Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 04-10-2022

APNU+AFC’s 18-month delay in election petition appeal could lead to investigation

Incentives a big boost

see significant increase in small, medium-scale gold miners

gold production

THE number of smalland-medium-scale gold miners has significantly increased over the past two years, largely due to the many incentives given out by the government to encourage growth in the sector.

According to Natural Re

sources Minister Vick ram Bharrat, notwith standing a slight decline in gold production in the Mid-Year Report, this was mainly due to issues being faced by Guyana’s two large-scale producers, whereas production by small-and-medium-scale

to grow significantly in years ahead

miners saw substantial increase.

“It means that a lot of our Guyanese miners are go ing back into mining, and they’ve been expanding their operations. It comes because of the incentives that government has been giving to the mining sec

tor, as well as other sec tors,” Minister Bharrat said.

Over the past two years, measures implemented by the government to bring relief to miners included tax concessions for recapi talisation, the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT)

on heavy-duty equipment and machines, removal of duty and VAT from All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), a significant reduction in duty on four-door pickups of a certain engine size, the reduction of the final tax from 3.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent, the removal

of VAT on lubricating oil, the removal of certain un necessarily burdensome requirements related to the licensing of equip ment, and the transporta tion of fuel and increased hinterland infrastructural development.

294 private cane farmers receive $150,000 one-off grant

Citizens welcome reduction of GuyOil fuel prices

Cricket Carnival showcases unifying power

THE historic Cricket Carnival events and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match es were undoubtedly sources of unification, as persons, regardless of their race, creed, sexual ity, religion and other

individual features con verged at the various venues to celebrate as “one people.”

In every corner of the Guyana National Sta dium, the Guyana Na tional Park or any other carnival venue, there

were persons, not neces sarily friends and family, sharing light conversa tion, a fist bump or high five, a layman’s analy sis of the cricket game, and even some friendly dance moves.

This display of cohe

sion was also observed at various bars and restau rants, especially when the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) was engaging in “battle” on the cricket field.

When they weren’t col lectively acknowledging

a boundary or wicket, Guyanese were tasting food at the three-day Regional Food Festival, or raving together at the One Guyana Concert, the J’ouvert, and the Super Concerts.

Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo spearheaded the distribution of the $150,000 one-off cash grant to private cane farmers at the Windsor Forest Community Centre in Region Three on Monday (Office of the Vice-President photos)

Gov’t incentives see significant increase in small, medium scale gold miners

- gold production expected to grow significantly in years ahead

other sectors,” Bharrat said.

THE number of smalland-medium-scale gold miners has significantly increased over the past two years, largely due to the many incentives given out by the government to encourage growth in the sector.

According to Natural Resources Minister, Vick ram Bharrat, notwithstand ing a slight decline in gold production in the Mid-Year

Report, this was mainly due to issues being faced by Guyana’s two large-scale producers, whereas produc tion by small-and-mediumscale miners saw substantial increase.

“It means that a lot of our Guyanese miners are going back into mining and they’ve been expanding their operations. It comes because of the incentives that government has given to the mining sector, as well as

Over the past two years, measures implemented by the government to bring relief to miners included tax concessions for recapi talisation, the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on heavy-duty equipment and machines, removal of duty and VAT from All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), a signifi cant reduction in duty on four-door pickups of a cer tain engine size, the reduc tion of the final tax from 3.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent, the removal of VAT on lubricat ing oil, the removal of cer tain unnecessarily burden some requirements related to the licensing of equipment and the transportation of fuel and increased hinterland infrastructural development.

The miners also received major tax relief with the National Assembly’s ap

proval of the Fiscal Enact ment Amendment Bill No. 2 of 2022, which saw the complete removal of the burdensome Tributor’s tax.

“We’ve been doing all of this to ensure that we in centivise the mining sector because we’ve committed ourselves to ensure we work to build the non-oil sector and not only focus on oil and gas. So this is one way of the government showing its commitment to the mining sector,” Bharrat explained.

Bharrat highlighted that the government has also done major investment in infrastructure to improve miners’ accessibility to their lands. He noted that acces sibility has been a major bugbear for many smalland-medium-scale miners.

“Over the last two years, the Ministry of Natural Re sources and GGMC [Guy

ana Geology and Mines Commission] spent over $6 billion on hinterland infrastructure, which in cludes roads, bridges and culverts. Over the last two years there’s been signifi cant damage to the infra structure due to the flooding and heavy rainfall, so we’ve expended a lot of money in ensuring that those areas are accessible again,” Bharrat said.

He added: “It’s not only about giving back to min ers but ensuring access to land too. That would have increased in the last year significantly, and shown or resulted in increased produc tion of the small-and-medi um-scale miners in Guyana. The complaints from small miners have always been accessibility getting to that land and that is why we have been investing significantly

in the infrastructure.”

Notwithstanding the slight dip in the gold produc tion reported, Guyana is on track to see massive increas es in the coming year given the work and exploration activities currently ongo ing. These include the com mencement of underground mining by both of Guyana’s two large-scale gold mining companies, the Australianowned Troy Resources and Chinese-owned Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) Inc.

“This is the first time that any company is ven turing into underground mining so the foundation is being set for increased pro duction. The investment is made now, and in the next two to three years down the road you will see how much significant increase in production,” Bharrat noted.

Cricket Carnival showcases unifying power

THE historic Cricket Car nival events and Carib bean Premier League (CPL) matches were undoubtedly sources of unification, as persons, regardless of their race, creed, sexuality, reli gion and other individual features converged at the various venues to celebrate as “one people.”

In every corner of the Guyana National Stadium, the Guyana National Park or any other carnival venue, there were persons, not nec essarily friends and family, sharing light conversation, a

fist bump or high five, a lay man’s analysis of the cricket game, and even some friendly dance moves.

This display of cohesion was also observed at vari ous bars and restaurants, es pecially when the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) was engaging in “battle” on the cricket field.

When they weren’t col lectively acknowledging a boundary or wicket, Guya nese were tasting food at the three-day Regional Food Festival, or raving together at the One Guyana Concert, the

Stink and Dutty J’ouvert, and the Super Concerts.

The road parade was the closing event of the Crick et Carnival, and it was no surprise that thousands of persons lined the streets of Georgetown to celebrate to gether. Many persons even attended after parties held all over the city as a final celebration.

Reflecting on the ac tivities, especially cricket, Ameera Majeed from the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) said that growing up, the CPL games were always on

the television in her home, even when she couldn’t fully understand the game, so she would watch it every year.

She attended her first CPL tournament back in 2016, and her second this year.

Majeed related that she went along with her friends and family to see three match es: The GAW versus Bar bados Royals (BR), GAW versus Trinidad Knight Riders (TKR), and Saint Kitts and Nevis Patriots versus the Ja maica Tallawahs.

“I always say that the ex perience is definitely worth it,

because even if they (GAW) don’t win, when you sit in that stadium and you feel that atmosphere, it is always unmatched. You can’t get that anywhere else in the world, so, even if they did lose, it was worth the experience,” Ameera said.

Her favourite match was GAW versus TKR, as the unity among Guyanese was ever present, since it was a renowned competitor. She said that for most people, the match was most important to them, and that when GAW won, the audience went crazy

with their cheering and the music and commentating, which were all top tier.

“Everybody went bal listic, because, you know, that is a tough match when is TKR. There is always an ongoing tension between TKR and GAW. So, when we win against Knight Riders, that’s always a good feeling,” Ameera said.

Javed Nurhausain, an other cricket fan, said he’d attended multiple CPL tour naments over the past years, but the vibe this year was different and exciting.

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat

Scenes from Cricket Carnival and CPL 2022

‘Struggling’ Region Three cane farmers receive one-off $150, 000 grant

ALMOST 300 private cane farmers in Region Three on Monday re ceived a one-off $150, 000 grant from the gov ernment.

Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo spear headed the distribution exercise at the Winsdor Forest Community Centre. He was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Zulfi kar Mustapha and other officials of the Ministry of Agriculture.

A total of $44 million in grants were distributed to 294 persons.

Adrian Clato, who was among the beneficiaries, told the Guyana Chronicle that the funds will help keep his household afloat.

“This is a great help to us because, when we had no work, we had a hard time. And I want to say thanks to the government for this little money that will help me out grocerywise and stuff,” he said.

Clato noted that canecutters have been “strug gling” for some time now, and the relief could not come at a better time.

Meanwhile, Abrahim Peterson, who has been a cane-cutter for more than a decade, noted that he, too, has been having a difficult time following the closure of the sugar estates.

“It’s been very hard on us, you know, and this money will help out a lot,” the man said.

Rohan Persuad, who has been a cane farmer for more than 20 years, said that he, too, is grateful for the assistance.

Persaud, who works alongside his older broth er, noted that, of late, times have been hard on them. He emphasised that the re lief will see them contrib uting to their households.

During Monday’s ex ercise, Dr. Jagdeo encour aged the cane farmers to use the funds wisely, and invest in other skills and vocational training.

