Kaieteur News

Capableoilandgasworkers bemoanbeingbypassedfor constructionofUarujumpers

Localoilandgasworkers are disappointed and discouraged after a US multimillion dollar contract toprovidesubseaequipment forGuyana’sfifthoilproject, Uaru, was awarded to a foreign-based company, despite having the capacity tobuildincountry

The workers who spoke with this publication complained that while ever so often they are sent home because of inadequate work coming in from the sector, here it is, that almost two years of steady work was delivered to an outside entity

Onseveraloccasionslast year,localworkerspostedat the Guyanese and Trinidadian joint venture (JV) Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited (TOFCO) and Guyana Oil and Gas Support Services (GOGSSI), complained bitterly about being out of work and in some cases, for longperiods.

Yesterday, they told the Kaieteur News that in the in Saipem’s Fabrication Yard, Guyanese have been building jumpers and are capable of producing the equipment from scratch Despitethis,theworkerssay they were shocked to see a Dutch company being awardedthecontract.

“Right now, Guyanese are home because Saipem is saying that they do not have enough work So, some Guyanese are home and someGuyaneseareworking one week on one week off. They say they don’t have sufficient work right now to supportallofusbutyetthese jumpersaregoingoutsideto be built,” one worker imparted. He insisted that “right now, there are guys whoworkonjumpersbutare at home now due to the limitedamountofworkthere is.”

Theworkersaidthatheis unclear on how the authorities are handling matters regarding local oil and gas workers, but opined thatonceGuyanesehavethe capacity, they should be providedwithwork.

The worker explained that previously prefab jumpers came into Guyana from overseas and the local workers would assemble themfortheoffshoreproject. Thismightbeworkforsixto eight months the man said. He noted however, that with 24 jumpers, if everything

had to be completed in Guyana it could be as much as two years work for Guyanese.

To assemble the 24 jumpers when they arrive in Guyanaisjustafewmonths ofwork,themancontended. He added that Guyanese are currently doing a lot of jobs for the sector after being trained. He said the workers are not just able to assemble the jumpers, but they can buildthemfromscratch.

Theysaythatnotonlyare Guyanese losing out on work, but argued that much more money has to be spent to have foreigners build the subseaequipmentoutside.

PresidentoftheNational Mines Workers Union of Guyana (NMWUG), Sherwyn Downer, described the situation as being “sad and unfortunate”. Like the oil workers, he said he is

oblivious to how the oil contracts are issues, but saw it as “unfortunate that the contract would have landed in the hands of a foreign company when the jumpers could be built right here in Guyana.”

Downer’s union is one thatoilandgasworkershave approached to air their complaints. He had brought matters involving the Joint Venture workers to the fore, relating their concerns mainly about salary and availability of work. The workershadcomplainedthat they were being kept on contractwhichmakesiteasy forthemtobesenthomefor longperiodswhenthereisno work. They said that while theyweresenthome,foreign workers were being kept on thejob,andpaidmore.

Nicholas Boyer, head of the Guyanese fraction of the JV had confirmed inadequateamountsofwork in Saipem Yard, and confirmedthatlocalworkers havetostayathomebecause ofthesituation.

Downersaidtheworkers againreachedouttohim,this timehighlightingthejumper matter

He explained that the jumpersinquestionarebuilt in pairs and may require 25 to30personstoworkonone piece of the equipment Multiply that number of workersbythe24jumpers

Continuedonpage8

Local transparency body ‘sick of secrecy’ in oil and gas sector

For decades, successive Governments have kept quietonGuyana’spetroleum sector, an issue which the present ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration must take responsibilityfor

This is according to Mr FredrickCollins,Headofthe Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI), a local watchdog body that advocates for good governance especially in the area of the nation’s natural resources.

Inanexclusiveinterview with this newspaper yesterday, Collins argued that the PPP promised to make changes, however, there have no improvements to the “sickening cloud of secrecy” hovering over the oilandgassector

He made reference to an article published in the Sunday edition of Kaieteur News,whereitwasreported that Guyanese are yet to see US$1.8 billion in oil sales agreement, stemming from the first barrel of crude sold in2019todate.

“Whatwehaveisawelltendered garden of secrecy over the decades because in the first place the Guyanese peopledidn’tevenknowthat we were exploring for petroleum,”hesaid.

Collins told this newspaper that the secrecy hoveringovertheindustryis sickening, especially since

noprogressisbeingmadein thisdirection.

Hesaidherecentlysawa TikTok video in which the Publisher of Kaieteur News, Mr Glenn Lall said that the countryisstillinthedarkon theproductionfiguresandno business should be managed inthatmanner

Accordingtohim,“Since 2019 we have been writing articles to say that the stage was set for this kind of nonsense to happen, but no one was taking it seriously We are seeing now that people are saying that this agreement should have been brought before Parliament. Wewroteanessaybeforeon the missing Parliamentary oversight, where we were saying that these contracts should have been brought beforeParliament.”

According to the International Secretariat for

the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Guyana is yet to declare consistently, informationpertainingtothe volumes of oil collected in accordance with the profitsharing split, alongside the identityofthebuyerforeach oilcargo. Furthermore,EITI saidGuyanadoesnotappear tohaveyetmadeprogresson publishing descriptions of the process for selecting the buying companies, the technical and financial criteria used to make the selection, the list of selected buying companies, any material deviations from the applicable legal and regulatory framework governing the selection of buying companies, and the relatedsalesagreements.

The local Transparency Institute said it is not a question of Guyana being able to adhere to the standards, but rather a question of Guyana being willing to execute its obligations “These are political decisions and it goesverydeepastowhyitis the way our Governments areoperatinginawaywhich treats the owners, the real ownersoftheassetsthatthey are administering so shabbily.”

Astherealownersofthe assets of Guyana, TIGI said the people are not being sharedrequisiteinformation

Head of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), Fredrick Collins

NMWUG President, Sherwyn Downer

Publisher:GLENNLALL-TEL:624-6456

Editor:NIGELWILLIAMS

Tel:225-8465,225-8491. Fax:225-8473,226-8210

EDITORIAL

‘Talk to Vick about that’

Promises, promises, promises have been the style and slickness of the PPPC Government. If it were a courtship thatwasengagedin,thentheGovernmentofGuyanawould havebeenhauledbeforethecourts,forjiltingthoseitclaims tolove,forserialbreachofpromise. Buttheissuesatstake are more than the routine of lovers falling out, or one side gettingcoldfeet,orrovingeyesandfasthands. Theissues are national in implications, and cover plenty of rich territory

The man with the long-awaited answers to the issues tabled is the Hon. Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat. Guyana’s Vice President, Bharat Jagdeo, has dumped some live grenades into the Minister’s lap. In the Vice President’s own resonant words, the directive was, “Talk to Vick about that. Vick is more familiar with that. That’s his portfolio.” The first thing to be said about that lateralfromtheVicePresidenttotheMinisteristhatwedid not know, it did not appear, that Minister Bharrat had any ‘portfolio’tospeakof,sototallydominantisthelong,huge, thick shadow of Vice President Jagdeo over the Natural Resourcesminister

Asidefromthat,wehaveheardpromiseslikethesemade before, and Guyanese are still in the same place, with no delivery, nothing received. But, as the Vice President did insist,“TalktoVick.” NowVick(MinisterBharrat)issetto standbeforetheGuyanesepublictoday,andsharethegoods. He himself has committed to doing so, on this Monday According to the Minister, circumstances had gotten in the way, but he is ready to enlighten Guyanese about mining contracts,andthestatusoftheauditofUS$7.3Binexpenses submittedbyExxonMobilforpayment.Vickisthemanwho gotthepick,anditisourhopethatVickwillnotbeslick,and refrainfrompresentinganytrick. Today,thisMonday,isVDay, and D-Day (Vick day and delivery day), we shall see. The large mining contracts have been promised and promised,andthenationisstillwaiting. TheVicePresident, a man of great resourcefulness, sent this publication (and otherGuyanese)totheGuyanaRevenueAuthority,andthe GuyanaGeologyandMinesCommission,onlyforawallof silencetobeencountered,andablankdrawnateachplaceon every occasion. Now, there was this development, compliments of the Vice President, of “Talk to Vick”, and VickhimselfisgettingreadytostepforwardonthisMonday Will it be one of revelation? Or will it be a day of more convolutionandconcoction,andthecontinuingfrustration, thathavebeenanongoingingredientofgettingtransparency fromthePPPCGovernment? Tobeclear,MinisterVickhas indicatedthathewillbecomingforwardtodeliverupdates onboththelargeminingcontractsthathavebeenamystery, and the ExxonMobil audit, which has been a source of unendingcontroversyandspeculation.

BecausethePPPCGovernmenthasmadecaginessamajor plankinitsgovernancestructureandconduct,muchhingeson what interpretation it attaches to that word “updates” which couldturnouttobeloaded WillMinisterVickBharratgiveup thegoosethisMonday,withaclearandconvincingcanvasof whatpresentsGuyanesewithmorethantheyknownow? Or arehisupdatesgoingtobetheusualhemmingandhawing,the dodging and the drifting, to buy some more time, for the governmenttoengageinsomemoresecrecy?Putdifferently, willMinisterVickBharratrevealorconceal?

WewillextendthebenefitoftrusttoMinisterBharrat,in thehopethatwhateverhehasinmindfor“updates”theywill giveGuyanesesignificantlymorethantheyknowandhave now. Itmustbethattheminingcontractsaremadepublicin whole, and not snippets of meaningless information articulated. It must be that the promised “preliminary report” for the ExxonMobil audit that should have been deliveredinDecemberisadonedeal,andthatitisavailable forscrutiny TheworstthingthatMinisterVickcoulddois to continue the culture of commitments, with nothing delivered. ThePPPCGovernmentmustcomegoodinthese “updates.”

Republic Bank refused repayment of our indebtedness to them

DEAREDITOR,

I refer to the articles you published titled, ‘Bulkans file motion for expedited hearing at Court of Appeal’ onMarch13,2022and‘Over $30 M in salaries and benefits owed to Precision workersonAugust07,2022, respectively which highlightedthetravailsfaced by Precision’s Directors and its former employees at the hands of Republic Bank GuyanaLtd.

Since then, there has been radio silence despite innumerable requests from the Directors and the former employeesofthecompanyto RepublicBank,itspurported appointed receiver and its external auditors for information on the

company’s statements of accounts.

In June 2011, Republic Bank refused repayment of ourindebtednesstothemand insteadappointedareceiver, Mr KashirKhan. Which bank refuses repayment?

In addition to this inexplicable refusal of repayment, we discovered and alleged an unauthorised deposit of more than USD 400,000 into our company’s Republic Bank account. We have specified the depositor’s name, the depositamount,andthedate ofthedeposit.

The refusal of the Bank of Guyana to act against RepublicBankforthisshady transaction violates the

Financial Institutions Act, ActNo.1of1995.

Republic Bank and the receiver they appointed, KashirKhan,havedestroyed our company, sold off our assets, including prime real estate,andrefusedtogiveus any accounts, all while still demandingmoniesfromus.

Attempts at legal recourse have been an abysmal failure, with the trial judge delivering a judgment which completely ignored the majority of the claimsraised-adecadeafter we filed the action. We are awaitinganappeal.

Inthemeantime,wehave written countless letters to every possible regulatory authority,onlytobemetwith callous indifference We

recently filed a formal complaint with the Bar Association against the misconduct of two of their members in the hopes that some sanction will be imposedagainstthem.

Evenasweawaithearing ofourappeal,wecontinueto demand the provision of our accounts, the removal of the receiver - one who has defiantly withheld from us for more than eleven years, a c c o u n t s o f h i s administration, in breach of thelaw-andthereturntous ofourcompany

Sincerely, RonaldBulkan J o i n t M a n a g i n g Director Precision Woodworking Limited

We need to join hands and hearts to create a society in which there is social cohesion and ethnic harmony

DEAREDITOR

January 15 is the 94th birth anniversarry of Dr Martin Luther King Jr The day is a national holiday in the United States in honour of the role he played in the civil rights movement in the UnitedStatesofAmerica.

In fact, he was assassinated in 1968 but he lived to see the passage of two important pieces of legislation, namely the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Prior to 1965 the franchise was limited and Blacks, especially women were denied the right to vote and weresubjectedtoallmanner of discrimination and

indignity However, it was hisspeechatthestepsofthe Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC that endearedhimintheheartsof millionsofpeopleacrossthe world.Hisspeechin1963,‘I have a Dream’turned out to be a rallying cry in the civil rights movement and one of the most iconic speech in American history His call for civil disobedience and nonviolentformsofstruggle to end segregation and for racial equality resonated with people not only in the UnitedStatesbutthroughout the world. Thanks to his struggle,racerelationsinthe UnitedStateshaveimproved significantly

Like the United States, Guyana has made much progress in terms of race relations, especially when compared to the turbulent 1960’s. Unfortunately, there are still persons who continue to beat the race drum in an attempt to score cheap political points. The RacialHostilityActmakesit acriminaloffenceinGuyana forpersonswhoinciteracial hostility but there are still a few in our midst who continuetospewthe‘poison’ of race in apparent violation ofthelaw

Such attempts are dysfunctional to a peaceful andharmonioussociety The good thing is that Guyanese

today are much more politically matured to fall prey to politics of race. As pointed out by the late Dr King,peopleoughtnottobe judgedbythecolouroftheir skin but by the strength of their character There are some who are quick to attribute the factor of ‘race’ despite how well-meaning and good an activity may be from a developmental perspective.

