Guyana Times -- Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Down syndrome awareness NGO, Extra One GY launched

P5

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

Issue No. 4956

THE BEACON OF TRUTH TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

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Cabinet examining measures to alleviate rising cost of living – Governance Minister

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

See story on page 3

COVID-19 guidelines

“Look at your risks and P14 decide” – Health Minister calls for individual responsibility Murdered Linden businessman was shot to temple – jury hears P8

Breaches in AG Report

Former APNU/AFC Region 5 REO cannot be found by Police, PAC Search for Schools missing fishermen to fully suspended reopen on April 25 Health Ministry staff nabbed with guns, ammo, millions in cash at drugs bond See story on page 15

See story on page 7

Siblings' brawl P10 ends in stabbing …2 in custody, 1 injured

ECD mason charged for P7 soldier’s murder

See story on page 17

Page 9

…tells cop “sir, tek de whole bag ah money, all I want is me freedom”

Prudent water management crucial to P11 sustaining green economy – Mustapha East Street drug bust

Businessman denies trafficking over 2kg ganja, remanded P2

Kimbia home invasion

Dead suspect’s mother calls for proper P17 investigation

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

East Street drug bust

Businessman denies trafficking over 2kg ganja, remanded

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30-year-old East Street, Georgetown businessman was charged with drug trafficking on Monday after a raid on his business pre-

mised by Police ranks unearthed four pounds of marijuana, millions in local and foreign currencies, and cases of uncustomed liquor. Nicholas Samaroo was

brought before Principal Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

He denied the charge which stated that on

March 16, at East Street, Georgetown, he had 2.030 kilogrammes of Cannabis sativa in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The accused drug trafficker

was remanded to prison until April 1.

His lawyer, Dexter Todd, in an unsuccessful bail application, contended that because the property where the illicit drug was allegedly found is occupied by multiple persons, his client cannot be held liable for the crime.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) said that ranks from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters were executing a search warrant on the property in East Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown, when the items were found.

According to the Police, GYD 2,508,370; USD 75,697; SRD 4664; EURO 6145; BBD 19; CAD 40; TT$171; VEB 100 and BZD 100 were found.

A further search was conducted in a locked and secured room on the bottom flat of the business, and 24 bottles of Double Black whiskey; 16 bottles of Johnny Walker Black whiskey; 11 bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey; two bottles of Merry Irish Cream Liqueur; 16 cases of Budweiser beer; a case of Red Bull energy drink and 47 boxes of disposal latex gloves were found.

Further, a small blue and white cooler with the businessman’s logo was seen on top of a cupboard, and this was retrieved and

Remanded: Nicholas Samaroo

searched.

Inside, a black plastic bag containing two parcels wrapped in transparent plastic and suspected to be marijuana was discovered.

Following the discovery, the businessman was arrested, along with his wife, mother-in-law, and his wife’s 18-year-old cousin, while the contraband, narcotics, cash, and other items were lodged with the custodian of the GPF Property Room.

Moreover, on the said day, ranks executed a second search warrant at this businessman’s Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) property, during which three Digital Video Records (DVRs) were confiscated to be reviewed. (G1)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Tuesday, Mar 22 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Wednesday, Mar 23 – 09:30h – 11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Cabinet examining measures to alleviate rising cost of living – Governance Minister

Tuesday, Mar 22 – 06:45h – 08:15h and Wednesday, Mar 23 – 07:20h – 08:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be sunshine during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to North NorthEasterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:207h and 19:37h reaching maximum heights of 2.76 metres and 2.6 metres.

Low Tide: 13:08h reaching a minimum height of 0.45 metre.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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$115.62/barrel

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Rough Rice

$286.11/ton

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$549.20/ton

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USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1931.30

$1932.30

Low/High Change

$1917.60 -4.70

$1942.50 -0.24%

Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira

T

he rising cost of living, which has touched all corners of the globe including Guyana, is a matter that is being monitored by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government and in fact, engages Cabinet’s attention every week.

