Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_09_06_2020

6th September 2020

’ No. 106114

GuySuCo is more than just sugar PAGE

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–– re-opening closed estates will breathe new life into village economies, says Min. Mustapha

–– key appointments already made at Skeldon, Rose Hall estates

First Lady joins in seawall clean-up

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First Lady, Arya Ali, joins members of local group, ‘Seawalls and Beyond’, in a clean-up exercise around the Band Stand on Saturday

US$1M Popeyes Virginia Watts restaurant opened turns 102 12 at Parika 08 PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Justice For All Party withdraws from APNU

THE Justice For All Party (JFAP) has withdrawn from the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) which formed the coalition government from 20152020.

The APNU is now made up of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and the Guyana Action Party which are represented on the opposition benches.

In a letter dated September 1, 2020 to PNC/R Leader, David Granger, JFAP General-Secretary, Savitree Sharma, stated: “Like any other organisation, APNU has its strengths and weaknesses, success and failures. The Guyana’s political landscape is changing significantly and it demands a re-examination of roles and relationships. At this time, as we withdraw from APNU we wish to thank you for the opportunity to have been part of your political movement.”

The JFAP and the National Front Alliance (NFA) led by Keith Scott were not selected to sit in the opposition benches, with former President Granger saying that parties needed to garner at least 7,000 votes to secure one of the 31 opposition parliamentary seats.

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) last month also withdrew from the APNU after not being consulted on the candidates selected as its representatives in the National Assembly and the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

CN Sharma and his wife Savitrie

“The time has come when the WPA is forced to draw a line in the sand and say that enough is enough.

Since 2015 there has been no new and progressive dispensation within the APNU and there is no recognition of the rights of the partners to contribute to the decision-making process and more importantly, for each party, not the general-secretary of the PNC/R, or its leader, to determine unilaterally, the allocation of seats to each member party of the APNU for Parliament, RDC and NDC. In a meeting before the March 2. 2020: General and Regional Elections, with you, comrade Granger and other PNC/R representatives in the Ministry of the Presidency Media Centre, we made our position clear on the above matter and were assured by you that we have an agreement – only to learn that this was not so when our nominee for Region 10 was not put on the list of candidates,” WPA Secretary Tacuma Ogunseye wrote in a letter to APNU Leader, David Granger.

“Mr. Granger, we are convinced that there will be no significant attitudinal changes within the APNU on the matters raised above, and those which must engage the attention of the organisation and be corrected, if it is to regain the government at future elections.

It is this conviction and the circumstances referenced that WPA feels it can no longer remain a member of the APNU,” he added.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

GuySuCo is more than just sugar –– reopening of closed estates will breathe new life into village economies, says Min. Mustapha

–– key appointments already made at Skeldon, Rose Hall estates

By Rabindra Rooplall and Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is not only about sugar and employment but a medium that has contributed significantly to national and community development, positively impacting the lives of thousands of Guyanese.

This is according to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

“GuySuCo historically is not only about employing people, it has a multifaceted role in the community, there are direct workers who depend on GuySuCo and there are the indirect dependents, such as shop keepers, seamstresses, and market vendors.

GuySuCo was also involved in community development where playgrounds, drainage and irrigation, healthcare centres and other aspects of the community were looked after,” the agriculture minister said.

He also noted that majority of talented cricketers came from the GuySuCo estates, and contended that the decision by the previous government to close the estates was one that lacked vision. Sugar under the PPP/C administration, he said, will be brought back to its former glory.

Speaking to Crabwood Creek residents at the ball field in that community on Saturday, the minister said a lot of work is being done to reopen the closed sugar estates.

“You know for a fact when these estates were closed people in the commu-

nity, not only those persons who were working with the sugar estates, but people who depend on the sugar estate directly and indirectly were affected and places like Crabwood Creek, Line Path and the entire Corentyne area we have seen the activities slow down and people had to migrate to other areas to seek employment,” he said.

Returning persons to their jobs will be the short-term plan, Minister Mustapha told this publication, noting that incrementally, the sector will be developed until it is sustainable.

“We are looking to employ as many persons as possible, these are people who lost their jobs, and others who are needed in the system,” the agriculture minister said.

For the past five years, Minister Mustapha noted that there was no cohesive policy or aim to propel the agriculture sector in a progressive path.

“Agriculture is one of the major sectors in our country and we have to have certain clear objectives before we go there, as such value-added products, diversification and modernisation is needed in order to survive in the global market and economy,” the agriculture minister said.

RIGHT DIRECTION He also noted that government is already moving in this direction.

“As a matter of fact, I recently submitted the Terms of Reference (ToR) and the Government of India will be sending two specialists to assist with the re-organisation of the industry. This is the

first step. I’ve also discussed acquiring the equipment necessary to assemble factories at estates that were closed.

Many of the factories were left as empty shells and in order for us to reopen those estates we need to replace all of the equipment. The high commissioner was very interested and we will have further discussions on it soon,” Minister Mustapha said.

On the issue of diversification, he said sugar can only be looked at through the eyes of sustainability.

The minister, on that score, noted that cogeneration will be used in the sugar industry while the Albion Sugar Estate could be modernised to produce white sugar which is imported into Guyana.

Further, he said highgrade molasses is needed in Guyana for the rum industry, along with supplying the Trinidadian market.

Currently at the Wales Estate, 17 tonnes of cane is being used to produce one tonne of sugar, because many of the equipment were removed and the estate was left in a dilapidated condition.

“Whales Estate will be difficult to open because it was destroyed, the previous government sold out land, parts from the factory and parts of the factory were cannibalised, so we will have to look at Wales as a big larger project but the three other estates will be easier to open, but we haven’t decided which one yet,” the minister said.

On Wednesday, after a meeting with GuySuCo and National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) team, the

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, and team speak with reporters during a visit to the Skeldon Sugar Estate on Saturday (Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur photo) minister said a technical implemented and bring back because this location here, team was set up and in- this project.” the cane farmers contribute spections were done at Rose “When I was asked how 33 per cent so we have to Hall, Enmore and Skeldon long it will take to bring this engage the cane farmers with Estates and that report on back I said we have to a con- GuySuCo so we can have the conditional survey will ditional survey to know what enough cane for the factory. be submitted to Cabinet. is there and what is needed Aaron Dukhia has been so first of all we have to look appointed the point person KEY APPOINTMENTS at the factory, we also have for Rose Hall Estate,” the On a separate visit to to bring in the cane farmers minister said. the Skeldon Estate on Saturday, Minister Mustapha said key appoints have been made.

“We have appointed Mr. Vishnu Panday as the point person, he will have a small team to go around to see what is needed right now. He was the last estate manager here and he has a lot of knowledge of this location so he will come up with an immediate pan of action that can be

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Donald Trump attacks ‘slimeball’ reporter in war dead row

(BBC) US President Donald Trump has described as a “slimeball” a journalist who quoted him as saying dead US soldiers were “losers” and “suckers”.

He likened the Atlantic magazine report to unproven accusations made against him of colluding with Russia to win the presidential election of 2016.

The damning quotes were corroborated independently by The Associated Press.

Veterans’ groups are among those condemning Mr Trump, less than two months from the 2020 election.

Progressive group VoteVets posted a video of families whose children had been killed in action. “You don’t know what it is to sacrifice,” says one.

Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, tweeted: “Who is really surprised by this?”

A small group of protesters

waved placards at the president’s motorcade on Saturday near the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.

Mr Trump has often staked a claim to strong support among the military, and last year Pew Research Center found that veterans were generally supportive of him as commander-in-chief, with 57% in favour. Three-fifths of the veterans identified as Republican, the research found.

What is Trump reported to have said?

According to The Atlantic, when Mr Trump cancelled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery outside Paris in November 2018, 100 years after the end of World War One, he said it was “filled with losers”.

Four sources told the magazine he had rejected the idea of visiting because the rain would dishevel his hair, and he did not believe it important to honour America’s war dead.

Sunday, September 6, 2020–– 08:30hrs & 10:00hrs

Protesters gathered outside the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia

Four sources told the magazine he had rejected the idea of visiting because the rain would dishevel his hair, and he did not believe it important to honour America’s war dead.

During the same trip, the president also allegedly referred to 1,800 US soldiers who died at Belleau Wood as “suckers”. The battle helped to prevent a German advance on Paris during World War One and is venerated by the US Marine Corps.

The Atlantic’s reporting was based on anonymous sources but a “senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of events” and a “senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump’s comments” confirmed the cemetery com-

ments to AP. In 2018 the White House said the cemetery visit had been cancelled because bad weather had grounded the president’s helicopter. This account was backed up in a recent book by President Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, who has been a vocal critic of Mr Trump.

The US Navy also said it cancelled the trip to the cemetery because of rain in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act from Buzzfeed reporter Jason Leopold.

How did Trump react?

Without referring to Jeffrey Goldberg, the author of the Atlantic report, by name, he tweeted on Saturday: “You

work so hard for the military, from completely rebuilding a depleted mess that was left by OBiden [the previous presidential administration when Joe Biden was vice-president to Barack Obama], to fixing a broken V.A. and fighting for large scale military pay raises, and then a slimeball reporter, maybe working with disgruntled people, makes up such a horrible charge..”

“This reminds me of the Dirty Dossier [the Steele dossier which alleged collusion with Russia], which was pushed hard by John McCain, & then with a thud turned out to be a total fraud. So many other scams also. The Radical Far Left is VICIOUS, they will do or say anything to win.

But they won’t, we will WIN, & have four great years!”

Mr Trump went on to attack another journalist, Jennifer Griffin of Fox News, normally one of the president’s favourite news outlets.

Griffin had reported disparaging remarks about the US military allegedly made by Mr Trump on other occasions such as calling soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War “suckers”.

“Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting,” Mr Trump tweeted. “Never even called us for comment. @FoxNews is

gone!”

White House officials have either denied the remarks allegedly made on the trip to France or stressed the president’s respect for the military.

What are Trump’s opponents saying?

Mr Biden, the Democratic challenger in the 3 November election, said his rival was “unfit” to lead.

“Mr. President, if you don’t respect our troops, you can’t lead them,” he tweeted.

If elected, he said, he would “ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice. Always.”

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both legs while serving in Iraq, said President Trump “liked to use the US military for his own ego”.

Khizr Khan, the father of a US soldier killed in Iraq who criticised Mr Trump during the 2016 Democratic convention, joined Ms Duckworth on the call.

He said: “When Donald Trump calls anyone who places their lives in service of others a loser, we understand Trump’s soul.”

Where do Trump and the US military stand?

There have been previous spats and controversies.

Mr Trump caused outrage by saying the late Senator John McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was not a “war hero” saying: “I like people who weren’t captured.”

The president has never served in uniform. He received five deferments from a military draft during the Vietnam War - four for academic reasons and one for bone spurs, a calcium build-up in the heels.

Joe Biden received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War before being disqualified from serving in the military because of asthma as a teenager.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

El Salvador granted favours to jailed gang leaders, report says (BBC) The government of El Salvador has allegedly granted favours to the imprisoned leaders of street gangs in return for support in elections, according to a media report.

Online newspaper El Faro said the gang leaders were asked to reduce violence and support President Nayib Bukele.

The report said the favours ranged from better food to the reversal of a decision to house members of rival gangs in the same cells.

Mr Bukele has rejected the allegations.

The president, who came to office in June 2019, has repeatedly portrayed his administration as tough on El Salvador’s gangs.

El Faro alleged that the government had secret talks with the leaders of the country’s main street gangs, including the notorious Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13.

Citing a large number of official documents, El Faro claims that Mr Bukele’s administration has made concessions to the gang leaders in prison in exchange for a reduction in violence and

backing at the polls.

The report said the favours ranged from small luxuries in terms of improved food and the removal of the most repressive guards to bigger steps like reversing the recent high-profile decision to house members of rival gangs in the same cells.

Claims that the government of El Salvador has been negotiating behind the scenes with jailed drug gang members are not normally very surprising, BBC Central America correspondent Will Grant reports.