As we reflect on the life and work of Dr King, we needtojoinhandsandhearts to create a society in which there is social cohesion and ethnicharmony

Regards HydarAlly

The Macedonia-Joppa volunteer committee welcomes the new year

DEAREDITOR, The Macedonia Joppa Volunteer Committee (MJVC) on the Corentyne welcomestheNewYearafter two harsh years of the COVID 19 pandemic that tookthelivesofalmost1,300 G u y a n e s e , 7 2 , 0 0 0 hospitalizations and more than 70,000 recoveries. In mid-2022, the country had returned to some level of normalcy However, it is without a doubt that the COVID 19 pandemic has ravaged the nation and overwhelmed the hospitals

in Guyana and like most other countries around the world, the Government of thedayhadtofindadditional health care facilities for thousands of COVID 19 patients.

Inaddition,thecountry’s schools and universities were closed and the Government of Guyana had implemented a virtual learning teaching process so asnottodeprivethestudents of their education. Not to m e n t i o n t h a t t h e Government had ordered all bars,restaurantsandoutdoor

recreational facilities and even religious institutions and the courts closed. Only institutions that were deemed as emergency were allowed to operate. They include the police, military andhospitalsaswellassome government agencies Simply put, the pandemic had wreaked havoc on the country’s residents and its economy at the time when huge amount of oil deposits was discovered by the American colossal oil giant, ExxonMobil.

Indeed, the pandemic

had taken its toll on the people, especially children many of whom did not fully understand what the pandemic was about and the dangeritposedtotheirlives.

However, with the diminishingofthepandemic andthedeclineinthenumber of infected persons in 2022, the Government relaxed the strict rules it had implemented and today the situationseemsnormalinthe country Because the children were home-bound andcouldnotattendschool

PrintedandPublishedbyNationalMedia& PublishingCompanyLtd. 24SaffonStreet, Charlestown,Georgetown,Guyana.

JoelBhagwandin’s

pseudoanalysisistrash

DEAREDITOR, JoelBhagwandin,aselfproclaimed financial analyst, criticized Nigel Hughes’ analysis of the Central Government’s regional budgetary allocation In Mr

Bhagwandin’s letter to the editor entitled, ‘Exposing theflawedanalysisbyNigel Hughes,’ published in yesterday’s Guyana Chronicle, he made the conclusionthatsinceRegion Four’sbudgetaryspendingis the highest per Km2 amongst all the regions, the regional government is adequately spending on the Region 4 residents. For a second, I thought I was readingacomedicarticlebut tragicallythiswasnojoke.

Every self-respected global publication measure spending per capita, which means spending per person living within the country That’s why we use GDPper capita, healthcare spending per capita, infrastructure spending per capita, budgetary spending per capita etc. Governments measurespendingpercapita to determine how much resources is being spent per resident

In addition, it allows us to compare spending across many countries with differentpopulationsizes.

Forthesakeofargument, l e t ’s e x p l o r e M r Bhagwandin’s analysis. In the letter to the editor, Mr Bhagwandinstates,“Region Three, which has a population density of 29 personsperKm2withasize of 3,755 Km2, the capital

allocation of $898 million represents $239,000 per Km2.”

“Region Four, on the other hand, is the smallest administrative region with only 2,232 Km2 and the highest population density of 140 persons per Km2.As such, the capital allocation for Region Four per Km2 represents $350,000 per Km2.”

“Region Six is the t h i r d l a r g e s t Administrative Region of the ten regions, with a low population density of three persons per Km2 and the lowest capital allocation per Km2 relative to Region Four, Region Six represents $27,000 per Km2 ”

Mr Bhagwandin concludes, “the capital projects for Region Four is the highest per Km2 considering as well that Region Four has the highest population density relative to all the other Administrative Regions.”

In Mr. Bhagwandin’s hocus-pocus economics, he failed to account for population density R e g i o n F o u r ’ s population density is 4 8x that of Region Three’s (140 persons per Km2 / 29 persons per Km2) and 46 7x that of Region Six’s (140 persons per Km2 / 3 personsperKm2)

Using the density size difference between Region Four and that of Region Three, the spending per Km2 for Region Four

should have been $1,147,000 per Km2 (4 8 x $239,000 per Km2) This meansthatwhencompared to Region Three, Region Four’s total budget allocation should have been$2 6billioninsteadof $782million

Using the density size difference between Region Four and that of Region Six, the spending per Km2 for Region Four should have been $1,261,000 per Km2 (46 7 x $27,000 per Km2).Thismeansthatwent compared to Region Six, Region Four’s budget allocation should have been $2.8billion)insteadof$782 million.

Mr Bhagwandin goes on to state that since the Central Government spends a lot of money in Region Four, the region four’s government doesn’t need more in budgetary allocation.

Who in their right mind believethishogwash?

I don’t even think Mr. Bhagwandin believes this Nancy story. The regional government is an autonomous government and needs adequate resources to service its Constituents

Region Four has the lion’s share of the country’s people and naturally will need the most resources to serviceitsresidents.

After reading Mr Bhagwandin’s sophomoric analysis,I’minclinedtotake everything he says with a grainofsalt.

YoursTruly, RennieParris,CFA

Was there due process in the dismissal of Ms. Lashonda Ellis

DEAREDITOR, Ihaveseenaletter,dated January 10, 2023, signed by one Ms. Eureka Duncan, PrincipalPersonalOfficerin the Ministry of Home Affairs. By this letter, Ms. LashondaEllis,aDataEntry Clerk, who works with the Ministry, was informed that her services have been terminated with effect from January 5, 2023. The letter wascarboncopiedtoseveral officers in government agencies, including the GuyanaPoliceForce.

Editor, from all indications, Ms. Ellis was appointedbytheMinistryof Public Service. Therefore, any infractions committed by Ms. Ellis, while in the

employment of the Public Service, should have been investigated and appropriate action taken by the Ministry of Public Service. Clearly from the letter, due process wasnotaffordedtoMs.Ellis.

For the benefit of your readers,Ms.Ellis,aresident of Caneview, Mocha Arcadia, an area which was unlawfully bulldozed at the instigation of the

unscrupulous PPP/C, stayed in her home with all its valuables protesting against it being demolished

Allegedly, Ms. Ellis ‘was caught on camera assaulting a Police Officer’ when she wasforcefullyremovedfrom herhome.Itisclaimedthata complaint was made to the

Ministry of Home Affairs. Editor, this is a blatant violationofMs.Ellis’rights. It appears that the PPP/C is onacampaigntoensurethat all systems, laws and structures are violated at the expense of Afro-Guyanese. Theyhavecastaspiritoffear and intimidation over citizens. Where are the socalled Guardians of Democracy and other civil society groups who called fordemocracy?

Editor, I call on the Ministry of HomeAffairs to advise the public how due process was applied before thedismissalofMs.Ellis.

Yourssincerely, AnnetteFerguson MemberofParliament

For nation building narratives

DEAREDITOR

,

O u r p o l i t i c a l disagreements reveal contrasting narratives and historiesofourpast.

And this is partially because even academic histories are written within particular “spaces of experience” - the ways that the past is remembered in theirpresent;anda“horizon of expectation” – the anticipation of the non-yetknown future beyond the horizon So imagine our partisan interlocutors’views withtheiraxestogrind.

Ahistoryofourpresent, whichiswhatweoughttobe interrogating in our discussions, demands, in the words of David Scott, that “historiesofthepastoughtto be interventions in the present, strategic interrogations of the present’s norms as a way of

helping us to glimpse the possibilities for an alternative future ” Somehowthefingerpointing narrativesthatarecirculating at best just keep looking backwards nursing old Cold Wargeneratedgrievances.

But our ‘problem space’ – the threats and opportunities that confront us now in our sociohistorical conjuncture - is radically different today.We now have a demographic distributionbereftofbuilt-in majorities in which the two parties surviving from that era have equal possibilities ofwinningelectionswithina world order that is again

polarising.Whatthenshould be our “horizon of expectation”?Criticism,and implicitlyevenanalyses,are alwaysstrategic.

What is it that our interlocutors want as a consequence of their criticisms, narratives, actions and exhortations? Whatistheir“Good”?While there will never be – for the simple reason that it just cannot be – a single horizon of ends for all of us, I am pretty sure that among the various possibly competing ends that of a more harmonious society would bethereincommoninall

Bollersinvitedtoshareas featuredpanelistattheIsland MusicConferenceinJamaica

DEAREDITOR

Director at Hits and Jams,KerwinBollerswillbe sharingamongstsomeofthe biggest names in the music industry, as a featured panelist at the Island Music Conference (IMC) in Jamaicanextmonth.

IMC is an annual event curated with content geared at Caribbean growth in the international music industry and helping participants navigate and overcome challenges.

It also aids in the convergence of Artistes, Managers, Producers, Label Executives, Publishers, Distributors and other key playersintheindustry

Thisyear,theconference slated for February 8-12 is themed, ‘Cari Culture’, and is said to be panel-driven, with leading music executives and practitioners explaining and giving tips and insights into key topics

of post-pandemic strategy andinnovation.

Iheart’s Tom Poleman, YouTube’s Tuma Bassa, 300E’s Nolan Baynes, Amazon’sMadelineNelson, Triller’s Monique Blake, Pandora’s Diego Hierera, Audiomack’sTanyaLawson BBC 1Xtra’s Seani B and Bizzle Osikoya, are among the global A-listers confirmed as panelists, and nowHJ’sKerwinBollers.

Bollers’ panel is expected to present on ‘Changing Content for a Changing World’ In the letter of invitation, the IMC teamexpressedthattheyare confident in the wealth of knowledgethelocalindustry icon possesses, and are certain he will be a valuable addition with “important lessonstoshare,inspire,and support the development of Jamaica’s emerging talent andindustryprofessionals.”

In a brief comment,

B o l l e r s s a i d h e ’s overwhelmed to have been chosentorepresentatsucha prestigious event and is looking forward to not only sharing but also gaining f r o m t h e o t h e r representatives.

“A lot of big names and well accomplished Music Executives will be there to sharetheirknowledgeonthe music industry, and I intend to go there, take in all of it, learn more about the industryandreturntoshareit with colleagues here in Guyana. I believe this is a greatopportunityandwillbe a memorable experience overall,” he said. IMC was founded by Dr Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell, Sharon Burke and Judith Bodley, and was endorsed by Jamaica’sCultureMinistry Regards GabriellaChapman

Public Relations Consultant

A Daily Struggle

DEAREDITOR

The Demerara Harbour Bridge teaches us about patience and tolerance

Some would say the bridge helps us to ‘ get out of bed’ very early- placing us in the continuedhabittobeontime so the ‘ boss’ won’t be infuriated for the delay caused by the congestion of traffic.

The Demerara Harbour Bridgeisafriendtomanyof us but it is the cause of an early morning’s migraine. Manyaredelayed, students, public and private workers, not forgetting the senior citizens being late to the doctor’s appointment or the

mother who is pregnant heading to the hospital- the result remains the same This historic and overused bridge steals away valuable time.

Human Resources are lost which kill productivity resulting in a declining system where goods and services are not readily availabletoconsumers.

The Demerara Harbour Bridge needs to be managed by good thinking minds Here’s a few question asked bymany: 1 Who manages the openingofthe‘doublelanes’ on the western end? I hope thoseindividualsunderstand

that ifby730amthe‘double lanes’ are not opened the trafficbecomesstagnant.

2.Whyanearlyopening? When the bridge is opened forvesselsat9amitcausesa majorset-backresultingina wastefulday

We all love our countrybutascitizensattimesweare troubled and question the decisionsmadebypersonsin authority

IamsurethePresidentis aware of the situation and is workingtokeephispromise on delivering the new modernbridge.

Regards Pt Surendranauth Tiwari

Fornationbuildingnarratives...

Frompage5 formulations.I am suggesting that with the privilegeofhindsight,weshouldconnectthe past with the present in a broader narrative that is healing rather than destructive. We cannot change the past but we can certainly changethefuture.

Havethestridentpoliticsandresorttoarms helpedoursituation?Isayno.Ourhorizonof expectation must generate strategies that speaktothosenormativeendsofthe“good” ratherthanfurtherdividingusassomeseem determinedtodo.

They must ask whether their particular narratives(of“emergingapartheidstate”,for instance) or any narrative that seeks to connectourpasttothepresentandenvisiona

more positive future, will deliver those normative ends. A constructive narrative cannot then picture our opposing groups locked forever in mortal combat. Crucial to the formulation of a constructive narrative would be its plot to link past, present and future.Mostofthepresentnarrativesset“us” against “them” into a frenzy of nihilistic Fanonian violence – not to mention teleologically promising a future that can never be delivered. Democracy is always a work in progress and still remains the best formofgovernanceoutthere.

Leadersmustremaincommittedtotheruleof law

Sincerely RaviDev

TheMacedonia-Joppavolunteer...

