Guyana Times -- Tuesday, January 25, 2022

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4900

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

PRICE

Snatching of Speaker’s Mace

8 APNU/AFC MPs sent to Privileges Committee to be sanctioned

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Page 3

…Speaker allows Opposition ‘NoConfidence Motion’ against him

David Granger to step down as APNU Chairman

Fraudulently ‘Guyana registered’ vessel

“No effort will be spared” – Govt working to bring criminals P9 to justice

P12 Gunman snatches over $30M from Berbice woman outside bank

Page 7

Black Bush Polder triple murder P10

…no word on status as Head of APNU/AFC List

Guyana actively pursuing Net Zero emissions by 2050 through transformative energy plans – Ali See story on page 3

…urges regional leaders to rectify disparities, address emissions

Bill to set up organ transplant agency, registry passed in National Assembly Page 17

…APNU/AFC lambasted for lack of support, spreading misinformation

4 more COVID-19 deaths recorded, 20 persons in ICU

Page 11

1 accused pleads guilty, 3 others on trial

Rape accused remanded for shooting 17-yearold victim P9

Several P15 companies apply to construct Gasto-Shore project Mother of 2 remanded for stabbing husband P12

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Snatching of Speaker’s Mace

8 APNU/AFC MPs sent to Privileges Committee to be sanctioned …Speaker allows Opposition ‘No-Confidence Motion’ against him

G

overnance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira on Monday moved a motion to have eight members of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) parliamentary Opposition sent to the Privileges Committee

over their behaviour in the National Assembly on December 29.

The parliamentarians are APNU/AFC’s Chief Whip Christopher Jones, and other members, Annette Ferguson, Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherod Duncan, Natasha SinghLewis, Vinceroy Jordan,

Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, and Maureen Philadelphia.

On December 29, APNU/ AFC members protested the hearing of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Bill, which they wanted to be sent to parliamentary Special Select Committee for review.

Coalition MPs stood banging

on their desks when the Bill was called up for debate and subsequently gathered in the pit of the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), where National Assembly sittings are being held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bill was eventually passed late into the evening but not before the Opposition’s protest escalated into a physical confrontation with Parliament staff after one of the parliamentarians snatched the Parliament Mace from in front of the Speaker, Manzoor Nadir.

In the process, the symbolic mace was damaged.

Some Opposition MPs also went into the control room of

if it is not in the House, no business can be conducted. Speaking on this issue during the sitting, Teixeira denounced the actions of the APNU/AFC MPs which she noted has brought the National Assembly into disrepute.

“Whereas at the 34th sitting of the National Assembly, members of the APNU/AFC coalition conducted themselves in a grossly disorderly and disrespectful manner and in particular, repeatedly disregarded and ignored the authority of the National Assembly and the Speaker,” the Government Chief Whip said.

“And whereas the members attempted to prevent the second and third read-

There is also a No-Confidence Motion against the Speaker himself

According to the motion, a copy of which was seen by this publication, the 34th sitting of the National Assembly forms the basis

The APNU/AFC MPs committed to the Privileges Committee. From left; Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones and other members Annette Ferguson, Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherod Duncan, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Vinceroy Jordan, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, and Maureen Philadelphia

the ACCC where they ripped out connections for internet and microphones, causing the live feed and virtual connections to be disrupted.

Moreover, Opposition parliamentarians have been accused of assaulting, both physically and verbally including the use of racial epithets, the Personal Assistant to the Speaker who was trying to protect the Mace.

The Mace is the most integral part of the National Assembly’s business and

ing of the Natural Resources Fund bill… removing the Mace from its rightful position and attempting to remove it from the chamber, thereby creating great disorder and chaos, which resulted in injuries to a member of staff and damage to the Mace… be it resolved that this National Assembly registered its abhorrence…this National Assembly commits these eight named members to the Privileges Committee in accordance with Standing Order 32,” Teixeira expressed.

Teixeira also asked for the matter to be resolved within a month’s time. According to the Parliament of Guyana website, “any matter which appears to affect the powers and privileges of the Assembly is referred to [the Privileges] Committee whose duty is to consider any such matter and to report thereon to the Assembly.”

APNU/AFC has also brought motions seeking to refer a number of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Members of Parliament to the Privileges Committee.

It was explained during the sitting by Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir, however, that this motion did not follow the correct format and as such, will be delayed.

Motion against Speaker

Meanwhile, Nadir has allowed a motion of no-confidence against him to be debated at a future sitting of the House. According to the Speaker, the motion will go through the regular procedure. The motion was brought by the APNU/AFC parliamentary Opposition.

for the Opposition’s contentions against the Speaker.

It states that “Whereas both before and after the Minister of Finance started to speak, Members of the Opposition objected vehemently to the second reading and debate, and stood to gain the Speaker’s attention; And Whereas the Speaker failed and/or refused to acknowledge the Members standing, and instead, encouraged the Minister to proceed and thereby purported to allow the debate on the second reading of the Bill to proceed.”

The motion also claims that both the Opposition and Government MPs left their seats and entered the well of the National Assembly. It claims that despite the chaos in the National Assembly, the Speaker allowed the debate to continue.

“Members of the Opposition were compelled to remove the mace from the dais; believing that this would halt all proceedings; And Whereas it was incumbent on, and imperative for, the Speaker to halt the proceedings and to restore order in the National Assembly,” the motion states, going on to claim that the Speaker has shown partiality to the Government side of the House.

It was only in January that Speaker Nadir had released a statement condemning the People’s National Congress (PNC) attempts to bring his speakership of the National Assembly into disrepute. The Speaker had said at the time that he has always acted in accordance with the Standing orders.

(G3)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Tuesday, Jan 25 – 09:30h – 11:00h and Wednesday, Jan 26 – 10:00h – 11:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, Jan 25 – 09:20h – 10:50h and Wednesday, Jan 26 – 10:40h – 12:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light rain showers during the day.

Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North NorthEasterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 09:47h and 22:23h reaching maximum heights of 2.41 metres and 2.33 metres.

Low Tide: 15:51h reaching a minimum height of 0.81 metre.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

12 16 17

20 21 22

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27 Bonus Ball

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

DAILY MILLIONS

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DRAW DE LINE

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$86.27/barrel

Rough Rice

$270.27/ton

+0.03

London Sugar

$505.40/ton

-0.37

Live Spot Gold

-1.88

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1841.50

$1842.50

Low/High Change

$1828.70 -1.70

$1845.20 -0.09%

Guyana actively pursuing Net Zero emissions by 2050 through transformative energy plans – Ali …urges regional leaders to rectify disparities, address emissions

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has shared that Guyana is poised to lead the Net Zero by 2050 Agenda, through its robust plans for energy security and renewable generation, while continuously recording increased economic prosperity.

The United Nations Global Roadmap sets out the target that the world must achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It involves balancing the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

At the annual Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference on Monday, the Guyanese Head of State shared that energy security remains central to net zero, and Government is already undertaking efforts to create an onshore low carbon economy, that will further cut emissions while maintaining environmental sustainability.

“Guyana is pursing environmental sustainability through energy security and implementation of its Low Carbon Development Strategy. Energy security through greater use of renewables will help to reduce our carbon footprint.

The country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy will ensure greater protection for the environment. We can show how net zero by 2050 is possible while guaranteeing prosperity. Guyana will remain a strong advocate for greater international cooperation, to reverse the adverse effects of climate change,” Ali told the high-level forum.

According to him, Guyana has not taken refuge in the fact that more than 80 per cent of the country sports vast forest cover, absorbing more greenhouse gases than it produces.

Despite being a net carbon sink, it is still exploring all avenues to cut emissions.

At the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) last November, Guyana had committed to reduce carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030. The cleaner energy mix to be undertaken involves the use of natural gas through a 250-megawatt plant, reducing the use of fossil fuel. This is in combination with the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project and solar farms.

Last Thursday, Brazil, Suriname and Guyana agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of an energy corridor, linking the three states.

The LCDS is also being expanded to include the provision of environmental services, the protection of biodiversity and water resources, the development of marine economy and the promotion of climate resilience. The enhanced LCDS would allow Guyana to further decarbo-

President Dr Irfaan Ali addressing the annual Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference on Monday

nise onshore economic activities.

Electricity generation and heating accounts for more than 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The Head of State said these efforts come as countries cannot reduce generation, thereby putting pressure on economic growth.

Rather, it must diversify to cleaner generation, pushing investors’ confidence in such reliable energy.

“Action to reduce greenhouse emissions in a generation of electricity remains a focal point for meeting the goal of net zero by 2050.

Energy security remains a key focus in ensuring global environmental sustainability. We cannot reduce energy generation in the near or medium term since this

will impact negatively on economic growth and prosperity. We therefore have to ensure energy security by diversifying our generation.”

With pledges being made by countries to tackle this feat, the President urged leaders to first examine their readiness, in looking holistically at continued economic growth simultaneously.

The President probed, “Net zero cannot be an abstract or it cannot be in abstract of food security, good social services, economical growth and national prosperity. Are we ready to address developmental gaps, global inequality and disparities, uneven trade relations? Because all of these impact countries’ ability to achieve net zero.”

As such, the Guyanese

Leader said countries should not be asking how they can achieve net zero by 2050 but whether they can afford not to.

“The scientific community has made its predictions.

Life on the planet would become perilous should the rise in global temperatures not be checked. The target of net zero by 2050 is therefore imperative for the survival of the planet. As all global leaders agree, the big question is how can this be achieved? Is the capital available? Is investment available? Is the technology available? Are the costs available? Beyond the pledges, are commitments being kept?”

He brought attention to the disparity which exists, noting in the extant pandemic crisis whereby while 62.1 per cent of the global population is now vaccinated with a first dose COVID vaccine, low-income countries only account for9.5 per cent. Developing countries are left in a squeeze between meeting net zero demands and catering for their population’s needs.

“Whilst these very countries must invest to achieve this global target, they must also survive and meet their immediate needs. This recent test of global resolve did not give much hope, as even in the face of death and dependence on each other, we saw vaccine diplomacy, disparity and inequality.”

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 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

Corporate Social Responsibility

E

very business seeks to maximise its profits, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) would seem to contradict this logic by taking away some of the company’s resources.

At its heart, Corporate Social Responsibility is about an organisation taking responsibility for the impacts of its decisions and activities on all aspects of society, the community, and the environment. Corporate Social Responsibility is more than just donating money; it’s about contributing to the health and welfare of society, and operating transparently and ethically. More importantly, this way of operating should be embedded in the business, rather than as an afterthought.

What many may not know is that Corporate Social Responsibility also helps to build a good corporate reputation. In other words, companies agree to do more for society than simply create jobs and paying wages and taxes with the expectation of some reward — such as a good reputation or a competitive advantage in the local market.

Corporate philanthropy can serve to promote solidarity in a society in which different groups agree on what is ethical and beneficial, according to the researchers. In societies built on this consensus model, CSR can smooth out the effects of economic inequality, and corporations voluntarily support public benefit projects to achieve this goal.

It can be understood that CSR helps to build a reputation as a responsible business and as a good citizen.

Keeping social responsibility front of mind encourages businesses to act ethically, and to consider the social and environmental impacts of their operations. In doing so, organisations can avoid or mitigate detrimental impacts of their business on the community. In some cases, organisations would find ways to make, in their services or value chain, changes that actually deliver benefits for the community, where they once didn’t.

In addition, CSR supports public value outcomes. Put simply, public value is about the value that an organisation contributes to society. A sound, robust Corporate Social Responsibility framework and organisational mindset can genuinely help organisations deliver public value outcomes by focusing on how their services can make a difference in the community.

This might happen indirectly — where an organisation’s services enable others to contribute to the community — or directly, through the organisation’s own activities, such as volunteerism and philanthropy.

Another benefit of a strong Corporate Social Responsibility framework is it is essential to building and maintaining trust between the company and clients.

It can strengthen ties, build alliances, and foster strong working relationships with both existing and new clients.

One way this can be achieved is by offering pro-bono or similar services where a company can partner with not-for-profit organisations to support their public value outcomes, where funds or resources may be limited.

In turn, this helps deliver public value outcomes that may not have been delivered otherwise. Studies have shown that a robust Corporate Social Responsibility framework can also help a company become more attractive to potential future employees who are looking for workplaces with socially responsible practices, community-mindedness, and sound ethics.

The era of the social enterprises is upon us. More so than ever before, the most successful, respected, and desirable businesses exist to do much more than make money; they exist to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

Study after study has shown that socially responsible businesses (aka social enterprises) not only provide sustainable business models, but also have improved marketing, employee recruitment, employee satisfaction, legal treatment, customer loyalty, brand perception, and richer partnerships.