What stands out in the

The president has portrayed his administration as tough on gangs

allegations are that such negotiations were allegedly being carried out by the ad-

ministration of President Bukele, who has repeatedly portrayed his government

as uncompromisingly hard on El Salvador’s gangs, our correspondent adds.

Successive governments have been accused of speaking directly to the leaders of the two main street gangs, the MS-13 and 18th Street or Barrio 18, as a means to reduce drug violence.

President Bukele took to Twitter to deny the allegations, and posted photos of jail courtyards full of half-naked prisoners with shaved heads and challenging his critics to “show me one privilege” that those prisoners had received.

32 police recruits test positive for COVID (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) Thirty-two police recruits attached to the Police Academy in St James have tested positive Covid-19.

According to police officials, one of the recruits tested positive on August 25th, and another three days later.

As a precaution, another 42 who were in direct contact with the two recruits, were immediately separated and sent to the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and away from the other 143 recruits at the

Academy.

Tests were conducted on the 42 recruits, with 32 returning positive and the other ten, negative. As a result, the 32 who tested positive have been removed to another part of the UWI campus, while the other ten remain in quarantine.

The remaining 143 recruits who are in training, as well as the instructors and other persons at the Academy, will also be tested. As a result, the proposed graduation on September 16th, and passing out of this

batch of recruits seven days later, have been postponed indefinitely.

The TTPS, like many other front-line agencies, has been affected by the Covid-19 virus. Several police stations, including the Police Administration Building, had to be closed on several occasions to be sanitized after police officers contracted the virus.

Several sections, branches, and units, were closed as the virus continue to affect police officers and civilian staff. As a result, the TTPS

has had to stop certain services, such as Certificate of Character and Firearms applications.

All necessary protocols are in place for the safety of these officers.

Despite the threat of

Covid, police officers continue to carry out all duties, including road exercises and raids.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Some useful recommendations THIS editorial is based on excerpts of the assimilations and suggestions, which reflects the general consensus of the former staffing component of the Rose Hall ´adumbrated by one former senior staffer. Notably, this employee was always butting heads with management over their anti-people, insensitive management style, behaving like colonial overlords to the detriment of productivity, as well as on great wastage and alleged misappropriation of estate resources such as fuel, etc.

The former GuySuCo employee singled out the Rose Hall Sugar Estate and laid out the negatives and positives that he considers had impacted the sugar industry nationwide.

According to him, in the ´60s, ´70s, ´80s and even ´90s, sugar was contributing to 32 per cent of the GDP in Guyana. Slowly but surely, cost of production started to rise and actual production had dropped, so that only a few estates were barely achieving their targets. Among contributing factors to the decline, apart from bad management practices, were high wages for workers demanded by sugar unions, with losses due to frequent strikes; workers making demands for o/t (overtime) for jobs that could be achieved in an eight-hr shift; adverse use of some chemicals such as ripeners, and poor tillage and harvesting practices.

He opined that Rose Hall Estate is unique, as it sits on the bank of the Canje Creek and caters to an entire community -- from Mara to No 1 to New Forest. Businesses in New Amsterdam,the Corentyne and Canje thrived when Rose Hall Estate was working.

He averred that, with the closure of the estate, that part of Region Six has stagnated and is suffering due to lack of job opportunities.

Following are some excerpts from suggestions he proffered, based on research and consultations with former work associates that he is convinced can contribute to resuscitating and operationalising the Rose Hall Estate.

He listed proper tillage practice as a major factor, as sugar

cane is a deep-rooted crop and has to be properly treated to produce more than five ratoons or more. It needs deep-root penetration so that it could find water, which is a top factor in cane growth. Among other prerequisites are: 1. The use of wheel-type machines as opposed to using track machines. It has been proven that wheel machines have greater compaction than track.

2. Using the right tillage implement. GuySuCo has been using small-disc implements such as the 20-22 harrow to till. On the surface all looks well, but when the cane root reaches the hard pan at 11,” it would flatten out. The results are poor cane quality and stunted growth. Using a 10-32 attached to a D6 or D8 would certainly give greater depth and also the use of tines on these same machines could boost cane yields.

3. Operators given jobbing to till. GuySuCo has opportunity days and machine availability. Cane does not grow with figures, but needs proper ploughing techniques, 4. Proper shaping of beds is very important because, although cane needs water to grow, water-logged beds are detrimental to cane growth; hence, a need for adequate run-off systems.

5) The practice of plough and plant is another component cited for qualitative and quantitative plant growth.

Canefields were once ploughed and rested for a period of three to six months. Those fields were flooded and abandoned so as to inject new life into the soil. The plant and animal life reproduced during that period added nutrients to the soil.

6) Sugar cane germination, as well as yield is affected by planting material, layout, plant-population, method of planting and placement of buds, etc .

7) Choosing the right variety would definitely boost the TCTS.

8) Harvesting practices in Guyana is cut and load. Years ago, cane loaders were introduced, but these loaders could not operate even in a light drizzle because of the sliding factor. The operators were forced to load with the loaders, skidding as they went, tearing up the ratoons and sending mud to the boilers. A lot of canes were left on the ground, Rose Hall Estate cultivation is basically Dutch and English beds. The short runs on the Dutch beds are not recommended for mechanisation and there is need for wholesale conversion.

Install a punt dumper at Rose Hall and eliminate the use of slings, which are costly, waste of good cane falling into the mill dock and the cost of punt and mill dock cleaning Introduce billet hauling and eliminate creek crossing for Providence canes. Canes have to cross with tides, resulting in several lost lives.

With conversion, there can be full mechanisation in harvesting. The BGI {burning to grinding interval} is critical. When the canes are burnt, the longer it takes to reach the mills the higher the TCTS. With full mechanisation, the BGI effect would not be in play. Reaping green is employed by all of the major sugar-producing countries and it is environmentally friendly and sugar cane does not deteriorate.

Recommendations are: select a competent, semi-automous management team operating from within the Ministry of Agriculture; purchase the right machines and implements and lubricants from machine manufacturers for tillage, harvesting and planting; upgrade the factory and put in a punt dumper; select a team - manager and staff to liaise between Rose Hall and GuySuCo, located at head office to organise spares, sugar-shipping, chemicals, stationery, etc; and negotiate for training visits to countries such as Brazil, Australia and India to optimise best operational practices.

Saluting Dr Vishnu Bisram for academic achievements Dear editor,

I WRITE to hail and call out Dr. Vishnu Bisram for his extraordinary academic achievements, voluminous writings, election-polling, and the stupendous role he has played on diaspora affairs (Guyanese, Caribbean and India) and the struggle for free and fair elections (FFEs) in Guyana, including that five-month ordeal for the accurate counting of the votes.

I don’t think anyone has written more than he on the Guyanese diaspora or commenting on Guyanese issues. For years I have been reading the Guyanese media daily and have read his letters, as well as the writings of Freddie Kissoon, Ravi Dev, Peeping Tom, and others.

Freddie and Bisram wrote almost daily, exposing the shenanigans relating to the March 2nd elections. I thank KN for its ex-

ceptional coverage of the election impasse and keeping the diaspora updated on developments in the country.

While I have long known Dr. Bisram since the early 1980s when he used to visit Trinidad to enlist support for free and fair elections, I was not aware of his long list of academic credentials until the academic conference on indentureship held two weekends ago.

There was a brief sketch of his academic qualifications with multiple MA degrees and PhDs. A few Trinidadians, including myself, had formed an organisation in the 1980s to expose human rights violations and champion FFEs in Guyana and to champion racial equality.

Our group engaged in correspondence with Dr. Bisram, Dr. Baytoram Ramharack and Vassan Ramracha, who had formed a formidable group in the USA that was

engaged in rare activism among Caribbean peoples.

They used to produce voluminous literature on or about Guyana that we used to distribute in Trinidad to aid in the movement against oppression in Guyana. We hosted and engaged the group in Trinidad whenever they visited for interactions or strategy discussions.

They were altruistic, powerful activists dedicated to improving the lives of their communities in the USA and freedom of Guyana.

Their commitment to Guyana and community activism didn’t prevent them from completing post-graduate studies with rare academic distinctions.

I salute Dr. Bisram’s academic feat which is probably unique. As I read in the brief biographical sketch, he earned multiple academic certificates. While many don’t even have an undergraduate college education, and while most of us struggle to complete a Mas-

ter’s Degree and a PhD, he has multiple MAs and PhDs. Dr. Bisram is probably the only Caribbean person to have such a well-rounded background in the natural sciences, social sciences and education administration.

Dr. Bisram says his undergraduate degree was in Biochemistry and also completed the majors in Political Science for admission to the MA programme in International Relations (IR). He went on to do MA degrees in IR, Economics, Political Science, History, Sociology, and Education Administration.

In addition, the biographical dossier says he completed PhD degrees in History, Sociology, and Political Science, and is finished with the course work for the PhD in Economics.

Dr. Bisram taught for over 35 years and served as faculty union representative and in other educational leadership positions for some 20 years. In addition, he

was elected to undergraduate and graduate student governments, serving for a decade.

He held other leadership positions at his educational institution.

For his academic and leadership achievements, he was listed twice in “Who Is Who Among Students Among American Colleges and Universities.”

Dr. Bisram’s academic background is most rare among Guyanese, if not among all scholars, making him amply qualified for any variety of assignments to contribute to Guyana and the Caribbean’s development.

I tip my hat in salute to this gentleman for his notable achievements and service to his country in so many aspects that would require volumes of newspapers to list.

Yours truly, Ms Fatimah Mohammed

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

E-learning is here to stay Dear Editor, WITH the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of issues have come to the fore. Not least among these are the effects of the pandemic on children. The studies are ongoing in this regard since COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International concern on the 30th January, 2020 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a pandemic on the 11th March, 2020. Incidentally, it was also on the 11th March, 2020, that Guyana recorded its first case of the corona virus. This presents an opportune moment for researchers at the University of Guyana to join their counterparts elsewhere to undertake studies in the area by investigating the effects of the pandemic on children of Guyana, noting our present realities.

A cursory review of the literature in this area is instructive. The data compiled by countries with large populations (Brazil, Britain, India, Nigeria and the United States of

America), representing five continents, reveal that persons of the lower socio-economic and minority groups are disproportionately affected; and among this group it is the children who are most vulnerable. The research has shown that the impact of COVID-19 on children is wide-ranging and significant. A few examples of the effects would suffice: 1. Lockdown (confinement).

2. Mental health issues.

3. Maltreatment.

4. Losing a family member or friend to the virus.

5. Undernutrition, due to their parents losing their jobs.

6. A disruption of their education or coping with the rigors of studying at home.

(World Vision Development Foundation) Some world leaders have taken the bold step of phased reopening of their countries after their first lockdown. In many instances, these countries were forced to reimpose the lockdown because of a second wave (spike) in infections. For the most part, this was due to the potency of

the virus and/or the indiscretion of the citizens and their failure to adhere to the safety protocols. The schools (children) and universities were not spared in this regard.

This brings us to e-learning and online learning. Many schools in Guyana have already embraced these modes of teaching/learning.

Just recently, even the University of Guyana announced that their first semester programmes for the academic year 2020-2021 will be held online.

However, the increased need for online learning will definitely exacerbate the inequalities among children, ultimately leading to an increasing education gap between the haves and have-nots, based on their access to computers and internet facilities.

Unwittingly perhaps, the two previous governments in Guyana laid the foundation for a time such as this with their One Laptop Per Teacher initiatives. In passing, it should be noted that Barbados and Jamaica have gone a step further by distributing tablet computers to students. I am optimistic that Guyana will soon join this illustrious club of countries

with the prudent management of our oil-and-gas wealth.

While Guyana transitions to online learning, here are a few of the things that we must do: 1. Take steps to protect our children against cyber bullying and cyber sexual exploitation.

2. Implement food assistance for families with children in place of the School Feeding Programme.

3. Mitigate mental health and child-abuse problems. Teachers cannot identify these cases now, since schools are closed. Activate the Schools Welfare Department to make home visits. Republish the hotline numbers so that children and concerned citizens can report cases.

