Guyana Times -- Friday, January 14, 2022

Slow infection rate before P23 health system is overwhelmed – PAHO Director warns countries Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4889

THE BEACON OF TRUTH FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

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Guyana’s Private Sector questions legitimacy of Caricom Private Sector Organisation

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Fire Chief sent on leave again P25

Page 3

…to raise issue with Caricom SG ...as calls mount for Guyana to review its place at Caricom

Opposition MP Sherod Duncan arrested under Cybercrime story Act passed by APNU/AFC onSeepage 7

Demerara P23 Sugar Terminals utilised for easier export of rice – Mustapha …to reduce time, costs

…to appear in court on Monday

P10 Police hunting GDF rank accused of raping teen in 2020

Man with head injuries found P dead in Kitty 10 COVID-19 vaccine

Equipment to digitise booklet to arrive by first quarter – Health P21 Minister Ahead of this weekend’s massive cleanup exercise by the Joint Services in collaboration with the Private Sector and combined agencies, the Joint Services on Thursday morning deployed two front-end-loaders and four trucks along with personnel to remove accumulated garbage at Durey Lane, Campbellville, Georgetown (GDF photo)

Cop accidentally 1186 new COVID-19 shoots own cases in 24 hours, knee 13 in ICU ...no new deaths See story on page 25

Page 24

First-time mother delivers baby in taxi in front of GPHC See story on page 12

…doctors rush to her aid

P21 Wanted bulletin issued for Queenstown murder suspect

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, January 14 – no closure and Saturday, January 15 – 01:30h-03:00h .

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, January 14 – 13:55h-15:25h and Saturday, January 15 – 14:30h-16:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day, with partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to North NorthWesterly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 14:11h reaching a maximum height of 2.32 metres.

Low Tide: 07:42h and 20:16h reaching minimum heights of 1.02 metres and 0.87 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS B

09 10 14

18 23 28

FREE TICKET

19 Bonus Ball

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

DAILY MILLIONS

05 11 15 20 23 LUCKY 3

3

2

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8

Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

02 03 09 10 11 12 15 SUPER

PAY DAY

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02 09 11 18 19 13

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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

$84.47/barrel

-0.24

Rough Rice

$256.95/ton

+0.18

London Sugar

$503.30/ton

+2.76

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1820.30

$1821.30

Low/High Change

$1811.90 -1.90

$1829.50 -0.10%

Guyana’s Private Sector questions legitimacy of Caricom Private Sector Organisation …to raise issue with Caricom SG ...as calls mount for Guyana to review its place at Caricom

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s outrage continues to mount over claims that Guyana’s historic Local Content law violates certain aspects of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, key representatives in the local Private Sector are now questioning the constitution of the Caricom Private Sector Organisation (CPSO).

According to a statement on Thursday, the CPSO said it is “the most recently-accredited Associate Institution of the Caribbean Community” and is to act as the “apex” institution for the Private Sector in Caricom, with a mandate to contribute to the full implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

The membership of the CPSO comprises Private Sector entities operating in the Caricom space, including Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

However, Guyana’s Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman Paul Cheong told Guyana Times on Thursday that the entity was not even aware of the CPSO before Wednesday.

“The Private Sector Commission wasn’t even involved [in the composition of the Organisation] and I don’t even know how they went about selecting the members… [But] we weren’t involved,” he indicated.

On Wednesday, a screenshot of part of an email was circulated, detailing concerns of members of CPSO over the recently-passed Local Content law and plans to reach out to the Guyana Government, and ultimately Caricom. The main contention is that the law, which makes provisions for Guyanese persons and Guyanese businesses to benefit from the oil and gas sector at specified percentages, violates certain provisions of the Caricom Treaty.

But the PSC Chairman said to this newspaper that he was “taken aback” by the position of the organisation which purports to represent the regional Private Sector.

In fact, the PSC held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue and in a statement that evening, it said it “questions the legitimacy of the CPSO which constituency consist of some Pan Caribbean companies [while] noting that the organisation does not represent the interest of the local Private Sector”.

Moreover, the Commission detailed in the missive that Trinidad and Tobago has had in place for more than 50 years, a regime of local content “predicated on maximising citizens’ ownership, control and financing of all activities along the energy resources sector”, thus giving preference to Trinidadians.

“The Commission is satisfied that the policies expressed in Guyana’s Local Content Act are not dissimilar to those of Trinidad and Tobago and do not violate the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. We, therefore, stand by and fully endorse the aims and objectives of the Act which are designed

to seek an audience with the Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, to relay his concerns about the “recently-accredited” CPSO.

Not tasked to advocate

to ensure that Guyanese companies and nationals benefit from the oil and gas sector.

The PSC welcomes foreign investors and urges respect for the country’s laws and sovereign space,” the PSC asserted.

Sudden surfacing

Meanwhile, another prominent Private Sector figure, Manniram Prashad, who is the head of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), has also expressed his surprise at the “sudden surfacing” of the CPSO and questioned the methodology used to appoint the members of the organisation that had been accredited by Caricom.

“How did the Caricom Secretariat decide to appoint CPSO as an accredited member of Caricom? What sort of methodology they used to decide who will repre-

sent Guyana? Who did they consult? Certainly not the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber, nor, as I have been informed, any other Private Sector organisations in Guyana,” Prashad asserted.

He went on to outline that, “It is wrong to hand-pick a body to represent the entire Caricom region on Private Sector issues. And I’m sure a lot of Private Sector organisations in the Caribbean were not consulted also… So, I think it is wrong and was done in an adversarial manner.”

Against this backdrop, Prashad, who is also a former Industry and Commerce Minister in Guyana and a former President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), has indicated to Guyana Times that he intends

The organisation is currently being chaired by the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Trinidad-based conglomerate and among its Board of Directors is Guyanese businessman Suresh Beharry. In the leaked email, it was indicated that the businessman would approach the Guyana Government on behalf of the CPSO. But in a statement on Thursday, Beharry clarified that he was not tasked to advocate the CPSO’s position, but merely advised “constructive dialogue and engagement with the Guyana Government and local stakeholders and to avoid any confrontation or disruptive fallout”.

However, the Organisation’s posture on Guyana’s landmark Local Content law has already sparked outrage among the various Private Sector bodies in Guyana as well as prominent business figures.

Sense of entitlement

Former PSC Head Nicholas Boyer argued that “…the email to me shows ignorance of the mood…and an arrogance that there is a Godgiven right to have at this new industry in Guyana”.

He further noted that this “sense of entitlement” was being claimed on the mere 40 categories of goods and services allotted to Guyanese, when this number was heavily reduced from the initial proposed areas.

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

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

Agriculture and food security

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ue to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Region and the world at large, the issue of agriculture and food security has not been talked about much. However, we have always maintained that food security for the Region is as important as any other matter and must be treated as such by Governments and other development partners.

In Guyana’s case, we have been at the forefront over the years in pushing for an effective agriculture and food security strategy. In December 2020 at the seventh virtual Summit of the Heads of State of Caricom and the Republic of Cuba, President Dr Irfaan Ali brought the issue of regional food security once again into the spotlight. The President used the opportunity to press the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to review the inter-regional trade mechanism and its food security in an effort to strengthen the bloc and place greater focus on an agriculture and food security strategy.

We believe that regional Heads need to place more emphasis on developing their agricultural sector and make the kind of investments necessary to ensure the Region is not only food secure but we produce enough to tap into export markets so as to earn foreign exchange.

It could be recalled that in 2002, then President Bharrat Jagdeo, who had lead responsibility at the time for Agriculture in the Caricom quasi-Cabinet, had sought assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to boost the Region’s efforts in ensuring it is food secure.

One year after, he proposed that the Region build on its past efforts to develop a common agricultural policy, and requested that the IICA and the FAO support the Caricom Secretariat in developing a framework for repositioning agriculture in the Region.

In underlining the problems that the agricultural sector faces in the Region, Jagdeo had stressed that in the changing global environment, the sector was neither providing for food security nor earning the foreign exchange needed to cover the Region’s growing food import bill.

In addition, at a Caricom Heads of Government Conference in Grand Anse, Grenada, Jagdeo had presented a paper entitled “A Framework for the Repositioning of Caribbean Agriculture”. In that framework, he stressed the need for a regional policy and strategy aimed at strengthening food security and alleviating poverty, and in January 2005, the President’s proposal was formally dubbed the “Jagdeo Initiative” with the theme “Strengthening Agriculture for Sustainable Development”.

The declining role of agriculture in the Region, the continuing loss of preferential markets for the Region’s traditional products, and the rapidly-increasing extra-regional food import bill are among the serious and challenging issues highlighted in the Initiative. However, while there has been much banter on the topic, it is not clear what concrete actions (if any) were taken since then to strengthen the Region’s agricultural sector and to bring it to a level envisaged in the “Jagdeo Initiative”.

Regional Governments would need to show by their actions that they are willing to go beyond the rhetoric.

Guyana has made tremendous efforts to ensure the country produces enough to meet the demands of its citizens.

As we are presently doing, other countries would need to organise themselves and their individual farming sector and encourage young persons to embrace new technologies to see farming and agriculture as a business. By doing so, the Region would not only be ensuring there is enough food to satisfy the demand of people, but the surplus of what is produced could be exported.

Several years after, many of the proposals detailed in the Jagdeo Initiative are still relevant and perhaps even more needed now, considering the changing global dynamics as it relates to countries producing enough to meet the needs of their populations and to satisfy export markets.

The Guyanese President’s call for countries to develop an effective agriculture and food security strategy is another reminder of Guyana’s commitment to the issue of food security. It would be to Caricom’s benefit if other countries follow suit.

Commonwealth Secretary General, Rt Hon Baroness Patricia Scotland visited the Caricom Secretariat Headquarters with Caricom Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett, where the two exchanged views on a variety of topics (Caricom Secretariat photo)

Open letter: Disappointed with report on Guyana Dear Brodie Fenlon, Editor in Chief, Canadian Broadcasting Commission; John Sawyer, Executive Director – The Pulitzer Centre; Chris Arsenault and Editor in Chief, Kaieteur News, Guyana expects and welcomes the attention it has been receiving ever since the discovery of oil offshore, mid2015, by a subsidiary of Exxon with its non-operating partners from Hess and CNOOC. We consider all the attention to be well intended, concerned that we Guyanese should receive our fair share and even a bit more, and warning of the many dangers ahead – the resource curse.

However, some reports might unwittingly be having a negative effect, adding to the contentious turmoil in our country, and intensifying our impatience with our stillto-be-developed condition.

Fashionable, glib reporting should be shunned - a dangerous thing that might self-fulfill all the dire things anticipated.

It is with such considerations that I express great disappointment in your report entitled, “How ex-President Ramotar and Robert Persaud ‘enriched friends’ with Guyana’s Canje Oil Block”, which was recently reproduced in the Kaieteur News of Guyana. Whilst the body of the report is somewhat tempered in presenting some balance, that strident, sensational, attention-grabbing headline thoughtlessly and recklessly bandwagons on and repeats a malicious distortion of the facts, and negatively colours all that is in the report.

I go directly to the facts.

Yes, ex-President Ramotar, shortly before Guyana’s elections of May 2015, did grant a Petroleum Exploration Licence to a Joint-Venture of Mid Atlantic Oil & Gas

(Dookie) and JHI (Cullen) for off-shore acreage which they had termed the Canje Block.

That grant came at the end of proper processing following the application in 2013.

At the time of signing, even though there was rising speculation and optimism that the Exxon drilling was being successful (there was similar optimism in drilling the Repsol and CGX wells in 2011/12), there was not yet a declaration of a commercial oil discovery. Of note too, Shell in 2013 had walked away from its partnership with Exxon in the Stabroek Block.

In the above circumstances, even if Exxon had by then declared the discovery, it would have been highly improper and certainly legally challengeable to deny the application. It was the responsible thing to do – no question of friends, no graft nor corruption.

Although Mid Atlantic O & G and JHI were recently registered and unknown and with no other assets, their Principals, Dookie and Cullen, had demonstrated the ability to raise funds, find partners and satisfy the development schedule committed to in a Licence. Dookie and Cullen had been interested in the minerals and petroleum sector in Guyana since the late 1980s, which led to their founding of CGX in 1997.

They had kept interest in oil exploration in Guyana alive, were able to raise financing, find partners, and eventually drill four wells on shore and two wells offshore over 2011/2.

Those wells did not encounter any economic oil, and as happens, Dookie and Cullen lost control of CGX. They however soon restarted with their separate founding of Mid Atlantic O & G and JHI, which would have had all the benefit of their knowledge, experience and expertise.

The procedure of “Application” was the standard procedure. After a failed “bidding round” in the late 1980s, the Government of Guyana adopted the “application process” in which capable persons would identify and apply for acreage of their interest on a “first come, first served” basis. The Government has announced recently, that now, and in the future, after the many “discoveries”, defined parcels of acreage will be offered at advertised and scheduled “bidding rounds”. This would be a natural and expected change in policy.

