Guyana Post Newspaper

Keeping you updated on current events...

ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER

Friday, February 20, 2021

Failure to document valuation costs City Hall rates and taxes owed by Giftland

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CANU BUSTS COCAINE IN BOX ENRICO SUES DR LESLIE WITH LOCALLY HAND MADE RAMSAMMY, GUYANA TIMES Pg4 CRAFT Pg4

Guyana Post Saturday February 20, 2021

CARIBBEAN PEOPLE AT RISK OF PROLONGING COVID-19 TO THEIR DETRIMENT

The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.

He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own) People in the Caribbean, who refuse to take vaccinations to counter the Coronavirus, will cause the COVID-19 pandemic to remain longer in the region, endangering lives, livelihoods, and entire economies.

Whatever genuine fears may exist, these people must be educated about the value of the vaccine to their own health and they must be encouraged by all influential agencies to take it.

If they need convincing, they should look at the experience of other countries where more than 139 million people have taken the vaccine and not one of them has died from it.

The Churches, whose leaders have been preaching against the vaccine, are doing neither their followers nor their countries any good. Similarly, the representatives of trade info@guyanapostonline.com

unions, who argue that their members have the right not to take vaccines, might consider enlightening them about the benefits of the vaccine to their individual well-being, their families, the wider community, and the businesses from which they derive a living.

At the rate at which vaccines are currently available and being rolled out in the world, the Caribbean will be behind Britain and the U.S. in controlling the virus by at least a year. If a significant number of people remain unvaccinated, the delay will be even longer.

Caribbean countries cannot afford a year, let alone a more extended period, to suppress the virus.

Many economies are already in dire straits.

Poverty is expanding, unemployment is rising, economies are declining, hospitals are besieged, and many more people are dying.

This is why at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on 17 February, all independent CARICOM countries joined Antigua and Barbuda in promoting adoption of a resolution calling for equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

globally.

Action is necessary to get vaccines into Caribbean countries so that at least 80 per cent of the people can be inoculated to build ‘herd immunity’.

This is achieved when a large part of the population is immune to the disease.

If enough people are resistant to the coronavirus, it will have nowhere to go and it will peter out.

Right now, every country in the Caribbean is way behind developed countries with which they interact for tourism, trade in goods and other commercial and social activity. For example, at the time of writing (February 18), Britain has inoculated 23.7 per cent of its population with the first dose of the vaccine; the U.S 12.3 per cent; Canada 3.48 per cent; and many of the countries in the European Union almost 3 per cent.

No country in the Caribbean has vaccinated more than 0.9 per cent of their populations.

The main reason for this is that rich countries, representing only 16 per cent of the world’s population have bought, and are hoarding, 60 per cent of the available vaccine candidates.

This means that 40 per cent is left for 84

Sir Ronald Sanders

per cent of the global population, including the Caribbean.

This situation demands urgent attention if the Caribbean is to survive the already devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why the Antigua and Barbuda initiative at the OAS was strongly and fully supported by other CARICOM nations.

It is also why the resolution received full support at the OAS. Twenty-nine of the Organization’s 34 member states, including the Caribbean, are among the over 100 nations that have vaccinated less than 1 per cent of their people.

The Caribbean needs greater access to vaccines and at an affordable price.

Hence, the donation of 570,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by India to CARICOM countries is a great relief. The rollout has started in a few countries. But, there are not sufficient stocks to accelerate the inoculation programme to get all CARICOM countries to at least 80 per cent of their populations.

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The main vaccine manufacturers have to be urged to rampup their production at an affordable price.

Concentrating on selling only to the rich nations will not eliminate the global pandemic.

A research study, sponsored by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research in Massachusetts, shows that even if wealthy countries are fully vaccinated by the end of this year, but poor countries remain largely shut out, “the global economy would suffer losses exceeding $9 trillion, a sum greater than the annual output of Japan and Germany combined”.

What should worry every citizen and resident of Caribbean countries is that their economies have already declined so significantly that, even if there is recovery later in 2021 or in 2022, it will not be sufficient to return them to 2019 levels.

Foreign direct investment in the Caribbean declined last year by more than 50 per cent. With many economies across the region in a state of prolonged inactivity, the downward

investment trend for 2021 is even more precipitous. The year 2022 is unlikely to get any better unless each country gets the virus under control.

