Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_04_09_2021

SATURDAY 4th September, 2021

No.106474

6,020 adolescents, 318,569 adults 13 receive first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine PAGE

ExxonMobil pays Guyana $400M for gas flaring - fee increased from US$30 to US$45 per tonne of carbon emitted

PAGE

03

Novel menstrual hygiene initiative reaches Essequibo PAGE

05

Six jointly charged for murder of 02 religious leader PAGE

Secondary Schools to be re-opened based 04 on vaccination rollout PAGE

The Menstrual Hygiene Initiative, coordinated by the First Lady and the Ministry of Education, was officially launched in Region Two at the Anna Regina Secondary School (Ministry of Education photo)

Improved water supply for 1,000 Moraikobai residents PAGE

10

2

Six jointly charged for murder of religious leader

Devendra Khemraj

SIX men, ranging in age from 18 to 29, were jointly charged on Friday for the murder, last Saturday, of Corentyne religious leader, Pandit Rishi Bharrat, outside his Grant, Crabwood Creek residence.

They are: Devendra Khemraj, called ‘Baya’, 29; Vidaianand Khemraj, called ‘Blackboy’, 24; Ramzan Ally, called ‘Jack’,18; Javed Ghanie, called ‘Stempid’, 22; Anil Angarsham, also known as ‘Buckman’, 25; and Gregory Tejpertab, also known as ‘Greg’, 27.

They all appeared at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court on Friday before Magistrate Alex Moore, and, having not been required to plead to the indictable charge, were remanded to prison until

Vidaianand Khemraj

October 14, when they are expected to make their next court appearance.

The Khemrajs are represented by Attorney-at-Law Charlyn Artiga, while Tajpertab and Ghanie are represented by Attorney-at-law Chandra Sohan. The remaining two accused, Ali and Angarsham, are both unrepresented.

Both attorneys in the matter told the court that their clients were beaten by the police while in custody, and forced to sign a document purportedly admitting their guilt in the commission of the gruesome murder.

However, Police Prosecutor Orin Joseph interjected, stating that the accused, at the time of their arrest, had all had visible marks of violence about their bodies.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Ramzan Ally

In the circumstances, Magistrate Moore recommended that all four men be sent for medical treatment.

Pandit Bharrat, a Hindu priest and joiner, was reportedly beaten to death by a group of men who took umbrage at his berating them for imbibing, and generally behaving in a disorderly manner in front of his property.

Reports are that after cautioning the men to desist and remove to no avail, Pandit Bharrat resorted to confronting them head-on.

They retaliated by attacking him, en masse.

According to police, at around 22:15hrs on Saturday, eight men were in front of Pandit Bharrat’s premises, drinking up a storm and carrying on. When Pandit Bharrat could take it

Javed Ghanie

no more, he reportedly went out to the men, brandishing a piece of wood, and asked them to take their ribaldry elsewhere.

Annoyed that he dared try to spoil their fun, the men allegedly armed themselves with pieces of wood, and

Anil Angarsham

dealt the pandit several lashes about the body, causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious.

By the time he was picked up by relatives of his and taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital, it was too late, as he was pronounced

DEAD: Pandit Rishi Bharrat

Gregory Tejpertab

dead on arrival at the medical institution.

Tw e l v e p e r s o n s were initially arrested during the course of the investigation into the matter, but four would subsequently confess to their involvement in the crime.

3

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

ExxonMobil pays Guyana $400M for gas flaring _ fee increased from US$30 to US$45 per tonne of carbon emitted

EXECUTIVE Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kemraj Parsram, has said that the agency has received approximately $400 million in “flaring fees” from US oil giant, ExxonMobil.

Those fees were paid as a result of an amendment to the Liza Phase One environmental permit, which saw an installed fee for increased flaring activity at the Liza Destiny operations.

The amendment was instituted in May and initially stipulated that the operator pay US$30 per tonne of carbon emitted.

During an interview on local radio programme, Guyana’s Oil & You, on Thursday, Parsram said that the policy of EPA and the Government of Guyana has always been zero-routine flaring.

Flaring is the practice of burning the natural gas to ensure safe operations onboard the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. In the case of Guyana, ExxonMobil was forced to flare above the pilot level due to a defective gas compressor.

“The EPA has been engaged with the operator and we have agreed on a way on how we can achieve compliance in this regard.

“It must be noted that the operator has and continues to show effort in addressing the issue and meeting. We have weekly meetings to discuss the status and the progress in meeting this agreed compliance,” the Executive Director related.

Concerns were raised about ExxonMobil and its co-venturers being able to recover the $400 million in fees as per the accounting procedure in the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, had, however, affirmed that the government will not be allowing the oil giant to recover those fees.

Due to the damaged compressor, ExxonMobil was compelled to flare natural gas of 15 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) for several months. However, Parsram said that the operator was able to reduce flaring to six mmscfd.

“We are not at pilot flare as yet, but based on the information provided to us

The Liza Destiny FPSO

and the discussions that we have had, the plan is to fix this issue completely by year end. Based on the efforts and the progress that we have seen so far, we find this reasonable, “he said.

Importantly, the EPA Director said that, subsequent to ExxonMobil reducing its flaring, the agency moved to increase the US$30 fee to US$45 per tonne of carbon emitted.

Notwithstanding this, Parsram said that the EPA is working in partnership with the operator to ensure zero-routine flaring.

On the side of the compromised gas compressor, ExxonMobil has already put in an order for a new compressor from its supplier. That equipment is set to arrive in Guyana by the end of 2021.

It was reported, recently, that considering the challenges created by the defective equipment aboard the Liza Destiny, Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat had said that EEPGL will replace the manufacturer of the compressor equipment, to ensure there is no flaring during future projects.

Minister Bharrat said the government took decisive action to effect this change, due to the constant flaring at the Liza Destiny FPSO vessel.

“This now has forced us to enter into engagements with Exxon to ensure that the Unity FPSO

that is coming later in this year, and then Prosperity in early 2024, that we don’t have this issue with those FPSOs. “So, we have gotten that assurance that General Electric will be used as the manufacturer to ensure that the compressor is not a recurring problem on those FPSOs with the gas compressor,” Minister Bharrat related.

According to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI), General Electric is a US multi-national company.

ExxonMobil had contracted German company, MAN Energy Solutions,

to supply the compressor equipment for the Liza Destiny. That company, however, failed to correct the challenges encountered on the equipment used on the Liza Destiny, which have plagued the company’s operations since the beginning of oil production here.

Minister Bharrat said the adjustment was needed since both the Liza Unity and Prosperity are each designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day; almost twice the amount of the Liza Destiny.

Adequate systems for environmental protection are needed especially ahead of increased production

offshore Guyana. ExxonMobil has updated its development plans of having five oil production projects by 2026 to six projects by 2027, which they see could potentially grow to ten production projects in the future.

It was reported that Guyana’s role in the global petroleum industry could be bigger than it appears on the surface, as an analysis done by global energy research and consultancy group, Wood Mackenzie, shows that the country is among five nations which will produce most of the remaining deep-water oil resources.

According to the

group’s analysis, oil and gas will play a significant role in meeting energy demands for decades to come, especially with the upstream industry expecting to fill the 450 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BoE) of undeveloped supply needed by 2040.

According to the second largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation, NASDAQ, Guyana, with its estimated recoverable resources of about nine billion barrels of oil equivalent, is projected to be among the world’s largest per capita oil producers by 2025.

4

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Secondary Schools to re-open based on vaccination rollout _primary, nursery schools to be re-opened Monday

THOUGH public schools are scheduled to re-open to physical learning from Monday, secondary schools will not be re-opening on that date and would instead be re-opened gradually, based on the national vaccination programme for adolescents ongoing across Guyana.