This is according to Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira in an exclusive interview with this publication. Teixeira assured that besides the measures introduced to help bring down costs at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), other measures are being examined.

“It’s always discussed.

We’re always keeping an eye on that and the Government has brought out measures, in terms of GPL and GWI. And it is looking at other measures for how it can reduce some of the costs borne by the public,” Teixeira said.

“What we have to make sure, is what concessions are given. Say to the Private Sector or importers of fuel, that they are passing them on to the public. But we do know that all the inputs into food, even food grown here, would have an impact on the foods sold in the stores and shops.”

Teixeira pointed out one of the Government’s initiatives, which was to have farmers’ markets to allow farmers to market their produce directly. She noted that other measures are still being examined by the Government.

The Minister sought to remind that the rising cost of living is a global phenomenon, made worst by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine, she pointed out, is among other things, a major producer of wheat.

“As you know, globally, this is happening everywhere. Even after COVID. COVID had an impact on cost of living around the world and we’ve actually kept our measures down, although we did have inflation.”

“If we didn’t have removal

File photo: Persons shopping at one of the Government-organised farmers’ market

of tax, the draconian taxes for example, and some of the initiatives to do with shipping and freight and fuel, the situation would be much worse than it is now. Of course, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has exacerbated the issue.”

The prices for a wide range of commodities have significantly increased – such as fuel and flour with the National Milling Company of Guyana Inc (NAMILCO) recently announcing a hike of 15 per cent with immediate effect.

And though the Government this year further lowered the excise tax rate on gasoline and diesel from 20 per cent to 10 per

cent – which should have resulted in major savings at the pump – global events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have sent the prices up, with gas now retailing as high as $246 per litre of gasoline.

Back in 2021, the PPP Government had also announced a number of reductions to shipping-related charges, which amounted to $4.8 billion, in order to bring relief to citizens and businesses.

President Dr Irfaan Ali, during a press conference on March 6, emphasised that the Government is not turning a blind eye to the rise in cost of living. According to him, it is a matter that is being addressed on multiple fronts,

which includes addressing input cost and issues at the consumer and market levels.

“One is that we set aside $5 billion in the budget for cost of living adjustment.

We have to finalise the programme and the consultation has started on that. Secondly, we have to find a way in terms of economies of scale for example with the purchase of fertiliser, because one of the other major problems we have is the drought of the Demerara River. So, instead of one 30,000 tonne ship coming in, you can only have 7000 tonnes. So, we have an added problem in terms of transportation,” the Guyanese Head of State had said. (G3)

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 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

Groundwater – making the invisible visible

W

orld Water Day, celebrated on March 22 every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water.

This year’s theme, “Groundwater – making the invisible visible” explores groundwater solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.

The United Nations has warned that environmental damage, together with climate change, is driving the waterrelated crises we see around the world. Floods, drought and water pollution are all made worse by degraded vegetation, soil, rivers, and lakes. When we neglect our ecosystems, we make it harder to provide everyone with the clean water we need to survive and thrive.

Nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many of the planet’s existing water challenges. However, more needs to be done with ‘green’ infrastructure to harmonise it with ‘grey’ infrastructure wherever possible. Planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods.

According to a UN report on the state of the world’s water, more than five billion people could suffer water shortages by 2050 due to climate change, increased demand, and polluted supplies. The comprehensive study warns of conflict and civilisational threats unless actions are taken to reduce the stress on rivers, lakes, aquifers, wetlands, and reservoirs.

In his message for World Water Day 2022, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal outlined Government’s objectives and targets towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal Number Six: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

To achieve this goal, he said Government intended to increase access to potable water from 96 per cent to 100 per cent by 2025; increase treated water coverage from 52 per cent to 90 per cent on the Coast, and increase access to potable water supply from 60 per cent to 100 per cent for hinterland and riverine communities by 2024.

To quote the Minister: “The achievement of these goals requires massive fiscal investments and consequently, more than $21 billion have been committed through budgetary allocations for the period 2020 to 2022 for water and sanitation. Notwithstanding, we must also address the need for exploration, monitoring and analysis of our groundwater resources so that we can better protect and manage them.