President Dr Irfaan Ali met with the United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, and an executive team from Bechtel (an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company) on Monday at the Office of the President.

The visiting team included the company’s President of Regions and Corporate Affairs, Stuart Jones; Head of Corporate Business Development, Paul Gibbs; and US Embassy’s Political and Economic Section Chief, Brian Hall (OP photo)

Children and public protests

By Helen Drayton

P

ublic protests can suddenly turn out to be highly charged demonstrations against real or perceived threats to fundamental human rights, and there could never be any guarantee that planned peaceful protests wouldn’t turn into a risk to life and limb. History is replete with well-intended public gatherings that had become tragic episodes of hate, and even death. No one can predict when the flowing tide of a march would morph into clashes between competing interest groups or angry protesters and law enforcers, but it is reasonable to anticipate that tensions could flare on any side, or all sides, during protests on extremely contentious issues. Exposing small children to that kind of environment wouldn't be wise.

It is a matter of parental judgement whether to introduce children to events with the potential for conflict, as they may unwittingly set them up for physical harm and trauma. Very young children are not emotionally ready to process the shocks if things suddenly get out of control. Notably, over the past two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and other regulations, violent clashes have occurred in several countries between citizens protesting not only their Governments’ measures, but also against Police methods to enforce laws and disperse crowds.

When unfortunate situations happen, as invariably is the case, children are not likely to ever forget the experience, perhaps resulting in lifelong negative perceptions and fear of public gatherings and the Police (Force). Parents may claim they thought they were taking their children to a peaceful event, but it is their responsibility to get and evaluate information on public protests, and to find out whether the organisers had obtained Police permission.

Children are already exposed to terrible situations, including violence in their homes and the wider community, where there’s a high incidence of crime.

Parents should consider

whether they are unnecessarily increasing threats to children’s welfare and emotional development by taking them into primarily adult arenas of dissent. Indeed, children have rights too, and putting them in such situations, or even near where protests are underway, may raise ethical questions of unfairness and possible endangerment.

As implied earlier, trouble can happen suddenly, triggered by the actions of any one person, group of people, or Police, or by a combination of events. Very young children are innocent of the contexts of activism. Many would not understand the nuances and motives of such events.

Citizens have every right to protest within the law, and safely. Some people may not be conscious of a potentially risky and unlawful environment into which they are about to introduce their children, and one shouldn’t underestimate the implications of that unawareness. Society is highly polarised politically, and there are many contentious social, economic and political issues. People are depressed, frustrated, frightened, untrusting of the Police (Force), politicians, and the Government, and as emotions erupt like volcanoes for and against the COVID vaccines and

other grievances, protests could become even more risky events.

What is the appropriate age for children to be at, or to participate in, such events, and which events?

That is up to their parents.

One may well say that since national policies affect children, they — teenagers/ youths —should voice their concerns against policies and situations they believe (are) inimical to their welfare. It is a complex issue, and the boundary lines may be debatable. The international environment activist Greta Thunberg was only 15 years old when she led international protests, calling out world leaders for their inaction and hypocrisy on critical environmental matters. She has probably done more than any other individual in recent times to heighten awareness of the issues.

Parents should take due care to avoid putting children in harm’s way. Passing on to them values of responsible activism may augur well for the democratic way of life and their future. Still, in children’s best interest, it is wise to be especially discriminatory on public protests and the organisers, and keep children safe from potentially harmful environments. As the saying goes, better to be safe than sorry. Be cautious.

(T&T Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

5

News

5 injured in 2 accidents

F

ive persons have been injured in two separate accidents on Sunday and Monday.

Injured are Sirpaul Singh; Roy Garcia; Jasmin Dias, Romario Ossorio and Keshon David.

On Monday at about

00:45h Singh; Garcia; Dias and Ossorio were occupants of motor pickup, GAB 4784, when the vehicle crashed into a median and turned turtle on the East Bank Highway.

According to the police, the motor pickup was pro-

ceeding north along the western carriage way of Herstelling Public Road at a fast rate of speed and on the approach of the Mocha Access Road, the driver Sirpaul, of Croal Street, Georgetown lost control of the vehicle and collided with a concrete median which separates the two carriage ways, toppled several times and finally came to a halt on the Providence Public Road.

The driver was flung out of the vehicle on impact, while the occupants Garcia, 34, of Da Silva Street Newtown, Kitty, Georgetown; Dias, 20, of Soesdyke/Linden Highway and Ossorio, 32, of Croal Steet Georgetown) were also injured.

Police stated that the driver and Dias were taken the Diamond Diagnostic Centre in an unconscious condition, while the other two occupants were conscious condition. Garcia was seen and examined by a doctor on duty, treated and later sent away, while the others were referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where they were further seen and examined by doctors on duty and admitted as patients.

Singh and Dias, Police said are both suffering from head and chest injuries and their conditions are regarded as serious while Ossorio suffered a fractured right shoulder but is in a stable condi-

tion. An investigation has been launched.

Meanwhile, at about 13:00h on Sunday, 19-yearold Keshon David was injured in hit and run in Charlestown, Georgetown.

The motorcyclist of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown is now hospitalised with a fractured skull after he was involved in a hit and run accident at the intersection of Broad and Lyng Streets, Charlestown.

According to the Police report, the motorcyclist was proceeding north along Lyng Street at a fast rate of speed and allegedly failed to adhere to the stop sign at the Broad Street intersection when he ended up in the path of a blue

Honda CRV, with registration plates PJJ 4170, which was proceeding east along the northern side of Broad Street.

As a result, the front left side of the motor jeep collided with the left side rear of the motorcycle with registration plates, CL 2314, causing the motorcyclist to lose control and fall on the road way where he received injuries to his body.

The driver of the motor jeep drove away from the scene, Police said.

The motorcyclist was picked up in a semi-conscious condition and taken by ambulance to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was admitted a patient. Investigations are ongoing.

When your bullying actions are about to be curbed Dear Editor, The APNU/AFC are bullies, that's a sure fact, and this characteristic trademark trait of theirs was manifest at the last sitting of parliament. They disrupted the proceedings to the maximum, with their whistleblowing and desk thumping, getting up out of their seats and walking about, even making a mad rush to grab the Speaker’s mace. This uncivilized, uncouth, street side brawl, was caught on camera and broadcasted to the en-

tire world. The question one might ask is, what did they hope to achieve, what was the point of that disgraceful display?

And the clear answer is, to cause an abrupt end to the proceedings, so that The NRF Bill could not have been passed. Quite thankfully that objective was not achieved and the bill was successfully passed.

We move on to the next sitting of parliament and its expectations, and already we are being made aware of the

Dear Editor, A section of the media, on 21st January, 2022, published a letter under the heading “Bolsonaro persona non grata in Guyana”, signed by a bunch of “do-gooders” who lent their name to this nonsense.

Where, may I ask, were the signatures of these good ladies and gentlemen when our country was threatened

by an attempt to install a military dictatorship in place of a democratic election?

Not one of them raised their voice nor penned their signature in protest. All of them should hang their heads in shame. None of them are credible.

Hanging their heads in shame

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

fact that the hooligans have submitted a motion for a Noconfidence in the Speaker.

What gall, if not asininity, where a bunch of hooligans should think that they can forward a motion for the NoConfidence in the speaker? It shows clearly how far these people are prepared to take their barefacedness. They have exhibited the most uncivilized actions ever in the house, and in bullying fashion are now submitting to the very same speaker a motion of No-Confidence in him, isn't that total madness?

I am talking about a nonsensical motion on the eve of one of the watersheds of debates, that is, the laying of budget 2022. I don't know what these people are thinking, but there is no way the tabling of a budget would

give way to a No-confidence motion, it just wouldn't happen! So, that puts an abrupt end to their bullying campaign plans.

Ironically these are very same cabal who had no respect for laws and standards especially when it comes to a No-confidence motion? The last No-confidence in the house was never respected

by The APNU/AFC Regime, they flatly refused to honour this established law. So, to come now in a sanctimonious gangsterism style asking for a No-Confidence, makes for an absolute absurdity.

Let me pause here to put forward a proposal for a fitting punishment for the miscreants. I would put forward a - swift and comprehensive punishment - a silencing factor, for all those who got up

and out of their seats and approached the speaker. These should be made to sit in silent civility for the next three sittings of the house, they should have no part in any deliberations of the house.

This would teach them a life lesson how to conduct themselves in parliament. On the other hand, the two who grabbed the mace should be

promptly expelled.

For the final time I would say, civilized and respectful behaviour must return to the House of Parliament. It is a step in the right direction to address this glaring anomaly and set a precedent for future sittings.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

6

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄

Plane Geometry

Triangles

A triangle has three sides and three angles The three angles always add up to 180°

Equilateral, Isosceles and Scalene

There are three special names given to triangles that tell how many sides (or angles) are equal.

There can be 3, 2 or no equal sides/angles:

I

n this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to create an awesome Non-Newtonian goo to explore, investigate, and enjoy.

Cornstarch Water Food colouring Mixing bowl Spoon Measuring cups

by

Materials:

Stewart Brown

Instructions:

Cruising at thirty thousand feet above the endless green the islands seem like dice tossed on a casino’s baize, some come up lucky, others not.

Puerto Rico takes the pot, the Dallas of the West Indies, silver linings on the clouds as we descend are hall-marked, San Juan glitters like a maverick’s gold ring.

How it works:

All across the Caribbean we’d collected terminals – airports are like calling cards, cultural fingermarks; the hand-written signs at Portau-Prince, Piarco’s sleazy tourist art, the lethargic contempt of the baggage boys at ‘Vere Bird’ in St. Johns...

And now for plush San Juan.

Mix two cups cornstarch with one cup water in the large mixing bowl.

Add a few drops of food colouring if you want for fun.

Have fun exploring your non-Newtonian liquid.

The Non-Newtonian goo we created is known as oobleck. The oobleck has properties of both a liquid and a solid. The cornstarch grains remain intact and suspended in the water and do not dissolve. When you allow the oobleck to run through your fingers, it behaves like a liquid. When rapid force is applied, the oobleck will behave like a solid.

Make this a science project:

Try different temperatures of water. Try adding items like salt to the mixture. Try flour. (sciencefun.org)

But the pilot’s bland, you’re safe in my hands drawl crackles as we land, “US regulations demand all passengers not disembarking at San Juan stay on the plane, I repeat, stay on the plane.”

Subtle Uncle Sam, afraid too many desperate blacks might re-enslave this Island of the free, might jump the barbed electric fence around ‘America’s back yard’ and claim that vaunted sanctuary... ‘Give me your poor...’

Through toughened, tinted glass the contrasts tantalise; US patrol cars glide across the shimmering tarmac, containered baggage trucks unload with fierce efficiency.

So soon we’re climbing,

How to remember? Alphabetically they go 3, 2, none: • Equilateral: "equal"-lateral (lateral means side) so they have all equal sides • Isosceles: means "equal legs", and we have two legs, right?

Also iSOSceles has two equal "Sides" joined by an "Odd" side.

• Scalene: means "uneven" or "odd", so no equal sides.

low above the pulsing city streets; galvanised shanties overseen by condominiums polished Cadillacs shimmying past Rastas with pushcarts and as we climb, San Juan’s fool’s glitter calls to mind the shattered innards of a TV set that’s fallen off the back of a lorry, all painted valves and circuits the roads like twisted wires, the bright cars, micro-chips It’s sharp and jagged and dangerous, and belonged to someone else.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

David Granger to step down as APNU Chairman – source …no word on status as Head of APNU/AFC List

T

he much-anticipated meeting between former President David Granger and Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, has finally taken place, with reports indicating that Granger has expressed a willingness to step down as Chairman of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

APNU/AFC in a statement on Monday said that the high-level meeting took place between Granger and Ramjattan. Also attending the meeting were Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon; Chairman of the AFC Raphael Trotman; Vice Chair of the AFC Catherine Hughes and General Secretary of the AFC, David Patterson.

The coalition said in its statement that the discussions were “fruitful” and that engagements would continue. A well-placed

APNU Chairman and Representative of the List, David Granger

source has meanwhile informed this publication that during the meeting, Granger communicated his willingness to resign the Chairmanship of APNU possibly by the end of the week - since he no longer leads the largest party in

Guyana actively pursuing...

FROM PAGE 3

Small and low-lying coastal states, he added, are the least contributors to rising temperatures. Yet, they face the brunt of adverse effects from climate change, varying from floods, rising sea levels, drought and extreme weather events. Net zero, he added, would only be possible if the global system rectifies its inherent disparities and unevenness.

“As much as small island developing and low-lying

coastal states are not major contributors to climate change, the threats posed by climate change to their people’s livelihood are of serious concern. In this context, net zero by 2050 and how we get there is now an upmost development priority.”

