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AIETEUR NEWS

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Henry Boys’ murder suspects

Wednesday Edition March 02, 2022 - Vol. 17 No.09 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 67,574

committed to stand trial

Produce insurance policy to clear the air - former EPA Head tells ExxonMobil Guyana President Ex-prison warder gets life imprisonment for wife's murder SOCU Head Traffic accidents sues Paul claim 14 lives in Slowe for less than two months over $70M 2022 road carnage…

Opposition to submit nominees for NRF Board today …but holds out Act illegally passed

Amaila Falls Hydro Project Deal…

Dr. Ashni Singh puts out 11-minute video defending project but silent on six most dangerous risks thrown on Guyana Lets show solidarity with Ukraine, join the picket at the Russian Embassy today @12:00 noon

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

Labour Ministry driver dies after crashing into pedestrian A driver attached to the Ministry of Labour, died on Monday after he crashed into a 66-year-old pedestrian with his motorcycle, along the Agricola Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

He was identified as Lionel Berkley, 24, of Lot 58 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown. The pedestrian he struck was identified as Shirley Hollingsworth of 66 Public Road, Agricola, EBD. According to police, she is

severely injured and is presently in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Police in a press release stated that the accident occurred around 19:00hrs.

Berkley was reportedly riding north without a helmet, along the western carriageway of the road when he collided with Hollingsworth on a pedestrian crossing. Police learnt that the woman was at the time attempting to cross

the road.

As a result of the impact, both Berkley and Hollingsworth fell to the road’s surface and received injuries about their bodies.

In a cell phone recorded video seen by this media house, Berkley was seen lying face down on the road and bleeding from the head.

B o t h h e a n d Hollingsworth were picked up in an unconscious condition and transported by ambulance to GPHC. However, upon arrival at

the hospital, Berkley was pronounced dead while the woman was admitted in a critical condition.

Following the news of Berkley’s death, his boss at the Ministry of Labour, Minister Joseph Hamilton, along with some of his friends, expressed condolences to his relatives via Facebook posts. Some even shared the last encounter they had with Berkley. They described him as a “humble soul and a strong young fighter”.

Dead, Lionel Berkley

Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Produce insurance policy to clear the air - former EPA Head challenges ExxonMobil Guyana President Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams is challenging the President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, to show the country precisely how much insurance the nation has, from the company, to cover costs associated with the dreaded eventuality of an oil spill.

Dr. Adams was at the time responding to a statement issued by the oil company ExxonMobil Guyana, in which it refuted the claims made by the former EPA head, that it had previously agreed to offer Guyana an insurance coverage to the tune of US$2.5 billion.

The ex-boss of the EPA, in an article recently published by Kaieteur News had asked government to explain why it reversed an agreement, which the EPA formerly had with the operator to not only guarantee US$2.5 billion from its subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) but also cover damages that

Former EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams exceed this amount.

To this end, Exxon came forward and refuted the foregoing, stating that it never agreed to an insurance value of US$2.5 billion with t h e p r e v i o u s E PA administration, headed by Dr. Adams. Instead, the oil giant said, “…we’re working with the Environmental Protection Agency and our co-venturers to put in place a combined US$2.0Bn of affiliate company guarantees, a value exceeding equivalent guarantees required by regulators in Canada, the United States and United Kingdom”.

It was keen to note that EEPGL, the operator of the Stabroek block, was established since 1998, and had, as of year-end 2020, almost $US5.0Bn in assets, which is a primary form of financial assurance.

In this regard, Dr. Adams has asked the parent company of the operator, ExxonMobil to produce the relevant documents to tell the country exactly what coverage it has been given to clean up after an oil spill.

He reasoned that ExxonMobil “cleverly avoided the amount of that insurance coverage” being offered to Guyana, while the

President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge

company only said “it has insurance coverage for all of its petroleum activities”.

“So, Exxon must state that if it is not the US$2.5 Billion, what is it? And must p r o d u c e t h e documentation,” Dr. Adams contended.

He noted too that Exxon also claims that “EEPGL had, as of year-end 2020, almost $US5.0Bn in assets”, while “cunningly evading” what EEPGL’s assets were in 2019, when the Permits were signed.

In fact, he said that the real truth is that Exxon purposely dodged that EEPGL’s assets were almost

nothing in 2019 before production, which was the reason EPA did not allow the company to be self-insured.

The former EPA head also argued that traces of documents pertaining to the

insurance were left at the EPA office, which he called on to release same.

He said, “As stated in my letter to the Editor, since that time, around April 2019 to August 2020, regular meetings were held among the lawyers of the EPA and EEPGL to agree upon how liabilities above the US$2.5 Billion would be shared among the parent companies of ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation).

Draft documents detailing their proposal were brought to each of these meetings, and I was briefed after each meeting. I therefore challenge Exxon to deny Continued on page 17

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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL-TEL: 624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

When ‘no risk’ is the ultimate in misleading The front man for the President and Vice President on the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project (AFHP) is already falling on the slippery job they gave him to do. Mr. Winston Brassington has been given a leaky basket to bathe a flock of ducks.

As we observe his efforts, as he flails away like the good soldier that he is for leaders alone, it is clear that he has failed to bathe one duck, much less a whole flock. Too many Guyanese have grown accustomed to the deceptive ways of this PPP/C Government, and the foxy craftiness of those entrusted to be the public faces and voices of projects that house high risks for Guyanese.

Winston Brassington might be due a speck of credit for effort, though he contradicted himself and made a mockery of the very things he was trying to sell to Guyana. The project head, his new official working title, said that the AFHP has ‘no risk’ for Guyanese. We don’t know what was going on in Mr. Brassington’s head when he dared to utter that phrase (‘no risk’), given how everything he said before and after that clashed heavily. But what he said is there for the record.

This newspaper and its publisher did some digging through the debris that Mr. Brassington piled on Guyanese.

Sifting through his presentation before assembled big shots, and his camouflaging chatter about ‘no risk’ for Guyana, unearthed the opposite.

There are half a dozen risks of the most burdensome kind that Mr. Brassington saw fit to pretend do not exist. (“Chinese-owned Amaila Falls hydro project…Guyana given six most dangerous risks in the deal …nation should be enraged”, KN February 28). The dunce cap that the Project Head was attempting to place on Guyana’s head is now his to wear. It fits most perfectly.

When the “six most dangerous risks” belong to Guyana, it baffles that anyone could think that those would neither be discerned nor drilled down and dug up. We cannot laud Mr. Brassington for giving it the old college try, and we will neither boo him nor heckle him for making a spectacle of himself. But we do ask, as we look at some of those six risks, how could he? How could those who sent him as their messenger think that they would be able to get away with what is not only leadership trickery, but more governance sleaziness….?

In no particular order, the Guyana Government is guaranteeing the performance of the GPL. That is, any payments due to the Chinese for this project will come out of taxpayers’ dollars, should the GPL be unable to fulfill its side of the deal, as enshrined in the contract provisions. It is a deal that was signed four months ago, but Guyanese are only learning about it now. When leaders in the PPP/C Government operate with this kind of secrecy, Guyana can be assured that the underhanded is already at work.

Then, rather incredibly, the same strapped GPL, which struggles to deliver on a steady and reliable supply of electricity to the nation is now responsible for hydrology risks. Mr. Brassington may have entertained the thought that he was being smart (or funny) by using that big word ‘hydrology’ which ordinary Guyanese might have difficulty figuring out what it means. But what is important is that the GPL, which fights a largely losing battle in delivering consistent power to Guyana’s household and businesses, is now the owner of water (hydrology) risks associated with the AFHP. To put it differently, if for some reason the Chinese-owned project runs out of water, or does not have enough of it, then the GPL is responsible to make the Chinese good on any financial shortfall from such water deficiency, which could run into the millions of American dollars.

But this is what Mr. Brassington and his political handlers want us to believe and accept holds no risk to the nation. It is either that they pretend not to know what risk is, or they think that Guyanese don’t care anymore.

Guyanese may not care, but we do, and we will wage this war without letup on dangerous and costly deceptions like these.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Exxon in attempt to bamboozle us with fanciful talk to camouflage the truth DEAR EDITOR It’s insulting that Exxon once again seems to believe that Guyanese people are stupid, attempting to bamboozle us with fanciful talk to camouflage the truth; but judging by their modus operandi and reputation around the world, I leave it to the Guyanese people to decide who is believable.

First, with respect to the $2.5 Billion insurance being denied, there is documentation otherwise, at the EPA. The fact is that Mr. Rod Henson, Exxon’s former Country Manager, hand delivered to me and the EPA Attorney, the insurance documentation, the details of which were explained by Mr. Henson, and which I personally added up to value approximately $2.5 Billion.

That document sits in the EPA files, so I call upon the EPA to release it. As stated in my letter to the Editor, since that time around April 2019 to August 2020, regular meetings were held among the lawyers of the EPA and EEPGL to agree upon how liabilities above the $2.5 Billion, would be shared among the parent companies of ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC. Draft documents detailing their proposal were brought to

each of these meetings, and I was briefed after each meeting. I therefore challenge Exxon to deny these meetings, recognizing that these draft documents, emails and calendars of participants can be retrieved.

Further, I have the utmost regard for Mr. Henson’s honesty, and do not believe that he would take part in any of this brazen denial.

Second, during that same period, April 2019 to August 2020, EPA employees and I, incessantly broadcasted through all of the media outlets, this unprecedented accomplishment of obtaining what we called “unlimited liability coverage”. So much so, that many questions were raised in the media as to how is it possible that the EPA could depart from the Government/EEPGL Contract, when the Government continues to claim that the Contract is sacrosanct. Thus, with all of that media coverage including the EPA and Exxon ongoing meetings to finalize the arrangement, Exxon must answer the commonsense question as to why they did not ever deny any of it before now?

Third, the highly publicized $2.5 Billion insurance caught the

attention of the Guyana Insurance Association, which contended that the insurance carried by a foreign company, has to be transferred to Guyana in accordance with Guyana’s laws.

This triggered a meeting among the Bank of Guyana, the Guyana Insurance Association, the Department of Energy, and the EPA, held at the Office of the Governor of the Bank of Guyana, to discuss how to proceed with the transfer of the insurance to Guyana. Numerous email exchanges amongst the parties exist to prove that the meeting was held, along with the reason for the meeting and its agenda.

Fourth, Exxon as typical, responded that “it has insurance coverage for all of its petroleum activities”, but cleverly avoided the amount of that insurance coverage.

So, Exxon must state that if it is not the $2.5 Billion, what is it? and must produce the documentation.

Fifth, Exxon responded that “We have the financial capacity to meet our responsibilities and we are committed to paying all legitimate costs in the unlikely event of an oil spill…quickly and comprehensively as

possible” – sounds very familiar to what Mr. Henson said, when we responded that with that avowal, they shouldn’t have any problems putting it in writing. That brought about the agreed upon plan for full liability coverage.

Besides, we don’t have to go too far to see what is happening right in our backyard in Peru without a tight contract.

Lastly, Exxon claims that “EEPGL had, as of year-end 2020, almost $US5.0Bn in assets”, cunningly evading admitting what were EEPGL’s assets in 2019, the only time of relevance when the Permits were signed.

The real truth is that Exxon calculatingly dodged that EEPGL’s assets were almost nothing in 2019 before production - the reason why we did not allow them to be self-insured with little or no assets.

In closing, I would urge the media to vigorously challenge Exxon to answer the questions and queries herein with specificity, and without the fluff and fanciful talk to distract . Again, I leave it to the Guyanese people to decide who to believe.

Sincerely, Dr. Vincent Adams

PPP does it again, no national awards given DEAR EDITOR In its past 23 years, the PPP hardly gave out national awards or Senior Counsel awards. In 2022, the PPP Government has done it again. No awards.

Why? A few letters writers had called for the awards and Guyanese Nationalists Dr. Dhanpaul Narine and Ashook Ramsaran of the diaspora, have written calling on the Government to “please restore the National Awards, as a matter of interest to its citizens.”

Contrast this with when the PNC got into Government in 2015, they engaged in a sanitization process.

They resurrected all the old-time riggers and gave them awards as if they were heroes and some got jobs and committee appointments.

One of the old-time party strong man, the mention of whose name caused people to tremble in fear in the 1970s80s, even headed the list of awardees and was later given a special pension through a special Act of Parliament.

I thought the PPP would have repealed that Act at the same time it was repealing the PNC’s Natural Resource Fund Act. The PPP knows the PNC’s lists of awardees in the past did not reflect the

diversity of the nation. Many of their supporters and good citizens were left out. The PPP has yet again lost opportunities to right those wrongs, including giving Balram Singh Rai his pension.