Frompage4 and social gathering or even being outdoor to play with their friends for almost two years, we at the Macedonia J o p p a Vo l u n t a r y Committee in an effort to revive the spirit of the children have celebrated the festive season with a lavish Christmas party for morethan200ofthematthe E v e r s h a m Vi l l a g e Community Center on Saturday December 10. 2022. With smiles on their faces,thechildrenagedfrom threeto15yearsenjoyedthe evening with a variety of dishes, drinks and juices as they meet and greet their friends and sang and danced to their favorite

tunes

The MJVC which is a non-profit organization also provided a Christmas dinner for more than 100 senior citizensonSundayDecember 11 TheMJVCalsodelivered hamperstoallofthem AndonFridayDecember 23,2022.

for the first time, the residents of the district, including the young and old sang carolsand witnessed the lightening of an eight-foot Christmas tree in front of the Eversham Community Center to mark the celebration of the festive season

The MJVC, which was founded by Dr Asquith

Rose and led by a team of dedicated men and women fromthedistrict,hasdonea marvelous job in 2022 to help the less fortunate in thearea

Funded by a few kind and generous private donors, the MJVC has succeeded in realizing its motto of uplifting the people in the district. During the past year, the MJVC has provided hampers to almost all the residents in the district, wheel chairs to senior citizens, chickens to several residents, kites to children and sports equipment to the youthsinthedistrict

In 2022, its volunteers haveworkedtirelesslytohelp the residents of the district celebrate Mashramani in February, Easter in April, Independence in May and EmancipationonAugust1

In the new year,the MJVC has plans to establish a race track, a recreational center in the district with several sport facilitiesforcricket,volley ball,basketball,lawntennis andtrackandfield.

JagdeoheadingtoIndiatotieupone-on-oneoildeals

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo issoonexpected to leave Guyana to tie up agreements with the Government of India for cooperation in the blossominglocaloilandgas industry

President Irfaan Ali alongwithahighlevelteam wereinIndiaforaseven-day trip and entered into several new agreements with the Indianstateforcollaboration inothersectors,inclusiveof manufacturing and power generationamongothers.

ItistheVPhowever,who manages the Petroleum sector that will visit India to tieuprelatedarrangements.

Jagdeoinannouncingthe auctionof14ofGuyana’soil blocks back in November last year had said the process, “is consistent with the promise we made while in Opposition that future blockswillbegivenoutonly through auction. We are not going to do this directly, except if it’s a state-to-state engagement with the governmentparticipating.”

On Thursday last, the Guyanese President met with India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs,theHonourableShri Hardeep S Puri in Delhi, India, where the leaders d i s c u s s e d “ d i r e c t

G o v e r n m e n t - t oGovernment cooperation across the oil and gas spectrum, including increased long-term offtake, participation in exploration and production activities in Guyana, technical cooperation in the midstream and downstream sectors and capacity building, as well as the synergies which exist between the two countries,” a release from the Head of Statedetailed.

Itwasalsonotedthatthe twocountrieshaveagreedto set up technical teams to advancethesediscussions.

Reuters reported thatAli whenaskedifGuyanawould offer blocks to Indian companies through direct negotiations said, “Apart from the auction, we are discussing Government-toGovernmentpartnershipina number of areas including exploration.”

India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs reported that the discussions between Guyana’s President and the subject Minister there, were fruitful. According to the Indian Government, “The contours of future cooperation would be finalized during the visit of Vice President of Guyana, Mr Bharrat Jagdeo to India

inFebruary2023.”

For several years, this newspaper has been at the forefrontofcallsforthereto be a thorough, independent investigation into the award oftwoblocks–Kaieteurand Canje – since several industry stakeholders who examined the matter, concluded that they were awarded under suspicious circumstances.

The Canje Block for instancewasawardedbythe D o n a l d R a m o t a r administration on March 4, 2015,daysbeforethatyear’s General and Regional Elections, to a local company, Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas Similarly, the KaieteurBlockwasawarded on April 28, 2015, just two weeks before the elections, and like the Canje Block, it was done based on the adviceofformerMinisterof Natural Resources, Robert Persaud.

S u c c e s s i v e Governments of Guyana have come under heavy criticisms for their managementofthecountry’s nascent oil and gas sector From the giving away of oil blocks to the signing of a lopsided contract with ExxonMobil,citizensdonot feel they will ever benefit fullyfromtheresources.

One significant area that has come under scrutiny is

the awarding of oil blocks –something which industry experts said should have beenputonapublicauction in the first place. It took the country more than seven years after it discovered oil, to move towards its first auction.

But even now that an auction has been launched, special blocks have been reserved for Government to engage in bilateral

agreements.

In October last year, PresidentAlirelatedthathis Government has set aside certain oil blocks which would be used for G o v e r n m e n t - t oGovernmentpartnerships.

The Head of State made thedisclosureduringapress conferencewithBritishHigh Commissioner, Jane Miller Alirefusedtodivulgefurther details on which specific blocksweresetasideaswell as what special purpose vehicle would be used to representtheState’sinterests in such matters He did pledge however to distill such details at the appropriatetime.

The President said this development followed engagements that were had earlier in the year with former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson as regards energysecurity

Ali said, “The specific discussion I had with Boris was in relation to energy

security for the UK.As you know, we have some blocks that we are going to auction offverysoon.

And we have some blocks that are set aside for what is termed Government toGovernmentpartnerships. We are looking at all our strategic partners with these blocks.”

The President added, “We also have some natural gas fields. We have not completed the national gas strategy as yet but in that strategy, more opportunities willbeopenedup.”

Ali said over all that his intentionistoensuretheUK is able to play a role in G u y a n a ’s e n e r g y transformation while continuing with efforts that will place the new oil producing State as a global leader on climate change, energyandfoodsecurity

It was later announced that the UK lifted its visa requirements for Guyanese travellers.

Localtransparencybody‘sickof...

Frompage3 asitregardsthemanagementoftheresources. Instead, he contended that Government is holdingthesecardsclosetotheirchestsoasto notdiscloserelevantdata.

Collins explained, “You can go to other countries and you can see the citizens demanding their information and the Government has to listen to them. The only informationthataGovernmentdoesnothave todiscloseisinformationthathastodowith national security, because you would be tellingyourenemyhowyouarepreparingfor war Everything else practically has to be or shouldbedisclosed,becauseitisourbusiness andwhatwehaveisawell-tenderedgardenof secrecy.”

The Transparency advocate warned that under the culture of secrecy maintained by successiveGovernments,theenvironmentis createdforcorruptiontothrive.

EITI’sRequirement4 2speakstosaleof the State’s share of production or other revenues collected in kind It states, “Where the sale of the State’s share of production of oil, gas and/or mineral resourcesorotherrevenuescollectedinkind is material, the Government, including state-owned enterprises, are required to disclose the volumes received and sold by the State (or third parties appointed by the State to sell on their behalf), the revenues received from the sale, and the revenues transferredtotheStatefromtheproceedsof oil, gas and minerals sold Where applicable,thisshouldincludepayments(in cash or in kind) related to swap agreements andresource-backedloans ”

Thepublisheddatamustbedisaggregated by individual buying company and to levels commensurate with the reporting of other paymentsandrevenuestreams(4.7).

Capableoilandgasworkersbemoan...

Frompage3 and Downer suggested that more than a year’s work would be available for locals.

Downer questioned why the task was not sent to Saipem where it is known thatworkershavetheability toconductthework.Heeven questioned whether work was not coming to the yard because workers there are speaking up for themselves. He said however that if Guyana is looking at local content and jobs in the oil and gas sector such matters cannot be overlooked and shouldbeapriorityforthose monitoringtheindustry

The union leader cautioned those responsible

for workers’ welfare. He said, “Workers are paying attention to what is happening.Theyaretheones who brought this matter to my attention, they are hungry for (workers’) representationandtheyhave adesiretowork.Idon’tthink people have a problem with doingthework.Ithinkwhat they need in fact, is respect for the rights of Guyanese working with a foreign company and adequate compensation for their labour.”

“But the fact that they have brought this to my attention it’s a sign that Guyanesearewakingupand keepingabreastwithwhatis happeninginthecountryand

thishurtsthem.”

Downersaidtheworkers are unsure who is responsible for such occurrences, but have urged the authorities to look into thesematters.

Dutch Manufacturer, Strohm B.V, said earlier this weekthatitwonacontractto supply ExxonMobil Guyana with24jumpersforitsUaru Project located in the StabroekBlock.

TheDutchcompanysaid thecontractwasthesecondit received from Guyana, having received one for the Yellowtail Project The company had said that the project “marks the largest commercialagreementin its 15-yearhistory.”

Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo

Environmental Impact Assessments are not as solid as they appear

Environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) done without engagement of members of society should be rejected outright. These ESIAs are often undertaken to satisfy regulatory requirements ratherthantoarriveatatrue and comprehensive picture of the array of possible impactsofaproject.

In the 1960s and 70s, there were a series of spectacularfailuresofmajor projects undertaken in developing countries by international financial institutions (IFIs) Correspondingly there was the growth of greater environmental awareness within the developed world and this in turn led to the emergence of powerful environmental advocates and movements who demanded that greater attention be paid to the environmental impacts of majorprojects.Thisdemand was later expanded to includesocialimpacts.

Not only did ESIA’s become mandatory for financing of major projects, but developing countries were also pressured into passing environmental legislationasapre-condition for sourcing loans. It is now obligatoryformajorprojects to have ESIAs before financing can be obtained from international financial institutions. Guyana was late with the passage of its environmental legislation The Environmental Protection Act (EPA) of Guyanawasnotpasseduntil

1996,andhaditnotbeenfor thedevastatingeffectsofthe Omai cyanide spill years earlier, it may have been delayedfurther

The EPA Act was criticized as being written solely to meet the demand, by international financial institutions,forprojectstobe subject to Environmental ImpactAssessments (EIAs). While the Act did address issues such as pollution, it was by no means a satisfactory piece of legislation to address the gamut of environmental concerns.Assuch,therewas considerablejustificationfor theargumentthatthishighly defectivepieceoflegislation was aimed at meeting the demands for EIA so as to ensure that the IFIs’ would approve major project financing. EIAs have also been subject to criticisms over the lack of public participation in the process. Normally what happens is that the EIA is tendered out and the consulting firm engagesincosmetic,ifanyat all, consultations with those likely to be affected Stakeholderengagementhas becomeacommonfeatureof the EISA process but even when there are public consultations, the public is provided with little or very poorinformationtoallowfor a n y m e a n i n g f u l participation The submissionsofthepublicare oftenignoredandthusthose most likely to have little influence in the final a s s e s s m e n t a n d recommendations.

Little attempt has been

Dem boys seh...

made locally to enhance models of participation by those likely to be affected. Instead, the EIAs are dominated by technical jargonandinputs.Butmany of those preparing the reports lack the local knowledge, something that would better inform their assessments. For example, how many fisher folk were consulted when the EIAs were being prepared for the Liza 1 EIAs? How many fisher folk would have known, muchless to submit written comments? The stakeholder engagement process of EIAs are highly flawed and not geared towards meaningful stakeholderengagement.

Because of this highly flawedmodelofstakeholder engagement, the full extent and range of risks are not usually considered. When it comes to social impact assessments, there are so manyvariablesinvolvedthat most EISA tend to have a limitedcoverageofthewide range of social impacts which ought to be considered, including impactsongenderandyouth

The Consultants undertakingEIAshavebeen accused of often lacking the technicalexpertiseandmany are forced to partner with experts in order to produce theEIAreport.

Data management in developing countries tends to be poor and baseline data is often not available. As such many EIA reports are ‘cut and paste’ jobs In countrieslikeGuyanawhere data collection is weak and

Matching now going out of style

Langagodemgirlsused to‘match’devariouspieces of dem outfits. If yuh nat matching yuh nat considered to have any dresssense.

Dem blouse or jacket does used to have to match with dem skirt. And dem shoes gat to be the same colour as de bag or be standard black or brown. Otherwise yuh attire nah ganpassmuster

Evendemmenstartfuh match dem shirt with dem pants and dem shoes. Yuh was not considered elegantly dressed unless

yuhmatchingfromcollarto socks to shoe tip. De odder daydemboyssee manpun de road with brown shirt, kakhi-coloured trousers, light brown socks and a brown shoes. On top he head was a brown cap. From head to toe de man wasmatching

But it now look as if demgalachangederulesof fashion.

Contrastisnowinstyle.

Dem gals wearing white dress with red and evenpinkshoes.Anddatis denewfashionfad.

But if dem men follow

thistrend,yuhganhearhow dem nah gat taste in style. Daywillbeabigmistake

When it comes to buying shoes, men should never go with their better half to the shoe store. One man did dis one time and livedtoregretit.

De lady pick up every single pair of shoes and look at dem. It took a full twohours.

And den when she was done trying on about fourteen pairs, she told the attendantdatshedidnotsee anythingsheliked.

Talkhalf.Leffhalf

often dated, this presents a major problem for making technical assessments. As a result, analyses tend to be premised on assumptions andpresumptionsratherthan facts and figures To compound matters, there have been cases where the Consultants designing the EIAs have been accused of being in conflict of interest. Giventhelimitednumberof Environmental Consultants available,itisinevitablethat there will be cases of Consultants, who have worked with or for the oil

companies, having to undertake an assessment of the impacts of the oil companies’operations.

These are not theoretical concerns They have significanceforthetypeand thequalityofEISAsthatare generatedinrelationtolocal projects. When the EISAs reports are therefore published, for public consumption, these issues needtobeborneinmind.

Challenges to EISAs need to be made extremely early because we have personsinGuyanawhohave

broken the Guinness Book record for speed reading. They have been known to approveEISAsfasterthanit took the Consultants to type upthereport.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

WhatIsawduringSundaymorningdriving

One zeitgeist succeeds another and civilization moveson.Butyouwonderif thecontentsofthepreceding zeitgeist are of a higher quality Music definitely comestomind.