The populations of Caribbean countries, amounting to 20 million people, are competing with 450 million people in Latin America and another 360 million in the U.S. and Canada to achieve 80 per cent inoculations.

They are also competing against 7 billion people globally.

They cannot afford to leave themselves behind – they must get themselves inoculated.

Leaders and influencers in every sector – the Churches, the trade unions and the media – have to support Caribbean governments that have tried their best with scarce and reduced financial resources to manage the coronavirus and now to inoculate against it.

No Caribbean country can afford to be a year behind the nations with which they interact for their livelihood and development.

Guyana Post Saturday February 20, 2021

UPDATE ON ESCAPEES FROM MAZARUNI PRISON

Imran Ramsaywack

Samuel Gouveia.

As the search continues more than 24 hours after four high-level criminals escaped the Mazaruni,

Rayon Jones

the search parties will have to do at least a five-hour catching up with the prisoners since they would have

Kenrick Lyte

had a head start before authorities knew they were gone.

Acting Prison Director Niclon

Elliott, told Guyana Post that the prisoners, who had escaped had some a head start and that search party has to

catch up.

Mr. Elliot, however, said he is confident that these parties would cover that ground since the surrounding areas remain unknown to the prisoners and they might be gaining on those who have escaped.

“They would have had a head start but taking into consideration the density of the and so on, we are not far around that area.

Beyond them are some new villages and some other roadways being used by the public. So I’m not too sure they would have known the area.”

Inmates Imran Ramsaywack, Samuel Gouveia, Ryan Jones and Kenrick Lyte all escaped from the prison.

All of the men are said to be charged in the past for murder.

Two were sentenced to death, one was later sentenced to 28 years in prison and another was on trial.

It has been suspected that the men may have cut the bars of the prison and escaped during the night.

Since then some prison staff were questioned about the matter as the probe and search continues.

Bahamas Prime Minister Minnis leads CARICOM meeting on Joint Tourism Policy

Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas) Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis chaired the First Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Tourism to discuss the development of a Joint Tourism Policy for CARICOM. The Policy will be aimed at addressing the info@guyanapostonline.com

urgent need to stimulate the recovery of the tourism industry over the coming months, while building on efforts already established to address the industry’s longer-term growth, inclusiveness and sustainability, said the Prime Minister.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fiscal revenues from the

tourism industry have declined precipitously and the direct and indirect employment related to industry are down, said Prime Minister Minnis.

“The linkages which we painstakingly forged between the tourism industry and other sectors and industries of our economies have been severely disrupted,”

he told regional prime ministers and delegate heads at the virtual meeting on Thursday, 18 February.

“While we previously acknowledge that our diversity requires nationally-nuanced policies and strategies, we have reached a point where these approaches may be liabilities to

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our respective tourism industries.”

Prime Minister Minnis said the need for a joint tourism policy is urgent.

“The Joint Tourism Policy and its accompanying strategy for CARICOM are two critical tools that have to be added to our response arsenal to the path of survival, recovery and

sustainable development,” said the Prime Minister.

The policy’s vision, “CARICOM Tourism that is sustainable, viable, of high quality, climate smart, resilient and promotes empowerment and inclusiveness,” is what the region needs at this time to take it forward, said Prime Minister Minnis.

Strengthening the collaboration mechanism with the private sector, including labour, will be critical to the success of the initiative, noted the Prime Minister.

Reaching an understanding on the financing mechanism for marketing and funding the development of the tourism sector will also be important, he said.

The Draft Framework for the Development of a Joint Tourism Policy for CARICOM is expected to be submitted to the ThirtySecond Inter-Sessional Meeting of Heads of Government scheduled for the 23-24 February.

Guyana Post Saturday February 20, 2021

Failure to document valuation costs City Hall rates and taxes owed by Giftland

Mayor Ubraj Narine along with Attorney-at-law, Darren Wade

Hours after Giftland Office Max, CEO Roy Bepat has declared victory over the Mayor and City Council, Mayor Ubraj Narine along with Attorney-at-law, Darren Wade is disputing claims made. by the businessman.