The three-day conference, hosted by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, continues under the theme “Can We Achieve Net Zero By 2050”? (G12)

the coalition, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).

Still uncertain, however, is whether this willingness to step down extends to his role as Representative of the APNU/AFC List of Candidates. And if he does step down, questions remain over whether the role would fall to new PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton or to Ramjattan, the Deputy Representative of the List.

This publication’s source has indicated, however, that further meetings are expected to be held during the week.

While Norton is backed by the Executive of the PNCR to take up the mantle of Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) parliamentary Opposition and Representative of the List, Harmon and Granger have so far not relinquished those positions.

During a press conference last week, Norton had said that engagements are still ongoing within the party and that Granger will at some point join the discussions. Asked if any timeline has been set for the conclu-

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton

sion of these discussions, Norton responded in the negative. When pressed for more information, the PNC Leader had admitted that Granger has since been engaged on these matters.

“The Leader of the List was engaged and there will be continuous engagement,” Norton had explained.

However, he added that, “As far as I know, the discussions involve the Leader of the PNC and the Leader of the Opposition. As far as I know from Mr Granger, the former leader of the party has decided that he will engage but he wants to see the outcome of this first phase of discussion.”

Harmon, who lost his bid for the PNCR leadership to Norton, has since insisted that he should remain Opposition Leader. Harmon was also not re-elected to the PNC’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) – the highest decision-making body of the party.

The APNU has already issued a statement noting that “the members of A Partnership for National Unity have had no reason to question the abilities of David Granger and Khemraj Ramjattan as Head and Deputy Head of the List of the APNU/AFC, we have had no reason to question the leadership of

Joseph Harmon as Leader of the Opposition and we have had no reasons to question the abilities of any Member of Parliament. While we are yet to meet with the new PNCR Leader Mr Aubrey Norton, we are expecting to have a good working relationship with him as we’ve had with former President David Granger.”

Ramjattan has meanwhile previously made it clear that the established procedures must be followed before the Leader of the Opposition or Representative of the List of the APNU/AFC coalition can be changed. (G3)

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS 22-year-old acquitted in rape of underage girl A 22-year-old man was, on Monday, found not guilty by a 12-member jury on two counts of rape committed on an underage girl.

Reon Joseph of Wren Avenue, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was on trial for the offence before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the High Court in Demerara.

It was alleged that on two occasions between December 1 and 31, 2017, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration with an 11-year-old girl.

On the first count, the jurors were split – 11 not guilty to one guilty. They, however, returned a unanimous not guilty verdict on the second count.

State Counsel Muntaz Ali prosecuted the case in association with State Counsel Nafeeza Baig and State Counsel Latifah Elliot.

Joseph was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Teriq Mohammed.

The prosecution had alleged that on the day after school had closed for the Christmas holidays in December 2017, Joseph invited the young girl over to his home.

At the time no one was at home, and the prosecution further alleged that Joseph began kissing the girl and taking off her clothes before raping her on a bed.

It was alleged that before sending the girl home, Joseph instructed her not

Acquitted: Reon Joseph

to tell anyone about what he did. The prosecution also contended that Joseph raped the girl for a second time that same week while he was over at her home.

The following year, the girl confided in her mother,

who later made a report at the Police station. Joseph was initially charged with the offence in May 2018 and remanded to prison. At the time, he was a member of the Guyana Defence Force.

(G1)

Beware...

F

…of the extremists or very good reason, there’s a lot of difference between the law of the jungle and the rule of law. The former prevailed from time immemorial, but since that involved a helluva lot of bashing on the head with clubs to settle differences, life was (understandably) “nasty, short and brutish”! So, we came up with rules to guide our social relations for the various activities in which we were engaged - subsumed under the rubric “rule of law. It meant that whatever we crafted should apply to one and all! NO EXCEPTIONS!!

Well, for governance, we in Guyana chose “Parliamentary Democracy” - which basically said we elect Government through regular elections, with the majority winning! Simple, no? But the losing parties have @ role - they become the OPPOSITION!! They attend Parliament, and try to influence voters at the next elections by promoting alternatives to the Government’s initiatives. If those alternatives make sense - and more so if they’re proven right in the near term - the voters would choose THEM the next time!! Simple, no?

Well, for the PNC, “NO”!!! They don’t believe any other party than theirs should govern Guyana. It’s as simple as that - the rules they agreed to shouldn’t apply to them!!

So, whenever they’re voted out, or not voted in, their mission is to “oppose, expose, and depose” the incumbent Government by any means necessary. Which in Guyana is the PPP, because of the nature of voting in Guyana. So, to achieve their aim, they invariably trample all over the rules.

We won’t revisit their resort to open warfare in the streets on so many occasions. Let’s just look at their behaviour in Parliament the other day. Even though the PPP broke no rules in introducing the NRF Bill, when it was being debated, their PNC MPs rushed over to the Government side, loudly blowing whistles in the face of the Speaker so’s to drown him out!! That’s debate to win more voters? Talk about stifling opinions!! Not satisfied with breaking the rule to “let the other side be heard”, some rushed the Speaker, seized the Mace representing his authority, and scampered away with it!!

But this breaking of the rules is the beginning of a slippery slope, and it can return to bite them in their behinds.

Hopefully, they saw what happened in the Honduran Parliament last week. There, Members of the winning party had a fistfight WITH EACH OTHER!! For their victory, their party leader had promised one opposition leader that, for their support during the elections, the nominee for Speaker would be from the latter’s party. Well, how dare the spoils be shared?! The same question that always bedevil the PNC!!

Sounds familiar?? Expect blows between APNU vs PNC vs AFC!!! …of moral blindness Now, not satisfied with trampling on the venerable rules of our Parliament - which comes out of centuries of tradition - the PNC MPs who committed their obscene antidemocratic rampage are now claiming that PPP MPs were also disorderly!! Talk about taking your doo-doo and rubbing it on your opponents’ bamsies!! So, with the Speaker announcing he’ll follow the Parliamentary Rules and send them to the Committee of Privileges to be appropriately censured, they’ve come out swinging and playing “wrong and strong”!

In typical PNC tradition, they now insist that the Speaker’s biased, and - in forming human walls around the Minister of Finance, who was presenting the NRF Bill, and the Speaker, who was protecting his Mace - the PPP MPs should be punished!!

Chutzpah isn’t the word!! Rass pass is more like it - on the rule of law in general and the Parliamentary Rules in particular!!

But this behaviour comes from their Founder-Leader Burnham, who cynically treated the Constitution like toilet paper! It’s hard-wired in their psyches!! …of word usage If language is the key to culture, then shifts in word usage reveal changes in our society, no? When MPs see nothing wrong in calling GECOM officials - elections gatekeepers - “trench crappos” and “jagabats”, what does that say about us?

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

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fraudulent ‘Guyana registered’ vessel

“No effort will be spared” – Govt working to bring criminals to justice “The fraudulent issuance of registration under the Guyana Flag is a deliberate criminal design to sully the good image of our country, which our Government has worked tirelessly to rebuild and maintain, and we will not condone it. No effort will be spared to ensure that this nation continues to enjoy good relations and the highest regard with the international shipping community” – Guyana Government

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he Government on Monday reiterated that it is in no way connected or related to the “dubious” entity known as the International Maritime Safety Agency of Guyana (IMSAG), or its principals and/or its affiliates.

This comes days after a ‘Guyana-registered vessel’ was intercepted in the West African country of Senegal that was transporting three containers of ammunition worth more than US$5million On Monday the Government said that there was an undertaking with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and

IMSAG, which was immediately brought to a halt following the discovery of the fraudulent representations and illicit conduct of these entities.

“Therefore, we wish to alert all stakeholders – national, regional and international, as we have previously done, that this cabal is neither a representative of the State of the Republic of Guyana, nor the Guyana Flag,” the Government said.

It added that the fraudulent issuance of registration under the Guyana Flag is a deliberate criminal design to sully the good image of Guyana, which the Government has worked

Rape accused remanded for shooting 17-year-old victim

Rape accused: Ravello Tyndall

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40-year-old

Corentyne, Berbice rape accused was on Monday remanded on an attempted murder charge.

Remanded was 40-yearold Ravello Tyndall, who was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that on January 20, he shot a 17-year-old boy.

Tyndall is currently facing rape charges and the teen is one of the victims.

Tyndall reportedly went to the home of the teenager at about 21:30h on Thursday last and jumped the back fence to gain access. Upon seeing the teen, he fired one shot but missed. However,

a second shot hit the teen in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Tyndall reportedly went over to him and fired a third shot which also hit the teen.

The man then exited the yard. The Police were informed and Tyndall was subsequently arrested.

He appeared on Monday at the Whim Magistrate Court before Magistrate Alex Moore and was remanded. The case will continue on February 8.

Tyndall was released from prison on $300,000 bail on December 29, 2021, after being remanded for two months on charges of having sexual activity with two underage boys and being involved in sexual activity with a third against his will.

The victims are 15, 17, and 18 years old. The rapes are alleged to have been committed between January 1 and October 8, 2021, in Region Six. Police say the three charges which Tyndall is before the court for were committed while Tyndall was armed with a knife.

This is not the first time Tyndall has had dealings with the law.

Some years ago, Tyndall was wanted in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for questioning in relation to a murder. (G4)

tirelessly to rebuild and maintain, and will not condone it.

“No effort will be spared to ensure that this nation continues to enjoy good relations and the highest regard with the international shipping community. We view the protection of our national interest as sacrosanct, and therefore, our Government is taking all necessary steps to ensure this rogue enterprise led by a Captain Suniel Kumar, and those associated, are appropriately dealt with in accordance with the law,” the Government said.

The Guyana Police Force, the Government’s statement said, is actively engaged in this matter, and together with Interpol, is working to ensure that these “miscreants are brought to justice in accordance with the applicable laws and that all illic-

it activities, and fraudulent representation of our country, are swiftly brought to an end,” the Government said, adding that “we further assure that the Guyana Flag remains one of confidence, and all matters relative to the registration of ships are handled by our duly authorised national personnel, only.”

The motor vessel, named EOLIKA, has been detained in Dakar, Senegal, and the crew has been arrested after a search by Customs officials there unearthed a number of illegal arms and ammunition.

The Guyana Police Force launched an investigation on Thursday, during which officials of the MARAD con-

firmed that the vessel was not registered by any competent authority in Guyana.

The Police Force have said they are working with regional and international law enforcement agencies, and have alerted the Interpol General Secretariat with the view to informing all member states, and to confirm the veracity of the weapons’ seizure.

10 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Black Bush Polder triple murder

1 accused pleads guilty, 3 others on trial

Dead: From left: Pawan Chandradeo, his son Jaikarran Chandradeo, and his brother-in-law Naresh Rooplall

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wenty-year-old Jairam Chaitram, one of the four men charged with the 2016 murders of 37-year-old Pawan Chandradeo; his son, Jaikarran Chandradeo, 15; and his brother-inlaw Naresh Rooplall, 33, has pleaded guilty to three counts of murder.

The men and teenager were killed between July 20 and 21, 2016, in Berbice.

Chaitram confessed to the crime when he reappeared on Monday before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Berbice. He had pleaded not guilty at an earlier court appearance.

The sentencing hearing for Chaitram is scheduled for February 10.

Also charged with the tri-

Confessed killer Jairam Chaitram

Murder accused Carlton Chaitram

Murder accused Tameshwar Jagmohan

Murder accused Rakesh Karamchand

ple murder are Chaitram’s father, Carlton Chaitram, also known as “Lyma”, 40; Tameshwar Jagmohan, otherwise known as “Guana”, 21; and 30-year-old Rakesh

Karamchand, called “Go-ToFront” – all of Berbice.

They, however, have denied the charges. Their trial is currently in progress before Justice Kissoon. State

Counsel Abigail Gibbs is leading the case for the prosecution.

The bodies of the Chandradeos and Rooplall were found lifeless days after they left their homes to go on a fishing trip in Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Their bodies bore one gunshot wound each.

Autopsies revealed that Pawan Chandradeo, his son, and their relative died as a result of shock and haemorrhage. It was reported that the men were shot with a shotgun. (G1)

50-year-old remanded on illegal gun, ammo charges

Remanded: Eustace Thomas

Tyreek Henry

50-year-old man was remanded to prison on Monday, three days after Police allegedly found an illegal firearm and ammunition at his Genip Lane, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown home. Eustace Thomas, a father of two, appeared before Principal Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on January 21, he had a .38 Taurus revolver along with five rounds of .38 ammunition in his possession when he was not the holder of a firearm licence.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges; he was remanded until February 21.

On Friday last, ranks from the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost went to Thomas’ home where they conducted a search in his presence. The illegal gun which had five rounds of ammunition inside was found inside a hammock in the house.

