Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 15-03-2023

Guyana stands to benefit more from oil

THE government on Tuesday released the draft model petroleum agreements which outline more benefits for Guyana, including a royalty rate increased from two per cent to 10

per cent, corporate tax of 10 per cent and a cap on cost oil of 65 per cent. The agreements will now undergo a 14-day consultation period before finalisation. During this process, members

— gov’t releases draft model petroleum agreements for public consultation before finalisation

of the public could send feedback on the drafts to the Minister of Natural Resources at licensinground2022@petroleum. gov.gy with the Permanent Secretary copied at

jmckenzie@nre.gov.gy.

The agreements also include better provisions for the signing bonus, relinquishment terms, activities related to the abandonment of the

block, and an increase in the training fee.

The new agreements cover fiscal and other terms under which the government will sign on to contractors who are

awarded blocks, which Guyana will auction. Guyana is auctioning off three deep-water and 11 shallow-water blocks.

(See full story on page 3)

preliminary report to be drafted

PG 07

— Minister Manickchand says after student, uncle assault Fort Wellington teacher

PG 19 PG 20

PG 03 Despite

— tourism authorities assess Essequibo’s current product, service offerings and potential for advancement

mounting condemnation, PNCR, AFC still ‘mum’ on WPA’s inflammatory remarks

Contractors are working aggressively for a March 31 completion of the Eccles Industrial Site Access Road. The project forms part of the connecting road network from Ogle, East Coast Demerara to Diamond, East Bank Demerara. (Office of the President photos)

BOSAI’s safety measures to be examined following recovery of miner’s body —

‘Police must act swiftly’

Efforts underway to expose true beauty of ‘Cinderella’ county

Guyana stands to benefit more from oil

THE government on Tuesday released the draft model petroleum agreements which outline more benefits for Guyana, including a royalty rate increased from two per cent to 10 per cent, corporate tax of 10 per cent and a cap on cost oil of 65 per cent.

The agreements will now undergo a 14-day consultation period before finalisation. During this process, members of the public could send feedback on the drafts to the Minister of Natural Resources at licensinground2022@petroleum. gov.gy with the Permanent Secretary copied at jmckenzie@nre.gov.gy.

The agreements also include better provisions for the signing bonus, relinquishment terms, activities related to the abandonment of the block, and an increase in the training fee.

The new agreements cover fiscal and other terms under which the government will sign on to contractors who are awarded blocks, which Guyana will auction. Guyana is auctioning off three deep-water and 11 shallow-water blocks.

There is a separate agreement for the deep-water and shallow-water areas. The model petroleum agreements will be followed by an overhaul of the 1986 Petroleum Act and Regulations.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the agreements embody rigorous research and analysis by the ministry’s internal team, and external consultants on all topics relevant to a modern petroleum agreement for Guyana.

“The process involved a comprehensive assessment of the current petroleum agreement and the identification of best practices relevant to every contractual aspect of a modern agreement grounded in the Guyana context,” the ministry said.

The release stated: “The model petroleum agreements represent the PPP/C Government’s commitment to its manifesto promise of establishing a model production sharing agreement (PSA), guided by industry standards and best practices.

At the core, these are aimed at maximising the socio-economic benefits for our nation without.”

Guyana is among 65 countries that launched auctions of oil blocks, and as such the government worked along with international consultant, IHS Markit Consulting, to offer the best terms that will see the country remaining competitive while also getting a fair deal.

The new agreements would see Guyana receiving better terms and more benefit when compared to the contentious, widely disparaged 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that was orchestrated by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition when it was in government.

Under the deep-water blocks, the exploration period will be a maximum of 10 years, which will be divided into an initial period of three (the “First Phase”), an optional first renewal period of three years (the “Second Phase”), an optional second renewal period of two years (the “Third Phase”), and an optional third renewal period of two years (the “Fourth Phase”).

For the shallow blocks, the exploration period will be for a maximum of five

years, divided into an initial period of three (the “First Phase”), an optional renewal period of two years (the “Second Phase”).

Under both agreements, the contractor’s annual rental will be US$1,000,000, and an annual training fee of US$1,000,000. The training fee marks an increase from the US$300,000 provided for in the 2016 PSA.

The signature bonus for the deep-water blocks is US$20 million, while US$10 million is for the shallow-water blocks. In both cases, the signature bonus shall not be cost recoverable.

The renewal of subsequent Petroleum Prospecting Licence would be subject to approval by the minister, and will depend on the contractor having fulfilled the obligations for the preceding phase.

However, with each subsequent renewal of the Petroleum Prospecting Licence, the contractor will be required to incrementally relinquish at least 50 per cent of the existing area. This is a marked increase from the 20 per cent provided for in Guyana’s 2016 PSA.

For commercial discoveries, the Production License will be for an initial period of 20 years. However, if the

commercial discovery relates to a Natural Gas Field, the term of the initial production period shall be 30 years.

At least one year prior to the end of the Petroleum Production Licence, the contractor can request to renew the licence for an additional period of up to 10 years

The contractor will be required to submit an exploration plan to the minister that includes all of the activities provided for in the Minimum Work Programme and set out the petroleum operations and estimated expenditure that contractor proposes to undertake during the term of

the prospecting licence.

A budget for the exploration period shall be submitted simultaneously with the exploration plan, and the budget for each subsequent year no later than September 30.

The contractor shall submit to the minister for approval annual work programmes for each of the petroleum operations including abandonment.

The contractor cannot transfer its rights to the block without the prior written consent of the Minister.

The contract also includes provisions for all activities related to the abandonment of the contract area. Under this provision, the contractor will be required to establish an abandonment fund, at an international financial institution to be agreed between the minister and contractor. The contractor will also have to perform all necessary site restoration and remediation.

The structure of the abandonment fund and the terms for the administration of the fund shall be mutually agreed between the minister and contractor within a one-year prior to the start of contributions.

— Gov’t releases draft model petroleum agreements for public consultation before finalisation

Brazil development bank aims to pay out sums totalling 2% of GDP by 2026

AN executive at Brazilian state development bank BNDES said on Tuesday that the bank aims to pay out the equivalent of 2 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2026.

BNDES did not specify the exact figure. According to Brazil’s government statistics agency, the country’s 2022 GDP amounted to 9.9 trillion reais ($1.88 trillion).

Speaking at a news conference, BNDES planning executive Nelson Barbosa also said there is more credit supply to the bank coming from abroad and that this

Storm Freddy: Malawi declares state of disaster as more than 200 killed

MORE than 200 people are now confirmed dead in Malawi after Tropical Storm Freddy ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month.

could unlock more credit for South America’s largest nation.

Barbosa added that this credit could be used to finance sustainable projects.

The comments follow the bank’s 2022 earnings, in which it said it reported 46 per cent jump year-on-year in its annual recurring net profit, reaching 12.5 billion reais.

The bank posted a net profit of 41.7 billion reais, boosted by factors such as dividend income from staterun oil company Petrobras’ (PETR4.SA), among others. (Reuters)

Huge amounts of brown water have cascaded through neighbourhoods, sweeping away homes.

Malawi’s commercial hub, Blantyre, has recorded most of the deaths, including dozens of children.

Aid agencies are warning that the devastation will exacerbate a cholera outbreak in Malawi.

The government has declared a state of disaster in 10 southern districts that have been hardest-hit by the storm.

Rescue workers are overwhelmed, and are using shovels to try to find survivors buried in mud.

“We have rivers overflowing, we have people being carried away by running waters, we have

buildings collapsing,” police spokesman Peter Kalaya told the BBC.

Recalling how he helped rescue a child, Blantyre resident Aaron Ntambo said: “The child was stuck up to her head in the mud. She was crying for help. Even though the water was very strong, we managed to cross and rescue her. It was very difficult but we managed to pull her out.”

Officials at the main referral hospital in the city said they could not cope with the sheer number of bodies that they were receiving.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said that more than 40 children were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Officials appealed to bereaved families to collect the corpses for burial as the hospital’s mortuary was running out of space.

The government’s disaster

relief agency said more than 20,000 people have been displaced.

The death toll is expected to rise as some areas remain cut off because of relentless rain and fierce winds.

The storm has also crippled Malawi’s power supply, with most parts of the country experiencing prolonged blackouts.

The national electricity company said it was unable to get its hydro-power plant working as it had been filled with debris.

Densely-populated poorer communities, living in brick and mud houses, have been hardest-hit.

Some of these houses have crumbled into flood waters, while others have been entirely swept away.

The collapse of roads and bridges had hampered rescue operations, while helicopters could not be used either because of the heavy rains and strong winds.

The government has appealed for help for the tens of thousands of people who have been left without food and shelter.

Freddy is the strongest tropical cyclone on record and could also be the longest-lasting one, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

On Sunday, the storm struck Mozambique as a cyclone - for the second time in a less than a month - after battering the island nation of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, causing severe destruction.

It has been difficult to determine the extent of the damage caused in Mozambique and the number of deaths, as power supply and phone signals were cut off in some parts of the affected areas.

About 20 deaths have so far been reported.

Experts say climate change is making tropical storms around the world wetter, windier and more intense.

Freddy had broken records for the strength it accumulated over the 8,000-km (5,000-mile) path it travelled across the Indian Ocean from north-western Australia. (BBC)

T&T tops region for EITI implementation

T&T has attained a score of 89 out of 100 for meeting the requirements for implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Standard.

This follows a recent validation assessment.

The standard is a multistakeholder initiative that promotes greater transparency in the oil, gas, and mining sectors, the T&T Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TTEITI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

It explained this tally was the highest score in Latin America and the Caribbean, adding that through validation and the EITI’s quality assurance mechanism, implementing countries are assessed on their ability to meet the provisions of the EITI standard.

This is the global transparency and accountability gold standard for countries rich in oil, gas and minerals.

The EITI requires countries to publish timely, accurate and independently verified information on how much revenue is generated from a country’s natural resources, how this money is allocated to citizens and other key extractive sector information.

The EITI Standard also promotes tripartite cooperation and dialogue between government, companies and civil society.

During its March meeting, the EITI’s board concluded that T&T achieved a high overall score (89 points) in implementing the 2019 EITI Standard and the overall score reflects an average of the three component scores on stakeholder engagement (90 points), transparency (80 points) and outcomes and impact (96.5 points).

According to the EITI, “Validation promotes dialogue and learning at a country level, providing countries with an opportunity to communicate progress and to identify and address challenges in EITI implementation.

“It captures stakeholder views and allows countries to highlight their perspectives on the effectiveness and sustainability of EITI implementation.

“It acknowledges that countries have different starting points and face diverse challenges in implementing

Women still lagging in getting employment

Despite the advances women have made in the workplace, they still lag behind men in gaining employment, including here in Barbados, according to a United Nations (UN) Women official.

Even as she offered words of support and encouragement to female secondary school students gathered for the I am A Girl workshop held in recognition of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, Representative of the UN Women Caribbean Multi-Country Office Tonni-Ann Brodber said while women have made strides and flourished in new job areas, there was still a way to go.

“MP Caddle is an economist; she can tell you what that means for sustainability if you are your only employee,” Brodber added.

In keeping with the UN’s mandate to help create opportunities for women and girls, particularly in tech-related sectors, Brodber disclosed that Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey is in New York at the Commission on the Status of Women engaging in important discussions around the topic.

girls included in ICT,” she explained.

“That means what laws are going to be put into place, or should be put into place, around violence that you may experience online.”

Meanwhile, Brodber stated that work still needs to be done to drastically reduce the level of abuse of girls and women in the region.

the EITI, and that they will use the EITI to address their most pressing priorities for improving extractives governance.”

The EITI’s board also commended TTEITI’s efforts in disseminating data to citizens through innovative and high-quality publications on extractive sector management, especially in view of challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

T&T was also commended for being a pioneer in disclosing beneficial ownership information in Latin America and the Caribbean and beyond.

The TTEITI Chairman Gregory McGuire said on Tuesday that the EITI has helped ensure that there is cooperation and consensus building between competing interests in government, companies and civil society.

He noted that through the EITI, data on T&T’s extractive sector was in the public domain and available to inform dialogue and debate as well as policy making.

Despite the positive as-

sessment, he however, felt there still needs to be advancement.

“While we celebrate the high score in EITI implementation, we have to continue pushing for reforms in the mining/quarrying sector and finding a way to embed the EITI into contracts and legislation to ensure that we remove all barriers to disclosure.

“We live in a world and country where data disclosure is the expected norm and the EITI has a critical role to play in this regard,” he added. (Trinidad Guardian)

“It is important to know that although more girls and women are getting degrees and certifications, this does not translate to employment. There are still more men employed in Barbados than they are women. There are still very few women entrepreneurs in the Caribbean…. Eight per cent of all persons who indicated that they were self-employed were women in the Caribbean and one per cent of that eight per cent had employees,” she told the audience at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre that included Government Parliamentarian Marsha Caddle.

