. innovateguyana.org/igtv, or subscribe to the YouTube channel for free. Episodes will be updated several times per month. More on the programme can be accessed via www.innovateguyana.org.

The GEDT also provides access to resources,

including 21st Century skills training, coaching, and very early-stage grant capital for start-ups with breakthrough ideas.

It offers its supporters U.S. tax deductibility on contributions, the ability to help equip Guyanese with the skills of the future, and the opportunity to play a role in the advancement of the nation.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

India’s top refiner buys its first Guyanese oil – a source

INDIAN Oil Corp (IOC. NS), the country’s top refiner, has made its first purchase of Guyana’s Liza light sweet crude, as it seeks to diversify its crude purchases, a source familiar with the matter said.

The one million-barrel cargo will set sail around July 4 on the Greeceflagged tanker, Militos, for India’s Paradip Port, where it is set to arrive around August 8, according to Refinitiv data.

This would be a “trial

cargo”, the source said, without giving details of pricing. The source said that India is in talks with Guyana’s government for a term-oil supply contract for state refiners.

IOC is the first Indian state refiner to buy Liza

oil. Private refiner, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd, a joint venture between staterun Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL.NS) and steel tycoon, L.N. Mittal, bought a million barrels of Liza grade in March.

The company declined to immediately comment.

India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer, ships in more than 80 per cent of its oil needs from overseas, and relies heavily on the Mid-

dle East.

Earlier this year, India asked state refiners to expedite the diversification of crude sources, after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, also known as OPEC+, failed to ease supply curbs, leading to a spike in global oil prices.

The state refiners, IOC, HPCL, Bharat Petroleum (BPCL.NS) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL.

NS), together control about three-fifths of India’s 5 million barrel per day refining capacity.

With tax-heavy retail prices of gasoline and gasoil jumping to a record high, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has again requested OPEC+, ahead of the group’s July 1 meeting, to consider easing supply curbs to enable demand-led recovery and to calm inflation.

(Reuters)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Police: father of Henry boys never livestreamed post-mortem –– contend evidence contradicts claims by Attorney Nigel Hughes

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has said it notes with serious concern the allegations made by Nigel Hughes, the Attorney-at-Law who is representing Glaston Henry, also called ‘Gladwin,’ that an insufficient investigation was done as it relates to the purported alibi witnesses.

The matter is in relation to the unlawful killing of West Coast of Berbice (WCB) teenager, Haresh Singh, for which four men were charged on Tuesday.

The teen was found dead on September 9, 2020, at the Number Two Village backlands, Region Five (Mahaica – Berbice); this was around the time when persons were protesting and calling for justice for the “Henry boys” who were brutally murdered.

According to information from the Guyana Police Force, the four men charged are 21-year-old Charles ‘Bucko’ Scott of 29 Jarvis Street, Rosignol, Berbice; 27-year-old Joel ‘Bolo’ Gittins of Jangotown, East Coast Demerara; 27-year-old Glaston ‘Soldierman’ Henry, also known as Gladwin and 29-year-old Philip ‘Ratman’ Anderson, both of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB).

The body of 17-year-old Singh, also known as ‘Raj’, formerly of Lot 8, Number Three Village, WCB, was discovered with chop wounds by his 12-year-old brother.

On the day he was found, Singh had left his home with his uncles to venture into the backlands to work; however, he returned home by himself to fetch water. His body was later found lying motionless and bleeding from the nose.

His motorcycle was also discovered burnt.

An autopsy revealed that the teen died from brain haemorrhage and blunt trauma to the head, compounded by compression injuries to the neck.

Gladston Henry is the brother of Isaiah Henry and the cousin of Joel Henry – the Henry boys whose mutilated bodies were found just three days prior to the murder of Singh.

The GPF, in responding to claims by Hughes during a press conference on Thursday, said it wishes to set the facts straight since it appears that Hughes insists on conducting a trial of this matter in the court of public opinion, although this matter is ‘sub judice.’

REMAIN SILENT During a video interview conducted on the 26th day of June, 2021 and another video interview conducted on the 27th day of June, 2021 with Glaston Henry, he exercised his right to remain silent on each occasion, the GPF said in a release, noting that at no time whatsoever did the suspect inform the investigators that he had an alibi or that he was elsewhere during the time of the murder.

Oddly, the GPF pointed out that it was his attorney who belatedly on the last occasion told an investigator after the said video interview was completed that Glaston Henry was elsewhere and there were witnesses. The attorney did not submit a statement for Glaston Henry, nor put any alibi on record either in an oral or written statement during the video interviews that were conducted, the GPF said.

“No alibi witnesses ever presented themselves to the investigators for their statement to be taken. Nothing prevented this from being done. However, pre-prepared statements were later delivered to the investigators at CID Headquarters after 16:00hrs on the 28th day of June, 2021 and investigators immediately commenced probing the alibi statements by making earnest efforts to contact these witnesses. The assistance of senior officers stationed in Region Five was also solicited and they could not locate two of these witnesses, namely, Bibi Shaheman and Claudette Kurtzious at their given addresses,” the release said.

Additionally, details of this purported alibi were also furnished to the investigators via an email correspondence from Mr. Hughes on behalf of Glaston Henry, dated Wednesday 30th June, 2021. The contents of the said email, inter alia, set out the following alibi for Glaston Henry: “Mr. Gladston Henry, father of our client attended the post-mortem and video recorded it live as it was being conducted. Our client, along with several witnesses were at the home of his parents viewing the live transmission.

He remained at the location for the entire day as confirmed by each of the above witnesses.”

The GPF said that perhaps it eluded Hughes’s memory that the entire post-mortem examination of Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry were video recorded by the investigators in his presence. After receiving this email from Hughes, the video recording was reviewed by the investigators assigned to the case to ascertain the veracity of the alibi proffered on behalf of Glaston Henry by his attorney, since he had elected to remain silent, which was his right.

According to the GPF, this recording showed that Glaston Henry’s father briefly entered and exited the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home where the post-mortem was being conducted for the sole purpose of identifying the body of his son Isaiah Henry.

This is in keeping with the standard operating procedure.

NEVER HOLDING A PHONE “Glaston Henry’s father was never holding a phone in his hand at the time; he only had a mask and a rag in his hands.

Further, when he ex-

ited the room, he could be seen standing outside and putting on his mask while holding a rag in the other hand. Glaston Henry’s father never re-entered the room.

Therefore, it is impossible for him to have ‘attended the post-mortem examination and video recorded it live as it was being conducted.’ This diametrically opposes what is being peddled as the alibi for Glaston Henry that he was home at the time watching a live video recorded by his father, when his father was never present in the room during the conduct of the post-mortem examination.

“It therefore follows that all nine purported alibi witnesses are currently being sought by the GPF in connection with alleged attempts to pervert the course of justice, since if the father of Glaston Henry never recorded any post-mortem examination live, then clearly they could not have been home watching a live video together with Glaston Henry.

“It should also be noted that these purported alibi witnesses directly contradict other individuals who placed Glaston Henry in the company

of the other suspects at Haresh Singh’s home and at the scene of the crime at the material time,” the GPF said.

The GPF also noted that at the press conference hosted

by Hughes, it was alleged that one of the investigators, that is, Inspector Sarrabo was present in Berbice at the home of the family of Isaiah Henry at the time the post-mortem was being conducted.

