Guyana Times - Thursday November 5, 2020

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Tense wait as US election winner remains unclear Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4460

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

PRICE

Guyana receives 3rd oil royalty payment

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

New GCAA Board will be no rubber stamp – Edghill P9

… will play critical role in aviation sector

Page 3

…US$4.3M deposited into NRF

New airlines, hotel developers among investors lined up for Guyana Page 2

Flash floods leave city under water Pages 12, 13 & 16

Car bursts into flames after P11 crashing into truck

Man denies killing vagrant in row over banana skin P8

Taxi driver, P11 passengers robbed by armed bandits

…as City Hall yet to clear clogged drains, canals …heavy rainfall forecasted to last until Sunday WCB teens’ murders

Reward is not failure, but effort to solve murders – GPF Page 7

Eccles murder-suicide

Bodies of couple burnt beyond recognition – Police Page 10

Tiger Creek bridge to be repaired P9 within 3 weeks

P14 Top Cop commends injured Policemen for bravery

79 new COVID-19 cases recorded; 13 in ICU P14 …testing boosted in vulnerable communities

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New airlines, hotel developers among investors lined up for Guyana …interest also expressed for building airstrips – Minister

I

t has been revealed that a number of hotel investors and airline carriers, including the Fly Always and West Jet airlines, are lined up in seeking to invest in Guyana, all within the first 100 days of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government being in office.

This was revealed by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill during his address to the newly installed Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) board at the agency’s Kingston headquarters on Wednesday.

According to Edghill, Government has held talks

West Jet is one of the airlines that are in talks with the Government to come to Guyana

with West Jet, a Canadabased carrier; InterCaribbean Airlines, which is based in Turks and Caicos Islands; and Fly All Ways, a Suriname-based carrier.

“We have been in conversation and discussion with West Jet, Inter-Caribbean Airlines, and Fly All Ways is also knocking strongly at the door. And by no means

should that be a full stop, because we want the world visiting Guyana and we want Guyana visiting the world,” he explained.

Apart from airlines and hotel developers wanting to enter Guyana’s market, there are investors who want to build airstrips.

Edghill noted that the board would play a key role in helping the Government to make decisions on these proposals.

“Quite recently, someone came to see me about opening up an airstrip at Orealla. People would like to partner for the development

Inter-Caribbean Airlines

of the airstrip at Linden. I’m outlining these things to you that, in three short months, the movement of interest and level of involvement and development that people have indicated they want to participate in to modernise Guyana is immense,” he said.

Meanwhile, Edghill reminded that the Government had put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for persons to construct hotels. According to him, Government have received very promising proposals from two persons, with one of the proposals forwarded to Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir.

“Just a few days ago, the expression of interest and request for proposals for the building of hotels in Guyana closed. The intent is that we should have at least 2000 first-class rooms, so that Guyana could become a convention destination.

“My office has received two proposals that were submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, where two of those persons have expressed interest in building hotels at the Timehri International Airport. And I must tell you I like what I see in those proposals,” Edghill further explained.

Since coming to office in August of this year, the Government has been in receipt of proposals with respect to hotel development.

It had therefore put out RFPs in September, inviting all persons with interest in that regard to submit or resubmit their proposals. It had been announced that the Government was prepared to offer generous incentives for the develop-

ment of the hotel and hospitality sector, including fiscal incentives.

In the RFPs, investors were expected to identify the project or land proposed for hotel development, specifying size, location, and other details, including ownership details such as transport, lease, and associated survey plan.

They were also required to detail all terms if the proposed land is to be obtained from the Government, including basis of valuation and terms of lease, sale, or lease with an option to buy.

The RFP has also dealt with both developers using private land or seeking Government land for development.

Investors were also mandated to provide evidence of financial capacity to fund such a project. According to the RFP, only parties providing evidence of financial capacity to undertake a project as principal would be considered.

They were also required to provide a concept design for the project showing proposed site layout, number of floors, associated amenities, and a rendering of the proposed project.

The Government had said it would use the responses to this RFP to rank and select those parties who would be invited to negotiate a memorandum of understanding (MoU), including land terms including zoning, development conditions, and other incentives that would be provided.

The Government, in its Emergency Budget, outlined several measures to support tourism, including a special incentive package to attract new investments that will result in four new hotels being built. (G3)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, November 5 – 09:00h-10:30h and Friday, November 6 – 09:30h-11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, November 5 – 06:55h-08:25h and Friday, November 6 – 07:40h-09:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Light showers will prevail throughout the day and evening, with instances of thunder in the mid-morning to mid-afternoon period.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to South South-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 06:57h and 19:06h reaching maximum heights of 2.42 metres and 2.49 metres.

Low Tide: 12:41h reaching a minimum height of 0.85 metre.

WESNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

05 07 10

13 18 26

FREE TICKET

19 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

Guyana receives 3rd oil royalty payment …US$4.3M deposited into NRF

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uyana has received from ExxonMobil its third payment of oil and gas royalty, a sum of US$4.3 million, which has been deposited into the New York-based Natural Resource Fund (NRF).

When contacted by this publication, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat confirmed that Guyana received the US$4.3 million payment only a few days ago. According to him, this latest tranche of payment brings Guyana’s total in the United States Federal Reserve account to approximately US$148 million.

The Bank of Guyana’s half- year report, which covers the period up to the end of June 2020, had recently revealed that Guyana produced over 10 million barrels of oil during the first half of 2020.

Production was, however, beset with the problems that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such, fell short of the targeted production figures. According to the report, Guyana was able to produce 12.3 million barrels of oil at an average of between 65,000 and 75,000 barrels of oil per day.

Guyana, with oil giant ExxonMobil as operator, only began producing oil last year in the Stabroek block, lifting its first million barrels of profit oil from the Liza1 well in February 2020.

Oil tanker Cap Phillippe transported this lift from the Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and

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PAY DAY

19 SUPER PAY DAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$41.23/barrel

3.69

Rough Rice

$221.004/ton

-0.08

London Sugar

$396.80/ton

-1.32

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1907.80

$1908.80

Low/High

$1885.30

$1912.80

Change

+5.20

+0.27%

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat

Liza Destiny FPSO

Offloading (FPSO) vessel, allowing Guyana to receive its first payment the next month.

That money, GY$11.4 billion, constituted Guyana’s first oil revenue-based earnings from production in the Liza field. It was deposited in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in March of this year.

An additional sum of GY$7.3 billion was subsequently deposited, as well as royalty payments.

So far, Guyana has received three cargo lift payments and three royalty payments, courtesy of the Liza-1 well. This means more than US$140 million has been deposited in the Natural Resources Fund.

However, this money has remained untouched, as the protracted political crisis that followed the March 2nd General and Regional Elections sabotaged any attempt to set

up a system for withdrawing funds. The Natural Resource Fund Act stipulates that various committees must be established to provide oversight for the fund. It is expected that this legislation will be reviewed by the current Government.

During his recent keynote address to the Forecast on Latin America and the Caribbean Conference, President Dr Irfaan Ali had made it clear that the monies will remain untouched until key reforms intended to

Minister

ensure transparency are enacted.

“My Government is focused heavily on transparency and accountability. As you know, we have demonstrated this after the negotiations of the licence for the Payara. Not only did we make the agreement public, but we also made the environmental permit public, so nothing is done in secrecy,” he had reminded.

“I’ve said before, there’ll be an arm’s length relationship with the politicians. We had international experts leading those negotiations and discussions,” the Head of State was quoted by the Office of the President as saying.

(G3)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Reviving tourism T

he unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on Guyana’s tourism sector. The Government has acknowledged these challenges, and has begun to put a number of measures in place to revive the sector. President Dr Irfaan Ali, a few days ago, during the launch of Tourism Month, expressed that he is optimistic that the sector would bounce back from these challenges.

In many countries across the world, the impact on tourism has been the same, or even worse. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation estimates that world tourism declined by 65 per cent in the first half of 2020, resulting in the loss of more than 850 million jobs and as much as US$1.2 trillion in earnings.

As pointed out by President Ali, in Guyana’s case, the tourism sector is believed to have suffered an estimated decline of 46 per cent of its revenues for the first half of this year, with 30 per cent of the sector’s employees losing their jobs and an additional 36 per cent being placed on unpaid leave.

The Government has shown that it is very concerned about what is taking place, and has promised that it would actively be engaged in employing measures to stimulate the revival of the sector. The new Tourism Minister is expected to lay out her vision for the sector and what policy intervention would be made by her Government in the coming days to address the challenges confronting the sector.

We have noted that efforts are being made to encourage locals to take advantage of the opportunities to experience what is on offer here. This is a good way to start reviving the sector, considering that due to the pandemic it may be quite some time before foreign tourists come to these shores. In any case, for Guyana to be successfully marketed abroad, there is need for the country to be promoted locally in a more aggressive manner.

It is no secret that quite a lot of Guyanese choose to go abroad for vacation, as against enjoying what obtains locally, and this may be so for various reasons, including cost, standard of services locally etc. For this reason, much more needs to be done by local stakeholders so that citizens would begin to understand and appreciate more of what Guyana has to offer, so that they in turn can become “ambassadors of tourism”.

Our tourism potential is huge. The challenge is for stakeholders, including Government and private sector, to pool their talents and resources and create a package that would be affordable and attractive to both Guyanese and foreigners.

Guyana’s tourism industry is considered to be one of the most attractive and unique destinations in the world.

Unlike our Caribbean counterparts - typical sun, sand and sea tourism – Guyana has a different type of tourism product, with our irresistible combination of fascinating and breathtaking natural beauty; pristine Amazonian rainforests, immense waterfalls, amazing wildlife, a vibrant indigenous culture, and a rich cultural heritage.

Important to note, too, is that due to the social distancing guidelines to fight the spread of the COVID-19, Guyana is considered to be uniquely positioned as one of the safest destinations, with vast pristine open spaces.

Certainly, there is still much more work to be done, as there are some impediments that pose a threat to the development of a thriving tourism sector. Issues such as expensive air travel, lack of trained personnel in the tourism and other related sectors etc, continue to pose challenges. These are issues that must remain on the front burner to be addressed, as they have a direct impact on the quality and affordability of the tourism package we offer.

With Guyana now being an oil-producing nation, more persons, both Guyanese in the diaspora and foreign citizens, would be coming here either to work, visit, or for academic purposes; the focus should be on putting in place systems aimed at projecting a positive image of our country.

To begin with, there is need for citizens to start cleaning up their surroundings, especially those living in the capital city, towns and major centres, where tourists traverse. The capital city is a main centre of attraction for visitors, and on any regular day, a walk around the city streets and surrounding areas would leave one ‘sick’ of the huge pile up of garbage and other refuse at certain points.

A thriving tourism sector would benefit all Guyanese, as more persons would be able to secure employment, our country’s revenue would be boosted, and many other related industries would prosper, among other benefits.

The Education Ministry has started distributing care packages to schools across the country. In photo, Ministry officials hand over a packed container to Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) in time for Monday’s reopening of schools. Inset are some of the items in each package (Education Ministry photo)

Call for a national conversation on crime

Dear Editor, Reflecting the major concerns of Guyanese both at home and abroad, I make an urgent call on the Government to convene a ‘National Conference on Crime and the Penal System.’

This forum would allow stakeholders: law enforcement officials, Government officials, social workers, and scholars/researchers, to pool their resources, analyze the crime problem, and integrate their findings into a coherent policy framework.

Guyanese harbour in common an objective fear for their personal security (crime), even though each one tends to express it in different ways. They are very worried about the spate of physical violence (crime) that has been unleashed upon victims, sometimes with naked brutality. The murders of the Henry boys, Haresh Singh, and more recently the 86-year-old pensioner of La Grange, West Bank Demerara, among other predatory crimes, have evoked not only anger, but exasperation at the crime problem in Guyana.

The gravity of the crime problem can be simply stated as follows: “We can get all the best jobs, accumulate all the wealth, enjoy all the social welfare benefits, live in the best homes, have up-todate models of vehicles; but, as soon as we go onto the street, we are cut down by

a hail of bullets. Or even in our homes, we can become victimised (robbed and/or killed).” So, what is the point of having all these material comforts when we are deprived of adequate public security?

The continual uncovering of many corrupt activities (white collar crime) adds to the predatory list of crimes (murder, rape, wounding, domestic violence, armed robbery, drug trafficking, etc.) and presents a picture of a breakdown of law and order.

When Guyanese are afraid to leave their homes or walk on the streets, how else could anyone describe this situation, other than as a living nightmare?

We know of the devastating impact of crime on families (the trauma, the pain, and the financial and human losses), on businesses (physical damage and economic loss), and on public entities (in the form of graft and corruption that saps the life blood of development). Apart from crime driving fear into citizens, it also clogs up social intercourse; it scares away investment; and it hurts tourism.

Here is how a sample of Guyanese view the crime (personal security) problem.

“Without proper security, the people perish, and people in the diaspora will refuse to visit.” (PJ). “Guyana need to pay their Police more and have a strict code of conduct.”