Last year neighbours of liming spot in Australia where young people congregateonSundaynights and create a noise nuisance complained to the police. Thelocalauthoritiesdecided on a novel experiment to divethekidsaway

They blasted them with the songs of Barry Manilow in the hope that they will be annoyed and leave The thinking of course was that the young people there would find Manilow songs tobe“oldpeople’musicand gotoanotherlimingspot.

To think that those teenagers could reject Manilow’smusicjustgoesto showthatmaybetheworldis c h a n g i n g b e y o n d comprehension. Manilow is a crooner that sings love songsandhadsmashhitafter hitintheseventies.

Manilow sings poetry Theworldwillneverturnits back on poetry It is part of the civilized soul Many forms of music are simply poetryinmotion.Manilow’s songs are the recitation of poetry Whether young or old, you should appreciate

the beautiful poetry in Manlow’soutput.

I go driving Sunday morning driving with my wife. Yesterday, I put on “Ultimate Manilow” in the car’s stereo system. This is an album with 20 of Manilow’s hits It was simply an indescribable feeling to listen that that inviting poetry with your soulmatebyyourside.

Theblisswasinterrupted of course because I was driving and living in Guyana. We stopped at the entrance of Mahaica to take pictures of ourselves. Since we were in Mahaica, some photographs next to the James Douglas monument would be nice James DouglaswasborninGuyana and went on to become the first governor of the CanadianprovinceofBritish Columbia.

The moment was spoilt and that is putting it mildly Themonumentisoverrunby a jungle, the gate to the pathway is rusty and immovable and the steel fence needs maintaining There is no way you could take photograph with your lovedoneinthatambience.

We went right up to the statue, braced against it and took two selfies with my wife’s smart phone We didn’t want to capture the

jungle in the frame. That monumentisinadisgraceful

state and should be maintained on a regular basis. It is part of Guyana’s history

Manilow’s poetry was rudely interrupted by the complete breakdown of traffic at Diamond on the East Bank I have seen chaoticsituationsinGuyana where traffic insanity characterizesthebreakdown ofcivilizationinthiscountry but what I saw Sunday morning at Diamond was beyondbelief.

These things should not happen in a country in the 21st century with such a smallpopulation.Novehicle could have exited Diamond to enter the East Bank highway No vehicle from north or south on the East Bank highway could have enteredDiamond.

The chaos brought out thelatentuncivilizedinstinct latent in Homo sapiens When I see situations like theseIthinkoftheearly20th century European thinker thatIhadtostudyingraduate school -Arthur Koestler He will always remain one of my favourite intellectuals. Koestler deeply believed that Homo sapiens is a flawed species that is not betterthanloweranimals.

What is frightening to

know is that if such road atrocities can occur at that junction on a Sunday morning what happens on a school day and a working day It is completely perfect logic to assert that the roadwaysarenotcloggedon a Sunday morning for there arefewervehiclesareonthe roadways because (1), schools are closed, (2) working people are entitled to the day of rest, (3), the volume of commercial businessisreduced.

Why in a small country like this a traffic rank could not have been posted to that location? You still would havehadtowaitalongtime toproceedtowhereeveryou

were going but theregulationof traffic would havesavedafew bumpers from beingstruck.

What I saw at D i a m o n d y e s t e r d a y morning does not auger well for a happy existence in this country People should not behave like this. People should be offered a higher quality of servicefromthepoliceforce. I keep hearing about the ocean of oil money that will dousgood.

I subscribe to that. I believeby2030,thiscountry will have a prodigious

income. It is not the money itself but what the money willbring.Willitbringasoul existencetothisnation?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this n e w s p a p e r a n d i t s affiliates.)

Over$2Btoupgrade20km ofroadinTuschen,Zeelugt

The Government of Guyana has awarded28roadcontractsonSaturdayfor the upgrade of 20 kilometers of road in Tuschenandneighboringvillage,Zeelught, bothlocatedontheEastBankofEssequibo.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, engaged Contractors and residents on the plansfortheproject,whichwillspansome 20kmofroad,tothetuneof$2billion.

“I want you to take this work very seriously. You are operating within an environment that has a lot of constraints. Some of you are Contractors and you’re finding it hard to get sand… weather is a problem,andlabourisaproblem.Youhave a lot of problems in the industry,” he pointedouttocontractors.

According to DPI, the Minister noted that this was due to the major investments taking place in the construction sector, but assured that the Public Works Ministry would be putting mechanisms in place to reducetheshortageofContractors.

He said the roads needed to access schools,communitycentresandotherplaces ofnecessitywereidentifiedaspriorityroads, andassuch,theywillbeconstructedinthis phase.

Notably,thisisinadditionto$1.5billion in road works for the communities that

startedin2022.

Minister Indar also urged Contractors not to ‘drag their feet’on the construction, andensurethattheroadsarebuiltaccording totheMinistry’sstandards.

Residents who were present took the opportunity to raise concerns and express gratitudefortheGovernment’sintervention, noting that the construction of the roads wouldbenefitespeciallythestudents.

FrederickKissoon

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar

Youth stabbed minutes after walking out church

A day of worship on Sunday ended bloody for a youth, after he was brutally attacked by a man and stabbed three times to the back with a pair of scissors, just moments after leaving a church at Gordon Street, Kitty,Georgetown.

Kaieteur News was unable to confirm the identity of the wounded victim, but was told by eyewitnesses that he was attacked around 14:00hrs while at a nearby shop located just a stone’s throw awayfromthechurch.

“He just come out from church yuh know He and some other boys and dem stop by the shop to buy something”, one eyewitness said.

He claimed that the suspect approached and attacked the victim in the presence of other church members and passersby Some of the eyewitnesses reportedly tried to stop suspect from harming the youth, but he pulled out a pair of scissors from his pants waist and dealt the victimthreestabstohisback as he (the victim) turned away

The suspect then reportedly ran a short distance away and stopped. Some individuals assisted

the wounded youth and called an ambulance while others including church members and some of the victim’s friends ran behind thesuspectandattackedhim.

When Kaieteur News arrivedatthescenetherewas chaos in the streets An ambulance had just rushed thevictimtotheGeorgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).Residentscameout of their homes, some onlookers and those brave enough to intervene in the attack on the suspect to preventfurtherbloodshed.

It appeared as though some of the attackers had beaten the suspect with a wood. He took refuge in a nearby yard and was seen lyingontheground.

Things calmed down for a while but then emotions boiledoveragainandoneof the individuals identified as the victim’s friend broke whatlookedlikeabeerbottle and attacked the suspect again.

Persons were able to restrain him but the suspect somehow sprung to his feet and sprinted away from the scene.

A police patrol vehicle arrived shortly after at the scene and questioned a few persons about the chaos beforedrivingaway

The Scene on Gordon Street, Kitty where the stabbing occurred.

NewroadsforWakenaam

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Hon. Deodat Indar, addressing Wakenaam Contractors and Leaders on Friday

- 41 contracts awarded

Residents of

Wakenaaminthe Essequibo River are set to benefit from the construction of several brand new rigid concrete roads, to the tune of $792 million.

According to the Department of Public Information(DPI),theroads were identified in 2022 during a collaborative effort by the Public Works, Housing and Water, and Local Government and Regional Development

Ministries, to assess which community roads required immediateintervention.

The roads identified includedperimeterroads,as wellascommunityroads.

In keeping with the execution of other similar Government projects, the construction of these roads will see Wakenaam Contractors sourcing labour fromwithintheisland,soas to expand economic opportunitiesforresidentsof theisland.

Minister within the

Works Ministry,

during an e n g a g e m e n t w i t h Wakenaam Community Leaders and Contractors on Friday, highlighted the need for immediate mobilisation, asthestateofsomeroadshas rendered them difficult or impossibletouse.

“ I am telling you now, don’t go digging up people’s place if you know you’re not going to put in your lining, put in your steel, and your concrete. Don’thavepeoplesittinga

Murdered DJ laid to rest

month, or two months, waiting on you to come back and fix things,” he cautionedContractors.

During the discussion, Minister Indar also encouraged the Contractors to determine how they will source raw materials to build the roads, citing nationwide shortages of supplies, and attributing it to the massive number of construction projects being

undertaken across the country

Following the meeting, Minister Indar conducted a site visit to the lone road at Ridge, Wakenaam, which has been in a rapidly deterioratingstate.

As such, he requested that immediate remedial works begin to improve the deplorable section of the road in order to reduce the hassleisposesforresidents.

The Minister further encouraged the Contractors tosubmitsamplesofthereef sand from the island for testing, so that a determination of its suitabilitytobeusedonroad projectscanbemade.

The 41 awarded contracts are part of the networkofsome1,100roads identified as priorities for construction across Guyana in2022.

Severalinjuredaftercar tyreblow-outatFairfield

At least five

persons were i n j u r e d o n Sundayafteratyreblow-out caused a head-on collision between two cars travelling in opposite directions along the Fairfield Public Road, Essequibo Coast, Region Two.

Those injured were identified as 30-year-old Angelia Simon and Ivan Layne, age 66 – the two driversinvolved–alongwith Adzar Mohamed, 36, Andrew Curdis, 12, and AleenLayne,54.

According to police, Simon was driving a Toyota Allion north along the Fairfield Public Road with Mohamed as her lone passenger,whenshesuffered

Continuedonpage16

Photos taken at the accident scene on Sunday.

Tears flowed freely on Sunday as relatives, close friends and acquaintances of the slain DJ, Brian Pitam, popularly known as‘DJViper’waslaidtorest.

HisbodywasviewedathishomeatGood Hope East Coast Demerara (ECD), and also at his father’s home in Cane Grove, ECD, beforebeingtakentoitsfinalrestingplaceat theCaneGroveCemetery.

Pitam was described as a humble,

friendly, jovial and entertaining individual, who made an impact on the lives of many withwhomheinteracted.

He leaves to mourn his wife,Alia Pitam and his two young children, a two-year-oldboyandaneightmontholdbabygirl.

Pitam was last Sunday brutally killed allegedlybythreemenwhiletryingtodefend his father-in-law from a violent attack at LaluniVillage,LindenSoesdykeHighway.

Public

Deodat Indar,

Murdered Brian Pitam popularly known as ‘DJ Viper’body at his funeral service on Sunday.

The deteriorated road at Ridge, Wakenaam

PMhandsover$3.5Mtorebuildhomesdamagedbylandslide

- addressed numerous concerns by Linden communities

development that is taking placeinGuyana.

“We are looking for Investors to create opportunities in Linden. I can assure you that Linden will not be left out of any development ” Several issues, including security, small business grants and loans, scholarships and

education,ICTconnectivity, job opportunities, and road construction,werediscussed withtheWisrocresidents.

Phillips also committed to addressing ICT issues, which falls under his purview In addition, a working group will be formed to follow up on scholarship applications for

youthsintheregion.

This includes a visit to LindenbytheGOALteam.

The Senior Government Official also paid a visit to West Watooka, where he toured the community, interactedwithresidentsand listeningtotheirconcerns.

Duringhisvisit,he Continuedonpage16

Prime Minister Mark Phillips handed over a total of $3.5m to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to further assist in the reconstruction of homes for thedisplacedBobandFraser families.

The homes were damaged by landslides last year at Poker Street in Wismar, Linden “Every year my office is allocated money for special projects. So,Idecidedtotreatthisasa specialproject.”

During the simple handing over ceremony, the PrimeMinisterstatedthathe is“happythattheprojecthas started” and promised to workalongwiththefamilies affected.

“We know what happened, and at the end of the day we want to see you back in your own homes. We’re working together to get you back into your homes,”Phillipsisquotedby the Department of Public Informationassaying.

Regional Executive Officer (REO), Dwight

John, who accepted the cheque on behalf of the Region, stated that the people of Poker Street, particularly those whose homes and means of subsistence were directly impacted by the landslide, welcomed and appreciated the support. During the Prime Minister’s visit to Linden, he also met with residents of Second Phase Wisroc, whom he assured thattheircommunityandby extension, Region 10, will not be left out of the t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a l

Prime Minister Mark Phillips and residents of Linden

WANTED

Driver, Salesman & Porters to work in warehouse. Must have experience, attractive salary offered. Call: 6964444.

Driver/ Salesman, Bakers, Patry Makers, Puri /Roti Makers & Receptionist. Back to Eden Bakery,85 David St Subryanville, 6130475/ 613-0385.

Maid to cook and clean, must be child friendly. Excellent salary and working conditions offered. Call/ Whatsapp: 653-7776.

Seamstress, Tailor, Block Maker and Carpenter wanted. Call/ Whatsapp: 691-1918.

One Kitchen Assistant and Delivery Boy needed. Call: 223-5021/ 223-1531.

Taxi Drivers needed at Princess Taxi Service, Ramada Hotel. Call: 265-7075/ 76 or 616-5419, 690-2242.

One Domestic Worker/ Maid required to work 2 times per week. For more info Call: 613-7651/ 649-3783.

Babysitter/ Domestic required to work in Eccles, E.B.D. Call: 615-4860.

Water truck driver required to work on the West Bank of Demerara.Tel: 686-9296.

One Puri/ Roti Maker and two Kitchen assistant. Call: 648-8279/ 231-6591.