When Police ranks asked Thomas if he was licenced to carry the firearm, he replied in the negative. As such, he was told of the offences com-

mitted, cautioned, arrested, and escorted to the East La Penitence Police Station where he was kept in custody.

The firearm and ammunition have been lodged at the station.

In another matter, 20-year-old Tyreek Henry was charged with trafficking in narcotics. He denied the charge which stated that on January 21 at Stabroek area, he had 31 grams of marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

On the day in question, Police ranks were conducting operations in the Stabroek area when they stopped and searched Henry. In his pants pocket, ranks found 23 zip lock plastic bags containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be Cannabis sativa.

He was told of the offence committed, cautioned, arrested, and taken to Brickdam Police Station where the suspected narcotic was weighed in his presence. Magistrate IsaacsMarcus granted Henry bail in the sum of $30,000.

He too will return to court on February 21. (G1)

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

4 more COVID-19 deaths recorded, 20 persons in ICU GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JANUARY 24, 2022 UPDATE

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he Health Ministry has announced four more deaths as a result of COVID-19, moving the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 1138.

Those who died included a 32-year-old male from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) and a 52-year-old female from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) – both of whom died on January 24.

On January 23, a 57-yearold female from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) succumbed. The fourth person was a 63-yearold female from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), who died on January 22.

An updated dashboard showed 173 new cases, propelling confirmed cases to 57,400. This is a significant decrease in daily positives when compared to the data from previous days.

Meanwhile, there are 184 persons in institutional isolation, 13,175 in home isolation and 14 in institutional quarantine.

Active coronavirus cases in the country are 13,644, which are being monitored by health authorities. From this number, 153 persons are hospitalised – 44 in regional hospitals and 101 at

Infectious Diseases Hospital.

In the Intensive Care Unit, there are 20 patients.

A breakdown of new infections demonstrated two in Region One (BarimaWaini), 10 in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 12 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 18 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), five in Region Five (Demerara-Mahaica), 13 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), one from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), one in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and 11 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There were no increases in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Weekends

Testing and vaccination activities across sites in the country are relatively low during weekends, since less people are presenting themselves at the facilities.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony indicated during Monday’s COVID update that while the testing and vaccination sites remain open on weekends, the low numbers have remained a challenge.

“We are doing testing on weekends.

Unfortunately, we don’t see a lot of people

coming on weekends to be either tested or vaccinated.

While we have a number of sites that are opened on the weekends, we don’t really see a lot of people coming so that has been a challenge for us,” the Minister outlined.

Recently, healthcare workers had tested positive as infections surged locally. Addressing this issue, it was outlined that a mechanism was implemented at the Georgetown Public Hospital and other hospitals to smoothly manage services.

“We have put contingencies in place to deal with that. So, while we have some staff that are positive, that’s not going to affect the services that we deliver. It’s not only for GPHC. We have put those mitigation measures in place for all the hospitals and health centres across the country,” he expressed.

Some 420,591 persons or 82 per cent of the adult population have taken a first dose COVID vaccine; while 308,392 or 60.1 per cent are fully vaccinated. For the 12 to 17 age group, 32,237 or 44.2 per cent were immunised with a first dose but 22,655 or 31 per cent have since returned for the last shot. Booster doses have seen an uptake of 33,980 dos-

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

173

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

184

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

13,175

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

20

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

14

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

30,838

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

26,562

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

57,400

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

42,883

REGION 1

1978

REGION 2

2168

REGION 3

7503

REGION 4

28,890

REGION 5

2142

REGION 6

5197

REGION 7

2301

REGION 8

734

REGION 9

3206

REGION 10

3281

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

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

420,591

FULLY IMMUNISED

308,392

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020

1138

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.

es.

“I just want to remind people that they need to come out and take the booster doses because this is what is going to help with the protection against Omicron.”

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures, which are in ef-

fect until January 31, 2022.

This order emphasises the need for everyone, 12 years and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19; the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good

hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

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

12 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Gunman snatches over $30M from Mother of 2 remanded for stabbing husband Berbice woman outside bank

The area where the robbery occurred in Berbice

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olice are on the hunt for a lone gunman who robbed a woman of some $30 million outside of a commercial bank at Rose Hall Town, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The incident occurred just outside of a commercial bank.

The daring daylight robbery occurred at around 10:20h in the busy commercial district of Rose Hall Town as the businesswoman exited a vehicle and was

about to make her way into a local bank.

According to Subramani Mangali, his wife 41-year-old Nalaili Mangali, the co-owner of Permaul Trading and Distribution, was taking $18.5 million and in excess of $13 million in cheques to deposit at Republic Bank when she was robbed by a lone gunman.

The businessman related to the media that as his wife exited the vehicle along with an employee, a lone gunman came up to her, pushed the

worker aside and snatched the money bag.

He said the man quickly made his escape on foot.

There are reports that the gunman later joined an accomplice on a motorbike.

Mangali related that the company does not make bank deposits on a daily basis but whenever an amount is accumulated then deposits are made.

This is not the first time the couple was robbed of huge amounts of cash.

In August 2016, the businessman was about to make a deposit of $2 million when he was approached by a lone gunman who robbed him of the money.

In 2014, there was a similar instance. On that occasion, it was two bandits on motorcycle and $10 million was taken from the businessman.

Mangali told this publication that he is frustrated.

He said that it is very difficult to do business in light of the high instances of crime.

The businessman called for more Police presence on the road while also noting that commercial banks need to also provide protection for their customers.

Mangali expressed disappointment at the fact that it has been very difficult for him to get CCTV footage from a commercial bank regarding the incident. He pointed out that he is still waiting on footage from the bank of the 2016 robbery. (G4)

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mother of two accused of stabbing her reputed husband with a pair of scissors has been remanded to prison. The man remains hospitalised in a critical condition.

Maria Walcott, a cashier of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, appeared before city Magistrate Rondel Weever at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

She was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on January 23 at East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, she unlawfully and maliciously wounded Keshawn Braithwaite, also known as “Keshawn Griffith”.

The court was told that the couple was involved in a heated argument during which Walcott armed herself with a pair of scissors and stabbed Braithwaite to his chest.

The Police prosecutor opposed Walcott being granted bail on the ground that the victim is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a city hospital.

Remanded: Maria Walcott

The objection was upheld by the Magistrate, and Walcott was remanded. The case will continue on February 21. (G1)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

International Day of Education

COVID-19 further highlights importance of education – CEO …teamwork guided Guyana through the pandemic

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ith the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson has said it cemented the realisation of how important education is in the country, and the necessary mechanisms needed to ensure its sustainability.

His remarks came in celebration of International Day of Education 2022, under the banner: “Changing Course, Transforming Education”.

“The importance of education is so serious that an entire day has been earmarked to celebrate what we call International Day of Education by UNESCO. That day is so important to us in the Ministry of Education because we have learnt as a result of the pandemic how to actually work together to impact the education system. The pandem-

ic was really a teaching experience for many of us in the Ministry of Education,” Dr Hutson outlined.

After the pandemic hit, he said collaborative efforts from education officials and other integral stakeholders led to continued efforts to engage children at all levels.

“We saw the importance of education officers, working together with all other stakeholders, which includes the Guyana Teachers’ Union, our teachers, parents, members of the business community. If we hadn’t this kind of collaboration and cooperation, I don’t see how we could have actually achieved what we have achieved.”

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed January 24 in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. It is said that

without equitable, quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.

The CEO noted that Guyana has since adopted several approaches to ensure that students remain engaged, preventing as little learning loss as possible.

He stated, “I could say that education has indeed been transformed as a result of teamwork and what the pandemic has done. We have seen now, more than ever, the establishment of so many systems outside of what we had before to capture our children and to deliver education in a more meaningful and significant manner. We are grateful for all our stakeholders and

3 Guyanese to participate in 2022 YLAI Fellowship program

Jermaine Slater

Ulex Smith

Akola Thompson

he United States Embassy in Georgetown on Monday announced the 2022 cohort from Guyana for the Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program.

This year, three young leaders from Guyana have been accepted out of over 2000 applicants. They are Akola Thompson, Jermaine Slater and Ulex Smith.

Thompson is a gender-based violence (GBV) specialist who leads a community of feminists in becoming stronger leaders in their homes and communities. The organisation, Tamùkke Feminists, provides information to women and girls on issues relevant to their social, economic, and mental development with the aim of promoting the formation of a network of feminists, who are leaders in their homes and communities. Going to the YLAI

Fellowship, Thompson’s top business challenge is law and policy.

Meanwhile, Slater is the owner of a tutoring service and a gaming business called Slaters Gaming. The company’s pilot card game is called Jus Drink, which is based on the Guyanese Creole language. The game provided entertainment and education for local Guyanese customers, and brings back memories of times spent in Guyana for migrant customers. The company is unique because there is no other business that produces Guyanese card games. Going to the YLAI Fellowship, Slater’s top business challenge is finance.

Additionally, Smith is the founder of Signature Move Marketing Agency.

She informs small businesses about the importance of brand awareness. The agency provides digital and social media services, sales and marketing strategies,

simple corporate graphic designs, and more. Going to the YLAI Fellowship, Smith’s top business challenge is finance.

The YLAI Program will begin in January with virtual engagement with the Fellowship Curriculum and participation in the virtual opening orientation before departing to the United States for a four-week professional placement with their host organisation. The programme concludes in Washington, DC, in July.

Launched in 2015, YLAI empowers emerging entrepreneurs from the Western Hemisphere to enable the full economic potential of the region’s citizens. The 2022 programme will begin in January and close in July, bringing together 280 young leaders from 37 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada for a fellowship.

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how they have participated in us being successful to some degree.”

The Education Ministry had implemented a blended method to address challenges of epidemiological patterns, internet access, and availability of resources through the usage of radio, the internet, the learning channel and work papers. In the hinterland regions, adequate workbooks and materials were provided where electricity and internet access are limited. Toolkits were also procured with added textbooks to distribute to students.

Meanwhile, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry also celebrated the day, highlighting its educational programmes to enable accessible education opportunities.

Through the WIIN programme, women and girls across the country have the opportunity to be trained in diverse areas including

Chief Education Officer Dr Marcel Hutson

childcare, garment construction and ICT and can access these without any eligibility criteria.

Free training programmes are specifically designed for persons living with disabilities through the Ministry of Human Services including specialised ICT training, functional literacy, garment construction, sustainable farming and guidance counselling.

The Storyboard Initiative launched last year, target-

ed vulnerable young women through a creative writing and literacy workshop.

“There should be no barrier to anyone wanting to access education and we are making that happen through innovative and encouraging initiatives. Education opens new doors and expands horizons so we continue to push [to] leap over the hurdles to make education accessible to all, irrespective of age, gender or circumstance,” the Ministry shared.

14 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US training local enforcement agencies to detect suspicious, illicit goods

…as 6-month partnership to strengthen port security begins gitimate trade by enhancing container screening capacities. It provides training, equipment, and access

to communications data and tools from the World Customs Organisation.

The programme is part of

the ongoing commitment by the United States to the security of Guyana and the region.

Surveillance project to lift Guyana’s malaria-monitoring capacity

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The USNS Burlington when it arrived in Port of Spain (PoS), Trinidad on September 13, 2021 (Photo by the PoS US Embassy)

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he United States, through the Department of State’s office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), kicked off a six-month programme on January 24 to strengthen Guyanese port security and container control.

According to a release from the US Embassy in Guyana, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Container Control Programme, in partnership with the World Customs

Organisation, is implementing the programme, which is aimed at weakening transnational criminal organisations and deterring the trafficking of illicit goods.

Officials from the World Customs Organisation opened the programme with a two-week virtual training course for members of Port Control Units, composed of members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF); Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), Maritime

Administration Department (MARAD), and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, providing them training in profiling, targeting, and inspecting containers.

This training, the US Embassy said, will give them the skills to effectively detect suspicious and illicit goods, and make sure goods departing Guyana have been properly declared and duties paid.

The UNODC Container Control Programme works worldwide to promote le-

olecular surveillance of malaria in Guyana has commenced, using innovative technologies to understand the malaria parasite and the malaria vector responsible for the transmission of the disease.

The research project, launched on Monday, is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with technical leadership from the TH Chan School of Public Health and Harvard.

Speaking at the launching, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared that omics technologies have been applied to malaria parasites in recent years to get a more in-depth understanding of their structure and how it works.

With transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, the data from these studies have made it possible to probe the function of individual genes to understand the biology of this parasite. In Guyana, capacity will develop further if authorities better understand the parasite.

“The ongoing translational research creates a better understanding of this parasite and holds the promise of developing new drugs and vaccines for malaria. This research project will allow Guyana to develop three new capacities: a, parasite and mosquito molecular surveillance; secondly, the monitoring spatial-temporal distribution of malaria; and third, to monitor for artemisinin resistance,” said Dr Anthony.

