Kaieteur News

Woman, unborn child die at GPHC

Family members of a 39year-old mother of five are left to mourn her death after she passed away while in labour at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Saturday morning.

Navita Maraj of Helena Mahaica, West Coast Berbice, was heavily pregnant and reportedly under observation at GPHC, two days before her death. Her common-law husband,

Phillip James, 46, told Kaieteur News along with his wife, their baby girl; his onlychildalsodied.Theman became suspicious after receiving conflicting information about his wife's demise and is now seeking answers as to what really transpired.

He hopes that an investigation will be launched and the truth will be uncovered. James told Kaieteur News that prior to

Maraj's hospitalisation, they had agreed that she would give birth via caesarean section. However, two days before her due date, the man said his wife attended the clinic at GPHC and she was toldthatshewouldnotreturn home but be admitted to the hospital where she would remain under observation untilhertimeofdelivery

James related that “Navita wanted to come home and go back to the

hospital,sheactuallybegged them to go home and come back because of her two small daughters a sevenyear-old and a five-year-old at home with her sister, she wanted to make sure they were okay but the clinic referredhertobeadmittedto thehospital.”

The distraught husband claimedtoothatthelasttime, he spoke to his wife, she was not experiencing any labour pains “She was not experiencing any pain when they told her she had been admitted. The last time I went to see her was Friday morning and midday, she said she had no pain,” the man related. James said later that day, things took a turn for the worse as his wife explained to him that the doctors had given her Oxytocin tablets to induce labour “She tell me babe don't call me too steady, the doctor inserted the tablet to induce labour so I gonna relax. She talked to her sister and told her sister the same thing,”hesaid.

The man said that he

received a call around 01:30hrs on Saturday morning from GPHC. He was told that he needed to go down to the hospital urgently “When I reach, they put me to sit down and tell me that they sorry that my baby mother passed away and also the baby passed away,” James an operator at John Fernandes said. The man said that not only did the news shock him but he became suspicious as to what really caused the mother and child to die. James explained: “The doctors called us in a private room and told us one thing, then another doctor that we spoke to told us something totally different that make us believe that something went wrong with how they managed her case…” He continued, “for instance, we agreed three months ago that she would give birth via Csection but the hospital staff nowclaimingthatshesigned upforitbutthenshechanged her mind and cancel it at the last minute when we ask for therecordstoshow,theysaid

Deceased: Navita Maraj

thatwecan'thaveit.”

Added to this, the grieving husband told this publication that the cause of deathrecordedfollowingthe post-mortem did not reflect whattheGPHCteamtoldthe family James explained, “the doctors at GPHC said that she died of a uterine rupture but the death paper said she had multiple organ failure.At this point, we just want the truth because Navita was the breadwinner f o r h e r f a m i l y, a hardworking mother who leftfivechildrenbehind,and her youngest two are asking for their mother They now have to live with their aunt.”

The man is now seeking assistance from the health authorities to look into the matter to uncover the truth. He told this newspaper that he also hopes to get some kindofassistanceforthetwo little girls who lost their mother

...husband wants answers following conflicting reports from hospital

'PPP borrowing spree chaining our children's necks to debt'...AFC warns as total debt to increase 8% by year-end

Th e P e o p l e ' s Progressive Party ( P P P )

Government has embarked onamassiveborrowingspree to fund a number of projects in recent days, taking the country'stotalstockofpublic debt to a whopping US$3.2 billion at the end of June this year, according to the Ministry of Finance's MidYearReport.

This borrowing trend however has become worryingtoOppositionparty, the Alliance For Change (AFC). On Friday when the political group held its weekly press conference, Chairperson Catherine Hughes addressed the issue, arguing that the frequent loans are chaining future generations to debt which m a y l e a v e G u y a n a impoverished. According to her, “We are most concerned about the extent to which we have been borrowing, especially since we know we have been blessed with a Natural Resource Fund that a

couple of weeks ago again hadabillion(US)dollarsinit so we are concerned. We are in fact putting a ball and chain around the necks of the next generation of young Guyanese.”

Hughes went on to detail that at the Parliamentary level, Opposition members are not given an opportunity to scrutinise the sums being taken out by the government as various Committees have not been meeting as they should “The checks and balances that we should have in our country at the Parliamentary level and also at the organisational level, organisations that have responsibility for the particular sectors we know those are not working,” she argued.

Hughes, the former Telecommunications M i n i s t e r u n d e r t h e APNU/AFC Coalition government warned that while the consequences of the'borrowingspree'maynot be immediate, the economy

may be left in a state where people are unable to feed their children, which may even lead to higher levels of crimeandviolence.

Added to that, she e x p l a i n e d , “ T h e consequences could be furtherdownthelineinterms of when it comes to repayment If we don't manage our oil resource funds properly (or) effectively, we may not see the results now but we could asIsaidbeforeseetheresults further down the line when the country and the people have to struggle to repay these loans. It is a major majorchallenge.”

TheViceChairmanofthe AFC, Ricky Ramsaroop also weighed in on the subject, noting, “It's really unfair to put that tab on our future childrenandgrandchildrento come.”

At the end of June 2022, Guyana'stotalstockofpublic and publicly guaranteed (PPG) debt rose by 3 9 percent when compared with

AFC Chairperson, Catherine Hughes

the end December 2021 figure of US$3,126 7 m i l l i o n , r e a c h i n g US$3,248.8 million at the endofJune.

It must be noted that the government plans to expand this debt as signalled in its Mid-YearReport.

According to that document, “The end-2022 total PPG debt stock is projected at US$3,520 5

million, an 8 4 percent increase relative to the mid2022 position, driven by anticipated expansions in both domestic and external debt.”

In September this year, Kaieteur News reported that the bulk of Guyana's external debtwasowedtoChina.

This information is encompassed in the Bank of Guyana's First Quarter

Report. The report explained China Exim Bank accounts for 39 5 percent of the country's total external debt. Additionally,debtrepayment to the China Exim Bank accounted for 82 percent of debt repayments to bilateral creditors. In the first three months of the year, US$10.6 million alone was paid to the Chinese lending institution, up by 1 4 percent The increase, according to the Central Bank, was as a result of higher principal repayments during the reviewperiod.

Trailing the China Exim Bank is the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). According to Guyana's first quarter report, loans to the IADB account for some 32.6 percent of the country's total external debt service Meanwhile, it was also noted that debt repayments to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) rose by 4.6 percent to US$3.0 million during the first quarter of 2022.

Oil giants' massive profits revive calls for windfall taxes

By Sabrina Valle and Ron Bousso

REUTERS - Global energy giantsincludingExxonMobilCorp (XOM N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N) posted another round of huge quarterly profits, benefiting from surging natural gas and fuel prices that have boosted inflation around the world and led to fresh callstofurthertaxthesector

Four of the five largest global oil companies have now reported results, combining for nearly $50 billioninnetincome,liftedby tight global markets and disruption following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The sheer size of the profits has revived calls from politicians and consumer groups to impose more taxes on the companies to raise funds to offset the hit to households, businesses and the wider economy from higher energy costs. They have also criticized big oilcompaniesfornotdoingenough

to raise production to offset rising fuelandheatingcosts.

Chevron Chief Financial Officer Pierre Breber warned in an interview with Reuters that "taxing productionwilljustreduceit."

The company reported its second highest profit of $11 2 billion. However, the company's global production is down so far this year from a year ago, and other U.S. oil companies signaled that output in the top-producing U.S. shale region is waning already."If you raise the costs on energy producers, it will decrease investment so that goes against the intent of increasing suppliers and makingenergymoreaffordable."

U.S. President Joe Biden, who earlier this year said Exxon was making "more money than God", told oil companies this month that they were not doing enough to bringdownenergycosts.

Hours after Shell (SHEL.L) reported a quarterly profit of $9.45

billion and raised its dividend by 15% on Thursday, Biden said the companywasmisusingitsprofits.

On Friday, he noted on Twitter in response to a comment from Exxon'sCEOthat"givingprofitsto shareholders is not the same as bringing prices down forAmerican families."

In the UK, the president of the COP26 climate summit Alok Sharma said on Friday that Prime MinisterRishiSunak'sgovernment should explore extending a windfalltaxonoilandgasfirms.

"These are excessive profits, and they have to be treated in the appropriate way when it comes to taxation,"Sharmasaid.

Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden has said the energy industry "should be prepared and accept" that it will face higher taxes to help struggling parts of society Shell earned more than $9 billion in the third quarter, putting it on track to surpass its record annual profit of

$31billionsetin2008.

Exxon Mobil, the largest U.S. major, reported nearly $20 billion in net income in the quarter ending in September, exceeding expectations and surpassing its previous record set just three monthsearlier

Exxon led the five oil majors in overallrevenue,nearlydoublingits peers Shell and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) in the quarter Exxon's shares lagged those companies' stocks for several years, but have reboundedin2022evenasithasnot made the same commitment as its European competitors to ramp up spending in renewables. BP Plc (BP.L), the fifth major, reports resultsnextweek.

"Where others pulled back in the face of uncertainty and a historic slowdown, retreating and retrenching, this company moved forward, continuing to invest," ExxonCEODarrenWoodssaid.

Shares of the five majors have

all posted a total return of at least 29%thisyear Exxonleadstheway with an 86% increase, while the broad-market S&P 500's (.SPX) total return is minus-19% on the year, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.European governments have scrambled to fill gas storage after Russiacutoffmostofitsnaturalgas exportstothecontinent,itsprimary customer

On Friday, Norway's Equinor also broke new ground helped by the all-time high in European gas prices, and Italy's Eni (ENI.MI) nearly tripled its profit from a year ago, beating the consensus with earnings of 3 73 billion euros ($3 72 billion) France's TotalEnergies reported a record profitof$10billiononThursday

"The Russian war in Ukraine has changed the energy markets, reduced energy availability and increased prices," Equinor Chief Executive Anders Opedal said in a statement.

Written judgments, written reports, writer contracts

The Hon. Attorney General of Guyana, Mr. Anil Nandlall, SC, is either shortsighted or lives in a world of his own making, one deliberately darkened and narrow.

The AG is again on record lamenting, calling, and pressing for judges to write and hand over their judgments in a timely manner. We give a hand to the AG for insisting that this be done, notwithstanding the workload of stretched judges, and other constraints. We are together with the AG in his thinking that the dispensation of justice is impacted by these delays, and that they must be a thing of yesterday.

Now, we must get a little pointed with the AG, and ask that he comes out of his shell and do the exact same thing that he is asking of jurists in Guyanas court system. The AG must bring the same muscle, the same energy, and the same commendable zeal before the President and Vice President, and call on them to do the right thing. That is, not what is right for their selfish interests, but what favours the interests of the Guyanese people. The AG must neither shrink from this hard and perilous duty, nor must be of the thinking that such is not within his portfolio. For we note with interest his quick insertion of himself into the SOCU matter involving the silencing and imprisoning of a practising member of Guyanas Bar. If official protocol and standards were followed, communications ought to have been to the acting Commissioner of Police from the Minister of Home Affairs, under whose realm of responsibility that entire sordid development fell.

Thus, if the AG were to take the position that he is not an oil man, and that is officially the purview of Vice President Bharat Jagdeo (or what he unilaterally assigned to himself), he would be on the inconsistent side. As he calls for the issuance of written judgments by presiding officers of the local court, he must be similarly energised to speak to his leaders about written reports and written contracts related to our mineral wealth that are being cleverly withheld by his governments head honchos. The AG must read the letter and spirit of the law to them.

To Vice President Jagdeo, he should make known that it is not an honourable spirit, not a principled posture, not the essence of ethical comportment to make promises, to give repeated commitments, and then go back on ones word given so solemnly, so publicly. Just as the AG lectures and scolds the judges who have been slothful in the delivery of written judgments, he must do similarly to his senior comrades to share with the Guyanese public what they find fit to keep under lock and key, for fear of truths they may reveal.

We implore the AG, as the man of law in Guyana, to use his standing to influence a change of heart in the Vice President, so that vital documents are shared with citizens, and that Guyanese are privy to the information that they need to know. We will help the AG and give a list that is only a start, since it leaves much out. There are those mining contracts that the Vice President promised to have released, but are not forthcoming.

There is that pre-contract audit report that is long overdue, but which his PPPC Government seems to prefer to be buried. There is the current US$9B audit that should have been completed by the end of September, but now in October, it seems poised to follow the same secretive path that is favoured by the Government. The AG must summon the courage to advise the President that he makes himself look less than presidential when he makes a production of standing for transparency, but has been about slippery secrecy. It looks and smells fishy, just like that FAO report on what is impacting the fishing sector, which the Agriculture Minister seems to think is his property.

All we ask of the AG is that he be consistent, since he knows what is right, and what should be done. What goes for judges and their delivery of documents is what also goes for governments, leaders, and ministers.

The rule of law in Guyana has eroded, is vanishing

DEAR EDITOR,

The arrest of Attorney-atlaw Tamieka Clarke on Friday October 28, 2022, by Superintendent Krisnadat Ramana and other ranks of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force is a reprehensible attack on the rule of law and the constitutional right of the attorney and her client and warrants strong condemnation by all rightthinking Guyanese, regardless of political affiliation, religious persuasion or ethnicity.

