Guyana Times -- Saturday, March 5, 2022

Australia's legendary leg-spinner Shane P Warne dies 21

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4939

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

PRICE

Electoral Reform

No response from APNU/AFC on proposed RoPA amendments – Teixeira …as GECOM submits comments, additional clauses for consideration/inclusion See story on page 3

PPP a firm believer in shared governance – Jagdeo See story on page 7

…says USAID report “not saying anything that we have not said publicly”

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

P16 Active COVID-19 cases now under 350

4-year-old P10 perishes in fire

Tax consultancy firm supervisor accused of P8 stealing $3M …released on $200,000 bail

2 men caught wrapping P12 $1.2M worth of cocaine pellets remanded

Queen’s College aiming to cop all CXC awards – HM

Page 17

…celebrates ‘School of the Year’ achievement

Amid alarming road deaths

Page 9

Electoral fraud probe

Page GECOM employee Public Works Minister calls for 15 stricter controls on roadways charged for conspiracy …calls out Guyanese for reckless, careless behaviours to defraud sues Police for $175M

Misconduct in public office

Chief Magistrate to rule on way forward on charge against Winston Jordan Page 15

Man chopped to death at P13 Baramita, NWD Fire destroys P14 Princess St home

Russia seizes Europe's P19 biggest nuclear plant, blocks media websites Obesity puts persons at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 – Health P11 Minister

2

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Saturday, Mar 5 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Sunday, Mar 6 – 04:00h – 05:30h and 10:00h – 11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, Mar 5 – 05:50h – 07:20h and Sunday, Mar 6 – 06:15h – 07:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be light cloud and light rain during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies and thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North North-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 06:13h and 18:32h reaching maximum heights of 2.74 metres and 2.72 metres.

Low Tide: 12:06h reaching a minimum height of 0.45 metre.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS J

01 13 19

20 24 28

FREE TICKET

18 Bonus Ball

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022 DAILY MILLIONS

01 07 08 12 24 LUCKY 3

1

6

9

2

Afternoon Draw

9

4

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

07 08 10 12 17 19 20 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022

06 07 09 13 15 13

05 08 13 16 20

7

7 Afternoon Draw

2X Afternoon Draw

7

6 Evening Draw

FP Evening Draw

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

$118.11/barrel

+6.93

Rough Rice

$296.37/ton

+0.64

London Sugar

$532.80/ton

+2.03

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1927.90

$1973.90

Low/High Change

$1934.30 0.00

$1973.90 0.00%

Electoral Reform

3

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No response from APNU/AFC on proposed RoPA amendments – Teixeira …as GECOM submits comments, additional clauses for consideration/inclusion

I

t is now some four months since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government published its proposed amendments to the Representation of People Act (RoPA) and the main political Opposition – the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition – is yet to make any recommendations.

This was revealed by Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira during a televised programme to reflect on the two-year anniversary of the historic March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections that resulted in a five-month political impasse caused by blatant rigging attempts.

In an effort to prevent the recurrence of those events, Government last November released the proposed changes to RoPA for public consultation before the document is finalised and taken to the National Assembly.

But Teixeira disclosed that the responses has not been forthcoming as anticipated.

“We did draft amendments to the Representation of People’s Act and the regulations; they were posted up for public examination.

Interestingly enough, there hasn’t been a lot of responses. No response from the APNU/AFC. Maybe it’s understandable but I would still think they would respond,” the Governance Minister posited.

According to Teixeira, so far, submissions were made by one of the small political parties – A New and Unity Guyana (ANUG) – as well as a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and several overseas-based Guyanese individuals and bodies.

In addition, the Minister said that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) also made some recommendations of their own.

“GECOM put in their comments on the reforms and added additional reforms that they felt should be included,” Teixeira stated.

Government had indicated that it wanted to have the widest possible engagement with stakeholders including the various political parties on the proposed amendments to RoPA. An overhaul of the country’s electoral laws can see the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) facing as much as life imprisonment for com-

mitting fraud, while others can similarly face hefty fines and jail time for any related offence.

The draft updated electoral laws also outline a clear process for the request of a recount, including empowering the Chairman of GECOM to grant that request.

Under the proposed laws, the CEO must immediately post the District Tabulation Forms on the Commission’s website as soon as he receives them from the Returning Officers.

Other persons involved in the electoral process can face fines as high as $10 million, and can equally be jailed for life if they breach any provision as outlined in the proposed updated Act. The immediate former CEO of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield; his Deputy Roxanne Myers, and the Returning Officer for Region Four at last year’s polls, Clairmont Mingo, were terminated last August for their role in efforts to derail democracy at the 2020 elections. The trio is currently before the court on a raft of electoral fraud-related charges.

While the firing of these three senior officials and a general overhaul at the Elections Secretariat were

Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira

met with much satisfaction by stakeholders, Minister Teixeira contended that much more needs to be done to restore public confidence in GECOM especially as it gears up to hold Local Government Elections (LGE) this year.

“GECOM has an enormous task of building back confidence in them. The public confidence in them is extraordinarily low. So, they – GECOM, as a constitutional body, has to be able to build back trust and confidence of the people going into Local Government Elections, probably this year,” the Governance Minister posited.

However, even as the election body tries to regain

public trust, Governmentnominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj is worried about the future of GECOM due to its deeply polarised atmosphere.

He admitted, during an interview with Guyana Times, that GECOM has not acted with the alacrity it should when it comes to issues like a voters’ list. This is considering the fact that Local Government polls, originally scheduled to be held in 2020, have been pushed back twice and is now slated for this year.

In addition to Gunraj, the other PPP-nominated Commissioners at GECOM are Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan. Meanwhile, the Opposition-nominated Commissioners are Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman.

The APNU/AFC side of the Commission has a well-established record of walking out of meetings during discussions on critical matters, or not even showing up. This publication reported these occurrences last year, during discussions on filling important vacancies at GECOM. According to Gunraj, he wonders about the future of the Commission.

TURN TO PAGE 7

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 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

Carelessness and recklessness

I

t is just over two months into 2022, and already 15 persons have died on our roadways.

Time and time again, this newspaper has expressed shock over the road carnage. We are in full support of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill’s statement of condemning Guyanese for reckless and careless behaviours on our roadways. The current rate of road deaths is indeed alarming, and in a majority of the cases, road deaths are a result of irresponsibility. According to data released by the Public Works Ministry, comparative statistics show that as at March 3, 2022, 15 persons were killed on the roads in 14 accidents, while for the same period in 2021, 20 persons died from 19 accidents. The data shows that, in 2021, 14 of the 20 persons killed were from the most vulnerable classes of road users two pedal cyclists, eight motorcyclists, four pedestrians – and of the 15 killed this year, the vulnerable classes accounted for seven: two pedal cyclists, three motorcyclists, two pedestrians.

We agree with the Minister when he said: “No life should be lost as a result of carelessness or recklessness…I will examine with my colleagues to encourage legislation to ensure stricter controls, be it the training/retraining of drivers or riders, higher fines or stiffer penalties, and a studied approach for the introduction of a demerit system.”

Historically, the shock, concern, and caution that follow a fatal accident seem to be fleeting, and the major contributary factors are seemingly swiftly resumed despite public outcry.

However, given that those accidents are occurring on our roadways, and judging from sentiments expressed on social media, a large number of Guyanese are outraged, and are calling for drivers to slow down.

While that is encouraging, only time will tell if public pressure would indeed make a positive impact. Social media wields tremendous influence, and traffic violations by some irresponsible drivers have been captured and attracted the attention of the Police.

There are instances when some drivers imbibe alcoholic beverages while in the process of transporting members of the public. The conductors randomly stick their hands out to demand that the bus be allowed to cut in front of vehicles, without considering the risk involved.

The said drivers literally drive on the parapets at times to illegally undertake, just to avoid staying in lanes and to reach their destinations within the shortest possible time. They also blatantly block turning lanes while ignoring the pleading horns.

The end result is that those who respect the traffic laws are made to spend much longer commuting, and are left at the mercy of those inconsiderate drivers. This in no way suggests that all minibus drivers are reckless; however, many are noticeable offenders across the country. Sadly, their unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to continue, seemingly encouraged by both the travelling public and the Police to an extent.

While some passengers have objected to the generally despicable behaviour of minibus operators, and were in the process abused, there is an urgent needed for a collective and robust approach to denounce what has unfortunately become a culture of disrespect to both passengers and traffic laws.

There are times when the Police intervene, and commendations must be given; however, there is a lack of much-needed consistency, not just for the minibus drivers in question, but for all others.

The situation has worsened, and will further decline if no meaningful and sustained intervention is made.

There should be consideration for more stringent mechanisms, including raising the required age to obtain a licence to drive a minibus or taxi, and higher costs. Penalties for traffic violations must be more punitive, possibly even for minor offences.

The bottom line is that this issue must be addressed immediately and holistically, since a lack of sustained action would be continually interpreted as encouragement for the lawlessness.

Students of Queen’s College performing a dance as they celebrate the "School of the Year" title for the Caribbean Region by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) (Education Ministry photo)

Reappearance of “political NGOs” hiding under cloak of independence Dear Editor, Like the majority of Guyanese, I am not surprised by the sudden resurgence of some of the usual paper civil society organisations, which were missing in action between 2015 and 2020, and the emergence of several others which are either surrogates of these very ‘paper organisations’ or are set up by individuals with political axes to grind with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government.

These so-called ‘civil society organisations’, whose leadership and membership appear to be classified information, are out in full force, launching the usual unfounded attacks on the PPP/C Government. The reason for these attacks is simple: they are upset; they are simply upset that the President Irfaan Ali-led administration is developing Guyana at a pace never seen before.

They are upset because their political handlers, while in the seat of Government, lacked this kind of vision as demonstrated by the PPP/C Administration - a vision that has already catapulted Guyana into unprecedented levels of national development.

This tsunami of development seems to be driving the naysayers crazy.

The vision of this Government is hard to question, therefore these political surrogates of the Opposition are left with only one option, which is to manufacture controversies and try

to create doubt over the Government’s developmental agenda. Fortunately, the people of Guyana know differently, and are embracing the programmes, policies and initiatives of the PPP/C Government, and are ignoring the howling in the wind of these anti-development agents of the Opposition.

Guyanese are focused on the multiplicity of opportunities that are created by the Government; for example: owning a home, developing academically through the GOAL scholarship programme, job creation, business opportunities, the development of the country’s infrastructure, opportunities in the agriculture sector, and financial support received from the Government, just to name a few.

However, the sad reality is that we have people who claim to have the interests of Guyanese at heart shouting from the rooftops in trying to stymie the development of this country, which is intended to benefit its citizens; and when we experienced some of the gravest transgressions against this nation, these very so-called ‘civil society organisations’ were in convenient hibernation.

Therefore, we must call them out, and expose their clear political bias and deliberate attempts to stir up confusion in our country. Where were the one-man paper organisations like Red Thread, the Guyana Human Rights Association, Transparency International, and the rest

of the gang which was described by columnist Freddie Kissoon as "The Usual Suspects" when the previous administration signed away our oil wealth via a lopsided contract? Or when APNUAFC hid the US$18M signing bonus?

Where were these socalled organisations when state lands were being distributed to cronies of the then administration? Where were these ‘organisations’ for five years when our economy was stagnant and the nation was slipping into extreme poverty while the APNU+AFC leaders, their friends and family were enjoying the good life?

Why were these ‘organisations’ silent when the APNU+AFC trampled on our Constitution and refused to hold general and regional elections within the constitutionally mandated three months after the passage of a no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018?

Why were these ‘civil society organisations’ silent when Guyanese and the rest of the world saw the most blatant attempt to steal the 2020 elections by the APNU+AFC? Where were these ‘organisations’ when, for five months, the APNU+AFC were clinging to power and attempted to foist themselves on the Guyanese people as the Government, despite losing the March 2020 elections?

They were either busy aiding or abetting their po-

litical bedfellows in the heist of our democracy, or were busy enjoying the good life to which the APNU+AFC elites were privileged. Now that the gravy train has stopped, they suddenly have a voice.

Sadly, that voice is not one of reason, but one of hate and deception intended to disrupt the PPP/C’s developmental agenda. Their plan, however, is doomed to fail.

The simple reality is that the President Dr Irfaan Aliled administration continues to fulfill its commitment to the Guyanese people of being transparent and accountable. The President himself has been engaging the local, regional, and international press on a regular basis, answering questions about every single area of his Government. He has never dodged a question.

The same could be said of Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips, and every other member of the Cabinet.

In another missive, I will address the progress made by our Government thus far, progress that is unmatched.

But, for now, let’s ask these so-called organisations to make public the names of those who constitute their executive bodies. Those who provide a platform for these self-serving gripers to spread their misinformation must be equally condemned.

Yours sincerely, Edward Layne

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

5

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

Guyana is moving forward at a pace Dear Editor, The complaint by some ‘organisations’ that the country is moving at a “bewildering pace” would be laughable if it were not true. Guyana is moving forward at a pace; 10,000- plus house lots were delivered in 2021, after the Granger period of five years when no new schemes were developed and when existing lots were seized and redistributed.

The revenues from Guyana’s oil sales languished in an account in the United States, and would have stayed there as long as Granger was in power.

These funds have now been withdrawn and put into use for the betterment of all Guyanese.

The complaint by the ‘organisations’ (we will come back to this word) includes fears about who will be appointed to manage the Natural Resource Fund and who has oversight. There will never be a consensus on who should be appointed to manage the Fund or have oversight of the Fund.

Although it should be clear that the Guyanese people should be the beneficiaries of the Fund, it seems some in Guyana believe the funds should sit dormant in the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States, boosting that nation’s bottom line; a shameless display of Colonial Mentality, if there ever was one.

My suggestion is that President Ali should scrap the NRF Act and put the money into our Consolidated Fund, where Parliament has oversight and the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act governs our actions.

Now to these ‘organisations’, among them is the Guyana Human Rights Association. There are more words in the GHRA title than members, but the title has a power that is difficult to ignore. Who among us is against human rights? Who is willing to be perceived as opposing human rights?

And this is the shield from behind which one man, who rarely represents anything other than an anti-progres-

sive, pro-colonial mindset, slings his mud and arrows.