Mayor Narine had called on Giftland to pay some $100 million owed to it in rates and taxes. The Company had denied it owed and took this issue to court which saw an oral ruling

by Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George.

As such, the Chief Justice has reportedly yesterday thrown out the matter and has set March 1st to make her orders in the matter.

Speaking at a press conference hosted by the Mayor along with lawyer Darren Wade said accused Beepat of putting a spin on what transpired in court.

“In yesterday’s proceedings, the court would have quashed the

demand notes sent by the City to MCG investment demanded owed taxes.

The reason for squashing those demand notes is simple because the chief evaluation officer would have failed to follow the law, and that law is Chapter 28/04 the valuation for rates and taxes act as we are aware that properties are to be valued every five years, the reality is that the properties in the Georgetown and entire country has not

been valued since 1996 consequently there is no lawful list,” Wade explained.

The lawyer explained valuation officers erred during the years to evaluate properties.

“The court is of the view that laws relating to taxes must be strictly followed.

So, as a result of the failure by the Minister and Chief Valuation Officer the court held that demanding taxes are unlawful”

He added under contrast Chief Justice is of the view that a modern evaluation must be done in order for the council to demand taxes.

“I raised the point with her, should there be an evaluation and that to be a modern evaluation and she agreed that it must be in the context of 2021.

So, I believe in the long run the Chief Justice ruling is beneficial for the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown and all the local authorities.

However, it is of my opinion that all taxes demanded in the country all rates that were demanded are quote on

quote not in keeping with the law” he added.

On the other hand, Mr. Wade said that he only disagreed with the fact in which the CJ ruled simple interest tax must be collected against compound interest and as such plans to appeal that asset of the ruling.

The Giftland Company yesterday celebrated the ruling of the Chief Justice and said that now brings into the light what it described as lies being told by the Mayor.

Beepat wants an apology and is threatening to sue the Mayor personally if such is not forthcoming.

CANU BUSTS COCAINE IN ENRICO SUES DR LESLIE BOX WITH LOCALLY HAND RAMSAMMY, GUYANA TIMES MADE CRAFT

Renowned journalist Enrico Woolford

The Customs Anti Narcotics Unit, CANU has made another drug bust. This time, traffickers tried to use false bottom of a box with ornaments to ship drugs.

The box which contained a Guyana info@guyanapostonline.com

Tourism book and various locally made craft pieces and ornaments was discovered with false sides had some 294 grams of cocaine According to CANU, the bust would have taken place at a local shipping company.

CANU has since made one arrest as it continues to probe the matter.

Just last week, through a shipping company two, were charged for trying to traffic over 6 pounds of cocaine to the US placed in locally made fudge

Renowned journalist Enrico Woolford has sued Dr Leslie Ramsammy for sums totaling $85 million and Guyana Times for sums totaling $100 million.

The action stems from a publication dated March 18, 2020. The caption read ‘Ramsammy’s Ruminations—Caricom, ABCE, Commonwealth, OAS—time for sanctions

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Dr Leslie Ramsammy

now, no more patience’.

The article was further disseminated on the internet.

The article stated, inter alia, that several people in the APNU/AFC were the driving force in hijacking the Caricom operations…

Given the present assault on democracy in Guyana in the full view of local and international observers, in the first instance, we will

be pursuing sanctions against the following individuals and their families, who are part of the plot or complicit in rigging the March 2, 2020 elections in Guyana.’

Ramsammy proceeded to name Enrico Wolford.

Woolford is alleging malice that stretches to his innocent family members

International News

Guyana Post Saturday February 20, 2021

TAIWAN DEPLOYS MISSILES AFTER CHINESE JETS ‘ENTER ITS AIR ZONE’

Imran Ramsaywack

Samuel Gouveia.

Taiwan’s air force has activated its missile system after eight Chinese fighter jets flew into the southwestern part of its air defence identification zone, in an uptick in tensions as Taipei announced a new defence minister and intelligence chief.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said on Friday four Chinese J-16s and

Rayon Jones

four JH-7s, as well as an electronic warfare aircraft, flew near the Ta i w a n - c o n t r o l l e d Pratas Islands in the top part of the South China Sea, into the southwestern area of its air defence identification zone.

The ministry said Taiwan’s air force was scrambled, with “radio warnings issued and air defence missile

Kenrick Lyte

systems deployed to monitor the activity”.