My friend Suresh has an explanation for this. He said the PPP Government usually gets focused on things from which they can collect tithes and offerings such as business deals, land deals, and procurement contracts, that they are not interested in piddly things such as national awards and Senior Counsel appointments. There is no money to be made from those, he said.

There are many people in and out of Guyana who have been doing good charitable and social work, and community leadership programs.

There are public servants, farmers, fishermen, media folks, professionals, and people from all walks of life in and out of Guyana that are deserving of national awards.

I think of heroes such as Mr. Glenn Lall of KN; Mr. Anand Persaud of SN; Mr. Frederick Flatts who gave enormous service in the Government; Mr. Lionel Persaud for religious work and service at

CARICOM; Mr. Veerasammy Ramayya in Berbice; Christopher Ram; Melinda Janki; Harold Beharry of Swiss Machinery and HAB It; Vishnu Bisram; Merle and Mike McCormack who did much to help in the restoration of democracy in 1992 at a time when it was dangerous to speak out; sawmill owners in the Unity/Hubu area who provide community employment and have helped sustain those rural communities - Mr. Krishna and Savitri Mohabir, Mr. Lakeram Harridat, Mr. Bhola; the Radzik sisters; Alfred Bhulai; etc.

Safely entrenched in power now, the ungrateful PPP has forgotten all those Guardians of Democracy who guarded ballot boxes for five months and all those letter writers who stood in the gap for democracy.

A blogger on the web writing as “WatchStoryHey,” said, “It is absolutely disgraceful that the Jagdeoera practice of side-lining National Awards has returned.

Every PPP President before him maintained this ceremonial but important recognition of people’s work.

Now we are back to the usual nonsense. Every one of our

Commonwealth CARICOM member states - republic or not - recognizes its citizens annually.

There is a clear nomination process, and the awardees are mostly ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Yet we can’t seem to do something so simple.”

So nation, do you now see why the Government has not renegotiated the oil contract, has not audited US$9.5 billion of oil expenses, has not provided full disclosure on all natural resource and land deals, has not secured full insurance for oil spills, has not put strong measures for environmental protection, etc.?

Those are piddly things for them.

I trust Dr. Dhanpaul and Ashook will lead the diasporans in New York to boycott Government delegations making jaunts to New York to collect campaign contributions and pretend they care about diasporan engagement.

Until Diasporans understand that successive Governments play games with them, this eyepass will not end.

Diasporans have hardly been recognized although (Continued on page 5)

Wednesday March 02, 2022

DISPLEASURE WITH NIS RECORDS DEPARTMENT DEAR EDITOR, I have attained the age of 60 in the month of January, 2022 of which in October, 2021 I entered into the Pension Department of the Guyana National Insurance Scheme all the relevant documents for me to start receiving my pension after my 60th birthday.

In January of this year, I decided to get myself an updated contributions statement as I have been doing from since the year 2012 of which I have all the statements to show. On receiving the last statement dated 02nd February 2022, I immediately recognize that my total contribution shown on the said statement showed a vast difference (less contributions) to the statement I received on the 5th of March, 2021.

I immediately decided to do a comparison as to where the difference would have appeared from, and it was

clearly identified the years 1992 to partially 1994 which was supposed to have been a total of 144 contributions was missing for those years as compared to my 2021 statement.

I then decided to visit the records department of the NIS to query how in the space of 9 months a total of 144 contributions could have suddenly disappeared.

Even explaining that all the other previous years statement that I do have in my procession of which was shown to the clerk has the years and contributions affixed in comparison to my last.

At this point the clerk decided to take copies of my last statement and have my query investigated which is now about 2 weeks.

Anyhow my question and concern here, is something sinister taking place at NIS where contributors contributions and altered to

the benefit of others or it’s a case of computer glitches as I am sure I might be told or incorrect data entry of which I will strongly oppose as those years missing I was in the employ of Omai Gold Mines Limited between the years of 1992 to 2000 with a break in service in 1995 due to the unfortunate spill that the company encountered.

I would very much like someone in authority at the NIS or the Ministry of Finance who I believe oversees the operation of the NIS to have this matter investigated and some redress given to me in getting my correct pension that I deserve.

It must be realized that employees would have made sacrifices over the years and would be disgruntled when this situation arises and when those concerns as in the end it affects their monthly pension they are to receive.

Regards Concerned Pensioner

What of Still no recognition the other ranks?

DEAR EDITOR The driver of the police vehicle in the horrific Mahaica Bridge chase accident is to be charged (SN Mar. 1). But what of the other officers who were in the police vehicle at the time? Shouldn’t they too face disciplinary action for aiding and abetting or colluding in the furtherance of the chase which resulted in deadly consequences?

Further investigation has been ordered. It is hoped this aspect would be investigated to see whether the officers bear any culpability in this matter.

Regards Shamshun Mohamed

DEAR EDITOR It is the second anniversary on the assault on democracy and still no recognition of those who stood and boldly defended it.

Why the reluctance to

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confer the Order of Democracy on deserving persons and organizations, without whom democracy might not have prevailed?

Regards Shamshun Mohamed

Why was Paul Williams overlooked for the Top Cop post by Granger?

DEAR EDITOR, Thank you for the opportunity to publish this missive in your publication.

Some people in Guyana can change their views and opinions by the blink of an eye. I have been following the opinion of a former Assistant Commissioner of Police who was also a member of the Police Service Commission under President Granger’s administration.

Mr. Clinton Conway is making the case that Deputy Commissioner Paul Williams is the obvious candidate to be the Commissioner of Police after Commissioner Mr. Nigel Hoppie demits office at the end of March, 2022.

I am not the right person to comment on the

competence of Mr. Paul Williams; but I have a simple question to ask the former member of the Police Service Commission, “Why was Mr. Paul Williams with all the qualifications and experience he has, was not given the Top Cop job before Commissioner Mr. Leslie James?”.

My understanding is that Mr. Paul Williams was the most decorated and front runner from the list of candidates for the Top Cop job; but because of two incidents that involved the killing of six suspected bandits, he was denied the appointment of Commissioner of Police. At that time, he was in charge of Operations.

The Police Service Commission

Board Members were instructed by the then “powers of the land” to appoint the number two candidate for the job of Commissioner of Police. I am sure that the Guyanese public would like to be informed in the most credible and honest way of events surrounding that situation.

When Mr. Leslie James was appointed Commissioner of Police he was flabbergasted, it was an unbelievable moment for him, while Mr. Paul Williams was surprised and dejected at the announcement. Life is full of surprises; the final call still lies with the government of the day.

Yours truly, Nazar Mohamed

PPP does it again, no national...

From page 4 they continue to do much. Instead of running to put malas around their necks, and jostling to take pictures with them, Dr. Dhanpaul and diasporans should organize some boycotts and picketing when these pretenders go to New York and Toronto. Demand some respect, and have some self-respect too! Shame on

the Government for not having the awards.

They still have time to correct this injustice.

Please get to work ASAP or Mr. President, please explain to the nation why your Government thinks that giving awards is a very bad thing! One Guyana!

Sincerely Dr. Jerry Jailall

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

My Experience with Ukrainians & Russians DEAR EDITOR, I read of the distress of the Guyanese male who is married to a Ukrainian and fathered a daughter, with mother and child, living in Ukraine. I don’t know how many Guyanese experienced life in Ukraine. I did briefly and was most awed by the simplicity, friendliness, and quietude (or docility), beauty and charm of the Ukrainian people and in fact all of the people I interacted with of the Soviet Union where I was a visitor.

It was a memorable experience.

I also met and dined with Ukrainians and other Soviet Union people in New Delhi and Mumbai where they would come shopping during the 1980s and onwards during my frequent trips in India; the Ukrainians would stay, socialize, dined, and shopped in certain (low cost) sections of Delhi where I also stayed in my early visits to India. The Ukrainians and Soviet people I encountered in India, Ukraine, New York, Boston, California and elsewhere were peace loving and decent and among the nicest people I met in my

many, many travels.

I passed through the Ukrainian Soviet Republic when it was still part of the Soviet Union’s fifteen Socialist Republics, passing near Chernobyl Reactor sarcophagus, Kiev, etc. I also passed through several other republics traveling on a bus from East Germany to Poland (Brest Crossing with long lines of trucks, trains, and buses) to Byelorussia (now Belarus), into Ukraine, to the Russian Republic, and going on to other republics including the Baltic states and crossing over into Finland.

That was more than thirty years ago when Gorbachev was General Secretary (de jure/de facto leader) during the period of glasnost and perestroika, but the Soviet Union was on the verge dissolution. Guyana itself was undergoing glasnost and perestroika (or Hoytestroika as my political scientist friends Vassan Ramracha, Baytoram Ramharack, etc. called it). Ukraine, like most of the other Republics, especially the countryside was largely ‘underdeveloped’, using my

economist hat to describe them. The cities like Minsk, Moscow, Leningrad (St. Petersburg, Stalingrad, Kaliningrad, etc.) were very ‘developed’. I was amazed at the beauty of the subways of the Soviet Union – more than a block in depth and very decorated with some of the most beautiful ornaments and crystal chandeliers). They were the most beautiful I experienced and I visited subways of dozens of countries.

The trains were very efficient, running on time, fast and extremely cheap (just one ruble at the time or the equivalent of two cents if I remember correctly when I changed my dollar at the black market).

The subways in Kiev, as it was called then, and other cities would have been the same. Food and clothing were very cheap all over the Soviet Union but food (especially meat and bread) was very scarce and rationed. I remember a fur coat I saw in New York was less than $100 at the Gumb Store in Moscow.

Sneakers and blue jeans were not available. I bought a coat for my mother at Gumb store.

In one of the shops on the countryside, I bought a half gallon of Vodka (three times distilled) for just $1.

Locals were not allowed to shop at certain stores and there were special stores for foreigners like me. My Guyana passport was treasured then.

I didn’t need a visa to pass through East Germany, Poland, and the Soviet bloc.

In several major cities, I bounced up foreign students (South Asians, including Guyanese, Hispanics, and Africans). Most of them were in Moscow.

On weekends and during their school holidays, they would hang out on regular spots at bridges in the cities.

Foreigners, including Guyanese, were given scholarships in ‘lower rated’ universities like Patrice Lumumba (Friendship Univ).

There were probably a hundreds thousand foreign students on scholarships.

Few Guyanese were admitted into the prestigious universities. Dr. Rudy Jadoopat stood out as among a few who claimed to have studied at Moscow State University where Raisa Gorbachev (wife of the Soviet ruler) was affiliated. Unlike other Guyanese, Jadoopat did not study on a PPP scholarship. Rather, he received a labour union NAACIE scholarship. Other Guyanese got PPP, PNC, and Guyana government scholarships and were placed in Moscow at Lumumba Univ.

Almost all of the PPP recipients were Indians and almost all of the PNC and government recipients were Africans. Jadoopat studied at

Ukraine State University (Donetsk) for his MA and then won a scholarship to do a PhD at Moscow State; Soviet Union did/does not offer a BA Degree as in the rest of the world but a six year MA degree.

A handful of other Guyanese also studied in Ukraine on scholarships during Soviet era. In recent years, tens of thousands of Indians studied (and are studying) medicine in Ukraine.

During the Soviet era, some 90% of the people of Donetsk and the Dunbass region were ethnic Russians, probably why Putin wants to cling to it; that percentage dropped to about 75% today as Russians moved out and Ukrainians moved in. It was (and probably still is) one of the richest parts of the Soviet Union/Ukraine at one time.

When I visited Soviet Union, I interacted with students who happened upon in the cities especially Moscow where they would hang out (as we did in Guyana) in a bridge sitting on a rail. Not far from there was the Friendship Univ. and the Guyana Embassy/Consulate.

Guyanese related how they crossed over into the West.

Shopped, and brought back goods that they sold for three times the price they paid.

Jeans, women clothing, cosmetics, sneakers, tape recorder.

When I was in Moscow, a youngster came up to me and offered to buy the sneakers I was wearing. I told him to return the next morning. He also asked for jeans which I did not have. I shared candies, cookies, chocolates

and mementos with some friendly people. He showed up next day, and as promised, I wore my shoes and gave him my sneakers. I don’t remember if my wife gave away her jeans but others who were on tours exchanged jeans for gifts or cash. One day in Moscow, I saw a long line of people stretching from a bakery. I decided to join it recalling my joining lines in Guyana for basic goods. I purchased a long sweetish hot bread that was quite tasty for the equivalent of just a cent or two of American money. The cashiers were friendly. People in general were glad to converse with me to practice their English they were learning.

