Guyana Times -- Tuesday, January 11, 2022

11 “Get Pvaccinated”– vaccinated” – Health Minister urges teachers, eligible students

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…Guyana to send samples to T&T to test for Omicron variant Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4886

THE BEACON OF TRUTH TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

Commonwealth Secretary General in Guyana with high-level team Page 3

Commonwealth SG Baroness Patricia Scotland (left) and President Dr Irfaan Ali meeting on Monday

PRICE

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: Millions owed in taxes

Georgetown Mayor wants trade-off with P7 GRA

$12M worth of ganja found on Berbice seawall P11

…President Ali holds bilateral talks

Govt keeping close eye on delinquent contractors – Edghill

P10 "Bullet" remanded to prison for Region 1 double murder

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…as delayed works on Leguan, Bartica Stellings to be completed in 2022/2023

Guyana wants a Thousands of PPEs strong partnership donated to schools with Brazil — by SEWA President Ali tells Brazil's President Page 14

…President Jair Bolsonaro to visit Guyana this month Page 7

‘Isolation day’ strike by GTU

Page 11 Story on pages 12&13

School headed by GTU’s President …majority of teachers fully staffed countrywide turned out for class

Barriers on P11 new Mocha-toDiamond bypass road damaged No new COVID-19 deaths, 438 new cases, 8 in ICU …over 6000 in home isolation

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Region 4 woman, Region 1 man crushed to death P15

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Tuesday, Jan 11 – 00:30h – 02:00h and Wednesday, Jan 12 – 01:00h – 02:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, Jan 11 – 11:25h – 12:55h and Wednesday, Jan 12 – 12:25h – 13:55h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be sunshine during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 11:25h reaching a maximum height of 2.22 metres.

Low Tide: 17:29h reaching a minimum height of 1.01 metre.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

01 05 09

20 23 26

FREE TICKET

12 Bonus Ball

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022

DAILY MILLIONS

17 19 21 22 24 LUCKY 3

4

4

0

6

Afternoon Draw

3

2

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

05 10 12 13 15 18 20 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2022

01 07 08 11 12 13

08 09 11 18 19

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7 Afternoon Draw

FP Afternoon Draw

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1 Evening Draw

2X 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

$80.87/barrel

Rough Rice

$261.23/ton

-0.43

London Sugar

$485.80/ton

-0.06

Live Spot Gold

-1.09

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1804.80

$1805.80

Low/High Change

$1789.80 +3.20

$1805.90 +0.18%

Commonwealth Secretary General in Guyana with high-level team …President Ali holds bilateral talks

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ollowing up on previous meetings at the United Nations COP26 last year, President Dr Irfaan Ali and senior members of his Cabinet on Monday met with a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by its Secretary General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, QC, for bilateral talks.

The meeting, which was held at the Office of the President, also had in attendance Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond.

The Commonwealth delegation, meanwhile, featured Director and Head of the SG’s Office, Deborah Jamieson; Senior Director, Governance and Peace Directorate, Professor Luis Franceschi; Assistant Research Officer of the SG’s Office, Francis Wanjiku and Assistant Research Officer of the Governance and Peace Directorate, Fayola Fraser.

Prior to Monday’s meeting, President Ali had met the Secretary General in Glasgow, Scotland, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP) 26 in November of last year.

The Commonwealth of Nations, generally known simply as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 54 member states including Guyana, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire.

The Commonwealth itself was very vocal during Guyana’s months-long election controversy back in 2020, when the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government refused to relinquish power without a fight despite losing the elections.

The Commonwealth was among the international organisations who would bring pressure to bear on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to use the figures emanating from the National Recount to make a final declaration of the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

In fact, Baroness Scotland herself issued the call for all stakeholders and political actors to accept the lawful results, also en-

dorsing the July 9 missive from then Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who had called on all stakeholders to respect the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Guyana’s final court of appeal.

“I urge all political actors and stakeholders in Guyana to accept and respect the results of the National Recount and ensure that their words and actions promote an environment of peace, harmony and social cohesion among all Guyanese,” she

had said in a statement.

Baroness Scotland had referred to Guyana as a much-loved and valued member of the Commonwealth. As such, on behalf of the entire Commonwealth family, she strongly encouraged the Elections Commission to follow the directions given by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and decisively conclude the March 2, 2020 elections based on the results of the National Recount.

Moreover, the Commonwealth SG had pointed out that Guyana’s destiny as a great nation rests on the shoulders of

those men and women who are duty-bound to make the right decision. This, she asserted, includes respecting the will of the people and the rule of law, and being ready to place the country before personal ambitions.

“The will of the people as expressed in the 2 March 2020 General and Regional Elections must be respected for democracy to prevail in Guyana.

The Commonwealth calls all leaders to be faithful to the common good, so that Guyana’s future may truly be forged today,” Baroness Scotland had stated.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 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

Contractors and substandard works

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ublic Works Minister Juan Edghill has again warned contractors about their delinquency in completing contracts, to the detriment of Guyanese.

We agree with Edghill that even as legislative frameworks are being advanced, those contractors who take advantage of the lack of legislation to blacklist them should be closely monitored.

To quote the Minister: “While there is no legislation, we are keeping a very clear eye out on nonperforming contractors, contractors who lack the capability or who do shoddy works because we want to ensure that our record is clear…”

Last year during the signing-off of some 199 contracts valued almost $14 billion, the Finance Minister called for a “close eye” to be kept on contractors.

The warning by Dr Ashni Singh came even as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration was still uncovering some of the inherited governmental infrastructure that one of his colleague Ministers refers to as a “rotting and … decayed” system.

Additionally, the cautionary notice by Singh that he will be visiting some of these sites “personally” is laudable.

Over the years under the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), the quality of work that was carried out by some contractors engaged in public infrastructure projects was unbelievable, and most of those works cost the treasury millions of dollars. All around the country, one can point to numerous examples of substandard work for which contractors were paid huge sums. In fact, in some cases, they were even overpaid.

As this publication has said, time and time again, in many cases, very little action was taken by the APNU/AFC Administration against those errant contractors for not meeting their contractual obligations, resulting in them walking scot-free. In fact, some persons would even be shocked to learn that these same persons who have done poor work or left work uncompleted were awarded additional contracts.

Year after year, the Auditor General would highlight numerous examples of substandard or incomplete work in construction projects across the country – whether they be schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, etc.

The Auditor General, on more than one occasion, pointed to instances where projects were uncompleted or left abandoned, even though contractors were already paid huge sums to do a proper job. Many had asked what actions were being taken against these contractors by the then APNU/AFC Government to recoup those sums of money, or what sort of systems had been put in place to ensure those contracting firms were debarred from bidding for future projects.

At several past sittings of the then Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and regional officials, to address several irregularities, it was pointed out that sums of money were overpaid to contractors in mobilisation fees – which is a fraction of the contractual cost that is paid to the contractor to get his/her equipment to the site where the project is to be implemented. In some cases, sums of money over the standard or required amount were paid to the contractor, and the works were still not completed.

This certainly is unacceptable. And while taxpayers had previously used different forums to complain, the relevant agencies had a duty to ensure that public monies were well spent and properly accounted for.

Prior to APNU/AFC demitting office, the then Public Infrastructure Ministry, which is now the Public Works Ministry, had said it was in the process of establishing a database which would keep a record of the number of projects awarded to local contractors, and their performance in respect to each. It would also be helpful if procuring entities keep proper records of the performance of companies in regard to projects awarded. This could be used as an effective measure to better inform the process for selecting competent contractors to handle Government projects.

One had hoped that the relevant mechanisms would have been put in place with the aim of ensuring those lapses are corrected.

The Public Works Ministry, under its new leadership, now needs to re-examine and implement effective measures to keep those contractors accountable, so that contractors who are consistently delinquent could face the requisite level of debarment. A contractor found to have a record of producing poor and incomplete work cannot, and should not, be awarded additional contracts. Such strict enforcement is needed to curb the unacceptable trend of substandard work.

Members of the Edo Firemen Preservation Association perform Japanese traditional firefighting techniques during the New Year's fire brigades exercise in Tokyo (AFP photo)

Omicron represents a new kind of epidemic – we must keep up

By Emma Thomson

S

ince Omicron first emerged in late November, teams of scientists in the UK and beyond have been racing to understand it. The results so far suggest that this new variant is producing a very different epidemic – which may mean that our approach to it needs to change too.

Omicron immediately caused concern in the scientific community because it had 50 mutations compared with the original virus, many of which were known to produce significant changes in other variants. These were focused on the spike protein, which sits on the virus particle and acts as the key to allow it to enter human cells.

With fellow scientists at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), I worked on a study that suggests such a vast shift in the structure of the spike is very likely to affect the protection we get from vaccines. We (and others) found that two doses of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were significantly less effective against Omicron than other variants. This might in part explain why it is more transmissible than some other variants, giv-

en all our licensed vaccines to date are based on raising immunity to the spike protein of the earliest variant of the virus that emerged in Wuhan in December 2019.

However, the response to three vaccines was markedly improved. Therefore, the UK’s strategy of ramping up the booster rollout after Omicron’s discovery was a good one, and will have had a huge impact on the number of severe cases presenting to hospitals in the coming weeks. Unfortunately this will not be enough to prevent the NHS coming under severe pressure as hospitalisations and deaths are still not fully decoupled from the large numbers of cases we are seeing in the UK. There is also the added pressure of staff shortages as a result of isolation following infection or exposure to infection. Meanwhile, people who are older or have underlying health conditions remain at a higher risk of se-

vere illness.

Those changes to the spike protein don’t just affect Omicron’s response to vaccines. One unexpected finding in our study and another study from Imperial College London was that Omicron has fundamentally changed the way it enters cells in the human body.

Early reports are also suggesting that Omicron may cause a slightly less severe illness, which may be related to this change in the life cycle of the virus.

We found that while previous variants enter human cells by fusing with the cell membrane, which may cause severe disease by allowing cell-to-cell transmission of the virus, Omicron is instead enveloped by the cell membrane inside a capsule which is then injected inside the cell. It has to escape from this capsule with the help of different proteins in the cell called cathepsins before it can divide and then

infect other cells.

These findings have now been confirmed by researchers from Imperial College London, who also went on to show that Omicron may preferentially infect cells in the nose and is less likely to infect lung cells. Further research will help us understand if we should upgrade our measures to prevent respiratory transmission of the virus as a result.

The best way to optimise our immunity against this new variant would most likely be vaccines aimed at Omicron (and other variants that have not yet evolved).

These would need to be tested in clinical trials and may be reserved for those most at risk given the expense and speed required to roll them out. Importantly, the finding that three doses of vaccine is far superior to two doses has bought us time.

The emergence of new variants, which will probably continue, means that Covid requires us to be nimble in our research and response to the virus – whatever form it takes in future.

(The Guardian) Emma Thomson is a professor in infectious diseases at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

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

Coalition politics and PNCR power struggle

Dear Editor, The sudden resignation of Simona Broomes from the PNCR party because of what she claims to be, the absence of “systems, and consultation” within the party, came at a testing time for the new PNCR leadership. This resignation would not help to alleviate the power struggle within the PNCR for control of the party’s apparatus. Mr Aubrey Norton was elected the new Leader of the PNCR to replace former President, Mr David Granger and he wants to replace Mr Joseph Harmon as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

But Mr Harmon, invoking constitutional principles, would not give up his position as Leader of the Opposition, and his recalcitrance is subtly supported by the AFC Leader, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan.

This is an untenable situation where a Leader of the Opposition is not a member of the PNCR Executive, and he would therefore not necessarily have access to executive decisions (unless Mr Harmon is co-opted to the executive), and this ugly situation could undermine the PNCR’s drive for responsive and responsible governance. Mr Norton has inherited a problem that he did not create. It is perplexing that a leader of a major political party, for example, has no real power over his party’s deliberations in Parliament. The PNCR has entangled itself in a web that they have

spun. The existing leadership crisis is a victim of coalition politics!

Mr Harmon says that he was elected by Opposition MPs to the position of Leader of the Opposition for the duration of the 12th Parliament, and further states that he is satisfied with his stewardship as well as with the performance of Opposition MPs. There are rules and procedures in place to remove members of Parliament. For example, the Opposition MPs could, through a vote of no confidence, remove Mr Harmon from that leadership position. Alternatively, Mr Harmon could be recalled by the Representative of the List, Mr David Granger.

As the Opposition Leader who was elected by APNU/AFC MPs, any attempt to remove Mr Harmon therefore must be made by the APNU/AFC Executive and not by the PNCR. The inter-relationships among the PNCR, AFC and smaller parties that constitute the APNU/ AFC coalition are governed by the protocols of the Cummingsburg Accord (with subsequent modifications). And the Leader of the APNU/AFC coalition is Mr David Granger while the General Secretary is Mr Joe Harmon. It is therefore the APNU/AFC Executive that must determine if Mr Harmon should step down as Opposition Leader and not the PNCR Executive. This situation is very tricky.

There are indications that if Mr Norton becomes Opposition Leader as well as the Representative of the APNU/AFC List that he may recall a few AFC MPs because he is not happy that Mr Granger allocated 8 parliamentary seats to AFC when their numerical voting strength at the 2020 polls plummeted to the equivalent of one seat.

In making those AFC appointments to Parliament, Mr Granger simultaneously ignored several PNCR members, like Mr Aubrey Norton, Mr James Bond, Ms Volda Lawrence, Mr Basil Williams, Ms Simona Broomes, Mr Ronald Bulkan and others for that position. They all played significant roles in the 2020 elections.

