Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 25-08-2021

WEDNESDAY 25th August, 2021

' No.106464

Remote communities to benefit from Johnson & Johnson vaccine

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Even as talks are underway for the expansion of Midas Incorporated, a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm, some 300 Guyanese have already been employed and by year end the company is looking to increase that number to over 1,000 young professionals (Delano Williams Photo)

New call centre to create jobs for over 1,000 Guyanese 03 PAGE

–– three locations established, over 300 persons already employed

Unvaccinated children will not be barred from entering schools 02 PAGE

–– Education Minister affirms, as Guyana receives 146,250 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

President Ali: Guyana 08 Over 2,000 officers to Local ‘diabetes specialist’ ready to collaborate with be trained to handle 19 redefining medical 12 UAE on climate change domestic violence reports care with virtual clinic PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Unvaccinated children will not be barred from entering schools --Education Minister affirms, as Guyana receives 146,250 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

By Jared Liddell WITH the new academic year slated for September 06, 2021, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has affirmed that the government has no intention of barring unvaccinated students, ages 12 to 18 years, from entering schools.

The Education Minister clarified any misconceptions related to the vaccination of students while speaking at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), where she, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, and other senior government officials, gathered on Tuesday to receive 146,250 doses of the American-manufactured Pfizer-BioNTech

COVID-19 vaccine.

This specific vaccine is earmarked for children ages 12 to 18 years. The Pfizer vaccine, on Monday, became the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

The batch of Pfizer vaccine given to Guyana is part of a donation of 5.5 million doses from the United States Government to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This donation is intended to lend support to the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Health had informed the Education Ministry that in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, all students, ages 12 to 18 years, should

(from left): Minister of Education Priya Manickchand; Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Guyana, Mark Cullinane, and Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, receiving the 146,250 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, on Tuesday (Delano Williams photo)

be vaccinated before returning to the classrooms.

Minister Manickchand said that while parents could choose whether they want their children to be vaccinated, the inoculation is the best defence against the deadly effects of the COVID-19 virus.

Even so, she reiterated that unvaccinated children would not be barred from entering the classrooms.

“The government is not making the vaccination of children a precondition of school; we are, however, encouraging parents to give that consent. Philosophically, we don’t think the school doors should ever be closed to anyone who wants to walk through them but that’s a philosoContinued on page 10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

New call centre to create jobs for over 1,000 Guyanese

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– three locations established, over 300 persons already employed

By Naomi Parris

WITH talks underway for the expansion of Midas Incorporated, a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm, some 1,000 Guyanese are expected to gain meaningful employment.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Malcom Sobers, on Tuesday said that the firm commenced operations in August 2020, starting with only 20 employees.

To date, that figure has moved to over 300 employees.

“We started at the end of August 2020 as a BPO company here in Guyana. We started with 20 employees and we are just over 300 with three locations, one in Grove, Lombard Street and New Market Street and we are looking to grow to 1,000 employees by the end of the year,” Sobers related while in the presence of Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, who toured the company’s New Market Street facility on Tuesday.

Sobers said that the firm is looking to expand its business in regions Two (Pomeron Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

“We are looking at regional expansion, that is one of the intents of our business model to go into the Linden area, over the river, Berbice, Essequibo, once we have capacity and internet,” the CEO said.

He added that the potential and drive that the firm has seen so far from its employees guarantee a bright future for many young Guyanese entering the BPO industry.

Additionally, he said that the journey to the launch of the firm has been a gratifying experience since the company

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Guyana’s Chief Investment Officer and CEO of the Guyana Office for Investment, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop and Chief Executive Officer of Midas BPO, Malcom Sobers (Delano Williams Photo)

has been able to provide employment for many Guyanese, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s very impactful.

We encourage all the persons to understand that just as this industry has allowed my start as an agent, it has allowed a lot of persons to grow and

develop and have a good earning and have a good career and also to be able to provide for families, especially in this period with the pandemic still

running,” Sobers related.

The CEO noted that Guyana is a hub for BPO investments and with its diversified economy and culture affinity with the

Midas BPO’s New Market Street office (Delano Williams Photo)

North American market, Guyanese have the opportunity to build and take advantage of the opportunities provided by the industry.

Dr. Singh, after concluding his tour of the facility, said that the BPO industry has potential for wealth and job creation in Guyana.

He added that the government is putting much effort into improving the “ease of doing business.”

One particular focus has been on providing a stable environment for firms such as Midas to invest and grow.

To this end, he said: “Investors coming into a country want to know that they will enjoy a stable environment, and, in particular, a stable macroeconomic environment.

“You have to signal as a government that you are a business-friendly government, that you are eager to attract investment, that you’re supportive of investors coming into Guyana, and that you will do all that is necessary to ensure that their businesses succeed.”

The senior minister reiterated the government’s aim is to create the right conditions for investment by providing the right incentives to businesses, to guarantee their prosperity and expansions.

In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, who was also a part of Tuesday’s tour of Midas, said that within the period August 2020 to April 2021, approximately 25 projects were initiated, and these have the potential to create 1,678 jobs when completed.

Dr. Ramsaroop added that a business-friendly climate, supplemented by the anticipated economic ascension, has served as a magnet for investors, both foreign and local.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Afghanistan: ‘The sooner we finish, the better,’ says Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden says the US is “on pace” to meet a 31 August deadline for evacuations, despite previous calls from allies for an extension.

“The sooner we finish the better,” he said. Some American troops have already been withdrawn, US media report - although evacuations are not affected.

At least 70,700 people have been airlifted from Kabul, which fell to the Taliban nine days ago.

The militants have opposed any extension to the evacuation deadline.

Evacuations from Kabul airport have been stepped up since the weekend (BBC/PA MEDIA photo) President Biden said: international community “The Taliban have been would judge the Taliban by taking steps to help get our their actions. people out,” adding that the “None of us are going to

take the Taliban’s word for it,” he added.

Biden said the airlift had to come to end soon because of an increasing threat from the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.

The longer the US stayed in the country, he said, there was an “acute and growing risk of an attack” by the group.

He was speaking after leaders of the G7 -- which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, plus the EU -- discussed the Afghan crisis during a virtual meeting.

The UK and other allies had

urged the US to stay beyond 31 August to allow more relief fights.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who chaired the talks, said Britain would continue to evacuate people “until the last moment”.

He also urged the Taliban to allow Afghans to leave beyond the deadline.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the G7 leaders had “agreed that it is our moral duty to help the Afghan people and to provide as much possible support as conditions will allow”.

Almost 6,000 US soldiers

and more than 1,000 from the UK are at Kabul airport to secure it and organise the evacuation of foreigners and eligible Afghans.

Smaller contingents from other NATO members including France, Germany and Turkey are also present.

The airlift is being stepped up, with more than 21,000 people evacuated since Sunday. The departure of some US troops ahead of the 31 August deadline “does not affect the mission”, a US defence official was quoted as saying by CNN. (BBC)

India emerges as second most attractive manufacturing hub globally, says report

India has emerged as the second most sought after manufacturing destination across the world indicating the growing interest shown by manufacturers in India as a preferred manufacturing hub over other countries, including the US and

those in the Asia-Pacific region, showed Cushman & Wakefield’s 2021 Global Manufacturing Risk Index.

The rising focus on India can be attributed to India’s operating conditions and cost competitiveness. Also, the country’s proven suc-

cess in meeting outsourcing requirements has led to the increase in the ranking year on year.

This year, India and the US switched places -- second and third -- taking India one rank above from the rankings released last year, when India stood at the third place.

India had moved up to the third place from the fourth spot last year and now has gained one more spot upward to rank after China.

“India in its growth story transitioned from an agricultural economy to a services economy. The country nearly skipped the manufacturing leg of this transition.

India had moved up to the third place from the fourth spot last year and now has gained one more spot upward to rank after China (The Economic Times photo) Yet on the back of cost and talent India finds itself favourably placed in the glob-

al rankings. Indian manufacturing has also shown great resilience during and post the second wave of COVID-19. But to have greater investor confidence and unleash the Make In India agenda, we will have to address land and labour reforms and also upgrade infrastructure across sectors,” said Anshul Jain, Managing Director – India and South East Asia.

Asia Pacific’s largest manufacturing centres have rebounded strongly as economies across the globe have reopened and driven demand for key products.

“Other markets also capitalised on heightened demand for key products such as micro-processors, computer chips and pharmaceuticals. South Korea has benefited from the soaring value of semiconductors, stemming from strong demand and a global shortage of product with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) manufacturing up 16.8 per cent year over year in January 2021,” said Dominic Brown, Head of Insight & Analysis, Asia Pa-

cific at Cushman & Wakefield.

However, according to Brown, apparel producers around the region continue to struggle with low levels of demand impacting markets such as India and Indonesia, which have also been managing significant second and third waves of the virus.

The index assesses the most advantageous locations for global manufacturing among 47 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. The rankings are determined based on four key parameters including the country’s capability to restart manufacturing, business environment including availability of talent and labour, access to markets, operating costs and the risks such as political, economic and environmental.

The baseline ranking for top manufacturing destinations is determined on the basis of a country’s operating conditions and cost effectiveness. The switch in the US and India’s ranking is attributed to the plant relocations from China to other parts of Asia due to an already established base in pharma, chemicals and engineering sectors, that continue to be at the centre of the US-China trade tensions.

Despite being amongst the top three countries in the baseline and cost scenario rankings, there is a long road for India to traverse when it comes to areas like managing the geopolitical risks involved in running business and its ability to restart its manufacturing business after a devastating second wave of the COVID-19 virus.

(The Economic Times)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Sir Hilary: International universities have role to play in reparations

(Barbados Today) MANY of the world’s leading universities were established using money generated via the slave trade and, as such, should get more involved in the reparations process.

That view was shared

by Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, as he addressed the fourth annual celebration of the UNESCO Day for Remembering the Atlantic Slave Trade and its Abolition, put on by the Mayor of London’s office in the United Kingdom.

Speaking during the session, which for the second year was partially held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sir Hilary said: “While some universities, such as the University of London, have been doing more research into the history of the slave trade, they seem to have adopted a ‘research and run’ policy, whereby they do not acknowledge the fact that slave traders financed them in the first place.