I had most pleasant memories in the Soviet Union traveling in my travel around the country. I don’t think Americans were allowed in certain parts of the Soviet Union.

But my Guyana passport took me to several places as it also did in China. And as an ethnic Indian, there were no restrictions on my movement in Soviet Union unlike my experience in China where tourist police monitored my every movement during my first visit as a student in 1985. In addition to Soviet Union, I also visited Soviet bloc countries like Hungary, Romania, Czech, Slovakia, etc., some multiple times.

Some of my most racist experiences were East Germany (Leipzig) and Hungary by ethnonationalists.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

1,000 children to benefit from IDB Lab investment in STEM Guyana An investment by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), innovative laboratory, to STEM Guyana Inc. is set to provide financial support which will help 1000 children across 40 communities around Guyana.

According to a press release, IDB Lab is investing the sum of US$950,000 in the three-year program called, ‘Guyana’s Learning Pods – Supporting Success in Education for Vulnerable Children.’ The IDB Lab support will create more of these learning pods centres for students from grades one through 10 and with the additional pods, students will be able to access content and technology tools, as well as in-person and online live teaching sessions, three times per week.

In fact, the IDB Lab support entails technology tools and supplementary learning in Math, English and Science and will expand the education model, which caters to children ages seven

to 15, who are from low-income and vulnerable communities.

According to the press release, the programme will use the core public school curriculum for an expanded range of subjects.

To add to this the program is expected to contribute to better the performance of all students and help reduce attrition from the school system. It also targets 50 percent participation of girls.

STEM Guyana expects a future expansion of the programme to benefit as many as 5,000 vulnerable students over the life of the investment, post COVID-19.

STEM Guyana is a nonprofit tech organization that partners with public and private sector agencies and uses software tools to help solve national and regional problems.

In the pilot, small groups of children in communities across Guyana access a connected learning platform at a local community centre to foster ‘STEM’ skills, with the support of

an in-person facilitator and an online teacher.

The release quoted, Karen Abrams of STEM Guyana saying, “The Learning pods program provides for small class in person and tech driven learning support for students who have been disadvantaged by the COVID-19 pandemic school closures, and also ensures their safety as the program makes available cleaning supplies, masks, and temperature checks to all enrolled students.”

“Opportunities are increasing in Guyana and the demand for skills is rapidly changing,” said Guyana’s IDB Chief of Operations and acting Country Representative, Lorena Solorzano Salazar. The official concluded, “There is need for us to adapt and learn innovative technologies and talents that can contribute to inclusive and sustainable development and guarantee the future wellbeing of our people, our country and the region.”

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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The AFHP belongs in a funeral parlour T

he resuscitation of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project (AFHP) is an attempt to soothe the bruised ego of the PPP/C following the decision of the developer of the project to walk away. It is also a Jagdeo legacy project which he is determined, against all reasoning to the contrary, to establish.

Prior to 2014, the then Opposition, APNU and AFC, refused to support the project.

At the time, the combined parliamentary Opposition parties held a slim one-seat majority. Following their non-support for the project, the developer considered going ahead as risky and so they rightfully walked.

If the PPP/C had been in a similar position as the APNU and AFC it would have found some excuse to not support the project. Why would the Opposition parties, with a one-seat majority in the National Assembly, support a project, which would become the PPP/C's re-election ticket?

Notwithstanding this element of realpolitik, there were and remains serious concerns about the AFHP. Those concerns have not been addressed satisfactorily.

The APNU+AFC had concerns about the hydrology of the project. These concerns have not been appeased. But there were also other concerns relating to the cost of electricity, the financial risks and the conditions being imposed on GPL and the government.

The PPP/C's dubious decision to grant a contractor the contract to build a major

access road to the project site mired the entire project in controversy from which it never recovered.

As part of the financial model, Guyana was required to deposit equity into the project. As such, the PPP/C approached Norway for the injection of this equity. In 2014, Norway deposited US$80M into the IDB for this purpose.

After the PPP/C lost office in May 2015, the APNU+AFC agreed with the Government of Norway to have an objective and factbased assessment of the project. That review was undertaken by Norconsult in 2016.

The review was, overall, favourably disposed towards the project. But this was only because of the absence of other feasible alternatives to allow Guyana to meet its 100 percent emissions-free target by 2025.

The APNU+AFC had made this pledge as part of its nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement. All countries to the Paris Agreement are required to state what they intend to do to reduce emissions. Norconsult found that given this commitment – hydropower was the only realistic path towards an emission free electricity sector - the fastest way to do this would be to maintain the AFHP. The PPP/C has scaled down this pledge and now only plans to have 70 percent of its electricity generated from renewable energy. In this context would the AFHP be the quickest way to

achieve that target?

Not so, considering that for a mere US$100M, Barbados is constructing a 178-Megawatt hydrogen and solar power station. The AFHP will cost US$700M and generate less power than the Barbados hybrid system.

Norconsult did not give a blanket approval for the AFHP. It said that in the context of Guyana's ambitions under the Paris Agreement, the quickest way to achieve these ambitions was through the AFHP since it was, at that time, the only project with a “full feasibility study completed. It has a higher plant load factor than the alternatives, has a smaller reservoir and a levelised unit cost in the same range as the most attractive alternatives.”

Norconsult, however, had some of the same reservations as the APNU+AFC relative to the hydrology of the project.

Norconsult found data inadequacies in relation to the flow of water to the site.

This is what the report said, “The hydrology for Amaila Falls Hydropower Project is not very well established since continuous series of direct flow measurements in Kuribrong River at the project site do not exist.”

Yes, “do not exist”! The PPP/C is therefore asking this country to take a major gamble.

The study also found that the need to run 270-280 km of power lines from the project site to the power grid in Georgetown, increased construction costs by 40 percent. Yes, 40 percent!

According to Norconsult,

this explains the high cost of the energy, which the project will be selling to the Guyana Power and Light Inc. These two aspects alone –the high cost associated with the transmission lines and the cost of the electricity – should have caused the PPP/C to reconsider the economic viability of the p r o j e c t .

At the time of the Norconsult study, there were not many alternatives. And to its discredit, the APNU+AFC had no major power project – renewable or non-renewable – other than the gas-to-shore

project.

However, since 2016, the price of solar power and the time it takes to establish solar power farms have been slashed considerably. A viable alternative to the AFHP therefore exists.

It is solar power. It is estimated that a 250MW plant would cost on average US$250M as compared with the almost US$700M cost for the AFHP. The power lines added 40 percent to the estimated construction costs of the AFHP. With a solar power plant, there would be no need

for such a high burden and therefore the cost of the electricity sold to the GPL and consequently to consumers would be far cheaper than the AFHP. The AFHP if undertaken is going to sink Guyana. It will become another Skeldon Sugar Factory – the monster of all behemoths.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Lunatic fringe, usual suspects, Creole middle class: The interactions Yesterday, in analyzing the above categories, we stopped at the usual suspects (TUS). They make up the most barefaced hypocrites on Planet Earth.

These people’s double standards are so repugnant that you would think they would at least mask their contradictions with some kind of diplomatic language.

The Creole middle class consists of some of the people who belong to TUS. But the CMC keeps the lunatic fringe (TLF) at a distance and always has, though there is always an amusing but dangerous relation between them. What shape do the interactions between the TLF, TUS, and CMC take since the fifties right up to 2022?

The story of CMC is too complex and involved to fit into one column. What follows are brief notes. The CMC in Guyana is one of the most class-conscious set of elites in the world. These are people with silicone smiles who do not play when

it comes to class and colour.

They founded their own organisation long ago named the League of Coloured People (LCP).

The LCP frowned on Burnham because his PNC party had too many ordinary Africans and too many were dark-skinned. The LCP had its own organisation named the National Democratic Party.

The CMC and the Portuguese community always had a distant relationship with darkskinned Africans. What connected them with each other is their common dislike for Cheddi Jagan, the PPP and Indian yearning to live in Georgetown and pursuing a presence in the state.

The CMC and the Portuguese tolerated dark complexioned Africans because they were Christians, urban based, spoke standard English, embraced Western values, especially in music, art and literature. The problem the CMC and the Portuguese

had was that they needed the numbers of the trade unions and the PNC if they were to succeed in chasing the Indians from the gates.

The LCP realised this and its party merged with B u r n h a m ’s P N C . T h e Portuguese knew that its party, the United Force (UF), had to join with the PNC if Jagan, the PPP and Indians were to be prevented from controlling government again.

In fact, the PPP leadership had approached the UF for a coalition government after the indecisive results of the 1964 elections but was rebuffed.

The rejection was based on contempt and disdain.

One famous Portuguese businessman, at a meeting of the UF to discuss the PPP’s suggestion said, “join with them people who can’t read and write properly?”

The history then of the relationship between the CMC and the PNC and Africans in general has

always been a strategic rather than an embracing one.

History has repeated itself. In the fifties and sixties, the CMC didn’t care for the general Black population but they needed their numbers to topple Jagan.

Today, just as the CMC didn’t like Burnham but joined with him, the CMC does not like Aubrey Norton but with the prospects of a PPP government way into the future, the PNC and TLF are the only chance the CMC has of derailing the present PPP administration. Please see my column of Friday, December 24, 2021, headlined, “PNC election results 2021, Part 2: Norton faces colour and class.”

In 2022, the strategic relation between TLF, TUS and CMC is going to continue but as in the past, only for strategic reason.

There will not be any overlapping. TUS will continue to send their letters

on everything that they see bad, wrong and negative about the PPP to a particular newspaper they feel is on the same Frederick Kissoon wave length with them.

The signatures are going false sense of cultural to be the same regular superiority. TLF, TUS and dozens but they will not ask CMC are hoping that members of TLF to sign. i n s t a b i l i t i e s could be They see the role of TLF as generated if they keep to do just what it is doing – banging away – TLF with preach crazy sermons, whip t h e i r r a c i s t F a c e b o o k u p f r e n z y i n A f r i c a n advocacy; TUS with their Guyanese and hope the frequent letters to their acolytes in certain media African Guyanese react. houses; and CMC with their The trouble with TLF, s o c i e t a l connections.

TUS and CMC, is that they are not people possessed of Guyana has changed in ways t a l e n t i n p o l i t i c a l unrecognisable from the era t h e o r i s i n g . S o m e a r e of “mo fyaah/slo fyaah”. I educated, but except for guess it also depends on if black pudding maan, they the PPP is willing to take on are not trained in politics and TLF, TUS and CMC. history. They also know (The views expressed in nothing about feminism and this article are those of the the class and colour basis of a u t hor and do not feminism in the US and necessarily reflect the Europe. o p i n i o n s of this All the CMC has is newspaper.) colour, class status and a

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

Teen remanded to prison after violent street brawl Eighteen-year-old Claudius James was on Monday remanded to prison for allegedly stabbing a 15year-old boy in the chest.

James appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Principal Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus.

He was not required to

plead to the indictable charge which alleges that on February 22, 2022, at Stabroek Market, Georgetown, with intent to commit murder, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded the teen.

The court heard that the accused, his brother, and the 15-year-old boy are known to

each other and on the day in question, when they saw each other, a fight ensued owing to a previous issue which they had.

The fight resulted in the 1 5 - y e a r- o l d b o y b e i n g stabbed in the region of the heart.

According to the injured teen’s mother, who was

present in court, her son has a 2cm stab wound to the heart, lung issue and noted that he was still hospitalized.

The police prosecutor objected to bail being granted to James. As a result, Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus remanded James to prison.

He is expected to return to Court on March 21, 2022.

Remanded, Claudius James

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

SOCU Head sues Paul Slowe for over $70M Former PSC Chairman, Paul Slowe

Head of the SOCU, Fazil Karimbaksh

Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) Senior Superintendent of Police, Fazil Karimbaksh, is suing former Police Service Commission (PSC) Chairman, Paul Slowe for over $70M for libel.

According to court documents seen by this newspaper, Karimbaksh is contending that Slowe used social media broadcasts on Facebook and YouTube to libel him.

According to Karimbaksh, Slowe who is facing charges for sexual assault and fraud, created a social media programme that is broadcast on Facebook and YouTube for the sole purpose of launching character attacks on officers who are investigating him for the offences, in an effort to prejudice their investigations.

In the document, the claimant (Karimbaksh) is contending that in the programme titled “Speaking Out: Exposing Corruption and Incompetence,” the Defendant (Slowe) publicly called him “incompetent and unqualified,” for the post he currently holds as SOCU Head.

Karimbaksh claimed that since creating the said Facebook and YouTube pages, the Defendant regularly publishes or causes to be published, defamatory materials about and concerning him.

