Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 25-07-2022

MONDAY 25th July, 2022 PRICE

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No.106794

President Ali, delegation depart for high-level meetings in US

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Big boost to homeownership –– government’s support for persons building their homes seen as most helpful and timely

Building Expo extended 02 to tomorrow

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An exhibit at the International Building Expo, being held at the Guyana National Stadium, at Providence, East Bank Demerara (Adrian Narine photo)

US company to set up 03 operations here PAGE

Kristoff 09 Black Belly sheep 14 Shephard from Barbados to on the road begin arriving this week to recovery PAGE

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President Ali, delegation depart for high-level meetings in US

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali and a delegation including VicePresident, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd and Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud, departed for Washington on Sunday for a series of high-level engagements.

According to a release, at the invitation of the US Government, the delegation will meet with high-ranking US Government officials, including the Secretary of State and leaders of Congress and the Senate, to discuss a range of issues to further deepen bilateral relations between Guyana and the

President, Dr Irfaan Ali US. President Ali will also be a guest speaker at several events hosted by the Atlantic Council and will meet with US business leaders. He has also been invited to speak at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Strategic and Inter-

national Studies and the Council of the Americas roundtable, among other events.

The President and his delegation are also expected to meet with Guyanese living in Washington, the release concluded.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Building Expo extended to tomorrow

By Naomi Parris

IN light of the overwhelming response to the International Building Expo 2022 from patrons and exhibitors, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, on Sunday, announced a two-day extension of the event.

The expo is being held at the National Stadium tarmac at Providence, East Bank Demerara under the theme: “A New Frontier for Building a One Guyana.”

It was slated to wrap up on Sunday; however, with great reviews and requests being made by exhibitors, the expo has been extended to Tuesday.

“Based on the request by the exhibitors themselves and based on an evaluation of the thousands of persons we’ve seen visiting the Guyana National Stadium over Friday and Saturday… we are therefore pleased to announce that we will be extending the International Building Expo 2022 by two days,” Minister Croal said.

“The response from our exhibitors is that they are happy [with] the amount of visitors as well as persons who are interested [in their products] and are able to acquire as much information as possible of what this expo is about,” he added.

On Monday and Tuesday, the gates will be open from 12:00 hrs to 22:00hrs with admission free of cost.

“The gates will be wide open for one and all to visit here at the Guy-

ana National Stadium.

So, I want to encourage all persons, especially those who have not had the opportunity to visit the expo as yet, to come and take your time – there is a lot of information to be acquired. There are

ers, while a further $30B will be expended on the construction of 1,500 housing units at LBI; 1,000 at Leonora; 1,000 at Wales and 1,000 at the new Silica City.

Minister Croal said that while those projects

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal over 350 booths here… to be able to experience and interact as much as possible because this is an expo like no one before,” the Housing Minister stated.

In his address to thousands of people at the launch of the expo last Friday, he announced that the government will be investing a total of $50B to construct 4,500 housing units and expand major highways.

He noted that $20B would be spent on the expansion of major highways, including the Aubrey Barker Road, Eccles Landfill Road and Schoonord to Crane roadways, among oth-

were government-led, there were many private sector-led projects in various stages, making the offerings of Building Expo 2022 critical.

Further, he said that over the next three years, more than $100B would be invested in regional infrastructure and building works across the 10 administrative regions.

The expo has returned after five years and is dubbed the blueprint of the future infrastructure. It has attracted some 350 participants, of which at least 25 are foreign companies, including some from the Caribbean.

Big boost to home ownership 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

- government’s support for persons building their homes seen as most helpful and timely

GUYANESE have lauded the initiatives announced

by President, Dr Irfaan Ali that is set to target home builders in the below $6 million to $25Million bracket as helpful and timely.

The massive investments by the government will see home builders benefitting from the provision of steel and cement for the construction of their homes.

Yogakshi Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle that she is happy with the announcements from the President.

She was among a group of persons who on Saturday received a house lot at the Ministry of Housing and Water Dream Realised initiative at the International Building Expo being held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

According to Persaud, the house lot allocation closes a six-year-long wait in her journey to home ownership.

Speaking about the government’s initiative, Persaud said

Yogakshi Persaud she is “extremely happy,” as the initiative is a great kickstart in the building process.

“I think it is a very good

initiative, especially for the young professionals because sometimes someone when they get their land, they prob-

ably are not capable of starting at the moment or they would say I would like to wait a few years before I decide to build, but when they get that motivation now they would say okay, I’m getting a little help, we will move forward with it.”

Latoya Harris, another visitor at the building expo, believes that the measures announced by the President will play a major role in boosting the rate at which land owners start pursuing the commencement of construction on their properties.

She opined that with the cost of living worldwide continuing along an upward trajectory, it is great to see the government investing in systems to cater to the needs of the public.

AN ENCOURAGEMENT “It really subsidises the cost of building and helps people to achieve their dream of home ownership. This type of initiative is really an encouragement, because we

all know that costs of items are going up every day and this will allow home owners the opportunity to have that first step, which is quite expensive in itself, taken care of,” Harris said.

Lisa Persaud expressed similar views. She told the Guyana Chronicle that she recently received a house lot a few months ago and is at the stage of building the foundation of her house.

She is eager to benefit from the government’s initiative as it is set to save her a significant sum that could be utilised in another section of the building process.

The new initiative will see persons constructing their homes at the value of $6 million or less receiving one sling of cement, along with the steel to be used for the foundation works.

The President also noted that home builders in the above $6 million to $25 million categories will receive two slings of cement to aid

in the construction process.

He said that these initiatives are being implemented to continue the government’s aggressive agenda of making homeownership more affordable and to boost the quality of life of Guyanese.

The current cost for one sling of cement, which consists of around 36 sacks of cement, is $58,000 at Gafoors, one of Guyana’s leading hardware stores.

The boom in the construction sector has seen a significant 50 per cent growth in loans within the past two years.

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, on Friday, said since assuming office less than two years ago, the government has been working strategically to achieve its manifesto promise to provide 50,000 house lots by 2025. In less than two years, some 12,000 house lots have been allotted in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine, and 10.

US company to set up operations here

- selling rust-proof alternative to steel rods ENCOURAGED by the massive construction boom in Guyana, US-based company, Basanite Amazon, which offers a construction alternative to steel rods, is looking to set up an office and eventually a factory, in Guyana.

The company is one among several overseasbased businesses that are on show at the International Building Expo at the National Stadium. The expo has so far attracted immense attention from the public, particularly home-builders and contractors.

Managing Partner for Basanite Amazon, Michael Dodds, shared that the company sees massive potential for its products, basanite rods, in Guyana’s market.

“Basanite Amazon has a huge opportunity in Guyana simply because of the amount of construction that’s just about to start and that’s going to develop as time goes by,”

Dodds said, adding: “I think it can be a US-billion-dollarplus industry in time to come.

We see our business becoming a permanent home here in Guyana. From Guyana we plan to cover 32 countries across the Caribbean, all the islands and so on.”

He commended the Building Expo, noting that it is a great starting point for the company to begin sensitising the Guyanese populace about its product, prior to bringing an office to Guyana.

“It’s very good. It’s bringing a lot of the people and is helping us with the marketing to find out who has an interest. We are surprised at how many people in Guyana are interested,” Dodds said.

The concept for the product started development some five year ago, and according to Dodds, it is attracting massive attention as a replacement for steel rods.

The product, which takes the elongated shape common

to steel rods, is made out of volcanic rock. It is attracting massive attention because it is rust proof. The product is also stronger and significantly lighter than steel.

Marketing Correspondent for Basanite Amazon, Jay Thompson, believes that basanite rods are good for Guyana in the construction of sea defences, since the salt water could corrode steel.

“People started picking up on it very fast because of the wonderful benefits that it offers,” said Thompson, explaining that “Steel still conducts heat, conducts electricity; this conducts nothing, it never corrodes and it’s rust proof. So with this we won’t have the problem of the collapsing as we have seen with some buildings. It can’t happen with this as the structure inside. It also has the same coefficient of expansion that is close to concrete. So they don’t have to make the expansion cracks in the con-

Basanite Amazon Marketing Correspondent, Jay Thompson and Managing Partner, Michael Dodds showcase the basanite rods at their booth at the International Building Expo (Adrian Narine photo) crete pores as they’re doing now. It’s going to take over the world in construction.”

Thompson shared that he was also surprised and impressed with the huge amounts of attention that the booth has been getting at the event, making the company all the more encouraged to quickly set up its offices.

“A lot of the people ac-

tually stop here that are not just collecting cards and flyers, but that are really potential interest people.

Whether they are building their own house or into construction and major formations and manufacturing.