4. Mitigate the impact of learning losses.

5. Support households to provide for their children by implementing the cash transfers that were proposed during the run-up to the March 2020 general and regional elections.

6. Explore the feasibility of distributing their tablet computers to students.

7. Consider using E-Books.

Granger whistling in the wind

Dear Sir,

thought out and actions, when they were taken, were poorly PERMIT me to offer my coordinated. Simply put, the humble views on the recent former government lacked ramblings of former Pres- the technical capacity to make ident David Granger with sound decisions. regard to the COVID-19 How then can Mr. Granger situation in Guyana. By now, describe with a straight face any right-thinking, intelli- the actions of the coalition gent-minded Guyanese would in response to the pandemic have learnt to disregard any as “strategic”? Perhaps Mr. statements made by this once Granger was thinking of anesteemed gentleman. other adjective to describe I read with utter disdain, the actions of his “high-level the proffering of his opinions task force; please permit me to as to the surge in COVID-19 offer a few alternatives given cases in Guyana in an article in the outcome, or lack thereof, Kaieteur News dated Septem- of their interventions- sloppy, ber 5, 2020, titled, ‘Surge in scant, sickly and stillborn.

COVID-19 cases seen because There were no tangible PPP abandoned Coalition’s results or relief forthcoming to strategic plan.’ the Guyanese people looking to Let me begin by asking, their so-called leaders for reas“What Plan?” As far as citizens surance. The task force head were aware, the former care- – former Prime Minister Nagtaker President David Granger amootoo -- was called out sevselected individuals from his eral times by the private sector Cabinet who were unqualified bodies for failing to include key and thereby ill-equipped to stakeholders, former Minister make critical decisions and take of Public Health Volda Lawdecisive actions early on. From rence was upbraided for her all indications, these individu- “less than satisfactory” actions. als lacked the medical training There was also a resounding and even an elementary under- call for additional testing and standing of the severity of the effective contact-tracing, all situation. the while proposals and recThis was further com- ommendations were given, pounded by the fact that there including several measures to was little to no evidence of cushion the financial impact stakeholder consultations to on the country and its vulnerdeal with the far-reaching ram- able citizens. These concerned ifications of this deadly pan- citizens may as well have been demic. In this regard there was whistling in the wind as their a multitude of false promises. calls and recommendations fell Decisions therefore were not on deaf ears.

As if these examples in itself are not enough evidence of a failed attempt to lead, the Public Health Ordinance was another shameful show of megalomania on the part of the caretaker President and his cohorts, it demonstrated their deep-seated views that power was paramount; the pandemic and the preservation of the lives of the citizens of this country were of no consequence.

I dare say, this may very well be the “strategic plan” David Granger is referring to.

In addition, part of the Task Force’s “strategic plan” to renovate and retrofit the floodprone former Ocean View Hotel into a COVID-19 treatment facility is yet another example of an inept team and their bungled plan.

The PPP/C made a more impactful and concerted effort to being relief to as many citizens as possible since the onset of the pandemic, even while the caretaker government was hanging on to power by gossamer strings.

Lead by the then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali, who is now President, there was mass distribution of COVID-19 relief hampers and masks to the vulnerable sections of society.

In the month since the PPP/C has taken office, the relief drive has intensified; there has been a gargantuan effort to clear the backlog of COVID-19 tests; there has been an increase in

testing; the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony on Friday announced that the government is engaging Russia to access the COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, from that country if it proves to be successful in fighting off the virus. These are but a few examples of a plan in action.

There are many more examples of the alacrity with which this administration has responded to this national crisis. The citizens of this country can also look forward to additional relief measures in the coming days. His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali has recently announced that his government will soon be providing a cash relief of $25,000 to those citizens affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.

If the caretaker government had made decisive moves to protect the citizens of this country instead of concentrating their efforts on stealing an election and hanging onto power at all costs, then we may not have been faced with the grim effects of a pandemic that was allowed to rampage unchecked and claim the lives of many of our Guyanese brothers and sisters.

I say to Mr. Granger, keep whistling in the wind as the citizens of this country are much wiser and will no longer listen to your platitudes.

For all the merits of online learning, it will not be without its challenges. Among these are: 1. Catering for slow learners so that no child is left behind.

2. Completion of practical Science experiments and field-work components of the School Based Assessment for the CXC examinations.

3. Children may encounter technical difficulties while using the computer.

4. Some teachers are not proficient with the use of computers and will need training.

5. Children who are left unsupervised may choose not to join the online classes.

Be that as it may, it is imperative that parents, teachers and the Ministry of Education find ways to make e-learning a success. We do not have a choice, E-learning is here to stay. It is inevitable. The COVID-19 pandemic has only hastened its introduction.

May God heal our land.

Yours sincerely Bernel L.H. Wickham

A salute to our Amerindian brothers and sisters Dear Editor

GUYANESE, more particularly our Amerindian brothers and sisters, mark September as “Amerindian Heritage Month.” This year’s theme, ‘Preserving our customs and traditions,’ could not be more apt, given the history of our First Peoples.

Going against the grain of what we have been taught, Christopher Columbus could not have discovered lands already occupied. That pride of place belongs to our Amerindian family, who, centuries before Columbus, made their way to these shores.

In the settlement of the Americas the various tribes brought their customs and traditions. Customs and traditions, some of which have shaped the nation and with which we all identify with and benefit from. Names, places, food, architecture, building materials etcetera of our First Peoples have seamlessly been woven into the nation’s fabric and helped in shaping our Yours sincerely, aspiration as One People, One Darion Camacho Nation, One Destiny.

Guyana (Land of many waters) is of Amerindian origin. So too is the Cacique Crown which graces our Coat-of-Arms and is one of our national honours. Pepperpot, cassava bread and cassareep, naming a few, are among the customs and traditions taken for granted today.

What stands out importantly about our brothers and sisters is their unwavering belief in the right to self-determination. This conviction saw valiant struggles carried out to protect the innate desire to shape their lives and live consistent with their ideals. That the Government of Guyana respected and protected this in the Constitution, is indicative that our Amerindian brothers and sisters were on the right track centuries ago.

Having fought against the odds and are alive today to tell the stories of struggles and successes from these, such a heritage is worthy of celebration. Happy Amerindian Heritagbe Month!

Yours Sincerly Sharma Solomon

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

COVID-19 ICU for every region

By Navendra Seoraj

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that about five per cent of the persons who contract the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will need intensive care and while this figure seems miniscule, Guyana is taking no chances and will soon establish an Infectious Diseases Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at health facilities in every region.

Locally, authorities have recorded over 1,459 cases of the dreaded disease.

And, there is a possibility that over 70 infected persons (five per cent) would need intensive care. The country has already lost 46 persons to the disease and there are 16 persons in the lone COVID-19 ICU, at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

GPHC, in addition to providing intensive care and treatment to COVID-19 patients, also manages other

routine ailments. And, given that cases were recorded in every region across the country, there were also times when persons had to travel to GPHC for treatment.

In recognising the burden being placed on people, GPHC and the need for intensive care, government has committed to retrofitting health facilities in various regions, so that they could administer care to patients who develop the severe forms of COVID-19.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, has said that regional hospitals were already assessed, so the individual capacities are known.

Authorities, during the assessment, found the need for more beds, in some cases, and recognised the demand for ICUs at various health facilities.

“We want to have infectious diseases ICUs in each region… we are already looking to get the basic set of equipment… we have started procurement,” said

Dr. Anthony during a virtual press briefing on Friday.

The minister said the aim is to establish those units and have them equipped within a matter of weeks.

Even as authorities move to establish those facilities, they have been simultaneously addressing shortfalls at GPHC. The hospital’s COVID-19 ICU, while being equipped with 12 beds, had just four ventilators, but Dr. Anthony has since confirmed that a ventilator was placed at every bed.

Through funding from the Indian Government, local authorities were able to procure 29 ventilators.

Some of those ventilators were used to fill the void at GPHC. BOOST Guyana’s capacity to isolate and quarantine COVID-19 patients was also boosted recently, when the Health Ministry activated the $1.6 billion infectious diseases hospital by

transferring patients from GPHC to the new facility.

The Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that six COVID-19 patients from GPHC’s Maternity Unit were transferred to the new facility, which is located at the site of the former Ocean View Hotel.

A critical element in the fight against COVID-19 has been isolation and quarantining facilities, and before the activation of the new facility, GPHC and the Diamond Hospital have been bearing the brunt, in this regard.

Currently, the new infectious diseases hospital only caters for patients with mild symptoms, but Minister Anthony had said there are plans to establish an ICU there to treat with patients who are seriously ill.

Dr. Anthony foresees an ICU facility being established at the new hospital within a month’s time, given the magnitude of work to be done. In the interim, most patients are expected to be

transferred from GPHC’s “transition ward”- the ward housing patients who show only the mild symptoms of COVID-19.

According to WHO, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness.

Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients include aches and pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes.

These symptoms, WHO said, are usually mild and progress gradually. Some people become infected but only have very mild symptoms.

And, although 80 per cent of the persons who contract COVID-19 recover from the disease without needing treatment at a hospital, around one in every five person who gets this disease becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing.

Older people, and those

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, or cancer, are at higher risk of developing serious illness.

However, anyone can contract COVID-19 and become seriously ill.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or any concerns about which you need information, please contact the COVID-19 Hotline numbers – 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 – or visit the Ministry of Health’s website at www. health.gov.gy.

US$1M Popeyes restaurant opened at Parika –– 25 Guyanese gain employment

IN an expression of confidence in the economy, international food franchise, Popeyes, opened a new restaurant in Parika on Saturday.

This is Popeyes’ fourth location in Guyana and the first in Region Three.

The restaurant, which boasts a modern facility, employs 25 Guyanese.

In declaring the restaurant officially open, Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond, noted that the launch was significant because it was occurring against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has devastated businesses and economies across the globe.

“This expansion is significant because it not only represents confidence in the Guyana economy, but is also an unequivocal demonstration to other businesses in Guyana, who may be weighing their investment options, and the message is that it is safe to invest,” Minister Walrond noted.

The minister made a stirring appeal for all Guyanese to observe the safety guidelines to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

She stressed that her staffers were spared the effects of her positive result a month ago because she wore her masks and observed the safety protocols.

The commerce minister said Guyana is emerging as a buoyant economy and will continue to play a pivotal role within the regional economy.

“Therefore, it is insightful that even as businesses navigate this pandemic, exploratory consideration should also be given to investment opportunities available immediately and those that will be available postCOVID-19,” she continued.

While pointing out that Parika provides direct access to several regions across Guyana, Minister Walrond noted that Popeye’s at Parika would fill the gap by providing more

The new building which houses international food franchise, Popeyes (Rabindra Rooplall photo) delicacies and facilities for people in the outlying regions.

The new restaurant, she added, will undoubtedly add value to Parika, which continues to establish itself as a critical business hub.

The minister commended the franchise for consistently providing a quality product and service in keeping with international standards, adding that all businesses should strive for consistency and quality assurance.

She said the President Ali administration will continue to do all that is necessary to facilitate an enabling environment that fosters business confidence and growth and will continue to work with the private sector to explore all possible areas of support during this challenging period.

She thanked the Guyana Resturants Inc. for having faith in the country’s economy and Guyanese.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Restuarants Inc., RL Singh, said the

launch was part of the company’s commitment to making the unique fast food flavour available to as many communities as possible.

“To make this store a reality, a significant investment has been made, not only in terms of physical infrastructure but also in training of staff in order to comply with Popeye’s international standards,” he stressed.

The CEO said the company’s partnership with local suppliers remains very strong. He also assured that the restaurant would continue to observe all safety guidelines instituted by the government in its fight against COVID-19.

“We look at quality and international best practices and we keep standards high,” he said.