(HJ). “Balance the racial make-up of the security forces, higher level of education to enter…higher salaries and rewards/ promotions for performance…and harsh penalties for criminals.” (RC). “The security problem is restraining potential investors (from coming) to invest in Guyana, especially the Guyanese Diaspora, many of whom left Guyana in the first place because of the feelings of insecurity.” (PK).

“Why it is always the Government’s fault? People should take some responsibility, too. Why don’t you propose private security?” (IRS).

“The concerns of crime and other social ills (are) paramount for a country on the brink of a huge windfall from oil. With oil, other worrying social evils can increase.

(AJR). “This Government believes that the niceties they are offering will cause us to forget our fears and overlook their limp attitude towards attacking this cancer in our society…Why is the PPPC afraid to attack crime?” (BR).

What is interesting is that whenever there is a discussion on crime, Guyanese often refer to predatory and not necessarily to white collar crime! White collar crime is committed by people in powerful positions of trust and high status in the course of their occupation, and who develop an elaborate technique of neutralisation to minimise their guilt.

I have not been able to gather crime statistics from official records, and have depended heavily on anecdotal evidence from newspaper articles and from victims and their families. Statistical data would have allowed for the depiction of trends and the identification of groups that are at risk.

Nevertheless, the available evidence is enough to highlight the need for swift action on the matter of “public security.” I am now reaching out to the current Government, and hope they would respond positively to this request for a national conference on crime and the penal system.

Everyone knows that crime is not only the Government’s responsibility, but it is also everybody’s business. It is for this reason that I urge the Government (Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, and the Attorney General) to get all the stakeholders involved in a national conference on crime and the penal system.

Of course, this conference would be just the beginning of a continual dialogue on crime and its control. Other measures, like setting up a permanent task force on crime and drug trafficking, as well as law reform, could be integral to this process.

Sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

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NEWS

National Diya set to light on Sunday …no cultural show owing to COVID-19

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he Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh(Hindus for Selfless Service -HSS) will host their annual “National Diya Light-up” on Sunday, November 8 at Rahaman’s Park in Houston.

The first National Diya was lit in 2015 at the same location, and had illuminated the entire area as it ushered in the period of Diwali. This event will mark the sixth consecutive National Diya of Guyana, and, as usual, the occasion will be attended by Government officials, Heads of leading Hindu and other religious organizations, and young leaders.

The aim of the National Diya lighting is to promote, preserve and spread awareness of oneness and national unity. The theme for this year’s Diya Light-up is “Fighting COVID-19 with the light (Deepa) of knowledge” The period of Diwali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year.

Diwali literally means “a row of lights”. It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Hindus all over the world rejoice. It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil.

The meaning of Diwali, its symbols and rituals, and the reasons for celebration are innumerable. Diwali celebrates Lord Rama’s glorious and long-awaited return to his kingdom of Ayodhya after his fourteen years of exile in the forests.

It commemorates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakaasura, who had kidnapped and terrorised the gopis (devotees) of Vrindavan. It is also celebrated as the day Bhagwan Vishnu married Maha Lakshmi. Diwali is also associated with the story of the fall of Bali – a demon king who was defeated by Lord Vishnu. In general, Diwali signifies the triumph of good

over evil, of righteousness over treachery, of truth over falsehood, and of light over darkness.

However, Diwali is not just a festival of lights, so that we may burn candles, fireworks and sparklers. Sure, these are wonderful ways of expressing our gaiety. But it is not the only or true meaning of ‘light’. Diwali is a festival of the light which dispels the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light which shows us the way on our journey through life.

The purpose is not to glorify the light of the lamp or the firecracker. The purpose is to glorify the light of God. It is He who bestows the real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this mundane world. A candle burns out.

A firework is a momentary visual experience. But the candle of a still mind and the fireworks of a heart filled with bhakti are divine and eternal; these are what we should be celebrating.

File photo: The 2019 National Diya display at Rahaman’s Park, Houston

The light of Diwali should be within us. It should symbolise the personal relationship between God and ourselves.

Let the light penetrate inward, for only there will it have lasting benefit. A piece of cotton soaked in ghee, lit with a pure heart, a conscious mind and a desire to be free from ignorance is far

“brighter” than hundreds of expensive deepaks (lamps).

Apart from the spectacular display of the National Diya, there will be a Maha Lakshmi Puja, Vandhana, few remarks and cultural music to portray the significance of the national holiday.

Unfortunately, there would be no cultural show this

year due to the COVID-19.

The event will commence at 17:60h (5:30h) and conclude at 19:00 (7:00pm) and will be streamed on HSS Guyana Facebook page and local media entities.

Shub Deepavali“Fighting COVID- 19 with the light (Deepa) of knowledge”

New, modernised system needed at GECOM to eliminate electoral fraud Dear Editor, From all indications, Local Government Elections slated for 2021 in Guyana would not be held, reasons being the inordinate delays and impediments placed in the way of the process. Those matters that impeded the smooth running of the process was carved and initiated by the Opposition themselves, who are now making the robust

call for the very same LGE to be held immediately.

They cannot have it both ways, it is either they withdraw the election petitions, two in number, and let the process move on smoothly, and stop the sabre- rattling. But even if the petition is withdrawn, it still does not take away from the fact that the other cases involving top brass in the commission would have

to be heard and successfully concluded before we can proceed with anything close to an LGE. Other matters, such as electoral reforms, would have to be dealt with now to remove that dark cloud that hangs over elections held here in Guyana: the rigging, the shameless fraudulent transactions, and all that goes with it. I am talking about a new and

modernised system wherein all niches involving electoral fraud are removed, so that we can have a clean and efficiently functioning system.

Our sincere desire is to have a system free from all encumbrances, and one in which we can have results in record time. In this regard, I am advocating a system whereby we can vote via machines, as is done in

the USA and other developed countries. Machinevoting takes away the power of corrupt returning officers to unduly influence the outcome of elections, and eliminates the incidence of rigging.

What transpired during and after the March 2nd 2020 polls certainly cannot take place in a voteby-machine system; it just wouldn’t happen. The fool-

ishness that consumed our time this last election would have been eliminated completely. So, between the court cases and the next LGE, we would have enough time for voter education and the proper use of these machines for the successful run-off of the next LGE. Respectfully, Neil Adams

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Page

Foundation ◄

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN When you add a positive number and a negative number, compare the numbers as if they do not have positive and negative signs. If the positive number is larger, just subtract. You identify them by adding a minus sign to the front of a number. So – 1 is 1 less than 0.

Example: 7 + ( – 5) = ?

Step 1: Remove the + sign and brackets.

Step 2: Do the maths. 7 – 5 = 2 If the negative number is greater, ignore the minus sign for the time being. Subtract the smaller number from the greater. Then put a minus sign in front of the difference.

Example: 2 + ( – 4) = ?

Step 1: Subtract 4 – 2 Step 2: Write a minus sign in front of the difference. So 2 + ( – 4) =–2 When adding two negative numbers, ignore the minus sign and add.

Then write a minus sign in front of the total.

Example: ( – 2) + ( – 6) = ?

Step 1: Ignore the negative signs and add: 2+6=8 Step 2: Write a minus sign in front of the total. So ( – 2) + ( – 6) = – 8

Exercises: Solve 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

(– 12 ) + 4 = ( – 15) + 19 = (– 8) + 12 + 12 + (– 8) = 56 + (– 28) = 120 + (– 33) + 17 = 61 + ( – 45) + ( – 3) = ( – 20) + ( – 20) + 6 = 75 + (– 57) + 1 =

A

Wednesday’s answers 1) 0 4) 0 5) 0 8) 8 or 1 8

2) 0

3) – 2

6) – 9

7) – 3

Imagine being President for a day

T

he United States voted on Tuesday, November 3. In the United States, any native-born citizen over the age of 35 can be elected President. In Guyana, “a person shall be qualified for election as President and shall not be so qualified unless he (a) is a citizen of Guyana by birth or parentage as defined in Articles 43 and 44 of the Constitution; (b) is residing in Guyana on the date of nomination for election and was continuously residing therein for a period of seven years immediately before the date; and (c) is otherwise qualified to be a member of the National Assembly".

Imagine what it would be like to take on the role and responsibilities of the presidency.

Supplies •A computer or device with an Internet connection •Paper and pencil (or computer and printer) Let’s get started!

Read up on the presidency. Check out the relevant articles in the Constitution and other relevant material that provide information on the duties and privileges of the presidency. Explore and discuss what the job of President entails. Discuss what you know about the current or past presidents? What are some of the issues or problems facing the President? What kind of work does the President do every day to solve these problems?

What do you think the President does on a typical day? What problems or issues are important to you? If you were the President, what would you do to resolve issues and fix problems?

Using pencil and paper or a computer, create your own agenda for your day as President. (Adapted from startwithabook)

very young mouse, who had never seen anything of the world, almost came to grief the very first time he ventured out. And this is the story he told his mother about his adventures.

“I was strolling along very peaceably when, just as I turned the corner into the next yard, I saw two strange creatures. One of them had a very kind and gracious look, but the other was the most fearful monster you can imagine. You should have seen him.

“On top of his head and in front of his neck hung pieces of raw red meat. He walked about restlessly, tearing up the ground with his toes, and beating his arms savagely against his sides. The moment he caught sight of me he opened his pointed mouth as if to swallow me, and then he let out a piercing roar that frightened me almost to death.”

Can you guess who it was that our young mouse was trying to describe to his mother? It was nobody but the barnyard cock and the first one the little mouse had ever seen.

“If it had not been for that terrible monster,” the mouse went on, “I should have made the acquaintance of the pretty creature, who looked so good and gentle. He had thick, velvety fur, a meek face, and a look that was very modest, though his eyes were bright and shining. As he looked at me he waved his fine long tail and smiled.

“I am sure he was just about to speak to me when the monster I have told you about let out a screaming yell, and I ran for my life.”

“My son,” said the Mother Mouse, “that gentle creature you saw was none other than the cat. Under his kindly appearance, he bears a grudge against every one of us. The other was nothing but a bird who wouldn’t harm you in the least. As for the cat, he eats us. So be thankful, my child, that you escaped with your life, and, as long as you live, never judge people by their looks.”

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

WCB teens’ murders

Reward is not failure, but effort to solve murders – GPF

T

he Guyana Police Force has responded to criticisms that its $3 million reward offered for information on the murders of the three West Coast Berbice (WCB) teenagers is an admission of failure on its part to solve the murders.

The Force is contending that this is rather reflective of its resolve to solve the gruesome crimes against cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh.

After nearly two months of intense investigations, wherein all possible angles and leads were explored, the Police are yet to make a breakthrough in their investigations. As a result, the Force on Tuesday announced the reward for information that would lead to the arrests of the perpetrators.

However, Attorney-atlaw Nigel Hughes, who is representing the interests of the families of Isaiah and Joel Henry, stated at a subsequent press conference on Tuesday that the Police announcement of a reward is indicative of their failure to garner enough evidence to successfully solve the murders.

But in a statement on Wednesday, the Police called the lawyer’s pronounce-

ments “irresponsible”.

“It should be iterated that the offering of a reward by the GPF is not in any way an admission of failure, as stated by Mr. Hughes, but rather a further effort by the Police in their investigation with a view to solving these crimes,” the Police posited.

The Force went on to remind that monetary rewards made by a law enforcement

nor the consolation of the bereaved family on whose behalf he is acting, since such statements have the propensity to undermine the public's confidence in the G.P.F and the investigations.”

However, in response to the police statement on Wednesday, Attorney Hughes contended that his statements were made with the “full prior informed con-

agency for information from the public leading to the solving of a crime is an internationally recognised and accepted method to assist criminal investigators, and is one that has been utilised from time immemorial.

Further, the Force pointed out that Hughes’s “unfortunate utterances are neither in the best interest of the current investigations

sent” of the Henry families, who were present, and that the Police should instead direct their diligence, commitment and speed to the investigations.

Meanwhile, the Police Force had also said in its missive that it has received significant assistance from the Regional Security System (RSS) investigative team, which had found that

the local Police have done extensive work in the probe, and have the competence to see it to completion.

“The GPF is continuing diligently and is assuring the public that it will remain resolute in its assiduous efforts,” the missive on Wednesday detailed.

President Irfaan Ali had enlisted overseas help to solve the gruesome murders, and a team comprising officials from countries within the Regional Investigative Management Systems (RIMS) were in Guyana for one week last month. The five-member high-level RSS team has since handed over a report in which it made recommendations for more investigation, but expressed overall confidence in the ability of the Guyana Police Force to solve the case.

But even as the Police said they are diligently working to solve the crimes, Attorney Hughes on Tuesday disclosed that the Police did not pay heed to information provided by the family. The lawyer noted that at the time when the cousins left their home, Joel Henry was wearing a pair of short denim trousers, but when his body was discovered he was clad in a different pair of pants.

Despite being told this, the Police did not send the trousers as part of the evidence that went to Saint Lucia for DNA analysis and testing.