However, it said that this contention was also another

blatant attempt to mislead and distort the facts in this matter, since Inspector Sarrabo can be seen present during the post-mortem in the recording made by the investigators and also in the background of a ‘Prime News’ video interview that was being conducted with Hughes immediately after the conclusion of the post-mortem examination.

“Finally, in light of the above, the GPF wishes to also

reiterate that it has discharged its mandate in completing the investigation and sending the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

The charges were instituted upon the legal advice received from the DPP and therefore, to indicate that this charge is a miscarriage of justice is wholly unmeritorious and can only be viewed as a desperate and deliberate attempt to pervert the course of justice,” the GPF said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

75 COVID-19 deaths recorded for June –– as Health Ministry reports four more fatalities

THE Ministry of Health, on Thursday confirmed four more COVID-19 deaths for the month of June, 2021, taking the death toll for that month to 75, and the overall toll to 473.

June has been confirmed as the second deadliest month for the virus in

Guyana. The latest fatalities are two females and a male, aged 71, 34 and 54 respectively, from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and a female, aged 91, from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who were all admitted with COVID-19-like symptoms, but died while re-

ceiving medical care at Ministry of Health facilities.

According to additional information from the Ministry of Health, there were 87 new cases of COVID-19, with 1,019 tests carried out for June 30, 2021.

Of these cases, Re-

gion One (Barima-Waini) accounted for five; Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 22; Region Four, 40; Region Six, 18, and Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), two.

The newly-infected persons were 47 males and 40 females. Presently,

14 persons occupy the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while 100 are institutionally isolated, 1,460 are isolated at home, and three are institutionally quarantined.

Of Guyana’s 20,142 confirmed cases since the detection of COVID-19 here, 1,577 are active, and currently being monitored, while 69 of Guyana’s 18,109 recoveries were recorded within the past 24 hours.

All Guyanese are urged to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures, which emphasise the need for correct

and consistent use of a face mask when leaving home, the importance of maintaining the six-foot physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone you know is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, kindly call the COVID-19 Hotlines: 231-1166, 226-7480, or 624-6674 immediately, or visit the Ministry of Health at www.health. gov.gy.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, jULY 2, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

US$6M World Bank financing shows renewed confidence of partners –– Dr. Singh says SENIOR Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh has said the approval of additional financing from the World Bank to aid Guyana’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign is a sign that the country has regained the confidence of its development partners.

That confidence, the minister said, had plummeted due to a number of circumstances, principally the assault on democracy by the former APNU+AFC

Government during the five-month saga following the March 2020 elections.

“A number of international donor agencies had effectively disengaged with Guyana… Since President Ali’s government assumed office on August 2, 2020, we have been working on resuming Guyana’s engagement with the various international partners who obviously welcomed the return of Guyana to the fold of democratic nations,” Dr. Singh related.

He said that Guyana has engaged all of its de-

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh velopment partners with a view to mobilising development resources. The government, he said, has

been in discussions with the World Bank on how it can support Guyana’s response to the pandemic.

The World Bank announced on Wednesday that it has approved additional financing, to the tune of US$6 million, to the country.

A World Bank release states that the additional financing comes under the Guyana COVID-19 Emergency Response Project to support affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, and ensure effective vaccine deployment in Guyana.

The bank said the funding is also purposed to support general preparedness, resilience and overall health-system strengthening.

The release has noted that the original project was approved in November, 2020 to support Guyana’s pandemic response, and strengthen the country’s health system.

According to the bank, US$5 million is an interest-free loan from the International Development Association (IDA), a member of the World Bank Group, while an additional US$1 million is a grant

from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

According to World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Ozan Sevimli, “An efficient and equitable rollout of COVID-19 vaccines will be critical to save lives and restore economic activities in Guyana.

“The World Bank is closely coordinating with development partners and Government of Guyana counterparts to support the vaccination campaign, and longterm improvements to the country’s healthcare system.”

Guyana has been working assiduously to vaccinate its adult population.

The Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that 233,134 persons have so far received the first dose of the vaccine, with 108,752 being fully vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health has reiterated that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and urged persons to get vaccinated.

Dr. Singh told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the recent flooding disaster has

World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Ozan Sevimli complicated the government’s vaccination campaign, but that it hopes for a reinvigoration of that campaign, as the floodwaters are receding in some of the more devastated regions.

The minister also noted the “unfortunate” statements from Opposition politicians which have resulted in vaccine hesitancy.

Notably, the World Bank stressed the need for vaccine awareness communication in Guyana, as it announced the US$6 million financing.

(DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, jULY 2, 2021

No evidence to suggest spraying nose with saline solution prevents COVID-19 –– Health Minister says

By Jared Liddell

HEALTH Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony on Thursday dispelled the common misconception that the ‘rinsing’ of the nose with saline solution can prevent, or even decrease, one’s chances of contracting COVID-19.

Minister Anthony, who made these statements during his daily COVID-19 update, stated that the only way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is through the use of face masks, social distancing, and practising proper sanitisation.

As such, the Health Minister is encouraging persons to take all necessary precautions against COVDI-19, including taking any of the three

COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered by the Ministry of Health.

Minister Anthony said that while vaccination rates have been increasing, there is still a significant way to go before the country could achieve herd immunity, which is essentially the immunisation of 80 to 85 per cent of the country’s adult population.

He related that it is with this in mind that the government has been taking steps to ensure its vaccination efforts are bolstered.

As at Thursday, July 1, 2021, 233,756 Guyanese have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And of this amount, about 110,710, or 22.7 per cent of the adult

population, have received both doses of the vaccine.

“The vaccines that we have would certainly help us to get there, but we need people to come forward and take the vaccines, and I’m very hopeful that more and more people understand the importance of getting vaccinated, because, without vaccination, you are putting yourself and your family at risk. So, we want to constantly repeat that message, because that is very important,” the Health Minister said.

Another indicator of the government’s seriousness about achieving herd immunity is the arrival of 88,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.

The government purchased 100,000 doses of the vaccine from the manufacturer, and they will be

used to immunise some 50,000 Guyanese.

With 88,000 doses of the vaccine already in Guyana, it was reported that the remaining 12,000 doses are expected to arrive from the manufacturer by tomorrow.

Minister Anthony said that 50,000 doses of those vaccines will be distributed for first- dose administration, while the remaining 50,000 will be kept in storage to ensure that anyone that takes the vaccine can be immunised within the stipulated timeline.

The Sinopharm vaccine, according to the Health Minister, will allow for an expanded reach across Guyana, as it does not require “ultra-cold” storage.

A major challenge which the government has encountered when attempting to immunise persons in hinterland com-

munities and other farflung communities across Guyana was getting the storage capacities for vaccines such as the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which requires a -20 degrees storage temperature.

“One of the advantages with this particular vaccine is that it does not require the ultra-cold storage, or the really cold storage, which is -20 degrees,” Dr. Anthony said, adding: “These are vaccines that can be stored from two to eight degrees (Celsius), and we are very happy, because it allows us to move them to remote places as well.”

The government has been intensifying its vaccination drive across the country, through innovative means, so as to afford persons easy access to vaccination sites.

The Health Ministry has also launched several

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Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony “drive thru” vaccination sites in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and intends to have this type of initiative extended to all of the country’s ten administrative regions.

Additionally, the government has embarked on several house-tohouse vaccination drives to reach those persons who might not be able to make it to a vaccination site.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

CDC receives more flood-relief supplies THE Civil Defence Commission (CDC), on Thursday, received donations from Beepats, Ezone and Church of the Latter-Day Saints, to further boost its nationwide flood-relief efforts.