The CEO noted that he is renting the new building but the totality of the investments runs over US$1M. Patrons lauded the investment, noting that Parika needs standards and businesses that serve communities with its locale.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

First Lady joins in seawall clean-up

FIRST LADY, Arya Ali, on Saturday, honoured commitments made to local group, ‘Seawalls and Beyond’, to participate in one of its clean-up exercises and to provide the group with much needed supplies to continue its work.

At 08:00 hours, Mrs. Ali made her way to the famous Seawall Bandstand where she was greeted by members of the local group and volunteers who had commenced cleaning some two hours earlier.

First Lady, Arya Ali, and members of the group, ‘Seawalls and Beyond’, with some of the donated items

First Lady, Arya Ali greets a member of the group, ‘Seawalls and Beyond’

Dwayne Hackett, the group’s coordinator, took the First Lady and City Engineer, Walter Narine, on a mini tour of the area, showing them the work that had been done and some of the challenges which will need to be addressed, if the area is to be transformed into a tourist hub.

Among those challenges are the occupation of the area by vagrants, improper lighting, unregulated vending, and the absence of washroom facilities and a fresh water source.

After completing their assessment, the group went back to cleaning, this time with

the support of the First Lady, who later commented that her participation was a demonstration of her commitment to the restoration of the area.

She highlighted that the efforts complement her National Beautification Project which brings to the fore, scenic conservation, aimed at safeguarding the scenic qualities of Guyana’s roadways, urban spaces, and countryside.

One of the pillars of the National Beautification Project focuses on regulation and monitoring of any form of unlawful intrusion on the landscape or com-

munity appearance of public spaces.

While the removal of waste at this time is being done by volunteers, the First Lady noted that maintenance will be important and so she has committed to engaging the relevant authorities to ensure that the area is properly maintained.

The First Lady has also indicated that part of her restoration plans for the Seawall will be the planting of trees along the coastline, and the reintroduction of the creative arts at the famous bandstand.

After cleaning, the First Lady made a donation of cleaning and other supplies, which she was able to acquire through the private sector. Some of the supplies included pitchforks, spades, buckets, and brooms.

It was a commitment she had made to members of ‘Seawalls and Beyond’, earlier in the week, after the group submitted a list of items it was in need of.

The items were donated by National Hardware, Gafoors, Caribbean International Distributors Inc. (CIDI) and Cellphone Shack.

Guyana receives first batch of test results from CARPHA – 43 new cases recorded in 24 hours

GUYANA has received the first batch of results from the 500 samples sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), but authorities said those results are still being processed and will be released soon.

The country had sent 500 samples to CARPHA, as part of an effort to reduce a backlog of samples in the system.

“We started receiving back results, but we did not get back all… we got the first batch but they are now processing the results,” said Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Saturday.

Guyana has so far recorded 1,459 cases of COVID-19 with 43 of those cases being

recorded in the past 24 hours alone. But 921 of those persons have since recovered while 46 persons have lost their lives.

Of the remaining cases, 53 persons are in institutional isolation and 423 are in home isolation while 16 persons are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly-discovered coronavirus. Most people, who fall sick with COVID-19, will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment.

The WHO had said that 81 per cent

of persons, who contract COVID-19, will have mild symptoms while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms and five per cent will need intensive care.

Although the situation is already grim, there is still a backlog of close to 1,000 samples which are yet to be tested. Government had said that it plans to send 500 more samples to CARPHA on Monday.

The emergence of asymptomatic cases had prompted authorities to distribute more sample kits across the country, especially to regions where the infection rate is high. Most of the cases have so far been recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni-

Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

“We are sending out more kits, so there will be an increase in sample collection… the testing itself has components… one is sample collection and then there is the processing of samples,” the minister said.

To this end, sample-taking sites have been established across the country, especially in ‘hotspot’ areas.

It is clear that COVID-19 remains a threat to everyone in all areas of Guyana, but within the last few days, there have been lots of concerns about testing and laboratory confirmation of COVID-19.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Understanding Energy

Delays could risk long-term value of Guyana’s oil OUR new government has vowed to be a friend to Guyana’s business community and extract as much value from Guyana’s oil as possible. But this pro-business stance increasingly is coming under fire from well-funded environmental groups based abroad.

International environmental activists appear to have the ear of certain local media outlets and local and vocal oil industry critics and contrarians. They argue that Guyana has time on its side and that delaying projects such as Payara indefinitely is actually good for Guyana’s leverage. But there is a real risk to this gambit that many activists sometimes avoid admitting publicly.

As the new government prepares the national budget, it is important to reflect on Guyana’s financial position. Many of the government’s budget plans rely on the significant revenues expected from the oil sector. That makes it all the more urgent that Guyana’s oil is actually produced, so that critical needs sch as improved infrastructure and better education can be met soon.

The international environmental groups and commenters pushing for delays in Guyana generally insist they just want the best deal for Guyana—the implication being that delays are only meant to help Guyana get the best value from its oil. But some of their statements appear to indicate other motives. Activist Melinda Janki, one of the most prominent of these voices, clearly stated in an opinion published last year that “the last thing the world needs now is new oil from Guyana.”

Few Guyanese companies would agree.

They have already made major strides in joining the emerging oil industry. More than 600 were employed by the Stabroek Consortium at last count and more than half of the 3,500 workers supporting oil development are Guyanese.

And many oil-market experts see the demand for oil starting to fall within the next few decades as countries shift to renewable sources. That includes many of the most prominent advocates of Guyana stalling its own oil development. There is no guarantee that oil prices 10 or 20 years from now will be higher than they are today, or that global agreements to limit climate change won’t make development much more difficult.

That makes long-term delays very risky, especially ones that could have cascading effects in slowing subsequent projects.

Although that contradiction is rarely acknowledged by the most outspoken opponents of Guyana’s oil development, it’s worth noting. At a certain point, Guyana’s oil could be a “use it or lose it” proposition.

That’s why holding up projects as leverage, as some have suggested, could hurt the country in the long-term more than help.

With the vast majority of Guyanese strongly in favour of oil development and the billions of dollars in revenues it will bring, it’s critical that Guyanese recognise thinly veiled anti-development arguments for what they are. Getting as much value out of this resource as possible is a noble goal, but keeping the oil in the ground is simply not an option for most Guyanese.

It will always be in the best interest of Guyana to have a thorough review process and ensure development proceeds carefully.

And we should continue to keep a careful eye on the actions of the companies operating here to ensure that Guyana’s best interests are represented.

But the same goes for foreign anti-oil activists who would love for us to abandon the best chance this country has to provide for future generations to further their “keepit-in-the-ground” campaigns.

Guyanese are right to be wary.

Cheong appointed GuyOil chair; Prashad heads Gaming Authority CABINET has approved the appointment of the board of directors for the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) and the Guyana Gaming Authority.

According to a publication in the Official Gazette, Paul Cheong has been appointed the new chairman of GuyOil. Cheong was also recently appointed chairman of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

The other members on GuyOil’s board are Shameer Hussain, Abina Moore, Dr. Vishnu Bandhu, Akanni Blair, and Dru Bahadur.

Meanwhile, Former Trade and Tourism Min-

GuyOil chairman, Paul Cheong and Guyana Gaming Authority Chairman, Manniram Prashad ister, Manniram Prashad, bers are Abena Moore, has been re-appointed Genevieve Blackman, chairman of the Guyana Sase Gunraj, and Mark Gaming Authority, which Conway. falls under the Tourism The appointments Industry and Commerce took effect on August Sector. Prashad had served 27, 2020 and will both as chairman of the Gaming run for a period of one Authority back in 2012 year, until August 26, The other board mem- 2021. (DPI)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Authorities hope to reduce COVID-19 deaths with ‘Remdesivir’ –– Russia, other ‘vaccine developers’ being engaged by Guyana

By Navendra Seoraj GUYANA has already lost 46 persons to the dreaded Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), but authorities will be looking to reduce the mortality rate with the introduction of the ‘Remdesivir’ drug which is being used by several countries to treat symptoms of COVID-19.

In the absence of a specific drug or vaccine to treat/prevent COVID-19, countries have been utilising drugs like remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine to limit the effects of the disease on infected persons.

While Guyana has been able to acquire and use hydroxychloroquine, Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, said remdesivir has been out of the country’s reach for quite some time, as the supplier has been producing only limited amounts.

“Most of it is being consumed by the US…We have, however, been able to get a generic version from India,” said the minister, adding that Guyana has received 240 doses of the drug.

According to New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), remdesivir, a nucleotide analogue pro-drug that inhibits viral RNA polymerases, has shown in-vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

“We provided remdesivir on a compassionate-use basis to patients hospitalised with COVID-19, the illness caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2. Patients were those with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who had an oxygen saturation of 94 per cent or less while they were breathing ambient air or who were receiving oxygen support.

“Patients received a 10-day course of remdesivir, consisting of 200 mg administered intravenously on day one, followed by 100 mg daily for the remaining nine days of treatment,” said NEJM in an article published on April 10, 2020.

According to the report, of the 61 patients who received at least one dose of remdesivir, data from eight could not be analysed, meaning there were seven patients with no post-treatment data and one with a dosing error.

Of the remaining 53 patients whose data were analysed, 22 were in the United States, 22 in Europe or Canada, and 9 in Japan.

At baseline, 30 patients (57 per cent) were receiving mechanical ventilation and four (eight per cent) were receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. During a median follow-up of 18 days, 36 patients (68 per cent) had an improvement in oxygen-support class, including 17 of 30 patients (57 per cent) receiving mechanical ventilation who were extubated- when the doctor takes out a tube that helps you breathe.

The study found that a total of 25 patients (47 per cent) were discharged, and seven patients (13 per cent) died; mortality was 18 per cent (6 of 34) among patients receiving invasive ventilation and five per cent (1 of 19) among those not receiving invasive ventilation.

Guyana, having acquired the drug and having analysed available data, will be looking to use remdesivir in the COVID-19 Intensive care Unit (ICU) from this week.

There are 16 patients in the unit.

CRITICALLY-ILL PATIENTS “We have already decided on the protocol of use, so critically ill patients will benefit from it… we have seen that with the use of it in the US, it has reduced the severity and people, who have benefited from it, have recovered…hopefully we can get the same results,” said Dr. Anthony.

The remdesivir treatment will supplement the existing “convalescent plasma” treatment.

It was reported that six critically-ill persons have been successfully treated using this method.

Monoclonal antibody therapy, as the treatment is called, is defined as a form of immunotherapy that uses monoclonal antibodies to bind specifically to certain cells or proteins.

The objective is that this treatment will stimulate the patient’s immune system to attack those cells. And, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), since the last century, passive immunisation has been used for the prevention and treatment of some human infectious diseases. The serum of convalescent patients is the treatment of choice in cases of Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever.

In addition, WHO said it was used during outbreaks of Ebola in Africa and also during the SARS and MERS outbreaks, as no other therapeutic options existed.

“Experience to date with the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 is limited, but preliminary results indicate potential usefulness. Several controlled clinical trials are underway, to collect more quality scientific evidence to confirm the safety and efficacy of this intervention,” said the international health organisation.

Given the positive results locally, Dr. Anthony said Guyana will continue to utilise the plasma treatment.

“I want to urge the public and persons who would have had COVID-19 and recovered from the infection, if they can help us by coming to the blood bank and donating plasma, it can make a difference between life and death,” said the health minister.

VACCINES With treatment being secured for now, government has started engaging vaccine developers so that when a vaccine is approved, Guyana will not be left out.

The BBC News had reported recently that two trials of the Russian vaccine, named Sputnik-V, were conducted between June and July. According to the report, 38 healthy volunteers were given a dose of the vaccine and then a booster vaccine three weeks later.

The participants - aged between 18 and 60 - were monitored for 42 days and all of them developed antibodies within three weeks. Among the most common side effects were headaches and joint pain, said the BBC. The trials are now in phase three, but the Russian Government has already told Guyana that the country can access the vaccine once the trials are completed and the vaccine gets approval. Next Thursday, a team from the Ministry of Health will be engaging the Russian Government on the vaccine.