In the supporting documents, the officer highlighted a specific instance whereby the Facebook page published the following words, “Senior Superintendent, Fazil Karimbaksh, has disciplinary matters pending against him. He is known to be vindictive and unprofessional, yet he remains in-charge of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) which he has used to carry out his personal vendettas.”

That publication, Karimbaksh pointed out, was shared 12 times and had more than 100 interactions.

The SOCU Head went on to cite other instances where his character was brought into disrepute on the two social media pages.

Karimbaksh claimed that his reputation has been seriously harmed while noting that he has suffered considerable hurt, embarrassment, distress, and anxiety.

“The number of publications and the continuing nature of the defamation have increased the defamatory sting,” Karimbaksh claimed, as he pointed out that one of Slowe’s broadcasts has been viewed over 1,600 times and has had over 50,000 interactions The SOCU Head has already secured an injunction barring the social media pages from publishing further defamatory statements against him.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Ex-prison warder gets life imprisonment for wife’s murder Justice Sandil Kissoon on Tuesday, at the Berbice High Court in New Amsterdam, imposed a life imprisonment sentence on Sheldon Antonio Prince, a former prison warder.

Antonio who is nicknamed “Warder” of Lot 40 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, is expected to serve his time with the possibility of parole

after 30 years.

Last month, Prince pleaded guilty to brutally murdering his wife, and the mother of his daughter, Lonnette Nicholson-Prince.

The murder occurred in December of 2016. Previous reports detailed that on December 28, 2016, Prince armed himself with a knife and entered the premises of the National Psychiatric

Hospital in Berbice where Nicholson-Prince worked as a hairdresser/cosmetologist.

There, he dealt her several stabs about her body.

I n h i s t e s t i m o n y, Government Pathologist, Vivekanand Bridjmohan, said a total of fifteen stab wounds were inflicted on the victim’s body.

Meanwhile, a report presented by Probation

Officer, Maisie Shepherd, p r io r to th e s en ten ce yesterday, detailed that as a youngster Prince suffered from depression and mental health challenges due to his parent’s separation.

The report revealed nonetheless that therapy was never sought for the young Prince since he kept his issues a secret.

The report also described

Prince as a “quiet individual,” who started a relationship with his now deceased wife when she was just 17-years- old. The pair later got married and had a child. That child is now nineyears-old.

According to the probation report, the deceased indicated to her parents that they were having problems in the

marriage, that she was enduring abuse at the hands of her husband. As such, she sought a protection order.

Cheryl Nicholson, the dead woman‘s mother, related in the report that she wanted justice for the loss of her daughter.

She is said to have had sleepless nights due to the fact that she had lost her Continued on page 16

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

Ex-prison warder gets life imprisonment for...

From page 15 daughter in such a gruesome manner. She is currently the caretaker and guardian of her granddaughter’s child.

The child was interviewed by the probation officer as well. She indicated that she cries whenever she thinks about her mother, especially during the nights before she sleeps.

Meanwhile, prior to the sentencing, when asked if he

had anything to say, Prince told the court that he had no intention to kill anyone.

“All I wanted was to be a father to my child,” he said.

The man subsequently broke down in tears and asked to be excused to compose himself.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Kissoon described domestic violence as a “hidden pandemic” that often leads to fatal

consequences.

The Judge noted that domestic violence continues to be prevalent and unchecked at every part of the society.

He stressed that “intimate partners and spouses alike are subjected to an unparallel wave of abject cruelty and brutality and made to suffer in silence...”

Calling the act

committed a “gruesome premeditated act of cold blooded murder”, Justice Kissoon said that Prince “cannot look to this court for clemency and mercy, there can’t be none in the circumstances of this gruesome horrific crime.”

As it relates to the mitigating factors in the case, while the accused is said to have no prior convictions, Justice Kissoon

noted that this does not dilute the gravity of what he has done. Justice Kissoon said that the crime itself goes beyond a case of domestic violence. He emphasized on the cruelty and premeditated efforts that went into committing the offence.

Prince was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Justice Kissoon also

ordered that given the details of the probation report, Prince seeks remedial training and anger management classes to assist him before he is reintegrated into society after serving time.

In the case, State Prosecutrix, Abigail Gibbs presented the indictment while Prince was represented by attorney-atlaw, Mursaline Bhaccus.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Produce insurance policy to clear...

From page 3 these meetings, recognizing that these draft documents, emails and calendars of participants can be retrieved”.

On another note, the specialist said he was curious to know why ExxonMobil never denied that it had offered the country this policy before, especially since this matter has been constantly reported on between April 2019 and August 2020.

“During that same period, April 2019 to August 2020, EPA employees and I, incessantly broadcast

through all of the media outlets, this unprecedented accomplishment of obtaining what we called ‘unlimited liability coverage’. So much so, that many questions were raised in the media as to how is it possible that the EPA could depart from the Government/EEPGL Contract, when the Government continues to claim that the Contract is sacrosanct. “ Thus, with all of that media coverage including the EPA and Exxon ongoing meetings to finalize the arrangement, Exxon must

answer the commonsense question as to why they did not ever deny any of it before now,” the former EPA Head said.

Further to this, Dr. Adams pointed out that the highly publicized US$2.5 billion insurance had caught the attention of the Guyana Insurance Association, which contended that the insurance carried by a foreign company, has to be transferred to Guyana in accordance with Guyana’s laws.

This, according to him, triggered a meeting between the Bank of Guyana, the

Guyana Insurance Association, the Department of Energy, and the EPA, held at the Office of the Governor of the Bank of Guyana, to discuss how to proceed with the transfer of the insurance to Guyana.

Importantly, he said, an email trail exists to prove that this meeting was indeed held along with the reason for the meeting and its agenda.

The need for Guyana to secure full coverage insurance for a possible oil spill has been highlighted in scenarios around the world.

Only recently, an oil spill

occurred in Peru, a South American country.

The oil spill occurred on January 15, 2022 at one of the La Pampilla refineries off the coast of Ventanilla in the region of Lima, Peru. It was reported that the spill was caused by shock waves from an undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean.

Almost one month after the spill, the country is still grappling with the cleaning up of the aftermath of more than 12, 000 barrels of crude that contaminated its shores.

The clean-up and remediation of the spilled

crude that contaminated the shores and waters of Peru will cost US$65 million, according to the Spanish oil g i a n t , R e p s o l ’s C h i e f Executive Officer (CEO), Josu Jon Imaz.

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

$58M estimated to rehabilitate two roads in Berbice T h e g e n e r a l rehabilitation and upgrading of two roads on the West Coast of Berbice (WCB) is estimated to cost some $58,210,176.

This is according to an

invitation to tender issued by the Regional Democratic C o u n c i l i n S u n d a y ’s Edition of Kaieteur News.

According to the advertisement, the general rehabilitation and

upgrading of the Main Access road, Referendum, Bath WCB is projected to cost $38,452,164 while cost for the same works to be done to a Street in Block D, Phase 1, Bath WCD is

pegged at $19,758,012.

Tender documents can be purchased from the Office of the Regional Democratic Council of Region 5 at Forth Wellington, West Coast

Berbice at a non-refundable fee of $3,500 per copy.

Bids for the project must be placed in a plain sealed envelope and addressed to the Chairman of the National Procurement and

Tender Administration Board at the Ministry of Finance on Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, no later than 09:00hrs on Thursday March 17, 2022.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

PAGE 19

Opposition to submit nominees for NRF Board today

T

hough adamant that the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act was illegally passed in the National Assembly last December, the Opposition said it will nevertheless submit suitable candidates to sit on the respective boards as prescribed by the law to manage the oil and gas revenue.

Making this disclosure was Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Mr. Aubrey Norton during a press conference hosted yesterday.

Norton told members of the media that it is imperative for the opposition to be able to scrutinize the allocations of the revenue from the oil sector, in the interest of good governance.

He stressed, “If you leave the Natural Resource Fund without scrutiny, one, you will be excluding yourself from knowing what is happening, and two, you will be making the ground much easier for the PPP to continue to expand its corruption…but in the interest of the people of Guyana we will scrutinize and monitor to ensure we can contribute to a reduction in PPP’s corruption and to work toward the resources of our people going toward benefitting our people”.

The mere two month old

…but holds out Act illegally passed

Leader of the PNCR, Aubrey Norton legislation was passed by the National Assembly on December 29, 2021, amidst protest action by the Opposition which had criticized the government for not facilitating proper consultations on the document and for offering less than two weeks for scrutiny of its provisions.

The Opposition was also against certain clauses inserted into the new piece of legislation.

Nevertheless, the NRF Act was passed and now provides for a member of the National Assembly to sit on the Board of Directors, which according to the law shall comprise of no less than three and not more than

five members, whom shall be appointed by the President.

I m p o r t a n t l y, t h e candidates for this board will not be a Member of Parliament (MP).

In addition to the Board of Directors, the NRF will also be governed by a Public Accountability and Oversight Committee which shall comprise of one nominee from the National Assembly, three representatives of the religious community, two representatives of the private sector, two from ‘organized labour’ and one from the ‘professions’.

When it comes to the appointment of these

individuals, Norton said he believes the process should have been a transparent one where suitable candidates apply for the respective positions, rather than be “handpicked” by the President, Irfaan Ali. He was tightlipped on the Party’s candidates to sit on the management boards, while reasoning that names were still being discussed, but would be submitted today to the National Assembly’s Committee of Appointments.

The Shadow Minister for Oil and Gas, David Patterson previously vented his concerns with regard to the powers given to the President to appoint these members, whom he believes may be inclined to do the government’s bidding.

He said, “We still have extreme concerns because the Act has no clear designations and qualifications in general terms like for legal or financial (persons) and there are no clear guidelines on

s electing those people. I mean like what are the qualifications and the background for these persons and how its set up, the President will pick three on his own deliberations with no input from anyone”.

The MP argued that this section of the law drafted by the government, gives no room for Parliamentarians or even the regular citizen to challenge or question who the President decides to appoint.

Ta k i n g t h i s i n t o consideration, along with the fact that there was poor consultation on the NRF Act, and the symbol of authority in the House, the Mace, was absent during the passage of the Bill. Norton during his media engagement said that the coalition will continue to regard the Bill illegally passed.

In fact, he shared that the Party is still compiling a case to challenge the passage of the Bill.

“We believe the Natural Resource Fund (Bill) was

rammed through the Parliament. We believe that there wasn’t adequate consultation. We also believe that with the absence of the Mace, it could not have been passed legally and therefore as far as I know, work is still being done to put together the entire case to challenge it,” the Party Leader explained.

Following the forceful passage of the NRF Bill in the National Assembly on December 29, last, the draft became law after being assented to by the President on December 30, 2021.

The Opposition had launched an in-house protest in the National Assembly, which was being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. The MPs had left their seats and began blowing whistles in the House to drown out the reading of the Bill, shortly after which one of the Opposition members removed the Mace from the dome.

Speaker, Manzoor Nadir, quickly presented a replica of the Mace and announced that the Bill was passed late that evening.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

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2022 ROAD CARNAGE…

Traffic accidents claim 14 lives in less than two months A mere two months have elapsed since the beginning of 2022 and sadly, more than a dozen persons have already lost their lives due to speeding vehicles, even unlicensed drivers, recklessly using the roadways.

To d a t e , s o m e 1 4 fatalities have been recorded

and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is once again, forced to warn road users, and motorists in particular, of the need to exercise extreme caution, care, courtesy, consideration and common sense - the five C’s of driving, especially during the rainy season when the roadways are wet and

slippery.

Though the figure is quite alarming for just two months, it shows a decline when compared to deaths recorded during the same period for 2021. The Director of the Communications Unit of the G P F, M a r k R a m o u t a r explained that some 20 deaths were documented for the same period, January to February last year.

POLICE HIGH SPEED CHASE On February 2, 2022, what was supposed to be a simple journey for 21-yearold Christopher Bhagwandat and his 16-year-old girlfriend Sheereda Persaud to his mother’s abode to join her in her birthday celebration, ended in tragedy. The couple lost their lives in an accident following a high speed police chase.

According to reports, Bhagwandat left his Mon Repos home earlier that morning in his Toyota Allion to pick up his girlfriend from her home in Bath Settlement.

His plan, according to a relative, was to take his girlfriend to his mother’s birthday celebration.

East Coast Police Commander, Khali Pareshram, said that ranks from the Region Five district were conducting a traffic operation in Mahaicony and had stopped Bhagwandat’s car at their road block along the New Zeeland Public Road. Bhagwandat, he told reporters, pulled over his car

Dead, Christopher Bhagwandat and Sheereda Persaud

Dead, Elijah Profitt

Dead, Dawn Booker

to the side of the road but as one of the ranks approached, he suddenly drove off.