The AFC does not feel secure that Mr Norton would honour the arrangements (Cummingsburg Accord) made between the smaller parties and Mr Granger’s APNU. They fear that under pressure from the new PNCR Executive, Mr Norton would try to remove a few AFC MPs. For this reason, the AFC Leader, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan says that any decision cannot be unilateral as there are legal and constitutional constraints involved in any move to replace Mr Harmon with Mr Norton. Mr Ramjattan states that he is not taking sides but is just guided by the law and the constitution in this matter. He insists that any approval to replace Mr Harmon must be given by the APNU/AFC

body and not by the PNCR Executive.

If approval is given by APNU/AFC, then certain conditions are likely to be set in motion. The AFC will ensure that their MPs are protected; that the Cummingsburg Accord arrangements are observed; and that Mr Harmon gets a face-saving path out. There are strong feelings among many coalition members and supporters that while Mr Harmon’s leadership as Minister in the Office of the Presidency has not been inspiring, he had nevertheless worked assiduously, particularly during the 5-month post-election fiasco, to hold onto power tenaciously; not to mention his huge fund-raising efforts for the party. The party should not throw him to the curb.

Another amazing point relates to the Representative of the APNU/AFC List.

Mr Granger, although he is not part of the PNCR Executive, is the Representative of the APNU/AFC List and Mr Ramjattan is the Deputy.

If Mr Granger steps aside, then it logically follows that Mr Ramjattan takes this position, unless he agrees to make way for Mr Norton. In that case, Mr Norton must get the blessings of the APNU/AFC coalition. But there is another constitutional issue.

The Representative and Deputy are designated before an election and whether a replacement could happen after an election is

Adults must bear personal responsibility for their actions Dear Editor, We need to do more than request an isolation day. The time is now to heavily stress the importance of adults to bear personal responsibility for their actions as it relates to the management of the COVID pandemic. When schools were closed, a considerable number of adults, many of whom are parents, failed to realise that attending parties would endanger their children and other relatives. They failed to realise that sending their children to birthday parties can endanger them and even lead to the virus being brought home. They failed to realise that flooding the shopping malls with their children can lead to the spread of the virus. But now that schools are open, there is a sudden hue and a cry about their children’s safety when many of them have been expos-

ing their children carelessly through the pandemic.

This is a tough conversation to have but a very necessary one. We need to be adults about the issues that affect us, Editor, and call a spade a spade. If we as a nation can put our children first, curtail our attendance at unnecessary activities such as brunches and bar openings, the spread of this virus would be considerably decreased.

Another point to consider is the continued reluctance by almost half of the adult population to be at least fully vaccinated. The latest figure coming out of the Ministry of Health is that 58 per cent of Guyana’s adult population is fully inoculated. To achieve herd immunity at least 80 per cent of the adult population must be fully vaccinated.

Editor, vaccines are

available in this country for each adult Guyanese and adolescent child. Since the arrival of vaccines, there has been no complaint about the shortage of vaccines except for the hiccup regarding the delayed arrival of the Sputnik V second dose in 2021. But even during that shortage, other vaccines were available for persons who had not received any dose.

The science shows that taking any of the available vaccines is the best way we can offer ourselves some

type of protection against the serious effects of the virus if we were to be infected.

Guyanese must understand that the reluctance to be vaccinated coupled with the willingness to expose ourselves does not augur well for our children. Our recklessness towards this virus will lead to increased spread and will cause the disruption of education delivery; something we cannot afford at this point to encourage.

Yours truly, Maureen Matthews

not clear from RoPA. There is no clear succession plan for Representative of the List, apart from clinging to convention that the Representative should be replaced by the Deputy.

Also related is this: “Who will be the opposition chief scrutineer to replace Amna Ally?” Under the present arrangement, that person should be nominated by

the APNU/AFC Executive, or by the Leader or Deputy Leader of the List, and not by the PNCR Leader.

The ultimate challenge for the PNCR leadership is to provide Mr Joseph Harmon with a face-saving exit strategy.

Sincerely, Dr Tara Singh

Umbrella subsumed by majority party Dear Editor, It seems the umbrella is just a shell or paper organisation like some in it and the one wielding the power is the majority party, which comprises it.

So the majority party can invite those parties which left the umbrella to rejoin it. How can this be?

The umbrella has a structure, and it should be the one issuing the invitation, but it seems it has been

subsumed and its authority usurped by the majority party.

It has now come full circle, the majority party by any other name is still the same.

One of the parties which left the umbrella though, never really did so. It just stood aside and will be back in the fold.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄

Solving equations by multiplication and division

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efore you begin to solve equations by multiplication and subtraction, you should review some interesting things about numbers.

Division is the “opposite” of multiplication. Multiplication is the “opposite” of division. If you multiply an original number by a second number, and then divide the product by a second number, you are left with the original number. For example: 4 x 6 ÷ 6 = 4.

If you divide an original number by a second number, and then multiply the quotient by a second number, you are left with the original number. For example: 4 ÷ 2 x 2 = 4.

That works because division is the same as multiplying by a reciprocal.

By Lorna Goodison

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Her son was first made known to her as a sense of unease, a need to cry for little reasons and a metallic tide rising in her mouth each morning.

Such signs made her know That she was not alone in her body.

She carried him full term tight up under her heart.

n this fun and easy science experiment for kids, we’re going to see if we can use science to stop a strainer from straining.

She carried him like the poor carry hope, hope you get a break or a visa, hope one child go through and remember you. He had no father.

The man she made him with had more like him, he was fair-minded he treated all his children with equal and unbiased indifference.

She raise him twice, once as mother Then as father, set no ceiling On what he could be doctor, earth healer, pilot take wings.

But now he tells her he is working for you, that you value him so much you give him one whole submachine gun for him alone.

Examples:

4 x 6 ÷ 6 = 4 x (6 x (1 )/6 ) 6 x (1 )/6 = (6 )/6 = 1 4 ÷ 2 x 2 = 4 x ( (1 )/2 x 2) (1 )/2 x 2 = 2/2 = 1 You know that if you have a fraction with the same number in the numerator and denominator, the fraction is equal to 1. So (6 )/6 = 1, 2/2 = 1 and x/x = 1. (You do not even need to know the value of x!)

Remember….

In an equation, you need to treat both sides the same way. Whatever you do to one side, you must also do to the other side.

Exercises: Solve 1) 5x + 30 = 10

5) 28 + n = 14

2) 8m – 4 = 32

6) 9z + 36 = 45

3) 24 + 4p = 88

7) 7p – 4 = 29

4) 10b + 18 = 128

8) 3 + 9 = 2m

Cooking oil Small strainer Glass of water Bowl

Materials:

He says you are like a father to him she is wondering what kind of father would give a son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for bread.

She went downtown and bought three and one-third yards of black cloth and a deep crowned and veiled hat for the day he draw his bloody salary.

Instructions:

Pour some cooking oil in the bowl and slosh the strainer around until it is coated in oil.

Gently shake off the excess cooking oil.

Now slowly pour the water from the glass into the strainer.

The strainer should hold the water.

She has no power over you and this at the level of earth, what she has are prayers and a mother’s tears and at knee city she uses them.

She says psalms for him she reads psalms for you she weeps for his soul her eyewater covers you.

How it works:

Monday’s answers 1) x = 7

5) n = 6

2) y = 18

6) n = 5

3) 60 = x

7) p = 6

4) b = 3

8) 1 = m

The surface tension of the tiny drops of water is what keeps the water from slipping through the holes in the strainer. The oil also helps by coating the wire mesh, while also making the spaces between the wires a little bit smaller. This creates a very cool effect that have stopped the water from flowing through the strainer.

Make this a science project:

Try strainers with different sized holes.

Try dissolving salt or sugar in the water. Try different types of oils. Try different temperatures of water. (scienceisfun.org)

She is throwing a partner with Judas Iscariot’s mother the thief on the left-hand side of the cross, his mother is the banker, her draw though is first and last for she still throwing two hands as mother and father.

She is prepared, she is done.

Absalom. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)

Explain Lines 1-2 Summarise the poem What is the aim of the poet?

Discuss TWO devices used in this poem Describe the overall mood of this poem, citing evidence from the text Discuss with, examples from the text, how the poet uses allusion With evidence from the text, suggest another name for this poem

WORD SEARCH

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana wants a strong partnership with Brazil – President Ali tells Brazil's President …President Jair Bolsonaro to visit Guyana this month

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday told the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, that Guyana wants to have a very strong strategic partnership with its Portuguese-speaking neighbours.

The two leaders, who communicated via teleconference, also discussed the agenda for the expected visit of President Bolsonaro to Georgetown later this month.

“We have a number of important issues and opportunities for both Guyana and Brazil that I wanted to highlight even before our meeting, so our technical teams can start some work,” President Ali said.

According to the Office of the President’s Press and Publicity Unit, he listed several areas that are critical for both countries to move their relationship forward, including energy and food security, telecommunication, infrastructure integration and trade.

He also pointed out that due to their geographical locations, the nations must make strong state-

The teleconference between President Dr Irfaan Ali and President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro.

Also in photo are Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd

ments in linking their territories.

The Guyanese Head of State said that in addition to oil and gas, expanding opportunities in

the other non-oil natural resources sector such as bauxite will create an opportunity for a direct link to northern Brazil and the Atlantic

that can “create an excellent platform for us to develop an integrated project”.

As it relates to trade, currently,

there is an existing partial scope agreement that aims to foster bilateral trade flows by the exchange of tariff preferences between the two countries, cooperation on trade matters and increased participation of the Private Sector.

This, President Ali said, is currently under negotiation to be expanded since Guyana wants to increase its quota, especially as it relates to rice being exported to Brazil.

President Bolsonaro, via an interpreter, said that the agenda for discussion looks “very promising” and that he will ensure that technical staff from the relevant Ministries in Brazil travel for the State visit.

Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud and Permanent Secretary Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper were also at the Office of the President for the teleconference.

Millions owed in taxes

Georgetown Mayor wants trade-off with GRA Narine noted.

It is unclear if the Georgetown Mayor has formally written GRA to discuss this matter.

A report in late 2021 indicated that City Hall owes over $1 billion to GRA, the

Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine

M

ayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine wants to have millions in debt owed by the City Council to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) written off, in exchange for services which City Hall can provide to the tax revenue body.

While not revealing an exact figure, Mayor Narine confirmed that the Georgetown Mayor and City Council owes the GRA millions of dollars in taxes.

While reiterating the current state of the city’s finances, that is, it is strapped for cash, the Georgetown Mayor expressed hopes that he can discuss with the GRA a trade-off arrangement.

According to the Mayor, GRA is currently utilising the city’s property at

Lamaha Avenue for free.

He believes GRA can continue using it for free and in exchange, deduct monies owed by the City Council.

“The trainline on Lamaha Street, you know for a fact that GRA move their office there, I believe for the inspection of vehicles and before they had moved there, they had used that area for a parking lot. GRA never paid this Council a dime.”

“Now, if GRA had call us for a meeting and say now; ‘look we’ll use this plot of land but let us know how we can be able to do a setoff, I know the Mayor and City Council owe us and we would like to give the City Council this opportunity since we’ll occupy this said property or said land’…let us come to a decision and see how we can be able to do a set off,” Mayor Narine argued.

“But you keep banging on the City Council to pay all of these monies that we owe to your agencies but you are not seeing to pay us the

rightful revenue that you owe to us…where would the City Council get this kind of money from?” he added.

When asked, Mayor Narine said he believes the GRA was given permission to occupy the land by the Ministry of Public Works.

“What I have known, according to the asset register backdated since 1995/1996, the City Council had leased the Ministry of Public Works from Main Street to Camp Street, that portion there. I have seen that the current Minister, Minister Edghill, had claimed the entire reserve which I believe, he had given permission to GRA.” “…if the Minister give approval, the right thing for GRA to do is to engage the Mayor and City Council as well, because any structure, according to the building codes or the building bylaws in the city, you ought to get an approve plot from the City Council, a process and procedure ought to be followed, I don’t know if GRA had done such,” Mayor

National Insurance Scheme, and the Guyana Water Incorporated.

Only last week it was announced that the cashstrapped M&CC workers have benefited from a 10 per cent salary increase, five per

cent of which will be retroactive to January 2021 and five per cent would be paid from January 2022. This increase is applied to workers across the board.

Narine made the announcement.

8 NEWS “Get vaccinated” – Health Minister urges teachers, eligible students TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…Guyana to send samples to T&T to test for Omicron variant

T

he Health Ministry has selected 50 samples to send to the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to test whether the Omicron variant, a variant of the SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is in Guyana.

But with no laboratory confirmation, health officials already suspect that the highly contagious variant is here in light of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Last Saturday, Guyana reported a single-day spike of 1016 COVID-19 cases.

During Monday’s COVID-19 update, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said that the samples will be shipped out by the end of this week.

The results from the tests should be known within two to three weeks, the Health Minister added.

According to Dr Anthony, the samples were collected after December 28, 2021, when it was noticed that cases were rapidly increasing.

The Health Minister also addressed concerns about the Deltacron variant - a variant that is said to be a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants. He explained that more studies have to be done to determine if the variant can cause severe illness.

As it is, he said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has a system of classifying variants. There are three levels of classification: variants that the WHO is monitoring, those under investigation, and those that are of concern.

In light of this, Dr Anthony noted, “Every day you will probably have mutations with the coronavirus but that does not mean that it is a new variant of concern. Once it gets to a level of being a variant of concern, then we pay more attention to them but right now what we have seen is that this variant has just been discovered and they are now trying to figure out what are its characteristics”.