According to Ms. Clarke, she was arrested because she advised her client, who was being investigated by SOCU, not to provide a statement to the investigators. The sequence of events as narrated by Ms. Clarke makes the entire episode even more unacceptable. It caused me to wonder if law enforcement officers in Guyana, especially those at SOCU, have been permitted to operate as if they are in Russia, North Korea or some other totalitarian country.

Unfortunately, I can relate to the unprofessional conduct of Superintendent Ramana and others from SOCU. Readers may recall that I attended the Georgetown Magistrate Court on October 15, 2021 in

response to a summons, which was secured by Ramana, to answer a trumped up charge of conspiracy to commit fraud. On my arrival, Ramana and other ranks from SOCU were there to unlawfully arrest me for THE SAME MATTER THAT CAUSED ME TO BE THERE. He also stated that he wanted to arrest me to caution me after charge, which as a former senior police officer, I found to be outrageous. The entire sordid incident was captured by members of the media and streamed live for the world to see.

That very day, accompanied by my attorney Mr. Selwyn Pieters, I made a report of being assaulted by those ranks at the Brickdam Police Station, which at that time was temporarily housed in the St. Stanislaus school compound, and later supplied a detailed statement of the incident. It might not surprise readers to know that so far nothing has come out of that report.

On Monday October 18, 2021, I made a report to the Police Complaints Authority about the same incident. On Tuesday February 22, 2022, I was invited by the Complaints Authority to his office to follow up on my report.

Ramana and constable 23975 Shaquel Duke were also present (Duke was one of the ranks who assaulted me).

Both ranks refused to cooperate with the Authority, who then indicated that he would report their conduct to the Commissioner of Police. To date, I have not heard anything further. I am recounting all this to say that it would appear that Ramana and other ranks of SOCU are above the law and can therefore commit these egregious acts with impunity. It is obvious to me that they enjoy the support of their superiors and a particular senior government official.

It must be noted that despite the reports, the display of ignorance of the law and incompetence, Ramana was promoted from the rank of Assistant Superintendent to Superintendent, skipping the rank of Deputy Superintendent and superseding many others who were more competent and knowledgeable.

I noted a statement by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandalall S.C, in which he said that he spoke to Ms. Clarke and informed her of his “intervention and his advice”.

The Attorney General also said that as part of his intervention, he spoke to the head

of SOCU, Assistant Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh. A Freudian slip perhaps. This is a serious departure from all protocols governing the interaction between government functionaries, including the Attorney General, and senior members of the Guyana Police Force. Where was the acting Commissioner of Police in all of this? The Attorney General should have spoken to the acting Commissioner and not the head of SOCU on such a serious matter. I have repeatedly stated that part of the current problem with the Guyana Police Force is the unprecedented political interference since August 2020.

The statement by the Attorney General confirms this widespread belief. I recall that following the arrest of retired Assistant Commissioner Clinton Conway and other retired and serving police officers on May 19, 2021, on a trumped-up charge of conspiracy to commit fraud, Deputy Commissioner Nigel Hoppie, who was performing the functions of the Commissioner of Police told Conway that he (Hoppie) was powerless to instruct that they be sent on bail because the matter was political. It was only

Elections in Guyana is not about policies but ethnic allegiance

DEAR EDITOR

I wish to commend Isobel Yeung, the reporter and Michael Learmonth, Editor in Chief of VICE News on the production and airing of this short documentary video of corruption in Guyana.

I am a Canadian citizen born in British Guiana and lived there for 4 decades and fought against the institutionalized corruption in my native land. The information uncovered in this video is consistent with what I have experienced and know to be accurate.

Guyana is an English speaking relatively small nation of approximately three quarters of a million in an area approximately 83,000 square miles that was previously colonized by the Dutch and subsequently the British from whom it acquired its independence on May 26, 1966.

The English-speaking nation therefore has a rich history of slavery and indentureship with the two main ethnic groups being East Indians and Africans in an

ethnic and cultural mosaic of six in total. The country has adopted its legal system and enforcement of laws based on the Westminster model of the three branches of government and the Anglo Saxon legal system and English jurisprudence. The South American country that shares an emblem of West Indian history and culture saw the coming to power of the Africans segment of the nation with the Peoples National Congress under the leadership of the late Mr. Forbes Burnham and the United Force, Mr. Peter DAguiar in a coalition in 1964.

During the reign of the PNCR Guyana 1964 to 1992, saw the country very quickly becoming a dictatorship where the late Forbes Burnham used the numerous military institutions staffed with Guyanese of African ethnicity to strip the citizenry of their rights aided by a ruthless and corrupt law enforcement agency, the Guyana Police Force.

On October 5th, 1992, there was a change in gov-

ernment with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic under its historic leader the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan whose firm convictions and loyalty to communist ideals is simply undisputed took the reins of control in the nation’s corridors of power. The subject person in the video Mr. Bharat Jagdeo assumed the leadership with the distinct blessings of Dr. Cheddi Jagan from the late 1990s until that political party lost to the Peoples National Congress in a coalition with the Alliance For Change in 2015 and subsequently was elected back into government in 2020.

The corruption in all these years were underscored by an unlawfully passed 1980 constitution, a corrupt and unprofessional law enforcement agency and legal courts system, a parliament that resembles a gong show with politically-biased Speakers, a revenue taxation agency that is loyal to the government, the government have direct influence of more than 70% of the

economy, etc as some of the institutions that not only spawned but more importantly became its foundations. Both of these two ethnic political parties the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic and the PNC-R Guyana are supported by the countrys two main ethnicities, East Indians and Africans and mixed ethnicity respectively. Mr. Bharat Jagdeo, the current Vice President and the leader of the Peoples Progressive party is the defacto President and its current President, Mr. Irfaan Ali, in my view, is a window dressing version of the person in charge and takes his instructions from Mr. Bharat Jagdeo who directs the show and makes the important decisions putting himself in charge of the recently discovered and formed oil ministry. The elections have consistently supported the model of ethnic allegiance for more than six decades where East Indians vote for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and

The sordid affair of Charrandass in New Delhi

DEAR EDITOR, I rather not speak of the action(s) of the now recalled High Commissioner to India, but those around it, especially His Excellency, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the regulars who have lost their tongue.

Thanks to Watergate and Nixon, we are back to that smoking gun of a question: what did the President know, when did he know, and what did he decide to do about it on first learning? Repeat: first learning of the matter. I commend the President for executing what was the only action that he could have taken. Though he is not due the courtesy, his word is taken that he only knew now. I don’t see how.

But it is not, should not, be the end of this tawdry episode. Rather, it is the beginning that goes back to that three-pronged inquiry of three sentences hence.

I hear of this unpinned grenade, the damning video, being the deathblow, but what if there was no piece of corroborating video evidence? At least, the man in New Delhi should have been summoned home to give an arm’s length accounting, based on the Police development, and let his credibility stand or fall.

I hear of claims of coverup, which have been somewhat neutralized by the President’s seemingly conclusive action.

I would think that some morsel of detail would have been exchanged between Georgetown and New Delhi, and given the high official that was identified, something had to be said and done.

Yet, 14 months passed, and only when some of the

startling barebones elements seeped into the public domain did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saw it necessary to say something. The central message and climax of the Ministry’s release was that the matter is “closed.” Just like that, and be done with all snoops, be gone everyone. Some things just don’t go away just like that; can’t be wished away so easily. India is not Guyana.

Editor, was that video kept away from Guyana for 14 months? I have difficulty contemplating that it would not have been part of the Indian Police case file, a huge part of its investigation. Given the rank of the senior diplomat allegedly involved in this sordid affair, I think that it would been shared with the Guyana High Commission. I hear certain words presented: There is this problem, and it is causing consternation here, considering the profile of the abused, and there should be consultation with Georgetown.

Helpful recommendation forthcoming.

I am reluctant to conclude that whoever took that video held it for 14 months or that Indian officials kept it to themselves. And, on the other side of this situation, that all Guyanese officials in India were totally in the dark as to the video development. I will ride the tiger: it is my belief that official and diplomatic courtesy mandated that that video be shared. What the Guyanese official(s) then did or didn’t do is the crux. I doubt that there is one Guyanese official in New Delhi who withheld it, so that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President would not have to do a dirty deed - re-

call the disgraced diplomat.

To give both plausible deniability. Moreover, I think that the video would have been shared so that the Indian Government would exert subtle pressure on the Guyana Government to do the one thing that was left: get the man out of India.

In that way, the Indians don’t have to bite the bullet and dirty their own hands (and Guyana relationship) by taking harsh, but appropriate, unilateral action. I think recalling the man was preferable to him being expelled. It is putting a noble, authoritative, presidential seal on what disfigured woman, man, and this country. The question I chew on is this: is the President sharing the fullness (and the timeliness )of his knowledge in this sordid story?

An interesting aside is that the media men and women who are usually energetic about Mother India, motherhood, womanhood, and all that they say that they stand for, are without voice, without pen, and without the nonpartisanship that they pretend to represent.

Clearly, all those disappear when it involves what menaces the standing of party and government. What the man did over there was bad, those who prefer to shy away uncharacteristically from critical comment come across as worse than who and what they try to make go quietly and quickly into the night. It wouldn’t and didn’t.

Just ask Foreign Affairs and president. Meanwhile, men are recommending and men are lobbying to be the replacement. Lovely country, isn’t it?

Sincerely, GHK Lall

At least try and renegotiate the lopsided ExxonMobil/Guyana oil contract

DEAR EDITOR

As the discussion continues about the “sanctity of contracts,” I am sure that we can all agree that the ExxonMobil/Guyana oil contract is lopsided. And, as such, it should be renegotiated. At least TRY to renego-

tiate as oppose to defending this lopsided oil contract.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which benefits

Guyanese is welcomed. Not so this lopsided exploitative oil contract. I will leave it to others, like OGGN, to explain how we can and why we

should renegotiate this lopsided exploitative oil contract.

But just to demonstrate how exploitative and lopsided this oil contract is I have included a comparison chart (courtesy of OGGN):

Yours faithfully Sean Ori

Nothing will change in Guyana-worse is in store

DEAR EDITOR, Freddie Kissoon’s Oct 28, 2022 “Monkey banana and the contempt GTT has for this nation,” symbolises Guyana. Guyana, exclusive of the ‘fortunate few,’ remains, and will remain a ‘run-down’ ghettolike nation. What I have to say is true, and it is symptomatic of the land.

My wife and I were the first to be attended to one morning at the Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry Ltd. (GBTI). The encounter started around 8:15 and we left around 11:45. I mean this ‘little’ business of ours lasted well over three hours. What was it?

We coalesced our accounts, and this was after we did call the day before, and came in armed with the ‘required’ documents. Coincidentally, I was at the bank some months later, and a client, having not used his account for close to two years, was denied his withdrawal, since the account lapsed into dormancy. Reason for not being able to access his funds - he must show ‘fresh’ proof of address, even if this means, according to the clerk, selfposting’ a letter.

Internationally, the norm is so easy and it is done online what is needed is a submitting of the request for activation of the account through internet banking via a visit-

ing to the website of the bank.

Then follows a login to Internet Banking, using User ID and password. This leads to ‘Go to Service Request section and Requesting for Reactivating the account. One can also utilise ‘Calling the Customer Care Number’ of the bank and requesting ‘reactivating the account’ and proceeding.

So, Freddie Kissoon and the host of others (outside the elected few), will enter their seventies, 50 years from now, and nothing will improve. Regarding GTT, it is not about whether or not they care, it is a ‘cultural and national’ phenomenon, permanently etched on the landscape. By the way, I received a Police Clearance from the UK far quicker than I did for the one from Guyana, and it was done in a far easier manner. The same is true regarding my driver’s licence from the UK.

Here is another.

There is a popular Chinese mall at the Lusignan Main and Public Road junction. The instore tiny space is so congested that walking single file down the aisles is a challenge. There is no ‘cooling system’ and the place reeks of heat and sweat. The store has no lunch room for the few East Indian employees who labour for a pittance for more than 12 hours per day. These girls

are so poor, they need the money and so will not ask for their legal overtime. Add to this the selling and imbibing of alcohol on the premises all day. This store hives no receipt and there is no guarantee that items can be returned.

I have to concur that “This is a banana republic and banana republics are shambolic systems of existence.”

The true Guyana is seen when we loll at how our garbage collectors are treated. They sit on the garble and use their body weight to compress the load. The garbage, comprising rotten food, oozes and smalls, and is being carried in open back tractor trailers and trucks. I am yet to see the President and Nigel Dharamlall ‘fetting’ in these open back garbage collectors. That will be the day! Then I can say that he and his ministers are merging well with the ordinary folks, and that we are heading for a ‘One Guyana.’

So, editor and reader’s, I am saying it yet again. If there will be changes, they will be for the worse. The best bet is to hope that the US embassy grants visa-free travel, so that Guyanese can ‘escape’ the feculence for a spell and earn some money. They deserve some ‘nice living’ and that is most evanescent in Guyana.

Yours truly, Deodat Singh

Traffic congestion on Vlissengen Road - affluence influencing the exercise power

DEAR EDITOR,

It is with great disgust, I pen this letter regarding the traffic congestion at the KFC food establishment situated at Eping Avenue Bel Air Park and Vlissengen Road Georgetown.