The ranks, according to Pareshram, alerted a patrol vehicle attached to the Mahaicony Police Station and a pursuit began. While speeding across the Mahaica Bridge, both the force’s pick-up and Bhagwandat’s car slammed into the canter that was travelling in the opposite direction towards

Berbice.

SPEEDING MOTORCYCLISTS Kaieteur News previously reported that Dave Taylor, a 23-year-old man of Laluni Creek, Soesdyke-Linden Highway died tragically after he accidently rode his motorcycle into a pothole along the Laluni Access Road while returning home from an outing.

Dead, Dave Taylor According to police, Taylor was speeding and had accidently rode into the pothole filled with water where he lost control of his bike.

Kaieteur News had noted in its report on this case that the road was dark and Taylor reportedly was unaware that the pothole was deep. After riding into the hole at a high rate of speed, both Taylor and his pillion rider were thrown from the motorcycle and landed on to the road.

Both persons were severely injured and were rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre for treatment where, upon arrival, doctors revealed that Taylor was already dead.

Similarly, 19-year-old Elijah Profitt died only a short way from his Craig Street, Campbelleville residence after he ran into a truck while trying to save his cell phone. Profitt was riding without a helmet and after Continued on page 26

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Amaila Falls Hydro Project deal…

Dr. Ashni Singh puts out 11-minute video defending project but silent on six most dangerous risks thrown on Guyana Even as concerns continue to swell regarding the “controversial” Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project (AFHP), specifically how exactly Guyanese will benefit from the multi-million project versus the risks, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, on Monday evening issued an 11-minute video statement in defence of the project.

The Senior Minster attempted to create a picturesque image of what the re-imagined project will do for Guyana. But what was evidently absent from his defence was the six most dangerous risks the project throws on Guyana.

The plan to restart the “controversial” 165 megawatts (MW) AFHP comes more than a decade after millions of US dollars were spent to construct the first hydropower project at Amaila Falls, which never materialised.

Under the new deal, the Chinese operator – China Railway First Group – is expected to Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) ownership of the plant to

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh Guyana after 20 years. Under this model, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration is claiming that Guyana will bear no risks. But Kaieteur News (KN) publisher, Glenn Lall, has urged citizens, via his radio programme called The Glenn Lall Show, to be vigilant about the ramifications of this project and the deal associated with it. Lall on the show said his warning in this regard is premised on a recent presentation by the

Head of the project, Winston Brassington, at the International Energy Conference and Expo-2022 which was held at the Marriott Hotel.

In response to the KN Publisher’s word of caution to citizens via the radio show and newspaper articles, Dr. Singh thought it prudent to release a video response in defence of the project.

The Senior Minister, while speaking to State media, used 11 minutes to lash out at critics and expressed the government’s “grave disappointment at the campaign of misinformation that is being waged in relation to the major developmental project.”

Dr. Singh went on to talk about the project being backed by international experts, who carefully examined it. He stated too that pre2014, the then PPP/C administration “had a major, large, credible international investor who was ready and willing to invest in this project.”

The senior minister said notwithstanding the willingness and readiness of the investor, the

Head of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric project, Winston Brassington then APNU+AFC coalition used its one-seat majority while in opposition to “derail” and “frustrate” the project.

Now that the PPP/C is back in office, and is making rapid progress on the project, Dr. Singh said the “naysayers” are back with the same objective they had during the pre2015 period, which is “to frustrate development and to make sure that the people of Guyana do not enjoy development.”

“ We a r e f i r m l y a n d unwaveringly committed to delivering development to the people of Guyana. Whether it is in energy infrastructures so that we can increase our electricity generation, reduce the cost of electricity generation, improve the reliability of electricity generation and distribution with a view to promoting not only lower electricity bills for people at home, but to lower electricity bills for investors who are dependent on electricity for their economic activity. Things like manufacturing enterprises, which will, in turn, generate jobs, create jobs for Guyanese people, generate incomes for Guyanese people,” Dr. Singh further noted.

While the Minister is bent on creating a quaint image of this project, with reference to only the project’s perceived “benefits”– he failed to inform the citizens about the six most dangerous risks the country faces with the said initiative.

During the energy conference Continued on page 24

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Henry Boys’ murder suspects committed to stand trial The Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) on Tuesday announced via a statement that two suspects in the brutal murder of Joel and I s a i a h H e n r y, w e r e committed to stand trial.

Those suspects are Vinod Gopaul, 34, called ‘Magga’ of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne Berbice, and Anil Sancharra, 33, called ‘Dan Pole’ of D’ Edward Village, West Coast Berbice.

The two defendants appeared before Magistrate, Peter Hugh, at the Blairmont Magistrate’s court.

Murdered Henry cousins, Joel and Isaiah Henry The Magistrate, according to police, ruled that a sufficient case was

made out against Sancharra and Gopaul for them to be tried by the police

p r o s e c u t o r. T h e y a r e therefore expected to stand trial at the next convenient sitting at the Berbice Assizes.

Gopaul and Sancharra were jointly charged and remanded to prison on Friday, January 15, 2021 for the murders of teen cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry in the Cotton Tree ‘backdam’, West Coast Berbice.

The cousins were found murdered in September 2020, one day after they went to pick coconuts in the backdam.

The bodies were severely mutilated and an x was found engraved in their

The two suspects committed to stand trial for the murder of the Henry cousins, Vinod Gopaul (left) and Anil Sancharra. foreheads. Police had arrested three suspects and one of them had given the

investigators a video confession admitting to the crime.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Dr. Ashni Singh puts out 11-minute video defending project...

From page 22 that was held from February 15 to 18, 2022, Brassington gave attendees a glowing presentation on how much the US$700 million project to be built by the Chinese, will do for the country. He told those who gathered of how the project will significantly reduce the cost of electricity and how the Chinese will build it for less than the original cost which

was calculated some 10 years ago.

T h e g o v e r n m e n t ’s spokesman and project head also claimed that Guyana will bear no risks in the operation of the project.

However, the reality is far from the dream that was sold to citizens. A perusal of B r a s s i n g t o n ’s e n t i r e presentation, in fact proves that what he told the attendees at the conference

was not the entire story.

In fact, a closer look at Brassington’s PowerPoint presentation for the project

by KN’s publisher, revealed massive risks for Guyana – none of which Brassington, nor the Senior Minister addressed.

During his presentation, Brassington only mentioned four risks, which the Chinese are expected to bear. The project head stated that the

project is not going to cost Guyana any money and that Guyana stands to bear no risk. However, excerpts from his power-point presentation say otherwise.

According to excerpts from Brassington’s power point presentation, there are 10 primary project risks and mitigants that are expected.

Those namely are: construction cost, construction delays,

geotechnical, hydrology, political force majeure (e.g. naturalization), other force majeure, Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) demand, GPL payment risk, interest rates, and Foreign Exchange (FX).

Stated below are the six risks that will be thrown on Guyana, and the remaining risks are the ones the Chinese contractor will bear.

HYDROLOGY For the Hydrology risk, this simply means that GPL would bear the incurred liability whenever the Amaila Falls runs dry or if the 23 square kilometers reservoir is unable to feed the hydro plant.

Hydrological risk is generally seen as the risk of having insufficient water in the source river or dam to support the expected levels of electricity generation as had been the case in the past with the Amaila Falls which runs dry during the course of the year.

As such, it would mean that in the event the falls run dry during the course of its hydro plant’s operation, GPL will have to assume all of the risk involved.

POLITICAL FORCE MAJEURE For this risk, the Chinese contractor will obtain political risk insurance. This means that if for whatever reason there is political interference and the project is interrupted, the Chinese is covered by insurance and Guyana will have to pay the cost incurred to build the project.

OTHER FORCE MAJEURE As it relates to the other force majeure, in the event of natural causes, both the government of Guyana and the Chinese contractor will bear the cause.

GPL In this risk, in the event of the power being supplied by the Amaila Falls Hydro Project not being utilized, by GPL customers – the State entity and its customers stand to bear the risk.

GPL PAYMENT RISK The GPL payment risk means that for whatever reason the revenue garnered

by GPL is insufficient to meet payment obligations under a Power Purchase Agreement—currently being negotiated—then again the power company and its customers are the parties that would bear the risk and would have to meet any shortfall in payments to the Chinese contractor.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE (FX) For this risk, Guyana is agreeing that all payments made to the Chinese contractor must be done in US dollars. This would impact Guyana negatively if and when exchange rate fluctuate, especially upwards.

CHINESE CONTRACTOR RISKS Meanwhile, according to Brassington and his PowerPoint presentation – in addition to the other force majeure risk, which is also on Guyana – the risk the Chinese contractor bears is the construction cost, construction delays, and geotechnical.

For the construction risk that the Chinese contractor will bear, they will offset the expense to build the US$700 million project. However, it should be noted that according to the BOOT agreement, when the project comes on-stream Guyana will be purchasing electricity from the contractor for 20 years and thereafter the project will be transferred to the country.

As for the Geotechnical risk, this has to deal with the foundation that the project will be built on. While, Brassington was delighted to inform persons at the conference that the contractor will take this risk – he failed to mention that in 2012 Guyana paid to test the foundation of the Amaila Falls Project, so it is well known that the foundation can handle the project.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

Illegal gun found at funeral procession A group of men attending a funeral procession on Monday scattered and left a .32 Tauraus pistol behind when police ranks turned up.

According to police, the ranks on the scene were acting on a tip and decided to

visit the funeral procession that was being held at Princess and Victor Streets, Georgetown.

Police reported that when the ranks arrived, a group of men who were standing in the street started running in

various directions.

Ranks gave chase but subsequently stumbled on the illegal weapon on the ground where the men had been standing.

Ranks said the illegal firearm did not contain a

magazine.

As it relates to the group of men who escaped, police were able to arrest one of them who is said to be 23years-old.

The matter remains under investigation.

The illegal gun found at the funeral procession.

PAGE 26

Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Traffic accidents claim 14 lives in less than...

PROPERTY FOR SALE FOR RENT Prime location (Business).

Lot 22 Covent Garden E.B.D. Tel:682-7490/647-4236.

VEHICLE FOR SALE One Honda CRV,fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage 3.3M negotiable.

Contact:649-0956.

1 Nissan pathfinder in good condition, CAT 215 used parts.Tel:683-7225/275-0367.

1 Hino Canter,enclosed long tray 8000cc, Landcruiser Prado 2003 silver 3500cc. Call: 653-0490 whatsapp:641-4614.

WANTED Female ages 25-40 to take care of elderly male in Trinidad, accomodations provided.

Call:1-868-489-4087 or 1-868755-1990.

One (1) male able bodied clerk.Tel:231-2029/616-5954.

From page 20 the bike swayed and slammed into the pick-up, the impact flung him unto the paved road. Police stated that the impact caused Profitt to receive injuries to his head and about his body and it is believed that he was killed on the spot.

“After he phone fall out he look back and by the time he look forward he was running off the road like and he tried to steer it back out but with the speed he went going with he lose control and the bike start sway and he slam into the vehicle”, a relative told Kaieteur News.

RAN OVER BY TRUCKS Woman Special Corporal(SC), Dawn Booker and Porter Jomo Benjamin both lost their lives tragically

One male able bodied clerk, one female able bodied clerk.

Tel:225-2313/226-1497.

SERVICES Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040 Drawing of Building plans and Estimate,K.Lakeram building contractor.Tel:2160671/692-8464 whatsapp 6220267.

Installation, Repairs and parts for AC,Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc.Call Nick#656-0110.

Prestige Janitorial Services.

House,Commercial & Office cleaning,Land mowing/ weeding,after party clean up.

Call:670-0734/639-9745.

FOR SALE Cases of Hand Sanitizer For Sale, 250ml at $350 and 500ml at $500. Call 650-5626.

Wallaba Poles 12"-14" butt, 478pcs 25ft at $20,000 per pc,10pcs 30ft at $20,000 per pc.Contact:614-4444.

600 BM Locust squares @1.80 USD per BM. Contact: 614-4444.

FOR RENT One,two & three bedroom apt,furnished & unfurnished. Providence and New road Vreed-en-hoop.Call:6826238/whatsapp 604-6664.

PROPERTY FOR SALE JFWW Network Real Estate houselots for sale gated community,$4 Mil GYD zero down payment.Messageto whatsapp: 622-1957.

Salesgirl & Porters.Apply at Best Buy Food Supplies. Lot 1E Dennis C Middleton St Campbellville with written application.

One (1) live in nanny/baby sitter,must be vaccinated.

Tel:626-6450/646-7142,Ogle East Coast Demerara.

1 attractive waitress to work at Arvin Bar Pink Shop. Attractive salary offer.Tel:6897481,254-1523.