He pointed out that drug resistance is a complex and

challenging public health problem. All known drugs, including artemisinin derivatives, have established clinical resistance.

“The decreasing efficacies of antimalarial medications have compromised the global malaria control strategy. Much more worrying is that the parasite develops resistance to antimalarial medicines faster than new compounds can be produced…Drug resistance monitoring is challenging for most malaria programmes because of financial and technical resources.

This has hindered our understanding of artemisinin drug resistance, whether it is absent, now emerging or pervasive in Guyana. This research project will help to answer these questions.”

Most experts believe that the emergence and spread of artemisinin?resistant falciparum malaria would be a public health disaster. The public health costs of drug resistance are enormous.

Drug resistance increases

morbidity, mortality, parasite transmission, and the cost of malaria control.

The Minister further highlighted, “Increased drug resistance has been associated with increases in hospital admissions, anaemia, low birth weight, and mortality. For these reasons, we must develop the capacity to do drug resistance monitoring. Through this research project, the National Public Health Reference Laboratory now has the equipment, and its personnel was trained to do genetic sequencing. The techniques used in sequencing the malaria parasite and mosquito can be used for other pathogens and vectors. This means that in the future, we will be able to sequence viruses such as SARS COV 2.”

Strengthening national capacity to do molecular surveillance will allow Guyana to participate meaningfully in the Amazon Network for the Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance (RAVREDA) and contribute to World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN).

“I envisage that this research will make concrete recommendations on the management of drug resistance, such as reducing drug pressure to prevent the emergence of drug resistance, monitoring the spread of drug resistance to inform treatment policy, and finally working with pharmaceutical companies to create a pipeline of new antimalarial drugs. The research findings would help us respond more appropriately to managing malaria in Guyana.” (G12)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Several companies apply to construct Gas-to-Shore project

Preliminary artist’s impression of natural gas plant (Source: EEPGL)

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rogress is being made on the gas-to-shore project, with 13 companies applying to construct the natural gas-fired power plant and the natural gas liquids plant components of the project.

During last Thursday’s bid opening at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), it was recorded that 12 bids from local, regional and international firms were received.

Among the companies whose Expressions of Interest were deemed acceptable enough to now enter the prequalification process, were CH4 Guyana Incorporated in collaboration with Lindsayca Incorporated, a Texas-based company.

Power China International Group Limited, a company that specialises in hydropower and electrical infrastructure, was also prequalified, as well as China Energy International Guyana Company Limited. China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) was also prequalified.

Other companies include Apan Energy, Wilson Offshore and Marine Limited, Constutora Queiroz Galvao, Tecnicas Reunidas, Black and Veatch, Amerapex Corporation (USA), SEPCOII Electric Power and Trinidadian company NGC Group.

The rationale for the combination of the power plant and the NGL facilities is guided by findings by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) – the local subsidiary of ExxonMobil – that there will be substantial savings from combining these two facilities.

As such, notwithstanding that the Government of Guyana has separately received Expressions of Interest in September 2021 that included the power plant, and that EEPGL

had separately pre-qualified firms for the NGL plant, the decision to combine the power and NGL plants necessitated that all interested parties be invited to submit or re-submit information.

Broad project scope

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the following are listed as the scope of the project: * Combine cycle turbines, multiple fuel consumption (including rich and lean natural gas, natural gas liquids and diesel); power plant to generate up to 300 MW of power with net 250 MW delivered into the Guyana Power and Light grid at a sub-station located on the East Bank of the Demerara River. The project shall include a 230 KV substation and back-up fuel capacity; * NGL plant with the capacity to process 60 thousand cubic feet per day (MCFD) in the first phase and up to 120 MCFD in the second phase, capable of conditioning the gas and removing heavier hydrocarbons in the liquid form. Five-day

storage for these products to be provided as well as truck or river loading facilities; * The project will include related infrastructure and civil works for the above facilities.

The project will be located in the Hermitage, part of the Wales Development Zone with approximately 150 acres allocated for it.

Notably, the Government has invited interested parties to invest in its US$900 million gas-to-energy project Wales Development Zone (WDZ). A public notice from the Natural Resources Ministry states the WDZ was selected as the landing facility for the pipeline, following the consideration of more than 20 potential locations.

The pipeline, which would end in the WDZ, will measure some 225 km from the Liza area, where the natural gas is produced.

The project will see the establishment of a gas processing plant (GPP) and a natural gas liquids (NGL) facility, capable of producing at least 4000 barrels

The proposed site for the project

per day, including the fractionation (or separating out) of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The Government said a power plant will be established to generate 150 MW, with an additional 150 MW in a second phase, and that an industrial park will be established to comprise industries that could use gas, steam and/or electricity.

ExxonMobil’s local affil-

iate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), has guaranteed the Government a minimum of 50 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd) will be transported through the pipeline by 2024. The pipeline will have a maximum capacity of 130 mmscfd.

The gas-to-energy project which is expected to come on stream by late 2024, is ex-

pected to reduce Guyana’s energy sector emissions. The project will also cut electricity cost by more than half.

The cost has long been regarded by the Private Sector as prohibitive to investments. Hence, Government expects the gas-to-energy project to revolutionise to significantly improve the ease of doing business in Guyana.

16 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Massive clean-up exercise ongoing in Region 2

Massive clean-up exercise at Anna Regina

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s part of the countrywide clean-up campaign by the Government, Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in collaboration with Anna Regina Town Council,

Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Water Users, and the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI), com-

menced a massive clean-up exercise.

The campaign, which commenced on Friday, has seen massive clean-up activities involving regional officials, the private sector, res-

idents, and volunteers in the township of Anna Regina.

Other areas to be targeted are Charity and Suddie.

As efforts continue to keep building momentum for the exercise, Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva has called on residents in the various locations to join the campaign activities and assist.

“Since we started this massive clean-up exercise,

we have finished the road leading to the Mainstay resort, Supenaam Waterfront, and other areas on the Essequibo Coast. Many persons were dumping their garbage in streets and road shoulders, however, the area was cleaned and a hut will be put up with an officer to overlook,” De Silva said during an interview with Guyana Times.

De Silva said that any-

one found littering will face the penalties, adding that the clean-up exercise started with a mini-excavator clearing trenches along the coast.

Additionally, De Silva called for hire car and minibus drivers to ensure that they carry garbage bags in their vehicles for passengers to use to properly dispose of their garbage.

Mohamed’s Enterprise donates computers, scanners to Police

Deputy Commissioner “Operations” Clifton Hicken, Deputy Commissioner “Administration” Calvin Brutus, IT Officer Superintendent Jermaine Johnson, and Deputy Superintendent Allison Moore pose with Azaruddin Mohamed during a simple donation ceremony

T

he Guyana Police Force is now in receipt of five new computers and two scanners from Mohamed’s Enterprise.

In a simple presentation ceremony in the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police “Operations” Clifton Hicken, Azaruddin Mohamed noted that the gesture was one that he

hopes will assist the General Office as they conduct their daily activities.

The Second-in-Command “Administration”, Deputy Superintendent Allison Moore expressed thanks on behalf of the Commissioner and senior officers of the Guyana Police Force to Mohamed, and pledged to ensure care of the equip-

ment.

On hand to witness the presentation were Deputy Commissioner “Operations” Clifton Hicken, Deputy Commissioner “Administration” Calvin Brutus, IT Officer Superintendent Jermaine Johnson and Deputy Superintendent Allison Moore.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Bill to set up organ transplant agency, registry passed in National Assembly

…APNU/AFC lambasted for lack of support, spreading misinformation

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he Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Bill 2021, which will pave the way for setting up of an agency and a registry that will manage the transplant of human organs in Guyana, has been passed in the National Assembly, with the parliamentary Opposition lambasted for their lack of support for the Bill.

Presenting the bill at the 35th sitting of the National Assembly on Monday was Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, who explained that the Bill was crafted with input from local and international medical experts and that it follows the revised World Health Organisation (WHO) Guiding Principles on Human Organ Transplantation.

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

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

for donations.

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

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

“This Bill will establish a Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency, which will oversee all future transplants of cells, biofluids, tissues and organs in Guyana. A National Donor and Transplant Registry

will be established to manage the process effectively.”

“This registry will have a list of the persons who have consented to donations and another list of patients who require these donations. It prescribes the eligibility for live adult donors before they are enrolled into the registry, depending on whether their donation is a regenerative or non-regenerative organ,” Minister Anthony further explained.

Anthony explained that in each case where a minor is desirous of donating a regenerative organ, this donation must be assessed by an Independent Assessment Committee.

Unless the Independent Assessment Committee unanimously agreed, the donation cannot proceed.

“The Bill also allowed for the donation of organs after the patient dies. Section Nine deals with all issues relating to such a donation.

Again, in this section, there is the appropriate balance of the principles of altruism, autonomy, dignity, non-maleficence, futility and equity,” the Minister explained.

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APNU

Partnership

for

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) point person on health, Dr Karen Cummings, meanwhile acknowledged the need for such a Bill in her presentation to the National Assembly, when she drew reference to the demand for organ transplant.

“The increasing incidence of vital organ failure and the inadequate number of organs, especially from cadavers, has created a gap, a wide gap between organs acquired and organ demand. And has resulted in very long waiting times to receive an organ, as well

as an increasing number of deaths while waiting.”

At the same time, however, Dr Cummings raised several concerns regarding the prospect of the Organ Transplant Bill. Her concerns ranged from whether it would be culturally acceptable to whether it would result in ethnic minorities being targeted for organ harvesting. Such utterances were lambasted by members of the Government side when given the floor, with Attorney General Anil Nandlall questioning whether the former Health Minister had read the Bill.

“The worst part of it is, the honourable member stood on that podium and found in this Bill that there were some elements, which of course she did not detail for us, in the Bill that encouraged ethnic cleansing.

Ethnic cleansing! Now you have to be of a special mind to read that is so scientific, so clinical, so dispassionate, and unearth from that ethnic cleansing. I don’t understand!”

“And then the honourable member read into this Bill grave platforms for corruption… and accuse the Government and

APNU MP Dr Karen Cummings

say she is not sure whether this Government will not make this Bill corrupt. The Government has nothing to do with this Bill, other than the Minister giving policy direction!” Nandlall also said.

The Bill also received support from Deputy Speaker and leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) Lennox Shuman, who also urged that all services that come under the Bill’s purview must be accessible to persons in the hinterland. Following the reading of the Bill, it was passed in the National Assembly.

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

Regional

Visitors to Colombian house Two reported dead as find world turned upside earthquakes rattle southern Haiti down after pandemic

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5.3-magnitude earthquake and a series of smaller tremors have struck southwest Haiti, killing at least two people, sending panicked residents into the streets and forcing authorities to close schools.

The US Geological Survey said the first earthquake on Monday morning struck near the city of Les Cayes, about 200km (124 miles) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, followed by tremors of 4.4 and 5.1 magnitudes.

Two people were killed, The Associated Press and AFP news agencies reported, citing Haiti’s civil protection agency.

AFP said a man died when a wall collapsed in Anse-a-Veau, a small coast-

al town 130 kilometres (80 miles) from Port-au-Prince, while a second man died in a landslide in Fond-desNegres, 20km (12 miles) further south.

Numerous people also were wounded in Fond-desNegres, while several houses have been damaged.

Southern Haiti was devastated by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in August that destroyed tens of thousands of homes and left families sleeping outside in torrential rains.

The Caribbean nation is still recovering from a 2010 quake that killed more than 200,000 people.

The country is also reeling from a protracted political conflict that was exacerbat-

ed when President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home in July last year.

Armed gangs have since strengthened their hold on the island, and deadly violence and kidnappings have surged.

On Friday, Canada hosted a virtual meeting on Haiti that included representatives from 19 countries. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “immediate action” was needed to address the security situation in the country and pledged an additional $39 million in aid.

A donors conference also is scheduled for February, and the United States and other nations are expected to make additional donations.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mexico violence: Third journalist killed this year

Lourdes Maldonado López, seen here during a news conference with the President, was shot dead outside her home

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Mexican journalist has been shot dead in the northern border city of Tijuana, officials say, the third journalist to be killed in the country this year.

Lourdes Maldonado López, who had decades of experience, was attacked in her car as she arrived home on Sunday.

She had previously said she feared for her life, and was enrolled in a scheme to protect

journalists, activists said.

The country is one of the world’s most dangerous for journalists, and dozens have been killed in recent years.

Many of those targeted covered corruption or powerful drug cartels. Campaigners say the killings are rarely fully investigated, with impunity virtually the norm.