Isaiah and Joel had left their Number Three Village, WCB homes to pick coconuts, but never returned.

Their bodies were found two days later on September 6.

Post-mortem examinations conducted revealed

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum

Top Cop Nigel Hoppie

that the teenagers died from haemorrhage and shock.

The murders sparked widespread protest action, particularly along the West Coast Berbice corridor, with persons blocking the roads and burning debris while calling for justice.

The situation escalated as protesters blocked traffic along the WCB roadway while robbing, beating and extorting innocent commuters.

Millions of dollars were also lost as vehicles went up in flames.

As the unrest continued, 17-year-old Haresh Singh of Number Three Village, WCB was found dead hours after he had left home on

his motorcycle to attend his family’s farm in the backdam. It is suspected that Singh’s death was in retaliation for the murders of the Henry cousins, since he was related to one of the persons initially held by the Police.

Meanwhile, Police have established that 16-year-old Isaiah and 19-year-old Joel Henry were murdered in one location, and their bodies were then transported to the coconut estate on which they were discovered.

Investigators are yet to locate the primary crime scene.

Up to Tuesday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said the Police are still pursuing various leads. (G8)

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man denies killing vagrant in row over banana skin T hirty-year-old Eustace Griffith has pleaded not guilty to the July 4, 2016 murder of Dexter Arthur, a vagrant, who did odd jobs around the Stabroek Market.

Griffith was brought before Justice Navindra Singh on Wednesday.

A 12-person jury was empanelled and the trial was scheduled to commence next week Tuesday at the High Court in Demerara.

Representing the murder accused is Attorney-at-Law Maxwell McKay, while State Counsel Tyra Bakker is appearing for the prosecution.

Murder accused: Eustace Griffith

Media reports were that Arthur, 34, of Middle Street, Pouderoyen, West

Bank Demerara (WBD), was stabbed once to his chest by Griffith, a farm-

er of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Based on reports, the now dead man reportedly threw a banana skin at Griffith, and an argument ensued which quickly escalated into a fistfight.

The incident occurred at Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

Griffith reportedly became annoyed, whipped out a knife from his waist, and dealt Arthur one blow to his chest. The injured man fell to the roadway and died almost immediately. Griffith then ran into the Brickdam Police Station and surrendered.

Parika fuel dealer’s murder

Prosecutor urges jury to convict “Yankee”

S

tate Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy on Wednesday urged a 12-member jury to convict Curt Thomas of the April 30, 2016 murder of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) fuel dealer Seeram Singh.

Thomas is on trial for the offence before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara.

Based on reports, Singh, 52, of Lot 40 Parika Outfall, was stabbed to his abdomen and shot twice – to his head and hip. The bullet to his head was at close range and may have been the fatal shot. Media reports at the time stated that Singh was talking to someone on his mobile phone when he was attacked and stabbed.

In an attempt to raise an alarm, the injured man ran towards a shop, but the gunman gave chase and caught up with him. A scuffle ensued and it was then the suspect discharged two rounds at Singh. Reports are as the businessman fell, the gunman relieved him of two gold chains and escaped. Singh was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, West

Curt Thomas

Coast Demerara, where he was pronounced dead.

During her submissions, Hardy urged the jury to find Thomas, also known as “Yankee”, guilty of the crime as the prosecution was able to meet the burden of proof.

She contended that it was Thomas who shot and killed the businessman. In doing so, Hardy pointed to the testimonies of witnesses for the prosecution, including Rajmohan Autar, who positively identified Thomas during an identification parade.

news@guyanatimesgy.com

The Prosecutor was keen to point out to the jury that the forensic analyst testified that the clothing said to be worn by the accused on the night of the shooting which was submitted for testing tested positive for gunpowder residue. The Prosecutor told the jury that the witnesses called by her were credible. She said the witnesses were able to remember facts they observed about the killing although it occurred four years ago. According to State Prosecutor Hardy, while attempts were made

by Thomas’s lawyer, Lyndon Amsterdam to discredit the prosecution’s witnesses, they did not succeed because the witnesses’ testimony were believable.

Hardy reminded the jurors that they were the sole arbiters of the facts. She told them that with guidance from the trial judge in relation to aspects of the law, they must be fair and impartial and remove all emotions. In examining the unsworn testimony Thomas gave in his defence, Hardy pointed out that he brought no witness to disprove the prosecution’s case.

Instead, she submitted that the witness whom he called to testify on his behalf placed him at the loca-

tion where the robbery/murder occurred. During his virtual testimony from the Lusignan Prison, Thomas testified that he was nowhere at or near the crime scene nor did he know Singh. He alleged that one of the lead detectives in the case was trying to frame him for the murder. His reasoning, was that his girlfriend and the officer had previously shared a relationship.

Dorothy Pratt, the mother of Thomas’s girlfriend, testified on his behalf. The woman told the court that on the night in question, Thomas was at her home at 21:00h.

Under cross-examination, however, Prosecutor Hardy challenged her evidence. Pratt, when questioned by the Prosecutor, was unable to account for Thomas’s whereabouts any time before or after that time. Against this backdrop, Prosecutor Hardy implored the jury to look at the evidence, for in doing so, they would arrive at the inescapable conclusion that it was Thomas who shot and killed the fuel dealer.

“Look at the evidence, it will paint one picture. It was Curt Thomas who was there on the night, who shot and robbed Seeram,” the Prosecutor said to the jury.

According to Hardy, Singh was murdered in cold blood by Thomas who had no regard for the eventuality of other persons being injured as there were people in close proximity to where the shooting occurred. She said as Singh lay on the ground helpless, Thomas relieved him of his gold jewellery, and shot him, not once, but twice.

Justice Singh will sum up the evidence this morning before sending the matter to the jury for deliberation on a verdict. The summation is expected to last one and a half hour.

The inevitable...

S

…flooding of the coast o here we are, smack in the onslaught of the rainy season, and once again we’re caught with our pants down - and the water up to our waists!

And judging from the pics in the papers, this is NOT a figurative expression!

Let’s start with Georgetown, where one-quarter of our population lives, and for them and most of the elite, they’re “Guyana”. Now, everyone and their uncle know that if the town folks all spit at the same time, the city would become inundated! It’s been like that since the 1960s, so nobody can say they didn’t know.

The question, of course, is: what have the powers been doing about it? And the answer, of course, is: the same as it’s been for most of the time since the 1960s, when the British left. - NOT A DAMMED THING! The PNC, of course, took over running the country then, and inherited an intricately woven network of drains, canals and sluices that kept the city dry even though it was five feet below sea level.

Back in the 19th century, when it was the responsibility of the sugar plantations and villages along the coast to deal with flooding, the central Government had built the first concrete sea wall in front of Georgetown, and the canals within.

Subsequently, the Government always maintained the sea wall, but it was the responsibility of the City run by a Mayor and City Council - to clean those drains and canals. And that’s where they’ve always failed - even though they collect billions in rates and taxes year after year. Their perennial cry is they don’t have enough money, yet they have one of the most bloated payrolls in Guyana - and possibly the world. What are all those people doing?

Back in the day, Burnham used to take senior civil servants to clean the canals at Hope Estate. Why can’t the Mayor have all the staff at his disposal to assist the sanitation workers clean out the drains the moment they know the rains are coming?? The Mayor himself has been spied on several cleaning expeditions…he just has to be joined by the top-heavy staff. Or else he can simply fire a quarter of them and use the money saved to have the drains cleaned!

Now, to the rest of the Coast. Back in the colonial era, it was the responsibility of each plantation to keep its canals and drains - AND THE SEA DAM – clear, so that its lands weren’t flooded. The Govt now takes care of the sea wall…and the PNC shut down the EC estates.

So why be surprised that the East Coast is flooded? …March of Trump All of the pundits - political and otherwise - had predicted that Biden would’ve led an avalanche of voters to sweep away Trump and the Republicans.

At the time of this writing, they’re all in a deep funk that the race is now a dead heat!! As your Eyewitness has been saying is that he still believes Trump would emerge as the winner. But even if he doesn’t - by some strange manoeuvre of the democratic state machinery - he’s already won a great moral victory.

For good, bad or indifferent, America has been altered in a fundamental way, which is irreversible and which will send shock waves through the world.

Trump was able to activate a pool of voters that had traditionally been ignored by the elites that ran the country - politically and economically - but they’re now aware their votes matter. Those elites can’t keep them barefooted and pregnant down on the farm any longer!

The same in now true for Guyana. No longer will the PNC and the Georgetown elites be given a free pass. …Silence Now that the PPP Government had cancelled BK’s $826M contract for the school at Yarrowkabra, your Eyewitness was expecting the usual deluge of criticism about a “vindictive PPP going after PNC supporters”.

But the silence has been deafening. One wonders why.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

9

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GCAA Board will be Tiger Creek bridge to be New no rubber stamp - Edghill repaired within 3 weeks … will play critical role in aviation sector T he Public Works Ministry has crafted a three-week timeline for completion of emergency works on the Tiger Creek bridge in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) Region Eight Engineer Wendell St Pierre made this disclosure on Wednesday following an on-site assessment, the Department of Public Information has reported.

“Works…have already started. The contractor is Abeja Trotman, and materials are being mobilised,” the engineer is quoted as saying.

From his preliminary assessment, St Pierre said, the bridge appears to have collapsed because it had a damaged beam.

Commuters can use an alternative route to Mahdia while there are ongoing

emergency works at Tiger Creek, he noted. That route spans an additional 28 ki-

The GCAA Board. Seated are Chairman of the Board Javed Shadick and Public Works Minister Juan Edghill. From left, Prema Roopnarine, Jerome Khan, GCAA Director General Egbert Field, Lt Colonel Courtney Byrne, Ramesh Seebarran and Beulah Williams (GCAA photo)

T

The collapsed bridge

lometres, and extends from the Konawaruk Road into Eagle Mountain Road, then

into Mahdia. This, St Pierre said, is a temporary inconvenience for commuters

while the bridge undergoes reconstruction.

On the issue of safety, the engineer advised that motorists should use the alternative route and take no chances crossing Tiger Creek during the emergency works. This is to avoid accidents and loss of property.

The DPI report stated that the Public Works Ministry is providing technical assistance on the project, while the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission is tasked with executing the repairs.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force reported that at about 12:45h on Tuesday, the bridge - 75ft in length and 18ft in width, which runs in an east-towest direction - collapsed with motor lorry GYY 2075.

The driver, Police said, was alone in the vehicle and the lorry was empty. No one was injured.

he Government has appointed a new Board of Directors for the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. It has charged the members of this board not to be rubber stamps, but rather to use their diverse technical expertise and experiences to expand and improve Guyana’s aviation capabilities.

In a ceremony held at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority boardroom earlier today, the members of the new board were installed. In his remarks to the new board, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill made it clear that Government does not want a board of rubber stamps. Rather, he noted the importance of them playing a key role in making decisions at GCAA. “You are a board that must be able to sit, discuss, debate, ask the hard questions, do the due diligence, get to the bottom of issues, then you make your recom-

mendations for the necessary actions. By no means would I like you to be a board that is a rubber stamp. I want you to be a board that is heavily and aggressively involved.

“That’s why you were carefully chosen - people of skill, competence, experience. And we’re asking you to be nationalists and patriots. Be a set of eyes and minds that are looking out for the good of Guyana and ensuring that this sector is properly managed and governed,” Edghill said.

Meanwhile, Director General of the GCAA, Lieutenant Colonel Egbert Field, reminded the board of his availability and noted that they would get his full support and expertise when called upon. In addition, he would depend on the board to guide him in certain areas.

“The Civil Aviation Authority, we are regulators, but we are also facil-

itators. And, Honourable Minister, you can rest assured we will be working with the industry, as we have been doing, so that safety and security remains the number one item for us as we move forward.

“I’m a consummate professional, and I have been moving in the direction of ensuring that this authority and the aviation industry, this economy, continues to increase and build in a way the authority can assist,” Fields informed the board.

Chairing the board is Attorney-at-Law Javed Shadick. Also on the board is well known lawyer Jerome Khan and Ramesh Seebarran. Also on the board is Prema Roopnarine, Beulah Williams, CJIA CEO Ramesh Ghir and army representative Lieutenant Colonel Courtney Byrne.

Public Works Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Vladim Persaud is an ex-officio member of the board.

(G3)

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Eccles murder-suicide

Bodies of couple burnt beyond recognition — Police A

s the families of Cindy Moses and her husband Leeroy King come to grips with their shocking deaths, Police on Wednesday said the couple’s bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Police have since also said they are treating the fire as a murder-suicide.

Thirty-five-year-old Cindy Moses and her husband Leeroy King were found dead at their Lot 1139 Second Phase, Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home, following a fire that was allegedly set by King.

GPF Public Relations

shortly after, she heard the couple arguing and then screams coming from the house and what appeared to be loud explosion before seeing smoke billowing from the upper flat on the north eastern side of the building.

Both the Police and Fire Service were summoned, and the fire was extinguished.