The simple handing over ceremony was held at the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana. Items donated to the commission included sanitisation products, baby diapers, masks and some 1,000 pairs of long boots.

Beepats Brand Manager, Vondet Deformont, who also represented Ezone, said the donation forms part of the companies’ corporate social responsibility. She noted that the products are critical to health and safety in light of the pandemic.

“The items that we would have donated here are our smarty baby diapers and also the antibacterial wipes; we have an antibacterial wipe and it is very, very necessary for this time that we have the Coronavirus, which is evident among us, and it will help persons who are going out on a daily basis even at homes, to sanitise your surfaces, to sanitise your hands,” she said.

Meanwhile, First Councillor, Trinidad

Representatives from the various entities who donated the supplies

and Tobago, Church of the latter-Day Saints, Wayne Barrow, said the church has been working along with the CDC for many years. Among the supplies they donated recently were masks.

“We also donated 3,000 KN 95 masks and 5,400 fabric masks and these are actually produced right here in Guyana by persons who were displaced because of the pandemic. So, essentially, when we make contributions or donations, the people of Guyana benefit,” Barrow related.

He said the donation of 1,000 long boots was made possible through a partnership between the church and Hardware Depot which reduced its selling price considerably.

President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, last month declared the flooding a national disaster, and noted that Guyana would take additional steps to support those severely affected.

Persons desirous of contributing to the flood-relief efforts can contact the CDC on telephone numbers 2261027 or 600-7500 (WhatsApp). (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICL Friday, July 2, 2021

‘Venom’ returns home, plans to take music industry by storm

By Telesha Ramnarine

JERMAINE Mac Bean, better known as ‘The Reinforcer’ and ‘Venom’ recently returned to Guyana, having spent some amount of time in the entertainment industry of other Caribbean territories and China.

Upon his return home, he plans to use music as an important tool to help release the worries and tensions associated with the novel coronavirus, and the devastating pandemic that it has fuelled.

The songwriter, composer and

professional vocalist returned to his Linden, Region 10, Upper Demerara-Berbice roots just a few months ago. All things being equal, he had many plans to perform at several live shows, gyrating to the enthusiasm of a usually vibrant Guya-

nese audience; unfortunately, all is not equal and Guyana, like many countries

across the world, has instituted guidelines and restrictions geared at combating the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Although the restrictions might have been a major setback to ‘Venom’, he refuses to allow the virus and the pandemic to stymie his progress. As it is, he has chosen to use his time at home to compose songs ideal for performing for his home crowd, in his usual energetic style.

As a matter of fact, some of t h e

Jermaine Mac Bean, also known as ‘The Reinforcer’ and ‘Venom.’

song Mac Bean has penned over the last few months will be aired at his August 1 ‘Linden Summer Jam’ which will be hosted at the popular Shanghai’s Residence in Amelia’s Ward.

Jermaine’s intention is for the event to be an open-air affair that will not only be family-oriented and fun, but also in keeping with strict COVID-19 guidelines.

Specifically, tables and chairs will be set up in a manner that complies with social distancing protocols, and patrons will be asked to wear masks when socialising.

The cooking will also be done in wide open spaces, and the menu will feature Bar-BQue pork, beef, fish and chicken, done on several grills that will be set up across the venue.

While ‘Venom’ himself is expected to be the main attraction of the highly-anticipated event, several other local artistes are slated to add their u n i q u e touch of flavour to the show.

M a c Bean has his heart set on executing an event worthy of being described as an epic ‘musical

inferno.’ Even amid the pandemic, ‘Venom’ endeavours to host a show capable of rivaling any other event staged locally. At it is, he is not afraid to put in the hard work; he is currently undertaking a series of intense planning and comprehensive coordination needed to pull off the conceptualised event.

He has since dubbed the Emancipation Day show to be ‘A Summer Jam to Remember’ – an event unlike anything that has ever been hosted locally.

No stranger to the world of music, Mac Bean has performed at the Carib Soca Monarch in 2012 with his song, ‘Storm the Road’. After that, he worked on ‘Bumper’, another Soca single that created waves among music lovers.

‘Main Squeeze’ was his reggae single that captivated listeners in 2010.

Jermaine Mac Bean also traveled to China where he was invited to perform at several functions after his live videos and performances were seen by promoters there. Having enjoyed his time and success in China, ‘Venom’ is back in Guyana. His current focus is to perform for his fellow citizens all across the country.

Creating short, captivating films using mobile phones

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

-secondary school pupils to be awarded honoured

By Dillon Goring Secondary school pupils who were victorious in a competition to create short films using mobile phones will be honoured at a ceremony slated for this Saturday, July 3, 2021 at the Ruimveldt Life Improvement Media Centre, Front Road, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

The pupils, winners of the Jubilee Schools Competition, will be awarded trophies and other prizes for having successfully produced intriguing films in the categories of ‘Minibus Culture’, ‘The Use of Social Media’, ‘Violence in Schools’, ‘Bullying’, ‘Corporal Punishment’, ‘Exams Pressure’, ‘Sexting’, and lastly, ‘Me and the Oil Industry and I can be an Entrepreneur.’

The competition was organized by CineGuyana, which was established on July 2, 2011 under the Pres-

ident’s Film Endowment Project. It is the only functioning and legally incorporated entity that represents in excess of 188 filmmakers, talent, writers and production persons in Guyana. This year, CineGuyana will be celebrating its 10th anniversary.

According to the organisation, the film competition was opened to all Secondary Schools across the country, and ran from January 31 to February 2, 2020. An appropriate award ceremony for the pupils was delayed due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus and the pandemic that it caused.

In keeping with the previously established guidelines, the films were shot with mobile phones, and featured original ideas and scripts that were approximately three to five minutes long. The competition facilitated both individual and group entries.

In November 2010, the then President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo created a small grant to stimulate a film making industry in Guyana. Dr. Paloma Mohamed, Director of the Centre for Communication Studies at the University of Guyana was tasked with managing the project which was named ‘The President’s Film Endowment Project 2011.’

As part of the project, each film benefited from a cast and crew which comprised of about 30 persons, all of whom were exposed to training which was designed and delivered by award-winning American filmmaker, Brian Zahm of Ohio University.

The participants of the training underwent a rigorous four months course, which entailed at least 12 hours per day sessions, inclusive of weekends.

Scenes from the previous Guyana Film Festival

From aspiring lawyer to thriving TV, radio personality

GUYANA CHRONICL Friday, July 2, 2021

23

…Frederick Rampersaud celebrates career milestones

By Dillon Goring Frederick Rampersaud has become a household name. He is a broadcaster and television personality, best known for his expansive taste in music, particularly the sounds of the olden days. In 2021, he will be celebrating 20 years of being a radio announcer, and 25 years of being a face on thousands of television sets across the country.

During a recent interview with the Buzz, Rampersaud reflected on his journey as a presenter, crediting his childhood and upbringing for his vocal personality. “My great grandfather was a preacher,” Rampersaud said.

He noted that watching his grandfather and father preach, he and his brothers developed a strong appreciation for good communication skills. “So public speaking was so simple because we reach thousands of people…I sang too,” Rampersaud related.

He added, “It is because of the kind of exposure I received, which helped me a lot.”

While his brothers followed the footsteps of their patriarch and became pastors, Frederick Rampersaud had his sights set to becoming a lawyer. However, despite relentlessly trying to pursue a legal career, other commitments made his dream untenable.

“I wanted to be a lawyer because I had years of seeing children suffering.