Each secondary school will be informed of their respective re-opening dates as students become fully vaccinated.

“For an adolescent to be deemed fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine they must receive two dos-

es 21-28 days apart, with an additional seven to 14 days after the second dose to be fully protected.

“This would mean that the different secondary schools will return to face-to-face instruction on different dates,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement issued on Friday.

The ministry further related: “Where schools are not reopening for face-toface instruction, they will be engaged online or otherwise. Parents are encouraged to visit the Ministry of Education’s website to see the re-opening

plan for the respective schools.”

Primary and nursery schools will be reopened on Monday under different, individualised re-opening plans. The Ministry of Education has posted the plan for respective schools on its website.

Over 6,000 students between the

ages of 12 and 17 years have received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, since vaccination for adolescents began locally on 26 August.

Guyana received a delivery of 146,250 Pfizer vaccine doses on August 24, as part of a donation from

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, watches on as 12-year-old Danah Shiwgobin received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine when vaccination began at the St. Stanislaus College (Delano Williams photo)

the United States of America. The vaccine, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is approved for use among children from 12 years old.

The Ministry of Health, since receiving the Pfizer vaccine, has rolled out an aggressive vaccination campaign across the country to get as many students as possible inoculated before returning to face-toface learning at public schools, which have been closed since March, 2020, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The advice received from the Min-

istry of Health is that it is better to allow students to be vaccinated and be fully inoculated before returning to the school’s physical environment,” the Ministry of Education states.

Further, the ministry said: “We encourage as many parents as possible to give consent for their children, aged 12 to 17 years, to receive the vaccine, which will serve to protect them from the effects of COVID-19. We also encourage our parents and teachers, who have not yet been vaccinated, to get vaccinated so that we can all protect each other.”

5

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

First Lady takes novel menstrual hygiene initiative to Cinderella County _ declares no girl should miss school because of her period

THE Office of the First Lady, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, on Friday launched the novel Menstrual Hygiene Initiative at the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School (ARMS).

The launch of the initiative in the Cinderella County is intended to see every menstruating school-aged girl in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) receiving a full quota of sanitary pads, free of cost, for a whole year.

According to First Lady Arya, too many girls the world over are missing school due to their monthly cycle. She said that through the initiative, girls need no longer feel ashamed of engaging in conversation on such a topic, and will be able to have sanitary products within their reach whenever they are needed.

She said that she herself, along with the Minister of Education, will be travelling across the country to each of its ten administrative regions to distribute sanitary pads to school-aged girls.

She told the gathering of both females and males that the initiative was made possible through approved fundraising events hosted by her office to ensure that female hygiene is

Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School students at the launch of the First Lady’s menstrual hygiene initiative in Region Two in collaboration with the Ministry of Education

adequately taken care of.

She said that when she took office, she learnt of the dilemma that a number of females are facing when that time of month comes around, and as such was compelled to launch the initiative.

G l o b a l l y, s h e said, over 800 million girls continue to miss school due to their monthly cycle. The First Lady is, therefore, hoping that no girl in Guyana will miss school ever again because of her menses.

“You girls are our future nurses and doctors, policemen, lawyers, and teachers; you are the future leaders, and at no point in your life should you be forced to choose between having an education,” Mrs. Ali said, as she reminded the gathering that menstruation is a

natural biological function, as it’s a change that all females will experience during the course of their lives.

As such, she is u rg i n g f e m a l e s not to be ashamed of the topic, and to start engaging in conversation about it. She also encouraged parents, guardians and teachers to be involved in educating young about their menstrual health.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said that her ministry is happy to a partner with in a project that is wholly funded by the Office of the First Lady.

She said that according to the statistics at hand, at least 26% of the females in the school system here cannot afford to purchase the sanitary products they need to take care

of their personal hygiene when that time of month comes around, and are often forced to use one pad longer than the prescribed hours. The minister also used the opportunity to urge females to talk more about their menstrual cycle; to break the silence around the subject so to speak.

R e g i o n a l Chairperson Vilma De Silva also weighed in on the subject, and lauded the Office of the First Lady for choosing Region Two to launch the initiative. She, too, said that for too long, women have been ashamed of the topic, and that no o t h e r w o m e n ’s

group had ever opted to make the change. She, therefore, urged females to make use of the products that are provided to them.

Also in attendance at the launch was Regional Education Officer, Ms. Nicola Matthews and ARMS Headmaster, Mr. Lalljeet Rooplall.

6

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Hurricane Ida: A wake-up call

THE United States has suffered one of its most disastrous floods in recent history. According to a BBC report, the north-east of the country was severely affected by flash floods and tornadoes which claimed the lives of at least 45 people countrywide.

The United States, like several other countries the world over, is experiencing climate-related destruction.

This poses an existential threat to humanity, as scientists warned several decades ago, but policymakers in the industrialised world did not see it fit to pay much heed.

One consequence of that failure to take action is the alarming level of global warming which is likely to increase further, unless governments around the world

take drastic action to reduce emission levels.

This recent flood in the United States, especially in New York and New Jersey, is a wake-up call, if, indeed, one was necessary. Both states saw unprecedented levels of rainfall. A number of residents became trapped in flooded basements and vehicles. According to media reports in the Queen’s and Brooklyn areas, home to thousands of migrants, including Guyanese, at least fourteen persons lost their lives, among them a two-year old boy. Eleven of those who perished died by drowning, while being trapped in flooded basements. According to New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city saw a horrifying storm unlike anything experienced before. He was

critical of weather experts, who, he said, had forecast between three and six inches of rainfall during the course of the day, but which actually turned out to be significantly higher. “The suddenness; the brutality of storms now is different,” he said, adding that the latest extreme weather was the “biggest wake-up call”.

And in a press release, New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul said that millions of dollars in damages were inflicted on the city of New York. President Joe Biden said that “historic investment” is needed to deal with the climate crisis. The US, he said, is facing climaterelated destruction across the country, and tackling it is “a matter of life and death”.

Video footage showed

cars floating down flooded roads, with people crying out desperately for help. Many were forced to abandon their vehicles, and passengers on trains and buses were stranded for hours, due to the buildup of flood waters caused by Hurricane Ida. Flash floods are not uncommon in the world today; we have had our own experience recently in Guyana, where unprecedented levels of rainfall resulted in severe damages to crops, livestock and homes and other infrastructure.

US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in New York and New Jersey, and ordered federal assistance to supplement local response efforts, as a result of the devastation caused

by Hurricane Ida.

As President Biden observed, Climate Change is a global fight. He has recommitted the United States to rejoining the Paris Accord, which was jettisoned by his predecessor. This is a step in the right direction. The United States is a global world power, and has considerable leverage in the fight against global warming. The potential to advance the process of combatting global warming has been given a boost with the commitment by leading industrialised nations, including the US, China, the EU, Japan and South Korea to honour the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to below pre-industrial levels.

The science of climate is becoming clearer and more authoritative, and it is becoming much more impera-

tive for policymakers to step up to the plate.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has welcomed the United States rejoining the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the target set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by Year 2030. Guyana, he said, looks forward to working closely with the United States to build a more resilient and sustainable post-COVID-19 future, and to combat and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Guyana has embraced a low-carbon approach to national development, which has won the commendation of several countries. It is time for other nations to do likewise. The stakes are high; time is of the essence!

And the time is now!

Join the NCN ‘Reading Challenge’

Dear Editor,

GIVEN the importance of reading and how passion has waned over time, NCN has taken the initiative to launch a challenge to help boost interest.