Live in domestic.Must know to cook indian dishes,$30$40,000 weekly.Tel:610-3974.

VACANCY

Experienced Taxi Driver (Hire car license) and bus driver at Princess Hotel. Contact:6165419/265-7075/265-7076.

Pharmacist,Sales Girl, Maintenance Supervisor and Office Manager. Call: 621-6969 or 615-7784.

Vacancy exist at P.S.G.C.S for Experience waitress to work Labourers, General Cleaner, 8hrs shift,$20,000 weekly. Maintenance worker,Time Tel:610-3974.

Keeping,Tool Issuing clerk-

Wanted Lorry Drivers. One Housekeeper to work with family,Mon-Sat,over Call:220-2818/3710.

35yrs.Tel:503-0359/608-2444.

Chainsaw Operator and Labourers to work in wood General Assistant.Must have CXC(Math & English), Comconcession.Call:667-8441. puter Knowledge, Graphic Male seeks confidential Design Skills.Call/whatsapp: companion,ages 30-60 to live 600-4497. with,salary $100,000 monthly.

One experience receptionist, Call:603-9085. over 35yrs.Contact:503-0359/ 608-2444.

VACANCY One salesman,able bodied porters.Experience in writing bills,stocktaking & cashing.

Keyfood Trading, Mc Doom village.

For one driver and one porter.Apply to Global Healthcare Supplies, 110 thirdst, Alberttow n.Email:gl obalhealthsuppliesinc@gmail.com.

For experience Hauler & Canter Drivers.Apply in person at Alabama Trading,65 Robb St Bourda.

One clerk for TSI Eccles Office,English & Maths grade 1 or 2.Call:615-9132 or email application to tech serigy@yahoo.com.

Maid to cook and clean for East Bank areaa.Call:6159132.

Immediate vacancy exists for one female cleaner.Call:2311408/642-9191.

Diesel & Auto mechanic, Truck & small vehicle drivers, porter to work in Interior.

Call:682-3923/611-5398.

Canter Drivers,Driver Salesman, Sales Rep,ages 23yrs & older.Call:617-1809.

in separate accidents after being run over by trucks.

According to previous reports, Booker, a Special Corporal attached to the Small Business Bureau situated at Lot 1 Penitence Street, Georgetown was killed a short distance from where she worked.

In video footage of the accident that was previously seen by this newspaper, it was observed that Booker was proceeding south on the

eastern parapet of the La Penitence public road. A male pedal cyclist was seen approaching from the opposite direction on the said parapet. When the two cyclists were about to cross paths, SC Booker, it appeared, the woman made a judgment call and swerved to the right, seemingly to prevent a collision with the man on the bike. As a result, she almost lost control of her cycle and fell and within moments a

truck, which was heading in the same direction, appeared in the frame and ran over the upper portion of Booker’s body.Benjamin, however met his demise when the motor lorry he was standing in collided with another truck while the driver was overtaking the vehicle, along the Soesdyke Linden Highway. As a result of the collision he fell out of the tray of the lorry and was run over, causing him to die.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 27

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

$81M estimated to rehabilitate Mahdia Police Station During the opening of tenders yesterday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office, three contractors vied for the contract to remodel and rehabilitate the Mahdia Police Station which is estimated to cost some $81,939,207.

Ministry of Home Affairs Remodeling and rehabilitation of Mahdia Police Station.

This is a project being undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Of the three contractors, it was R & J Ramphal Variety Store & Transportation Services which submitted the lowest bid of $79,579,399 for the project.

At the NPTAB, bids were also opened for repairs to the coast guard base at Stanley Town, New Amsterdam, Berbice and repairs to the Sports Corps Office at Base Camp Ayanganna, projects that fall under the Guyana Defence Force.

Below are the companies and their bids:

Construction of bunk beds for the Guyana Police Force.

Ministry of Finance Procurement of security services for the Ministry of Finance Annex Building.

The Mahdia Police Station in 2016.

Ministry of Legal Affairs Supply and delivery of 150KVA generator.

Ministry of Education Supply and delivery of multi-function printer.

National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) Supply and delivery of one precession row planter for NAREI.

Supply and delivery of new mini excavators and two trailers.

Guyana Defence Force Repairs to sports corps office at Base Camp Ayanganna.

Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) Supply and delivery of two complete sets of land-leveling equipment.

Guyana Water Incorporation (GWI) Installation of new water supply systems in Regions, Seven, Eight and Nine for lots 1 to 3.

Guyana Energy Agency Supply and delivery of light emitted diode (LED) bulbs and container.

Repairs to coast guard base at Stanley Town, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Eteringbang customers lament poor service from Digicel

R

esidents from the Eteringbang, Cuyuni, Region Seven, have reached out to Kaieteur News, expressing their dissatisfaction with the quality of service they are receiving from Digicel Guyana.

Digicel is one of two large telecommunications service provider in the country and in 2013 had set up a tower to provide service to residents of Eteringbang.

The relationship between the customers and the service provider was over the years, at a satisfactory level. But as of late, the goodwill and commitment it expected from Digicel to quality service, appears to have fallen off the proverbial wagon.

One prominent businessman (name provided) was open to sharing his thoughts on the state of affairs, having lived there for years.

“You pay for 3G and 4G service then it doesn’t work.

When you query, you hear that the tower only provides 2G signal. When you put in

a 2G plan it works for a couple of morning then it goes dead”, said the businessman.

He continued, “Sometimes you put in a month’s 2G plan and it only work a few days and when the plan expires, they don’t refund you for the megs that you didon’t use.”

According to the residents, the internet service is not the only pain they are facing from Digicel.

They explained that sometimes there would be no signal and they would be left without communication for days.

They admitted that when contact is made with Digicel, the company would send in engineers but they would take a while to get there.

The engineers would do their work but after they leave, the service would be working. Within a few days however, the signal issues return.

Some residents told Kaieteur News that they have chosen to install other instruments for internet connection. But others who

9 patients admitted in COVID-19 ICU, 25 new infections recorded

W

ith no COVID-19 fatality reported over the past two days, the Ministry of Health yesterday stated that nine patients are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit receiving treatment.

Further, in its latest COVID-19 dashboard, the Ministry said it recorded 25

new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 62, 946.

The dashboard also shows that 34 persons are in institutional isolation, 416 in home isolation and 10 are in institutional quarantine.

To date, a total of 61,267 persons have recovered from the virus.

Eteringbang, Region Seven

cannot afford this, are still struggling with the poor internet service and unreliable signal they receive from the tower.

Kaieteur News has reached out to Digicel for a comment and its Communications Manager, Vidya Sanichara, responded

that a team of engineers will be heading to the area today.

She said that the connection issues are being caused by the inclement weather at Eteringbang.

Sanichara explained that the tower is powered by a solar generator and as a result of the bad weather

there has been some power outages.

She said, the engineers are heading in there today and will “put a temporary fix” to the technical issues as soon as possible. For a permanent solution, the Communications Manager related that Digicel is

working on some upgrades for the tower. However, these upgrades will take some time and will be completed by the end of this month.

The company sincerely apologizes to its customers at Eteringbang for the inconvenience caused.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Wednesday March 02, 2022

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Kaieteur News

Vasiliy Lomachenko & Sergiy Stakhovsky sign up to fight Russia BBC Sport - Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky says he hopes he will not have to use the gun he has been given after signing up to help his nation’s defence against the Russian invasion.

Boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko, a three-weight champion, is another sports star to join Ukraine’s reserve forces and has been photographed with a rifle.

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is also thought to have signed up.

Stakhovsky said: “I know how to use the gun. If I’ll have to, I’ll have to.”

The 36-year-old retired from tennis after the Australian Open in January

and has returned to Kyiv to help his nation’s defence.

Reigning heavyweight champion Usyk, who beat Britain’s Anthony Joshua in September, has left his London base to go back to Ukraine.

Photographs on Instagram - from an unverified Ukraine Boxing Federation account - claim to show the 35-year-old holding a weapon.

When asked to confirm whether Usyk had gone to Ukraine to fight, his promoter Alexander Krassyuk told BBC Sport that “every Ukrainian joined the defence”.

Lomachenko, 34, was shown wearing military uniform with a rifle across his

shoulder in a post on his Facebook page.

Men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been told by the Ukrainian government to stay in the country and fight as it looks to slow Russia’s attacks.

“I pretty much hope that I won’t have to use the gun,” Stakhovsky, a former world number 31 known for beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Stakhovsky has left his wife Anfisa and children at their home in Hungary, saying it was a “horrible” decision to make.

He thinks Anfisa has told their children he has gone to another tennis tournament.

“I’m still not sure how I’ve

Wednesday March 2, 2022 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You're asked to spring into action today, Aries, so don't resist it. Be aware of the fact that things may not be as they seem. There could be a strange façade over the situation that you should be aware of before you act.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) It might be hard to get to the root of a matter today, Taurus. Instead of getting stressed about it, take a long nap sometime this afternoon.

Water your plants and read a book.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Enjoy a spirited day in which you indulge in everything your heart desires, Gemini.

Your imagination could take you to a whole new realm in which you play the starring role. Live these fantasies.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may be feeling especially concerned with others today, Cancer. Your thoughts are with the less fortunate.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today is an active day for you in which you would do well working with groups of others, Leo. Your imagination is especially active and you might find yourself playing out scenes from your dreams.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today is a day to roll with the punches, Virgo. Don't take anything too seriously, and refrain from making any major decisions. You might get the sense that something or someone is working behind the scenes without your knowledge.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) his could very well be one of those days in which you forget to put on your shoes before heading out the door, Libra. Make sure your head is screwed on tight before you climb out of bed this morning; otherwise you might find it floating up in the clouds.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The information coming at you today may be clouded and delusional, Scorpio.

Take it with a grain of salt.

Someone could try to pull the wool over your eyes.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your fantasy world will be especially active today, Sagittarius, and you should feel free to take off into dreamland.

Let your imagination run the show today and you'll be delightfully surprised at the re-

wards this will bring to your everyday life.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Things might not feel like they're fitting into place today, Capricorn, so don't try to press the issue.

You may sense a strong desire to escape into fantasyland and never come back.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) our physical vitality is extra strong today, Aquarius, although your thoughts may be a little clouded.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) There could be a bit of confusion in your world today, Pisces. Trying to make sense of what's going on might not be the easiest task.

Sergiy Stakhovsky beat defending champion Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013. (Getty Images)

done it. I know that it’s extremely hard on my wife.

My kids don’t know that I’m here,” he said.

“They don’t understand war. They’re too little to understand what’s going on.”

Will sporting sanctions make a difference?

Sporting organisations are continuing to impose sanctions on Russian teams and athletes after the country,

supported by Belarus, launched a military invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.

On Monday, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa “until further notice”.

It means the Russian men’s team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women’s team have been banned from

this summer’s Euro 2022 competition.

Spartak Moscow have been kicked out of the Europa League, while Uefa has ended its sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom.

The International Olympic Committee has urged sport governing bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The Ukrainian Tennis Federation has called on the sport’s governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), to expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from individual and team tournaments.

Ukrainian world number 15 Elina Svitolina has said she will refuse to play Russian or Belarusian players until they are classed as ‘neutral athletes’.

Stakhovsky says he believes these moves will make “a lot of difference in terms of perspective” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He really loves sport and loves that Russia is successful in sport. He loves that he can demonstrate that success out in the world during the Olympics and all the other sport events,” said Stakhovsky.

I would be on the front line - Fury With fellow heavyweight world champion Usyk also thought to have signed up, Britain’s Tyson Fury was quick to praise the Ukrainian during his pre-fight news conference against Dillian Whyte on Tuesday.

“I would be on the front line if England or the USA got involved [in the war],” said Fury.

“So would my dad and all the boys [the Fury brothers].

Love your woman and defend your country.”

Fury first became world champion in 2015 after beating Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko, who is also understood to have signed up.

Ja Morant sets Grizzlies’ scoring...

From page 33 Lyles was acquired Feb. 10 from Detroit. Lyles had 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting after he put up just 12 total points in his first four games with the Kings.

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 37 points, making 12 of 16 from the floor and adding 10 assists. He has scored 30 or more points in each of his three games back since missing the final 10 games before the All-Star break with a sprained ankle.

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

South Africa beat New Zealand by 198 runs, split series AP - South Africa completed an extraordinary turnaround in form when it beat New Zealand by 198 runs in the second test yesterday to square the twomatch series.