The motive for Maldonado’s killing was not clear and no-one has been ar-

rested.

During a news conference in 2019, Maldonado asked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for his “support, help and labour justice” because, she said, “I fear for my life”.

Rights group Article 19 said she had previously been attacked because of her work and was registered in the Mexican Government’s programme to protect journalists.

The killing came six days after photojournalist Margarito Martínez was shot dead outside his home in Tijuana. He covered crime in the city, with his work appearing in national and foreign media.

A week earlier, José Luis Gamboa Arenas was found dead with stab wounds in the eastern city of Veracruz. An editor at the Inforegio and La Notícia news websites, he often wrote articles about organised crime and violence.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

People sit outside the upside down house in Guatavita, Colombia, January 23, 2022. Picture taken January 23, 2022

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n upside down house built in Colombia’s Guatavita, a short distance from the capital of Bogota, is capturing the imagination of visitors looking for fun following coronavirus restrictions.

Inside the house, which was designed by its Austrian owner Fritz Schall, who

lives in Colombia with his family, tourists walk on ceilings where floors would normally be, while furniture is positioned beneath them.

“Everyone looked at me like I was mad, they didn’t believe what I was saying,” Schall said. “I said ‘I’m go-

ing to make an upside down house,’ and they told me, ‘Ok sir, sure, go for it.’”

Inspiration for building the house came from a trip to Schall’s native Austria with his grandchildren in 2015, where they saw a similar house.

Though the coronavirus pandemic made building the house a little difficult, it was finally finished at the start of this year, Schall said.

“The pandemic slowed us down a bit, but it’s done now and we inaugurated it three weeks ago,” Schall said.

For visitors weary of the pandemic and measures including lockdowns and restrictions on movements, the house offers light relief.

“We’ve come from a pandemic, we’ve emerged from a lockdown, so this helps people have a moment of relaxation,” visitor Lina Gutierrez said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

China-Brazil ties to get boost if Lula wins, says ex-Foreign Minister

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razil’s relations with China have been stormy under its current far-right Government and would stand to improve greatly if former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were elected in October, according to one of the leftist’s close aides.

But a Lula Administration would not seek a preferential relationship with China over and above its good ties with the United States, the European Union and Latin American neighbors, Lula’s former Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, told Reuters.

Lula has a clear lead over President Jair Bolsonaro in early polls - though neither

have formally declared their candidacy -and investors are eager to understand what a Workers Party government might mean for relations with Brazil’s largest trading partner.

In an interview on Friday, Amorim said Brazilian foreign policy would be “pragmatic and not ideological” if Lula returns to power.

“But you cannot ignore the fact that China is the fastest growing economy and will be the world’s largest economy by the end of the decade,” he added.

During the 2018 election campaign, Bolsonaro attacked China, saying it was “buying Brazil,” causing tensions with the Asian power.

The Brazilian President has since toned down his criticism, but some of his right-wing supporters complain he is allowing Latin America’s largest economy to become a “Chinese colony” by not banning China’s telecommunications giant, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, from supplying equipment for 5G networks.

According to Amorim, friction with Beijing under Bolsonaro caused delays in obtaining health equipment and active ingredients for vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. China said at the time that delays were due to red tape following Chinese export regulations. (Excerpt from Reuters)

23 days in 2022, compared with two for the corresponding period in 2021.

There was a 200 per cent increase in murders in Trelawny from January 1 to 23, with three murders compared to one for the same period last year.

Portland is the least murderous parish in 2022, having recorded no murders so far this year.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) serious crimes report also showed that there was a decrease in the number of shooting incidents as of Sunday. There were 71 cases of shootings over the period under review, compared to 85 for the same

period last year, which represented a decrease of 16.5 per cent.

In the meantime, declines have been recorded in cases of rapes, robberies and break-ins. Some 17 rapes were recorded up to January 23 this year, down from the 49 observed in the corresponding period last year, representing a reduction of 32 cases or 65.3 per cent.

Robberies saw a 2.9 per cent decrease with 68 incidents this year compared to 70 in 2021.

The JCF reported a 28.3 per cent decrease in breakins — 38 this year compared to 53 in 2021. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Peru eyes sanctions over Repsol oil spill, doesn’t rule out production halt 112 murders recorded in 23 days in Jamaica

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eru’s Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez said on Monday the Government was looking at sanctioning a major local refinery owned by Spanish energy firm Repsol after an oil spill last week, and did not rule out suspending operations at the facility.

Vásquez said some political parties were calling for the Government to cancel the Pampilla refinery’s contract or even expropriate it over the disaster, but said options were still being looked at.

“We are evaluating the legal aspects, we still cannot say whether a license is going to be suspended or not,” she told local radio station

RPP. “That will depend a lot on the evaluation we make of the legal terms under which the company is operating and what type of sanctions or infractions were committed.”

The oil spill, blamed on unusual waves triggered by a volcanic eruption in Tonga over a week ago, has affected an area of up to 9 million square meters, the Government has said. It has been termed an “ecological disaster”.

Repsol’s Pampilla refinery accounts for over half of Peru’s refining capacity.

Vásquez said that aside from sanctions against Repsol and the demands to

restore the affected areas, prosecutors were investigating the case for alleged environmental crimes and the State was evaluating compensation for those affected.

The President of Repsol Peru, Jaime FernándezCuesta, said on Sunday night that the refinery could have reacted faster and that only the day after the spill did they learn the full magnitude of the disaster.

Hundreds of people marched on Sunday in protest against Repsol over the spill, reaching the vicinity of the refinery in the Ventanilla district, located north of the city of Lima.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

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ccording to the latest Police crime statistics, 112 people were murdered in Jamaica over the first 23 days of 2022.

This is 15 more homicides or a 15.5 per cent increase when compared with the corresponding period in 2021.

The St James Police Division leads the murder count with 21 cases, a 16.7 per cent increase compared to the 18 homicides reported in the division up to January 23 last year.

However, Westmoreland had the highest percentage increase in murders, with a 500 per cent rise. There were 12 murders committed in the parish over the first

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil falls 2% as Fed rate hike talk spooks risk markets

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il prices fell about 2 per cent on Monday, hit by investor concerns over the possibility of quicker than expected interest-rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve that took down risk markets such as equities while the dollar rallied.

Wall Street stocks slumped, after last week posting their worst week since 2020, pulling down other risk assets like crude.

"Everything is being taken out to the wood shed and the wood shed is a pretty crowded place," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital Management.

Brent crude fell US$1.62, or 1.8 per cent, to US$86.27 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled down US$1.83, or 2.2 per cent, to US$83.31.

Both benchmarks rose for a fifth week in a row last week, gaining about 2 per cent to reach their highest since October 2014.

Oil prices are up more than 10 per cent this year on the concerns over tightening supplies and OPEC+ now struggling to hit a targeted monthly output increase of 400,000 barrels per day.

The Relative Strength Index, a measure of short-term market sentiment, had until Monday been trading at levels considered indicative of a near-term correction in oil.

"Big picture, we believe oil is going higher over the long run, but short-term we've gotten overbought and juiced up on geopolitical risk," said Flynn.

Stocks fell while the dollar rose to a two-week high on Monday against a basket of currencies, lifted by the tension between Russia and the West over Ukraine and the possibility of a more hawkish stance from the Fed this week.

Tensions in Ukraine have been increasing for months after Russia massed troops near its borders, fuelling fears of supply disruption in Eastern Europe.

In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting the Gulf country on Monday after a deadly attack a week earlier.

Further escalation of the situation in both Ukraine and the Middle East "justify a risk premium on the oil price because the countries involved – Russia and the UAE – are important members of OPEC+," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.

Chiefs of major US oil companies Occidental Petroleum Corp and ConocoPhillips offered differing outlooks on the growth of US oil output at a conference Monday.

ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance said he was bullish about markets as high oil prices "will persist for a while," whereas Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub forecast US production to grow, but fall short of its all-time record.

Barclays raised its average oil price forecasts by US$5 a barrel for this year, citing shrinking spare capacity and elevated political risks. The bank follows a similar move by Morgan Stanley last week, which expects to see US$100-a-barrel oil by the third quarter.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Poor nations pay highest debt service in 20 years – campaigners

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eveloping countries are paying more to service their debt than at any other time in the past two decades, with a heavier burden on the horizon if the United States raises interest rates this year as expected, a leading debt campaigner said on Monday.

Many developing nations have been hit hard by the economic fallout from the global pandemic. And while wealthy creditor countries granted the poorest ones temporary relief through a Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), that programme is now expiring and governments must resume payments.

The warning from the UK-based Jubilee Debt Campaign echoed a call to action earlier this month from the World Bank, which

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been carried out without violence and that those detained were at a secure location.

The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard-of entity, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, or MPSR, its Frenchlanguage acronym.

"MPSR, which includes all sections of the army, has decided to end President Kabore's post today," it said.

Kabore's whereabouts were unknown on Monday, with conflicting accounts of his situation.

Army putsches have toppled governments over the past 18 months in Mali and Guinea. The military also

said the pandemic-induced downturn had left around 60 per cent of low-income countries in or at high risk of debt distress.

"The debt crisis continues to engulf lower income countries, with no end in sight unless there is urgent action

on debt relief," Heidi Chow, Jubilee's Executive Director, said in a statement.

Data compiled by Jubilee showed that developing country debt payments increased 120 per cent between 2010 and 2021, reaching their highest level since 2001.

Student opens fire at German university, killing 1

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n 18-year-old biology student opened fire in a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in Germany on Monday, fatally wounding another student and injuring three others before shooting himself dead, officials said.

Mannheim Police Chief Siegfried Kollmar said the gunman had been found with 100 spare bullets in his backpack and it was not clear why he had stopped shooting, but officers were confident he had been act-

ing alone.

Police have searched his home in Mannheim, in southwestern Germany, but it was too early to detect a motive, a state prosecutor told the same news conference.

The shooter had bought two guns, including a double-barrelled shotgun, abroad but did not have a licence, Kollmar said.

"The suspect had no driving licence. The suspect had no gun licence. This makes him a very unusual case,"

Kollmar said, confirming he was a student.

The prosecutor said the suspect had no previous criminal record in Germany.

One of the four German students wounded in the attack, which occurred around midday, was a 23-year-old woman who died of her injuries, the Interior Minister of the state of BadenWuerttemberg Thomas Strobl told the news conference.

The three other victims

suffered minor injuries, Stobl said.

The Police Chief said 29 witnesses in the lecture hall had told officers “Only one person went in, shot and went out, and no one else was seen".

A police spokesman told Reuters earlier on Monday the gunman fled the lecture hall before turning his gun on himself.

Founded in 1386, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US puts 8500 troops on alert to deploy amid Russia tension

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oughly 8500 Americans troops have been put on heightened alert in the US in case NATO activates its

Burkina Faso army deposes President in West Africa's latest coup

urkina Faso's army said on Monday it had ousted President Roch Kabore, suspended the Constitution, dissolved the Government and the National Assembly, and closed the country's borders.

The announcement cited the deterioration of the security situation and what the army described as Kabore's inability to unite the West African nation and effectively respond to challenges, which include an Islamist insurgency.

Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and read by another officer on state television, the announcement said the takeover had

Motorists drive on the controlled section during the construction of the Nairobi Expressway, undertaken by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, along Uhuru highway in Nairobi, Kenya August 5, 2021

Average government external debt payments represented 14.3 per cent of government revenue in 2021, more than double the 6.8 per cent recorded in 2010.

The US Federal Reserve is due to meet this week and markets are pricing in four interest rate hikes for this year.

Higher Fed rates will likely make borrowing more expensive for emerging market countries, which will need to price debt at a premium as safe haven baseline US Treasuries become more attractive to investors.

Globally, 54 countries are now in debt crisis, according to Jubilee, meaning debt payments are undermining the ability of governments to protect the basic economic and social rights of their citizens.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

took over in Chad last year after President Idriss Deby died fighting rebels on the battlefield in the country's north.

Landlocked Burkina Faso, one of West Africa's poorest despite being a gold producer, has experienced numerous coups since independence from France in 1960.

The MPSR said it would propose a calendar for a return to constitutional order "within a reasonable time frame, after consultations with various sections of the nation."

Several hundred residents gathered in Ouagadougou's central Place de la Nation to show their support for the coup. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Response Force or if the security situation in Europe deteriorates further, the Pentagon has said.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell sought to calm Western fears over the Ukraine crisis after talks with US top diplomat Antony Blinken.

“We know very well what the degree of threats are and the way in which we must react, and no doubt we must avoid alarmist reactions,” Borrell said on Monday. “You have to stay calm doing what you have to do, and avoid a nervous breakdown.”

NATO allies have put forces on standby and sent ships and fighter jets to bolster Europe’s eastern defences as tensions soar over Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine.