“Get vaccinated”

With some schools reopened for face-to-face classes, the Health Minister appealed to teachers and eligible students to get vaccinated against the deadly virus. Minister Anthony pointed out that there is still a number of teachers who are not vaccinated.

“So, if we want to have a safe environment we should encourage those teachers to get vaccinated. Without being vaccinated, they are putting themselves at risk for infection and not just in

have done that scientific evaluation, they felt that Pfizer can also be offered and therefore, we have adjusted the schedule to allow our staff to be able to give that Pfizer dose as a booster…,” Minister Anthony related.

Less hospitalisation

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

the schools, but in the community. If they have been fully vaccinated, I want to encourage them to get their booster doses.”

In relation to persons between 12 and 17 years old, he disclosed that just around 42.6 per cent of them have received the first

not been advised.

And with the vaccine only available in the United States, Dr Athony announced that Guyana is working closely with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to acquire bulk doses of the vaccine.

With doses of the sin-

dose of the US-made Pfizer vaccine. Considering this, he said, “These children, we need them to get at least a second dose. There is that possibility of them getting a booster dose.”

“There is a lot of work to be done in this age group to make sure that they are fully vaccinated. Parents need to encourage their children to get vaccinated. And secondly, teachers also need to encourage children to get vaccinated,” he added.

The Health Minister said that health officials are willing to go from school to school to administer the vaccine to children but teachers and the schools’ administration have to assist with getting parental consent. In the meantime, the Health Ministry is still working to procure a milder form of the Pfizer vaccine for those under 12 years.

While health personnel here believe that they can dilute the Pfizer vaccine appropriately for use in the lower age category, Minister Anthony noted that it has

gle-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine now limited, 25,000 doses are expected to arrive in Guyana this week through the COVAX facility.

Pfizer booster, Sputnik

On Monday, the Health Minister announced that persons who have been fully inoculated with the Russianmade Sputnik V vaccine can now take the Pfizer vaccine as their booster shot. This decision was made following a scientific evaluation.

Previously, persons who took Sputnik V as a primary vaccine were advised to take the Johnson and Johnson jab as a booster. Persons are therefore being encouraged to visit any of the vaccination sites countrywide to take the shot.

“Initially, when we looked at it, we thought that the most compatible would have been the J&J vaccine which helps to achieve two things; one to give people their booster doses and secondly, to travel… therefore, when the committee would

Despite the recent spike in coronavirus cases, there have been fewer persons requiring hospitalisation, the Health Minister reported.

He explained, “Our numbers are pretty okay. Of the 6000 active cases, a very few number [of persons] require hospitalisation. The ratio of persons infected with Omicron and the ratio of persons coming into the hospital… that ratio has gone down significantly.”

Notwithstanding, he cautioned, “But we still have to be mindful. Not many children who have

been infected have come into the hospital. And those who have come into the hospital have had other complications. But that is something we are monitoring.”

He said that the Omicron “behaves differently” from what has been observed with the Delta variant.

Once someone gets infected with the Delta variant, the Health Minister explained that the individual would develop a severe form of COVID-19 that requires hospitalisation, with death occurring from time to time.

Dr Anthony continued, “With Omicron, it is much different, persons who are infected would have the disease more in their nose, in their throat. It behaves more like an upper respiratory tract infection.

However, there are some people who have comorbidities who would become hospitalised and because of its contagiousness, it [Omicron] is affecting more people, so you would have more hospitalisation.” (G1)

Ain’t no silver bullet… …for COVID-19 We gotta be careful with the news coming from the war against COVID-19 front – in its latest mutant form, Omicron. It just confirms our worst suspicions – which aren’t really “suspicions” but facts –- that the effects of each of the original Wuhan/Chinese virus’ mutations are totally unpredictable. Delta was deadlier than Alpha while Omicron spreads faster than either Alpha or Delta – but APPEARS to have milder effects. Gamma? We’ll come back to that “appears” later.

The problem is – the way the virus mutates. And your Eyewitness has to once again dig deep into his memory banks for high-school biology classes – where his mind was more on the “birds and bees” stuff than mutating viruses!! But he remembers the elementary lesson that viruses aren’t really “living” since they can’t perform the seven functions of living things – including “reproduction”!

They’re bundles of DNA or RNA covered with a protein/fat layer. Whew!! How’d he remember that!!?

So they perpetuate themselves by entering our cells and commandeering their protein building blocks. With millions of replications their DNA/RNA copies are never exact and so produce proteins on the surface spikes different from the original. The COVID-19 surface protein spikes that do the damage to enter our cells are made up of 1273 protein fragments. So the Alpha had 24 spike mutations from the original Wuhan, the Delta, 30 and the Omicron, 37. Imagine the permutations and combinations available for its evolutionary survival. The ones that transmit most will “survive” and will keep on mutating!

So, will the virus never go away? In a word, “No!” After all, the original virus is estimated to’ve evolved with bats for millions of years!! As to whether it jumped species from bats to us through a “natural” mutation or in a lab experiment is only important for culpability purposes. The genie, so to speak, is out of the bottle and it ain’t going back in. All we have to work towards is creating enough vaccines to blunt the more deadly mutations and have “milder” forms become more dominant. To become something like the flu virus that doesn’t kill too many persons – unlike its deadliest version in 1918 that killed 50 million persons worldwide!! We haven’t reached five million yet with COVID-19.

And we return to the “appears” qualification for Omicron as being “milder” mentioned above. What we gotta find out is whether it appears “milder”, because such a significant percentage of various populations have been vaccinated and therefore already have antibodies that blunt the capacity of the new Omicron spikes to breach our cell walls.

The test will be to find out how many UNVACCINATED persons die from Omicron.

…for PNC’s political dilemma The old folks say, “wha’ you plant, da yuh guh reap!” And with all of us Guyanese coming out of the cane fields or our interior forests, you’d think the PNC would’ve been a bit more prudent in planting all those land mines in its political pathway over the years. I mean, how can a party that was born to split the united nationalist movement ever bring the country together again??

Humpty Dumpy had nothing on Guyana after the 1960s!!

More recently, you’d think they wouldn’t try that rigging thingy that gave them such a nasty reputation. But there they were –Mingoing in front of the entire world in 2020! And they didn’t stop there. They threw out the baby with the bath water by going back to the “strongman leader” model after they succeeded with Granger in 2015. It wasn’t Granger’s IMAGE that was the problem but his insistence on “fulfilling Burnham’s legacy”!!

So, now Norton’s to be a Maximum Leader – leading the PNC and the Opposition, and Rep of the List!!?

…even in the Courts

The politicians have been accused of “judicializing” politics. That is they take matters they should settle among themselves to the Courts.

But then cuss out the Judges when they lose!! Go figure!!

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

9

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No new COVID-19 deaths, 438 new cases, 8 in ICU …over 6000 in home isolation

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JANUARY 10, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

438

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

107

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

6006 8

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

11

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

24,162

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

21,178

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

45,340

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

38,149

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

REGION 1

1744

REGION 2

1725

REGION 3

5890

REGION 4

22,061

REGION 5

1639

REGION 6

4314

REGION 7

2000

REGION 8

635

REGION 9

2786

REGION 10

2546

tional isolation, 6006 are in home isolation, and 11 persons are in institutional quarantine.

As of Monday, the total number of recovered cases was 38,149. To date, the Ministry has done 449,543 COVID-19 tests. Meanwhile, on Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 298,915,721 cases globally with 5,469,303 deaths.

The WHO also reported that in the Regions of the Americas, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 108,806,129 with 2,422,138 fatalities.

The Health Ministry is reminding the public to ob-

serve the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures which are in effect until January 31, 2022.

This order emphasises the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home, maintaining six feet physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of the virus.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with the COVID-19 or needs any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline at 2311166, 226-7480, or 624-6674 immediately or visit www. health.gov.gy. (G1)

“Bullet” remanded to prison for Region 1 double murder

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

414,235 300,181

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020

active COVID-19 cases in Guyana. More than half of these cases were detected in Region Four.

A breakdown of the active cases are as follows: Region One (45), Region Two (145), Region Three (694), Region Four (3972), Region Five (151), Region Six (567), Region Seven (201), Region Eight (12), Region Nine (278) and Region 10 (271).

Presently, there are 92 persons hospitalised; 51 of them are at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. Only eight of the 51 persons are in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Another 107 persons are in institu-

1070

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.

W

hile the Health Ministry reported no new COVID-19related deaths as of Monday, it said that 438 more persons have been infected with the deadly virus, with a staggering 6006 in home isolation.

The majority of the new infections are in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica). So far, 15 of the 1070 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded

in January.

The new infections were recorded in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam): six cases; Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara): 50 cases; Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica): 304 cases; Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice): 13 cases; Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne): 38 cases; Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni):

two cases; Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni): two cases; Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo): 17 cases and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice): six cases.

The overall number of confirmed cases has moved to 45,340 since March 2020, of which 21,178 are males and 24,162 are females.

There are currently 6359

Murder accused: Kurtland Damon

A

42-year-old resident of Friendship, East Bank Demerara, was remanded to prison on Monday for a double murder that occurred in Region One (Barima-Waini) on December 23, 2021.

Kurtland Damon, called “Cartoe” or “Bullet” was arraigned before Magistrate Dylon Bess at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on December 23, 2021, he murdered 29-year-old Sherwin Goddette, a gold miner of Dredge Creek, Upper Pomeroon, and Shawn France, 21, of Akawini Creek, Pomeroon. The now dead men were relatives.

The father of two, who was represented by Attorney-at-Law Latchmie Rahamat, was remanded to prison until later this month.

Following the killings, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had issued a wanted bulletin for Damon and Thomas Kyte, called “Taco”. Last Thursday, Kyte turned himself in at the Matthews Ridge Police Station.

His lawyer, Bernard Da Silva said his client was released from custody on Monday pending investigations following the expiry of the stipulated 72-hour period for detention. Guyana Times understands that Damon surrendered at the Criminal Investigations Department

Thomas Kyte was released from custody on Monday pending investigations into the double homicide

(CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, last Friday.

Based on reports, at around 08:00h on the day in question, the dredge owner reportedly closed off operations for the Christmas holidays and left, leaving his employees at the worksite.

A Police report said that around 11:00h on Christmas Eve, France, Goddette, and three other employees left their camps and went to the landing, where they began to consume alcohol.

However, at about 22:30h the said day, France was engaged in a heated argument with the bartender over a bottle of champagne. He reportedly became annoyed and threw the bottle to the ground, thus resulting in a scuffle among the persons at the drinking spot. He armed himself with a pair of scissors and attacked those present.

As he was about to attack a 35-year-old gold miner, he was stopped in his tracks when the man whipped out his licensed firearm and discharged a single round in the air. A Police report said that the fighting ceased immediately.

During the brawl, Devor Stohl sustained a cut to his abdomen, which caused his intestines to protrude. In retaliation, Stohl’s son, and his alleged accomplice, Kyte, attacked the men as they were heading back to their camp.

Hosea Sandy, one of the victims, was stabbed to his back and left arm, while Goddette and France were fatally stabbed. On Christmas Day at about 12:00h, Stohl was airdashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted.

A report was later made at the Port Kaituma Police Station. Ranks then visited the area and observed the bodies of Goddette and France lying motionlessly, face-up about 15 feet apart.

France was at the time shirtless, and both bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition.

The Police confirmed that the ranks later buried the bodies and marked the general location and direction of the graves with a view to exhume at a later date. Several persons in the area were questioned in relation to the murders. (G1)

NEWS

11

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

$12M worth of ganja Barriers on new Mocha-toDiamond bypass road damaged found on Berbice seawall

The leaning barrier at the Mocha Entranceway for the bypass road to Diamond, EBD

T

he fixed steel barriers which were established along the new Mocha-to-Diamond bypass road on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) have been damaged.

The barriers were established along the new roadway to prevent heavy-duty vehicles from traversing there.

Reports are that at least two barriers were destroyed: the one located at the Mocha Entranceway and the one situation in the vicinity of the Farm Access Road.

In both cases, there is noticeable damage to the steel structures. In fact, the barrier at the entranceway is leaning.

President Dr Irfaan Ali had warned that persons who tried to destroy the barriers will face the consequences.

“This road is designed for a specific category of vehicles…the big trucks, you will see barriers and if you think it is your responsibility to take down the barriers because you want to break the law, there will

be consequences and you will face the consequences,” President Ali had warned during the official commissioning ceremony of the road in December 2021.

The new road serves as an auxiliary route for commuters and as a transit point for scores of workers, bringing much-needed relief to the already heavily congested EBD corridor – where persons often spend hours of productive time sitting in traffic.

Police have since launched an investigation.

Thousands of PPEs donated to schools by SEWA

Senior representative of Sewa International Yashpaul Seownarine hands over the items to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alfred King at the Book Distribution Unit, Evans & Lyng Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown, as organisation member Sorojini Mohobir looks on

T

he Education Ministry recently received thousands of COVID-19 personal protective equipment from Sewa International Guyana.

Among the items donated were 80,719 face shields; 24,190 KN95 masks; 126,500 disposable masks; 2600 surgical gowns and over 6240 safety goggles.

Senior representative of Sewa International, Yashpaul Seownarine handed over the items to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alfred King at the Book Distribution Unit, Evans & Lyng Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown.

King expressed grati-

tude on behalf of Education Minister Priya Manickchand and the Ministry for the timely donation. In brief remarks, he stated that the items will complement the efforts the Ministry is making to ensure students, teachers and other staff are safe as schools reopen.