My aim was to build one of these shelters or orphanages; for all the cases I won I would have been able to pay for them and afford them [the children] an education”, Rampersaud told Buzz.

With his childhood

Radio announcer and television presenter, Frederick Rampersaud

dream no longer within reach, Rampersaud resorted to pursuing a thriving career as a television presenter and radio host, and safe to say, it was a good move.

Rampersaud has been able to witness the evolution of radio and television in Guyana. He believes that technological developments have played a major role in changing the dynamics of radio, and creating spaces for both radio announcers, and radio operators.

“When you talk about state-of-the-art development from back then to now, [it] is totally different,” Rampersaud said.

He pointed to the fact that radio, over the years, has allowed for Guyanese to

benefit from the voices of persons such as Matthew Allen and Pancho Carew, who have been well admired by their local fans.

Rampersaud related that even though many years have elapsed, his would still be aiming to practice law and to ensure that children have access to hot and hearty meals, especially those from vulnerable homes and communities.

In the meantime, however, Rampersaud said that he will be adding to the upkeep of professionalism as an announcer and presenter.

He believes that aspiring radio and television personalities should always be motivated by high standards.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, jULY 2, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Pollard urges...

From Page 32 Central American region and the Caribbean,” Pollard said in an extended interview with GFFNOW, the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) media channel.

“It will be a tough challenge for us that I think every footballer should relish – young and old – because this is what we do. This is our game.”

Guatemala narrowly missed out on reaching the second round of 2022 FIFA World

Pollard, Bravo...

From Page 32 ninth over, and Simmons followed in the 11th over, lbw missing a sweep at the same bowler.

Once Nicholas Pooran (16) and Andre Russell (9) followed cheaply, the West Indies innings flirted with disaster but Pollard roared, lashing two fours and five sixes in a 66-run, unbroken seventh-wicket stand with Allen.

Significantly, West Indies plundered 55 runs from

Cup qualification in the CONCACAF region, on goals scored, despite putting 10 goals past St Vincent and the Grenadines and finishing on equal points with group winners Curacao.

Guatemala have pedigree at regional level, winning the CONCACAF Championship –the predecessor to the Gold Cup – in 1967 and reaching the Gold Cup quarter-finals as recently as 2011.

“We know it will be a tough game, but we are positive,” Pollard said.

“The ball is round and anything can happen. We are preparing right but we have

to believe as players and as staff.

“We are a Gold Cup team.

We have proved ourselves in the Gold Cup. We went to the Gold Cup. We are not an ordinary team.”

The winners of tomorrow’s match will play either Guadeloupe or The Bahamas for a place in the final rounds of the 2021 Gold Cup..

Despite a disappointing World Cup qualification run, the Golden Jaguars have had a promising start to their preparations for the game against Guatemala.

the last three overs – the penultimate over gushed 25 – with Allen chipping in with two fours and a six.

“For the majority of the bowling innings I thought we bowled well but there were probably three overs where we didn’t really hit our straps there and they really capitalised on us,” said a despondent Proteas captain Temba Bavuma.

“At the death they were quite harsh on us – I think they got about 60-odd runs in the last four overs and that really put us under pressure.”

West Indies’ momentum continued when Pollard tasked Gayle with bowling his first over in a T20 International in five years, and the 41-year-old responded by getting Reeze Hendricks stumped off the very first ball of the second over with the visitors having only eight on the board.

de Kock then added 28 for the second wicket with Bavuma (7) and a further 26 for the third wicket with Markram (20) but once Russell (2-30) bowled Markram at the start of the 10th over, the innings lost momentum.

Bravo, who entered the attack in the sixth over, went wicket-less in his initial two-over spell which cost eight runs but returned in the 16th over to get his first victim as Linde (6) holed out to point at 110 for six.

His last over, the 18th of the innings, yielded three wickets – the chief of which was de Kock’s, the left-hander lashing a full toss to point after counting half-dozen fours and two sixes.

The wickets of tailenders Shamsi and Ngidi both without scoring - followed soon after, as South Africa’s challenge fizzled.

SCORE-BOARD

WEST INDIES innings L. Simmons lbw b Linde 47 E. Lewis c Markram b Nortje 7 C. Gayle c wkp. de Kock b Rabada 5 S. Hetmyer c wkp. de Kock b Linde 7 N. Pooran c van der Dussen b Shamsi 16 K. Pollard not out 51 A. Russell c Nortje b Shamsi 9 F. Allen not out 19 Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-4) 6 Total: (6 wkts, 20 overs) 167 Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-32, 3-63, 4-70, 5-89, 6-101.

Bowling: Markram 1-0-20-0, Ngidi 4-0-48-0 (w-2), Nortje 4-0-32-1, Rabada 3-0-36-1 (w-1), Linde 4-0-162, Shamsi 4-0-13-2 (w-1).

SOUTH AFRICA innings Q. de Kock c Simmons b Bravo 60 R. Hendricks stp. Pooran b Gayle 2 T. Bavuma lbw b McCoy 7 Aiden Markram b Russell 20 R. van der Dussen c wkp. Pooran b Pollard 6 D. Miller c Gayle b Russell 12 G. Linde c Simmons b Bravo 6 K. Rabada not out 16 T. Shamsi c Gayle b Bravo 0 L. Ngidi c Simmons b Bravo 0 A. Nortje not out 4 Extras: (b-5, lb-3, w-4, nb-1) 13 Total: (9 wkts, 20 overs) 146 Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-36, 3-62, 4-75, 5-94), 6-110, 7-126, 8-126, 9-127 Bowling: Edwards 2-0-21-0, Gayle 2-0-11-1 (w-1), McCoy 4-0-33-1 (w-2, nb-1), Russell 4-0-30-2 (w-1), Bravo 4-0-19-4, Pollard 4-0-24-1.

Man-of-the-Match: Kieron Pollard.

27

GUYANA CHRONICL Friday, July 2, 2021

Paul inspires Suns to reach first NBA finals since 1993

THE Phoenix Suns reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 after wrapping up the Western Conference finals title against Los Angeles Clippers.

They beat Clippers 130-103 to secure a 4-2 series win.

Chris Paul was the key figure for Suns with 41 points while Devin Booker added 22.

They will face either Milwaukee Bucks or Atlanta Hawks in the best-of-seven championship final.

Paul, 36, has been selected for 11 NBA All-Star teams and won two Olympic gold medals

Chris Paul joined Phoenix Suns from Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020. with the USA, but this is the

first time the former Clipper

has reached the Finals after joining the Suns last year from Oklahoma City.

“This feels good,” he said.

“It has been a lot of work, going to a new team, everybody staying the course.

“Sixteen years of this, 16 years of surgeries, of hard work, of losses - bad losses. We’re going to enjoy tonight.”

Paul, who played for Clippers between 2011 and 2017, added: “I’m just so happy for all the people around me.

To do it here against a team I have the utmost respect for, I’ll always be a Clipper. I love these

fans.”

The Suns, who had failed to even reach the play-offs for 10 consecutive seasons prior to the 2020-2021 campaign. had missed the chance to win the series at home on Monday but they made no mistake at the Staples Center.

They led by 17 points near the end of the third quarter before Clippers, who had lost both Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka to injuries during the post-season, hit 10 unanswered points.