This is a needed product for any place that’s in a state of construction,” said Thompson.

“We are here to stay, we’re going to be down here with an office in a couple of weeks; we’re going to be taking orders and we’re going to see if enough interest [exists] to begin making the product here and hiring people to build the product.

Because the raw material is here too, it’s all over the world.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Prime Minister opens Bartica Summer Splash Regatta

PRIME Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips said that the government recognises the importance of Bartica as an integral part of the country’s developmental agenda and major holistic development projects are in the pipeline to revolutionise the town.

“Our country is on the brink of massive economic development, and wherever that occurs, we must ensure that every community, every region, and every citizen can enjoy the benefits that will come with these positive changes. It means that our interest in Bartica extends beyond sports. It means that our interest in Bartica encompasses every aspect of our citizens’ social progress and prosperity.”

The Prime Minister delivered these remarks on Sunday at the Golden Beach Pavilion, Region Seven, where he offi-

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips with Barticans on Friday (DPI photo)

cially opened the Bartica Summer Splash Regatta, which he described as an important annual ritual in Guyana.

“In addition to strengthening social relationships, sports encourage a sense of unity, sportsmanship and teamwork.

Sports provide a healthy outlet for those who indulge in them.

It promotes healthy lifestyles and gives an improved quality of life.” The senior government official revealed that the Government has been working on health, economic and infrastructural transformation that will see major improvements in Bartica and surrounding communities.

He also highlighted a number of transformative projects that are underway and stated that regional economic and infrastructural development will be linked to the national transformative infrastructure, which includes the construction of the Timehri to Bartica Road link; upgrades to hospitals in Bartica; construction of a $10M bond at the Bartica Hospital; introduction of the flagship initiative Picture Archiving Computing System (PACS) at the Bartica Hospital; the establishment of a $26.3M Maternal and Child Health Centre; government’s solar farms project; recommencement of the Bartica Stelling project; commissioning of a $177M modern Bartica Magistrate’s Court and the improvement in water services and delivery with the replacement of old transmission mains.

He also expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of the Regatta Committee, the regional administration, the private sector sponsors and other stakeholders for ensuring that the tradition is maintained.

“I wish to take this time to acknowledge the hard work of the Bartica Business Development Committee, a group of local businesspersons who, through their love and vested interest in the development of Bartica, have come together to host this event. The group has expressed its commitment to giving back to their community while promoting and encouraging the development of business in Bartica through these and other initiatives.”

He added: “I congratulate the Barticians [sic] for their work to build and promote their community and assure you that your government is right here, building along with you.”

The Bartica Regatta has returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

New company launched to offer sub-sea services to local O&G sector A NEW company, Caribbean Subsea Specialist Inc. (CSSI), was on Thursday evening launched to provide services to the local oil-andgas sector.

The event was held in the Aura Lounge, at the Pegasus Hotel, in Kingston, where it was learnt that the company, which was incorporated in 2017, is a joint-venture partnership between local majority shareholder, the Beharry Group of Companies, and Subsea Specialist out of Trinidad & Tobago.

According to CSSI Operations Director, Dy-

CSSI Operations Director Dylan Galt (Elvin Croker photo)

lan Galt, they have been investing quite a lot over the years to get the company up and running, and provide training to Guyanese to operate Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and to offer commercial diving services.

Galt said it cost them around US$75,000 to get their house in order in terms of procuring the relevant equipment, training personnel, transporting trainers, and getting persons prepared to work offshore.

“We want to get the Guyanese people ready to work; we want to build

the local skilled labour,” Galt said.

Thus far, some 13 persons have been trained to operate the ROVs to support oil- and-gas operations here. Galt said the company is also working on providing training for commercial divers and more.

Persons have been selected for this training, and the company is in the process of getting that training going in order to have these persons certified to provide commercial diving services in Guyana.

CSSI, Galt said, has partnered with a number

of other companies to be able to provide special services to the sector.

He said, “Along with the ROV services and the training of the ROV personnel and the diving services and the training of the divers, they have these other technical roles with our partners that we’re bringing to the table here.”

CSSI’s main goal, Galt said, is to get to a stage where it is 100 per cent Guyanese-run and employed, and to build on, and and pass on the knowledge they would have acquired.

US: Biden could declare Brazil election: Bolsonaro launches campaign climate emergency

US climate envoy, John Kerry (BBC photo) US climate envoy, John Kerry, says President Joe Biden is considering announcing a climate emergency.

The move would give him additional powers to push his renewable energy agenda, which has been held up by lack of support in Congress.

Kerry told the BBC it was “less than ideal” that Congress was not “fullthroatedly” in favour.

But he said nobody was

more committed than President Biden to replacing carbon-based energy.

Kerry also said recent Supreme Court rulings restricting the government’s environmental policies had not helped.

Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless gov-

ernments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

Tens of millions of people in the US, across more than two dozen states, have been living under heat warnings during the past week.

But Biden’s efforts to pass a climate change bill were dealt a blow earlier this month when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin – a conservative Democrat – said he would not vote for the legislation.

O n We d n e s d a y, M r Biden announced $2.3B (£1.9B) to help build infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters.

However, he stopped short of formally declaring a climate emergency, despite mounting pressure to do so from fellow Democrats and environmental groups.

Kerry said the world was learning that green energy reduced inflation, lowered energy costs, created jobs and improved health and security. He said Biden was prepared to use “every tool available to him” to tackle climate change, including executive orders. (BBC)

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has officially launched his re-election campaign (BBC/Reuters photo) Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has officially launched his re-election campaign, as he trails his main rival badly in opinion polls.

Thousands of the farright president’s supporters gathered at a stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where he was nominated.

He promised to retain a welfare programme that makes cash payments to poorer Brazilians.

His left-wing rival,

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is widely known for his policies to lift people out of poverty.

Bolsonaro’s candidacy was officially endorsed by his right-wing Liberal Party. The election is due to take place on 2 October.

During the rally at Maracanãzinho stadium, Bolsonaro told his supporters, “The army is on our side.”

“It’s an army that doesn’t accept corrup-

t i o n , d o e s n ’t a c c e p t fraud,” he added. Gen Walter Braga Netto, former defence minister, has been nominated as Bolsonaro’s Vice-President.

Lula, who previously served as President from 2003-10, was officially nominated by the left-wing Worker’s Party on Thursday.

Some opinion polls suggest he leads Bolsonaro by as many as 20 percentage points. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

The abortion row

WHEN the US Supreme Court overturned a landmark case guaranteeing women’s reproductive rights, recently, it set aflame an issue that has been smouldering for decades, and which flares up from time to time.

Pro and anti-abortion activists took to the streets with placards either supporting or attacking the fact that after more than 40 years, Roe v Wade, a ruling that recognised women’s constitutional rights to an abortion, has been struck down by the highest court in the land.

The decision has brought the conservative justices under scrutiny, and is causing mounting confusion among legislators in many states, now embroiled in heated debates over abortion rights.

With 26 states likely to ban abortion, a Reuters article states, “Women with unwanted pregnancies in large swathes of America now face the choice of travelling to another State, where the procedure remains legal and available, buying abortion pills Online, or having a potentially dangerous illegal abortion.”

And Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who de-

clared that, “…the Constitution neither outlaws abortion nor legalises it”, announced that the ruling does not allow States to prevent residents from travelling to another State for an abortion, nor punish people retroactively for prior abortions.

However, Roe v Wade, according to the article, “recognised that the right to personal privacy under the Constitution protects a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy”.

Herein lies the essential issue: Whether a woman should have the right to decide to end a pregnancy, within what timeframe, and for what reasons. Further, the competency of men to rule on a matter so personal to women -- given that they neither conceive nor reproduce, and cannot possibly fathom the ramifications of an unwanted pregnancy -- is also being challenged, as is the question of whether a court should have the authority to legislate morality.

While the differing factions get into heated arguments, and even violent exchanges over these issues, it would seem only morally fair that a woman who becomes pregnant through incest or rape should automatically

qualify for an abortion, and the timeframe should be a medical decision, based on the safety of the procedure.

Now that Roe V Wade has been overturned, this will not be the case in those States where abortion is now illegal, or only permitted prior to 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Said Dr. Herminia Palacio, President and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, “The Supreme Court has taken the radical step of overturning Roe v Wade outright, thus unleashing uncertainty and harm onto people asking for nothing more than to exercise their fundamental right to bodily autonomy… Roe enabled tens of millions of people in the United States to decide their own future, and protect their well-being.”

She goes on to assert that decades of research show that abortion bans and restrictions have neither reduced unintended pregnancy, nor the demand for abortions. Indeed, these restrictions have been shown to cause significant difficulties in obtaining proper care, and lead to the stress of forced pregnancy and all its worrisome repercussions.