“They have not checked out how they have benefited from the slave trade over the

years, and, to my mind, a university cannot be excellent if it is unethical. Instead of ‘research and run’, they should have a ‘research and restore’ or ‘research and repay’ approach.”

The noted historian commended British benefactor, Bridget Freeman, whose ancestors were slave owners in the Caribbean, for making a substantial donation to The UWI recently.

The UK philanthropist has bequeathed her properties worth US$500,000 (BDS$1 million) to the regional university.

“It is good to see members of civil society and some private individuals making an effort, even though governments continue to refuse to acknowledge their role in the slave trade,” he said.

Earlier, Sir Hilary stated that London was the most fitting place to hold such an event, since that city, more than any other in the world, “gave direction, shape, form and sustainability” to slavery and the slave trade.

He added that it was also important to see that the Mayor of London’s office

Sir Hilary Beckles was involved in the activity, since, for many years, it supported the work of the slave traders and indeed built monuments to them.

Citing an example, Sir Hilary noted: “Following the 1816 Bussa rebellion in Barbados, Colonel Codd, the British military officer that put an end to that revolt, killing thousands of enslaved Africans in the process, was the guest of honour at a banquet hosted by the Mayor of London, funded by the city as well as the biggest slave owner in the Caribbean who had plantations in Barbados, Jamaica and other colonies.”

The current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who

spoke before Sir Hilary, said the reality of slavery was still very much present in modern society.

He noted: “While we

must never forget the oppression and tyranny imposed on the slaves and their battle for freedom, history can also be a source of hope. After all, we put an end to the Middle Passage and the apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa, so if we continue to raise our voices instead of staying silent, and fight for what is right, we can achieve a fairer, more equal and just society for our children, regardless of their colour.”

In her contribution, Director General of Social and Human Sciences with UNE-

SCO, Gabriela Ramos, said her organisation was making a determined effort to stamp out institutionalised racism.

“We are developing an anti-racism road map, and part of this process includes doing greater research on the history of slavery as well as the psychological impact on people descended from slaves. Part of this will involve developing a school curriculum highlighting Africa’s great contribution to the world and removing stereotypical images,” she said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Misuse of influence

THERE is a given that people in public life have influence; of course, some more than others. In that context, there is no denying that political leaders have influence. The impact or range of that influence has grown significantly over time from what’s considered to be traditional to this modern age of multiple platforms.

Social media handles, including Facebook and Twitter, have allowed for once unimaginable scope of reach.

In this modern era, it has become increasingly easier to communicate in real time to the masses including areas once unreachable. This easy facilitation of vital information has positively impacted almost every aspect of life,

from early warnings of impending natural disasters to breaking news to live events, all accessible from a handheld device. Like everything else in life, there is always the other side; the negative side; in this case, the spewing of misinformation.

Obviously, it’s not about the means to facilitate this real-time communication, but the intellectual authors shaping the narrative; specifically, misinformation.

While there is a plethora of examples to cite, one just have to look at the most topical issue over the past year; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Given its newness and evolving impact, one may be compassionate to the absence of holistic understanding as critical research continues.

That feeling may, however, not be reciprocal towards those who capitalise on their influence to pander to section of the populace in a seeming deliberate manner to compromise efforts by peddling misinformation. From the onset of the pandemic, the protocols of wearing a mask, sanitising hands and social distancing, were globally made known.

In many ways, this is an example of effective modern day messaging through the various communication platforms.

It has become a global mantra and it’s difficult to pinpoint persons who may be unaware. In the early days of this new pandemic, people generally adhere to the guidelines. With a lack of understanding, trepidation was rife, giving rise to

much untested “remedies”.

This in itself might have opened the door to be easily influenced, especially by those with the power to do so. With some world leaders touting invincibility, no need for mask and pushing alternative interventions, many succumbed.

As time progressed, this led to the current position of the many anti-vaxers with regard to the COVID-19 vaccines. This is exclusive of those with genuine reasons for not taking the vaccines. That is understandable. What is not is those who have no credible reason for dissuading others from taking the said vaccines which are intended to save lives and mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

In some instances here, hypocrisy is glaring giv-

en that some who are influencing against taking the vaccines, already took theirs and ensured family members are similarly safeguarded. That unambiguously suggests that their objection and influence against the vaccine cannot be based on the vaccine itself, but other motives; ulterior to say the least.

Given what is playing out in some parts of Guyana with regard to anti-vaxers, it speaks to deliberate political intent to derail the ongoing efforts to safeguard Guyanese from the devastating impact. All across the world, countries and entities within are implementing measures to protect their people against COVID-19. Guyana is no different and those who are bent on opposing such

measures cannot be seen as having the best interest of the Guyanese people at heart.

With protests and an indication of more to come, there can be no ambiguity as to what the real intent is.

The fact that those leading this effort are either members of the current Opposition or affiliates, speaks volumes on the misuse of influence; if only that could be channeled to bolster the efforts to combat the pandemic.

Interestingly, some of their associates have discreetly found ways to be vaccinated. That is commendable and can be seen as quiet defiance of the influence wielded to frustrate the process.

Imagine the impact if it is done openly.

Get vaccinated, the life you save can be your own Dear Editor,

WHAT are the costs of vaccine hesitancy?

Some costs are easily computed in terms of dollars and some costs cannot be translated into monetary terms.

Who will pay these costs is an interesting question.

Storage of vaccines that should/could have been utilised had it not been for hesitancy is costly, use of purpose-built storage facilities, special freezers with appropriate backup power generation, specialist staff to monitor and control retrieval and

security all have costs.

These facilities were supposed to be short term as it was anticipated that Guyanese would appreciate the efforts to vaccinate the entire population and participate eagerly; instead, vaccination slowed to a crawl and it has taken the implementation of regulations requiring persons to show proof of vaccination to get the inoculation drive moving again. Delivery of vaccines requires transportation and medical personnel to administer injections; again, these are costs that have increased due to pro-

longed programmes.

There was an appropriate hue and cry over the price paid for the Sputnik V vaccines which prompted the Irfaan Ali administration to provide a detailed explanation of the rationale behind the decision to pay above the suggested market price; will we now ask who will pay the costs outlined above caused by hesitancy and the spread of deliberate misinformation? I would suggest that a cut-off date for free vaccinations for adults be announced and thereafter individuals be charged a fee that in-

creases with time as a fair solution; after all taxpayer’s money is not meant to be wasted because of ignorance and politically-motivated mischief.

In the category of costs that cannot be recovered monetarily are the loss suffered by our children who were kept at home for the protection of their parents and older family members; the risk posed to children is minimal and to remain unvaccinated is to ask your child to sacrifice her/his education, sport, and socialisation (childhood) upon your altar of ignorance. Shame on any

parent, teacher, or health worker who refuses to inoculate, shame!

The health sector was in difficulty before COVID-19 but managed the pandemic well; however, more can be done with the enormous amount of data gathered by the Ministry of Health; can they let us know how many persons are hospitalised in the COVID centre? Of those, how many are vaccinated?

My information is that no fully vaccinated person has died from COVID-19 to date; it would be useful to have that important fact confirmed publicly

by an official government source.

Dr.Rochelle Walensky of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) said on July 19, 2021 “there is a clear message coming through; this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated”.

Six weeks later, we can remove ‘becoming’ and ‘unvaccinated’ can be substituted by a wide variety of unflattering words; get vaccinated, the life you save can be your own.

Yours sincerely, Robin Singh

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Supporting co-parenting build the foundation for children to develop the best version of themselves

Dear Editor,

WHILE the specific statistics are unavailable, it is well known that there are many single parent households across Guyana, majority of which are headed by women. This is an unfortunate reality as it has been proven that children grow up to be happier and better adjusted when they are able to have both parents in their lives. This is why it is important that parents seek out opportunities to

build healthy co-parenting relationships regardless of the status of their own relationship with each other.

Of course, this does not necessarily apply to those relationships that ended due to factors of abuse.

In collaboratively setting rules and guidelines with regards to children’s schedules, behaviours and their discipline, both parents would be able to participate more in their children’s lives without one having to miss out on their development. This

would also help to balance the responsibility of parenthood, reducing parental stress that can negatively impact children.

The impact of adult behaviours on children is often not considered as children are expected to be resilient and bounce back from any trauma they witness or which is inflicted upon them. Trauma buried however, is merely manifested in other ways.

Hence it is important that safe environments are maintained. While there are bound

Optimism in the air as Guyana aims to meet local demand for livestock feed by 2023 Dear Editor,

WE will not dispute that Guyana, even though advancing in technology, is still a country that is steeped in livestock, nationally and individually.

We all know too that even though we are managing fairly well, we can do far better in terms of exacting a bigger profit margin in this area. Well, it seems as though our dream may be realised quite soon, and I am saying this based on a commitment made by His Excellency, Dr. Irfaan Ali. According to the Head of State, the local demand for animal and bird feed is soon to be met, as trials are ongoing for soya and corn crops. The President is quite optimistic that production would come on stream by 2023, and this industry will indeed get a deserved fillip.

In fact, so close is this realisation that Agriculture Ministers, Zulfikar Mustapha and his Surinamese counterpart, Parmanand Sewdien,

signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost agricultural trade between Guyana and Suriname, as well as to find foreign markets for their produce.

All of this I gleaned from the recently held joint press conference that was hosted by the Guyana Head of State and his Surinamese counterpart, President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

From a Guyana perspective, rearing livestock is traditionally profitable, and with our vast landmass, we should venture more and more in this area. Too many times we have been stymied for some silly reason, and with hope for greater productivity and profit, smuggling of meat from Suriname will be nullified.

In terms of agriculture, the industry is gaining momentum as it should be, since food security is a major world issue, and the sooner Guyana can foster a healthy agricultural climate, the better it will be for both national and external gains.

In fact, President Ali noted that “… extensive discussions were held, and the two countries have agreed on a strategy that would see them supporting each other in entering the North American, European, and regional markets.” Of immediate interest is that Guyana and Suriname will shortly examine the possibilities in the poultry sector, so as to harness the potential in satisfying requirements of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). This will point us in the direction of truly regaining the tag of the “food basket’ of the region.