Linesman required to work in Georgetown. Experience will be an asset. Call: 233-2475/6 or 6411386.

Urgently need one female Cook to work in a fast food shop. Call Miss Johnson: 698-5526.

Live-in family, husbanddriving with gas/ arc welding skills and wife sales person, free cottage for living. Call: 227-1813.

VACANCY

Vacancy exists for Salesgirl and Porters at Best Buy Food Supplies, Lot 1 ‘E’ Deniss and Middleton Street C/ville. Apply in person with Send Written application.

Maid required to cook and clean in East Bank area. Call: 615-9132.

One General Domestic needed, must know to cook. Apply with written application at Keyfood, McDoom Village next to the Post Office.

Able-bodied Porter/ Salesman needed, must have cxc maths & english, with neat handwriting. Apply at Keyfood, McDoom Village or Call: 629-7426.

Delivery Clerk, Office Assistant, Sales Clerk & Labourer needed. Apply @ Lens Hardware, Call: 2271511/ 645-1613.

Office Clerk and Domestic worker required. Live-in facilities available, call: 2237500.

Carpenters, Labourers, Masons & Skilled men needed, wages $7,000$10,000 per day & Labourer, 5-6 K per day. Call: 650-1394, 692-7110.

Experienced Cashiers, Kitchen Assistant & roti/ puri Cook. Apply @ Hack's Restaurant 5 Commerce St. Lathe Operator, Welder & Handyman required. Call: 645-9333/ 220-6078.

Driver required, ages 23-50 yrs. Must be able to assist in Workshop at Eccles and must have car and van licence. Call: 645-8443/ 6429823.

Skilled Builder required to build Panel Door. Contact: 220-2736/ 220-3833.

Kitchen Assistant required @ Soup House Restaurant. Mon-Sat, 8am-3pm, great salary along with flexible hours. Call: 697-2014.

Expirenced Barber, Hair stylist, Colourist, Nail technacian and Domestic Helper required. Call: 6495005/ 226-6705.

SERVICES

Visa Application: Canada and UK & U.S.A. Graphics design & advertisements. Wedding decorations & elderly grooming: hair, nail etc. Call: 626-7040.

Manufacturing Company is now hiring. No experience needed, attractive compensation and incentives offered, Mon - Fri, 8am -5pm. Call: 226-2621.

VACANCY

Room attendant and Receptionist 25-50 years old. 233 South Road Lacytown, Call: 225-0198.

One live-in Housekeeper to work in Providence. Call: 680-3678.

Start a career in the hotel industry! One General Worker needed at Guesthouse in Land Of Canan. Call: 66 8-0306/ 676-0506.

One experienced Canter Driver and Porter required, 25-45 yrs. Call: 642-9191/ 231-1408 between 8am-1pm.

Hospital clerk busted with marijuana

A 31-year-old clerk employed with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) was on Saturday busted with over 1000 grams of marijuana at the sideline dam bus shed in Anna

Catherina,

Coast

In a statement sent out by police, ranks showed up at the bus shed around 21:45 hrs and observed Williams standing there with a bulky plastic bag in his hands.

FOR RENT

2 and 3 Bedroom fully furnished luxury apartments for rent, short term and long term. Tel:# 682-2585, 6911432.

1 8000 sq feet warehouse in a prime location on the E.B.D, US $10,000 per month. Call: 500-1527 or 233-3512.

Modern, new, one bedroom apartment. Steps away from Eccles over pass exit. Call: 227-1813.

One bedroom apartment for working couple/ single person $32,000 & $35,000 monthly, light & water included and one month security. Call: 623-0076.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

One CRV Honda, fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage 3.3M negotiable. Contact:649-0956.

2012 Nissan Frontier 42,000 Miles, Good working condition $3.5 Negotiable. Call: 225-3739

One of them reportedly approached Williams and identified himself as a policeman. The cop informed Will-

iams that he was going to search him and took possession of the black plastic bag he had in his hand. The policeman opened the bag and found ‘a parcel wrapped in brown scotch tape with the Simpson’s family cartoon logo on it’ filled with marijuana. They arrested Williams immediately and took him to the Leonora Police Station.

Williams will face charges this week as police continue their investigation.

PM hands over $3.5M...

From page 15 assessed the area’s deplorable back road while residents raised issues such as small farmer assistance, small business grants and loans, and infrastructure development.

ENTERTAINMENT

Th e Prime Minister assured residents that the Government will continue to allocate funds for the rehabilitation of roads including several in the region. He subsequently concluded his visit with a meeting with residents of Block 42 Mackenzie, Linden. Here, he was also informed of concerns over the development of the local road system, as well as the occupancy and distribu-

tion of lands in the area. PM Phillips also cleared up boundary disputes through consultation with locals, enabling the first access road which was budgeted for in the 2022 Budget to the tune of $37,000,000 to be completed. He reaffirmed the significance of Linden and added that the issues raised would be dealt with both the regional and national levels of Government.

“Linden is part of the development plan in terms of the infrastructural development for Guyana.

So basically, all the issues that were raised, will be followed up by the subject minister and ministry.”

EDUCATION

CSEC online maths classes are provided by qualified Teacher for January 2024 exams $10,000 monthly. Call: 603-9085

First Aid/ CPR/ AED: Home Nursing courses and First Aid Refresher course starting soon. Call St.John Association:225-9082 or email: stjohnguyana@yahoo.com

ACCOMMODATIONS

Aracari hotel located at WBD (Versailles, Vreed-enHoop)- A/C, all amenities and breakfast included, from $63 US. Call:264-29469.

FOR SALE

Houses for sale in Haslington, Tushen, Providence & Diamond / Little Diamond. Call Pacific Development Inc: 673-6210/ 227-8274 or 917-7715202.

US steel for sale in bulk. Delivery offered to customers in Georgetown. Contact The Canje Group: sales@ canjegroup.com or Call: +(592) 626-8671.

Six Balck & Tan German Shepherd pups, fully vaccinated. Tel# 650-9998/ 6260953.

Several injured after car tyre blow-out at Fairfield...

From page 14 a tyre blow-out around 07:30hrs.

As a result, she lost control of the car and crashed head-on into Ivan Layne’s Nissan Note that was heading in the opposition direction.

The impact of the collision has not only left the cars mangled but Simon, Mohamed, Layne and the two passengers of the Nissan Note, Curdis and Arleen injured.

Police stated Simon suf-

fered trauma to the head and lacerations to the body, while Mohamed sustained a fractured rib and bruises to the face.

Layne the driver of the Nissan Note, suffered trauma to the head and his passengers sustained injuries to the head, abdomen and body.

They were all picked up by public spirited citizens and rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital, where they received medical attention.

Investigations are ongoing.

Swimming pool, family fun, crystal clear pool, kids and adults sections at Aracari Resort, Call: 264-2946-9.

The Parcel of marijuana found in his possession.

Busted with Marijuana, Hospital Clerk, Warren Williams

West

Demerara (WCD). Police identified him as Warren Williams of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

AG files final submission in the court case against suspension of PSC

Attorney General (AG)

Anil Nandlall, SC, has filed the final submission in the matter for which former Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Paul Slowe has brought againstthePresidentoverthe suspension of the former PSC.

The Court has since passedarulingremovingthe President as a respondent in thematter However,thecase is still before the court and the Prime Minister has been listedasarespondent.

I n h i s w r i t t e n submission, the Attorney General pointed out the processthatwasundertaken todissolvetheformerPSC

He contends that the process was properly followed in accordance with therulesoftheconstitution

According to Nandlall, the preposition by virtue of articles 225 and 210 of the Constitution is that the Prime Minister has the prescribed authority to constitutionally raise the question of any member of the Commission on grounds of misbehavior set out in

Article225(2).

TheAGnotedthatbased on the constitutional provision, the Prime Minister must determine whether to suspend a member of the PSC and that the lawfulness of the advice isnotdependentona tribunal being in place in accordance withArticle 225 oftheConstitution.

Further the Attorney Generalsaiditisultimately for the President to e x e r c i s e h i s o w n independent judgment to make a substantive determination as to

whether the member is to besuspended

Added to this, Nandlall submitted, among other things, that the alleged breach cannot be proven since the tribunal provided for in Article 225 was not in place, and it was for the President acting on the advice of the PrimeMinistertomakethe decision

Thesubmissionwasfiled evenasJusticeGinoPersaud prepares to hear the substantive case of former Chairman of the PSC, Paul Slowe which will be heard onJanuary16,2023.

On June 16, 2021, PresidentAlisackedthePaul Slowe-led Commission Shortly, thereafter Slowe a n d t h e o t h e r

Commissioners moved to the court to challenge the President’s decision However, the life of the Commission subsequently expired.

S l o w e a n d t h e Commissioners are also seeking a declaration that Prime Minister Mark Phillips’ recommendation

to the President for their removal from the PSC is unlawful

They also want the High Court to declare that Slowe and the Commissioners remain competent and responsible to fulfill their constitutional mandate, including the appointments ofanyofficersintheGuyana Police Force (GPF) of or above the rank of Inspector, in accordance with Article 212(1)oftheConstitution

The President later appointedPatrickFindlayas the new Chair of the C o m m i s s i o n N e w Commissioners were also appointed.

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC, had tried on multiple occasions to block Slowe’s case from proceeding, but all his applications were thrown out

On March 9, 2022, Justice Persaud ruled that the contentions made by S l o w e a n d t h e Commissioners are of public interest, supported by case law while noting thatthecaseshouldbeheard

and determined on its merit e v e n t h o u g h t h e Commission is no longer in place

The High Court Judge saidtoo that the case would bring clarity on the President’s Executive Power on such matters and moreover,thelegalityofthe President’s decision to suspendtheCommission Nandlall and the new PSC had tried to persuade the Court to delay the hearing of Slowe’s case, pending the outcome of a challenge by Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton to

Findlay’s appointment

Chief Justice (Ag), Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC, u p h e l d F i n d l a y ’s appointment as the PSC Chairman.

However, Justice Persaud pointed out that applications have thwarted thehearingofthesubstantive case and once again highlighted Slowe’s right in the interest of his suspension.

Justice Persaud stated that the appeal in no way impactsorprecludesSlowe’s right to have the lawfulness of his suspension adjudicatedupon.

Moreover, Justice Persaud had ordered the respondents in the matter (Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d)MarkPhillips,Police Commissioner (ag) Nigel Hoppie, and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC, to file an Affidavit in Defence by December 16, 2022.

Thereafter, written submissions are to be filed byJanuary9,2023,andoral arguments are to commence onJanuary16,2023.

Cleanup cost could easily wipe out any benefits developing countries see from oil projects – Commonwealth adviser

ByRenaySambach

Commonwealth

Secretariat

EconomicAdviser,NaadiraOgeer, hascautioneddevelopingcountries like Guyana that the price tag attachedtodecommissioningcould easily wipe out any benefits the countryseesfromoilproject.

The process of restoring the ocean’s floor when an oil and gas projecthascometoanendiscalled ‘Decommissioning ’ Kaieteur News had reported that decommissioningisacomplexand costly process at the end of the economic life of an individual oil andgasproject.Itinvolvesthesafe plugging and abandoning of oil wells, removal of structures and restoration of the surrounding areas.

T h e C o m m o n w e a l t h Secretariat, last week released a newpracticalguidetitled,“Oiland Gas Decommissioning Toolkit,” which aims at helping its member countries, including Guyana who are in the oil and gas industry to manage costly oil and gas decommissioningactivities.

For her part, Commonwealth EconomicAdviser,Ogeer,wholed the development of the toolkit, explainedthat,decommissioningis another dimension to the just energy transition. It goes without saying that companies who have benefitted from these fossil fuels

should pay for all clean up and restorationactivities.

Ogeer stated too, “It would be unreasonable for developing countries with low capacitated regulators and weak legal requirements to shoulder the significant financial, environmental and social costs. This would easily wipe away any benefits seen from a project.” As such, she added that the international community must be extremely vigilant and united to ensure that the ‘polluter pays’ principleisadheredto.”

Kaieteur News had reported that the Secretariat is urging its membercountriestosecuremoney to restore the ocean’s floor at the end of the economic life of oil and gas projects, in order to avoid taxpayershavingtofootthebill.

Added to this, it was highlighted too of the uncertainty of decommissioning costs, which can result in the price tag easily moving from US-millions to USbillions.TheSecretariatstatedthat given the uncertainty of decommissioning cost, “it is critical that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that there are sufficient funds available to carry out the decommissioning activities.”

Notably, if poorly executed, decommissioning can also have

disastrous consequences for the environmentandcommunities.

Itwasstatedthatintheinstance of an oil company failing to cleanup the ocean’s floor, “If such a situation arises, Governments will likelyhavetoundertakeandpayfor decommissioning, because it is in thepublicinterestand/orbecauseit is required to meet the country’s internationalobligations.”

In this regard, the Secretariat urged Governments to secure financial assurance and implement appropriate assurance mechanisms to avoid taxpayers having to foot thebillfordecommissioningcosts. There are different types of financial assurance mechanisms,

which range from letters of credit, insurance and bonds to cash being held as dedicated funds for decommissioning purposes, it was highlighted. Notably, Guyana has been a member of the Commonwealthsince1970.

InGuyana’sinstance,American oil giant, ExxonMobil’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production GuyanaLimited(EEPGL)hasbeen taking out money from Guyana’s o i l p r o d u c t i o n f o r decommissioning which is being kept in their pocket. Under a signed deal – the Production SharingAgreement(PSA)–Exxon isallowedtotakeoutmoneytoset asideasadecommissioningfee.