In Guyana, abortion has been legal with the passing of the Medical Termination

of Pregnancy Act. This permits abortion for any reason during the first eight weeks of pregnancy, if performed by a licenced medical practitioner, and may be allowed at a later stage, if the health of the mother or foetus is endangered.

Indeed, our Abortion Act is both wide-ranging and liberal, allowing for later abortions in cases of rape, incest and other trauma, and the procedure is protected by strict doctor-patient confidentiality.

However, in the United States, where 62 per cent of Americans disapprove of the recent Supreme Court ruling, it still stands, with the debate now raging on at State level, and the US President weighing in and calling the decision “a tragic error”, and those supporting it “wrong, extreme and out of touch”.

And the Guttmacher Institute CEO launched the call for those who seek to defend policies supporting bodily autonomy to “…protect abortion rights and access in as many States as possible, and achieve federal legislation to ensure that anyone, anywhere who needs an abortion can get one freely, and with dignity”.

Do the crime, serve your time Dear Editor,

THERE was an interesting, eye-catching poster on display in Linden, through which the author sought to highlight the public message: “I saw them thieving the Mace! Now they must serve their time.”

The realistic and appropriate, raw truth of this statement requires no qualifying justifications when one revisits the recent outlandish act (caught on camera), lawless conduct of some APNU/PNC parliamentarians in the National Assembly.

The flagrant abuse by many at this highest level in the opposition camp must not be condoned and demands the strongest sanctions. Certainly, failure to act accordingly will likely influence and result in the fertilisation of a total breakdown of law and order. Following the six-meeting suspensions of eight APNU+AFC Parliamentarians recommended by the Privileges Committee of the Assembly, this column is reliably informed that PNC operatives made significant attempts to organise a ‘picketing’ demonstration rejecting the disciplinary measures. The people of Linden refused to join the picket line supporting the anarchic behaviour of this cabal group while sending a strong message by displaying a most relevant poster.

The Guyanese people must stand up against such lawlessness in the National

Assembly. The historic and symbolic relevance represents the authority of Parliament, the third tier of our governance system. When he enters or leaves the chamber, the Speaker is preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms bearing the mace on his right shoulder. When the National Assembly is in session, the mace is placed on the Clerk’s table, with its head pointing towards the government side of the chamber.

It is also placed in a particular approved position when the Assembly is sitting as a Committee of the whole Assembly. Therefore, the attacks on the Parliament itself, give light to why this initial sanction as an offence regulator is seen by many as a mere slap on the wrist.

During the chaotic situation, Annette Ferguson, joined by other APNU+AFC parliamentarians was recorded trying to steal the Speaker’s mace in a vulgar and thuggish attempt to remove the Speaker’s authority. This intent is also evidenced by subsequent legal claims by the Coalition representatives that the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act that was being addressed by the House was not properly passed. The situation was an attempt by the opposition MPs to prevent the Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, from presenting the second reading of the bill.

However, the struggle for the mace was halted by a determined “human wall” that

was put in place by the courageous PPP/C parliamentarians, while Clerk McPherson, the Speaker’s Assistant, made every effort to secure the special instrument. He was seen by the world lying on the floor at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, holding on to the “mace.” Further, he was made the target of imposed public assault, humiliation, and verbal abuse from the APNU+AFC parliamentarians, particularly MP Maureen Philadelphia.

Editor, the never-before-seen events of Wednesday, December 21, 2021, in the halls of our National Assembly drew widespread national and global condemnation.

The PPP/C’s outstanding Attorney-General, Mr Anil Nandlall, vehemently condemned the atrocious unparliamentary behaviour of the opposition Members of Parliament who were shouting to the top of their voices as they vulgarly vented their outrageous feelings against the hard-working staff at the National Assembly.

The veteran PPP/C parliamentarian, Gail Teixeira, with all her experience took control of the situation along with her other MPs as they successfully went through the Order Paper. The fact is that the leaderless APNU+AFC were caught with their pants down and resorted to what they do best, wanton street-type bullyism.

Such unacceptable behaviour must never be allowed in our Parliament and must

be considered an indictment against which the stronger enforceable options must be considered as a future deterrent, since the hallowed walls of Parliament must be respected. The peoples’ representatives at the highest level must conduct themselves with appropriate prudence and décor. Comparatively, only recently several ‘like’ representatives in the United States of America were arrested for less-than-acceptable conduct while participating in public protest activities outside of the Senate. Similarly, clear guidelines of behaviour at this level cannot be overlooked when our governance system is being placed under siege.

The suspended opposition Members of Parliament, in this case, have done the crime and must do their time! This column, therefore, cannot disagree with MP and Minister of Governance, Teixeira, who recently expressed her wish that the suspended MPs will realise their role in the National Assembly and set a good example to our youth and students.

Guyanese must accept the fact that the PPP/C government is doing its best for a better Guyana; our nation is on the rise and our people must unite for us to live a good life Yours respectfully, Neil Kumar

Perspective: Cake-shop Disinformation vs Strategic Economic Decision Making

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

By Ron Cheong

ONE of the dailies recently ran an article titled: Seven years on…Guyana still to protect self from being cheated on oil revenues.

In that article, former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan is quoted as saying: “You have to ensure that you are not cheated even within what you have signed up to get and I think in that regard, we are not doing a very good job because seven years after oil has been found, we don’t have in place, I believe, not even maybe 10 per cent of the legal, regulatory, human and other factors in place to ensure that in terms of what is in the contract, we get every ounce of it, even as we move or attempt to get renegotiation…”

The daily runs this type of article day in and day out. Does the paper and Mr Jordan have to be reminded that for five of those seven years, his party was the government and he was the Finance Minister? He actually said that for five critical years that APNU+AFC sat on their hands and did not do anything to ensure that mechanisms would be in place to regulate the oil business. Of course, that was not the former minister’s intention.

But that sometimes happens when you sling mud with the expectation that some of it will stick.

The former minister’s lament ends with the cry that there should be an attempt to get renegotiation. Bear in mind that what he is going on about is the contract that was signed on his own watch as

the Minister of Finance -- the details then kept hidden along with the $18 million signing bonus for some 18 months. Then even after they were forced to disclose the details in the aftermath of strong criticism, they did not lift a finger to renegotiate the contract – not the former minister or anyone in his government.

This is the type of disingenuousness that gets promulgated day in and day out.

In the same issue of the paper, they ran another story with the obvious follow-through implications, titled: Jagdeo determined to accelerate exploration even if Guyana gets less. In the first paragraph they quote Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo as saying that the Government of Guyana wants to accelerate oil exploration to develop the economy speedily – even if it means Guyana “gains less.” It’s a good article in total, but that is not the top-line take away I would come away with.

STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DECISION I read the Reuters report on which the article is based.

And what I came away with was that the government weighed the optimum alternatives for the development of the country’s oil resources in order to fund the country’s rapid development and get benefits to the people as quickly as possible.

They explored starting the country’s own oil firm to do our own surveys of unexplored blocks with the view of attracting the highest bids for our oil. Their findings were that, at this stage, Guyana

has neither the skills, technology nor money to do the deep-sea surveys and conduct auctions at the level required, and these would all take time and resources to develop.

The country therefore is better positioned to explore taking a stake in partnership with another country or conglomerate with the track record, the depth of experience, and the type of facilities required. This would allow the new properties to be brought to market sooner. And this in turn would promote faster development of the country.

Guyana’s production cost is estimated at $25 to $35 per barrel. With the Russia/ Ukraine war Brent crude is trading around $100.

The country has to plan with fluctuating prices and demand in mind as well as the 2050 Net Zero Target, which has the aim of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity.

If Guyana is to get the most from its oil potential, exploration and discovery have to be expedited, unexplored blocks developed, and the cash from new discoveries used to accelerate development and diversify non-oil sectors of the economy.

TIME VALUE OF MONEY The time value of money is another consideration for accelerating exploration. Simply put, money in the hand now is worth more than the same amount of money in the future. Or stated more directly, a smaller amount of money now

could be worth more than a larger amount in the future.

For example, $0.61 now is equivalent to $1 10 years in the future, using a modest discount rate of five per cent.

Guyana’s economy is projected to grow an astounding 47.5 per cent this year, the fastest growth rate in the world.

So $0.61 invested in development now will have a vastly larger payback than the above example.

Under this scenario, returns from investing accelerated cash streams in immediate development would make moot any reasonable alternative scenario of higher nominal bids through do-it-yourself surveying and auctioning at a future point when Guyana would have acquired the expertise, technology, funding and organisational structures required for the undertaking.