I call on all the stakeholders to work assiduously in ensuring all the soya and corn requirements for the poultry industry, the feed for the livestock industry, be produced locally by 2023, as our leaders want to take Guyana to the next level.

Yours respectfully, Alvin Hamilton

Stop making public mischief

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am sure you know by now the PPP Government is rolling out its relief measures for farmers

who were affected by the floods. Also, the government has been coming in for praises and commendations from the farmers.

As expected, some of

the farmers’ names did not feature on the various lists.

These farmers’ were told that once they make a verifiable claim, the authorities Continued on page 8

to be tensions in adult relationships, children must not be exposed to these conflicts as it can significantly hamper their ability to learn healthy conflict resolution strategies.

Being able to see both of their parents respecting each other and centering their wellbeing can result in children having higher self-esteem and can also significantly shape their responses to relationships with their parents and future partners.

Children who do not have the benefit of healthy co-par-

enting relationships can often struggle with issues of identity, and relationships, and are more likely to develop mental health concerns and go down paths of deviancy.

This lack can also make them more vulnerable to sexual predators.

Children deserve stable environments in which they can learn, grow and have fun.

Parents should learn to put aside their difference, or at the very least, keep these out of the knowledge of children and focus their efforts on

ensuring that they provide positive models of what adult relationships should look like. In creating a healthy and supportive co-parenting relationship, you will be able to build a solid foundation for children to develop into the best version of themselves.

Yours sincerely,

Akola Thompson Blue Umbrella Consultant, ChildLinK

Guyana ready to collaborate with UAE on climate change

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

–President Ali said, accepts Letters of Credence from non-resident UAE Ambassador

PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has said that Guyana is prepared to collaborate with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to combat climate change and achieve other bilateral objectives.

President Ali made this statement after accepting the Letters of Credence from the non-resident Ambassador of the UAE to Guyana, Saleh Ahmad Salem Alzaraim Alsuwaidi, at the Office of the President, on Tuesday.

The Head of State first conveyed best wishes and warm greetings to the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, before highlighting the importance of collaboration between the two countries.

“There are many areas that we can focus on to develop our bilateral relations.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Tuesday, accepted the Letters of Credence from Non-Resident Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Guyana, Saleh Ahmad Salem Alzaraim Alsuwaidi (Office of the President photo)

Both of our countries share similar objectives,” President Ali reasoned.

The President related that Guyana is on a path to transforming its economy while mitigating the effects of climate change. This, he added, will be done through the prioritisation of the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

“I hope we can work together to develop our collaboration in this area,” the Head of State said.

He added that the impending establishment of Guyana’s Mission in the capital of the UAE—Abu Dhabi—is a testimony to the government’s commitment to give “practical meaning” to its relations with the UAE. GENEROUS DONATIONS The President also used the opportunity to thank the UAE for its assistance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through “generous

donations” of medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE).

President Ali also congratulated the UAE for hosting Expo Dubai 2020 (from October 2021 to March 2022) and said that he is looking forward to attending the event in October.

“Excellency, I wish to assure you of the full support of the Government of Guyana in the discharge of your duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates, for the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. I wish you a productive and successful tenure ahead,” President Ali said.

Meanwhile, the ambassador extended best wishes to President Ali and said that the focus of his mission, as directed by his President, is to develop the bilateral relationship between the two countries. (Office of the President)

Stop making...

From page 7

would reach out to them.

Other farmers had legitimate concerns which could be addressed properly if they are willing to wait on the system.

Suddenly, an AFC activist started to make claims on social media that caught the attention of his opposition colleagues. These divisive politicians are circulating these comments to justify their own narrative of non-support and corruption.

Mr. Editor, while I agree with people voicing or expressing their feelings about issues relating to transparency, there is a time and place for it. These people have to take the right approach, and channels, to get an audience with the right persons and authorities if they want the issue addressed.

They must not go on Facebook and other social media to make accusations.

It is not advisable.

Secondly, I do not think Mr. Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, and Sherod Duncan should be saying

anything about this cash relief to the farmers. They are the last parliamentarians I expect to talk about accountability and transparency.

As parliamentarians, these politicians and the APNU/AFC cabal should know how to verify and sanitise these claims. If they have any integrity, then they would stop sharing these posts. They could pick up the phone and call a minister to let them know what is happening.

They also can use the Parliament to ask questions about the criteria used to come up with these names.

But do not spread falsities about the project to get cheap political points.

Finally, this relief will benefit 52,000 households.

It is expected to have some hiccups, but responsible politicians would not behave in this lewd, cunning, and selfish manner. Stop stirring the pot and making public mischief!

Yours truly, Attiya Baksh

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

E-Networks increases internet speed of fibre-optic business service – allows increased access to evolving software, services, industry platforms at competitive prices

GUYANA’S only locally-owned telecommunications services provider, E-Networks, has increased its fibre-optic business service, OnFiber Business Ultimate, from 475 Mbps to 675 Mbps for the same monthly subscription fee of $29,999 (VAT inclusive).

According to a press release from the company, with these faster speeds, which are among the most competitively priced in the region, local businesses can easily harness the opportunities provided by advanced technological breakthroughs such as cloud services.

Cloud services, according to ‘tech’ experts, refer

Newly-appointed Chief Commercial Officer of E-Networks, Abu Zaman to a wide range of services delivered on demand to companies and customers over the Internet.

These services are designed to provide easy, affordable access to applica-

tions and resources, without the need for internal infrastructure or hardware.

Newly-appointed Chief Commercial Officer of E-Networks, Abu Zaman, said that this improved access to the cloud and reliable connectivity will enable businesses to achieve a competitive edge by tapping into evolving software, services and industry platforms while managing costs, as has been the case in other developing countries.

He said too that E-Networks recently secured a partnership with Microsoft as a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) to support and drive cloud adoption, while ensuring its customers receive

the best value, options, and pricing.

“This 42 per cent speed increase is the third time in three years that the company has significantly improved its business packages and is another example of E-Networks’ commitment to supporting the business community’s ability to leverage technology for progression,” the company said.

The company’s business services also support Wi-Fi 6, the next generation of wireless internet. Wi-Fi 6 emphasises better efficiency, capacity and all-around performance, allowing a user’s network to harness the full potential of E-Networks’ internet services.

“E -Networks has been setting standards as the leader in local telecommunications since the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in October 2020,” the company related.

The telecommunications services provider has landed its own subsea international cable from Barbados and the first submarine fibre-optic cable to Essequibo.

E-Networks’ fibre network is also continually expanding, with recently-opened coverage areas in Berbice and on the Essequibo Coast. In these areas, customers can access the same speeds at the same pricing, as those available in Georgetown.

These moves have enabled E-Networks to deploy high-capacity fibre services, 5G and 4G Networks, across Guyana’s most densely populated areas, including rural areas, such as on the Essequibo Coast and in Berbice.

These networks have increased access to faster, more reliable internet at affordable prices to the Guyanese people.

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Unvaccinated children...

From page 2

phy that’s good for when everything is perfect. We are not at a perfect place right now, but we have not said and we are not saying at this stage that unvaccinated children, if they want to access education, will be disallowed from doing so,” Minister Manickchand stated.

The minister related that consent forms were sent to parents of over 50,000 students in secondary schools. Up to Tuesday, the ministry received over 4,000 forms with parents giving their consent to have their children inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine.

NOT JUST FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN Although the target group for this process is children who will be returning to school, Minister Manickchand said that it is not limited to them, as all children, ages 12 to 18 years, who obtain permission from their parents or legal guardians, would be able to receive the vaccine.

“This is not a vaccine only for school children, it is a vaccine that will be administered by the Ministry of Health to any child between the ages of 12 and

The 146,250 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine being offloaded from the FedEx airplane at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, on Tuesday (Delano Williams photo)

18, regardless of if they are in school or which school they are in,” Minister Manickchand said.

The minister noted, too, that while children ages 12 and under are not yet able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, this will not put a halt on the reopening of primary schools on September 06.

She said that each school had been given the option by the Ministry of Education to formulate specific timetables that

would best complement their individual circumstances and enable them to maximise their schools’ resources.

So far, the ministry has received plans from schools for rotational teaching methods and mixed online in-person sessions that would allow for students to have some face-to-face teaching after a significant period of time away from a physical classroom.

ACCESS TO ALL Working simultaneously with the Ministry of Education to prepare for the reopening of schools, is the Ministry of Health, which, according to subject minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, has already put measures in place to transport the vaccine to children who reside on the coastland and those in hinterland communities.

“While we have, centrally, the ultra-cold storage, we have special containers in which we can

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

move the vaccine out to different areas and, when we are doing that, we ensure that we have enough dry ice that would maintain that temperature range and we get it to the various areas that we need to do the vaccination,” Minister Anthony explained.

The Health Minister said that while the first batch of the Pfizer vaccine received by the government is only being administered to children ages 12 to 18 years, clinical trials are currently ongoing in the United States to determine the effects of the vaccine on children, 12 years and under.

Minister Anthony spoke of the importance of vaccination and achieving herd immunity not just to reopening schools and returning to normalcy, but also to protect the lives of all citizens in the country, inclusive of children.

“For children between the ages of 5 to 12, right now, there are clinical trials in the U.S. and the data from those clinical trials are expected by mid of next month, and once that becomes available, the FDA will probably approve the emergency use authorisation for children between those ages.

“There are also studies that are ongoing for ages five to babies, and those re-

sults we’ll probably know them by January. But once those results are out, we will be able to follow the signs,” Minister Anthony said.

Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Guyana, Mark Cullinane, expressed the U.S. government’s pride to assist Guyana in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outside of the provision of vaccines, the U.S., he said, has offered significant financial support to the cause.

“Aside from the doses of vaccines, we have also donated $4 million in COVID-19 assistance to the Eastern Caribbean, including $1.3 million in donations to Guyana for its efforts to address the COVID-19 virus,” Cullinane said.

Locally, the government has been rolling out an aggressive COVID-19 vaccination programme that sees anyone above the age of 18 years having the opportunity to receive a vaccine to be protected against the virus.

Currently, government is offering first and second doses of the Russian-produced Sputnik V vaccine; the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine; and the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Soldier dies while allegedly speeding on Soesdyke/Linden Highway

SPEEDING is believed to have played a role in the death of 26-year-old Linden soldier, Wilmot Warde.

