Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 21-02-2023

‘I will not rest until this country is unified’

–– Dr. Ali says, points to importance of involvement, support for continued advancement of Guyana

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that, while Guyana’s story is unfolding globally, this development story is not predicated only on oil and gas, but rather policies and programmes to build a resilient, sustainable and strong country, under the umbrella of ‘One Guyana’.

“And that is what I’ve been working on; creating this ‘One Guyana’ in which we build a system that delivers prosperity for every single Guyanese and every single Guyanese

family,” Dr. Ali said during an engagement with Guyanese in The Bahamas.

The Head of State pointed to the importance of shaping the right collective mindset, noting: “This, for me, is the important project, changing the mindset, changing the way we relate to each other, community by community, household by household. And I assure you I will not rest until this country is unified.”

He added that this requires the involve-

VP Jagdeo arrives in India to advance plans for bilateral co-operation

ment and support of every Guyanese.

Dr. Ali said: “It requires every single Guyanese changing from the inside. It requires every Guyanese making a special effort and a special commitment to being part of the positive transformation, to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

He encouraged Guyanese in The Bahamas to join with his government in building a country and a society that are stronger, more prosperous and deliver to the aspirations and

ambitions of the people of the country.

“I stand committed to this,” Dr. Ali said.

The President reiterated the importance of engagement with the diaspora, which, he said, provides an opportunity to connect with those who continue to contribute to the development of Guyana and facilitate the exchange of ideas.

Nine Annandale squatters receive keys to new houses

Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo was welcomed by officials on his arrival in India. The visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and people-topeople linkages between the two nations (photo sourced from India in Guyana’s twitter page)

Agriculture sector being transformed with significant investments, innovative techniques –– three remain at large

Nine granted $300, 000 bail each over 2022 East Coast unrest

Nine Annandale squatters receive keys to new houses

NINE families who were previously squatting along the sea defence reserve at Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD), received the keys to their new houses, marking a significant step towards better living conditions.

On Monday, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, handed over the keys to the low-income, two-bedroom houses that were built at the Annandale New Scheme, ECD.

He said that the initiative was induced by a visit made by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali to the community in September 2022.

At that time, 15 families were informed of the government’s plans to relocate them to a safer and wholesome community.

Ten of the families accepted the government’s offer to construct homes for them, while the remaining five opt-

ed for lands.

Minister Croal expressed his optimism about the positive impact that the relocation would have on the families, noting that the move will provide a significant improvement in their living standards and well-being.

“Obviously if you compare here to the environment they were in, you will realise this is an upliftment and this brings betterment for them and their families,” he said.

The families were engaged by commercial banks to source funding for the construction of their homes which cost $5 million each.

After taking up occupancy, the residents will begin to repay their loans, which will run for a period of 25 years.

Minister Croal stated that each family will pay approximately $25,000 per month towards their mortgage.

The minister also highlighted the government’s

efforts to address the issue of squatting and unregulated settlements. He said the administration is currently taking measures to eliminate many of these areas within the system, and is not acknowledging any new instances of squatting.

“So, if there’s anybody who thinks that they can go put up a shack or a structure, and believe that we will incorporate them as part of this we are doing, it will not be so.

“What we are addressing is many of the backlog or those who are within the system for a while,” Minister Croal stated.

The residents expressed gratitude to the government for facilitating the process of ensuring they are afforded the opportunity to have affordable homes in a safe and decent environment.

Manjanie Roopchand, while thanking the govern-

ment for allowing her to own a piece of land and a newly built home, said “this will help me a lot because it’s a better life for my children.”

Another beneficiary, Rajesh Jaipaul, a father of five, expressed his elation to have a new house, since it

will allow him to provide a comfortable environment for his family.

“It gonna be better because where I use to live, when the rain fell, we would flood and we didn’t have light or water. I appreciate what the government is do-

ing,” he said.

Overall, this initiative serves as a testament to the government’s commitment to addressing the issue of squatting countrywide.

(DPI)

Nine families who were previously squatting along the sea defence reserve at Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD) receive the keys to their new houses

The Ministry of Public Service, on Monday, launched its mash band under the theme, “Mashing towards innovation, modernisation and inclusion, as One Guyana.”

‘I will not rest until this country is unified’

Dr. Ali says, points to importance of involvement, support for continued advancement of Guyana

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan

Ali has said that, while Guyana’s story is unfolding globally, this development story is not predicated only on oil and gas, but rather policies and programmes to build a resilient, sustainable and strong country, under the umbrella of ‘One Guyana’.

“And that is what I’ve been working on; creating this ‘One Guyana’ in which we build a system that delivers prosperity for every single Guyanese and every single Guyanese family,” Dr. Ali said during an engagement with Guyanese in The Bahamas.

The Head of State pointed to the importance of shaping the right collective mindset, noting: “This, for me, is the important project, changing the mindset, changing the way we relate to each other, community by community, household by household. And I assure you I will not rest until this country is unified.”

He added that this requires the involvement and support of every Guyanese.

Dr. Ali said: “It requires every single Guyanese changing from the inside. It requires every Guyanese

making a special effort and a special commitment to being part of the positive transformation, to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

He encouraged Guyanese in The Bahamas to join with his government in building a country and a society that are stronger, more prosperous and deliver to the aspirations and ambitions of the people of the country.

“I stand committed to this,” Dr. Ali said.

The President reiterated the importance of engagement with the diaspora, which, he said, provides an opportunity to connect with those who continue to contribute to the development of Guyana and facilitate the exchange of ideas.

Their input would be coming in at a time when Guyana presents very strong leadership in the areas of food security, energy security, and climate security.

“Today, in this region, we present very strong leadership on food security, energy security, and climate security. The next seven years are dedicated to building an economy and a country that will be able

to efficiently and competitively survive in a global system that will be very, very different from what we see today,” Dr. Ali said.

The Head of State also spoke extensively about the government’s development plan in these as well as other major areas, including agriculture and healthcare, at a meeting with the Diaspora on the margins of the

India and Rwanda to explore the pharmaceutical value and potential of the country’s forest.

Regarding energy security, Dr. Ali pointed to ongoing discussions with Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago to develop an energy corridor.

He said: “The energy potential of Guyana is enor-

energy at 50 per cent of the cost every household is paying now for electricity in less than two years. He also explained that this would allow Guyana to have the most competitive environment for manufacturing and industrial development in the entire Latin America and the Caribbean. This advancement will bring another

2025 and might very well be in a position to export in the region for the first time,” Dr. Ali said.

The country, President Ali added, continues to attract major investments in the sector, including from the African Export-Import Bank.

“So, a new story is unfolding in food production and agriculture,” the Head

44th Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM.

Dr. Ali emphasised that his administration is working in a very strategic way to position Guyana, not as a participant, but as a leader in these areas, pointing to the hallmark agreement made between the Government of Guyana and Hess Corporation for the sale of carbon credits for a minimum of US$750 million.

POSITIONING GUYANA

“So we are already positioning Guyana to be the leader in relation to biodiversity services, carbon services, environmental services,” the Head of State said.

The President said that Guyana is working with

mous- wind, solar, hydro. And, we are now presenting an energy platform that is diversified and has the potential of being a major revenue earner for our country.”

He also spoke about Guyana’s natural gas potential and the establishment of a natural gas plant.

“I had a meeting with the Chairwoman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and they are in the final stages of wrapping up things to lend the resources for the first natural gas pipeline and natural gas plant for Guyana. This is easily the largest investment in the energy sector and in any single project in the history of Guyana,” Dr. Ali said.

The President related that this investment will facilitate the delivery of

wave of opportunities, including direct savings to families.

A NEW STORY IN FOOD PRODUCTION

President Ali spoke at length about the country’s leading role in food security and its role in the global planning framework on energy security and food production.

“And we are already presenting global leadership on food security… Two years ago, we set ourselves a target to produce all the corn and soya that we need as input for our feed production for livestock and poultry.

“And I’m very pleased to report to you, with the investments we have made and the private investment, we are well on our way to becoming self-sufficient by

of State said.

Another noteworthy development is the single window permit system that his government is developing to fast-track investment and development.

The President also elaborated on various development projects being undertaken by his Government as well as the ongoing transformation of the health sector, including the increase in salaries and training of nurses.

He also spoke of his plan to ensure world-class education system for Guyanese, including special needs education.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd and the Director of Presidential Affairs, Marcia Nadir-Sharma, were also at the meeting.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali updated Guyanese in The Bahamas on the progress being made at home (Office of the President photo)

Another earthquake hits Turkey-Syria border two weeks after disaster

ANOTHER earthquake struck the border region of Turkey and Syria on Monday, just two weeks after the area was devastated by a larger “quake” that killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

Monday’s earthquake, this time with a magnitude of 6.4, was centred near the southern Turkish city of Antakya and was felt in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon.

It struck at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the European

Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

Hatay Mayor, Lutfu Savas, told HaberTurk broadcaster that he had received reports about some people stuck under rubble after the latest quake. Three people were killed and more than 200 injured, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

In Samandag, where the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority AFAD reported one person dead, residents said more buildings collapsed but most of the town had already fled

after the initial earthquakes. Mounds of debris and discarded furniture lined the dark, abandoned streets.

Muna Al Omar said she was in a tent in a park in central Antakya when the ground started heaving again.

“I thought the earth was going to split open under my feet,” she said, crying as she held her 7-year-old son in her arms.

Hours earlier, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said, on a visit to Turkey, that Washington would help “for as long as it takes” as rescue operations in the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquake and its aftershocks were winding down, and focus turned toward urgent shelter and reconstruction work.

The death toll from the quakes two weeks ago rose to 41,156 in Turkey, AFAD said on Monday, and it was expected to climb further, with 385,000 apartments known to have been destroyed or seriously damaged and many people still missing.

President Tayyip Erdogan said construction work on nearly 200,000 apartments in 11 earthquake-hit provinces of Turkey would begin next month.

Total U.S. humanitarian assistance to support the earthquake response in Turkey and Syria has reached $185 million, the U.S. State Department said.

Among the survivors of the earthquakes are about 356,000 pregnant women who urgently need access to health services, the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency has said.

They include 226,000 women in Turkey and 130,000 in Syria, about 38,800 of whom will deliver in the next month. Many of them were sheltering in camps or exposed to freezing temperatures and struggling to get food or clean water.