With various challenges overtime on social media and other plat-

forms, NCN believes that this can be taken advantage of for meaningful endeavours.

NCN believes that boosting interest in reading is one such endeavour and that Education Month provides the right opportunity for the launch of its Reading Challenge.

Further, as a national stakeholder, NCN believes that its broadcast platforms can be useful conduits to help increase awareness and benefits of reading which include enhancing vocabulary and writing.

There was a soft launch of the reading challenge on the Sep-

tember 1, 2021, edition of the “Guyana Today” show featuring four children.

Persons here and overseas are invited to participate.

1. Simply record yourself or someone else reading with video not exceeding two minutes.

Ensure the reading mate-

rial is suitable for broadcast & child-friendly.

Anyone can participate from their office, bed, study desk, garden or elsewhere.

2. Send the video to guyanatoday12@gmail. com or the Guyana Today Facebook page.

3. Videos will be aired on the Guyana Today

Morning Show and NCN Television. Listeners can also hear the Challenge on The Voice of Guyana.

All are encouraged to take part in this initiative which is envisaged to have a positive impact.

Yours sincerely, National Communications Network (NCN)

Clarification on deregistration of GOAL awardees at UWI’s Open Campus Dear Editor,

TEACHING sessions for vocational programmes offered by the University of the West Indies (Open C a m p u s ) t h ro u g h the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme commenced on July 26, 2021.

UWI’s Open Campus has an attendance regulation and students are encouraged to acquaint themselves with the policy. Therefore, awardees who were unable to attend classes for four consecutive weeks are no longer considered active Open Campus students.

However, the deregistration policy is in no

way an indication that the GOAL scholarship has been withdrawn.

Students who are on the deregistration list will be given an opportunity to be part of their specific programme when it is offered by UWI during its upcoming semester.

Moreover, awardees experiencing difficulties with their log in

credentials are advised that UWI’s Technical Support team is working assiduously to address the issue to facilitate awardees accessing their students’ accounts.

Regrettably, GOAL does not have a land line, but all queries and clarifications related to UWI Vocational Programmes

can be addressed to dionne.suecox@goal. edu.gy, info@goal. edu.gy, via whatsapp on telephone numbers 687-6331/643-7783 or by direct messaging on GOAL’s Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/ GuyanaOnlineAcademyofLearning GOAL is committed to online learn-

ing and will continue to offer guidance and support to all awardees.

Yours sincerely, ANEKA EDWARDS Programme Manager, Communications/IU Programme Manager Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL)

7

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Come on Warriors let us war to victory Dear Editor,

G U YA N A A m a z o n Warriors batsmen are struggling to get runs as the team is crawling at fourth position on the points table. After playing five matches they won two matches humbling the defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders on both occasions. However, they lost their other three matches because of poor batting. The Warriors inconsistent batting is a matter of serious concern.

Brandon King continuous failure is putting immense pressure on the top order batting. It is time for the

leadership of the GAW to be decisive and allow Shimron Hetmyer to bat permanently at number three.

Brandon King or Chanderpaul Hemraj, one of them should open the batting with the solid Mohammed Hafeez, with the clear understanding that they must get runs. It is imperative that the skipper Nicholas Pooran bat higher up the order. The aggressive Pooran will have to lead from the front with the bat. He is capable of hitting the spinners and can hit the quicker bowlers. Shoib Malik is also a solid batsman and the captain will have to be flexible in his batting

order.

In any circumstances when the team needs a ‘pinch’ hitter then the best person to use is Romario Sheperd. Sheperd is a utility player, he can bat and score quick runs and he can also stay at the wicket depending on the situation. He is a very good fast bowler. He need to be nurtured and guided as a bowler. Sheperd, as we see in the ‘Super’ over was able to defend six runs for the Warriors to win that crucial encounter against TKR. The Warriors team got six batsmen who are capable of batting better than Roston Chase. However, the GAW batsmen must concentrate on

of LEID officers in coordination with police ranks, acting on information received, moved to intercept the motor vessel suspected to be transporting the customed goods, when the GRA vessel came under high-powered and spotlighted gunfire.

The LEID officers took evasive action by lying flat in their vessel and returned fire in the general direction of the perpetrators; however, the perpetuator’s bullets pierced the GRA’s vessel and

injured two of the officers in the abdomen and face.

The authority reported that the seriously injured officers are undergoing surgery and LEID officers are yet to determine whether any perpetuators were injured. The owner of the vessel, who is known to both the GRA and the police for his smuggling activities, is being sought for questioning as investigations continue.

GRA highlighted that despite the constant threat to their lives, LEID officers continue to fearlessly execute their duty in order to curb the scourge of smuggling and safeguard the country’s revenues.

Additionally, the authority said it is opened to the help of the public and will continue to utilise the resources of its sister agencies to aid in the fight against smuggling.

GRA officers shot during anti-smuggling operation at Mahaica

T W O o f f i c e r s a ttached to the Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID) of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were shot to the face and abdomen while trying to intercept a vessel suspected to be used for the purpose of smuggling customed goods along the Mahaica River, on Thursday evening.

According to a statement from GRA, at approximately 11:45 hours, a team

their batting when they are at the crease.

As for the bowling, Sheperd must be given the opportunity to bowl with a spot on field placing.

Naveen-ul-Haq is a bowler that must be used properly.

He can bowl in the depth but he will have to bowl to batsmen that are vulnerable to his bowling. While the other pacer, Odean Smith, must be guided and advised to bowl to his field. The fact that the two veterans Hafeez and Malik are experienced spinners then with the highly competent Imran Tahir, along with the two of them are the spinners in the team, it is difficult to fit

in another spinner. The six bowlers must be able to take responsibility for the team’s bowling.

With the tournament approaching the half-way mark, the GAW leadership must be fully cognisant of the fact that they must settle with the best team to play in the remaining matches and bring home the title. The CPL is the Cricket tournament that is the most attractive to cricket fans in the Caribbean. This year’s extravaganza is not with the fans in the stadium but the television and our people in their living rooms. Our sponsors and franchise

holders must take a ‘bow’ as the deadly pandemic is being defeated with the joy and happiness on the cricket field. While the West Indies selectors continue to look away from our players let us rally behind our own Hetmyer, Shepherd and now Pooran.

These players in the remaining matches must play for their team/franchise and themselves. It is we the followers and supporters that are losing sleep and looking forward for victory and their fascinating and success. Come on Warriors, let us war to victory.

Yours sincerely, Neil Kumar

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

$787.6M clearing of Demerara River to allow two-way traffic _ make traversing the river safer, faster for ship and boat operators

TRAFFIC on the Demerara River will soon flow more freely after a $787.6 million contract was signed between the Ministry of Public Works and Koole Contractors for the removal of three wreckages from the river.

The contracts were signed in the ministry’s

boardroom on Friday by Director-General of the Maritime Administration Department, Stephen Thomas, and a representative of Koole Contractors.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who joined the signing ceremony virtually, said the wreckages had proven hazardous in the past. He

said that due to the location of the wrecks, the channel had become narrow.

“With the removal of these wrecks and the dredging that is anticipated to take place, we expect that we will be able to have two-way traffic,” Minister Edghill related.

He noted that this inter-

Director-General of the Maritime Administration Department, Stephen Thomas, signs the contract as Koole Contractors’ representative, Janneke Kuijper and Ministry of Public Works Permanent Secretary, Vladim Persaud look on (DPI photo) vention will complement the establishment of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge.

“This project of the removal of wrecks is also coming in tandem with us building a high span fourlane Demerara Bridge. Such will mean that once the tide allows, you can have unhindered access into Port Georgetown 24 hours every day,” Edghill said.