He noted that with the anticipated boom in in vestments in the region, residents must be equipped with the skills and knowl edge to benefit from it.

One of the many pro jected investments is the

Wales gas-to-shore pro ject.

“We are acquiring some land, and by the end of the year, you will see a contract awarded to build a power plant at Wales, and a NGO facility; a natural gas liquid facility,” VP Jagdeo said.

“That facility that we’re building there would supply twice as much the power that GPL [Guyana Power Light] supplies to the whole country now. That one facility there would be producing twice as much; it would mean we’d have enough power for the whole country,” he added.

The Vice-President also advised the benefi

ciaries to capitalise on the many educational and technical programmes that are being offered by the government.

“A lot of work will be here, but it requires different sorts of skills, so you have to prepare for that future too. That future will require weld ers,” he said, adding:

“We have seven new hotels under construc tion; they will need 3,000 people to work in those hotels. Some of the hotels will shift across the river, because we’re building one key infrastructure that will make every in vestor who wanted to go to Region Four come over here.”

Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo listens to the concerns of cane farmers

APNU+AFC’s 18-month delay in election petition appeal could lead to investigation

THE Court of Appeal on Monday took note of the APNU+AFC’s 18-month delay in appealing the dis missal of Election Petition 88 of 2022 and said that the circumstances will have to be investigated.

“It is of the court’s view that, in the public interest and the wider interest of justice, matters of this na ture should be heard and be determined in a timely man ner. We note the timeline of some 18 months before this appeal has been brought to this stage, if I may put it that way. But whether the failure to conduct and prosecute the appeal with due dispatch lies within the bosom of the coun sel for the appellant or senior counsel to the appellant or whether it lies at the feet of the judicial system itself is an issue that will have to be investigated,” the Chancel lor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards said.

Justice CummingsEdwards was, at the time, delivering her ruling in a case filed by Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde to have the hearing of the case expe dited.

The motion which was filed on behalf of Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick was heard by the Chancellor and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud. Forde, during the hear ing, said that they were

“forced” to file the motion due to the failure of Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, S.C., to deliver the written decision to the applicants, which resulted in a delay of the documents needed for the notice of appeal.

He disclosed that a draft of the decision was made available by the CJ’s clerks, but was only to be used for “informational purposes”.

“We respectfully submit that we would have suffered up to now at this stage, a substantial prejudice by the failure to have the full deci sion made and laid before the court upon which we could first establish the no tice of appeal and the ground of appeal,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trinidad ian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who is represent ing Vice- President Bharrat Jagdeo submitted that while the application should be heard urgently, it should have been filed earlier.

“Had his application been made, along with the filing of the notice of ap peal on May 31, 2021, there couldn’t have been no resist ance by any of the respond ents to the application that the appeals be expedited,” Mendes said.

He pointed out that if that procedure was followed, it is likely that the appeal would have already been heard and disposed of by the court.

“My learned friend is blaming everyone except the appellant themselves for the position that they are in…. [they are] blaming the learned Chief Justice for not delivering a written judg ment when the transcript

Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde

of the oral judgment… has always been available, and I presume that he’s also blaming the Registrar for not progressing this appeal,” Mendes argued.

He added that the re spondent and the public are entitled to have the cases dealt with urgently, how ever, this seems not to be of interest to Forde, who is not taking any blame for the delay.

Among other things, Mendes said that the appeal should be dismissed due to the applicant’s inactiveness for months.

Following the argu ments, the Chancellor in delivering the ruling said that the court would allow

the motion and move ahead with the hearing of the sub stantive matter.

The court has set No vember 1, 2022, for report, after which timelines will be fixed for the hearing of the case.

In the notice of appeal, the applicants are challeng ing the Chief Justice’s dis missal of the petition in April 2021.

In that matter, Thorne and Bostwick had asked the High Court to determine the legality of the March 2 elec tions, and the results that led to the declaration and alloca tion of seats in the National Assembly.

They sought an order directing the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Com mission (GECOM), Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh to declare former President David Granger the winner of the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections.

The Chief Justice struck out the petition on the ground of serious non-com pliance with the Constitu tion of Guyana and elec toral laws as it relates to GECOM’s conduct of those

elections.

She also found that the petitioners failed to present evidence to support claims that the conduct of those elections contravened the Constitution and the coun try’s electoral laws.

Dissatisfied, the ag grieved petitioners moved to the Appeal Court and, among other things, are contending that the Chief Justice erred in law and misdirected herself when she misapplied the doctrine of strict compliance.

Another claim is that the Chief Justice erred and misdirected herself when she failed to consider the objective of the petition in making her decision based on the content of the Affida vit of Service.

The first petition, Elec tion Petition 99 of 2020 was filed on behalf of petition ers Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse. In Janu ary 2021, it was dismissed by the Chief Justice due to late service, non-service, or improper service. It is currently before the Car ibbean Court of Justice (CCJ) awaiting a decision.

Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards

Trinidadian Senior Counsel, Douglas Mendes

The standard is set high!

THE proof of the pud ding is truly in the eating, and stakeholders of the recently-con cluded Guyana Crick et Carnival events surely did eat boun tifully. “Stakehold ers” is used here in tentionally as opposed to “patrons”, as the events which followed President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s announcement earlier this year of the dual events of Carib bean Premier League (CPL) games and the inaugural cricket car nival opened the door for many business in terests, from micro to large, to grab their

piece of the pie.

More than 31,000 ar riving international pas sengers were recorded for September 2022 at the country’s main international airport at Timehri, according to the airport’s Chief Ex ecutive Officer Ramesh Ghir. The influx was expected, and Guyana has, most exceptionally, risen to meet the chal lenge, and delivered a cricket experience that sets a very high bar for the next two years of CPL games here.

All of the statis tics have not yet been compiled. From a cur sory glance, however,

the hos pitality sector, especially hotels and catering services, re ceived a much-needed boost, most notably as the world is still find ing its way out of the ‘shadow period’ of the COVID-19 pandemic which significantly re duced mobility within and between countries, and ultimately devas tated global tourism.

Guyana is diversify ing its tourism product.

When we think about improving tour ism potential of any country, security must be one of the most es sential considerations. And on this point, at

tention must be turned to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), which performed beyond the call of duty to ensure that the major events of the cricket carnival season were largely in cident-free. Party-goers can definitely appreci ate that many lessons were learned by the authorities from previ ous events.

Added to security considerations, how ever, the inclusion of the major road devel opment connecting the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) with Mandela Avenue added an al ternative route which

made access to and from major venues like the Guyana National Stadium at Providence virtually effortless. In a previous editorial on a similar subject, this newspaper wrote that “a few hallmarks of good leadership are foresight, consistency, and quick, strategic ac tion.” Surely, ample consideration was giv en to every level of the now-concluded festivi ties by the President Ali administration.

The pièce de ré sistance for the season was surely the Carni val Parade. This is the first time that the rev-

elry would return to Guyana since the start of the pandemic two years ago. With many at home and abroad eager for the return of Mashramani-like celebrations, the sunkissed revel through the streets of the capi tal was well attended by thousands. The costumed merrymak ers flounced down the city roadways in feathered gear of varying kind. The Cricket Carnival feels like the moment all of Guyana waited for. The bar is set quite high for the upcoming years.

A down-to-earth President

IT has been described as a down-to-earth pres idency unprecedented in recent times. No president in recent memory has de veloped the kind of downto-earth leadership style of President Irfaan Ali, taking governance to the people.

Irfaan Ali was seen min gling with and engaging the public; ordinary folks, the poor, wealthy, the mid

dle-class, young and old, Indians, Africans, Mixed, Amerindians and others, for eigners and locals, the pow erful, the weak or meek, the wretched, and the elite. And he was (has been) seen mix ing, conversing, engaging, interacting, and responding to people of all ethnicities and ages across the nation in all ethnic communities.

The President was ob served, or the public talked about how he was kissing and

hugging babies, embracing people, empathising with those who tragically lost loved ones, sitting with the people at the Stadium rooting for the Guyana team, singing popular tunes, dancing at events, doing the nagara or tarapiti or tassa, swimming in public pools with ordinary folks, traversing markets, inspecting roads, wading in flood waters, helping pick up garbage for a clean en vironment, and more. He

celebrates occasions and con soles those with grief and sadness. No recent president has ever developed this kind of simplistic but effective leadership style, or did those kinds of things to be a with the people, projecting Irfaan as someone who is not elitist or aloof, unlike what the public said was the image projected by his predecessor. This down-to-earth approach of Irfaan draws him to people of all ethnicities. He connects

with and addresses issues that impact them, resulting in a positive image among the public, no doubt resulting in high approval or favourabil ity ratings. A poll is being conducted to determine ap proval ratings.

The President travelled around to diverse commu nities, meeting and address ing the public, and listening to or engaging them. He appeared listening to the people on their grievances,

and, where practical, took effective actions to find solutions. He has taken the government to the commu nities on a consistent ba sis. His mixing with the peo ple and engaging in revelry have resulted in many de scribing his leadership style as being approachable and engaging.