Words and titles are powerful things, but are subject to misuse and misappropriation.

Mike McCormack is a British citizen who found comfort here during the Burnham era (when Guyanese were fleeing the shores). McCormack is an avowed Catholic, and has this in common with every executive officer of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI), who make a point of including this odd fact in their biographies on the website.

President Fred Collins lists Administrator of Methodist Mission, Compton Meerabux is a Catholic priest, Vedawattie Ram lists her work in pioneering the Guyana Chapter of Child Evangelism as her defining accomplishment, and Alfred Bhulai goes the extra yard to claim status as a Disciple of Jesus Christ. We can assume that the Ursuline Sisters are also catholic, and are driven by the same sense

of righteousness as GHRA and TIGI; for, make no mistake, we are dealing with religious fanaticism in an albeit subtle form.

There are numerous Christians/Catholics among the Ministers in President Irfaan Ali’s Cabinet: Bishop Edghill is the obvious, and the lot includes Nigel Dharamlall, Priya Manickchand, Hugh Todd, Kwame McCoy, Oneidge Walrond, Gail Teixeira, Susan Rodrigues, and Collin Croal (apologies if I missed anyone), but the religious right seems obsessed with the President, who is the only Muslim leader in the Western Hemisphere.

The year is 2022, and we are post-COVID; the future beckons those with vision; there is no willingness to spend time and effort listening to bigoted voices who want to see Guyana rooted to the spot, or return to the Burnham era.

Sincerely, Robin Singh Devotee of Hanuman

Frequency of Pomeroon flooding is frightening Dear Editor, In a letter to the editor on the referenced subject on March 1, Ms Gildharie pleaded for assistance from the Government to provide solutions, technical and financial, which are urgently needed to prevent recurring flooding of valuable farmlands and crops on the banks of the Pomeroon River.

Ms Gildarie noted, in her missive, that recently installed kokers and drainage and irrigation works have not solved the flooding problem of the cultivated lands, and farmers in the region are of the opinion that improving the conveyance capacity of the river by dredging and widening its channel would eventually resolve their flooding problem.

This may well be so, but dredging is expensive as an investment for economic returns from farming. Further, it has to be a recurring operation to be effective. The estuary of the Pomeroon River is constantly being silted by mud-banks moving along Guyana's coastland in an E-W direction, and sediments in suspension are also being discharged by the river at its mouth, as its freshwater mixes with the ocean's saltwater.

The crops grown along the banks of the river: citrus, coffee, coconuts, avocados, etc, cannot withstand any kind of flooding, and therefore the cultivated areas have to be flood-free if they are to be productive and profitable.

Climate change is causing more intense rainfall in tropical Guyana, including in the Pomeroon, with accompanying larger volumes of water being discharged from rivers’ catchments into the oceans, whose levels are rising due to melting of the Polars ice caps. To assist Pomeroon farmers to cope with these adverse environmental changes and protect their lands from recurring flooding, several improvements have to be made.

Firstly, the arable lands have to be protected with bunds, and the river’s banks have to be raised above their estimated flood level.

Secondly, sluices/kokers should be installed on the banks of the river, to drain the farmlands of excess wa-

ter when water levels between the river and inland drains are favourable to allow for outward gravity flows. When this is not possible, installed standby pumps take over to drain the lands of their excess water, thereby protecting the valuable crops from flooding.

This method has proven successful elsewhere along coastal Guyana. Skeptics may claim otherwise, since occasional flooding has occurred on some farmlands and even in Georgetown, but this was not due to the system's failure per se, but to inadequate design, lack of maintenance, languid operation and poor management.

Yours truly, Charles Sohan

How can Mayor & Councillors approve payments for Royston King?

Dear Editor, In light of the recent and blindsiding revelation that the Government and people of Guyana have been slapped with a United States $100 million, or over 20 billion Guyana dollars’ lawsuit by parking meter concessionaire Smart City Solutions (SCS) as a consequence of a most controversial deal that was championed by then Town Clerk of Georgetown Royston King, I believe that the current Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown are now rubbing salt in the wounds of the citizens by making a decision to allow

King to receive his pension, gratuity, and other benefits purportedly owed to him.

The City of Georgetown is still reeling from the misadventures of this gentleman, including contractors being owed hundreds of millions for a number of unnecessary projects that were undertaken during his tenure, including the now incomplete, derelict and abandoned Presidential Park at the intersection of Vlissengen & North Roads and Church Street; the inoperative and dilapidated state of the City Constabulary Training Complex facility, in spite of

a massive $47 million having been purportedly spent on its repairs; the list of 55 lessees who benefited unlawfully from several riverside properties and reserves being leased to them without the knowledge or approval of the Council, which is in breach of the Municipal and District Councils Act; and the failure to pay the Guyana Revenue Authority income tax and the National Insurance Scheme for social security that had been deducted from salaries of employees, among so many other such acts.

I fail to understand how the Mayor and Councillors

of the City of Georgetown could even consider, much less approve, a motion for the payment of benefits to someone who was fired as a result of a recommendation made that this person be cited for “gross misconduct, abuse of office, recklessness, dishonesty, conspiracy, and misappropriation of funds” following a Commission of Inquiry which was held.

But, then again, there is an old saying in Guyana: “Contrary breeze ah mek crow and eagle light on one line”.

Sincerely, Magagula Jackson

Linden Utility Services Cooperative Society Limited needs probing Dear Editor, I have been a member of the Linden Utility Services Cooperative Society Limited, Registration #763, for more than 38 years, and, over the past seven years, I have discovered that the Committee of Management is unwilling to call a single members’ or Annual General Meeting, to inform us, the members and owners of this Society, of our business.

There have been widespread reports from members in the inner working of the Society, who complained of mismanagement by the Committee in recent times, and I am hereby calling for the Commissioner to conduct a probe of this Society.

I was told that the subject Minister and Chief

Cooperative Development Officer were informed of these developments, but nothing in terms of a probe is forthcoming to date.

Editor, the Committee of Management paid millions of dollars to a proprietor in October 2021 for items which have not been delivered to the Society to date. In the most recent audit report of 2019, there were numerous instances of similar nature. There are also reports of gross mismanagement with Society’s Welfare Scheme and its hardware store worth millions of dollars.

Editor, I should greatly appreciate if the relevant authorities would look into this matter swiftly.

Yours truly, Eon Halls

6

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄

1) i) The fraction of girls = the whole – the fraction of boys

8 8

3 5 = 8 8

ii) The total number of pupils What do we know in terms of real numbers?

5 5 of the school, therefore = 432 8 8 432 So, total number of pupils in school = x8 5

432 girls =

= 691.2 students, since 0.2 of a student is impossible round to the nearest whole number = 691 students 2) (a) Ratio of purple to blue pencils: 1: 2 (b) 1 box contains 8 blue pencils Therefore, 3 boxes will have 8x3 blue pencils altogether = 24 pencils (c) If 1 blue pencil was replaced with 1 purple one, there would be 7 blue pencils in a box and 5 purple ones.

To find the number of boxes Soia must buy, divide the number of blue pencils she wants by the number of blue pencils found in 1 box: 35 blue pencils ÷ 7 = 5 boxes 3) Find the perimeter and area of the shape below Perimeter = the distance around a 2-D figure Perimeter = 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 72 cm Area = (l x b) To find the area of the shape below, first divide it into simple shapes, for example two 6cm x 6cm squares and a 6cm x 18cm rectangle A = LxB Area of the complex shape = the sum of the areas of the component shapes = (6x6) + (6x6) + (18x6) = 36cm2 + 36cm2 + 108cm2 = 180cm2

I

n this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to explore and investigate weather by determining if land or water heats up faster.

Materials:

Two plastic cups One half cup of water One half cup of soil Thermometer

Instructions:

Pour the water into one cup.

Pour the soil into the other cup.

Place both cups in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Next, place both cups in the sun for 15 minutes.

Record the temperatures of both the soil and water and determine which heated up more.

How it works:

Land has the ability to absorb more solar radiation than water because water will reflect most solar radiation back into the atmosphere. Since land absorbs more solar radiation, it will warm more quickly than water. A large body of water has a higher heat capacity than land, meaning it takes more energy to warm and cool the temperature of water.

Because of this, cities situated close to water will often have a tighter range of temperatures throughout the year as compared to cities situated more inland.

Make this a science project:

Try adding salt to the water. Try different types of land materials like rocks or sand. Try freezing the soil and water before sitting them in the sun. (sciencefun.org)

By Hilton Hemerding

There's a land just off the Atlantic, Land of jungles, waterfalls and sweet scenery, Where poor people farm the lands and hunt the waters, And all live in peace and harmony.

This is Guyana, beautiful Guyana.

This is Guyana, beautiful Guyana.

Diamond seekers go in the Interior, Pulling their corials under the falls, Singing sweet calypso as they heave on their way To dig up the diamond and the gold.

With Kaieteur tumbling to the river, How I love to see your foaming tide; I listen to the chirps of the cheerful kiskadee As they throw their yellow breasts to the sky.

O Guyana, land where I was born, O sweet land shining in the sun, I could hear the monkey chatter up in a tree And the parrots singing this melody.

O Guyana, beautiful Guyana, O Guyana, independent and free.

O Guyana, beautiful Guyana.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily” – Zig Ziglar

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PPP a firm believer in shared Governance – Jagdeo …says USAID report “not saying anything that we have not said publicly”

V

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo has contended that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration believes in shared governance but noted that if the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition is serious about working with Government then it needs to adhere to the basic democratic principles.

A recent United States Agency for International Development (USAID) report on democracy, human rights, and governance in Guyana that was released last month stated, among other things, that the major political parties in the country need to devise a way to form a functioning democracy based on power-sharing rather than a “winner takes all” mentality.

But during a recent interview with a social media commentator, VP Jagdeo posited that this is nothing that the PPP/C Government has not already committed to.

“The USAID report is not saying anything that we have not said publicly about inclusive governance. We in the People’s Progressive Party have been talking about this. We’ve lived this, we’ve passed a Constitution that promote inclusive governance through its features. When the Parliament was structured differently at the level of the legislature, we changed that,” he stated.

According to Jagdeo,

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

who is a former President under a previous PPP/C regime, the party has introduced the five Rights Commissions which require a two-thirds majority support from the National Assembly to select their members; establish the Procurement Commission that stipulates agreement between Government and the Opposition on its membership, and even include in the Constitution, four Standing Committees in the Parliament, two of which are chaired by Government and the other two by the Opposition.

“This was not there before that includes the Opposition, at least at the legislative level, to have a say in the management of the country,” the Vice President noted.

Also at that level, Jagdeo added that under his presidency he signed

into law the establishment of the Parliamentary Management Committee that consists of five Government and Opposition members each and is chaired by the House Speaker.

“I can go through a list of other measures that we put in the Constitution to promote inclusive Government at that [parliamentary] level to give greater voice to the Opposition,” the VP asserted.

Moreover, Jagdeo outlined that even the PPP/C 2020 Election Manifesto reflects its intention to undertake constitutional reform, especially as it relates to the governance model. He added that if the public wants to see more power-sharing then his Government is ready to discuss a model for greater inclusive governance.

“I’m sure if you read our Manifesto, they were just repeating what we had in our manifesto, that is, constitutional reform to look at our governance model and also to look at management of our electoral systems.

Those are the two major things that we promised but more so, on the governance model. So, I don’t see anything strange.”

“The US Government is not offending us or directing us to do something that we [haven’t] already called for… We are committed to a free and inclusive country, and so we have no problem with that call,” he asserted.

In the same breath, however, VP Jagdeo stressed

that there must be some changes before the PPP/C Government can work with the coalition Opposition.

“We made it clear… if APNU wants to engage seriously they have to move away from racism and they have to commit to democracy because that party has a major problem with democracy… They are still not committed, I believe, to a democratic country [but] they would speak the rhetoric of democracy… In talking about inclusivity and inclusive governance, you can’t include in Government people who are not committed to a national movement for all our people, which we are committed to and all our policies reflect that,” the Vice President pointed out.

Only Wednesday, Guyana observed the twoyear anniversary of the historic March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections

which was followed by a five-month political impasse after blatant attempts were made to rig the polls so that the APNU/AFC regime could remain in power.

It was only after intense pushback from local stakeholders as well as the regional and international

community that democracy prevailed and the PPP/C was sworn into office in August 2020.

A national recount of the votes showed that the now Government had obtained 233,336 votes, while the APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes. (G8)

No response from APNU/AFC...

“It is no secret that the Commission is now a fractured body. When I went to the Commission, you could expect meaningful discussion and agreement.

Unfortunately, you cannot even expect meaningful discussions, much less agreements. And sometimes I wonder about the Commission’s future in light of some of the postures of the Commission,” he said.

Only recently, GECOM announced that it will commence Continuous

Registration, a necessary process for updating the List of Electors and paving the way for the holding of LGE, on March 7 and this will run until May 29, 2022.

GECOM has 28 permanent registration offices located in all of the ten administrative regions that will be engaged in the registration exercises.

Over $750 million has been set aside in Budget 2022 for the preparation to be undertaken by GECOM for the hosting of LGE this

FROM PAGE 3

year. This money is part of an overall $4.1 billion allocation to GECOM in Budget 2022, and was examined and approved by the National Assembly during its consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates.

At the last LGE in November 2018, the then PPP/C Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs. (G8)

8 NEWS Tax consultancy firm supervisor accused of stealing $3M SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…released on $200,000 bail

C

harged with embezzling over $3 million in National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) payments, Solana Wills, a supervisor at Leibrands Financial Management and Tax Consultancy, was on

Friday released on $200,000 bail.

The 31-year-old defendant was arraigned in Senior Magistrate Leron Daly’s Georgetown court on six charges, particulars of which alleged that, between August 1 and December

20, 2021, at Durban Street, Georgetown, and while being a clerk or servant of Leibrands Financial Management and Tax Consultancy, Wills fraudulently embezzled $3,134,290 in cash, received or taken into possession by her for or

War...

Y

Charged: Solana Wills

on account of her employer.

Wills pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Her next court date has been set for April 8, 2022.