SYRIA AID

In Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil

war, most deaths have been in the northwest, where the United Nations said 4,525 people were killed. The area is controlled by insurgents at war with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, complicating aid efforts.

Syrian officials say 1,414 people were killed in areas under the control of Assad’s government.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said a convoy of 14 of its trucks had entered northwestern Syria from Turkey on Sunday to assist in rescue operations.

The World Food Programme has also been pressuring authorities in that region to stop blocking access for aid from Syrian government-controlled areas.

As of Monday morning, 197 trucks loaded with U.N. humanitarian aid had entered northwest Syria through two border crossings, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey have returned to their homes in northwest Syria to get in touch with relatives affected by the devastation.

At the Turkish Cilvegozu border crossing, hundreds of Syrians lined up starting early on Monday to cross.

Mustafa Hannan, who dropped off his pregnant wife and three-year-old son, said he saw about 350 people waiting.

The 27-year-old car electrician said his family was leaving for a few months after their home in Antakya collapsed, taking up a pledge by authorities allowing them to spend up to six months in Syria without losing the chance to return to Turkey.

“I’m worried they won’t be allowed back,” he said. “We’ve already been separated from our nation. Are we going to be separated from our families now too? If I rebuild here but they can’t return, my life will be lost.” (Reuters)

A man speaks on the phone as he sits by a fire near a destroyed building in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey February 20, 2023 (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)

Caribbean to get $44.8M from Canada to tackle climate crisis

DIPLOMATIC relations between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Canada were strengthened last Thursday with an engagement between the Conference of Heads of Government and Canada’s Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, in The Bahamas.

The two parties discussed the situation in Haiti, climate change and climate financing, trade, increased people-to-people contact, regional security, among other issues.

In his address to CAR -

ICOM Heads, the Canadian Prime Minister announced a new funding initiative totalling $44.8 million to tackle the climate crisis in the Caribbean.

He said the fund will support projects within regional organisations like the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund to improve marine and coastal ecosystem management, increased water security and to help governments respond to the impacts of climate change.

Acknowledging the chal-

lenges CARICOM countries face with accessing concessional development financing, he applauded the Bridgetown Initiative led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados. It has “re-energised the conversation on International Financial Institutions’ reform to the overlapping health, climate, debt, and liquidity crisis affecting many CARICOM countries,” the Canadian Prime Minister stated.

On the trade side, he said Canada is seeking a renewal of a waiver from the World Trade Organisation for goods

from the Region to enter Canada duty-free beyond 2023, through the CARIBCAN programme.

CARIBCAN was announced in Nassau during a CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in 1985 and Prime Minister Trudeau said it is “only fitting” that CARICOM-Canada Heads of Government renew their commitment to the trading agreement during their meeting Thursday.

CARICOM-Canada reciprocal trade reached $1.9 billion in 2021, while bilateral trade in services reached

$3.9 billion, Prime Minister Trudeau told CARICOM Heads of Government as he highlighted the strong trade ties between the two parties.

Heads of Government commended Prime Minister Trudeau for continuing the legacy of strong relations between CARICOM and Canada. They advocated for his country’s support to concessional funding for climate change related loss and damage, recovering from disasters, and development

financing. Heads also emphasised the need for increased people-to-people contact between CARICOM and Canada through the restoration of visa-free travel.

In response to the latter, Prime Minister Trudeau said that, in the coming days, Canada will announce new measures to simplify access to “trusted travellers” from CARICOM and other countries in the Region. (CARICOM Today)

Jamaica: More needs to be done to attract young people to tourism

MAJOR players in the tourism industry have been charged to create opportunities to upskill young people to ensure they are inspired to enter the industry.

The charge was issued last Friday by Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International and Appliance Traders Group, which includes the Jamaica Observer Media Group.

Stewart was speaking during a panel discussion at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference at the Regional Headquarters of the University of the West Indies, Mona, in St Andrew.

The panel discussion was focused on the future of tourism, and Stewart said there is more room for the sector to grow at this time, as the new leaders are not confrontational, but work together to enhance the industry.

“There is a new generation of tourism leadership taking place today between public and private sector that is not adversarial. We are no longer in the stage of Caribbean tourism where we are fighting each other,” said Stewart.

“Agriculture grows with us, manufacturing grows with us, entertainment grows with us, everything grows with us; and the more we hold hands and follow [the] leadership of [Tourism] Minister [Edmund] Bartlett and other champions is the more we will be collectively... It is about making sure more nationals strategically — because we plan for it — become a part of the ecosystem of what tourism represents,” added Stewart, to much applause.

He said while Jamaica’s private sector does a great job, it needs to go further in recognising the importance of upskilling “so that our people

in this region can hold all of the biggest jobs.

“My company is world-famous for having this incredible reputation and 98 per cent of our 18,500 employees are Caribbean nationals holding the

Sandals Resorts International Executive Chairman says

best jobs, at the highest level,” said Stewart.

“I have a hard time when anybody says we can’t achieve it because, even today, as we are achieving, I can assure you that what is coming in the next three years of sophistication for global hospitality that will be demonstrated through our company, powered by our people, is going to be the next frontier of hospitality. But it comes with foresight, it comes with financial commitment, it comes with framework, it comes with preparing,” he added.

Stewart argued that tourism leaders have a duty to “hold the hands of the younger generation” to give them the push needed to succeed in the industry.

“We cannot live in our own generation. The generation Z and Y, millennials, we

have to realise that they think differently; we have to change our language to bring them in, and we must inspire them to come into the greatest indus-

try or else they won’t come — they will choose something else. Tourism is the best industry in the world,” declared Stewart. (Jamaica Observer)

—

Executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International and Appliance Traders Group, Adam Stewart (right), making a contribution during a panel discussion at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference last Friday. Looking on are president of Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Nicola Madden-Greig (left) and chairman of the African Tourism Board, Cuthbert Ncube (Joseph Wellington photo)

Bringing the streets to life

AFTER a hiatus due to the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, the Mashramani celebrations are back and bigger than ever under the banner: “Mixing and Mashing as One Guyana”.

Each year, since 1970, in the month of February, Guyana has been observing its Republic Anniversary by staging a series of countrywide cultural activities.

These displays, reflecting the nation’s rich, diverse mosaic of cultural expressions, have become the embodiment of what has since been known as MASHRAMANI, an Amerindian word of Arawak origin, which, when translated, means “Celebration after work”.

There is hardly a state, anywhere, that does not have what can be described as a national revelry/celebration of some kind, which represents the sum total of its history, customs and cultural traditions, and cohesiveness.

Virtually every nation celebrates its national life in varied forms of art, music, and cultural expressions that reflect its existence as a people.

For example, Trinidad has its carnival, which is the most significant event on the island’s tourism and cultural calendar; for Barbados, it’s the annual Crop Over or Kadooment festival that celebrates the ending of its local cane harvest; over in Brazil, it’s the gigantic Rio Carnival which dazzles the imagination; while in Canada, it’s Caribana, depicting a potpourri of its Caribbean presence and cultural traditions.

In the United Kingdom, it is the Notting Hill Carnival, celebrating the West Indian experience, but also being able to attract Europeans from other parts of Europe. Over time, it has become Europe’s biggest street carnival.

From a very simple beginning in the mining town of Linden in 1970, when a few representations of working-class life

were depicted, accompanied through its streets by Lindeners, Mashramani has evolved through the decades as Guyana’s premier national extravaganza. Markedly, it has grown from strength to strength, and has gradually evolved into a truly Guyanese affair, reflecting the dynamics of Guyanese experience.

Given Guyana’s pluralistic cultural society, and the richness of its diversity, Mashramani is meant to reflect the nation of Guyana; all its peoples and their combined experiences as a people.

Further, it is a national celebration that is representative of this country’s social journey, depicted through the creative arts, culture and the concept of citizenship within the republic in the various costume and band creations, its calypso and chutney art forms, steel pan in the form of Panorama, and even persons decorating their homes and offices for the Mashramani celebration.

Ahead of the main parade, a perfect

representation of enthusiasm for this festive time was the thousands of Guyanese who flooded the Everest Cricket Ground last Saturday to savour the grand return of the Children’s Mashramani Costume and Float Parade.

Resplendent in their colourful and creatively put together costumes, children from across all education districts of Guyana proudly represented their schools as they made their way northeast to the Cricket Ground on Carifesta Avenue, all the way from the Parade Ground in downtown Georgetown.

Judging from the widespread participation and interest from persons young and old, there is no doubt that the massive parade on February 23 will be a grand celebration which unites Guyanese from all walks of life.

United in celebration, Guyanese will not hesitate to use music, dance and other fun activities to bring the streets of Georgetown to life.

Cost of Exxon’s new office facility is necessary, not an added burden on Guyanese taxpayers

REFERENCE is made to a letter in the February 18, 2023 edition of the Stabroek News with the caption, “The Exxon HQ budget is an added burden on the backs of Guyanese”, by opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Ganesh Mahipaul.

The Opposition MP contended that the cost for the facility, which is an estimated US$160 million, is outrageous to be “footed by the Guyanese taxpayer”, blatant abuse of power, and a disregard for the Guyanese people’s struggles, among other things.

In order to determine whether indeed the estimated cost is exorbitant, it would be prudent to ascertain the cost per square footage based on the size of the facility and compare same to other similar commercial construction projects and /or related facilities being undertaken

currently.

In this regard, the table illustrates two publicly known construction projects, namely, the Pegasus Suites and the Vreed-En-Hoop Shorebase project.

Based on the publicly known particulars of these three projects, the Pegasus Suites cost per square-footage is the highest at US$435 per sq. ft representing more than two times the cost for the

Exxon-facility; while the Vreed-En-Hoop Shorebase which is a combination of a commercial and industrial development is lower at US$344 per sq. ft representing 1.7 times the cost of the Exxon-facility.

It is of critical importance to understand the various sources of government funding. To this end, there is revenue generated from taxes to the national treasury and there is also non-tax revenue.