“We want to make sure that all schools are given enough protected gears so that the learners, teachers and cleaners can be protected while they deliver education.”

Distribution of the items will start in hinterland schools before being moved to the coast and Georgetown.

“Most of our schools in

and around Georgetown and in other regions, we’ve already given some amount of protective gears. So, this will complement what is needed in the school system, at least for maybe the long-term replacing what is already here in the system, but we would have already provided a whole lot and this will help, ensuring we can place replacements.”

Meanwhile, the Sewa representative said as a youth organisation, the donation is important as it supports the effort to ensure students receive an education while being protected against COVID-19.

T

The ganja that was found by CANU

he Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) on Sunday discovered $12 million worth of marijuana during an operation conducted in the village of Scottsburg, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-

Corentyne).

Reports are that the CANU officers were combing the seawall area when they discovered several parcels.

The parcels were taken to the CANU Headquarters where a test confirmed that

it was cannabis. The illegal substance had a total weight of 202lbs and carried a street value of $12 million.

An individual, who was in the area at the time of the discovery, was arrested.

Investigations are ongoing.

12 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 202

‘Isolation day’

School headed by GTU’s

…majority of teachers coun

Arapaima Primary School in Lethem, Region Nine

By Andrew Carmichael and Raywattie Deonarine

W

hile a small number of teachers heeded the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) call to strike on Monday, schools across the country remained open, including that which is headed by the Union’s President, Mark Lyte.

Lyte himself on Monday said that there were mixed reactions around the country by teachers in response to the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) call for an ‘Isolation Day’ on Monday.

According to the Education Ministry, in education institutions where some teachers chose to stay home, contingency plans were put in place to deal with the situation.

On Monday, the Education Ministry said that since the reopening of school, it has constantly been monitoring the situation in schools to give the

the Education Ministry said, has stated that this generation of children and youth cannot afford any more disruptions to their education. “The Ministry of Education believes the same and has arranged for the return to face-to-face classes at all levels although in different proportions, as we have recognised too that school closures have harmed the education and development of our pupils. The Ministry is extremely grateful to those teachers who continue to support and facilitate this process, especially after school doors were closed for 18 months,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“We understand the difficult time we are living in and appreciate their continued and unwavering service. The Ministry of Education stands ready to provide any assistance schools may need to ensure they can remain open and continue to function effectively for the benefit of the children

Union said based on their internal records, an estimated 1200-plus teachers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past week.

Not in classroom

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has since contended that those educators did not contract the virus in the classrooms but rather, they became infected prior to the reopening of schools.

Schools were closed since March 2020 and learning only resumed through a blended approach shortly after the assumption of the PPP/C Administration to office in August of that year.

Schools for most categories of students were officially reopened for face-to-face learning on January 3.

The Union is seeking to have the Ministry close schools for 14 days as Guyana is currently experiencing a spike in COVID-19.

Students of Golden Grove Primary School

portunity for the Ministry to have a closer look at the numbers and also to make ready those schools that were not fully repaired.”

According to Lyte, the GTU has recorded that some schools have no running water and no proper ventilation while oth-

ers had dysfunctional washrooms at the time of the reopening of schools last week.

He said the 14 days which the Union is suggesting will allow for an opportunity to

Parika Back Nursery School, Region Three

necessary support and guidance to teachers, parents and the school administration.

It noted that Monday, the second week of the new school term began with 74 per cent of teachers in schools actively teaching despite calls to stay away from classes by observing an ‘Isolation Day’. This figure, the Ministry said, represents 84 per cent of schools for which it has received data.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),

of Guyana.”

Lyte believes that the issue of the reopening of schools amidst a rise in positive COVID-19 cases and the impact it is having on teachers across the country is being deemed by some as a political issue.

He added that it should be and agreed that is the reason why the call for an “isolation day” only got tangible support in some regions.

The Guyana Teachers

“Having listened to the Minister Priya Manickchand that the community has been responsible for the spread, I find the reasoning not well thought out because if the community is responsible for the spread and school is reopened then you are actually causing others to be exposed to that community spread and it could be spread among other communities… We believe having schools closed for fourteen days would provide an op-

Pupils of Tuschen Primary School

have those issues addressed.

Despite this call, many schools across the country remained open and had fruitful classroom activities. The Education Ministry has put all the necessary systems in place to ensure stakeholders operate in a safe environment.

Region Six

In Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) some schools only had their Head Teacher with most of the teaching staff sup-

porting the Union’s call while others were closed.

At Port Mourant Secondary, where Lyte is the substantive head, all the teachers and students were in school.

Nonetheless, while some of the teaching staff support-

ed the GTU’s call, the majority of schools were open with the Head Teacher and another staff present.

Since last week the Rose Hall Nursery had been closed

NEWS

22 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

13

’ strike by GTU

s president fully staffed

ntrywide turned out for class

Pupil at Aurora Primary School

after two positive COVID-19 cases were detected there.

Two more were reported at Comprehensive Secondary. In New Amsterdam also, along both the Lower and Upper Corentyne, some teachers and students have tested positive for COVID. No information could have been garnered from the Department of Education in Region Six as the Education Officer was reportedly always locked in a meeting whenever this publication made contact for information from that department.

But the Education Ministry has confirmed that schools were open in all of the regions

school, she was told that there was no school and was asked to take the child back home.

Jermaine Johnson, who has a child attending Manchester Nursery, also reported that he had no idea that there was going to be no school on Monday.

“I came to bring my son and I heard from a Police officer that there is no school, but I don’t know the reason why,” he said.

However, Natoya James, another parent who has a child going to that school, said she spoke with the Head Teacher.

“The Head Mistress said that they have a strike and no teacher is in school. She said

to-face classes in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

According to information shared with Guyana Times, Region Two recorded a high turnout of teachers for both primary and secondary schools.

The newspaper visited several primary and secondary schools throughout the region and saw a high attendance of teachers, however, the attendance of students is still poor.

Among the schools visited were Aurora Primary School, Aurora Secondary and Abram Zuil Secondary. At Queenstown Primary School and Aurora Primary School, the turnout was described as

Pupils of the Leonora Primary School

“I am a Grade Five teacher who is preparing the students for Grade Six... It is my duty to teach and explain notes to my students. Our school is stocked with sanitation products for the virus and I want to encourage parents to send their children to school,” Persaud said.

Natasha Jaigobin, a mother of two, who was present at one of the schools visited by

and they even posted photos on their Facebook page of students attending schools in the majority of the regions.

Parents’ reaction

Meanwhile, parents had different reactions to the day of isolation and the continued face-to-face learning which is currently taking place. Many of them were not aware of the call by the Union.

According to one parent, she received a call from a teacher of Belvedere Primary School on Monday morning indicating that there would be school all week for her grandson but when she took him to

if I want to leave the child she can teach the child and I can come back for her lil early,” she related.

Another parent who also has a child attending that school, Tiloachnie Singh, said he took his daughter to school and left him and went back home.

“When I go to drink tea, my neighbour called me and say that there is no school because the teachers didn’t come to school.”

Excellent turnout in Region 2

Despite the call by GTU, teachers and students continue to attend school for face-

“satisfying” and teachers believe that it is because of parents who are concerned about their children’s health during the pandemic.

“This week the attendance of the students here at our school is the same as the first week... Parents are reluctant to send their children to school because they can be severely affected by the deadly virus,” a teacher of Aurora Primary School said.

Another teacher, Kareshmie Persaud, related that teaching is her profession and she will do anything to let her students receive quality education during this crisis.

Pupils of Zeelandia Primary School

this publication, said that it was a good decision to reopen school for face-to face learning.

She added that face-to-face

learning gives better motivation to study and provide instant feedback and as such, it is too difficult to learn everything through a computer.

“Face-to-face interaction with teachers is better for the learning process... It is better for resolving study problems because not all parents are capable of teaching their child or afford to send them to extra classes,” Jaigobin noted.

they were suffering from the common flu.

Guyana Times noticed most children were routinely sanitising their hands and they wore their masks.

Temperature checks were also done at all of the schools when this newspaper visited.

Upon entry to the schools’ compound, parents entering to collect their children after classes were directed to

Meanwhile, at Taymouth Manor Primary School, it was reported that scores of students were sent home because

the sinks where they were required to wash their hands with the soap that was provided.

14 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 4 woman, Region 1 man crushed to death A

57-year-old Special Constable and a 28-year-old man of Region One (Barima-Waini) were both crushed to death in separate accidents.

Dead are Dawn Booker and Steve Ashby.

Reports are that at about 08:15h, Booker, who was riding a pedal cycle, was ran over by a truck in the vicinity of La Penitence Market, Georgetown.

According to Police, motor lorry GNN 5584, which ran over the woman, is owned by a resident of No 47 Village, Corentyne Berbice,

at S/C Headquarters, attached to the Small Business Bureau and resided at Perseverance, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.

According to video footage of the accident that was obtained by Police, the female pedal cyclist was proceeding south on the eastern parapet of La Penitence Public Road, Georgetown, whilst a male pedal cyclist was proceeding in the opposite direction on the said eastern parapet. As the two cyclists were passing each other, Special Corporal Booker swerved west and

Dead: 57-year-old Special Constable Dawn Booker

The pedal cycle the Special Constable was riding

Steve Ashby pinned under the ATV

and was being driven by a 26-year-old driver from Section B No 47 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Booker was a Special Corporal who was stationed

lost control of her pedal cycle. She fell on the eastern edge of the road, where she came into contact with the left rear wheel of motor lorry GNN 5584, which was

proceeding south on the said eastern side of the road.

Police said that as result of the impact, Corporal Booker sustained severe injuries to her head and oth-

er parts of her body. Shortly after, personnel from the EMT arrived on the scene where Corporal Booker was examined and pronounced dead by a doctor of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The body was then escorted by the Police to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.

The truck and the pedal cycle are at the Ruimveldt Police Station to be examined by a Licensing and Certifying Officer.

A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver which showed no sign of alcohol. He was, however, taken into custody at Ruimveldt Police Station assisting with investigation.

In Region One, Ashby of Canal Bank, Port Kaituma, was the pillion rider of an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) when the rider lost control.

The incident occurred at around 18:40h on Sunday as Ashby and a Brazilian na-

The truck that was involved in the accident at La Penitence Public Road

tional were travelling along the Nassano Backdam Main Access Road on the ATV. The vehicle was proceeding north along the roadway when the driver (the Brazilian) lost control of the ATV. As a result, the vehicle collided with a baranka and turned turtle.

The pillion rider became pinned under the vehicle while the driver fled the scene.

The man’s body was eventually picked up and escorted to the Port Kaituma District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Welfare Visit

Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force’s Welfare Officer and her team paid a visit to the relatives of Woman Corporal Dawn Booker.

The Welfare Officer expressed her regret of the

loss of a talented and hardworking rank to the relatives of Corporal Booker, whose efforts she said have come to be recognised by her colleagues and all others she may have come into contact with.

Corporal Booker, who enlisted in the Guyana Police Force on June 1, 1990, was stationed at the Special Constabulary Headquarters and performed duties as a member of the Joint Services Mixed Voice Choir at the time of her death.

Also part of the team headed by Deputy Superintendent Jewel Sullivan were: Woman Inspector Sharon Mingo, Woman Lance Corporal Stacy Carter, both of the Force’s Welfare Department, and Lance Corporal Rudy Dutchin, a friend and fellow singer from the Joint Service’s Mixed Voice Choir.

Demerara Harbour Bridge to be repurposed once new bridge in place …current bridge repairs cost $1.2B

er discussions being made.

But I can tell you, it won’t be old iron pushed in a corner.

It will be used for the development of Guyana,” Edghill said.

Rehabilitation cost

The Demerara Harbour Bridge

O

nce dismantled, the old Demerara Harbour Bridge is expected to be repurposed and installed in various locations around the country, once the new four-lane, high fixed span Demerara River bridge being built under the current People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government is commissioned.

This was revealed by

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who on Monday hosted a press conference featuring various agency heads who fall under his remit. While Edghill noted that a definite decision has not been taken on how to use the old bridge, he stressed that the bridge would not go to waste.

“There are a lot of places where sections of the bridge can be used. It can be used

in the Kwakwani (Region 10) crossing, or in several parts of the hinterland. Maybe some of it can be used in Kurupakari (Region 10). We’re looking at more permanent infrastructure for Linden to Lethem Road, so we may be looking at a permanent structure across Kurupakari.”

“Maybe it could link Leguan and Wakenaam.

Those are some of the oth-

In the meantime, Government is currently rehabilitating parts of the Demerara Harbour Bridge - repairs that cost approximately $1.2 billion.

According to General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Wayne Watson, the completion date for these repairs have been pushed back to April 2022.

“The total cost for rehabilitation of span 9 and 10 and replacement of span 9 is approximately $1.2 billion. It was scheduled to finish the project by December 2021, but because of consideration for users of the bridge, we’re now projecting by April.”

“In order to replace span 9, the rehabilitation work of both span 9 and 10 must be completed, which will require some closures of the bridge.

The total closures to do rehabilitation work is about 16 hours closure. To date, we

have only done 5 (hours),” Watson said.

The construction of the new Demerara River Bridge is slated to start in the fourth quarter of 2021. The project is expected to be finished within two years. The bridge will land aback Nandy Park, EBD, and at La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

Last year, Cabinet granted its no-objection for China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd to construct the bridge at a proposed cost of US$256.6 million. The contract was awarded based on a DesignBuild-Finance (DBF) model with financial terms and conditions which would be no less favourable than those submitted in the preferred bidder’s price proposals. The proposed construction cost by China State Construction was in fact the lowest amongst all bidders.