Traversing the Demerara River will be safer and faster

for ship and boat operators as they will no longer have to manoeuvre around the wreckages.

The project is expected to be completed in nine months with three months allotted to each wreck. The wrecks identified to be removed are the Dar B, Allana III and Miss Elissa.

In brief remarks, Koole Contractors’ representative, Janneke Kuijper, said that the works will be complet-

ed within the contractually agreed time. The Netherlandbased Koole won the contract after a public procurement process.

The removal of the three wreckages is part of a larger project which the government is undertaking to ensure the waterways are safe. There are approximately 120 wrecks in Guyana’s waterways with 16 along the Demerara River.

AS the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security continues to organise training for key persons across the country who may come into contact with perpetrators and victims of human trafficking, members of the Special Constabulary are now being brought up to speed on the issue at a two-day training.

The ministry’s Counter Trafficking in Persons (C-

TIP) unit is hosting the training which ‘kicked off’ on Thursday morning.

Subject minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, feels strongly about the issue and has often referred to it as a heinous crime against humanity.

She has visited several of these training sessions to urge participants to speak up when they see it happening. She has also emphasised the need for perpetrators to be identi-

fied and prosecuted.

Head of the Special Constabulary and Special Superintendent, Owen Trotz, said the training was timely and will come in handy for him and his officers. The constabulary has over 1,000 staff members throughout the country and covers most of the government ministries and agencies, even providing protection for judges, magistrates, and

Special constables receive training on countering TIP

(Turn to page 9)

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

9

Couple remanded to prison over drugs in barrel at Norton Street

MERVIN Glenn and Nicola Williams, a reputed couple, were, on Friday, remanded to prison after officers of the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) discovered 152lbs of cannabis in barrels stored inside the couple’s house, at Lot 42 Norton Street, Georgetown.

The duo appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and denied that, on September 2, 2021, they had 68.8 kilograms of cannabis in their possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The couple was represented by attorney-atlaw George Thomas, who told the court that his clients were intimidated by CANU officers to obtain a forced confession statement.

According to their attorney, during the raid his clients’ two-year-old child was taken by CANU ranks.

While at CANU headquarters, George said, the ranks allegedly told his clients that if they did not admit to the crime, their child would be handed

over to the Childcare and Protection Agency.

Police prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shellon Daniels, told the court that the cannabis was found in the defendants’ bedroom.

The prosecutor objected to the couple being released on bail, citing the prevalence and penalty attached to the charge.

Magistrate Nurse remanded the duo to prison until September 22.

Special constables...

The C-TIP training with special constables commenced at the Regency Suites Hotel on Thursday (From page 8)

other officers.

“We see most forms of TIP so this training is timely and I am excited that the officers would be better equipped to deal with all forms of abuse.

They would be able to give information to the police, take some initial action and even give information to the ministry and other agencies,” he said.

Trotz called attention to the number of underaged girls from Venezuela who are working at wash bays and other businesses with little pay. He noted, too, that people who come from Brazil, Dominica and other countries to practise prostitution here, are

often treated badly.

Also commenting on the training was participant Romeo Samuels who said he believed the training would have a great impact because it would provide for a better understanding of TIP. Meanwhile, a group of Venezuelan re-migrants who came from R e g i o n s O n e , Tw o , Three, Four, and Seven was recently trained by the ministry.

“Identifying the traffickers is the biggest problem, but if they’re not stopped more will join them. The only way to end this is to put these people behind bars; if they feel they can get off, they won’t stop. Let’s go out there stronger

together. Trafficking in Persons is a heinous crime against people,” Minister Persaud had told the participants.

According to her, it was important for the re-migrants to be trained because when they come to the country they must understand its policies, laws and procedures.

“The community engagement is the best engagement. We’re trying different avenues of how we engage people,” she said.

The C-TIP unit has also conducted training with the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force, among other agencies. (Ministry of Human Services and Social Security)

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Improved water supply for 1,000 Moraikobai residents _ following commissioning of new water supply system

APPROXIMATELY 1,000 residents of Moraikobai village, Region Five, now have access to an improved water supply, following the commissioning of a new $5 million supply system on Friday.

The Moraikobai Water Supply System was commissioned

by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, who had initially promised residents of the village better supply of water.

This new system was developed as a result of the rehabilitation of an existing well, installation of distribution mains and 50 new service

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, tests the new Moraikobai Water Supply System (DPI photo)

connections to extend the water supply to new areas within the community.

Minister Rodrigues, while addressing residents of the community, during a

simple commissioning ceremony, said that the government’s investments will contribute to increased economic activities.

This timely intervention follows five years of neglect which resulted in the community having a defective water system and severe shortages, the minister said.

In speaking about the work done by the ministry through the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Min-

ister Rodrigues said that it was not necessary to drill a new well, since the current well had a depth of 700ft and could produce enough water for 2,000 people.

She noted that while there are 50 new connections, work was ongoing to install even more service connections.

Minister Rodrigues promised residents that GWI will continue to work to extend the network to ensure each house was ca-

tered for. Residents were assured that the system will be maintained to ensure a supply of quality water 24/7.

According to GWI Hinterland Engineer, Khemraj Persaud, the commissioning of the system signals the utility company’s fulfillment of its strategic plan and Sustainable Development Goal number six.

He informed residents that approximately 2,000 meters of pipelines were laid and over 30 leaks were repaired, resulting in a better service to Moraikobai.

I n a n e ff o r t t o monitor and maintain the system, Persaud said three Community Service Officers were trained to monitor and regulate it. In addition, GWI will employ someone from the village to manage the overall operations.

Meanwhile, Moraikobai’s Toshao, Derrick John, expressed satisfaction with the work done and thanked GWI and the government for their interest in the community.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Virtual catalogue launched to showcase local export-ready products

WITH the COVID-19 pandemic altering the orthodox way of interaction and restricting authorities from hosting important events such as GuyExpo to promote local businesses, the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) has moved to create an online catalogue w h e re G u y a n e s e manufactured products could be showcased.

This virtual export catalogue could be assessed through GoInvest’s website, at www.goinvest.gov.gy/ exporter_catalog.

The catalogue features products grouped according to categories such as beverages, spices, forest products, condiments, handicraft and textiles. And within those categories the manufacturers are listed with their products and contact information.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an absence of sufficient physical means of promoting local products, such as tradeshows and exhibitions; hence, GO-Invest saw the need to provide our

local producers with some more strategic avenues for the promotion of our Guyanese products,” Go-Invest said in a press release on Friday.

Further, with Guyana poised to participate in the Dubai Expo from October 1, 2021 to March 23, 2020, which is expected to be a critical venture to promote Guyanese products, Go-Invest believes that the virtual catalogue will serve to support export promotion to give companies the opportunity to be showcased not only in Dubai, but also at other expos around the world.

The major private sector bodies such as the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Industry (GCCI) were invited to encourage their members to utilise the Virtual Export Catalogue as a tool to showcase their products.

The companies to date that have taken up the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural virtual catalogue include Bulkan Timbers,

A viewing of the virtual export catalogue homepage.

Durable Wood Products, Essence of Herbs, Edward Beharry Group of Companies, Banks DIH Limited, Demerara Distillers Limited, Leatherland International, Amazon Authentics, Rainforest Pottery, Nand Persaud Company Limited, National Milling Company, Sterling Products Limited, Umami Inc., Seduction by CIM, Comfort Sleep, GuyAmerica Furniture, Amy’s Pomeroon Foods and Mohamed Handicraft Dolls.