“Barbados and Guyana are co-leading CARICOM’s negotiation on the Commission on the Status of Women. What comes out of the negotiation in New York is going to be a new international standard on how governments engage in getting more women and

“We have high levels in the Caribbean of child sexual abuse, of incest, of intimate partner violence. Unfortunately, violence is a norm that is intertwined with loving relationships and it goes through a life cycle,” she said.

“We work with the police [and] the judiciary to strengthen the response but we also work with people – men and boys, women and girls – to prevent it from happening in the first place.”(Barbados Today)

T&T Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Chairman Gregory McGuire

Men on Mission

THE Men on Mission (MoM) initiative is already making a significant impact on the social landscape of Guyana. The brainchild of President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the group was officially launched during October last year as part of the “One Guyana” vision.

The idea behind this initiative is “to tackle toxic masculinity and create a positive environment and safe space for men, promoting integrity, productivity and accountability and character- building.”

In his remarks at the launch of MoM, President Ali urged men to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

According to the Head of State: “We men are the root cause of many problems in society. It is now our time to be the root or solution, to be the root of positivity, to be the root that makes a difference, to be your root that builds a support system.”

Men on Mission, the President said, will be the foundation to remove violence against women and children, among other social ills.

The response by our men has been most encouraging. In fact, the number of men who volunteered have surpassed

expectations. This speaks well of our men who have not only heeded the call, but have also been integrally involved in the work of the unit.

It is no secret that males are more likely to drop out of school long before the end of the formal cycle of schooling.

As noted by President Ali: “An important part of Men on Mission is to work with boys all across the country, and not only with boys, but with girls also to ensure that we do coaching, mentoring, and motivation to get back our boys and girls, but especially our boys in school and their learning environment.”

The phenomenon of “male underachievement” is not peculiar to Guyana, but has become a global problem. Females tend to outperform their male counterparts not only in terms of academic performance, but in other spheres of life as well.

A lack of male role-models and stereotypical gender roles are no doubt contributory factors, which may have militated against males entering the teaching and nursing professions.

But as observed by President Ali, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a male nurse just as there is absolutely nothing wrong for a female to be an engineer or a pilot or

Let us confront racism, prejudice in whatever shape or form

Dear Editor,

FOR the record, I wish to register my unadulterated consternation at the recent dangerous remarks spewed by the WPA leadership, which were openly supported by PNC Leader Aubrey Norton at a rally held in Buxton.

In particular, permit me to voice my total condemnation of the absolutely racist and unsavory statements emanating from Tacuma Ogunseye (which were apparently supported by the PNC leadership present at the said rally).

We need to understand that these individuals are from a bygone era. These men, and their pungent emanations, have never more exemplified what it means to be a fossil. That is the truth.

To put it simply, the Working People’s Alliance fails to exist in 2023, and now the worst possible alternative has come to the fore. Does one really need to ask, who in their right mind would advocate an armed uprising aimed at

targeting certain sections of the Guyanese populace?

Indeed, as a young person too, it is absolutely pathetic to witness so-called leaders use their platforms to serve as emissaries of hate.

I have absolutely no doubt that the prehistoric gentlemen wanted to:

1. Incite new waves of Slo Fyaah Moh Fyaah

2. Use their venom to frighten Guyanese from exercising the franchise in the upcoming LGEs

This must be the “silly season” as they call it. But let me say that the young people are watching, and listening, and we will not shrink into cowardice. We, the youth, will use our voice to rise up and make our voices heard! Ogunseye, Hinds and others of their ilk will be reduced to a mere footnote in the annals of history.

Make no mistake, you don’t think these divisive statements were planned? When last has the WPA done or said anything relevant? In fact, how many

of them are still around? All five or six of them?

The annual Walter Rodney Symposium is around the corner and Patricia Rodney’s abandonment of the remaining WPA speaks volumes as to how irrelevant they are. These individuals need attention to survive. The onus is on us young people to confront racism and prejudice in whatever shape or form it manifests itself, be it against Indians, Africans or the Indigenous Peoples.

Brothers and sisters, the foes of the past may now prop themselves up as the “heroes” of today. One former Prime Minister, once feared, now masquerades as an “elder.” But in the face of this all we must remember those indelible words of the late Andaiye, “not in my name,” as we continue to work towards a prosperous and united Guyana.

Yours respectfully, Nikhil Sankar.

a doctor.

The Men on Mission is aimed at reintegrating men into society by equipping them with necessary skills that are needed in the labour market. Already, the unit has set itself some laudable tasks which include the building of homes for the more vulnerable, including those living with disabilities.

In keeping with its mandate, the MoM has organised a regional boys camp to train 500 boys in a variety of skill areas designed to encourage healthy growth and proper development of boys into men. And according to Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force and Chairman of the Men on Mission Committee, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, the camp is open to all boys in the country.

The MoM agenda goes beyond training and home construction. It also includes supporting homeowners along the country’s main corridors to fix their fences, paint their buildings and fences and to plant flowers as part of the country’s beautification programme.

President Ali must be commended for his initiative to launch the Men on Mission project, which, from all indications, is already making a difference in our society.

NAREI caters to all farmers interested in successfully producing fruits, vegetables

Dear Editor, THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) would like to thank Mr. Paul Validum Ramlochan, a letter writer, for having an interest in the work of NAREI and the other crops sector.

In a letter titled, “Local grapes production,” dated March 13, 2023, published in Kaieteur News, the writer specifically mentions Mr. Devin Gilliard, a grapes farmer of Corentyne.

We would like to assure Mr. Ramlochan and all Guyanese that Mr. Gilliard and NAREI share a healthy working relationship.

We have, in the past, visited Mr. Gilliard’s farm and provided administrative

and technical assistance. This was made possible through our technical personnel, who possess the expertise to offer sound advice in this regard. NAREI’s extension officers in Region Six also conduct routine visits to Mr. Gilliard’s farm.

Importantly, NAREI is working with all farmers to successfully produce crops, fruits and vegetables to reduce our country’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025. We invite Mr. Ramlochan to contact the institute for any further information that he may require.

Yours truly,

Mr. Jagnarine Singh Chief Executive Officer of NAREI

BOSAI’s safety measures to be examined following recovery of miner’s body

— preliminary report to be drafted

AFTER three days of searching, authorities have recovered the body of Neptrid Hercules, who was buried alive when a mining pit at BOSAI’s Montgomery Mines collapsed on Saturday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the search team comprising officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and BOSAI Minerals, located the body and was later able to retrieve it around 18:00hrs.

Providing an update, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton said that the ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Department has been conducting interviews with personnel from the bauxite mining company and will continue this process as it relates to the safety of the area.

Saddended by the out-

come of the search, Hamilton said that now that the body has been located and recovered, his team will focus on the investigations in relation to the safety measures that should be or should have been in place that could have prevented the workplace fatality.

“Now we can focus on the issue about the safe-

ty measures that should have been there and we have had people suggesting that there are specific things that should have been there that were not there. All of those things

we would have to validate and verify,” the minister said.

Once this is completed, a report containing the findings will be prepared and will be made public

by the end of this week.

Meanwhile, on the ground on Tuesday, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn said authorities have instructed that an analysis of the situation be

done so as to ascertain the technical reasons why the incident occurred and to further identify solutions that will be put in place to prevent a recurrence of such an event.

“While there may be some differences or some different perceptions… as to what may have occurred, the only useful thing to do is by coming to a common understanding after diligent work to find out what has happened, the way and why it has happened and to prevent as far as possible a reoccurrence,” Benn said.

The various teams during the search employed the use of excavators and metal detectors to be able to recover Hercules’s body and the bulldozer he operated during the time of the incident.

British Airways set for March 27 ‘take off’

THE world-renowned British Airways is expected to commence scheduled flights to Guyana from March 27, 2023.

This was confirmed by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill on Tuesday evening, as he delivered an address at the launch of a new logistics company in

Georgetown.

He said that the official flag carrier of the United Kingdom, British Airways, will be officially welcomed in Guyana on March 27, 2023. The airline is expected to ply the Guyana route twice weekly while also making

stops in St. Lucia.

Negotiations between British Airways and local authorities concluded mid last year, and tickets went on sale in August 2022.

This milestone will mark the continued expansion of Guyana’s aviation sector even as some

11 passenger airlines are servicing the local market.

Early this month, Edghill told the Guyana Chronicle that while British Airways will commence its operations, carriers from Toronto, Canada and Europe are examining the possibility of having

direct flights to Guyana.

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has already reported that there has been a significant increase in air travel to Guyana over the past two years.

Minister Edghill said that the increase in air

travel to Guyana reflects the transformational work being undertaken by the government, and the influx of visitors and investors coming to Guyana is attributed to the massive growth in the housing, tourism, transportation and agricultural sectors.

Neptrid Hercules

The area where the bulldozer was located on Tuesday

‘Agri’ Ministry gets $150M equipment boost

Over 1,500 surgeries conducted at National Ophthalmology Hospital in 2022

THE Ministry of Agriculture received equipment valuing $150 million through its Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme (SADP) with funding from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB).

The equipment will strengthen the ministry’s extension services offered to small and medium-scale farmers in Regions Two to Six and 10. The handingover ceremony took place on Tuesday in the ministry’s compound in Georgetown.

During the simple ceremony, Minister Mustapha noted that extension officers

have a critical role to play in the development of Guyana’s agricultural sector.

“If we are to satisfy the needs of our people and if we are to contribute meaningfully to meeting CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 food-import bill reduction, then our extension officers have that critical role to play.

“They have to give that kind of guidance that ensures our farmers implement best practices and impart the requisite knowledge that will increase production” the minister said.

Meanwhile, IDB Representative Lorena SolórzanoSalazar, in her remarks, said

that the partnership between the Government of Guyana and the IDB in strengthening agricultural extension services will bring multiple benefits to small and medium-scale farmers.

“Extension services are known to greatly increase the productivity and incomes to low-income farmers… especially in terms of distance, transportation and having access to markets,” she said.

The assets included six 4×4 pickup-type vehicles, six all-terrain vehicles, six outboard boats and engines, and 24 off-road motorcycles, which were procured through funding under the ministry’s

Agriculture Sector Development Unit.

The equipment will be allocated to various agencies such as the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), targeting farmers in far-flung areas where access is usually an issue.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture recently hosted its first extension-service training exercise in keeping with the government’s plan of revamping extension services and improving farmers’ productive capacity, which will contribute significantly to Guyana’s food-security agenda.

The Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Madanlall Ramraj, Permanent Secretary Delma Nedd, and other staff of the ministry and the IDB were also in attendance. (DPI)

THE National Ophthalmology Hospital located in Port Mourant, Region Six, continues to have a tremendous impact in providing eye care, with over 1,500 surgeries conducted in 2022.

Director General at the Ministry of Health Dr Vishwa Mahadeo made the disclosure on the sidelines of a site visit to Kato, Region Eight.

“This year, we are looking to pass 2,500 because people need help and we have to get it done. What cannot be done here, we will facilitate it on the coast,” he related.

Currently, a list is being compiled of persons set to undergo eye surgery in Region Eight, so that they can be flown to the National Ophthalmology Hospital.

“It doesn’t matter where the person lives, we are going to do that surgery if the doctor recommends that it is necessary,” Dr Mahadeo added.

In October 2020, Minister

of Health, Dr Frank Anthony visited the region and committed to facilitating improvements to the then defunct facility. The hospital was outfitted with new equipment and medical supplies. The hospital was established in 2009 under then President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, under the Guyana/Cuba collaboration programme, to offer specialised eye care including surgeries for cataracts and other conditions, giving persons access to affordable and quality eye care services.

Further, residents in Region Eight will soon benefit from improved access to healthcare services with the deployment of more doctors in the communities.

Dr Mahadeo also conducted site visits in Moruca, Region One, and Kamarang, Region Seven. He was accompanied by Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, and other ministry officials. (DPI)

The Ministry of Agriculture received equipment valuing $150 million through its Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme (SADP) with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

The National Ophthalmology Hospital in Port Mourant

Gender Equality: Women and girls play integral role in supporting Guyana’s sustainable development

IN the framework of Guyana’s response to climate change, environmental protection, and disaster risk reduction – all key elements of Guyana’s sustainable development targets – there has been a continued focus and prioritisation on advancing action on gender equality and empowering women and girls.

Guyana has been and continues to promote gender equality through comprehensive and integrated efforts at the local level.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls have been the subject of ongoing discussions and efforts on both a national and international level. Due to the disproportionate effects of climate change on women and girls, Guyana continues to work towards educating and actively incorporating women and girls as change makers and leaders in the fight against climate change and disaster risk reduction.

CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE

In order to address climate change and alter the economy, Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 (LCDS 2030) mainstreams the participation of women and girls, particularly in Indigenous communities, in important low-carbon growth sectors.

In 2011-2012, women from the village of Victoria, on the East Coast of Demerara, took part in the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP), which generated much needed employment. It also generated income sources for women. The overall goal of the

GMRP was grounded in the need to respond to climate change by reducing its impact through the protection, rehabilitation, and prudent use of Guyana’s mangrove ecosystems.

Tapping into the processes that preserve the protective function, values, and biodiversity of mangrove forests, opened opportunities to respond to the needs for socioeconomic development and environmental protection in estuarine and coastal areas.

Women who worked on this project reaped major benefits from the strategy’s first phase since its 2009 commencement, notably through micro, small, and entrepreneurial firms, initiatives, and job opportunities.

They also received training in climate-wise agriculture, sustainable forestry, photography, and business development, which received 62 per cent of the low-carbon cash incentives.

According to a representative from NAREI, the GRMP and its components have been incorporated into NAREI and are now part of the institute’s annual programme. According to them, NAREI’s Mangrove Restoration and Management Department continues to pilot innovative technologies to restore degraded mangrove areas along the coast, conduct research and promote mangrove livelihood initiatives.

As part of its 2023 programme, an assessment of livelihood opportunities along the coast (Regions1-6) will be completed to promote small business opportunities linked to sustainable management and conservation of mangroves.

The initiative is intended to build on the apiculture livelihood project successfully completed under the GMRP.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

In Guyana, forests comprise close to 85 per cent of the country’s land mass. The proportion of forest cover is the second highest on the planet and the current government was able to secure climate financing for an Amerindian Development Fund (ADF), which benefited 180 communities, bolstered village economies, and created hundreds of jobs for indigenous women, by preserving the forest and addressing some of the most pressing climate challenges the world is currently facing.

Through the provision of laptops and the establishment of ICT hubs powered by solar systems, climate funding is currently bridging the ICT divide for rural women and girls, revolutionizing the way they access social and government services.

Consequently, Guyana’s women are pioneering solutions to save Guyana’s valuable environmental resources and are at the forefront of climate action and activism.

Further, the fast-growing low-carbon eco-tourism industry in Guyana offers employment options for

women living in rural and remote villages and the dedication and desire of every nation to lessen the catastrophic effects of climate change globally, is crucial to Guyana’s ability to achieve gender equality globally.

The Guyana Marine Conservation Society, which is an NGO, has taken the lead in developing the skills of young women from hinterland communities and female marine scientists to fly drones and monitor resources that are essential to maintaining the ecosystem of mangroves as barriers to sea level rise.

Also, with the agricultural sector remaining the foundation of Guyana’s food security, the country has notably placed a high priority on strengthening women’s engagement in agricultural production chains

as well as their education in techniques for coping with climate change.

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Thus far, the mangroves have significantly aided in marine defence in Guyana. It has dampened the wave action and lowered the wave energy, trapping sediments and stabilizing the shoreline substrates. They have also played a crucial role in carbon sequestration; that is, they contribute to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing climate change in the country and globally.

PUBLIC BUY-IN

Mainstreaming the role of women is also supporting public buy-in or ownership

of LCDS 2030 initiatives. As a result, strategies to address their frequently unequal access to resources will be created. Resources under Guyana’s LCDS 2030 can also be used to increase the opportunities available to women and widen their range of choices by providing them with access to low-cost financial resources and opportunities for skillbuilding.

The government of Guyana recognizes that Guyana’s transition to a low-carbon path depends on all residents and is accomplished through an intergenerational strategy to policy development, decision-making, programme implementation, and stakeholder ownership.

The role of women and girls in Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, creates significant opportunities for innovation, leadership and sustaining livelihoods at the community level. This priority is a cornerstone of the LCDS 2030 implementation.

(This is part of a weekly series on LCDS.) The author can be contacted at cparkinson0206@gmail. com

GHRA yet to officially examine WPA executive’s racist, incendiary comments

— McCormack claims, says he has not seen the direct statements owing to involvement in other matters

ALTHOUGH the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has voiced concerns on topical issues over the past week, Head of the association, Mike McCormack has said that the organisation has not apprised itself of the situation surrounding racially inflammatory remarks made by Working People’s Alliance (WPA) member, Tacuma Ogunseye, last Thursday.

Several organisations from the business and religious communities, including the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Guyana Pandit’s Council, Guyana Central Arya Samaj, Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana and the Guyana Inter Religious Organization (IRO) have issued official statements condemning what has been described as hateful and racist remarks made by Ogunseye.

However, the GHRA’s voice on the issue has been noticeably missing. There have been calls from members of the public for the GHRA and other civil society organisations that are often vocal to add their voices to the issue.

In a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, McCormack ac-

Man ‘busted’ with 64 pounds of cannabis at police roadblock

knowledged that he is aware of the issue, coming across it in the news; however, he maintained that he did not want to make official remarks on behalf of the GHRA.

“I haven’t actually read any of it, I’ve been involved with other things. I haven’t actually seen the statement, but from all the cursory comments from other people and looking at the headlines [in

the news] it does seem to be objectionable statements. If the statements contained all the language have been repeated, to me that’s clearly objectionable,” McCormack related.

He said the GHRA as a collective has not looked into the matter to make a pronouncement on the issue.

“Although it sounds to be very objectionable, there

is a procedure in the GHRA about contacting people to make statements. Apart from just [a] cursory look at headlines about leaders that have rejected the statement, it is very objectionable, but I am not making this a statement from the GHRA,” McCormack said.

It has been widely reported that during a recent public meeting, among oth-

er things, Ogunseye said:

“I don’t understand how people complain that they are oppressed and they are holding guns in their hands. They are the majority in the army, in the police, and they say they are oppressed. And they still say our problem is our own making. Anytime we turn those guns in the right direction it is over.”

A 56-year-old taxi driver is now in police custody after he was allegedly found with 64 pounds of suspected cannabis at a police roadblock on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

The police said in a press release that around 06:30hrs on Monday, police ranks were conducting a roadblock exercise in the vicinity of the Highway Patrol Base when they stopped a silver-coloured Toyota Premio motor car # PAC 1266 which was being driven by Linden Solomon, a resident of Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden.

As a result, the driver was informed by ranks that they would like to conduct a search on the said motor vehicle and he consented.

“Upon doing so, the ranks found one black plastic bag containing three large trans-

parent parcels which contained a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems; another black plastic bag containing four large transparent parcels containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems, and one grey duffle bag containing three large transparent parcels containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems all suspected to be cannabis,” the press release stated.

As such, the suspect was told of the offence committed. He was then arrested and escorted to the Timehri Police Station where the suspected cannabis was weighed in his presence and it amounted to 64 pounds.

Thereafter, the suspect was escorted to the Regional Police Divisional Headquarters 4B for further investigations to be carried out.

GHRA’s Mike McCormack

The cannabis which was allegedly confiscated by the ranks (Guyana Police Force photo)

Appeal Court to rule on wounding conviction, life sentence

THE Court of Appeal is expected to soon deliver its ruling in the case brought by Andy Boodram, who is currently serving a life sentence for wounding his neighbour back in 2011 at Grove, East Bank Demerara.

In 2018, a 12-member jury at the Demerara High Court found Boodram guilty of wounding Deonarine Persaud called “Anil” on September 4, 2011.

Boodram had been indicted for attempted murder and the jury found him not guilty of that charge. However, he was found guilty of an alternative count of felonious wounding.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime by Justice Navindra Singh.

In his application which was filed by attorneys-at-law George Thomas and Kim Kyte-Thomas, Boodram claimed that the trial judge erred on several pertinent issues leading up to the verdict.

As it relates to the severity of the sentence, Boo-

dram claims that the trial judge erred in law by failing to apply case law principles that promote fairness in sentencing.

Among other things, Boodram wants the court to overturn his conviction and sentence.

On Tuesday, during a Zoom hearing, Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, reserved their judgements in the case.

A date for ruling is yet to be set.

Plans on track for LGEs

PPP/C-nominated GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj has said that “everything is on track” for the June 12, 2023 Local Government Elections (LGEs).

He made this comment following a GECOM meeting on Tuesday.

-Gunraj says

administrative activities for the elections in the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) countrywide.

According to reports, on the day in question, the victim went to the home of the accused at approximately 20:00hrs to ask him to turn down the loud music which was affecting his newborn baby.

A fight broke out between the men after which Boodram armed himself with a cutlass and inflicted three chop wounds to the head of the victim.

The victim was rushed to the hospital where he underwent several surgeries for the wounds he received.

“So far, everything seems on track for the holding of elections as scheduled,” he said, before adding that “no major issues were raised” during the meeting.

Last month, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall wrote the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh appointing June 12, 2023, as the date for the conduct of the elections.

That date was chosen on the basis of the work plan that was submitted by GECOM to the minister.

Last month, GECOM approved the said work plan, which paved the way for the secretariat to proceed with the implementation of the relevant statutory and

The LGEs were legally due in 2021 and the funds were budgeted to facilitate this. However, several issues facing GECOM at the time prevented the holding of the elections, including the non-appointment of a Chief Election Officer (CEO).

Thus far, the Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, has said that the party will not be participating in the elections. However, its severed other half, the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) will be participating.

THE Women and Gender Equality Commission has said that it is on a campaign to gather information from persons who have been subjected to gender-based discrimination. This campaign, according to a press release, has been prompted by recent reports from members of the public and personnel of the Joint Services who have suffered under policies that contravene both Article 9 of the Constitution of Guyana and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to which Guyana is a ratified signatory since July 17 1980.

“Article 11 of CEDAW states that State parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in employment and shall ensure, on the basis of equality of men and women, the same rights to work, the same employment opportunities, free choice of employment, promotion, benefits, vocational training, equal remuneration, equal treatment in respect of work of equal value, the right to social security, unemployment benefits, protection of health. State Parties shall prohibit dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or marital status. State Parties shall take measures to introduce maternity leave with pay or social benefits.”

According to the Women and Gender Equality Commission: “Women in Guyana have been subjected to delayed promotion and even termination due to pregnancy. They have also suffered other forms of discrimination by employers including, and, in particular, the Disciplined Forces. This lack of adherence to the law is unlawful. These discriminatory practices are unlawful and could be subjected to criminal proceedings.”

It is for this reason that the Commission invited all persons who have been adversely affected by such policies and practices which discriminate unevenly against women or who have experienced sexual harassment at their place [of work] to make contact on telephone number 231-5276 or send an email to ceo@wgec.gov.gy.

Andy Boodram

PPP/C Commissioner Sase Gunraj

New campaign targets gender-based discrimination in the workplace

Region Four STEAM Fair opens

THE Department of Education, Region Four, on Tuesday, opened its Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) Fair, which is being hosted at the Hope Secondary School.

The two-day activity began with an opening ceremony, where Dr. Ritesh Tularam, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Technical), said that the STEAM fair which is being hosted in each Education District is a carefully integrated activity that is well positioned in the Ministry of Education’s strategic plan.

According to a press release from the Education Ministry, he said that, at the STEAM fairs, people will witness the hardworking, committed and dutiful students within the region, demonstrating their ingenious ideas and leadership potential represented in the many projects and solutions on display.

Dr. Tularam said that Guyana is at the cusp of significant transformation and development in the many emerging and evolving sectors.

He said that with the participation of the schools, networks and partnerships can be developed among schools, teachers and students to generate larger and new innovative, scientific and creative approaches to providing modern solutions to modern problems.

Regional Chairman of Region Four, Daniel Seeram, said that in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Regional Democratic Council has placed the improvement of education delivery and education infrastructure as priority areas. He said that STEAM is very crucial in solving many of the modern problems and challenges that exist. He said that by equipping students with the necessary education and resources, modern solutions can be developed.

Coordinator of the Region’s Science Fair, Education Officer (Primary), Praniva Singh said that

111 nursery, primary and secondary schools are participating in the event. She said that the nursery schools will participate in the mathematics and science village and primary schools in the mathematics, science, craft and environmental science categories.

Meanwhile, the lower secondary students (grades seven to nine) will participate in the social and behavioural science, integrated science, agriculture science, environmental science, home economics, visual arts, mathematics and information technology categories. She added that the upper secondary students (grades nine to 11) will participate in the same categories as lower secondary along with biology, chemistry, physics and industrial technology.

According to Singh, based on entries received, many schools will be participating in the STEAM Fair showcasing 140 projects. She said that a competent panel of judges is led by chief judge, Mr. Nardeo Persaud, retired headteacher of LBI Secondary School.