We can only do this if we commit to using water sustainably.

We must ensure that our water sources are protected from contamination and wastage.”

One of the UN’s World Water Development Reports stated that positive change is possible, particularly in the key agricultural sector, but only if there is a move towards naturebased solutions that rely more on soil and trees than steel and concrete.

Humans use about 4600 cubic km of water every year, of which 70 per cent goes to agriculture, 20 per cent to industry and 10 per cent to households, the report had stated, and global demand has increased sixfold over the past 100 years and continues to grow at the rate of one per cent each year.

This is already creating strains that will grow by 2050, when the world population is forecast to reach between 9.4 billion and 10.2 billion, with two in every three people living in cities.

By 2050, the report predicts, between 4.8 billion and 5.7 billion people will live in areas that are water-scarce for at least one month each year, while the number of people at risk of floods will increase to 1.6 billion, from 1.2 billion. Demand for water is projected to rise fastest in developing countries, like Guyana. Meanwhile, climate change will put an added stress on supplies, because it will make wet regions wetter and dry regions drier.

We join with Minister Croal on this World Water Day as he said in his message “let us commit to protecting the access we have to clean water by practising sustainable ways to use it, improving our sanitation habits and ensuring hygiene behaviour change and reducing pressure on our water resources. Let us intensify the cooperation and collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure that this life-saving resource is never in crisis”.

International Day of Forests: Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Canadian High Commissioner Mark Berman, along with British High Commissioner Jane Miller, participated in a tree-planting exercise at the Guyana Forestry Commission. This year’s theme is “Forests and sustainable production and consumption”

There’s an easy way to help Ukraine without military escalation: cancel its foreign debt

By O wen Jones

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bloodied man empties his wallet to his creditor while being mercilessly attacked by an unprovoked assailant. This is the plight of Ukraine, which recently made a scheduled interest payment to private lenders as tanks rolled over its land and missiles struck its cities. Even before Vladimir Putin started bombing apartment blocks and maternity hospitals, Ukraine was Europe’s poorest country as measured by GDP per capita – significantly poorer than Albania. Yet this war-ravaged country is saddled with unsustainable debt – and as the piles of rubble grow, so do the repayments. That’s debt for Ukraine, but profits for Western hedge funds. War, for some, is the ultimate money-spinner.

Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 – triggering a conflict in the east that had claimed thousands of lives before the current invasion – Ukraine has been forced to borrow US$61 billion from external lenders, according to calculations by the Jubilee Debt Campaign; a small sliver has been paid off, but what remains represents about a third of the country’s total economy. Ukraine was due to cough up US$7.3 billion this year alone – more than its annual education budget. For a rich country blessed with peace, that would be manageable, but Ukrainians are poorer today than when the Soviet Union collapsed three decades ago. At least US$100 billion worth of damage has already been inflict-

ed to infrastructure – from roads to bridges, hospitals to schools – and, as you read this, that figure only mounts. Yet almost all of the financial assistance being given to Ukraine is in the form of loans.

Precious funds will be diverted from rebuilding a shattered country, instead filling the coffers of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and private bondholders.

Putin’s barbaric siege of Mariupol underlines just how urgent debt cancellation is. While the Russian army seeks to starve and bomb it into submission, the city increasingly suffers the fate of Grozny during the second Chechen war: razed to the ground, piece by piece. It is macabre but necessary to state that Mariupol’s present state may well be the future of other Ukrainian cities. Each day, billions are added to Ukraine’s reconstruction bill: it would be pure cruelty to expect this to be repaid as debt.

That’s why Ukrainian civil society organisations have launched a petition demanding Ukraine’s debt is cancelled. They note, too, that much of the supposed assistance given to the country has been accompanied by strict conditions: the IMF calls it “economic restructuring”, but it’s more honestly described as the imposition of free-market dogma, resulting, for instance, in a 650 per cent surge in household gas prices since 2014. “Previous Governments had two options: either to fairly tax the fat cats and bring them out of the shadows, or to borrow from the IMF and

others,” Ukrainian economist Oleksandr Kravchuk told me. “They chose the latter.”