When viewing a company’s profile on the website, the viewer will be apprised of contact person, telephone numbers, email addresses, the business address in Guyana and their website, along with their range of products and a description of products.

Further, in addition to photos of their complete product line, companies were also invited to submit a one-minute video production featuring the development process of a main product from the stage of raw material to that of the final product, which is also attached to their profile.

Go-Invest highlighted that the catalogue is intended to be a permanent fixture on the Go-Invest website and will be regularly updated. So, companies are still encouraged to make their submissions to Go-Invest in order to have their products featured in this catalogue.

A n o t h e r re c e n t feature of the export department is the Exporters’ Handbook.

T h i s w a s c re a t e d with the first-time exporter in mind. It provides information needed to navigate the process of exporting, from assessing the readiness to mode of transport.

The cover of the Go-Invest Exporters’ Handbook

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

Cuban_rice importer mulls increasing intake from Guyana commits to meeting all financial obligations

President of ALIMPORT, Alejandro Mustelier, (first from right) with Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Halim Majeed, (second from right) and two other officials of ALIMPORT

GUYANA stands to benefit from an expanded rice market in Cuba, where the country’s main importer of that agricultural comm o d i t y, A L I M PORT, stands willing to take an extra 30,000 tonnes of paddy, rice and rice by-products from local producers, should the initial transaction go smoothly.

The Cuban importer intends to purchase 30,000 tonnes of this commodity from Guyana, but President of ALIMP O RT, A l e j a n d r o Mustelier, told Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Halim Majeed, that should the initial purchase of 30,000 tonnes go well, it is likely that they will take more.

Ambassador Majeed, during his engagement with the company’s president and other officials, addressed issues which some of the local producers faced in the past when exporting rice to Cuba.

One particular issue which was raised was that of payment for goods exported.

I n r e s p o n s e , A LIMPORT acknowledged such issues and committed to working closely with Guyanese exporters to satisfy all of its financial obligations.

A proposed solution to the existing issues, as suggested by Ambassador Majeed, is the establishment of a “proper, long-term” agreement among the parties involved.

To discuss this and other issues, Ambassador Majeed will be meeting Mustelier again within a month.

It was reported recently that Guyana’s rice industry continues to be one of the leading income earners locally, raking in US$123,023,868 (G$25.7 billion) from the export of paddy, rice and rice by-products between January and June 2021.

The country’s rice industry has always been a leading income earner for the country. In 2020, the industry raked in US$236.2 million (G$51 billion).

This came from the exportation of

574,312 tonnes of paddy, rice, and its by-products for that year.

During 2020 (January-December), Guyana exported rice and rice products to 40 countries.

The major importing countries were Jamaica, Trinidad, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, and Venezuela.

As far as this year goes, Guyana is expected to be able to export 649,480 tonnes of paddy, rice and its by-products, to the value of close to US$257.3 million.

In Guyana, rice is an important source of livelihood. Approximately 6,020 farmers produce rice in several regions throughout Guyana. There are 43 licensed rice millers and 22 registered exporters of rice.

Rice accounts for 3.3 per cent of Guyana’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 20.5 per cent of agricultural GDP.

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

6,020 adolescents, 318,569 adults receive first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine _ 32.5 per cent of Guyana’s adult population fully vaccinated

JUST one week after the Ministry of Health initiated its vaccination campaign which targets the younger population, some 6,020 persons between the ages of 12 and 18 years have already received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

The Ministry of Health began vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 18 years on August 26, 2021, after receiving a donation of 146,250 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States. This donation to Guyana was part of a larger contribution of 5.5 million doses from the United States Government to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

On Friday, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony, during his COVID-19 update with the Depart-

ment of Public Information (DPI), said that the records up to Thursday show that some 6,020 adolescents were vaccinated, with 1,658 doses of the Pfizer vaccine being administered on Thursday alone.

The vaccination campaign to inoculate children in a bid to protect them against the deadly COVID-19 virus commenced in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and has since moved on to Regions Three (Essequibo Islands–West Demerara), Nine (Upper Takutu–Upper Essequibo) and Six (East Berbice–Corentyne).

While the number of vaccines administered to the youth population since the campaign commenced may appear large, the numbers are anticipated to increase

rapidly as the Ministry of Health moves into the other administrative regions.

In addition, Dr. Anthony said that the ministry is training more medical personnel to administer the Pfizer vaccine, so as to reduce the time it will take to immunise the target group.

“So, for the first two weeks, it’s both doing vaccination, and it’s a learning process for the staff within the region, because we have staff that went up centrally to train as well as supervise the vaccination,” Dr. Anthony said, adding: “So far, a lot of parents have been bringing their children out to get vaccinated, and I think that’s a good thing. So I want to really encourage more parents to do that, because we want to vac-

Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony

cinate children so that they can return to school safely.”

On the other hand, 318,569 adults, or 62.1 per cent of the adult pop-

ulation, have received their first dose of one of the four COVID-19 vaccines, namely, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson,

available to them.

F u r t h e r, s o m e 166,763 persons received their second dose, representing 32.5 per cent of the population.

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

15

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

17

COVID-19 death toll climbs to 636 _161 new cases recorded

FOUR more persons have died after contracting COVID-19, taking Guyana’s overall death toll to 636.

The Ministry of Health said that the latest fatalities are a 90-year-old male and 66-year-old female, both from Region Four, and a 67-year-old male and 79-year-old female, both from Region Three.

According to the Health Ministry, they all died while receiving treatment for symptoms of COVID-19 at a local healthcare facility.

Additionally, there are currently 2,043 active COVID-19 cases in Guyana, following the addition of 161 new cases on September 3, 2021, after 1,738 tests.

The newly-confirmed cases were recorded in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and Nine.

Region Four accounted

for 90 of the new cases, while Region Two recorded 28 new cases; Region Three, 24 new cases; Region Five, four new cases; Region Six, five new cases, and Regions Seven and Nine recorded two new cases each.

Even as new cases were recorded, 95 persons were reported to have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 23,433.

The country has now recorded a total of 26,112 confirmed cases since the first COVID-19 case was reported in March 2020.

Of the active cases, 33 persons are at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital, Liliendaal, 118 are in institutional isolation, 1,892 are in home isolation and five are in institutional quarantine.

Many of the persons in-

fected with the virus are said to be asymptomatic, that is, they are not exhibiting symptoms.

T h e u p d a t e d C O VID–19 Emergency Measures are in force from September 1, 2021, until September 30, 2021. They may be extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Health, after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions of the pandemic.

As per the current measures, however, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes, and practice physical distancing. A national curfew from 22:30 hours to 04:00 hours is in place.

Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480; or 180/181 for assistance.

18

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

19

20

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

21

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

GUYANA CHRONICLE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

23

24

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 4, 2021

Hamilton's Mercedes breaks as Ferrari leads free practice two (BBC) - Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in Dutch Grand Prix second practice while Lewis Hamilton missed most of the session with an engine problem.

Hamilton’s Mercedes stopped on track after he had done just one flying lap. He was classified 11th.

Leclerc headed team-mate Carlos Sainz by 0.154 seconds.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was third, ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.

Seven-time champion Hamilton’s problem was the second engine issue for a Mercedes-engined car of the day, after Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel caused a 40-minute stoppage in the first session when he came to a halt at the exit of the pit lane.

The car remained by the side of the track where Hamilton had stopped, so he was unable to resume the session.

Mercedes said there was no indication the two power-unit problems were related or that they were circuit-specific.

Lewis Hamilton pushes his Mercedes to a safe place

Vettel’s was an engine failure which will be investigated back at Mercedes’ UK engine base after the race. Hamilton was asked to stop on track after the power-unit developed a problem.