Faith Gulliver, Education Officer within the Department of Education said that the Fair was an opportunity for students to showcase their innovative and creative ideas through projects created by them with the assistance of teachers to find solutions and solve problems that exist within their surroundings.

She said that the structure of the Fair will allow students to improve their communication skills which will lead to greater self-confidence. She urged students to use the opportunity to think about ways STEAM can improve their educational experience in the classroom.

Education Officer Gulliver encouraged teachers to work with their students to ensure that STEAM is mastered and that their problem-solving skills are harnessed and improved to be exhibited in the classroom.

Some of the exhibits at Region Four’s STEAM Fair

Modernisation of Parika Market underway despite fire

THE modernisation of the Parika Market has not been curtailed by the recent fire, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall has said.

In fact, the minister, in an invited comment on Tuesday, said that works are ongoing to restore the damaged structure and will be completed in a timely manner.

Dharamlall said: “The contractor has a contract to construct the market and we are moving towards completing it in a timely manner. We are working with a very tight timeline to start

— Minister Dharamlall affirms

getting vendors into a proper place where they can be accommodated.”

He also said that the government has constructed a road and tarmac, which he believes will greatly help in al -

leviating some of the concerns of the vendors, while the contractors work towards completing the market.

Last Saturday, Minister Dharamlall, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar, and the Regional Chairman of Region Three Inshan Ayube, visited the Parika Market to inspect and assess ongoing works.

Kareema Seepersaud, a vendor from Parika, said: “The vendors of Parika are happy that the government is giving us a brand-new market. It is something that we have needed for a long time.”

Her hope, however, is that the government officials will ensure that all of the vendors sell within the compound of the market.

“It is only fair that the vendors on the roads sell inside with the other vendors. We cannot have the vendors on the roadways get all the business while the ones

on the inside have to pay their fees and not get sales. This market will also help with the congestion around the ferry stelling areas and along the road up to the junction. I only hope that they care it,” Kareema said.

Another resident of Parika, Seepersaud (only name given) who has been a vendor for over 21 years, said she is happy that the government is erecting “an actual market structure” for the people of Parika. She is also asking that the market be opened to the public on an “everyday basis” and not just on specific days.

The Panko Steel Fabrication and Construction firm was initially awarded the contract to build the market and they will proceed to do so with no additional cost attached for the rehabilitation work.

Government officials inspected the ongoing work at the Parika Market and engaged some vendors (Photos courtesy of Minister of Local Government, Nigel Dharamlall’s Facebook page)

The construction site at the Parika Market

Despite mounting condemnation, PNCR, AFC still ‘mum’ on WPA’s inflammatory remarks — Shuman says incendiary comments an absolute insult, betrayal to late WPA founder Dr Walter Rodney

pipes. These remarks further insinuated that the alleged conditions under which East Indians lived in India made them undeserving of lands in Guyana,” the statement read.

Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Lennox Shuman also admonished the remarks, saying it is an absolute insult and betrayal to the memory of WPA founder Dr Walter Rodney.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC),

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Region Three Private Sector Inc., and other groups from the business community have all issued statements condemning Ogunseye’s remarks.

From the religious

community, the Guyana Pandit’s Council, Guyana Central Arya Samaj, Guyana Inter Religious Organization (IRO), and the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana have also condemned the incendiary comments.

DESPITE several civil society, religious, and political groups and individuals having come out to condemn racially inflammatory remarks recently made by Working People’s Alliance’s (WPA)’s executive member, Tacuma Ogunseye, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) parties continue to remain silent on the issue.

Contacted on Tuesday for a comment on the situation, PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton noted that he was not going to comment on the issue. Pressed further, Norton, who is also Leader of the Opposition, said he will not be speaking to the Guyana Chronicle.

“I don’t want you to take this personally, but I wouldn’t speak to the Chronicle,” Norton responded to queries during a telephone interview.

Similarly, Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan also indicated that he would not be commenting on the issue as yet; however, he said that his party is expected to speak on the issue at its weekly press conference.

Voicing unsubstantiated claims of oppression faced by Afro-Guyanese under the current government, Ogunseye called for the Disciplined Services “to turn their guns on the State.”

Speaking to a gathering at Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, Ogunseye said: “I don’t under-

stand how people complain that they are oppressed and they are holding guns in their hands. They are the majority in the army, in the police, and they say they are oppressed. And they still say our problem is our own making. Anytime we turn those guns in the right direction it is over.”

Ogunseye also made incendiary remarks about Guyana’s Indo-Guyanese. Since the utterance of those statements, numerous persons have called out and condemned the remarks as racist and inciting.

Notwithstanding no official comments from the PNCR or the AFC, several members of the opposition in their individual capacities, have since issued statements condemning Ogunseye’s statements.

Since the statement was made on Thursday, former PNCR General Secretary, Geeta Chandan-Edmond issued a statement publicly disassociating herself from the inflammatory statements, and called for responsible action and commentaries from politicians, civil society and activists alike.

Fellow PNCR members

Ganesh Mahipaul, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Daniel Seeram and Ubraj Narine issued a joint statement calling remarks made by Ogunseye derogatory and distasteful.

“We wish to condemn the speaker’s remarks where it referred to East Indians coming from the slums of India and living in deplorable places like

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

‘Police must act swiftly’ —

Minister Manickchand says after student, uncle assault Fort Wellington teacher

child whose parents are abusive to teachers in schools. This was due to a string of assaults on teachers by parents.

Hussain had said that

parents who display any form of hostility towards a teacher will be banned from entering the school compound. According to him, no form of physical

and verbal abuse towards teachers will be tolerated.

In the event of a disagreement between a parent and teacher, the CEO reminded the

public that there are established mechanisms for redress. He stressed that abuse should never be an option.

MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickhand, has strongly condemned the assault committed on Fort Wellington Secondary School teacher, Marlon Daniels, who was badly beaten by a Grade 10 student and his uncle on Monday.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Minister Manickchand said she spoke to the teacher after the incident and, upon hearing the details, she offered her personal and the ministry’s “full support.”

“There can be no reason offered that would be accepted as to why students or their relatives would beat a teacher. I expect the Guyana Police Force to act swiftly,” the minister said.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that, on Monday, Daniels was verbally attacked by the student, who hurled a homophobic slur at him.

That matter was reported to the headteacher of the Region Five school. The lad left the school and threatened to involve his uncle in the

matter.

After school, Daniels was allegedly confronted by the teen’s uncle and his friends outside of the school compound.

The uncle reportedly restrained the teacher to allow the lad to beat him with a stick. They then made good their escape.

The teacher’s face was bloody following the attack.

The matter was reported to the police and investigation is said to be ongoing.

On Tuesday, teachers from the school downed tools and held a protest on the roadway in support of their injured colleague and to call for swift action to be taken. The teachers claimed that the police did not respond during the assault due to unavailability of vehicles.

“Enough is enough” and “We need justice” were some of the teachers’ chants.

Recently, Chief Education Officer (CEO), Saddam Hussain, said that the ministry will immediately expel any

Marlon Daniels after the attack

Efforts underway to expose true beauty of ‘Cinderella’ county

— tourism authorities assess Essequibo’s current product, service offerings and potential for advancement

THE Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), with the support of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and representatives from the consulting firm, Target Euro, recently launched

the Discover Essequibo Circuit Development Project with stakeholders from the Essequibo Coast and Bartica areas.

According to a press release from the GTA, the first phase of this project focused extensively

on product development, which sought to assess the region’s current product and service offerings while exploring opportunities for new products and visitor flows.

Stakeholder engagement meetings were held in both Anna Regina and Bartica, highlighting critical areas of this project, including the purpose of the circuit, how it will func-

tion, the challenges currently faced and what strategies will be implemented to address these challenges.

Additionally, during the travels to Bartica, the team was joined by representatives from Compete Caribbean, a multi-donor private sector development programme.

As this project continues, the team’s priority steps will include follow-up field assessments, development of new products, training sessions, and enhancing the governance structure to lead the functioning of the tourism clusters.

For more information, persons were urged to contact Oslyn Kirton, the Executive Director of THAG, at thag.execdir@gmail. com or call 225-0807 or Candace Phillips, Manager of Product De-

velopment, at candace@guyanatourism.com or call 219-0055.

“THAG’s mission is to grow a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive tourism industry by fostering professionalism throughout the industry through innovation, knowledge management and training while collaborating with the relevant government institutions and networking with other related local, regional and international agencies to expand economic development,” the association said.

The GTA is also focused on Guyana becoming recognised locally and internationally as a premier destination for protecting its natural and cultural heritage, providing authentic experiences, and maximising local socio-economic benefits.

GPHC makes positive strides in provision of surgical care

THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has once again advanced its provision of surgical care by performing first-of-a-kind minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries.

According to a press release from the hospital, GPHC, in keeping with its aim to provide healthcare that is comparable with that of the developed world, has been progressively advancing surgical care by introducing more laparoscopic techniques— short, narrow tubes are inserted into the abdomen through small (less than one centimeter) incisions.

While basic laparoscopic surgeries have been performed for several years, the hospital has been doing more advanced laparoscopic surgeries.

This has been fuelled by the return of a trained advanced laparoscopic surgeon, Dr. Hemraj Ramcharran, supported technically and financially by Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran, Director of Medical and Professional Services (DMPS), and Robbie Rambaran, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who both have demonstrated a keen interest in advancing surgical care at GPHC to first world standards.

While many surgeries, including bariatric (weight loss) surgery and gastrostomies, were done previously, GPHC recently completed a right hemicolectomy for a patient with colon cancer in his right colon. This was removed by laparoscopic surgery which was done through four small incisions.

Although a similar procedure was done privately several years ago, this was the first time it was done at GPHC by an entire team of Guyanese surgeons.

The patient, who was happy to be the first one at GPHC to have this surgery done via this new method, said that the

experience was above his expectations.

“Given that it was my first time undergoing a surgery and being admitted to the hospital. Although it was all new to me and the obvious nervousness was there, the surgery itself, in my opinion, was gentle with the inherent aftermath of a surgery which was all still very bearable and tolerable,” the patient said.

Moving forward, GPHC intends to provide laparoscopic surgeries for most conditions requiring surgical interventions, in keeping with the institution’s goal to develop a Center of Excellence in Minimal Invasive Surgery and provide the best surgical care to the people of Guyana.

Historically, most abdominal surgeries have been done using a long incision (cut) on the abdomen.

Over the last decades in developed countries especially, many of these surgeries have been done laparoscopically, otherwise known as keyhole surgery.

“This involves the use of three or four small (1cm) incisions through which the surgical instruments are placed to perform the surgery as the surgeon sees the operative field via a video monitor,” GPHC said.

Less postoperative discomfort, a better cosmetic result, and a quicker return to normal activities make laparoscopic surgery superior to open surgery. Normally, six hours following surgery, individuals may walk pain-free.

Together with many other advantages, laparoscopic operation also has lower hernia formation chances. Suffice it to state, laparoscopic surgery has replaced open surgery as the standard in many hospitals in the developed world and the more developed islands in the Caribbean.

The surgery was done by advanced laparoscopic surgeons Dr Hemraj Ramcharran (second from left) and Dr Jagnanand Ramnarine (first from right). Assisting were Dr Drohinath Singh (first from left), Dr Bibi Hussain (third from left) and Dr Dianne Narine (second from right)

Murder suspect arrested at police roadblock

RYAN Dhanpat, who is a suspect in the murder of Kevin Small, was apprehended by police on Monday afternoon, during a roadblock exercise at the eastern side of the Berbice Bridge Access Road.

“Based on information, on the aforementioned date and time, Dhanpat was a passenger in hire car HC 9269, which was being driven by a 38-year-old hire car driver of Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice” police said in a press release.

The 34-year-old labourer of Smythfield Village, New Amsterdam, Berbice, was told of the allegation, which is that, on Sunday at West Canje, Berbice, he murdered Small.

He was further cautioned but he remained silent. He was arrested and escorted to the Central Police Station where he was placed into custody pending investigations.

On Sunday, at approximately 10:30 hours, Small, in the company of Shamar Wilson and another friend, went to a canal along Caracas Dam (‘De Blacker’) to swim.

It is alleged that upon arrival, an argument erupted when the suspects approached the three friends.

It later escalated into a fight. In an attempt to escape, 22-year-old Small dove into the trench, but one of the suspects grabbed him and chopped him all over his body. Shamar Wilson went to his rescue but two other suspects began hurling chops and lashes at him. At approximately 12:30 hours, Small and Wilson were taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital by public spirited citizens. Small was pronounced dead on arrival while Wilson was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Inter Religious Organisation condemns WPA’s ill-conceived, racial utterances

See full statement:

AFTER considering and reviewing a number of statements made at the recently held political meeting in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, the Guyana Inter Religious Organisation (IRO) wishes to state that, collectively, we as local spiritual and faithbased leaders, hereby condemn those publicly voiced remarks in the strongest terms.