Dear Editor,

CDB will promote Eastern Caribbean MSMEs with IDB support

THE Inter-American De velopment Bank (IDB) has approved a US$20 million loan to the Caribbean De velopment Bank to bolster private-sector development and boost the productivity of micro, small and medi um-sized enterprises (MS MEs) in Antigua and Bar buda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lu cia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

These are all eligible members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

According to a release, the Global Credit Loan was granted to the Caribbean De velopment Bank to spur envi ronmental and other innova tion at the companies. It will also fund grants channelled to MSMEs through business support organisations in order

to strengthen the market for services that help businesses adopt climate and digital technologies.

The programme will also urge MSMEs to adopt climate technologies and digitalise their processes through lines of credit for working capital and capital investments that will be brokered by financial institutions. A minimum of 30 per cent of the loans will be earmarked for buying equipment, software, con sulting services, and other investments related to using technology to modernise and digitally transform the businesses, and to projects at

eligible business to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Qualifying projects include solar panel installations.

The programme will fi nance campaigns that specif ically target businesses run or owned by women, thus promoting gender equali ty and women’s empower ment. The objective is to raise awareness about both grant programmes for innovation and technology adoption programmes in industries that affect female employment. Part of the resources will also be used to analyse and de sign policy frameworks that promote or enhance gender diversity in the workplace.

The programme will di rectly benefit approximate ly 596 legally established MSMEs, regardless of their industry. At least 17 per cent

Article 13 is not about transparency; it is about pleasure

Dear Editor, TRANSPARENCY is a keyword for all civil society groups. Further, numerous formal international organ isations, and especially UN (United Nations) agencies, also have elaborate language about transparency. Govern ments all over the world, as well as domestic, regional, and global corporations claim transparency as a fundamen tal value.

In Guyana, the self-de scribed group called Article 13 advertises itself as a cham pion of transparency. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let us examine some claims made by the group’s apparent leader, published in Kaieteur News (October 03, 2022, p. 02).

According to Article 13, the PPP/C administration and Exxon and its partners are collaborating in ways that harm the national interest. In other words, there is a quid pro quo between the two, meaning mutual benefits de rived through contrived and concealed deal making. Arti cle 13 claims, “Government’s

handling of the oil contract exemplifies its embrace of corruption...” And further, that “the reach of corruption is now leaking all over, in all ministries”.

As with most Article 13 pieces of propaganda, the only actual evidence provid ed is the claim itself, which means no evidence at all. This lacuna is a fundamental breach of protocol for any or ganisation that claims to rep resent the people. It is worse yet for an outfit that has also tried to seize the high ground of openness; of truth-seeking and truth-speaking, and of the moral conscience of the poor and the powerless.

The actual truth of the matter is that rather than being a promoter of good governance, Article 13 is yet another outfit that has a political agenda. Nothing is wrong with that, because Guyana is a democratic coun try, and free speech abounds. But transparency is not the business of Article 13, and this notwithstanding the per sonal credibility of its key advocates. More than any thing else, Article 13 seems

to have joined the bandwagon of oil hysterics to find love, or better yet, to find the sort of jouissance identified by Jacques Lacan.

For Lacan, immense pleasure could be found in the display of oneself in the public domain. Yet, for the pleasure to be sus tained over time, a great deal of opacity is required. The claim is made that “nepotism and cronyism is the legacy of this [PPP/C} government.” In fact, lots of people in the civil-society space derive great personal pleasure from hearing and uttering this mantra. All too often, local groups perform to win the admiration or even (Hegelian) recognition of some foreign group suf fering from the white sav iour complex. As Ravi Dev noted recently in a different context, the ‘coloniality of power’ lives on.

Dr. Randy Persaud Office of the President

of these businesses will be owned by women, the bank said. The loan will also in directly aid business support organisations and financial intermediaries in eligible Organisation of Eastern Ca

ribbean States member coun tries, which will develop the measures to support innova tion and uptake of climate and digital technologies.

The $20 million IDB loan has a 23.5-year repay

ment term, a seven-year grace period, and an inter est rate based on the Se cured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR).

Fiscal terms being finalised for oil block auction

By Tamica Garnett

THE government is in the process of finalising the new fiscal terms and condi tions of Guyana’s remain ing oil blocks, to allow for the moving forward with the much anticipated oil

blocks auction, which is scheduled to begin before the end of the year.

The fiscal terms are of great importance in enabling Guyana to gain maximum economic benefits in the sale of Guyana’s offshore blocks.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event at the Pegasus on

Monday, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, said that, notwithstanding the government still deliberating on the fiscal terms, the auc tion will go ahead this year.

“We have moved signifi cantly towards starting the process. Cabinet will soon finalise the new fiscal terms

that will be implemented for those new blocks that will be up for bidding,” Bharrat related.

Guyanese are eagerly awaiting the government’s decision on the fiscal terms for the sale of oil blocks, given the dissatisfaction with the fiscal terms that were negotiated in the existing Production Sharing Agree ment (PSA) that the country has with ExxonMobil.

The fiscal terms set out the profit sharing and taxa tion arrangement with com panies. In the current PSA with ExxonMobil, Guyana gets 50 per cent of profit oil and two per cent royalty.

However, there have been longstanding calls for Guy ana to get better terms in any future contracts, particularly given the massive potential of the offshore basin.

The Stabroek Block, which is owned by Exx on and partners Hess and CNOOC, has over 11 bil lion barrels of oil equivalent

(boe). This figure is expected to increase as exploration continues.

In a statement issued last Friday, the Ministry of Natu ral Resources, noted that, in the deliberations of the fis cal terms, the government is seeking to obtain a fair share, manage risks, remain com petitive, encourage investor confidence and maintain the pace of development.

“The government of Guy ana will be embarking on an intensive promoting cam paign… which will ensure that the competitive bidding round is successful for the future development of the offshore exploration and production of hydrocarbons for Guyana’s economy,” the statement said.

Once it commences, the bidding process is expected to last a few months; how ever, the duration for this is also still under consideration.

“We haven’t decided de finitively on a timeframe whether we will give three

months, four months or six months. Those are some of the practices around the world, for the company to prepare the bid documents and ensure that they sub mit a proper proposal to the government of Guyana to be reviewed, and to review all the terms and conditions of the bidding process. And also [for them to] have an op portunity to look at the data that is available in Guyana,” Bharrat said.

According to Bharrat, the government is also still in the process of mapping out the blocks that are available and no decision has been made as yet on if the government will keep back some of the oil blocks for a “National Oil Company” (NOC).

“We know block C for sure is available. There is relinquished acreage in the Canje block, and there is a few other blocks for exam ple, the Demerara and Ber bice block that are available so more data will be released very shortly. We are expect ing that as soon as Cabinet finalises those new fiscal term that we will release all information,” Bharrat noted.

As to the decisions on the NOC, Bharrat said: “No decision made as yet; we’re still looking at the possibilities, what are the advantages what are the disadvantages. We haven’t made any definitive deci sion with regards to that as yet.”

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat

Citizens welcome reduction of GuyOil fuel prices

- urge private sector to consider doing the same

By Cindy Parkinson

WHILE some have expressed apprecia tion for the govern

for gasoline and diesel were reduced at the State-owned Guyana Oil Company Limited (GuyOil) in an effort

student at the Universi ty of Guyana, DeShaun Franco drives every day to campus for his “in-person classes” at

follow suit.

Being a long-time customer of one named gas station, DeShaun called it “unfair”. He pleaded with the own ers of these gas sta tions to join the govern ment’s effort to reduce the costs at the pumps.

Javid (only name given), owner of two small businesses, ex pressed appreciation for the government’s decision. “Having my business at two differ ent locations means that we have to be back and forth all day, and the gas price was al ways a challenge for us. With this new change

in price, myself and other small businesses will be able to save a lot more,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

Dave Morgan, a taxi driver, said he is thrilled with the reduction in gas prices, which, he feels, will not only ben efit all taxi drivers but also assist with national economic growth.

“It is only right that the private sector work with the Guyana Government to lower gas prices. I do not see why they would want to hold out, because I am sure that people will go where they can save money. So, I don’t

get that,” remarked Ms. Joseph, a member of the public.

Since taking office in August 2020, the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali-led People’s Pro gressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administra tion has implemented a number of policies to lower the cost of living for its citizens in an ongoing effort to ad dress complaints about the high gas prices, and reduce the pressure felt by citizens.

So far, the excise tax on fuel has been brought down tre mendously.

ment’s decision to massively reduce gas oline and diesel prices, the public is also call ing on the privatelyowned gas stations to make adjustments to their prices.

According to state ment made last week end on behalf of the government by Senior Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh, the prices

to further relieve local consumers.

The price reductions that were made at Guy Oil’s pumps are a 20 per cent drop in gaso line prices from $269 per litre to $215 per litre, and a reduction of diesel costs from $265 per litre to $225 per litre, representing a 15 per cent decrease.