An example of one such productive investment is the $100 million gas-fired power plant scheduled to come on stream in 2025. This will slash electricity costs in the country and spur industrial development.

As will using the funds for new roads, which will also feed economic development, in areas such as agriculture, hotels, tourism etc. These all create a multiplier effect, culminating in a higher standard of living for Guyanese, new schools, hospitals etc., sooner. And these keep paying forward snowballing dividends.

Far from “gaining less” as the newspaper chooses to trumpet, it’s a win for Guyana, and a well-thought- out strategic economic decision.

Ensuring First Peoples are not last citizens

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

(Part I)

By Earl Bousquet

THE biggest book in all my collections in my various libraries is titled, Views of the Interior of Guyana, a larger-than-life, once-in-a-lifetime, first-hand account of the first documented European expeditioners into British Guiana’s interior that produced the first impressions Europeans, as well as inhabitants of the colony’s coastline, got of those who peopled the interior for generations before the Europeans arrived.

Measuring all of 19 X 13 inches, this mountain of a pocketbook of Guyana’s early history is a prize for any collection for both size and contents as well as – and most important – the illustrations contained, which were among the first the outside world saw of Guiana’s large and varied interior.

The massive book was given to my wife Marie and I on September 29, 2014 by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and his wife Yvonne, who was also Chair of the Guyana Relief Council (GRC), of which I was Vice- Chair while serving in the Guyana media from 1993-1999.

Originally published in 1840 and my copy printed in 2009, this giant of a book offered the first illustrated impressions of what life was like beyond the coastline, in the mountains and rivers, plains and savannahs, forests and jungles, showing what the people who inhabited the interior looked like and the ways their lived, the birds and animals with which they lived, by day and night.

Guyana’s then Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport, Dr Frank Anthony noted in the book’s foreword, that it was one of the most outstanding works of its main author, Sir Robert Herman Schomburgk.

Dr Anthony also noted that back then (169 years earlier): “It was regarded as a technologically advanced work because it combined intaglio, woodblock and innovations in colour lithography…” and that it’s “powerful pictorial representations of the interior rescued Guiana

from one of relative obscurity to one of relative importance in the minds of the colonialists.”

Dr Anthony described Schomburgk -- a German citizen commissioned by Britain as an explorer, surveyor, cartographer, botanist -- for his “meticulous documentation of his scientific findings in various scholarly books and journals,” also describing him as “a man ahead of his time” and an early “global citizen.”

Schomburgk carried out two expeditions to Guiana: the first was between 1835 and 1839, “under the direction of the Geographical Society of London and aided by Her Majesty’s government”; and the second was from 1841 to 1844, when he came as a “Boundaries Commissioner.”

The book, published after Schomburgk’s first trip, included initial sketches by John Morrison; and features 12 carefully-selected views of the massive colony’s wide and deep interior, from Morrison’s sketches later enhanced by Charles Bentley.

Interestingly, the expedition that produced the pictures began just as slavery started to end, during which Schomburgk identified 10 sets of First People, all with distinct linguistic and other communication similarities and differences.

The researcher counted and documented some 7,000 original people scattered across the following ten tribes: Acawais (or Waccawios), Arawaks, Arecunas, Atorais (or Atorias), Caribs (or Caribisi), Macusis, Tarumas, Wapisianas, Warraus and Woyawais.

But – in the untrained European eyes -- they all looked the same, even if each had their own established locations and boundaries, coexisting with nature and alongside each other in unimaginable ways.

The mapping expeditions were blessed by Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, respectively; and Schomburgk’s deep personal sense of inquiry, research and documentation led him to spend much time and attention also mapping the ways of life of the original people, tracing their origins and giving the world its first caricatured glimpses, in the 12 selected portraits, of the richness of the flora and fauna, the diversity of different forms of life and the commonality of the way they lived full and simple lives with the best of all nature had to offer.

As with most explorers commissioned by the Kings and Queens of Europe at the time, the expeditions also came seeking new worlds to conquer and Schomburgk openly wished for Guiana’s First People to be Christianised under colonialism, even with (perhaps) a better understanding of and respect for their cultures.

Schomburgk also had a better understanding and appreciation of and respect for the original people he met during his trips, tracing the Essequibo River to its source following the other major rivers through over 3,000 miles in a wide circuit encompassing Brazil and Venezuela; and he drew what was considered the most accurate map of Guiana in those times.

Indeed, Schomburgk’s maps of Guiana were reported (in the informative book) by then Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Dr Ernest Martens, to have “played a major role in helping an international tribunal adjudicate on a border dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela in 1899.”

He also noted that: “In addition to vastly expanding our knowledge of Guyana’s flora and fauna, many species of which he described for the first time, Robert Schomburgk was a champion of the rights of the Amerindian population. Wherever he went in his travels and in his writings he did everything he could to stop slavery expeditions from neighbouring countries and secure a life of peace and happiness for ‘the poor remnants of those who once roved in full supremacy over the soil.’”

He rejected the prevailing narrative that the “Indians,” like others, met across the wider region after Columbus’ arrival in 1492, were lesser mortals, not equal human beings, but savages needing to be civilized.

Schomburgk agreed they should be civilised through European orientation and Christianity, but he also advocated that more should be done to better understand their civilisations (that preceded European arrivals) and to learn from their interactions with nature and synchronized adaptation to their environment.

The 12 portraits highlighted in the book gave the British their first view of what life was like in and who populated Guiana’s interior.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Overlapping benefits evident in every sector all across the country –– GMSA President says

WITH transformations taking place in just about every sector all across Guyana, the overlapping benefits to be derived from such a development are numerous.

This is according to President of the Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA) Mr. Rafeek Khan, who made the foregoing observation recently during the GMSA’s mid-year business dinner, where he not only drew reference to the significant advancements taking place in a number of sectors here, but also suggested that it is high time that Guyana transitions from being a primary producer and focus more on becoming involved in secondary and tertiary manufacturing.

Noting further that it is in the latter two areas of business that value-added opportunities reside the most, Khan said that given current trends, every sector within the country now stands a chance to grow at a significant rate.

And, in light of this new trajectory upon which Guyana has embarked, Khan said there is yet hope that manufacturers here will see a significant reduction in the cost of doing business over the next two years, and that

the upshot of this will be a heightening of competitiveness among themselves.

Using recent developments in the forestry sector, such as the 25 % increase in production despite the many challenges it faces, to bolster his argument, Khan said that at the same time that was happening, exports in the sector also increased significantly, by as much as 30 per cent.

He, however, noted that while this type of expansion and growth is being seen across the board, businesses should also take time to reflect on the challenges that had to be overcome to achieve such growth.

Noting that the agro-processing sector in particular will play a major role in the continued growth of the country, what with President Dr. Irfaan Ali seizing every opportunity to promote bilateral trade between Guyana and countries in the Caribbean as well as food security apart from oil and gas, Khan said: “So, there are overlapping benefits that we’re going to find, as we’re seeing the development with regards to agriculture and forestry, housing and these sectors.”

Turning his attention to other matters, Khan said he

Two miners die as pit collapses

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TWO men, Troy Scott, 44, and Seon Martin, 32, on Friday died after the mining pit in which they were working reportedly caved in on them.

According to the Guyana Police Force in a release, the incident occurred around 15:30hrs on July 22 at Kumung Kumung Backdam, Puruni River.

Initial investigations revealed that Scott of Linden and

The mining pit in Kumung Kumung Backdam GMSA President Rafeek Khan (GMSA photo) recently learnt that in the quarrying sector, more licences have had to be issued as the demand for such raw materials has now grown to some 1.5 metric tonnes annually, and because of this, Guyana has been having to import some 300 metric tonnes of the stuff to satisfy the market.

In the mining sector specifically, he further added that they anticipate that with the building of capacity and more investors coming in,

significant increases in the production in this sector will also be seen.

He went on to say that some businesses have been having hindrances, as it relates to access to capital, and noted that the business community would like to see a revolving fund in place.

Further, he said that with plans in place to increase manufacturing and production, the availability of land to do that must be addressed.

Martin of Lethem were both employed by a businessman on a dredge in the Kumung Kumung Backdam.

On the day in question, police say Martin was operating the jetting hose while Scott was operating the Marrock hose in the mining pit which is about 25 feet in depth when the land caved in and trapped them beneath.

Other workers who were present at the time were able to escape unhurt and subsequently joined and dug both Scott and Martin from beneath the overburden by which time they had succumbed.

According to police, the bodies were brought to the Bartica Hospital the following day where they were pronounced dead. The bodies bore multiple abrasions.

They were taken to the Memorial Funeral Parlour for a post-mortem examination.