Ranks then entered the home and observed the bodies in a bedroom on the

Dead: Cindy Moses

Dead: Leeroy King

on Wednesday that investigators are awaiting the reports of post mortem exam-

bours said the couple were arguing before smoke was seen billowing from the house. Neighbours also allegedly heard what sounded like a gunshot being discharged.

Meanwhile, AndriesJunor said that when ranks arrived on the scene, they were unable to determine if there were gunshot wounds on either body as the bodies were badly burnt.

However, he said that until the results of the PM are revealed, investigators would not be able to determine if either one, or both of the victims were shot.

Reports are on Tuesday evening at about 19:00h King arrived at the Eccles house and his wife was observed opening the gate for him.

A neighbour said that,

The home that was set on fire

Officer (PRO) Royston Andries-Junor, when contacted, told this publication

inations to determine the cause(s) of the deaths. His comments came as neigh-

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

north eastern side of the upper flat of the building.

Speaking with Guyana Times, the dead woman’s brother, Anthony Moses, explained that the couple had recently constructed the house, and were expected to take up full residency therein this weekend.

He added that he had spoken with his sister hours before the tragic incident. He described his sister as very private and said

he could not tell if the couple had had previous fights.

The couple had been together for the past two years.

King, who had fathered three children from a previous relationship, had operated a barber shop in Diamond, EBD. Moses had operated a salon and a printery, also located in Diamond, EBD. Their bodies are at the Lyken Funeral Parlour awaiting the PME.

14-year-old still hospitalised …driver still on the run The 14-year-old pedal cyclist of Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD) who was struck down on the Annandale Public Road, ECD on Saturday last remains hospitalised, while the driver remains on the run.

This was confirmed by the Guyana Police Force Public Relations Officer (PRO) Royston Andries-Junor on Wednesday. Andries-Junor added that the teen is now in a stable condition.

Police said that at about 23:45h on October 31, an unknown vehicle hit the teen from behind and immediate-

ly sped away.

Reports are that the teen was riding along the inner lane of the road with a friend when the accident occurred.

The teen was picked up in an unconscious state and

taken to the hospital, where doctors found that his skull was fractured. He was immediately admitted as a patient in the Intensive Care Unit.

Police investigations are still ongoing.

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice. They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

NEWS

11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Taxi driver, passengers robbed by armed bandits P olice in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) are investigating an armed robbery perpetrated on a taxi driver and two passengers in which millions of dollars were taken away by two armed bandits.

The daring armed robbery occurred at about 06:00h on Tuesday when the taxi driver went to East Canje to pick up a package from someone to take to Georgetown.

Reports are that there were two women in the taxi

The road leading to Suzanna Cemetery, ECB, where the robbery occurred

who were passengers en route to Georgetown. The driver, who also operates

a courier service, reportedly had millions of dollars in his possession when he

Car bursts into flames after crashing into truck

P

The vehicular explosion at Montrose

olice are investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident which occurred along the Montrose Public Road, East Coast Demerara, and resulted in the fiery explosion of two trucks and a motorcar, as well as the hospitalisation of a pedal cyclist.

According to Police, the incident occurred at around 06:00h on Wednesday.

Reports are that the motorcar, which was driven by 36-year-old Imran Khan, was proceeding west along the road while 66-year-old pedal cyclist Deokumar Parbo was travelling ahead

in the same direction.

The pedal cyclist is said to have suddenly swerved onto the roadway and into the path of the motorcar, to avoid a pool of water.

Police have said the driver of the motorcar claimed that upon seeing the action of cyclist he applied brakes, but the left side front fender of the vehicle collided with the bicycle. As a result of the collision, the cyclist fell onto the roadway and sustained injuries about his body.

Meanwhile, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a lorry

parked on the southern side of the parapet. The vehicle then burst into flames, which destroyed two lorries and the said motor car. Firefighters promptly responded to the scene, and they managed to put out the blaze and prevent it from causing further destruction.

Meanwhile, the cyclist was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he is undergoing medical treatment.

The driver is in Police custody assisting with the investigation. (G9)

was robbed. This newspaper was told that he was in the poorly lit street driving slowly after collecting the package when two armed men approached the car.

One of them pointed a gun at him and ordered him to stop.

They then entered the car and instructed the driver to drive. He was directed to the East Coast Berbice Highway where, at Suzanna village, they told him to

turn onto the road which leads to the cemetery.

There he was robbed.

Reports are that the driver was gun butted several times as demands were made for the money in his possession.

The two passengers - one who was on her way for surgery at a private hospital in Georgetown, and the other who had an appointment with the US Embassy, were both relieved of their docu-

ments and other valuables.

This newspaper was told that the woman who was on her way to the embassy pleaded with the bandits to return her documents as she was taking it to the embassy for her son. The bandits then returned the documents and made good their escape in the vicinity of the Susanna village cemetery.

Police have since launched an investigation.

(G4)

UG reduces facilities fee for 2020/2021

A

s students of the University of Guyana (UG) continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, UG has agreed to reduce the facilities fees by 50 per cent for the 2020/ 2021 academic year.

University of Guyana Students Society (UGS) on Tuesday said they have successfully negotiated with the UG administration for the relief, since students are away from campus due to COVID-19 guidelines.

“By April, the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect us all as the need to reduce these effects began a series of relief packages and small financial aid distributions. As it became more evident that we may not return to campus in the near future, we approached the administration for a reduction in facilities fees,” the UGSS said.

Just recently, Education Minister Priya

Manickchand revealed that more than 600 students have discontinued their studies at the tertiary intuition during the pandemic, while a petition was called for the institution to either cancel or reduce its annual $50,000 facilities fee.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University has had to close its doors to guarantee its students safety. As a result, UG has been administering classes to students virtually, by way of various Online platforms, and has not had

physical classes on its campuses since February.

Students have since been contending that the facilities are closed, and they are not using many of the services being covered by the fees, hence they suggested the elimination of the fees.

Nevertheless, after months of negotiation, the university’s administration has finally agreed to cut the facilities fee. The fee that were once $50,000 yearly will now be $25,000 per year.

12

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 20

Flash floo city unde

020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ods leave er water

13

14 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

79 new COVID-19 cases recorded; 13 in ICU …testing boosted in vulnerable communities

A

s the number of COVID-19 cases in Guyana continues to raise in Guyana, the Health Ministry is looking to boost testing in communities that are vulnerable to the virus.

On Wednesday, the Ministry reported 79 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

According to the Ministry’s updated COVID-19 Dashboard, the total number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 4,324 – 2,285 are males and 2,039 are females.

But only 800 of these cases are currently active; that is, 13 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the other 787 persons in isolation.

That is 62 in institutional isolation and the remaining 725 in home isolation.

There are now 32 persons in institutional quarantine.

Meanwhile, some 3,394 persons have to date recovered from the life-threatening disease.

The COVID-19 death toll remains at 130. The latest fatalities were recorded on Tuesday when a 77-yearold female from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and a 92-year-old man from Region One (Barima-Waini) died while receiving care at medical facilities.

A total of 20,739 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus in Guyana.

Of the 79 new cases re-

Minister Anthony told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the mobile testing unit will make access for the procedure and to health officials much easier for citizens.

Last weekend, the mobile unit was stationed at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, where the Ministry had observed a recent spike in positive cases in Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four).

“We sent that unit into Diamond and surrounding communities. We thought it important to get a better picture of what is happening with the epidemic in these communities, and the way to know is to do more testing in those communities,” Minister Anthony noted. corded on Wednesday, a whopping 34 are from the Barima-Waini region (1); five from the PomeroonSupenaam region (2); nine are from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); 25 cases are in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); and there is one case in each of the regions from Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and four cases are from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).

The figures remained the same in regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Since taking office, the PPP/C Government has embarked on a massive testing drive to ensure that all positive cases, especially asymptomatic cases, are detected.

Only last week, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony had expressed concerns about the low detection rate is some regions.

As such, he encouraged citizens to take advantage of the mobile testing units that are dispatched to various communities where high number COVID-19 cases are being detected, such as Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

During his latest COVID-19 update on Wednesday,

Ruling pending in Gary Best’s causing-death trial

F

ormer Army Chiefof-Staff Gary Best’s causing-death trial continued on Wednesday before City Magistrate Rondell Weever. The prosecution replied to a nocase submission presented by Best’s lawyer Nigel Hughes, who is asking that the charge against his client be dismissed.

Magistrate Weever will rule on the no-case submission on December 3, 2020.

According to the first charge against Best, on February 8, 2020, at Clive Lloyd Drive, Greater Georgetown, he drove a motor vehicle, PRR 8182, in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Jude Bentley, a former national cyclist.

It is further alleged that on the same day and at the same location, he drove the motor vehicle while his blood alcohol level was 85 micrograms, above the legal limit. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

In relation to the causing-death charge, Best, an executive member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), pleaded not guilty and was ordered

Former GDF Chief-of-Staff Gary Best

to post $500,000 bail. In relation to the charge of driving under the influence, he was released on his own recognisance (self-bail).

As a condition of bail, Best was ordered to report to the Police Force’s Traffic Headquarters on specified dates until the completion of his trial.

Bentley, 41, was struck down and run over by the vehicle allegedly driven by Best on Clive Lloyd Drive near the Russian Embassy turn in Georgetown.

Dead: Jude Bentley

Reports are that, at the time of the accident, both Best and Bentley were travelling in an easterly direction. Investigators found that Best was driving under the influence of alcohol. After the accident, Best was taken into custody, but later complained of feeling unwell. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted.

Best is a former Presidential Advisor under the David Granger Administration.

During this coming weekend, the testing unit would be at the Grove Health

Centre, EBD. On Saturday and Sunday, testing will commence at 09:00h.

A schedule has been drawn up for communities that most need testing, and that schedule will be published once it has been finalised.

“We have also worked out a schedule where, on a periodic and, ad hoc basis, we’ll be sending these units into other regions and other communities to get a sense of what is going on in these areas. So that would be an ongoing process from now on,” the Minister added.

Minister Anthony is encouraging Guyanese who feel they have been exposed to the disease to take full advantage of the opportunity to get tested.

Top Cop commends injured Policemen for bravery

T

op Cop Nigel Hoppie, along with senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force, on Tuesday visited Lance Corporal Bertland Scotland who was stabbed several times about his body by a wanted man during a confrontation at One Mile, Port Kaituma, North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini) in September.

During the visit, Commissioner Hoppie commended the Lance Corporal for his bravery in the face of danger, and reassured him of the Force's commitment to his welfare and personal development.

On September 14, Lance Corporal Scotland, who is attached to the Port Kaituma

Lance Corporal Bertland Scotland receiving hampers from the GPF

prehend the suspect, who was wanted in connection with the murder of pensioner Earl Peters, which occurred on September 5.

Top Cop Nigel Hoppie, along with senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force, chatting with Constable Amos Ramsingh at his home

Police Station, along with other ranks acting on information received, went to S1A Junction, One Mile, Port Kaituma, NWD, where they confronted the suspect, who was the occupant of the upper flat of a two-storey building.

When the ranks attempted to apprehend the suspect, he reportedly whipped out a knife and stabbed Scotland to his left hand, left hip, left lower abdomen, left eyebrow and left buttock. The other ranks managed to ap-

The suspect was also wanted for wounding committed on Troy Roberts, who is presently admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital; and also for the wounding of Police Constable Edwards at Arakaka Police Outpost on August 20, 2020.

After the stabbing, the injured Policeman was taken to the Port Kaituma District Hospital and was subsequently medevaced to Georgetown, where he was admitted in a critical condition. He has since been dis-

charged, and is currently at home recuperating.

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, Commissioner Hoppie visited Constable Amos Ramsingh, who was shot on October 5 at Guyhoc Park, Georgetown while arresting a suspect who was armed with a firearm.

The Commissioner also used the opportunity to commend Constable Ramsingh for his incredible display of bravery in the line of duty, and reassured him of the Force's commitment to his welfare and development.

Constable Ramsingh expressed sincere gratitude for the visit from the Commissioner and his team, and also for the token of appreciation for his hard work.

Among the GPF officers that visited the injured ranks were Divisional Commander, Region 10, Superintendent Hugh Winter; Welfare Officer, Deputy Superintendent Jewel Sullivan; Assistant Commissioner Simon Mc Bean, Commander of Regional Division 4 'A', Superintendent John Barker; Officer-in-charge of Sub-Division and Reverend Michael Singh, member of the Cops and Faith network.

15 Blue dial scales not approved for trade – GNBS NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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he Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is again cautioning vendors and the public against using the blue dial scale, which is not approved for trade.

GNBS Public Relations Officer Lloyd David is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying that the agency has tried several ways to rid the market of that type of sale, but to no avail.

“It is affecting the market place where vendors and shop keepers are using those blue dial scales to conduct trade. Those scales are not approved for trade by the GNBS. They cannot withstand the activities of

trade,” David is quoted as saying.