Being a first-year

the School of Entrepre neurship and Business Innovation (SEBI). With the previous gas price, Franco ex pressed how challeng ing it was to fuel up his gas tank often, since it added tremendous financial strain on his pocket, as he is unem ployed. As such, he is calling for privatelyowned gas stations to

National Library celebrates 50 years of service to Guyanese learning, culture preservation

By Cindy Parkinson

LIBRARIES play a cru cial role in our public life by facilitating com munities’ access to ideas and knowledge and by fostering creativity, ad vancing equality and acting as a source of empowerment.

In honour of its 50th anniversary, the Guyana National Library host

ed an award ceremony and cocktail reception, on Friday, at the Savan nah Suite, Pegasus Hotel, Kingston.

The event was chaired be Michella Abraham-Ali. Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hut son, and US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch attended.

Delivering opening re marks, Chief Librarian, Emily King, lauded the institution as a “landmark which can be viewed as a symbol of our nation”.

“For us, 50 years as a national library means a working centre of knowl edge as we aid in doc umenting the history of our country through our role as a legal repository,” King noted.

The National Library is legally vested to pos sess a copy of every publi cation printed in Guyana.

Aside from providing services and activities to all age groups, the library has facilitated the growth of authors by hosting writ ers’ workshops in collabo ration with other agencies.

Chief Librarian King

explained that the institu tion’s vision is “an annex with a national collection, which is rapidly outgrow ing the current space.”

This, she said, will help to store the collection better and make it more accessible.

King also called for more technical training to build the respective capac ities of staff members to carry out their roles.

Chief Education Of ficer, Dr Hutson, for his part, expressed how “elat ed” he was to be a part of such a significant occa sion. He stressed the im portance of libraries and the fundamental support provided to knowledge and culture.

“Libraries are synony mous with education; you can’t have an educated society without libraries where you can study and do various research,” Dr Hutson explained.

“In order for us to grow and develop as a country, it is important for us to share and not hide information from each other,” he added.

As much as the internet has created tremendous

opportunities in terms of accessing information, going to the library and researching information for school and university is a unique experience.

The libraries have moved with the times by updating the collection of books but also investing in technology solutions.

Dr. Hutson commend ed the staff for the work done over the years, and pledged the support of the education ministry in providing necessary financing. Guyana chief education officer also took the time to call for more private sector support for the institution.

It is “fifty years of free access to knowledge and enlightenment for Guya nese” and it is a symbol of learning and an “immov able pillar of history that transcends time,” Prime Minister Mark Phillips told the gathering on Fri day.

He plugged the insti tution as an essential ele ment of Guyana’s national heritage, and charged the staff to continue the work of evolving Guyana’s population.

He also added that be cause it is a vital link in the progression of learn ing, libraries will not be overlooked in the Govern ment of Guyana’s plans.

Prime Minister Phil lips noted government’s current investment in the country’s educational sys tem, including the build ing, expanding, and im proving of educational fa cilities as well as Informa tion and Communications Technology (ICT)-related enhancements.

Library staff were honoured for their stel lar years of service with the institution.

Chief Librarian, Emily King (Delano Williams photo)

Prime Minister Mark Phillips hands over a token of appreciation to an awardee (Delano Williams photo)

Prime Minister Mark Phillips (centre), Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson (front row, seventh from right), and US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch (far right) pose with awardees at Friday evening’s appreciation ceremony (Delano Williams photo)

Birth anniversaries of Gandhi, Shastri celebrated

THE High Commission of India and Swami Vive kananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) in Georgetown marked the 153rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the 118th birth anniversary of Lal Baha dur Shastri, by organising an event at the Gandhi Statue, Promenade Gar dens, Georgetown, on Mon day.

Prime Minister, Briga dier (ret’d), Mark Phillips; Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal; and Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Naraine graced the occa sion, along with members of the Diplomatic Corps, prominent citizens of Guy ana, friends of India, students and others and offered their homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

Various cultural pro grammes were performed by students of SVCC and other artists, including representa tives from Brahma Kumaris, paying their tributes to Ma hatama Gandhi through mu sic, dance, drama and Yoga, a release from the High Com mission said.

Welcoming the digni taries, High Commissioner of India, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, said that Mahatma Gandhi is an international name and his principles and philosophy are well-known and prac tised across the world. The High Commissioner add ed that Gandhi made India

known world over and Indi ans carried Gandhi’s name wherever they went, spread ing his message of peace and non-violence as he became a symbol and national pride of India and Indians.

Emphasising the rele vance of Gandhi, his princi ples and philosophy even in the present day, Dr. Srinivasa said that Gandhi’s philoso phy attracted large number of followers internationally, including great leaders and statesmen like Martin Lu ther King, Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, among others.

The impact and fame of Gandhi beyond India are reflected in the International Day of Non Violence which is celebrated worldwide on his birth anniversary. The High Commissioner also paid rich tributes to India’s former Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri.

Evan Radhe Persaud, founder and Executive Mem ber of Indian Action Com mittee also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in his re marks, with special emphasis on Gandhi’s struggle and noble work in South Afri ca, contribution to the Indian Freedom Movement and its influence in the region with special emphasis on Guy ana and late Cheddi Jagan, former President of Guyana.

In his keynote address, Prime Minister reiterated the

relevance of Gandhi even in the current time and life in Guyana as well as all over the world. He emphasised that Gandhi’s principles re flect equality of movement and access which makes it more essential for Guyana.

Minister Croal under lined the importance and rel evance of timeless Gandhian philosophy and how modern day issues and problems can be addressed effectively with its application.

He also emphasised how Guyana was following the policy and work of Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri in ensur ing housing, water and food security for all in Guyana.

Rich tributes were also paid to another great free dom fighter and statesman, the second Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shas tri on his birth anniversary. Noted by many to be softspoken and humble, Lal Bahadur Shastri was an important figure during the freedom struggle and became Prime Minister in 1964 post-Jawaharlal Nehru’s death. He was also a man of vision who led the country towards pro gress. India remembers ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’, the slo gan of Lal Bahadur Shastri which is etched in every one’s minds as it captures the true spirit of India, the release concluded.

Man admits to killing reputed wife

FOUR years after 24-year-old Shenece Lawrence was fatally stabbed during a do mestic altercation, her reputed husband has confessed to the capital offence of murder.

Jermaine Bristol, 37, formerly of Freeman Street, East La Penitence was arraigned before Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court, on September 30.

He admitted that he murdered the woman on August 22, 2018, in the county of Demerara.

The matter has been adjourned until October 27, 2022, for the presenta tion of a probation report and sentencing. The State was represented by pros ecutor Muntaz Ali.

According to reports, the couple shared a rela tionship over seven years and lived together at Free man Street.

On August 22, 2018, the couple had an argu ment during which Bris tol armed himself with a knife and stabbed Law

rence five times to the neck, leaving the weapon stuck inside.

He then immediately went to the Brickdam Police Station and re ported the matter. Re ports are that he gave a confession statement admitting to the crime.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) puts flowers at a portrait of late Indian Freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi at the Promenade Gardens, Georgetown as Indian Ambassador, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa and Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, look on

Jermaine Bristol and the late Shenece Lawrence

Sinovac to invest US$3B in production of vaccines, other products

assist countries to strengthen vaccine research & development

people.

“We believe that Sino vac vaccines and other pharmaceutical products will reach more countries and help people’s health in more countries.... Right now, we also have the ca pacity to produce enough vaccines to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 virus,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sinovac’s Vice-President and Qual ity Management Com mittee Chairman, Weining Meng, said the company is prepared to help for eign countries strengthen vaccine research and de velopment efforts as well as their public health ser vices.

factory in Chile, which commenced in May. At the completion of that project, the factory will be able to produce 50 million doses of vaccine annually. This will help the coun try become the vaccine delivery centre for South America.

Additionally, Sinovac has also donated a vac cine cold storage facility to Egypt with a capacity of up to 150 million doses of vaccines. This has pro vided a major boost to that country and Africa’s supply chain.

By Samuel Sukhnandan in Beijing

CHINA-BASED lead ing bio-pharmaceutical company, Sinovac Bi otech Ltd. (Sinovac), plans to invest US$2 billion in research and development (RnD) and a further US$3 billion in the mass production of vaccines and other products in the next five years.

Chief Operation Of ficer, Qiang Gao, said the company would also like to establish research and development centres as well as industrial bases in more than 10 coun

tries to better serve the local people, local govern ments, and people across the world.

“Sinovac has estab lished reliable cooperation relationships with dozens of countries and obtained product sales licences, among which COVID-19 vaccine, hepatitis A vac cines, and influenza vac cine have been sold to many countries,” he said.

Goa made this an nouncement during a re cent event titled “Sinovac Global Media Day” held at the company’s head quarters, which was at tended by 84 journalists from 63 countries who

are participating in the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) programme.