Police are investigating the incident.

On the road to recovery –– national athlete involved in accident undergoing rigorous training and therapy

By Naomi Parris

IT was Napoleon Hill who once said, “Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.” While this may seem like a simple quote for many, these words, however, are more than just quotes for 22-year-old Kristoff Shephard.

Shephard, who is a national volleyball player, was involved in a horrific accident in February of this year. A truck allegedly collided with the car he was driving at the time.

While the other passengers in the car escaped unscathed, the young athlete was hospitalised for a month and 10 days.

Today, the determined athlete is on his way to recovery.

“I was in the hospital for a month and 10 days. Thus far, the recovery process has been great, the therapy and so contributed to me coming so far,” Shephard told the Guyana Chronicle.

With a support system built of friends, families and strong will, Shephard is getting back on his feet physically; he is also thriving academically and is set to graduate from the University of Guyana at the end of the year.

“The support has been great from my friends and family and I want to say a special thank you for that,” he said.

Shephard is not yet back on the court. He is currently going through a rigorous series of therapy and training sessions and while it is a tedious task, he believes the harder he works the better he will be.

“Currently I do physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and hydrotherapy under the great supervision of my amazing therapist, Damon Sandy. I do workouts in ways that I can because I always believe the more work I put in, the better for me,” he said, adding: “Recovery can be tedious sometimes, but I tend to so stay motivated by working out

or watching Netflix.”

Cognisant that the road to a full recovery will take time and requires some hard work, Shephard said he is up for the challenge.

“Recovery is a process, and it will take time, you just have to stay disciplined and motivated and last but not least, don’t give up.”

Though working on his own personal development, he is also advocating for greater visibility for athletes across the country, like himself, especially those in the sport of volleyball.

“I do believe that more marketing can be done for the sport to showcase our athletes and by extension, the skill that they possess in the sport.”

He also wants greater recognition for the sport.

“As an athlete I intend to use my portfolio to garner coverage for the sport and by extension having the sport become more popular.”

Shephard during one of his therapy sessions

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Where is the village?

PEOPLE often say it takes a village to raise a child, which means the more people (family and community members) involved in a child’s life and development, the better upbringing, experiences and existence that child will have.

We all want positive and wholesome experiences for our children and community; therefore, we must stay vigilant for signs of child abuse.

Even if we only suspect child abuse, we must report the same to the relevant authorities:-- the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), the Police, the Social Workers at the Ministry of Human Services, Doctors, and Teachers. These agencies work together to protect children and prevent child abuse.

As a neighbour or part of a community, no one expects you to go door to door to

check up on the children in each family to ensure they are not physically abused, malnourished, sexually abused or neglected. Still, you should be watchful, attentive and concerned about the youngsters in your community.

If something doesn’t look right, there could be something wrong, do not dismiss the thought as trivial or tell yourself it is none of your business. Make a report - you could save a child from dire circumstances. Some people instinctively know when something is wrong - their conscience does not let them rest until they have reached the bottom of a situation and their fears have been proved unfounded or confirmed.

Many reports that reach the desk of Child Protection Officers come from vigilant adults who suspect something and

know they must make a report. It is their privilege to remain anonymous should they choose, and their names or where they live is not included in the documentation nor shared with (alleged) suspects.

A woman pensioner observed some strange activity from her window. The dilapidated house obliquely across from her had several small children under ten who were barely dressed and always in the yard.

They played a lot of the time, but sometimes, they seemed to be waiting patiently to go into their home. The pensioner always noticed when a man came out and left that the children were allowed inside. She also observed the mother going out occasionally and locking the children in the home alone.

Sometimes she heard a crying child from the house at night but was always relieved to see and count the children in the yard the next day – at least they were all right. The pensioner was concerned about the children but unaware of her civic duty to inform authorities of their neglect.

The children were unaware of the neglect; their way of life was all they knew.

It did not occur to their young minds that they were malnourished, not receiving an education and living in adverse conditions.

Only a thoughtful adult could make that observation and seek to rectify the circumstances on their behalf.

Seeing the children in the yard was the pensioner’s way of maintaining their safety, but it was not enough. Children need to be protected. One day she casually spoke to a friend about the crying child keeping her awake at night. After asking her more questions, her friend knew the children were vulnerable and needed assistance. He contacted the CPA, and the Agency investigated the report.

If you were a child, wouldn’t you like to know adults look out for you wherever you go, with your best interest at heart?

Adults whose prime concern is to ensure your safety, to protect you and give you the chance to develop healthily? There are several dangers and lecherous people in society who tempt children, harm them or use them for their own devices. Adults must

safeguard children at all costs -every child deserves protection. How else will they strive and grow into well-rounded, decent individuals?

Some time ago, before mobile phones existed, adults used to take an interest in children to the extent where they would correct children on the road if they deemed it necessary - whether they knew the child and their family or not. Adults would report to parents if they saw a child misbehaving in public or if a child was sent to one place, strayed, and ended up somewhere else. By the time the child reached home, the parents would be waiting.

Nine times out of ten, some well-meaning informant would have spotted the errant child and already told his/her folks where the child was and what he/she was doing.

That is how it worked when people were involved in raising ‘village children’ correctly and morally. The objective was not to get the child into trouble but to curb any deviant behaviour before it had a chance to become ingrained.

The CPA, Police, Social Workers, Teachers and Doctors work in various ways to protect children and keep them safe. However, they only learn about child abuse if there are tell-tale signs, the child discloses, or an attentive, concerned adult makes a report; until this happens, there is little they can do.

Children seldom disclose. Even when their loved ones degrade them and make them do unseemly, atrocious acts, or they are beaten, threatened and treated in a derogatory manner, they still stay loyal; they need their families. Therefore, it falls into the community’s hands to safeguard children and work towards making their neighbourhood a child-awareness, child– friendly, and child-protected zone.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@ gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF HUMAN SERVICES AND SOCIAL SECURITY

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Orphans at Bless the Children’s Home benefit from vision screening, eye examination

- through partnership between Office of the First Lady and Optique Vision Care ORPHANS at Bless the C h i l d re n ’s H o m e i n Georgetown, on Saturday, benefitted from eye care screening and examination through a project executed by the Office of the First Lady in partnership with Optique Vision Care.

According to a release, that orphanage is one which currently benefits from the

First Lady’s Adopt-an-Orphanage initiative which was launched last year.

The release noted that the project provides a direct link between underfunded orphanages and corporate partners who provide financial and other resources to the homes for six months to a year. The second round of the Adopt-an-Orphanage ini-

First Lady Arya Ali observes the screening of this child (First Lady photo)

tiative will be launched next month, and will be expanded to include services and activities which offer personal care and attention to the children in those homes.

Ahead of the launch of that initiative, First Lady Arya Ali met with a team from Optique recently where an agreement was reached to have vision screening and eye examination done for the 21 children at the home, the release stated.

It added that, on Saturday, at its MovieTowne location, Optique screened and tested 16 of those children – nine of whom will be given spectacles shortly, at no cost to them. The remaining seven children did not require spectacles. Three children were referred to the Ophthalmologist, and five are scheduled to return for further examination on Wednesday.

“Ensuring we provide adequate medical attention to

these children is very important because of the simple fact that it is often overlooked.

The administration of some of these orphanages already face difficulties in managing them, and when people think of the needs of orphanages, they generally think food and clothing, and not necessarily medical or educational needs,” Mrs Ali said.

According to the release, the First Lady said that these kinds of services and activities will be extended to all registered orphanages as time progresses.

“This is only the beginning of what we hope will be a massive project. We have already started providing financial support to these homes through corporate sponsors, and now we are adding services which are essential to ensuring our children have a high quality of life,” the First Lady said.

Meanwhile, Chief Ex-

First Lady Arya Ali with little Madison Narine (First Lady photo) ecutive Officer (CEO) of children,” Narine shared.

Optique Vision Care, Dhani Upon completion of their Narine, expressed how ap- eye examination, the children preciative he was for the were given a surprise by opportunity to work on this little Madison Narine – the project and improve the lives daughter of Dhani and his wife Madonna. They each of children.

“We have a strong CSR received a personalised hand[corporate social responsi- painting which little Madison bility] arm which we view spent hours preparing the as integral to the success of night before.