He explained that the GNBS has “tried urging the consumer to desist from buying from the scale, and have spoken to the vendors and shopkeepers on numerous occasions to secure the approved scales to conduct trade.”

GNBS inspectors seize the scales whenever they encounter them.

“The cost of the scale is so negligible compared to the approved scale that they tend to revert and buy another scale, so our task is continuous, removing those scales from the market,” he said, adding that, “We have to do that because the accu-

GNBS Public Relations Officer Lloyd David

racy of the scale is questionable.

The GNBS does not verify (stamp) the scale for trade because they were

Soldiers get new facilities

designed for domestic use only. Further, the scales do not measure using only metric units, and their weighing mechanisms are not designed for continuous use, and can be damaged easily when used commercially.

Therefore, instead of using the blue dial scale, the GNBS recommends the use of the red equal arm scale, the electronic scale, and the platform scale, with measurements in the International System of Units (SI Units) or metric units.

“We have made progress in some areas, but there are some areas that are still lagging behind. Use kilogrammes instead of pounds, and metres instead of feet, and so on,” DPI quoted David as saying.

Consumers are also re-

minded that they have the right to demand that items they purchase be weighed using approved weighing devices, which carry a verification seal or sticker.

“When we verify the scales, we are not in the market place all the time ensuring that the vendors do the right thing,” David noted.

He is therefore urging the public to educate themselves, “so that when they go to shop, they can understand what is really happening when the vendor conducts their measurements.”

Consumers can also relay their queries to the GNBS via WhatsApp: 692GNBS (4627).

Health Ministry gets Remdesivir donation

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unior non-commissioned officers serving at Base Camp Ayanganna have received their anniversary gift of a

spanking new Junior Ranks’ Mess Hall and Club.

Meanwhile, at Base Camp Stephenson, the soldiers of One Infantry Battalion will enjoy the comfort of a new and modern barrack accommodation, complete with steel cupboards and other contemporary amenities.

Both buildings, which were completed recently, were officially dedicated and handed over for use by soldiers as part of activities to commemorate the 55th Anniversary of the Guyana Defence Force.

The mess hall facility will cater to the messing and recreational needs of privates, lance corporals and corporals.

Chief of Staff (ag) Brigadier Godfrey Bess and other members of the Force’s leadership were on hand for the handing over ceremonies for both facili-

ties. In brief remarks, he underscored the importance of soldiers taking care of them, since both represented improved comfort for them.

He added that the Force’s leadership remains committed to ensuring that soldiers receive the best, as this too is expected from them as they carry out their daily duties.

Brigadier Bess also acknowledged the role of the Force’s Engineering Corps which was instrumental in providing supervision in the execution of both projects.

The accommodation building is two-storeyed and will house between 110 and 125 soldiers on each floor.

Plans for the rebuilding and, where necessary, restoration of accommodation for ranks of other bases are in the pipeline.

he Health Ministry on Wednesday received 100 vials of Remdesivir from ANSA McAL Trading Limited to aid Guyana’s fight against COVID-19.

The company has committed to providing a second batch of 100 vials in one week’s time, the Department of Public Information reported.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony expressed his gratitude to the company, saying that the donation is timely, as tghe drug is part of Government’s treatment protocol for the disease.

Dr Anthony acknowledged that Remdesivir is expensive and becomes a

greater challenge when one patient requires the use of ten vials over the course of treatment.

“We all have to work together to ensure that we have control of COVID-19.

I’m happy that we’re getting some more Remdesivir available if somebody really gets sick. We are also extending to regional hospitals,” the Minister is quoted as saying.

16 NEWS Flash floods leave city under water THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as City Hall yet to clear clogged drains, canals …heavy rainfall forecast to last until Sunday

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lash floods on Wednesday inundated sections of Georgetown, putting several residences and businesses in the city under water after hours of torrential rainfall coupled with roaring thunder and flashes of lightening in the wee hours.

Compounding the situation in Georgetown are clogged drains and canals.

Among the areas in the city affected are: Albouystown, Alexander Village, Bel Air, East and North Ruimveldt, and South Ruimveldt Gardens and Park.

According to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), over the last 24 hours there has been approximately five inches of rainfall, while the drainage capacity caters for only two inches of water; hence the severity of flooding.

It was noted that low tide is forecast to be at 11:56h at a height of 0.90mm, which provides some relief for waters to recede.

The Public Works Ministry had dispatched regional engineers and technical officers to assess the situation throughout the ten administrative regions in light of heavy rainfall over the past few hours.

The Inter-Agency Task Force, comprising representatives from the Local Government Ministry, Public Works Ministry, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) and the Regional Officials, has already been established to ensure that the risk of damage and interference to homes and businesses is minimised.

Meanwhile, Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine has re-

ported that businesses in the capital city suffered millions in losses as a result of the floods.

The Mayor and his team visited various wards of Georgetown to assess the damage done by floodwaters, and met with affected residents. Narine has reported that stores on Regent Street, Guyana’s premier shopping district, have been completely flooded out.

However, the Mayor did not address the issues of the

Service, Guyana is expected to receive above-normal rainfall and low-lying areas could experience flooding.

While the CDC would continue to monitor the expected rainfall, Craig said, RDCs should activate their multi-agency response mechanisms, since the CDC cannot do it alone.

“The CDC is prepared to work with all the Regional Democratic Councils to provide technical guidance to ensure effectiveness and

City Hall’s failure to clear and clean clogged drains and canals in the city.

The CDC said, “The National Weather Watch Centre has advised that the current weather pattern is forecast to last until November 08, 2020.” To this end, Director-General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, has called on Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) to activate their Regional Emergency Operation Centres (REMS) to prepare for expected flooding.

The Director General has said that based on reports from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Hydrometeorological

efficiency,” the DirectorGeneral noted.

The Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) are also being called upon to play their role and to lend support to the RDC. “The emergency response mechanism, from national right down to the community level, it is important that we activate it and be on standby to respond and alleviate the impact of (flooding) across the country,” Craig underscored.

The Commission is advising residents of riverine, low-lying and flood-prone areas to take all necessary precautions and to contact the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS)

on 226-1114, 6231700 and 6007500, should they be affected.

In fact, upon the direction of Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, who holds responsibility for disaster management, the CDC has decided to partially activate the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).

The NEOC will immediately examine the possibility of shelters in regions that have been affected by the weather. The decision was made following an initial two-hour inspection of flooded communities throughout the city.

Following the assessment Wednesday morning, Director-General Craig told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that “almost every community has some level of water accumulation. In some instanc-

es, there are seven to eight inches of water on the road, and some homes are under two to three inches of water.”

Assessments were done in the affected communities in Georgetown on Wednesday to assess the structural aspect of the flooding to lessen the accumulation.

Meanwhile, the CDC is collaborating with the Georgetown M&CC to identify hard-hit communities, and providing sanitation items to affected residents.

The Director-General is

urging residents to start disinfecting their homes, and to keep children away from flood waters.

“I also want to encourage residents to discourage children from playing in the water, to prevent health issues, and to stock up on sand bags to protect your property,” he said.

Persons in need of support can contact the CDC’s 24-hour National Emergency Monitoring System on telephone numbers: 226-1114 or 226-1617.

Reports of flooding can also be made. (G8)

Canada reports rare strain of swine flu found in a human

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anadian health authorities on Wednesday reported the country's first case of a human infected with the H1N2 virus, a rare strain of swine flu.

The case, detected in the western province of Alberta in mid-October, appears to be isolated "and there is no increased risk to Albertans at this time," local health officials said in a statement.

"This is the only influenza case reported in Alberta so far this flu season," the statement read. It added that the unnamed patient experienced mild influenza-like symptoms, "was tested and then quickly recovered. There is no evidence at this time that the virus has spread further."

Canadian health officials are looking into where the virus came from, and to verify

that it has not spread.

Since 2005 only 27 cases worldwide have been reported of people infected with the H1N2 -- not to be confused with the more common H1N1 swine flu virus. There have been no cases in Canada prior to this one.

The H1N2 strain is not a food-related illness and it is

not transmissible to humans by eating pork or other pig products, officials said. "This a rare type of flu in humans, typically acquired from exposure to infected pigs and not known to spread easily from human to human," Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, wrote on Twitter. (AFP)

Kosovo war crimes suspect arrested, sent to The Hague

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akup Krasniqi, a veteran Kosovo politician and former spokesman for the Kosovo Liberation Army, has been arrested and transferred to The Hague, the Kosovo war crimes tribunal said in a statement.

Krasniqi, the former speaker of parliament, will face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the Kosovo Specialist Chamber added. It did not give details about the indictment against him. The arrest came after heavily armed police from the European Union Rule-ofLaw Mission (EULEX) in

Kosovo raided Krasniqi’s home on the outskirts of the capital, Pristina.

The Specialist Chamber was set up in The Hague in 2015 to handle cases of alleged crimes by Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrillas during the war between 1998 and 1999 that eventually led to Kosovo’s independence from Serbia 10 years later. The Haguebased court is governed by Kosovo law, but is staffed by international judges and prosecutors.

In late June, Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci was among nine people indicted for war crimes and

crimes against humanity by the tribunal. He was questioned over his role in the 1990s conflict by prosecutors in The Hague for the first time a month later.

The war, which came to an end after NATO-led air raids, left more than 10,000 dead and 1,641 people remain unaccounted for.

Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. Serbia and Kosovo have been engaged in negotiations brokered with the European Union since 2011 in an attempt to normalise relations and open the door for EU membership. (Al Jazeera)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Tense wait as US election winner remains unclear T

he outcome of the US presidential election is on a knife edge, with Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden neck and neck in key swing states.

No candidate can credibly claim to have won as yet, and both campaigns said they had potential paths to victory.

Without declaring victory, Biden said he believed his Democratic campaign would prevail.

Trump, a Republican, claimed to have won. His campaign has filed lawsuits in two states where Biden leads.

Several key states are expected to finish counting by the end of Wednesday, but the election may not be decided for days.

The Biden campaign said it expected to win because several states would

Incumbent Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden neck and neck in key swing states.

Wisconsin – are very close.

Biden is currently ahead in Wisconsin and a Trump lead in Pennsylvania could still potentially be overturned by mail-in votes.

However, Republicans in Wisconsin said they would immediately request a recount in the state, claiming "reports of irregularities

al college votes, Biden has a clear lead in the national vote, with 50 per cent – 2.5 million votes more than Trump. Hillary Clinton received nearly three million more votes than Trump in 2016, but still lost the election.

Control of Congress – the two-chamber legislature – is

"I'm here to report – we

stop," the President said, apparently meaning that he wants to block the counting of postal ballots, which can be legally accepted by some state election boards after Tuesday's election.

His rival's campaign condemned the President's statement as "outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect", calling it a "naked effort to take away the democratic rights of American citizens".

A lawyer for the Biden campaign, Bob Bauer, said any Supreme Court chal-

States - from the White House itself - would undermine ballot-counting.

It's a process that stretches on for days after the election even in normal circumstances, where voters haven't turned to postal or early voting in large numbers because of an ongoing pandemic.

After Trump spoke, Vice President Mike Pence tried to smooth over his remarks, declining to declare premature victory and insisting that all the legally cast votes will be counted. It was much

Trump supporters rally in front of a Cuban restaurant in Miami, Florida, on election night

Protesters gathered at the Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House as the polls closed

be called for them on Wednesday or Thursday, but the Trump campaign said it was confident that the maths was in its favour.

The US is on course for the highest electoral turnout in a century. More than 100 million people cast their ballots in early voting before Election Day, and tens of millions more added their vote on Tuesday.

Trump has defied the pre-election polls to do better than predicted, but Biden has a narrow lead in several key states.

In the US election, voters decide state-level contests rather than an overall, single, national one.

To be elected president, a candidate must win at least 270 votes in what is called the electoral college. Each US state gets a certain number of votes partly based on its population and there are a total of 538 up for grabs.

Biden is projected to win Michigan, one of the Rust Belt battleground states which propelled Trump to the White House four years ago. The vote tallies in two others – Pennsylvania and

believe we will be the winners," he said.

The Democrat added a call for unity and a pledge to defend democracy.

"No-one is going to take our democracy away from us, not now, not ever," he said.

Trump, meanwhile, alleged in a tweet that there had been "surprise ballot dumps", causing his lead in several states to disappear,

in several counties". And in Michigan and Pennsylvania the Trump campaign has filed lawsuits to stop the counting of ballots.

Biden could also snatch Arizona, a once reliably conservative state, and is ahead in Nevada, although counting is not expected to resume there until Thursday.

However, the President is projected to have held the must-win state of Florida, and another conservative sunbelt state, Texas, where the Biden campaign had dreamed of an upset victory.

Georgia and North Carolina are also very close, though currently leaning Trump's way.

also at stake. As well as the White House, Republicans are vying to hang on to a

Trump will keep hold of Ohio and Missouri, known as bellwether states because they have so often predicted the eventual winner, according to the BBC's projection.

Trump is also projected by the BBC to win Nebraska, though Biden picked up one vote there in the electoral college, which could turn out to be crucial.