In recent months China has increased its military activity around the democratic island it claims as Chinese territory.

Beijing says it is responding to what it calls “collusion” between Taipei and Washington, Taiwan’s most important international backer

and weapons supplier.

Chinese aircraft fly in the southwestern corner of the zone on an almost daily basis, though the last such large-scale incursion was on January 24 when 12 Chinese fighter jets were involved.

There was no immediate comment from China.

New minister

appointed Shortly before the ministry’s announcement, Taiwan announced a reshuffle of senior security officials – including a new, US-trained defence minister – to help bolster military modernisation and intelligence efforts.

President Tsai Ingwen has promised to defend the island and has made modernising its armed forces a priority, including developing a fleet of new submarines, buying new F-16 fighters from the United States and upgrading its warships. residential Office spokesman Xavier Chang told reporters that National Security Bureau DirectorGeneral Chiu Kuocheng, who graduated from the US Army War College in 1999, would replace Yen De-fa as defence

minister.

Chang said the president expected Chiu to complete the next stage of military reforms, including planning for “asymmetric warfare”, focusing on high-tech, mobile weapons designed to make any Chinese attack as difficult as possible.

Chiu’s old job as intelligence chief will be taken by Taiwan’s top China policymaker, Chen Ming-tong, now head of the Mainland Affairs Council.

Chang said Chen was ideally placed for this due to his deep knowledge of China.

“The most important task of the National Security Bureau is to understand and have a grasp on China,” Chang said, adding the newly-appointed officials will formally take up their posts next week.

US offers to restart talks with Iran to From: Aljazeera revive nuclear deal The United States has said it was ready to restart talks with Iran to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement, reversing former President Donald Trump’s decision to walk out of the landmark deal that was aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after a meeting with his European partners on Thursday, stressed President Joe Biden’s position that Washington would return to the accord formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if Tehran came into full

info@guyanapostonline.com

compliance with the deal.

The state department later said it was open to an “informal meeting” with the so-called P5+1 – the parties to the agreement including Iran – that a European Union official has offered to host. It is the most concrete step the Biden administration has publicly made towards direct engagement with Tehran on the nuclear deal to date.

However, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh seemed to immediately throw cold water on the suggestion, tweeting on Friday “It is now only Iran and P4+1”.

“Gestures are fine. But to revive P5+1, US must Act: LIFT sanctions,” he wrote.

‘Remove the cause if you fear the effect’ Iran has in recent months stepped up its nuclear activity in breach of the deal blaming the US and European powers – the other signatories to the deal – of reneging on their commitments.

Tehran says Washington and European powers must be first to return to its commitments under the historic 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran has also threatened to stop part of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections

of its nuclear facilities scheduled for February 21 if the other signatories do not implement their own commitments under the deal.

European powers Britain, France and Germany – a group known as the E3 – and the US on Thursday warned Iran it would be “dangerous” to limit UN nuclear agency inspections.

“If Iran comes back into strict compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, the United States will do the same and is prepared to engage in discussions with Iran towards that end,” said a joint statement issued at

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the meeting in Paris.

Iran began breaching the deal in 2019, about a year after Trump withdrew and reimposed punishing economic sanctions.

Responding to the four nations’ statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that Washington should make the first move.

“Instead of sophistry & putting onus on Iran, E3/ EU must abide by own commitments & demand an end to Trump’s legacy of #EconomicTerrorism against Iran,” Zarif said in a tweet.

“Our remedial

measures are a response to US/E3 violations.

Remove the cause if you fear the effect,” he continued. “We’ll follow ACTION w/ (with) action.”

He said in a second tweet on Friday: “The US unconditionally & effectively lift all sanctions imposed, reimposed or re-labelled

by Trump. We will then immediately reverse all remedial measures.

Simple: #CommitActMeet.”

Zarif has previously signalled an openness to talks with Washington and the other parties over reviving the deal.

International News

Guyana Post Saturday February 20, 2021

COVID VACCINES: G7 INCREASE SUPPORT FOR COVAX SCHEMENE’

Imran Ramsaywack G7 leaders have pledged to intensify co-operation on Covid-19 and increase their contribution to the Covax vaccinesharing initiative.