Whiletherevenueshouldbeset asideinaspecialaccount,andheld by the Government – the Exxon PSA jumps off the precipice of internationalbestpractice,andinto a bottomless pit of abnormality on this front. ExxonMobil and its partners which include Hess Corporation and CNOOC PetroleumGuyanaLimitedareable to benefit from a lopsided system that allows them to keep decommissioning funds in their pockets. As such, Guyana must nowhope,pray,andtrustthatwhen the time comes, Exxon will hand overthesumsneeded.

Moreover, the Commonwealth explainedthatGovernmentsshould

have policies and regulations in place that require oil and gas companies to estimate decommissioningcostsandupdate themregularly

According to the Secretariat, Commonwealth countries are endowed with immense and precious natural resources. These include millions of square kilometres of ocean space, significantrenewable(wind,solar) and non-renewable resources (oil, gas, minerals). It was underscored that when managed equitably and sustainably, the exploitation of natural resources bolsters national resilience to economic and social crises,improvingprosperityforall citizens As such the

decommissioning toolkit was developed as part of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Natural Resources Programme, which aims to support Governmentsinmanagingtherisks fromdecommissioning,containing several key elements like: an overview of the key issues and implications for governments, practical recommendations to e f f e c t i v e l y m a n a g e decommissioning, a checklist to identifyareasforstrengtheningthe existing legal requirements and model decommissioning provisions that can be adapted to countriescircumstances.

Commonwealth Secretariat Economic Adviser, Naadira Ogeer

Former chairman of PSC, Paul Slowe

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall

Local Sinotruk authorized dealer Jumbo Jet handed over

5 brand new units to Associated Construction Services

Associated Construction ServicesownedbyMr Peter Lewis and his teamofhighlyexperienceddrivers, were handed the keys to “five” brand new Sinotruk units at the Jumbo Jet’s Auto Sale’s Ogle Showroom on Wednesday 11th January2023.

Mr Lewis has been a loyal customer and close associate of Nasrudeen Mohamed & Jumbo Jet for the past twenty plus years. Associated Construction has evolvedtobecomeoneofGuyana’s topcontractingfirmswithmultiple projectsacrossthecountry

Amajorconcernthroughoutthe contractingindustryisthegrowing demand for aggregate Most projects require sand, loom and stone in large quantities that has to betruckedfromthevariouspitsand ports; hence the reason contractors areincreasingtheirfleetoftrucksto keepupwiththedemand.

In May 2022 a US $40 million dealwassignedmakingJumboJet, the sole distributer for Sinotruk in Guyana and soon in other territories. Sinotruk originated in

Chinaandwasfoundedin2007by the China National Heavy Duty Truck Group a pioneer in the industry since 1956. Holding the rights as the largest truck manufacturers in the world, they are specialized in Dump Trucks, Tractor Trucks, Cargo Trucks, Concrete Mixers, Trailers, Crane Trucks, Garbage Compactor Trucks and Sewage Vacuum Trucks.

The first shipment of twentyfiveunitsarrivedinGuyanaonthe

1st January 2023 consisting of HOWO6X6and8X4TwinSteer units.Sincethen,over80percentof the stock was booked for delivery bynumerousContractors.

Brand new units can lower companies’ operational costs through effective preventative maintenance Fuel consumption with these specific units was proven to be considerably lower thanthestandarddumptrucks.

Contractorscannowvisitthe92 Smyth Street Jumbo Jet Office, to

“I sell drugs to take care of my children”

- Singlemothertellscops

Asinglemotherwhowas bustedwithcokeandweedat a La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home on Sunday, toldpolicethatshe selldrugstotakecareofher threechildren.

Police identified the woman as Onghel Walcott, 38, of La Grange PublicRoad,WBD

Ranks were sent to search her home between 05:10 and 05:40 hrs, after they received information thatsheis“dealingdrugs”.

According to a police statement, she did not stop the ranks from carrying out their duties, in the course of which they foundabulkyplasticbagon topofatableinherhouse.

“The plastic bag was opened in her presence and several transparent zip-lock bags were seen w h i c h c o n t a i n e d suspected cannabis (weed/ganja)”policestated Cops also found stashed between some clothes in a basket in her bedroom, a transparent plastic bag containing several rocklike substances suspectedtobecocaine.

Nothing else illegal

wasfoundinthehome

When the ranks cautioned the woman that they were going to arrest her for having the illegal drugs in her possession, she reportedly toldthem,“Isellingdaweed tomindmethreechildren… I selling da cocaine fo mine mechildren.”

The ranks took Walcott to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station, where she was processed and placed in the lock ups, andthedrugs

Busted with coke and weed, Onghel Walcott.

weighed.

The weight of the marijuana, according to police, amounted to 65 grams while the cocaine weighedatotalof9grams.

Walcott is expected to bechargedlaterthisweek

makebookingsforthevariousunits available.

Jumbo Jet has entered 2023 with a clear vision to boost the construction industry with quality and reliability through the importation of new heavy-duty machines and trucks. The official launchofthecollaborationbetween Sinotruk and Jumbo Jet will be at the 2023 International Energy Conference & Expo at the Marriot Hotel & Car Park from the 14th17thofFebruary2023.

The Jumbo Jet Organizing Committee has secured the first spaceupontheentrancetotheexpo where patrons can look forward to viewing the trucks where all the technical questions will be answered with comprehensive details given on the after-sale service and durability of all the units. Jumbo Jet has assured a facility will be put in place for interested Contractors to purchase units on the spot with financing options.

When contacted Mr Lewis explained, “Guyana is becoming the hub for business and large developmentsthroughgovernment contractsandtheprivatesector To keep up with the demand we need equipment that can withstand the heavy demands for a minimum eight years before any major maintenance.

I was pleased to see my friend NasrudeenMohamedwhoistaking Jumbo Jet to higher level with this new franchise. I will continue to support Jumbo who has been instrumental in Associated ConstructionServicesgrowth.”

Nepal mourns victims of worst air disaster in decades

(BBC) Nepalis are observing a day of mourningforvictimsofthe country’s worst air disaster forsomethreedecades.

At least 68 people died when a flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed and caught fire on Sunday morning. Mobile phone footage showed the Yeti Airlines flight rolling sharplyasitapproachedthe airport. It is unclear what causedthecrash,butNepal has a tragic history of fatal airlineaccidents.

A search and rescue operation that involved hundreds of Nepalese soldiers was suspended overnight due to darkness but is due to resume on Monday morning. Earlier, local TV reports showed rescuersscramblingaround charred sections of the aircraft which hit the ground in the gorge of the Seti River, just over a kilometre from the airport. Most of the 72 passengers and crew died, but there were unconfirmed reports that several people had survived, although criticallyinjured.

The Prime Minister of Nepal declared Monday a national day of mourning, andthegovernmentsetupa

panel to investigate the causeofthedisaster

Local resident Divya Dhakal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plungefromtheskyshortly after 11:00am local time (05:15GMT).

“BythetimeIwasthere the crash site was already crowded. There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over innotime,”shesaid.

“The pilot tried his best tonothitcivilisationorany home,” she added. “There was a small space right besidetheSetiRiverandthe flight hit the ground in that small space ” Aviation accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, often due to its remote runways and sudden weather changes that can make for hazardousconditions.

This Himalayan nation, home to some of the most breath-taking mountains in the world, has some of the most difficult terrain to navigate.

Alack of investment in new aircraft and poor regulation has also been blamedinthepast.

In May 2022 a TaraAir plane crashed in northern Nepal, killing 22 people.

Fouryearsearlier51people were killed when a flight travelling from Bangladesh caught fire as it landed in Kathmandu.

The European Union has banned Nepalese airlines from its airspace over concerns about training and maintenance standards.

The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the touristtownofPokharaleft the Nepalese capital just after 10:30 (04:45 GMT) forwhatshouldhavebeena short trip It had 68 passengers on board, includingatleast15foreign nationals, and four crew m e m b e r s O f t h e passengers, 53 were said to be Nepalese. There were five Indian, four Russians and two Koreans on the plane. There was also one passenger each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France amongothers.

KhumBahadurChhetri, a local resident, told Reuters that he was observing the flight from the roof of his home as it approachedtheairport.

“I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly it nose dived and it went into thegorge,”Chhetrisaid.

The Ganja and coke found at Walcott’s home.

Keys to the brand new Sinotruk units being handed over at Jumbo Jet’s Auto Sale’s Ogle Showroom.

ExxonMobilgoestoEPAfor6thoilprojectapproval

US oil major ExxonMobil has commenced the application process seeking environmental permission for its sixth oil project intheoffshoreStabroekBlock.The company has submitted an application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Whiptail development which was announcedinJulyof2021.

EPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Khemraj Parsram confirmed that the oil company had submitted its applicationfortheoffshoreproject, butsaidtheywouldalsoneedtodo an Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA).

“They did submit an application for Whiptail and we requested an EIA We communicated that to them and they have to publish same and do thenecessary,”Parsramsaid.

The Environmental Impact Assessmentwillbedonetoprovide information on the various effects the project may have on the environment including, air quality, water quality, waste management andoverallimpactonmarinelife.

The project will also include development wells including production, water injection wells, the installation and operation of Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers, and Flowlines equipment, installation and the operation of a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel as well

- while5thstillpending

asadecommissioningprocess.

The Whiptail discovery is located approximately 4 miles southeast of the Uaru-1 discovery and approximately 3 miles west of theYellowtailfield.Whiptail-1was drilled at depths of 5,889 feet (1,795 meters) of water by the Stena DrillMAX Whiptail-2, which is located 3 miles northeast ofWhiptail-1,was drilledin 6,217 feet(1,895meters)ofwaterbythe NobleDonTaylor

ExxonMobil had said in 2021 that the Whiptail-1 well

encountered246feet(75meters)of net pay in high quality oil bearing sandstone reservoirs The Whiptail-2wellwheredrillingwas ongoing at the time, encountered 167 feet (51 meters) of net pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs.

Exxon’s Senior Vice President of Exploration and New Ventures, had said that the discovery was encouraging “This discovery increases our confidence in the resource size and quality in the southeast area of the Stabroek

Blockandcouldformthebasisfora futuredevelopmentaswecontinue to evaluate the best sequence of development opportunities within theblock.”

ExxonMobil said at the time, that it envisioned at least six projects operational by 2027. The companyappearswellonitswayto achieving its goals as approval for the Whiptail field would mean operational confirmation gained forthesixtargetsinvestments.

So far, the Liza 1 and 2 fields are on stream, with Payara set for

this year Consortium partner Hess,hadsaidthattheoperators envisioned an FPSO coming on streameveryotheryear

It was noted that the fourth development, the US$10b Yellowtail project, when operated in 2025 will be the largest investment to date ExxonMobil’s fifth project at the Uaru-Mako field which holds over 1.3 billion barrels of oilwillhowevercomeinatover US$12b with a capacity of 300,000 barrels of oil per day following the proposed 2027 startup.

LastyeartheStabroekBlock consortium where ExxonMobil hasa45%operatingstake,Hess has30%andCNOOChas25%, confirmedtheintenttorampup investment. Hess Corporation’s ChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO), JohnHesshadsaidthatoncethe requisite permissions were given Guyana could have an FPSO operating every year after 2025. The push in field developments would see the operators reaching capacityof1.2millionbarrelsofoil perdayby2027.

Documentation for Exxon’s fifthandsixthprojectsarecurrently with the environmental agency The Stabroek Consortium has noted that the block has the potentialforasmuchas10projects withcommercialcrudequantity

Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Destiny

Day 2 of Harpy Eagles first practice match

Brilliant first innings century from Kemol Savory for the Tagenarine Chanderpaul XI

Day 2 of the CWI West Indies Championship first practice match between Tagenarine Chanderpaul XI vs Veersammy Permaul XI at the Guyana National Stadium (GNS), Providence resulted in Chanderpaul and Savory being among the runs on a wonderful second day; with a hard pitch and lovely sunshine.

Tage and Hemraj resumed the batting yesterday at 3-0 in the first session of Day 2. At the start of play, spectators witnessed some good stroke play early on, seeing

Chanderpaul bringing up his fifty with a massive cover drive to the cover boundary.

However, Hemraj was the first to get out before the lunch interval, Chanderpaul XI were 66 runs for the lost of one wicket. He contributed 40 runs in a 66 runs opening partnership with Chanderpaul.

Tage tarried through until lunch scoring handsomely to the end of the first session.

Just about 12:45 play resumed and Chanderpaul and Kemol Savory retuned after the lunch break but not long after Chanderpaul was bowled by

Junior Sinclair for 52 runs, he spent 154 minutes at the crease hitting five 4’s and two 6’s at a strike rate of 46.02. The Tagenarine Chanderpaul XI was now 138 - 2. It was this time Mavindra Dindyall joined Savory at the crease, the two put on a good fourthwicket partnership, accelerating the score to 157-2 at the first water break after lunch.