But while the two candidates do battle for elector-

The Wisconsin result is proving to be one of the closest

majority in the Senate. The House of Representatives is expected to stay in Democratic hands.

What are the candidates saying?

In an address on Wednesday afternoon, Biden said it was clear his campaign was winning enough states to win the election.

without providing any evidence. Twitter labelled the tweet as possibly disputed and misleading.

At an election night gathering at the White House, the President said there was "major fraud" and "we'll be going to the US Supreme Court", again without providing evidence.

"We want all voting to

lenge would lead to "one of the most embarrassing defeats a President ever suffered before the highest court in the land".

Doomsday scenario

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, North America reporter Donald Trump has been telegraphing for weeks that if the presidential election

were close, he would accuse his Democratic opponents of committing voter fraud and trying to steal victory away from him. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, he did exactly that.

It is the doomsday scenario that many Americans were fearing, where the President of the United

more in line with how a US leader would be expected to behave in a moment of political uncertainty.

The damage had been done, however. Whether Trump ultimately wins or loses, he has cast a pall on this election, as he calls the very machinery of American democracy into question.

When will we get a result?

Officials had warned before election day that we might have to wait days or even weeks for the presidential result this year because of the surge in postal ballots.

Different states have different rules for how – and when – to count postal ballots, meaning there are large gaps between them in terms of reporting results. In some states it will take weeks to get complete results.

The last time the result was not clear within a few hours was in 2000, when the winner, George W Bush, was not confirmed until a Supreme Court ruling was made a month later.

In the meantime, it falls to US media organisations to predict, or project, the winner in each state much sooner.

Teams of election experts and statisticians analyse a mixture of information such as exit poll data – interviews at polling stations and phone calls with early voters – and actual votes counted.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Regional

Eta batters Central America, killing 3

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urricane Eta brought torrential rain and high winds to Nicaragua as it made landfall in the Central American nation on Tuesday.

Two men were killed when a landslide buried the mine they were working in in Bonanza, on Nicaragua's north coast.

In neighbouring Honduras, a 13-year-old girl died in the city of San Pedro Sula when the wall of her home collapsed onto the bed where she was sleeping.

Eta has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

It first hit Nicaragua as a Category Four hurricane with winds of 225 kilometres per hour (140 miles per hour) and torrential rains.

Tens of thousands of peo-

A woman trying to recover the part of the roof damaged by Hurricane Eta in Wawa, Nicaragua [Carlos Herrera/AP Photo]

ple in Nicaragua left their homes for shelters before the storm hit.

In the town of Puerto Cabezas, trees were uprooted and the perimeter walls

of the baseball stadium was blown over, news agency AFP reports.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that although Eta has

weakened, there remains the risk of life-threatening flash floods in parts of Central America that lie in the storm's path.

The centre of the storm was over northern Nicaragua on Wednesday, and the NHC forecast it would move across central Honduras today.

It was likely to continue to weaken as it moved over land, the NHC said, but would still produce tropical storm conditions close to its centre on Wednesday.

As well as the risk in Central America, the NHC warned of the possibility of flash flooding across a wider area taking in Jamaica, parts of Mexico, El Salvador, and the Cayman Islands.

(BBC News)

Trinis wary of Trump’s return to White House

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Trinidad and Tobago national living in New York is fearful that should incumbent US President Donald Trump be re-elected, it could mean total deportation of all migrants regardless of their citizenship.

Expressing fears that riots and looting could erupt if Trump is given a second term in office, Nirveeta Charles, a family and marriage therapist living in New York, admitted that Tuesday’s election had her uneasy and worried.

Residing in the US for almost three decades, Trinidadian Alicia Jefferson, 43, chose to vote by mail in the state of Florida three weeks ago.

However, she said concerns were raised by voters that some mailboxes containing ballots were broken into and tampered with.

Although Florida is known as a Republican State, Jefferson admitted she voted for Biden, because Trump was a total disappointment Charles, who became

a US citizen in 2013, expressed fears that the close race between the two rivals may lead to riots, saying the recent erection of a “non-scaleable fence around the White House” and the “boarding up” of businesses was unsettling.

She said the fact that Trump has not agreed for a peaceful transfer of power if someone else is elected was disturbing.

Although Charles has been a US citizen for seven years, she said she is still looked upon as a migrant.

“I can identify knowing what it is like to be in a country where you are not a citizen...so that unrest, uneasiness and anxiety before I became a US citizen is coming to the surface now.

I am very fearful of what the consequences could be for immigrants in the country ... their documents and their papers could be up in the air ... especially if there is a lot of civil unrest.”

Charles said other migrants felt the same way.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

In Venezuela, many hope Trump will win to keep pressure on Maduro

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any Venezuelans are hoping for the re-election of US President Donald Trump, whose campaign of aggressive sanctions against the South American nation’s ruling Socialist Party has won over a broad swathe of President Nicolás Maduro’s critics.

The Trump Administration has promised that sanctions will cause the ouster of Maduro, who has overseen a catastrophic economic meltdown that fuelled a mass exodus of migrants.

But the strategy has after nearly two years failed to shake him from power, and critics say the measures have exacerbated the once-prosperous Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó’s designated Colombian Ambassador, Tomas Guanipa, is seen before a news conference in Bogota, Colombia, November 4, 2020

(OPEC) member’s humanitarian crisis by hurting the Government’s cash flow and complicating imports of critical goods like gasoline.

Despite Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s promises not to soften measures against Maduro, some Venezuelans believe he will take a less confrontation-

al approach similar to that of former President Barack Obama.

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó hopes the United States will continue to pressure Maduro, regardless of whether Trump or Biden is declared the winner, Tomas Guanipa, Guaidó’s representative in

Colombia, said in the capital Bogota.

“What we hope for is continuity of a policy that has so far been bipartisan, which has supported the struggle for democracy in Venezuela…,” Guanipa told reporters in Bogota’s historic Bolivar Plaza.

On a commercial street in middle-class eastern Caracas on Wednesday morning, where workers in fraying shirts and homesewn face masks strolled up and down the streets, many people were convinced Trump would win.

Maduro’s supporters almost universally condemn Trump while also expressing scepticism toward Biden, insisting that the US policy is meant to undermine Venezuela’s democracy. (Excerpt from Reuters)

DLP: Barbados Govt neglecting small businesses

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he Democratic Labour Party (DLP) of Barbados says the Government is neglecting small businesses and wants to know how the money it said was for the sector is being disbursed.

Ryan Walters, the party’s spokesman on busi-

ness and entrepreneurship, said that it was unclear how business persons can access the promised Bds$30 million to support their ventures.

In the September 15 Throne Speech, it was revealed that US$20 million of the amount would

be made available through FundAccess and US$10 million through the Trust Loan Fund.

“However, there seems to be an apparent lack of communication and dialogue with major players in this sector and the average business owner on how the

funds can be accessed. The Democratic Labour Party is asking once more, like it did more than a month ago, how will the US$20 million to FundAccess and the US$10 million to the Trust Loan Fund be used to assist small businesses,” said Walters.

(Nation News)

All set for PNP presidential election in Jamaica

Outgoing People's National Party President Peter Phillips (centre) looks on as presidential candidates Lisa Hanna and Mark Golding exchange greetings at the code of conduct signing at the Party's headquarters, last month (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

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he People's National Party (PNP) Secretariat has declared that everything is now in place for Saturday's delegates vote to select the party's sixth president.

Just over 3350 delegates are registered to vote on Saturday to determine if St Ann South East Member of Parliament (MP) Lisa Hanna, or St Andrew South MP Mark Golding, will replace Dr Peter Phillips as the party's president.

PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson told journalists Wednesday morning that the public should hear the results by 17:00h.

“The voting will start at 10:00 am and will close at 3:00 pm at 12 locations across the country and will be managed by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ),” said Robinson as he noted that the change from a single location for voting to multiple locations was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robinson underscored that all COVID-19 protocols will be observed during the voting process, with only registered delegates being allowed to enter the areas where voting is taking place.

“All delegates will be required to have their EOJ IDs for identification purposes [while] the EOJ will have a computer at each location which can verify the identity of all the delegates and substitute delegates (those selected to vote if an original delegate is unable to make it).

“An election centre will be established here at PNP headquarters where EOJ officials and members of the party's Appeal and Monitoring Committee will be present and operate from. The secretariat will have a representative at each of the voting locations to ensure that everything goes smoothly,” added Robinson. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

UK lockdown will hit Grenada’s tourism

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ourism Minister Clarice Modeste says that the announced four-week lockdown in the United Kingdom will have a negative effect on the island’s tourism industry, which began the rebound phase following the resumption of international flights on October 1.

Grenada went into lockdown in late March as part of measures aimed at controlling and containing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic after confirming its first case of the virus that killed more than one million people and infected 47.4 million others globally since the first case was detected in China last December.

“It is going to affect us, one month without flight is going to seriously impact us,” Modeste said during the post-Cabinet weekly news conference on Tuesday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the lockdown will begin today.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Grenada Tourism Authority, Patricia Maher, who also attended the news conference, told reporters that the Authority is yet to hear how the UK lockdown will impact the scheduled flights to Grenada.

“We were very happy to resume the services with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways coming in twice per week as of the end of October. The UK market is our second largest international source market, so it’s a very critical market for us as well as the connectivity to Europe via London,” she said.

Modeste said that during discussions with the airlines offering the UK service, it was disclosed that the load factor for both airlines was acceptable for the service to continue.

“The numbers were looking very encouraging because as you know there will not be flights if the numbers aren’t very good,” she added.

(Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices jump on large crude inventory draw

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rude oil inventories in the United States shed eight million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a day after the American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated an eightmillion-barrel draw that pushed oil prices higher.

At 484.4 million barrels, US crude oil inventories remain above the five-year average for this time of the year when demand tends to be weaker. Yet the resurgence in coronavirus cases in the country will likely lead to a further weakening of oil demand, driving builds in inventories.

Refineries last week processed 13.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, operating at 75.3 per cent of capacity. This compared with 13.4 million bpd a week earlier, operating at 74.6 per cent of capacity.

Besides the brief respite oil prices got from the API report on Tuesday, the benchmarks have been on the decline again as new lockdowns in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom came into force while COVID-19 cases in the United States continued to rise at a fast pace, threatening to overwhelm some states’ health-care systems.

Meanwhile, Tuesday’s election has had a mixed effect on oil prices so far as both a Biden and a Trump presidency have their pros and cons for the energy industry and the outlook for oil. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

“Stock up on popcorn”: World reacts to US election

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US presidential election always courts massive global interest, with the eventual winner playing a leading role on the world stage.

In fact, the decision of the American people every four years can transform the country's foreign policy and its approach to its allies and enemies alike.

So it's no wonder that countries around the world have been paying close attention to the neck-and-neck race for the White House.

Relations between the US and China, which are longstanding rivals and duelling economic powers, have sunk to their lowest level in decades.

And both candidates in this election have pledged to be strong in dealing with Beijing.

With this in mind, it's perhaps unsurprising that Chinese State media branded this a "divisive, tense and chaotic" election marred by "unrest, mud-slinging and money politics".

"Many media and people worry that if the election is contested, it may trigger cha-

os and even social unrest," China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the State broadcaster CCTV featured a video report which focused on fears of post-election violence.

"There is deep concern about continued social unrest," the report said.

The Government, however, has said very little. On Wednesday, a spokesman said it had "no position" on the election.

In Russia, the State-run TV news channel Rossiya 24 has been giving blanket coverage to the election. "We are continuing to follow the madness," one of the presenters said earlier.

It's worth remembering that US intelligence believe Russia tried to sway the 2016 election in favour of Trump,

an accusation Moscow has repeatedly denied.

There has been no official comment from the Russian Government, but the pro-Kremlin politician Vyacheslav Nikonov was unafraid to revel in the uncertainty surrounding the result.

"Whoever wins the legal battles half of Americans will not consider them the lawful president," he wrote on Facebook. "Let's stock up on large quantities of popcorn."

Elsewhere in Europe, Germany's Defence Minister, Annegret KrampKarrenbauer warned that the US was facing a "very explosive situation".

She said President Trump, who has vowed to challenge the election result in the courts, risked triggering "a constitutional crisis in the

USA".

In France, officials struck a different tone and downplayed the significance of the vote.

"Let's not kid ourselves: The United States has not been a friendly partner to European States for several years now," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Radio Classique.

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged caution.

But that call for caution was seemingly ignored by Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who said the result was "pretty clear".

Twitter flagged a post in which he congratulated Trump and accused the "mainstream media" of "denying facts".

With results pouring in, Iran's international-facing State-funded Press TV dropped its scheduled news bulletins to provide special coverage of the American election.

Latin American media, meanwhile, took particular note of Donald Trump's success in Florida which was boosted by support from Latino voters. (Excerpt from BBC News)

arge quantities of mobile phone footage have confirmed that the jihadist who killed four people in a rampage in Vienna on Monday was the only gunman, but Austria fumbled intelligence on him, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on Wednesday.