Verstappen’s true competitiveness over one lap was hidden because there were two red flags during the session, one for Hamilton and another when Haas driver Nikita Mazepin spun off at the chicane, and both happened when the Dutchman was on a flying lap.

“It’s insane,” Verstappen said over the radio after the Mazepin incident. “I just can’t get a lap in, man.”

In total, about 15 minutes’ worth of running were lost from the session to the two incidents.

It meant Verstappen’s fastest time - just over 0.3secs off the pace - was set on tyres that were already past their best.

But the Red Bull driver looked blisteringly fast on the race-simulation runs later in the session when drivers use full fuel loads.

Verstappen was serenaded by an arena packed with Dutch fans vocalising their support for him on the return to the Zandvoort track to the F1 calendar for the first time since 1985.

Verstappen said: “It was really enjoyable to see all of them in orange and having fun in the grandstand and of course the track as well. It’s quite a short lap but a lot of fast corners. It was quite a fun day.

“In the short run, it doesn’t look very representative from our side, because already after one lap the tyres do drop off a bit. But nevertheless we will work on a few things where we are not entirely happy on the short run.

“But on the long we looked competitive. That is always very important but we also know the starting position is also very important so we will have a look at what we can do on the short run to make it better.”

Hamilton said: “I just lost power and they told me to stop. It is not the end of the world. It has been a beautiful day in terms of weather. It’s amazing to see the crowd.

There are so many people here and it’s good to see people hyped. It’s the first time we’ve seen all the energy the Dutch fans bring.

“I only got 20 minutes of running this morning with the red flag so it naturally puts us on the back foot but Valtteri looked like he had a good session and hopefully tomorrow we can try and pick up some of the time.

“The track is epic. It’s really fantastic. It brought back so many memories. It’s crazy in an F1 car.

“But I don’t think we’ll be able to overtake. high downforce, super-fast corners we probably won’t be able to follow through.”

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Saturday September 04, 2021) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Shoaib Malik-272 runs (Barbados Tridents) (2) Shoaib Malik-78 (BT vs Zouks) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who claimed most wickets in CPL 2013?

(2) Who had the best figures in a single match in CPL 2013?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue ................................................................................. ...........................................................................

25

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 4, 2021

Wokes, Pope make half centuries but India still in control

(ESPNCRICINFO) Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes made their first Test fifties in a year to give England a 99-run first-innings lead at The Oval before India’s openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, almost halved the deficit by seeing out the second day.

England were teetering at 53 for 3 overnight, and lost two wickets for nine runs at the start of the day, but Pope’s fluency in partnerships with Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali dragged them into the lead, and then Woakes - batting at No. 9 after England had used a nightwatchman - built on it by attacking the old ball.

Rohit and Rahul were tasked with facing the last 16 overs of the day in the late-afternoon haze and despite the occasional play-and-miss, and an outside edge from Rohit that flew past Rory Burns at second slip, they saw India through to stumps, only 56 runs behind their hosts.

Umesh Yadav had produced one of the balls of the series to bowl Joe Root late on the first evening and picked up where he

Ollie Pope played his shots on the second morning Getty Images

left off with a probing spell on the second morning. He removed Craig Overton, the nightwatchman, with his fourth delivery of the day thanks to an ill-judged cut shot which flew straight to Virat Kohli at first slip, then had Dawid Malan edging to Rohit at second to leave England reeling at 62 for 5.

Bairstow and Pope quickly launched a counterattack as India’s change bowlers, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul

Thakur, struggled for consistency. Thakur leaked four consecutive boundaries (one via the pad) to Pope, and Siraj conceded three in a row with both batters scoring on either side of the wicket, adding 77 before lunch.

Bairstow’s technical changes heading into this series - he is batting significantly further across his stumps than he did two years ago - may have resulted in him avoiding being bowled thus far but he has

developed a vulnerability against the nip-backer, and was trapped lbw for the third time in the series: Siraj angled one in from a length which struck him on the pad, and the DRS confirmed the ball would have gone on to hit the top of leg stump.

Bairstow remonstrated with a steward after his dismissal, seemingly distracted by some movement in the stands, but Pope continued to score freely. He worked

Jamaica begin world cup qualifiers with loss to Mexico CMC – Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz agonisingly conceded an 89th minute goal as their quest to reach next year’s World Cup in Qatar began with a 2-1 defeat to CONCACAF powerhouses Mexico here late Thursday.

The Caribbean side appeared destined for a share of the points after Shamar Nicholson’s 65th strike cancelled out Alexis Vega’s opener in the 50th minute at the Azteca Stadium.

But with time ticking away, Henry Martin capitalised on a lapse in Jamaica’s defence to snatch the winner, leaving the visitors empty-handed.

Jamaica will have little time to recuperate, however, as they fly home to host Panama at the National Stadium on Sunday.

The first 20 minutes of Thursday’s contest was a scrappy affair with neither side able to assert control.

Norman Campbell got off a weak left-footed shot in the 23rd minute after getting free down the left

but Mexico responded when full back Jorge Sanchez put a cross in at the far post only for Rogelio Funes Mori to muff the diving header in the 26th.

Campbell was denied

saves inside the last five minutes of the half, first denying Luis Romo before keeping out a long range drive from Vega.

Jamaica’s resistance cracked five minutes fol-

Shamarh Nicholson celebrates his goal against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Thursday.

from close range in the 35th minute by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa before Sebastián Córdova sent a low drive just wide of the far post three minutes later.

Goalkeeper Andre Blake then kept Jamaica in the contest by pulling off two key

lowing the resumption, however, when Vega finally beat Blake after finding space on the edge of the 18-yard box to fire in a low shot.

Centre back Damion Lowe headed down Roberto Alvarado’s cross but the ball

fell at Vega’s feet and he rounded Alvas Powell and Cory Burke to get off his shot.

Alvarado nearly doubled the lead a minute later but he shot wide with only Blake to beat and Mexico threatened again in the 54th when Sanchez’s weak header was easily saved.

Jamaica suffered a huge let-off in the 63rd when Alvarado struck the post from close range with Blake beaten but equalised soon afterwards against the run of play.

A diagonal ball from deep on the right side of midfield caught the Mexico defense napping and Sanchez headed down the pass into the path of Nicholson, who swept home a clinical finish from 14 yards.

But Mexico had the final say, however, Cesar Montes picking out Romo whose flick found Martin on the edge of the box, for the 81st minute substitute to curl past Blake into the upper right-hand corner.

Siraj away for four to bring up a 92-ball fifty and made only a low proportion of runs through boundaries, instead rotating the strike and clipping and punching twos and threes.

Pope was widely hailed as England’s most promising young batter when he made a brilliant maiden hundred in Port Elizabeth in early 2020 but has struggled in the 18 months since; he started this series out of the side following an injury but his poor form meant that he was not rushed back in when fit.

This was his first Test on his home ground, where he averages a shade over 100 in first-class cricket for Surrey, and his change back to a middle-stump guard appeared to pay dividends after spending most of the summer batting on off.

Moeen struggled for the same fluency but his innings was scattered with boundaries, the pick of them a punch through the covers off Umesh. He was given an unusual life early on, digging out a Jasprit Bumrah yorker which replays confirmed

had struck his boot first and would have crashed into leg stump - India did not even appeal.

He gave his wicket away cheaply, aiming a hoick down the ground off Ravindra Jadeja which ballooned out to give Rohit a simple catch at cover. Pope fell for 81 shortly after tea, dragging a wide outswinger from Thakur onto his own stumps, and Jadeja bowled the slog-sweeping Ollie Robinson for 5 to leave England nine down.