He died on Tuesday morning when he lost control of, and was flung from, his vehicle while driving on the Haurauni Public Road, on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

According to a police report, Warde of Lot 1608 Central Amelia's Ward, Linden, was driving his black and silver motorcar, PLL 6077, proceeding north along

the western side of Haurauni Public Road, allegedly, at a fast rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle.

“As a result, the motorcar ended up on the western parapet, where the driver fell onto the driveway of Scotty Creek which caused him to receive injuries to his body,” the report said.

Warde was picked up by public-spirited citizens in a semi-conscious condition and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.

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Dead: Wilmot Warde

The vehicle that was involved in the accident

The body was later transported to the Memorial Gardens Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

The Guyana Police Force has also since launched an investigation surrounding the circumstances of the incident.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Local ‘diabetes specialist’ redefining medical care with virtual clinic –– hopes to work with Health Ministry to develop policies, programmes to target persons pre-exposed to chronic diseases

By Naomi Parris

BIRTHED amid the restrictive conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, was an idea of Guyana’s first Endocrinologist, Dr. Caleb Mc

Cloggan, to launch a virtual clinic for persons desirous of accessing medical care.

The practice of medical care is as old as the first recordings in human history.

Traditionally, doctors are

known to physically examine their patients to arrive at a diagnosis and provide the necessary treatments.

However, medical care is an ever-evolving sector that moves hand-in-hand with tech-

nological advancements.

In this case, not only was the technology available, but the opportunity was also there for medical services to be offered virtually as a substitute to some amount of physical care, which became difficult to administer because of the pervasive pandemic.

Dr. Mc Cloggan, who saw the niche, specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus, thyroid disorders, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, obesity, growth disorder, galactorrhea and hypertension.

The doctor recently completed studies in Cuba, earning himself the title of Guyana’s first Endocrinologist.

Dr. Mc Cloggan, who defines himself as a natural caregiver, said that medicine has always been a passion of his.

With a genuine heart, the specialist knew he was destined to help others. So, with that in mind, he opened the doors to his online clinic, which has already facilitated care for over 500 patients.

Through his online platform, Dr. Mc Cloggan provides psychological and nutritional care to assist his patients in having the best recovery.

The doctor who is currently awaiting to return to his homeland from Cuba after completing additional studies, said that while most of his services are available virtually for patients who may require psychical examinations, arrangements are made to have such done in person by other doctors and medical practitioners.

“I am one doctor that just don’t treat with tablets, I always try to better their social environment and then I focus on the biological aspect as in treatment with medication,” he said.

Speaking further about his specialty, Dr. Mc Cloggan said that over the years, he has observed that there is a lack of knowledge and information surrounding chronic diseases in Guyana and persons who are pre-exposed to same.

According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Guyana, with a population of about 750,000 persons, has an estimated diabetes prevalence of 11 per cent, which is above the average of other South American countries and similar to the high levels in the Caribbean.

It is for these reasons that Dr. Mc Cloggan decided to become an Endocrinologist (a person specialised in treating both Type I and Type II diabetes).

“In Guyana there is no active screening protocol in place for persons who are at risk for developing diabetes,

people who are pre-exposed to diabetes cannot be screened in Guyana,” he related.

To this end, upon his return, the specialist hopes to work closely with the country’s Ministry of Health to develop strategic policies and programmes to target Guyanese who are pre-exposed to chronic diseases. He believes that once there is an articulate strategy, Guyana’s chronic mortality rate could decrease significantly.

He added: “If and individual is over the age of 45, they should be screening once every three years for diabetes… if that person has cholesterol problems they should be screened, or if they have hypertension, if they a family history, if there are obese, if they moved from the country side to the city, they should be screened….and these are things that no one pay attention.”

Persons who are interested in reaching out to Dr. Mc Cloggan could contact him via his Facebook page at Dr. Caleb Mc Cloggan MD DM - Endocrinologist.

A 72-year-old was robbed of $187,000 on Monday at the Leonora Public Road, West Coast Demerara, just moments after leaving the Leonora Post Office, where he had collected his NIS, senior citizen and public servant pension monies.

The robbery occurred at 10:30 hours. The identifiable suspect remains at large after departing in a black motorcar

bearing registration number PSS 2700.

According to a police report, the pensioner went to the Leonora Post Office where he collected the cash and secured same in a black purse. He subsequently proceeded to a pharmacy, opposite the Leonora Fire Station, to purchase medication.

As he was about to enter the pharmacy, the suspect

pounced on him, grabbed the black purse with the money, and ran away on foot.

The pensioner tried to pursue the suspect; however, the suspect entered the motor car which was parked on the public road in front of the Leonora Fire Station, and sped away in an eastern direction.

The police said investigations are ongoing.

Guyana’s first Endocrinologist, Dr. Caleb Mc Cloggan

Bandit ‘pounces’ on pensioner

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Delta variant of COVID-19 likely already in Guyana –– Dr. Anthony says, encourages Guyana to utilise opportunity to be vaccinated

MINISTER of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has urged those persons who are yet to receive their second dose of the Sputnik V, AstraZeneca or Sinopharm vaccines, to complete the process and protect themselves and families against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, which is likely in Guyana.

Minister Anthony issued the appeal during Tuesday’s COVID-19 update, where he also acknowledged the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the last week.

“As of last week, our numbers were relatively low, meaning that it had dropped to about 800 or so, and then we

started seeing an increase in those numbers of new cases, and that is very instructive because it’s telling us that we probably have a more infectious variant that is now in Guyana. And we all know that in many countries around the world, that the Delta variant is becoming the dominant variant. So, Delta is now in more than 140 Something countries.

“And as that variant becomes the dominant strain that is circulating in the country, we will see that it’s going to cause more infections, unfortunately, it is going to cause more hospitalisation and it is going to cause more deaths,” Dr. Anthony cau-

tioned.

Minister Anthony reminded the nation that unvaccinated persons are among those persons being severely affected by the Delta variant.

“So, the thing here, if we are going to protect ourselves against Delta, then we really need to make sure that we are vaccinated, and if we are not vaccinated, then we’ll be at a higher risk to get the disease. So, I really want to urge people, you will have an opportunity here to get vaccinated, we have more than 110 sites, fixed sites that is, that are operating and you can come to any one of these sites, you can start the process

by getting your first dose of the vaccine.

“We have now, we have the AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, some J&J and this is available to any adult in this country.

There is no rational reason why you should be without the vaccine, if you don’t take that vaccine, it is going to put you at severe risk,” Minister Anthony said.

On Monday, Guyana received 5,000 second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, as well as its first tranche of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, strengthening its arsenal against the COVID-19 and deadly Delta variant.

As he urged persons to

A nurse at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, preparing to administer a dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to a local healthcare worker (Vishani Ragobeer photo) get their COVID-19 vaccine, Minister Anthony also noted that as of Tuesday morning, there were 146 new cases of COVID-19 in the country, out of 1,917 tests conducted the same day.

In total, there are 1,464

active cases across Guyana, with 90 being hospitalised.

Of that figure, 63 persons are at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, with 22 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

(DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Over 5,500 persons gain employment through Local Government Ministry

APPROXIMATELY 5,500 persons across the country have been employed by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development to execute infrastructural projects.

This includes the employment of an additional 1,800 persons as Commu-

nity Enhancement Workers (CEWs) to aid in the advancement of their communities.

Subject Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, has said that this development is in keeping with the government’s manifesto promise to create 50,000 jobs.

“This is all part of our agenda to have about 50,000 jobs created in this first five years of our governance. So, we are making that contribution and this is done based on infrastructural improvement at the community level, livelihood opportunities being created at the community

level. This is also in terms of services being offered at the community level.”

The minister said this approach taken by his ministry will “go a long way” in building greater communities and improving the well-being of all Guyanese.

He added that the construction of schools, roads, bridges among other infrastructure, will also help to transform the country.

“You can see the benefits are already occurring

in terms of where we would like to go. Our position is, we have to open up the economy, we have to make sure that more jobs are created.

We have to make sure that wealth is generated, we have to make sure there are safety and security in all of our villages across the country,” Minister Dharamlall reasoned.

The Local Government Minister said while his ministry has been facing numerous challenges, in

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall areas like sanitation management, it will continue to work in the best interest of the people. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

What lessons could be drawn from China’s combat aga

–– The Chinese mainland reported zero new local cases for the first time in over a month on Sunday, marking an initial success in containing

–– The latest resurgence since mid-July, caused mainly by the highly contagious Delta variant, has prompted resolute actions, including targeted lockdowns, t

–– China’s measures, widely supported by the public, have brought previous and its recent outbreak under control. What lessons could (BEIJING, Xinhua, Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) THE Chinese mainland reported zero new local cases for the first time in over a month on Sunday, marking an initial success in containing the most severe COVID-19 outbreak since the beginning of this year.

The mainland Sunday reported 21 imported COVID-19 cases but no new locally transmitted cases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in its daily report on Monday.

under control. What lessons could be drawn from China’s combat against the latest Delta outbreak?

IS LOCALISED LOCKDOWN NECESSARY? Local Chinese governments have taken swift m e a s u re s t o s t e m t h e spread of COVID-19.

Measures such as timely medical treatment of confirmed cases, concentrated quarantine of close contacts, closed-management of residential communities, and

Staff members check a passenger’s identity information and health code at Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, August 23, 2021. Nanjing cleared all medium and high-risk areas for COVID-19 on August 19. (Xinhua/ Ji Chunpeng) The latest resurgence since mid-July, caused mainly by the highly contagious Delta variant, has prompted resolute actions, including targeted lockdowns, travel restrictions, mass testing, and swift medical actions to contain its spread.

“Practices have proven that our prevention measures are effective. We must continue to implement these measures, strengthen weak links, and consolidate work in key areas,” said Ma Xiaowei, head of the NHC, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

China’s measures, widely supported by the public, have brought each outbreak

suspended passenger traffic, have proven effective in rapidly controlling the epidemic, said Yu Chuanhua, an expert in epidemiology and health statistics at Wuhan University.