Heading west on Eping Avenue at approximately 17:00 hours, I was unable to make my way onto Vlissengen Road due to the queue of cars encroaching my west bound lane heading east into the drive-through of the above-named fast-food business - I waited for almost ten minutes for the oncoming traffic to clear before being able to quickly meander

my way before being trapped again. Are the owners of this establishment oblivious to the inconvenience caused to road users and do not care? Upon construction of this building, did the owners consider that there needed to be adequate space for their drivethrough service? What about business ethics, does this not apply or is it because they can arbitrarily exercise power through affluence?

This is just another demonstration of the daily lawlessness that has become the norm in our country.

Where are the traffic police? How can they ignore such a blatant disregard for the law? Is KFC, an international franchise in agreement with this? I trust that this situation will be remedied for the convenience of the road users.

Sincerely Melissa Lewis

Isabelle de Caries critique supports my arguments in parts but is inaccurate in other parts

DEAR EDITOR

I refer to Isabelle de Caries’ letter in Stabroek News (October 28, 2022) under the title “The only culture that matters in business practice is the value placed on our assets.” Before going into the substance of my reply to Ms. de Caries, allow me to say how pleased I am that we could debate these critical issues.

Ms. de Caries critique inadvertently supports my arguments in parts but is inaccurate in other parts. Let us take the former to start. On the question of sanctity of contracts, de Caries writes “In 2018, shortly after the infamous ‘tweaking’ of the PSA with ExxonMobil by the Granger administration, a delegation was dispatched from the UK under the auspices of Chatham House. Its mission: to lecture the APNU/AFC cabinet on the ‘sanctity of contract.”

Well, that is exactly my point, right down to the ‘agent’ (in this case Chatham House) dispatched to lecture the GoG. A contract is a contract and cannot be ‘tweaked’ by mere whim and fancy. That was the essential point of my

SN letter. In fact, Chatham House’s journal, International Affairs, it its 100th anniversary published my critique of the kind of practice Ms. de Caries complains about. In my article, published in January 2022, I drew attention to the role of the same Chatham House and its journal in defending Western interest for an entire century. I wrote, “In the UK, the central challenge for foreign affairs thinkers was how to claim leadership in promoting democracy and freedom while denying national independence…”

We can now move on to the inaccurate parts of Ms. de Caries’ letter. In this instance, the argument is that the US under Trump, and the UK under Boris Johnson, reneged on international agreements previously struck. This is an elementary mistake because while my arguments concerned corporate culture, de Caries points to inter-state relations.

Finally, the writer claims that, “intercultural relations may also cloak other anachronisms such as a craven mindset.” The reverse is true. “Craven mindset” is appli-

cable to those who think that cultural solipsism is the answer. The add-on argument to de Caries’ “craven mindset” argument is that we should have turned down ExxonMobil’s offer and not worry too much if they leave. Ms de Caries put it thus – “So what if they do? Others will come in their place. We have assets that are currently much prized on the international market.”

I am keen on finding out more about these benevolent oil companies that would come to Guyana and give us a better deal.

Please name them and provide at least the case history of their kinder and gentler business practices. We live in a capitalist global economy, and while corporate social responsibility is highly praised, the logic of capitalist business is the maximization of profit.

I again thank Isabelle de Caries for enjoining a debate on our hydrocarbon resources. I look forward to a constructive exchange of perspectives.

Sincerely Dr. Randolph Persaud

Behavioral/Cultural specialists should lead MoM

DEAR EDITOR,

It was recently reported that His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali, informed that a Committee spearheaded by

Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken has been formed to address matters

related to the 1000-Man initiative to end violence against women.

While Brigadier Bess and Commissioner Hicken are experts in their fields, I would like to suggest that Behavioral/Cultural Specialists should lead such a Committee. This is paramount for success and this change should be seriously considered.

Sincerely, Dr. C. Kenrick Hunte

The rule of law in Guyana has eroded...

From page 4 after the inappropriate intervention of the Attorney General that bail was granted.

Not surprisingly, the Guyana Police Force, as is its wont, has issued a statement in which it stated that it is aware of the statement issues by the Guyana Bar Association in relation to the arrest of Attorney-at-law Clarke. The statement went on to say that the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has been instructed to launch an investigation into the matter.

Editor, this is not a matter for the OPR to investigate. The OPR is currently headed by a Deputy Superintendent. The allegation made by the attorney is directed, in the main, at Krishnadat Ramana, who holds the rank of Superintendent. It should also be noted that SOCU is headed by an Assistant Commissioner. Section 5 (3) of the Police (Discipline) Act, Chapter 17:01, addresses who can conduct a disciplinary investigation. It is pellucid that the current head of the OPR, or anyone else at that department, cannot legally conduct

such an investigation. I suspect that this is just another effort by the administration of the Guyana Police Force to hoodwink the public and to convey the impression that something is being done. I hope that the lawyers concerned will see through this obvious subterfuge.

I fully support the call by the Guyana Bar Association for disciplinary action, including “termination of any officer (s) who were aware of and allowed this type of conduct”. I am also fully supportive of the statement by the highly competent and respected Attorney-at-law Mr. Nigel H ughes that legal proceeding, both civil and criminal, will be initiated for the unlawful arrest of Ms. Clarke. The ranks responsible, including their superiors, must be held accountable for this dastardly act. As a first step, all the ranks involved, either directly or indirectly, should be immediately sent on administrative leave. The unlawful arrest of an Attorney-at-Law, following so soon after the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs being sternly reprimanded by the Carib-

bean Court of Justice (CCJ) for the breach of confidentiality in the premature release of an embargoed judgement and thereby bringing “the administration of justice into disrepute”, and the disgraceful and undiplomatic conduct of Guyana’s High Commissioner to Ind ia, Charrandass Persaud, conveys the impression to all right thinking persons that the rule of law, common decency and professional conduct, especially by persons in authority, have eroded and is rapidly vanishing. We should be reminded of the poem by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller: First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out becauseBecause I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me. The questions is who will be next?

Respectfully.

Paul Slowe CCH, DSM Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ret’d).

Elections in Guyana is not about...

From page 4 Africans and those of mixed ethnicity vote for the PNC-R Guyana

Both the Alliance For Change and the Working Peoples Alliance (under the leadership of the late Dr. Walter Rodney who was assassinated by the PNC-R Guyana under the leadership of Mr. Forbes Burnham) of which I was a part of in the county of Berbice in the 1980s have almost no significant support as in the last national elections in 2020 where the two ethnic political parties amassed more than 90% of the participatory electorate driving the third political force into the political wilderness.

Elections in the once British colony is not based on securing the electorates support based on policies but ethnic allegiance in order to keep the other ethnic side from the nation’s corridors of power and away from the public treasury and justified with a fierce ethnic loyalty of the lesser of two evils. The corruption that is driven by these named institutions are intact and supported by both national political parties where these leaders will lie and remain in office as the country has no mechanism in which the citizenry can bring pressure to bear and force these leaders to leave office.\ For example, in a press conference in Guyana involving the Vice President and the defacto President, Mr. Bharat Jagdeo, recently and the Guyana Press including the Kaieteur News, a journalist from Kaieteur News posed the question of real-time monitoring of costs, which exists as a clause in the agreement attached below in the comments for verification. Mr. Bharat Jagdeo responded at the time and paraphrasing that no such clause exists in the Petroleum Agreement signed on 27th June, 2016 between the Government of Guyana and Esso, Nexen and Hess giving the government continuous audit capabilities. In addition, when questioned about the oil contract signed by the previous government, Mr. Bharat Jagdeo, in a very distasteful and unprofessional manner invented the nonsensical and inconsistent argument about sanctity of contract which seems

to be rational in his mind and kept referring to debt servicing measures of his government and circular nonsensical arguments.

Debt servicing measures, which for 25 years by his government, that has seen Guyanese families struggling to put bread and milk on their familys table, pay their bills and keep light on in their homes. The purpose of providing this historical context is while the reporter Isobel Yeung touched on important issues on corruption in Guyana, the preservation of the above named institutions by the two main political parties ensures a very dismal future for Guyanese families.

What supports this corruption model is the notable absence of a free and independent Press in Guyana that is able to hold the government accountable and both the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News are opposed to printing of information that is not only accurate but can quite easily be defended in a court of law. Those who condemned Vice News including the President of Guyana, Mr. Irfaan Ali and the supporters of the Peoples Progressive Party, are in opposition to an international and independent investigation on corruption in Guyana which terms of reference are consistent with the requirements of the Rule Of Law with specific reference to this video by VICE News. https://

Kris Kooblall

Toronto, Canada

...Lula beats Bolsonaro to return as Brazil presidentIt's LULA

SAO PAULO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in an election that marked a stunning comeback for the leftist leader and the end of the country's most rightwing government in decades.

Lula had 50.8% of votes compared with 49.2% for Bolsonaro with 99.1% of

voting machines counted, whichtheSupremeElectoral Court said was enough to "mathematically define" the outcomeoftherace.

Thevotewasarebukefor the fiery far-right populism of Bolsonaro, who emerged from the back benches of Congress to forge a novel conservative coalition but lost support as Brazil ran up oneoftheworstdeathtollsof theCOVID-19pandemic.

Lula has vowed a return to state driven economic growth and social policies that helped lift millions out ofpovertywhenhegoverned Brazilfrom2003to2010.He also promises to combat destruction of the Amazon rainforest, now at a 15-year high, and make Brazil a leader in global climate talks.

His victory consolidates a new "pink tide" in Latin

America, after landmark leftist victories in Colombia and Chile's elections, echoing a regional political shift two decades ago that introduced Lula to the world stage.

A former union leader born into poverty, Lula organized strikes against Brazil'smilitarygovernment in the 1970s. His two-term presidency was marked by a c o m m o d i t y d r i v e n economic boom and he left o ff i c e w i t h r e c o r d popularity.

However, his Workers Party was later tarred by a deep recession and a recordbreaking corruption scandal thatjailedhimfor19months on bribery convictions, which were overturned by theSupremeCourtlastyear

In his third term, Lula will confront a sluggish economy, tighter budget

Lula Da Silva

constraints and

Bolsonaro's allies form the largestblocinCongressafter this month's general election revealed the enduring strength of his conservative coalition.

Bolsonarohasrepeatedly made baseless claims of electoral fraud and last year openly discussed refusing to accepttheresultsofthevote.

Electoral authorities are bracing for him to dispute the outcome, sources told Reuters, including security preparations in case his supporterstaketothestreets.

Voting is electronic and the results were announced within two hours of polling stations closing at 5 p.m. (2000GMT).

Lula will take office on Jan.1

MoM must not keep mum

Why is it that when women are attacked, there are individuals and groups which take the moral high ground and demand action against the alleged perpetrators?

But when men are not a tweet can be heard from these same groups and individuals.

A number of individuals and groups have come out against the feral blast of the former Guyana High Commissioner to India.

He used obscene words to an animal rights activist in India.

But where were these individuals and groups when women were attacked, beaten and robbed during the disturbances in West Coast Berbice in 2020 following the deaths of two teenagers from that area?

Where was the condemnation against the attacks perpetrated on innocent women?

Is it a case that indignation is only expressed when there is political capital to be had?

Is partisanship rather than principle dictating when some groups and individuals speak out on violence against women?

What about when men are attacked and abused?

How come there is no condemnation of such actions by the said usual suspects?

We know for example that during the melee in the National Assembly in December last year, certain insulting remarks were hurled at a member of the National Assembly.

How come the usual suspects did not call then for the alleged insulter to be recalled from the National Assembly?

What is it because he was a man or was it the political

membership of the alleged insulter that led to the muzzling of the usual suspects?

It cannot be claimed that the reason for the silence is because the insults were protected by parliamentary privilege.

The Opposition is of the opinion that because the MACE was not in place that the Assembly was not in session, and therefore any alleged insults during such an occurrence cannot be said to be protected by privilege, unlike the dildo remark which was made during a debate.

If the issue is gender that is if the usual suspects only feel compelled to voice condemnations when women are allegedly abused then the newly formed Men on Mission (MoM) should take cognizance of this and become the voice of abused men.

For far too long the scales have been tipped against men. Men are lambasted and even lampooned when it comes to their treatment or lack of respect for women. But what about when men are taken for granted?

What about when they are assaulted or abused? What about when they are called derogatory names when all they are trying to do is execute their jobs in a professional manner?

Who is going to speak up and speak for thes e men?

It is time men change the lopsided manner in which gender issues are addressed.

If organizations and individuals are going to be selective when it comes to women issues, then mens organizations should rise to the occasion and defend the interests of men.

The President of Guyana has established a movement

Dem boys seh...

called Men on Mission. Its purpose reportedly is to address the concerns of men. The manner in which the President spoke at the launch of MoM suggested that he was saying that men have let the ball drop, that they have been irresponsible and that they should change that.

But what about the other side of the equation?

What about those times when men are on the receiving end?

What about when the problems of women are laid at the feet of men?

What about when we are told that the system is machismo and paternalistic and that it is mens power which are at the heart of the problems facing women?

Men are not the only ones at fault.

In fact, men are often at the receiving end of abuse and assault by women and there is nothing they can do about it.

The time has come to counterbalance the narrative of gender relations.

Men must begin to speak up for men.

They must not neglect to speak out against men who commit wrongs against women and other men.