But Woakes frustrated India, adding 35 with Anderson for the last wicket. He played with uncharacteristic attacking intent, flashing drives away through cover and pulling through the leg side, before running himself out while trying to marshal the strike.

England struggled to create chances with the new ball as Rohit and Rahul stood firm, though one opportunity went begging: Anderson found Rohit’s outside edge but Burns failed to pick the ball up at second slip and watched it fly past him.

Racing Tips

South Africa Racing Tips Turffontein 08:33 hrs Arizonia Lady 09:08 hrs Lucy In The Sky 09:45 hrs Vaseen 10:20 hrs Sound Of Summer 10:55 hrs Aurora Light Canadian Racing Tips Woodbine Race 1.Aim For The Sky Race 2 Chunky Monkey Race 3 Someone Else Race 4 Lady At Blame Race 5 Kiddie Holiday Race 6 Downy Boy Race 7 Hazelbrook Race 8 Carl G American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 War Smoke Race 2 Supreme Ayra Race 3 Ubiquitous Race 4 Risky Mischief Race 5 Souper Sensational Race 6 Curbstone Race 7 Galt Race 8 Public Sector

Irish Racing Tips Navan 08:20 hrs Chestnutter 08:50 hrs Ever Rock 09:25 hrs Indigo Balance 10:00 hrs Heart To Heart 10:35 hrs Vario 11:10 hrs Cady’s Bid 11:45 hrs Jeff Kidder English Racing Tips Haydock 08:45 hrs Lord Glitters 09:20 hrs Valley Forge 09:55 hrs Rhythmic Intent 10:30 hrs Starman 11:05 hrs Jawwaal 11:15 hrs Fast Medicine Ascot 09:00 hrs Wanees 09:35 hrs Bouquet 10:10 hrs Wahraan 10:45 hrs Baashir 11:20 hrs Passionova 11:55 hrs Popmaster 12:30 hrs Noorban

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 4, 2021

Bangladesh blitz downs New Zealand again

A FIGHTING New Zealand side lifted themselves from the pits of 60 all out a couple of days ago to nearly stun Bangladesh. They needed six off the last ball but managed just a single as Bangladesh continued their wonderful run of wins - their sixth in seven games.

In pursuit of a stiff 142 on another slow and turning pitch, captain Tom Latham tried seeing his side home with an unbeaten 65 off 49, but with lack of experience at the other end combined with the lack of pace offered by the Bangladesh quicks meant they fell short.

New Zealand needed 36 from 18, 20 off the last over and 13 off two balls when Mustafizur Rahman delivered a beamer that Latham edged for four. This brought the equation to eight off two with a free hit to come. Rahman then sent down two deliveries that didn’t have any length or room to work with, and all Latham could manage was three runs off them.

An unchanged Bangladesh batted first on a track that turned from ball one again. They were set up first by an opening stand of 59 between Mohammad Naim

and Liton Das and later by an unbeaten 37 off 32 from captain Mahmudullah. The New Zealand spinners couldn’t quite apply the pressure early on like they did two days ago, but Rachin Ravindra’s 3 for 22, which accounted for the top three, meant the hosts didn’t run away to a 150-plus total.

Latham nearly takes them through

Captain Latham promoted himself to No. 3 and dropped anchor once they were 18 for 2. He knew attacking was no good on a turning pitch, so the best chance was to take the game deep and try and hit out in the end. And he did exactly that.

He first stitched a steady 43run stand for the third wicket with Will Young. He looked content by going just over run a ball until the 14th over to take them to 85 for 3.

When he slog-swept a slower delivery from Mohammad Saifuddin for six to bring the equation to 57 from 36, Bangladesh were still on top. New Zealand lost two more wickets in the next two overs to spinners, but Latham found boundaries in each of

the last four overs to make sure the equation didn’t go completely out of hand.

He lofted Shakib Al Hasan over the covers, heaved Mustafizur wide of long-on, ramped Saifuddin over the keeper, and expertly edged a beamer from Mustafizur in the last over. But when it came to the last two balls of the match against

of winning and the result might have been different had he found some support at the other end. Apart from Young’s 22 off 28, they all crumbled against spin again.

A nervy Ravindra struck Shakib for a straight six but was bowled next ball for 10, Tom Blundell was stumped for 6 when he charged down against a straighter one from

Mohammad Naim and Liton Das gave Bangladesh a solid start AFP

the wily Mustafizur, Latham couldn’t get the deliveries away that were right on the money.

Hardly any partners for Latham New Zealand’s most experienced batter in the squad gave them an unlikely chance

Mahedi Hasan, and Young sliced one to short third man off Shakib. Colin de Grandhomme scored eight off his first nine balls but fell as soon as he took the aerial route, handing a catch to deep backward square leg and Henry Nicholls top-edged his fifth ball.

New Zealand will still

take a lot from this game, having taken a full-strength Bangladesh to the last ball, and not looking as clueless as they did in the first game, or like Australia last month.

Bangladesh’s solid opening stand

After 13 wickets fell in under 27 overs in the opening game, Liton and Naim gave the hosts a wicketless powerplay after eight T20I innings.

New Zealand started with spinners again, but a circumspect Naim and a risk-taking Liton set a strong base with 36 in the powerplay. Liton was even given a life on 0 in the second over when de Grandhomme put down a sitter at square leg and Liton continued to find leading edges, also collecting two fours off Ajaz Patel in the next over to kickstart the innings.

Ravindra, Ajaz apply the brakes before Mahmudullah accelerates Ravindra was brought into the attack late compared to the other spinners and he was smoked over midwicket for a six in the 10th over

by Liton. But the left-arm

spinner struck two balls later when Liton chopped on in strange fashion by going across to turn a delivery from well outside off to leg, only to deflect it onto his stumps.

Ravindra handed the hosts another blow as he deceived the promoted Mushfiqur Rahim in flight as Latham effected a smart stumping. Rahim was out for a golden duck. On a hattrick by then, he nearly had Shakib first ball when he almost chipped a return catch.

Shakib then counterattacked for two quick fours but went after one too many and holed out to long-off to leave the hosts on 72 for 3.

Mahmudullah and Naim steered them to the death overs in which Ravindra got his third and Ajaz his first when both Naim and Afif Hossain found long-on in a bid to accelerate. The captain came to the rescue to post a competitive total by using Doug Bracewell’s pace. Mahmudullah struck two fours in an over twice against Bracewell, in the 15th and 19th overs, and collected another 11 in the last over with Nurul Hasan off Hamish Bennett.

FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings after England players abused racially (BBC) - Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings after racist abuse was aimed at England players during Thursday’s 4-0 win over Hungary in a World Cup qualifier in Budapest.

Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were both targeted.

England players were also pelted with objects in the second half and a flare was thrown on the pitch by the home fans at Puskas Arena.

England condemned the abuse as “completely unacceptable”.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham, 18, tweeted on Friday: “Part of the game and always will be until proper punishments are put in place by those with the

power. We can’t let hate win, keep smiling.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Fifa “to take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of disgraceful behaviour is eradicated from the game for good”.

On Friday afternoon, football’s world governing body Fifa said disciplinary proceedings had been opened “following analysis of the match reports”.

It added: “Once again, Fifa would like to state that our position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of racism and violence as well as any other form of discrimination or abuse.

“We have a very clear zero tolerance stance against

Objects, including a flare, were thrown on to the pitch in Budapest on Thursday

such abhorrent behaviours in football.”

I don’t think our players can do any more - Southgate

Despite Uefa ordering Hungary to play three home games behind closed doors after supporters’ discrimi-

natory behaviour, fans were allowed in on Thursday as the game came under Fifa’s jurisdiction.