But Paul took centrestage again with eight points to

extend Suns’ advantage. His four-point play midway the fourth quarter then took them into a 111-92 lead, and from then on there was no way back for Clippers The Suns had worked hard to stop Clippers star Paul George, who scored 41 points in game five, and the home side’s frustration was compounded late on when Patrick Beverley was ejected from the game after shoving Paul to the ground. (BBC Sport)

Gauff sees off Vesnina to cruise into Wimbledon third round (REUTERS) - American teenager Coco Gauff marched into the third round of Wimbledon with a convincing 6-4, 6-3 victory over Russian Elena Vesnina on Centre Court yesterday.

Vesnina, a former doubles number one, at 34 is twice Gauff’s age and one of many mothers at Wimbledon. She returned to the Tour from maternity leave after nearly three years in April with a protected ranking.

Gauff, who stormed into the fourth round in 2019 on her main draw debut as a 15-yearold, took a tumble at 2-2 in the opening set but immediately got back to her feet, giving the chair umpire a thumbs-up to indicate she was fine to continue.

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American teenager Coco Gauff

The turning point in the opener came at 3-3 when the American broke Vesnina, who made two backhand errors and served a double fault to give Gauff the lead. The 20th seed

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then served out the set, sealing it when Vesnina found the net.

Gauff carried that momentum into the second set with a double break to take a 3-0 lead, continuing to target Vesnina’s backhand as the Russian made a slew of errors.

Vesnina then called for a medical timeout to get treatment on her back and returned re-energised as she broke Gauff for the first time in the match and rallied to make it 3-2.

A stroke of luck at 4-3 allowed Gauff to take the lead when a lob fell onto the net tape and dribbled over, much to Vesnina’s frustration. The American then broke again in the final game when her opponent served her fourth double fault.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Half-a-century of England hurt could be healing

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, England (Reuters) - It is 25 years since the Lightning Seeds sang of England’s “30 years of hurt” but now, with the thorn that has caused the Three Lions the most pain finally removed with Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Germany, fans really can start dreaming.

That song, the anthem of Euro96, was thrown back in England’s faces when joyous German fans sang ‘Football’s coming home’, after beating the hosts on penalties in the semi-finals.

That was just one of all too many tearful tournament exits at Germany’s hands.

It began with the extra-time defeat in the 1970 World Cup quarter-finals, when holders England blew a 2-0 lead,

and reached their zenith with 1990 World Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out agony.

Euro96, when current England manager Gareth Southgate missed the decisive penalty, kept the run going, and German tournament superiority was driven home by their 4-1 victory in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup. As the years of hurt rolled over the half-century mark, Southgate worked overtime to clear his squad’s minds of the baggage that seemed to weigh so heavily on every previous generation, not least the “golden one” of David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

One of the first hurdles was cleared when England ended a dire run of penalty shootouts by beating Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, but the ultimate test was put

(AFP) - Manchester United announced yesterday they had reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of England international Jadon Sancho, who will cost the Premier League club 85 million euros.

United have long been keen to bring the winger to Old Trafford and they are finally set to get their man, who is currently on England duty at Euro 2020.

“The signing is subject to contractual terms and a medical, which will be completed after Jadon’s involvement in the UEFA European Championship,” United said in a brief statement.

Bundesliga side Dortmund confirmed earlier yesterday that they had agreed a fee of 85 million euros ($100 million, £73 million) for the 21-year-old.

“The contractual details now have to be coordinated and completed,” the club said in their statement.

“Moreover, the formal processing of the transfer is still subject to the successful completion of all necessary medical tests and examinations.”

Reports said Sancho would sign a five-year deal at Old Trafford. Speculation had been rife last year that he would be heading to Old Trafford, but no transfer materialised at that point.

Sancho, who has scored three times in 20 senior international appearances, is set to become the second-most expensive English player behind Harry Maguire, whom United signed two years ago from Leicester for £80 million.

Manchester United’s announcement was welcomed

by Marcus Rashford, who is with Sancho on England duty preparing for Saturday’s Euro 2020 quarter-final against Ukraine.

Rashford posted a photo of the pair with the caption “Family @Sanchooo10, Welcome brother”.

Sancho’s contract with

England manager Gareth Southgate congratulates one of his players after victory on Tuesday night.

in front of them on Tuesday Germany.

HOME ADVANTAGE On paper England had nothing to fear. They had home advantage with most of the 40 000 Wembley crowd

driving them on.

As England were reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup three years ago, Germany were bundled out in the group stage.

While England moved seamlessly through the group

phase of this tournament, without conceding a goal, Germany were battered by France and just about scrambled through to the knockout stage with a draw against Hungary.

Many of England’s players had gone up against their German counterparts regularly for their clubs, and had often beaten them.

There should have been no fear, but this was still Germany, the team that finds a way in tournaments and, other than a group stage blip in 2000 when both teams failed to progress, the team that always beats England.

Not any more. Late goals

by Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane were a fair reward for England, who were not overawed and who fully realised the men in black were mere mortals.

“It is history, all the players were asked about the past games but we created history,” said midfielder Declan Rice.

“Today, the occasion, the fans, the players were up for it. The dressing room, I have not been a part of a team with this togetherness. We really believe, with the tournament being at Wembley.”

There is the little matter of a diversion to Rome for a quarter-final against Sweden or Ukraine tomorrow, and Southgate will spend every waking minute eliminating any hint of complacency from his squad.

There are plenty of hurdles still to clear but the path is opening for England to reach their first final since 1966 and, finally, after 55 years, to end the hurt.

Man United confirm agreement with Dortmund over Sancho transfer

Dortmund have accepted Manchester United’s 85 million euro bid for English midfielder Jadon Sancho.

Dortmund had been due to run until the end of June

2023 and his transfer is one of the most expensive in

Bundesliga history.

It will mean a return to

Manchester for the player, who was a graduate of Manchester City’s academy before joining Dortmund in search of first-team football.

Even though Sancho never played a first-team game for them, City will be due around £10 million of the fee as a result of a 15 percent sell-on clause they had inserted in the deal when he left the Etihad Stadium.

Sancho joined Dortmund in 2017 and made 137 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 50 goals and establishing himself as one of Europe’s brightest young stars.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to use his new player on the right flank as he looks to add more creativity to his attack.

The club have not won the Premier League title since 2013 and last season finished in second place, 12 points behind champions Man United.

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GUYANA CHRONICL Friday, July 2, 2021

Federer will face Cameron Norrie Five Sri Lankan players after beating Richard Gasquet refuse to sign contracts

EIGHT-time champion Roger Federer continued his dominance over France’s Richard Gasquet to set up a Wimbledon third-round meeting with British number two Cameron Norrie.

Federer, 39, extended his winning record over 35-yearold Gasquet to 19-2 with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Norrie reached the last 32 for the first time with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win against Australian wildcard Alex Bolt.

“I hope the crowd gets into it,” said sixth seed Federer on facing Norrie.

“I understand if they cheer for him and if it is for me it is because of the last 20 years and all the big wins I’ve had here.

“Cam is a good guy; he’s had a wonderful year and played great at Queen’s, backing that up here.”

Then the Swiss quipped: “But enough now - he needs to go out! I need to go through.”

Norrie, 25, has been one

Cameron Norrie joined Andy Murray and Dan Evans in the Wimbledon third round, meaning it is the first time since 1999 that three British men have reached the last 32.

of the leading players on the ATP Tour this year, demonstrating his form and ability earlier yesterday in front of an impressed home crowd on Court One. The 29th seed lost the first three games against Bolt before winning 11 in a row to turn around the contest.

Norrie broke twice more in the final set and was given a standing ovation after clinching victory.