Initially, the Government had pre-qualified nine firms to submit bids for the construction of a two-lane dual carriageway (4 lanes) hybrid cable-stayed centre span bridge with concrete box/T beam girder approach bridge

structure.

The pre-qualified firms were invited to submit bids to construct the bridge using a Design-Build-Finance (D-B-F) contract and DesignBuild-Finance-OperateMaintain (D-B-F-O-M) contract.

At the pre-bid meeting, held on June 28, 2021, it was agreed that the closing date for submission of bids would be October 5, 2021. Only five of the pre-qualified bidders submitted bids, of which four obtained the required minimum score for the technical proposal.

The new bridge will offer easy connectivity to both the existing East Bank Demerara road as well as the new Diamond-to-Ogle bypass on the eastern side of the river and to the existing West Bank Demerara road and the new Parika-to-Schoonord road on the western side of the river.

The new bridge will also offer critical connectivity to the new Wales Development Authority, which will be a major centre of productive activity when it comes on stream. (G1)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt keeping close eye on delinquent contractors – Edghill …as delayed works on Leguan, Bartica Stellings to be completed in 2022/2023

T

he Government, through the Public Works Ministry, is keeping a close eye on delinquent contractors to ensure they do not take advantage of the State - even without an existing legislative framework to blacklist contractors.

This is according to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill on Monday, who was asked about legislation to ensure contractors who default on projects can be blacklisted. According to him, this is something being looked at by the Finance Ministry through the National Procurement and Tender Administration board (NPTAB).

“While there is no legislation, we are keeping a very clear eye out on non-performing contractors, contractors who lack the capability or who do shoddy works because we want to ensure that our record is clear,” Edghill said.

“Over the year that we have been there at the Ministry, I’m proud to report to you we haven’t had to battle in that environment because we have been

very keen and I could say that, that has happened across sectors in absence of legislation,” he added.

According to the Minister, his Ministry has a responsibility when it comes to the award of contracts, to ensure that when a contractor is engaged, it is someone with a proven track record capable of getting the job done.

Under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, the Ministry has had a rocky time implementing projects. Two examples of this are the Leguan and Bartica Stellings.

Last year, the Government had terminated S Maraj Contracting Service’s $413 million contract to repair the deplorable Leguan Stelling, on the grounds of project delays.

Despite the company being granted several extensions, the project which was supposed to be completed by June 18, 2019, had still not been completed. According to Project Manager Jermaine Braithwaite, works on the Leguan Stelling are pro-

File photo: Public Works Minister Juan Edghill inspecting works at the Bartica Stelling last year

gressing.

“Overall, percentage progress is about 55 per cent. There are some major aspects of the expanded portions of the stelling, what we call the Northern section, which we are projecting will be completed the latest May of this year. This is 160 feet by 130 feet reinforced concrete stelling deck,” he said.

“The foundation work for the major parts of the work that was undertaken in 2021, the contractor has installed 228 prestressed concrete piles, of which he has installed, fully, about 180.

So once that aspect of the work is completed, we will progress to casting the deck.

And of course, the ancillary structures that will be con-

structed on the deck will follow that. So we’re projecting that substantial completion of the project will be achieved at latest, May of this year.”

When it comes to the Bartica Stelling, works were also supposed to have been completed under the former Government. Up to last year, however, contractor

Courtney Benn Contracting Services had not completed the project. It was explained

by Edghill that certain policy decisions have to be made on the way forward with the Bartica Stelling contract.

“Bartica, there are some policy decisions that have to be made. There was a contract that was awarded before we got there. There are problems with the implementation of the contract and the contractor. We have engaged the contractor at the highest level and he had committed to pursuing getting the work done.”

“So when I say there is a policy direction, we have to come to a position of saying whether we continue to wait on the contractor or we terminate and put a new contractor in place. But I would like to assure the people of Bartica, in 2022 movement on the Bartica Stelling will be done. It is part of our Budget 2022 proposals and we expect in 2022/2023, the entire Bartica Stelling should be completed, whether we stay with the old contractor or we go to a new contractor,” Edghill said.

(G1)

New works by CHEC on CJIA to be completed by June …as Govt working to resolve shipping delays for Sheriff-Mandela traffic lights

T

he new works embarked on by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) are on course for completion by June of this year, an eventuality that will bring an end to one of the most contentious infrastructure projects in recent memory.

During a press conference on Monday attended by a number of Public Works Ministry agency heads, CJIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramesh Ghir explained that the new work being done by CHEC, which includes the corridor, superstructure and curtain wall, is 54 per cent completed.

Last year, a $513.3 million contract was also signed with construction company CALCO for the construction of a new building attached to CJIA’s terminal building which will house a conference room, offices for the airlines and the other support agencies as well as storage bonds for the duty-free shops and concessionaires.

“The works by China Harbour is expected to be completed by June of this year. The work being done

by CALCO, that is the new office building and rehabilitation of the airline offices, is 6 per cent completed,” Ghir explained.

make six that’s funded by the Government of Guyana.

And the contracts for those have been awarded already,” Edghill said.

Sheriff-Mandela

CJIA CEO Ramesh Ghir

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill meanwhile fielded questions on funding for the airbridges at the CJIA expansion project.

Last year, Total Solutions was awarded a $400 million contract for the supply of two air bridges for the CJIA expansion project. Edghill explained that these funds are Government monies.

“The airbridges are being funded by the Government of Guyana and that is as a result of the agreement made with the APNU/AFC, when they ended up with two airbridges and then we had to get a supplementary from the Parliament, Government of Guyana, to buy the other two.”

“So, while we’re getting the Chinese to put in the corridor, the other two

Another contentious project nearing a completion is the Sheriff-Mandela road expansion. Describing it as a disaster when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government took office, Edghill said that the project has come a long way.

In fact, he said the project is substantially complete barring road markings and the installation of traffic lights that have been beset by shipping problems.

“The Sheriff-Mandela project was a disaster when we took it. I couldn’t find a better word to put it. A disaster. With leadership and policy direction, we were able to get it to where it is.

My last visit, they were putting up street lights. That has been completed. The entire highway is completed.

The guard rails that were started are now completed.”

“We have to see in place now the completion of the road markings, which is ongoing. The putting in of the traffic signs and installation of the traffic lights.

This morning I had a meeting with the contractor, because the traffic lights are experiencing shipping prob-

lems and we tried to move every mountain to get them here. Because we had indicated that by February 14, we want to get this highway, with all of its components, completed. And we’re still working towards that,” Edghill said.

people got around and were able to move. The comments about abortion road. All of that has disappeared. Now we just got to get people to slow down and observe the speed limits. And as you can see, very soon with the fourlane coming through Eccles

Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

However, there was a period in 2019 when the IDB had halted funding for the project owing to health and safety violations by the contractor. The matter was further compounded by the

An aerial view of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (Mike Charles photo)

According to Edghill, the PPP Government was able to impart on the contractor - Sinohydro Corporation Limited - the importance of the project and need for adhering to deadlines, ensuring that the project could move from where it was to where it is now, in just 14 months.

“I have seen the positive comments, about how

to Mandela and the almost completed roundabout, we’ll be making movement of people, goods and services, easier for Guyanese.”

The road upgrade project is being funded through a US$66 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Work on the Sheriff StreetMandela Avenue project began in August 2018 by

2020 election impasse, but following the return to office of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, the IDB was re-engaged.

The Sheriff StreetMandela Avenue roadway is considered the only direct link between the heavily populated East Coast Demerara and East Bank Demerara.

16 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man gets genetically-modified pig heart A

US man has become the first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig.

David Bennett is doing well three days after the experimental seven-hour procedure in Baltimore, doctors say.

The transplant was considered the last hope of saving Bennett's life, though it is not yet clear what his long-term chances of survival are.

"It was either die or do this transplant," Bennet, 57, explained, a day before the surgery.

"I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last choice."

Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center were granted a special dispensation by the US medical regulator to carry out the procedure, on the basis that Bennett would otherwise have died.

For the medical team who

Surgeon Bartley P Griffith pictured with David Bennett earlier this month

did the transplant, it marks the culmination of years of research – and could change lives around the world.

Surgeon Bartley P Griffith said the surgery would bring the world "one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis", the

University of Maryland School of Medicine said in a release.

That crisis means that 17 people a day in the US die waiting for an organ transplant, with more than 100,000 on the waiting list, according to OrganDonor.gov.

The possibility of using animal organs for so-called xenotransplantation to meet the demand has long been considered, and using pig heart valves is already common.

In October 2021, surgeons in New York announced they had successfully transplanted a pig's kidney into a person. At the time, the operation was the most advanced experiment in the field so far.

However, the recipient on that occasion was brain dead with no hope of recovery.

Bennett, however, is hoping his transplant will allow him to continue with his life. He was

bedridden for six weeks leading up to the surgery, attached to a machine which was keeping him alive after being diagnosed with terminal heart disease.

"I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover," he said last Thursday.

Exactly what will happen next is unclear. The pig used in the transplant had been genetically modified to knock out a gene which produces a sugar which would trigger an immune response in humans, AFP news agency reports.

Griffith said they were "proceeding cautiously", carefully monitoring Bennett, while his son David Bennett Jr admitted to news agency AP they were "in the unknown at this point".

But he added: "He realises the magnitude of what was done and he really realises the importance of it." (BBC News)

Bob Saget: US actor and comedian found dead aged 65

T

he US actor and comedian Bob Saget, best known for starring in the sitcom “Full House”, has died suddenly aged 65, his family has announced.

The actor was found unresponsive by staff in his room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando, Florida on Sunday.

Officers from the Orange County Sheriff's

Bob Saget

Department arrived after a call from hotel staff and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The exact details surrounding his death remain unclear.

But in a short statement posted to Twitter, the Sheriff's Department said that detectives had found no signs of foul play or drug use during initial enquiries.

"We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today," his family said in a statement.

"He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter."

Saget, a veteran standup comedian, had just started a new comedy tour across the US, performing as recently as Saturday in the city of Jacksonville, Florida.

After the show he had expressed his joy at being back on stage in a post on his Instagram page, telling fans that he was "happily addicted" to his craft.

"I'm back in comedy like I was when I was 26.

I guess I'm finding my new voice and loving every moment of it," he said.

Although Saget was idolised by many comedians for his profane and often cutting act, he was best known in the US for his role in the sitcom, “Full House”, where he starred alongside the actors John Stamos and fellow comic Dave Coulier.

He won plaudits for his portrayal of Danny Tanner, a widowed father of three daughters, playing the role from 1987 to 1995.

He reprised it in 2016 when Netflix revived the programme for a further five seasons.

In more recent years he found fame among younger generations as the narrator of the hit show “How I Met Your Mother” and for his guest stints as a highly fictionalised version of himself in the TV series,

his "huge heart and abject lunacy".

Accompanying a photo of himself and Saget, actor and writer Penn Jillette wrote on Twitter: "Saget would have wanted something tweeted that was re-

“Entourage”.

John Stamos, who worked with Saget on “Full House” and “Fuller House”, said he was "broken" at the news of his friend's death.

Candace Cameron Bure remembered Saget, who played her father on “Full House”, writing on Twitter that she "loved him so much".

Actress Kat Dennings, who played Saget's daughter in television series “Raising Dad”, described him as a "wonderful guy".

Whoopi Goldberg paid tribute to her friend, giving a special mention to

ally funny and in very bad taste. I can't do that. I'm just so sad. Bob was just great on every level and we will all miss him."

The former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart called Saget "just the funniest and nicest" in a tweet on Sunday.

And comedian Judd Apatow said: "Bob Saget was so kind and when you spent time with him he made you laugh hard.

He loved to be funny and he was hysterical. He was also there for everyone.

A beautiful soul." (BBC News)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US issues 'Do Not Travel' T&T man escapes kidnappers, wife still being held warning for Canada

T

he U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. State Department on Monday advised against travel to neighboring Canada because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads.

The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to "Level Four: Very High" for Canada, telling Americans they should avoid travel, while the State Department also on Monday issued its "Level Four: Do Not Travel" advisory for Canada citing COVID-19 cases. The CDC, which lists about 80 destinations worldwide at Level Four, also raised the island of Curacao to Level Four.

In November, the United States lifted restrictions at its land borders with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals, ending historic curbs on non-essential travelers put in place in March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada remains a top foreign destination for Americans.

"We are aware of the latest CDC advice," said a spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, noting that last month Ottawa had urged residents

against non-essential travel. Canada first issued the advisory in March 2020 but withdrew itlast October - before the first Omicron cases were reported - citing the success of vaccination campaigns.

This month, Canada broke its one-day record for the highest number of people hospitalized with COVID-19. Last Friday, officials said new daily cases had soared by 65% in the previous week, threatening healthcare systems.

The CDC on Monday also lowered travel recommendations from Level Four to "Level 3: High" to Armenia, Belarus, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. It also rate Singapore as "Level 3," after it previously was listed as unknown.

The CDC says Americans should be fully vaccinated before traveling to Level 3 destinations.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States reached a record high of 132,646, according to a Reuters tally on Monday, as the highly contagious Omicron variant pushed hospitalizations past the record 132,051 set in January last year. (Reuters)

A

man who was part of a couple kidnapped from their farm in Piarco and for whom a $2 million ransom was made, has escaped his kidnappers.

However, up to late last night, his wife remained in the custody of the men who took them.