Austria arrested 14 people aged 18 to 28 on Tuesday in connection with the attack and is investigating them on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organisation, he said. But it would also have to investigate its own actions, he added.

“Before the terror attack began, according to the in-

formation currently available, some things also went wrong,” Nehammer told a news conference.

In July, neighbouring Slovakia’s intelligence service had handed over information suggesting the attacker had tried and failed to buy ammunition there, Nehammer and a top

Ministry official, Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf, said.

“In the next steps evidently something went wrong here with communications,” said Nehammer, who called for the formation of an independent commission to examine the errors made.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Reactions

UK Parliament approves Vienna gunman rampaged alone, intelligence month-long COVID-19 was fumbled – Austrian Minister lockdown for England L

Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson having previously insisted on an approach of regional lockdowns, changed course as cases continued to spiral

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ritish politicians approved a monthlong lockdown in England, voting in favour of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to try to prevent COVID-19 running out of control and overwhelming health services.

Johnson insisted that the looming new coronavirus lockdown would end “automatically” in four weeks, as he tried to placate party critics over the spiralling economic fallout.

Following a first lockdown in March, the second round of restrictions will come into effect at 00:01 GMT today, but Johnson told Parliament the measures would be lifted in time to give England the chance of a more normal Christmas.

The 516-38 vote on

Wednesday had been in little doubt after Opposition Labour Party members said they would support the move, even though they criticised Johnson for acting too slowly.

He was also criticised by some in his own party who said a national lockdown was too severe.

Last weekend, Johnson abandoned a new system of regional curbs and announced an England-wide lockdown after dire warnings that hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.

Senior Minister Michael Gove then indicated the lockdown could last beyond a December 2 cut-off if it failed to bring infection rates down. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

thiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has ordered a military offensive, after an army base was taken over by forces loyal to the regional government of Tigray.

Abiy accused the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), of launching the attack.

The attack resulted in "many martyrs, injuries and property damage", he said in a TV address.

These Tigrayan forces are in control of the federal army base

The Cabinet has declared a state of emergency in the

region for six months.

The national authori-

ties have also shut down electricity, telephone and Internet services in Tigray.

Tensions between the Government and TPLF, which used to be part of the governing coalition before falling out with Abiy, have escalated in recent months, with both sides accusing the other of plotting to use military force.

On Tuesday, the federal Parliament proposed that the TPLF be designated as a "terrorist organisation".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Climate change: US formally withdraws from Paris agreement

A

fter a three-year delay, the United States has become the first nation in the world to formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

President Donald Trump announced the move in June 2017, but United Nations regulations meant that his

decision only takes effect today, the day after the US election.

The US could re-join it in future, should a President choose to do so.

The Paris deal was drafted in 2015 to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change.

It aims to keep the global temperature rise this century well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5C. The delay is down to the complex rules that were built into the Paris agreement to

cope with the possibility that a future US President might decide to withdraw the country from the deal.

Previous attempts to put together a global pact on climate change had foundered because of internal US politics. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

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ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Refuse to let your emotions disrupt your day or an important relationship.

A change may not be something you want or expect, but you’ll benefit from what transpires.

Share pertinent, not TAURUS personal, information. Be (April 20a good listener, friend and May 20) contributor. Patience will pay off when dealing with your responsibilities. Take care of red-tape issues.

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

You may disagree with what others do or say, but you don’t have to change everyone’s minds. Go about your business and give others the freedom to do the same.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Take action and make a difference. Don’t get bogged down by paperwork or unfinished business. Don’t expect things to run smoothly; prepare to fight for what you want.

VIRGO

Embrace change and make it work for you.

Expand your mind, and use your skills diversely. Don’t take a risk when it comes to your health. Keep to a safe distance.

PEANUTS

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Don’t mince words. Be direct, honest and sincere to avoid repercussions. When in doubt, ask questions.

Don’t be too proud to admit your mistakes or let someone else take charge.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Observe what everyone is doing and bide your time when it comes to getting involved in an unstable situation. Keep your distance from bullies and users.

Focus on self-awareness.

SCORPIO

Hide your feelings from unscrupulous people. Make decisions based on what will help you get ahead. Don’t pay for something you don’t need.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Having a proper workSAGITTARIUS space will boost your pro(Nov. 23ductivity and give you the Dec. 21) energy you need to take on more challenges. Romance is favored.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Strive to bring about change. The less talk and interaction you have with those who can disrupt your plans, the better. Present the finished product, not the idea.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Focus on physical strength, endurance and good health. Shared expenses or joint ventures aren’t in your best interest. Practice social distancing. Personal improvements will pay off.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem, and you will encourage others to follow your lead.

Stand up for what you believe in.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

21

Ings’ injury hits England – Southgate reviews options with Saints striker out for 6 weeks

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anny Ings will not play again for England until March 2021 at the earliest, after the Southampton striker was ruled out for up to six weeks.

Ings enjoyed an outstanding 2019-20 season at Saints after his move from Liverpool was made permanent. He scored 22 Premier League goals, and forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

The 28-year-old featured against Iceland in September, and then netted his first Three Lions goal at home to Wales last month, but he suffered a knee injury at Aston Villa last week.

Initial results were “favourable”, Saints said, but coach Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed on Wednesday that the forward was set for “small surgery” and would be out for “four to six weeks”.

Ings will not recover in time for the November international break - the final England fixtures of 2020 as the race to be selected by Southgate for the European Championship hots up.

Using Opta data, we look at the other leading

strikers contending places in that squad.

for

Harry Kane

Barring major injury, England’s captain and the Golden Boot winner at the 2018 World Cup, Harry Kane, will make the squad. But the Tottenham man is not being picked on name alone. Kane has had six goals and eight assists in the league this season, and has attempted more shots (31) and created more chances (14) than any other forward in the pool.

child poverty in England, but he is delivering on the pitch as well. While many of his best performances have been reserved for the Champions League, the

Manchester United forward has scored from both of his Premier League big chances. He is the only potential pick with a 100 per cent record, and he has had two assists from nine key passes.

Tammy Abraham

Chelsea’s significant investment ahead of this season appeared to limit Abraham’s opportunities, but the striker has still played 288 minutes in the league, and has provided both a goal and an assist.

Marcus Rashford

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Rashford has dominated the headlines in recent months for his w o r k b a t tling

Calvert-Lewin might have already jumped ahead of Ings in the queue, even before this injury.

The Everton frontman, who scored against Wales on his international debut, is the Premier League’s leading marksman with eight goals - one every 76 minutes.

Mason Greenwood

Ings is not the only forward to have been selected this sea-

Mamadou Sakho wins “substantial damages” from WADA over drug claims

M

amadou Sakho has won his libel action against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and is to receive “substantial damages” from that agency after it repeated false claims about a drug test taken by the former Liverpool defender.

In a statement read in open court at the Royal Courts of Justice, WADA accepted Sakho’s case in full. It apologised for making defamatory allegations to the press following Sakho’s successful appeal against a ban imposed for taking Higenamine, a substance commonly used in weight loss supplements.

Speaking outside the court, Sakho, a France international and Crystal Palace player, said: “I feel happy.

Happy for my family, for all my friends, for the people who were around me during those tough years. It’s not easy when you are a professional athlete and are accused of doping. It is the worst thing that can happen to you.

“I always believed in my lawyers, that’s my squad,

my team. We always said the truth would take time to come out, and I am happy WADA has said, ‘Sorry’. Now everything is behind me, and I just want to look forward.”

The settlement brings to an end a four-year period in which Sakho has sought to clear his name after testing positive following a Europa League match between Liverpool and Manchester United in March 2016.

At the time, Sakho had received a 30-day provisional ban from UEFA, and he never played for Liverpool again. Sakho claimed the ban put paid to his hopes of making the France squad at Euro 2016.

That ban was overturned on appeal after UEFA found that there was no certainty over whether Higenamine was on WADA’s list of prohibited substances, under the category “Beta-2 Agoniste”.

In 2017 WADA specifically added Higenamine to its list.

In two statements released to the press in 2016

and 2017, WADA repeated claims that Sakho had taken a banned substance. In the second statement, which was published in the Guardian, it claimed Sakho had taken a substance banned since 2004.

In a response to Sakho’s claim, WADA retracted and apologised for those claims.

In a statement through its lawyers, it said: “WADA accepts that it should not have made the defamatory allegations it did. WADA accepts that Mr Sakho did not breach the UEFA anti-doping regulations, did not cheat, had no intention of gaining any advantage, and acted in good faith.

“WADA regrets the damage the defamatory accusations caused. To indicate the sincerity of this apology, WADA has agreed with its insurers to pay Mr Sakho a substantial sum of damages.” (The Guardian)

son who is now sweating on his place. Greenwood departed early following his first call-up due to an off-field incident, and has since struggled to impress in a United shirt. He has no goals and no assists in the Premier League this term, creating just two chances.

Callum Wilson

Wilson was in Southgate’s plans before struggling last term as Bournemouth were relegated. He has rediscovered his best form since joining Newcastle United though, scoring six goals from just 16 shots - an impressive conversion rate of 37.5 per cent - and creating seven chances.

Patrick Bamford

An unlikely candidate, Bamford was surely not expected to be in this conversation, but has scored as many as Kane and Wilson this season, while outperforming Rashford, Abraham and Greenwood.

The Leeds United forward has taken just two of his eight big chances, however.

Jamie Vardy

If he can be tempted out of international retirement, there is surely only one choice as Southgate considers replacements for Ings. Vardy scored and supplied an assist against Leeds on Monday, and his statistics as a pure striker blow away all others.

The 33-year-old has seven goals - one every 67 minutes - and has scored with an outstanding 53.9 per cent of his shots. No rival has been in position for as many big chances as his 10, and he has taken seven of them. (Sportsmax)

Tim Wellens wins stage 14 of Vuelta a España

– Primoz Roglic remains in red

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im Wellens won his second Vuelta a España stage on Wednesday, with defending champion Primoz Roglic maintaining his overall lead over Richard Carapaz.

Wellens, who also won the fifth stage, sprinted to victory ahead of Michael Woods and Zdenek Stybar in an unusually fast race that took riders 204 kilometres (126 miles) through hilly Galician terrain.

Representing Belgium and the Lotto Soudal team, Wellens dominated the uphill finish after staying in the breakaway group for most of the stage.

“It was not easy to win.

There was a big fight to get in the breakaway, and then all my companions were really strong riders,” said Wellens.

“I knew I had to be in the front

position in the last corner. I felt Woods coming, but the finish line was there and I crossed it first. I knew today suited me very well. Everything was perfect.”

The overall leaders finished together in the peloton, crossing the line almost four minutes behind Wellens.

Roglic maintained his 39-second lead over Carapaz, entering the final stages of the three-week race. Hugh Carthy stayed third, 47 seconds off the pace.

“It was quite a fast and hard stage all the way to the finish line,” Roglic said. “It was again a good day for us.”

Thursday’s (today’s) 15th stage will be the longest of this year’s Vuelta, taking riders 230km through a winding terrain that favours escapes from the front. (The Guardian)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Sushma Verma and Sune Luus star in Velocity’s come-from-behind victory in Women’s T20 IPL T

he Mithali Raj-led Velocity defeated Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas by five wickets in a thrilling opening game of the Women’s T20 Challenge 2020.

Sune Luus played a match-winning knock of unbeaten 37 off just 21 balls to take her side home in the pressure run chase of 127 runs. Luss struck at a brilliant strike rate of 176.19 on a tough wicket to show her class and get the job done for her team.

With the help of Luss’s knock, Velocity ended their two-match winless streak against Supernovas and recorded their first ever win against Harmanpreet & Co at the Sharjah Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Apart from Luss, Sushma Verma was another star turnout with the bat for Velocity, as she batted well to keep them in the hunt till the penultimate over of the chase.

Batting first, Harmanpreet & Co. posted a fighting total of 126 runs on the board on a sluggish track in Sharjah, where spinners got a lot of help from the surface.

Senior opener Chamari Athapaththu played a brilliant knock of 44 runs off 39 balls to give her team a good start. She was well supported by skipper Harmanpreet, who scored 31 off 27 balls and slammed a couple of big sixes in her knock.

Harmanpreet and Chamari added 47 runs for the third wicket for the Supernovas, after opener Priya Punia (11) and Jemimah Rodrigues (7) were dismissed cheaply.

Jahanara Alam bowled well for Velocity, picking up two wickets in her 4 overs while conceding 27. She also picked up the important wicket of Harmanpreet just when the batter started to look dangerous.

Spinner Ekta Bisht also impressed and kept

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Sune Luus top scored with 37

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liveries in the 20th over.

Asked to chase down the target of 127, Velocity were off to a poor start, losing opener Danielle Wyatt for a duck before her partner Shafali Verma was removed on 17, followed by skipper Mithali’s departure after scoring just 7 off 19 balls.

Veda Krishnamurthy played a crucial knock of 29 runs and steadied the ship for her side with Verma, who looked calm and composed in her 33ball 34.