However, they must equally be prepared to speak out on developments where men are unfairly on the receiving end.

This is the litmus test as to whether MoM should be taken seriously.

MoM must move beyond seeing men as being solely responsible for the present problems facing men.

It must move beyond viewing men as villains without recognizing that they are also victims.

MoM must stand up and be a standout for men. It

Marriage dem pon de rocks

Dem boys hear dis one pon Tik Tok.

A man went to he pastor and tell he pastor how he want to live forever.

De pastor look at he and tell he, “Get married!”

De man was surprised. So he asked de pastor, “Dat gan make me live forever?’

De pastor answer, “No, it will kill de desire?’

Deh gat some people in Guyana nah want get married.

Dem courting dem girls fuh years and dem nah want to tie de knot. De more dem girls and dem

parents ask dem fuh get married, de more dem men mekking excuse.

Nuff young people afraid to get married.

Dem claim dem want enjoy life before dem tie de knot.

It remind dem boys of de story of de man wah walk into a bar and tell de barman, “Meh twenty year old son asked meh what marriage was like. So ah had to give he a demonstration.

“So, what yuh tell him” de bartender asks.

“Ah told him, ‘It’s fine.’ And then ah gave him the silent treatment for three days.”

Some people does come

to dem boys and ask dem boys how dem marriage last so long.

And dem boys does try to be honest and give dem de benefit of years of wisdom and experience.

De odder day one man come and ask dem boys de secret of dem marriage.

Dem boys explain, ‘’ Meh wife and I take time to go to de restaurant two times a week - a little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She go Tuesday and dem boys go on Fridays.

Talk half. Leff half.

should expose the hypocrisy of those who are quick to jump up and condemn men for actions against women but do not do the same when the

roles are reversed.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not this newspaper.)

Cathy Hughes then and Cathy Hughes now

Herearethewordsofthen Minister, Cathy Hughes a d d r e s s i n g M a s h celebrations in West Coast, Demerara in 2018: “Every way you turn, you see Guyana as a truly blessed country Guyana is indeed a place like no other, and we draw strength from our capacity for real unity, diverse cultures living as one people, one nation with one destiny. Today we have another big reason to celebrate. We are witnessing the birth of a new Guyana, a different Guyana that will cater well for us all and for our children.

Everything that is happening at this time gives us a feeling of excitement about our immediate future. I have a dream that our people, our most precious assets, will take this country to new heights. The young ones with all their verve and vivacity are the ones who will have the most advantages of the opportunities that we can

grasp now.”

Here is opposition Member of Parliament in October 2022 writing in the Stabroek News; “I want to celebrate. This must be a good thing, something to celebrate but in a community where a small Icee soft drink costs $400, a small bottle of water $300, no phone service and the only communication with the outside world ranges from $2,000 for two hours of internet there are few jobs, you must farm so you can eat, so your family can eat. The jobs available are as teachers, nurses, a medex or i n t h e r e g i o n a l administration system so competition is stiff and it's hard.

The local shops depend on supplies to come in by air so you can understand the high costs. We complain on the coast but here you can appreciate how much harder life is. Will we see any of it improving the lives of all Guyanese.”

Now let's do some analysis. Mrs. Hughes wrote her Mash panegyric in 2018 and she went on to be part of thegovernmentuntilJuly31, 2020. If Guyana is in a terrible state as Mrs. Hughes puts it in October 2022, then the Irfaan Ally presidency in the most destructive governmentinhistory Why?

Because it means that if Mrs. Hughes is correct about Guyana in 2022, then it took two years, and seven weeks for the current PPP government to go on an insanerampage.

The juxtaposition cannot generate any dispute In 2018, Mrs. Hughes painted a picture of a fantastic country whosephenomenalpotential, she and her government shapeduntiltheyleftofficeat theendofJuly2020.

Two years, three months after, the same Hughes is lamenting a sad state of affairs. Any analyst then that sees credibility and validity in Hughes's reflections has to

Man killed trying to save friend during cutlass attack over woman

Aman was killed on Saturday along the Annai Access Road, North Rupununi Region Nine, while trying to save his friend during a cutlass attack by two suspects.

Dead is Aires Matthews and the friend, he saved is Radesh Phulya from being choppedtodeath. Thedeadlychoppingtook place around 00:00hrs (midnight) on Saturday allegedly over a woman Phulya told police that he and Matthews alongwithsomeotherworkcolleagueswere drinking beers in his white canter truck parked on the Annai Access Road when the twosuspects,armedwithcutlassespulledup in a car He alleged that the men pulled him off the canter truck and began to chop him about his body. His other colleagues ran for their lives but Matthews stayed behind and intervened to stop the men from chopping

hisfriendtodeathbuttheyattackedhimtoo. The suspects reportedly chopped Matthews to his forearm and chest before escaping in t h e i r c a r

Matthews and Phulya were moments later picked up by public-spirited persons and placed in the canter One of the individuals drove them to the Annai Health Centre. Phuyla was treated for his chop woundsbutMatthewswaspronounceddead on arrival. That matter was later brought to police's attention and after learning that Phuylaconditionwasstable,detectiveswere sent to take a statement from him

Detectives have since learnt that attack might have stemmed from a jealous rage over a female teacher that Phulya had been talking to at a bar earlier on Friday evening. Police are currently hunting the suspects.

provide the evidence of 27 months of PPP's wanton destruction because destruction is what it is accordingtoHughes.

Acountrycannotbeinthe ethereal state that Hughes describes in 2018 and fall so low 27 months after Ms. Hughes left office in July 2020withoutthegovernment in the post 2020 period being a simply a wrecking machine.

It is incumbent that Ms. Hughes presents her evidence or be accused of crude propaganda. Professor Clive Thomas may be the factortociteindebunkingthe nonsense of the failed AFC outfit.

For readers who are not familiar with Guyanese politics,Dr Thomasis on the same oppositional company asHughes.

thI will look at the 17 birthday of the AFC and its evil explosion and implosion inaforthcomingcolumn.But for now, let's try to discern

the volcanic death of Guyana after27monthsof the Irfaan Ali g o v e r n m e n t according to the gospel of Cathy Hughes.

In an interview with David Hinds on one of Hind's Facebook postings, Dr Thomas says that finally with oil wealth, Guyana has got some resources to assist in poverty alleviation.

So did the oil wealth bringanyimprovementtothe Guyaneseeconomy?

It is below the dignity of any academic to argue in support of Hughes' thesis. Surely, there cannot be the denial that important areas of life in Guyana need improvement, one of which is elevation in the remuneration of public servants, policemen and otherpublicsectoragencies.

But there have been p a r a l l e l l e v e l s o f

i mprovements with oil wealth that has taken this country way beyond the poverty levels Guyana has endured with the past 70 years. Mrs. Hughes is simply doing her opposition thing, and while she and her failed colleagues continue to do their opposition thing, the people they target with their p r o p a g a n d a h a v e contemptuously left them behind.

HowdoIknowthis?Isee what takes place in my country It does not mesh with the gloom Hughes portrays.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the w r i t e r a n d n o t t h i s newspaper.)

Major revamp for GSA curriculum

...Agriculture Minister says Govt. looking to make GSA courses more policy-related

n a press release, the

IM i n i s t r y o f Agriculture said the President Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration has signaled its intention to make agriculture in Guyana more youth-oriented as part of its plan to further develop the sector and maintain food security Since taking office, the government has echoed the call for more youths and women to actively be involved in agriculture adding that systems are being put in place to make the sector more attractive to thecountry'syouth.

Although in the past, many young people with a g r i c u l t u r e r e l a t e d qualifications have not pursued agriculture as a profession due to it being categorised as a labourintensive sector, His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali along with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has been engaging youths across the country to develop initiatives that would see more youths actively involvedinagriculture.

Earlier this year, the Head-of-State launched the Agriculture and Innovation E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p Programme which will see the government through the National Agriculture Research and Extension I n s t i t u t e ( N A R E I ) constructing shadehouses and offering technical support to youths for the cultivation of high value crops such as carrots, broccoli,andcauliflower

Additionally, President Ali while at the launch of the Black Belly Sheep initiative disclosed that some 35% of the farms must have youth involvement; that is young people below the age of 35. Minister Mustapha recently met with a team from the South Carolina State University which is currently in Guyana meeting with various academic bodies in hopes of establishing international institutional linkages within theagriculturesector.

During the meeting, MinisterMustaphaindicated that the government was working to better equip

young individuals who wish to pursue a career in agriculture

He also said that the government was working to make the sector less labour intensive and more profitable. Keeping in line with the government's plans for the sector, Minister Mustapha said that the government was looking to revampthecurriculumofthe G u y a n a S c h o o l o f Agriculture.

“The Guyana School of Agriculture is one of G u y a n a ' s p r e m i e r e agricultural learning i n s t i t u t i o n s A s a government, we want to make the curriculum more relatable to our policies and the direction agriculture is heading regionally and globally

I think there is room for improvement and that some collaborative effort should be put forward to achieve thisgoal.

We need to ensure our young people are thought that agriculture is a business andaregiventhenecessary

Frederick Kissoon

STEMGuyana honours learning lear pods students ...says preparation for int'l competitions will now be year-long programme

S T E M G u y a n a o n Saturday honoured a number of its students from the various learning pods across the country The event was heldattheMarriottHoteland saw in attendance US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann Lynch and Country Representative of t h e I n t e r A m e r i c a n Development Bank, Lorena Salazar

Salazar congratulated all thestudentsandteacherswho p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e International Youth Robot Competition (IYRC) She said it was not an easy challenge with competitors frommorethanonethousand (1000) teams representing over twenty countries According to the IDB representative, the third place spot secured by S T E M G u y a n a i s a significant achievement and “certainly you have made your country, STEMGuyana, your parents and everyone else very proud. Kudos to all the students as well as the teachers and the parents who facilitated the team's participation.”

Salazar told the students that the field of Science, Technology,Engineeringand Mathematics (STEM) is very important in today's rapidly changing world, and their growing enthusiasm is commendable. She said STEM education is key in preparing future generations to be successful in their careers regardless of the industries or sectors they choose to pursue. “Beyond the benefit of learning

science, technology, engineering, and math, STEM assists in problemsolving and exploratory learning, which can drive success across a variety of tasks and disciplines,” the IDBrepresentativesaid.

Additionally, she noted that STEM teaches critical thinking skills and instills a passion for innovation. “It is a field of education that equips students to become innovators in an evolving world and we know innovation leads to new products and processes that sustain the economy Historically, science, technology, and innovation have had immense impact on “solving” some of the daily challenges that people face especially when there are changes in the social and economic environment. It is a l s o b e n e f i c i a l f o r development of the people, their communities, and their country,” Salazar told the audience, adding that Guyana, for instance, is currently at a critical crossroad in its development pathway “The oil and gas sector is expected to make Guyana one of the richest countries in the western hemisphereandwillgenerate much needed resources for investment. New jobs and opportunities will be created. These opportunities can also include technology, one of the single most important elements in the success and growth of international trade and job market expansion.

Te c h n o l o g y a l l o w s businesses to share

information and conduct trade in less time than the blink of an eye. Technology can save the time it takes to produceaproductordelivera service, contributing to the overallprofitsofabusiness.”

The IDB Representative said within this context, technological change can intensify as artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and cyber-physical systems take the digital revolution to another level. However, while we see these opportunities, there are also challenges and gaps to be filled. As the world over experienced the harsh impact of the COVID-19 pandemic including on the education system, it highlighted the inequalities in access, resources, and digital infrastructure for many communities, including some in Guyana. “That is why at the IDB Group, and ledbytheIDBLab,supportis

offered to initiatives like STEMGuyana Learning Pods Project - Supporting Success in Education for Vulnerable Children The project supported by the Bank'sinnovativelaboratory, IDB Lab, will see students in vulnerable communities acrossGuyanahaveaccessto various skill sets via the use of technology in their supplementary learning in Math,English,andScience.

Overall, it is expected that approximately 1000 children in Guyana will benefit from the project over the next three years. The project seeks to support the expansionofthelearningpod centers across Guyana, located in schools, churches, community spaces, among others where students from grades one through ten, can a c c e s s c o n t e n t a n d technologytools.”

In addition, it offers inperson and online live

teachingsessions,threetimes per week using core public school curriculum for an expanded range of subjects. Since the launch of the project in February this year, it has seen great success. It was this very project that brought us here to celebrate the achievement of the students from ten (10) of the learning pods who recently competed at the International Youth Robot Competition (IYRC) held virtually in SouthKorea.Onbehalfofthe IDB and IDB Lab, we wish the management and b e n e f i c i a r i e s o f STEMGuyana much success and we look forward to continuing to support future p a r t n e r s h i p s w i t h STEMGuyana.

Year-longprogramme

Meanwhile, Director of STEMGuyana, Karen said Guyana's youths are deserving of the accolades they will receive and “we are also pleased to be able to welcome those of you that have been with us for years now as well as those of you who are new to our organization.”

Abrams said Saturday marked the organisation's third annual prize giving event, but first in such a swanky location “We're moving on up folks…,” she noted. Abrams expressed sincere appreciation to all those who have generously helped STEMGuyana to make the event come togethertobeasuccess.