“One of the things needed for us to exit

COVID-19 is an effective vaccine… we are already in talks with facilities to be able to acquire a vaccine when it becomes available,” said Dr. Anthony.

In addition to Russia, local authorities have been engaging the Global Vaccine Alliance and the WHO, to ensure that vaccines are provided to Guyana when they become available. Guyana has also signed a letter of intent to be part of COVAX- an organisation co-led by WHO, which is examining 15 potential vaccines.

The Government of India through the Serum Institute is also looking to produce

one billion doses of vaccine, and once those vaccines prove to be safe, Guyana will be able to benefit.

Guyana is also actively engaging Argentina and Mexico, but until a vaccine is approved, authorities will have to continue placing emphasis on reducing the spread of the disease and effectively managing cases.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or any concerns about which you need information, please contact the COVID-19 Hotline numbers – 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 – or visit the Ministry of Health’s website at www.health.gov.gy.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Virginia Watts turns 102 VIRGINIA Euphemia Watts of #28 Village, West Coast Berbice, on Saturday, celebrated, with her family, her 102nd birth anniversary, with much joy and happiness.

The now homebound centenarian is unable to walk, after she fell a little after her 101st birth anniversary and is fearful she may suffer a similar fate. She prefers to be taken around via wheelchair but otherwise she is fit as a fiddle considering her age.

Fondly called “Granny” and “Aunty Baby”, Watts was born in 1918 to Evan and Elvira Benjamin at Trafalgar/Number #28 Village, West Coast Berbice.

She was the first of five siblings, all of whom pre-deceased her, making her the longest living relative of the Benjamins and Watts families.

According to her eldest daughter, Carole Watts, 68, aside from her mom, her oldest known relative was an uncle who lived to the age of 94. Virginia’s family has been hosting birthday celebrations for her since she was 90, as they thought the feat of reaching a century was remarkable.

“When she reached 90 we were so happy that we decided to keep a nice service and celebrate the milestone and every year, we have been doing it since,” Carole said.

She noted that last year when her mom was being congratulated for reaching 101, she said “Thank you but 102 will be better” and, remarkably, Carole said, she has made it to 102.

The centenarian loves Ovaltine and Sago porridge.

Carole shared that recently

Virginia Euphemia Watts celebrates her special day with family members she took some Ovaltine to her mom and she complained that it was not the same.

“When I gave her the Ovaltine, she said ‘you know I don’t drink Milo’ but when I explained it was Ovaltine she said ‘I don’t know why these people not making things the way they were long ago’,” the proud daughter told the Guyana Chronicle.

Virginia was fortunate to travel the length and breadth of Guyana with her father who was a policeman as well as her now deceased husband, Joseph Burchell Watts, who worked as a nurse/dispenser in the mining industry.

An industrious woman, for most of her life, Virginia

reared cattle, mastered the arts of sewing and cooking and did so while taking care of her six children, one of

whom is now deceased.

She has 13 grandchildren and 15 great grands.

Virginia nowadays pre-

fers to spend her time listening to the words of God. She credits the Almighty for her long life.

Dookhoo, Gajadhar head GWI, GPL boards CABINET has approved the appointment of new board of directors for the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) and the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL).

The appointments of the new boards were published in the Official Gazette under the hand of Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, and took effect on August 27, 2020 for a period of one year.

The chairman for the GWI board is Ramesh Dookhoo, while the other members are Dharamkumar Seeraj, Dr. Sixtus Edwards, Shellan Belgrave, Omar Narine, Rondha Lam-Singh, Frank Sanichara, Dr. Asha Kissoon,

GPL Chairman, Maurice Gajadhar Wendell Jeffery and Dhanraj Singh.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the new GPL board is Maurice Gajadhar.

The other members

GWI Chairman, Ramesh Dookhoo are Alfred King, Dr. Mahender Sharma, Nicholas Boyer, Marcel Gaskin, Komal Ramnauth, Shabeer Hussein, Dr. Sixtus Edwards and Godfrey Washington.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Kingston residents get much-needed relief

PRIME MINISTER, Mark Phillips, and Public Affairs Minister, Kwame McCoy, on Saturday, distributed hampers to over 100 families in the Kingston community, downtown, Georgetown.

The prime minister, who was accompanied by his wife, Mignon Bowen-Phillips, also interacted with residents, and during his interaction he informed them that the government is committed to ensuring every Guyanese enjoy a better quality of life.

The residents told Prime Minister Phillips that they would like to see the government pay more attention to water and housing issues as well as employment.

The prime minister, in response, said the government will become very active in creating jobs as well as putting initiatives in place to cater for better housing and land allocation.

Following his interaction with

the residents, Prime Minister Phillips said the good gesture was “just a drop in the bucket” in terms of relief efforts that will be provided by the government.

“This is something that is going to go on for the rest of the year and into next year because, as we prepare the budget, we recognise that we have vulnerable communities in Guyana because of COVID-19 and because of poverty in general, and it is our plan to address not only the vulnerable communities because of COVID-19 but to address poverty on the whole in a comprehensive manner,” the prime minister said.

Government, he said will also re-introduce the One Laptop per Family initiative, which would be very useful in terms of working remotely in light of COVID-19. This aside, efforts were being made to introduce educational programmes on television for students all across Guyana, and a $25,000 cash grant

per household will be provided.

Minister McCoy said the government cared about the people and was living up to its promises to provide a better Guyana for all Guyanese. COVID-19, he said, had brought about certain challenges and government has recognised them and was providing as much help as possible.

“Our objective as a government is to make people’s lives much better and to make them more comfortable and to have them own their own home, and such like,” Minister McCoy said.

The residents lauded the initiative and said it was “much needed” as they thanked the government.

Kingston resident, Adveira Brown, 82, was very happy for the kind gesture by the government and was also appreciative of the effort by government to provide a $25,000 cash grant per household.

“I think it’s good because I

have rates and taxes to pay and I have light bill to pay, so that would come in to pay that.”

Another resident, Roxanne Gentle, expressed similar sentiments.

Members of the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) collaborated with the government to provide the hampers for distribution.

Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, engaging residents of Kingston (Delano Williams photo)

Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, presenting a hamper to a resident of Kingston (Delano Williams photo)

Wife of the Prime Minister, Mignon Bowen-Phillips, presenting a relief package to a family (Delano Williams photo)

Public Affairs Minister, Kwame McCoy, sharing a minute to read a scripture with Adveira Brown, 82, after distributing hampers to her home (Delano Williams photo)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

China ‘talks up’ Guyana’s potential to become regional leader CHINESE Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun, on Friday, called on Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd.

Congratulating Minister Todd on his recent appointment, the Chinese ambassador pointed to the link between foreign and economic policy.

Further, noting the progress achieved since he had been posted to Guyana, Ambassador Jianchun stated that there was more to be done.

“I’ve seen that the President and Ministers are working to bring about change, not just for Guyana but for the

larger region and I would like to continue to work with you,” he said.

“I believe in the next five to 10 years, Guyana has the potential to be a regional leader. It is Guyana’s turn,” the ambassador stressed.

In his turn, Minister Todd expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Jianchun for his continued support.

“In the next five years, Guyana can see the first wave of industrial revolution and advancements in energy,” the foreign minister stated.

“China is the partner to help us move forward. Your interest in Lat-

Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun, during his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, on Friday (DPI photo) in America and the Caribbean is admirable. I’m sure that we will benefit tremendously from technical assistance as well as support for the education sector.”

Meanwhile, Minister Todd used the opportunity to express gratitude for +China’s support to Guyana to help deflect the impact of the coronavirus.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on June 27, 1972, Guyana and China have maintained a vibrant programme of cooperation that is mutually beneficial and facilitated through frequent, active, and dynamic programmes of cooperation, covering a diverse field of activities.

(DPI)

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Guyanese awarded for cultural excellence

By Lisa Hamilton

challenges.

“Despite the tough and exhausting times, all around us are examples of courage, selflessness and innovation which encourage, prepare and re-energise us for the long haul. We offer this evening’s recognitions and celebrations of achievements as an example of this courage, selflessness and innovation,” he said.

Meanwhile, chairperson of the GCA Awards Committee, Ron Lammy, hailed

ed to the fabric of Guyanese culture and will serve as encouragement to those at home and in the diaspora.

In the presentation of awards, each winner was preceded by a synopsis of their achievements followed by their brief response of gratitude to those who saw it fit to reward them.

Winning the Godfrey Chin Award for Heritage Journalism in first place was environmentalist and founder of Reel Guyana, Alex Arjoon. He was followed by

untiring efforts to study and celebrate Guyana’s rich cultural heritage and creativity.

The prize was established in 2011 to encourage and to reward creatives whose works promote understanding and appreciation of the diverse strands of Guyanese heritage.

Meanwhile, there were eight winners of the 2020 GCA Awards which celebrates Guyanese heritage and achievement. Through their accomplishments, the award recipients have demonstrated

sharing their talent, creativity and expertise.

The awards are separated into three groups. Those winning the 2020 GCA Awards for Youth were Guyanese Broadway performer involved in the Lion King, Joziyah Jean-Felix, and dance performer, Melissa Angelina Young.

Winning in the 2020 GCA Awards for Honorees were researcher, Dr. Juliet Emanuel (Lifetime Achievement Award); Chief Execu-

Award); Deskan Restoring Hope Through Compassion Inc. (Exemplary Award); accomplished producer and dancer, Launce Northe (Association Award); and Founder and Director of Enigma Entertainment, Lyn Ann Medford Ronnkvist (Association Award).

The GCA was established to document, showcase and celebrate the multiple roots of Guyana’s cultural heritage.

Through its work it preserves Guyana’s cultural heritage and makes it

Dr. Juliet Emanuel

Melissa Angelina Young

Joziyah Jean-Felix

Launce Northe

Belinda Viola Charlie

marks, President of the Guyana Cultural Association, Dr. Vibert Cambridge, said that the year is a special one as the GCA celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Dr. Cambridge noted that those nominated and selected as winners are well-deserved for their scope of impact and originality even amid many

the Guyanese recognised for evoking much pride in Guyanese patronage through education, creativity and humanitarian efforts.

Also making remarks was the Consul General of Guyana to New York, Barbara Atherly. She said that the well-deserving Guyanese have substantially contribut-

Lyn Ann Medford Ronnkvist

author, Dr. Pauline Felicia Baird in second place for her ‘Wah Dih Story Seh’ series, and creator of the Facebook series, ‘Awe Story Got Melody’, Dion Glasgow-Douglas, in third place.

The award is inspired

by Guyanese social history icon, Godfrey Chin for his

the best of Guyanese leadership and creativity through

tive Officer and Director of Sortex Mining Inc., Belinda Viola Charlie (Exemplary

available through various channels to inspire future generations of Guyanese.

IN recognition of their preservation and promotion of Guyanese culture and heritage, nine Guyanese and one organisation were awarded by Guyana Cultural Association (GCA) of New York at its annual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday.

Due to the pandemic, the event was held virtually and scores of Guyanese locally and abroad tuned in to show their support. In opening re-

Fire flattens house at Lancaster Village

The remains of the house at Lancaster Village, Public Road, following the fire on Saturday night ONE person was rendered homeless after while they did not save the first building, they a fire of unknown origin completely de- managed to contain the blaze from engulfing stroyed her two-storey wooden house at the neighbour’s house.

Lancaster Village, East Berbice, CorenSpeaking with Guyana Chronicle, Chantyne. A neighbour’s house also suffered drawattie Naul, the caretaker for the second extensive damage to the walls, beds and building, said she was alerted about the fire furniture. by a neighbour.

The fire, which started at around 19:30 She explained that, by the time the fire hrs, quickly swept through the house, and, service responded, the fire had already spread within minutes, it ( the house ) was complete- to the side of the house. ly destroyed.

“I rush over and look to find the keys to The owner of the house, who was iden- open the house because the heat was intense tified as “Zallymoon”, managed to escape and was making a popping sound. the burning building and was comforted by The mattresses, bed and the entire wall neighbours. was damaged,” she related. Up to press Fire tenders from the Rose Hall Fire Sta- time, the police and utility workers and tion responded promptly to the scene, and, firefighters were still at the scene.