Guyana has been utilising hitherto a model Petroleum Sharing Agreement provided in the late 1980s by a UN Transnational Studies Group and the Commonwealth Secretariat, which emplaced 2% Royalty together with a profit share of 50% or more, and chargeable “cost of oil” in any year at no more than 75% of sales. This essentially gives a minimum of about 14.5% of sales to Guyana. One needs to look at the total share Guyana receives, not just the stated fixed royalty. In its first year of production, it has been estimated that Guyana received a total of about 19% of the selling price of the oil produced, which compares well with other physically similar locations. Nonetheless, there has been consideration that now that operating experience has been gained, Guyana should change to one with a large set royalty, foregoing any profit share, and so avoid the potential contentions and large costs of closely auditing all expenses for accuracy and value.

There is a recognised fundamental challenge in our country, Guyana, in bringing together the descendants of the six founding peoples of Guyana, who were thrown together here in the pur-

suit of sugar production, into One Guyanese People - “One Guyana” as our President is advocating. More thought and reflection should have been put in your report, into addressing the racial tensions and sensitivities.

True, “the need for more money in Government coffers is on sharp display in Buxton, a primarily black settlement”, and so too in primarily Indian settlement areas, Amerindian areas, and just plain Guyanese areas all across Guyana – as exemplified in “[Ramotar] rolling past cows chewing grass on the side of cracked streets in Georgetown”.

In another section of the report, reference is made to “taxi driver Sunil Prahad”, presented as typifying the working class, but he is also an Indian Guyanese and he “needs a bone marrow transplant for his daughter” and “his family has been crushed by debt and sadness as she suffers”. It would have been a sobering reflection to have indicated that nearly all Guyanese can complain of suffering and of feeling that they are being left out.

All Guyanese across all Guyana have various large, urgent, unmet needs. So great is the anticipation of our “breathtaking new wealth”, the Government has been having a job reminding Guyanese and several foreign commentators and well-wishers too, that our “breathtaking new wealth” is not yet with us – we are still a poor people and country: the wealth will start flowing slowly, and for many years we will have much catching-up to do in making ourselves as capable and productive as people in already developed countries, and thus provide ourselves levels of prosperity approaching theirs.

We will need to be frugal and diligent for many years still.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

GAWU utilises avenues to ensure The ERG’s stance is illogical workers receive justice Dear Editor, The GAWU finds it necessary to offer a response to Mr Lincoln Lewis’s letter, titled “There is no equity in what GAWU describes and that of BCGI by the Ministry of Labour”, published on January 13, 2022.

Mr Lewis begins his letter by again alleging that the GAWU enjoys, in his mind, “preferential treatments” by the Ministry of Labour. He articulates this view against the background that the Ministry addresses grievances brought to it through the grievance procedure outlined in agreement the Union has with enterprises where it enjoys bargaining rights. We fail to see how this could be seen as preferential, as our Union pursues matters through the grievance procedure, and would seek, when necessary,

the Ministry’s assistance to bring about a resolution.

The GAWU is at a loss to find a logical connection to this being preferential.

Rather, contrary to Lincoln’s seemingly warped views, we are pursuing our responsibilities to our members.

We share the view that the Ministry has a role in seeking to resolve disputes between workers/unions and employers. That is one of the main functions of the Ministry. Of course, as Lincoln well knows, the discussion of matters does not begin at the level of the Ministry, but follows a stalemate at the bilateral level.

It is against this background that GAWU addresses grievances with the Ministry. We recognise, from media reports, this is the Ministry’s position relative to the GPL matter Mr Lewis harps about in his let-

ter. In that case, we saw bilateral discussions were not exhausted.

Mr Lewis goes on to speak about Minister Joseph Hamilton relative to the GTU’s recent ‘isolation day’ activity. We do not hold any brief from the Minister, who certainly is more than capable of offering his own response, should he so choose. It is said that the Minister would have reacted differently were it GAWU. Again, Mr Lewis makes such accusation without any shred of evidence, but goes on, in our view, to malign our Union in a wild and unsubstantiated fashion. We wonder to what end this unionist is seeking to seemingly pursuing a divisive tenor.

We get to the meat of the matter, we believe, when Mr Lewis addresses his Union’s

issues with the BCGI. Again, we cannot offer a response for the Ministry on the matter.

However, we fail to see how our efforts to ensure the rights of our members are respected being contrasted with the situation between the BCGI and the GB&GWU. Certainly, Lincoln and his Union may want to assess what other steps they could take outside of the Ministry to address their apparent strong concerns. The GAWU, in the past, utilised other avenues to ensure workers receive justice. We remain proud of our efforts to ensure workers’ rights are upheld, and we do not believe we should be loathed for our work.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine President GAWU

I support the NRF and Local Content laws 100% – Guyana first!

Dear Editor, I wish to express my views on the two bills recently passed in Parliament, the NRF Bill and the Local Content Bill.

Having finally and fully studied the NRF Bill and its conformity to the Santiago Principles, I reiterate my complements to the Government of Guyana for tabling and now passing this piece of legislation.

We are at a critical juncture in the history of Guyana, and I recommend that we all take a little time to pause and examine the plusses of this bill. While I am constrained in Parliament by the Joinder agreement which binds the tri-party agreement and voting, I express my support for the NRF Bill. It is my view that the criticism of the Government is misplaced in the Bill’s content, but is justified on its process.

Firstly, while the legis-

lation may not have benefited from the kind of public scrutiny that we feel should have obtained, there is nothing illegal in what the Government has done.

It is all provided for in the Constitution of Guyana and the Parliamentary Standing Orders which the Government has committed to reviewing in due course.

While my expectation was for a more consultative process to be engaged, the reality is the nation suffered tremendously in the last three years; firstly from an exhausting process from the no-confidence motion in December 2018 to elections, and then an arduous fivemonth struggle; a global pandemic in COVID-19 that still continues to wreak havoc on our country; and some unprecedented flooding, all of which produced some devastatingly negative effects on our economy.

Open letter...

To ensure great opportunities for every Guyanese to participate in creating and sharing in our great potential, the Government is continuing and intensifying its broad programmes, improving education and skills training, improving health services and infrastructure across our country, so that we, the Guyanese people, can better develop ourselves and our country. It is in pursuit of these ideals, ever held dearly, that the Government has been hurrying in putting in place earlier this month (January 2022), the laws for “Local Content” and the “Natural Resources Fund”.

We Guyanese need to avoid becoming intoxicated with our and other peoples’

FROM PAGE 4

dreams of our wealth, and remain watchful, careful and cautious, learning much on the way as our recently discovered oilfields are utilised in a world that we will become ever more a part of.

We have been conscious of climate change and the roles we would be looked-to to play; and realise that even as we begin to learn to live with oil, we must prepare with the rest of the world to live without oil. We can do well with sober, thoughtful, empathising counselling.

With my very best regards, Sincerely, Samuel A A Hinds Ambassador from Guyana to the USA and the OAS

Notably, the attempted theft of the 2020 election does not give rise to an environment that fosters consensus- building on anything in Parliament, as one party seems bent on creating a destabilising environment as is continuously demonstrated by its actions and behaviour in Parliament, and the other is asked to govern in that environment.

Ultimately, the aim is to ensure greater accountability, transparency, and prudent governance of the fund, with the apex oversight body being the National Assembly, with the Public Accounts Committee as its informative tool. Those are further supported by the Bank of Guyana, the Board of Directors, and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, all in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance; and all of these are included in the Bill and all are legal entities.

I reiterate my compliments to the Government of Guyana for going the route of a Natural Resource Fund (NRF), and that the benefits of the oil and gas industry should assimilate to all citizens of Guyana, and that the NRF should be part of the machinery which facilitates this. Above all, we have an obligation and responsibility to not leave our future generations in debt, and in a better environment, and it is important that the Government is given the latitude to ensure this reality and reduce our sovereign debt and borrowing.

With such considerations, it is commendable that the Government sat on the fund for close to two years when they could have addressed the structure and drawn down on the fund, but did not. That they took no such opportunity and instead delayed it to better gauge the fiscal needs and trajectory of

the country no doubt signals their intent to be responsible and prudent managers of the economy. This is further complemented and supported by the announcement of an expert from Harvard to develop a macro-development strategy and plan for all of Guyana, and I commend them for indicating their intent in that direction.

It is my hope and expectation that the specialist being brought in would be given a clear mandate to establish a strong collaborative partnership with the University of Guyana and other members of Guyana’s Academia to develop a Guyana Solution.

As it relates to the Local Content Law, it was long overdue, and as the Government has committed that there is still room for intervention, I have re-submitted 16 pages of input to the Hon. Vickram Bharat with hopes of having the LCL recognise and address the organic nature of Indigenous Communities and the possibility of the ratification of ILO169.

I have noted the assault on the LCL by businesses from our Caribbean neighbour, and state that their complaint should find no quarter in Guyana, as our citizens have been maltreated in Trinidad and other countries for decades without any opportunity for redress.

Guyanese should never be maltreated anywhere in the world, least of all be disenfranchised at home, and the time is ripe for Guyana to rethink its place in Caricom.

I support the NRF and Local Content Laws 100% Guyana first! It is time we put Guyana first, and not permit political games to destroy our collective futures.

Sincerely, Hon. Lenox Shuman Deputy Speaker, MP, Civil Aviation Advisor

Dear Editor, The position of the Electoral Reform Group (ERG) in regard to the proposed amendment of ROPA is not just ridiculous, but is ludicrous. It is contending that “… the proposal to divide Region Four, Guyana’s largest electoral district, into sub-districts is provocative and unjustified.”

I am amused by such a pronouncement. The claim is that “Singling out Region 4 for special treatment is unjustified and provocative, (since) It is an affront not to GECOM officials, but to the residents of Region 4.” This is like an OMG. The ERG must be at least “true to facts” if it wants any kind of space in this debate.

Region Four created problems all because there was a concerted effort by the then ruling regime (APNU/AFC Coalition) to rig the elections.

One glaring crime was that of not sticking to the Statements of Poll (SoPs) as perpetrated by the Coalition. That was the crux of the issue, and that needs addressing, and the best way to ‘fix’ this is by demarcating the Region, the largest by far, into sub-divisions, so that an entire country would not have to be held to ransom by any conniving group.

Also, it makes the most logistical sense in terms of ballot counting, and ‘number of votes’ per party will not be af-

fected, but only the easier facilitation of the counting and tabulating.

Look how more manageable it would be if all goes according to plan. It means that Region Four will be sub-divided administratively into four clusters, namely East Bank, South Georgetown, North Georgetown and East Coast. This decentralisation will eliminate the possibility of another Clairmont Mingo, as each cluster will be managed by a Supernumerary Returning Officer (SRO), who will report to the substantive Returning Officer (RO).

What will then ensue is that there will be a great reduction of the time frame for the announcement of Preliminary Declaration of Results, as the four-part division would mean four sets of simultaneous counting.

Other great spinoffs include “Allowing for administrative support before, on, and after “E” Day to the RO”; “Facilitating submission of requests for recounts (if necessary)”; and “Removing bottlenecks in the appointment and replacement of agents.”

The thrust of an election is that ‘every vote be counted’, and all that the Government is pushing for is that this be done easier and faster. I ask the ERG what can be so wrong about this?

Yours truly, Anson Paul

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄

Adding with negative numbers 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. – 35.5 is 35.5 less than 0.

Examples:

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.

Examples:

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

Y

ou may know that salt is often used to help melt ice in cold areas, but in this fun and easy science experiment we are going to use a little bit of salt and a whole lot of science to actually catch some ice.

Materials:

Instructions:

Fill the tray or container about halfway with water, making sure the water is deep enough for the ice cubes to float.

Add six to eight ice cubes in the tray.

Lay the yarn over the ice cubes and try to get the string to touch each ice cube.

Now gently sprinkle salt over the ice and yarn.

Wait and observe the ice for approximately one minute.

Slowly lift the string and see how many ice cubes you caught on your ice fishing adventure.

The salt makes the ice cubes melt and momentarily turns the ice around the string to water. The water soon refreezes around the yarn.

Once the yarn has frozen to the ice cubes, you can gently lift the ice cubes out of the water.

Make this a science project:

Try different types of salt such as rock salt, Himalayan salt, sea salt, and Epsom salt. Try things like baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Try different types of yarn and string. (scienceisfun.org)

I leave this house Box pieces of the five-week life I’ve gathered.

I’ll send them on to fill spaces in my future life.

One thing is left a spray of orchids someone gave from a bouquet one who makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.

The orchids have no fragrance but purple petals draw you to look at the purple heart.

Ice cubes Tray or container Water Piece of yarn or string Salt or salt packets from a restaurant

How it works:

By Hazel Simmons-McDonald

I watered them once when the blossoms were full blown like polished poems.