The security alliance’s move, announced on Monday, came as the United Kingdom began withdrawing staff from its embassy in Kyiv as fears persist of an imminent Russian invasion following Russia’s massing of some 100,000

Ukrainian servicemen from the 25th Air Assault Battalion are seen stationed in Avdiivka, Ukraine

troops near its neighbour.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied planning to make an incursion.

The United States has said it is in full agreement with European allies on the severity of the response to any Russian invasion of Ukraine, and on the urgency of the threat.

Officials from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet in Paris on Wednesday for talks with their counterparts from France and

Germany in a bid to defuse tensions, an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

The meeting – a revival of four-way talks between the nations known as the Normandy Format – is part of efforts to avert war, with France seeing “a path to de-escalation” that would include steps from Ukraine and Russia, the aide told reporters on condition of anonymity. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

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DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Surround yourself with trustworthy people. Be direct, and don't let your emotions interfere with your work or relationships with others. Indecisiveness will make you look incompetent.

(March 21-April 19) Make sure you know what you're doing before you begin. If you don't live up to your promises, it will affect your reputation and hurt your chance to advance.

Stick to the plan.

DILBERT

(April 20-May 20) You'll have trouble with someone you work alongside. Distance yourself to avoid an unnecessary entanglement.

Don't get involved in gossip or let anyone meddle in your affairs.

(May 21-June 20) Express your feelings. It's OK to veer off in a direction that you find more creative and exciting. Reach out to people who share your likes and dislikes, and it will inspire you.

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Mixed emotions will surface if you disagree with what others are doing. Be sure to have a workable solution before you begin to dominate conversations.

Someone is likely to have a change of heart.

Find out where you stand. How you treat others will determine the outcome of a situation you face with someone close to you. Share your feelings with a loved one.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take care of business and live up to your responsibilities. Keep your emotions in check and your work ethic in place. Don't get worked up over something you cannot change.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) What you do is what counts. Reach out to people who share your interests and make changes at home conducive to exploring something you want to pursue.

A change will be beneficial.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Keep things simple, practical and within your budget. Use your intelligence to evaluate your position. Someone will use emotional manipulation to push you in a questionable direction.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Show your feelings openly, and you'll bypass all the passing drama. Know what you want and make your position clear. Adjustments at home will encourage you to live life your way.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You've got the right idea; now speed things up a bit and forge a path forward.

How you conduct yourself and what you have to offer will create a buzz. Proceed with confidence.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take care of your finances, legal affairs and health. Refuse to let anyone push you in a direction that doesn't appeal to you. Make changes that will benefit you, not someone else.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

21

NBA ROUNDUP…

Jayson Tatum racks up 51 points as Celtics rout Wizards shot 43 percent from the field, and were 14 of 41 from 3-point range.

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ayson Tatum snapped out of a 3-point shooting slump with a flourish, hitting 9 of 14 from distance en route to a season-high 51 points, and the Boston Celtics cruised past the Washington Wizards 116-87 on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Tatum came into Sunday's matchup having missed his previous 20 three-point attempts and going 0-for in each of Boston's previous three games. But he hit his first four attempts against the Wizards, and went 6 of 7 in the first half, the last of which came just seconds before halftime.

Sunday marked the fifth 50+point game of Tatum's career. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished seven assists, while teammate Jaylen Brown finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 19 points and seven assists, but Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

went 0-for-14 from beyond the arc. Deni Avdija scored 13 points, and Kyle Kuzma finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Knicks 110, Clippers 102 RJ Barrett collected 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as host New York snapped a three-game losing streak with a wire-to-wire win over Los Angeles.

Barrett hit 9 of 24 shots from the field, and posted his third double-double of the season. He also hit all seven of his free throws in 43 stellar minutes.

Julius Randle totalled 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and bounced back nicely from being held to four points in Thursday's 102-91 loss to New Orleans.

Reggie Jackson scored 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting as the Clippers dropped to 1-2 on their eight-game trip.

Ivica Zubac totalled 17 and 14 rebounds. The Clippers

Heat 113, Lakers 107 Jimmy Butler recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists leading host Miami to a win over struggling Los Angeles.

The Lakers, who trailed by 26 points in the second quarter, cut their deficit to 111107 with 1:07 left. But Talen Horton-Tucker's poor inbounds pass with seven seconds left led to a Caleb Martin steal and layup, ending the Lakers' final chance.

Duncan Robinson led Miami with 25 points (6 of 11 on 3-pointers) as the Heat improved to 16-5 at home, the best home record in the Eastern Conference. Now with the Lakers, James scored a game-high 33 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished four assists on Sunday. He has scored at least 26 points in 17 straight games.

Hawks 113, Hornets 91 Trae Young pumped in 30 points, and the visiting Atlanta controlled most of the game in defeating cold-shooting Charlotte.

Young connected on eight of his 15 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. De'Andre Hunter posted 20 points, Kevin Huerter added 11 points, and reserve Danilo Gallinari scored 10.

Charlotte, which lost for just the second time in its last nine games, missed its first 19 attempts from 3-point

range, and finished 4-for-36 from deep. Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball both racked up 19 points for the Hornets.

Magic 114, Bulls 95 Moe Wagner came off the bench to score 15 of his 23 points in the first half, Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, and host Orlando ended a nine-game home losing streak with a win over undermanned Chicago.

Franz Wagner added 18 points, while Jalen Suggs scored 15 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Cole Anthony and Chuma Okeke each had 11 points for Orlando, which went 12-for-26 from 3-point range.

Chicago's DeMar DeRozan netted 21 of his season-high 41 points in the second half, making 15 of 21 field goals for the game and 11 of 13 free throws.

It marked DeRozan's third straight game with 30+points, but the Bulls continued to feel the effects of a limited roster, as they lost for the seventh time in nine games.

76ers 115, Spurs 109 Joel Embiid scored 38 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, and Tobias Harris added 18 points and 11 rebounds as visiting Philadelphia took charge early, and did just enough to hold on for a win over San Antonio.

Embiid, who added six assists, has racked up at least 30 points in 12 straight road games. Maxey hit for 18 points, and Furkan Korkmaz added

Lucknow Super Giants unveiled as name for new IPL franchise

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ucknow Super Giants.

That is the team’s name unveiled on Monday by the new IPL franchise bought by the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, a diversified Indian business group, for a record sum of INR 7090 crore (USD 940 million approx.) in October last year.

Last week, Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, announced that KL Rahul would be the captain of the new franchise. The Lucknow Super Giants bought Rahul for INR 17 crore (USD 2.28 million approx.), the joint-highest fee paid to a player in IPL. This is not the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group's first tryst with IPL team ownership, or indeed with team name. They had acquired a franchise in Pune for IPL 2016 and 2017 - when two new franchises tempo-

rarily replaced the suspended Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals. They had then called their franchise the Rising Pune Super Giants, later changing the name in 2017 to Rising Pune Supergiant.

Goenka said the name for the Lucknow franchise had been finalised based on a crowd-sourced campaign.

The Lucknow Super Giants also acquired Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis and the uncapped Indian legspinner Ravi Bishnoi. While Stonis will be paid INR 9.2 crore (USD 1.24 million approx.), a sum of 10 crore would be deducted from the franchise's overall auction purse as per the IPL rules.

Bishnoi, meanwhile, will be paid INR 4 crore (USD 0.54 million approx.), which was the baseline price set by the IPL for uncapped Indian players.

The franchise will consequently have a purse of INR 59 crore at the two-day auction, which is scheduled in Bengaluru between February 12 and 13.

IPL 2022 is expected to start on March 27, with the authorities keen that the tournament be hosted in India itself, although that could change, depending on the COVID-19

pandemic.

Alongside Lucknow, the other new IPL franchise was bought by global private equity giants CVC Capital, and will be based in Ahmedabad.

The three players they bought ahead of the mega auction were Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan for INR 15 crore (USD 2.02 million approx.), and Shubman Gill for INR 8 crore (USD 1.07 million approx).

As per the auction rules, the Ahmedabad franchise's purse will be lighter by INR 38 crore - with the actual amount paid to Rashid and Gill subtracted, since it stands higher than the slabs set by the IPL of INR 11 crore and INR 7 crore when three capped players are retained by a franchise.

Ahmedabad will thus go in with INR 52 crore to spend in the auction. (ESPNcricinfo)

17 for the 76ers, who have won seven straight games against the Spurs dating to December 2018.

Jakob Poeltl led San Antonio with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Murray added 19 points and 12 assists, with Keldon Johnson scoring 17 points, Devin Vassell 15, Lonnie Walker IV 14, and White 10.

Mavericks 104, Grizzlies 91 Luka Doncic had 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as Dallas cruised to a win over visiting Memphis.

Kristaps Porzingis had 15 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high six blocks for Dallas, which led wire-to-wire and won for the 11th time in its last 13 games.

Ja Morant paced Memphis with 35 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. De'Anthony Melton scored 12 points, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 10.

Nuggets 117, Pistons 111 Nikola Jokic had 34 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Will Barton scored 14, and host Denver beat Detroit.

Aaron Gordon scored 13, Bryn Forbes and Zeke Nnaji finished with 12 apiece, and Austin Rivers scored 11 for the Nuggets. DeMarcus Cousins scored two points in his Denver debut.

Cade Cunningham had 18 points and eight assists, Isaiah Stewart, Cory Joseph and Trey Lyles also scored 18, and Saddiq Bey finished with 11 for Detroit.

Trail Blazers 114, Raptors 105 CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little each scored 19 points, and Portland - which led by 34 points in the first half - held on to defeat host Toronto.

McCollum added 10 rebounds, and Ben McLemore had 17 points for the Trail Blazers, who completed their road trip with a 4-2 record.

Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Pascal Siakam scored 28 points for Toronto, Fred VanVleet added 19 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 13, and OG Anunoby and Chris Boucher had 11 points each.

Timberwolves 136, Nets 125 Karl-Anthony Towns scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, as Minnesota pulled away down the stretch for a victory over Brooklyn in Minneapolis.

Towns was 2-of-11 from the field through three quarters, as Minnesota held a 102-95 lead. After Brooklyn was within 111-105 on a 3-point play

by Kyrie Irving with 7:04 left, Towns hit a variety of shots to help Minnesota clinch its seventh win in 10 games.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but was helped back to the locker room with an apparent right leg injury late in the fourth. Irving led all scorers with 30 points as the Nets finished a 2-2 road trip in their fourth game since losing Kevin Durant to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Warriors 94, Jazz 92 Kevon Looney's three-point play with 1:48 remaining enabled Golden State to survive a late flurry by Utah to hold on for a victory in San Francisco.

After leading by 13 with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, the Warriors not only had their entire lead disappear in the next seven minutes, but saw the Jazz go up 86-83 at the end of a 20-4 run.

Jordan Poole, who paced the Warriors with 20 points, gave Golden State the lead for good at 91-89 on a jumper with 3:55 to go, which was the game's last scoring before Looney turned an offensive rebound into a follow shot and a key three-point play more than two minutes later. (Reuters)

ECCB announces under15 training squad

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he East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) has announced an 18-man squad to attend training sessions at the LBI Cricket Facility.

The practice sessions are scheduled to commence from 16:00h today, and will be conducted by coaches Latchman Yadram, Ashmul Ali and Kumar Bishundial.

The following players are asked to be there by 15:45 hrs: 1. Alonzo Ramsingh 2. Yudesh Jaikaran

3. Arun Ganda 4. Ricardo Singh 5. Ravin Persaud 6. Joshan Bollars 7. Aaron Kissoon 8. Rishi Sewdat 9. Trilok Nanan 10. Mikel Sharma 11. Daniel Kissoon 12. Munesh Outar 13. Gopaul Ramchand 14. Fayuse Ali 15. Anthony Chan 16. Ravindra Balgobin 17. Nicklos Rukhdeo 18. Ricardo Singh

22 Under-12 players rewarded for outstanding performances in DeSinco Rapid Chess Championships TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Winners in the girls’ U12 category

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inners of the National Under-12 Rapid Chess Championships were, for their outstanding performances, rewarded with trophies, medals, gift bags and certificates across the various categories in a ceremony held at the Grand Coastal Inn at Le Ressouvenir, East Coast

Demerara.

The 7-round Rapid tournament concluded on Saturday January 15th with Alexander Zhang earning the U12 national title and Kristin Xavier becoming the first ever U12 female champion.

Notably, these championships were not held

since 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this was also the first time they had been held online.

The Guyana Chess Federation has praised the discipline and dedication of the youth and cadet players, noting their excellent performances throughout the tournament.

These players are expected to participate in more tournaments throughout the year.