Oftentimes, contentious financial issues in the oil and gas industry are equated to taxpayers funding. Case in point, the argument put forward by the opposition M.P that the cost of the facility will be a burden on taxpayers is matter-of-factly a false perception. Simply put, Guyanese taxpayers invested zero dollar into the oil and gas

Editor Navendra Seoraj

‘Exxon’s’ Operating Centre: site development: 15-acres (653,400 sq.ft.) Greenfield development, and the building size is 126,000 square-footage (sq. ft)

OP-ED

By Josep Borrell

One year of war against Ukraine ––

Acting together to ensure international law will prevail

THE 24th of February 2022 will forever be recalled as the day when Russia started its brutal, unprovoked, and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

This was and remains a case of pure aggression and a clear-cut breach of the UN Charter. This war is neither ‘just a European issue’ nor about the ‘West versus the rest’. It is about the kind of world we all want to live in: no one is safe in a world where the illegal use of force—by a nuclear power and permanent member of the Security Council—would somehow be ‘normalised’. That is why international law must be enforced everywhere to protect everyone from power politics, blackmail, and military attack.

One year on, there is a risk that people become accustomed to the images of war crimes and atrocities that they see – because there are so many; that the words we use start to lose their significance – because we have to repeat them so often; that we get tired and weaken our resolve – because time is passing and the task at hand is hard.

This we cannot do. Because every day, Russia keeps violating the UN charter, creating a dangerous precedent for the world with its imperialist policy. Every day, Russia kills innocent Ukrainian women, men and children, raining its missiles on cities and civilian infrastructure. Every day, Russia keeps spreading

lies and fabrications.

For the European Union and our partners, there is no alternative to staying the course of our ‘triple strategy’: supporting Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia to stop its illegal aggression and helping the rest of the world cope with the fallout.

This is what we have been doing for one year now - and successfully so. We have adopted unprecedented sanctions, cut our dependency on Russian fossil fuels, and in close collaboration with key partners, reduced by 50 per cent the energy revenues the Kremlin gets to finance its aggression. Working together, we have also mitigated the global ripple effects of declining food and energy prices, partly thanks to our Solidarity Lanes and the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

It is not enough to say that we want Ukraine to be able to defend itself – it needs the means to do so. So, for the first time, the EU has supplied weapons to a country under attack. Indeed, the EU is now the leading provider of military training for Ukrainian personnel so they can defend their country. We also offer significant macro-financial and humanitarian aid to support the Ukrainian people. And we have decided to respond positively to Ukraine’s request to join the EU. Finally, we are working to ensure accountability for the war crimes that Russia has committed.

Ukraine has shown remarkable resilience, partly thanks to this support. And Russia has

grown more isolated, thanks to global sanctions and the international condemnation by the overwhelming majority of states in the UN General Assembly. Our collective goal is, and remains, a democratic Ukraine that prevails; pushing out the invader, restoring its full sovereignty and, with that, restoring international legality.

Above all, we want peace in Ukraine, a comprehensive and lasting peace that is in line with the UN Charter and international law. Supporting Ukraine and working for peace go hand in hand.

Russia’s actions are a frontal attack on territorial integrity, sovereignty, and international law principles. If Russia were to succeed, the repercussions would spread globally, as this aggression is a textbook example of an imperialist mindset. Therefore, the support of Latin American and Caribbean countries at the UN and elsewhere is crucial.

We need to be clear that Russia’s actions are responsible for the economic shockwaves being experienced. The EU is working with the region to address economic needs, and we have increased our funding, including for the most-affected countries in Latin America.

The Russian invasion has underlined the need for both Europe and Latin America to avoid excessive dependencies. We have common interests in forging a modern partnership to build more resilient and inclusive economies, to protect our democracies and to

strengthen social cohesion. We need to deliver practical progress in our ambitious agenda for cooperation ahead of the EU-CELAC Summit later this year.

History and justice are on the side of Ukraine. But to accelerate history and to achieve justice, we need to amplify our ‘triple strategy’. We know this is a collective task.

That is why the EU is counting on all its partners to act in a spirit of joint responsibility and solidarity: to ensure that aggression fails and international law prevails.

40 persons now equipped with advanced ICT skills

–– after completing Office of the Prime Minister’s ‘Train the Trainers’ programme in Region Nine

THE Industry and Innovation Unit within the Office of the Prime Minister recently concluded its “Train the Trainers” Programme in Central Lethem, Region Nine.

The one-week programme attracted 40 persons from Tabatinga, St. Ignatius, Quarrie, Kumu, Araputta, Moco Moco, Central Rupununi and Annai.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the project will ensure that ICT training is sustainable in remote and hard-to-reach communities by training competent persons to become ICT trainers in their

respective villages.

The expected outcome will be a pool of ICT trainers capable of training persons at their community level.

Additionally, the programme offers an in-depth and professional overview of new technologies, including advanced computing, advanced office productivity, web development and internet computing, teaching methodology, PC repairs, troubleshooting and internet security.

The recent programme in Central Lethem is a follow-up programme to the 2022 “Train the Trainers” programme.

High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell

Cost of Exxon’s new office facility is necessary ...

exploration and development activities in Guyana.

The initial invested capital into the oil and gas sector was sourced from the oil companies in the form of equity financing from the companies’ shareholders and debt financing from the international capital market.

The invested capital is being recovered from the sale of crude and not from the Guyanese taxpayers. Hence, the cost of the command center which is a capitalized expenditure is cost recoverable from the sale of the crude oil and not the Guyanese taxpayers.

With respect to the question on whether the need for the facility is justified–the answer is yes. Currently, there are only two Floating Production Storage and

Offloading (FPSOs) vessels operating offshore, producing about 350k barrels of crude oil per day.

According to Exxon’s country manager, the offshore operations are supported by rented office space that accommodates about 250 employees. The new state-ofthe-art and expanded facility is designed to cater for about 500+ employees when production is ramped to north of 1.2 million barrels per day by 2025 and beyond.

At the current production rate and an average price of US$60 per barrel, the annual revenue turnover of the sector is an estimated US$7.56 billion, which, when ramped up to 1.2 million barrels per day–will reach US$26 billion, representing more than three times the size of the current annual revenue turnover.

The cost of the facility represents 0.6 per cent of the annual turnover at US$60 per barrel when production rate is scaled to 1.2 million barrels per day.

Moreover, the opposition M.P failed to consider that naturally as Guyana seeks to scale up oil production to above 1 million barrels per day, then unavoidably there will be the need to invest in adequate onshore facilities to support the offshore operations.

This is a normal and basic concept in the growth and expansion of any type of business, not just the oil and gas business.

Let’s take a supermarket business for example, if the entity only has one location and is limited to a 2000 sq. ft. building inclusive of warehouse space, then obviously the only way this enterprise can grow two-fold, three-fold and even ten-fold, the supermarket owner (s) would have to invest in new locations, larger facilities and infrastructure to support any such growth plans.

The opposition M.P failed to consider the development impact and the multiplier effect therefrom that this investment will bring about. Towards this end, Exxon’s country manager reported that the staff complement will more than double from 250 to over 500 employees.

Let’s assume that 200 additional employees will be Guyanese, this will translate to direct employment opportunities for Guyanese workers. These employees will also pay their income

taxes (PAYE). EEPGL’s 2020 financial statements showed that administrative expenses stood at G$20.8 billion.

So, it would be reasonable to estimate that 1/3 of the administrative expenses accounts for employment cost, just for the sake of this argument, and let’s say that the effective tax rate is 28 per cent, then the PAYE would be anywhere around $2 billion annually for the current staff complement.

Consequently, as the company seeks to double its staff complement, PAYE alone can increase from $2 billion annually to $4 billion annually.

Then there is the multiplier effect, directly and indirectly, as a result of these activities, increased spending in the economy, feeding into aggregate demand across all sectors for goods and services, which will also contribute to other forms of taxes to the national treasury such as VAT.

Finally, in view of the foregoing discussion and analysis, the cost of Exxon’s new operating/command center is below the estimated cost per square-footage when compared to two other commercial and industrial construction projects.

Therefore, it cannot be meritoriously described as exorbitant and an abuse of power on the part of the government.

Yours respectfully, Joel

Bhagwandin

SASOD to advance discussions on addressing homophobic violence in schools ––

organisation’s head says

By Cassandra Khan

GIVEN the low score for education in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Inclusion Index in Guyana Report, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) plans to engage Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, on a range of issues.

This is according to SASOD’s founder, Joel Sampson, who on Monday emphasised the importance of addressing hate crimes and the bullying of LGBTI persons in schools.

At the time, he was speaking at the launch of the report which showed an overall score in 2022 of 0.241.

The coalition comprises SASOD, Guyana Trans United and SASOD Women’s Arm (SWAG).

The LGBTI Inclusion Index measures the levels of inclusion of LGBTI people in five strategic areas: health, education, political and civil participation, economic empowerment, and security and violence. It was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the World Bank and other international development partners.

In January 2022, SASOD Guyana participated in a global training programme

hosted by the UNDP on how to pilot the index. The body then subsequently decided to pilot the index in Guyana, using independent national consultant, Kesaundra Alves.

While there are 51 indicators in total in the index for the pilot phase, less than half of those were used in this inclusion index.

Founder of SASOD, Joel Simpson said that they plan to re-engage the Minister of Education, because according to the inclusion report, in the area of education, there is an overall score of zero.

It was explained that on the scale, which runs from zero to one, one represents the greatest inclusion for LGBTI persons, and zero represents no inclusion for LGBTI persons or the existence of laws that harm LGBTI persons.

“We want to re-engage

her (Minister Manickchand) on some of those issues, which never got any real attraction… so, I think 2023 is the year we want to see action, particularly on policies to address these issues of inclusion, so that we have a basis for dealing with the homophobic violence and bullying in schools,” he said.

Simpson noted that they will focus on violence and safety, which scored zero just like education when it came to policy advocacy.

“There is nothing there when it comes to inclusion (in the Violence and Safety and Education areas). So, dealing with hate crimes is particularly important and dealing with this growing epidemic of anti-LGBTI bullying in schools… very, very important,” he said.

Simpson added: “We need to deal with those issues

200 persons apply for map reading, navigation short course

OVER 150 persons have applied for the map reading and navigation short course that is being facilitated by the Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc. (GMSTCI).

The course was expected to come on stream in March, however, due to the significant number of applications that were received, it was brought forward to this month.

Persons on Monday began classes at the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) building on Croal Street.

The Administrator of the Guyana Mining School Vaughn Felix made the disclosure in an invited comment to the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Monday.