After setting New Zealand a target of 426, South Africa bowled out the home team for 227 to win with more than a session remaining at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

New Zealand won the first test by an innings and 276 runs, bowling out South Africa for 95 and 111 at the same venue.

hand for most of the next five days.“It was a bold decision and one we had to take as a unit,” Elgar said. “Luckily it paid off. It was something which could have backfired and I would have looked like an absolute idiot.

“This is a big win in the context of playing away from home, being 1-0 down and being beaten within 21/2 days in the first test and then bouncing back to what we’ve done now.”

South Africa scored 364 batting first, led by a maiden century to opener Sarel Erwee, then bowled out New

Quinton de Kock, also posted a maiden test century to lead South Africa to a declaration at 354-9 in its second innings, a lead of 425.

Any hopes New Zealand might have had of winning the test crumbled before stumps on the fourth day when it lost its first three wickets for 25 runs. In an outstanding opening spell, Rabada removed both New Zealand openers, Tom Latham and Will Young, within the first three overs.

New Zealand resumed Day 5 at 94-4, needing to bat

Lutho Sipamla got Devon Conway, who couldn’t be saved by DRS. (Getty Images)

As if to defy that result, South Africa captain Dean Elgar made the bold decision to bat on winning the toss in the second test. Determined to atone for the first test loss, the Proteas held the upper

Zealand for 293 to take a 71run first innings lead. Kagiso Rabada took 5-60.

Kyle Verreyne, thrust into the role of wicketkeeper-batsman by the sudden retirement of

through all of the final day with six wickets in hand. It probably never considered an attempt to overtake the West Indies’ world-record winning fourth innings total of 418.

Marco Jansen picked off Colin de Grandhomme and Tom Blundell after lunch. (Getty Images) At first its prospects of saving the match looked good. Devon Conway, who was 60 when play began, and Tom Blundell who was 1, both appeared comfortable as the session progressed, eating up valuable time.

But Conway was out for 92 close to the end of the first session. He fell lbw to the young fast bowler Lutho Sipamla, playing across the line to a ball that was hitting leg stump.

It was a crucial blow for South Africa. Had the fifth wicket partnership, broken at 83, continued into the second session of the day, the tension of the final day would substantially have ramped up.

Instead, New Zealand went to lunch five wickets down and saw its hopes of saving the match fade away when Blundell (44) and first innings century-maker Colin de Grandhomme (18) were out within five overs of the start of the second session.

That left only the bowlers to

come.Kyle Jamieson, who has some allround ability with a test half century to his credit and a batting average of 25, was 12 when he casually hoisted a ball from Marco Jansen high into the leg side where it was calmly taken by Rabada.

Tu e s d a y ’s d e f e a t completed a home summer in which New Zealand shared both of its test series, losing the first test and winning the second against Bangladesh and winning the first but losing the second against South Africa. The

Tom Latham and Dean Elgar with the shared trophy • Feb 28, 2022 © Getty Images Tim Southee hit Rabada for four and was out two balls later in the first over after drinks, leaving South Africa one wicket from victory.New Zealand’s lastwicket pair, Neil Wagner and Matt Henry, offered a hint of resistance. Henry made 58 and Wagner 49 in the first innings of the first test and they held out for 34 minutes.

In a last, dramatic twist, light rain began to fall at 3:17 p.m. and the umpires called for the covers and for tea to be taken early.

The final wicket fell shortly after the resumption when Henry was adjudged lbw to Keshan Maharaj, who took 3-71.

The 21-year-old fast bowler Marco Jansen took 363 and Rabada, voted player of the match, took 3-46.

results set back its ambition of defending its inaugural World Test Championship title.“I think heading into yesterday, it was pretty evenstevens. They probably had their heads slightly in front,” New Zealand captain Tom L a t h a m s a i d .

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to break those partnerships yesterday morning and I guess today we weren’t able to build enough partnerships to put them under pressure.”

Scores: South Africa 364 (Erwee 108, Wagner 4102, Henry 3-90) and 354 for 9 dec (Verreynne 136*, Rabada 47, Henry 2-81) beat New Zealand 293 (de Grandhomme 120*, Rabada 5-60, Jansen 4-98) and 227 (Conway 92, Rabada 3-46, Jansen 3-63) by 198 runs.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 35

Playing in country of birth ‘special’ for Australia’s Khawaja AFP - Australia opening batsman Usman Khawaja admitted Monday that playing in Pakistan will be “special” as he returned to the country of his birth for the first time as an international cricketer.

Khawaja, 36, was born to Pakistani parents in Islamabad before moving to Australia four years later and became the first Muslim cricketer to don the baggy green cap.

Known for his dashing left-handed batting, Khawaja recently enjoyed a remarkable comeback after a three-year gap, smashing a century in each innings of the Ashes Test against England at Sydney last month.

He is now part of the Australia team that arrived Sunday in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years and will play three Tests, starting in Rawalpindi later this week,

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja bats during their final practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on February 25, 2022, before their departure for the team’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998. (AFP/William WEST)

three one-day internationals a n d o n e Tw e n t y 2 0 international.Khawaja said he always wanted to go back and play in Pakistan.

“The fact that I am playing in Pakistan is special, very special,”

Khawaja told reporters ahead of the first Test beginning on Friday.

“I always wanted to play in Pakistan as I said down the road. There is that bit of sentiment definitely, but once the game starts you

don’t think about that stuff.

“I look forward to playing in Rawalpindi, where I went to the old stadium as a kid and have played once,” said Khawaja, who revealed he had visited Pakistan on four occasions,

the last time in 2010.

“Karachi is also special to my heart, where my relatives live, but since we are in a security bubble there is no chance of meeting anyone.”

The second Test is in Karachi from March 12-16 and the third in Lahore from March 21-25.Despite his roots, Khawaja admitted he always wanted to play for Australia, where he was raised from a young age.

“My heart was always to play for Australia because I have lived my whole life there,” he said. “It was my good luck that I got a chance to play for Australia in 2011,” said Khawaja of his debut against England.

Khawaja admitted that his family will be split on who they will be cheering for in the Test series.“My parents support Pakistan and I support Australia but I

follow the Pakistani culture and speak Urdu with my mother at home.”

He also is looking forward to receiving a warm welcome from the Pakistan spectators.

“I don’t expect a hostile crowd because people in Pakistan love their cricket and appreciate good cricket,” said Khawaja, who will be missing his parents as they cannot make the trip.

“M y f ath er ( Tar iq ) definitely loves cricket and has been watching it his whole life. He is very excited that I get to play in Pakistan,” said Khawaja.

“Both my father and mother wanted to come and watch me, particularly in Rawalpindi where we lived, but circumstances mean that they are not coming out.

“I hope they can watch from the comfort of their living room.”

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

NBA roundup:

Ja Morant sets Grizzlies’ scoring record - again Reuters - Ja Morant notched franchise records with 52 points and 22 field goals to lift the host Memphis Grizzlies to a 118105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

The impressive display came two days after Morant scored a franchise regularseason-record 46 points in a victory over the Chicago Bulls. His previous career high for any contest was 47 in a playoff loss to the Utah Jazz last season.

Morant provided a

number of signature m o m e n t s o n M o n d a y, including an emphatic dunk over Jakob Poeltl late in the second quarter and a buzzerbeating jumper to give the Grizzlies a 68-58 lead at halftime.

De’Anthony Melton scored 15 points for Memphis, which recorded its 11th win in 14 outings overall and prevented San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich from tying Hall of Famer Don Nelson’s NBA record for regular-season coaching

victories (1,335). Lonnie Walker IV led the Spurs with 22 points.

Raptors 133, Nets 97 Rookie Scottie Barnes tied a career high with 28 points and collected a careerbest 16 rebounds as Toronto routed Brooklyn in New York.

The Raptors, still without Fred VanVleet (knee), bounced back from losing by a combined 59 points in a weekend back-to-back at Charlotte and Atlanta — Toronto prevailed even

Memphis Grizzles guard Ja Morant (12) drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl (25) and San Antonio Spurs forward Doug McDermott (17) defend during the second half at FedExForum. (Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports) though Pascal Siakam was held to eight points on 2-of14 shooting from the floor.

LaMarcus Aldridge led

the Nets with 15 points while Bruce Brown and rookie Cam Thomas added 14 apiece for Brooklyn, which allowed 31 points off 23 turnovers. The Nets also were coached by lead assistant Jacque Vaughn after announcing Steve Nash was placed in health and safety protocol shortly before the opening tip.

Bucks 130, Hornets 106 Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his fifth consecutive double-double as Milwaukee defeated visiting Charlotte to snap a two-game losing streak.

The two-time MVP amassed 26 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and four blocks plus a 14-of-14 performance from the freethrow line. Jrue Holiday contributed 21 points and Bobby Portis finished with 20 to go along with 10 rebounds.

LaMelo Ball paced the Hornets with 24 points on 9of-18 shooting. Terry Rozier scored 17 while handing out eight assists, and Kelly Oubre Jr. notched 17 points off the bench.

Heat 112, Bulls 99 Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent scored 20 points each as host Miami beat Chicago in a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who scored 18 points, had his streak of consecutive 30-point games snapped at 10. DeRozan finished one game short of Michael Jordan’s franchise record for consecutive 30point contests. Chicago’s Ayo Dosunmu also had 18 points.

Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro scored 20 points apiece for the Heat, while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 15.

Timberwolves 127, Cavaliers 122 D’Angelo Russell fired in a team-high 25 points as

Minnesota ended Cleveland’s eight-game home winning streak.

M i n n e s o t a ’s K a r l Anthony Towns had 17 points, including the gamewinning 3-pointer with 12.4 seconds left that snapped a 122-122 tie. Towns won the league’s 3-point contest during All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each added 17 points and Patrick Beverley had 11 for the Timberwolves, who shot a sizzing 54.7 percent from the field. Kevin Love led all scorers with 26 points for the Cavaliers, who hadn’t dropped a home game since Jan. 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Magic 119, Pacers 103 Wendell Carter Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double, and Markelle Fultz made a successful season debut, leading host Orlando past Indiana.

Fultz, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, finished with 10 points on 5for-7 shooting, six assists and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. He had not played in almost 14 months due to a left ACL injury.

Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists for Indiana, which lost its fifth straight on the road. The Pacers’ Buddy Hield added 18 points.

Kings 131, Thunder 110 De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and added 10 assists to lead Sacramento to a victory at Oklahoma City. The Kings snapped a four-game losing streak, while the Thunder lost for the eighth time in 10 games and the fifth consecutive time at home.

Sacramento interim coach Alvin Gentry inserted Trey Lyles into the starting five for the first time since (Continued on page 33)

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

Haiti and Guatemala played out a 101 draw.

Haiti, Guatemala book round of 16 spots in CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship, Jamaica almost there SportsMax - Haiti and Guatemala confirmed their progression from Group B of the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship after playing out a 1-1 draw, at the San Cristobal PanAmerican Stadium, in the Dominican Republic on Monday.

The Guatemalans took the lead in the 21st minute through Celsa Sandoval before Haiti got their equalizer on the stroke of halftime through Rose-Alya Marcellus. Both teams got one red card each with Lesly Hernandez being dismissed for the Guatemalans and Withmilla Alcide seeing red for the Haitians.

With th r ee teams advancing from each group and one match left in group

play, Haiti and Guatemala both have four points to be first and second, while Jamaica are third on three points. Cuba sits last in the Group without a point.

The young Reggae Girlz will now go into their last match with Haiti knowing that a win, draw or a Cuban loss to Guatemala will be enough to send them through to the round of 16 stage. Both matches will be played t o d a y. S u r i n a m e , T h e Cayman Islands, Curacao, and Bermuda all automatically advanced to the round of 16 through the qualifying tournament, while the other 12 teams to advance alongside them will be determined by group play.

PAGE 37

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

World Athletics joins sporting bodies in banning Russian and Belarusian athletes ( R e u t e r s ) - Wo r l d Athletics banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from all events for the foreseeable future yesterday, as more sporting bodies sanctioned athletes from the two countries in r e s p o n s e t o R u s s i a ’s invasion of Ukraine.

Since the start of what Russian President Vladimir Putin has called “a special military operation” last week, Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes have found themselves frozen out from international competitions across a number of sports.

Belarus has been a key staging area for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

O n M o n d a y, t h e International Olympic C o m m i t t e e ’s ( I O C ) executive board

recommended sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events.

World Athletics said its council also agreed to consider further measures, including the suspension of the Belarus Federation, at its scheduled Council meeting next week.

The Russian Athletics Federation has been suspended from World Athletics since 2015 due to doping violations, and hence its competitors have not been allowed to compete under t h e c o u n t r y ’s f l a g a t international events.

World Athletics said the new sanction also included Russian athletes who had the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) status in 2022.