I was sure they’d wilt and I would toss them out with the five-week litter.

They were stubborn.

I starved them They would not die.

This morning the bud at the stalk’s tip unfurled.

I think I’ll pluck the full-blown blooms press them between pages of memory.

Perhaps in their thin dried transparency I’ll discover their peculiar poetry.

Summarise the poem What is the subject of the poem?

Who is the persona?

List and discuss the literary devices used in the poem Describe the mood of the poem and discuss how it is created List and discuss the themes of the poem Describe the form of the poem and discuss its effectiveness How do you feel about this poem?

Discuss your reaction Suggest an alternative name for the poem, citing evidence found within the text

Sample answer

Exercises: Solve 1) (– 12 ) + 4 =

5) 120 + (– 33) + 17 =

2) ( – 15) + 19 =

6) 61 + ( – 45) + ( – 3) =

3) (– 8) + 12 + 12 + (– 8) =

7) ( – 20) + ( – 20) + 6 =

4) 56 + (– 28) =

8) 75 + (– 57) + 1 =

Teacher’s tip

Don't multitask.

Studies have shown that multitasking is physically impossible.

Describe the form of the poem and discuss its effectiveness The poet’s use of blank verse (lacks rhyming pattern) effectively captures the persona’s struggle between hope and despair as he narrates (tells her life-story) with a tone that similarly and occasionally shifts between feelings of optimism and pessimism, adding to a mood that varies between contemplative serenity and foreboding uncertainty.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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Guyana’s Private Sector...

Opposition MP Sherod Duncan arrested under Cybercrime Act passed by APNU/AFC

FROM PAGE 3

…to appear in court on Monday

O

pposition Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan was on Thursday morning arrested in relation to an ongoing cybercrime offence that was reported to the Guyana Police Force.

The Act which stipulates the offence is contained in the cybercrime Act passed by APNU/ AFC in 2018.

On Wednesday, Information Technology (IT) Manager at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), 36-year-old Aneal Giddings, reported to the Police that Duncan made derogatory statements about him on a social media programme, “In the Ring”.

It is alleged that Duncan referred to the IT Manager as a “jagabat” and “trench crappo” among other disrespectful names, which caused him significant emotional stress and humiliation. (The term jagabat has several meanings in the Caribbean: in Trinidad, it means a promiscuous woman and in Guyana, it means a de-

spicable or contemptible person while crappo is the local spelling for the French “crapaud” meaning toad; trench crappos are particularly large and unsightly) In a statement, Police said the mentioned video was identified and downloaded from the Facebook page under the name Sherod Avery Duncan. Along with the arrest, a statement was taken from Giddings, and the investigation is ongoing.

Duncan was subsequently released on $100,000 station bail as investigations continue.

Last year, the Director of Public Prosecutions advised the Guyana Police Force to charge former Minister and current Opposition Member of Parliament Annette Ferguson for cyberbullying a senior member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). She was charged under section 195(5) (a) of the Cybercrime Act, No. 16 of 2018, which deals with using a computer system to humiliate a person.

Opposition MP Sherod Duncan

Ferguson was arrested last June by ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve Leary after a report in relation to a cybercrime allegation was filed against her. The matter was in relation to a Facebook social media post which falsely alleged that the said senior GDF rank would be in charge of a ‘killing squad’.

After Ferguson’s arrest,

members of the Opposition had come out attacking the Police Force, but Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn condemned this act.

Laid in the National Assembly in 2016 by the former APNU/AFC Government, the Cyber Crimes Bill had catered for, inter alia: illegal access to a computer system; illegal interception; illegal data interference; illegal acquisition of data; illegal system interference; unauthorised receiving or granting of access to computer data; computer-related forgery; computer- related fraud; offences affecting critical infrastructure; identity-related offences; child pornography; child luring, and violation of privacy among a slew of other offences.

It treats with the creation of cybercrime offences, and contains provisions for penalties, investigations and prosecutions of such.

Despite criticisms over the bill at that time, the then Government was unmoved, insisting that the measure was for national security. (G12)

“Are they really coming to do transportation and the other 40 items that we’ve carved out for Guyanese? Is it that they either are that desperate for a piece of the pie or do they feel that entitled?” Boyer questioned.

Exit CSME, review benefits of Caricom

Meanwhile, current President of the GCCI, Timothy Tucker, recalled certain trade barriers that were put in place by some Caricom countries that prevented Guyanese businesses from freely exporting products thus violating the Revised Treaty, but they never faced any ramifications.

“The GCCI objections have been long, far and numerous. In 2018, we objected to the Energy MoU that the then [APNU/ AFC] Government signed with Trinidad and at that time, the Prime Minister of Trinidad [Keith Rowley] promised to remove the law before the end of 2018 in keeping with a COTED ruling. In 2019, I met with the Trinidad Minister of Trade and she promised me that all the barriers to trade would be lifted by their Government, as they are working on it, but a lot of the barriers were there because of the Trinidadian

Private Sector and their lobbying,” Tucker pointed out.

The GCCI President went on to state that, “If the Trinidad Private Sector or Government wants to challenge Guyana’s Local Content legislation, it’s time the Guyana Government exit CSME and review the benefits of Caricom.”

This sentiment was also shared by Opposition Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker, Lenox Shuman, who in showing his support for the Local Content law, reminded of the maltreatment meted out to Guyanese by Caricom Member States.

“Guyanese should never be mal-treated anywhere in the world, least of all be disenfranchised at home and the time is ripe for Guyana to rethink its place in Caricom,” Shuman posited.

During the debate in the National Assembly prior to the passage of the Local Content law last month, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, had pointed out that Trinidad and Tobago as well as Suriname, which are both also bound by the Treaty, have implemented Local Content laws without any pushback. (G8)

8 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS Buxton man charged for possession of illegal gun, ammo

Nicholas Beveny

N

icholas Beveny of Sideline Dam, Buxton, East Coast

Demerara (ECD) has been remanded to prison for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

When the 28-year-old appeared on Wednesday before Vigilance Magistrate Fabayo Azore, who read him the charge, he pleaded not guilty to the offences.

The Police have reported that on January 10, 2022, at Phase 1, Good Hope ECD, ranks of the Vigilance Police Station were on motorcycle patrol when they observed an identifiable male acting in a suspicious manner. He was reportedly confronted, and a search conducted on his person unearthed one .38 special revolver along with two matching rounds of ammunition in his pants waist.

Revolt...

A

The gun that was found in the suspect’s possession

He was arrested and subsequently charged with the offence of possession of firearm and ammunition without licence, contrary to Section 16(2)(a) of

the Firearms Act, Chapter 16:05, Committed on Public Justice.

Beveny will make his next court appearance on February, 22, 2022.

…in the new PNC? ubrey Norton must be channelling Henry II and muttering, “Will no one rid me of this Sanctimonious Gangster Granger?” Here it is…denied a shot at the top rung for more than two decades by a series of PNC leaders like Hoyte, Corbin and the selfsame Granger - but now elected leader in the first free and fair election in the history of the PNC, he’s still not allowed to sit at the head table?? What the he**!!

And it’s Granger that he has to budge…not Harmon, who doesn’t show any sign of going quietly into the night.

Norton might’ve counted his eggs a bit too soon when he expatiated before the PNC elections as to what changes he’d be making in the PNC leadership WHEN he became leader!! Harmon would’ve fumed that he didn’t give up his American citizenship to become Norton’s water boy!

Whether Norton defeated him in the race or not, Harmon’s the Opposition Leader of Guyana - a constitutional position that makes him the President-in-waiting!!

Notice how he asserted his “power” by refusing to meet Commonwealth S.G Baroness Scotland?? He sent his surrogate Roysdale Forde.

Apparently, he hasn’t forgotten the Baroness’s representative - ex-Barbados PM Owen Arthur - bitchslapping him when he (Harmon) had discounted the pronouncements of PM Gonsalves on our elections’ recount. Owen said Harmon “is a mere utensil”, and “cannot be allowed to indulge his appetite to be attacking leaders.”

Ouch!! He continued his reprimand by demanding, “President David Granger should let Harmon know his place if they hope to have goodwill with the people of the Caribbean”!

Anyhow, back to Norton’s woes to get his inheritance.

Even if he were to lead a parliamentary putsch against the latter by strong-arming 50% of the 31 Opposition MPs (16??) to remove him as Opposition Leader - he still has to convince Representative of the List (RAAL) Granger to appoint HIM to the vacancy!! Back to square one!! He can’t very well tell Granger and Harmon that they’re holding on to positions of authority without that authority conferred by the will of the people. Their hero Burnham had gone one even better: he’d ruled all of Guyana without a mandate for two decades!!

So, Norton better learn what Burnham knew - folks who matter don’t read the fine print about votes and suchlike!!

That Harmon’s the Opposition Leader and Granger’s the RAAL is enough for them!!

But maybe he can quote Owen Arthur, “I know a lot of Opposition parties, when they lose or anybody who loses, they say, ‘Oh, so and so thief.’ It’s almost a boring repetition; we get the reports, follow the law and who wins wins.” …of the pigs?

In Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, the pigs took over from the humans and start running the farm themselves. Pretty soon, they start behaving like humans: a dictatorship is formed where “some pigs are more equal than other pigs”!! Like the Burnham dictatorship, right?!

Remember when ice apple and grapes were flown in for the big boys while it was banned for the “small man, who was the real man”? Burnham died having his last wish fulfilled: eating his beloved (but banned) condensed milk!!

Anyhow, seems like Orwell was quite prescient about the interchangeability of man and pigs in more ways than Michels “Iron Law of Oligarchy” reaching its denoument in dictatorships suggested. Did you, dear reader, read about the transplantation of a pig’s heart into a man xenotransplantation - was achieved in the USA? Well, it did take some genetic engineering on the pig to help with its heart not being rejected by the man’s immune system. But yet…hmmm!

So, if you put lipstick on some humans, they still remain pigs at heart!? …against sneaky Trinis Your Eyewitness is all for Caribbean solidarity. But after kicking us in the teeth for decades when they were oil rich - rejecting partnerships in agriculture - we can’t have the Trinis bullying us on local content to kick-start our development!!

Gwan da side!

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

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10 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man found dead with Police hunting GDF rank accused head injuries in Kitty of raping teen in 2020

P

olice are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man whose body was found at Sandy Babb Street, Kitty Georgetown on Wednesday.

Based on reports received, the discovery was made at about 08:30h by a businessman, who told Police that at about 07:30h, he went into his yard and saw a male referred to as ‘Bolo’ lying motionless on his back.

Without hesitation, he said, he contacted the Police, who when they arrived on the seen started their investigations.

Preliminary investigations revealed that injuries were seen behind the now dead man’s head and on his left hand above the wrist.

The body was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, here he was pronounced dead. The body is at the Memorial Gardens

Funeral Home awaiting identification and post mortem.

Just over a week ago, the decomposed body of an unidentified man of African descent was found at the Kitty seawall in Georgetown.

Police reported that at about 17:00h on the day in question, ranks of the Kitty Police Station received a report that a decomposed body was sighted at the Kitty seawall. As such, ranks and detectives from CID Headquarters travelled to the scene, where they discovered the body – suspected to be a vagrant – lying on his right side in a decomposed state.

No marks of violence were seen on the body, and the official pronouncement of death was done by a doctor at the scene before the body was escorted to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home to await identification and post-mortem.

P

olice are on the hunt for a rank of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who allegedly raped a girl under the age of 16 years in September 2020.

The act was committed in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

Police on Thursday said that ranks in the division, on December 25, 2021, received a report of an alleged rape which reportedly occurred on September 17, 2020.

The Police have said that on the day in question, the victim reported that the suspect took her into a house, where he committed the act. In addition, she stated that the suspect continued calling her mobile phone, inviting her out.

However, the frustrated young lady decided to confide in her mother what had transpired between herself and the suspect, and her mother took her to the Police Station, where a report was made.

Efforts are presently being made to arrest the suspect as investigations continue.

Back in February 2021, some members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF)

stationed at Mabaruma, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini) were arrested for an allegation of rape.

The charges against four of them were dismissed following the completion of a Board of Inquiry (BoI) that was established to investigate the rape allegation. However, the other ranks who were implicated are facing disciplinary action.

“The Board of Inquiry convened to investigate the circumstances which led to an allegation of rape being levelled against Guyana Defence Force ranks in Mabaruma, Region One, has led to disciplinary actions taken against two officers and four other ranks,” the Force had stated.

Further, it was stated that the BoI found that the ranks breached operational orders while deployed on border duty. “Four of these ranks have since been dismissed, and the disciplinary process is ongoing against the others,” the GDF added.