“I was very happy to any business and the development of any nation. So do this for the children bewe are beyond thrilled to be cause I want to put a smile able to support the improve- on their faces and I want ment of the lives of Guyana’s them to know I care about

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Scenes from the Inter

International Building Expo 2022 officially opened at the Guyana National Stadium, Building a One-Guyana.” It was slated to wrap up on Sunday, however, with great revi The expo has returned after five years and is dubbed the blueprint of the future inf companies, including some from the Caribbean.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

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rnational Building Expo

Providence, East Bank Demerara last Friday under the theme: “A New Frontier For iews and requests being made by exhibitors, the expo has been extended to Tuesday. frastructure. It has attracted some 350 participants, of which at least 25 are foreign

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Black Belly sheep from Barbados to begin arriving this week THE first flock of the Black Belly sheep from Barbados is expected in Guyana shortly, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha announced recently.

He was at the time addressing residents of No.28

Village and surrounding communities in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). Some 1,000 sheep will be transported in smaller flocks over the coming weeks.

“We will be having 1,000 Black Belly sheep coming

from Barbados; the ship will be leaving Tuesday to bring the first set of sheep,” the minister stated.

The sheep are expected to arrive in Guyana within See page 15

Some 1,000 sheep will be transported in smaller flocks over the coming weeks (Ministry of Agriculture photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Much-needed drainage works for WCB communities

A SERIES of much-needed drainage works will commence in Numbers Five, 28, 29 and 30 villages, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five, that are expected to minimise flooding and increase production will commence within a week.

This announcement was made by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Saturday after residents appealed for assistance with clearing several drains and canals.

Several residents, most of whom are farmers, told the minister that there was an urgent need for the works to be done.

One farmer from Number Five Village informed the minister that there were works done in the area a few months ago, but that the works were not sufficient because the contractor did did complete cleaning the entire canal, a release noted.

Another farmer who attended the meeting at Number 28 Village said he has been residing in the village all his life, but this was the first time an Agriculture Minister visited the area to

engage them. This farmer also spoke about the need for work to be done on the main and connecting drainage channels in the area.

Other farmers and residents also told the minister that they suffer from flooding because the channels have been blocked for some time, the release said.

After listening to the farmers’ concerns, Minister Mustapha informed them that within a week a machine will be sent to the area to commence the works. He also told them that a work programme will be developed to ensure that the canals are maintained to minimise future flooding.

“As a government, it is important for us to ensure we work with various communities across this country. When it comes to agriculture, we will ensure everyone interested in the sector receives assistance, because when you produce and the sector grows, everyone benefits. So, within a week a machine will be made available to clear the dam and any other area that needs drainage we’ll work with you to have those works done. I will also

send a team of technical officers to do an assessment in the area to see what other assistance we can give you to improve your farming,” the minister noted.

In addition to drainage works, Minister Mustapha informed farmers that additional assistance will be given through the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).

Residents also told the minister that the infrastructure in the village, more so the roads, needed urgent attention. Minister Mustapha informed the residents that he would engage the Ministers of Public Works on the matter.

Minister Mustapha also appealed to the residents to work along with the government to improve the village economy.

He told them that they should not allow petty politics to deter them from accepting help from the government and that the government was elected to serve all the citizens of the country, the release noted.

Black Belly sheep from Barbados to begin ...

From page 14

48 hours after departure from Barbados. Before they were cleared to be shipped, they were examined for signs of illness.

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali launched the Black Belly sheep project in Region Five back in March, where he declared that it could be the livestock capital of the Caribbean. It is an investment of US$3 million for 2,000 Black Belly sheep.

The second batch of sheep will arrive in the near future. Close to 100 farmers have already signalled their intention to be a part of the project, and have made close to 1,400 acres of their land available for that purpose.

“The President has instructed that 30 per cent of women and 20 per cent of youth must be involved in the project; not only men,” the minister noted. President Ali, at the launch of the project, pointed out that the world import value on mutton and mutton products is US$8B. CARICOM alone imports 7,900 tonnes of mutton at US$48M annually. Bahamas,

Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are the four major markets that Guyana can target, the President had pointed out.

“We have right within our arms’ reach a market that can generate a value of US$48M. And who supplies CARICOM right now? Australia and New Zealand,” President Ali said, adding: “With the cost of freight and logistics cost increases, it is becoming more and more expensive; that is why this is a low-hanging fruit.

CARICOM is right within our arms reach.

“I am presenting you this to show you the opportunities, so that you will know that in this project, there are great opportunities. This is not a project by guess; this is a project that is supported by scientific research, market research, and strong negotiations on the trade side.”

The government, in its 2022 budget, has earmarked $28.7B to ensuring the rapid growth and development of Guyana’s agriculture sector. (DPI)

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Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha addressing residents at Number 28 Village (Agricultue Ministry photo)

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Persaud uses grant to showcase Berbice to virtual world

AFTER applying for a Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports’ Culture and Creative

Arts Industry grant and acquiring it, Deodat Persaud used the funding to create a

mini-festival of locally made films in Berbice.

“I have been amazed by the content that we

see coming out from at least Tik Tok and I felt that there is that potential for us to be able to create short films. I mean, many countries have been big on this here and I think that it is one of those areas our young people should embrace and hence I’ve thought of this film festival,” Persaud said.

He stated that when he saw the ministry’s grant being offered, he was happy to have applied and succeeded.

He related that there are hardly any short films and he felt like the Berbice Film Festival was a start for Guyana to populate the virtual world with its own content.

“Hence, we have had very nice thematic areas to promote things about Guyana, we want to hear Guyanese stories and this was the idea behind this film festival,” Persaud said.

As the concept is very new, he said, noting that there is not much buy-in of the films but the grant has allowed for the establishment an infrastructure.

“While this is our first Berbice Film Festival, as I call it, it is going to pave way for more film festivals to come. And we want to make this an annual feature so it doesn’t stop here.

What we plan to do is to work with these filmmakers and take them because they’re all amateurs in their own regards, but what we want to do is to work with them to be able to polish their skills, so we can be able to start producing more and more content online,” Persaud said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Two films shown at the Berbice Film Festival

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

India signs MoU with Guyana for sharing CoWIN app

ANY country interested can avail CoWIN platform, the platform will be provided free of cost, said Dr R.S. Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Authority on Saturday.

“Selected vendors by the country will be trained on CoWIN technology to customise it for their requirement[s]. Usually, since the vaccination cycle is almost the same in all countries, the customisation will be limited to changes in field and master-data configuration. Complete revamp of the application by any country is not expected,’’ he elaborated, while speaking about (CoWIN) which provided the digital support for the COVID vaccination drive in the country.

Dr Sharma further said that India has already signed an MoU with the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana for sharing CoWIN. “We are in advanced talks with a couple of other nations to share CoWIN with them,’’ he confirmed.

India crossed a milestone of administering two billion vaccine doses a week ago and talking about its continued importance, Dr Sharma said that as CoWIN is repurposed, it could also help achieve the vision of Universal Vaccination against COVID-19 and further be repurposed for use in the healthcare sector.

On July 5, 2021, the Central Government organised the Co-WIN Global Conclave with the endeavour to share experiences and expertise on the CoWIN platform with the global community. Over 140 countries participated in the event and nearly a dozen expressed an interest in learning from the platform and evaluating adopting it.

Stating that CoWIN has also become the world’s biggest, digitally verifiable vaccination certificate generating platform, Dr Sharma said that today Co-WIN is highly configurable and adaptable. “It has evolved based on the changing policy landscape and the requirements of the beneficiaries. The platform was developed at record speed with ample consideration to its scalability, modularity and interoperability,’’ he said.

The CEO also spoke about the security measures that have been put in place to ensure data safety and the prevention of leaks.

“CoWIN platform does not store or share any personal data. It’s for vaccination purposes and is the single source of truth to determine whether the person has been vaccinated or not,’’ said Dr Sharma. He added that the platform has deployed state-of-the-art data security systems to safeguard users’ data against any possible intrusion.

“Despite all these security features, CoWIN’s architecture still allows it to be open and in-teroperable. The capability to digitally authenticate these details with Aadhaar has also been provided to vaccinators. Otherwise, during vaccination, a vaccinator could validate these details through a physical ID,’’ he explained, adding that besides the OTP feature the government has also limited the number of slot searches per user (restricted to 15-20) on the portal which prevents bots, browser extensions or hacking attempts.

Also even the API’s shared to third parties

by CoWIN is through a thorough scrutinisation process, ensuring proper security and audit. (the hindu.com)

Photo courtesy of barandbench.com

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday, July 25, 2022) COMPLIMENTS OF CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD -- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Sunil Gavaskar (2) Andy Roberts Today’s Quiz: (1) What was the result of the first ODI of the current West Indies/India series?