“Anyone who knows me

A view of the logo at the The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) headquarters in Monaco, January 14, 2016.

(REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo) will understand that imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

“I have railed against the practice of politicians targeting athletes and sport to make political points when other sectors continue about their business.

“This is different as

governments, business and other international organisations have imposed sanctions and measures against Russia across all sectors. Sport has to step up and join these efforts to end this war and restore peace.

We cannot and should not sit this one out.”

The badminton federation (BWF) banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international competition from next Tuesday.

However, the BWF said it is allowing Russian players to compete at two Para badminton tournaments in Spain this week as they have already arrived on location.“These players, however, will compete as neutral athletes, with no national flags or anthems,” the BWF added.

The global governing bodies for rowing, skiing (FIS) and volleyball (FIVB) have also banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until further notice.

“With immediate effect, no Russian or Belarusian athlete shall participate in any FIS competition at any level through the end of the 2021-2022 season,” FIS said in a statement.

FIVB’s ban covers all teams, clubs and officials across beach and snow volleyball too. The decision came shortly after FIVB had stripped Russia of the men’s world championship.

The international shooting federation (ISSF) said Russian and Belarusian athletes stopped participation during the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt.

German sportswear company Adidas suspended its partnership with the Russian Football Union (RFS) with immediate effect yesterday.

S w i m m i n g ’s w o r l d governing body FINA, which on Sunday called o ff t h e Wo r l d J u n i o r S w i m m i n g Championships in Kazan, Russia, said yesterday that Russian and Belarusian athletes could only compete as neutral athletes or neutral teams.

“No national symbols, colours, flags should be displayed or anthems should be played in international Aquatics events which are not already part of the respective World Anti-

Doping Agency sanctions for Russia,” FINA said.

It added that the FINA Order awarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 has been withdrawn.

Paralympic committees from the U.S. and Canada (CPC) said Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to compete at international sporting events, including the Beijing Paralympics which begins on Friday.

The CPC also urged the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to “consider revoking the memberships of Russia and Belarus” from the IPC. The IPC will meet today to discuss Russia ahead of the Beijing Games.

KVYAT SAYS SUSPENSION OF RUSSIAN ATHLETES ‘UNFAIR’ Russian Daniil Kvyat, who is the Alpine Formula O n e o u t f i t ’s r e s e r v e driver this season, said banning his country’s athletes and teams was an “unfair solution”. “...Sport should remain outside politics and disallowing Russian athletes and teams from participating in world competitions is an unfair solution and goes against what sport teaches us in its principle - the unity and peace,” Kvyat tweeted yesterday.

“Who else if not us sports people will help to glue nations together in the upcoming times.”

On Monday, soccer governing bodies FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia’s national teams and clubs, making it likely the country will be excluded from this year’s men’s World Cup and the women’s Euro 2022 tournament.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Sunday that it had taken ‘swift action’ to cancel all events in Russia indefinitely and that no ITF events would be held in Belarus for 2022.

However, the sport’s two professional tours, the men’s ATP and women’s WTA, have not announced any action against the two countries.Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina refused to play against Russia’s Anastasia Potapova at the Monterrey Open and said she would not play any Russians or Belarusians until the sport’s governing bodies implement the IOC’s recommendations.

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 39

2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship…

Guyana face Panama in final - DeAbreu confident of Group match today progression despite loss Despite a confidence boosting opening win for the Guyana Lady Jags in the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U20 Championship, they were unsuccessful in the follow up hunt on Monday night against Mexico El Tri at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Mexico defeated Guyana 5 – 0 to tighten their grip on Group F which they now command with six points from two consecutive wins.

However, Guyana sits in second on three points, with the final Group match against Panama which happens today at the same venue from 16:00 hrs.

The other team in the Group, Honduras, is third while Panama is last, following their match that ended in a stalemate.

They both have one point but Honduras has a greater goal difference (-1), although marginal.

In the battle of the Group leaders, Mexico found themselves ahead as early as the 10th minute when they won a penalty against Guyana, which was effectively converted by the right boot of Paola Álvarez.

The match then saw the attacking Mexican line-up double their lead through Maritza Maldonado who scored in the 28th minute.

A third was imminent from the side that ended the match with 27 attempted shots against the opposition’s none.

Ta t i a n a D o r r e l l accounted for the third in the 37th minute which put Mexico ahead by three at the half. When play resumed, it was more of the same but the Guyana side did quite well to keep the football giants at bay.

Maldonado completed her brace in the 56th then Aylin Peña marked her name in the record books with a goal in the 78th minute for Mexico.

Those goals were the result of excellent ball control to efficiently build plays to the climax. At the sound of the regulation time Mexico celebrated with a clean sheet.

When the dust settled, Head Coach of the Lady Jags Paul DeAbreu was proud of his team’s performance and is grateful the road has been crossed.

He said, “To date our

team has been able to demonstrate perseverance.

We have come together for the first time with little time and come up with a victory. It always hard to play Mexico.

It’s a challenge.

They’re the best team in the 20 group.

We’re not at the level yet to compete against him. We can only learn from playing teams like this.

Going forward, we love to change our formations style of play, as we had three attacking players. We feel confident that we can continue advancing in a tournament.”

Meanwhile, Mexico and Honduras will also contest their final match of the Group today from 19:00 hrs, following Guyana’s match with Mexico.

Lady Jags Head Coach, Paul DeAbreu

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday March 02, 2022

Walsh takes away positives from warm-up matches Christchurch, New Zealand- West Indies Women lost their second warm-up match by 81 runs to India at Rangiora Oval, ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Bating first, India got a solid start from Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, after Chinelle Henry bowled Shafali Verma in the first over for 0.

Madhana top-scored with 66 off 67 deliveries, while Sharma added 51 to her name. India posted 258 all out in their 50 overs. Cherry Ann Fraser 2/24, Hayley Matthews 2/47 and Karishma Ramharack 2/50 were the best bowlers for the

West Indies.In their reply, West Indies Women lost constant wickets but Shemaine Campbelle and Hayley Matthews provided a 69-run resistance to the Indian bowling attack.

Campbelle top-scored with 63 off 81 deliveries, while Matthews added 44 from 61.

West Indies Women finished their innings on 177/9.

Pooja Vastrakar finished with the best bowling figures for India, taking 3/21, followed by Meghna Singh with 2/30.

West Indies Women’s Head Coach Courtney Walsh said while the batting is a concern, there have been

s o m e g o o d performances, “Good to see a couple of the batters getting in some runs.

It would have been nice if one of them had carried on to get a bigger score but I’ll take nothing away from them.

We have to have a serious look at what we do coming into the first game but it was good to get these two practice game out the way so we can have a rethink of how we progress from here.”

The West Indies Women will play their first match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 against home team New Zealand in the opening

match of the tournament on Friday March 4 at Bay Oval in Tauranga.

West Indies Women ICC Cricket World Cup Match Schedule · March 4: vs New Zealand at Bay Oval, Tauranga, 2pm (March 3, 9pm Eastern Caribbean Time/ 8pm Jamaica Time) · March 9: vs England at University Oval, Dunedin, 11am (March 8, 6pm Eastern C a r i b b e a n Ti m e / 5 p m Jamaica Time) · March 12: vs India at Seddon Park, Hamilton, 2pm (March 11, 9pm Eastern C a r i b b e a n Ti m e / 8 p m Jamaica Time)

· March 15: vs Australia at Basin Reserve, Wellington, 11am (March 14, 6pm Eastern Caribbean Time/5pm Jamaica Time) · March 18: vs Bangladesh at Bay Oval, Tauranga, 11am (March 17, 6pm Eastern Caribbean Time/5pm Jamaica Time) · March 21: vs Pakistan at Seddon Park, Hamilton, 2pm (March 20, 9pm Eastern C a r i b b e a n Ti m e / 8 p m

Jamai c a T i m e ) · March 24: vs South Africa at Basin Reserve, Wellington, 11am (March 23, 6pm Eastern Caribbean Time/5 p m J a m a i c a Time) · March 30: Semi-final 1 at Basin Reserve, Wellington · March 31: Semifinal 2 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch· April 3: Final at H agley Oval, Christchurch

Archery Guyana confirms Seven Seas 2021 Outdoor Championships After recently hosting the 2021 National Indoor Competition, Archery Guyana proudly announced that next weekend, on Sunday March 6, 2022, it will be hosting its 2021 Outdoor Championships, once again sponsored by Seven Seas.

Even more exciting is the fact that for the first time, the Guyana National Stadium will have on its revered grounds, Archers vying for the top position.

“Seven Seas,” a brand distributed by Massy Distribution (Guyana) Inc., has continued to re-commit its support to Archery Guyana, and will be exclusively sponsoring this Competition.

Seven Seas has been around for generations, becoming a household name

over half a century ago. Its products are the culmination of a continuous, rigorous, and intense research and development process resulting in formulations that are known for their excellent quality and high standards. Seven Seas products help families live their #TRUEAGE through their range of products built on the science of OMEGA3.According to the release from the association, thanks are expressed by Chairman of the Competitions Committee, Umasankar Madray, for Seven Seas’ continued collaboration as a c o m p e t i t i o n s p o n s o r.

“Special thanks to the Management of Massy Distribution (Guyana) Inc. and Seven Seas as we move forward to promote the sport of Archery in Guyana.”

Wednesday March 02, 2022

Kaieteur News

PAGE 41

BCB hosts very successful Wicketkeeping and Off-Spinner Clinics for 50 youths

Clyde Butts poses with the spinners at the clinic.

- Sheik Mohamed donates $400,000 worth of items to players

F

ifty youth cricketers from the Ancient County of Berbice on Sunday last left the Albion Community Centre Ground, a far better player as the Berbice cricket Board successfully completed the hosting of two cricket clinics. The clinics were a continuation of the board’s countywide Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching programme and were conducted by former West Indies OffSpinner Clyde Butts and former National Wicketkeeper Sheik Mohamed.

BCB President Hilbert Foster, who was present for the entire three-hour session, hailed them as a huge success and disclosed that numerous players had informed him that they were delighted with his administration investment into their future.

Butts worked with the off-spinners with special

emphasis being placed on spinning the ball, approach to the crease, follow through, variation and flight. Butts spoke widely on the importance of patience as a spinner and also on how to work on the weakness of batsmen. He told the attentive youths that spinners cannot blast out batsmen like fast bowlers and as such, they need to outthink them.

The veteran cricket coach spends a long time observing the action of each player and then correcting it if necessary. He later stated that Berbice cricket is in safe hands and is moving in the right direction. In a jovial comment, he stated that he wished half of them were living in his home county of Demerara.

Mohamed along with local coaches Winston Smith, Balram Samaroo and Leslie Solomon worked with the keepers in another three hours session. Special

emphasis was placed on footwork, gloves work, concentration, equipment and movement.

Keepers were advised that the gloves should be the last thing to leave the ground, so that they can collect the ball on the inside hip. Mohamed, who played nineteen first class matches for Guyana, observed that the main problem for some of the keepers was that they were falling forward. In a surprise gesture, Mohamed, who is the owner of Star Sports in Enmore, donated over $400,000 worth of coloured clothing and wicketkeeping gloves.

Six keepers who were without gloves benefitted from the donations, while every youth at both clinics, received a complete coloured uniform.

He stated that he was very impressed with the work being done in Berbice and as such was delighted to contribute.

Some of the keepers pose with the gloves donated by Sheik Mohamed.

The BCB handed a gift to both Butts and Mohamed, while two players - Ashmini Muneshwar and T. Ceasar expressed thanks to them.

Mohamed joined Butts in informing the BCB that they are always available to

Sheik Mohamed with his charges at the clinic.

return in the future.

The BCB would shortly be hosting two former cricketing greats for two county wide clinics, while West Indies left arm spinner Veersammy Permaul has agreed to conduct a clinic for

left arm spinners when he returns from international duties.

The board in February had hosted Sir Curtly Ambrose and England based Nolan McKenzie for two clinics at the Albion Ground.

Guyana’s Jenea Knight (right) defends against Mexico’s forward Paola Chavero. (Concacaf)

rt Spo

s

2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship…

Guyana face Panama in final Group match today - DeAbreu confident of progression despite loss Chair of Archery Guyana’s Competitions Committee, Umasankar Madray, is flanked by Seven Seas representatives, Neelam Dharmo (left) and Stacy Sam.

Archery Guyana confirms Seven Seas 2021 Outdoor Championships

Vasiliy Lomachenko & Sergiy Stakhovsky sign up to fight Russia

Lomachenko, 34, was shown wearing military uniform with a rifle across his shoulder in a post on his Facebook page.

(Vasiliy Lomachenko Facebook)

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