The Jubilee Debt Campaign has taken up this demand and begun to lobby MPs in Britain. Like millions of us, Executive Director Heidi Chow had that gnawing, helpless sense of “we’ve got to do something”. For some, that manifested itself in the demand for a no-fly zone. But in practice, that could lead to a direct confrontation with the Russian military, which could in turn easily escalate into nuclear war.

In contrast, this is a tangible and hugely impactful proposal with no risk of military escalation.

So why hasn’t this common-sense demand been taken up by the powerful? In part, perhaps, it’s because Ukraine’s own Government hasn’t officially called for it, although some high-ranking officials have. “They were quite keen before the war to pay debts and push forward their standing in Europe and the world,” suggests Chow. Applying for any form of debt relief is a complicated and drawn-out process. Any fears that their ability to borrow and their global reputation may be damaged clearly need alleviating.

Yet the grisly fact is that as yet more loans are granted – even though now without conditions – vast profits are to be made.

Ukrainian bonds are trading at about 25 cents on a dollar, and so if repayments continue, hedge funds and banks are set to make profits of more than 300 per cent. That

the profit margins of the already obscenely rich are being inflated by the bloody slaughter of civilians should surely be a cause of universal revulsion – and sufficient impetus to action.

But if the IMF and World Bank cancel Ukraine’s debt, critics may ask, doesn’t that mean less money in the pot to lend to other poorer countries?

But there’s a straightforward solution: richer countries, like our own, should contribute more to make up the shortfall. There is a precedent of sorts – the G20’s debt service suspension initiative suspended or cancelled nearly US$11 billion of poorer countries’ external debt because of COVID-19. If a pandemic is reason enough to write off debt, surely a war of aggression is too.

When this all ends – hopefully in failure for Putin – then Ukraine will need a modern-day Marshall plan, made up of grants, not a reconstruction financed by loans. In terms of the current moment, as the Jubilee Debt Campaign suggests, there should be a mechanism to automatically suspend debt repayments for countries suffering severe external shocks. Ukraine is in the midst of existential crisis – as the Ukrainian social scientist Volodymyr Ishchenko told me: “Personally, it feels like the country in which I was born may simply disappear.” A country battered and bruised by war needs space to breathe. That’s in our power: cancel the debt.

(The Guardian) (Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist.)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

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News

Down syndrome awareness NGO, Extra One GY launched

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others Azeena Baksh and Han Granger-Gaskin are paving the way for more discussions on the topic of Down syndrome in Guyana with the launch of their non-governmental organisation, Extra One GY as the world observed World Down Syndrome Day 2022 on Monday.

The mothers, who both have kids with Down syndrome, also known as Down’s syndrome, are advocating for a society where not only kids but people with Down syndrome are given the same opportunities offered to the rest of society.

With this strong passion for equality for people with Down syndrome, Baksh and GrangerGaskin decided to create their own Down Syndrome non-governmental organisation, Extra One Guyana.

Baksh told this publication in an interview that after many discussions with the co-founder of Extra One GY, GrangerGaskin, they realised that

there is much information out there on Down syndrome that could benefit persons with Down syndrome, but parents and carers are not made aware of the information. This is what prompted the mothers to materialise the organisation.

“What we recognise in discussion is that there are so many things out there that are happening that kids can benefit from, or parents should be made aware of. But that information is not made is not really out there, so we decide, as parents, it’s best if we start a Facebook page that allows for that information to flow, that we can connect with parents, so parents can connect with us to get that information, to be made aware, to get those children to be more involved,” Baksh explained.

She said that it is important for kids with Down syndrome to be in environments that are inclusive.

“It’s big. It’s really important for kids with Down

syndrome to be in an inclusive environment. Having your child to be involved in mainstream school, mainstream workplace, have the same level of education, they learn a lot from kids, they learn a lot from adults and even the adults in workplace to be able to [have] equal opportunities as everyone else,” she said.