Junior Sinclair look composed in his spell against Chanderpaul XI, not giving away too many boundaries. In a double change to the bowling Richie Looknauth

Monday January 16, 2023

ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19)

Sometimes, it's amazing to see how your relationships can spin so easily out of control, Aries. Today you may have to deal with a lot of tension within your group. You'll almost feel as if no one understands the situation.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

You sometimes have difficulty making up your mind. You don't always know exactly what you want. Today, Taurus, you'll be at peace with yourself.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Sometimes we all feel a little lost, Gemini. We often want to move mountains and use all our energy and enthusiasm to try to do so.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

You have a natural ability to accomplish a great deal rather easily, Cancer. But today you may feel snowed under with projects. Things around you might be moving quickly.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

Your day has finally come, Leo. You have your own vision of life and you like sharing it with others. You're far from thinking that you're any sort of new messiah.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

Today you'll have the strange feeling that something is floating in the air. The time is right to try to understand the different needs of your family circle.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

As the dawn of another quiet and peaceful day appears, Libra, you will be in the best disposition to observe and appreciate the lightness of things. Life can seem so beautiful on some days.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

You will find a clean page on the agenda today, Scorpio. You should try to think only about yourself. This will allow you to meditate about your life and be at peace with yourself.

SAGIT (Nov.22–Dec.21) You will wake up today on cloud nine, Sagittarius. Your morale is at a peak. You will feel totally free and be able to clearly perceive the essentials of life.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The The astral energy will have you reminiscing all day long over childhood memories, Capricorn. These memories will take you to the houses and places where you were raised.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

You love interacting with people others might consider eccentric. You can't help it. You're simply attracted to them. You will probably encounter one of these people today, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You have always tried to build up your health using traditional methods, and you take great care of yourself.

and Asmed Nedd were introduced at the forty-fourth and forty-fifth over of the day respectively, Nedd was punished by Savory for two 4’s off his first two balls.

Dindyall lost his wicket cheaply, trying to cut a short ball through to the point boundary, only to edge the ball into the hands of wicket keeper. After spending some fifty-nine minutes at crease scoring only 11 runs: Dindyal out caught behind off the bowling of Nedd. Anthony Bramble came to the crease with the score at 190-3 in 50th over. Savory kept on scoring, hitting a wonderful six over mid wicket, followed by a couple drives and sweep shot to the boundary. The end of the second session came with the score at 202-3 off of 54 overs.

Play resumed after the tea break with Savory on 86 runs, while Bramble was on 2. Later, Looknauth was swept away by Savory for 4 runs in front of square in his first over after the break taking his (Savory) score to 93 runs.

The young Essequibian, also Essequibo’s cricketer of the year, continued his form bringing up his brilliant century with a gentle cut-shot behind point-position to get himself to a well deserved hundred. Junior Sinclair came back into the attack in the sixty-first over, as Savory was looking to up the tempo of the match after he got to his hundred, hoisted a ball from Nedd over deep mid-wicket for 6 runs, then glided another down to the third-man boundary for 4 runs. Bramble on the other hand kept scoring important runs hitting a couple of 4’s through the leg side in what looked like a well-composed innings.

Nevertheless Savory kept scoring moving quickly to 130 in the third and final session of the day. Sinclair gifted Savory a flighted delivery in the sixty-fifth over, of which Savory launch onto the frontfoot and hit an explosive drive, hitting him back over his head, one bounce into the boundary taking the score to 267-3 off of 64.4 overs at a lead of 6 runs.

After hitting a beautiful six off the bowling of Nedd, Bramble and Savory partnership continued to move into the nineties but Bramble was later dismissed for 28 runs trying to sweep a delivery from Looknauth, only to find the safe hands of Smith at the leg-

gully position, ending an even 100 runs partnership between him and Savory; the score now 290-4.

Savory continued to display his good form hoisting a delivery from Nedd over long on for 6 to bring up his 150 runs. K. Sinclair was later dropped on 11 runs at slips trying to cut a ball from Smith over third-man, edging it over the head of Nandu at second slip. Savory was eventually out LBW off the bowling of Smith bring an end to a brilliant innings by the Essequibian. Savory made 170 runs off of 192 balls. Spending 237 minutes at the crease, hitting seventeen 4’s and five 6’s. Gudakesh Motie joined Kevin Sinclair at the

crease with the score on 3355. Motie and K. Sinclair together looked good at the crease before Motie was dropped on 5 at 2nd slip off of the bowling of Smith in the eightieth over.

However, Beaton picked up his first wicket of the match trapping Motie LBW from a length ball carrying the score to 352-6 from 85.5 overs. Sinclair hit a magnificent cut shot through to backward of point for 4 runs to move into the forty’s. J. Sinclair, Beaton, Mohamed, Looknauth, Nedd and Smith picked up a wicket a piece on an excellent day for batting. At the close of play: Chanderpaul XI finished with 378-6 with a lead of 117 runs and 4 wickets remaining.

Kemol Savory

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Classy Arsenal outgun Spurs to extend lead at the top

‘My heart is with my guys’: Hamlin to watch Bills-Dolphins game from home

(Reuters) - Damar Hamlin voiced support for his Buffalo Bills ahead of their playoff game against the Miami Dolphins yesterday, which he said he would watch from home as he continues his recovery from cardiac arrest less than twoweeksago.

Hamlin collapsed during a Jan 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals moments after making a tackle but has made remarkable strides in his recovery and was released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday so he could continue his rehabilitationathome.

“My heart is with my guys as they compete today!” Hamlin wrote on Twitter

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin warms up before a game against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field. (Lon Horwedel-USATODAY Sports/File Photo)

recovery Nothing I want more than to be out there withthem!”

LONDON, (Reuters) - Leaders Arsenal put on a masterclass to overwhelm shellshocked north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 away and extend the gap at the top of the Premier League to eight points yesterday

TheGunnersflewoutoftheblocksfrom theopeningwhistleandbuiltafirst-halflead through a clumsy own goal by Spurs keeper HugoLlorisandasublimestrikefromMartin Odegaard.

Tottenham were totally outplayed by a fired-upArsenalsideunderMikelArtetawho weredeterminedtomakeamendsforalossat Spurslastseasonthatultimatelycostthema top-fourplace.

Theydominatedthefirsthalfandbattled gamely in the second, leaving Spurs boss AntonioContelookingglumonthesidelines asheclappedhishandstorallyhissorryside.

Striker Harry Kane, needing one more goaltoequalJimmyGreavesall-timeSpurs’ scoringrecord,hadchanceseithersideofthe breakbutkeeperAaronRamsdalewasequal tothem.

The win putsArsenal on 47 points from 18 games ahead of Manchester City on 39, with Newcastle United, who have played a gamemore,andManchesterUnitedafurther pointback.

Spurs are in fifth place with 33 points from19matches.

“Supporting from home as I focus on my

The 24-year-old safety was also able to watch the

Bills regular-season finale lastweekfromhishospital bedinCincinnatiwherehe live-tweeted throughout thegame

Nadal launches title defence as Australian Open ushers in new era

M E L B O U R N E , (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal will kickoffhisAustralianOpen title defence today with a first round test against risingBritonJackDraperas anewerabeginsontheblue hardcourts of Melbourne Park.

last week and has previously recorded wins over a slew of top players, including Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix AugerAliassime.

expectedofGauffsinceher stunning run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2019 in her Grand Slam debut at the tender age of 15.

BBC Sport - England beat Jamaica 63-59 in their final match to wrap up a 2-1 series victory against the SunshineGirls.

With the series poised at 1-1, England had to fend off afeistyJamaicaperformance in front of a lively crowd at London’sCopperBox.

England are ranked third intheworld,aheadoffourthplacedJamaica.

Roses captain Natalie Metcalf said she was “really proud” to get a “massive” w i n a g a i n s t t h e Commonwealth Games silvermedallists.

“I feel really emotional, to secure the series on home soil I’m really proud,” she added.

“This is massiveJamaica are an incredible team,playingagainstthemis so hard every time so for us

to have this opportunity to play them and test ourselves for the last time before the World Cup, it’s been crucial forus.”

Metcalf, along with fellow mid courter Imogen Allison, drove the Roses’ attackasthedefencelooked more settled with experienced defender Geva Mentor in the side for the firsttimethisseries

Much to the relief of head coach Jess Thirlby, shooter Helen Housby returned to the team after limping off in Saturday’s defeat and formed a formidablepartnershipwith impressiveyoungsterOlivia Tchine

England started well, leading by four after the opening quarter, but allowed Jamaica back into the game in the second

period and endured a physicalsecondhalftokeep fired up shooter Jhaniele Fowleratbay

In a frantic third period, Jamaica wing defence Crystal Plummer was suspended for continuous obstruction leaving the visitors down to six players for two minutes as England maintained their narrow lead

While Thirlby has one eye on trialling different combinations to work out herbest12playerstotaketo the World Cup in South Africa this summer, she revertedtotheexperienceof Mentor and Layla Guscoth in defence to see out the victory

England are next in action at the Quad Series in South Africa from 21 January

At the first Grand Slam following Roger Federer’s retirement and Serena Williams’s “evolving away” from tennis, Spaniard Nadal carries the flameforthefadinggolden generation as he bids for a 23rdmajortitleandthirdat MelbournePark.

The36-year-oldisthird up at Rod Laver Arena, returningtothecentrecourt where a year ago he conjured the “miracle of Melbourne”, coming back from two sets down to topple Daniil Medvedev in afive-setclassic.

However, as Nadal observed on Saturday, tennismovesquickly

The top seed has had only one win since September’sU.S.Openand admitted his title defence was vulnerable to an early shock after two straight defeatsinthelead-up.

Ayoungmaninahurry, 21-year-old Draper surged intothetop40afterarunto the Adelaide II semi-finals

“It’sprobablyoneofthe toughest first rounds possible, being seeded,” Nadalsaidofthematch-up.

“I’m here to just give myselfachance.”

With local hero Ash Barty having retired last March after ending Australia’s44-yearwaitfor a home winner, the women’s tournament will featureanewchampion.

TopseedIgaSwiatekis strong favourite to succeed Barty and win her first title at Melbourne Park, having won two of the four Grand Slamsin2022.

The reigning French and U.S. Open champion openshercampaignagainst Jule Niemeier in the first eveningmatchatRodLaver Arena, the German who gave Swiatek a huge scare in the U.S. Open fourth round.

With American tennis lookingforanewchampion inthepost-Serenaera,Coco Gauff will open the day sessionatRodLaverArena against Czech Katerina Siniakova.

Big things have been

Now 18 and with her first major final under her beltafterlastyear’sFrench Open,Gauffmaybeamong the strongest candidates to fill the vacuum left by Williams.

T h e w o m e n ’ s tournament has been describedasoneofthemost openinyears,withonlytwo former champions in the draw

Only one will remain after Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka play off in the third match at MargaretCourtArena.

Medvedev, the men’s seventh seed, will return to thesceneoflastyear’sfinal heartbreak when he faces unseededAmericanMarcos Giron in the late match at RodLaverArena.

Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, a three-times semi-finalist at Melbourne Park, will meet France’s Quentin Halys at Margaret Court Arena, while women’s runner-up Danielle Collins starts against Russian Anna Kalinskaya at the Kia Arena.

Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah in action with Tottenham Hotspur’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. (Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs)

NBA roundup: Joel Embiid, Sixers sink sink Jazz in final seconds

Reuters-JoelEmbiidhit a game-winning shot with five seconds left and James Harden fired in 18 of his 31 pointsinthefourthquarterto lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-117 win over the UtahJazzonSaturdayinSalt LakeCity

Embiid finished with 30 points and seven rebounds, Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and Shake Milton contributed 17 as the 76ers began a five-game Western Conference road trip on the rightnote.

Jordan Clarkson led the short-handed Jazz with 38 points, nine rebounds and fiveassists.Hemomentarily put Utah ahead with a goahead bucket with 13 seconds left after the Jazz rallied out of a 20-point, first-half deficit Talen Horton-Tucker scored 20 pointsoffthebenchforUtah, which played without four regulars, including leading scorer Lauri Markkanen, whowassidelinedwithaleft hipcontusion.

ClarksonkepttheJazzin itwith17pointsinthefourth quarter After Embiid split a

pair of free throws, Walker KesslertippedinaClarkson miss to give the Jazz their first lead of the game, 115114, with 33 9 seconds remaining.Theteamstraded leads in the waning moments, with Harden making a short jumper followedbyClarksonhitting his go-ahead shot prior to Embiid’sgame-winner.

Trail Blazers 136, Mavericks119 Damian Lillard recorded 36 points and 10 assists while outplaying Luka Doncic to lead Portland to a convincing victory over visitingDallas.

NBA scoring leader Doncic had a season-worst 15 points — 19 below his average — to go with 10 assists and six rebounds. He was just 7 of 19 from the field and missed all five 3point attempts. Lillard was 11-of-20shooting,including 4 of 11 from behind the arc, as the Trail Blazers ended a stringofsixstraightlossesto Dallas. A second round of Lillard versus Luka will occur Sunday night, also in Portland.

Reggie Bullock hit two straight 3-pointers to bring Dallas within 85-74 with 6:14 left in the period Consecutive treys by Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II gave Portland a 106-88 lead in the final minute before Doncic’s basket left the Mavericksdown16entering the fourth quarter Lillard scored four straight points and Anfernee Simons hit a trey during a 7-0 run that made it 125-101 with 6:41 remaining and Portland cruisedtothefinish.

Heat111,Bucks95

Gabe Vincent scored 27 points as Miami posted a victory over visiting Milwaukee.

Bam Adebayo led the charge down low, finishing with his 21st double-double of the season by collecting 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Victor Oladipo scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler added 16 Milwaukee boasted six players that scored in double figures, including all five starters.