She said STEMGuyana, supported by public and private partners has embarked on a national journey to engage, inspire and educate the next generation of Engineers, Technology entrepreneurs, Scientists, Mathematicians

and even creatives, across Guyana–essentially we are touching the lives of thousands of future leaders who will be prepared to contribute meaningfully to the development of Guyana and you are looking at some of them here today “Imagine a version of Guyana, where every community across the country has access to world class internet connectivity, good roads, running water, electricity, bridges for easy convenience...now imagine a world where the young people in this room are the lead engineers, scientists, designers, and entrepreneurs responsible for designing, buildingandmaintainingthis massive expansion. Imagine again, having these facilities in your village enabling you all to build companies that servicenational,regionaland global customers...right from your villages– in Regions 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , t h a t is the future for which we are preparing you young people, “ Abrams told the audience.

“We believe that STEM talent can be found in every community across our great nation, among every ethnic group and every social class, and representing every gender and we intend to find that talent and to bring opportunity to that talent and to enrich the lives of OUR young people and to empower them and prepare them to be leaders in their country,intheirregionandin the world,”Abrams said. She saidthe70youngpeoplewho were honoured hail from seven regions across Guyana and they worked with their teammates to answer the challenge of building a robot solutiontoanyproblemthey

Officials pose with the STEMGuyana learning pods students at the luncheon on Saturday

WANTED VACANCY

Wanted: Experienced supervisor, cashier, counter person , cooks and labourer. Apply @ Shanta's, 225 Camp and New Market Sts.

Driver, sales man, porters to work in warehouse. Must have experience , attractive salary offered. Call: 696-4444.

Experience cashier, cooks, counter staff, office assistant, bakers & cleaners. Apply @ Hot & Spicy located in Albertown. Call: 225-6255/ 226-9000.

Diesel mechanic required to work at Charity. Call: 2235273/ 223-5274.

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

One housekeeper needed ages 18-35yrs, must have child care experiences and living in Timerhi/ Soesdyke or Kuru-Kuru. Call/ Whatspp: 603-0210.

Farm workers In Timerhi. Call: 617-2032 / 617-2047.

Seamstress, tailor wanted. Call/ Whatsapp: 691-1918.

Male porters ages 18-30yrs & female cooks for supermarket in the Interior. Call: 687-7638/660-9093.

Legal researcher /case manager, candidates should have acquired minimum LLB degree, will train. Send cv : bmpclaw2013@gmail.com or contact 503-2822.

Needed newly admitted attorneys, interested in performing outsource legal work and managing legal cases. Send CV to: bmpclaw2013@gmail.com or contact 503-2822.

Cook who can prepare dhal puri, pholurie, eggs balls etc. Call: 592-684-7351.

One experienced cook Indian & English dishes. Call: 603-1278.

One male and female able bodied clerk: 226-1497,2252313/658-8559.

A able-bodied live-in housekeeper to work in Virgina U.S.A. Between the ages of 30-50. Call: 845-325-8241/ 592-615-5476.

Vacancy existed for 2 experience dispatcher at Confidential cabs. Call: 695-1961/ 231-5784.

General cleaner, office assistant, maintenance workers & live in farm workers needed. Call: 621-6969, 615-7784/ 505-9107.

Bond Attendants & Porters needed @ Survival Shopping Complex. Call: 609-2995 or survival.humanresources @gmail.com

Supermarket sales representatives / sales girls needed @ Survival Shopping Complex. Call:609-2995,email: survival.humanresources@ gmail.com.

Supermarket cashiers AM & PM needed @ Survival Shopping Complex. Call: 609-2995,email: survival.humanresources@ gmail.com.

Driver needed @ Survival Shopping Complex. Must have a valid drivers license ( with motor lorry) Call: 6092995,email: survival.humanresources@ gmail.com.

Driver must be able to assist in workshop @ Eccles, age 23-50, Car/ Van licence Call 645-8443 or 642-9823.

One clerk for TSI Eccles office. English & Mathematics, grade 1 or 2. Email application: techserigy@ yahoo.com or call 615-9132.

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

Experienced supervisor, cashiers, counter server needed. Apply @ Hack's Halaal Restaurant 5 Commerce St. with written application.

One trainee IT Technician needed @ Vreed-en-Hoop WBD. Ages 18-21yrs, email applications: itechcomgy @gmail.com

Two sales clerk & one delivery clerk needed at Lens. Apply @ 136 Sheriff Street, C/Ville or Tel: 227-1511/2272486

VACANCY

CLERICALASSISTANTS

LIVE-IN ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE FOR OUT OF TOWN APPLICANTS COVID VACCINATED PERSONS ONLY. CALL: 223-7500.

Cashier, administrative assistant & accounts clerk. Send application: Beascon Cafe, 127 Quamina Street & Carmichael, Georgetown.

Handy man, domestic workers & drivers/ expeditor needed. Must have experince, driver must have a valid licence. Call: 6748723.

Carpenter, Mason, Labourer, Painter & Joiner Contact: 686-2861/611-4545.

STEMGuyana honours learning pods...

From page 14) identified in their community. “It was fascinating to observe the problems they identified and the solutions they developed (some are here for you to observe).

Quite often, I share with parents and club leaders and our young mentors that the world has changed significantly. Every career imaginable is impacted in some way by technology and the Arts. That’s why as we speak, young people from all the regions are honing their technology skills by strengthening their creative and STEM skills–including learning to code, and to design and build robots–these young people are the future business leaders of Guyana,” Abrams noted.

Also at the event, Abrams announced that in 2020 &

2021, STEMGuyana prepared five teams from its (Region 4 and Litchfield) for the IYRC competition. She said in 2022 the organisation added seven teams from its learning pods and three more from its camps taking the total to 15 teams. “We have now identified more than 100 teams of students from all 10 regions who have expressed interest in competing next year so we will be organising a National Robotics Qualifier Competition in March of next year and will select five top teams out of more than 100 entries, to represent Guyana at the 2023 IYRC challenge. This will be a huge achievement for Guyana,” Abrams announced.

ing the skills of our future writers, photographers, producers and journalists.”

TO LET

One 2 bedrooms apt 50k per month. Two months advance, call: 667-2222.

She told the audience that in addition to learning to code and build robots, all of their learning pods and STEM clubs will soon have their own websites, which students will learn to update with their own observations and stories “and we envision that within 10 months, we would have trained a cadre of young people, some as young as 8-year-old who will know how to design, build and maintain websites, not to mention the benefit of hon-

Abrams also announced that rather than continuing to be a seasonal project, preparation for international competitions like First Global will become a year- long programme. “STEMGuyana intends to raise the funds to purchase robot kits for our technical institutions across the country so that we can run off a qualifier event to also identify the top talent in the country to represent our great nation at international competition. “To our young people, I say that STEMGuyana is looking forward to working with you to prepare you to become world class talents. To our partners and sponsors, I thank those of you who have supported us over the years and I welcome the rest of you to join us in our quest to help inspire the talent for the pipeline of the next generation of our nation’s leaders.” Also speaking at the event was US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah Ann Lynch. She congratulated the children who were awarded for their outstanding performance.

Major revamp for GSA...

SERVICES

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

Furnished 2 bedrooms apartment in Central Georgetown for short term rental. Suitable for Cuban Visa applicants. Call: 600-1583.

Office space in Brickdam 8000 sq ft & Queenstown 1800 sq ft. Contact: Ray's Realty: 627-9685.

From page 10 tools to thrive as budding ‘agripreneurs’,” Minister Mustapha said.

FOR SALE

Two pure breed german shepherd, 7 weeks old fully vaccinated. Call: 650-9998/ 626-0953.

CLERK AND DOMESTIC NEEDED. LIVE-IN FACILITIES FOR BERBICIANS AND ESSEQUIBIANS. CALL: 223-7500.

VEHICLE FOR SALE

One honda crv, fully loaded immaculate condition, low mileage 3.3M negotiable & 1 new super custom hiace bus 2.5M . Call: 649-0956.

New Nissan X-Trail 2019, grey, 4WD, sun roof, surround cameras, fully loaded , turbo, automatic, leather seat & milegage 19.2K, $9.4Mil. Call: 592-681-8477.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Campbellville, Subryanville, Bel Air, Diamond, Middle road, La Penitence, Peter's Hall & Parfaite Harmonie. Contact: Ray's Realty: 6279685.

Highlighting that the University’s Agribusiness Programme focuses on the marketing and distribution of food and fibre products and the unique characteristics of the food and fiber sector of the U.S. economy, Minister Mustapha said that GSA’s curriculum should also focus on similar areas in the context of Guyana’s agriculture sector. Since its establishment in 1963, GSA has produced some of the Caribbean’s most outstanding leaders in the area of agriculture such as the current Premier of Montserrat, Easton Taylor-Farrell.

The team which comprised Dr. Williams Whitaker,

Acting Dean, and Dr. Haile Selassie, Professor of Agribusiness and Economics at South Carolina State University are also scheduled to meet with the Head and other officials from the Guyana School of Agriculture.

Other officials who formed part of the delegation included Dr. Maria James, Acting Chair for the Department of Family and Consumer Science; Dr. Moreen Joseph, Assistant Professor of Nutrition; Dr. Learie Lukc, Associate Professor and Director within the Office of International and National Student Exchange Programmes; and Ms. Odeidra Williams, Director of Public Relations for the College of Agriculture and Family and Consumer Affairs.

EDUCATION

First Aid refresher courses, kindly contact: # 225-9082 to register for Sunday First Aid refresher courses.

New classes for First Aid and home nursing will be starting shortly. Kindly call: 225-9082.

LAND FOR SALE

House lots for sale in gated community, start with $500k deposit. Call: 233-6997/ 6221957.

Seafort Street Campbellville, Carmichael Street. Contact: Ray's Realty: 627-9685.

FOR RENT

Tuberculosis deaths and disease increase during the COVID-19 pandemic

An estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) in 2021, an increase of 4.5% from 2020, and 1.6 million people died from TB (including 187 000 among HIV positive people), according to the World Health Organizations 2022 Global TB report.

The burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) also increased by 3% between 2020 and 2021, with 450,000 new cases of Rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021.

This is the first time in many years an increase has been reported in the number of people falling ill with TB and drug resistant TB.

TB services are among many others disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, but its impact on the TB response has been particularly severe. Ongoing conflicts across Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East have further exacerbated the situation for vulnerable populations.

“If the pandemic has taught us anything, its that with solidarity, determination, innovation and the equitable use of tools, we can overcome severe health threats. Lets apply those lessons to tuberculosis. It is time to put a stop to this long-time killer. Working together, we can end TB,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Continued challenges with providing and accessing essential TB services have meant that many people with TB were not diagnosed and treated. The reported number of people newly diagnosed with TB fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020.

There was a partial recovery to 6.4 million in 2021, but this was still well below pre-pandemic levels.

Reductions in the reported number of people diagnosed with TB suggest that the number of people with undiagnosed and untreated TB has grown, resulting first in an increased number of TB deaths and more community transmission of infection and then, with some lag-time, increased numbers of people developing TB.

The number of people provided with treatment for RR-TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) has also

declined between 2019 and 2020. The reported number of people started on treatment for RR-TB in 2021 was 161,746, only about one in three of those in need.

The report notes a decline in global spending on essential TB services from US$6 billion in 2019 to US$5.4 billion in 2021, which is less than half of the global target of US$13 billion annually by 2022. As in the previous 10 years, most of the funding used in 2021 (79%) was from domestic sources.

In other low- and middle-income countries, international donor funding remains crucial. The main source is the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund).

The United States Government is the largest contributor of funding to the Global Fund and is also the largest bilateral donor; overall, it contributes close to 50% of international donor funding for TB.

“”The report provides important new evidence and makes a strong case on the need to join forces and urgently redouble efforts to get the TB response back-ontrack to reach TB targets and save lives,” said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHOs Global TB Programme.

“This will be an essential tool for countries, partners and civil society as they review progress and prepare for the 2nd UN High Level Meeting on TB mandated for 2023.”

Small gains

In the midst of stalling progress, there are some successes. 26.3 million people were treated for TB between 2018 and 2021, still far short of the 40 million targets set for 20182022 at the UN HighLevel Meeting on TB.

Of the 30 high TB burden countries, those with the highest levels of treatment coverage in 2021 included Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Uganda and Zambia. The number of people provided with TB preventive treatment rebounded in 2021 to close to 2019 levels, but the cumulative total of 12.5 million between 2018 and 2021 was still far from the target of 30 million by the end of 2022.

More positively, TB preventive treatment for people living with HIV has far surpassed the global target of 6 million in the period 20182022, reaching more than 10 million in only 4 years. Seven countries India, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe collectively accounted for 82% of those started on preventive treatment in 2021.

Seven high TB burden countries in the regionEthiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia- have reached or surpassed the 2020 milestone of a 20% reduction in the TB incidence rate compared with 2015.

Countries are also increasing the uptake of new tools and guidance recommended by WHO, resulting in early access to TB prevention and care and better outcomes. The proportion of people diagnosed with TB who were initially tested with a rapid diagnostic increased from 33% in 2020 to 38% in 2021. 109 countries were using all-oral longer regimens (up from 92 in 2020) for the treatment of MDR/RR-TB, and 92 were using shorter regimens (up from 65 in 2020).