The Police Prosecutor related that, besides receiving funds from clients on behalf of the company, Wills was also tasked with ensuring that clients pay their employees’ National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions. Between the periods mentioned in the charge, the company’s clients had handed over monies to Wills to pay their employees’ NIS and PAYE. The woman, however, allegedly stole the monies. A report was filed against her with the Police, and following investigations, she was arrested and charged. (G1)

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

…and lessons for us our Eyewitness always heard that “war is hell”. He’s pretty certain this was a message heard all across the globe. When one learns about the deaths, the maiming, the bodies blown to smithereens - not to mention all those buildings razed by shells dropping from the sky it’s easy to appreciate the metaphor. Especially when there are always fires!! But has it ever deterred those who wage war?? Not from where your Eyewitness sits!!

Why…we even had a war right here in Guyana. Reading about the “ethnic riots” of the sixties, can anyone REALLY argue that wasn’t a war? Hey…everything to scale! Did you expect millions to die here when we’ve never even hit the million mark on the population charts?? Our 60s war left us more segregated than South Africa!! Refugees? Apart from the piecemeal displacement from the villages in Demerara, there was the mass evacuation of Indian-Guyanese from Wismar - followed by the Sun Chapman explosion that took 43 African-Guyanese lives. Now, if these matters are regularly regurgitated and chewed over (disgusting?) sixty years later - think about what’s happening in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, where MILLIONS died or became refugees.

And we arrive at what’s playing out in the Ukraine.

Now, some may be enjoying the irony of war unfolding in Europe, that’s usually held to be too “civilised” for this sort of thing. Did you hear and see all those TV commentators exclaiming in horror at the long lines of refugees streaming out of the Ukraine: “This ain’t no country in Africa”!! That’s right folks. We in the “Third World” don’t know better, since we haven’t moved out of the jungle. What else but the “law of the jungle” should rule here??

Now, if war is hell, should we expect that there’s a devil stoking the fires? And does he do some of this stoking even before the start of the war? So, who’s the devil in this present conflagration? If we go by all the reports in OUR media, Putin has won that designation hands down - even before the war! But if you go by the press over the Russian side of the fence, you hear a different story. Biden and Blinken are the big, bad devil. And don’t forget that China, India and Pakistan - with THREE BILLION PERSONS - haven’t condemned Putin and his Ruskies invaders. In fact, your Eyewitness’s favourite test-captain-as-PM, Imran Khan, was in Moscow chumming up with Putin on the very day the Russian troops rolled into the Ukraine!!

Well, let’s see how long this’ll continue to give us in the boondocks more that “a teaching moment” about why we shouldn’t go down that (war) road again. …and the nuclear option If the truth be told, everyone’s scared sh*tless about the possibility that nuclear Russia and the nuclear NATO might resort to using their nuclear bombs before this war ends. Maybe like how the US ended WWII at Hiroshima?

After all, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) - signed by Reagan and Soviet Gorbachev in 1987 - had been scrapped in 2019. The Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) nuclear consequence was now in play again!

But we just had a close nuclear shave even without nuclear weapons when a fire broke out in the midst of nearby shelling around the LARGEST nuclear plant in all of Europe!! These reactors have all sorts of protection and are pretty invulnerable to normal shells and bombs. But what if the power supply’s taken out?? This will trigger diesel power plants to cool down the nuclear rods. But we know what can happen to these babies after our experience at the Garden of Eden Wartsila diesel plants, don’t we?!!

Europe would’ve been Fukushimaed!! …and appeasement Whatever Russia’s historic ties to the Ukraine through blood, language, governance and leaders (Khrushchev and Brezhnev were Ukrainians), they can’t get even an inch of territory through this bullyism.

That would repeat Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler!!

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

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

NEWS

9

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Amid alarming road deaths

Public Works Minister calls for stricter controls on roadways …calls out Guyanese for reckless, careless behaviours

F

ifteen people have died for the year 2022 due to accidents on the roadways, and Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has called on citizens to desist from such reckless behaviour that can cost lives.

On Friday the Minister appealed for persons to exercise responsible behaviour in a bid to reduce casualties, in light of the spike in accidents.

“Citizens continue to die on our roadways at an alarming rate. As the Minister of Public Works who is responsible for Guyana’s road transportation network, it is of great concern for me and my Ministry that some persons continue to use the roads in a reckless and uncaring manner, which in many instances result in the death or injury to themselves and innocent road users.”

Comparative data has shown that as of March 3, 15 persons were killed on the roads, as a result of 14 accidents. When compared with the same period for 2021, 20 persons died from 19 accidents.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

However, what was significantly alarming, is that in 2021, 14 of the 20 persons killed at that period were the most vulnerable classes of road users: two pedal cyclists, eight motorcyclists and four pedestrians. Of the 15 killed this year, the vulnerable classes accounted for seven: two pedal cyclists, three motorcyclists, two pedestrians.

For the year 2021, 99 persons were killed when compared with 139 persons for 2020. The 2021 results showed a 29 per cent reduction when compared to 2020.

The vulnerable class of road users accounted for 67.7 per cent of the total deaths in 2021 and in 2020, they accounted for 79.9 per cent of the total deaths.

“My Ministry continues to take significant steps to have safe spaces (pedestrian walkways/sidewalks) installed for pedestrians. Very alarming from the data retrieved from the Guyana Police Force, where it was found that pedal and motorcyclists combined accounted for 37.4 per cent of the deaths in 2021 and 56.1 per cent in 2020,” Edghill con-

tended.

As it relates to serious accidents for 2021, the data provided showed that 362 serious accidents were recorded, and resulted in injuries to 397 persons. In 2020, 329 serious accidents resulted in 356 persons injured.

“We saw from that data, a 11.5 per cent increase in serious accident in 2021 when compared to 2020 and a 10 per cent increase in injuries. I am of the opinion that many of the injuries might have resulted in persons not being able to meaningfully contribute and serve to their full potential,” the Minister asserted.

Pedal and motorcyclists were asked to use helmets, since many Guyanese are traversing the roads without proper protective gears.

This increases their risks of severe injuries when accidents occur.

“I urge pedestrians to exercise caution when crossing our roads, and with the advent of four-lane roads, consideration should be given that it will take more time to cross. Proper judgement is required. The use of seat-

File photo: The car that was involved in the February 24, 2022 accident at Diamond, East Bank Demerara

belts by occupants of both the front and rear seats of all motor vehicles are encouraged. I appeal to parents/guardians and teachers to adopt and promote road safety education as regular possible.”

Partnerships with the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department, the Guyana Road Safety Council and the Ministry of Public Works should be enhanced, he added, with an aim of grater public education and aware-

ness and stricter enforcement.

“No life should be lost as a result of carelessness or recklessness. As the Minister of Public Works, I will examine with my colleagues, to encourage legislation to ensure stricter controls, be it the training/re-training of drivers or riders, higher fines or stiffer penalties and a studied approach for the introduction of a demerit system,” he penned in the statement.

(G12)

10 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

4-year-old perishes in fire

The 4-year-old who died in the fire

A

four-year-old boy perished on Friday last after a fire destroyed a Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown home. The child has been identified only as Jemel.

Based on reports received, the child and two other siblings were at home when the fire started. His two other siblings managed to escape, but he was reportedly trapped in the building.

While details on the fire and the child’s death are still sketchy, Guyana Times visited the area on Friday and the house was completely gutted.

When contacted, the Guyana Fire Service said it was unaware of the fatal fire, and promised that an investigation would be launched.

The incident came to light after a plea for assistance was issued on social media.

This is the second person for the year who perished as a result of a fire.

Two months ago, a 75-year-old man died after a fire of unknown origin ripped through his home located at Lot 27-34 Pilot Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The fire also destroyed a workshop that had been in existence for over 100 years.

The dead man, Oscar Liddell, a joiner, had previously operated a workshop in the bottom flat of his two-storey building. The workshop is now being run

House that was completely gutted at Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown

by his son Oscar Liddell Jr. The younger Liddell, who lives nearby, said he was asleep at the time of the fire, and was awakened by a neighbour from the next street, calling out that there was smoke coming from the kitchen.

According to Liddell,

when he got out of bed and realised what was happening, he went to his verandah and threw the keys to his father’s house to one of the neighbours who had gathered in front of the burning building.

He then rushed over to his father’s front door and

went inside while a neighbour entered from the back door, but the smoke was very thick.

However, he braved the heat and smoke in an attempt to rescue his father, but his efforts proved futile.

As a result, the elderly man lost his life. (G9)

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Obesity puts persons at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 – Health Minister Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Friday cautioned that obesity is a contributing factor that places people at higher risk when they contract COVID-19, since it is regarded a comorbid condition.

For World Obesity Day, attention was drawn to the complications which can arise if a person is suffering from obesity. Not only does it prove devastating if they contract the virus, but it also brings about other diseases. In Guyana, there is a link to developing non-communicable diseases.

“With COVID-19, we have also seen that persons who are obese would be at a higher risk for COVID-19. We have seen that in the global statistics and locally as well. There’s an increased risk if you’re obese…You’re more than likely have the comorbidities that we talk about and so because of these, we’ve been seeing people having a more severe form of COVID. A lot of them require hospitalisation and in some cases, when they’re hospitalised, they would also end up in the ICU.” “It could increase a person’s risk of dying early, and it’s a contributor to a number of diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidaemia, diabetes and in Guyana, we have a lot of persons that suffer from non-communicable diseas-

per cent. If you do a combination of diet and exercise, you’ll probably be able to get it down to 10 per cent.

It depends in the categories that you fall in,” he added.

Based on the level of obesity of a patient, a number of interventions can be undertaken. At clinics, guid-

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

es. Therefore, obesity is a risk factor for many of these diseases,” Dr Anthony revealed.

For a person to determine whether they are obese, a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation can be done. Body mass index is a value derived from a person’s weight in kilograms divided by their height in squared kilometres. A BMI of more than 30kg/m2 is overweight, while greater than 40kg/m2 is severely obese.

“Using this parameter, one can calculate where you fall in this spectrum. There are some nuances with this because there are people who are shorter and would have some more weight.

Therefore, in some instances, it is also recommend-

ed that in addition to BMI, that you also do a waist to height ratio, to be able to see how that is contributing as well,” the Minister advised.

Persons within the 20 to 25kg/m2 are considered to be low-risk for diseases.

Between 25 and 29kg/m2, without any known disease in sight, a person can also be considered low-risk but a medical condition puts them at moderate risk.

“Depending on where you fall in this spectrum, there are different things that can be recommended of how to prevent or reduce this. One of the main goals people would set is to have weight loss but if you just do diet alone, that will help to bring down your weight by between five to seven

ance and counselling on the various comorbidities are provided. Dietary help is available under another department of the Health Ministry.

“We have a number of guidelines that we have developed and we have been training people at a number

of health centres to be able to provide this type of guidance. We have printed material, video material and in some instance, the team from the Ministry would go to specific areas and they would do demonstrations on how to cook these types of meals.”

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 5,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 men caught wrapping $1.2M worth of cocaine pellets remanded

T

wo men caught wrapping $1.2 million in cocaine pellets were arraigned before city Magistrate Leron Daly on Friday, charged with the offence of trafficking in narcotics.

After denying the joint charge, which stated that on March 2, 2022, at West Ruimveldt Georgetown, they had 1.084 kilogrammes of cocaine in their possession for the purpose of trafficking, 49-year-old Ron Reid and 45-year-old Nigel Dundas were both remanded to prison. The

case will continue on April 18.

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) has said that its ranks were conducting search operations at a house in the West Ruimveldt “Front Road” area when the two men were caught wrapping a quantity of pellets with cocaine.

They were arrested and taken to CANU Headquarters, where the more-than-100 pellets were weighed in their presence and amounted to 1.084 kilogrammes.

CANU said that Ron Reid and Nigel Dundas were caught wrapping pellets of cocaine when its ranks swooped down at the house

According to CANU, the illicit drug, which has a local street value of $1.2 million, would be worth way more than that overseas.

Previously charged

Reid is no stranger to the drug enforcement unit.

On March 2, 2015, he and his common-law wife were arrested with 70 grammes of cocaine in their pos-

session. They were later slapped with a drug trafficking charge to which they pleaded not guilty.

It was reported that on March 2, 2015, CANU ranks went to the couple’s home. After they had knocked on the door, Reid’s wife reportedly appeared.

When ranks asked her for Reid, she reportedly tried to engage them in conversation, delaying their gaining access to the house.

A rank then heard a sudden running of water inside the house, and when he stormed in, he found Reid standing in front of a sink which had four cocaine pellets inside. <<Guyana Times>> is unaware of the legal status of

Remanded: Ron Reid

Remanded: Nigel Dundas

this matter.

outgoing flight to Canada at the CJIA when CANU ranks noticed him acting suspiciously as he approached the scanning area. As such, Watkins, a taxi driver at the time, was questioned and taken to CANU Headquarters, where he confessed to swallowing pellets laced with cocaine. He was subsequently transported to the Woodlands Hospital, where he excreted the pills containing the illegal substance.

Watkins had sought to justify his actions to the Chief Magistrate by explaining that he was facing a financial crisis and was unable to send his children to school. As such, he said, he had taken the “job” to earn extra money. (G1)

Four years

In 2017, CANU had issued a wanted bulletin for Reid, after his associate, 43-year-old Julius Watkins, was intercepted at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with 114 cocaine pellets that he had ingested.

Watkins subsequently pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to four years in prison. The following day, Reid surrendered.

The court heard that between September 12 and September 15, 2017, Watkins swallowed 114 pellets laced with a total of 960 grammes of cocaine.

On the latter date, he was attempting to board an

NEWS

13

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GT man busted with $2.6M worth of cocaine Man chopped to death

A

Cocaine mule Ian Griffith

gents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Monday intercepted a male with 2.330kg of cocaine between Ruby, East Bank Essequibo

The cocaine that was intercepted

(EBE), and Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

CANU has said that on the day in question, officers conducted an operation in the Region Three district, during which Ian Griffith, 45, of North East La Penitence, Georgetown, was intercepted with two parcels of suspected cocaine.