China’s measures to control COVID-19 follow the basic principles of infectious diseases prevention and control, and have brought the epidemic under control in a short period, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

This strategy has proven effective in rapidly controlling more than 20 imported outbreaks since the

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

ainst latest Delta outbreak?

g the most severe COVID-19 outbreak since the beginning of this year.

travel restrictions, mass testing, and swift medical actions to contain its spread.

d be drawn from China’s combat against the latest Delta outbreak? ing and washing hands frequently could help reduce the transmission of the highly infectious Delta variant, which is also transmitted through respiratory systems.

cent of the population vaccinated, the country could achieve an effective herd immunity,” said Zhong, adding that the vaccination rate in China will likely reach more than 80 per cent at the end of this year.

HOW CAN MASS TESTING STOP THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS? Qiu Haibo, an expert with the State Council joint COVID-19 prevention and control mechanism team, said China has been able to control the epidemic faster and faster since the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province.

It is mainly because rapid nucleic acid testing can identify the infected and control the source of infection.

The existing nucleic acid testing method can detect the Delta variant in time, said Zhu Liguo.

In the mass testing and testing among key population groups, the country continued to use nucleic acid testing technology and increased the testing frequency to maximise the timely detection of all infected persons, said Zhu. Zhu Shida, director of a nucleic acid test laboratory named Huoyan, or Fire Eye, which was established by the Shenzhen-based biotech company BGI Group, said mass testing in China has now generally adopted a 10-in-one mixed testing approach.

On the premise of ensuring scientific sensitivity, this method reduces the detection amount by 90 per cent compared with single tube detection, which dramatically reduces cost, said Zhu. WHAT RESULTS

WOULD THERE BE IF THERE IS NO CONTROL? “As the virus mutates and spreads faster, we must respond faster. If we loosen control measures, all our efforts in the past year will go to waste, and we will have huge losses and unimaginable consequences,” said Wu Zunyou.

“Our current anti-epidemic measures have avoided many infections at a relatively small cost. Thanks to our accurate and regular measures, most of the production activities in all walks of life have resumed, and economic development is positive,” said Yu Chuanhua.

China’s prevention and control measures reflect the value of “people first and life first.” The measures are effective for safeguarding the lives of millions of people and their families and boosting economic growth, noted Wu.

HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THE VACCINES? More than 1.94 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China as of Sunday, data from the NHC showed Monday.

Preliminary studies on the latest COVID-19 outbreak in south China’s Guangdong Province show that China’s homegrown vaccines are effective against the Delta variant. Top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan shared China’s experience in epidemic

Volunteers and security staff deliver necessities ordered by residents under home quarantine at a community in Haidian District, Beijing, capital of China, August 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao) epidemic began. It is the that vaccination, wearing most effective way to control acute infectious diseases like COVID-19 while controlling the economic cost, said Wu. The latest Delta epidemic affected more than half of the provincial-level regions on the mainland. East China’s Jiangsu Province reported a total of 818 local confirmed cases in this round, the most among the affected provinces.

“We have invested a lot in manpower and material costs, and the control and prevention measures have kept most of the Chinese provinces, regions, and cit- Aerial photo taken on August 14, 2021 shows “Falies free and open,” said Wu. con” air-inflated testing labs for COVID-19 nucleic Wu added that “without the acid testing at Yangzhou International Exhibition ‘local control,’ there would Center in Yangzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. likely be a nationwide loss (Xinhua/Li Bo) of control.” masks, frequent hand-wash- prevention and control via DO WE STILL NEED ing, maintaining social dis- video link on August 20.

TO WEAR MASKS? tancing, and avoiding crowds According to Zhong, the The entire world is still are effective,” said Wu. overall protection efficacy of struggling to cope with the “If the virus mutates China’s domestic vaccines is crisis. again, as long as you wear a close to 60 per cent against Although China reported mask, wash hands frequent- the Delta variant and 100 per zero new local cases, the pos- ly, and keep social distance, cent against severe cases. sibility of another imported the prevention effect will be The latest data showed outbreak is still high, warned good,” Wu added. that antibody levels increased Wu. Wu ’s o p i n i o n s w e r e more than 10 times when a “Therefore, we must al- echoed by Zhu Liguo, with third dose of the domestic ways adhere to the preven- the Jiangsu Provincial Cen- vaccine is given six months tion and control measures of ter for Disease Control and after the second dose, Zhong COVID-19 regularly. Pre- Prevention. added. vious practices have proven Zhu said mask-wear“With more than 80 per

Wang Yaru (2nd R) and other staff celebrate the birthday of a woman under medical observation at a quarantine site in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, August 18, 2021 (Xinhua/Li An)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

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Over 2,000 officers to be trained to handle domestic violence reports – as Ministry of Human Services launches ‘COPSQUAD2000’

AT least one officer at every police station across the country will receive specialised training on how to address issues of domestic violence through the “COPSQUAD2000” initiative, which was launched by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Tuesday.

A brainchild of subject minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, the initiative kicked off at the Po-

ical scars, and even death.

This new initiative seeks to ensure that once a domestic violence matter is brought to a police station, it will be handled in a manner that accords with international best practices.

“We must not be happy with any level of mediocrity; we must not accept any level of doing lesser than we should,” Minister Persaud charged the senior and junior officers in attendance who

initiative, will be working with the police force to train trainers so that there will be continuity of the initiative.

Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, acknowledged that the issue of domestic violence is a troubling one locally and that the behaviour in this regard is shocking.

“We have to do better as men and take our responsibilities seriously,” he urged, adding: “In

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security is partnering with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force for COPSQUAD2000 lice Officers Training Centre in Kingston in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is also playing an integral role in the training.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, with cases of domestic violence said to be rising in Guyana, Minister Persaud wants 2,000 officers to be trained before the end of this year.

She also called for a conscientious effort to be made for each reported case to be treated with the level of seriousness and urgency that it requires.

This, she noted, is in keeping with the ill effects that domestic violence brings with it, including instability in families, disruption of lives, psychological and phys-

hail from hinterland and coastal areas.

Once they complete their training, the participants will receive a badge that will make them easily identifiable to those who come to make reports.

Following the training, Minister Persaud said that the officers will be held accountable for the cases going to them.

An intense training being conducted both in person and online, will be done in batches of 30 for a maximum of eight days for the junior officers and five days for the senior ones.

The training will deal with interrogation, assessment of safety, how to counsel and respond to people who come to make complaints, and how to write case reports.

The ministry, with its own set of trainers to supplement the

many ways we’re too open, too permissive in the way we deal with these issues; the music we play, our behaviour as adults.”

He called on the police to be proactive and vigilant when such reports are made at the station and not simply send the victim back home “to get more licks.”

Minister Benn posited that the reasons the cases are rising have to do with a failure in policing, failure in society and the fundamental failure of the country’s men.

Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie, noted that domestic violence has been placed under the microscope by the ministry, which recently launched its 914 domestic violence emergency hotline, among other ‘laudable’ initiatives.

According to him, statistics for January to June this year

Cementing friendship

Two female members of the High Commission of India, Bindu Vijayakumar and Satamani Ramharak, celebrated Raksha Bandhan with President, Dr Irfaan Ali, at State House, on Tuesday morning. Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Sravana, during July or August and is symbolic of the love and bond between a brother and a sister.

India’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa also attended the event. (Office of the President photo)

reveal that in 2020, there were 733 reports of domestic violence compared to the 896 in 2021.

For this reason, he implored the officers to make good use of the training and to share it with junior officers so that they can become well-rounded and effective in carrying out their duties.

Permanent Secretary in the

Ministry of Human Services, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar, encouraged the officers never to underestimate the impact that they can have on saving someone’s life and urged them to take the training seriously.

Director of Social Services, Whentworth Tanner, related that the training represents the

strengthening of the national response against all forms of violence against women and girls.

“Perpetrators must be held accountable and victims must be protected. A crime that goes unpunished only serves to embolden perpetrators and leads to more criminal acts,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Four more deaths take COVID-19 death toll to 601

THE Ministry of Health, on Tuesday, reported that there have been four more deaths as a result of COVID-19, taking the country’s overall death toll to 601.

The ministry, in a press

release, said that the four patients died while receiving medical care at a local facility.

The latest fatalities are a 93-year-old woman from Region Three (Essequibo Islands–West Demerara),

who died on August 22; an 80-year-old woman from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), who died on August 22; an 83-yearold man from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), who died on August

20, and a 52-year-old man from Region Four, who died on August 22.

Meanwhile, 132 new COVID-19 cases were recorded from 1917 tests.

The new cases take the overall number of con-

firmed cases to 24,504.

New cases were recorded in Region Three (25 new cases), Region Four (77 new cases), Region Five (5 new cases), Region six (11 new cases), Region Seven (five new cases), Region Eight (one new case), Region Nine (four new cases) and Region 10 (four new cases).

Some 53 new recoveries were also recorded.

Up to press time, 22 patients were in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, 96 were in institutional isolation, 1,325 were in home isolation and there were seven persons in institutional quarantine.

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the pro-

tocols of the COVID-19 emer gen cy meas ur es , which are in effect until August 31, 2021.

This order emphasises the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline 2311166, 226-7480 or 6246674 immediately or visit us at www.health.gov.gy.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Remote communities to benefit from Johnson & Johnson vaccine

MINISTER of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has said that the “single dose” Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be given to persons mainly in the hinterland regions.

“So, we are going to send those vaccines out

challenge.

“So, by giving this single dose vaccine at least we know people would be protected. So, our strategy would be to use the J&J vaccine mostly for those remote communities that we’ll have difficulty ac-

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

to those hard-to-reach communities across the hinterland. And I think that’s going to help us to reach a lot of people, to be able to expand the coverage,” Dr. Anthony said during Tuesday’s edition of the daily COVID-19 update.

Minister Anthony related that there have been discussions pertaining to a second dose, but for now it remains a single dose vaccine. He said the vaccine will mostly be for remote communities, since there has been difficulty reaching those areas.

“And one of the challenges has been when we gave a first dose in one of these remote communities, getting back into the community, finding the people because sometimes people move, it is a

cessing,” the Health Minister reasoned.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony said the vaccine’s effectiveness depends on the variant, he noted: “The efficacy varies, depending of what variant we are dealing with…we will have to wait studies against maybe the Delta variant to see what the accuracy would be.”