There has been increased access to shorter (13 months) Rifamycin-based regimens for TB preventive treatment. In 2021, 185 350 people in 52 countries were reported to have been treated with rifapentine-containing regimens, up from 25 657 in 37 countries in 2020.

The report reiterates its call for countries to put in place urgent measures to restore access to essential TB services. It further calls for increased investments, multisectoral action to address the broader determinants that influence TB epidemics and their socioeconomic impact as well as the need for new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.

To intensify vaccine development, building on lessons from the pandemic, WHO will be convening a high-level summit in early 2023. The 2022 report features data on trends of disease and the response to the epidemic

from 215 countries and areas, including all 194 WHO Member States.

Note to the editor

Global TB targets

In 2014 and 2015, all Member States of WHO and the UN adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHOs End TB Strategy. The SDGs and End TB Strategy both include targets and milestones for large reductions in TB incidence, TB deaths and costs faced by TB patients and their households.

In 2018, countries convened at the United Nations (UN) high-level meeting on TB committed to speed up work towards ambitious targets to treat an additional 40 million people with TB and provide preventive treatment to at least 30 million people at risk of developing the disease by 2022. TB facts

TB, the second (after COVID- 19) deadliest infec-

New WHO report

tious killer, is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. It can spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air for example, by coughing.

Most people who develop the disease are adults in 2021 - men accounted for 56.5% of the TB burden, adult women accounted for 32.5% and children for 11%. Many new cases of TB are attributable to five risk factors: under nutrition, HIV infection, alcohol use disorders, smoking and diabetes.

TB is preventable and curable. About 85% of people who develop TB disease can be treated successfully with a 4/6-month drug regimen; treatment has the added benefit of curtailing onward transmission of infection.

Economic and financial barriers can affect access to health care for TB diagnosis and completion of TB treat-

ment; about half of TB patients and their households face catastrophic total costs due to TB disease. Progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), better levels of social protection and multisectoral action on broader TB determinants are all essential to reduce the burden of TB disease.

While there is TB in every part of the world, 30 countries carry the highest burden. These include: Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Central African Republic, China, Congo, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia.

153 die in Halloween crowd surge in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)

Concerned relatives raced to hospitals in search of their loved ones Sunday as South Korea mourned the deaths of more than 150 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who got trapped and crushed after a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in a nightlife district in Seoul.

Witnesses said the crowd surge Saturday night in the Itaewon area caused “a helllike” chaos as people fell on each other “like dominoes.” Some people were bleeding from their noses and mouths while being given CPR, witnesses said, while others clad in Halloween costumes continued to sing and dance nearby, possibly without knowing the severity of the situation.

“I still cant believe what has happened. It was like a hell,” said Kim Mi Sung, an official at a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism in Itaewon.

Kim said she performed CPR on 10 people who were unconscious and nine of them were declared dead on the spot. Kim said the 10 were mostly women wearing witch outfits and other Halloween costumes.

As of Sunday evening, officials put the death toll at 153 and the number of injured people at 133.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said the death count could further rise as 37 of the injured people were in serious conditions. Ken

Fallas, a Costa Rican architect who went Itaewon with expat friends, used his smartphone to film video showing unconscious people being carried out from the alley as others shouted for help.

He said the loud music made things more chaotic.

“When we just started to move forward, there was no way to go back,” Fallas said. “We didnt hear anything because the music was really loud.

Now, I think that was one of the main things that made this so complicated.”

Ninety-seven of the dead were women and 56 were men. More than 80% of the dead are in their 20s and 30s, but at least four were teenagers. At least 20 of the dead are foreigners from China, Russia, Iran and elsewhere.

There is one American among the dead, the Interior Ministry said in a release.

An estimated 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon for the countrys biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began.

The South Korean government had eased COVID-19 restrictions in recent months.

Witnesses said the streets were so densely clogged with people and slow-moving vehicles that it was practically impossible for emergency workers and ambulances to reach the alley near Hamilton Hotel swiftly.

Authorities said thousands of people have called or vis-

ited a nearby city office, reporting missing relatives and asking officials to confirm whether they were among those injured or dead after the crush.

The bodies of the dead were being kept at 42 hospitals in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province, according to Seoul City, which said it will instruct crematories to burn more bodies per day as part of plans to support funeral proceedings.

Around 100 businesses in the Hamilton Hotel area have agreed to shut down their shops through Monday to reduce the number of partygoers who would come to the streets through Halloween day.

While Halloween isnt a traditional holiday in South Korea where children rarely go trick-or-treating its still a major attraction for young adults, and costume parties at bars and clubs have become hugely popular in recent years.

Itaewon, near where the former headquarters of U.S. military forces in South Korea operated for decades before moving out of the capital in 2018, is an expat-friendly district known for its trendy bars, clubs and restaurants. Its the citys marquee Halloween destination.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a oneweek national mourning period on Sunday and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at

half-staff.

During a televised speech, Yoon said supporting the families of the victims, including their funeral preparations, and the treatment of the injured would be a top priority for his government.

He also called for officials to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and review the safety of other large cultural and entertainment events to ensure they proceed safely.

“This is really devastating. The tragedy and disaster that need not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul amid Halloween (celebrations),” Yoon said during

the speech.

“I feel heavy hearted and cannot contain my sadness as a president responsible for the peoples lives and safety.”

After the speech, Yoon visited the Itaewon alley where the disaster occurred.

Local TV footage showed Yoon inspecting the alley filled with trash and being briefed by emergency officials. It was not immediately clear what led the crowd to surge into the narrow, downhill alley.

One survivor said many people fell and toppled one another “like dominoes” after they were pushed by others.

The survivor, surnamed

Kim, said they were trapped for about an hour and a half before being rescued, as some people shouted “Help me!” and others were short of breath, according to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper.

Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seouls Yongsan fire department, said that bodies were being sent to hospitals or a gym, where bereaved family members could identify them.

World leaders offered condolences, including Pope Francis.

South Korean Interior Ministry couldnt immediately confirm the report.

A woman places a bouquet of flowers to pay tribute for victims near the scene of a deadly accident in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, following Saturday night’s Halloween festivities. A mass of mostly young people among tens of thousands who gathered to celebrate Halloween in Seoul became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley, killing dozens of people and injuring dozens of others in South Korea’s worst disaster in years. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Govt. seeking another US$37M IDB loan

The Inter American Development Bank (IDB) is currently preparing a US$37 million loan to support education recovery and transformation with specific programmes geared at improving learning in the HinterlandRegions.

According to the project document seen by this publication on Sunday, the loan encompasses three components The first component will target 'Accelerated Learning, Skill Development, and Support forStudentsatRisk'whilethe secondaspectoftheloanwill aid in digital transformation which will allow for laptops, tablets and other electronic devices to be purchased for students and teachers. The third component of the loan will cater to 'infrastructural improvements'forschools.

In justifying the loan, the IDB explained that student outcomes are low and unequal in Hinterland areas as 2019 data showed only 48 percentofstudentsinriverine areas and only 36 percent in the hinterlands achieved the Ministry of Education (MOE) standards- defined as

...funds will be used to address learning challenges in Hinterland

achievementofatleast30out of 60 points- in English, compared with 61 percent of 6th-graders in the coastal areas.

When it comes to Secondary education, the

which is low compared to LAC'saverageof74.5%.

Moreover, the lending institution stated that students in rural areas are in need of improved access to educational resources. For

schools found that 33% need general repair; 53% require an upgrade or replacement of their sanitation and water systems; and 44% need a source of power Meanwhile w h e n i t c o m e s t o

sub-componentoftheproject is to ensure that students complete their studies. It will finance (i) the development of an “early warning system” for the identification of students at risk of falling behind and needing additional support services; (ii) provision of quality educational materials to students and teachers and others.

Bank said that MOE 2017 datashowsthatwhilethereis a high completion rate for primary education of 93 percent, children in the Hinterland regions (One, Two, Eight, and 10) have the highest out of school rate with 2.8%, 3.6%, 5.8%, and 2.9% respectively At the secondary level, the net enrolment falls to 61%,

instance, it was explained that while on average only 48% of schools receive textbooks and workbooks on time;thispercentagedropsto 30% for Hinterland schools, and pedagogical materials for bilingual intercultural educationarelimited.

Additionally, the IDB said a 2018 infrastructure survey of 450 primary

connectivity, 195 schools (43%) have internet connectivity but insufficient bandwidthlimitingtheuseof technology in classrooms, and 200 schools have no connectivity The Bank also said existing schools need retrofitting to become more climate change resilient and sustainable.

The objective of the first

The second component is aimed at strengthening the integration of education technology (including both low-tech and high-tech) into the teaching learning process. The component will finance: (i) expansion of connectivity in a first group of primary schools; (ii) provision of laptops, tablets, and other digital resources for teachers, students, and schools, including software; and (iii) digital skills training for teachers, school p r i n c i p a l s , a n d administrators.

Meanwhile, component three is geared towards ensuring a positive learning environment in primary schools, incorporating climate sustainability and

resiliencecriteria(promoting energy and water efficiency, the usage of building materials with low embodied energy, and retrofitting infrastructure to be climateresilient) To this end, financing will go to (i) an audit of water and energy availability and usage in schools; (ii) the installation and upgrading of potable water systems and power sourcesfollowingenergyand water

T h e M i n i s t r y o f Education has approached theIDBforanumberofother loans this year to support the sector While some have already been approved, the Ministry is still awaiting the blessings of the Bank to accessfundingforothers.

'Guyanese workers deserve better wages'

Former PPP/C Government Minister, Dr Nanda K. Gopaul last Friday called on unions in Guyana to demand better living wages for workers and to ensure that the wealth accrued from the “robust petroleum sector” reaches the pockets of the ordinary man and bring improvement to the poor and needy

Dr Gopaul was at the time delivering a speech at the 54th Delegates Conference of the National Association of Agricultural Commercial and IndustrialEmployees(NAACIE)at theUmanaYana,Georgetown.

In his speech, he highlighted that the Government of Guyana (GoG) has been pursuing major infrastructural works around the country – but while that is taking place at a rapid pace – the same urgency is not placed in addressing the plights of the ordinary man. “I haveheardthephrasefromworkers that “we are a rich country with manypoorpeoplearound”.Thereis need for that feeling of hopelessness, poverty and desperation to be erased from the minds of the ordinary man,” Dr

Gopaulsaid.

As such, he stated that the trade union movement therefore must d e m a n d t h e i m m e d i a t e improvement in the living standards of the ordinary workers.

“In so doing, they can advance the call and agitate collectively for the urgent implementation of a national minimum wage and a public sector minimum wage coupled with decent increases in pension for our pensioners, who have toiled for decades in this country,”headded.

Dr Gopaulstatedthatinlightof theincreaseincostoflivingaround theworldandinGuyana,nowmore thanevertheworkersarecryingout for change and improvements in their living standards. In making his case, he explained that if we are toexaminehowtheincreaseincost of living has affected the ordinary man,“noonecandenythatworkers d e s e r v e d a s i g n i f i c a n t improvement in their living standards and in their take home pay.”

The trade unionist stated that $60,000 national minimum wage and the $75,000 government

minimum wage needs to urgently be addressed and with reasonable compensation given to ordinary workersfortheirlabour

“Unions must demand that some of the wealth accrued from our robust petroleum and mineral sectors must find its way to the pockets of the ordinary man and bring improvement to the poor and needy,”hesaid.

Dr Gopaul noted that workers mustbeabletogotoworkfeelinga sense of hope that at the end of the month, they would be able to take care of their basic financial needs. He added, while the government shouldbeapplaudedforitshousing drive and other initiatives aimed at improving the standard of living, much more has to be done for the lowerpaidworkers.

“Let's examine a typical household,withamortgageof$9M on a home. He will encounter a compulsory deduction of about $46,000 for loan repayment, $10,000 for electricity, $2,000 for water, $10,000 for internet and telephone services, transportation ofabout$10,000,putthatalongside a net pay of $68,000 that leaves the

- Nanda Gopaul

worker with a negative balance on his earnings of $10,000.Take away themortgagepaymentandheisleft with$36,000.,whichhehastothen take care of food supplies, cooking gas, clothing and footwear If there is a sole breadwinner in a home with children going to school, we canunderstandwhatthatfamilyhas to go through to eke out a living,” Dr Gopaulexplained.

The trade unionist shared that for in excess of two decades, NAACIE stood out as one of the leading unions in the country agitating in a militant principled andindependentmanneragainstall forms of injustices meted out against the workers of this country

Headdedthattheunionformedand encouraged alliances, took to the streets when it became necessary and moved to the courts for in excessofadecadenon-stop,asyou heard earlier, to protect and defend workers'rights.

He stated too that while he is satisfied that President Irfaan Ali

Trade unionist, Dr. Nanda K. Gopaul

willcontinuetochampionworkers' rights and interests – trade unions should always be vigilant, militant and press on with its demands for a fair deal for workers. “We must struggle unceasingly until the Guyanese workers earn a decent livingwage,”hesaid.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand

feeling of

and desperation must be erased from minds of citizens

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has extended congratulations to its Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart on the successful completion of a MSc Degree in Project Management from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. Stuart also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Guyana.