He was arrested and taken to CANU Headquarters along with the suspected narcotic, which was subsequently positively tested as cocaine. It was weighed in his presence, and amounted to 2.330kg, which has a street value of $2.6 million.

at Baramita, NWD

A

businessman was taken into custody following the discovery of the lifeless body of a male at Baramita Line, North West District (NWD), on Thursday in front of his shop. The identity of the dead man has not been confirmed.

Upon the discovery, it was observed that the man’s body bore several deep wounds to the left side face and head.

Based on reports received, on the day in question at about 07:00h, a

report was made at the Baramita Police Station, and upon arriving at the location, Police ranks picked up the man and took him to the Baramita Health Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body was thereafter taken to the Port Kaituma Hospital Mortuary to await a post-mortem. Police have since taken the owner of the shop into custody as they make efforts to locate the two individuals with whom the now dead man was last seen.

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 5,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fire destroys Princess St home A

fire suspected to be electrical in origin completely destroyed the upper flat of a two-storey wooden and concrete building at Princess Street, Georgetown, on Thursday.

According to the caretaker of the home, hundreds of

thousands of dollars in valuables went up in flames.

The fire occurred at Lot 61 Princess Street, Georgetown, just after 15:00h.

When Guyana Times visited the home on Friday, the occupant of the upper

flat of the building, Mark Williams, said the owners of the property reside overseas.

The man said the house is occupied by him and another person.

“I was at work at the time when I receive the message.

Caretaker of the home, Mark Williams

My daughter who doesn’t live too far, said she saw there were movements, and when she look up the road she saw the fire, and she run down the road because she knows I live here.”

“She immediately gave me a call, at work, and I had to try and get off from the job to get here,” he said.

Williams added that by the time he arrived at the location, the fire was already put out by firefighters.

“The fire started from the fridge that was the only thing that was on. There was also a problem with the current at the said day whereby the lights were off almost all day... I leave just after 12 to run on the road because I had to go to work for three. I came in back just about two, and the lights were on, so I plugged back on the fridge, and I get out at 2:30.”

“From my daughter and other sources, the lights did come off again and came on back…that was when all

The upper flat of the house that was destroyed by fire

these problems came. There are other people in this same street and area that had problems whereby they find their fridge was smoking, my neighbour said her microwave burn, another person fan burn…”, he explained.

As a result of the fire, he has suffered losses and is unaware whether the property was insured.

The house was recently constructed. Williams said he is currently waiting to hear from GPL to know the way forward. (G9)

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Electoral fraud probe

GECOM employee charged for conspiracy to defraud sues Police for $175M M

ichelle Miller, an employee of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) who was arrested and charged in relation to investigations into the alleged fraud committed in the March 2020 national elections, has filed a lawsuit against the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Against the Commissioner of Police, she is seeking more than $175M in damages, arguing that she was falsely arrested, which she contends has breached her constitutional rights.

In her Statement of Claim, filed at the Demerara High Court, Miller has said she was arrested on August 26, 2020 and escorted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, where she was interrogated for approximately 30 minutes.

Despite requesting the presence of her Attorney during the questioning, Miller alleges, Police ranks told her, “You do not need a lawyer, you are not charged with anything.” The GECOM employee has said she was adamant about her lawyer being present, and, as such, refused to answer any question put to her.

Miller has said that, being a “chronic hypertensive patient”, she tested her blood pressure while at CID Headquarters, and it recorded a “dangerously high level” of 166/140, whereas the normal range for her age is 120/80.

After multiple pleas by her lawyer, Miller said,

she returned to CID Headquarters on October 16, 2020, she was told that a video interview had to be conducted.

Apart from monetary awards for breach of her constitutional rights, Miller is asking the court for several declarations against the Police Commissioner, and the Attorney General in his capacity as representative of the State.

She is asking the court

to declare that her constitutional rights, pursuant to Articles 139, 148, 145, 141, 139(3) of the Constitution of Guyana, were breached by the Police Commissioner.

These constitutional provisions deal with a citizen’s right to protection of right to personal liberty, right to protection of freedom of movement, right to protection of freedom of conscience, right to protection from inhumane treatment,

right to protection of retaining and instructing a legal adviser of his/her own choice without delay, and right to medical attention.

Miller also contends that her diverse rights afforded under Article 11 of the Convention Against Torture and Other Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Guyana is a signatory, were breached.

Moreover, she is seek-

ing interest pursuant to the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act on all awards for damages and such or other orders the court deems just.

Meanwhile, in October 2020, when she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Miller was charged with two counts of conspiracy to defraud during the March 2020 Elections. She was released on $60,000 bail, pending her trial. (G1)

Misconduct in public office

Michelle Miller, a GECOM employee who was charged

she was escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where she was immediately admitted under Police guard.

According to her, she was discharged from the GPHC on August 30, 2020, after which a Police patrol came to the hospital and took her to the Brickdam Police Station.

While at the Police station, she said, her blood pressure spiked again, and she had to be taken back to the GPHC. She was discharged on September 1, 2020.

Miller has said she was again taken to CID Headquarters on the said day of her discharge, placed to sit on a bench, and questioned by Police ranks, who interrogated her in the absence of her lawyer, despite her request for her lawyer to be there. She added that she was eventually placed on $100,000 bail, and told to return on October 16, 2020.

She said that when

Chief Magistrate to rule on way forward on charge against Winston Jordan

T

he Special Organised Crime Unit’s (SOCU) prosecutor Attorneyat-Law Tuanna Hardy wants the misconduct in public office charge against former Finance Minister Winston Jordan to be disposed of summarily.

Jordan’s legal team, however, has requested for the charge to remain indictable. Senior Counsel Roysdale Force is representing him in association with Attorneys-atLaw Khemraj Ramjattan, Joseph Harmon, and Darren Wade.

The matter was called again on Friday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan fixed April 29 to hear submissions from the prosecution and defence on how the court should proceed with the matter.

Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan

Particulars of charge

Jordan was initially charged on December 28, 2021, and released on $3 million bail; he was not required to plead to the indictable charge instituted

against him by SOCU. It is alleged that Jordan, being and performing duties of Minister of Finance and being the concerned Minister for the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), a company owned by the Government of Guyana, between February 26, 2020, and Friday, July 31, 2020, at Main Street, Georgetown, wilfully misconducted himself by acting recklessly when he signed NICIL (Transfer of Property) Order No 50 of 2020, which was published in the Official Gazette, transferring to and vesting to BK Marine Inc, absolutely, all buildings, erections, stellings, platforms, and further appurtenances, that is to say, Mudlots 1 & 2, F of Mudlot 3, A, B & D, situated at North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, being over 2.553 acres, by paying

GY$20,260,276 for the property valued over GY$5 billion and being sold at a price that was grossly undervalued to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust and without reasonable excuse or justification.

Corrupt transactions

He was arrested by SOCU, which is the Guyana Police Force’s arm that specialises in white-collar investigations on December 3, 2021, as part of investigations into alleged instances of corrupt governmental transactions between 2015 and 2020. BK Marines, SOCU said, had only paid 10 per cent of the purchase price, that is, $20 million and Jordan went ahead to issue a vesting order passing the title to the purchaser without the payment of any further sum of monies.

TURN TO PAGE 16

16 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Active COVID-19 cases under 350

L

owered daily COVID infections have resulted in active cases dropping under 350 in Guyana. As of Friday, 22 new positives were reported.

Deaths have remained at 1223, according to the Health Ministry’s latest dashboard.

There are five patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 22 in institutional isolation, 337 in home isolation and 12 in institutional quarantine. Since the pandemic, 543,927 tests were conducted – of which 29,012 males and 34,012 females contracted the virus.

Guyana has 342 active

infections: 16 in Region One, 18 in Region Two, 15 in Region Three, 141 in Region Four, 11 in Region Five, 21 in Region Six, 19 in Region Seven, 58 in Region Eight, 40 in Region Nine and three in Region Nine.

Meanwhile, a regional breakdown of new cases shows one for Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), one for Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 24 for Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), three for Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and one for Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

There were no increases in Regions One

(Barima-Waini), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Locally, 433,497 or 84.5 per cent of the adult population have received a first COVID vaccine dose while 330,026 or 64.3 per cent are completely immunised.

For the 12 to 17 age group, 33,661 or 46.2 per cent received a first dose and 24,373 or 33.4 per cent took both doses. In terms of booster doses, 51,925 persons have received their jabs.

Persons with comorbidities have been continuous-

Diabetes is leading cause of kidney failure in Guyana

D

iabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure in Guyana, Dr Hemchand Barran, a nephrologist at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) revealed on Friday.

According to Dr Barran, patients who are diagnosed with diabetes are more at risk of suffering from kidney failure.

“Seventy per cent of our patients approximately, end up with kidney disease, and about half of those end up on dialysis because of diabetes,” Dr Barran stated at a press conference held at the GPHC. He noted that as of December last year, there have been some 200 patients receiving dialysis treatment for kidney failure with 10 to 15 patients hospitalised. All of these patients need a kidney transplant, he revealed.

The nephrologist said, “The age category for us with the most kidney failure is 30 to 50 years old and then I could go a bit broader maybe 45 to 65 years.” He noted that more men are affected than women.

Barran also explained that there is a difficulty when it comes to detecting and diagnosing kidney disease as it

Dr Hemchand Barran

is silent in the earlier stages.

“It is sometimes difficult to diagnose or pick up when you have kidney disease because it goes silent in the early stages,” he said.

Routine check-ups for diabetic patients is the best way to counter kidney disease, Dr Barran recommended.

With the recent passing of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Bill 2021 at the 35th sitting of the National Assembly in January this year, a transplant lab would further facilitate and enable persons to

undergo transplant surgeries in Guyana, without having to leave the country. The Bill will pave the way for the setting up of an agency and a registry that will manage the transplant of human organs in Guyana.

As such, Dr Boland Persaud, who is attached to the Transplant and Vascular Surgery Department at the GPHC, revealed that the hospital will be constructing a transplant lab to facilitate cross-matching for transplant patients.

“We’re actually working on getting our own transplant lab to facilitate cross-matching,” Persaud said.

Once the lab is fully functional, it is expected to save numerous lives and reduce the high cost for patients on dialysis.

Cross-matching is a test performed before a blood transfusion as part of blood compatibility testing.

Normally, this involves adding the recipient’s blood plasma to a sample of the donor’s red blood cells. Currently, Guyana does not offer this type of testing; cross-matching is done overseas, which takes up time and is costly.

(G2)

Lifeless bodies of man, woman found

T

he lifeless body of a man was found along the Meten-Meer-Zorg Public Road on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) on Wednesday.

Reports are the man is suspected to have been in his 60s.

Guyana Times understands that the Police were contacted and informed that the lifeless body of a man was

seen lying on the roadway.

As such, Police went to the scene where they found the man lying face down. He was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police have since confirmed that no marks of violence were seen on the body.

An investigation continues.

Also on Wednesday, the body of a female was found

behind the Marriott Hotel, which is located at Kingston Georgetown.

Though an official report has not yet been released by the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Times was informed that the woman was found face down on the seawall.

The Police were subsequently informed, and an investigation was immediately launched.

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD MARCH 4, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

22

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

22

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

337

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

8

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

45

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

34,012

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

29,012

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

63,024

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

61,473

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

2514

REGION 2

2472

REGION 3

8026

REGION 4

31,153

REGION 5

2368

REGION 6

5715

REGION 7

2419

REGION 8

887

REGION 9

4005

REGION 10

3465

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

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

432,381

FULLY IMMUNISED

328,273

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

1223

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.

ly asked to continue taking their respective medications or treatment to control their condition. The preventative measures and guidelines to protect against the virus must be adhered to since this category of person is at a greater risk if they contract COVID-19.

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19

emergency measures which emphasise the need for correct and consistent 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.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional in-

formation, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy Globally, 438 million people have tested positive for the virus and over 5.96 million have died. In the Americas, more than 147 million confirmed cases have been reported with over 2.6 million deaths. (G12)

Chief Magistrate to rule...

FROM PAGE 15

According to SOCU, the vesting order stated that the property is being sold free from encumbrance and liabilities and no further sum of money is owed by the purchaser. It said that the transport was subsequently issued for the property and the value strangely stated on the transport was $400,000,000 million.

Further, SOCU said that the agreement of sale stated that the title must only pass upon full payment of purchase price. However, SOCU contended that investigators have evidence to establish that a facility that is a mere fraction of the size of the State prop-

erty under investigation, located some seven miles upriver, was sold by a private company for US$17 million.

It had pointed out that this is only one of several investigations that implicate former Minister Jordan.

Lawsuit

While Jordan had previously denied any wrongdoing regarding this transaction, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC had announced that there were active investigations into a number of suspected shady dealings under the former APNU/ AFC Government, and the

former Finance Minister had been implicated in a number of “nefarious transactions”.

On behalf of the State, the Attorney General has also filed civil proceedings against Jordan at the Demerara High Court over the sale of the river frontage to BK Marine. In this case, Nandlall is seeking to overturn the contentious sale of the State property. To this end, he is asking the court to declare the agreement of sale between BK Marine and NICIL illegal, unlawful, null, void, repugnant, and contrary to public policy. This matter is still ongoing. (G1)

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Queen’s College aiming to cop all CXC awards – HM …celebrates “School of the Year” achievement

Q

ueen’s College is aiming to secure all eight top awards for both CSEC and CAPE in the approaching examinations – a bar that has been set high after its students topped both levels for two consecutive years.

For both 2020 and 2021, QC would have produced the Most Outstanding Student for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) – a historic record for the country. Labelled as Guyana’s premier secondary institution, it was also awarded the title of School of the Year for the region.

On Friday, a celebratory exercise was organised at the institution to recognise this achievement, where acting Head Teacher, Candaice Cave-Stephen underscored that the performance can be improved.

The agenda has already been set to acquire all eight awards at the CXC level.

“It is the first time we’ve ever had the most outstanding candidate at both levels.

Usually, Queen’s College

Acting Head Teacher of QC, Candaice Cave-Stephen

would get either CSEC or CAPE but we have gotten both levels and more than that, in two consecutive years…It is something historic for us, the fact that we have gotten both in two years and it means a great lot to us.”

The principal shared, “We will continue to do what we have been doing and there is always room for improvement. The administration has to improve…

We intend to continue that

good work and improve it.