He added that the vaccine is easy to store and, therefore, makes it much easier to work with. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also be available in limited amounts on the coastland.

Guyana received its first batch of the Johnson & Jonson vaccine on Monday through an initiative spearheaded by the CARICOM Secretariat. (DPI)

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Afridi, Nauman Ali bowl Pakistan to series-levelling win 2005, 2011 and 2021: Three two-match series in a row, West Indies took the lead in a home series, only for Pakistan to drag them back to parity.

Rain, wet outfield, poor light all conspired to try and deny Babar Azam's side triumph in this Test, but Pakistan's positive approach and relentlessness in pursuit of a result rewarded them with a hugely gratifying 109-run win.

Shaheen Afridi was the hero, finishing with a matchhaul of 10 wickets as the West Indies folded against a well-rounded attack. It meant they will have to wait a few more years to record a first Test series win over Pakistan since 2001.

(Scores): Pakistan 302 for 9 dec (Alam 124, Azam 75, Roach 3-68) and 176 for 6 dec (Butt 37, Azam 33) beat West Indies 150 (Bonner 37, Afridi 6-51) and 219 (Holder 47, Afridi 4-43, Nauman 3-52) by 109 runs At the start of the day, Pakistan needed nine wickets, West Indies 280 runs. For a brief while on the fourth evening, Pakistan were slightly worried in the face of West Indian resistance. It remained that way for a brief spell this morning, as Alzarri Joseph and Kraigg Brathwaite kept the bowlers at bay. Each struck a boundary to get the ball rolling, and with the ball losing its shine, West Indies appeared to be making progress.

But once Afridi bounced Joseph out, the innings changed colour. Hasan Ali hadn't enjoyed a particularly

memorable series until Tuesday, but it took just one ball to make an impact towards levelling the series. Nkrumah Bonner played down the wrong line and was struck dead in front; Hasan didn't even bother to appeal as he set off to celebrate. The umpire made Pakistan review, but there was no redemption for Bonner. Faheem Ashraf at the other end should have seen off Brathwaite, but while one Pakistan opener simply cannot drop a catch in the slips, Brathwaite's outside edge looped to the other one.

Abid Ali put down a dolly, perhaps illustrating why Imran Butt had dived so spectacularly in front of him in the first Test. To rub the point home further, when Roston Chase offered up a chance the following over, Butt dived adroitly to his right as Pakistan had another wicket.

Blackwood and Brathwaite have been West Indies' brightest batting sparks this tour, and for more than an hour, they kept Pakistan waiting for another breakthrough. It came from an unlikely source - their left-arm spinner Nauman Ali - who flighted the ball to draw the batter forward and induce an outside edge to the keeper.

Brathwaite appeared to be the focal point of resistance when the middle session began but a rare loose shot a few overs in allowed Pakistan to chisel their way into the lower order. A loose, uppish slash to point found Fawad Alam, and Pakistan were sniffing at the prospect of finishing the game off before tea.

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But Mayers, who was yet to score a run this series before, found a bit of rhythm, and alongside Jason Holder, began to hunker down.

The runs came from time to time, but they weren't a priority, and as Nauman's effectiveness wavered while the quicks tired, West Indies were raising local hopes of taking the game deep and infusing concern amongst the fielding side.

Abid Ali's butterfingers didn't help, the opener putting down his second catch of the day, this time a routine grab at short leg after an inside edge from Mayers.

It was down to Shaheen Afridi - who else? - to give Pakistan a lift, coming with an exquisite off-stump delivery that shaped away from the left-handed Mayers. The batsman went for an expansive drive, only to see it take a feather off the outside edge, triggering relieved Pakistani celebrations.

You wouldn't have blamed Pakistan for believing they were on the cusp of a series-levelling win, but the heavens chose that moment to open, and within moments, it had gone from bright sunshine to an absolute downpour.

Holder jogged back off alongside the dismissed Mayers, while Babar Azam followed in his wake, remonstrating with the umpires; after the drama around the wet outfield, thoughts must invariably have turned to a victory snatched from under his side's noses.

But it was only a cloudburst, to Pakistan's relief and an early tea later, back out they came. The darkening skies added dramatic flair to

the occasion, and for a while, Holder made hay while the sun didn't shine.

He targeted both quick and slow bowlers alike, and rode his luck on occasion, no more so than when Afridi failed to gobble up a chance on the boundary.

Butt aside, Pakistan's lack-lustre fielding was thematically consistent, and with no clear notion of when time might run out, there was always the danger it could cost them once more. But with Azam having turned to the spinners to rush through till the new ball became available Holder's extrava-

gance got the better of him.

He had pierced Nauman through the covers the previous delivery, but three runs shy of a half-century found Fawad at cover the next ball.

From that point on, Afridi took over with the new ball, summarily removing Kemar Roach and Joshua da Silva to close the game.

Test cricket in these two nations might have been set back over the past few decades, but over yet another humdinger of a series, there was nothing to separate West Indies and Pakistan once more.

(Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD PAKISTAN 1st innings 302-9 decl.

WEST INDIES 1st innings 150 PAKISTAN 2nd innings 176-6 decl.

WEST INDIES 2nd innings (target: 329 runs) (overnight 49 for one) K. Brathwaite c Fawad Alam b Nauman Ali 39 K. Powell run-out 23 A. Joseph c wkp. Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi 17 N. Bonner lbw b Hasan Ali 2 R. Chase c Imran Butt b Hasan Ali 0 J. Blackwood c wkp. Mohammad Rizwan b Nauman Ali 25 K. Mayers c wkp. Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi 32 J. Holder c Fawad Alam b Nauman Ali 47 J. Da Silva c Faheem Ashraf b Shaheen Shah Afridi

15 K. Roach lbw b Shaheen Shah Afridi 7 J. Seales not out 0 Extras: (b-4, lb-2, w-1, nb-5) 12 Total: (all out, 83.2 overs) 219 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-65, 3-69, 4-73, 5-101), 6-113, 7-159, 8-199, 9-212.

Bowling: Mohammad Abbas 14-3-42-0, Shaheen Shah Afridi 17.2-5-43-4, Hasan Ali 14-6-37-2, Faheem Ashraf 13-5-36-0, Nauman Ali 22-7-52-3, Fawad Alam 3-1-3-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Man-of-the-Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Kohli hints at unchanged X1 for Headingley Test INDIA skipper Virat Kohli has somewhat dropped a hint on the visitors going unchanged for the third Test against England at Headingley. India are currently leading the series 1-0 after a sensational win at Lord’s on the final day and will be looking to ride home the advantage. For the same reason, Kohli reckons there is no need to tinker the winning combination especially after a brilliant win at the Home of cricket.

This could mean more time on the bench for the off-spinner Ravi Ashwin.

Having said that, the Indian captain is not completely ruling out Ashwin at the moment and suggested that they will pick the final XI based on the conditions. India are playing

at Headingley for the first time since 2002 and the venue is known to assist spinners often. It remains to be seen if the premier offie plays for his team and if yes, then whom will replace.

“We don’t have any reason to change anything unless people have niggles, which we haven’t encountered. A winning combination, you don’t want to disturb. Especially after the second Test and players are even more excited to take field. As far as Ashwin playing is concerned, we were surprised to see the surface at Lord’s.

“I didn’t expect, I thought there would be more grass and spice. Anything is possible, we name a 12 and then according to conditions we pick,” Virat Kohli said in the

pre-match press conference.

England are missing their key players in Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood (only for third Test) for different reasons.

With England’s top-order also considerably weak, they have the best chance to win the Test series in the country for the first time since 2007.

However, Kohli feels his team would’ve beaten even as full strength and they have that belief.

“Does that (best chance to beat weakened England in Test series) depend on the strength of the opposition?

Even when the key players are playing, we think we can beat anyone. We don’t wait for the opposition to be weak,” the 32-year-old further added. (CricTracker)

28

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Football authorities have duty to look after former players with dementia, says Brian Deane THE football authorities have been urged to establish a fund to support ex-players suffering from neurodegenerative disease.

The subject has come back into the spotlight again after high-profile former footballers Denis Law and Terry McDermott’s dementia diagnoses were publicly confirmed.

Sixty former players aged between 30 and 70 have thrown their support behind the Head for Change group, including former England striker and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker.

Another of the group, former Leeds and Sheffield United forward Brian Deane,

has seen first-hand how devastating the condition can be, with his former Doncaster boss Dave Cusack having been diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Deane was the scorer of the very first Premier League goal in 1992 and believes the modern game “sits on the shoulders” of men like his mentor Cusack.

“Dave was the one who saw that I had potential, he offered me a contract and from there really that’s where my story in football started,” Deane told the PA news agency.

“I have spent a lot of time talking to Dave recently and it’s tragic when we have spo-

ken. Sometimes you come off the phone in tears, because he’s in a bad way.

“It is sad to see that a once big, bright imposing figure has now drifted away somewhere. His short-term memory is shot.

“He did so much for me without realising – the way he managed me as a kid, the tough love. When you see someone like Dave who is out there without the support that he should have … the game sits on the shoulders of people like Dave Everybody out there should be looking inwardly at how we can support the likes of Dave. Is the game going to allow these people to wander

off without the support and full backing that they need to retain their dignity?”

Head for Change, a group whose co-founders include former Wales rugby international Alix Popham who was diagnosed with early-onset dementia earlier this year, has called for the establishment of an ongoing fund to support individuals like Cusack.

A report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee of MPs concluded this month that the football authorities should have taken a stronger and more sustained interest in the issue of brain injuries following the coroner’s verdict on former

Brian Deane celebrates his historic goal against Manchester United in 1992. (PA)

West Brom and England striker Jeff Astle in 2002, which found his death was caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) owing to repeated heading of a ball.

In its submission earlier this year to the MPs’ inquiry, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) highlighted it had spent £1.82million to that point on supporting members with a neurodegenerative diagnosis, and that independent benefits advice provided to members had helped them access more than half a million pounds in additional support.

The PFA said it wanted to see an industry-wide fund set up to pay for things like care home fees but said it was not financially viable for the union to be the sole source of funding, and called on the Football Association, the Premier League and others to contribute.