When asked about the possibility of playing 20-time

Grand Slam champion Federer, Norrie joked: “Come on Gasquet!”

Whether serious or not, Norrie did not get his wish but looks sure to give Federer a tough test tomorrow.

The smiling Briton added: “If there is a time to play Roger, I guess now is the best - but he is still a decent player!”

Possibly third time lucky against one of the ‘Big Three’?

Bolt, ranked 149th, was handed a wildcard after winning a Challenger title in Nottingham last month and made a lightning start as he attempted to earn a ninth successive victory.

But Norrie quickly computed what he needed to do against another left-hander, constantly making his opponent play with his relentless returning.

“It was a tricky start, he came out firing and I was down a break,” said Norrie, who beat French former world number 10 Lucas Pouille in the second round on Wednesday.

“I felt the court was easier to move on than court two yesterday and I could really trust the foot.

“I was moving really strong out the corners and didn’t give him too much.

There was a lot of improvement from the other day.

“I’m very happy to be in the third round and I couldn’t be more pleased for myself.”

Wilder says he will run over Fury like a train

DEONTAY Wilder took to social media on Monday to warn Tyson Fury that he’s going to be running over him like a train next month in their trilogy match on July 24.

This warning is former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder’s way of topping Fury’s recent prediction in which he said he was going to run him down like a big 18-wheeler semi in their third fight.

Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) is hitting the weights hard to bulk up with his upper body.

This decision by Wilder to lift weights may be a decision based on Fury saying he wants to bulk up to 300 pounds to run him over.

In their rematch last year, Fury came into the clash at 273 pounds, 19 pounds heavier than the 254 that he weighed for their first fight in 2018.

“I’m going t be a train.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder

You said you’re a semitruck. I’m going to run you over with a train,” said Wilder in sending a message to Tyson Fury.

“It’s a scary fight because Wilder can knock anybody out, and he can upset the whole applecart,” said Chris Algieri to Fighthype. “I’m not a big fan of this fight happening right now because I want to see Fury and Joshua.

“But listen, if it ends up

being Wilder, it is what it is. These are heavyweights.

Yes,” Algieri said when asked if he favours Fury.

“I favour Fury. I think Fury is a very hard man to beat.

Coming off his last fight and just his aura and vitality and just the energy he’s sucking up. He’s the guy.

“Yes, being shirtless and acting the way he acted. He was very concise with what he said,” Algieri said when asked if it was a victory

for Fury during his long five-minute staredown with Wilder during their press conference two weeks ago.

With Wilder ’s righthand power, he could steamroll Fury if he’s able to land his shots on the button. All that weight that Fury is packing on won’t help his punch resistance. The brain stays the same no matter how much weight a fighter packs on.

Fury is counting on Wilder being stationary like he was last time or that he can bully him to the ropes and then use his huge 40+pound weight advantage to pin rough him up.

“I think it’s going to be interesting because the first fight was close, a draw, and it was a close fight,” said Robert Garcia to Behind The Gloves on the Wilder vs. Fury match-up. (BoxingNews 24)

for India series

… left out of residential camps THERE are some problems in the Sri Lankan cricket team for sure. News has come in that five Sri Lankan cricketers have been left out of the residential camps and have not joined the bio-bubble that is in place in Dambulla and Colombo for the limited-overs series against India.

The five cricketers are Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, and Kasun Rajitha. Sri Lankan Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva stated that these five cricketers were asked to sign a contract and enter into the bio-bubble that is put in place.

But then, these players did not sign the contract and as a result, will not be joining the residential camps for the series against India.

“Until the national contract issue is resolved they were asked to sign the tour contract if they are going to be available for the Indian series so that they can go into a bubble as we are investing in them. But they were reluctant to sign the tour contract and therefore they were left out of the residential camps.

They did not join the bubble in Dambulla or Colombo,” said Ashley de Silva, the CEO of SLC. Ashley de Silva further stated that a tour contract should have been signed by the players, but they refused to do so. de Silva concluded by saying that if these players sign the contract before training starts for the series against India, they will be considered for selection.

“These five were offered a tour contract.

That is when you participate, they will also be considered for national selection for the Indian tour. For the Indian tour, you need to have a tour contract, which they didn’t sign as they are part of the 24 players offered national contracts. If they sign the tour agreement before the commencement of training for the Indian tour the selectors will consider them,” concluded de Silva.

India will play a limited-overs series consisting of 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is against Sri Lanka. The series will commence on July 13.

(CricTracker)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 2, 2021

Langer’s address hits right notes for players: Finch

By Louis Cameron, in St Lucia

AUSTRALIA white-ball captain Aaron Finch has praised head coach Justin Langer for tackling “head on” the “confronting” concerns players had over his coaching style, during a pre-Caribbean tour squad get-together on the Gold Coast last weekend.

Finch revealed Langer, who is taking charge of the Australian team for the first time since reservations over his leadership were made public by Nine newspapers, raised the issue with the 18-man playing group.

The 105-Test rep is understood to have made a heartfelt address to an extended group of players and support staff, vowing to learn from his missteps.

He also agreed to further empower players and national captains Finch and Tim Paine in an address Finch said was well-received by players.

Tim Ford, the leadership consultant who conducted an endof-season review for the men’s teams last summer and previously assisted in the reintegration of David Warner and Steve Smith to the national team in 2019, following their year-long bans, was among those in attendance for the strategy and planning camp at the Royal Pines resort in south-east Queensland.

Finch was unequivocal in his support for Langer.

“The ability of ‘JL’ (Langer) to address some issues that came up with the review with Tim Ford, that was brilliant for him to tackle them head on and put his side of

Aussie coach Justin Langer (left) and white-ball captain Aaron Finch the story (forward), put his spin would reflect on (as areas for imon it,” Finch told reporters via provement) and he’s no different.

“He’s done a fantastic job. teleconference from the small The way he confronted that and Caribbean island of St Lucia.

“It showed the quality of the the way it was received by the man he is, the things that he’s players is outstanding.”

Speaking earlier this year, working on. We’re all behind him 100 per cent – the way he’s Langer joked that he had been coached Australia in the last cou- “grumpy and intense since I was ple of years has been fantastic, 16 years old” but said he had been we’ve had some really good suc- hurt to learn of the discontent through the media in the weeks cess as well.

“No doubt it was quite con- after Australia’s Test series loss fronting for him at the time, but it to India.

“That’s the killer,” Langer, was very positive from our point who has entered his fourth year of view.”

Finch suggested the taxing as Australia’s head coach after nature of last summer’s bio-secure taking over from Darren Lehmann bubbles, which separated players following the Cape Town scandal and coaches from their families in 2018, told SportFM. “I’ve talked for years about and from conducting regular social life for months on end, had honest conversations and the worst part about it all for me was contributed to Langer’s tension.

“There was a combination of it came out two weeks after the a few things,” he said. “On the Test match.

“If there was such an issue, back a lot of bubbles as well, he could have used his assistants a the players or the assistant coachbit better and delegated a bit more. es should have come and spoken “But there was nothing to me.”

Finch pointed out bubbles ground-breaking – there’s stuff that every player and every coach had also been a key factor in the

considerable number of players withdrawing from the away series against West Indies and Bangladesh.

Touring party members are not permitted to leave team hotels in St Lucia, Barbados or Dhaka (save for medical or approved recreation activities like playing golf) for the duration of the sixweek tour, while they will then be subject to a fortnight of quarantine upon their return to Australia in August.

The T20 World Cup will then be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September before the Test summer begins less than two weeks after that tournament’s final.