Frankie Farley, President of the Guyana Chess Federation, noted that, with today’s technology, it is now possible to teach the game to hundreds of youths across the country.

Information and materials for persons who want to learn chess are much more accessible than they had been in the past.

Farley recalled the challenges he faced in his time as a young player: having to visit the National Library to find books on chess in the reference section. Sometimes, until it was time to leave, he would spend hours trying to understand the text, only to return the next day to find the page he was studying torn out of the book.

DeSinco’s Chief Executive Officer Alicia DeAbreu, representing DeSinco and their Lifebuoy brand, expressed her gratitude to parents of players in the tournament, thanking them for their active encouragement and support of their children in playing chess, and praising their initiative and forwardthinking in recognising the value of learning chess and all the benefits it brings to young minds. DeSinco have also given their commitment to sponsor more chess tournaments for the

remainder of the year.

Anand Raghunauth, VicePresident of the Guyana Chess Federation, has urged the

there are plans to take chess into Linden and Essequibo later this year. The Guyana Chess Federation also aims to take

Kristin Xavier receiving her prize from Alicia DeAbreu

youths to continue participating in these tournaments, promising that more opportunities for both local and international play would arise for these young players in 2022 and onwards.

Also, he noted that the GCF’s membership has tripled over the last 3 months due to the expansion of the Chess in Schools’ programme.

As the sport begins to venture out of Georgetown,

chess to athletes in other sports in the future, as the skill learned from chess can benefit persons in all areas.

The GCF wishes to thank all those who participated in the championships and all those who made the presentation a success.

Special thanks to Mohamed Khan and family for having assisted greatly in this venture, and to the management and staff of the Grand Coastal Inn.

‘Ground and pound’ defeat for D’Anjou at IMMAF Prashad emerges victorious World Championships in LGC Club tournament

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Corwin D’Anjou about to land a right hand on Adam McEnroe during their IMMAF World Championship Welterweight encounter

t certainly wasn’t the debut Corwin D’Anjou had wanted at the IMMAF World Championships, but the Guyanese has vowed to keep fighting following his second round TKO defeat to Ireland’s Adam McEnroe in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Fighting in Cage One at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City, near UFC Fight Island (Yas Island), with all the main cameras focusing on Guyana’s first-time entry into the Octagon at an International Mixed Martial Arts (IMMAF) event, D’Anjou really didn’t have any answers for McEnroe from the opening horn.

McEnroe entered his contest against D’Anjou coming off a unanimous decision victory in his sixth (amateur) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bout.

D’Anjou went into the Octagon looking confident, and was even optimistic of success during his pre-fight interview.

However, he added that being the only Guyanese with some amount of experience in the MMA arena regionally, much was riding on him to do well in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

With D’Anjou being a black belt judoka and ‘jiujiteiro’, Coach

Bruce Fraser watched from ringside as his prized fighter hardly posed any challenge

mat and unable to return any strike.

“I’m disappointed,” D’Anjou said after his fight. He added, “Our game plan was to go out there, maintain dominance, and take the match to the floor, where I have the experience; but after the first round, being mounted, I defended myself intelligently but still ended up with the first round going to my opponent.

“So, I came back in the second (round), where I was again taken down and suffered a TKO loss.

Not what I wanted, but I’ll get back home, return to training, try to correct some of my mistakes, and take it from there,” D’Anjou has said.

Meanwhile, the other Guyanese, Ijaz Cave, will be in action today in the Round-of-16 of the Men’s Light Heavyweight

The fighters as they await the results in anticipation

against his counterpart from Ireland.

In fact, D’Anjou was ‘saved by the bell’ in the first round, when McEnroe was on top of him pounding away and the Guyanese had to resort to being defensive.

The Referee quickly stepped in during the early stages of the second round, when McEnroe once against had D’Anjou on the

Division when he faces off with Sweden’s Robin Enontekio.

While Cave is entering the Octagon for the very first time, Enontekio is coming off a fourfight consecutive defeat. He has one win in seven MMA fights.

(From Rawle Toney in Abu Dhabi (compliments: Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Federation/National Sports Commission)

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Patrick Prashad receiving his prize from Brian Hackett

he Lusignan Golf Club last Saturday hosted an inhouse tournament which saw standout performances, led

by Captain Patrick Prashad with a winning score of net 71, and followed closely by Kasim Khan, with Tom Watkins rounding up the top 3.

Kasim Khan and Tom Watkins, having again showed great form for the second week in a row, were bettered by a resurgent performance from Patrick Prashad.

The results of the tournament were as follows: * 1st: Patrick Prashad: Gross 81, HC 10, Net 71 * 2nd: Kasim Khan: Gross 76, HC 5, Net 71 * 3rd: Tom Watkins: Gross 77, HC 4, Net 73 * Nearest To the Flag: Shanella London * Longest Drive: Kasim Khan * Best Gross: Kasim Khan At the end of the tournament, LGC VP Paton George declared that, as it pertains to the 2022 season, the club is excited. He relayed that the Crown Mining Golf Tournament got the club off to a wonderful start, which sparked the interest of the golfers.

“We had a week off, but the golfers insisted that we have a club tournament. The forecast for the 2022 season looks like it will have a lot of interesting golf, not just the tournaments on Saturdays,

Kasim Khan copped second prize

but we have guests coming out on Sundays as well,” he said.

It is George’s belief that golf is growing and gaining momentum in Guyana. He says this plays into the mantra of the club’s goal, and that is: to make golf an inclusive sport.

The LGC Vice President further clarified that while the reputation of golf was deemed an exclusive sport in the past, the Lusignan Golf Club is aiming to move forward and make it inclusive, like those of the core sports in Guyana.

“We want to reach out to other communities and bring them into the Lusignan Golf Club and other golfing venues; that is where talent comes from. Talent comes from all sections of society, and we want to make sure that we are able to give the opportunity to the next good golfer out there.

And who knows, maybe (we can) put Guyana on the map,” George posited.

According to George, since the era of Tiger Woods, golf has been one of the major sports in the world, especially with the amount of funding that goes into it. Thus it is his hope that the same happens for Guyana; and therefore growing the game, expanding the communities that are not accustomed to golf, is important, and he is optimistic that the sponsors would be ready to take things to another level.

In a statement, the LGC

said, “We would like to thank all participants, the staff, media and guests for coming out and enjoying a day on the lawns at LGC. Again, the Lusignan Golf Club would like to thank all attendees for their continued adherence to COVID protocols.”

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23

Shepherd says primary focus is on clinching Betway T20I series -IPL auction is secondary

By Brandon Corlette in Barbados

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he humility of Romario Shepherd continues to amaze. While many young West Indian players are focused on the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) draft that is set for February 13-14, this Guyanese resident of New Amsterdam in East Berbice is more focused on the task at hand: to defeat England in the five-match T20I Betway series ongoing in Barbados.

Fresh from scoring his career best T20I score of 44 not out, and having had some months of success with the bat, especially in different tournaments and series, Shepherd has said: "I try to focus on what is at hand right now, and try to put my all there. And if an IPL contract comes, that would be good for

me. (I’m) not saying I do not think about it, but I try to focus on whatever the game (sit-

uation) is."

This all-rounder, who has thrown his name in the IPL

draft for the past three years but is yet to make an appearance there, has described that global showpiece as a great platform.

"For every youngster, it is a dream to go to the IPL. For me, it is no different. I try to get myself in there as well, and at the same time win a series here. It is something I (have) dreamed about for a really long time. My name was in the draft for the last three years, so, this year, I am looking forward for it," (to be drafted) Shepherd told media operatives on Monday.

Reflecting on his scorching knock, Shepherd has said he was instructed to take a few balls to get settled, since the ball was spinning. He was on the back foot initially, but he launched rockets to all parts of the Oval. He struck five massive sixes, which certainly got the fans on their feet.

Sharing his sentiments

on the presence of fans at Kensington, which included some Guyanese nationals, Shepherd said: "It is like something new again. When COVID-19 came, we played in the empty stands, and that was new for us. Now fans are back in, it is something new again, and we need to adjust.

It was a decent crowd. It was a good atmosphere to go out there and perform."

While most of the English batters targeted the smaller boundaries at Kensington, Shepherd, unfazed, trusted his power and skill. The driven 27-year-old has said the match against England on Sunday, and the way Akeal Hosein batted, is a big confidence-booster for the team.

"Last night was one of the games that we lost, but we improved in our batting at the back end, and we showed how well we can bat and get our-

selves out of a situation from nowhere. We need to focus more on the powerplay and middle phase," he declared.

A big talking point that emerged from the second T20I was the wide that was not called by the umpire. Speaking on that hot topic, Shepherd said: "I told Akeal not to worry about it. The umpire missed that one there. He is just human, so hopefully he can correct his mistake in the coming games. I think that was a wide, and he did not think so. That was his opinion on the wide ball, and he did not call it."

Shepherd also described the West Indies’ fielding in the second T20I as poor.

With the five-match series locked at 1-1, a confident West Indies unit would play a spirited England side on Wednesday, January 26, from 16:00h Eastern Caribbean time.

Vice-captain Nicholas Pooran praises Akeal Hosein for special innings ...'Extremely dangerous' West Indies team stacked with power-hitters anyone.

“We always give him some thunder that he's batting #11 for us, but he keeps proving to us that he's a batsman. I'm happy for him; he's working really hard, not only as a bowler, but as a batsman as well," Pooran said.

Odean Smith, who bowled one over for four runs in the opening T20 on Saturday, did not bowl in the second match. When asked if West Indies are playing an extra batsman, Pooran said: "He's (Odean Smith) playing as a power-hitter. He is a special player, and we back him all the way to come out and execute his skills for us. In saying that, we have batsmen (whom) we know have to put (their) hands up and make runs in crucial positions and in crucial situations. At the end of the day, we back each and

Hosein and Shepherd played fighting, unbeaten knocks

By Brandon Corlette in Barbados

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ngland's all-rounder Moeen Ali has described the West Indies team as extremely dangerous after the Caribbean team went down to their England counterparts by one wicket on Sunday in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Akeal Hosein, whose feat of scoring a breathtaking 44 runs from 16 balls batting at number ten in the second match of the Betway T20I series dominated many headlines, reminded us all that the West Indies’ batting order is stacked with power- hitters despite the absence of some senior players.

Hosein, who struck four sixes and three fours, demonstrated that he is working hard on his batting, and West Indies vice-captain Nicholas Pooran had a similar opinion of Hosein’s efforts.

"Akeal and Shepherd have been working really hard on their batting," Pooran declared. "We know (that) in our team we have a long list of hitters. We saw something special from Akeal and Shepherd tonight. Kudos goes to them, they didn't give up at all; but that goes to show the strength in our team.

“Tonight was their night. We lost the game by two runs [sic], but the next night someone else can turn up to the party. Not only tonight, but in the Ireland series, (Hosein) proved that he is a capable batsman, and tonight he struck the ball as good as

Pooran has praised Hosein for a special innings

every one in our team here.

“We're not playing Odean Smith as a bowler, he's an all-rounder. he just played the Ireland series and batted really well as well. We back everyone in our team to play their role," Pooran has said.

Pooran also said that captain Pollard, who used his change of pace to his advantage on the sticky surface, bowled really well. "The captain came on and bowled in crucial times, bowling crucial overs. In all honesty, he bowled an over yesterday,

and today he wasn't required. If you see the scores, Pollard bowled those four overs really well…"

Meanwhile, ‘player of the match’ in the second T20I, Moeen Ali, has said that despite some players having retired for the West Indies, the men in maroon remain a dangerous unit.

“Even though they were 50 [55] for 5, six or seven down many runs, they were never of the game," Moeen said. such a dangerous team. of older players have stuff, but they've got ent, so much pow"The fact they way down to #10 extremely danin the situathought we cruise that to lose by one quite scary. up is very W e s t ly-ranked they have age, someare calling contrast, are team, but the of losing the clinching the tle continue display of Akeal

Hosein

Compliments of:

for not quite out “They're I know a lot retired and so much taler. bat all the makes them gerous, even tion where we were going to game. For them run, it's actually Their batting linescary," Ali declared.

Indies are a lowT20I team, but showed great courthing many fans for. England, in the top-ranked repercussions Ashes and not World T20 tito affect their dominance.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

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

Page 23

Romario Shepherd slammed a brilliant, unbeaten 44 on Sunday

-IPL auction is secondary

Ireland’s Adam McEnroe about to connect a kick on Guyana’s Corwin D’Anjou during their IMMAF World Championship encounter in Abu Dhabi

Alexander Zhang receiving his prize from Mrs Alicia DeAbreu

Page 21 Under-12 players ‘Ground and pound’ defeat rewarded for outstanding for D’Anjou at IMMAF performance in DeSinco World Championships Rapid Chess Championships Page 23

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