The top company offi cial said that, up until Sep tember this year, the total global supply of Sinovac vaccines was 2.88 billion doses, of which 1.75 bil lion doses were supplied to China and 1.13 billion doses were sent to coun tries and regions outside China.

He said that, in the past 20 years, Sinovac had de veloped 13 types of vac cines that have been used in more than 80 countries and regions, benefitting more than three billion

He said that was es pecially for developing countries, including those in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, to help them make better preparations for any fu ture threats of a pandemic.

“We are not only will ing to become a real reli able vaccine supplier, but we would also like to become a strategic partner for those countries’ public health security by setting up a local vaccine indus try and setting up some local vaccine development facilities,” he said.

Sinovac has invested US$100 million in the construction of a vaccine

Since the start of the pandemic, Guyana has di rectly procured 100,000 of Sinovac’s Biotech COV ID-19 vaccines and anoth er 20,000 through the Pan American Health Organi sation/World Health Or ganisation (PAHO/WHO) and COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX), which have benefitted over 60,000 Guyanese citizens.

Due to the fact that the coronavirus disease is mutating much faster than expected, updated research and treatments are urgent and important.

As such, Sinovac’s VicePresident told journal ists that his company has made huge investments to develop customised vaccines targetting the

Omicron variant.

“We have collaborated with some organisations to develop new vaccine products like antibodies to fight against the pan demic. For example, we have identified a series of antibodies that neutralise Omicron B2, B4, B5, and others. These antibodies have a high potential to prevent serious illnesses and also promote preven tion,” he added.

The aim of this new research for the COV ID-19 vaccine by Sino vac Biotech is to produce adequate antibodies to neutralise the highly mu tated coronavirus strain, Omicron. The WHO has already said that the new Omicron strain is of major concern.

Earlier, journalists were taken on a tour to Sinovac’s Quality Con trol Laboratory, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Bulk Workshop which can pro duce approximately one billion doses of the COV ID-19 vaccine.

(NCN Editor, Sam uel Sukhnandan is cur rently in Beijing on the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) 2022 Fellowship at the invita tion of the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA)

Digicel Business is principal sponsor of Guyana Basins Summit

DIGICEL Business is on board as the Principal Sponsor of the 2nd annual Guyana Basins Summit, a release from the telephone giant said on Monday.

The summit opens today and concludes on Thursday in Georgetown, Guyana, and Digicel Business will be there showcasing its wealth of business solutions to major operators, licence holders, Tier One contrac tors, and the entire value chain in Guyana’s emerging hydrocarbons sector.

The Guyana Basins Summit comes at an oppor tune time as Digicel Busi ness prepares for the instal lation of its Deep Blue One subsea cable infrastructure in early 2024, which will supercharge connectivity in this area of the Caribbean and South America.

Deep Blue One will provide best-in-class con nectivity to French Guia na, Suriname, Guyana and

Trinidad & Tobago, and connect offshore oil-andgas platforms on the back of industry developments in the region, the release said.

Commenting on Digi cel Business’ significant investment, Kevin Beckett, Head of Oil & Gas, Digicel Group Business Solutions, elaborated: “With subsea fibre providing the back bone of the global economy, and serving as a catalyst to economic development, our substantial investment in submarine capacity under pins our confidence in the development of the region.

A great example of this is the connectivity options we

will be able to provide, both onshore and offshore, to the oil-and-gas industries in countries like Guyana and Suriname as they capitalise on the boom in the region.”

Beyond connectivity, this cable system will bring a full economical ecosystem for the benefit of all. In a 2019 report published by the International Telecom munication Union (ITU) entitled, “The economic contribution of broadband, digitisation and ICT regu lation: Econometric mod elling for the Americas”, it was suggested that an increase of 10 per cent in fixed broadband penetration

would result in an increase by 1.9 per cent in GDP per capita.

Through its infrastruc ture, Digicel Business is able to provide solutions from the seabed to the cloud and everything in between, allowing for the rollout and support of any offshore re quirements, including vessel connectivity and global con nectivity to locations any where in the world, using fibre and wireless solutions.

“As a Digital Operator serving over 10 million customers in 25 countries across the Caribbean and Central America, we’re fo cused on driving economic opportunities for our cus tomers. This is an excit ing next phase for us; it’s about delivering quality, reliability, performance, and most importantly, op portunity. We’re excited to get going on this,” Mark Shoebridge, Director of Business Solutions added.

Man found guilty of raping girl twice

A 12-member jury, on Monday, found Gavin As sanah guilty of two counts of rape committed on a 12-year-old girl, several years ago.

Assanah was on trial be fore Justice Simone MorrisRamlall at the Sexual Of fences Court of the Demerara High Court.

The jury found that As sanah, during the month of August 2014, in the county of Demerara, engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 12. He repeated the offence on Janu ary 26, 2015.

The judge ordered that a psychiatric evaluation be conducted on Assanah since she observed him smiling throughout his trial.

She then deferred sen tencing until October 24.

He was represented by Euclin Gomes while the State was represented by prosecu tors Cicelia Corbin, Caressa Henry and Paneeta Persaud.

According to reports, As sanah was taken into police custody after the mother of the child filed a complaint against him.

The court heard that the incidents occurred at the home of the child’s mother.

According to reports, As sanah was friendly with the mother of the child and fre quently visited the family’s home.

After the first rape, the child became afraid and did not tell anyone what had oc curred.

On January 26, 2015, Assanah visited the victim’s home again and raped her.

The child subsequently confided in her relatives and the matter was re ported to the police. As sanah was later arrested and charged.

Convicted Rapist: Gavin Assanah

Canada funds preservation of Indigenous knowledge in North Rupununi

THE High Commission of Canada, in partnership with the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), is supporting a community project to preserve traditional Indig enous knowledge, through the empowerment of In digenous women leaders within their communities.

Funded through the Can ada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), this project is partic ularly significant since it will be contributing to the global effort to preserve indigenous languages during the Interna tional Decade of Indigenous Languages, as many of them are endangered because they are not taught in schools or spoken more publicly, a re lease said.

Current data indicates that at least 40 per cent of the 7,000 languages used worldwide are at some level of endangerment.

Through the project, the NRDDB will be working with Annai and surround

ing communities to identify critical traditional skills and opportunities for knowledge preservation. The women from the area will be asked to participate in the creation of a video library of “stories” to build a record of their knowl edge, in their native languag es for future generations.

“One of the key areas of knowledge that the NRDDB will be seeking to record is traditional farming practices and the knowledge of plants. The focus will be on identify ing traditionally used plants, their nutritional value, medic inal power and value added products that can be extract ed from these plants. The manner in which these plants can be cultivated and grown will be recorded. The women and men from the commu nities will also be asked to share knowledge pertaining to traditional modes of sur vival used for generations by Indigenous people, during times of extreme weather such as flooding, droughts

or fires which their ancestors were able to navigate,” the release said.

Another aspect of the project is to conduct a re search among Annai and the surrounding communities to understand and assess the factors limiting women from accessing leadership positions. The findings of the research will be used to create a work plan to change the perception of the role of women in their communities.

SPACE FOR WOMEN

The NRDDB, the release noted, wants to create a space

for women to be equally rep resented in decision-making and will be encouraging com munity leaders to diversify boards to have a greater rep resentation of women within the next three years.

The women and youth in the community will also benefit from training on lead ership and communication to provide them with the knowledge they need to take up roles in their communities and become agents of knowl edge transfer.

Upon signing, the High Commissioner, Mark Ber man, reminded that Canada is

strongly committed to work ing with Indigenous peoples and is also a leading advocate for gender equality and the increasing role of women in society.

“Canada has been active ly working on reconciling with Indigenous nations and we recognise the value of their traditional knowledge and their care for the environ ment. We also understand the value of ensuring that women are included as equal partners in the development process and we are pleased to work with the NRDDB to empower Indigenous women to be the drivers of Indigenous knowl edge transfer,” he stated.

This library of valuable information will be available for use as a resource for climate change adaptation and mitigation and will be distributed to the surrounding villages, as well as stored dig itally in the NRDDB archive to address knowledge loss among youth.

NRDDB Executive Di

rector, Ivor Marslow, noted that the project will enhance the work that the organisation has been involved in. This includes advocating for the sustainable management of the Rupununi Wetlands and building the skills and capac ity of community members.

“We would like to thank the Canadian High Commis sion for their support through this project. We hope that through this project the ca pacities of the people of the North Rupununi communi ties, with specific emphasis on women, will be boosted.

It is our desire to see our In digenous women promoted as leaders and this project will help to encourage them to continue taking their place on that platform,” he said.

The project activities will occur over one year and is the third Indigenous based project being sup ported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) this year, the release noted.

Hetmyer dropped from Windies World Cup squad over missed flight ...to be replaced by Shamarh Brooks

WEST Indies have dropped Shimron Het myer from their World Cup squad after the batter missed a "rescheduled" flight to Australia. CWI said the decision was tak en "unanimously" by the selection panel, which also decided to name Shamarh Brooks as Hetmyer's re placement.