The PFA also pointed out it had committed £616,000 into research looking at football and neurodegenerative conditions. his includes the FIELD Study which it co-funded with the FA. Earlier this month its latest findings showed that defenders were five times more likely to develop neurodegenerative disease compared to the gen-

eral population.

Head for Change wants the authorities to act and initiate research focused on maintaining and protecting the brain health of players who have retired knowing they may already have incurred traumatic brain injuries which will not lead to the onset of neurodegenerative disease until later in life.

It also wants a greater level of education for current and future players on the dangers of sports-related head injuries and how to prevent brain damage from repetitive head injuries during their playing careers.

Heading restrictions in training came into force in the professional game for the start of the season alongside the continuation of trials of concussion substitutes, though the current protocols in football have been dismissed as a “shambles” by FIELD Study leader Professor Willie Stewart.

One former player who has been in touch with Head for Change told them: “I’m scared to death. I wonder if it is me next. I do puzzles to keep my brain active.

“I take vitamins to protect brain health. Every time I forget something I think ‘is this the start? (PA Sport)

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Ambrose has bright hopes Ramiz Raja vying to become for WI Rising Stars U-19s next PCB chairman Sir Curtly Ambrose is totally enjoying time with the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 team.

The legendary fast bowler is bowling consultant and mentor for the 26-member squad and has been hands-on at every training session in Antigua, talking, motivating, and teaching the young players about the game.

And he’s delighted they have been taking in the knowledge and showing signs of growth as they prepare for the upcoming tour of England.

“This has been great and I’m enjoying every moment working with the young players here at this camp.

There has been so much enthusiasm … every training session is geared towards improving their skills and learning more. I’m especially happy to be working with the young fast bowlers. They show a lot of potential, and you can see once they put in the work we will have a good crop for the trip to England,” Sir Curtly said.

The West Indies Rising Stars U-19 tour of England will feature six Youth OneDay Internationals at The County Ground, Beckenham

West Indies legendary fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose, left, bowling consultant and mentor to 26-member Rising Star U-19 squad, shares of his knowledge with Sion Hackett, a member of the squad, during a training session in Antigua, recently. (Courtesy CWI Media)

and The Polo Farm, Canterbury from September 4-17.

The West Indies Rising Stars U-19s High Performance Camp is a key part of CWI’s investment in developing and preparing the players for the ICC U-19 World Cup to be played in the West Indies from January 4 to February 3, 2022.

Speaking specifically about the pace bowling stock, the legend said he was hugely impressed.

“I enjoy watching the young crop of fast bowlers we have here. They are young men in the formative years, but they are extreme-

ly disciplined, and they are always seeking more information to better their game.

They can also handle themselves with the bat, at the bottom of the innings, and that’s very important in this era of cricket,” Sir Curtly added.

“We are putting in a lot of work and the players are enjoying their work.

There is plenty more to do and for them to learn but we are happy with their development in the camp so far. We are eagerly looking forward to the England and playing on the international stage.” (CWI Media)

PAKISTAN cricket team hasn’t really been a formidable force lately, with inconsistency being a major concern for them. In July this year, the Men in Green shockingly suffered a 3-0 whitewash against a second-stringed England team in the ODI series.

The national team’s mediocre performance has also raised questions over the management and the officials.

However, Pakistan cricket might see a new era with current PCB chairman Ehsan Mani’s contract expiring on August 25.

While Mani is reportedly determined to extend his tenure, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has thrown his hat for the position at the helm.

The vital call will be taken by none other than the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who himself was a former cricketer. Imarn Khan will nominate two names (in this case likely to be Mani and Raja) to PCB’s board of governors, who will then elect the chairman.

Meanwhile, ESPNCricinfo reported that Raja met Imran Khan to discuss a roadmap to take Pakistan cricket forward. “I did meet with the PM and presented him with a roadmap for how Pakistan cricket can go forward. It was a cricket-centric discussion on the problems Pakistan cricket is facing and what possible steps can be taken to improve the overall performance,” said Raja.

“I am glad he called me up and heard me out. He is concerned about the state of cricket overall and is open to discussion. Pakistan has been extremely inconsistent and, let’s be fair, that the ranking in each format reflects that Pakistan cannot make it into the final of tournaments,” he added.

Highlighting Pakistan team’s weakness, Raja said he strongly put his point forward and now the final call will be taken by the PM. “The only chance they have is to play the semi-final in T20 format while considering the ODI and Test format it’s hard for them to go past the pool stage. I have updated

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja

him on things on the cricketing front. We had a productive meeting and it is now his call on how to proceed,” the 59-year-old added.

With the T20 World Cup 2021 being just a couple of months away, Pakistan would be brainstorming to pick a strong squad.

Moreover, big guns like England and New Zealand will tour Pakistan in 2021.

Hence, the national team and officials have a job in hand. (CricTracker)

Mohamed Salah to miss Egypt World Cup qualifiers LIVERPOOL have told the Egyptian FA that Mohamed Salah will not join up with the rest of the country’s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to quarantine restrictions.

Egypt, whose team will face Angola in Cairo on September 2 and then Gabon away three days later, is a country currently on the UK Government’s red travel list.

A statement on the Egyptian FA’s official website said: “The Egyptian Football Association had received a letter from Liverpool FC apologising for the inability of its player, Mohamed Salah, to join the national team in its next camp, which includes Angola in Cairo and Gabon in

Franceville during the first and second rounds of the African continent’s qualifiers for the World Cup. “The English club’s letter referred to the precautionary measures applied in England to confront the outbreak of the coronavirus in the world, which puts returnees from some countries in compulsory health isolation for a period of 10 days upon their return to England.

“In the letter, the English club also expressed its hope that the Egyptian federation would understand that it was forced to do so, in the face of the player being subjected to quarantine for this period and being affected by this physically.

“It is reported that Liverpool FC took the same

Mohamed Salah (left) scored Liverpool’s third goal when they opened their Premier League campaign with a 3-0 win at Norwich on August 14. (Joe Giddens/PA)

position with a number of its foreign players.”

Liverpool also have a trio who play for Brazil, another country on the red list,

in Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.

The PA news agency

has contacted the Premier League club for comment.

(PA Sport)

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

England have a Virat Kohli problem – they must stop scrapping with him to rescue the series ENGLAND are winning the battle against Virat Kohli the batsman but losing the fight against Virat Kohli, the competitor, and will change approach today after having their fingers burnt at Lord’s.

England would gladly have taken a batting average of 20.66 for Kohli going into the third Test of the series, especially with their own captain, Joe Root riding high with two centuries as he prepares to play on his home ground.

Kohli has been exposed outside off stump, reaching at wide balls on a fourth or fifth stump line, a run of misjudgments in complete contrast to his last tour to England in 2018.

In 2018, Kohli averaged 75.25 against anything outside off stump from the seamers, with four dismissals, but due to a technical change of opening up his stance more to negate inswing, he has been dismissed three times nicking off to England, averaging just 10.66 to those wide balls.

Even though England have successfully probed

this weakness and managed to keep Kohli quiet and dependent on team-mates for India’s runs, he is still living inside their heads, winding them up and affecting their thinking at crucial moments with his aggressive approach.

Kohli was picked up by the on-field microphones speaking in Hindi and saying to his players “For 60 overs they should feel hell out there” before they bowled England out inside two sessions for 120 to win the Lord’s Test.

He had already lit the fuse on Saturday night by encouraging Jasprit Bumrah to pepper James Anderson, which led to confrontations as they walked off at the close of play and still had England rattled two days later, probably costing them the Test match with their intent on revenge when Bumrah was batting.

Kohli was often hanging around, waiting at the crease for new batsmen in the second innings attempting to intimidate and crank up the pressure with a word or two.

He fired up his bowlers and was not prepared to take a

backward step.

It has left England with a decision to make on how to handle Kohli this week.

Do they give him the silent treatment, refuse to engage and bite on his provocations no matter how aggressive or do they go back at him hard, reminding him of his own form?

To do that it has to be a unified effort with all buying into it. They have tried, with bowlers reminding Kohli it is “all about him” and provoking him while batting at Lord’s. Ollie Robinson, in only his third Test, was engaging with Kohli at Lord’s shortly before his dismissal to Sam Curran.

But now at 1-0 down they need to change tact because getting into a fight with Kohli only makes him more punchy and England less focussed.

However difficult, they are better off not getting sucked into Kohli’s world and seem set to try and ignore him at Headingley.

In the absence of Ben Stokes, England lack the menace to go with the words.

They are ill-equipped to win

India celebrate their second Test victory at Lord’s.

a streetfight. Anderson chunters when he is bowling but obviously cannot give anything back as a batsman. Root is more of a cheeky chappie kind of character, smiling at slip and coming up with the odd quip.

Jos Buttler insists he is a lot harder than we think.

Umpires stepped in on the final day at Lord’s when he confronted Bumrah and he was fined a couple of years ago for abusing Vernon Philander but generally steers clear of trouble. It is just not in the make up of Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow to become involved with the opposition. The others are too inexperienced or unsure of their places to start picking

fights with the world’s most famous cricketer.

Root tried to be diplomatic today, wary of getting sucked into a Kohli storm before the game but admitted they had the wrong approach at Lord’s.

“The most important thing for us (with regard to) the theatre and everything else surrounding the game is we’ve got to make sure we play the game how we want to play it and look after that the best we can and not get too distracted or drawn into anything that is not us,” he said. “We have got to be genuine to ourselves, genuine to how we are as individuals and how we are collectively and be as good as we can

be in the way we go about things.

“Virat and his team will play the way they play and I just want us to go out and be the best version of us. I think we have done some good learning off the back of the last game.”

Kohli will not change.

He has an attack at his disposal that can back up words with actions. The intensity of Mohammad Siraj and pace of Bumrah is the difference between the teams so he knows he can unsettle England two ways.

If he recalls Ravichandran Ashwin this week it will give India another ultra-competitive bowler to throw at England who wound up Australia captain Tim Paine last year.