In a joint statement released after a virtual summit on Friday, G7 leaders raised their overall commitment to $7.5bn (£5.3bn).

Wealthy countries are facing growing pressure to make sure lower-income nations get fair access to vaccines.

President Joe Biden has pledged $4bn in US aid to the fund.

An initial $2bn will be donated in 2021,

with an additional $2bn coming over the next two years.

Germany pledged an additional $1.2bn with Chancellor Angela Merkel telling journalists: “I stressed in my intervention that the pandemic is not over until all people in the world have been vaccinated.”

The Covax scheme is aiming to get at least 1.3bn vaccine doses to vulnerable populations worldwide in the coming months.

Covax is co-led by Gavi, known as the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO)

and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday he was grateful for the new commitments but emphasised that more was needed to address the world’s vaccination imbalance.

“Vaccine equity is not just the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do,” he said at the annual Munich Security Conference, also held virtually on Friday.

French President

Emmanuel Macron is among world leaders calling for further action to address the world’s vaccine imbalance - saying Europe and the US should urgently send up to 5% of their supplies to developing nations.

The new commitments come days after UN Secretary General António Guterres criticised the distribution of vaccines so far as “wildly uneven and unfair”.

He said just 10 countries had administered 75% of all vaccinations

worldwide, while 130 countries had not yet received a single dose.

Friday’s online meeting was the first gathering of G7 leaders since April 2020, and the first international meeting for new US President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this year’s G7 chair, has said that the UK will donate much of its surplus vaccine supply to poorer nations.

To date, at least 110 million people have been infected with the virus worldwide and more than 2.4 million have died, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

A global scramble Analysis by Naomi Grimley, global health correspondent In the global scramble to secure vaccines against Covid-19 many wealthy countries which funded a lot of the research - have ended up buying more supplies than they

need.

New figures from the anti-poverty pressure group, the One Campaign, reveal that Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, the US and the EU have already secured more than 3bn doses 1.2bn more than they need to give their entire populations two doses.

The UK has also given £548m to Covax - the UN-led attempt to get vaccines out to poorer countries.

But campaigners say they want hard facts on how many actual doses Britain will now be donating to the mechanism.

Some 130 countries in the world haven’t done any vaccinations at all and healthcare workers in those countries remain at high risk.

And even if the Covax plan works, it’s only designed to cover 20% of each nation’s population far short of the herd immunity expected in wealthy countries.

Texas weather: Water shortages continue to plague storm-hit south Power is returning to Texas in the wake of a major winter storm, but some 13 million Texans are still facing difficulties accessing clean water.

With boil water advisories affecting nearly half the state, Texas’ water supply has also dropped amid damage to systems from the historic cold snap.

At least 24 people have died, and officials expect that number to rise.

Several other southern states hit by snow and ice storms this week have also reported water service outages.

Winter weather has also info@guyanapostonline.com

cut off water in the city of Jackson, Mississippi home to around 150,000 people - as well as the largest county in Tennessee that includes the city of Memphis, with over 651,000 residents.

Across the US South, a region unaccustomed to such frigid temperatures, people whose pipes have frozen has taken to boiling snow to make water.

What is happening in Texas?

The Southwestern state’s energy grid has been overwhelmed by a surge in demand for heat as temperatures plummeted to 30-year

lows, hitting 0F (-18C) earlier this week.

As of Friday, about 180,000 homes and businesses in Texas still had no electricity. Amid freezing temperatures earlier this week, as many as 3.3 million were without power.

Around 13 million people - close to half of the state’s population - have faced some disruption of water services as hundreds of water systems have been damaged by the freeze.

Austin, the state’s capital, lost 325m gallons (1.2bn litres) of water when pipes burst, the

city’s water director told reporters on Thursday.

Texas’ largest city, Houston, is under a socalled “boil water notice”, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advising that all water planned for consumption - even if filtered - must be boiled as it may be contaminated.

Officials there say they are working to rapidly distribute bottled water, as well as power generators, to people in need. Breweries and other local businesses have also assisted with efforts to supply

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drinkable water.

On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state is providing “any and all resources to assist and to accelerate the response at the local level”.

State officials could not offer a timeline for exactly when the water would come back on, saying it was a question for local water providers - and many have not yet fully assessed the damage to their systems.