Our aim right now is to get more of the awards. Of the eight awards at the CAPE, CSEC level, it is our intention to cop all eight. We’ve never done that.”

Education Minister Priya Manickchand pointed out that delivering education successfully entails a multi-faceted approach, starting from Government to the household level.

“Education is one of those topics that will never be a one-person, who makes a student successful. You have to have a responsive Government who sees the importance of investing in education. You have to have a well-managed school and teachers who are very dedicated and willing to teach.

You have to have a supportive household and children who are interested in receiving the education given,” Manickchand said.

According to her, Government is fulfilling its contribution to the sector, with the supply of adequate human resources, equipment and technology throughout public schools.

“This system is at a place

Queen’s College in full celebration mode on Friday

right now where all we have to do is commit ourselves to making our children’s lives better. In doing that, I’m certain we are going to be able to realise for every single child in this College and Guyana, their very best potential.”

The Education Ministry is also working to equalise the playing field at the secondary level, eliminating any disadvantage which currently exists in excelling in the examination.

“I want you to know that they have some schools coming for you. This is not going to be easy because when we equalise services across the country and we

give schools everything that they need, then you’re going to have to work a little bit harder,” the Minister told students.

For the 2021 examinations, Samuel Haynes received the Overall Outstanding Achievement after securing nine Grade Ones at CAPE. Overall Outstanding Achievement at the CSEC level was awarded to Zaynab Shaffie, who secured 18 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos.

At the CSEC level, Roshni Samaroo of Queen’s College won the top Humanities Award, Naresh Jagnanan of the Essequibo Islands Secondary School

won the top Business Award, and Sarena Razak of Queen’s College won the top Technical Vocational Education Award.

Among other Caribbean students of the ACCA CSEC Accounting Awards, Riley Nurse of Queen’s College and Saalih Rahim of the ISA Islamic School were recipients. Other CAPE awards included Crystal Benjamin of The Bishops’ High School securing third place in the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) CAPE Accounting Awards, and Abdul Subhan of the St Stanislaus College copping the CAPE History Award. (G12)

Transplant lab in the works Zoo Fair held in observance of World Wildlife Day 2022 at GPHC

A

s of December last year, there have been some 200 patients receiving dialysis treatment for kidney failure, which has led to the need for more kidney transplant surgeries to be done at the Georgetown Public Hospital Cooperation (GPHC).

As such, Dr Boland Persaud, who is attached to the Transplant and Vascular Surgery Department at the GPHC, revealed that the hospital will be constructing a transplant lab to facilitate cross-matching for transplant patients.

“We’re actually working on getting our own transplant lab to facilitate cross-matching,” Dr Persaud said.

He made this revelation on Friday at a conference held at the GPHC to highlight the fighters and survivors of kidney failure.

At present, GPHC officials are working on obtaining the necessary equipment for the lab so that they can conduct the various testing needed. Dr Persaud shared that there are persons who are currently in training to administer the proper treatment to transplant patients.

However, none of them are Guyanese.

“There are provisions that are made so someone can go to prepare their students, so someone can come back to prepare the lab.

We’re working on getting the necessary equipment to do the testing, so I’m not sure all in all when that’s going to be available [...] We don’t have any Guyanese,

Dr Boland Persaud

but we have support from overseas who are willing to come help,” he said.

With the recent passing of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Bill 2021 at the 35th sitting of the National Assembly in January this year, a transplant lab would further facilitate and enable persons to undergo transplant surgeries in Guyana, without having to leave the country. The Bill will pave the way for the setting up of an agency and a registry that will manage the transplant of human organs in Guyana.

Bill crafted

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony had explained that the Bill was crafted with input from local and international medical experts and that it follows the revised World Health Organisation (WHO) Guiding Principles on Human Organ Transplantation.

In fact, he explained that all thirteen of the guidelines

are reflected in the various sections of the Bill. These principles include ensuring a separation between physicians who treat patients and who harvest tissue, avoiding the harvesting of tissue from minors except for exceptional circumstances, and the avoidance of monetary payments or other rewards for donations.

According to Anthony, special safeguards will be established for all donors who wish to donate organs, but particularly for minors.

This includes minors only being able to give consent to remove a regenerative organ. And to manage these safeguards, an organ transplant agency will be set up.

“This Bill will establish a human organ and tissue transplant agency, which will oversee all future transplants of cells, biofluids, tissues, and organs in Guyana.

A national donor and transplant registry will be established to manage the process effectively,” Dr Anthony had said.

Cross-matching is a test performed before a blood transfusion as part of blood compatibility testing. Normally, this involves adding the recipient’s blood plasma to a sample of the donor’s red blood cells.

Currently, Guyana does not offer this type of testing; cross-matching is done overseas, which takes up time and is costly.

Once the lab is fully functional, it is expected to save numerous lives and reduce the high cost for patients on dialysis. (G2)

I

Secondary school children at the Zoo Fair

n observance of World Wildlife Day this year, the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC) conducted a Zoo Fair for selected secondary schools at the Hyde Park Zoo, Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.

Every year on March 3, World Wildlife Day is celebrated. This date marks the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

As the designated CITES Management Authority for Guyana, part of the GWCMC’s functions is to execute activities to observe World Wildlife Day. The fair this year’s was themed: “Recovering Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration”.

Four students and one teacher from Soesdyke Secondary, Covent Garden Secondary, Dora

Secondary, and Friendship Secondary attended the fair.

Students had an opportunity to learn about the importance of wildlife and efforts for their conservation through games and interactive presentations.

Students expressed excitement and appreciation for being able to see and interact with real wild animals. They

also indicated they learnt a lot about wildlife, specifically the diet, behaviours, and importance of animals such as the tapir, giant anteater, jaguar, puma, harpy eagle, and various species of monkeys and snakes. One of the major takeaways intimated was that there was no need to fear wildlife but they all need to be preserved. (G2)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

Regional

More Russians, Ukrainians seek Stellantis weighs producing ethanol hybrid vehicle in Brazil asylum at US-Mexico border

A migrant mother from Ukraine, seeking asylum in the US, holds her twin daughters near the border fence while waiting to be processed by the US border patrol after crossing the border from Mexico at Yuma, Arizona, US, January 22, 2022

A

growing number of Russians and Ukrainians are traveling to Mexico, buying throwaway cars and driving across the border into the United States to seek asylum, a trend that could accelerate as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced more than a million people to flee their homes.

US border officials encountered about 6400

Russians in the four months between October 2021 and January of this year, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data show. That’s more than the roughly 4100 apprehended during the entire 2021 fiscal year, which ended Sept 30. The jump is similar for Ukrainians, with a little more than 1000 apprehended since October 2021 through January, compared

to about 680 for all of the last fiscal year.

These migrants account for a slim fraction of the 670,000 apprehensions made by US border agents in the first months of the 2022 fiscal year, CBP figures show. The majority of those stopped were from Mexico and Central America and were swiftly removed from the United States.

Yet almost all the Russians and Ukrainians have been allowed to remain while they pursue asylum claims, and their presence has been notable at border-area shelters aimed at helping newcomers.

Since June, Russians have consistently been among the top three nationalities arriving at a San Diego shelter, according to data published by the San Diego Rapid Response Network, a coalition of nonprofits, attorneys and community leaders. Last week, Ukrainians were the third most-common nationality among arrivals. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US to process some visas in Cuba after 4-year hiatus

T

he US Embassy in Havana announced on Thursday it would increase staffing and resume some visa processing in Cuba several years after the Trump Administration slashed personnel at the facility following a spate of unexplained health incidents.

The top US diplomat in Havana, Timothy ZunigaBrown, made the announcement at a news conference, confirming a Reuters report from Monday.

Following the drawdown of staff in Havana in 2017, the Trump Administration required Cubans to apply for visas in the US embassy in Guyana, a costly trip that few on the island could

afford.

Zuniga-Brown’s announcement stressed a “limited resumption of some immigrant visa services” in Havana. It added that Cuban immigrant visas will still be processed primarily in Guyana, while Havana offices will focus on other consular services and “limited emergency non-immigrant visa processing.”

The eventual deployment of additional consular officers to Havana, a result of President Joe Biden’s ongoing review of Cuba policy, will begin to address a more than four-year backlog of requests for immigration visas

by Cubans with family in the United States.

It also marks a rare step by the Biden Administration to ease restrictions on communist-led Cuba imposed by former Republican President Donald Trump, who rolled back the historic rapprochement overseen by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.

Trump scaled back embassy staff and cut down on visa processing in 2017 after some embassy personnel in Havana became ill with what has become known as “Havana syndrome.” The unexplained illnesses first affected US employees in the Cuban capital but later cropped up in other parts of the world. (Excerpt from Reuters)

CARPHA warns obesity is major public health concern in the region

T

he Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Friday warned that obesity remains a major public health concern in the region, noting that the Caribbean has some of the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the Americas among adults.

“Childhood obesity is associated with health problems such as Type 2 diabetes during childhood and has been linked to a higher risk of disability and premature death into adulthood,” said CARPHA executive director, Dr Joy St John in a message marking World Obesity Day.

It is being observed under the theme “Everybody Needs to Act,” and CARPHA said that it “is meant to remind us that we can all come together to ensure happier, healthier, and longer lives for everybody, through more respect, better care, actions, and policies”.

CARPHA warned that being obese, places an individual at a high risk for developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.

It said that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has posed an additional risk to people living with obesity, as they are twice as likely to

be hospitalised if they contract the COVID-19 virus.

“The pandemic has also added a burden to Caribbean healthcare systems which has, in some instances, led to delays and reduced access to support and treatment for people living with obesity.

“In addition, COVID-19 lockdowns have worsened risk factors for weight gain in children. One preliminary study found that children in lockdown reported eating more meals, more ultra-processed foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, had reduced levels of physical activity and increased screen time.”

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

S

tellantis is considering the production and sale of a hybrid vehicle powered by electricity and ethanol in Brazil by 2025, and plans to launch a new brand in the country this year, the company’s chief operating officer for South America said on Friday.

Antonio Filosa said the company plans to launch 16 new models and seven electric and hybrid models in the region by 2025, in a plan that aims to boost French brands Peugeot and Citroen without losing sight

of Fiat and Jeep’s market leadership.

“Around 2025, if everything goes right, we could start proposing this type of technology,” Filosa said when questioned about a potential launch in 2026.

He added, however, that the company still does not have a definitive timeframe.

“Ethanol is very relevant in Brazil and less so in other Latin American countries, but it is starting to gain relevance in other countries such as India,” said the executive, underlining that the development

of the ethanol hybrid would first focus on the Brazilian market.

Filosa also said Stellantis is preparing the launch of a new brand in the region - the group currently works with seven brands in South America - but did not confirm which one.

“You will know later this year. It starts with an ‘A’, but it is not Alfa Romeo,” the executive said. In Stellantis’ brand portfolio, the only other brand that has the initial letter “A” is Italy’s Abarth. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexico will not send arms to Ukraine, President says

M

exican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday that the country would not send arms to Ukraine after Ukrainian representatives had asked the country’s Senate for arms and military assistance a day earlier.

“We don’t send guns anywhere. We are pacifists,” Lopez Obrador said during his regular news conference.

On Thursday, Ukrainian representatives sent a letter to the Mexican Senate urging that “only the military and massive support of our allies can help us push back the enemy.”

Lopez Obrador also reiterated earlier comments that Mexico would not follow many other countries and impose unilateral economic sanctions on Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

“We will not take any economic reprisals because we want to have good relations with all governments in the world,” he said earlier this week.

Mexican auto parts maker Nemak has suspended operations in Russia while bread maker Grupo Bimbo and tortilla maker Gruma have paused their operations in Ukraine.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Nicaragua continues to prosecute, jail Ortega opponents

Opposition legislator Victor Hugo Tinoco, of the Sandinista Renewal Movement, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for “conspiracy to undermine national integrity”

N

icaragua has sentenced seven more Opposition figures, including three former presidential hopefuls, to up to 13 years in prison, a humanitarian organisation said.

Courts in the Central American country led by former left-wing rebel, President Daniel Ortega, have found guilty 33 Opposition figures out of 46 arrested in the months leading up to last year’s election. Of those found guilty, 25 have now been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

Economist Juan

Chamorro and political scientist Felix Maradiaga received 13-year sentences, while former ambassador Arturo Cruz was given a nine-year jail term, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) said on Twitter late on Thursday.

All three had planned to stand in November’s election prior to their arrests.

They were found guilty of undermining national security having been accused of treason by the Government for allegedly supporting foreign sanctions against Ortega and his inner circle.

Thousands fled into ex-

ile after Nicaraguan security forces violently put down anti-Government protests in 2018. Ortega claims the protests were actually an attempted coup with foreign backing, and many of those on trial have been accused of working with foreign powers for his overthrow or encouraging foreign nations to apply sanctions on members of his family and Government.

Former Foreign Minister Jose Pallais and the ex-President of the business owners union, Jose Aguerri, were sentenced to 13 years in jail, while activists Violeta Granera and Tamara Davila received an eight-year term each.

They were all arrested for alleged breaches of a controversial law that critics say was designed to silence Ortega’s opponents.

The 76-year-old has been in power since 2007.

He won November’s elections, which were widely branded a farce by the international community, with 75 per cent of the vote.

All serious potential presidential challengers had been jailed or they fled into exile. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil has wildest week on record as Ukraine crisis roils markets

O

il resumed climbing at the end of a week where prices have swung within a US$20 range since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine roiled global markets and fueled fears of a supply crunch.

Futures in New York rose as much as 5.7 per cent on Friday, en route to a weekly gain of over 20 per cent. Brent has traded in its biggest range since the launch of the futures contract in 1988 — eclipsing the wild swings in the global financial crisis of 2008 and when demand plunged in the coronavirus pandemic.

The rally only briefly paused Thursday as diplomats signalled negotiations with Iran were nearing some sort of resolution that could pave the way for a lifting of oil sanctions.

“There has been nothing to take the edge out of this market and we’ve had single direction volatility, meaning prices higher,” said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at US Bank Wealth Management. To lower prices, the market would need to see a change either OPEC or US drilling activity change meaningfully, he said.