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Presidential grants to be increased THE Presidential Grant fund, which Amerindian villages benefit from annually to pursue sustainable village projects, will be increased.

This was announced by Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, during a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Adviser to the Government on Civil Aviation, Lenox Shuman, on Friday.

Minister Sukhai was, at the time, updating Shuman on some of the programmes and policies being pursued by the Government to improve the living standard of Amerindians in Guyana.

The Presidential Grant programme, which started under the PPP/C Administration in 2007, is one of the major interventions undertaken to boost economic and social development for the Amerindians in their respective communities.

Villages and communities currently receive between $500,000 to $2,000,000 based on their population size.

Projects supported under the grant include the procurement of boats, engines, buses, tractors and trailers and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). It also covers agricultural enterprises such as cattle and chicken poultry rearing, cash crop farming and tourism ventures, inclusive of the construction of guesthouses, eco-lodges and benabs. The construction of pavilions, multi-purpose halls, village offices, village shops, roads, trails, bridges and revetments are also funded under the grant.

The minister expressed disappointment that the grant was not increased over the last five years by the former administration.

“We have applied for it to be increased, five years and they haven’t increased it. Normally we would increase presidential grant periodically so we have put in for an increase,” the minister said.

Minister Sukhai also stressed that the aim going forward, is to ensure these grants are delivered to villages in a timely manner and that all the villages receive their grants within the prescribed year.

“They even allowed presidential grants to go back, so when we are giving 215 grants, if 100 grants make it out for the year, 115 go back into the consolidated fund and they can’t get it back.

I have to change that to ensure that all 215 within the year get their presidential grant so that they can have some form of investment fund small as it is, to generate some happiness among themselves and manage a successful project.”

Shuman commended this move and committed to working with the government and specifically the Amerindian Affairs Ministry to develop the lives of Guyana’s First Peoples.

Among other areas discussed was the Amerindian Land Titling and Demarcation Programme, and the reintroduction of the Community Support Officers programme, the laptop programme and the household solar panel programme. (DPI)

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Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Adviser to the Government on Civil Aviation, Lenox Shuman

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Improved water supply for Region One Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, addressing the water issues at Santa Rosa (DPI photo) RESIDENTS of Santa Rosa in the Moruca Sub-District, Region One, will soon benefit from an improved water supply and delivery system, thanks to an intervention made by Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal.

On Monday last, the minister, along with a team from Guyana Water Inc. made a brief visit to the Moruca Sub-District with the aim of finding a solution to the water woes facing residents.

After careful inspection of the pump station at Santa Rosa, it was found that the current system can facilitate some amount of expansion which would mean better distribution. As such, in the coming weeks, expansion work to the distribution and transmission main will commence.

According to Minister Croal, currently, residents of Santa Rosa only benefit from four hours per day supply of water. “As it is right now, residents are getting water in the morning from 6:00 hours to 8:00 hours and in the afternoon from 14:00 hours to 16:00 hours; with the extension to the system, we will increase the hours from 5:00 hours to 9:00 hours and in the afternoon from 14:00 hours to 18:00 hours,� the minister explained. Already, the materials needed for the expansion have arrived in the region and works will commence in the coming weeks.

This expansion is expected to serve Santa Rosa Island, Sheba, and One Mile.

Meanwhile, the GWI team continues to conduct its needs assessment in other villages in the sub-district in preparation for more long-term solutions to water issues facing residents.

Also, at Mora, within the coming months, work will commence for a distribution network in that village.

Also, over the weekend, the minister visited the village of Kamwatta to assess the situation there, having received some complaints. Given the unique needs of that village, Minister Croal explained that an independent well is needed to meet the demands of that and other surrounding satellite villages. However, the provision will be made for that in the 2021 national budget.

This recent visit is a follow up to a visit made by the minister and team earlier in August. The first visit was made to the Mabaruma Sub-district where the minister sought to address similar issues facing residents.

Coming out of that visit, a team from GWI commenced a needs assessment exercise in the region; that data will serve as a guide for future plans for the water sector in Region One. (DPI)

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Homeline Furnishing supports fight against COVID-19

HOMELINE Furnishing, Rose Hall Branch, on Friday, donated a quantity of face masks and a thermometer to the municipality of Rose Hall Town to boost its fight against COVID-19.

At a simple handing-over ceremony at the

their staff as well as screen vendors and patrons at the Rose Hall Market.

Rehana Hanif, on behalf of Homeline Furnishing, said the company recognised that the municipality was doing a good job and wanted to commend their efforts as well as to ensure

Rehana Hanif of Homeline Furnishing (left) hands over the masks and thermometer to the Mayor of Rose Hall Town, Chattergoon Ramnauth (right) and Town Clerk, Natasha Griffith (centre) Mayor’s Office, the company that has now become a household name in Berbice, presented the items to Town Clerk, Natasha Griffith, and Mayor Chattergoon Ramnauth to protect

that the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was available for the protection of workers so that they can continue the good job they are doing while being safe.

4,000 free online courses available to Guyanese THE Ministry of Education has announced the provision of free access to 4,000 certified online courses, following a partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL).

Courses are being offered by Ivy League universities and other reputable institutions in areas of study such as arts, business, computer science, health and engineering on the online platform, Coursera.

Upon completion, all students will be presented with a recognised certificate.

The initiative is aimed at providing online learning to equip persons with the necessary skills for the job market and creating a stage for higher performance in an evolving technological world.

The Education Ministry is encouraging all interested persons to apply for the free courses. The deadline for submission of registration is September 30, 2020.

Interested persons can register online at: http://education.gov.gy/UpSkill (DPI)

Mayor, Chatergoon Ramnauth, said the private sector within the township has been very supportive and with the donation made, they can now have thermometers at each of the three entrances of the market to screen customers,

vendors and staff as they enter.

Ramnauth added that with the support of the private sector, they have been able to sanitise the market and the entire town periodically, while ensuring adequate hand-washing fa-

cilities are in place at the entrances of the market.

A strict ‘no mask, no entry’ policy at the market has led to fines for those refusing to adhere to the instruction, while businesses and residents are constantly being reminded

of the guidelines to tackle COVID-19 via the towns’ public address system.

Recently, Homeline Furnishing New Amsterdam branch made a similar donation to the Office of the Commander of Region Six.

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Global food prices rise in August

GLOBAL food prices rose for the third consecutive month in August, influenced by generally firmer demand and a weaker U.S. dollar, according to a recent report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks the international prices of the most commonly traded

food commodities, averaged 96.1 points in August, up 2.0 per cent from the previous month and reaching its highest level since February 2020.

The FAO Cereal Price Index rose by 1.9 per cent from July, averaging 7.0 percent above its value in August 2019, with coarse grains leading the rise.

Sorghum prices rose 8.6 per cent - and stood at

33.4 per cent above their year-ago level, mostly on the back of strong import demand by China.

Maize prices rose 2.2 per cent amid concerns that recent crop damages in Iowa would impact supply.

International rice prices also rose, underpinned by seasonally tight availabilities and increasing African demand.

The FAO Sugar Price

Index rose by 6.7 per cent from the previous month, reflecting reduced production prospects due to unfavorable weather conditions in the European Union and Thailand, the world’s second-largest sugar exporter, as well as strong import demand by China.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 5.9 per cent, led by firmer values for palm oil

A farmer in Somalia checks his sorghum especially, but also soy, sunflower and rapeseed oils. The moves mainly reflect prospective production slowdowns in leading palm oil producing countries amid firm global import demand.

The FAO Dairy Price Index was virtually unchanged from July, with cheese and whole milk powder quotations declining amid expectations of ample seasonal export availabilities in Oceania, while butter prices rose due to tightening export availabilities in Europe in the wake of the August heat wave reducing milk output.

The FAO Meat Price Index was also almost unchanged since July - although down 8.9 percent from August 2019 as the effect of lower import demand for bovine, poultry and ovine meats was offset by surging import demand for pigmeat from China.

UPDATED CEREALS OUTLOOK FAO also lowered its forecast for world cereal production in 2020 by 25 million tonnes from a July projection, due largely to expectations of a lower maize output in the United States of America.

However, despite this reduction, such an outcome would still represent an all-time high, amounting to 58 million tonnes above the 2019 output.

Record maize harvests are forecast for Argentina and Brazil, while global sorghum production is expected to grow by 6 percent from the previous year. Worldwide rice production in 2020 is also expected to reach a new record of 509 million tonnes.

More detailed assessments are available in the Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, also released today.

FAO’s new forecast for world cereal utilization in 2020/21 stands at 2 764 million tonnes, up 2.0 percent on an annualized basis Global cereal stocks are projected to rise by 1.7 per cent to 895.5 million tonnes by close of the 2021 seasons, translating to a world cereal stocksto-use ratio of 31.8 per cent, slightly down from July but still relatively high from a historical perspective.

Buoyed by expected larger shipments of rice and coarse grains, world trade in cereals in 2020/21 is now pegged at 441.4 million tonnes, 1.6 per cent above the 2019/20 level.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Over 30 businesses interested in supplying power to GPL

BUSINESSES within the private sector have heeded the government’s call for Expressions of Interest (EoI) to supply the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) with 30 megawatts of electricity.

At the close of Friday’s 14:00 hours deadline, more than 30 businesses with the capacity to supplement GPL’s grid have submitted their respective EoIs to the power utility company.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, told the Department of Public information (DPI) that the government’s aim is to, “put some reserve into the system to deal with this demand [for electricity].”

In an effort to arrest the electricity shortfall, the public works minister said businesses were approached to ascertain their capabilities to bolster GPL. The minister noted both he and the prime minister have had fruitful talks with Giftland to supply approximately five megawatts to the electricity company.

Meanwhile, Minister Indar

bemoaned the poor financial state of GPL that was left behind by the former administration.

“A lot of the government agencies that take electricity from GPL were not paying to the tune of around $13 billion,” the minister explained.

According to Minister Indar, this issue compounds with the lack of investment into the enhancement of GPL’s generating capacity over the past five years. It was noted that the miniscule attention paid to GPL under the former coalition government, only served to worsen the state of the company, namely the lack of reserve electricity which has led to numerous power outages.

Minimum requirements set by GPL for interested businesses to supplement its grid were for bidders to demonstrate the ability to deliver a complete project within two months of an agreement and demonstrate access to competent personnel with operation and maintenance experience at a minimum of one facility

Parika Police Station to be demolished THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has announced the demolition of the Parika Police Station, which will commence from Tuesday to facilitate the construction of a new and equipped police station that meets the needs of all categories of reports.

Press Officer Assistant Commissioner, Royston Andries-Junor, said as a result of this project, all the activities of the station will be temporarily shifted to a police quarters two buildings east of the original station.

“The GPF wishes to also state that it remains committed to its mandate as set out in the Constitution of Guyana and Chapter 16:01 of the Laws of Guyana, as it seeks to provide a service that guarantees the safety and security of every person within our country,” the officer noted.

Under the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme, the new Parika Police Station is expected to cost $59M.

The Parika Police Station that will be demolished

of similar size.

Additionally, bidders were asked to prove legal status via certified copies of

company registration certificates/documents, copies of audited financial reports for the last three years

(balance sheets, income and expenditure statements, auditors’ reports, etc.) (DPI).

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Public Works Minister, Deodat Indar

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Mo Farah breaks one-hour world record at Brussels Diamond League FOUR-time Olympic champion Mo Farah broke the one-hour world record on his return to the track at Friday’s Diamond League meeting in Brussels.

Farah ran 21,330m, bettering the record of 21,285m set

by Haile Gebrselassie in 2007.

It is the 37-year-old Briton’s first world record outdoors.

“It isn’t supposed to be easy to break a world record, but I can tell you that it was really hard. The record stood for a very long time,” said Farah.

“So that says a lot. I was very excited to be back on the track. My first meet back on the track was what was driving me.”

In the rarely run one-hour race athletes try to cover as much distance as possible in 60 minutes.