Most of the West Indies squad had flown to Australia in different groups, follow ing the conclusion of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Saturday.

Hetmyer, who was cap tain of Guyana Amazon Warriors, was originally scheduled to fly on October 1, but wanted his flight re scheduled due to personal reasons. CWI booked him on a flight that would depart on Monday, only for Hetmyer to subsequently tell Jimmy Adams, CWI's director of

cricket, that he would not be travelling.

"The decision by the CWI selection panel was made as Shimron Hetmy er missed his re-scheduled flight to Australia, which had been changed from Saturday 1 October at his request, due to family reasons," CWI said in a media release. "With flight availability a real chal lenge, a seat was found for him to leave Guyana today, Monday 3 October, mean ing he would unfortunately miss the 1st T20 Internation al (T20I) against Australia on Wednesday 5 October at the Metricon Stadium. This morning, Mr Hetmyer, informed the Director of Cricket that he would not be able to get to the airport in time for his flight this after noon to New York."

Adams said that Hetmy er had been informed that "any further delay" in travel

would cost him his World Cup spot.

"This afternoon we in formed the CWI board of di rectors that the selection pan el had unanimously decided to replace Shimron Hetmyer with Shamarh Brooks in our T20 World Cup squad," Adams said. "Whilst we changed Shimron's flight from Saturday to Monday due to family reasons, it was made clear to him that if there were any further delays and issues with his travel to Australia then we would have no choice but to replace him in the squad, as we are not prepared to compromise the team's ability to prepare for this extremely important global event."

Brooks will fly out lat er this week but will not feature in the two-match T20I series against Australia. Brooks will instead join the World Cup squad directly in

Bumrah ruled out of T20...

that India will miss at the tournament, after allrounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out by a knee injury.

India are also waiting on the fitness of allrounder Deepak Hooda, who is part of the 15-member World Cup squad. Hooda is cur rently at the NCA for treat ment for a back injury that he picked up during the T20I series against Australia last month.

Injured Marcus

(From page 23)

on in the past, has severely hindered his bowling prepa ration for the World Cup after missing the India series.

Australia's selectors have also been looking for any excuse to get Green into their 15-man World Cup squad following his staggering performances in India. Green was added as cover for the series against West Indies after previous ly being set to play Sheffield Shield cricket this week, given he is currently not in the World Cup squad. Australia can add Green to the squad if Stoinis, or another player, is ruled out of the tournament with injury. (Cricinfo)

The BCCI has not re vealed details about Hooda's injury or recovery.

India are in Group 2 at the T20 World Cup, along with Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, and two teams that progress from the quali fying round. The side led by Rohit Sharma is looking to make a strong comeback at this year's event in Australia, after suffering a group-stage exit at the 2021 T20 World

(From back page)

Cup in the UAE.

The squad is expected to fly to Perth on October 6 for a week-long conditioning camp, including a practice game against Western Aus tralia. They will then take on New Zealand and Australia in two warm-up fixtures prior to their World Cup opener against Pakistan in Melbourne on October 23.

India T20 World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (capt),

08:25 hrs

South Africa Racing Tips

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Melbourne, where Nicholas Pooran's team will start their campaign in the qualify ing round. West Indies are placed in Group B, alongside Ireland, Scotland and Zimba bwe with the top two teams progressing to the Super 12s.

Coincidentally, Brooks and Hetmyer were pitted against each other in CPL play-offs last week. It was Brooks' unbeaten 109 in Qualifier 2 against Warriors that helped Jamaica Talla wahs make the final, which they won against Barbados Royals.(Cricinfo).

West Indies T20 World Cup squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Pow ell (vc), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Ho sein, Alzarri Joseph, Bran don King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy, Ray mon Reifer, Odean Smith.

KL Rahul (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh

Reserve players: Mo hammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar. (Cricinfo)

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English cricket must find compromise over schedule - Richard Thompson

CRICKET must "find some compromise" over "radical" plans to over haul the domestic calen dar amid opposition from counties, says England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chair Richard Thompson.

He said plans to cut the number of matches were "a sacrifice I'm prepared to try to sell to the counties".

But he added, "whether some of the proposals being suggested are a bridge too far needs to be decided".

Any changes must be agreed by two-thirds of the 18 first-class counties.

Thompson, the most powerful figure in the En

glish game who took over last month, warned that in ternational cricket is now facing an "existential prob lem" with the "threat" of overseas Twenty20 fran chise leagues luring top players away.

"We are foreseeing that as a challenge," he said. "We can't allow that to play out."

In a wide-ranging inter view, Thompson also told BBC Sport:

The top division would be cut to just six teams, with dedicated windows for the One-Day Cup, T20 Blast and The Hundred.

But the proposals have sparked division with a number of counties vowing

to oppose the changes on behalf of their members, and Thompson has now hinted the plans could be watered down.

"This is a high-perfor mance review to create a thriving domestic structure and ensure that England reach the top," said the for mer Surrey chairman. "That requires radical change.

"I remain a champion of the counties, and we need to find some compromise here to ensure that the counties come onside and see the need for change.

"If we have the best players continually available and England are winning in all formats, and we have to

ECB chairman Richard Thompson

sacrifice some cricket for that, then I truly believe that's a sacrifice that I'm prepared to try to sell to the counties.

"But I do fully sym pathise with where they are because they represent their members."

Thompson said compro mises needed to be sought but added he "did not want division in the game".

"I want people to come together and agree a way forward," he said.

"I think we will resolve this because people under stand that pressure from outside leagues now. We need a solution and a better schedule."

'EXISTENTIAL PROBLEM'

Thompson insisted English cricket had to act because of the "threat" of overseas T20 tournaments luring players away from international cricket.

"We have never had a situation where a player could be offered a central contract by England and reflect on whether they want to sign it - that's unprece dented," he said.

"We are foreseeing that as a challenge, particularly as you're looking at singular owners owning multiple teams, so you could sign to one owner and play in their three sides. Follow the sunbe like a golfer, or a tennis player and be on their tour as opposed to playing for

England … it's a threat.

"We have to have a schedule that protects cer tain parts of our season. We need to somehow find that balance, which is why things being suggested are so contentious."

The ECB commissioned the review after England's disastrous Ashes tour of Australia last winter which ended in a 4-0 defeat.

It hoped to have a final decision by November with an intention to implement the changes in time for the 2024 season.

The ECB also hopes a revised schedule will allow a greater balance between red- and white-ball crick et, produce higher-quality matches, and ease the strain on players' workloads.

"This is a democratic process," said Thompson.

"That process may take longer than we hoped for, but the most important thing is we get the right outcome for the game. We don't rush it."

'TOO MUCH CRICKET'

Earlier this year England all-rounder and Test captain Stokes retired from one-day internationals and Thomp son admitted there was now "too much cricket" in the "extraordinary" internation al calendar, and that it had become "untenable".

"We have a duty of care to our players - their phys ical health as well as their mental health," Thompson said.

"And we don't want someone like Ben Stokes, the best player in the world at the time, to have to make that decision."

Thompson hailed Stokes' "extraordinary" and "com pelling" approach to the game after leading a re surgent England side this summer and said he had met him in an attempt to "build bridges".

Stokes said he had to be talked out of quitting

international cricket after feeling let down by the ECB following his arrest in Bris tol in 2017

Stokes played his last ODI at Chester-le-Street in July

Thompson opposed the introduction of The Hundred tournament when at Surrey, but two years after the tour nament was launched, he admits elements of it have won him over, albeit with a cost to other formats.

"Cricket is paying a big price for four competitions, that's for sure," he said.

"I think it will be worth it because of the financial gain, which is an important part of the reason why The Hundred was put together, and reaching a new audience which has such a significant value. It's been a revelation for women's cricket.

"There are still lots of creases to iron out. It's not perfect by any means, but it's proven that there is something worth pursuing there.

"I don't want to see other brands diminished as a result of The Hundred; so, as an example, we cannot allow the Blast to struggle.

"Hopefully I can ensure that the Blast is invested in as well as The Hundred and you don't have one competi tion cannibalising another.

"The game needs to work very hard to ensure that isn't the case."

Meanwhile, the ECB has offered to host Tests between India and Pakistan.

The two rivals have not played each other in Tests since 2007 because of polit ical tensions, but have met in white-ball tournaments.

Despite the ECB offer, it is thought it would take a shift in political mood for the two to play Test cricket anywhere. Pakistan have only just had Tests return to their own country, so would be reluctant to once again shift to a neutral venue.

Ten Hag lambasts Man Utd's lack of belief

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) — Erik ten Hag said Manchester Unit ed got what they deserved in a 3-6 thrashing at Man chester City because they didn't believe they could beat the Premier League champions.

For the second time in just seven league games un der ten Hag, United trailed 0-4 at half-time as City ran riot.

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden completed their hattricks after the break and only Anthony Martial's late double saw United avoid a record-equalling defeat in the Manchester derby.