Prices climbed Friday after Ukrainian officials said Russian forces attacked a nuclear plant — Europe’s biggest. While the likelihood of a major disruption to Russian supply has boosted prices this week, signs that an Iranian nuclear deal may be near have added to price volatility.

The International Energy Agency warned that global energy security was under threat, and a planned release of emergency oil reserves by the US and other major economies has so far failed to quell supply concerns. JPMorgan Chase & Co said global benchmark Brent crude could end the year at US$185 a barrel if Russian supply continues to be disrupted, and some hedge funds are eyeing US$200.

The invasion has reverberated throughout the energy sector. Global oil majors such as BP Plc, Shell Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp are exiting Russia, buyers of its crude are seeking alternatives and shipping costs are spiking. Russia’s Lukoil PJSC called for a “fast resolution of the military conflict.”

While sanctions haven’t been imposed on Russian energy exports, buyers are shunning the nation’s crude as they navigate financial penalties. Germany and the White House oppose a ban on Russian oil imports, though US lawmaker support to prohibit shipments into America is growing. West Texas Intermediate for April delivery gained US$4.37 to US$112.04 a barrel at 11:29 am in New York. Brent for May settlement rose US$4.11 to US$114.62 a barrel.

The head of the world’s atomic watchdog said his trip to Tehran on Saturday could “pave the way” for reviving the Iran nuclear deal, a pact that would see the return of official oil exports. The OPEC producer has millions of barrels of oil stored offshore that could flow quickly into a tight market.

Brent remains in deep backwardation, a bullish structure where prompt barrels are more expensive than laterdated cargoes, signaling a tight supply-demand balance.

The benchmark’s prompt spread was US$3.97 a barrel after touching record levels in recent days.

Against this backdrop, OPEC+ stuck with its gradual scheduled increase of supply in April during its monthly meeting Wednesday, wrapping up the gathering in record time without discussing the invasion of Ukraine. Russia is one of the key leaders of the cartel, along with Saudi Arabia. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said earlier this week that the outcome of the meeting was “disappointing.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Russia seizes Europe's biggest nuclear plant, blocks media websites

R

ussia blocked Facebook and some other websites on Friday and passed a law that gave Moscow much stronger powers to crack down on independent journalism, spurring the BBC, Bloomberg and other foreign media to suspend reporting in the country.

Moscow's attack on Ukraine, the biggest on a European state since World War Two, has created over 1 million refugees, a barrage of sanctions, an exodus of firms from Russia and fears of a global economic hit and wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades. Fighting was raging in Ukraine as Russian troops besieged and bombarded cities in the second week of an invasion that has isolated Moscow, which says its attack is a "special operation" to capture individuals it regards

Surveillance camera footage shows a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during shelling in Enerhodar, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine, March 4, 2022, in this screengrab from a video obtained from social media (Zaporizhzhya NPP via YouTube/via Reuters)

as dangerous nationalists.

Kyiv, in the path of a Russian armoured column that has been stalled outside the Ukrainian capital for days, came under renewed assault, with explosions audible from the city centre.

The southeastern port city of Mariupol - a key prize for

Dozens killed as mosque bombed in northwest Pakistan

A

powerful bomb has exploded inside a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, killing more than 50 people and wounding dozens more, many of them critically.

The explosion occurred as worshippers had gathered in the Kucha Risaldar mosque in Peshawar’s old city area for Friday prayers.

Hospital officials said at least 56 people were killed, revising an earlier toll of 30 dead. At least 194 people were reported wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Peshawar Police Chief Muhammed Ejaz Khan said the violence started when two armed attackers opened fire on police outside the mosque.

One assailant and one policeman were killed in the gun battle, and another policeman was wounded. The remaining attacker then entered the mosque and detonated a bomb.

The bomb disposal unit said about 5kg of explosives was used and ball bearings were added. Ambulances

rushed through congested narrow streets and took the wounded to Lady Reading Hospital.

“We are in a state of emergency and the injured are being shifted to the hospital. We are investigating the nature of the blast but it seemed to be a suicide attack,” Police Officer Mohammad Sajjad Khan said.

Similar attacks have occurred in Peshawar – 190km (120 miles) west of the capital, Islamabad – located near the border with neighbouring Afghanistan.

At the Lady Reading Hospital’s emergency department, there was chaos as doctors struggled to move the many wounded into operation theatres.

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the bombing.

In recent months, Pakistan has experienced an increase in violence.

Dozens of military personnel have been killed in scores of attacks on army outposts along the border with Afghanistan. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Abandoned rocket 'hits the Moon' – scientists

A

discarded part of a rocket should have crashed into the Moon's far side by now, say scientists who were expecting the impact at 12:25 GMT. The three-tonne rocket part had been tracked for a number of years, but its origin was contested.

At first, astronomers thought it might have belonged to Elon Musk's SpaceX firm, and then said it was Chinese - something

China denies.

The effects of the impact on the Moon should have been minor.

The rocket stage would have dug out a small crater and created a plume of dust.

Scientists hope to get confirmation in the coming days, or weeks.

The rocket part was first sighted from Earth in March 2015. A NASAfunded space survey in Arizona spotted it, but

quickly lost interest when the object was shown not to be an asteroid.

The rocket part is what's known as "space junk" hardware discarded from missions or satellites without enough fuel or energy to return to Earth.

The European Space Agency estimates there are now 36,500 pieces of space junk larger than 10cm.

No space programme or university formally

tracks deep space junk.

Monitoring space is expensive and the risks to humans from high-orbit debris are low.

So, it falls to a tiny handful of volunteer astronomers who spend their free time making calculations and estimating orbits. They fire emails and alerts back and forth, asking whoever is in the best location on the planet to spot an object in space.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

the Russian forces - has been encircled and shelled. There is no water, heat or electricity and it is running out of food after five days under attack, according to Mayor Vadym Boychenko.

"We are simply being destroyed," he said.

Putin's actions have drawn almost universal condemnation and many countries have imposed heavy sanctions as the West balances punishment with avoiding a widening of the conflict.

Fighting back in the information war, Russia's parliament passed a law imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally "fake" news about the military.

"This law will force punishment - and very tough punishment - on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces," the chairman of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin said.

Russia is blocking Facebook for restricting state-backed channels and the websites of the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Voice of America.

The BBC, Bloomberg News

and other foreign media said they would temporarily suspend the work of their journalists in Russia while they assessed the situation.

A glut of global brands have halted operations or exited completely while shipping and supply chain issues have made it difficult to work in Russia.

French luxury fashion house Chanel said on Friday it is halting all business in Russia while tech giant Microsoft is suspending sales of its products and services.

Samsung Electronics said it was suspending shipments to Russia and donating $6 million to support humanitarian efforts.

'Dangerous new escalation' As the battle between Russia and the West escalates on a number of fronts, the United States has warned the conflict in Ukraine is a threat to the rules-based order.

But at a meeting on Friday, NATO allies rejected Ukraine's appeal for nofly zones, saying they were increasing support but that stepping in directly could make the situation worse.

"We have a responsibility... to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine because that would be even more dangerous, more devastating and would cause even more human suffering," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy slammed the summit as "weak" and "confused." "It was clear that not everyone considers the battle for Europe's freedom to be the number one goal," he said.

(Reuters)

Russia fights back in information war with jail warning

R

ussia's Parliament on Friday passed a law imposing a jail term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally "fake" news about the military, stepping up the information war over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that false information has been spread

by Russia's enemies such as the United States and its Western European allies in an attempt to sow discord among the Russian people.

Lawmakers passed amendments to the criminal code making the spread of "fake" information an offence punishable with fines or jail terms. They also imposed fines for public calls for sanctions against Russia.

"If the fakes lead to serious consequences, then imprisonment of up to 15 years threatens," the Lower House of Parliament, known as the Duma in Russian,

said in a statement.

The Duma outlined a scale of punishments for anyone deemed to have discredited the armed forces, with stiffer penalties for those who intentionally spread fake information or called for unsanctioned public action.

President Vladimir Putin said the "special military operation" was essential to ensure Russian security after the United States enlarged the NATO military alliance to Russia's borders and supported pro-Western leaders in Kyiv.

Russian officials do not use the word "invasion" and say Western media have failed to report on what they cast as the "genocide" of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.

The amendments have to be approved by the Upper House of Parliament before going to Putin to be signed into law. (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

A disciplined approach will lead to success; using force will slow you down.

Think before you act, and stick to a plan you know you can carry out. Patience will give you the upper hand.

(March 21-April 19) Look at every angle and figure out what you can do to ensure success. You’ll capture the heart of someone special if you do something without being told.

Don’t let drama interfere.

DILBERT (April 20-May 20)

(May 21-June 20)

Run your ideas past someone you trust. Don’t let an outsider persuade you to take on the impossible. Protect your reputation, health and rights. Follow your heart and make decisions based on your needs.

Let your feelings be known by clearing the air. Dealing with emotional situations instead of fretting over them is favored. A meaningful relationship will require certainty in order to progress.

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Question what isn’t working for you, and you’ll come up with a reasonable plan. Addressing issues head-on will give you the strength to stand up for what you want and to dismiss what worries you.

Safeguard your cash. Emotional spending will be your downfall. You can show someone how much you care without going into debt. An affectionate gesture and sharing of plans will pay off.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Problems at home or with people who live with or near you will develop if you let your emotions take the reins. Listen, and choose your words wisely. With caution, you can salvage a sensitive situation.

Worrying about what others think or say is a waste of time. Get back to the things you like to do and enjoy your day.

Walk away from depressing situations and people.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Discipline is the key to your success.

Plan your actions and follow through.

Take control of whatever situation you face and refuse to let anyone interfere in your business.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Reminiscing will encourage you to implement pending changes at home.

It’s up to you to lead if you want things done your way. Refuse to let a friend or relative try to slow you down.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Rely on experience to guide you.

Straighten out what isn’t working for you anymore. A conversation with someone who can influence your plans will help clarify how best to proceed.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You know what others expect of you and what you are willing to do, so be frank and get your priorities straight. A change you make will enhance your life in all respects.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

21

Pant scores 96 off 97 as India pile up 357 on day one against Sri Lanka S

ri Lanka have managed to deny Virat Kohli even a fifty in his 100th Test, and they didn’t let Hanuma Vihari convert his fifty into a hundred in his 100th first-class match. By the end of the day, though, they might have regretted getting them out, because it brought Rishabh Pant to the middle, and he went from 50 to 96 in 19 delightful balls, and ended up being dismissed in the 90s for the fifth time in his career.

India racked up 357 for 6 in just 85 overs.

Sri Lanka’s limited attack stood exposed on day one on a Mohali pitch which offered turn from full lengths, and promised more in the coming days. Their lack of resources were apparent at the toss, when they announced they were playing three fast bowlers on a track for which the hosts had picked three spinners.

One of the Sri Lankan fast bowlers, Lahiru Kumara, broke down in 10.5 overs, and the others hardly drew any uncertainty. India batted with 89.4% control. When this is happening and the pitch is not offering you much, you expect your bowlers to keep the scoring under check, but India could hit boundaries without taking risks.

They managed 44 of them on the day; Sri Lanka could string together just six maidens.

The lone specialist spinner, Lasith Embuldeniya, started off

well, but lost control of his lengths as the game wore on.

In a way, Sri Lanka were lucky they got the first five wickets with just 41 mistakes induced in the first 61.1 overs of the day. Rohit Sharma looked ominous, charging to 29 off 28, but found long leg with a third attempted pull to the boundary in the same Kumara over. He clearly fancies himself against the short ball, but, since April 2018, he has been out to the pull or the hook seven times at an average of 27.4.

Embuldeniya then managed to get past the inside edge of Mayank Agarwal, another heavy scorer in Indian conditions when he gets in.

And he had got in with 33 off 49.

What Embuldeniya did present was a sense of threat on a pitch that had a clear, differently-watered dry area on a spinners’ full length. He

got some drift, pitched right at the start of that full area, and the ball would either turn or go straight on because of the rougher surface.

In the same over, Emduldeniya drew a leading edge from Kohli too.

This, though, would be the last time in a while that Sri Lanka would see a mistake from the batters.

Vihari, replacing Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3, had already got himself set. Vihari and Kohli added 90 from 25.5 overs for the third wicket, without having to strain themselves. They did nothing more than keep the good balls out and score off the bad ones. That they could score at 3.6 an over tells you the proportion of good balls was low.

In the middle of the second session though, Embuldeniya did Kohli in with his trajectory. It was a

flatter delivery, which made Kohli go back, but it still pitched full, about a foot inside the dry patch. It now had the time to turn past Kohli’s bat, but not past the off stump.

A remarkable crowd that turned up on two days’ notice was left as stunned as Kohli, who walked off, along with unfulfilled hopes of a 28th Test hundred.

Vihari effortlessly made his way to 50 in 93 balls, but in the one period of credit to Sri Lanka’s bowling as a unit, they pushed him into a spell wherein he could score just eight off the next 35 balls.

So, for the first time, they forced batters to take risks to score.

On the first occasion, a catch was dropped off what turned out to be a no-ball. On the second, Vishwa Fernando managed to get a chopon, making it 175 for 4.

Pant came out to bat ahead of Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane’s replacement. Iyer, too, managed a start, but fell to Dhananjaya de Silva’s part-time offspin. Now, check Pant’s presence: a team that had just taken two wickets for five runs had three men on the leg-side fence.

If you can scare the opposition into having defensive fields as soon as you walk in, there are quite a few easy runs to be taken.

That’s what Pant did in the early parts of his innings, never mind the one huge six and one lofted cover drive off Suranga Lakmal early on. They were happy to give him

singles, he was happy to pick up singles.

Pant was on an even 50 with five overs to go to the second new ball when he launched an all-out assault on the spinners.

Embuldeniya was the first to cop it: six over midwicket, six over wide long-on, punch through the covers, late cut, and he had taken 22 off the 76th over. de Silva is supposed to turn it away, but it didn’t matter, as he took 10 off three balls in the 77th over.

Within 10 minutes, Sri Lanka had gone from “hang on, what if we get a couple of quick wickets?” to looking completely listless. The idea seemed for Pant to get to his hundred before the new ball, but he didn’t get enough strike to be

able to do so.