Earlier on Friday, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands set a new world record in the women’s race. Her 18,930m effort surpassed Dire Tune’s mark of 18,517m, set in 2008.

Farah switched to road running after the Rio Olympics but was returning to the track in his bid to compete in the 10,000m at next year’s postponed Tokyo

Mo Farah is a two-time Olympic champion in both the 10 000m and 5 000m.

Games.

Competing for the first time since October’s Chicago Marathon, Farah pulled away alongside Belgium’s Bashir Abdi with 30 minutes left.

The pair’s effort looked in doubt as they fell behind Gebrselassie’s record pace with no fans in the stadium to drive them on, but they went ahead again as the final quarter of the

race began.

Abdi briefly took the lead, but in the end six-time world champion Farah kicked away and won the race with ease.

He completed over 53 laps at an average pace of 67 seconds per lap to become the 12th athlete to hold the record.

“At a certain point, with just 10 laps to go, it became tough so I was happy that Bashir took

the lead,” Farah added.

“However, I felt great with just one minute to go. I kept believing in my speed, so I knew I had a good chance to take this win. A last fast lap is still my best tactic.”

Farah will return to road racing when he competes in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon on September 12.

He will then act as a pace-setter for Kenya’s world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele at the delayed London Marathon on October 4.

Also competing in Brussels, Britain’s world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson ran a season’s-best time of 13.57 seconds to finish fourth in the 100m hurdles. The 27-year-old later came sixth in the high jump, reaching 1.84m.

Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, the reigning Olympic 1500m champion, missed out on the 1 000m record by less than a second.

The 26-year-old finished in two minutes 29.92 seconds, with Russian Svetlana Masterkova’s record having stood at 2:28.98 since 1996.

In the men’s 1500m, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen the event’s European record holder - sailed to an easy victory in 3:30.69 while Sweden’s Armand Duplantis cleared an impressive 6m to win the pole vault, surpassing the meeting record of 5.96m set by France’s Renaud Lavillenie.

(BBC Sport)

Harden pours in 36 points as Rockets top Lakers in Game 1 JAMES Harden scored 36 points, and Houston Rockets surprised Los Angeles Lakers in a 11297 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal on Friday at the NBA bubble near Orlando.

Harden converted 12 of 20 shots from the floor including 3 of 6 3-point attempts. Russell Westbrook contributed 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Eric Gordon had 23 points for the Rockets.

Anthony Davis led Lakers with 25 points 14 rebounds while LeBron James had 20 points eight rebounds seven assists.

Alex Caruso added 14 points, and Danny Green chipped in 10 for Los Angeles.

Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, who underwent surgery on a broken thumb in July, made his playoff debut. Rondo finished with eight points and four assists in 25 minutes.

The Rockets took a 101-82 lead after a bucket by Harden with 7:15

Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) handles the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green (14) during the first quarter in game one of the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena.

(Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

remaining. Lakers got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Kyle Kuzma’s 3-pointer cut Rockets’ lead to

78-76 with 2:06 left in the third quarter. However, a three-point play by Austin Rivers and a jumper by Westbrook put Houston up

83-76 with 39.1 seconds remaining in the quarter.

James hit a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left to cut the gap to four, but another basket by Westbrook gave the Rockets an 85-79 edge heading in the fourth quarter.

Rockets took control early in the fourth and never looked back.

After Rondo’s bucket with 3:44 remaining in the second quarter tied the score at 52, Rockets closed the half with a 11-3 surge for a 63-55 advantage at the break. Harden led all scorers with 25 first-half points.

Rockets made 48.1 percent of their shots for the game, compared with 42.2 percent for the Lakers, who couldn’t take advantage of their height. Both teams finished with 41 boards.

Ho u s t o n ’ s D a n u el House Jr left the contest late in the third quarter and did not return after being hit in the face by teammate P.J. Tucker.

(Field Level Media)

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Sport Minister, team visit Tiger Bay

Under CSA’s transformation policy, South Africa’s national teams have quotas to ensure representation of players of colour. .(Getty Images)

ICC to receive complaint alleging government interference in South African cricket THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has been sent a complaint over alleged government interference in South African cricket, after Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed it will adopt an affirmative-action policy in appointing consultants.

The grievance was sent by the South African Institute for Race Relations (IRR), a 91-year-old research and policy organisation, and includes six proposals for cricket in the country, among them removing racial quotas from the national team and CSA management entirely.

The ICC has not yet received the letter from the IRR. While the IRR recognises that “the legacy of apartheid casts a long shadow” over sport in South Africa, it has accused CSA of “years of mismanagement and political and governmental interference,” which it claims has caused South Africa to stray from the values of the ICC. The IRR’s letter lists those values as fairness and integrity, excellence, accountability, teamwork, respect for diversity and commitment to the global game and its great spirit.

“Fairness has given way to ideological agendas, integrity to political opportunism and manipulation,” the letter reads.

“Excellence has been compromised by placing sporting achievement second to political decision-making.

A lack of accountability has meant allegations of malfeasance have remained unaddressed, while allowing these problems to escalate to a point where blatant racism is now CSA policy, putting paid to any ambition to respect diversity. Cumulatively, these failures have diminished the spirit of the game of cricket and tarnished the image of the sport.”

The letter further asserts that CSA has transgressed against the ICC’s Anti-Discrimination Policy for International Cricket, and made

Mark Boucher was appointed head coach of the men’s team in December 2019, and Enoch Nkwe, who was team director, and had a stellar coaching record, was moved to the position of assistant coach. (AFP)

reference to the ban slapped on South Africa during the Apartheid era for its racially discriminatory selection criteria. Under white minority rule, which ended in 1994, South Africa’s national teams only included white-classified players and only played against other white players.

The most high-profile example of this was Prime Minister John Vorster’s opposition to Basil d’Oliveira (a coloured South African player who qualified for England) travelling to play in South Africa.

The incident played a major part in South Africa’s isolation from international sport, which ran from 1970 to 1991.

The IRR warned that a similar fate could meet South Africa now. “The increasingly worrying actions of CSA once again risk turning South Africa into a racial pariah,” the letter said.

While the ICC’s constitution forbids government interference, how the interference is interpreted and members are sanctioned is not so straightforward. Zimbabwe were suspended most recently for government interference, for instance.

But the presence of the head of state as the board patron has never been a problem in Pakistan, where currently Imran Khan, the former captain and now Prime Minister,

has effectively had the domestic cricket structure overhauled. The BCCI, meanwhile, has admitted India will only play Pakistan if the Indian government grants them permission.

In South Africa’s case, the racial composition of teams has always been dictated to, in part, by government policy. In the Apartheid era, the national team was all-white and William Milton, who was South Africa’s second Test captain and head of the prime minister’s office, blocked Krom Hendricks from playing.

Post-readmission, a quota system was introduced in 1999, which required the national team to field four players of colour in an XI. Over the years, that system has been modified and now domestic teams must include a minimum of six players of colour including three black Africans every time they take the field while the national teams must field six players of colour with a minimum of two black African players on average over the course of a season.

Despite CSA meeting those targets, it has come under fire in recent months from the sports minister Nathi Mthethwa who was unhappy with the number of white men in positions of power. In

December, CSA suspended former CEO Thabang Moreo, who is black African, and appointed Jacques Faul, who is white, in acting capacity (Faul has since resigned and has been replaced by Kugandrie Govender, a woman of Indian heritage) and hired Graeme Smith as director of cricket.

Smith appointed Mark Boucher as head coach of the men’s national team and Enoch Nkwe, a black African who had been the interim team director, as Boucher’s assistant.

He also roped in Jacques Kallis and Paul Harris (both white) as temporary consultants for the season, while giving Charl Langeveldt and Justin Ontong (both coloured) permanent positions as bowling and fielding coach respectively.

The presence of Boucher and Kallis was perceived as the reunification of the clique that the former opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs once said ran the national team and has prompted widespread criticism from former players of colour in light of the Black Lives Movement that has swept through South African cricket.

Earlier this week, CSA resolved to apply a policy of preferring candidates of colour for consulting roles and while Govender said the new approach is not set in stone, the IRR has labelled CSA’s actions as “damaging to the core pursuit of the ICC.” The IRR has called for an end to racial quotas and called on the government to fund and secure sporting infrastructure in public schools, on the private sector and communities to assist in grassroots development, and asked that “the powers of politicians and government officials at national and provincial levels to interfere at sport at all levels be drastically reduced, and have government focus on providing funding on bases of merit and sporting achievement.”

CSA will continue to consult with the sports ministry as it seeks to reschedule its AGM, which was postponed from yesterday.

AS a follow-up to the visit and commitment made by His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr MP, yesterday visited the community of Tiger Bay in Georgetown.

Minister Ramson Jr was accompanied by National Security Adviser, Gerald Gouveia; president of Guyana Football Federation, Wayne Forde; president of Guyana Basketball Federation, Michael Singh; president of Georgetown Basketball Association, Jermaine

Slater, and members of the private sector.

During the visit, the team distributed footballs, basketballs, other sport gear and masks to aid in containing the spread of COVID-19 within the community.

In addition, the Minister discussed with the community the possibility of clearing an area for sport to be played. The team also used the opportunity to engage with the community and listen to some of the major issues affecting them. (MCY&S)

Authentic upsets Tiz the Law to win the Kentucky Derby Authentic has won the 146 th Kentucky Derby in a quiet Churchill Downs.The horse is trained by Bob Baffert and was ridden by jockey John Velasquez. Authentic nudged out a crowded field to finish first; with Tiz the Law and Mr. Big News coming in second and third, respectively.

This year’s Kentucky Derby was delayed for only the second time in history; the other time was in 1945, because of World War Two. Churchill Downs officials pushed the race from the first Saturday in May to the first Saturday in September due to the coronavirus pandemic; in August,

amid rising case numbers, they decided the race would be run without in-person spectators.

Though there were few people at the track, hundreds gathered outside Churchill Downs for the 101st day of protests for racial justice in Louisville.

Groups including Until Freedom and local activists were there to demand accountability for the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor in March, as well as a widespread examination of the investments Louisville makes in Black communities.

The NFAC, a Black militia, was protesting at the track as well.

Harbhajan Singh pulls out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons VETERAN India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has pulled out of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) citing personal reasons. The development was expected as the off-spinner was yet to join the team in UAE.“I have pulled out of IPL due to personal reasons,” Harbhajan Singh told PTI. Harbhajan became the second CSK cricketer after former India batsman Suresh Raina to pull out of the 13th edition of the IPL due to personal reasons.

The 40-year-old, who has been a part of CSK during the past two years, is currently in Jalandhar, Punjab with his family and requested privacy. The IPL starts on September 19 in the UAE after being moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have informed the CSK

management about my decision to pull out of this year’s IPL. I have decided to take a break due to personal reasons in these difficult times. I expect that everyone would respect my need for privacy,” Harbhajan said.

The senior off-spinner is IPL’s third highest wicket-taker with 150 scalps in 160 matches. After playing his trade with Mumbai Indians for 10 seasons, Harbhajan was roped in by CSK ahead of IPL 2018.

Meanwhile, the CSK squad, barring the two players who tested positive for coronavirus last week, is likely to train from Friday in Dubai.

Deepak Chahar was among the two players to have tested positive last week and overall 13 members of CSK contingent were infected with the deadly virus, raising safety concerns ahead of the IPL beginning here on September 19. (PTI)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

Bravo, Pollard maintain TKR unbeaten streak

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC) – Darren Bravo’s 11th Caribbean Premier League (CPL) half-century and an all-round cameo from captain Kieron Pollard swept Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to a comfortable 23-run victory over St Lucia Zouks, extending their winning streak to nine straight here yesterday.

Sent in at Brian Lara Stadium, TKR piled up 175 for five off their 20 overs with left-hander Bravo striking a top score of 50 off 42 deliveries and Pollard blasting 42 off 21 balls.

In reply, Zouks never found the scoring rate required to really challenge their target and ended on 152 for seven off their 20 overs.