Verma added a match-winning stand of 51 runs for the 5th wicket with Luss, who struck 4 fours and one maximum in her quickfire 21-ball 37 to seal the deal for her side.

The duo batted well under pressure, and counter-attacked Supernovas bowlers despite the required run rate mounting in the middle overs.

“Yes, we were 20 runs short, but if you want to win the game, you have to keep bowling well. I think whatever we thought, we didn’t bowl according to our plans in the last couple of overs. They batted

Shakera Selman bowled an economical spell

really well,” Supernovas skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said after the match.

Mithali’s Velocity will now take on Smriti Mandhana’s Trailblazers

in their next game on Thursday (today), and will look to continue their winning run in the Women’s T20 Challenge. (Times of India)

SCOREBOARD SUPERNOVAS INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) PS Punia c Krishnamurthy b Kasperek 11 AC Jayangani c Krishnamurthy b Jahanara Alam 44 JI Rodrigues b Bisht 7 H Kaur (c) c Pandey b Jahanara Alam 31 HASD Siriwardene run out (†Verma) 18 P Vastrakar c Krishnamurthy b Kasperek 0 RP Yadav c Shafali Verma b Bisht 2 SC Selman b Bisht 5 T Bhatia †not out 0 Extras (lb 2, w 6) 8 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.3) 126/8 Did not bat: Poonam Yadav, A Khaka Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Priya Punia, 5.2 ov), 2-42 (Jemimah Rodrigues, 7.4 ov), 3-89 (Chamari Atapattu, 13.1 ov), 4-111 (Harmanpreet Kaur, 16.4 ov), 5-117 (Pooja Vastrakar, 17.3 ov), 6-120 (Shashikala Siriwardene, 18.5 ov), 7-126 (Radha Yadav, 19.5 ov), 8-126 (Shakera Selman, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W S Pandey 4-0-18-0 Jahanara Alam 4-0-27-2 LM Kasperek 4-0-23-2

E Bisht MK Dakshini S Luus

4-0-22-3 3-0-23-0 1-0-11-0

VELOCITY INNINGS (TARGET: 127 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) DN Wyatt c †Bhatia b Khaka 0 Shafali Verma c Selman b Khaka 17 M Raj (c) c Selman b Siriwardene 7 V Krishnamurthy c Jayangani b Yadav 29 S Verma †c Kaur b Poonam Yadav 34 S Luus not out 37 S Pandey not out 2 Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3 TOTAL (19.5 Ov, RR: 6.5) 129/5 Did not bat: MK Dakshini, E Bisht, LM Kasperek, Jahanara Alam Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Danni Wyatt, 0.5 ov), 2-17 (Shafali Verma, 2.6 ov), 3-38 (Mithali Raj, 8.3 ov), 4-65 (Veda Krishnamurthy, 12.6 ov), 5-116 (Sushma Verma, 18.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W A Khaka 4-1-27-2 SC Selman 4-0-19-0 RP Yadav 4-0-25-1 Poonam Yadav 4-0-27-1 HASD Siriwardene 3.5-0-30-1

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Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme on New Zealand injury list

T

Ayabonga Khaka bowled 3-22

CLASSIFIED ADS

im Southee, Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme are part of a growing injury list for New Zealand, but coach Gary Stead is hopeful that most of the problems are not long-term concerns ahead of the start of the international summer against West Indies.

However, left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel has suffered a setback in his recovery from the calf strain that has delayed the start of his season.

Southee (back), Wagner (hip/groin) and de Grandhomme (right foot) have been ruled out of Northern Districts’ next Plunket Shield match, although it is hoped that Southee would be able to re-

turn in round four, which starts on November 14.

Henry Nicholls, who has yet to play this season, is on course to return from a calf injury in round four as well for Canterbury.

Matt Henry has previously been ruled out for up to six weeks after breaking his thumb.

“Injuries are always a concern, and we’re certainly monitoring each case closely with our medical staff,” Stead said. “Tim Southee and Henry Nicholls are both expected to be fit for round four of the Plunket Shield.

Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme both have niggles, and we are awaiting scan results on their respective injuries to ascertain the next steps.

“Likewise, Ajaz Patel had a scan on his left calf, after suffering a setback in his r e turn-to-play rehabilitation.

An update on Neil, Ajaz and Colin will be provided once their scan results have been received and assessed.”

Of the injured players, Southee and de Grandhomme are likely to feature in New Zealand’s T20I squad to face West Indies from the end of November, whereas Wagner and Nicholls are key parts of the Test side.

The first Test against West Indies starts on December 3 in Hamilton.

(ESPNcricinfo)

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NOW!

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Innovative A team tour to expand opportunities, says CWI’s Grave

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RIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Cricket West Indies (CWI) believes its decision to incorporate two four-day “Tests” into the upcoming tour of New Zealand will pay dividends by expanding the opportunities for specialist white-ball players to play the longer format.

The Caribbean side will play three Twenty20 (T20) Internationals and two Tests on the tour to New Zealand which lasts from November 27 to December 15. They left the Caribbean

last Tuesday with a 15-man Test squad and six reserves, along with a 14-man T20 side.

At the conclusion of the three-match T20 series, CWI will pull half the squad to join the reserves, and in addition to the two non-playing members of the Test squad, will form a likely 15-man squad for four-day Tests in Mount Maunganui and Nelson against the hosts’ ‘A’ side.

Both matches will run parallel to the official Tests in Hamilton, from December 3-7, and in Wellington from December 11-15, and CWI chief executive Johnny Grave has said it was an innovative way to add a developmental aspect to the tour.

“It’s one of the things we learnt from the England tour. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the reserves to come together and train with the first team, help prepare them, and be there in the event we had any in-

jury or illness that curtailed or ruled out any players,” Grave said.

“But once the Test matches started in England, there wasn’t a huge amount for those reserves to do, other than continue to prepare the players and do some training while the Test match was ongoing.

“I think to give them competitive cricket against New Zealand ‘A’ is great, and for some of those T20 players who have played so much white ball cricket for West Indies during the West Indies championship over the last couple of years, it’s going to be the first opportunity they would’ve had in probably two years to play some red ball cricket.

“It’s a great opportunity, and certainly one which we, as management, are looking forward to seeing how that ‘A’ team perform in those two games.”

The tour is only the second of the year for West

Indies, amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic which forced a lockdown of international cricket last March.

Until the pandemic outbreak, CWI had planned a busy home itinerary, but were forced to scrap every series due to public health concerns.

One of the series cancelled was a South Africa ‘A’ tour of the Caribbean, comprising three four-day Tests and five 50-over matches, and Grave said the New Zealand tour offered the opportunity for the ‘A’ team programme to be revived.

“To travel all that way (to New Zealand), to then go through 14 days of quarantine for three T20s played across four days, it’s an awful long way to go for four days’ worth of cricket,” Grave pointed out. “That’s when we started listening to the feedback from the players and management from around the England tour,

and thought with the six reserves that we’ve got, with some of the T20 players the selectors wanted to encourage to play red ball cricket and give them opportunities — which isn’t always easy when our 50-over and T20 schedules are so packed tight — it just seemed a really good idea for us to work on.

“Clearly we don’t really play ‘A’ team cricket against New Zealand and Australia because it’s so far to travel…but it’s a great opportunity.

“Obviously conditions in New Zealand are fairly unique, there’re going to be different challenges for the players, so it’s going to be a great opportunity.”

After travelling with 10 reserves for the three-Test tour of England last July, selectors have only carried six to New Zealand, but Grave explained this was due to the more relaxed COVID-19 regulations in place.

“It’s a different tour (from) the England tour. The reality is that after the 14day quarantine, the whole touring group will join New Zealand society – as long as the New Zealand level of COVID remains at level one, the lowest possible threat level,” the Englishman said.

“So, we’re not having to play a three-day game amongst ourselves, which was obviously the case in England. We’re also not having to use our own net bowlers throughout the whole tour. They’ll be able to have young New Zealanders as part of the practice.

“So, the whole practice and preparation after the 14-day quarantine will be as a normal tour, whereas in England we not only had to have a full XI to play against in terms of warm-up games, but we couldn’t have any net bowlers or additional support to prepare the team. That’s not the case in New Zealand.”

Pooran, Pollard, Gayle ignite IPL Da Silva eager to league stages with Caribbean flavour make full use of New

Zealand opportunity

W

Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in discussion

By Brandon Corlette

T

he 56 matches in the IPL league stages are done and dusted.

For the West Indian players who played in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, young batting sensation Nicholas Pooran stole the limelight from his Caribbean team mates.

While the big boys Kieron Pollard and the Universe Boss Chris Gayle had their moments in the league matches, Pooran announced himself with his clean ball striking for the Kings XI Punjab.

While more was expected from the West Indian boys, few of the men in maroon represented well, and some did not play a single match. Guyana’s Keemo Paul, who is with the Delhi Capitals, did not feature in the starting XI for any of the 14 matches the Capitals played, while it was the same for Sherfane Rutherford with the Mumbai Indians.

Royals’ Oshane Thomas, and Sunrisers’ Fabian Allen did not get opportunities as well.

Back to Pooran. The left-handed batsman played all 14 matches for the spir-

ited Kings XI Punjab, and scored 353 runs at an average of 35. He slammed 25 sixes at a strike rate of 169.7 with his high-score being 77, one of his two half-centuries being the fastest of the season.

Veteran Dwayne Bravo did not dance away this season as Super Kings recorded their poorest performance in the history of the IPL. Bravo’s IPL campaign was shortened after he was injured and played only six matches. He took six wickets while scoring seven runs with the bat.

The well-paid Guyanese and highly talented lefthander Shimron Hetmyer is still to set the IPL alive.

This season he played 10 matches and scored 138 runs at an average of 19.71.

Hetmyer did not face as many balls as he would have liked, but when he got the opportunity, he still did not capitalise. He faced 98 balls this season, and his strike rate is 140 and his high-score was 45.

With Capitals into the play-offs, Hetmyer may want the IPL and Ian Bishop to remember his name. For the first half of the season, many would have forgot-

Pooran in full flow for KXIP

ten the name of Gayle, but he ensured he was remembered in the seven matches he played at the latter part of the season. Gayle scored 288 runs in seven matches at 41, with a high-score of 99.

His settled approach resulted in his slamming 23 sixes, three fifties at a strike rate of 137.1.

Talk about settled, Sergeant Sheldon Cottrell was unsettled after he was torn into pieces when he was slammed for five sixes in an over. In the six matches Cottrell played for Kings XI Punjab, he took six wickets with his best bowling figure being 2-17 and his economy rate being 8.8, in his first outing on the IPL stage.

The performances of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine reflected on KKR’s performances this season.

KKR failed to qualify, and the dynamic duo of Narine and Russell failed to deliver. In Narine’s 10 matches, he scored 121 runs at an average of 13.44. While he was inked on the suspect bowling list, his bowling was poor by his standards.

He claimed five wickets at an average of 60.4 and an economy rate of 7.94.

Meanwhile, Russell played 10 matches as well, and scored 117 runs at an average of 13. He took six wickets at an economy rate of 9.72.

Captain Pollard has just bossed another season. The dominant Pollard scored 259 runs in the league matches at an average of 86.33 and a strike rate of 193.2. Pollard will be hoping to continue that form for Mumbai and help clinch another IPL title.

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder was unsold at the auctions. He then became a replacement player for the injured Mitchell Marsh, and the rest is history for the big Barbadian.

In five matches, Holder was very impactful with 10 wickets at an average of 15.80 and a strike rate of 12, helping the orange army to the play-offs.

With the league stages completed, the West Indians who are present to play the playoff fixtures would each want to finish on a high note.

est Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva has admitted he is thrilled with the prospect of another opportunity to showcase his ability after recently arriving in New Zealand.

The 22-year-old was last selected as part of the team’s tour to England after a solid performance in the regional four-day competition. Da Silva led the T&T Red Force’s batting with 507 runs, a high score of 113, and an average of 50.70.

Da Silva, however, did not feature for the firstteam squad, but made a good impression in the warm-up games, leading some to call for the player’s inclusion in the first team. The player scored 133 not out in the first practice match, and 56 not out in the final practice match.

With some experience batting in New Zealand, Da Silva hopes to put in another good performance. “ I ’ m looking f o r ward t o learn-

ing a lot like what I did on the tour of England earlier this year. It’s really good to be playing red-ball cricket again, and being back with the West Indies team,” Da Silva told West Indies Cricket.

“I played in Auckland and Queenstown…the pitches were always nice and good for batting, so I’m really looking ahead to getting out there and performing,” he added.

(Sportsmax)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020

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Innovative A team tour to expand Pooran, Pollard, Gayle ignite IPL opportunities, league stages with Caribbean flavour says CWI’s Grave Pg 23

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Da Silva eager to make full use of New Zealand opportunity

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Sushma Verma and Sune Luus star in Velocity’s come-from-behind victory in Women’s T20 IPL GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.