“We have received approximately 200 applications, so that is why we are bringing forward the course. Right now, we’re doing the Guyana Police Force, we’re doing wildlife, we’re doing Bureau of Statistics, we’re doing NDMA, and one and two miners are in the class,” he disclosed.

The primary objective of the course is to equip miners and other interested stakeholders with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate difficult terrain, and read maps effectively.

Trainees, upon completion of the course, will have a comprehensive understanding of the mining sector, as they would have undergone both practical and theoretical training.

Concerning engagements on specific issues with the relevant authorities, he said that at the end of 2021, they were meeting with several sectoral ministers, along with the Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs, Gail Teixeira.

about their sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, the same way their race and other information are collected.

from a policy and a legal perspective.”

Additionally, the overall scores for the other aspects of LGBTI inclusion are political and civic participation, 0.426; economic well-being, 0.11; and health, 0.67.

Moreover, Simpson related that the pilot study is very important because it gives them a baseline and quantitative measure when it comes to the issue of LGBTI inclusion.

“All the research that previously existed on this issue is very qualitative in nature, which is good, which is important, but I think a quantitative methodology like this gives us a baseline to be able to measure where we go from here,” he noted.

ONGOING CONVERSATIONS

“That was a very fruitful discussion on the issue of the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997. We discussed what would be an appropriate strategy for advancing an amendment to that legislation,” he explained.

Further, he shared that they met with the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and have been trying to continue said engagements.

Simpson noted that two key sectoral ministers whom they would need to have direct one-on-one engagements with, in 2023, are the Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton for the amending of the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 as well as the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud.

He also said that they will be sharing the report with the government, to give them a comprehensive overview and fact-based research which they can use as a baseline as well.

He added that the 2032 census should ask people

A few recommendations to improve LGBTI inclusion in Guyana are to amend the legal framework to prohibit sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC)-related discrimination against students in educational settings and instituting concrete mechanisms for reporting cases of SOGIESC-related discrimination, violence, and bullying towards students, including incidents perpetrated by representatives of the education sector.

Some further recommendations are the decriminalisation of private consensual same-sex activity between adults.

“This recommendation relates specifically to gross indecency in Section 351 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Cap. 8:01; and attempted buggery and buggery in Sections 352 and 353 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Cap. 8:01, respectively,” the report stated.

Others include the overhauling and modernising of the pension system to provide the same benefits to same-sex partners as provided to different-sex spouses.

Founder of SASOD Joel Simpson; representative of the Guyana Trans United Kaira Annamay (centre), and independent national consultant Kesaundra Alves

El Dorado Offshore well positioned to support Guyana’s energy sector

–– as local team successfully exhibits at Energy Conference

EL DORADO OFFSHORE (EDO), one of the leading manpower and recruitment companies in the Caribbe -

an, participated at the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana from February 14 to 17 at the Guyana

Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

According to a press statement form the company, the conference, which is the second International Energy Conference to be held in Guyana, was aimed at exploring ways to harness energy for the sustainable development of the country.

With the participation of several regional heads of government and experts in the energy sector, this conference was a valuable platform for exchanging ideas and building partnerships that can contribute to the sustainable de-

velopment of the energy sector in Guyana and the surrounding regions.

“The Guyana Energy Conference provided a great opportunity for us to network with many of our stakeholders in the energy sector. We were also able to meet with job seekers who were added to our database. We are happy to be part of this exciting time in Guyana’s history, and to play a role in the country’s development,”

Sherry Ferrell, Head of EDO Guyana, said.

The company, according to the statement, is committed to supporting

the growth and development of the energy sector in Guyana and the wider Caribbean region.

With a team of over 500 professionals, onshore and offshore, in Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, EDO is well-positioned to support the development of the energy sector and to provide its clients with the highest quality of manpower and recruitment services.

The conference provided a unique opportunity for EDO to engage with key stakeholders in the energy sector, including government representatives, energy experts, and industry leaders.

The company shared its expertise and experience in the field of human resource management and personnel logistics to explore ways to contribute to the growth and development of the energy sector in Guyana and beyond.

From left Nyron Wray, Logistics Coordinator; Jynelle Mohamed, Business Development Manager- International Ventures; Torasha Faerber, Senior Human Resource Officer; Sarona Samaroo, Vice President, EDO; Thalia Wilson, Senior Human Resource and Engagement Officer; Sherry Ferrell, Head of EDO Guyana and Jahdiel Harry, Customer Care Team Lead

Agriculture sector being transformed with significant investments, innovative techniques

THE Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali – led Administration continues to place emphasis on bolstering the nation’s productive sector, with a primary focus on agriculture.

The administration recognises the critical role agriculture plays in meeting the increasing demand for food in Guyana and the region.

And so, it is investing heavily in agricultural research, technology, and infrastructure, to improve the efficiency and productivity of farmers, as well as reduce the impact of climate change on the food sector.

“Our government is channeling our energy and resources to Guyanese in every area and is giving greater importance to our productive sector, especially agriculture, in an effort to meet the current food demands in Guyana as well as the Region,” Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, has said.

This is evident in his recent commitment to the introduction of shade house farming at Moblissa, along

the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and Block 42, Region Ten.

“I will ask NAREI [National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute] to build a small shade house nursery like what we are doing for the people along West Coast Berbice so that you can have your own planting materials,” the minister told residents during a recent visit.

The innovative farming technique helps to improve light diffusion, ventilation and decreases summer heat for plants.

Importantly, shade houses provide the best growing condition for plants and minimise irrigating and fertilising cost.

For example, President Ali’s introduction of the Agriculture Innovative and Entrepreneurship Programme

Businessman ‘busted’ with suspected cannabis in backyard

A BUSINESSMAN was arrested on Monday after ranks discovered 2413.9 grams of suspected cannabis buried in the backyard of his premises at Honey Camp Landing, Middle Mazaruni River.

Police, in a press release, said that, acting on information received, ranks went to the business place of the 45-year-old Block 22 Squatting Area, Wismar, Linden resident around 00:30 hours, to conduct a search.

“Whilst there, the police went to an area at the back of the yard which was dug up and they found a five-gallon bucket which contained two bulky parcels.

In the two parcels, the police found seven smaller parcels, all containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis,” the release said.

The businessman was told of the offence and cautioned, but he denied committing any wrongdoing.

He was later escorted to Issano Police Station along with the suspected narcotics which was weighed in his presence and amounted to 2413.9 grams.

The suspected narcotics was sealed and lodged. The businessman is presently in custody assisting with the ongoing investigation.

(AIEP) has confirmed the real benefit of smart agriculture. In just over a year the flagship initiative raked in more than $10 million.

“This is earnings for the youths for their production of broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes, chilli peppers, celery, parsley, etc,” the agriculture minister stated.

Meanwhile, the government has allocated another $200 million in this year’s budget to increase production by 50 per cent and will see over 100 new young Agri-entrepreneurs benefitting.

“Our vision for the youths in Guyana aims at a direction of creating many opportunities for growth in employment and income. We are expecting that this will indeed be beneficial for youths, the agriculture sector and the economy as a whole,” the minister added.

More so, all food and agriculture projects in the

future will target 35 per cent youth involvement in the sector.

There were more than 100 shade houses established at the end of 2022, due to continuous provision of materials being made to farmers, as well as the distribution of farm equipment, seeds and seedlings, chemicals and fertilisers.

In addition to agricultural initiatives, the government is aggressively implementing other policies that promote economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development.

By doing so, the lives of Guyanese will be improved and Guyana will, comfortably, contribute to the growth and development of the wider Caribbean region.

NTC calls on Kaieteur News to retract, apologise for ‘misleading’ article

THE National Toshaos Council (NTC) has strongly condemned the misleading article published by Kaieteur News on February 17, 2023, which inaccurately reported the benefits that Amerindians in Guyana would receive from carbon credit sales.

According to a press

statement from the Council, the article in question falsely claims that “Out of US$750 million carbon credit payout, the government gives US$23 million to Amerindians.”

“The NTC would like to categorically state that this information is not only incorrect, but also potentially harmful, as it

misleads both the Guyanese public and international stakeholders who have invested in Guyana’s sustainable development.

“As a reminder, under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Amerindian communities in Guyana are entitled to 15 per cent of all money received from carbon cred-

it sales. This arrangement is an important recognition of the contribution that these communities make to the conservation of Guyana’s forests and the global fight against climate change,” the Council said.

Contrary to what was reported in the Kaieteur News article, the recent US$750 million dollars deal signed by Hess Corporation will result in Amerindian villages and communities receiving a total of US$112.5 million dollars until 2030.

The US$22.5 million that was announced for disbursement represents 15 per cent of the first tranche of US$150 million.

The deal with HESS is for payments for 30 per cent of the total carbon stock. Once sold, the 70 per cent remaining carbon stock will result in increased benefits for Amerindian villages and communities.

“This is a significant amount of money that will help these communities to improve their livelihoods and strengthen their ability to manage their lands sustainably,” the NTC said.

As the elected representative body for Indig-

enous peoples in Guyana, the Council has been a key partner in the development and implementation of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, which aims to promote sustainable development while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

The NTC is committed to transparency and accountability in the management of these benefits, and will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples are protected and respected.

“We call on Kaieteur News to retract their misleading article and to issue a public apology to the Indigenous peoples of Guyana for spreading false information about their rights and benefits.

“The NTC also urges all media outlets to be responsible and accurate in their reporting on issues related to Indigenous peoples and their rights, and to work with us in promoting a more informed and inclusive public dialogue on these important issues,” the Council said.

West Ruimveldt man dies in motorcycle accident

A 21-year-old West Ruimveldt resident died early Monday morning, after losing control of his motorcycle, while allegedly speeding down Vlissengen Road in the vicinity of the Botanical Gardens.

Dead is Anthony Pierre of West Ruimveldt Estate Scheme.

Police said in a press release that, around 00:20 hours, the young man was riding motorcycle CK 7223 on Vlissengen Road, heading south, allegedly at a fast rate of speed, when he lost control and collided with a utility pole on the eastern parapet of the road.

He sustained several injuries to his head and about his body.

Emergency Medical

Technicians who responded to the incident pronounced Pierre dead at the scene. The man’s body was later taken to the Memorial Gardens Mortuary to await a post-mortem examination. Further investigations are in progress, the police said.