"It's quite simple, it's a lack of belief," ten Hag said. "When you don't believe on the pitch then you can't win games, that is unacceptable.

"We got undisciplined at following rules and you get hammered, that is what happened today."

United had bounced back from an embarrassing 0-4 defeat at Brentford in August to win their previous four league games.

But any hopes of showing they had closed the gap on City were eviscerated during a first half in which Pep Guardiola's men could have scored even more.

"For me it was a surprise. We were not on the front foot, we were not brave on

the ball and there were spaces to play but we were not brave enough," added ten Hag.

All the credit to City, but it's nothing to do with City. Our performance was not good. It had to do with the belief as individuals and as team."

United did show some fight in the second period as Antony fired home his second goal since joining ten Hag in moving from Ajax to Old Trafford before Martial struck twice in the final six minutes.

But the decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench for the full 90 minutes raises further questions on what role Ten Hag foresees for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for the rest of the

season.

Ten Hag said he over looked Ronaldo "out of re spect" as he did not want to throw the 37-year-old on with United chasing shad ows.

But the Dutchman was pleased with the reaction his side showed after the break.

"In this moment I can't think about positives. We let our fans down, we let our selves down," he said.

"At half-time we changed things and we changed at titude. We saw a different Manchester United after halftime and we scored goals, we created some more.

"On the ball we were more brave, we came in the opponent's half and we scored three goals."

England batter Jonny Bairstow out until 2023 after surgery

ENGLAND batter Jonny Bairstow has successfully un dergone surgery on a broken leg and dislocated ankle, and confirmed he will not play again this year.

Bairstow, 33, had already been ruled out of this month's Twenty20 World Cup after sustaining the injury while playing golf.

He slipped walking to a tee box.

The Yorkshireman also missed the final Test of En gland's home summer series with South Africa.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Bairstow said he "heard it snap straight away".

Bairstow had been in bril liant form in 2022, scoring 1,061 runs and six centuries

Jonny Bairstow missed the final Test of England's summer series against South Africa

in 10 Tests, and remains a key part of England's white-ball teams.

"Normally when you slip

you fall on your bum, which would have been fine as there's plenty of cushion in there," he told the Telegraph.

"Except this time I tried to regain my balance, my left ankle turned right, dislocated and my weight went through my left lower leg. I heard it snap straight away.

"I took a couple of steps down then slipped. By the time I crumpled into a heap, I was three-quarters of the way down. It's all a blur, it hap pened so quickly.

"I yelped. Uncontrollable screams, the sort you hear on a rugby field. The adrenaline kicked in, and I knew I need ed an ambulance. The next three hours without painkill ers were not too fun."

Liverpool have to go 'back to the basics' to improve form - Jurgen Klopp

LIVERPOOL manager Jur gen Klopp says his side have to go "back to the basics" to try to improve their de fending.

Klopp's side are ninth in the Premier League after just two top-flight wins in seven games this season.

They have conceded 14 goals in nine games across all competitions, keeping just two cleans sheets.

"When you spot a prob lem and think you have the solution, you expect [it] to be instant. That's never the case in football," Klopp said.

"We've conceded similar goals now, they have gone through the same gaps.

"When the timing in our defending isn't perfect we're too open. So yes, we have to be more compact.

"Defending is an art and it worked for us really well for a long time. But with it not working, you realise you have to go back to the basics.

"We can't always start anew. If we can help the boys with ways to defend different ly, we have to do that."

Liverpool let in three goals in a 3-3 draw against Brighton on Saturday, leaving them 11 points behind Pre mier League leaders Arsenal and 10 adrift of second-placed Manchester City, who have both played a game more.

"People can ask how could it happen that these players are not full of confi dence?" said Klopp, whose side play Scottish club Rang ers in a Champions League group game on Tuesday.

"Do you think [Manches ter United forward] Cristiano Ronaldo at this moment is top of his confidence levels?

"He was for ages the best player in the world and now it is not going his way and it is not exactly the same. That happens to all of us.

"Lionel Messi played last season [his first at Paris St-Germain] where it was not exactly the same because these kind of things are really important to all of us and you have to work for it.

"You have to take the little things to take a step in the right direction and be really ready for the moment when it is back and that is what we are doing. (BBC Sport)

Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag (right) speaks to defender Tyrell Malacia during the English Premier League football match against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north-west England, on Sunday. (Photo: AFP)

Jurgen Klopp's side have let in eight goals in their last three games

2023 Women's T20 World Cup to begin on February 10

THE 2023 Women's T20 World Cup will begin on February 10 with hosts South Africa taking on Sri Lanka in Cape Town. The final is scheduled for Febru ary 26 and a reserve day is available on the 27th.

Bangladesh and Ireland, the finalists of the 2022 Wom en's T20 World Cup Qualifier, take the last two spots in the ten-team tournament which will be played in Paarl, Gqe berha and Cape Town.

Defending champions Australia are in Group 1, along with New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India, Pakistan, England, West Indies and Ireland make up Group 2.

After South Africa open the tournament against Sri Lanka, England play West Indies and Australia take on New Zealand on February 11 in Paarl. The four Asian teams begin their campaigns on February 12, with India playing Pakistan and Ban gladesh facing Sri Lanka in Cape Town.

Each team will play all the others in their group once, and the top two from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. All of the knock

out games - the semis and the final - will be held in Cape Town.

The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup final between Australia and India at the MCG had a crowd of 86,175, just marginally short of the world record for a women's sports event, and is widely

…Tournament to be played in Cape Town, Paarl and Gqeberha; India take on Pakistan on February 12

of cricket," ICC chief execu tive Geoff Allardice said. "As a key strategic priority for the sport, women's cricket con tinues to build momentum and engage more fans than ever before. With T20 as the growth vehicle for cricket we are confident that this event and the inaugural U19 Women's T20 World Cup preceding the senior event will leave a lasting legacy to grow girls and women's cricket around the world."

With ticket prices start

ing at 60 Rand (US$ 3.36 approximately), Cricket South Africa chief execu tive Pholetsi Moseki hoped fans would attend the event in strong numbers. "South Africa is eagerly awaiting the opening match against Sri Lanka, which will prove our competitiveness on the field of play. It will also mark an historic occasion of South Africa hosting the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, and a first-ever chance for our fans to expe

rience the attractive blend of women's cricket that will be beamed across the globe," Moseki said. "This happens at the time that the appetite for women's cricket, as a distinct brand, is gaining traction amongst the fans. We have sliced the prices of tickets to allow all the fans the opportunity to attend stadiums and join in the excitement, which will confirm that women's cricket is open for busi ness." (Cricinfo)

considered to be a water shed moment in the women's game.

"We are thrilled to be an nouncing the match schedule for the next ICC Women's T20 World Cup as we look to build on the success of Australia 2020 and host a uniquely African celebration

be one of best ever - Gary Neville

Liverpool's Trent Alex ander-Arnold can be one of the world's best ever right-backs if he works on his defending, says Gary Neville.

Alexander-Arnold, 23, has come under increased scrutiny and criticism this season as he has struggled for form.

He was picked for En

gland recently but did not play against Italy and was dropped from the squad to face Germany.

"No full-back that I've ever seen in this country can do what he can do," Neville told Sky Sports.

"So, if he can just work on those basic [defensive] things and get consisten cy, we won't just have one of the best attacking rightbacks this country has ever produced, we will probably have the best right-back the world has ever produced.

"This is a [Brazil legend] Cafu - that level of full-back, this is something unbeliev ably special."

Former England rightback Neville played 85 times for his country and made 602 appearances for Manchester United.

He said there was an "im

balance" to Alexander-Ar nold's game, with the attack ing element outweighing the defensive side.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp defended his "excep tional" player after his En gland omission by manager Gareth Southgate, but agreed there is "space for improve

ment" in Alexander-Arnold's defensive game.

"I think Trent has to work on his defending," said Neville. "I said it a few years ago that there was a lack of seriousness in his defend ing and there was a lack of alertness. At some point in his career, it will hold him

back."

Following the recent round of international games, Southgate said Al exander-Arnold's "all-round game" was behind that of Newcastle United right-back Kieran Trippier.

There is a danger the Liverpool player could be left out of the England squad for the 2022 World Cup, but Neville thinks that could be a blessing in disguise.

"This is an important juncture of his career. What does he do, does he think I don't have to do that, I don't want to do that?" added Neville.

"There might be a neg ative of him not going to the World Cup [but] that might be the biggest posi tive of his career, if he can have five to six weeks here just literally being coached.

Australia celebrated with Katy Perry after winning the 2020 T20 World Cup final (Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold

Kipruto and Yehualaw win first London Marathons

By Katie Falkingham

KENYA's Amos Kipruto and Ethiopia's Yalemzerf Yehualaw won their maid en London Marathon titles with breakaway victories in the elite men's and wom en's races.

Just six months after making her debut over the distance, 23-year-old Yehu alaw finished in two hours, 17 minutes and 26 seconds - the third fastest women's London Marathon time in history.