The Uefa ban relates to racism and other discriminatory conduct which took place during Euro 2020 in June.

While Uefa manage World Cup qualifiers involving European teams, Fifa is able to take action because it is their competition.

“Fifa strongly rejects any form of racism and violence and has a very clear zero tolerance stance for such behaviour in football,” the game’s global governing body said.

Fifa and Uefa criticised for allowing fans to attend Anti-discrimination bod-

ies Kick It Out, Show Racism the Red Card and Fare criticised Fifa and Uefa for their handling of Hungary’s existing ban.

“The question for us is why Fifa didn’t act to prevent this, and why the global football system didn’t work together to prevent this,” Kick It Out chief executive Tony Burnett said.

“All I’m hearing again thus far is excuses about who should file what paperwork and who should file permission for X, Y and Z.” Fare executive director Piara Powar said allowing fans to attend in Budapest was an example of the “system falling apart” as Uefa and Fifa try to deal with racism.

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 4, 2021

Everest CC congratulates Nandu on West Indies U19 selection Matthew Nandu

PRESIDENT of the Everest Cricket Club and Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, along with other Executives and Members of the Everest Cricket Club wish to offer congratulations to Matthew Nandu for his selection to the West Indies Under-19 squad for their Youth One-Day International tour of England which gets underway September 4.

Nandu, a top-order batsman, who is a member of the club, is one of two Guyanese in the 18-man squad, the other being pacer Isai Thorne from Berbice.

The members of the club send well-wishes to Nandu and hope he and Thorne excel in the six matches and be able to seal a spot in the squad for next year’s Under-19 World Cup which will be held in the Caribbean from January 4 to February 3.

The club also extends its best wishes to the entire West Indies U-19 team on their tour.

West Indies Under-19s confident ahead of first match on England tour …Guyanese Nandu, Thorne set to feature

THE West Indies Rising Stars U19s will start with confidence when they face England Under-19s in the first Youth One-Day International.

The opening encounter is on Saturday at the County Ground in Beckenham. The first ball is 10:30am (5:30am Eastern Caribbean Time/4:30am Jamaica Time).

Guyanese Matthew Nandu and Isai Thorne are set to feature in the six matches.

West Indies 18-member squad arrived in England earlier this week after a High-Performance Camp in Antigua. They had several intense training sessions at the base in Beckenham as they put all systems in place for this six-match series.

According to a Cricket West Indies press release, Rohan Nurse, the Acting Head Coach, said he is extremely pleased with the preparations and the level of focus displayed by the players in somewhat unfamiliar conditions.

“Training has been excellent. I am quite pleased with the progress the players have made since the first day of training when we arrived here. They have been quite willing and able to adapt to the new conditions they have been experiencing,” Nurse said.

“The mood is very upbeat … they are very excited. They are really looking forward to testing their skills against the English opposition and also in the English conditions.”

FULL SQUAD: Ackeem Auguste (Captain), Giovonte Depeiza (Vice Captain), Onaje Amory, Anderson Amurdan, Justin Beckford, Teddy Bishop, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, McKenny Clarke, Rivaldo Clarke, Nathan Edward, Andel Gordon, Sion Hackett, Justin Jagessar, Johann Layne, Anderson Mahase, Matthew Nandu, Isai Thorne, Vasant Singh FULL MATCH SCHEDULE Saturday, September 4: 1st Youth ODI – Beckenham Monday, September 6: 2nd Youth – Beckenham

Isai Thorne

Wednesday, September 8: 3rd Youth ODI – Beckenham Friday, September 10: 4th Youth ODI – Canterbury Tuesday, September 14: 5th Youth ODI – Canterbury Friday, September 17: 6th Youth ODI – Canterbury

Mboma wins Brussells Diamond League 200m (BBC) - Christine Mboma produced a powerful late surge to edge out Shericka Jackson in a star-studded women’s 200m race at the Brussels Diamond League.

Namibia’s Mboma clocked 21.84 seconds to finish ahead of Jackson (21.95) and Britain’s world champion Dina Asher-Smith (22.04).

American Sha’Carri Richardson was fourth with a time of 22.45.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah did not race after dropping out with an Achilles injury.

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis won the pole vault in comfortable fashion with a 6.05m leap.

However, the Olympic champion, 21, failed to break his own world record after three missed attempts at 6.19m.

Jamaica’s Natoya Goule clocked 1:58:09 to beat Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson (1:58:16) in the 800m, with Hodgkinson’s fellow Briton Jemma Reekie (1:58:77) in third.

Eilish McColgan ran the third fastest time by a British female to finish seventh in the women’s 5,000m.

The 30-year-old Scot, competing for the first time since failing to qualify for the Olympic 5,000m final, ran 14 minutes 31.26 seconds, falling short of the British record time she took from Paula Radcliffe at the Diamond League Oslo meet in July.

Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba won the race in 14:25.34.

Elsewhere, Sifan Hassan ran the fifth fastest women’s time in history to win the one-mile race, the 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic champion clocking four minutes 14.74 seconds to set a new world leading time.

Fred Kerley became the first man to win 100m, 200m and 400m races in the Diamond League as he claimed a narrow victory in the 100m.

The 26-year-old American, who took silver in the Olympic 100m final, ran 9.94 seconds to beat compatriots Trayvon Bromell (9.97) and Michael Norman (9.98).

The final Diamond League meet of the season takes place in Zurich on 8 and 9 September.

Christine Mboma

West Indies Under-19s confident ahead of first match on England tour …Guyanese Nandu, Thorne set to feature

SEE STORY ON PAGE 27 West Indies Under-19s training in England

Cottrell ensures unlikely win for Patriots in thrilling finale

S

T KITTS & Nevis Patriots maintained their unbeaten start to the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a remarkable final ball win over Barbados Royals, who suffered their fourth defeat of the tournament.

The Patriots won the toss and opted to bowl, taking wickets at regular intervals as the Barbados Royals posted 160-8, with Smit Patel, making his Hero CPL debut, top scoring with 54.

The Patriots stumbled in their chase, a returning Chris Gayle top scored with 42 runs and a defeat seemed likely until Sheldon Cottrell and Dominic Drakes put on an unlikely partnership with the bat, which culminated with Cottrell

Sheldon Cottrell of Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots after winning the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League match 14 between Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Barbados Royals at Warner Park Sporting Complex on September 2, 2021 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. (Photo by Randy Brooks - CPL T20/Getty Images)

striking a six off the last ball for a dramatic win in front of the home crowd.

Barbados Royals had a steady start to their innings, Johnson Charles and Patel patiently accruing runs after the early dismissal of Shai Hope.

Patel would eventually reach his half century, while captain Jason Holder later made a quick cameo of 19 runs from his 7 balls. DJ Bravo, captaining the side, showed all his craft and guile in the format to take four wickets and stop Barbados Royals from piling on the runs towards the end of their innings. There were also impressive contributions with the ball from fast bowlers Cottrell and Netherlands international Paul van Meekeren.

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

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots were controlled as they started their innings, losing Evin Lewis in the Powerplay overs, but rebuilding with Devon Thomas and Gayle. It was another Hero CPL debutant, wrist spinner Jake Lintott, who made valuable inroads by first dismissing Gayle, and then the dangerous Sherfane Rutherford two balls later. 20 year old Nyeem Young dismissed the rest of the middle order and it seemed like the Patriots would not be able to chase the target.

However the late onslaught from Drakes and Cottrell with the bat ensured St Kitts & Nevis Patriots maintained their superb start to the tournament.

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots remain top of the Hero CPL league table with five wins out of five.

Saturday, September 4, 2021