Anthony Pierre

Nine granted $300, 000 bail each over 2022 East Coast unrest

— three remain at large

NINE East Coast Demerara (ECD) residents, were, on Monday, released on $300,000 bail each for their alleged roles in the 2022 East Coast Demerara unrest which ended at the Mon Repos Market.

Mark Hercules, Dave Berkshire, Terrence Adolphus Nedd, Antony English, Keon Glasgow, Julian Peters, Tony MacKinnon, Carlos Kingston, and Phillip Burke appeared before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court.

The men were not required to plead to the charge which was laid under the Acts of Terrorism, contrary to Section 309 (A) (1) (b) (ii) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01.

Particulars of the charge alleged that the men, on June 28, 2022, between Golden Grove and Mon Repos, while being in the company of others and with the intent to strike terror, used wood and other materials to block, burn and damage

the public road.

The men were not required to plead to the indictable charge.

Burke was represented by attorney-at-law Eusi Anderson, while the others were represented by attorneys-at-law Dexter Todd and Dexter Smartt.

They were released on $300,000 bail each, on the condition that they lodge their passports at the court and report to the Cove and John Police Station on the 14th of each month.

Magistrate George adjourned the case until February 28, 2023.

On February 15, 2023, the Guyana Police Force issued wanted bulletins for 12 men. The nine who were charged turned themselves in. However, three remain at large.

On June 28, 2022, the protest initially started at Golden Grove, where persons took to the streets, calling for justice after they were misled by a false media report that the police officer purportedly involved in the killing of Quindon Bacchus had

been released.

What started as a verbal chant quickly escalated as scores of persons blocked sections of the ECD corridor with debris, and eventually made their way to Mon Repos, where they reportedly beat vendors, robbed them and destroyed their property. The government later issued compensation to the affected vendors.

Following the protest, 16 men appeared at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court for allegedly engaging in riotous behaviour. However, no arrests were made for the robbery of the vendors.

Lance Corporal Kristoff DeNobrega was subsequently charged and remanded to prison for the murder of Bacchus, while his colleagues Lance Corporal Thurston Simon, and Cadet Officer Dameion McLennon, were accused of obstruction for their alleged actions following the shooting incident.

The terrorism suspects (Guyana Police Force photos)

Fishermen get 25 years each for 2017 murder of boat captain

ALMOST five years after 57-year-old Corentyne boat captain, Mahadeo Ramdeholl, also known as ‘Chico,’ was killed in a piracy attack, two fishermen were, on Monday, sentenced to serve 25 years each for the crime.

Doodnauth Singh, 63, and Khemraj Narsayah, 44, both of Rose Hall, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne), were sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh at the Berbice High Court.

Last month, the men were indicted for the capital offence of murder, but opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of man-

slaughter. They admitted to unlawfully killing Ramdeholl during the course or furtherance of piracy on May 16, 2017, in the county of Berbice.

According to reports, on May 16, 2017, around 18:30 hours in the Atlantic Ocean, in the vicinity of Tain Village, Corentyne, Singh and Narsayah, who were armed with cutlasses,

pounced on Ramdeholl’s boat. They attacked him and his two crewmen, Arjun Permaul and Parmanand Nandan.

After relieving the victims of their fish and

outboard engine, the men struck Ramdeholl on the head and pushed him overboard. The men also forced Permaul and Parmanand to jump into the water.

Ramdeholl’s body was found near the Rose Hall foreshore the next day and a post-mortem examination concluded that he died by drowning.

Last month, Justice Singh sentenced a Corentyne businessman, Nakool Manohar, called ‘Fyah’ and his accomplice, Permnauth Persaud, called ‘Sanbat’ to death for the murder of several fishermen, who were killed during a pirate attack off the coast of Suriname in

2018.

In December 2022, a 12-member jury found Manohar and Persaud guilty of the charge which read that, between April and June 2018, while in Guyana’s territorial waters, they murdered Mahesh Sarjoo called ‘Kuba’ and Tilaknauth Mohabir called ‘Camion’, on board the vessel, Romina SK 764, while committing the offence of piracy.

It was further alleged that the men, during the same period, murdered Bandara called ‘Spanish man’, Laita Sumair called ‘Bora’ and Lokesh DeCouite, on board the vessel, Joshua SK 1418.

‘Stats Bureau’ teams up with ‘Agri’ Ministry to enhance farmers’ register

IN keeping with Guyana’s continuous efforts to advance development in the area of local and regional food security, the Ministry of Agriculture has partnered with the Bureau of Statistics to further enhance the existing farmers’ register with an agriculture module of the national census.

Planning Officer at the ministry, Natasha Beerjit, in a public advisory on the ministry’s Facebook page, said that the module will be used to guide the ministry in crafting its work programme for farming projects, infrastructural development, agriculture diversification programmes and to measure food security.

“By responding to this module, farmers and stakeholders have provided the ministry with the opportunity

to use the data to guide policy interventions for farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector,” Beerjit related.

She added that the agriculture module is one of the first steps in collecting baseline information on the sector. The module will also assist in the country’s ongoing efforts to reduce the Caribbean’s food-import bill by 25

per cent by the year 2025.

“It is the foundation for any support programme that we design and towards collecting more reliable and up to date, timely data on the agriculture sector,” Beerjit said.

She added: “The data will be used as means of verification during the implementation of the ministry of agriculture’s distribu -

tion programmes also.”

In August 2022, the ministry, through the Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme (SADP), launched its agriculture survey with the aim of creating a register.

The $20 million project, which is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), targetted the collection of data from approx -

imately 4,000 farmers residing in Regions

Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six East Berbice-Corentyne), and Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Some 100 enumerators were trained to conduct visits to the homes and farms of farmers across the regions to conduct interviews.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, had said that the pilot project will see the creation of a register of farmers, inclusive of what they produce, where they are located, and how much they are producing.

“This will help us to know who the farmers of our country are; to know where they are located, and the amount of crop they are pro -

ducing,” Minister Mustapha had said at the time, and that the data being collected will also assist the government in crafting realistic policies and targetted projects to further develop the sector and the country.

“When we set programmes, especially in the agriculture sector, we have to be more realistic, because we are dealing with food and food security. And today, when the world is at a food crisis, in terms of food security, we have to be accurate in setting goals and setting our programmes,” the minister said.

Minister Mustapha said that without the proper data, the ministry is unable to establish and create targetted projects to assist stakeholders, and, as such, the survey is of much importance.

Mahadeo Ramdeholl

Doodnauth Singh Khemraj Narsayah

An enumerator conducting an interview with a farmer (Ministry of Agriculture photo)

ExxonMobil interested in providers of general, emergency medical services

WITH its operations rapidly expanding in Guyana, ExxonMobil is seeking to establish agreements for the provision of general and emergency medical services in Regions Three and Four.

According to two public Requests For Information (RFI), Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is looking for suppliers to provide those services within the regions and offshore Guyana.

Esso is ExxonMobil’s local subsidiary, and the operator of the Stabroek Block offshore. There are currently two floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels— the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity— that are in operation.

Two new vessels are slated to be added to EEPGL’s operations: The Prosperity FPSO to service the Payara project and the ONE GUYANA vessel will be added for the Yellowtail development.

At a recent press conference, ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge, said ExxonMobil is seeking to broaden its horizons, as the company has signalled an interest in the upcoming bidding rounds for offshore areas.

He related that the company will examine the data the government has provided, along with other things before making the decision on its participation in the auction.

“… When we have all of that together, then we will be in a position to make a decision on whether or not we bid,” Routledge said.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers), with its gross recoverable resource now estimated to be more than 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels, including Liza and other successful exploration wells.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, last year, announced that the government hopes to award the contracts by the end of May. Guyana is among 65 countries that will be launching the auction of oil blocks.

The blocks being put up for auction range in acreage from 1,000 sq. km to 3,000 sq. km, with 11 in shallow water, and the other three in deep water.

The bidders will be evaluated on their work programmes, financial offers, and local-content commitments.

There won’t be any restrictions on the number of bids a company is allowed to submit, but a successful bidder will be limited to an award of no more than three blocks.

Cane harvester gets 20 years for killing wife

TAIJRAM Rahim, 35, was, on Monday, sentenced to 20 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years, for fatally stabbing his reputed wife in 2020, during a domestic altercation at their Rosignol, West Coast Berbice house.

Last month, Rahim appeared before Justice Navindra Singh at the Berbice High Court charged with murder, but he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The cane harvester ad-

mitted that, on November 13, 2020, at their Lot 7 Marcy Dam, Rosignol, West Coast Berbice home,

he unlawfully killed Amrita Rahim, 28, called “Sal-

ly”.

The state was represented by prosecutor Nefeeza Baig.

According to reports, on the night in question, at approximately 23:45 hours, the couple and their three children returned home from a birthday party. Sometime later, an argument erupted between Rahim and his wife after he accused her of infidelity.

Amrita threatened to leave the house, which caused Rahim to grab a knife from the kitchen.

It is alleged that he returned to the bedroom and stabbed his wife in the region of her left chest while she was lying on the bed. The couple’s eldest child, an 11-year-old, ran to relatives for help.

Amrita was picked up in an unconscious condition and taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital where she was pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination performed on her remains gave the cause of death as perforation of the heart due to a stab wound.

Taijram Rahim

DEAD: Amrita Rahim

U.S. Military Medical team commences two-week medical mission

DURING February 20 through March 3, the United States’ Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT), in collaboration with Guyana’s Ministry of Health, will engage in knowledge exchanges, perform surgical operations, provide dental services, and conduct professional knowledge exchanges as part of the American. Southern Command’s (USSOUTHCOM’s) Enduring Promise mission.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, LAMAT is a medical team comprising approximately 29 U.S. Air Force and Army medical and dental professionals and support staff who will provide free general surgery, emergency room care

will work with local doctors to ensure continuity of care following all surgical procedures. The team brings with

the Ministry of Health and U.S. Ambassador to Guyana to participate in this much-needed operation,”

and dental care at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Dr. Veronica Griffith, Ministry of Health Deputy Director for Regional Health Services, welcomed the team at GPHC.

Dr. Griffith expressed excitement about developing the military-civilian partnership between the U.S. team and the medical professionals in Guyana.