Kipruto then won the men's race in two hours, four minutes and 39 seconds after pushing away from the rest of the field with about five kilometres to go.

Ethiopia's Leul Gebre silase was second, crossing the line 33 seconds later, with Bashir Abdi of Belgium completing the podium.

With four miles to go in the women's race and after an earlier trip, Yehualawthe youngest ever London Marathon champion - broke clear of a group of four with the chasing 2021 champion Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya unable to reel her in.

That breakaway included an astonishing 4:43 mile split on mile 24.

Jepkosgei finished sec

ond, 41 seconds back, with Ethiopian Alemu Megertu placing third.

Rose Harvey was the topplaced British athlete in 10th position, while in the men's race, Weynay Ghebresilasie and Phil Sesemann were ninth and 10th respectively.

Earlier, Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner set new course records as they com pleted an all-Swiss sweep of the wheelchair titles.

Four-time champion Hug defended his 2021 crown in one hour, 24 minutes and 38 seconds, holding off a late overtake attempt by Ameri can Daniel Romanchuk.

Gayle fails as Giants bow out to Kings

JODHPUR, India, (CMC) –Chris Gayle failed as Gujarat Giants were knocked out of the Legends League with a six-wicket defeat to Fidel Edwards’s Bhilwara Kings here Monday.

The 43-year-old former West Indies captain managed just runs five before he was run out at the striker’s end in the second over before Giants recovered to reach 194 for nine from their 20 overs, after choosing to bat first at Barkat ullah Khan Stadium.

Irishman Kevin O’Brien made 45 from 24 balls, Yashpal Singh scored 43 from 35 balls while Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan stroked 36 from 26 balls.

The innings really pivoted on two stands. Yashpal, who struck five fours and a six, put on 45 for the fourth wicket with Dilshan – who also counted five fours and a six – to pull the innings around from 36 for two in the fourth.

And when a slide left Gi

Former West Indies batsman Chris Gayle was dismissed for just 5 runs

ants on 82 for four in the 10th over, Yashpal put on a further 52 for the fifth wicket with O’Brien who smashed a couple of fours and four sixes.

Fast bowler Edwards picked up a single wicket from 2.4 overs

In reply, Irishman William Porterfield top-scored with 60 from 43 balls at the top of the order as Kings cantered to their target with nine balls to spare.

Porterfield lashed half-dozen fours and three sixes, posting 91 for the first wicket with Morne van Wyk who made 31 from 18 deliv eries.

Great Britain's David Weir - making his 23rd con secutive London Marathon appearance - was third.

Debrunner won her first London title in one hour, 38 minutes and 24 seconds, with Britain's Eden Rain bow-Cooper coming third.

Hug and Debrunner set wheelchair course records

This year's London Mar athon marked the third and final time it will take place in October - moved because of the Covid-19 pandemic - with the race returning to its traditional spring date in 2023.

The races were officially

started by England's Euro 2022 champions Leah Wil liamson, Ellen White and Jill Scott - the latter no stranger to the event after winning the Mini Marathon back in 2001.

Looming rail strikes and a string of high-profile with drawals - including Mo Far ah and women's world record holder Brigid Kosgei - hit the marathon in race week, while Britain's Charlotte Purdue was one of several athletes to pull out on Sunday morning through illness.

But with the forecast ed rain holding off, some 40,927 runners took to the streets of London for the

26.2 mile route from Green wich to the finish line on the Mall, in front of Buckingham Palace.

Paying tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II following her death in Sep tember, the British Army Band played the national anthem prior to the start of the elite men's race and mass start.

Among those running with inspirational stories were the Kerr family, from Annahilt in Northern Ireland, for whom Sunday's race marked their 50th marathon.

David and Sandra Kerr's 25-year-old son Aaron has a

series of complex needs and uses a wheelchair, so he is pushed around the marathon course by his parents.

But prior to 2022, they were unable to take part in the London Marathon because, until this year, wheelchair participants had to complete the 26.2 miles under their own power, with no assistance. Today, four assisted wheelchair partici pants, including Aaron, took part after a change in the rules.

Among other runners were Anoosheh Ashoori, who was freed alongside Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from an Iranian prison in March, while Kostiantyn Bidnenko and Viktoriya Ki ose ran for United 24, a foun dation supporting Ukraine, after fleeing to the UK from their home country after Rus sia's invasion in February.

"What an amazing day it's been," said event direc tor Hugh Brasher. "A year ago only about 90 countries could travel to the UK and now 200 can, so it really does feel like the event is back.

"The sun shone and the amazing positivity that London is renowned for shone brightly too" (BBC Sport)

Injured Marcus Stoinis ruled out of West Indies T20I series

ALL-rounder Marcus

Stoinis has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I se ries against West Indies as he continues his recovery from a side strain he suf fered in early September, leaving Australia's selectors fewer chances to bed down their best side ahead of the World Cup.

Stoinis has not travelled with Australia's squad to the Gold Coast ahead of the first game of a two-match series against West Indies on Wednesday. He has instead remained in Perth where he will link up with the squad at the weekend.

Following the second T20I against West Indies in Brisbane on Friday, Australia head to Perth for the first of three T20Is against England on Sunday as they continue their preparations for their opening T20 World Cup clash on October 22. They will play one more warm-

up game against India be fore their tournament opener against New Zealand.

Stoinis suffered the in jury on September 8 during an ODI series against New Zealand in Cairns. He was ruled out of the third ODI of that series and also missed Australia's whirlwind threematch T20I tour of India. He has continually suffered side strains on both sides of his body over the last three years after being significantly hampered with it during the 2019 ODI World Cup.

He flew home early from the ODI tour of Sri Lanka in June after suffering another minor strain but was able to recover in under three weeks to play in the Hundred in England before returning to Australia for the ODIs and Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

His latest injury has come at a time when Australia have a significant selection squeeze in their top seven

Marcus Stoinis has continually suffered side strains on both sides of his body over the last three years (Getty Images)

thanks to the performances of Cameron Green and Tim Da vid during the tour of India.

David seamlessly slotted in to the No. 6 role, vacated by Stoinis, on his Australia debut in India forming a

composed partnership with Matthew Wade in a stunning run chase in Mohali before scoring a sensational 54 off 27 balls in Hyderabad to lift Australia to a highly compet itive total after the top order collapsed.

Stoinis has been a main stay of Australia's T20I mid dle order over the last three years and played two pivotal innings in last year's World Cup triumph. But David's form and experience playing the exact same role in fran chise cricket means that Aus tralia's selectors already had a decision to make in terms of their first-choice middle order in the World Cup.

Stoinis' injury may al leviate some of the pressure on Steven Smith who was moved up to No. 3 for the India series. Mitchell Marsh is set to return to that position although his troublesome an kle, which he has had surgery

Kenyan Amos Kipruto won the men's race, crossing the finish line on The Mall in 2:04:39

Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw recovered from a fall to win the women's race

Hetmyer dropped from Windies World Cup squad over missed flight ...to be replaced by Shamarh Brooks

Bumrah ruled out of T20 World Cup with back injury

INDIA's T20 World Cup cam paign has suffered a huge setback with spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the tournament with a back injury.

The first reports of the fast bowler's injury emerged just before India's T20I series against South Africa began on September 28. Bumrah was rushed from Thiruva nanthapuram, the venue of the first match, to Bengaluru, where the Na tional Cricket Academy is located, so that he could be assessed by the BCCI's medical team.

Bumrah had previously missed the Asia Cup in August and Sep tember because of a stress reaction in his back but was then picked for the subsequent home T20I series against Australia and South Africa after four weeks of rehabilitation. He played the second and third T20Is against Australia on Septem ber 23 and 25, returning figures of 1/23 and 0/50, before missing the first match against South Africa on September 28.

ESPNcricinfo has learned, is on the right side and hence not a re currence of the previous issue. This stress-related injury is Bumrah's second such injury in the last three years.

The fast bowler was diagnosed with a "minor stress fracture in his lower back" in September 2019 and was sidelined for about three months."

India are without their leading bowler for the T20 World Cup

Now, "following a detailed assessment and in consultation with the specialists," the board con firmed on Monday that Bumrah was out of the World Cup. Though the BCCI did not specify the nature of Bumrah's back injury, ESPNcricin fo understands that it is stress-relat ed and he could be out of action for about six weeks.

"Jasprit Bumrah complained of back pain during India's practice session on Tuesday," the BCCI had said on Twitter after the toss of the first T20I against South Africa.

"The BCCI Medical Team assessed him. He is ruled out of the first #IN DvSA T20I."

The stress reaction that had forced Bumrah out of the Asia Cup was on the left side of his lower back but the latest injury,

India have two fast bowlersMohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar - in their reserves for the T20 World Cup and one of them is likely to take Bumrah's place in the main squad, although Mohammed Siraj could also be a contender. Teams that have already qualified for the Super 12 round of the tour nament - as India have - can make changes to their squad without ICC permission till October 15.

Bumrah is the second major player

Shimron

Shamarh