The Force also reported that three of the dismissed soldiers were charged, and appeared in court in relation to the rape

allegation. Further action against the fourth, however, is awaiting the recommendation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Back in October 2018, two soldiers – Rawlston Reid, 22, of Dochfour Housing Scheme, and Isaiah Rawlins, 21, of Wisroc, Linden – allegedly raped a 26-year-old female in Essequibo, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

It was reported that on October 13, 2018, the two soldiers, who were placed on $300,000 bail each when they appeared in court, had forced sex with the woman.

The woman was at the time with her boyfriend at a community centre ground eating chips when they were approached by the soldiers, who were known to them.

The couple were ordered to have sex for the soldiers to see, and when they refused, they were beaten and robbed. The woman’s boyfriend was forced to watch the entire ordeal before they stripped him of his gold chains worth $180,000.

The men have since been dismissed from the military.

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12 NEWS First-time mother delivers baby in taxi in front of GPHC FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…doctors rush to her aid

By Amar Persaud

A

21-year-old woman this morning delivered her first child in the backseat of a car at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after she was rejected by a private medical facility.

Kherysha Pompey, a single mother who hails from Craig Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, was seeking admission at the private institution on Thursday but was told that she was not ready to deliver. The woman was reportedly told that she was not ready for delivery, according to GPHC’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jai Lall. As such, the woman went to the GPHC, and

First-time mom Kherysha Pompey and her baby girl resting well at GPHC

upon arrival in the taxi, she had already started to give birth to her baby girl

One of the hospital’s newest attendants, who had only been on the job for

some five months, immediately rushed to the young mother’s assistance until doctors arrived.

“Upon hearing the plea for help, [the attendant] sprang into action, opened the car door and saw the baby’s head protruding out of the mother. She was able to grab the head of the baby to assist the mother,” Lall explained.

A team of five doctors, who arrived shortly after, were able to successfully deliver the baby in the backseat of the car.

The mother and child are currently admitted at the GPHC Maternity Ward.

Two of the medical staff at GPHC who assisted the first-time mom in her delivery

The hospital’s PRO explained that the young mother was a bit frazzled over the circumstances, but she is recovering.

“This is her first child, and she was very traumatised and was scared.

However, she expressed her gratitude and thanks to our team of doctors and the attendant who managed to save the life of her baby,” Lall noted.

“And she was kind of shocked, because of when she went there (the private institution), for an institution to refuse her…even refusing to admit her for

further examination and things like that,” the PRO added.

He further commended the quick response and good work of the GPHC team.

“In the Emergency Department, something is always happening, but in this case, it was something completely different, and we were lucky that our team of doctors responded.

Our team of doctors was very efficient, and the attendants, they performed their duty and they were able to save the life of the child,” he expressed.

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Wanted bulletin issued for Equipment to digitise booklet to arrive Queenstown murder suspect by first quarter – Health Minister COVID-19 vaccine

M

oving apace with its decision to digitise COVID-19 immunisation cards, the Health Ministry is expecting the specialized equipment to arrive within the first quarter of 2022.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony shared during Thursday’s COVID briefing that this undertaking is in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). A special team is still working to input the current data into a digital format, and once the equipment arrives, new cards would be minted.

“We have got most of the physical registers, and we are now putting that in a digital format. A lot of the work has already been completed. Since last year, we have been working with UNDP to buy some of the equipment that is necessary, specialised printers and so forth. We expect that we will get delivery of those special equipment to

print the new cards within the first quarter of this year,” Dr Anthony updated.

The new cards are expected to provide ease of access when doing business or gaining entry to places where vaccination is required. Initially, the Ministry had engaged the Government of India on an agreement that would see Guyana having access to the COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) software, which would allow the production of electronic vaccination cards.

CoWIN is a vaccination tracking software that was developed by India, and is currently being used in over 70 countries around the world, including those from Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It has been reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed officials to create an open-source version of the platform and give it free of cost to any country that wants it.

Current vaccination statistics show that 416,353 first doses were administered to adults. This is 81.2 per cent of this cohort, while 302,704 persons, or 59 per cent, are completely vaccinated. For the 12-to-17 age group, 22,259 or 30.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Speaking on the availability of Sputnik V shots, the Minister said there is no need to procure at this point in time.

“We have adequate supplies at this point in time.

There is no need for us to go and buy additional doses of Sputnik V. We have enough in the system for those who would want to get vaccinated with Sputnik V,” Dr Anthony has said.

For those persons who have not yet been vaccinated, the Minister warned that they stand a greater chance of being hospitalised should they contract the deadly virus.

“What we have seen is that persons who are unvaccinated, if they have comorbidities, unfortunately, they’re the ones who would end up in the hospital. We’re getting far less hospitalisation now, but if you’re unvaccinated and you have comorbidities, then you would be at a much higher risk of getting hospitalised if you get COVID,” he shared.

(G12)

Dead: Keyion McLennon

D

ays after the father of 22-year-old Keyion McLennon, who was shot and killed at Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) called for justice, the Guyana Police Force has issued a wanted bulletin for the prime suspect.

The Police have said that 27-year-old Shemroy Hackett, also known as ‘Dankey’, is wanted for questioning in relation to murder committed on Keyion Mc Lennon.

Hackett’s last known address is Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

It has been reported that McLennon and another person, identified as “Fronto”, were allegedly shot by an ex-convict. McLennon was re-

portedly shot three times – twice to the arms and once to the abdomen – back in July 2021.

The Police have said that the shooting stemmed from an apparent drug deal that went wrong. However, the dead man’s father, Donald McLennon, had stated that his son and the suspect had had an altercation sometime before he was shot dead.

At that time, he stated, the shooting was an act of revenge.

On July 17 last, the young miner had left his parents’ home at Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, and shortly after, his relatives received the news that he was shot and killed.

“I feel so confused…there is so much stress on my head, and nothing can take away the shock that I had lost my eldest son. He life gone so easy, and nobody ain’t telling me nothing. Nobody ain’t care, and now me and my wife have to live in grief… it isn’t fair,” the man told Guyana Times on Tuesday.

He added that since his son died, the Police are yet to provide critical information to the family. The aggrieved father’s only hope is for the family to get justice for his son’s death.

“We want this ‘Bad Boy’ who killed my son to be locked away in prison for life,” the frustrated father reiterated.

All we want is peace of

Wanted: Shemroy Hackett, aka “Dankey”

mind…it’s hard…every day is hard…six months and we ain’t hear nothing, how long do we have to wait? Every time I remember him I cry.

It hurt me man, it really hurt me a lot,” McLennon stated.

He further stated that spending the first Christmas without his son was not easy.

“We accustomed to sit as a family and celebrate Christmas…the year before, he buy curtains and decoration for this house… Last year we had a dark holiday… it was hard.”

Meanwhile, anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Hackett is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 226-7065, 227-1270, 226-7476, 2271270, 225-6940-9, 225-3650, 226-1928, 911, or the nearest Police station.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23 Demerara Sugar Terminals utilised for easier export of rice – Mustapha NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…to reduce time, costs

A

cost-effective and modernised approach has been selected for easier exporting of rice and paddy, with the use of the Demerara Sugar Terminal.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha visited the Demerara Sugar Terminal with officials from the Guyana Rice Millers’ Association and the Guyana Rice Development Board, shortly after a meeting with President Irfaan Ali. After inspecting the facility, it was concluded that this would be an easier avenue to load ships with the rice and paddy for export.

After a few rehabilitative works, the Terminal will be prepared for this.

“He (President Ali) instructed me that I should come here with the GRDB to look at this facility, so that they can also use it to export their produce, especially paddy and cargo rice.

What they saw, they were impressed with. They said that they never knew we had a system like this in the country where we can load

from the bond right onto the ship. What we have planned to do is look at what needs to be done in terms of fixing some conveyor belts, fixing some part on the wharf, and I think they will have access to use it,” the Minister said.

Mustapha pointed out that this will be a modernised approach to loading rice. Moreover, millers would be saving time and cutting costs.

“This will end the cumbersome system that they have presently, where they have to use these ton baggage to put the paddy in and then go back to the ship to offload that. Here, when they come, they will just load it into the bin, and from the bin it will go straight onto the ship, so that they can load there.

“This process will be more modern, more mechanized, and will help the rice

millers to ease the cost and time to load whenever ships come to Guyana.”

This expansion manifests at a time when Guyana has seen growing interest in the rice industry. Recently, two new markets have come on stream, Slovenia and Estonia.

“We’re having more interest coming, and with the amount of acreage we’ll be cultivating this year, we’re looking at higher yields also

with the new variety – the GRDB 16. I’m hoping that we’ll have more production in terms of paddy, so that our export market will increase. That will be tremendous for us as a country, and will bring in more revenue.

Chairman of the Rice Millers Association, Rajendra Persaud, labelled this recent move as an important one. It comes on the heels of concerns raised with Government regarding rising export costs.

“I think this move is important. We would like to thank the Minister for the intervention. The Association brought it to the attention of the Government that a lot of costs on these ports are increasing, and for the agriculture industry, it is very important that we have a more cost-effective way of doing things,” Persaud outlined.

Last year, the rice industry raked in $42.2 billion with the exportation of 34,535 tons of rice. After the new PPP/C Government

Agriculture Mustapha

Minister

Zulfikar

took office, it was reported that the country’s markets also expanded to other destinations. For the year, the agriculture sector was also able to contribute some $2.6 billion to Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021 from the exportation of non-traditional crops.

(G12)

Slow infection rate before health system is overwhelmed – PAHO Director warns countries

C

ases of COVID-19 infections have nearly doubled within the Americas over the past week, prompting calls for countries to institute actions to slow down transmission.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne, during her weekly press briefing on Wednesday, cautioned countries within the region to limit new infections so that health systems do not become overwhelmed.

“Saving lives remains our highest priority. Once again, we must slow down new infections to avoid overwhelming our health systems.

Governments must act, guided by evidence, to limit new infections. And we all have a personal responsibility to

keep each other safe by following proven public health measures like mask wearing, social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings; by getting vaccinated when it’s our turn, and by getting tested if we suspect that we are sick,” said Dr Etienne.

In the first week of January, cases rose from 3.4 million to 6.1 million. During the week ended January 8, 2021, the Americas had reported a total of 2.4 million cases, while this year, by the same date, there were 6 million reported cases. This represents a 250 per cent increase year on year.

“Infections are accelerating across every corner of the Americas, and once again, our health systems are being challenged as emergency

room visits and hospitalisations are rising. Nonetheless, thanks to the protective power of vaccines, COVID deaths are not rising with the current wave of infections,” Dr Etienne has said.

In the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are reporting the highest numbers of new infections, although other islands like Jamaica, Aruba, Curaçao and Martinique are also seeing significant jumps in COVID cases. Meanwhile, Belize and Panama are reporting the highest incidents of COVID in Central America.

Further south, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil are experiencing significant increases in new cases.

COVID hospitalisations are

also up throughout Brazil, particularly in densely populated states around the central and eastern parts of the country. Dr Etienne has insisted that all eyes are on Omicron, which has reached nearly every country in the world.

“Some countries are already experiencing widespread community transmission as Omicron spreads more quickly than other detected variants, and more likely via airborne transmission in closed spaces. And while Delta is still causing new infections in the Americas, based on current trends, Omicron is on track to become the dominant strain in our region. It also has led to a rise in reinfections, even among those

Mahaica man nabbed with ganja

T

he Police have arrested a resident of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD) with 32 grams of ganja during an operation conducted on Wednesday at the Mahaica Market.

The Police have said that on the day in question, between 18:50h and 19:10h, ranks of the division conducted a cordon-and-search operation at several homes in the Unity, Mahaica area in pursuit of several wanted persons, arms and ammunition, and illegal items.

At the Mahaica Market,

The ganja that was found at Mahaica Market

they apprehended a male and conducted a search on his person and behind a stall where he was at the time. During the search, a black plastic bag containing 12 transparent Ziploc bags with cannabis was found.

He was told of the allegation and cautioned, but he denied knowledge of the bag. He was arrested and escorted to the Mahaica Police Station along with the narcotics, which when weighed amounted to 36.2 grams.

He is expected to be charged soon.

PAHO Director Dr Carissa Etienne

who are fully vaccinated,” Director Etienne said in her briefing.

One of the characteristics that set Omicron apart is the apparently milder symptoms, but she highlighted that Omicron infections can be lethal, especially for the immunocompromised and the unvaccinated.

“The time to act is now, using the many tools we now have at hand. Prioritising symptomatic individuals for

testing and making rational use of these resources is critical to catch infections quickly and early, maintaining and reinforcing the public health measures is paramount to slow transmission.”

The PCR and rapid antigen tests recommended by PAHO remain effective at detecting the Omicron variant, and countries should continue existing protocols with rational use of tests.

(G12)

24 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

1186 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, 13 in ICU …no new deaths

I

nfections from COVID-19 continue to climb steeply in Guyana, with another 1186 new cases detected on Thursday.