When the new ball did arrive, though, Lakmal kissed the top of his off stump from over the wicket.

Pant went down on his haunches, and took an age to get back up. He is now behind only Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar as Indians with dismissals in their 90s, and this one would have hurt the most, because he got out trying to defend.

There is always solace if he gets out in the 90s trying to hit a six, for that is the facet of his game he backs more.

Immediately at the other end, Ravindra Jadeja consoled him and applauded him: it was the 96 that he scored that mattered more than the four he didn’t. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

INDIA 1ST INNINGS Mayank Agarwal lbw b Embuldeniya 33 Rohit Sharma (c) c Lakmal b Kumara 29 Hanuma Vihari b Fernando 58 Virat Kohli b Embuldeniya 45 Rishabh Pant † b Lakmal 96 Shreyas Iyer lbw b de Silva 27 Ravindra Jadeja not out 45 Ravichandran Ashwin not out 10 Extras (lb 5, nb 9) 14 TOTAL (85 Ov, RR: 4.20) 357/6 Yet to bat: Jayant Yadav, Mohammed Shami,

Jasprit Bumrah Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Rohit Sharma, 9.5 ov), 2-80 (Mayank Agarwal, 18.3 ov), 3-170 (Virat Kohli, 43.3 ov), 4-175 (Hanuma Vihari, 46.3 ov), 5-228 (Shreyas Iyer, 61.1 ov), 6-332 (Rishabh Pant, 80.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Suranga Lakmal 16-1-63-1 Vishwa Fernando 16-1-69-1 Lahiru Kumara 10.5-1-52-1 Lasith Embuldeniya 28-2-107-2 Dhananjaya de Silva 11-1-47-1 Charith Asalanka 3.1-0-14-0

Australia’s legendary legspinner Shane Warne dies aged 52

S

hane Warne, one of cricket’s all-time greats, has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand.

Warne, who was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, claimed 708 Test wickets in a 15-year career for Australia that spanned from 1992 to 2007, and was also an ODI World Cup winner in 1999.

According to his manager Michael Cohen, he died of a suspected heart attack.

“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa, and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” Cohen’s statement read. “The family requests privacy at this

time, and will provide further details in due course.”

According to Reuters, Thai Police said Warne and three other friends were staying in a private villa, and one of them went to inquire about him after the former cricketer did not turn up for dinner.

“The friend did CPR on him, and called an ambulance,” Chatchawin Nakmusik, an officer with the Bo Put Police in Koh Samui, told Reuters by phone. “An emergency response unit then arrived and did another CPR for 10-20 minutes.

Then an ambulance from the Thai International Hospital arrived and took him there. They did CPR for five minutes, and then he died.”

The Police did not know the cause of death, but were

not treating it as suspicious, Chatchawin said.

The shocking news comes hours after the death of another icon of Australian cricket, former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who had also suffered a heart attack earlier this week at the age of 74.

“Warney”, as he was known throughout the cricketing world, was without question one of the true icons of world cricket. He was a man who almost singlehandedly revived the art of legspin in the early 1990s.

Although luminaries such as Pakistan’s Abdul Qadir had kept the art alive, Warne brought a new glamour and attacking intent to legspin, with his bottle-blond hair allied to a keen tactical brain that he used to outfox a host of unwitting opponents in his pomp.

After an underwhelming debut against India in January 1992, when his solitary wicket came at a cost of 150 runs, Warne hinted at his full potential in bowling Australia to an unlikely victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo.

In his fifth appearance, he ripped out seven match-winning second-innings wickets against West Indies at his home ground of Melbourne in the 1992-93 Boxing Day Test.

However, it was the 1993 Ashes tour that truly cemented Warne’s legend. In the opening match of the series at Old Trafford, having been shielded from England’s batters during the preceding one-day series,

Warne’s first delivery left the sport dumbfounded as he served up the so-called “ball of the century” to Mike Gatting - a drifting, dipping, spitting legbreak that turned a full two feet from outside leg to hit the top of off.

Gatting was so confused that he did not initially realise he had been bowled, and in that moment, Warne exerted a hold over England’s batters that was so absolute that they would not come close to reclaiming the Ashes for another 12 years.

And even when they did, in the seismic summer of 2005, Warne’s fingers were the last to be prised from the urn, as he carried Australia’s attack with a careerbest haul of 40 wickets.

Away from the cricket field, Warne could not help but court controversy. He was rarely far from the front pages of the tabloids amid a string of revelations about his personal life. In 1995, both he and his then team-mate Mark Waugh were fined for giving information to an Indian bookmaker during the previous year’s tour of Sri Lanka.

In 2003, on the eve of that year’s 50-over World Cup, Warne was suspended from international cricket for a year after a banned diuretic was found during a routine drugs test. He claimed it had been given to him by his mother to help him lose weight.

However, though that setback might have ended lesser careers, the year away from the game arguably gave Warne an extra

lease of life going into his mid30s. He returned to action with four five-wicket hauls in a row to lead Australia to a memorable 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka in March 2004, and then played a quietly crucial role in their subsequent “final frontier” victory in India.

He retired from international cricket with typical showmanship in the 2006-07 Ashes, leaving the field arm-in-arm with his longterm bowling ally Glenn McGrath - a fellow great in one of the alltime great Test teams - after reclaiming the Ashes with a 5-0 whitewash (the first that Australia had inflicted on England since 1920-21).

Even at the age of 37, the Warne legend was not done.

In 2008, he was recruited by Rajasthan Royals to captain their franchise in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and duly delivered the title with 19 wickets at 21.26 in the course of the campaign.

Though he went wicketless in the final against Chennai Super Kings, he couldn’t be kept out of the action, as he and Sohail Tanvir sealed the victory with the bat in a thrilling final-over finish.

Prior to his IPL involvement, Warne had spent eight years (2000-2008) in county cricket with Hampshire, after being recruited as captain by his friend and England rival Robin Smith.

He claimed 276 first-class wickets at 25.59 in his time at the club, and later had a stand at the Ageas

Bowl named after him.

In retirement, Warne became a trenchant commentator, primarily for Fox Sports in Australia - ever insightful on tactical matters, if at times a touch bombastic. He also dabbled in professional poker, a card game that he said replicated the sort of mind-games that he had revelled in during his playing days. He became a fixture at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne and at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, where, in 2009, his deep run into the tournament meant that he arrived late for his commentary duties at that summer’s Ashes.

Tributes to Warne have poured in from the cricket world, from team-mates and rivals alike. Brian Lara, arguably the greatest batter to have faced Warne in his pomp, tweeted an image of a broken heart, adding: “Speechless at the moment. I literally don’t know how to sum up this situation. My friend is gone!! We have lost one of the Greatest Sportsmen of all time!! My condolences go out to his family. RIP Warnie!! You will be missed.”

Adam Gilchrist, Warne’s teammate in one of the greatest Test teams of all time, added: “Numb.

The highlight of my cricketing career was to keep wicket to Warnie. Best seat in the house to watch the maestro at work. Have often felt a tad selfish that Heals [Ian Healy] and I pretty much exclusively are the only ones who had that thrill and pleasure at Test level. Rip Warnie.” (ESPNcricinfo)

22

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Women’s 2022 ODI World Cup…

West Indies pull off massive opening-day upset - Devine’s 108 in vain as Matthews powers West Indies to win he 2022 Women’s ODI however cost 13, with Matthews stroking three fours. Matthews SCOREBOARD World Cup started with a big displayed her range with the first of many cuts, pulls, and back-foot

T

upset result on the opening night, as Hayley Matthews’ 118 trumped Sophie Devine’s 108, and Deandra Dottin stole the show when she picked up two wickets and played her part in a run-out in a manic last over, to consign hosts New Zealand to a shock three-run defeat.

The clincher, though, might have been Chinelle Henry’s return catch on her second attempt to dismiss Devine, with New Zealand needing 45 off 29. That helped her make amends - tellingly, as it turned out - for dropping Devine earlier in the night.

West Indies’ fielding Sophie Devine s w u n g between scored 108 excellent in vain and poor.

The count for shelled chances, five until that point, ended on six.

At one point, New Zealand needed just 24 off 17, with Jess Kerr and the experienced Katey Martin on course to avert an upset. The two picked 14 off the penultimate over to bring it down to a-run-a-ball in the final over.

Enter Dottin. The result: 1W1WW. Game: West Indies.

With that over, her only one in the game, Dottin somewhat stole Player of the Match Matthews’ thunder, but Matthews played a huge role with bat - she became the third West Indies woman to score an ODI World Cup century; and then, with the ball, she returned 2 for 41.

Matthews was promoted to open in the absence of Rashada Williams, who is recovering from a concussion.

After Devine opted to bowl, three fours from Dottin in the opening over set West Indies’ campaign rolling. Their first four-scoring shots were all boundaries, with Matthews driving a full-toss past cover for her first runs.

Lea Tahuhu, the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with 3 for 57, struck Deandra Dottin back by taking Dottin’s wicket with sealed the final over for West Indies the first ball of her second over, which

punches that adorned her century, the first by a West Indies woman in an ODI in New Zealand.

Along the way, she strung fifty-plus stands with Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle and Chedean Nation.

Apart from the Kerrs - Amelia and Jess - and Hannah Rowe, all the other New Zealand bowlers came in for punishment from Matthews. She was particularly aggressive against 17-year-old Fran Jonas, New Zealand’s second-youngest ODI World Cup debutant, and reached her ODI fifty off just 55 balls, soon after which West Indies lost Taylor for 30.

Campbelle joined Matthews in the middle for the rebuild, as she transferred her reliance from boundaries to strike rotation. In the 29th over, she upped the offensive again, clubbing Jonas for two fours in the first two balls of the 11-run over. In all, she struck 16 fours and a six off Devine. Her century came off a scamper for two.

After Matthews fell, Anisa Mohammed’s six-ball 11 in the end lifted West Indies to their third-highest ODI World Cup total.

New Zealand had never successfully chased more than 208 in an ODI World Cup, and their chase began on a wobbly note. A deflection by bowler Henry off a Devine straight drive ended Suzie Bates’ six-ball innings in the fourth over. West Indies then frustrated Devine and Amelia Kerr with an off-side-heavy field, and backed it up with a persistent outside-theoff-stump line and terrific discipline on t h e outfield.

The home side managed only 41 for 1, as opposed to West Indies’ 54 for 2, in the first powerplay.

Matthews followed up her success with the bat with a key strike off just her second delivery.

Bowling with a tweaked left hamstring and Kinesio taped-up right arm, she trapped the in-form Amelia lbw in the 12th over for what was the batter’s first score below 30 in six ODIs. New Zealand reached 114 for 2 at the halfway mark, and needed 146 off their final 25 overs. A slew of let-offs helped them at that stage. First, a run-parched Devine powered Aaliyah Alleyne to Shamilia Connell at mid-on, only to be dropped when on 36. She then gritted out a tough phase with a 76 stand with Amy Satterthwaite, and reached her fifty in 70 balls, her first in ODIs since October 2020.

In the 24th over, Hayley Matthews three balls after coming bagged two wickets in as the injured and scored a century

WEST INDIES WOMEN INNINGS (50 OVERS MAXIMUM) Deandra Dottin c JM Kerr b Tahuhu 12 Hayley Matthews c Rowe b JM Kerr 119 Kycia Knight c Jonas b JM Kerr 5 Stafanie Taylor (c) c †Martin b Tahuhu 30 Shemaine Campbelle † lbw b AC Kerr 20 Chedean Nation c †Martin b Tahuhu 36 Chinelle Henry c Green b Rowe 8 Aaliyah Alleyne run out (Rowe/ JM Kerr) 2 Shamilia Connell not out 4 Anisa Mohammed run out (AC Kerr/†Martin) 11 Extras (lb 3, w 9) 12 TOTAL (50 Ov, RR: 5.18, 201 Mts) 259/9 Did not bat: Shakera Selman Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Deandra Dottin, 2.1 ov), 2-39 (Kycia Knight, 5.1 ov), 3-105 (Stafanie Taylor, 21.2 ov), 4-165 (Shemaine Campbelle, 33.5 ov), 5-220 (Hayley Matthews, 44.3 ov), 6-234 (Chinelle Henry, 46.4 ov), 7-243 (Chedean Nation, 47.4 ov), 8-246 (Aaliyah Alleyne, 48.4 ov), 9-259 (Anisa Mohammed, 49.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Lea Tahuhu 9-0-57-3 Jess Kerr 10-0-43-2 Hannah Rowe 9-0-51-1 Sophie Devine 6-0-33-0 Amelia Kerr 10-1-33-1 Fran Jonas 6-0-39-0

NEW ZEALAND WOMEN INNINGS (TARGET: 260 RUNS FROM 50 OVERS) Suzie Bates run out (Henry) 3 Sophie Devine (c) c & b Henry 108 Amelia Kerr lbw b Matthews 13 Amy Satterthwaite lbw b Mohammed 31 Lea Tahuhu b Mohammed 6 Maddy Green c Taylor b Selman 9 Brooke Halliday c Mohammed b Matthews 3 Katey Martin † lbw b Dottin 44 Jess Kerr c Henry b Dottin 25 Hannah Rowe not out 1 Fran Jonas run out (†Campbelle/ Dottin) 0 Extras (lb 5, nb 2, w 6) 13 TOTAL (49.5 Ov, RR: 5.13, 218 Mts) 256 Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Suzie Bates, 3.2 ov), 2-47 (Amelia Kerr, 11.2 ov), 3-123 (Amy Satterthwaite, 27.6 ov), 4-131 (Lea Tahuhu, 29.1 ov), 5-152 (Maddy Green, 32.5 ov), 6-162 (Brooke Halliday, 34.4 ov), 7-215 (Sophie Devine, 44.1 ov), 8-255 (Katey Martin, 49.2 ov), 9-256 (Jess Kerr, 49.4 ov), 10-256 (Fran Jonas, 49.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Shamilia Connell 5-0-25-0 Chinelle Henry 10-1-53-1 Aaliyah Alleyne 7-0-33-0 Hayley Matthews 10-1-41-2 Shakera Selman 7-0-37-1 Anisa Mohammed 10-0-60-2 Deandra Dottin 0.5-0-2-2

Connell’s substitute, Cherry-Ann Fraser handed Satterthwaite a lifeline when on 22 off Mohammed. The veteran offspinner, however, eventually trapped Satterthwaite lbw, becoming the first spinner to pick 300 wickets in international cricket.