LAMAT operations have been coordinated with the Ministry of Health and hospital medical directors to take advantage of additional operating room capacity without displacing medical providers.

U.S. medical professionals

it the medicines and supplies necessary for the operations and will leave surplus supplies with the hospital. Overall, approximately $US225,000 of supplies are being donated to medical facilities.

Medical patients are selected in coordination with hospital medical directors based upon the types of surgeries and procedures the U.S. medical team is certified to perform, primarily GI surgeries such as hernias and cyst excisions. The U.S. dental team will focus on treating underserved populations, concentrating on cleaning, fillings, extractions, and preventative care.

“My team is humbled to have been invited by

said Lt. Col. Gentry Mobley, LAMAT Mission Commander. “It is important to the U.S. to provide whatever help we can to take care of people in need. Our team is prepared to engage in Guyana, whether that be in the operating theater, the dental clinic, helping with emergency room or experiencing the culture.”

In addition to Guyana, the LAMAT team completed operations in Suriname and will proceed to St. Lucia to conduct medical assistance operations, providing relief to overwhelmed medical facilities and improving the region’s collective ability to meet complex global challenges.

Master Sgt. Timothy McClelland, LAMAT Biomedical Equipment Technician, receives a tour of the emergency department at GPHC. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Dr. Cheman Ramdharry provides a tour of the operating theater to LAMAT surgery team members at GPHC

Amsterdam, Allicock among winners for Guyana

THE large and raucous crowd created a fantastic atmosphere on Sunday night for the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA)’s McDonald Promotions Patrick Ford Memorial International Boxing card at the National Gymnasium.

When the dust settled, most of the fans left the venue just after midnight, satisfied that they had gotten their money’s worth, as Guyana once again proved that it is the cradle of boxing in the English-speaking Caribbean, dominating the card which saw pugilists from T&T, Barbados and St. Lucia in hot contention for the coveted title.

In the feature bout of the night, 30-year-old light heavyweight ‘dynamite’, Desmond Amsterdam was clinical in his destruction of Trinidadian

Nickelle Joseph.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) and GBA Boxer of the Year controlled the fight as he made Joseph resort to his ultra-aggressive style of fighting instead of ‘boxing’. His opponent, who threw punches in bunches, hurt his man with powerful right hooks to head.

A left jab was followed by a right cross to the head, which staggered Joseph, causing the referee to administer a standing eight-count.

Joseph, who insisted on trading punches with Amsterdam, was again on the receiving end, resulting in his receiving another standing eight-count.

The second round saw the ‘Trini’ changing tactics and moving out of range of the soldier’s heavy artillery.

Joseph tried to counterpunch, but was hit with a right to the mid-section, resulting in the referee stopping the fight in two minutes and 58 seconds of the round, much to delight of the crowd, which included his wife.

“It feels great to fight in front of this large crowd; I changed my plan to suit the way he was fighting,” explained Amsterdam, who became the

first Guyanese to win cash when he won Bronze at the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Championships in Ecuador.

In the penultimate bout of the night, 23-year-old Olympian Keevin Allicock, fighting in the featherweight division, faced-off against T&T’s Anthony Joseph, whom he had previously beaten at the CAC Games.

In the first round, Allicock connected with an overhand right to bring Joseph to his knees early in the round, before a lightning- fast four-punch combination resulted in the ‘Trini’ getting his second standing eight-count.

Joseph, showing his willingness to counterpunch, hit Allicock a few times before he was floored again, but this time the referee deemed it a slip from water on the canvas.

The second round saw Allicock going toe-to-toe with the Guyanese, a 2017 Silver Medallist at the Commonwealth Youth Games, breaching Joseph’s defence, and resulting in another eight-count.

In the final round, a wicked ‘one-two’ followed by an uppercut hurt Joseph, who employed the tactic of hugging his oppo-

nent for dear life.

In the final stages of the fight, Allicock, whose fiancée was paying rapt attention, was hit a couple of times to his face as he pushed for a knockout, but Joseph refused to quit as the Guyanese won by a unanimous verdict.

“It’s good to see the fans coming out in their numbers, since that could inspire the home boxer. He (Joseph) has improved a bit, since I think he is sparring with good fighters,” Allicock said, adding that he will now focus on the South American Games and World Championships.

“I thank God, the Sports Ministry, the GBA and my sponsor. I have signed a six-month sponsorship agreement with MVP Sports for the development of my boxing career,” he said in closing.

Brian Harris, who won the triple crown at the Terrence Ali National Open, stopped Trinidadian Jaden Castellano in two minutes 57 seconds of the second round, while Jullius Kesney beat Barbados’ Sean Shepherd.

Joel Williamson, who took

some good shots to his head, was beaten by Barbados’ Jeremiah Toussaint to become the only Guyanese to lose on the opening night.

In the female division, the Jackman siblings (Alisha & Abiola) both registered knockouts; Alesha fired a four-punch combination to stun ‘Trini’ Shawnelle Hamid as the fight ended in 58 seconds, while Abiola knocked out Bajan Kamara Stuart in two minutes and 50 seconds of the second round. St. Lucian lass Nikaela Khordra got in a few solid shots, but failed to follow-up and lost to Trini Leeann Boodram.

In the local bouts, the crowd, which included World Masters Squash Champion Nicolette Fernandes, Caribbean Squash Queen Ashley Khalil, former world female Boxing champion Shondell Alfred, former boxers and politicians, watched as VBG’s Glaston Winter beat RHJ’s Roopesh Balgobin; Shaquan Marshall of VBG beat RHJ’s Curtis McDonald; Mark Crawford from FYF beat Policeman Clifton Graham; and RHJ’s Jamal Eastman defeated FYF’s Patrick Harvey.

Team Mohamed’s Number...

By Stephan Sookram

A THRILLING day of drag racing was brought to an abrupt end when the GTR #3 of Team Mohamaed’s suffered a crash on Sunday at the South Dakota Circuit.

An otherwise good day of racing ended when team Mohamed’s principal, Azruddin Mohamed, crashed but escaped otherwise unharmed; his NISMO GTR not so much.

The car was at the time involved in an exhibition run against the ‘Kong’ Supra.

Both cars lined up on the strip for a ‘callout’ run, with ‘Kong’ in the right lane, and Mohamed in the left lane.

However, Kong failed to initiate the start sequence,

and took off down the strip, Mohamed in chase. It was in the runoff area that the incident took place when trying to slow down; Kong lost control, and veered into the lane of the GTR.

Kong then deployed his ‘slow down’ parachute, which the GTR then tried to avoid, hitting the brake and then sliding into the grass and removing a section of the area’s fencing before turning over.

Quick response by marshals and Team Mohamed’s staff ensured he was examined at the site, with a full medical checkup done later in the pit area.

Otherwise, the sunshine made for a perfect day of racing, with the Surinamese in full force. Fans were treated to quality racing

action, with the legendary GMC Typhoon of Suriname rolling back the clock to an earlier time of drag racing locally.

class of competitors featured six comptetitors. While there were a few close calls among the faster groups, the day went relatively smoothly.

SEE FULL RESULTS BELOW:

16 second - #47 - Ravindra Rodrigues - Toyota Vitz

15 second - #44 - Khalid Khan - Toyota Levin

14 second - #54 - Komal Tejram - Toyota Carina 212

13 second - #16 - Pankraj Ramdeo - Toyota Corolla Run-x

12 second - #94 - Raymond John - Toyota Mark 2 (Suriname)

11 second - #56 - O’neil Higgins - Toyota Caldina

10 second - #80 - Bhai Soekha - Toyota Altezza (Suriname)

9 second - no entries

Unlimited - #1 – Terrance Cox/Team Mohamed’s - Nissan Goliath GTR

600cc Bikes – Shem Chattersingh

1000cc Bikes – Jermaine Chattersingh

Overall Female - Natalia Singh

hrs

Women’s T20 World Cup:

India beat Ireland by DLS method to seal semi-final place

INDIA qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals with a five-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern win over Ireland in a rain-curtailed match in Gqeberha.

Ireland were 54-2 in the ninth over, chasing 156, when heavy rain forced an early end to the match.

The win means India join England in qualifying from Group 2.

Smriti Mandhana had earlier survived being dropped four times to hit a career-best 87 from 56 balls to help India reach 155-6.

England still top the group thanks to their superior net runrate, meaning they are almost

certain to progress as group winners - and therefore avoid holders Australia in the semi-finals - barring a heavy defeat against Pakistan today.

Before the rain arrived, the strong winds blowing across St George’s Park made conditions in the middle extremely difficult, particularly for the fielders, with Ireland dropping five catches in total.

Mandhana made the most of her extra chances with a wonderful innings, smashing nine fours and three booming wind-assisted sixes over deep mid-wicket.

Ireland made an awful start to their reply, slipping to 1-2 when Amy Hunter was run out after the first ball of the innings

before Orla Prendergast was bowled by Renuka Singh Thakur four balls later.

But a spritely 32 from 25 balls from Gaby Lewis and 17 from 20 by captain Laura Delany led something of a recovery, with Ireland within touching distance of the DLS par score when the rain arrived.

‘It was one of the toughest games I’ve played’ – reaction Player of the match, India opener Smriti Mandhana: “It was one of the toughest games I’ve played, not in terms of the pitch but the pace and the wind as well. It got tougher than we thought.

“It was a lot of hard work in the first 30 balls and I thought

I’d forgot how to bat! I told myself to just get in better positions to play shots.”

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur: “It was a good game for us. Smriti [Mandhana] got some runs, which is very important; whenever she is giving us that start we are able to utilise it and get a big total. It is good to see her getting runs.

“It means a lot to qualify. We’ve worked hard for many years and it’s good to see us getting another opportunity in the semi-finals.”

Ireland captain Laura Delany: “[The rain delay ] kind of came out of nowhere and we weren’t really prepared for it. We hadn’t looked at the DLS

Smriti Mandhana scored 87 off 56 as India won the game against Ireland to book a semis berth © (ICC)

score at all, myself and Gaby [Lewis] were only looking to build a partnership and hit boundaries.