From the positive cases, 22,419 are males while 22,772 are females. This means there are 48,191 confirmed cases from the virus, while the country’s death toll remained at 1075 within the one day.

An updated dashboard shows 13 persons in the Intensive Care Unit, 121 in institutional isolation, 8413 in home isolation, and eight in institutional quarantine.

On the other hand, there are 38,569 recovered cases.

To date, 459,539 tests have been conducted.

A breakdown of new infections shows 21 in Region

One (Barima-Waini), 19 in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 107 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandWest Demerara), 501 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), 67 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 142 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), 38 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), six in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), 76 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 221 in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

Active COVID cases are dispersed across with country, with 90 in Region One, 201 in Region Two, 1004 in Region Three, 5378 in Region Four, 245 in Region Five, 639 in Region Six, 266 in Region Seven, 18 in

Region Eight, 300 in Region Nine and 539 in Region 10.

Genomic sequencing

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony informed on Thursday that Guyana would be sending samples for genomic sequencing. This is amid the surge in cases, suspected with the presence of the new Omicron variant that is said to be highly transmissible.

He pointed out, “We have selected the samples. We’re now in the process where the agencies are making the arrangements for the shipping. As soon as those arrangements are concluded, we will be able to send the samples.”

In the meantime, Dr Anthony emphasised

Judge grants bail to accused in 30lb ganja bust

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JANUARY 13, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

1186

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

121

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

8413

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

13

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

8

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

25,772

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

22,419

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

48,191

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

38,569

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1791

REGION 2

1796

REGION 3

6202

REGION 4

23,687

REGION 5

1752

REGION 6

4557

REGION 7

2071

REGION 8

641

REGION 9

2880

REGION 10

2814

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN BE SAFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Wear a face mask.

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

415,611

FULLY IMMUNISED

301,918

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

1075

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

The cannabis that was found in the motor car

Granted bail: Lawrence Van Lewin

A

man from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) who was allegedly busted by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks with 30 pounds of marijuana and was refused bail by a city Magistrate has been released on $150,000 bail by High Court Judge Brassington Reynolds.

On November 15, 2021, 30-year-old Lawrence Van Lewin appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was jointly charged with two others for trafficking 13 kilogrammes, 680 grammes of marijuana.

CANU ranks intercepted a silver-grey Toyota Sienta motorcar, HC 4153, in the vicinity of Vlissengen Road and Brickdam, Georgetown on November 10, 2021.

Three men, including the driver, were in the vehicle at the time.

A search was conducted on the car, and 28 parcels wrapped in transparent plastic containing cannabis leaves, seeds, and stems were found in the back seat and trunk.

The driver and the two other occupants were arrested. The men were told of the offence committed, cautioned, arrested, and escorted to Brickdam Police Station, along with the cannabis and vehicle.

After denying the charge, Lewin, a logger, was refused bail and remanded to prison, while the owner/driver of the car, who pleaded guilty, was remanded to prison pending sentencing. The matter continues on February 9.

Lewin’s lawyer, Bernard Da Silva, through a Fixed Date Application (FDA), sought bail for his client at the Demerara High Court.

Da Silva submitted that his client denies knowledge of any of the bags or their contents. He further submitted that there has been no confession by his client, and that he is “willing, ready, and able” to defend the charge against him.

The lawyer noted that Lewin is not a flight risk, neither is he the holder of a valid passport. According to counsel, consequent to the driver/owner of the car admitting ownership of the drug, there is a probability that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) may withdraw the charge against his client.

Da Silva argued that at this stage of proceedings, the charge, although serious, is nothing but mere allegations, and there is no moral certainty of a conviction based on the evidence from the CANU. He said, “There is no evidence that what was allegedly found were indeed narcotics, since there is no evidence from the Prosecutor as to if and when samples were

sent. There was no reported field testing done.”

In the absence of any scientific evidence of narcotics, Da Silva argued, the court is asked by the prosecutor to enter into the “world of speculation”. While his client has nothing to prove, the lawyer added that the circumstances of the purported drugs were owned by someone else in court, and this affords his client a strong defence.

In the circumstances, counsel contended that the presumption of bail at this stage should favour his client, since he is entitled to rely on the presumption of innocence.

“There are no guarantees of the likelihood of the readiness, or certainty of the prosecutor to commence trial. It is merely a date to report on the state of investigations and a possible date for disclosure,” the FDA reads.

The conditions of incarceration, coupled with the possible protracted delay of a certain date of commencement of trial, may amount to punishment before conviction, Lewin’s lawyer outlined in the bail application.

Guyana Times understands that a State Counsel appeared on behalf of the DPP, who was listed as a respondent in the FDA. The counsel made certain submissions in reply to the FDA. Lewin’s lawyer provided reporters with a copy of his FDA. (G1)

that persons should continue to wear the masks and practice other measures to keep themselves safe. Workplaces, he added, should also enforce such guidelines for the safety of their employees.

“I think all workplaces need to adopt rules that make the workplaces safer.

Those rules would include employees who are on the job to wear a mask, especially an N95 or surgical or procedural mask. If you do that consistently, then the environment is going to be much safer. If you are working

in an indoor environment, it ought to be ventilated.

People need to keep social distancing and, of course, we want to make sure that people are fully vaccinated.

If they got both doses and eligible for the booster, they should get the booster.”

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures, which are in effect until January 31, 2022.

This order emphasises the need for everyone 12 years and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19; the need for correct and con-

sistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline: 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately, or visit us at www.health.gov. gy (G12)

Corentyne woman, teen facing larceny, B&E charges

Remanded: Tyreece Gonsalves Sabola

A

woman from the Corentyne in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and an 18-yearold man are facing separate charges before Senior Magistrate Alex Moore, for larceny from the person and break and enter and larceny

On bail: Nazeerah Ally

respectively.

On Wednesday, Tyreece Gonsalves Sabola of Timmers Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice pleaded not guilty to the charge following his arraignment before Magistrate Alex Moore.

It is alleged that he

broke into the home of John Samuel Rose at Burnt Bush Dam in Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice and stole an electric motorcycle valued at $130,000 and a white iPhone X valued at $50,000.

The Police have said that Sabola was arrested on January 8. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, and was remanded to prison until March 3, when he will appear at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

Meanwhile, in another matter, 48-yearold Nazeerah Ally of 188 Number 52 Village, Corentyne, Berbice pleaded not guilty to a charge for the offence of larceny from the person committed against Chandra Sookram.

The woman has been released on $50,000 bail. Ally, who was arrested for the crime on December 29, 2021, is due back at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court on February 8. (G1)

NEWS

Cop accidentally shoots own knee S

25

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SBM Offshore launches mangrove restoration project

A

Sergeant attached to the Brickdam Police Station Impact Base is now nursing a gunshot injury to his right knee after his service pistol accidentally went off in the wee hours of Wednesday along Sherriff Street, Georgetown.

The Sergeant has been identified as Clive Clarke.

According to information received, on Wednesday at about 02:30h, Clarke and two constables were on mobile patrol in one of the Force’s vehicles, driven and commanded by him. At the time, he was reportedly carrying a 9mm service weapon with 15 live rounds of matching ammunition.

During the patrol, it was discovered that the vehicle had a flat tyre and, as such, the vehicle was brought to a stop so that the tyre could be changed.

Clarke, at that time, reportedly took out the weap-

Sergeant Clive Clarke

on from his side holster and rested it on the driver’s seat in order to assist the two constables to change the tyre. After changing the tyre, the Sergeant allegedly picked up the firearm to put it back in the holster when his finger accidentally got to the trigger and a bullet was

discharged.

The bullet reportedly stuck his right knee and exited. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was treated and sent away. The Police have confirmed that the firearm and remaining ammunition were lodged.

Statements have been submitted by the ranks, and an investigation has been initiated.

Clarke had emerged as the 2019 Best Cop of Division 4 ‘A’ (Agricola-Cummings Lodge district) back in 2019.

He was also shot during a confrontation in Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, when three bandits were killed. Those three bandits were identified as Junior Nurse of Albouystown; Shawn Browne Jr; and another known as “Pretty Bit” and “Skeete”. They were killed during a home invasion in May 2019.

Fire Chief sent on leave again

F

ire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo has been sent on leave less than four months after he was sent home amid public outcry over the Guyana Fire Service’s (GFS’) handling of the inferno at the Brickdam Police Station.

This time around, Edoo was sent on leave amid an investigation into allegations of corruption.

The Fire Chief was previously sent on leave in early October after fire destroyed 80% of the Brickdam Police Station. He had returned to work by October 20.

Edoo had come un-

Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo

der fire from President Dr Irfaan Ali, who had criticised the GFS’ readiness to respond to emergency situations in their “own backyard”. He was also publicly reprimanded for showing up at the scene in civilian wear rather than in his protective gear.

Edoo took over the reins of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) only in February 2021, when former Fire Chief Marlon Gentle retired after 36 years of service.

Calls to both Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and the Fire Chief have gone unanswered.

Berbice men fined $10,000 each for assaulting man

Fined: Oneil Lampkin

T

hirty-one-yearold Oneil Lampkin of Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje, Berbice and 23-year-old Damion Morgan of 1916 Fort Ordinance Housing Scheme, East Canje,

Fined: Damion Morgan

Berbice were each fined $10,000 on Wednesday for assaulting a man.

The duo appeared before Senior Magistrate Alex Moore at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty

to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm committed on Jeremy Fontanelle.

The offence was committed at the Central Police Station in New Amsterdam, Berbice. (G1)

BM Offshore, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), last Tuesday officially launched the Annandale/Friendship Mangrove Restoration Project, hosted at Tipperary Hall, Buxton, East Coast Demerara.

The project launch and stakeholders’ engagement were followed by the unveiling of the project’s billboard at Annandale.

The project involves construction of a 400-metre geotextile tube groin field, and the propagation and planting of 20,000 mangrove seedlings.

It would offer coastal protection from the sea and feature community participation. The project would also be internationally certified.

SBM Offshore General Manager in Guyana, Francesco Prazzo, in his remarks, said the company embraces a sustainable business model that creates shared value, serving at the same time the best interests of the society, the environment, and its clients and shareholders.

“This ethical behaviour is what for me makes good corporate citizenship, and, put simply, goes hand in hand with good business.

Institutions, then, play a crucial enabling role for the success of all of us, as they have powerful effects to define opportunities and shape behaviours. That, in turn, affects what investments are promoted and what activities are encouraged,” Prazzo explained.

He explained SBM

SBM officials at the project launch

Offshore’s commitment to the project, stating that mangroves are a gift from the environment and their restoration offers the greatest protection in terms of coastal endurance, and will improve the lives of thousands of Guyanese who live along the coast.

Sustainability Officer of SBM Offshore, Recardo Bovell, provided an overview of SBM Offshore’s Sustainability Programme, stating that the company has adopted seven of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and has gained international recognition and ratings as a result.

Additionally, NAREI’s Chief Executive Officer Jagnarine Singh, who applauded SBM Offshore for its participation in the project, said the Government recognises the importance of the mangrove ecosystem to flood prevention.

“The conservation and restoration of this unique and valuable eco-system will increase the resilience of coastal

communities to floods due to rising sea levels, while providing a habitat and nursery for birds and fishes,” he said.

Jagnarine added, “The partnership between NAREI and SBM Offshore to restore over one kilometre of mangrove along the foreshore of Annandale, Buxton and Friendship will not only increase the flood protection of the communities, but will also provide valuable opportunities for the community members.”

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Guyana, Dr. Gillian Smith, while commending the collaborative effort of SBM Offshore and NAREI, noted the importance of leveraging public/private partnerships to projects of this nature.

Mangroves provide protection for people, houses, and farmlands from natural disasters such as storms, floods, and tidal waves. The trunks and branches act as a barrier, helping to reduce the impact of the waves and flooding.

26

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

Regional

T&T Govt lifts ban on open-air cremations At least 78 rights defenders killed in Colombia in 2021 – UN T he Trinidad and Tobago Government has agreed to change its prohibition against open-air cremations for COVID-19.

The decision was announced by the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs in a press release on Thursday, following a meeting between Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Fyard Hosein, SC, and the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), which was represented by its spiritual head Dharmacharya Pundit Dr Rampersad Parasram and legal advisor Dinesh Rambally.

Overview of the session of the Human Rights Council during the speech of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2020 (file photo)

A

t least 78 human rights defenders were killed in Colombia in 2021, the United Nations human rights agency said on Thursday, adding that more cases were still being verified.

Violence against human rights defenders, environmentalists and community activists – known collectively in Colombia as social leaders –has become a big challenge for President Ivan Duque’s Government amid international criticism and demands that it do more to stop the killings.

The Government accuses left-wing guerrillas from the National Liberation

Army, ex-members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who reject a 2016 peace deal, and criminal groups, some comprising former right-wing paramilitaries, of attacking activists as they seek control of drug trafficking networks and illegal mining areas.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it received 202 reports of human rights leaders killed in Colombia last year. Of these, 78 were confirmed as killed, 39 cases were still being verified, and 85 were inconclusive.