Gov Abbott also said more plumbers are headed to the state. Water pipes have been bursting across Texas due to

the freeze, and local plumbers have struggled to meet demand.

Over 320 plumbers have renewed their licences, and the state agencies are working with plumbing companies out-of-state to secure additional help, he said.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday approved a state of emergency for Texas.

As of Friday, storm warnings are still in place across much of Texas, but temperatures will rise in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service (NWS)

SPORTS

AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL: NAOMI OSAKA FACES JENNIFER BRADY IN MELBOURNE FROM BBC SPORTS Naomi Osaka says a belief “people don’t remember the runnersup” will fuel her bid for a fourth major title when she faces American Jennifer Brady in Saturday’s Australian Open final.

The 23-year-old Japanese player has won three Grand Slam titles and never lost a major final.

Brady, seeded 22th, is in her first Slam final and looking to avenge defeat by Osaka in the US Open semi-finals.

“The winner’s name is the one that’s engraved,” said third seed Osaka.

“I think I fight the hardest in the finals. I think that’s where you sort of set yourself apart. The other person has won as many matches as you did.

It’s the biggest fight.”

Osaka, whose major wins have come at the 2018 US Open, 2019 Australian Open and 2020 US Open, goes into the match as the heavy favourite against 25-year-old Brady.

It is a rematch of their high-quality semi-final in New York, which was widely considered as the best WTA match

of 2020.

Brady had never gone past the fourth round at a Grand Slam before reaching the last four at Flushing Meadows and says she will have to keep her emotions in check in the Melbourne final.

“I don’t know how I’m going to feel. I can say I can enjoy the moment and just try to play tennis and not

to early February last year.

On paper, she had a tough route to the Melbourne final but has swatted aside the likes of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and 2020 Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza.

She has yet to lose a Grand Slam match after really think too much reaching the quarterfinal stage, but faces about it,” she said.

“But there are a different scenario on going to be moments where I’m going to be thinking ‘wow, this could be my first Grand Slam title’.”

Will Osaka make her experience count?

As well as her previous Grand Slam pedigree, Osaka holds a 20-match winning streak which goes back

Saturday as the most experienced player.

Former Grand Slam champions Williams, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka were all beaten in Osaka’s three Grand Slam triumphs.

“I feel like experience is important because you can draw on the things you didn’t think you did well in the past and memories,” Osaka told WTA Insider.

From BBC Sports

Lionel Messi: Manchester City distance themselves from move for Barcelona forward Manchester City are distancing themselves from links with a move for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

The Argentina forward is out of contract in the summer.

The likelihood of another early Champions Camp.

League exit for Barcelona has fuelled speculation Uncertainty he is could quit the Nou remains due to the info@guyanapostonline.com

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ongoing presidential elections at Barca, with all candidates saying they are determined to keep the

33-year-old.

Messi has won six Ballon D’Or trophies in a stellar career that has seen him generally accepted as one of the finest players ever.

City have long been touted as an alternative, partly due to the link with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, although Paris StGermain are also thought to be interested.

It has been reported City have tabled a revised offer for Messi but BBC Sport has been told by a club source this is not true - and that no offers have been made, either in the summer, or since and there are currently no talks.

Messi had looked set to join City after putting in a transfer request in August,

only for Barcelona’s thenpresident Josep Maria Bartomeu to block the move before resigning in October.

‘Messi is a fantasy City should pick Haaland’ Match of the Day pundit Jermaine Jenas, the former Tottenham midfielder, believes Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland is Manchester City’s best option in the transfer market.

Haaland has 25 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this season for Bundesliga side Dortmund, including eight goals in five Champions League matches.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Friday Football Social, Jenas

said: “I don’t think they need Messi. That deal is going to impact what they can do from a financial fair play standpoint.

“Manchester City need a striker. I’d go with Erling Haaland. That’s where they should focus every penny in their bank account right now.

“Go and get one of most exciting young strikers on the planet.

I don’t think Kylian Mbappe is achievable, personally.

Haaland is achievable and he’s more what they need than what they want.

“The Messi thing is a bit of a fantasy. Its something we’d all love to see but I’m not sure its actually in the best interest of City.”

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