“We want to push that awareness. We want people to be made aware of what is Down syndrome, what is available out there for kids with Down syndrome,” Baksh added.

Granger explained that they discovered that a lot of parents and caregivers do not know what is available for kids with Down syndrome, because there is a lack of conversation in society on the topic, which puts a lot of pressure on the parents and caregivers.

“We found too that a lot of caregivers, parents of children with Down syndrome just don’t know what is available. They don’t know where to look.

Co-founders of Extra One GY, Azeena Baksh (right) and Han Granger-Gaskin

You can feel very isolated because having a child with special needs puts a lot of pressure on the caregivers. You can’t make the assumptions, they take more time,” she said.

She noted that Extra One GY fosters those kinds of conversations.

It’s a place where persons can share their experiences that will benefit someone else.

“We did feel that it was important for other caregivers, for other family members to know that there is a forum where they can throw their concerns out, maybe have other people’s experiences, they can see what people have to deal with it, how to deal with it. And just to know what’s available. If you have anything that is bothering you or just wondering about, you have a forum where you can just through your questions or

Has sale of sugar-sweetened beverages been banned in schools?

Dear Editor, An article on December 3, 2019, announced that a ban on the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages in schools would take effect in 2020.

Has this actually happened? This initiative was “aimed at reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and the scourge of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes”. Being a parent of school-going children myself, I am wholeheartedly in support of this as I believe it will significantly improve the health of our young ones.

Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute as much as 11 per cent of additional caloric intake in youths, according to this study (https:// health.ri.gov/healthrisks/ sugarsweetenedbeverages/).

This can increase the incidence of child obesity by as much as 60 per cent, and wreak havoc on a child’s developing teeth. These drinks have been shown to provide

little to no additional nutritional value and are no substitute for a glass of water or fresh juice when it comes to quenching thirst. Thanks in large part to the well-funded and targeted marketing campaigns of beverage distributors, society is inundated with all brands and sizes of these drinks.

Editor, I am seeking clarity from the relevant source on whether this ban has been put into effect from 2020 as promised, and if so, where is the data and reporting to show how it has worked so far. Are schools (private and public) subject to regulations and inspections of their canteen and vendor facilities to gauge compliance? Are parents being vigilant and monitoring their children’s access to these beverages? Often it is convenient for parents to include beverage funds in the ‘lunch money’, which enables the problem.

There are better alter-

natives that can be offered that are healthier, tastier and more cost-effective, such as locally produced or even homemade fruit and vegetable juices and bottled water.

School feeding programmes can set the example using this model, and eventually across the board in private and public schools, this can become the norm. For it all to work, however, there must be a collaborative effort among policymakers, educators, caregivers, school administrators and parents to monitor and enforce compliance with nutrition-

al guidelines to ensure this is not just an ‘on paper only’ initiative.

This is by no means an attack on beverage companies, I believe adults have the right to consume as they wish, they are informed enough to make their own choices. However, let us do everything we can to create a healthy, beneficial, nutritional culture in our school systems so our young ones can grow well.

With regards, Shazaam “Shaz” Ally

your concerns and someone will say why don’t you check this, or why don’t you try that or don’t worry.

So, it’s completely open.

It’s Extra One GY.” Baksh and GrangerGaskin are parents of children with Down syndrome and they are thankful for their bundles of joy and they want the same for other parents too.

“We want parents to be able to have those same experiences whether it is your child takes a little bit longer to walk, to speak.

All it asks of us as a society is to be a little bit kinder and a little bit more patient with these kids, even as adults. Little more accepting and inclusive,” they said.

Extra One GY is a group of parents, siblings, caregivers, and friends of persons with Down syndrome whose purpose is to advocate for and promote

acceptance of persons with Down syndrome; and support for the people around them.

World Down Syndrome Day 2022 is observed under the theme: “Inclusion Means,” which calls for persons with Down syndrome to be included in matters of life and not be discriminated against.

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in the body. They determine how a baby's body forms and functions as it grows during pregnancy and after birth. Typically, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes. This extra chromosome in the body creates deformities, developmental delays, and other conditions.