In a similar report published in March 2021, the

OHCHR initially documented 53 killings of human rights defenders in 2020, while 80 other cases were yet to be verified.

Since then, 41 of the outstanding cases have also been verified, taking the number of confirmed killings of human rights defenders for 2020 to 94, an OHCHR spokesperson told Reuters.

Local human rights group Indepaz found that 171 social leaders were killed last year, while international group Human Rights Watch said in a separate report on Thursday that 500 human rights defenders had been killed since 2016. (Excerpt from Reuters)

JLP Councillor urges Opposition support for SoEs after 9-year-old murdered

J

amaica Labour Party (JLP) Councillor for the Spring Garden Division and Vice Chairman of the St James West Central constituency, Dwight Crawford says the macabre murder of a nine-year-old child in the parish reinforced the need for States of Emergency (SoEs) in crime-riddled communities islandwide.

Crawford was speaking to reporters at the murder scene in Fairfield, St James on Thursday. Describing the killing as an “extraordinary crime”, the political repre-

sentative said incidents like these call for “extraordinary action.”

“It’s a very sad moment.

When I heard of this killing, I made my way out of a meeting to come here today to get the facts on what has been happening. Based on the facts that I have received here today, it is clear that these extraordinary crimes need extraordinary action.

It is a little unfortunate that when the Government moved for extraordinary measures to be put in place to decisively deal with the crime prob-

lem, it was snubbed by the Opposition,” he said. “It is unfortunate, very unfortunate because the Government needs its (the Opposition’s) support.”

Crawford, who went on to highlight that criminal elements have their own support system, shared that the increasingly gruesome acts of violence are an indication that Jamaica is in a state of emergency and the country’s leaders should be supporting any tool that should help eradicate the issue. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Mitchell confident of re-election

P

rime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell on Wednesday predicted that his ruling New National party (NNP) will be victorious in the next general election, constitutionally due in 2023, brushing aside suggestions that he may call a snap election in Grenada.

Mitchell, 75, who led the NNP to consecutive clean sweeps of the 15-member Parliament in the last two general elections, also indicated that the new leader of the party would be decided by supporters within the

coming months.

Mitchell, speaking at his first news conference for the year, did not disclose whether or not he had a preferred choice for the leadership position insisting that this would be a decision to be taken by the party supporters.

“That question is to be answered by the people of the New National Party, the supporters. If I speak to say I want X, it is sort of like dictating because, given my influence on my political organisation, it will be very

difficult to see the freedom of people going to an alternative choice,” said Mitchell, who has been at the helm of the NNP for more than three decades.

“So, I will not want to do this, I will not tell anyone what to do, I have my views, I have seen my colleagues at different levels. In any event, let us accept this, I have said that in the period of the new term in government, assuming that we are re-elected, and I am confident of that re-election,” he said. (Excerpt from CMC)

The meeting was initiated by Al-Rawi after receiving authorisation from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley following a meeting between him (Rowley), key Cabinet Ministers and public health officials of the Health Ministry led by Chief Medical Officer, Dr Roshan Parasram on Wednesday.

The release stated that the decision came after broad consideration of recent developments and current factors related to the ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Government was not in a position to have come to this decision any

sooner and remains grateful for patience and understanding in the management of the ravages caused by the COVID-19 pandemicin which thousands of persons have tragically lost their lives in our beloved country,” the release said.

It also praised the SDMS and its representatives for the part they played in resolving the issue.

“The Dharmacharya who is himself a past Chief Medical Officer has provided immense assistance to the Government in arriving at the current position,” it said. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

El Salvador Journalists and activists hacked with spyware – report

D

ozens of Journalists and activists in El Salvador have had their phones hacked with the spyware which has been used

by Governments to monitor critics and dissidents, a report says.

They could not prove who was behind the hack, but said evidence pointed to Government involvement.

The Government has denied this.

Pegasus, which was designed by the Israeli company NSO Group, infects iPhones and Android devices, allowing operators to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones and cameras.

The investigation into the El Salvador hack was carried out by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now. They said they had found evidence of incursions on 37 de-

The report says hackers spent 269 days inside the phone of Journalist Carlos Martínez

vices belonging to 35 individuals between July 2020 and November 2021.

Those who were allegedly hacked work at three human rights groups and six news publications, and one is an independent journalist. Amnesty International’s Security Lab independently confirmed the findings.

The main target was El Faro, the country’s leading independent news outlet, which had 22 people hacked including reporters and editors.

That amounts to more than half of its staff. The report said it had evidence that data had been stolen from many of the devices affected.

The alleged hacks coincided with reports the outlet published about scandals involving President Nayib Bukele’s Administration, including allegations that the Government secretly negotiated with gang leaders in prison in order to reduce the levels of crime. The Government denied the claims.

Carlos Martínez, an investigative Journalist who wrote those reports, said hackers had spent 269 days inside his phone. “For 269 days they invaded my privacy,” he said on Twitter.(Excerpt from BBC News)

Budget debate postponed in St Vincent

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves (GP)

T

he St Vincent Parliament has suspended until today, the debate on the EC$1.3 billion (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) budget after Health Minister, St Clair “Jimmy” Prince, became the eighth Government legislator to test positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves, who presented the fiscal package on Monday, is among those who have also tested posi-

tive for the virus and with Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves himself awaiting the results of a PCR test, he was forced to suspend the debate.

Earlier, the Opposition legislators had called for the suspension of the debate for five days because of the COVID-19 cases, but Prime Minister Gonsalves rejected the proposal, citing the need for the budget to be passed as soon as possible, even though over the past two years, the budget

was approved in the month of February.

Dr Gonsalves announced the latest round of COVID infections within his Administration after the Parliament had resumed following the two-hour luncheon break.

Opposition Leader Godwin Friday delivered his response to the budget Wednesday morning, and Opposition lawmakers did not return to the chamber after lunch.

Three Opposition lawmakers, who are either unvaccinated or have not disclosed their vaccination status, were ordered, on Wednesday, to isolate for five days, having been present in the Chamber on Monday, when the Finance Minister delivered the budget.

The Government has said that all of its Members of Parliament are vaccinated against the virus that has killed 85 people and infected 6562 others in St Vincent since March 2020.

(Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

27

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS

Prince Andrew loses official royal title and military honours Oil edges lower T

on profit-taking, rate hike worries

O

il prices edged lower on Thursday as investors took profits after two days of gains amid fears of aggressive US interest rate hikes, but the losses were cushioned by expectations of a strong economic recovery that will boost demand in a tightly-supplied market.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled down 52 cents, or 0.6 per cent, at US$82.12 a barrel, after rising 5.6 per cent over the last two days.

Brent crude futures fell 20 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to US$84.47 a barrel. It had gained 4.7 per cent over Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve may need to raise rates four times in 2022 if inflation does not improve quickly enough, Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans said on Thursday, adding that because inflation has stayed high longer, the Fed has to take action quicker than expected.

"The US producer price inflation data came in easily as hot as the last month and could put pressure on the Fed to rein in the economy, potentially being a drag on crude prices and supporting the dollar," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital Management in New York, calling these "modestly worrisome factors".

Oil prices typically move inversely to the US dollar, with a stronger greenback making commodities more expensive for those holding other currencies.

Kilduff said an uptick in initial jobless claims could further undercut gasoline demand.

Some investors were taking a deeper look at data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday. While crude oil inventories fell more than expected, the report also showed fuel demand has taken a hit from Omicron. Gasoline stockpiles increased by eight million barrels in the week to January 7, compared with analyst expectations for a 2.4-million-barrel rise.

"In reality, the weekly EIA report was less bullish than the headline number, as total crude oil inventories fell 4.8 million barrels, but were more than offset by a stock build across refined products," Citi said in a note.

The drop in crude inventories "might have been related to endof-year tax issues on oil stocks onshore in Texas and Louisiana", the bank added.

However, losses were limited by speculation that Omicron was not severe enough to derail a global demand recovery and cold weather in North America.

The Fed's Evans said he expected the economy to continue to "power through" the pandemic.

Oil prices soared more than 50 per cent in 2021, and some analysts expect the rally to continue, forecasting that scant production capacity and limited investment could lift crude to US$90 or even above US$100 a barrel. JP Morgan forecast oil prices to rise as high as US$125 a barrel this year.

US crude futures for delivery in February 2023 traded at a discount of more than US$9 to crude futures for delivery in February, moving into overbought territory for the first time since November. (Reuters)

N Korea calls US sanctions “provocation”, warns of strong reaction

N

orth Korea defended its missile tests as its legitimate right to self-defence and said the United States was intentionally escalating the situation by imposing new sanctions, State media reported on Friday, citing the Foreign Ministry.

North Korea's recent development of a "new-type weapon" was just part of its efforts to modernise its national defence capability, and did not target any specific country or harm the security of neighbouring countries, a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by State news agency KCNA. "The US accusation of the DPRK's legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence is an evident provocation and a gangster-like logic," the state-

ment said. DPRK are the initials of North Korea's official name.

The statement warned of an unspecified "stronger and certain reaction" if the United States adopts a confrontational stance.

The Administration of US President Joe Biden on Wednesday imposed its first sanctions over North Korea's weapons programmes following a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week.

It also called on the United Nations Security Council to take action against several North Korean individuals and entities accused of violating security council resolutions that ban North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons development. (Excerpt from Reuters)

he Duke of York's military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace has said.

Prince Andrew, 61, will also stop using the style His Royal Highness in an official capacity, a royal source said.

It comes as he faces a US civil action over sexual assault allegations – claims he has consistently denied.

A source close to the Duke said he would "continue to defend himself" against the case brought in New York by Virginia Giuffre.

But the source insisted a Judge's ruling on Wednesday that the civil action could proceed was "not a judgement on

One of the duke's military appointments was Colonel of the Grenadier Guards

the merits of Ms Giuffre's allegations".

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "With the Queen's approval and agreement, the Duke of York's mili-

tary affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.

"The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending

this case as a private citizen."

All Prince Andrew's roles have been returned to the Queen with immediate effect, and will be redistributed to other members of the Royal Family, a source said.

The issue had been widely discussed with the Royal Family, the source said.

Like Harry and Meghan, Prince Andrew retains his title HRH but will not use it in any official capacity.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said it had no comment about the duke's military titles being handed back to the Queen, and that it was a matter for the Palace. (Excerpt from BBC News)

US Supreme Court blocks Biden vaccineor-test policy for large businesses

T

he US Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses – a poli-

cy the conservative Justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of many Americans – while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for

Russia says Ukraine talks hit “dead end”, Poland warns of risk of war

A sniper of the Russian armed forces takes part in military exercises at the Kadamovsky range in the Rostov region, Russia, January 13, 2022

P

oland's Foreign Minister said on Thursday that Europe was at risk of plunging into war as Russia said it was not yet giving up on diplomacy, but that military experts were preparing options in case tensions over Ukraine could not be defused.

In Washington, the White House said the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remained high with some 100,000 Russian troops deployed and the United States would make public within 24 hours intelligence suggesting Russia might seek to invent a pretext to justify one.

"The drumbeat of war is sounding loud, and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill," Michael Carpenter, US Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE), said after talks with Russia in Vienna.

"The threat of military invasion is high," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters. "There are no dates set for any more talks. We have to consult with allies and partners first."

Russia said dialogue was continuing but was hitting a dead end as it tried to persuade the West to bar Ukraine from joining NATO and roll back decades of alliance expansion in Europe – demands that the United States has called "non-starters".

"At this stage it is really disappointing," Russian Ambassador Alexander Lukashevich told reporters after a meeting of the OSCE, the third leg in a series of East-West talks this week.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

healthcare facilities.

Biden voiced disappointment with the conservative-majority court's decision to halt his Administration's rule requiring vaccines or weekly COVID-19 tests for employees at businesses with at least 100 employees. Biden said it now was up to states and employers to decide whether to require workers "to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated".

The court was divided in both cases, centring on pandemic-related federal regulations at a time of escalating coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant in a nation that leads the world with more than 845,000 COVID-19 deaths.

It ruled 6-3, with the six conservative Justices in the majority and three lib-

eral Justices dissenting, in blocking the rule involving large businesses – a policy that applied to more than 80 million employees.

The court's majority downplayed the risk COVID-19 specifically poses in the workplace, comparing it instead to "day-to-day" crime and pollution hazards that individuals face everywhere.

The vote was 5-4 to allow the healthcare worker rule, which requires vaccination for about 10.3 million workers at 76,000 healthcare facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes that accept money from the Medicare and Medicaid government health insurance programmes for elderly, disabled, and low-income Americans. (Excerpt from Reuters)

UN chief appeals for release of money to save Afghan lives

U

nited Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed on Thursday for a suspension of rules preventing the use of money in Afghanistan to save lives and the economy and for a path to the conditional release of frozen Afghan foreign currency reserves.