Bobby Portis led the team with 15 points while Jrue Holidayhad12pointsand10

assists.

TheHeatledbyasmany as 15 points in the second quarter, but the Bucks were able to cut the deficit to one in the third. Miami was able to pull ahead just under halfway through the final period, though, going on a 13-0 run to take a commanding 97-79 lead with7:13toplay Grizzlies130,Pacers112

Desmond Bane scored 25 points, Ja Morant added 23 points and 10 assists and Memphis extended its

winning streak to a seasonhigh nine games with a resounding victory over IndianainIndianapolis.

Santi Aldama had 17 points, Ziaire Williams scored13andStevenAdams had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 34. Memphis improved to a season-high 16 games over .500 as Jaren Jackson Jr finished with two blocks, extending his streak with multiple blocks to a franchise-record13games

Chris Duarte scored 25 pointstoleadIndiana,while Bennedict Mathurin added 16, T.J. McConnell had 13 points and 11 assists and IsaiahJacksonchippedin12 points. Indiana lost its third straight while shooting 36.9 percentfromthefieldand11 of 47 (23.4 percent) from 3pointrange.

Inotherresults: Celtics122,Hornets106 Hawks114,Raptors103 Timberwolves 110, Cavaliers102 (FieldLevelMedia)

Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek open Australian Open as big favorites

Melbourne was made easier when world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw due to a leg injury

The35-year-oldSerbianisthe120favoriteatBetMGMtowinthe men’s title. His closest competitor is Daniil Medvedev (+600), who fell to Nadal in last year’s final. Nadalisbeingofferedat+1400,but the 36-year-old is just 4-7 since withdrawingfromthesemifinalsof Wimbledonduetoinjury

Nadal, who opens with a tough match against 40th-ranked Jack Draper, potentially could meet Medvedevinthequarterfinals.

Also being offered at +1400 is Stefanos Tsitsipas, with Nick Kyrgiosopeningthetournamentat +1600.

The top American is Taylor Fritz,whoisbeingofferedat+2000 alongwithJannikSinnerandFelix Auger-Aliassime Fritz, 25, is seeking his first major title and faces a potential semifinal match against Djokovic if he can get that far

titlesattheFrenchandU.S.Opens.

The 21-year-old from Poland lost in last year’s semifinals to Danielle Collins (+3300), who wentontolosetoAshleighBartyin thefinals.Bartyhassinceretired,as hasSerenaWilliams,andfour-time major champion Naomi Osaka is pregnantandtaking2023off.

The women’s draw was further depleted with the withdrawals of AjlaTomljanovicandPaulaBadosa duetoinjury

Sabalenka, 24, reached three semifinals last year but has yet to

reachagrandslamfinal.American Jessica Pegula begins the tournament at +1000 despite never advancing past the quarterfinals of a major She has reached the final eightinMelbourneeachofthepast twoyearsandwasaquarterfinalist atthreemajorsin2022.

Ons Jabeur was turned back in the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year She is being offered at +1400 along with AmericanCocoGauffandCaroline Garcia.

(Field

LevelMedia)

Djokovic makes his return to Melbourne after being deported ahead of last year’s tournament because he was not vaccinated

Djokovic picked up No. 21 at Wimbledon last year and finished 2022withavictoryattheNittoATP Finals,completingarunof18wins over a 19-match span. His path at

On the women’s side, Swiatek istheheavy+240favorite,withher closest competition being Aryna Sabalenkaat+700.Inadditiontoa record 37-match win streak, Swiatek’s 2022 included major

Reuters - Novak

Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are massive favorites to win their respective draws ahead of the start of the AustralianOpenlastnight.

againstCOVID-19.Heisseekinga 10th Australian Open title, which would also pull him into a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major titlesofalltimewith22.

Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent (2) drives against Milwaukee Bucks guard Jevon Carter (5) during the second half at Miami-Dade Arena. (Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports)

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during a press conference.

(REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo)

Poland’s Iga Swiatek reacts during her semi final match against Jessica Pegula of the U.S. (REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo)

James stars with all-round performance as Rising Stars defeat Ireland

Kohli’s 166 helps India crush Sri Lanka by record 317 runs

AFP - Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 166 to helpIndiabeatSriLankaby 317 runs and record the highest ever victory margin inaone-dayinternationalas they swept the series 3-0 yesterday

thetouristsatnumbereight.

bowledonfour

POTCHEFSTROOM,

South Africa- The West Indies Rising Stars opened their ICC Women’s U19 World Cup campaign with a 7-run win over Ireland Women’s U19 at the NorthWestUniversityOval.

Zaida James told CWI Media, “It’s certainly a great feeling to have an all-round performance

like this and even better thatwehadateamvictory.

Our focus is one game at a time and to finish the group stage strong, then we will look at the remaining stages of the tournament.”

The victory sees the West Indies move to the top of the table in Group C, with 2 points and a Net

RunRateof+0.350.

They play Indonesia tomorrow, Tuesday January 17atNorth-WestUniversity Oval, Potchefstroom –7 : 4 5 a m E a s t e r n Caribbean/6:45amJamaica.

Scores: West Indies Rising Stars 125/3 (20 overs) Zaida James 52, Naijanni Cumberbatch 21; Freya Sargent 4-0-9-2 beat IrelandWomen’s U19 118/7 (20 overs) Annabel Squires 42, Amy Hunter 21; Zaida James4-0-20-4.

Player of the Match: ZaidaJames.

GROUPS

Group A: Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, U S A

GroupB:England,Pakistan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe

GroupC:Indonesia,Ireland, New Zealand, West Indies

Group D: India, Scotland, SouthAfrica,UAE

W E S T I N D I E S

MATCHSCHEDULE

Sunday January 15: vs Ireland at NW University, Potchefstroom – 4am Eastern Caribbean/3am Jamaica-WestIndieswonby 7 r u n s

Tuesday January 17: vs IndonesiaatNWUniversity, Potchefstroom – 7:45am Eastern Caribbean/6:45am

J a m a i c a

Thursday January 19: vs New Zealand, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom –7 : 4 5 a m E a s t e r n Caribbean/6:45amJamaica

Kohli’s third century in his last four matches and a 116byopenerShubmanGill powered India to 390-5 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj then returned impressivefiguresof4-32as Indiabowledoutthetourists for 72 in 22 overs as India went past New Zealand’s 290-run thrashing of Ireland in 2008. A 131-run secondwicket stand between Gill and Kohli stood out after Indiaelectedtobatfirst.

Gillputon95runsforthe openingwicketwithskipper RohitSharma,whomade42, tosetthetonefortheteam’s batting domination. Rohit missedoutonafiftyafterhe felltoChamikaKarunaratne but Gill kept up the attack with Kohli and raised his second ODI hundred, celebrating it with a fist bump. Gill smashed Jeffrey Vandersay for four fours in theoveraftertheton,butwas soon bowled off a slower deliveryfromKasunRajitha.

“King Kohli” put on another century partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who hit 38,andwentontorecordthe ton with his arms and bat raised to an applauding crowd.TheballbeforeKohli got his hundred saw a nasty collision at the square-leg boundary between Vandersay and Ashen Bandara, with both fielders stretcheredoff.

Dunith Wellalage came inasaconcussionsubstitute forVandersayandbattedfor

Kohli changed gears afterhis46thODIcentury— three behind Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 — as he smashed Karunaratne for two successivesixes.Kohli,who surpassed Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene’s 12,650ODIrunstoenterthe top five all-time run getters, reached his 150 in 106 balls and finished off with 13 fours and eight sixes. Sri Lanka were never in the chaseafterMohammedSiraj struck thrice in his first five overs including the wickets of Avishka Fernando, for one, and Kusal Mendis,

The tourists kept losing wickets to Siraj’s pace and swingandthequickalsoran outKarunaratnewithadirect throw that caught the batsmanoffguardandoutof hiscreaseatthestriker’send.

Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav picked two wickets each to flatten Sri Lanka’s batting with 28 overs to spare, with the tourists losing nine wickets and injured Bandara not batting.Scores:India390for 5 (Kohli 166*, Gill 116, Rajitha 2-81, Kumara 2-87) beat Sri Lanka 97 (Siraj 432, Kuldeep 2-16) by 317 runs.

Mohammed Siraj celebrates a wicket. (BCCI)

Virat Kohli celebrates after reaching his hundred. (BCCI)

Zaida James celebrates a wicket. (Nathan Stirk-ICC)

Zaida James was player of the match. (Nathan Stirk-ICC)

BCB President

Hilbert Foster has stated that 2023 would see major developments in Berbice cricket and massive invest into the county’s junior cricketinanefforttounearth promising talent for the future.

2023 would see the return of cricket at the secondary level and the historic introduction of the game at a competitive stage at the primary school levels.

The vibrant cricket board late last year shared close to two million dollars worth of uniforms, gears and cricket balls to twenty three secondary schools in the

county with assistance from Lochan Samkarran Over sixtyfiveprimaryschoolsin both regions five and six shallshortlyreceivecloseto one million dollars worth of tapeball bats and taped balls as the BCB continues to investintheschoolsystem.

The board on Friday last received two major sponsorships from Government officials as the drive to lift the county even highercontinues.

People’s Progressive PartyMemberofParliament FaizalJaffarally,alongterm supporter of the Hilbert Foster led board, handed over a sponsorship package of five hundred thousand

dollars. The funds would be equally divided to host the annual Jaffarally 20/20 knockout tournament for second division teams in West Berbice, while the other half would provide cricket balls under the second annual Jaffarally CricketTrustFund.

Twelve clubs in West Berbice would receive red cricketballstoassistthemto play in the numerous BCB tournament schedule for 2023.

TheGovernmentMPhas been a massive supporter of the county game and has even assisted to find sponsorsatseverallevels. Region Five Vice

Chairman Rion Peters also readily agreed to establish a trust fund in his name and handed over two hundred thousanddollarstotheboard duringameetingwithafour memberBCBdelegationled by Foster The funds would be used to assist primary schools with tapeballs and bats for the upcoming inter primary school 10 overs tournament.

The Vice Chairman also committed to assist with the constructionoftwoconcrete all weather courts with nets at the Bush Lot United and Cotton Tree grounds. Construction is expected to start shortly at Bush Lot, while the other one would

start later in the year The pitches would be a major assistance to players during therainyseasonandalsofor coaches to conduct sessions withyouths.

Clubs and schools in the area would also have access to a four hundred thousand dollars worth bowling machinecomplimentsofthe trustfund.

Foster, who was elected to the BCB presidency in 2018 had committed to obtaining four bowling machines this year after the board coaching staff had requested them in order to work on the county’s youth batsmen ability to play fast bowling The BCB has

a l r e a d y o b t a i n e d sponsorship for two machines for the New Amsterdam/Canje and Lower Corentyne sub zones and is currently working to get one for the Upper Corentyne area. Foster was confident that all four sub zones would get their bowling machines by April, 2023.

The BCB expressed thanks to Mr Jaffarally and Mr Peters for their investment into Berbice cricket.Theboardisseeking to produce a total of sixty players for the national teams at the different levels, surpassing the fifty players in2022.

The Demerara Cricket Board held its Annual General Meetingon Friday January 06, 2023, at the LBI Cricket Facility, East CoastDemeraraat5:30pm.

The meeting was attended by all its member Associations such as East Coast Cricket Board, East Bank Cricket Association, Georgetown Cricket Association, Upper Demerara Cricket Association, and theWest Demerara Cricket Association along with their respective allocationofdelegates.

Singh, chairman of the board, called the meetingtoorderandthereafterconductedthe business of the meeting efficiently During the ensuing discussions a number of issues were highlighted with the most important areas of concern being the fact that senior GCA members regularly failed to attend ExecutivemeetingsoftheDemeraraCricket Board.

It was recorded that GCAPresident Neil Barry attended 5 out of 9 meetings, VicePresident Roger Harper attended 4 out of 9 meetingsandTreasurerAzadIbrahim2outof 9 meetings Also, Barry, Marketing Committee chairman failed to acquire a single sponsor throughout the year, while Roger Harper never convened a single

Cricket Development Committee meeting althoughhewastheChairmanfortheperiod.

Members expressed total dissatisfaction over the very unacceptable state of affairs, feeling that GCA was deliberately underperforming which seemed to have been reflected in their members being left out of the nomination/ election process that followed. Immediately after this meeting

Thefirstnominationforofficewasthatof the President of the DCB where the GCA nominatedSpeakeroftheNationalAssembly (Parliament) Manzoor Nadir who came up against Mr Bissoondyal Singh and was

trashedbyamarginof24votesto7votes.The delegates of the GCA immediately walked out after the embarrassing loss and were thereafter not recommended for nomination toanyotherpositionfortheremainingofthe processElection.

following members were elected to officeoftheDemeraraCricketBoard.

Mr BissoondyalSingh -President

Mr PuneetJaigopaul - 1 s t Vice-President

Mr Bradley Fredericks - 2nd VicePresident

DavteerthAnandjit-Secretary

AvinashGanesh-Trustee

Ombudsman Mr Malcolm Peters began the Election process with the delegates nominating Mr Arnold Sukraj as the ReturningOfficer

James stars with all-round performance as Rising Stars defeat Ireland

Sports

Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli celebrate Gill’s hundred. (BCCI)

West Indies Stars celebrate victory. (Nathan Stirk-ICC)