The IRO functions to foster collaborative goodwill, collective graciousness and communal growth among all Guyanese.

For over a decade we have worked with all governments, political organisations, international institutions and stakeholders to help secure religious, ethnic and racial harmony, tolerance and peace.

In light of our patriotic conviction, we the members of the IRO join with the members of the government, the Joint Services, President, Dr. Irfaan Ail, the members of the Opposition who have spoken out against their colleagues and all objective and peace loving Guyanese, in registering our aggrieved sentiments for the ill-conceived and racial utterances of the few who spoke at that Buxton rally.

Murder suspect: Ryan Dhanpat

Remaining Black Belly sheep to arrive by month end

OVER 500 Black Belly sheep are scheduled to arrive in Guyana from Barbados by the end of March, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said on Monday.

In an invited comment, the minister said the arrival of the final batch will hopefully see the official roll out of the project.

“This morning [Monday], I spoke to the Minister of Agriculture in Barbados and he told me by the end of this month,” Mustapha said.

He related that the respective officers in Guyana and Barbados remain in contact as the sheep are currently undergoing a quarantine exercise before they are shipped to Guyana.

“I’m hoping by the end of this month, early next month, we can have all balance of the sheep coming into the country,” Mustapha said.

In August 2022, Guyana received the first shipment totalling 132 sheep, inclusive of 20 rams and 112 ewes.

The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) was tasked with weaning the sheep to ensure that they adjust to Guyana’s climate, as well as introducing them to new diets. And, according to the Agriculture Minister, the weaning process thus far has been successful.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, during the launch of a Black Belly Sheep Project at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice back in March, had said

the project is intended to pave the way for Guyana to tap into the region’s hefty food import bill, which sees CARICOM countries collectively spending some US$43 million on import of mutton alone.

And even though Guyana’s food production capabilities are impressive, the country still imports approximately US$130,000 worth of mutton.

With an initial investment of US$3 million, Dr. Ali said that the Black Belly Sheep Project targets 2,000 heads of sheep, and is slated for significant expansion in order to produce at least 7,000 tonnes of mutton by the end of five years. It is also expected to create at least 4,500 direct and indirect jobs.

President Ali had pointed out that the world import value on mutton and mutton products is US$8 billion. CARICOM alone imports 7,900 tonnes of mutton at US$48 million annually.

Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are the four major markets that Guyana can target.

The project will target 20 per cent of women farmers and 35 per cent of young people under the age of 35.

Several farmers have signalled their interest in the project, which is one of many initiatives being rolled out by Guyana and Barbados to reduce the region’s food import bill by 2025.

Black Belly sheep

Whole-process democracy drives two sessions

(China Daily) ON a sunny spring day last month, villagers and officials in Chitang village, Taojiang county, Central China’s Hunan province, gathered in a tidy courtyard. The topic of discussion was how to further expand the market for the village’s main products — tea-seed oil and bamboo.

Gao Ya, secretary of the Communist Party of China branch in Chitang, listened carefully and noted the villagers’ ideas. Earlier this month, she took their opinions to Beijing, about 1,300 km away, for the annual two sessions.

The recently concluded first sessions of the 14th National People’s Congress and the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference offer a window into China’s whole-process people’s democracy, which involves a population of over 1.4 billion from 56 ethnic groups.

At the annual gatherings, over 5,000 national legislators and political advisers — ranging from farmers to State leaders — sit together in the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing to deliberate on bills or discuss affairs of State, pool their wisdom and bring the Chinese people together to forge ahead.

“Whole-process people’s democracy is the defining feature of socialist democracy — it is democracy in its broadest, most genuine and most effective form,” President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has said.

GRASSROOTS VOICES HEARD

Gao, 33, was elected as an NPC deputy in January at the annual session of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress. Making her debut at the national legislature, she submitted suggestions on innovating the bamboo industry and improving the construction of forest roads.

“We will focus on developing our special industries to make the villagers more prosperous,” she said.

Shen Changjian, an NPC deputy from Linli, a county in Hunan, cares more about agricultural modernization. “We need to develop smart agriculture and deepen innovation in the seed industry,” the 55-year-old vegetable grower told Xinhua.

An amendment to the Legislation Law was reviewed at the NPC session. The draft amendment had already twice been deliberated by the NPC Standing Committee, opinions have been extensively solicited and it has been revised many times.

Sheng Hong, an NPC deputy and Party chief of a residential community in Shanghai’s Hongqiao sub district, noted that some suggestions put forward by her community’s residents had been included in the draft.

In November, at the legislative outreach office set up in Hongqiao by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, 45 suggestions regarding the draft amendment to the Legislation Law were collected through seminars and solicitation of online opinion, and were then directly delivered to the commission, according to Sheng.

“The outreach office acts as a direct link between ordinary people and China’s top legislature,” Sheng said.

In China, the growing participation of ordinary people in national and local democratic decision-making is taking place in various forms.

The people’s congress system — China’s fundamental political system — guarantees that the people are the masters of the country, which is the essence of socialist democracy.

Of the 2.77 million newterm deputies to people’s congresses at all levels, 2.62 million at the county and township levels were directly elected by the country’s more than 1 billion voters.

SENSUS

The deputies to the 14th NPC make up a broad cross section of people, with every region, ethnic group and sector of society having an appropriate number of representatives. Of the 2,977 deputies, 497 are workers and farmers, and the number of deputies from the primary level in the total is considerable.

The two sessions reveal much about China’s democratic model that, compared with the West’s, weighs the representativeness of the Chinese people, according to an article published on the website of Canal 6 Television in Mexico.

In China, electoral democracy and consultative democracy are advanced in a coordinated manner. The extensive, multilevel and institutionalised development of consultative democracy boasts many channels, which can achieve the greatest possible convergence of interests.

The 14th CPPCC National Committee has set up

a new group for members from environmental and resource-related circles. The move will give full play to the CPPCC’s role as a specialized consultative body, and is conducive to strengthening democratic oversight and advancing ecological conservation.

Setting up the new group is “a robust measure to advance the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, which is one of the five features of Chinese modernization”, said Pan Biling, a national political adviser and president of Xiangtan University in Hunan.

The handling of suggestions and proposals made by national lawmakers and political advisers embodies the effectiveness of China’s democracy. Last year, offices and departments at the State Council, China’s Cabinet, handled 8,721 suggestions from NPC deputies and 5,865 proposals submitted by CPPCC National Committee members, accounting for 94.8 percent and 95 percent of the

total number of suggestions and proposals, respectively.

Meanwhile, dynamic and pragmatic consultations in various forms at the grassroots level contribute to good governance.

At a consultation early this year in a community in Hengshui, a city in North China’s Hebei province, residents raised such problems as leaks in the roofs of storage rooms and a lack of fitness facilities.

“Such things may seem trivial, but they are related to people’s sense of happiness,” said Wang Lansuo, a retired worker. “Here everyone speaks openly to resolve the issues through discussion.”

LIVING BETTER LIVES

Fan Yun, a national legislator and chairperson of Shanghai Fushen Appraisal and Consulting Group, shared two stories about performing her duties, which have brought her a sense of accomplishment over the past five years.

The first was a sugges-

tion concerning the platform economy, which contributed to the release of national anti-monopoly guidelines in the platform economy.

The second was that her speech during an annual NPC session attracted the attention of the government. It was about a remote mountain village in East China’s Anhui province, which she had visited many times to conduct research.

Eventually, a concrete road was built to connect the village with the outside world, fulfilling the desire of generations of villagers, who improved their living standards by developing homestays and the tea industry.

Whether democracy is good or not depends on whether it ensures people lead better lives. Whole-process people’s democracy ensures that development is for the people and by the people, and that its fruits are shared by the people.

In the past five years, var-

Continued on page 28

China Focus: China’s new premier confident in economy, pledges greater opening up

(Xinhua) China’s new premier on Monday voiced full confidence in the country’s economic outlook despite challenges and pledged to further expand opening up regardless of external changes.

Citing the many factors of uncertainty and instability facing the world economy, Premier Li Qiang told reporters that stabilizing economic growth is a challenging task not just for China but for all countries in the world this year.

It is “no easy task and requires redoubled efforts” to achieve the economic growth target of around 5 percent in 2023 on a high base of economic output and amid new challenges, Li told a press conference held after the conclusion of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress, the national legislature.

However, the premier said China’s development is supported by multiple advantages, including a vast market, a complete industrial system, abundant human resources, solid foundation for development, and most importantly, notable institutional strength.

“I believe the Chinese economy will brave the wind and waves and sail toward a brighter future. I’m full of confidence in that,” he said, noting that the Chinese economy has been stabilizing and picking up in the past two months.

PURSUE PROGRESS WHILE ENSURING STABILITY

China will keep to the general principles of prioritizing stability and pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and push for a turnaround in the country’s overall economic performance this year, Li told reporters.

“On stability, the em-

phasis will be placed on ensuring stable growth, employment and prices, and the key to seeking progress lies in making new advancement in high-quality development,” he said.

China will make good use of policy combinations in the areas of leveraging macro policies, expanding demand, advancing reform and innovation, and preventing and defusing risks, according to the premier.

He also vowed to create a level playing field for all kinds of business entities and further support private enterprises in growing and thriving.

The private sector will enjoy a better environment and broader space for development,” he said, stressing that China’s commitment to the development of the private sector is unequivocal and steadfast.

Meanwhile, the premier dismissed concerns over China’s demographic change, saying the country’s “demographic dividend” has not disappeared and that its “talent dividend” is in the making.

“When assessing demographic dividend, we shall not just look at the sheer size of the population but also look at the scale of high-caliber workforce,” he told reporters, saying that more than 240 million people have received higher education in China, and the average length of education received by newcomers into the workforce has increased to 14 years.

PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT

Li said the ultimate aim of the work of the Party and the government is to improve the well- being of the people, vowing efforts in various sectors concerning the people’s livelihood from employment to rural development.

With 11.58 million college graduates expected to enter the workforce this year, China will continue to pursue an employment-first strategy and increase support in terms of employment services and technical training, the premier said.

Li said rural revitaliza-

tion should be advanced across the board, and that different localities should develop the countryside based on their local conditions.

The country will further increase its grain production capacity by focusing on arable land and seeds, Li said, noting that China’s food security is “well guaranteed on the whole.

“The government will make sure that the rice bowls of 1.4 billion Chinese people will always be firmly held in our own hands,” he told the press.

The premier also pledged efforts to strengthen government building by further transforming government functions and improving its efficiency and conduct.

He encouraged officials at all levels to engage more with local communities to learn about what the people need and seek their opinions on the work of the government.

“They need to learn from the people and help the people at the grassroots solve problems,” he said.

mier refuted the hype in the United States on “decoupling” with China, saying that the two countries can and must cooperate and will achieve a lot by working together.

“Encirclement and suppression are in no one’s interests,” he said, noting that the two countries are closely intertwined economically and have both benefitted from the other side’s development.

PROMOTE CROSS-STRAIT EXCHANGES, SUPPORT HK, MACAO

DOOR TO OPEN WIDER

This year marks the 45th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, which has not only developed China but also influenced the world, Li said.

He said China will further expand opening up this year in alignment with high-standard international trade rules, opening its door wider to the world with better business environment and services.

“Opening up is a basic state policy of China, and no matter how the external situation evolves, China will stick to pursuing this policy,” the premier told the press, saying that China welcomes investors from all over the world.

China has remained a favored destination for global investment, Li said, citing statistics that foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, reached a record high of more than 189 billion US dollars in 2022.

Commenting on China-US relations, the pre-

On cross-Strait cooperation and communication, Li said the early restoration of normal exchanges and regular cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is a shared aspiration and requires joint efforts of both sides.

The Chinese mainland will continue to promote economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Strait on the basis of the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, Li noted, expressing the hope that more Taiwan compatriots and businesses will come to the mainland.

“We hope they are not just willing to come to the mainland, but also able to integrate into the local communities and achieve better development,” Li said.

The premier also voiced confidence in the prospects of Hong Kong and Macao, saying that the two regions will enjoy an even brighter future as the central government will give them full support in integrating into the country’s overall development, growing their economy, improving people’s livelihood, and further building their global competitiveness.

China's peace efforts widely hailed as world welcomes Saudi-Iran deal

respects the stature of regional countries and opposes geopolitical competition in the Middle East. Such an approach has helped China gain credibility in the region.

China has put forward practical initiatives in global security that respect and consider the interests of all parties, Liu Lanyu, an Iran expert at the Institute for International and Area Studies of China's Tsinghua University, told Xinhua.