Mohammed took out Tahuhu next ball, but was unable to bag a hat-trick.

On 66, Devine received a second reprieve when Taylor, stationed at midwicket, couldn’t hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end. On 74, it was Henry’s turn to shell another chance off Devine, who reached her 3000th ODI run when she moved to 82.

New Zealand needed 66 off the last ten overs. Nine of those Devine scored. Her hundred, second in ODI World Cups and sixth in the format, was all determination and patience, but it wasn’t enough on the night. (ESPNcricinfo)

WI President’s 11 vs England: warm-up match…

Warne shock overshadows final day - as Wood and Stokes boost England’s Test hopes

T

he image that summed up a confused and subdued day at Coolidge Cricket Ground was the sight of injurydoubt Mark Wood warming up to bowl at lunchtime as captain Joe Root spoke to the media about Shane Warne’s unexpected death on the boundary’s edge.

Things that matter, and you know things that actually matter. “We’re just really shocked and sad to hear that such a legend of the game has passed so suddenly,” Root said.

“We had just started the game, and it sort of filtered through the dressing room. It’s been quite a quiet dressing room off the back of it. It’s hit everyone quite hard, if I’m being brutally honest.”

The news dramatically overshadowed the start of the day’s play as an already diminishing contest finally broke from its illusion of being a competitive fixture and was replaced by the reality of a practice session.

Resuming on 77 for 3, England batted a further 17

overs and cantered along at almost a run a ball, with Dan Lawrence slashing his way to 48 off 42. When Lawrence’s fun came to an end, it was Craig Overton, batting at #6, who replaced him in the middle. It was a day to make sure that everyone got a go.

England will be pleased, therefore, that Ben Foakes gained some time in the middle, as he scored 43 not out. It means that, of England’s top eight, only Ben Stokes hasn’t spent any substantial time batting going into the first Test, with five of the likely starting XI having passed 50 in the match, and both Foakes and Chris Woakes registering unbeaten 40s.

As England declared on 164 for 4 and set the President’s XI a notional 366 to win, eyes turned to whether Wood and Stokes would be able to bowl.

Speaking at the close of play yesterday, interim head coach Paul Collingwood said Stokes had done “everything possible” to be fit to bowl in Tuesday’s first Test, and that

there was a chance he could “play a small part” with the ball next week in Antigua. A marked improvement from earlier in the match, when word had been that any bowling Stokes would do in this game would be solely focused on preparing for the second Test.

The temptation for England to bowl Stokes next week would have only increased after his showing here, as he claimed a wicket with his very first ball, before clean bowling Shane Dowrich in his following over. Stokes with the ball is currently the late-night kebab of England’s selection dilemmas as they seek to balance shortterm reward with the risk of long-term damage.

Having undertaken precautionary blood tests yesterday, it was announced at the start of the day’s play that Wood would be fit to take the field, and he impressed with the ball, as he managed nine overs across the day, all of which were of good pace, as he was able to extract life from a surface that was the

England players and staff observe a moment’s silence in memory of Shane Warne during day four of the tour match (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

very epitome of “docile”.

Whether England will deem it sufficient preparation for Wood to be included in the XI for the first Test, however, is another question altogether.

Amidst the breaking of bad news and managed bowling loads, a game of sorts did reach a conclusion, as the President’s XI batted out the remainder of the day to finish on 123 for 7, with Overton being the other contributor

of note with the ball, finishing with 2 for 12 from his eight overs.

In all, it has been a useful exercise for England. Batters have batted and bowlers have bowled against a morethan- competent opposition.

And while the pitch being as docile (ibid) as it was was without doubt a considerable downside, overall, it was a positive start to Operation Red-Ball Reset. (ESPNcricinfo)

CLASSIFIED ADS CAYMAN ISLANDS EMPLOYMENT

Upholsterers and Drapery Makers/ Seamstresses NEEDED! Applicants should possess 5 years' experience.

Statutory benefits Inquiries: trimworksttd@outlook.com 1-345929-4038

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

RHT Namilco Thunderbolt Flour teams launch third edition of Basil Butcher Trust Fund - Butcher family supports

T

he Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) form of bicycles, educational materials, cricket gear, sports equipNamilco Thunderbolt Flour First Division Team, along ment, clothing, footwear, and educational grants. with their Under-21 counterparts, have launched the third The fund has also contributed office equipment, stationery edition of the Basil Butcher Trust Fund at a simand medical items among other things to several public instituple ceremony held at the Area H Ground on the tions. Thousands of food hampers have, moreover, been distribCorentyne in East Berbice. uted across Berbice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and flooding crises.

Since 2020, these teams have been hosting the trust fund in memory of the legendary Test player, RHTY&SC Asst Secretary/CEO Jonathan who died in December 2019 in the USA after a Rampersaud has urged the recipiperiod of illness. ents to take care of the bicycles, and The teams handed over three bicycles valued also to always promote the legacy of at $70,000 to two under-17 players and a single the late Basil Butcher. He expressed gratiparent mother of three. tude to the family of the late legend with special At that handing over ceremony, Club mention being made of Blossom, Bruce and Basil Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated Butcher Jnr. that the cycles were sponsored by three The late Basil Butcher had played 44 Test matchchildren of Basil Butcher, and this is es for the West Indies between 1958 and 1968, and had the start of several projects in 2022 unscored 3104 runs at an average of 43.11, with seven cender the trust fund. turies and sixteen half centuries.

Among the other projects planned Butcher was also a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in under the trust fund are the distribu1970, and later played a great role in the development tion of more bicycles, school bags, school uniforms, edof the game in Linden, where he captained the First Division team for a very long time. ucational grants, food hampers, and the hosting of He had also served on the several award programmes for youths, Police officers, and medical workers, among others.

Guyana Cricket Board Foster, who is also President of the Berbice as a Vice President Cricket Board, disclosed that hundreds of youths and as Chairman of the have, over the last two years, benWest Indies Selection efited from the trust fund in the Committee. For many years, The late Basil Butcher

The three recipients pose with their bicycles after the presentation

Butcher also gave back to the game via a Basil Butcher Cricket Fund, which provided gear to young cricketers. One of the players who benefited from Butcher’s kindness is current West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer.

The RHT Namilco Thunderbolt Flour teams are sponsored by the National Milling Company (NAMILCO), and among the players are Kelvin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud, Slyus Tyndall, Eon Hooper, Delbert Hicks, Keith Simpson, Mahendra Gopilall, Jeremy Sandia and Chanderpaul Govindan.

Bank of Baroda Golf Tournament to be played today …Bank MD Arun Gupta happy to sponsor tournament

T

Bank of Baroda Managing Director Arun Gupta

LGC VP Paton George

West Meten-Meer-Zorg CC congratulates WDCA on election

T

he West Meten-MeerZorg Cricket Club takes this opportunity to congratulate the new executive body of the West Demerara Cricket Association, elected on 2nd March, 2022 at the Uitvlugt Community Centre.

Our club would also like to recognise former MetenMeer-Zorg Captain and past president Azeem Khan, aka Troy Khan, who was elected president of the association, and present member of our Club, Feroze Barakat, who was elected Secretary of the Association.

We are fully supportive of the new board, and (are) looking forward to working with all for a better West Demerara Cricket Association.

According to Club Captain Jarmin Maxwell, “We were deprived of our cricketing rights for almost ten years, and this New Association board is fully aware of that, which I will advise them not to thread the same path; rather, to be open and trans-

he Lusignan Golf Club and the Bank of Baroda are partnering yet again to stage the highly anticipated Bank of Baroda Golf Tournament today from 12:30h. Both LGC Vice President Paton George and Bank of Baroda Managing Director Arun Gupta have expressed excitement as the third edition of this tournament commences.

In a statement, the Bank of Baroda’s Managing Director Arun Gupta has said, "Thanks a lot to the Lusignan management team for allowing us to sponsor another tournament. In the current financial year, we are sponsoring the third tournament, and we are very happy. This game has been a fantastic game, and the club has done very well with the game, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. I wish this tournament all the success, and all the people that will come much success."

Sharing his sentiments on this development, LGC Vice President Paton George has s a i d the Bank of Baroda is becoming a part of the setup of growth and development of the Lusignan Golf Club. He related that the club’s main aim, with the help of Bank of Baroda, is to make the game of golf a more inclusive

sport for everyone.

Acting on the widely held belief that golf is not just for the elite, but more so for everyone, the LGC VP further divulged that with Bank of Baroda on board, this would allow the game to be grown and taken to another level.

The format of today’s event will be medal play 18 holes net scores shotgun start. It will consist of three flights – players with 9 and under handicap, 10-18 handicap, and 19-36 handicap. Up for grabs will be prizes for first, second and third place, best net in each flight, best overall net, best gross, nearest to the Flag, and Longest Drive.

All prizes would include trophies and vouchers.

William Walker walked away with top honours in 2019, but with Walker not participating in 2022, a new champion will be crowned today.

All COVID-19 protocols would be in effect.

DCB Premier Insurance U-15 Inter-Association cricket…

Mohabir's half-century propels GT to win over West Demerara Newly-elected President of West Demerara Cricket Association, Azeem Khan

parent to all Clubs.”

Azeem Khan is now the second President to be elected ever since, for the West Meten-Meer-Zorg Cricket Club. It is said that he has followed the footsteps of former President Shabir Hussain.

We, the club members, are delighted to have this change, and we welcome them in their positions as we look forward to working along with them.

M

Danesh Persaud and Joshua Charles

ohabir’s half century and being well supported by bowling from Persaud and left-hand spinner Charles helped Georgetown U15 to defeat West Demerara at the Demerara Cricket Club

ground in Queenstown, Georgetown.

Skipper Dave Mohabir batted with confidence as he helped his team reach the victorious total of 124 for 4 from their reduced 25 overs due to early show-

Dave Mohabir

ers. The rain did not stop the Georgetown players from shining, as the skipper was well supported by Kishan Silas who chipped in with 23 and Emanuel Lewis who contributed 11. Permeshwar Ram and

Shaker Lall were the bowlers who each managed to grab one wicket.

Lall returned with the bat and tried to take his team to their target, but fell for 12, although being the lone batter to reach double figures. The team fell for an insufficient 60 for 4 from their 25 overs.

Spinner Danesh Persaud claimed 2 for 11, while Joshua Charles collected 2 for 2 and give the team a 64- run victory over the West Demerara U15 team.

In upcoming games, Georgetown will battle Upper Demerara while West Demerara will face East Bank.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022

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

Women’s 2022 ODI World Cup…

West Indies pull off massive openingday upset See story on page 22

- Devine’s 108 in vain as Matthews powers West Indies to win

Australia’s legendary legspinner Shane Page 21 Warne dies aged 52

62nd Caribbean Seniors Table Tennis Championships…

Team Guyana secures bronze T

he action in the teams’ section of the 62nd Caribbean Seniors Championships saw Team Guyana’s men and women bow out in the semifinal stage of the tournament, automatically securing a bronze medal as both teams lost 3-1 to their respective opponents.

The female team consisted of Chelsea Edghill, Priscilla Greaves and Natalie Cummings, while the male team consisted of Shamar Britton, Jonathan Van Lange and Christopher Franklin.

Semifinal action The ladies were the first to take the fight to the mighty Cubans, but while they did play their hearts out, they could not withstand the fiery intensity brought by their opponents. Cuba was able to win 3-1.

Chelsea Edghill was the only winner in her group, as she won the first game against Idalys Lovet 3-1 (118, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7). Natalie Cummings and Priscilla Greaves were unable to win their matches despite Guyana having the lead in the opening game, as they lost 3-0. When Edghill returned to the action, she needed to win, but lost 3-0

Edwards. The rounds flew quickly as Edghill won 11-3, 11-8, 11-4. Natalie Cummings lost to Rheann Chung 3-1.

Cummings lost 13-11, 11-8, 11-6 despite winning only one game 11-8. Priscilla Greaves also lost to Chloe Fraser 3-0, the scores read 11-4, 11-9, 119.

Trinidad had the upper hand, but the Guyanese contingent bounced back when Chelsea Edghill and Natalie Cummings bagged the other two games 3-0.

Men’s team quarterfinal The men also booked their spot in the semifinal after a hard-fought win over Barbados 3-2. After winning one against Haiti, they lost the other to Cuba.

In match one, Christopher Franklin was dispatched 3-0

by Tyrese Knight. He lost 119, 11-8, 11-6. Shamar Britton then bagged the next game for Guyana 3-0 over Kevin Farley, as he won 11-6, 11-6, 12-10.

Jonathan Van Lange then recorded Guyana’s second win 3-2 as the youngster won his games 11-8, 11-8, 11-2, despite losing two games 11-6 and 11-9.

The Barbadians levelled things when Knight defeated Britton 3-1 (11-7, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8), but Franklin held on for the win over Farley 3-0 (12-10, 11-7, 11-6).

The players will now turn their attention to the singles category of the event, which will commence today.

Priscilla Greaves, Chelsea Edghill, Coach Idi Lewis and Natalie Cummings

to Karia Perez to halt the ladies’ journey.

The fortunes of the men patterned those of their lady counterparts, as they lost 3-1 to Puerto Rico. Christopher Franklin opened the game for Guyana and lost 3-0 to Oscar Birriel. Shamar Britton then gave the team some hope with a win of the second game 3-0 to level the score, as he defeated Richard Pietri. While the men did put up a good fight, the Puerto Ricans were in it to win it, as they made light

work of Jonathan Van Lange and Britton and Franklin who played the other games.

Women’s team quarterfinal After losing out to Puerto Rico 3-0, the women’s team bounced back with a hardfought win over Trinidad and Tobago to book their spot in the semifinal. Their victory did not come easy, as they pipped Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 to bag second place.

In match one, Chelsea Edghill won 3-0 over Imani

Christopher Franklin, Jonathan Van Lange, Coach Idi Lewis, Miguel Wong and Shamar Britton

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.