(2) Who was declared Man of the Match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… ……………

English Racing Tips Ayr 08:00 hrs Miss New York 08:35 hrs Stormy Pearl 09:10 hrs Water Of Leith 09:45 hrs Beltane 10:20 hrs Woottonsun 10:55 hrs Yaaser 11:25 hrs Sunset Glow Newton Abbot 09:25 hrs Mascat 10:00 hrs Lord Bryan 10:35 hrs Manor Park 11:10 hrs Coal Stock 11:45 hrs Dame Of Fortune Windsor 12:30 hrs Spring Bloom 13:00 hrs Dasim 13:30 hrs Indestructible 14:00 hrs Neptunian 14:35 hrs Special Envoy 15:10 hrs Sanitiser 15:40 hrs Baez

Irish Racing Tips Galway 12:10 hrs Seahorse 12:40 hrs Young Fitzy 13:10 hrs Tiverton 13:40 hrs Farout 14:15 hrs Eriskay 14:50 hrs Common Practice 15:20 hrs Bukhill South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:25 hrs Valencia 09:00 hrs Crazy Blues 09:35 hrs Miss Lialah 10:10 hrs Artic Princess 10:45 hrs Bringin Beach American Racinh Tips Finger Lakes Race 1 Sweet Sugar Baby Race 2 The Last Ace Race 3 Writer's Regret Race 4 Forest Spirit Race 5 Sea Tiger Race 6 You've Got Male Race 7 Dr Blarney Race 8 Eros Girl Canadian Racing Tips Fort Erie Race 1 Sararenda Race 2 Loaded Once More Race 3 Samuel H Race 4 Not A Game Race 5 Sensible Portions Race 6 Miss Surprise Race 7 Jamacian Jimmy Race 8 Bkack Taffy

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Verstappen wins in France

(Formula 1) - Max Verstappen won the 2022 French Grand Prix for Red Bull after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed out of the race on Lap 18 – walking away unscathed – as the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell completed the podium at Paul Ricard.

High track temperatures meant tyre management was key at Le Castellet, and after Verstappen pitted on Lap 17, it was up to Leclerc to respond.

A cruel snap of oversteer at Turn 11 spelled the end of his race – and cued a scream of frustration – before bringing out a Safety Car. Verstappen stayed out and inherited the lead; Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez pitting and giving chase for the restart.

Championship leader Verstappen led comfortably when the race resumed on Lap 22, opening a four-second gap over Hamilton by Lap 30 of 53 and eventually winning by a margin of over 10 seconds. Perez lost P3 to Hamilton at the start of the race and couldn’t keep pace with him.

He nonetheless seemed favourite to finish third but

after a late Virtual Safety Car - triggered by Zhou Guanyu’s on-track stoppage in the Alfa Romeo - he lost the final podium place to Mercedes right as the VSC ended on Lap 50. Perez and Russell had previously made contact at Turn 8 – no penalties applied – in a fraught battle for the rostrum, which ended with the pair split by just 0.8s by the flag.

Driver of the day, Carlos Sainz, started 19th with engine penalties, but with his Ferrari on hard tyres, he made it into the top 10 by Lap 14. He pitted for mediums during the Safety Car, but an unsafe release led to him serving a stop-go penalty and pitting again for mediums on Lap 43. He passed the Alpines and McLarens to finish fifth at the chequered flag.

A l p i n e ’s F e r n a n d o Alonso passed Lando Norris early on and stayed in sixth, ahead of both McLarens for much of the race, holding them up for teammate Esteban Ocon to take P7 off Daniel Ricciardo after the Safety Car restart. McLaren started the afternoon level on points with Alpine but with Norris finishing seventh and Ricciardo ninth, Alpine

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 takes the chequered flag during the F1 Grand Prix of France at Circuit Paul Ricard on July 24, 2022 in Le Castellet, France. (Photo by Mario Renzi - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) move ahead in the stand- the Safety Car restart and tapped into a spin in an after the Safety Car restart, finished 12th, ahead of incident with Zhou before but contact with Williams’ ings heading to Hungary.

Nicholas Latifi saw the Lance Stroll rounded Alex Albon – the Williams the half-way point.

Yuki Tsunoda spun ear- Dane retreat to the pits to out the top 10 having won driver eventually losing ly on having been tapped retire before Lap 40; Latifi out in an early battle – and out to the AlphaTauri.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri by Alpine’s Ocon, the Al- following suit a couple of last-lap scrap that threatened to boil over – against Bottas finished 14th on a phaTauri driver becoming laps later.

Zhou suffered his fifth 11th-place Aston Martin hard-hard-medium strat- the first to retire from the team-mate Sebastian Vettel egy, while the Haas of race on Lap 17 with dam- retirement of the season, Mick Schumacher was the age. pulling up just off the for the final point.

K e v i n M a g n u s s e n track to bring out a VSC Pierre Gasly went from last of the finishers in P15, hard tyres to mediums in the German having been made it from 20th to 14th late in the race.

Essequibo to host T10 tournament on July 31

THE Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB), in collaboration with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two, will host a T10 cricket fest on Sunday, July 31, at the Anna Regina Secondary School and Walton Hall Sports grounds.

According to a release to the media, the area committee teams – North and South Pomeroon, Wakenaam, Leguan, East Bank Es-

Essequibo Cricket Board Vice-President, Elroy Stephney (right) receiving the winner’s trophy from Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall

sequibo, Bartica and Central Essequibo – will vie for trophies and cash incentives.

The winner’s trophy is compliments of Trophy Stall, and Managing Director, Ramesh Sunich expressed delight in being associated with the development of cricket in Essequibo.

The release further revealed that it is the first time in almost 10 years that the area committee teams will be playing in a tourna-

ment.

The likes of Ronsford Beaton, who is back with the Guyana Amazon Warriors this season, Anthony Adams, Rovindra Parasram, Norman Fredricks, Narendra Mandolall and Nathan Persaud are set to feature.

A floodlight softball competition and a female exhibition match will complement the T10.

Furthermore, the ECB will have a draw-

ing of its raffle where the proceeds will go towards the restoration of the ECB hostel in Anna Regina.

Regional Chairperson Vilma DeSilva, Regional Vice-Chairman Humace Oodit, Regional Executive Officer Susanna Saywack and ECB President Deleep Singh are expected to be in attendance.

Admission is free and the first match is scheduled for 09:30hrs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

De Kock left stranded on 92 as rain curtails match

(ESPNCRICINFO) Quinton de Kock was left stranded on 92 not out from 76 balls after an effortlessly fluent innings, but his hopes of an 18th ODI hundred were dashed as two heavy bands of rain swept across Headingley to wash out the third ODI and leave the series squared at one match apiece.

De Kock scored the first 69 of his runs from 55 balls in a 90-minute window prior to the first of two rain delays, then added a further 23 from 14 balls when play resumed briefly at 2.15pm. But 33 balls later, a heavier downpour swept in, shortly after his partner, Aiden

Quinton de Kock is all smiles after raising his half-century (Getty Images) Markram, had brought his skipper’s ambitions up exactly 1000 ODI after taking first use of a runs in reaching 24 not dry run-laden deck. His chanceless knock conout from 34 balls.

De Kock, in partic- tained 13 fours, almost ular, had been in the exclusively the product mood to make good on of supreme timing and

placement, not least an angled push through the covers off Reece Topley that perfectly bisected two fielders.

His delicate ramp through deep third off Sam Curran was no less impressive, as he stood tall to the short ball, and deflected it without fuss beyond the reach of the keeper, and though the near two-hour break in play came at an inopportune moment for de Kock, he resumed without fuss with three more fours: a brace of welltimed reverse sweeps off Adil Rashid and a lashed drive through the covers off Liam Livingstone.

De Kock’s batting partners didn’t find the going quite so good, as

England’s seamers in particular continued the good work they have shown all summer to keep their team competitive even while their batters have been struggling for their usual fluency.

David Willey prised the day’s first opening to see off Janneman Malan, who had been limited to two runs from his first 13 balls before changing his approach with two off-side fours in three balls from Topley. That flurry didn’t last, however, as Willey held a firm line across the righthander from over the wicket, and Jason Roy accepted an open-faced drive at backward point.

Rassie van der Dus-

sen, a centurion at Durham in South Africa’s emphatic victory in the opening ODI, looked good once again for his 26 from 38 balls, with four fours including a dinky ramp over the keeper off Moeen Ali. But, after de Kock had cashed in on an unusually loose first over from Rashid, the leg-spinner tightened his line to the right-handed van der Dussen, and Jonny Bairstow at backward square leg clung onto a lofted sweep.

Both teams had named unchanged XIs following England’s series-levelling win in another rain-affected contest at Old Trafford on Friday.