Liu said that China has no history of colonization or interference in the Middle East, adding that regional countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia now embrace China as a security solution provider when seeking peace.

croft Center for Strategy and Security.

Similarly, Jonathan Fulton, a nonresident senior fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, said that Beijing has been able to intensify relations on both sides of the Gulf while building diplomatic capital in a way that other extra-regional powers cannot.

The International community needs to appreciate China for its role as a country that is working for peace and stability in the world, said Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran's official news agency IRNA.

(Xinhua) The announcement to restore diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, made on Friday in a joint statement with China, has been widely welcomed around the globe as a victory for peace and dialogue.

Analysts and media praised China for its role as a peace broker and efforts to facilitate dialogue.

VICTORY FOR PEACE

Tehran and Riyadh have expressed hopes of opening a new chapter in ties and appreciation for China's help.

"We value the agreement we reached and hope we will continue to maintain a constructive dialogue ... while expressing the value

and appreciation we attach to the continuous, positive role played by the People's Republic of China in this regard," said Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, the Saudi representative and the country's national security advisor.

Likewise, his Iranian counterpart and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said, "clearing misunderstandings and looking to the future in Tehran-Riyadh relations" will lead to the development of regional stability and security and the increase of cooperation between regional countries.

Shamkhani further appreciated China's "constructive role" in supporting the devel-

opment of relations between countries, which is necessary to solve challenges, increase peace and stability, and promote international cooperation, Iranian media reported.

Various countries and parties in the Middle East, including Egypt, UAE, Jordan and Iraq, also welcomed the Beijing agreement. "We welcome the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations, and we hail the Chinese role in this regard," Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, tweeted.

"The UAE believes in the importance of positive communication and dialogue among the countries of the region towards consolidating the concepts of good neigh-

borliness and starting from a common ground to build a more stable future for all," he said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations applauded the Saudi-Iranian agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations and praised China's role in the process.

"The secretary-general has expressed his appreciation to the People's Republic of China for hosting these recent talks and for promoting dialogue between the two countries," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said while praising efforts by other countries, such as Oman and Iraq.

WHY CHINA?

Analysts noted that China

"China's public role in today's announcement shows its interest in doing something that few other countries could have done: gaining the confidence of both sides," said Thomas S. Warrick, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scow-

China to ease visa, entry policies

(Xinhua) Foreigners with valid visas issued before March 28, 2020 will be allowed to enter China, as the country is adjusting its visa and entry policies to facilitate travel across the border.

Visa-free policies will be resumed for entry to the southern island province of Hainan and cruise tour groups at Shanghai ports, said the National Immigration Administration.

Visa-free entry to the southern province of Guangdong will be restored for tour groups of foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao, and a similar mechanism will be reinstated for tour groups from ASEAN countries to enter Guilin in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The policies will come into force on Wednesday, according to immigration authorities.

Whole-process democracy drives...

From page 25

Subsequently, more than 7,800 policy measures were introduced that provided solutions to a large number of problems related to reform

and development, as well as people’s urgent needs.

“China’s democracy is definitely not a sham, nor an ornament, but a truly effective democratic political system with Chinese characteristics,” said Fan, who has served as an NPC deputy for 15 years.

Democratic supervision is an important part

of whole-process people’s democracy.

For example, since 2018, the NPC Standing Committee has focused on prominent problems in the field of ecological and environmental protection, carrying out law-enforcement inspections for five consecutive years. Last year, enforcement inspections of the Yangtze

River Protection Law were conducted, promoting better protection of China’s longest waterway in accordance with the law.

"China has convinced the world that it believes that if there is peace and friendship among the countries in the world, it will be to the benefit of all people around the globe, and war and hostility would never serve humanity," Manafi said. ious departments at the State Council have adopted more than 18,000 suggestions and proposals from national lawmakers and political advisers.

Yang Huifang, a national legislator and a teacher at a preschool special education centre in Quzhou county, Hebei, is concerned about the mental health of “left-behind “seniors and children in rural

areas, and she hopes that institutionalized support for these groups can be provided at the grassroots level. She believes that China’s modernization improves the overall level, and that attention should be paid to improving the quality of life among vulnerable groups.

Jean Christophe Iseux von Pfetten, chairman of the

Institute for East-West Strategic Studies in the United Kingdom, once took part in a municipal-level CPPCC session as a specially invited member in Jilin province. Based on his personal experience, he said that China’s democratic practice is devoted to solving practical problems.

GOA Elections postponed to March 21

By Calvin Chapman

THE long overdue and anticipated Annual General Meeting and Elections of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) that was scheduled for yesterday afternoon at Olympic House, Lilliendaal, was eventually pushed back by seven days to March 21st.

This was decided after the GOA’s incumbent head, K.A. Juman-Yassin, identified an issue with the signature of the letter that gave notice of the AGM.

The initial deliberations lasted the better part of an hour and the solution was to make assistant General Secretary of the GOA, Deion Nurse, the acting General Secretary, which will allow him to sign the official notice of AGM and elections.

The elected GS, Hector Edwards, has not been resident in Guyana for approximately two and a half years, hence, the notice couldn’t be signed as is required by the constitution of the GOA for the AGM and elections to be legal

K.A. Juman-Yassin was of the opinion that the entire

process should be delayed more than seven days but the executive majorly disagreed.

In the presence of the media, an emergency council meeting was held yesterday instead of the AGM, and President of the Guyana Tennis Association (GTA), Cristy Campbell, motioned for Nurse to be given the powers of the General Secretary. This motion was seconded by President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle.

The majority of affiliate representatives of the GOA present at Olympic House yesterday were vocal about their feelings that time was being wasted and made it clear that the primary job as sport administrators is to serve the athletes and help the youths achieve great things.

K.A. Juman-Yassin has served as GOA head for close to three decades. He will not be able to run for another term following a decision which was voted on by council members. President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Godfrey Munroe, is tipped to be the new head of the GOA.

English Racing Tips

Cheltenham

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13:05 hrs Land Legend

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14:15 hrs Furniture Factors

14:45 hrs Grand Libya

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15:15 hrs Rockley Point

Kempton

14:00 hrs Through The Years

14:30 hrs Woodstock

15:00 hrs Alazahir

15:30 hrs Golden Rules

16:00 hrs Forever Dreaming

16:30 hrs Torbellino

American Racing Tips Gulfstream Park Race 1 My Man Flint Race 2 Antillean Race 3 Majestic Pharoah Race 4 Hello Jack Race 5 Midnight Bella Race 6 Chasing Joy Race 7 Carrothers Race 8 Miss Sakamoto

Tampa Bay Downs Race 1 Pretty Flattering Race 2 Falk Race 3 NewYearspresent Race 4 The Big Calico Race 5 Kitten Fire Race 6 Dawgmentality Race 7 Kisses For Hannah Race 8 Cant Glide By Katz

South Africa Racing Tips Scottsville

08:10 hrs Fast Love

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10:00 hrs Exceeder

10:35 hrs Hey Bill

England’s T20 series whitewash by Bangladesh an ‘eye-opener’, says Matthew Mott

ENGLAND’s 3-0 defeat by Bangladesh in the Twenty20 series has been an “eye-opener”, according to white-ball coach Matthew Mott.

Bangladesh are ranked ninth in the world while England are T20 world champions.

England won the preceding one-day international series 2-1, but struggled to adapt to conditions in the shorter format.

“It hurts, losing 3-0,” said Mott, who was named white-ball coach in May 2022.

“We were really proud of our one-day win because that was a massive effort. But to finish the way we did today will leave a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.”

In Bangladesh’s 16-run win in Mirpur, the hosts successfully defended 159 on a slow, wearing pitch.

England reached 142-6 in reply but were left to rue a sloppy fielding performance in which they dropped two catches, while a series of misfields cost boundaries.

“Our first 15 overs in the field was nowhere near the level we expect,” said Mott, whose side next play at the end of August against New Zealand at home.

“We’ve been up against a very strong home team, but we were up for it todayeveryone was up and about. But for whatever reason we just couldn’t gather the ball either in the air or along the ground.”

England’s side was depleted, particularly in the batting line-up, with key players missing for various reasons including Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Alex Hales.

After defeat in the second T20, captain Jos Buttler said it was important for other players to get “exposure” in the white-ball side before the 50-over World Cup in October, which Mott emphasised.

“There’s been a realisation that we will be better off from putting these batters out there in pressure situations,” Mott said.

“You only learn from your mistakes and by getting those opportunities, and I am confident that we made the right decisions. (BBC Sport).

Saker appointed England fast bowling coach for Ashes and World Cup

DAVID Saker will return as England’s fast bowling coach for the upcoming Ashes series.The Australian was previously part of the set-up when England last won the Ashes away from home in 2010-11.

Saker, 56, will also fulfil the role for the 50-over World Cup title defence in India in October.

He is already working with England’s white-ball bowlers after Matthew Mott appointed him before the T20 World Cup win in November.

After an initial five-year stint with England, Saker worked with Australia’s fast bowlers, including current captain Pat Cummins, between 2016 and 2019.

He helped Australia regain the urn in 2017-18 and is also head coach of Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.

The Ashes is set to be a mouth-watering contest with Australia top of the ICC Test rankings, while England have won 10 of their past 12 Tests under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

“I said ‘yes’ straight

away because of the magnitude of the occasion,” Saker said. “Once he [Stokes] pushed it, it made it an easy decision. It’s looking to be a hell of a series with these two teams.”

Saker completes McCullum’s coaching staff alongside Paul Collingwood, Marcus Trescothick and Jeetan Patel and will have to manage the fast bowlers’ workloads for five Test matches in just over six weeks.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer is steadily rebuilding his fitness in England’s white-ball side after almost two years out with injury.

Fellow quick Mark

Wood injured his hip during the T20 World Cup while James Anderson, 40, and Stuart Broad, 36, are also unlikely to play all five Tests in a row.

“The outliers are obviously the 150kmh bowlers,” said Saker.

“It’s exciting if we can have Jofra and Wood available, whether you play them together is another thing but I think you need that pace against the Australians.

“But playing in English conditions, I think it puts their bowling group in front of the Australians, without a doubt. “(BBC Sport).

Bangladesh are ranked ninth in the world while England are T20 world champions

David Saker was part of England’s coaching set up during their last away Ashes win in 2010-11

Ireland to play two Tests in Sri Lanka in April

Ireland will play two Tests in Galle against Sri Lanka in April, instead of one Test and two ODIs as originally plannedCricket Ireland (CI) confirmed the rejigged schedule on Monday.

This will be Ireland’s first Test assignment that is not a one-off Test. It also means that

by the end of their summer, they would have more than doubled their Test count, with one-off Tests against Bangladesh in early April and against England at Lord’s in June also scheduled. They have played three Tests to date, since earning Test status in 2017 along with Afghanistan. Those three

Tests were against Pakistan at home, against Afghanistan in Dehradun in India, and against England at Lords in 2019they have gone almost four years since a Test match, and are yet to register their first win in the format.

Sri Lanka’s players have been keen on playing more

Test cricket - the extra Test against Ireland will take their aggregate for the year up to six.

Till yesterday, they were in with a chance of making the World Test Championship ( WTC) final this June, following a good 2021-23 WTC cycle. They needed to win

in Christchurch - where they went down to New Zealand by two wickets in a last-ball thriller - to keep their chances of making the final alive.

Veteran batter Angelo Mathews spoke on the topic during the Christchurch Test, saying: “Everyone’s talking about Test cricket dying, but we’re not doing any good for Test cricket playing only five Tests a year. Hopefully we’ll get more matches this year. Five feels like not enough.”

ichard Holdsworth, CI’s high-performance director, said Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had come to the Ireland board with the request to play a second Test. “When we were approached by SLC about the possibility of a change to the schedule, our immediate thoughts were around our white-ball priority, given the potential 50-over World Cup qualification later this year still being a tangible outcome.

“Talking through our priorities and their priorities, we agreed to the late change given that the Test series is preceded by six white-ball matches [for Ireland] in Bangladesh, and followed by three further ODIs [ hosting Bangladesh in England] after we return home.

“Exposing our playing group to an extended period in

Asian conditions will be beneficial to their development and given the World Cup this year is in India, the more exposure to these conditions, the better - despite it being a different format.”

Both Sri Lanka and Ireland are in precarious positions on the ODI Super League points table; they currently sit at Nos. 10 and 11 respectively, with only the top eight qualifying automatically for the 2023 World Cup. The teams that finish nine and below would be involved in a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June-July, with two World Cup slots up for grabs. However, cutting the ODIs in Sri Lanka are not going to affect their chances as the series was not part of the Super League.

Ireland squad for the Sri Lanka tour: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Murray Commins, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White SL vs Ire Test schedule

April 16-20, 1st Test, Galle

April 24-28, 2nd Test, Galle

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) SA won by 284 runs

(2) Temba Bavuma (SA))

Today’s Quiz:

(1) What was the result of the recent WI/SA Test series?