"International funding should be allowed to pay the salaries of public-sector workers, and to help Afghan institutions deliver healthcare, education and other vital services," Guterres also told reporters in New York.

Some US$9.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves remain blocked outside the country, mainly in the United States, and international support given to the previous Government has dried up since the Taliban seized power last

August.

"The function of Afghanistan's Central Bank must be preserved and assisted, and a path identified for conditional release of Afghan foreign currency reserves," Guterres said.

"We must do even more to rapidly inject liquidity into the economy and avoid a meltdown that would lead to poverty, hunger and destitution for millions," he said.

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths is due to meet virtually with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today.

Guterres said they would discuss the creation of mechanisms to "allow for an effective injection of funds into the Afghan economy" that would also "create the conditions for the financial system in Afghanistan to be able to operate in the local currency." (Excerpt from Reuters)

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Touch base with enthusiastic people who can help you with something you want to pursue. You’ll have plenty of good ideas to share, and the information you receive will be valuable as well.

(March 21-April 19) Look at your finances and make adjustments that will help you save for something you want. Don’t get involved in joint ventures or a situation where you must share expenses.

DILBERT (April 20-May 20)

Put your reputation first, and stick to your principles, regardless of what others do or say. Stick to what you know, and don’t deviate from your plans. Be smart when it comes to your health.

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

Expand your interests and explore possibilities. Include in your plans someone you like to spend time with, and it will bring you closer together.

New information will lead to better financial decisions.

Put your heart on the line by expressing your feelings. Socialize with people who inspire you. Don’t let others’ decisions disrupt your plans. Do what makes you happy.

(July 23-Aug. 22) Do your best and finish what you start. Keep busy, and you’ll avoid criticism, misunderstandings and emotional difficulties with a friend, relative or colleague. Honor your promises.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Network, set up meetings, socialize and start conversations that can help you learn more about the existing possibilities, and you'll find a way to finetune your skills to suit trends.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Make adjustments that support saving money. Lower your overhead and change your lifestyle to fit your budget.

Getting the most for the least will ease stress and encourage a minimalist attitude.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Don’t be shy; if you have a question, ask. A detailed description of what you want and expect will help you avoid feeling let down when you ask someone to do something for you.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Look for a unique way to use your skills, and you’ll discover something you can offer at a premium. Explore and expand your interests, and you’ll capture attention from someone who can help.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Put some thought into your home and surroundings, and you’ll come up with a plan that will help you make valuable adjustments. Do the work yourself to avoid having someone take advantage of you.

Emotions will surface if you let someone manipulate you. Recognize what others are doing, protect your reputation and take pride in what you do.

It’s OK to be different or to do your own thing.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

R

ishabh Pant is a shot-maker of such quality that he can take the conditions out of t h e equation; and for 100 runs and 139

Rishabh Pant celebrating his hundred

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SCOREBOARD balls in Cape Town, he did just that. This wasn't so much a Test match innings as it was a display of jaw-dropping daredevilry.

And at the end of it, India had a lead of 211 and a real chance at making history.

South Africa, who to their immense credit finished 101 for 2, were under siege in the chase, not just from the bowlers, but from a very chirpy Virat Kohli.

Once, when he was running across from one end of the field to the other, he looked at Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen and said, "Relax guys. I can hear your heartbeat."

So began a remarkably combative last 29.4 overs of play, and it peaked in the 21st.

R Ashwin, bowling to Elgar, bowled a beautiful offbreak.

Tossed up from around the wicket, it drifted in late and drifted in big. The left-handed Elgar, preparing to nudge the ball into the leg side, brought down a straight bat, but this drift was too much. It took the ball clean past the inside edge and hit him on the front pad.

Umpire Marais Erasmus put up the finger immediately, but ball-tracking told a different story: the ball was bouncing over leg stump.

Ashwin was completely unimpressed. "Find better ways to win, SuperSport," he said. Kohli was livid. He took an almighty kick at the turf, then walked right up to the stump mic and said, "Focus on

your team as well, while they shine the ball, eh? Not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time."

KL Rahul chimed in with, "Whole country playing against 11 guys."

India were rage-mode.

Elgar did so very well to resist them, but he couldn't hold out. The South African captain fell off what turned out to be the last ball of the day. So now the game is in the hands of a virtual rookie. Petersen is four Tests old. He has earned praise from all corners - and he batted befitting all of it - making 48 unbeaten runs.

The longer he lasts in the middle tomorrow, the better it will be for his side. After all, they are almost halfway to the target with eight wickets still in hand.

Long before all this tension though, there was nothing but magic. Magic from a man named Pant. Watching him on the field really takes you back to your childhood, back when you were running around with your brothers and your sisters and your best friends, all in search of the nearest empty piece of land to play a little bit of cricket. The driveway at home. The hallway at school. Anywhere you can show off, be silly, and bring joy.

Bring joy to the most important people in your life simply by doing something you love.

As adults, we grow out of that phase. Rishabh, it seems, just knows better.

There was a moment, as he was nearing his century, when he chased one that was so far wide of off stump that he began to overbalance. But instead of stopping himself and preparing to face the next ball, he sort of went with the flow and pretend ran a double on a pretend pitch between point and the stumps at the keeper's end.

Raucous laughter rang out in response. Most of it would have been from the Indian dressing room, but can you really rule out a smile from a South African face? After all, when he attempted a reverse scoop off the 6'8" Marco Jansen and failed to connect, Hashim Amla on the broadcast said, "I would have loved to have seen that come off."

This is Rishabh Pant. He is such a thrillingly free spirit that everyone just falls in love with him.

Entertaining the masses is one thing. As part of a highperforming sports team, he is also committed to winning, and to do that at Newlands, he needed to do more than just have a whack.

Pant walked out after two quick wickets - Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane undone by extra bounce. And within seven balls, he was smelling leather. Kagiso Rabada decided to test him with the short ball, but Pant was ready.

He rocked back and pulled South Africa's pace ace to the square leg boundary to get off

INDIA 2ND INNINGS KL Rahul c Markram b Jansen 10 Mayank Agarwal c Elgar b Rabada 7 Cheteshwar Pujara c Petersen b Jansen 9 Virat Kohli (c) c Markram b Ngidi 29 Ajinkya Rahane c Elgar b Rabada 1 Rishabh Pant † not out 100 Ravichandran Ashwin c Jansen b Ngidi 7 Shardul Thakur c †Verreynne b Ngidi 5 Umesh Yadav c †Verreynne b Rabada 0 Mohammed Shami c van der Dussen b Jansen 0 Jasprit Bumrah c Bavuma b Jansen 2 Extras (b 8, lb 9, nb 9, w 2) 28 TOTAL (67.3 Ov, RR: 2.93) 198 Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Mayank Agarwal, 4.5 ov), 2-24 (KL Rahul, 5.5 ov), 3-57 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 17.2 ov), 4-58 (Ajinkya Rahane, 18.6 ov), 5-152 (Virat Kohli, 48.2 ov), 6-162 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 52.3 ov), 7-170 (Shardul Thakur, 56.1 ov), 8-180 (Umesh Yadav, 58.5 ov), 9-189 (Mohammed Shami, 63.6 ov), 10-

the mark.

There were other shots like that too. Shots straight out of a dream. 34th over: a down-thetrack slap off Duanne Olivier that was all kinds of impudent.

48th over: a one-handed slog sweep for six. 60th over: a flay over point that didn't fetch a single run, but will still make the highlights because he went so hard at it that he lost the grip on his bat and it went flying.

Pant defied logic for every second he was out there. If you want any more evidence of that, look down the scorecard, look for the next best score.

198 (Jasprit Bumrah, 67.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Kagiso Rabada 17-5-53-3 Duanne Olivier 10-1-38-0 Marco Jansen 19.3-6-36-4 Lungi Ngidi 14-5-21-3 Keshav Maharaj 7-1-33-0 SOUTH AFRICA 2ND INNINGS (TARGET: 212 RUNS) Aiden Markram c Rahul b Mohammed Shami 16 Dean Elgar (c) c †Pant b Bumrah 30 Keegan Petersen not out 48 Extras (lb 6, nb 1) 7 TOTAL (29.4 Ov, RR: 3.40) 101/2 Yet to bat: Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne †, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Aiden Markram, 7.3 ov), 2-101 (Dean Elgar, 29.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Jasprit Bumrah 9.4-3-29-1 Mohammed Shami 7-0-22-1 Umesh Yadav 2-0-5-0 Shardul Thakur 5-1-17-0 Ravichandran Ashwin 6-1-22-0

Kohli 29 off 143

That was a superb innings as well. Kohli may not have the runs to show for it, but his presence in the middle prevented the team from collapsing. Solid doesn't come close to describing the India captain at the crease. But this should: he played a false shot once every 12 balls in a match where there was one every six balls.

Kohli wasn't just good.

He was twice as good as everybody else. (ESPNcricinfo)

GCB names teams for second Djokovic in Australian Open draw, Raducanu plays Stephens Best v Best Red-ball 4-Day match

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ovak Djokovic remains in the Australian Open draw as the decision over whether the defending champion can stay in the country drags on.

The nine-time champion has been drawn against fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic.

Britain’s US Open champion Emma Raducanu, seeded 17th, faces American world number 68 Sloane Stephens, the 2017 champion at the New York major.

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the 2022 season, and starts at Melbourne Park on Monday. The draw was originally supposed to take place at 3pm local time (04:00 GMT) on Thursday, but was delayed by one hour and 15 minutes.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a news conference to update the country about the coronavirus pandemic at 3:45pm, although he declined to say when a decision about Djokovic might be made.

Top seed Djokovic, 34, practised again at Melbourne Park earlier on Thursday, with Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke still considering whether to revoke his visa again and throw him out of the country.

The world number one is

hoping to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open Men’s title, which would be his 21st Grand Slam triumph, moving him clear of Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Spain’s Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and had his visa revoked when he arrived in Australia last week, following questions over the vaccine exemption that would have permitted him to enter.

However, on Monday a judge dramatically overturned the decision and ordered his release from an immigration detention hotel after finding that border officials had not followed proper procedure.

On Wednesday, Djokovic admitted to meeting a L’Equipe journalist on 18 December despite knowing he had tested positive for COVID, as well as there being mistakes on his immigration forms.

What happened in the rest of the draws?

Britain’s former world number one Andy Murray was drawn against 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili - a day after beating the Georgian in the Sydney Tennis Classic.

British men’s number one Cameron Norrie, seeded 12th, faces talented American Sebastian Korda, while 24th seed Dan Evans plays Belgium’s David Goffin.

Heather Watson, who is the only other British woman to have directly qualified for the main draw, takes on Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.

Harriet Dart and Liam Broady could increase the British contingent in the singles if they win matches in the final qualifying round on Friday.

Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty starts her quest for a first home Grand Slam title against a qualifier, while defending champion Naomi Osaka opens against Colombia’s Camila Osorio.

Top seed Barty could face Japan’s Osaka, seeded 13th, as she returns after a four-month break from the sport, in the fourth round.

In the men’s draw, Spanish sixth seed Nadal starts against unseeded American Marcos Giron.

Russian second seed Daniil Medvedev, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s final but beat the Serb to win the US Open title, would play Swiss Henri Laaksonen. (BBC Sport)

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The second Best v Best match will bowl off today

he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has announced the two teams for the second match in the GCB’s Best of Best Redball Four-Day Tournament.

As done in the first match, which ended in a draw, the second of the three scheduled matches will be led by Leon Johnson and Keemo Paul.

This match was initially scheduled to begin on Wednesday January 12, 2022, but was rescheduled due to medical advice on COVID-19 health-

related matters. It will now be played at the Albion Community Centre ground from January 1417, 2022. The scheduled time for the match is from 09:30-16:30 hours each day.

The two teams are: Leon Johnson’s Team: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kevlon Anderson, Sachin Singh, Leon Johnson, Shimron Hetmyer, Kemol Savory, Ronaldo Ali Mohammed, Kevin Sinclair, Leon Swamy, Chaitram Balgobin, Kevin Umrao, Sharaz Ramcharran, Trevor

Stanislaus, Nial Smith, Ronsford Beaton and Demetri Cameron.

Keemo Paul’s Team: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Trevon Griffith, Tevin Imlach, Vishaul Singh, Akshaya Persaud, Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul, Aaron Beharry, Junior Sinclair, Clinton Pestano, Anthony Adams, Richie Looknauth, Steven Sankar, Keon Joseph, Qumar Torrington, Cylus Tyndall and Nealand Cadogan.

The third and final match will be played from January 20-23, 2022 at a venue to be announced.