“In 2018, it wasn’t a level playing field. Cricket Ire -

land have invested hugely and we’re on contracts now. We’ ve gone from strength to strength, even if there are areas to improve on.”(BBC Sport

Footballer Christian Atsu’s body returned to Ghana

The body of footballer Christian Atsu, who died after an earthquake hit Turkey two weeks ago, has been returned to his native Ghana.

The flight landed in Accra late on Sunday, and his coffin was carried away by members of Ghana’s armed forces.

Atsu was found dead on Saturday under his home in southern Turkey. He had been playing for the Hatayspor club.

The winger played 65 times for Ghana’s national team and helped his side reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final.

The 31-year-old also played for Premier League sides Everton and Newcastle.

Speaking at Kotoka airport in the capital Accra, Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said: “We hoped

against hope, every day that passed, we prayed and prayed. But alas, when he was found, he was no more.”

Mr Bawumia added the late footballer was much loved and would be sorely missed. “It is a painful loss, a very painful one.”

He promised Atsu would be given a “befitting” burial. (BBC ).

Cummins returns home, Hazlewood ruled out of India tour

Australia captain Pat Cummins is leaving the ongoing Qantas tour of India due to a serious family illness, while Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the tour due to injury.

Cummins led the Aussies in their second Test defeat this week in Delhi, where India retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy by taking a 2-0 series lead.

The fast bowler was en route to Sydney on Sunday but is expected to get back to India in time to play the final two matches in Indore and Ahmedabad.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald has however revealed Hazlewood is heading home to continue his rehabilitation from an

Achilles complaint that has sidelined him from the first two Tests.

Hazlewood has been ramping up his bowling at training in recent weeks but hasn’t been able to shake the injury and will instead continue his recovery at home in Sydney.

An Australian team spokesperson said the paceman is not expected to be available for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield.

The visitors have better news for Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc, with McDonald declaring Green 100 per cent fit for the third Test while Starc is also in line to play.

Both are on the mend

from serious finger injuries. Green was close to being available for the Delhi Test, while McDonald said Starc had been available despite not being 100 per cent fit.

Breakout spin star Todd Murphy was managing a side injury during the Delhi Test but McDonald expressed optimism he would be right for the Indore Test beginning March 1.

“He had a slight niggle in the side,” McDonald told reporters on Monday.

“It looks as though the timeframe between now and the next Test should be enough to resolve that.

“So he’ll have not a test but he’ll have a good workout two days before … it looks good.”(CA)

Senior Inter-county 4-day cricket returns on Feb. 25

THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has announced the return of the Senior Inter-County 4-Day tournament. This tournament will commence on Saturday, February 25, and would be used as preparation for the Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) prior to the resumption of the West Indies Championship that is scheduled for March 15.

Last October, the GCB held the first senior inter-county tournament after more than a five- year absence when the Super-50 tournament was played. Berbice were crowned champions after they defeated Essequibo in the final which was played at Providence.

According to the GCB, the re-introduction of the 4-Day format in the GCB’s calendar of activities is a major step for the cricket locally as these matches will give the players the opportunity to stake a claim for selection on the GHE team. It is expected that a strong team would be named with

GHE leading the points table at the end of the second round.

DEMERARA squad: Leon John-

Richie Looknauth, Ashmead Need, Steven Sankar, Qumar Torrington, Sachin Singh and Sachin Balgobin. The Manager is Puneet Jaigopaul and Head coach is Garvin Need. The reserves are Nehemiah Hohenkirk, Christ Balgobin, Navendra Persaud, Kishan Tracy, Ronaldo Renee, Riyad Latiff and Jermain Ramroop.

ESSEQUIBO squad: Antony Adams (Captain), Kevon Boodie, Sheldon Charles, Kemol Savory, Neland Codogan, Ricardo Adams, Keemo Paul, Quentin Sampson, Ronaldo Renn, Leon Swamy, Avinash Persaud, Malcolm Hubbard, Wazim Mohamed, Ronsford Beaton. The Manager is Yogeshwar Lall and Head Coach is Ryan Hercules. The reserves are Ricardo Peters, Rajendra Ramballi, Shane Wong, Carl Gilgeous, Beesham Moses and Garfield Phillips.

Teams will commence training in their respective counties today.

Permaul to lead star studded Berbice team

..Chandrika to captain GCB Select XI

INTER-county Super-50 Champions Berbice yesterday named a star studded team to compete in the GCB Senior Inter-County 4-Day Tournament. Guyana Harpy Eagles vice-captain, Veerasammy Permaul will lead the squad which includes the Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Kevin Sinclair.

Former West Indies opening batsman, Rajendra Chandrika will captain the GCB Select XI. This team includes the Vice captain for the Select X1, in First-class pacer Demetri Cameron, Guyana Under-19 Captain Alvin Mohabir, off spinner Jonathan Rampersaud and leg spinner Zeynul Ramsammy who were also members of the Guyana under-19 team.

Net training sessions for the GCB Select XI will be held from 15:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs on Wednesday, February 22 and Friday, February 24, 2023 at Malteenoes Sports Club ground. The Select X1 com-

prise players from the three Counties who were not initially selected to their County teams.

The Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE) team for the third round of the West Indies Championship

(WIC) 2023, is expected to be selected by the end of the second round of the GCB Senior Inter-County Tournament, 2023. Those selected to the GHE team for the third round of the WIC 2023, independent of the County teams for the period of the third and final round of the GCB Senior Inter-County Tournament.

Consequently, the respective County Boards are asked to resubmit their teams by 1700 hours on March 6, 2023 for the third round of the GCB Senior Inter-Country Tournament, 2023.

Berbice squad: Veerasammy Permaul (Captain), Tomanni Caesar, Adrian Sukhwa, Garfield Benjamin, Shimron Hetmyer, Kevlon Anderson, Jonathan Foo, Kevin Sinclair, Anthony Bramble, Romario Shep-

Liverpool’s owner John Henry says he is not selling the club

Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which bought Liverpool in 2010, said it “would consider new shareholders” in the Reds in November.

FSG chairman Tom Werner later said the club’s owners were “exploring a sale”.

But since then, in an interview with the Boston Sports Journal

, Henry said: “Are we selling LFC? No.”

Henry made his comments in a question and answer session conducted over email with the Boston Sports Journal.

“Are talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won’t be a sale.”

Demerara will be at GCC from 09:00 hours to 13:00 hours, Berbice will be at Port Mourant from 14:30 hours to 18:00 hours, Essequibo at Imam Bacchus 09:00 hours to 13:00 hours while the Select XI will be at Malteenoes from 15:00 hours to 18:00 hours. Live streaming will be available for both matches of each round which would be shared on the GCB Facebook page.

GCB Senior 4-Day Inter- County schedule

Round 1 – February 25-28, 2023

Berbice vs Demerara at Providence

Essequibo vs Select XI at Enmore

Round 2 – March 3-6, 2023

Berbice vs Essequibo at GCC, Bourda

Demerara vs Select XI at Enmore

Round 3- March 9-12, 2023

Essequibo vs Demerara at GCC, Bourda

Berbice vs Select XI at Enmore

Madella retains TCU&SA presidency

ARNOLD Madella was returned unopposed as President of the Toronto Cricket Umpires & Scorers Association (TCU&SA) when the entity held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday.

The vice-president is Rohan Shaw, who served

herd, Nial Smith, Shamar Joseph, Shamal Angel, Junior Sinclair. The Manager is Travis Harcourt and Head Coach is Julian Moore. The reserves are Javed Karim, Seon Glasgow, Seon Hetmyer, Suresh Dhanai, Nigel Deodat and Kwesi Mickle.

GCB Select XI squad: Rajendra Chandrika (Captain), Alvin

as secretary in the previous administration, switching positions with Bijal Patel who is the new secretary.

Treasurer Tushar Thakar, assistant secretary/treasurer and assistant secretary Edsel Mitchell retained their respective posts.

Mohabir, Jeremiah Scott, Carlos La Rose, Zachary Jodah, Rajendra Ramballi, Nathan Persaud, David Williams, Mark Gonzales, Demeter Cameron, Jonathan Rampersaud, Zeynul Ramsammy, Sylus Tyndall and Kevin Umroa. The Manager is Ravindranauth Seeram while the Head Coach is Clive Grimmon

FSG bought Liverpool in a £300m deal following the tenure of former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

American basketball star LeBron James has been a part-owner of Liverpool since 2011 and has a 2% stake which cost him £4.7m.

He has since become a minor partner in FSG, which also owns baseball side Bos-

ton Red Sox.

In March 2021, RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm, bought a stake in FSG for about $735m (£533m).

FSG have been open to investment in Liverpool and have recently engaged Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs in that process.

“Yes. I know there has been a lot of conversation and quotes about LFC (Liverpool Football Club), but I

keep to the facts: we merely formalised an ongoing process,” said Henry.

son (Captain), Matthew Nandu, Raymond Perez, Tevin Imlach, Akshaya Persaud, Shamar Yearwood, Christopher Barnwell, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed,

Keemo Paul

Leon Johnson

Veerasammy Permaul

Liverpool owner John Henry (second left) with manager Jurgen Klopp

NBA All-Star Game: Tatum breaks All-Star record in Team Giannis win

TAYSON Tatum scored an All-Star Game record 55 points to lead Team Giannis to a 184-175 victory over Team LeBron in the NBA’s annual showcase.

Boston Celtics forward Tatum was named most valuable player (MVP) as he broke the previous record of 52 points, set by Anthony Davis in 2017.

Opposition captain LeBron James missed the second half after injuring the little finger of his right hand.

“It means the world,”

Tatum, now a four-time AllStar, said of his record.

“You think of all the legends and great players that have played this game.

“In all honesty, records are made to be broken. I’ll hold it as long as I can but I’m certain somebody will come along in a couple years and try to break it.”

Tatum’s Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown led Team LeBron with 35 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while James exited on 13 points after hitting his finger

Gabriel back for South Africa ODIs

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – Veteran fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has been recalled to the West Indies One-Day International side for the first time in almost four years, in a 15-man squad for next month’s three-match series against South Africa.

The 34-year-old spearheaded Trinidad and Tobago Red Force’s attack at the Super50 Cup last November, finishing with 15 wickets at 14 runs apiece.

Gabriel is the only noteworthy inclusion as selectors have kept faith with the core of the squad which featured in the last ODI series against New Zealand in the Caribbean eight months ago.