Extra One GY can be found on Facebook at Extra One GY. (G2)

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄ Question 1

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n this fun and easy science experiment, we’re going to explore and investigate force and motion by building a cotton ball catapult.

Materials:

Cotton balls (you can also use some other soft item to launch) 4 rubber bands Plastic cap from a two-litre drink bottle 7 Popsicle sticks Paint (optional) Glue

Instructions:

Monday’s answers 1a) 14 triangles

1b) There are four lines of symmetry

Pile up five of the popsicle sticks in a stack on top of each other.

Then use two of the rubber bands to tie the ends and hold the sticks together.

Now put two of the popsicle sticks together and wrap a rubber band around one of the ends to hold the sticks together.

Separate the two popsicle sticks gently and do so in a way that keeps the rubber band from sliding off the one end.

Position the pile of five popsicle sticks in between the two popsicle sticks you have pried open.

Utilising the remaining rubber band, wrap it around the two open popsicle sticks and the stack of five popsicle sticks to secure the catapult together.

Now glue a plastic cap to the end of the popsicle stick to function as a holder for the cotton ball to be launched.

Press down on the top popsicle stick and let go to launch the cotton ball from the plastic cap.

How it works:

The cotton ball catapult works because energy can be converted from one type to another and transferred from one item to another. There is potential energy stored in your catapult when you push it down. When you release the catapult, the potential energy is converted to kinetic energy (motion) and transferred to the cotton ball.

Make this a science project:

Try using different materials and build a larger catapult. Try launching different shaped items that weigh the same and observe any differences. Try adjusting the amount or size of rubber bands. (sciencefun.org)

By Martin Carter

This I have learnt: to-day a speck to-morrow a hero hero or monster you are consumed!

Like a jig shakes the loom.

Like a web is spun the pattern all are involved! all are consumed

“A man’s mind, stretched by new ideas, may never return to its original dimensions” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

WORD SEARCH

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Schools to fully reopen on April 25 …over 75% success rate with Operation Recovery

E

ducation Minister Priya Manickchand announced on Monday that all schools will be fully reopened on April 25.

This reopening comes over two years after the COVID pandemic struck, forcing a closure to reduce an infection spread.

Now, when school reopens after the Easter holiday break, all students will be returning to a classroom setting.

The Minister told media operatives on the sidelines of an event that there will be a staggered opening so as to not overwhelm the system. At present, there has been some degree of classroom activity on a rotation basis.

“We are making sure, physically, the schools are ready to be reopened fully from April 25 after the Easter holiday. There is a staggered reopening not to shock the system after these two years of closure. Within the first week, grades will be going out back at different dates. We will announce that shortly, with the last grade being Grade Seven and nursery the following week,” she indicated.

Along with putting physical resources in schools to encourage a safe learning space, authorities also managed to refine the cur-

the gains we would have made that went down the drain in two years…We’re issuing a diagnostic for Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science. Every student will be diagnosed and each student will be attended to individually to make sure that we recover from the COVID loss,” Manickchand.

Absenteeism

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

riculum to offer only information that is necessary for learners.

“We’re trying to make sure that our schools are equipped and ready. Outside of that, we have done a whole host of things.

We have consolidated all the curriculum so from Grades One to Nine, we have shaved off things that are not necessary. We have made the curriculum into a 20week curriculum. We have completely changed the way Grade Six is going to be written.”

The Ministry has taken the initiative to offer the syllabus of one grade lower for students, and then when this is completed, the respective grade-level curriculum is introduced. Most importantly, each child will be diagnosed to assess the level of learning loss due to COVID. “You’re going to see an assault on illiteracy. You’ll see an entire national programme rolled out to recover from the literacy loss that we would have had and all

Leading up to the reopening, Operation Recovery was piloted to address absenteeism and get students back into classrooms.

Dubbing it a successful mechanism, the Education Minister outlined that such actions will continue.