In his prime, Stuart was one of the fastest bowlers in the region and beyond and represented both Guyana and the West Indies. His first class career for Guyana

spanned from 1994 to 2003. In addition, Stuart also played 6 Tests and 5 ODIs for the West Indies between 2000 and 2001.

TDO Stuart is an integral member of the GCB Regent Road staff complement, with specific responsibility for cricket development in Guyana. The President and Executive members of the GCB would like to extend best wishes to him and encourage him to continue his assiduous work geared towards the advancement of cricket in Guyana, and by extension the region..

Surujpaul leads Wakenaam Strikers to nine-wicket win as Seeraj Bhimsain U19 tourney continues

All-rounder Toshall Surujpaul struck an unbeaten half century and picked up four wickets to lead Wakenaam Strikers to a nine-wicket win over Wakenaam Royals when the Seeraj Bhimsain U19 40-over tournament continued on Saturday. Batting first at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground, Wakenaam Roy-

als posted 135-8 after the game was reduced to 25 overs due to rain. Gladewin Henry Jr. struck five fours and four sixes in a top score of 70, while Bumeshwar Ramkissoon made 19 and Tikeshwar Nankoo 12 not out.

Toshall Surujpaul claimed 4-19 and Golcharran Chulai 23; while there was one each for Ravy Nandalall and Aarav

Sukram.

Wakenaam Strikers responded with 140-1 in 20.1. Surujpaul slammed four fours and five sixes in his unbeaten 77, while Nazam Mohamed made 35 not out with two fours. The pair came together after opener Nandalall went for six and took their team home without further hiccups.

Harpy Eagles face Volcanoes today...

From page 25 Permaul and Gudakesh Motie, a bit unfortunate not to be in Test squad, could bat.

The bowling could hinge on the lively Nial Smith, Shepherd, Rutherford and the three spinners.

Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Quentin Sampson, Clinton Pestano, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Nial Smith, Kevin Sinclair, Kemol Savoury.

Monday October 31, 2022

ARIES (Mar. 211pr. 19)

There's an extra spark in your eye that people won't be able to ignore. Today's a good day to get your point across, because you'll find people more open and receptive to new things than usual.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20)

Take yourself on a mental adventure today in which you explore new aspects of your world. Discuss philosophy and religion. Get to the core of a matter that seriously interests you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

Today is your day, Gemini, so live it up! If it seems like things have been rather intense lately, don't worry, they're apt to lighten up quite a bit today. Feel free to be your usual jolly self,

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

Be careful that you aren't acting in a way that you dislike in others, Cancer. You could find that you're slowly taking on the traits of the people you despise.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

The day's general mood should fit quite well with your agenda, Leo. There's no need to fixate on the negative. Keep things light and upbeat and worry about the consequences later.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Se pt. 22)

You may need a translator to get through to people today, Virgo. It could be hard to make decisions, but not impossible. Today's tip is to err on the side of adventure.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Use your power resources today, Libra, as you have a great deal of dynamic energy at your dispo sal.

You have the ability to transform and conquer anything now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

You could be asked to make some spontaneous decisions today that you might not feel entirely comfortable making, Scorpio. You could feel you don't have enough facts.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21)

Emotionally, you may feel as if you're running up against a brick wall, Sagittarius. It could be that your first reaction is to drown your sorrows in drink. Escapism is only a temporary remedy.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) The

Your emo tions could be extra powerful today, Capricorn, although something may not feel as if it's sitting right. It could be a feeling of manipulation.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18)

Take hold of this day as if it's your own and use it to grow your dreams, Aquarius. You'll find a great deal of power and dynamism in the air urging you to take the adventurous route.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20)

There's a fiery tone to the day that can't be ignored, Pisces. You may find that adjustments need to be made in your own plan of attack in order to get on the same page with other people.

The Windwards, who won the first of their four titles against Guyana in Grenada in 1989, will be strengthened by the return of Johnson Charles and Obed McCoy.

A lot with depend on Charles, Skipper Andre Fletcher, his Vice Captain, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Sunil Ambris and Justin Greaves with the bat.

While their fast bowling could be in the hands of McCoy, Shermon Lewis, Preston Mcsween with support from left-arm spinners Hodge and Larry Edwards with Keron Cottoy providing the leg breaks. The Windwards last won the title when beat Barbados in 2018 in Antigua. When they won their second title in 2002 they were never given the chance to defend it since the next year they were divided into Northern and Southern Windwards.

It has been raining here intermittently during last week and there was a short shower in Port-of-Spain yesterday but the track at the Oval looks good for batting.

Guyana Harpy Eagles: Leon Johnson (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (Vice Captain), Tagenarine

Persaud wins male...

From page 24 two went to Avinda Kishore and the men’s nearest to the pin on day two was taken by Lakeram Ramsundar.

The competition attracted participants from Fiji, New York, Canada and Suriname.

President of the Lusignan Golf Club, Pur Persaud congratulated the winners and thanked the sponsors. (Zaheer Mohamed

Windward Islands Volcanoes: Andre Fletcher (Cap-

tain), Alick Athanaze (Vice Captain), Johann Jeremiah, Kavem Hodge, Keron Cottoy, Sunil Ambris, Ryan John, Larry Edward, Kenneth Dember, Shermon Lewis, Preston Mcsween, Darel Cyrus, Justin Greaves, Tevyn Walcott, Johnson Charles, Obed McCoy.

GCB congratulates Colin Stuart on completion of his Masters Degree in Project Management from the University of the West Indies

Colin Stuart at his MSc Graduation.

Female division impresses on opening night

Four female teams and four male teams recorded victories on Saturday evening when the Petra organised MVP Sports F u t s a l To u r n a m e n t continuedwithtenintriguing encounters at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue. The females began their campaign for top honours as they opened the nights proceedings with Fruta Conquerors defeating TigerBay,2 1.TigerBaygot the jump early on the opposition when Shania Easton scored in the fifth minute. Five minutes later, Sandra Johnson equalised then returned in the 13th minute to give her side the lead with a goal that went unanswered.

In the next match, GDF trounced Herstelling,5 1,in a one side affair. Odes

and Stabroek Ballers all recorded commanding victories. Sophia won with themostgoalsonSaturdayas theydefeatedVengyFC,7 3. They were led by Shemar Koulens(5,14,15)hat-trick, Lennox Youngs (13, 17) double and a goal each from Dequan Sealey (20) and Shemroy Arthur (18) Vengys goal scorers were Angel Villarva (4), Jesus Periera (8) and Edgardo Herrera (15). Back Circle dominated against an experienced Campbellville unit and won 4 1. Simeon Moores (4, 11, 12) hat-trick was a solid foundation, fortified by a 16th minute goal from Stephan McLean. MarlonGentlesninthminute goal was an equaliser that eventually rotated into a consolationgoal. Gold is Money won, 5 1, against

held, 3 3, by Bent Street. Deon Alfred broke the previous fastest goal record when he put Bent Street ahead two seconds into the match. In the third minute, Pernell Schultz equalised before Ryan Hackett pushed Sparta ahead in the eighth minute. Bent Streets Colin Nelson scored in the 13th minute to bring the scores level once more before Schultz completed his brace inthe15thminute,givinghis sidetheleadagain.However, victory was not to be for Sparta as Nelson completed his double in the 17th minute,whichsawthematch progress to a draw More matches on Wednesday… The Tournament continues on Wednesday, November 2, with another ten matches on the card from 18:30 hrs, at the same venue The

Sophia blasted seven goals past the Vengy custodian on Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium.

sa Romes drew first blood in the first minute, a goal each came from Anastasia Horshan (14) and Abiola Haywood (20) while Kendra Williams (14, 17) solidified GDFs performance with a brace. Jasmine Persaud (5) was Herstellings lone goal scorer. Police triumphed over GT Panthers, 2 1. The victorioussidewentaheadin thefifthminutefromaTiandi Smith strike but Glendy Lewis equalised for the opposition the very next minute. It was a back and forth encounter until Alleia Alleyne found the decider in the 20th minute. In the final womens match, good allround play from both sides resulted in Avocado Ballers winning 1 0 against Santos. Alicia Headley scored the winning goal in the tenth minute.

Back Circle, Sophia make strong… When the men took the pitch, Sophia, Gold is Money, Back Circle

Mocha Family as Jamal Pedro (3), Michael Ballack (12), Darren Benjamin (7) and Dextroy Adams (4, 15) were all successful to overshadow the lone goal scored by Mochas Dorville Stewart(10).

Stabroek Ballers cruised to victory over BV Team Cruel, 3 1. Neron Barrow recorded a first minute goal for BV but with DaCosta Abyagyes(4,11)braceanda 20th minute goal from Dorwin George, the East Coast team ended up conceding defeat Future Stars match with Tiger Bay was an intriguing one that ended 4 3 in the formers favour Doubles from Jamal Cozier (3, 6) and Keron Solomon (17, 20) ensured victory even as Orin Moore (4) and Akil Plass (9) found the back of the net and were also gifted with an own goal in the 16th minute. The nights final match was a nail biter that saw Sparta being

Womens Division starts the night with Fruta Conquerors going up against Herstelling followed by Santos versus GT Panthers from 19:10 hrs. At 19:50 hrs, GDF will meet Tiger Bay while Police face Avocado Ballers from 20:20 hrs.

For the Men, Tiger Bay and Mocha Family get the ball rolling then Sophia lock horns with Campbellville from 21:15 hrs. Bent Street and BV collide from 22:00 hrswhileBackCircletakeon VengyFCat22:45hrs.

The evenings final two scheduledmatchesstartfrom 22:30 hrs and 00:15 hrs as Sparta battle Stabroek Ballers and Gold is Money clash with Future Stars, respectively The third edition of this tournament is sponsored by MVP Sports with support from Ansa McAl, through their Lucozade and Magnum bands, and the Ministry of Culture,YouthandSport.

Bounty Supermarkets Indoor Hockey Championship…

Major upsets highlight penultimate day

The penultimate day of the Bounty Supermarkets I n d o o r H o c k e y Championship proved exciting for some and disappointingforothers.

The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall came alive at 2:40 hrs when the Hikers Cadets took on the YMCA Old Fort Beta. Both teams failed to score, but this 2nd Division - Group B, the men wereexciting.

The pressure of the game saw green cards given to Old FortsLuisAdamsandPaulD Andrade for technicalities theycreated.

In the other 2nd Division match, the most goals were scored for the night. GCC Pitbulls unleashed on the Saints Scorpions 11-1 at the

end of the game. Samuel Woodroffenettedatripleand LennoxCaroladouble;other teammates contributed one a piece. The solitary scorer for the Scorpions was Taise Seepaul.

GroupAof the Mens 2nd Division saw Saints Superstars submit to YMCA Old Fort Top Form 2-1. The Superstars were the first to register a goal in the 15th minute through the hands of Jabari Lovell, but Old Fort Top Form responded when a penalty corner was awarded to them in the 20th minute.

S h a q u a n F a v o u r i t e converted this corner, and in the 25th minute, Warren Williams added support for histeamwithafieldgoal.

The Hikers men in the

Vets category went down to Bounty GCC 3-1 as the umpire blew the final whistle The consistent Kevin Spenser found the back of the net twice and Devin Hooper supported him. The energetic Devin Munroemanagedtotuckone goal past the keeper for the Hikers.

T h e H i k e r s m e n succumbed again in the Vets category toYMCAOld Fort. This time, the score ended 52infavourofthelatter Jason De Santos netted three, John Abrams and Adrian Brant had one a piece for the YMCA Old Fort Devin Munroe, who was the most consistent Hikers Vets scorer,servedadouble.

GBTI GCC Spice and

GBTI GCC Tigers defeated the Saints women and Woodpecker Hikers, respectively Ashley de Groot Khalil and Sonia Jardine took triple goals, withadoublefromAbosaide Cadogan and Trisha Woodroffes (captain) single, gave the GBTI GCC Spice ladies a 9-1 win over Saints Women.

Intheotherladiesmatchup, the Woodpecker Hikers succumbed to GBTI GCC Tigers5-0.TheHikersladies fought to the end, but the presence of Sarah Klautky with three goals for GCC secured their win. She got support from her captain Gabriella Xavier and midfield/forward, Madison Fernandes.

Thesecondquarterofthe MenGroupAmatchbetween Pepsi Hickers and Saints Splinters proved to be interesting The Splinters responded equally to the two goals the Hickers threw at them,thussettingapacefora showdown However, the Hickers stamped their dominance in the fourth quarter, leaving the Splinters in their wake. The game ended 7 3 for the Pepsi Hickers. Devin Munroe and

Andrew Stewart were the leadscorersfortheHickers.

In the evenings final match, the GCC The Sequel yieldedtoSaintsSTeam3-2. Dwayne Scott netted a double for the The Sequel, but his goals were in vain as Oshazay Savory and the Garnette brothers, Baraka andShomere,allnettedonea piece.

The semi finals and finals were played yesterday atthesamevenue.

SportsMax - Sparkling knocksfromAidenMarkram and David Miller propelled SouthAfrica to a five-wicket victory over India at the T20 WorldCup.

The heavyweight nations put on a show at the Perth Stadium yesterday, with Markram’s 52 and Miller’s unbeaten 59 seeing the Proteas claim a victory that movesthemtopofGroup2.