Andre Fletcher hit 42 off 27 deliveries and Mark Deyal,

40 off 33, but Pollard snatched three for 35 with his slow medium while fast bowler Jayden Seales (2-21) and medium pacer Dwayne Bravo (2-26) claimed two apiece, to hurt the innings.

The victory took TKR to 18 points while Zouks lie third on 10 points. Both teams have a match remaining in the competition.

Even though both teams entered the contest having already qualified for the semi-finals, the outcome still held significance with TKR aiming to finish the preliminaries unbeaten and Zouks attempting to leapfrog the second-placed Guyana Amazon Warriors.

TKR lost the erratic Lendl Simmons cheaply, for eight, in the third over with the score on 12, when the right-hander edged

Left-hander Darren Bravo takes one hand off the bat as he hits one of three sixes during his half-century.

a big stroke behind off Kiwi seamer Scott Kuggeleijn (2-35).

However, Seifert and Webster combined in a 43-run, second-wicket stand to initiate a string of partnerships that saw TKR rebuild their innings and transfer pressure back on Zouks.

New Zealander Seifert punched three fours and a six in a 30-ball knock while Webster belted two sixes in a 14-ball 20 before missing a swing at left-arm spinner Zahir Khan in the seventh over and having his stumps shattered.

Darren Bravo then arrived to anchor the innings, putting on 38 with Seifert for the third before adding 67 with Pollard for the fourth wicket.

After starting cautiously, Bravo flourished to strike one four and three sixes while Pol-

lard blasted three fours and three sixes as TKR upped the tempo at the back end to gather 67 runs from the last five overs.

Opting for a new opening pair, Zouks were handed a solid if not flying start as Deyal anchored the early stages of the run chase, posting 25 for the first wicket Kimani Melius (12) and a further 59 for the second wicket with Fletcher.

Deyal counted five fours before he was second out, holing out in the deep in the 12th over from Seales to give Pollard his first wicket.

Fletcher, meanwhile, smashed a four and three sixes but his demise in the 14th over, taken at long-on also off Pollard, effectively ended Zouks’ challenge.

Softball fraternity mourns passing of stalwart Bilal Haslim

By Frederick Halley

Prominent softball stalwart Khalid Haslim

CONDOLENCE messages have been pouring in from several associations, members and players of the softball fraternity in both Guyana and North America, following the sudden passing of prominent softball stalwart Khalid Haslim, popularly known as Bilal.

The 41-year-old Haslim, who hails from Industry, East Coast Demerara, reportedly died from a heart attack last Friday morning, sending shockwaves among softball officials and players alike.

President of the Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Inc,, Ian John, in an emotional message said: “I was with great shock and disbelief when I got the news on Friday morning that the tall and energetic Khalid Haslim had passed away with a suspected heart attack. Nevertheless, the great Almighty knows best.”

According to John, “I have known Bilal for several years and he always had a positive outlook on life. Mr Mahendra Hardyal, the owner

of Regal, spoke to me in shock about his passing, saying he had lost a brother who always toured with the Regal teams when the International softball tournaments were played in the USA. “For all his flamboyance and phenomenal accomplishments in the earlier days when he was captain of Regal softball team, he always had a never-say-die attitude, and regardless of the situation he had that self-belief that the task could be accomplished.

“The softball fraternity has lost a true son of the soil who would have gotten a dramatic impact on many lives. Bilal was a family man and his wife and father would periodically come and see him play. His younger brother Waslim Haslim who resides in the USA and represented Regal in the GT&T 10/10 tournaments was also a very passionate player and would miss his brother very much.

“I would like to extend on behalf of the executives and members of Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. our deepest sympathy to his wife, relatives and numerous friends. May his soul Rest in Peace.”

President of Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) Azeem Khan also expressed shock on hearing of the death of Haslim, Khan said the OMSCC is saddened to hear of Bilal’s death, whom he described as a true gentleman cricketer. “We will miss him dearly.

On behalf of the OMSCC, I extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to his loved ones.

May our brother Bilal, Rest in Peace.”

Ravib Babulall, president of the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) also spoke highly of Bilal’s contribution to the grassroots sport, pointing out that his input should be recognised in a tangible way.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of his demise. I pray that God will grant his family the strength at this time of grief.”

New York Softball Cricket League (NYSCL) president Eric Ferrier also extended deepest and sincere condolences to the bereaved family of Bilal.

Former Organising Secretary of Guyana Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), Royston Ramsarran, pointed out that it’s heartbreaking to

know that Bilal “has gone so soon. I will miss him greatly.”

According to another prominent softball stalwart, Bobby Parasnauth, “Words cannot explain how I feel hearing this news today. His presence around softball will be greatly missed.

I am reminiscing the great times we had growing up and playing with and against each other. I had the pleasure talking to his mom, dad, brother and his wife today. They are all in pain like most of us around the cricket circle.”

Meanwhile, the funeral for Haslim will take place on Thursday. Viewing will be held at the Muslim Youth Organisation on Woolford Avenue from 12.00hrs to 13.00hrs. His remains will then be taken to Ogle Masjid for further viewing.

Burial takes place at Ogle burial ground.

Regal will be hosting a wake tomorrow (Monday) from 15:00hrs to 17:30 hrs at GNIC ground on Woolford Avenue. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, persons attending are kindly asked to wear masks and adhere to the necessary rules regarding the pandemic.

Tour de France 2020:

Adam Yates defends yellow jersey in the Pyrenees CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 06, 2020)

COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1)Chadwick Walton-458 runs (GAW) (2) Sohail Tanvir-49 wickets

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who is the first batsman to be dismissed ‘stumped’

in Hero CPL 2020?

(2) How many games were scheduled for Hero CPL 2015? How many in 2017?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

BRITAIN’S Adam Yates held on to the Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey as Nans Peters claimed a superb solo win on stage eight in the Pyrenees.

Yates survived several attacks to finish in a group containing many of the overall race favourites.

A tough day of climbing on the 141km-route from Cazeres-sur-Garonne to Loudenvielle scattered the peloton.

France’s Peters led home the survivors of a 13-man breakaway to record a memorable win.

However, it was a much less enjoyable day for home favourite Thibaut Pinot, who effectively lost all hope of becoming the first Frenchman to win the race since 1985.

Dropped on the second climb of the day, Pinot finished over 25 minutes behind Peters and lost around 19 minutes on all the main

general classification contenders.

‘I’m not going to throw it away’ Yates also looked to be suffering up the final climb of the day on the Col de Peyresourde after Julian Alaphilippe’s burst sparked a series of attacks.

However, the Mitchelton-Scott rider responded each time to maintain his three-second advantage over Primoz Roglic.

“In the end I did my thing and tried to stay with the best guys, and here we are,” said Yates.

“Right at the bottom of the last climb (Tom) Dumoulin set a ferocious pace and I couldn’t hold the wheel.

“I had to ride at my own pace for a little bit, collect myself, but I pulled my way back and over the top I managed to stay with the guys so all in all it was a good day.

“It’s not every day you lead the Tour de France so I’m not going to throw it away, I want to keep it as long possible.”

Romain Bardet’s late surge saw him leapfrog both Nairo Quintana and defending champion Egan Bernal in the overall standings.

Ineos Grenadiers’ Bernal retains the best young rider’s white jersey as part of a quartet of Colombian riders 13 seconds off the yellow jersey but Jumbo Visma’s Tom Dumoulin dropped to 15th after losing two minutes.

‘It was a dream and I made it’ Riding in his maiden Tour de France, Peters produced the outstanding performance of the day after going clear of Ilnur Zakarin on the descent of the Port de Bales.

While the Russian CCC rider temporarily closed the gap, Peters maintained his rhythm to claim his

second Grand Tour stage victory.

“This is crazy. It was already something unbelievable to win a stage on my first participation to the Giro d’Italia last year and now it’s the same at the Tour de France,” said the AG2R-La Mondiale rider.

“It was a dream and I made it. I knew Zakarin was stronger than me up the climbs but I never gave up.

“I convinced myself to not crack. I had seen in the downhill of Port de Bales that he descended like a goat so I was confident of beating him in the finale of the stage.”

Today’s ninth stage sees the race spend a second day in the Pyrenees as it travels the 153km route from Pau to Laruns before tomorrow’s rest day. (BBC Sport)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 6, 2020

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TAROUBA, Trinidad, (CMC) – Captain Jason Holder lashed a tantalising half-century as deposed champions Barbados Tridents ended an otherwise dismal campaign on a high note, when they brushed aside Jamaica Tallawahs by seven wickets here Saturday.

Already eliminated thanks to six defeats in their previous nine outings, Tridents played with confidence to chase down a tricky 162 at the Brian Lara Stadium, reaching their target with 10 balls to spare.

Holder shone with 69 off 42 balls, slamming nine fours and three sixes to pull his side around from a dodgy position of 17 for

When Johnson Charles chopped on the first legitimate delivery of the innings from speedster Oshane Thomas following two wides, Tridents once again appeared destined for a miserable showing.

And Shamarh Brooks’s dismissal in the next over, bowled by a beauty from left-arm seamer Preston McSween for five, only seemed to confirm those fears.

But Holder took the game away from Tallawahs with a brilliant counter-attack, adding a precious 90 for the third wicket with Carter, who struck four fours in a patient 44-ball innings.

Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane gained a fortunate lbw verdict against the free-hitting Holder but any hopes of a Tallawahs comeback were then ended

Tr ide nts c a ptain Jason H older slammed nine fours and three sixes in his 69 off 42 balls.(Getty)

Holder outshines Blackwood, Russell in Tridents consolation win two in the second over.

When he perished in the 13th over, Tridents were still well short of victory but left-hander Jonathan Carter, promoted to open, struck an unbeaten 42 while New Zealander Mitchell Santner continued his good form with a cameo unbeaten 35 to see their

side home.

Earlier, Jermaine Blackwood carved out a stroke-filled 74 and Andre Russell blasted 54 as Tallawahs reached 161 for four off their 20 overs after opting to bat first.

Blackwood provided Tallawahs – already qualified for the semi-finals – with an explosive

start, stroking five fours and four sixes in a 69-ball knock.

More importantly he inspired an opening stand of 51 with Glenn Phillips (17) and also added 38 for the second with Asif Ali who made five.

Phillips was removed in the eighth over by a brilliant catch at

deep cover by Keon Harding off left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop and Asif edged a cut behind off leg-spinner Hayden Walsh in the 13th over at 89 for two but Russell arrived to keep the tempo going.

He put on a further 37 for the third wicket with Blackwood

before dominating a 35-run stand with Rovman Powell (five not out).

All told, Russell pummeled four fours and five sixes to mark his third half-century of the tournament before falling to the penultimate ball of the innings, stumped off leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

as Carter and Santner posted 58 in an unbroken fourth wicket stand.

The left-handed Santner in particular took the sting out of Tallawahs, belting three fours and two sixes in a sparkling 21ball cameo, ending the contest by launching seamer Carlos Brathwaite over long on for six.

Sport Minister, team visit Tiger Bay Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr and members of the visiting team with youths of the community (Photo: Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport)

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Authentic upsets Tiz the Law to win the Kentucky Derby

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Authentic, right, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, leads down the stretch to defeat Tiz the Law at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Wear face masks, Riders’ Association urges Tour de France spectators

LOUDENVIELLE, France: The professional riders’ association (CPA) called on cycling fans yesterday to wear face masks along the route of the Tour de France during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To cycling lovers: Respect the riders, respect yourself, respect the distance and wear a mask,” the CPA said in a statement.

The race organisers have decided that 26 climbs would be closed to motorised vehicles in order to avoid mass gatherings, leaving spectators having to walk or cycle up the road to see the peloton in the mountain passes.

Several fans have been seen running along by the riders without wearing face masks.

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All riders and team staff members will be tested for coronavirus today and during tomorrow’s rest day. Should two members of a team - riders or staff members - test positive within a seven-day period, their whole outfit will be excluded from the race.

France recorded almost 9 000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, setting a record since the beginning of the pandemic.

SUNDAY,SEPTEMBER 6, 2020