Three men are now being questioned by police.

The husband and wife were identified as Narine Maraj, 62, and Mattie, 54.

According to a police report, around 5.30 pm on Saturday, Maraj and his wife left their home at Madras Road, St Helena to go to 3B’s Drive, Piarco, to check on their property and animals in vehicle PCC 1786, a silver Ford Focus.

Around 6:35 pm one of their daughters received a phone call from her father’s cellphone where a strange male voice stated: “We have your people and we are demanding $2 million for them.”

The daughter tried to contact her father’s phone again but the attempt was futile.

A report was made to the Piarco police station and officers responded by visiting the 3B’s Drive

area but the victims and their vehicle was not at the location.

Police said that at 12.15 am yesterday they acted on information they had received and conducted an exercise in Oropune Gardens in search of the kidnapped couple.

It involved members of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Northern Division ERP Units, the Northern Division Task Force, the Arouca CID, the Tunapuna CID and the Air Support Unit.

The officers conducted searches at Buildings One and Two in the China Town Area of Oropune Gardens for the victims but their searches were futile.

However, police reported late yesterday evening that the couple’s vehicle was recovered in Wallerfield.

They said Narine was up to late last night being medically attended to following his escape.

Police said that after evading his kidnappers, he managed to flag down a vehicle around 3 pm and asked the driver to take him to the nearest police station. He was said to be in good health.

Police confirmed that

three suspects were also subsequently arrested in connection with the kidnapping.

Relatives are now being told by police not to talk about the latest developments with anyone as the investigation is said to have reached a sensitive stage.

Prior to this latest development and speaking with the Guardian Media yesterday morning, a close female relative said the couple’s four adult children are holding strong and praying for their safety.

The relative said sometime between 5 - 5.30 pm they received a phone call from someone demanding a ransom but she claimed that no ransom sum was given—contrary to the official police report.

“The person just called and said they wanted a ransom but no amount and we have not heard anything else again from them,” the relative said.

“We really don’t know who or why. All we were told was that the car was seen leaving the farm and no one could have seen inside the car as it drove off,” she added.

Maraj is a retired auto

mechanic and operated an auto mechanic shop and wrecking service for over 20 years.

Since his retirement, he handed over the business to his only son, who is one of four adult children. Maraj’s wife is a housewife. “The couple would usually go to see the few animals they have at Piarco which is not too far from their home at Madras Road. They just have a few chicken, duck and mostly crops,” the relative said.

Asked if the couple had an argument with anyone, the relative replied: “No. Narine is well known in the area but he have no enemies. We don’t have any enemies so we really, really don’t know what’s happening.”

The relative said when they went to the farm all they saw was the couple’s slippers and added that nothing else was “seen amiss”.

“We are holding up ok for now, just praying that the police find them and they are alive and healthy.

Narine has medical complications and we are worried about him with that.

We just need them back home with us,” the relative added. (T&T Guardian)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

Regional

US, EU issue Nicaragua sanctions Heavy rains force miners to halt on Ortega’s inauguration day operations in southeast Brazil

Deputies of the new Parliament participate in the inaugural ceremony of the National Assembly, ahead of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s swearing-in ceremony after he was reelected for a fourth consecutive term

T

he United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Nicaraguan officials, including the Defence Minister, in coordinated action with the European Union following an election that Brussels and Washington have denounced as rigged in favour of President Daniel Ortega.

Monday’s action, the latest sanctions targeting Nicaragua that Washington has coordinated with allies, aims

to increase pressure on Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and marks the inauguration day.

US President Joe Biden in November ripped into Ortega, calling Nicaragua’s presidential election a “pantomime” as the former Marxist guerrilla and Cold War adversary of the United States won election for a fourth consecutive term.

In the months leading up to the election, Western and many Latin American

nations had expressed deep concern about the fairness of the vote as Ortega detained opponents and business leaders and criminalised dissent.

Election observers from the European Union and the Organisation of American States were not allowed to scrutinise the process and Journalists were barred from entering Nicaragua.

“In concert with democracies in the international community, the United States will continue to call out the Ortega-Murillo regime’s ongoing abuses and will deploy diplomatic and economic tools to support the restoration of democracy and respect for human rights in Nicaragua,” US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The US Treasury Department said in a separate statement it imposed sanctions on six Nicaraguan officials over accusations of State acts of violence, disinformation and targeting of independent media. (Excerpt from Reuters)

The logo of the Brazilian mining company Vale SA is seen in Brumadinho, Brazil, January 29, 2019

H

eavy rainfall in south-eastern Brazil has prompted miners including Vale SA to suspend some operations, they said on Monday, after downpours caused deadly floods in the northeast and threatened to delay harvests in the midwest.

Rainfall is expected to remain heavy this week in most of top mining state Minas Gerais, after runoff closed roads and railways.

The rains may also have

contributed to the dramatic collapse of a canyon rock face in the state on Saturday, killing 10 people visiting a waterfall on boats. read more In the north-eastern state of Bahia, flooding displaced about 50,000 families and killed some two dozen over the holidays.

Vale said on Monday it has partially suspended operations at its Southeastern and Southern iron ore systems due to the bad weath-

Holness blasts Maroons, rejects idea of sovereignty

St Vincent gets nod to export P medicinal cannabis to Europe

S

t Vincent and the Grenadines is now the first member state of the sub-regional grouping – the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to be granted permission for the export of medicinal cannabis.

On Friday, the Government announced that the island would export its first shipment of medicinal cannabis to Europe.

The announcement follows the recent approval of the first export certificate for medicinal cannabis. The export permission was granted to Caribbean Cannabis Company trading as Medicinal.

The company already

has several products marketed locally and has worked with traditional cultivators in building out their supply chain.

The granting of permission to export came after an import certificate was issued by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices for the product to legally enter Germany.

According to Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar, the jurisdiction has worked over the last three years, with international agencies, friendly governments and local public and Private Sector stakeholders, to make this a reality.

“St Vincent and the Grenadines is ready

for global business in the Medicinal Wellness Industry Space. We invite the world to participate!

SVG has opened a significant global opportunity for collaboration among member states of the OECS wishing to participate in the international medical cannabis industry,” Caesar said.

“I, therefore, invite all member states of the OECS with the established medicinal cannabis policy frameworks to join forces for the sustainable development of what can become a world competitive sub-regional medicinal wellness ecosystem,” the Agriculture Minister added. (Excerpt from CMC)

rime Minister Andrew Holness on Sunday lashed the current leadership of the Accompong Maroon community, asserting that there was no other sovereign authority on the island than the Government of Jamaica.

“Jamaica is a unitary sovereign state. There is no other sovereign authority in Jamaica other than the Government of Jamaica.

I want that to be absolutely clear: None. And under my leadership, not one inch of Jamaica will come under any other sovereign authority,” the Prime Minister told Journalists covering a virtual press conference via Zoom from the Office of the Prime

M

members of the Central Division Task Force were on enquiries at the surveillance point located on the highway, near the Couva Hospital and MultiTraining Facility when they had cause to engage a stolen vehicle with two occupants in the vicinity of the Indian Trail Flyover.

Police said the two occupants alighted and allegedly fired upon the Police Officers and attempted to run away. The officers gave

chase and returned fire and struck one of the suspects, who was killed as a result.

The dead suspect is yet to be identified.

Police have since launched a search for the other gunman who was last seen running into some bushes off the southbound lane of the highway. The incident caused a backup of traffic on both lanes.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Prime Minister Andrew Holness

Minister at Jamaica House.

Holness was responding to questions about reports claiming that his Government had urged its ministries, departments and agencies not to

engage with the Accompong Maroon community, which has been asserting sovereignty from the Jamaican State since electing a new leader, in Colonel Richard Currie, in February 2021.

The Cabinet recently instructed all Government departments and agencies not to fund any projects in areas which claim to be sovereign of the Jamaican State.

In addition, the Observer reported on Saturday that a US$6.2-million ($958-million) project to conserve biodiversity and reduce land degradation in the Cockpit Country has been put on hold, and could be scrapped, based on demands from Currie. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Guatemalan migrants face soaring costs amid crises at home

Highway shootout in T&T leaves 1 dead J otorists along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway were left in shock on Monday afternoon as they witnessed a shootout between Police Officers and bandits.

The scene as many social media users described it was “like an action movie”. One of the suspects who was shot by Police was pronounced dead on arrival at the Couva Health Facility.

Police said about 15:45h

er, but reaffirmed its 2022 production target as the Northern system was not affected.

Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP, also cut back operations in its Germano complex, producing at an estimated 50 per cent of capacity until weather allows it to ramp up.

Brazilian steelmakers Usiminas and Companhia Siderurgica Nacional also halted operations of their mining units.

Anglo American said its Minas-Rio system continued to operate as planned during the rainy season.

Over the weekend, France’s Vallourec paused its Pau Branco mine after heavy rainfall caused a dike to overflow.

“We see the news as potentially negative for the entire mining sector, as it could result in new regulations to suspend existing operations or delay new projects,” analysts at XP Investimentos said in a research note.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

ose Sica waits impatiently in his small shop, with rows of pink and blue plastic children’s bicycles on the floor and untouched phone chargers and screen protectors lining the wall behind him.

Looking at his empty sales log, Sica feels stuck: “Today, I’ve barely sold two things,” he told Al Jazeera.

Opening the shop in Quetzaltenango, one of Guatemala’s largest cities, was a final gamble for Sica, who previously spent 14 years working as a security guard in the United States.

It was either strike success

with this business or migrate north once again.

With the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic still gripping Central America, and with his business struggling to get off the ground, Sica has started asking how much it would cost to get smuggled to the US once again.

But the price has soared dramatically: When Sica migrated north in 1996, he said, coyotes – self-styled guides bringing migrants and refugees across borders in exchange for money – charged him about 25,000 quetzales (US$3200).

Today, they are charging up to 140,000 quetzales (US$18,100) – a fortune in a country where approximately half of the population lives under the poverty line.

The price has shot up amid the pandemic and shifting migratory controls, according to more than a dozen sources interviewed

by Al Jazeera. It has made an already lucrative human smuggling industry even more so for criminal enterprises, while migrants suffer the brunt of the consequences. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices fall on demand concerns and rising Libyan output

O

il prices fell Monday as concerns about demand fears stoked by the rapid global rise in Omicron coronavirus infections overtook concerns about oil supply reduction from Kazakhstan.

Brent crude fell 88 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to settle at US$80.87 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 67 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at US$78.23.

In early trade, both contracts rose by about 50 cents.

"Oil prices are following the stock market lower on Omicron fears," said Phil Flynn, a senior analyst at Price Futures in Chicago. The market also pulled back from early-session gains as Libya said production output was increasing.

World stocks stumbled again while the 10-year Treasury yield hit a two-year high as investors pared risky assets on bets the US Federal Reserve could raise interest rates as soon as March.

Concerns about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus bled into the oil market, pushing prices lower. Last week, oil prices gained 5 per cent after protests in Kazakhstan disrupted train lines and hit production at the country's Tengiz oilfield while pipeline maintenance in Libya lowered production to 729,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a high of 1.3 million bpd last year.

Kazakhstan's largest oil venture Tengizchevroil (TCO) is gradually increasing production to reach normal rates at the Tengiz field after protests limited output there in recent days, operator Chevron said on Sunday.

Libyan production ticked up on Monday, and concerns about rising Libyan output overtook the market.

Last week, oil found support from rising global demand and lower-than-expected supply additions from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, a group collectively known as OPEC+.

OPEC's output in December rose by 70,000 bpd from the previous month, versus the 253,000 bpd increase allowed under the OPEC+ supply deal. That deal restored output cut in 2020 when demand collapsed during COVID-19 lockdowns.

The demand recovery and a sharp fall in oil inventories have pushed the market structure for Brent and US crude into deep backwardation.

A backwardated market structure means the current value is higher than it will be in later months and encourages traders to release oil from storage to sell it promptly. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US breaks COVID-19 hospitalisation record at over 132,000 as Omicron surges C OVID-19 hospitalisations in the United States reached a record high on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as a surge in infections caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant strains health systems in several states.

There were 132,646 people hospitalised with COVID, surpassing the record of 132,051 set in January last year.

Hospitalisations have increased steadily since late December, doubling in the last three weeks, as Omicron quickly overtook Delta as the dominant version of the virus in the United States.

Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin have reported

Medical staff treat a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient in their isolation room on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, US, January 4, 2022

record levels of hospitalised COVID-19 patients recently, according to the Reuters analysis.

While potentially less severe, health officials have warned that the sheer num-

ber of infections caused by the Omicron variant could strain the hospital systems, some of which have already suspended elective procedures as they struggle to handle the surge of patients amid staff shortages.

The seven-day average for new cases has doubled in the last 10 days to 704,000.

The United States has averaged over a half a million cases for the last six consecutive days, according to a Reuters tally.

Only seven states have not set records for COVID-19 cases in 2022 - Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming, according to a Reuters tally.

Washington, DC, is leading the country in new infections in the past week based on population, followed by Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Deaths are averaging 1700 per day, up from about 1400 in recent days but within levels seen earlier this winter.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Past 7 years hottest on record – EU satellite data

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he past seven years have been the hottest on record, according to new data from the EU's satellite system.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service said 2021 was the fifth-warmest year, with record-breaking heat in some regions.

And the amount of warming gases in our atmosphere continued to increase.

Governments are committed to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C to curb climate change. But scientists warn that time is fast running out.

The environmental, human and economic costs of hotter temperatures are already being seen globally.