“We have had some

injuries to our fast-bowling pool so therefore we see Gabriel as an ideal fit heading into South Africa, and the surfaces we expect to play on,” said chief selector, the Most Honourable Desmond Haynes.

“It is felt that we need someone to get those early wickets and he is the kind of bowler that can do that. Judging from his performances in the CG United Super50 Cup, he is potentially a wicket-taking option up front.”

Off-spinning all-rounder

Roston Chase, who played his last ODI 15 months ago, has secured a place in the squad with 23-yearold Kevin Sinclair, who grabbed five wickets in his

three ODIs against New Zealand, omitted after a lean Super50 campaign.

The squad will be led by new ODI skipper Shai Hope with Rovman Powell, the T20 International captain, as his deputy.

Selectors have meanwhile named left-arm seamer Obed McCoy in the 15-man T20 squad, “subject to medical clearance”. The 26-year-old has not featured since West Indies’ failed campaign in the T20 World Cup qualifiers in Australia last October.

Neither fast bowler Jayden Seales nor Anderson Philiip was considered for selection due to their recovery from injury.

“For the T20Is, we have an experienced squad,”

Haynes said.

“What we are looking for is to form a cohesive unit and look at the players who we believe can form the nucleus as we build towards doing very well and challenging when we host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June 2024.”

Batting all-rounder Kyle Mayers will serve as Powell’s vice-captain.

West Indies take on South Africa in the ODI series from March 16-21, with the first two matches – day/night affairs – scheduled for East London and the final game set for Potchefstroom.

The T20I series runs from March 25-28 – the first two games carded for Centurion and the final

against the rim while trying to block a shot.

Los Angeles Lakers star James now shares the AllStar selections record of 19 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but defeat in Salt Lake City on Sunday was his first of six All-Star games as captain.

Winning captain Giannis Antetokounmpo scored the first points of the night with a dunk after 15 seconds, before sitting out the rest of the game having sprained his right wrist in the Milwaukee Bucks’ final

regular-season game. With Team Giannis leading 158-141 at the end of the third quarter, a target score for victory of 182 was set - this 24 points higher than the winning side’s score at that stage, an addition representing Kobe Bryant’s shirt number during much of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

And it was Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers drained the decisive three-pointer to secure the victory.(BBC Sport).

one scheduled for Johannesburg.

SQUADS:

ODI – Shai Hope (captain), Rovman Powell (vice captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Romario

Shepherd, Odean Smith

T20I – Rovman Powell (captain), Kyle Mayers (vice captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd,

Watford see off West Bromwich to go fifth in table

WATFORD saw off a spirited West Bromwich Albion side in an entertaining contest at Vicarage Road to move back into the Championship play-off places.

Albion twice levelled after falling behind but were eventually beaten by a Ken Sema shot that deflected in off Erik Pieters, which keeps them 10th in the table and four points from a top-six place.

Sema had given Watford

a first-half lead, firing high into the net from close range after Darnell Furlong had blocked an initial effort from Keinan Davis.

A double substitution at the break paid off for the Baggies, with left-back Conor Townsend popping up in the box at a corner to acrobatically hook in past Daniel Bachmann.

Watford winger Ismaila Sarr - who scored from inside his own half in the 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns

in August - looked to have made the decisive contribution with a fine first-time finish into the corner, only for the Hornets to surrender that lead when Jed Wallace capitalised on Bachmann’s poor pass out to equalise.

However, ex-Albion boss Slaven Bilic was able to celebrate a victory against his former club when Sema cut in from the right and his shot from the edge of the box flew in off defender Pieters.

Both goalkeepers made smart saves during the flurry of second-half goals, while Sema also had an effort ruled out for offside shortly after Wallace had made it 2-2.

Watford ended their five-game winless run to go fifth in the table ahead of a trip to second-placed Sheffield United on Saturday, while the Baggies will aim to end their recent blip when they host in-form Middlesbrough.

(BBC Sport).

Jayson Tatum also broke the record for points in an All-Star quarter with his 27 in the third

Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel recalled to Windies ODI squad.

Until beating West Bromwich Albion, Watford had not won in the Championship since 14 January.

GINMIN joins sponsorship team for MILO schools football

GUYANA Minerals Inc.

(GINMIN) is the latest entity to partner with the Petra Organisation for the 2023 edition of the Schools Football Tournament, which is slated to begin this Saturday.

At a brief presentation ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elliot Lincoln told those gathered that he is happy to be associated with the tournament.

“We would like to wish the PETRA Organisation a good tournament; we like the work that we see, and we are looking forward to some good football,” Lincoln said, adding that once Petra continues to be the organiser of tournaments of this nature, they can count on the support of Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc.

Participating schools also received balls for the tournament.

Meanwhile, only 32 of the invited 48 teams will move on to the main tournament, with an elimination tournament to determine which teams move forward.

The winner of the tournament is guaranteed $300,000 to a project of their choice, with $200,000 going to the second place, and $100,000 to the third place school.

From Region one (Barima-Waini), Santa Rosa Secondary is the lone team invited, with Region two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) invitations extended to 8th of May and Cotton Field Secondary

Schools.

Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) invitees include Uitvlugt Secondary, Vergenogen Secondary, Vreed-en- Hoop Secondary, Westminster Secondary, Stewartville Secondary, Patentia Secondary and West Demerara Secondary.

Annandale Secondary, Ann’s Grove Secondary, Golden Grove Secondary and

President’s College are the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) teams invited from the East Coast of Demerara, with the East Bank Schools being St. Cuthbert’s Secondary and Dora Secondary.

Region five (Mahaica-Berbice) will see Bush Lot Secondary and Bygeval Secondary in action, with Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) seeing Berbice Educational

Regal Legends warm up for Orlando Cup with victory over Jai Hind

REGAL Legends started their preparations for next month’s Orlando Cup softball tournament with an emphatic 57-run victory over Jai Hind Jaguars in a feature Over-50 Republic Cup match, played at the Queen’s College ground on Sunday.

Led by punishing half-centuries from opener Uniss Yusuf (64), and Rudolph Baker (56), Regal Legends reached a challenging 165 for five in their allotted 20 overs, before routing their opponents for 108 in 15.2 overs.

After losing the wickets of Mahendra Arjune (two) and the experienced Wayne Jones (two), Yusuf and Baker proceeded to plunder the Jai Hind Jaguars bowling to all parts of Queen’s College’s field in a brilliant third-wicket partnership of 100, with Yusuf blasting four fours and six sixes, while Baker clobbered four fours and five sixes in his knock. Bowling for the Berbi -

Bartica Secondary, with Linden’s Christiansburg/Wismar Secondary and Mackenzie Secondary both representing Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

cians, Veerapen Moonsammy claimed two for 18, and Anil Beharry two for 26.

Jai Hind Jaguars were never up to the challenge, despite a fine rearguard innings from Rickey Deonarine, who stroked three fours and an equal number of sixes in a top score of 40, while Eon Lovell contributed 21, with one four and a six. The batting was undermined by man-of-thematch and skipper, Mahendra Hardyal, who bagged an impressive five from 30 from his four allotted overs. Lyndon Lyght supported with two for 23.

The winning, runners-up, and man-of-the-match trophies were sponsored by Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, while the feature was organised under the aegis of the Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Inc.

The two teams will clash in a return fixture in Berbice on Mash Day, Thursday.

Institution, Canje Secondary, Berbice High, New Amsterdam Secondary and Manchester Secondary at play.

Region Seven ( CuyuniMazaruni)’s ‘invite’ went to

For Georgetown, the list includes: Bishops’ High School, Carmel Secondary, Charlestown Secondary, North Ruimveldt Secondary, Cummings Lodge Secondary, East Ruimveldt Secondary, Chase Academy, Morgan’s Learning Centre, Marian Academy, New Central High School, St. Joseph’s High, Dolphin Secondary, Tucville Secondary, Queen’s College, St. Stanislaus College, Lodge Secondary, West Ruimveldt Secondary, Freeburg Secondary, St. Winefride’s Secondary, St. John’s Secondary and Queenstown Secondary.

Eight

athletes qualify for CARIFTA Games at NSC Junior League

THE National Sports Commission (NSC) sponsored Athletics Guyana (AG) Junior League was contested last weekend at the National Track & Field Centre (NTFC) at Edinburgh, West Demerara.

This event served as the official qualifying meet for the historic 50th Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARFITA) junior games, which will be held in the Bahamas this Easter weekend.

A total of eight athletes have essentially booked their tickets to the Games after meeting Athletics Guyana’s qualifying standards for the Championships.

Those athletes are: Ezekiel Newton (100m & 200m), Tianna Springer (200m & 400m), Malachi Austin (400m), Athaley Hinckson (12.06s), Attoya Harvey (3000m), Javon Roberts (800m), Tamera Harvey (long jump), and Ezekiel Saul (triple jump).

CARIFTA gold medalist Attoya Harvey won the girls’ 14-16 years 3000m race in 10 minutes 42 seconds.

Javon Roberts won the boys 17-19 years 800m in one minute 58seconds

Tamera Harvey made the qualifying standard after winning the girls’ 14-16 years long jump with a distance of 5.55m. Also in the long jump pit, Saul’s winning distance of 13.61m saw him win the boys’ 14-16 years event.

Tianna Springer was dominant in the girls’ 14-16 years category with an impressive 24.33s and 55.45s, which was CARIFTA standards in the 200m and 400m events, respectively.

Newton won the marquee 100m and 200m 17-19 boys’ event in a time of 10.47s and 21.46 seconds, respectively.

Austin won the boy’s 400m 14-16 years event, while Hinckson’s winning time of 12.06s in the girls’ 14-16 years 100 heat was just enough to qualify for CARIFTA.

Regal Legends captain and man-of-the-match, Mahendra Hardyal collects the winning trophy from Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) President Ian John

CEO of GINMIN Elliot Lincoln (seated centre) with PETRA Co-director Troy Mendonca (right) and Adviser to the Education Ministry Africo Selman. Behind them are some of the students who will be participating in the tournament (Adrian Narine photo)

Ex-female world champion Shondell Alfred (second left) was among the large crowd on Sunday night

Abiola Jackman (right) punches away at T&T’s Kamara Stuart

T&T’s Nikkett Joseph (right) misses a big right against Desmond Amsterdam. (Photos by Sean Devers).

(right)