South Africa’s bowlers had done a superb job of limiting India to 133-9 from their 20 overs, with Wayne Parnell (3-15) and Lungi Ngidi (4-29) in outstanding form.

Suryakumar Yadav’s fantastic 68 ensured India had a sniff at defending a modest target, and their tails were up when Arshdeep Singh, the pick of India’s bowlerswith2-25,dismissed Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouwinthesecondover

With Temba Bavuma also falling, Markram had to getSouthAfricamoving.His knock did not come without risk he survived two run-out nearmissesandwasdropped by Virat Kohli before his luck eventually ran out when he picked out Suryakumar in the deep. Where Markram left off, Miller picked up,

striking successive sixes to putSouthAfricaincontrol.

Though India rallied to leave South Africa needing six runs from the final over, Miller held his nerve to get theProteasovertheline.

Kohli’s fumble proves costly

After dismissing Tristan Stubbs in his fourth and final over with the ball, RavichandranAshwin(1-43) is just two away from becoming India’s third highest wicket taker in men’sT20Is.

However, he really should have had a 69th T20I wicket earlier in the innings when Markram found Kohli at deep midwicket, only for the former India captain to fail to take the catch after a juggle. Markram was on 35 at the time, and went on to add a damaging 17, including a huge six, to push

SouthAfricaon.

Markram and Miller turn onthestyle

South Africa’s pace bowlers would have been hard done by had they finished on the losing side, w i t h N g i d i h a v i n g dismantled India’s top order before fellow quick Parnell chippedawayatthetail.

Fortunately, Markram andMiller whostruckseven boundarieseach deliveredto ensure the bowlers’ work was not fruitless, with the lattersteppinguptoguidethe Proteas home. South Africa have now won their last six completed T20 World Cup matches, a new national record.

Scores: SouthAfrica 137 for 5 (Miller 59*, Markram 52, Arshdeep 2 25) beat India 133 for 9 (Suryakumar 68, Ngidi 4-29, Parnell 3-15) byfivewickets.

Golden Sands Hotel comes on board with Big Man Cricket O50s Caribbean Cup

Cricket West Indies Masters Association (CWIMA) is pleased to announce its latest partnership arrangement with Golden Sands Hotel in Barbados for the West Indies O50s teams participating in the 2022 Big Man Cricket O50s Caribbean Cup a release from the association informed. CWIMA prepares to welcome all its touring countries and their guests to beautiful Barbados within the next few days and look forward to an exciting BMCmasterstournamentintheCaribbean.

This tournament is the first of many to be held in the West Indies and would very well see the hosting of the Over 40s World Cup in 2025 which is likely to feature 16 internationalcountries.CWIMAisextremely appreciative of this partnership arrangement withGoldenSandsHotelwhichisabeautiful Hotel nestled along the historic Oistins coastline capable of providing you with the thrillofanawesomeCaribbeanexperiencein an intimate and personal environment just across the street from the inviting turquoise watersofthesouthcoast.

GoldenSandswillbetheofficialhotelfor

the West Indies teams and will also be the p r e f e r r e d h o s t v e n u e f o r t h e Closing/Presentation Ceremony on Friday eveningofNovember11th.CWIMAhasalso organized a Karaoke afternoon on Saturday, November 5that the Ixora Restaurant & Bar oftheGoldenSandsHotelwhichwillbeopen to all the countries taking part in the BMC Caribbean Cup, namely: Hosts West Indies, Canada, England, India, UAE, USA, Wales andWestIndiesA.

Golden Sands Hotel is pleased to be associatedwiththeWestIndiesO50smasters teams and CWIMA towards the successful hosting of this inaugural BMC O50s Caribbean Cup and trust that will be a longlasting and very fruitful relationship for everyonewayintothefuture.

Already CWIMAhas indicated that they are planning to host 6 countries in January/February 2023 for the Big Man Cricket O60s Caribbean Cup in Barbados which will feature hosts West Indies, Australia, Canada, England, Rest of the WorldandtheUSA.

From page 24

Harrigon netted in the fifth and 15th minute respectively For the loser, Dequan France scoredintheninthminuteaswellastallieda (GG)inthe19thminute.

On the other hand, Buxton Diamond downed Paradise 2-1 on penalty kicks, after

regulation time ended 1-1. Prior to the conclusion, Teshawn Gordon scored for Paradise in the sixth minute, while Alister Thomas equalised in the 13th minute. Uprising defeated Haslington 2-0. Dante McAulay registered a (GG) in the 19th minute.

Maria Munroe (Hikers) about to challenge the GCC defence.

Lungi Ngidi produced a four-wicket burst for South Africa. (Getty Iamges)

By Sean Devers

Back to back victories by Everest on Friday at the DCCgroundsawthemromp to the inaugural GCAs GTT T10 Open title under lights in entertaining semi final andfinalcontests.

Watched good sized gathering, which included Speaker of the House and Everests President Mazoor Nadir, GCC batted first under a clear night sky, but onlyWest Indies U-19 batter Mavindra Dindyal who played some classy shots in 36 from 22 balls with two fours and three sixes and big hitting Joshua Hulk Wade who hit three sixes in a cameo 21 from eight balls, got into double figures, as GCCwerebowledoutfor81 in9.1overs.

Man of the Match 37 year old Assad Fudadin, who played three Tests, hit anunbeaten33from17balls with two fours and three sixesandalongwith19year

old Matthew Nandu, who made an entertaining undefeated 45 from 24 balls with six fours and a six, saw Everest to 85 without loss in 6.4overs.

Earlier, left-arm spinner Persaud removed Martin Pestano Bell (3) before he trapped Renaldo Ali Mohammed lbw for a duck as the GCC batter stood his ground and remonstrated with the Umpire before leaving the field in rage at 16-2.

A direct hit from Richie Looknauth was a brilliant piece fielding but Timothy McCalmont seemed very unlucky to be given run out for a duck before Devon Lord (5) was caught and bowled by Looknauth as GCC slipped to 26-4 in 3.1 overs.

A 47-run stand between Dindyal and Wade lifted hopes for the GCC fans but once they were removed in the space of a run, the

B o u r d a B o y s w e r e precariouslyplaced72-6.

Looknauth (3 15) and Kishan Tracy (2-9) ensured GCC lost their last six wickets for nine runs after Fudadin had started the slide with 2-22. In the semi-final, Everest, led by an attractive 62 from 26 balls decorated with four fours and sixes, from Akshaya Persaud and an unbeaten 24 by former

West Indies Batter Assad Fudadin, 19 from Dindyal and 10 not out from Troy Gonsalves, reached 123-2 withfourballstospare.

The Camp Road side were replying to DCCs 1216 on the back of a brutal 14ball 42 with three fours and four sixes and Peter Perez whose47camefrom24balls with three fours and four sixes. The pair joined forces

at 11-1 and carried the score to 63-2 before the 52-run stand was broken when a bullet like straight drive which crashed into the nonstrikers stumps who was out of his crease and with one bail still in place, the wicket was broken and Barnwell wasrunout.

Perez, looking to hit his fifth six was stupendously caught at long on by a

leapingFudadinat114-4. Sachin Singh (13) was the other batter to reach doublefigures.

At the presentation, the ManofthematchAwardwas won by Fudadin, Nandu copped the prize for the Batter with the highest score and Looknauth received the Best Bowling Performance andtheFielderwiththemost dismissalsAwards.

new champion will be crowned in the Guinness Greatest of the Streets East Coast Demerara zone on November 5th, as Vryheids Lust defeated holders M e l a n i e B i n t h e quarterfinal round on Saturday at the Haslington Tarmac.

Vryheids Lust downed Melanie-B 2-0 on penalty kicks, after regulation time ended 1 1 Prior to the conclusion, Vryheids Lust took the lead in the fifth minute, while Melanie B equalised in the seventh minute.

Vryheids Lust will now oppose Beterverwagting (BV) A, after the latter defeated Church Yard 2-1. Delroy Deen and Ralph Pollard scored in the third a n d 1 1 t h m i n u t e respectively For the loser, Rashleigh Morrison scored inthesixthminute.

On the other hand, Lilliendaal Hustlers, and Non Pareil will compete in the second semi final matchup Lilliendaal

Hustlers edged Old School 1-0 on penalty kicks, after regulationtimeended0-0. Non Pareil defeated Victoria Eagles 3-2, after overcoming a 0-2 deficit.

AndrewMurraynettedinthe ninth minute, alongside a Guinness Goal (GG) [a goal scored in the final three minutes of normal and regulation time counts as two] in the 18th minute. For the loser, Sherwin Skeete scored in the fourth and seventh minute. The semifinal section and eventual final will be staged on

November 5th at the same venue.

Meanwhile, Portmore will face off with Team Cruel,andBuxtonwillbattle UprisinginthePlatedivision semi-final round, following quarterfinal wins. Portmore defeated Belfield 3-0. Colin Jones recorded a (GG) in the 18th minute, while Denzel Junior netted in the eighth minute.Team Cruel downed Bare Root 4 3. Jerome Harrigon bagged a double in the sixth and 16th minute, whileIanDooker,andJemar

Avinash Persaud and Shanella London turned in sterling performances to be crowned overall male and f e m a l e c h a m p i o n s respectively when the GTT G u y a n a o p e n g o l f tournament concluded yesterday at the Lusignan GolfCourse.

Persaud found himself in second position at the end of day one in the 0-9 category, butovercameaspiritedJalen Raman of Fiji by one stroke as he registered a best gross of150overallandbestnetof 148tobecrownedchampion forthe11thtime.

Aleem Hussain took the prize for scoring the best net on day one with 72, best net on day 2 went to Rakesh Harrywith71,whilebestnet on day one and two was takenbyPersaud.

Best gross day one went to Jalen Raman with 72, best gross day two was taken by Persaud with 76 and day one and two best gross was Persaud with 150. Raman had best gross of 152 and a

best net of 152 Ridel Doekoe of Suriname had a gross of 160 and net score of 158. London shot a best gross of 171, while former champion Christine Sukhramplacedsecondwith 175 gross and Julie Stephensonwith183gross.

In the 10 18 flight, Seepaul Suknanan with 166 took the best gross day one and two, while best net day one and two went to Ayube Subhanwith143.

The best net in the 19 28 flight was won by Roy Dory with 135; he also won

the best gross on day one and two with 181 Karim Haniff carted off the best net day two prize with 64 while Ryan Hackett with a gross score of 92 won the best gross on day one. The longest drive on day one and two in the female category was taken by Shanella London, while Sabi Dhori won the nearest to the pin. Jalen Raman claimed the longest drive on day one while Persaud won the nearesttothepinondayone. Men’sLongestdriveonday

Everest President Manzoor Nadir with his players and Officials after lifting the inaugural GTT T10 Trophy on Friday night at DCC. (Sean Devers photo)

Shanella London collects her prize from Hilton Wong of GTT.

Action in Zone A of the CG United Regional Super50 starts today with a couple big match-ups with all of the best white balls playersavailableduetoWest Indies failing to qualify for ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia.

Guyanas Harpy Eagles face-off with the Windwards Volcanoes in the first match from 9 am today at the QueensParkOvalintheCity ofPort-of-Spain.

Defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, with Sunil Narine, backinT&Tcolours,oppose

Combined Campuses & Colleges at the Brian Lara Academy in a Day/Night gameinTarouba.

When Guyana and the Windwards last met in last yearsSemi-finalsinAntigua, S h i m r o n H e t m y e r s masterful 113 and a solid 90 from Bajan Raymon Reifer powered Guyana to 305-7 for an emphatic 95 run victory

Only 23-year-old Alick Athanaze with 58, reached 50 as Guyana reached their fourth final since winning their last title back in 2005 at Bourda, before losing last yeartotheRedForce. Due to the returning

players from T20 World Cup, CWI has allowed for larger squads from the originally stipulated 14 players. However, this is only applicable for the period prior to the departure of the West Indies Test team on November 8, when the teams must revert to 14 playersonly

But Guyana, who opted not to pick any overseas players in their squad, will not benefit from this, since Hetmyer was the only Guyanese picked for the World Cup but missed it due tomissinghisflight.

When the Test players leave it will also not hurt Guyana much since Tagenarine Chanderpaul is the only Guyanese selected to go to Australia. Guyana, who won the first of nine titles in 1980 inAntigua, had their final practice session yesterday morning at the Oval and the 25-year-old Hetmyer, who scored his seventhList Acenturyinlast years Semis, will be keen to resurrect his International career by leading from the frontwiththebat.

A focused Hetmyer is

Harpy Eagles

today in POS

Guyanas best batter and should want to surpass Ramnaresh Sarwans three tons in 2005, which is the mostinasingledomestic50overseries.

If the batters produce consistent performances, Guyana has a powerful battingline-up.

Leon Johnson, at 35, is the oldest member of the

team and arguable the best leader in West Indies Cricket. It was good to see him return to form; scoring the most runs in the 50-over Inter County tournament which used to help pick this team.

Johnson will want to replicate that form today while Anthony Bramble could open the batting with

Chanderpaul The pair complimentseachotherwith Tage being the glue that holds the batting line up together with the others like Bramble, Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and stylish Tevin Imlachallcapableofplaying shots, bat around him. Kevin Sinclair,Veerasammy

Johnson Charles Obed McCoy

Shimron Hetmyer

Leon Johnson

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

David

thriller. (Getty