Hope’s century in vain as West Indies lose by two wickets (ESPNCRICINFO) Axar Patel smashed India's second-fastest ODI fifty against West Indies, leading the way in a collective batting effort from the visitors in a tight chase of 312 in the second ODI. As a result, Shai Hope's hundred in his 100th ODI and Nicholas Pooran's attacking 74 went in vain, as the hosts lost the match -and with it, the series -- despite dominating the majority of their defence.

Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson also hit half-centuries, but Axar's unbeaten 64 off just 35 balls turned the screw in the last ten overs after Shubman Gill made 43 and Deepak Hooda contributed 33.

India needed 100 to win from 60 balls with five wickets in hand, with Axar and Hooda

at the crease; Hooda departed with 56 runs needed off 36, leaving Axar and Shardul Thakur to complete the job. By then, Axar had already clobbered three sixes, with more on its way.

The turning point of the chase arrived with 48 required off the last five overs: Alzarri Joseph conceded 16, including two above waist full-toss no-balls despite dismissing Thakur, and West Indies missed running out No. 10 Avesh Khan off the last ball. Next over, Axar slammed two fours and Avesh added one more off Romario Shepherd. Suddenly the equation was 19 off 18.

Avesh wouldn't go without collecting his share of runs even if he leaked 54 in six overs on debut. He hit 10 off 12 balls, asking Axar to wipe out the last eight runs in the company of

Mohammed Siraj. Axar, in red-hot touch, got a full toss from Kyle Mayers, which he sent flying over the bowler's head.

The chase was set up by a firm start by Gill, and then a 99-run stand between Iyer and Samson. Gill made up for his partner Shikhar Dhawan's struggles with a serene 43 off 49 balls. But when he and Suryakumar Yadav fell in the space of 11 balls, India were 79 for 3 in the 18th over.

Samson got to his maiden ODI fifty -- his knock of 54 off 51 balls included three fours and three sixes - pleasingly clearing the long-off boundary by lofting the spinners with high elbows. Iyer, on the other hand, had had a sedate start, managing only 19 off his first 33 deliveries.

That is when he broke free to finish with 63 off

Shai Hope scored a century in his 100th ODI (Associated Press) Having taken 124 to Chahal; Pooran too 71 balls, cutting, pulling and lifting balls for balls to get to 94, Hope bashed three sixes - inswung back-to-back six- cluding two in the 39th boundaries.

The fact that India had es off Yuzvendra Chahal over. Their partneras many as 312 to chase (1-69) in the 45th over to ship, scoring at almost was down to Hope and get to his landmark and a-run-a-ball, gradually Pooran's fourth-wicket cap an expensive day took the momentum stand of 117; 74 of which for the leg-spinner, off away from India, who came off Pooran's bat. whom he took all three had struck twice in quick succession after Hope got 115 -- his third of his sixes.

But it was not just an aggressive start by triple-figure score in 11 Hope who took a liking West Indies.

ODI innings.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Wartsila gives equipment boost National Table Tennis team Wartsila Operations Guyana has sponsored the equipment for Guyana’s male and female table tennis teams which are set to compete at the Commonwealth Games from July 28 – August 8 in England.

According to a press release, the company has decided to sponsor based on a request for the equipment for the eight players.

Country Manager, Duane Chase handed over a cheque to national coach Idi lewis in the presence of other members of the team at

their Middle and East Street head office.

Lewis thanked the company for the financial support and indicated it will go a long way in offsetting the high expenses associated with preparing for major tournaments.

The team comprises Chelsea Edghill, Shemar Britton, Jonathan Van Lange, Natalie Cummings, Christopher Franklin, Thuraia Thomas, and Joel Alleyne.

The locally based players departed Sunday for Birmingham.

From left, Joel Alleyne, Duane Chase, Idi Lewis, Priscilla Greaves, Thuraia Thomas, Natalie Cummings and Shemar Britton

Guyanese on show in Table Tennis, Boxing, Squash and Swimming on Day One

By Rawle Toney in Birmingham, England (Compliments: NSC, GOA, Team Mohamed's and Connections Travel)

Thirty-two athletes from Guyana will join their peers from the other members of the Commonwealth Games Associations for the hosting of the event formally known as the British Empire Games, which gets going on Thursday July 28, in Birmingham, England.

First held in 1930, the Commonwealth Games -the second-largest multisport event after the Olympics -- brings together some of the world’s brightest stars within the Commonwealth.

This time around, Guyana’s 32 athletes will compete in the disciplines of boxing, badminton, swimming, squash, track and field, table tennis and cycling.

Though the games open on July 28, competition be-

gins on July 29, with Guyana on show in boxing, swimming, table tennis, and squash.

BOXING With the hopes of adding to the country’s medal tally of 16 since the 1930 games in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, boxers Colin Lewis and Desmond Amsterdam will enter the ring on the first day of competition.

Lewis, who competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, will certainly have a score to settle, since his first taste of competition at this level ended in controversy.

Spectators at the event, held on the country’s ‘Gold Coast’, booed the judges' decision which saw Lewis losing 4 – 5 to Louis Colin from the Republic of Mauritius in the Round-of-32 of the Men’s Light Welterweight Division.

Meanwhile, Amsterdam, who won the country’s first medal at an American Boxing Confederation (AMBC),

will be looking to show that his Bronze in the Elite Competition in Ecuador this year is just the start of many to come.

Amsterdam will touch gloves in the Middleweight category, and like Lewis, will know his opposition at the tournament draw.

SQUASH Over in Squash, Jason-Ray Khalil and Shomari Wiltshire are slated for action in the Men's Preliminary Round-of-64 Singles, while Ashley Khalil and Mary Fung-A-Fat will battle it out in the female division.

TABLE TENNIS Over in table tennis, the quartet of Shemar Britton, Christopher Franklin, Johnathan Van Lange and Joel Alleyne are down to compete in the Men's team event.

Olympian, Chelsea Edghill, will lead Natalie Cummings, Priscila Greaves and young sensation, Thuraia Thomas, in action in the women's team event.

SWIMMING

The country's swimmers will enter the pool, all seeking glory in their respective events.

Paul Mahaica and Sekhel Tzedeq are the males in competition; Patrice Mahaica and Aleka Persaud are down to compete in the women's category.

Guyana, competing at the previous 18 Commonwealth Games, amassed a total of 16 medals inclusive of four gold.

Troy Doris’ 2018 gold in the men’s triple jump was the country’s lone medal at the games held on the Australian ‘Gold Coast’.

See list of athletes below: TRACK AND FIELD: Men – Emmanuel Archibald (Long Jump, 100m, 4X100m), Arinze Chance (200m, 400m, 4X100m), Akeem Stewart (100m, 200m, 4X100m), Noelex Holder (100m, 200m, 4X100m) and Quamel Prince (800m).

Wo m e n – C h a n t o b a

Bright (Triple Jump), Jasmine Abrams (100m), Aaliyah Abrams (200m, 400m), Kenisha Phillips (200m, 400m) and Joanna Archer (800m).

TABLE TENNIS: Men – Shemar Britton (Singles, Doubles, Team, Mixed Doubles), Christopher Franklin (Singles, Doubles, Team, Mixed Doubles), Johnathan Van Lange (Singles, Doubles, Team, Mixed Doubles) and Joel Alleyne (Doubles, Team).

Wo m e n – C h e l s e a Edghill (Singles, Doubles, Team, Mixed Doubles), Natalie Cummings (Singles, Doubles, Team, Mixed Doubles), Priscila Greaves (Singles, Doubles, Team) and Thuraia Thomas (Doubles, Team, Mixed Doubles).

SWIMMING: Men – Paul Mahaica (50m Butterfly, 50m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle) and Sekhel Tzedeq (50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 100m Freestyle).

Women – Patrice Mahaica (50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle) and Aleka Persaud (50m Butterfly, 50m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle).

SQUASH: Men – Jason-Ray Khalil (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles) and Shomari Wiltshire (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles).

Women – Ashley Khalil (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles) and Mary FungA-Fat (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles).

BOXING: Keevin Allicock (Featherweight), Desmond Amsterdam (Middleweight) and Colin Lewis (Welterweight).

BADMINTON: Men – Narayan Ramdhani (Singles, Mixed Doubles) Women’s – Priyanna Ramdhani (Single, Mixed Doubles) CYCLING: Christopher Griffith (Time Trial, Road Race)

24

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 25, 2022

Guyanese on show in Table Tennis, Boxing, Squash and Swimming on Day One SEE PAGE

23

All eyes will be on Olympian Chelsea Edgill at the Commonwealth Games

Ashley Khalil will be in action in the women’s Round-of-64 Singles event at the Commonwealth Games

Hope’s century in vain as West Indies lose by two wickets SEE PAGE

22

Shai Hope scored a century in his 100th ODI (Associated Press)

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