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

Ireland beat West Indies in rain-affected game – Shepherd hits maiden fifty

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reland secured a five-wicket win via the DuckworthLewis-Stern method to tie their three-match One-Day International series with the West Indies 1-1 at Sabina Park on Thursday.

Ireland’s opening pair of William Porterfield and Paul Stirling got off to a strong start reaching 37 off 4.5 overs before Stirling was dismissed for 21 by Akeal Hosein.

Ireland brought up their 50 in the eighth over with Porterfield on 22 and Andy McBrine yet to score. Roston Chase removed Porterfield with the final ball of the 10th over for 26 to leave the Irish on 60-2. McBrine and Harry Tector formed a decent partnership and brought Ireland’s score past 100 before McBrine was dismissed by Romario Shepherd to become the third wicket to fall for a well-played 35, in the 20th over, to leave Ireland at 104-3.

Tector (46) and Curtis Campher (11) were the batsmen at the crease when Ireland brought up their

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES INNINGS (50 OVERS MAXIMUM) Shai Hope † c †Rock b Young 17 Justin Greaves b Young 10 Nicholas Pooran lbw b Young 1 Shamarh Brooks lbw b Dockrell 43 Roston Chase c Stirling b McBrine 13 Kieron Pollard (c)c Dockrell b McBrine 1 Jason Holder c †Rock b Little 3 Akeal Hosein c Adair b McBrine 11 Romario Shepherd b McBrine 50 Odean Smith c Campher b Little 46 Alzarri Joseph not out 4 Extras (lb 2, nb 1, w 27) 30 TOTAL (48 Ov, RR: 4.77, 224 Mts) 229 Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Shai Hope, 9.5 ov), 2-42 (Justin Greaves, 11.3 ov), 3-43 (Nicholas Pooran, 13.5 ov), 4-91 (Roston Chase, 25.6 ov), 5-93 (Kieron Pollard, 27.1 ov), 6-104 (Jason Holder, 30.5 ov), 7-111 (Shamarh Brooks, 33.4 ov), 8-143 (Akeal Hosein, 39.4 ov), 9-201 (Odean Smith, 44.1 ov), 10229 (Romario Shepherd, 47.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Josh Little 10-1-40-2 Mark Adair 9-2-42-0 Craig Young 8-1-42-3 Andy McBrine 10-2-36-4 Ireland bounced back after the opening defeat

Nursery athletes can train in multiple sports in Sports Academy …Ramson Jr praises relationship with GBA, other associations

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Charles Ramson Jr

uyana’s Sport Academy programme is expected to be a constant avenue for young sportsmen and women across the country to learn, perfect, practice and excel at their crafts.

While Academy is now taking off, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, continues to shed light on the way the Academy will be conducted. The latest bit of information has come at the launch of the Badminton Academy nursery.

On that occasion, Ramson revealed to students of the Badminton nursery that they would be able to participate in the programme almost every day of the week.

“What you will see, moving forward, is that there will be times dedicated for the Sports Academy every single day. Every

Curtis Campher 8-0-56-0 George Dockrell 3-0-11-1 IRELAND INNINGS (TARGET: 168 RUNS FROM 36 OVERS) William Porterfield c Pollard b Chase 26 Paul Stirling (c) c Holder b Hosein 21 Andy McBrine c Joseph b Shepherd 35 Harry Tector not out 54 Curtis Campher b Hosein 12 George Dockrell c Pooran b Pollard 5 Gareth Delany not out 1 Extras (lb 7, nb 2, w 5) 14 TOTAL (32.3 Ov, RR: 5.16, 157 Mts) 168/5 Did not bat: Neil Rock †, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Josh Little Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Paul Stirling, 4.6 ov), 2-60 (William Porterfield, 9.6 ov), 3-104 (Andy McBrine, 19.4 ov), 4-157 (Curtis Campher, 30.5 ov), 5-165 (George Dockrell, 32.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Akeal Hosein 8-0-51-2 Jason Holder 7-1-35-0 Alzarri Joseph 6-1-32-0 Roston Chase 5-0-19-1 Odean Smith 2-0-8-0 Romario Shepherd 4-0-12-1

day, six days a week, you will be able to come and play and train under a programme that will help you to advance your talent all the way up to the level you want it to go,” Ramson Jr. disclosed.

He continued, “That’s what the Sports Academy is all about. It’s this vehicle to take you to becoming the best player for your respective sport that you can ever become.”

The Sport Minister went on to share that young athletes would even be given the opportunity to dabble in any number of sports at the nursery level, when it comes to being an elite athlete, specialisation is required.

“You can even think about multiple sports that you want to play,” the Sport Minister told the students of the nursery.

He went on to clarify, “But in order for you to become

really great at whichever sport that you want to, you will have to specialise at some point.”

Additionally, the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) came in for heavy praise from Ramson Jr., as he stressed the need for similar relationships in order to advance sport and develop the Sport Academy programme.

“We value our relationship with the Badminton Association, and what we’ve had in sports in the last year and maybe six months or so is the strongest level of cooperation, collaboration, and partnership that we’ve ever had in sports,” he stated.

The Minister went on to explain, “The reason that that’s important, and for young people to know, is that whenever you want to achieve something very big, it requires teamwork.

So, the stuff that you’re going to learn while you do your training, it’s all about being able to rely on each other. That’s (teamwork) that we’ve been trying to foster at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to see us get to this point.”

Thus far, the Sport Academy has seen the launch of nurseries in the disciplines of Squash, Volleyball and Badminton out of the 12 sports that the Academy would cater to.

150 in the 29th over. Tector brought up his sixth ODI 50 and second in the series off 69 balls in the 31st over, but in the same over was bowled

by Hosein. Campher was dismissed for 12 to leave the score on 157-4, with Ireland needing 73 more runs to win from 115 balls.

A long rain delay during the 32nd over meant that upon the resumption of the game, Ireland only needed 11 more runs to win off 28 balls after the overs were reduced from 50 to 36 by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Kieron Pollard removed George Dockrell in the 33rd over for five, with the Irish needing just three more runs to win before Gareth Delaney hit the winning runs off Pollard to close the innings at 168-5. Tector finished 54 not out for the Irish against Hosein’s 2-51 off eight overs.

Earlier, the West Indies recovered from being 111-7 to be bowled out for 229 in 48 overs, thanks to a wellmade 50 from Shepherd

Akeal Hosein provided the early wicket, but Shai Hope and Kieron Pollard failed with the bat

and an aggressive 46 off 19 balls from Odean Smith against a four-wicket haul from McBrine, who was voted Man of the Match, and a three-wicket haul from Craig Young. The third and final ODI will take place on Sunday at 09:15h Jamaica time at the same venue.

(Sportsmax)

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Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith added vital runs

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

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ICC Under-19 World Cup bowls off today

-West Indies to play Australia at Providence, EBD

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est Indies and Australia will get things going in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence from 9:00h local time today, Friday January 14.

In the other match, Sri Lanka will take on Scotland at Everest Cricket Club.

Speaking to the media on the eve of the match, West Indies captain Ackeem Auguste said he is hoping his team learns from the mistakes made in the two warm-up defeats to India and South Africa.

"There is a lot to improve on. We have seen the results, and we just try to take as much from these warm-up games as possible. Going into the games, we are looking to put in good all-round performances, and from there we take it," the skipper said.

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West Indies captain Ackeem Auguste

This will be West Indies 14th appearance at the Under-19 World Cup. With the tournament being played in the Caribbean, hosts West Indies would be looking to follow in the footsteps of the 2016 side that went all the way and won the title.

West Indies' opposition, Australia, are no pushovers. Only India have won

resh from scoring a patient century in the first Guyana Harpy Eagles trial match, Guyana and former West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Tevin Imlach is focused on scoring runs while the selectors do their job and select the best national team for the upcoming Regional 4-Day tournament in February.

After scoring 106 from 305 balls, which included six fours, the elegant Imlach spoke about the conditions at Albion and added that he is working to improve daily on his wicket-keeping abilities.

"It is one of those (occasions when) you had to be patient, bat a lot of balls, but that is what is required in four-day cricket. You have to work hard, and I am really proud of what I did in this game. It is one of those wickets that (are) very flat, it is very low and slow, not really much for the bowlers, but you need to spend some time to get some runs, because the outfield is very heavy, and you need to run a lot," Imlach said about the Albion pitch.

When asked about his wicket-keeping skills, Imlach said: "I thought it was decent. Made a few mistakes, and it is a learning experience still, trying to get better every day, and hopefully I can get a better game moving forward”.

Of recent, regular Guyana wicketkeeper-batsman Anthony Bramble has had his issues with fitness, and the Guyana Cricket Board has had a serious approach to fitness. Imlach, on the other hand, scored the highest on the yo-yo test among Guyanese players. Sharing his sentiments on breaking into the Guyana team, Imlach was hopeful, but is eager to scoring

Tevin Imlach batting during his century at Albion

the ICC U19 Men’s CWC more times than Australia’s three titles, with Australia also second in terms of matches won and win percentage.

In fact, in 12 previous appearances, Australia have made it through to at least the semi-finals on eight occasions, and are remarkably consistent. The last win came back in 2010, a team featuring Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood, who 11 years later would play key roles as Australia claimed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

This time around, all-rounder Cooper Connolly would lead the side, and he would have fond memories of taking on the host nation. In 2020, he hammered 64 off 53 balls against the West Indies in a play-off match that was

eventually abandoned due to rain.

Connolly is the only player who returns from the 2020 squad, but will not

practice.

“We want the focus to be on the cricket, and to ensure that it is played in a safe environ-

l a c k support, notably from ambidextrous spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan.

Robust protocols in place for U-19 World Cup

According to ICC Head of Integrity, Alex Marshall, robust protocols are in place for the matches. He said: “The ICC has planned a robust and proportionate biosafety plan for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, in partnership with Cricket West Indies and the four host country governments, in line with global sports body best

more runs.

"I would hope so, but at the end of the day, every opportunity you get you would try to get as much runs as possible and d o your best.

Hopefully, moving forward, we have a few more games to play, and hopefully I get some more runs in that, and the selectors would have to make that decision (on selecting Guyana team)," Imlach said.

The second Guyana Harpy Eagles 4-Day trial match will bowl off today (Friday January 14) at Albion, and the battle of the wicket-keepers would continue. Bramble is expected to play this match, and Kemol Savory, another wicketkeeper-batsman, is fresh from a half-century and would also want to put his hands up. (Brandon Corlette)

Cooper Connolly is going to play his second Under-19 World Cup

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ment, where players enjoy what for most of them is their first World Cup experience.

“We are fully expecting a number of positive tests with regular testing of all participants, and that will be managed according to our biosafety plan and under the guidance of BSAG. Merely registering a positive PCR test result within a team will not result in the automatic postponement or cancelation of fixtures. The main principle is to continue playing with appropriate mitigations in place if it is safe, practicable, and proportionate to do so.

“Thanks to our hosts and the teams for their commitment to delivering a safe World Cup,” Marshall added. Isai Thorne and Matthew Nandu are the two Guyanese players in the West Indies team.

GFF President Wayne Forde

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is leaving nothing to chance in the new year, as it has already put together its calendar of activities for the 2022 year.

This was revealed by President Wayne Forde, who noted that the Federation is now in the consultancy phase, before it is able to get its events approved.

“I think we’ve already concluded our 2022 calendar of activities. We will continue to do what we've done in the past. We have to engage the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Health authorities, including the National Task Force, to obtain the requisite approval to have those tournaments launched,” Forde shared during a press briefing earlier this week.

“I believe the gazetted orders remain in place, and we have to operate in those guidelines,” the GFF President added.

Additionally, Forde hinted at a major development for Guyana’s football this year.

“The broader team is weighing in on that. There are opportunities that presented themselves that may influence how the 2022 calen-

dar is rolled.”

He continued, “And I think (that) as early as next week we’ll be making some major announcement in that regard.”

However, what may present itself as a stumbling block for the GFF is the recent Futsal final fiasco, which saw the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall being overcrowded for the GFF-Kashif and Shanghai- organized tournament.

In spite of this, Forde remains optimistic about the 2022 calendar, especially since the GFF has not stepped out of line before, with the exception of that Futsal event.

“We have had quite a few football events from the beginning of the COVID-19 restriction, which started in March 2020. From the ‘bounce back’ to the National team engagement and training, and I think we have a solid track record of being able to organise all of these events in the safest possible way,” The GFF President explained.

“So, I do not see many difficulties in presenting those plans and seeing those plans play out on the field of play,” he concluded.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022

Sport is no longer our game, it’s our business

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Imlach celebrating his century at Albion last week (Brandon Corlette photos)

Imlach focused on scoring runs while Guyana selectors make wicket-keeper's decision ICC Under-19 World Cup bowls off today -West Indies to play Australia at Providence, EBD

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GFF President Wayne Forde West Indies U-19s will want to improve after their warm-up defeats

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