(2) Who was voted Man of the Series?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

This will be Ireland’s first Test assignment that is not a one-off Test match

Tim Murtagh celebrates a wicket during Ireland’s Test against Afghanistan in Dehradun • Getty Images

Southee lauds ‘world class’ Williamson, Mitchell after thrilling win

“Seeing how calm he is in the middle keeps us all calm as well,” Southee said of Williamson New Zealand’s lower-order hitting in the first innings, and their rallying with the ball late on day four were crucial moments in the first Test against Sri Lanka. This was what their captain Tim Southee felt, after his team had pulled off a last-ball victory at Hagley Ovalthe hosts scrambling to a target of 285 with two wickets to spare.

Oh, plus Daryl Mitchell’s innings - both in the first dig, where he held New Zealand together with his 102, and in the second, when he hit 81 , forging a 142-run fourth-wicket partnership with Kane Williamson. In the first innings, Southee hit 25, Matt Henry crashed 72, and Neil Wagner made 27, when New Zealand

had seemed like they’d end up with a serious first-innings deficit.

“Daryl’s first innings was a was a massive turning point and it sort of got us back in,” Southee said after the match. “And any time the lower order is able to contribute is massive, and it sort of got us into the lead.

“We were able to eke out runs there, and then on day four, when we were able to bowl them out quickly and now give them a position when they were able to declare and dictate how many runs they wanted - there’s a couple of moments there where you look back on as probably turning points in the game.”

On Williamson, who shepherded the chase, hit a spectacular final boundary through point, and got New Zealand to their target, Southee had this to say: “He’s just a world-class player,

and world-class players are able to perform in different conditions and different situations. Even when he was young, he was the guy you leaned on.

“We saw his class even with that last boundary, when he beat two fielders to the big side of the ground. Just the calmness with which he does it is good for the group. Seeing how calm he is in the middle keeps us all calm as well.”

Southee believed being relaxed even in tense situations was something New Zealand

Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee Bucks to win on injury return

prided themselves on.

“It’ s just about trying to keep calm. When you’ve got one of our best players out there, that helps as well. We’ve seen it in the last two Tests, and in Pakistan as well. It’s a changing group, but the belief in the guys that that have come in… we’ve had a couple of bad days but being able to bounce back and know that someone’s going to put their hand up - that’s a sign of a good side.”

Daryl MitchellKane Williams

GIANNIS Antetokounmpo scored 46 points on his return from injury to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 133-124 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player had missed his team’s last three games with a wrist injury.

The Bucks trailed by 15 points at one stage but hit back by scoring 80 points in the second half.

Brook Lopez added 23 points before he clashed with Sacramento’s Trey Lyles late on, with both players ejected.

The Bucks are top of the Eastern Conference with a 49-19 record, ahead of the Boston Celtics, who fell to a shock 111-109 defeat by the Houston Rockets, who are bottom of the Western Conference.

Jalen Green hit 28 points and Jabari Smith Jr added 24 to help the Rockets hold off the Celtics, despite Jaylen Brown scoring 43 points.

Klay Thompson scored 33 of his 38 points in the first half as the Golden State Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns 123-112 at home.

Stephen Curry added 23 to help the Warriors fend off a late rally from the Suns.

Monday’s other NBA scores New York Knicks 112108 Los Angeles Lakers Indiana Pacers 97-117 Detroit Pistons Minnesota Timberwolves 136-115 Atlanta Hawks Utah Jazz 115-119 Miami Heat Memphis Grizzlies 104-88 Dallas Mavericks

Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Giants to secure

WPL knockout place

UNBEATEN Mumbai Indians became the first team to earn a Women’s Premier League(WPL) knockout stage place after beating Gujarat Giants by 55 runs.

Yastika Bhatia hit 44, England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt 36 and captain Harmanpreet Kaur a 30-ball 51 in Mumbai’s 162-8.

Sciver-Brunt then took 3-21 and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews grabbed 3-23 as Gujarat were held to 107-9.

Sciver-Brunt bowled England team-mate Sophia Dunkley with the first ball of the chase and Gujarat did not recover.

India pair Sabbhineni Meghana and Harleen Deol shared a stand of 38 before being dismissed by Matthews and England seamer Issy Wong respectively.

Mumbai remain top of the table with five wins from five games and are guaranteed to finish in the top three, while Gujarat sit fourth after their third consecutive loss.

“Everyone has their strengths and we seem to be in form, we’re having a good time,” said Scriver-Brunt.

“We are performing well so I think we’re trying to take each game as it come and not be complacent. We’re playing from the heart.”

The side that finishes top of the group table progresses directly to the final, while the second and third-placed teams meet in the Eliminator. (BBC Sport)

Captain Tim Southee greets his two match-winners, Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner • Getty Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo also had 12 rebounds and four assists against Sacramento Kings

Gujarat skipper Sneh Rana added 20 from 19 balls but fell lbw to Sciver-Brunt.

Mumbai Indians have lost every toss but won every game so far in the competition

WI cricket has lost the plot

By Bryan Davis

THE shame and embarrassment continue.

The West Indies cricket team has been trounced by South Africa in a two-Test series which came to its conclusion last week.

It is not only the annihilation of the team that is a disgrace, but the non-performance of its batsmen that actually brings that sense of shame and ignominy to Caribbean people.

One cannot help but be reminded of the five-nil defeat suffered on the 1998/99 tour of that country when Brian Lara was captain.

It was the first time that WI, in their proud history, had ever suffered such a hiding.

There were many reasons for it, but the view that I’ve always held was the fact that the players thought they were greater than the game.

Hence there was no solid preparation before the tour, as that time was spent in a hotel room in London arguing for better wages. But that’s another story.

This time, there wasn’t a wages issue, however, more of a consequence of the cricket administration.

After I noticed certain decisions being made, I concluded that those responsible for WI cricket have no knowledge of the game of cricket, and therefore are not capable of making the right decisions to build the game and move it forward in the WI.

Doing some research, I came upon the WI tour to England in 2000. I read through the late Tony Cozier’s excellent review of the tour, plus some English writers’ summaries of the five Test matches.

WI won the first Test handsomely by an innings and 93 runs. Jimmy Adams, the captain, got 98, in a total of 397. Lara scored 50 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul 73. England

could only manage 179 and 125, mainly through the pace bowling of Courtney Walsh, who collected eight wickets for 58 runs.

The following Test was lost by WI in three days, at Lord’s, considered the headquarters of cricket. Leading by 133 in the first innings, WI collapsed in a heap for 54 in their second turn at the crease, leaving England to get 188 to win the game and level the series at one-all.

A combination of over-confidence and superiority created their downfall. To quote Cozier in the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack

What did the WI tour management do in these circumstances?

Nothing.

There were no cricket practice sessions called – and the next game was against Somerset County Club in five days’ time. Five days after the county game would be the fifth and final Test match.

Needless to say, the game was lost to the county by 269 runs – a huge margin of defeat – through a shortage of practice sessions.

England won the fifth Test by 158 runs, and WI cricket might as well have been buried. It was killed by the weak management of the team.

The manager of the team on the tour was Ricky Skerritt, the president of Cricket West Indies for the past four years.

He has lived up to his promise that a president should not serve more than two terms. On March 25, CWI will vote in a new president. When Skerritt became president he made the following appointments:

Jimmy Adams, as CWI’s director of cricket.

Adams left Kent County as coach to take the job without doing anything noteworthy at Kent. He has proven a huge disappointment with WI.

Coach Roger Harper, Skerritt’s choice as the region’s chairman of selectors or, as renamed, the lead selector. He was so ineffective he had to be replaced.

He also stuck with trainer Ronald Rogers, and despite the numerous injuries that West Indian bowlers suffered, he is still there.

Chase replaces injured McCoy for Proteas T20Is

(REUTERS) - Liverpool will nudge up the price of its season tickets next season for the first time in eight years due to rising costs, the Premier League side said on Tuesday, in a decision the club’s Supporters Board called “cruel and unjust”.

The club will continue to freeze prices for juniors and the local general sale, which will remain at nine pounds ($11) per ticket, and it said no more than 17 pounds will be added to the price of season tickets

“The rise is a result of significant rising costs across the club,” Liverpool said in a statement. “In the past five years, annual operating costs for Anfield have increased by nearly 40% and utility costs have gone up by 100% this season.”

The LFC Supporters Board called the price increase “cruel, unjust, unreasonable and unfair” amid a cost-of-living crisis in

2001, “Instead, complacency and inspired England fast bowling got the better of them and, in a couple of mad, breathtaking hours, before packed stands, West Indies were routed for 54, their lowest total against England.”

They went on to draw the next Test, then lose the fourth in two days. This match was the first two-day Test win in 54 years and also the first win by an innings for England over the WI in 34 years.

Again, as the great Sir Donald Bradman wrote in his book, the Art of Cricket, the best fitness training for a cricketer is playing cricket. Exercise without bowling, batting and fielding will not assist the cricketer.

Skerritt, as CWI president, surrounded himself with losers from that ill-fated 2000 tour of England, to plot WI cricket’s future. And unfortunately, they lost the plot. (TT

Newsday)

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) –

All-rounder Roston Chase has been named in the West Indies Twenty20 International squad to face South Africa later this month, replacing left-arm seamer Obed McCoy who has been ruled out with injury.

The 26-year-old McCoy had been included in the initial squad for the three-match series from March 25-28 “subject to medical clearance”, but will now take no part in the campaign due to a knee injury.

Selectors have opted for Chase, who featured in the Test series and is already a member of the One-Day International squad which take on the Proteas in a three-match series beginning Thursday.

“Roston gets an opportunity in the upcoming series as we see him being a versatile player who can be called upon at any stage in the game,” said chief selector the Most Honourable Desmond

“We want to wish Obed the best with his rehabilitation programme and hope to see him back in West Indies colours soon.”

McCoy has played 27 T20Is since making his debut five years ago, claiming 38 wickets at an average of nearly 20 and an economy rate of eight.

Chase, meanwhile, who bowls off-spin, has played only six T20Is, scoring 64 runs and taking six wickets.

The T20 series will be preceded by a three-match One-Day International series from March 16-21.

SQUAD – Rovman Powell (captain), Kyle Mayers (vice captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith.

Britain, where annual inflation remains above 10%.

“These increases also come at a time when LFC is reporting record revenues, increased sponsorship income and significant increases from success on the pitch,” the Supporters Board said.

The Supporters Board said it had proposed alternatives such as sponsorship deals and stand-naming rights to generate revenue equivalent to the 2% price increase.

Liverpool, now sixth in the Premier League standings, would lose out on Champions League revenue next season if they fail to win that competition or to finish in the top four of the domestic league

They travel to Real Madrid on Wednesday night for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, after losing the first leg 5-2 at home in mid-February.

MOROCCO say they have joined Spain and Portugal in a three-way bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Ukraine, who were invaded by Russia in February 2022, had initially joined Spain and Portugal’s bid in October.

It is not clear what will happen to Ukraine’s role after the announcement by Morocco at Tuesday’s Fifa Congress.

It has been reported there were concerns due to the ongoing war and governance issues at the Ukraine Football Association.

Morocco caused a surprise at the 2022 World Cup as they became the first African side to reach the semi-finals.

They lost to France in the last four before being beaten by Croatia in the third-place play-off.

“I would like to announce that the Kingdom of Morocco has decided, together with Spain and Portugal, to present a joint bid to host the 2030

World Cup,” Morocco’s King Mohammed VI said in a letter read by the country’s minister of sport Chakib Benmoussa in Kigali, where Fifa is hosting its 73rd congress.

“This joint bid, which is unprecedented in football history,

will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds.

“It will also bring out the best in all of us - in effect a combination of genius, creativity,

experience and means.”

Morocco missed out to South Africa in the race to host the 2010 World Cup.

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay have also submitted a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.(BBC Sport)

Jimmy Adams has proven to be a huge disappointment with WI

Haynes.

All-rounder Roston Chase

Morocco beat Portugal to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup

By Sean Devers in Trinidad

SINCE sponsored Regional First Class Cricket began in 1966 Guyana has won 12 titles including the Busta International Shield in 2002 while Trinidad & Tobago has five.

Today, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in South Trinidad, the two teams will face off from 09:30 hrs today in the third round of the West Indies Championships with the Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) leading the pack with 20 points from a win over Barbados and a draw in Grenada while the ‘Red Force’ are 10 points after draws with the Windwards and the Leewards.

Led by Leon Johnson, who will retire from first-class Cricket at the end of this season, the GHE

GHE face off with T&T’s Red Force from today In top-of-the-table clash

most successful captain with five consecutive titles from 2015-2019, at five.

With Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul and Kevin Sinclair in the line-up, Guyana’s batting is strong on paper. However, most of the top order has not fired this season and the batting remains the biggest worry on what should be a track which offers some assistance early to pacers in the contest.

had their final practice session yesterday afternoon at the TTCB’s National Training Centre in Cova.

While Alick Athanaze and Nkrumah Bonner, back from South Africa for the third round, Guyana’s Manager Albert ‘Smith’ Clements, Guyana’s most successful U-19 Coach, winning six consecutive titles from 1992, explained that Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Gudakesh Motie should be home for the fourth round in Guyana.

The team will miss the services of Chanderpaul Hemraj (recovering from concussion), Shimron Hetymer (unavailable for family reasons) and Romario Shepherd (ODI duties), and will depend on 19-year-old Matthew Nandu, who got a century on debut against Barbados and who is third in the runs aggregate; Kemol Savory could be his opening partner, with Kelvon Anderson, who is expected make

his debut today, batting at three, and Tevin Imlach at four and the out of form Johnson, Guyana’s

Pride weakened but Hurricanes, Scorpions receive boost ..as third round matches resume today

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – Reigning champions, Barbados Pride, once again find themselves ravished for the West Indies Championship which resumes today with the third round.

They will come up against Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad but will be without all their leading players, all of whom have just completed West Indies duty or are still in South Africa for the white-ball series.

Missing are West Indies captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, along with fast bowlers, Kemar Roach and Akeem Jordan, who were members of the Test squad for the two-match series.

Stroke-maker Shamarh Brooks, who turned out in the first two rounds of the championship, has

been called up to both whiteball squads for the March 16-28 campaign and has been joined by all-rounders Jason Holder, Raymon Reifer, Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers.

West Indies batsman Devon Thomas … returns for Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

While neither Brathwaite, Roach, Holder, Chase nor Mayers featured in the opening two rounds, Jordan will be a big miss for Pride as he is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps.

There is no such misfortune for Pride’s opponents as they welcome back inspirational right-hander Devon Thomas who was part of the Test squad in South Africa.

The 33-year-old, one of Hurricanes’ leading scorers in recent

seasons, missed the first two rounds of the championship because of international duty.

Jamaica Scorpions will be boosted by the return of righthander Nkrumah Bonner for their clash with Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Guyana National Stadium.

Bonner was dropped for the Test series against South Africa due to a poor run of form but will now lead Scorpions’ batting, especially in the absence of Test vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood.

Volcanoes have also been strengthened by the return of the tournament’s second leading run-scorer and their captain, Alick Athanaze, who was also part of the Test squad for South Africa but failed to get a game

The 24-year-old left-hander plundered 244 runs at an average 61, including a maiden first-class century of 141 in the second round against the Guyana Harpy Eagles

For their part, leaders Harpy Eagles remain relatively settled, continuing to do without batsman Shimron Hetmyer, fast bowler Romario Shepherd and left-arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie, for their third round meeting with Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Brian Lara Stadium.

Hetmyer has not featured for Harpy Eagles for the season despite not being part of the West Indies setup while Shepherd is on international duty. Motie played in last week’s final Test against the Proteas but is not a member of the white-ball squads.

Similarly for Red Force, there has been no major disruption to their squad from the opening two rounds.

Ronsford Beaton, Keemo Paul and Shamar Joseph could form the pace attack with Nial Smith possibly missing out while left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul has the second most wickets (11) and could operate in tandem with off-spinner Kevin Sinclair. The Guyanese will want to assess conditions today before making a decision on giving Antony Adams his debut.

The tournament’s leading run scorer is Red Force’s skipper, Daren Bravo, who has 261 runs which includes two centuries against Leewards while Permaul is the only bowler with over 500 wickets for Guyana. These two are expected to play big roles for their sides in this round since Bravo plays spin very well.

The sun has been shining over

They will be led by veteran 34-year-old left-hander Darren Bravo whose excellent form has yielded a hundred in each round, to be the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 261 runs at an average of 87.

Harpy Eagles top the tables with 28.6 points with Pride second on 23 and Red Force third on 20.6 Volcanoes are fourth on 19.4, Hurricanes are fifth on 17.4 while Scorpions are bottom on 10 points.

SQUADS:

BARBADOS PRIDE – Shane Dowrich (captain), Camarie Boyce, Jonathan Carter, Dominic Drakes, Jonathan Drakes, Chaim Holder, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Shayne Moseley, Roshon Primus, Ramon Simmonds, Shamar Springer, Kevin Wickham

GUYANA HARPY EAGLES – Leon Johnson (captain), Antony Adams, Kevlon Anderson, Anthony Bramble, Ronsford Beaton, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Matthew Nandu, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemol Savory, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith

JAMAICA SCORPIONS –Paul Palmer Jr. (captain), Nkrumah

Trinidad recently and conditions should favour the batters before the spinners make an impact on day three and four.

Apart from Bravo, Bryan Charles, Jyd Goolie, Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Justin Mannick, Jason Mohammed, Keagan Simmons , Jeremy Solozano and Tion Webster will all need to contribute with bat if the Red Force hopes to press for their first First-Class title since 2005.

Khan, Vikash Mohan, Uthman Muhammad and Khary Pierre would need to be on target to restrict a potentially powerful Guyana batting line-up

Teams

GHE: Leon Johnson (captain), Antony Adams, Kevlon Anderson, Anthony Bramble, Ronsford Beaton, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Matthew Nandu, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemol Savory, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith

T&T Red Force: Daren Bravo (captain), Bryan Charles, Jyd Goolie, Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Justin Mannick, Jason Mohammed, Vikash Mohan, Uthman Muhammad, Khary Pierre, Keagan Simmons, Jeremy Solozano, Tion Webster

Bonner, Tevin Gilzene, Derval Green, Nicholson Gordon, Patrick Harty, Leroy Lugg, Kirk McKenzie, Abhijai Mansingh, Jamie Merchant, Marquino Mindley, Ojay Shields, Aldaine Thomas

LEEWARD ISLANDS HURRICANES – Jahmar Hamilton (captain), Colin Archibald, Larry Audain, Sheeno Berridge, Rahkeem Cornwall, Karima Gore, Montcin Hodge, Kofi James, Jeremiah Louis, Kieran Powell, Akeem Saunders, Devon Thomas, Hayden Walsh jr.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO RED

FORCE – Daren Bravo (captain), Bryan Charles, Jyd Goolie, Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Justin Mannick, Jason Mohammed, Vikash Mohan, Uthman Muhammad, Khary Pierre, Keagan Simmons, Jeremy Solozano, Tion Webster

WINDWARD ISLANDS

VOLCANOES – Alick Athanaze (captain), Sunil Ambris, Teddy Bishop, Kenneth Dember, Larry Edward, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Johan Jeremiah, Ryan John, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Jerlani Robinson, Tevyn Walcott

Haaland hits five as Man City reach Champions League quarter-finals

ERLING Haaland rewrote the record books by scoring an incredible five times as Manchester City swept RB Leipzig aside to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Haaland becomes the fastest and youngest player to reach 30 goals in Europe’s elite club competition.

He is also the youngest player to score five times in a single Champions League game, joining Argentina great Lionel Messi and Brazil forward Luiz Adriano as the only players to do it.

The 22-year-old is now on 39 goals for the season in all competitions, the first City player to reach that figure in a single

campaign. His five hat-tricks are three more than any other player in the big five leagues.

On any normal day, Ilkay Gundogan’s precise low shot into the bottom corner would have merited praise. On this historic night, which matched City’s 7-0 triumph over Schalke in 2019, it was nothing more than a footnote.

On this evidence, no-one, not even Real Madrid, will want to be paired with Pep Guardiola’s side in Friday’s last-eight draw.

Legendary former club captain Vincent Kompany can only hope his old club have got this calibre of performance out of their system when he brings his Burnley side to Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Haaland haunts former boss Rose

Leipzig coach Marco Rose was Haaland’s boss at Dortmund last season. Little wonder he reacted with incredulity on the eve of the game when it was pointed out to him that some feel City are a lesser team with the Norwegian in it.

“It could get really, really, really good for him with Pep and Man City,” was Rose’s response.

He would have preferred his words not to be proved quite so perceptive, quite so soon.

Leipzig were given a very early warning about the difficulties that lay ahead when

Nathan Ake dropped a long pass over their defence and in the space of half a dozen strides Haaland had sprinted clear of their defence and bore down on goal.

Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich managed to deny Haaland the opener - but it was to be his last success of the night in that personal duel.

Five-star Haaland offers up finishing masterclass Rose may argue City should not have been awarded the penalty that gave Haaland the chance to open the scoring.

True, Benjamin Henrichs was very close to Rodri - but once VAR intervened it was also obvious the defender had his

arms out when the City man headed the ball against his hand.

Haaland kept his cool, buried the penalty and, as the visiting bench were still grumbling at the unfairness of it all, made it 2-0 when he reacted quickest after De Bruyne’s thunderous shot came back off the crossbar and headed into an empty net.

And when Amadou Haidara’s clearance off the line, after Blaswich had turned away Ruben Dias’ header, bounced straight into the advancing Haaland to give him his hat-trick in first-half stoppage time, Leipzig might have been tempted to concede

But there was more punishment to come for the hapless visitors.(BBC Sport)

Daren Bravo bats in the nets. (CWI Photo)

Veerasammy Permaul needs one more to 50 wickets in the season for the third time.

GOA Elections postponed to March 21

The 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 games due to the expanded format with 48 teams taking part, global soccer governing body FIFA said on Tuesday.

The 2026 edition, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition of the quadrennial tournament where 48 teams are taking part.

“The FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four with the top two and eight best thirdplaced teams progressing to a round of 32,” FIFA said.

“The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams.”

The 32-team World Cup in Qatar last year had

WI no roll-overs despite Test battering, says Fortuin

a total of 64 matches completed in 29 days. The last time Mexico (1986) and the United States (1994) hosted a World Cup, there were only 24 teams.

The tournament has had 32 teams since the 1998 edition, with eight groups of four and the finalists playing seven games each. But teams reaching the summit clash in 2026 will now play eight matches in total.

The original plan for the 2026 edition had a total of 80 matches but the decision to increase the number of games to 104 was approved by FIFA’s council at a meeting on Tuesday.

The new format will also stick to drawing four teams in a group after a proposal for a three-team group was shot down over fears of collusion.

Traditionally the top two teams from each group advance to the last 16 but the 2026 edition will also have the eight best third-placed teams moving into the knockout round of 32.

EAST LONDON, South Africa, (CMC) – South Africa are taking nothing for granted against West Indies in the three-match OneDay International starting here Thursday, despite the visitors’ 2-0 hammering in the preceding two-Test series.

The Caribbean side folded inside three days in the first Test at Centurion to lose by 87 runs before plunging to a heavy 284-run defeat inside four days at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

However, South Africa all-rounder Bjorn Fortuin said West Indies remained “a dangerous side”, regardless of recent results

“They are a dangerous side on all fronts, whether with the ball or bat. We know they are supreme athletes on the field,” said Fortuin, a 28-year-old left-arm spinner who was called up for the ODI series.

“We are going to need to be at

our best in all three aspects of the game to beat them and that’s what we are working towards.

“With Rob [Walter] coming in it will be fresh faces, fresh ideas and not a lot of baggage from the past.”

Walter will take over as whiteball coach after Shukri Conrad oversaw the squad’s preparation for the Test series

South Africa is generally known for its lively pitches but there is a belief that the strip at Buffalo Park will favour the slower bowlers, especially after proving spin-friendly in last January’s Women’s Tri-Series involving South Africa, India and West Indies.

And Fortuin, who has played three ODIs since making his debut three years ago, said the Proteas were looking forward to the contest in the southeastern coastal city.

“The boys are coming off a

successful Test series and we will be looking to build on that and build some momentum,” Fortuin said.

“We have not played many matches at Buffalo Park in the past few years. The pitch has a reputation of being slow and spin will have a role to play.

“We will see on the day and adapt accordingly.”

And with Buffalo Park shaping up to be a happy hunting ground for spinners, Fortuin lamented the absence of left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who was forced out through injury.

“He is a huge loss to the squad, never mind his natural ability with the ball and bat,” Fortuin said.

“He has loads of experience and leadership qualities. Besides his cricket expertise, those are the things that will be sorely missed.”

GHE face off with T&T’s Red Force

West Indies remain a dangerous side in the shorter formats.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani (R) pose with the FIFA World Cup trophy during an event in New York on June 16, 2022. YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images.

Cristy Campbell

K.A. Juman-Yassin

Steve Ninvalle

2026 World Cup will have record 104 matches, with 12 groups of 4 teams - FIFA