“Honestly it was all around the bubble fatigue and guys having a long summer,” said Finch of the players pulling out of the tours, which include David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.

“When you go back to the start of the hubs and bubbles (being put in place by sporting bodies last year), going from lockdown to a tour of the UK (in August), to then IPL (immediately after), a home summer, a little bit of a break for some, other guys were in New Zealand (earlier this year) – it can wear you down a lot.

“That was all it was.

“We understand that is going to be the way of touring the world over the next couple of years, it’s just about guys trying to manage themselves and giving themselves plenty of opportunity to play for Australia.”

(Cricket.com.au)

KL Rahul, Vihari in contention for England Tests after Gill’s injury THE Indian team were dealt with a setback even before the first ball was bowled in their five-match Test series against England, as Shubman Gill has been ruled out the first Test match.

This is a huge blow, considering the 21-year-old was looking in good touch while playing against New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Though, one advantage for team India is that they have a backup option in the form of KL Rahul and Mayank Agrawal. Apart from that, the team also has a specialist batter at number six in the form of Hanuma Vihari. The management and skipper Virat Kohli have often spoken highly of Vihari’s potential as a solid batter while playing in seam and swing conditions. In fact,

KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari

the right-handed batter has also opened before and could be used as an option against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

With Rahul currently being seen as the middle-order batter in India’s white-ball setup, Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri might plan to use him in the same role and try Vihari at the top.

“Rahul’s game against the

new ball has not been up to the mark over the last year. He could be a very good option down the order. Vihari has shown he has the ability to play out the new ball,” a source who is close to team India’s management told Times of India.

Certainly, Gill’s injury at such a crucial stage has made the management change its approach a bit. With Agarwal, the likely option to replace Gill,

the coach, and the captain can think of sending either Vihari or Rahul down the order. If they want to include both, then Agarwal will miss out to make a comeback in the team.

Gill’s injury is a blessing in disguise for the three players, who are itching to be in the playing XI. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old is hugely disappointed on missing out on an opportunity to open the innings against England.

“Shubman is very upset right now. The injury looks bad. BCCI is contacting the best professionals to get Shubman treated in England.

While the team management wishes that he recovers in time for the series, it looks unrealistic. It needs to be seen if he needs surgery,” the source concluded. (CricTracker)

Root wants England shelve ‘rest and rotation’ policy ahead of Ashes, India Tests ENGLAND Test skipper Joe Root reckoned the national team has to pull the plug on the ‘rest and rotation’ policy going into the next cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC). Starting August until mid-January 2022, the Brits are scheduled to take part in 10 Test matches, including the

Aussie coach Justin Langer (left) and whiteball captain Aaron Finch

home series against India and the away Ashes against Australia.

The Three Lions, mostly, have had full-strength teams for T20I cricket this year, but the same hasn’t been the case in Test cricket. The 30-year-old Root said that England need to have their best players on the park to beat India and Australia over the next six months or so.

“We are coming into a period of time now where ‘rest and rotation’ is put behind us. Hopefully, if everyone is fit, we are going

to have our best team available for what is to follow.

That’s really exciting and something I’m very much looking forward to,” Root was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

“We have ten very hard Test matches against two brilliant oppositions coming up but it is a great opportunity for us to play some strong cricket and if everyone is fit and available we will have a good team ourselves,” he stated.

“I’d like to think that, over the next five Test matches, we’ll be trying to play our strongest side or have our strongest squad available for those games.

This is, I suppose, what you do it for: to ready yourself for this lead-in and for, in particular, that Ashes. To make sure everyone’s peaking for that, and these big games,” Root added.

Earlier this year, Root and Co failed to qualify for the final of the WTC after the series defeat against India. After missing out on the marquee game, Root believes that England have the firepower to go all the way in the next WTC cycle.

E n g l a n d a re c u rrently taking part in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka that they are leading by 1-0 after their five-wicket win on Tuesday, June 29 at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. Prior to that, they won the T20I series 3-0.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday July 02, 2021)

COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown Tel: 225-6158 Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Shiv Chanderpaul & Kraig Braithwaite (10 Tests) (2) Mushfiqur Rahim (14 Tests)

TODAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Which WI has scored most Test runs versus BANG to date?

(2) Which BANG player has made most Test runs against the WI to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

31

GUYANA CHRONICL Friday, July 2, 2021

Meet Erriyon Knighton, the 17-year-old who broke Usain Bolt’s record and is now an Olympian EUGENE, Ore. — World, meet Erriyon Knighton.The 17-year-old Florida native announced himself as one of the rising stars in U.S. track and field on Sunday last, finishing third in the men’s 200-metre final at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

A would-be rising senior in high school, Knighton figures to be one of the youngest athletes on Team USA this summer, where he will not only compete but also have a legitimate shot at winning a medal.

He is believed to be the youngest American man to make the Olympic track and field team since Jim Ryun in 1964 Here are five things to know about the 17-year-old sprinting star.

A late start Knighton didn’t participate in track and field until his freshman year at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida. His first major competition was the 2019 Florida state high school, where he placed fifth in the 200-meter dash.

Knighton said Sunday that he only started running track at the suggestion of his highschool football coaches. Additional training and a growth spurt helped lower his times on the track After parts of his sophomore and junior seasons were disrupted by the pandemic, Knighton decided at the beginning of this year that he was ready to turn pro. He signed a contract with adidas and hired well-regarded agents Ramon Clay and John Regis as his representatives. He was just shy

world record that Bolt notched in 2004.

searlier this year. “In track, the success of my career is fully in my hands, and I know that I can do it.”

Knighton was asked over the weekend if, given forthcoming changes to NCAA rules regarding athlete compensation, he would consider pursuing college football on top of his pro track career. He dismissed the question, saying it was “not an option.”

Eschewing the spotlight While some youngsters might seek out the spotlight, Knighton has largely avoided it so far in his professional career. His team has politely declined requests to interview Knighton before the Olympic trials, and the 17-year-old was all business while in Eugene.

After winning both his preliminary and semifinal heats – and beating reigning world champion Noah Lyles on both occasions – Knighton left the track without being interviewed by NBC, as is custom for the winner of a race. The move prompted some teasing from Lyles, who also competed at the Olympic trials as a teenager in 2016.

“It was a missed opportunity but he’ll have plenty of others,” Lyles said Saturday, after Knighton left the track before his likely TV interview.

Breaking Bolt’s records When asked in August if he would compare his running style to someone else’s, Knighton pointed to the world record-holder.

“Probably Usain Bolt,” he told Florida Today, “just because he’s tall like me.”

It’s proved to be a bold but apt comparison, given that Knighton has now broken two of Bolt’s youth records at 200 metres.

At a meet in Florida earlier this month, Knighton ran the 200 in 20.11 seconds to beat the previous under-18 record set by Bolt in 2003. Then, less than a month later, Knighton ran a 19.88 in his semifinal heat at the Olympic trials – which bested the under-20

Olympic dream fulfilled Knighton didn’t think he ran his best race of the weekend in Sunday’s final. But it was good enough to register a time of 19.84 seconds, a new personal best.

The 17-year-old just narrowly beat out Fred Kerley, who already qualified for the Olympics at 100 metres, and Isiah Young, a 31-year-old veteran who ran at the 2012 London Games.

Knighton said that, at the end of the day, he’s on the team so he doesn’t have too much to complain about.