Europe lived through its

warmest summer, and temperature records in western US and Canada were broken by several degrees. Extreme wildfires in July and August burnt almost entire towns to the ground and killed hundreds.

The Copernicus data comes from a constellation of Sentinel satellites that monitor the Earth from orbit, as well as measurements taken at ground level.

Copernicus data showed that 2021 was the fifth-hottest on record, marginally warmer than 2015 and 2018. Taken together, the past seven years were the hottest seven years on record by a clear margin, the agency explained.

The 2021 average temperature was 1.1-1.2C above the

pre-industrial level around 150 years ago.

Carbon dioxide concentrations reached 414.3 parts per million last year, growing at a similar rate to 2020.

But scientists remarked that methane levels in the atmosphere increased to reach

an unprecedented approximately 1876 parts per billion.

Scientist say it is important to reduce methane levels because it is more potent than CO2, however it lasts much less time in the Earth's atmosphere. (Excerpt from BBC News)

New York fire: Officials pledge support after 17 die in 'unspeakable tragedy'

Top US universities Putin claims victory in defending accused of illegally Kazakhstan from revolt limiting financial aid

Y

ale University is among more than a dozen higher education institutions in the United States that are being sued for allegedly breaking antitrust laws and unfairly limiting financial aid awards for students, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Illinois by lawyers representing five former students who attended some of the 16 institutions named the complaint, according to the WSJ. The suit pivots on the thorny issue of how universities determine a student’s ability to pay university fees, which have reached astronomical heights in the US and fomented a student debt crisis.

The suit claims that the universities unlawfully used a shared methodology to determine financial aid awards because the institutions sometimes weigh candidates’ abili-

ty to pay for their higher education, said the WSJ. The lawsuit is seeking damages as well as a permanent end to the institutions working together to calculate financial need and determine the size of aid packages that candidates are awarded.

Some 43.2 million Americans have student loan debt, according to the Education Data Initiative, which places the total amount of student loan debt outstanding in the US at $1.75 trillion.

The lawsuit takes aim at some of the most prestigious institutes of higher education in the country.

According to the WSJ, lawyers claim that more than 170,000 undergraduate students who attended the schools named in the lawsuit and received partial financial aid dating back up 18 years may be eligible to join the suit as plaintiffs. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

R

ussian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory on Monday in defending Kazakhstan from what he described as a foreign-backed terrorist uprising, and promised leaders of other ex-Soviet states that a Moscow-led alliance would protect them too.

Kazakhstan's biggest city Almaty returned to near-normal on Monday after nearly a week of unrest, by far the worst violence in the 30-year independent history of what had been the most stable former Soviet state in Central Asia.

Putin sent paratroopers last week to protect strategic facilities after anti-government protesters ransacked and torched public buildings. Dozens of people are believed to have been killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators in cities across the country.

Russia's swift deployment demonstrated the Kremlin's readiness to use force to safeguard its influence in the

ex-Soviet Union, at a time when Moscow is also in a standoff with the West over thousands of troops massed near Ukraine.

Putin told a virtual summit of the CSTO military alliance of ex-Soviet states that the body had managed to "prevent the undermining of the foundations of the state, the complete degradation of the internal situation in Kazakhstan, and block terrorists, criminals, looters and other criminal elements."

"Of course, we understand the events in Kazakhstan are not the first and far from the last attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of our states from the outside," he said. "The measures taken by the CSTO have clearly shown we will not allow the situation to be rocked at home."

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the summit his country had weathered "an attempted coup d'etat". (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

The local fire chief said the blaze was "unprecedented"

N

ew York officials have pledged to support all those affected in an apartment fire on Sunday as the death toll was revised slightly down.

At least 17 people died in the Twin Parks complex fire, including nine children.

Several other people are in hospital in critical condition.

The death toll is the worst seen in a New York fire in more than 30 years.

Bronx borough president Vanessa Gibson said she was "determined to rebuild and heal" in the wake of the incident.

"We are resilient, we are tough and we are going to turn our pain into purpose," said Gibson, who is only in her first week on the job.

Some 200 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze. Fire department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said they had found victims on every floor of

the 19-storey block, saying the smoke was "unprecedented".

Investigators say a malfunctioning space heater in one apartment appeared to have caused the fire and, though the building had self-closing doors, the door to that apartment somehow stayed open.

Commissioner Nigro said the fire was on the second and third floors, but the smoke had spread everywhere.

A total of 63 people suffered injuries, including the 32 taken to hospital, a number who are in critical condition.

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday called the incident "a global tragedy".

The area of the Bronx where the fire occurred is home to a large Muslim immigrant population and many of those affected by the blaze are believed to have originally come to the US from the Gambia.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Monitor the changes going on around you. Don’t make a move until you feel comfortable. Focus on getting things right the first time. Take better care of your health and well-being.

You’ll have trouble making up your mind. Don’t expect others to agree with you or offer help without getting something in return. Put more effort into how you present yourself.

Romance is featured.

You’ll have the right idea, but getting others on board won’t be so easy. Don’t waste time trying to convince others to see things your way. Move forward alone and let your achievements speak for you.

The changes you bring about will encourage you to expand your knowledge and skills to keep up with trends. Time spent with a loved one will enhance your relationship. Team up with a valuable partner.

Concentrate on what you want to achieve. Physical action will be rewarding and ensure that you get things done to your specification.

Refuse to let someone take charge or disrupt your plans.

Go where the action is, then listen and observe. The information you receive will help you decide on your next move. Go about your business and let others do as they please.

Resolve financial and domestic matters. Think outside the box, and you’ll come up with a plan that will save you money and encourage a positive change. Do what’s best for you.

Do what you need to do. If you are wishy-washy, you’ll confuse others, making it more difficult to finish what you start. Be open to suggestions and do the necessary legwork. Romance is favored.

SAGITTARIUS Don’t mess around when it comes to the facts. Spell (Nov. 23out precisely what you want Dec. 21) to say, and when someone gives you a hazy response, ask direct questions. Find out where you stand.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Consider your options and do your homework. Carving out a path that will make your every move count will build confidence. Verify and process information before you act on it or pass it along.

Sit tight and listen carefully. Don’t pass along information if you can’t verify the facts. Consider what you can do to make a difference.

Volunteer to help a cause you believe in.

Less talk and more action (Feb. 20- will help you gain momenMarch 20) tum. The way you handle others will display your nerve.

Stop worrying about what others think; do what you know is the right thing to do.

PISCES

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

21

CWI strikes new broadcast partnership with ESPN for 2022 season C

ricket West Indies (CWI) has entered a new broadcast partnership for the Region with ESPN that will allow more Caribbean fans than ever the chance to access live coverage of the West Indies home international matches.

Under the partnership, ESPN and its Caribbean networks are the exclusive broadcast partner for all West Indies live home international and regional matches for the 2022 season.

Fans across the Region will be able to see West Indies home internation-

als live and exclusively on ESPN Caribbean and the ESPN app.

“We are delighted to grow our partnership with ESPN to include our home internationals in the Caribbean, bringing the Region’s favourite sports team, the West Indies, into millions of homes and mobile devices. This new addition to our long-standing partnership with the world’s pre-eminent sports broadcaster is providing greater access to more live West Indies international and regional cricket than ever before to fans across the Region,” said CWI Chief Executive Officer

CWI CEO Johnny Grave

(CEO) Johnny Grave.

“Making it easier for our fans to watch and follow West Indies live cricket is a crucial part of CWI’s strategy and this exclusive agree-

ment is equally significant to help engage and energise the next generation of fans and players.”

The first match broadcast under the partnership was on Saturday, game one of the three-match CG Insurance One-Day International (ODI) series between the West Indies Men and Ireland at Sabina Park, Jamaica which continues on January 14 and 16.

That series will be followed by the one-off CG Insurance T20 International (T20I) between West Indies and Ireland on January 16.

CWI’s partnership with the world’s biggest sports

broadcaster will then see ESPN Caribbean airing the England Betway T20I series and the England Test tour of the West Indies – the five-match Betway T20I series at Kensington Oval in Barbados from January 22-30. This will be followed by the eagerly-anticipated three-Test series in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada in March, which will be contested for the recently-minted RichardsBotham trophy.

Later this year, ESPN Caribbean and the ESPN app will also feature West Indies Men’s home series against Bangladesh, India,

and New Zealand, as well as continued coverage of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup – CWI’s marquee regional 50-over tournament.

These match schedules will be made available at a later date.

The extended partnership will mean that the ESPN Caribbean channels and ESPN app will provide fans with a full live schedule of all West Indies home international matches, every International Cricket Council (ICC) international tournament match featuring the West Indies, as well as the CG Insurance Super50 Cup. (CMC)

Djokovic “pleased and grateful” with court outcome as he sets 9 in a row with Lakers win focus on Australian Open K

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ovak Djokovic is "pleased and grateful" after winning his court battle to stay in Australia and is focused on defending his title at the first grand slam of the year.

Following days of uncertainty regarding the world number one's participation at the Australian Open, it was ruled on Monday he should be immediately released from detention.

That came after authorities cancelled his visa last week, despite the Serbian being granted a medical exemption that allowed him to enter the country, regardless of his vaccination status.

The Australian Border Force declared Djokovic must fly out of the country on Thursday, sparking the challenge that went in the tennis star's favour on Monday.

However, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke could still cancel Djokovic's visa on new grounds, meaning his Australian Open participation is not yet 100 per cent known.

But speaking about the saga for the first time on Monday, Djokovic said he remained hopeful of competing at Melbourne Park next week.

"I'm pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation," he posted on his personal Twitter account.

"Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete at the Australian Open. I remain focused on that.

"I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans."

In a follow-up tweet

to his 8.9 million followers, Djokovic added: "For now I cannot say more but THANK YOU all for standing with me through all this and encouraging me to stay strong."

Twenty-time grand slam winner Djokovic posted the message at the same time that his family were holding a news conference in Belgrade, which he was expected to join via video link.

Djokovic's brother Djordje confirmed that the 34-year-old has already returned to the practice court ahead of the Australian Open, which he has won a record nine times.

After he spent the weekend at a detention hotel in Melbourne as he attempted to defeat the deportation order, Djokovic's mother Dijana accused the local authorities of subjecting her son "to torture and harassment".

Dijana added: "This is his biggest win in his career – bigger than any grand slam."

Djokovic's father Srdjan praised the mental strength of his son and put Monday's verdict down as a victory for a wider cause.

"Over the past few days, it's been very, very difficult for everyone in the world

who is free thinking. But he is mentally extremely, extremely strong," he said.

"They took away all his rights as a human being. He refused to revoke his visa. They gave him no right to prepare his defence for several hours, and they took away his phone.

"Fortunately, they gave him back his phone. He contacted his legal team who mounted a fantastic defence, that they could not match.

"This is a huge win for Novak, his family, and the free world. He respected everything that was asked of him. He only wanted to go there to play tennis.

"Justice and the rule of law have prevailed.

The Judge who presided over the case has shown that not for a second was Novak the guilty party.

"The Judge was fantastic, he simply respected the facts. He took the only decision that was possible which was to release Novak."

(Sportsmax)

lay Thompson marked his return from a two-and-a-half-year absence with 17 points as the Golden State Warriors saw off the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-82 on Sunday.

The 31-year-old, who had missed 941 days rehabbing from a torn ACL and ruptured Achilles tendon, was 7 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from three-point range.

Thompson also added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes, earning a rousing reception as he left the court.

"I was just happy to be out there doing what I love again and getting my rhythm back," Thompson said. "It feels really good... It was surreal.

"The ovation to start the game, I just was so grateful for these fans.

It was special. I'm never going to forget this night."

With his impressive comeback display, Thompson reached 12,000 career points and 1800 made three-pointers.

Red-hot Grizzlies set franchise record The Memphis Grizzlies soared to new heights by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 127-119 as they won nine successive games for the first time in franchise history.

The Lakers had won four in a row ahead of the contest, but could not live with their opponents, who had previously won eight in a row in 2004, 2012, 2013, and 2015.

Desmond Bane had 23 points and Jaren Jackson Jr added 21, though it was a breath-taking block from Ja Morant to deny Avery Bradley that stole the show.

While it was a disappointing occasion for the Lakers, LeBron James scored 35 points – 23 of those arriving in the first half – and added seven assists.

That saw James move to 9888 career assists in the NBA and pass Oscar Robertson (9887) for the seventh most in history.

Mavericks halt Bulls' winning run The Chicago Bulls' own nine-game winning run came to an end with a 113-99 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, with Luka Doncic starring for the home side.

Doncic had 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists for his third triple-double of the campaign, while Josh Green and Maxi Kleber had season highs of 18 points each.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Kevin Durant scored 28 points for Brooklyn Nets in their 121119 win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Cam Thomas made a runner in the lane with a little over a second to go in overtime as the Nets, who led by 10 with four minutes to play, snapped a five-game losing run at home. (Sportsmax)

22

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Essequibo Cricket Board elects new President

Standing from left: Khemraj Surejpaul (Trustee); Mustapha Zaman (Assistant Secretary); Sheman Austin (Marketing Manager); Shazim Nasrudeen (Treasurer); Kumar Dass (Chairman – Competitions Committee) and Ernesto De Matlos (Trustee). Sitting from left: Wazeeda Bacchus (Public Relations Officer); Elroy Stephney (Vice President); Deleep Singh (President); Trevis Simon (Secretary) and Adjhodia Lall (Assistant Treasurer)

W

e l l - k n o w n Essequibo businessman Deleep Singh was elected President of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) at its Annual General Meeting held on Sunday, January 9, 2022 at the Imam Bacchus Library Hall, Affiance.