The question is whether Kohli really needs to push the line? He has a talented team, a better bowling attack and more experienced batsmen, even if they are struggling for runs. India are 1-0 up with everything in their favour. It makes for great sporting theatre, which Test cricket thrives on, but India are good enough to beat England without it. (The Telegraph)

School of the Nations registers as first-ever archery school club … affiliates under Archery Guyana ARCHERY Guyana head coach Nicholas Hing on Thursday, August 12, presented to Nations’ Director Pamela O’Toole at a small ceremony in the school’s compound, ‘School of the Nations Archers’, their official certificate of registration and affiliation

together with a bow and arrow set.

An excited Pamela O’Toole expressed her joy and enthusiasm at having the opportunity to introduce and develop this new sport to the students together with Archery Guyana, whom she thanked for providing the

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opportunity.

Ms O’Toole was also delighted to have the school registered as the first-ever archery club in Guyana and looks forward to many competitions with other school clubs.

She also thanked the school’s Physical Education teacher, who has already begun learning the fundamentals of the sport, for taking the lead to bring the sport into the school.

Archery Guyana officials said they have been working to introduce the sport of archery into schools for some time now and hope that School of the Nations is the first of many school clubs.

“Archery Guyana envisions developing the sport within the school environment with the aim of discovering and encouraging ath-

Archery coach Nicholas Hing presents Nations Director Pamela O’Toole with the school’s certification in the presence of Mischka Griffith (left) and Kenrick Cheeks (right).

letes from the primary level all the way to the university level,” the association said in a release.

Archery Guyana officials said they’re committed to providing the

necessary training for instructors and certified coaches, both junior and senior. “With this in mind, Archery Guyana sees archery as an additional event at school sports;

Inter-house, Inter-school and Nationals, thereby fostering a competitive spirit among students and the camaraderie that archery is internationally known for.”

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Lady Jags players, head coach confident ahead of World Cup Qualifiers MEMBERS of Guyana’s Senior Women’s National Team are confident of delivering a strong performance in the first stage of the region’s revamped qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, following the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship qualifiers draw last weekend.

The Lady Jags will face Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Nicaragua and the Turks and Caicos Islands in Group F of the regional qualifiers, which will be played in November 2021 and April 2022.

The six winners of each group will progress to the CONCACAF W Championship – the next step on the journey to the World Cup, the 2024 Olympics and the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup. “I am excited to see the teams we've been grouped with for the first round. Each of these nations will bring different challenges, and I feel with the group we have this will be a great test to help prepare us for the next phase

of qualifiers,” said Lady Jags star Kayla De Souza.

“Dominica and Turks and Caicos are nations that will give us a challenge right from the start. These two games will allow us to grow as a team as we prepare to face the likes of Trinidad and Tobago later on our qualifying journey.

“I am confident with the leadership of our staff and veterans, mixed with our upand-coming talent, we will be able to find the right solutions to perform,” she said.

Lady Jags are ranked 88th in the world by FIFA and 15th by CONCACAF in the region, although a lack of game time for many Caribbean national teams throughout the COVID-19 pandemic makes it difficult to gauge current form.

However, a strong performance by Guyana’s upcoming talent in the nation’s first appearance at the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship – where the team reached the quarter-finals – bodes well for the future.

“While they have not

played since 2018, the senior women’s team is looking forward to the opening round games to build on the momentum from the U-20 tournament results,” said head coach Ivan Joseph.

“We have a lot of preparation to do in order to be ready for the opening round games against Dominica as well as Turks and Caicos.

We will approach our goal of qualifying for the tournament one step at a time.”

“Our number one priority is to select our team from a quality pool and have a team camp in early fall, prior to our opening home and away stance,” Joseph said. “We have been waiting for this tournament for over three years. Our women feel like we have something to prove and won’t be satisfied with anything but our best effort.”

Domestic-based Lady Jags and female youth national players have already started training at the GFF National Training Centre (NTC), under the guidance of Akilah Castello, who is in charge of the Guyana-based programme.

FLASHBACK: Guyana’s Chantel Sandiford is congratulated by sisters Kayla and Briana De Souza after pulling off a great save in their 2-1 win over Guatemala at the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifier tournament at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.

“It’s a tough group with some challenging teams in it, but we’ve been doing a lot of work at the NTC with the girls and they’ll certainly be well prepared for the games,” Castello said.

The home-based play-

ers have been working on building up their fitness and enhancing their technical and tactical skills after an enforced long break caused by the pandemic. The spirit among the group is positive as they push for selection in

the final squad.

“I think we got a fairly good group, but we have to ensure we win our first two matches,” said GFF administrator and Lady Jags forward Lakeisha Pearson. “Nicaragua will be a tough match, but I believe we can come out on top because we’ll have a chance to see them play before our match, so we’ll have a good game plan.”

The GFF is planning to relaunch the GFF-Always National Women’s Development League, alongside youth competitions for girls, as soon as approval for the safe return to play is granted by the authorities. The U-17 female national team will also be in action this year in regional CONCACAF competition.

“We’re excited about the launch of the new senior women’s national team competitions schedule for 2021 through 2024, which will give our Lady Jags a platform to excel in the new CONCACAF women’s ecosystem,” said GFF Technical Director Ian Greenwood.

WBC, GBBC urge athletes to get vaccinated amid ‘KO’ COVID-19 THE World Boxing Council (WBC) and Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), yesterday made a rallying call for Guyanese athletes, particularly those involved in the fistic sport, to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

While being vaccinated is not a requirement to compete

in the sport, more so professionally, boxers have been urged to take the ‘jab’, the WBC and the GBBC said in a release pointing out that the pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life from the individual to the social, causing serious economic damage, pushing the health system to

the limit, and forcing governments around the world to take critical emergency action.

“However, thanks to the tireless work of researchers, doctors, epidemiologists, the members of the pharmaceutical community, despite the relatively short development

time, hope came in the vaccine against the COVID-19 virus. The vaccine was at last a REALITY,” the location and international boxing group said.

They added that it’s important to clarify that all vaccines are safe. “It is equally important to know that all or

at least most people get vaccinated because they recognise that in this way it is more difficult for the virus to spread when many people in a community are immune - that is to say: the greater the volume of vaccinated people, the lower the contagion rate.”

Getting vaccinated, WBC

said, is an act of love and solidarity, “since it is not only to think individually but also of others, from our loved ones to those whom we do not know.”

The vaccine is the vital preventive measure against COVID-19 and the only real way and the only real hope to end this nightmare.

David Persaud Memorial Cycling Road race dubbed a success THE David Persaud Memorial 46-mile Cycle Road race, held last Sunday, was dubbed a success by sponsor of the event, David Persaud Investments Ltd. According to CEO Christopher Persaud, “The event was an unqualified success” since it commenced at the scheduled time and was well represented by various divisions.

Persaud noted that the founder of the company, the late David Persaud, was a close friend of organiser of the event, National coach Hassan Mo-

hamed, and an avid sportsman.

He said that throughout his father’s career, he always ensured that sports of all disciplines received the corporate support they needed with “he himself playing representative cricket in Guyana back in his youthful days”.

The CEO noted that the investment was made in cycling, because the company believes that along with being a top competitive sport, “cycling is an important endeavour in helping to keep our people fit and healthy and we do believe

it is our responsibility as a good corporate citizen to assist in the promotion of fitness activities”.

In the event, some 35 cyclists pedalled off from the western end of the Demerara Harbour Bridge and proceeded to Bushy Park, Parika before returning to the starting line for the finish.

Seasoned cyclist Christopher Griffith emerged as champion of the senior category, followed by Andrew Green and Kemal Moses.

In the Junior category, Mario Washington finished

Chief Executive Officer of David Persaud Investments, Christopher Persaud, third from right is flanked by Hassan Mohamed, staff and winners with their trophies and cash prizes.

ahead of rivals Sherwin Sampson and Alex Leung respectively, while in the Vet-

erans, Kwame Ridley rode away with the top prize. Alex Mendes placed second and

Warren McKay third. Clivecia Spencer was the solitary female in the race.

US Department of Justice awards FIFA Foundation $201M

Shaheen Afridi was named Player-of-the-Series for his 18 wickets. (AFP/Getty Images)

… as compensation for criminal activities of former football officials

Afridi, Nauman Ali bowl Pakistan to series-levelling win

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27

FIFA president Gianni Infantino

Walter Grant-Stuart carries the Golden Arrowhead at the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Grant-Stuart pedals into action on August 31 at Tokyo Paralympics THE World was presented with a colourful opening yesterday of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Walter Grant-Stuart, Guyana’s lone representative of the game is in Japan, with coach Jaime Skeete.

Noted as one of Guyana’s best cyclists, Grant-Stuart will compete in the Men's C5 Time Trial on Tuesday. August 31 and the Men's C4-5 Road Race on Friday, September 3.

No athlete from Guyana has ever qualified for the Paralympic Games, until now.

While Guyana participated at the ‘Special Olympics’, according to the International Paralympics Committee (IPC), athletes who compete in the Paralympics are elite athletes who have to qualify for the games and meet certain standards of performance.

Kohli hints at unchanged X1 for Headingley Test 27 PAGE

India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

THE United States Department of Justice has awarded the sum of $201M to the Football’s world governing body, FIFA’s Foundation as compensation for the losses suffered

by FIFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL as victims of decades of football corruption schemes.

The money was seized from the bank accounts of former officials who were involved in, and then prosecuted for, years of corruption schemes in football.

“I am delighted to see that money which was illegally siphoned out of football is now coming back to be used for its proper purposes, as it should have been in the first place,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“I want to sincerely thank the U.S. Justice authorities for their efforts in this respect, for their fast and effective approach in bringing these matters to a conclusion, and also for their trust in general. The truth is that, thanks to their intervention back in 2015, we have been able to fundamentally change FIFA from a toxic organisa-

tion at the time, to a highly esteemed and trusted global sports governing body,” the FIFA boss said.

The funds will go into a newly formed World Football Remission Fund, established under the auspices of the FIFA Foundation to help finance football-related projects with positive community impact across the globe.

The World Football Remission Fund will be operated under the auspices of the FIFA Foundation, which is an independent foundation aimed to promote positive social change around the world through football.

According to FIFA, the Fund, which is intended to have a particular focus on youth and community programmes, will have earmarked amounts to projects within CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, given that they suffered significantly as a result of the criminal activities.

In addition, all projects will be submitted to strict monitoring, auditing and compliance checks to guarantee full transparency and accountability.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021