“It hasn’t sunk in,” he said. “It’ll probably sink in when I get home. ... I feel it’s a real big accomplishment.”(USA Today)

Erriyon Knighton announced himself as one of the rising stars IN US Track and Field on Sunday. (Kirty lee (USA Today Sports).

of his 17th birthday at the time “It’s only my third season running track,” Knighton told Track & Field News earlier this year. “I’ve been extremely successful in both training and competition. I believe if I work hard, I will eventually develop to be a world-class athlete. I’m soaking it all up, all the knowledge.”

A four-star football recruit Knighton’s decision did not come easily. In addition to his potential on the track, he was also a highly sought-after recruit as a wide receiver.

Last fall, Knighton told Florida Today, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that he had received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and Florida, among others. Major recruiting services, including 247 Sports, rated him as a four-star prospect thanks to his combination of height and speed “Knowing that I grew up around football my whole life, and receiving a lot of DI offers, it was a tough decision, but it was also a no-brainer,” Knighton toldTrack & Field New-

MVP Sports serves up support for Chelsea Edghill MVP Sports is the latest corporate entity to support Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill in her quest for Olympic table tennis glory.

MVP Sports said they are proud to support our committed and hardworking Guyanese athletes in pursuit of their dreams.

The company, which is located in the Giftland Mall, is widely known for its generosity towards athletes over the years.

Edghill is currently in California attending a high-

level training camp that features mostly U.S. table tennis players who are also preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.

Edghill, who also featured for Guyana at the Youth Olympics in China, will become the very first tennis player, male or female, to represent the country at Olympics.

She booked her place at the 32nd Olympiad when she received the world’s only female wild card selection from the ITTF/IOC.

Chelsea Edghill (left) receives MVP Sports support from of the store’s representative.

Curran takes 5-48 as England seal ODI series at The Oval

ENGLAND comfortably beat Sri Lanka again in the second one-day international at The Oval to clinch the series with a game to spare.

Sam Curran took 5-48 - his first five-wicket haul for England - as the hosts restricted Sri Lanka to 241-9 from 50 overs.

Curran took three wickets in his first two overs and, at 21-4, Sri Lanka were in danger of being dismissed before many of the 14,000-strong Oval crowd had taken their seats.

Sam Curran bagged 5-48 as England beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to take an unassailable lead in the three-match ODI series.

Dhananjaya de Silva rescued the hosts with a run-a-ball 91 but England still cruised to their target with seven overs and eight wickets to spare on a flat pitch.

Jason Roy, fit again after a hamstring niggle, hit 60 from 52 balls, sharing an opening stand of 76 with Jonny Bairstow.

The Surrey right-hander clubbed seamer Chamika Karunaratne to mid-wicket in the 18th over but England were well ahead of the required rate and Joe Root (75*) and Eoin Morgan (68*) eased them to victory with a chanceless unbroken stand of 140.

It sealed a fifth heavy defeat for Sri Lanka in five matches on this white-ball tour - these ODIs following a dominant 3-0 win for England in the Twenty20 series.

The final ODI takes place in Bristol on Sunday.

Landmark moment for Curran on home ground Curran has become such a regular in England sides across all formats that it is a surprise a first five-wicket haul has taken until his 47th international.

Handed the new ball in the absence of injured Jofra Archer and rested Chris Woakes, he targeted the stumps early on and had Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando lbw within his first four balls, for 0 and two respectively, and bowled Pathum Nissanka through the gate an over later.

The 23-year-old returned later in the innings and bowled short, claiming the wickets of Wanindu Hasaranga and Karunaratne with bouncers.

When Karunaratne edged a pull through to Bairstow for Curran’s fifth, the left-armer looked to the sky and celebrated with his arms wide. He looked relieved and was soon given hugs by brother Tom and his other team-mates.

Spectators, increased to 50% capacity as part of the government’s pilot programme, were bowing as Surrey’s Curran took the applause on his home ground. (BBC Sport)

Pollard, Bravo propel Windies to series-levelling win

Captain Kieron Pollard goes long during his 51 not out in the fourth Twenty20 International yesterday.

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) – A typically audacious half-century from captain Kieron Pollard,

coupled with a career-best four-wicket haul from veteran Dwayne Bravo, propelled West Indies to a

critical 21-run, series-levelling victory in the fourth Twenty20 International here yesterday.

Pollard urges patience ahead of CONCACAF Gold Cup clash with Guatemala

Assistant coach and former Golden Jaguars captain Charles Pollard

ASSISTANT coach and former captain of the Golden Jaguars, Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, has called for patience and positivity towards the national team programme, ahead of what is likely to be a

“tough challenge” against Guatemala tomorrow.

The Guyana senior national men’s team will take on the Central American nation in Florida in the preliminary round of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

It is the second consecutive appearance for Guyana’s men’s team at the Gold Cup, following their historic qualification in 2019.

“We all know Guatemala are a very good team in the Continued on Page 26

Tottering on 101 for six in the 16th over after batting first for the first time in the five-match series, West In-

dies recovered to reach 167 for six off their 20 overs, courtesy of Man-of-theMatch Pollard’s unbeaten 51 off just 25 deliveries.

Opener Lendl Simmons slammed 47 off 34 deliveries at the top of the order but other than for Fabian Allen’s 13-ball 19 towards the end, the home side batsmen failed to show any enterprise, as spinners Tabraiz Shamsi (213) and George Linde (2-16) grabbed two wickets apiece to stall the innings in the middle period.

In reply, Quinton de Kock extended his purple patch with a top score of 60 off 43 deliveries but no other batsman passed 20, leaving the Proteas well short of their target on 149 for nine.

The damage was done primarily by Bravo who snatched four for 19 from four superb overs as South Africa tumbled from 62 for two at the start of the 10th over, losing their next seven wickets for 84 runs to decline swiftly.

“Obviously in a game like this you’ve got to come hard and you have to try to

win. It was a must-win game for us and it was a matter of coming out and being focussed,” Pollard said afterwards.

“We speak about batting down to the end. We have the power-hitters to hit the ball at the back end so it’s just a matter of setting it up.”

Sent in, West Indies started quickly when Simmons blasted two fours and sixes in the opening over from off-spinner Aiden Markram which leaked 20 runs, but then lost Evin Lewis for seven in the third over after he had put on 27 for the first wicket with Simmons, lofting pacer Anrich Nortje to mid-on.

Chris Gayle’s poor run continued when he edged a leaden-footed drive behind off fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for five in the fourth over, leaving the home side on 32 for two.

Shimron Hetmyer made seven in a 31-run, third-wicket stand with Simmons before under-edging a cut behind off Linde in the Continued on Page 26

Tour de France Cavendish sprints to stage-six win to near Eddy Merckx’s record

Mark Cavendish had not won a Tour stage for five years before this year’s race.

MARK Cavendish claimed his 32nd Tour de France stage victory to move within two stages of the all-time record held

by Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.

It is the second stage win of this year’s Tour for Cavendish, who feared he would never return to the race after a long illness threatened his career.

He was only called into into the Deceuninck-QuickStep team at the last minute for the injured Sam Bennett.

But on stage six he again outsprinted the peloton to win in style.

In the long final straight to the line in Chateauroux he was wellpositioned by his lead-out train

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before hopping onto the wheel of the fast-finishing Alpecin-Fenix duo of Tim Merlier and Jasper Philpsen.

He then accelerated to pull clear of Philipsen and Nacer Bouhanni.

It is the third time he has won in Chateauroux, including his firstever Tour win in 2008 and again in 2011. (BBC Sport) | FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021