The elections were conducted by Cricket Ombudsman Malcolm Peters and were held in accordance with the Guyana Cricket

Administration Act 2014, with a high-powered team of Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) officials, including President Bissoondyal Singh, as observers.

The new President, the proprietor of the popular WD’s Hotel and Mall at Charity and a miner, was elected unanimously to the position. A former president of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also a former Chairman

of the Board of Directors of the Essequibo Technical Institute, Singh previously served as Vice Chairman of the Pomeroon Sports Committee for over 10 years and Vice President of the ECB. The new ECB President played competitive cricket in Essequibo for a number of years during which time he captained his club, the Enterprise Cricket Club, before retiring as a player at

the age of 48.

Elroy Stephney was elected Vice President while Trevis Simon is the new Secretary with Mustapha Zaman as his assistant. The Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer are Shazim Nasrudeen and Adjhodia Lall respectively. Kumar Dass secured the position of Chairman of the Competitions Committee, Sheman Austin the position of Marketing Manager and

GBA treats Terrence Alli

– Ninvalle commits to supporting former Guyanese champion

G

uyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle on Monday met with former Guyanese welterweight champion Terrence Halley, popularly known as Terrence Alli, and made a presentation of hampers, cellphone, and cash.

Ninvalle stated that the GBA took a decision to help the former celebrated fighter following reports of his needs. According to Ninvalle, the GBA is currently working on improving other areas of Alli’s life and will make a formal announcement when they have materialised.

Alli never won a world title, but for many, more so the “old-school” boxing fans, his name will forever be etched in their memories as the fighter who carried the Golden Arrowhead around the world, one back-flip after another.

Alli started his professional career in 1979, and at the end in 1997, he finished with 52 wins (the most by any Guyanese fighter), 15 losses and two draws, but will be forever remembered as one of the best fighters Guyana has ever produced – to never win a world title.

His first shot at a world title was in 1985 against Harry Arroyo for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Lightweight title, but he was knocked out by the American.

Mexican great Jose Luis Ramirez and Alli fought in 1987 for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight title, his second title fight, but the Lindener lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Ramirez would later surrender that title to Julio Cesar Chavez – Alli’s final

Former boxer Terrence Alli (left) and GBA President Steve Ninvalle

shot at a world title.

Guyanese at home and abroad were glued to their television screens to witness the classic showdown, hoping that Alli could take

down the man who at the time had defended his title against the likes of Hector Camacho, Angel Hernandez, and Meldrick Taylor.

However, Chavez was too

good, putting the Guyanese fighter down 42 seconds into the sixth round of their 12-round encounter.

The now 62-year-old is a former two-time United States champion, two-time North American champion and world number one.

The life and career of Terrence Alli embodies both the glory and the tragedy that often lurk not far from one another in the world of boxing. He was an exciting, eccentric and socially-conscious fighter who became the world’s top super lightweight contender.

Perhaps sadder still, by all accounts, he feels he has been forsaken by the country that he always proudly represented with such patriotic vigour, even when he had to go abroad to advance his career.

2nd CG Insurance ODI between West Indies and Ireland postponed after positive COVID-19 tests

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) and Cricket Ireland (CI) issued a joint statement after two further positive COVID-19

cases were reported in the Ireland camp following recent testing, and two players being ruled out due to injury, resulting in Ireland

having a severely-depleted squad.

The second CG Insurance One-Day International (ODI) scheduled for Sabina Park today, Tuesday, January 11 has, therefore, been postponed.

CWI and CI are in discussions to review the match schedule and are working to explore all possibilities for the series to be completed.

The five members of the Ireland team who have returned positive COVID-19 results remain in isolation under the care and supervision of the medical teams.

Further updates will be provided as soon as possible.

(Windies Cricket)

Miss Wazeeda Bacchus the position of Public Relations Officer. The Trustees of the ECB are Khemraj Surejpaul and Ernesto De Matlos. Excellent Business Consultants will serve as auditors.

The Area Committees of the ECB were clearly delighted at having free, fair and transparent elections after a number of years, and expressed their appreciation by voting unanimously for all positions, an outcome that demonstrated their resolve to ensure a long-overdue change in the administration of cricket in Essequibo.

The positions of Chairman of the Senior Selection Panel and Chairman of the Junior Selection Panel will be filled by the new Executive Committee.

In his acceptance speech, the ECB President thanked the delegates for their overwhelming support and pledged to serve the interests of Essequibo cricket in a responsible and committed manner. He also thanked the Ombudsman and the Returning Officer for the efficient and transparent conduct of the elections, the GCB team for their attendance, and the delegates for their attention and discipline during the elections.

The ECB President disclosed to the meeting that some time ago he had considered running for the ECB presidency but was preoccupied with business. Now that he has the requisite time, he added that he was ready and excited to serve the game he loved so dearly and acknowledged that cricket in Essequibo was at an all-time low. The challenge, he continued, would be to reverse the decline and to develop

the game so that especially the youths can have the opportunity to showcase their talent towards selection at the national and regional levels.

The new President concluded his presentation by calling for unity and hard work for the good of Essequibo cricket and added that he was pleased there was now an all-inclusive Board in place. He advised that he would soon engage in meetings with the Area Committees of the ECB. The GCB President, in an invited comment, congratulated the new Executive Committee of the ECB and promised the full support of the GCB as the ECB begins its task to revive the fortunes of cricket in the Cinderella County.

President Bissoondyal said he was pleased to see former national female cricketer Wazeeda Bacchus on the committee as female cricket was a priority of the GCB and females were encouraged to be involved in cricket administration.

President Bissoondyal added that the GCB would pay special interest to Essequibo cricket. He lamented the deplorable condition of the cricket hostel at Anna Regina. He then announced that the GCB would remit a subvention of $2.5 million to the ECB, a quantity of cricket gear would be donated to each Area Committee of the ECB and financial assistance would be provided for the renovation of the Anna Regina Hostel.

President Bissoondyal expressed his delight at being part of the very important elections of the ECB and wished the new Executive Committee the very best.

T&T defender Bateau signs for Turkey’s Samsunspor

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urkish First-Division team Samsunspor has signed Trinidad and Tobago defender Sheldon Bateau from Belgian club Mechelen.

The club announced on Sunday that it had reached a two-and-a-half-year deal with the 30-year-old defender.

“We would like to thank KV Mechelen club for facilitating the realisation of this transfer. We hope that the friendship ties formed between the two clubs with this transfer will continue for many years,” Samsunspor stated in a media release.

Bateau has played 20 games for Mechelen in the 2021-2022 season, and has

played 128 games overall for the Belgian club, scoring seven goals and assisting on one.

He previously played for San Juan Jabloteh, Sarpsborgh, Krylya Sovetov Samara, and Kairat Almaty, before moving to Mechelen in July 2019.

Bateau has played 44 games for Trinidad and Tobago’s senior national team, scoring four goals since his debut in September 2013.

He has also represented Trinidad and Tobago at the U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels.

Samsunspor is currently eighth in the Turkish First Division and is playing away to Balikesirspor next Sunday.

(Loop News)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

“It’s starting to look real now” –Regional Curator grateful for persisting good weather

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ith just a handful of days to go before the official commencement of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2022, several teams are enjoying good weather and great conditions in Guyana, in the warm-ups

G

uyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde is revelling in the success of the year-end season and the Federation’s ability to deliver high-quality, sport-centric entertainment, along with its organising partners.

Over the past month, along with the Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Organisation and the Guyana National Women’s Football Association (GNWFA), the Federation has been able to stage three tournaments – the Men’s and Women’s Super-16 tournaments and a futsal competition.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Times Sport, President Forde summed up the hectic 2021-2022 year-end season, which he said was very rewarding for the work invested.

“My staff and the members of the K&S Organisation have been working exceedingly hard. I think we can all admit that both tournaments went relatively well. Behind the scenes, there’s always challenges, but I think what we delivered to the public was a really good tournament,” Forde told this publication.

He went on to add, “I can just use this occasion to say thanks to everyone that came out, in particularly the Government of Guyana for really supporting the

for the international event.

Practice sessions and warm-up games are currently being played at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), Police Sports Club, Enmore Community Centre (ECC) and the Guyana National Stadium, and will continue up until

the tournament officially commences this Friday.

However, inclement weather had previously posed a large threat to Guyana’s successfully hosting matches, as revealed by Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr just over a week ago.

Expounding on this was Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Curator Kent Crafton, who had similar fears as Guyana’s Sport Minister.

“Yes, we were a bit scared of Guyana. We needed the weather to give a little break early on, to be more advanced in our preparation, but that wasn’t forthcoming. We’re scraping through with the time we have, as long as the weather keeps the way it is now, we wouldn’t have any major issues at all,” the Regional Curator revealed during a briefing last week.

“I’m just happy because I know that Guyanese love their cricket, and I’m happy that at least it’s starting to look real now,” he added.

Even now, with proceedings well underway, Crafton says that inclement weather can still railroad some of the sessions at various grounds

around Guyana.

He explained, “Absolutely.

The only ground we wouldn’t have any problems with is here at Providence. Apart from that, all the other venues will pose some challenge if we do get rain – some more than others. But for sure, the rain would cause a problem.”

Nonetheless, Crafton is basking in the brilliant sunshine that has been on offer for the past few days, as he extended grati-

tude to the major players in Guyana’s hosting of the World Cup. “Especially during that COVID period, it took some major effort by the Government of Guyana to ensure that that tournament takes place and I want to say thanks to everybody who’s making sure we remain safe here,” Crafton stated.

Practice matches will continue at the aforementioned venues up until Thursday, January 13.

On Friday, January 14, the West Indies will come up against Australia in the tournament opener at the National Stadium, Providence while Sri Lanka take on Scotland at the Everest Cricket Club (ECC). On Saturday, January 15, Group B action will see India and South Africa battling at the National Stadium while Ireland and Uganda thrash it out at the ECC.

A glimpse of year-end football action

year-end football tournament. “ As the football boss sought to break down the games he witnessed over the past few weeks, he was honest about the reduced competitiveness on show, but was hesitant to throw any blame on the players themselves.

“I think the Super-16 tournament was very exciting. I think we can all admit that the quality of play was not where it was in 2019 and that’s because of the extensive layoff of the players, but I am very confident, all things being equal, God willing, 2022 is an improved year,” Forde explained.

He then turned his attention to the shorter format, stating, “Now here we are, trying to bring the curtains down on the futsal tournament, this has been going very well also.”

“I know we’re seeing some challenges in January and hopefully we can see that subside as early as possible,” he further noted.

By the looks of it, there are great things in store for football in 2022. Eyeing the positive reception that the trio of tournaments received, Forde explained that the intention was to build upon this already successful model.

“I think what we’re seeing here is what we really want to do going forward.

We really want to consume

the December, early to mid-January calendar with football. We want everyone to plan their vacation, their season around a bonanza of football events and we’re not done yet,” Forde stated.

He continued, “We’re going to be doing an evaluation of everything we would have done and we’re going to be looking to see if there’s other gaps within that window that we can do additional activities. Not necessarily tournaments, but additional football activities that engage the public.”

Although the 2022 yearend is quite some months away, Forde is equally as optimistic about the remainder of the year, when it comes to the restart of regular local football.

“If we can get football playing with some regularity in 2022, then I think not just year-end football but all the tournaments we have on our calendar for the year will present to the public good-quality football,” the GFF President stated.

With all three tournaments done and dusted, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) remain the champions of the Men’s Super-16 while the Guyana Police Force (GPF) FC are the first-ever Women’s Super-16 winners, with Sparta Boss becoming the new futsal champions.

(Jemima Holmes)

Kent Crafton

T

he Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) will be hosting the National Under-12 Championships online on Saturday, January 15, 2022, with the kind sponsorship of DeSinco Trading Limited, which has contributed $150,000 to cover the cost of trophies and prizes. This rapid championship will be hosted on the Tornelo.com platform, with games beginning from 14:00h.

The tournament features seven rounds of play using the FIDE Swiss Pairing System with a time control of 15 minutes + 2-second increment after each move and will be open to all Guyanese chess players born after January 1, 2010. Non-Guyanese nationals who have been living in Guyana for over one year are also eligible to participate. Interested competitors can register at guyanachess.org. All registrations must be completed on Tornelo.com by Thursday, January 13, 2022. Players will compete in an open division and a girls’ division. Prizes will be awarded to the top

three finishers in each division as well as the best Under-10 and Under-8 players.

DeSinco Limited is proud to partner once again with the GCF for the upcoming tournament.

DeSinco’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alicia DeAbreu remarked, “We are a company that strongly believes in giving back to the communi-

mitted to assisting whenever and wherever our help is needed. DeSinco Limited wishes the participants of the tournament the best of luck. We hope they all continue to strive for excellence for future success. DeSinco Limited will always continue to support education and sports in Guyana for it is needed for our children.”

GCF Vice President

ty in which we operate. We are proud to add this partnership to our list of corporate social responsibilities which we have done over the years. 2022 will be no different, and we are com-

Anand Raghunauth, on behalf of the Federation, expressed his thanks to DeSinco Limited and said they looked forward to a successful continued partnership in the future.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022

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

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GFF President Wayne Forde

2nd CG Insurance ODI between West Indies and Ireland postponed after positive COVID-19 tests

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Page 23 The GCC has been in pristine shape to host warm-up matches

“It’s starting to look real now” –Regional Curator grateful for persisting good weather

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