“We’ve gotten more than three-quarters of the kids back in school. We started with a number of about 1300 that were absent…It was never intended to be a one-day, or one-week activity.

Operation Recovery is going to be a prolonged activity. We started with Grade Six because we knew they had to be out. Once everybody comes back out, and is duty-bound to come back out, then we could look to see who is absent,” said the Minister.

Through encounters with students, it was found that the reasons for absenteeism ranged from

poverty to “carelessness’” There was the stark reality of some being oblivious to the upcoming exams that they were scheduled to sit.

She identified, “We saw children not coming out because they were babysitting other younger siblings…We saw people who did not even know that there were exams. We saw children being out so long that they heading towards being dropouts, so a range of issues that all tended towards the need for the school and education department to be more conscious of the effects of a twoyear closure.”

It was positioned that officials should not depend on statistics to highlight dropouts, but rather a proactive approach from teachers or immediate personnel in the school system to identify such trends.

Last month, the Education Ministry underscored that urgent, practical, sustained measures such as teaching and learning from a consolidated curriculum; the provision of textbooks, re-training of teachers, using technology in the classroom, and Operation Recovery would mitigate against the predicted loss to our students and country. (G12)

ECD mason charged for soldier’s murder A Good Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) mason was charged on Monday with the capital offence of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank at a wedding house. Nizam Persaud, 28, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on March 14 at Phase 2 Good Hope, ECD, he murdered GDF Corporal, 28-year-old Chaves Mangal of Enterprise Garden, ECD. He was remanded until May 13.

Dead: GDF Corporal Chaves Mangal

Police Headquarters had reported that Corporal Mangal was fatally stabbed while attending his younger sister’s wedding at Phase 2 Good Hope, ECD. Police said that the soldier was reportedly stabbed to death by four men who were armed with knives and cutlasses. Based on reports, Corporal Mangal had attended the wedding ceremony, along with the men, who were all there imbibing.

During the celebration, the Disc Jockey (DJ) reportedly stopped the music, thus resulting, in one of the men approaching him to enquire about his reasons for doing so. Other celebrants also

gathered at the DJ’s booth.

At that time, one of the men attempted to assault the DJ, resulting in the soldier intervening. In retaliation, he whipped out a knife and stabbed Corporal Mangal to his upper chest.

In addition, another person who was trying to make peace was also stabbed to the left hand, and bottles were also hurled at him.

Not satisfied, the four men armed themselves with glass bottles and threw them

at the building before fleeing. Mangal, who lost consciousness, was picked up and taken to the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

Nevertheless, the 24-year-old deejay subsequently exited the yard and was confronted by one of the men who dealt him one chop to his left hand before relieving him of a laptop computer. Police said that one of the perpetrators was arrest-

ed about five houses away from where the incident took place.

Upon his arrest, a search was conducted on his person during which two knives and a pair of scissors were found in the waist of his pants. He told the Police ranks that he was attacked at the wedding house. He and the DJ were taken for treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Police are continuing their investigations. (G1)

8 NEWS Murdered Linden businessman was shot to temple – jury hears TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Murder accused: Stafrei Alexander

T

he body of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) businessman Richard Remington was in an advanced state of decomposition with gunshot wounds

to the temple, Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh told a jury on Monday.

He was at the time testifying in the trial of Stafrei Alexander called “Ratty” and “Mad Dog”; and Owen Belfield, who are jointly charged for murdering Remington between February 8 and 12, 2015, at Wismar, Linden.

They have both pleaded not guilty to the indictment.

The two murder accused are being represented by Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson; Senior State Counsel Seeta Bishundial is appearing for the prosecution.

Dr Singh, who was deemed an expert in forensic

Murder accused: Owen Belfield

pathology by Demerara High Court Judge Brassington Reynolds, told the court that upon examining the man’s body, he found two gunshot injuries to his right-side temple.

He concluded that Remington died as a result of gunshot injuries to the head.

This trial is continuing.

Remington’s decomposed remains were found in a clump of bushes along a track in the vicinity of Matthews Lane in Christianburg/ Cholmondeley Hill, Linden.

He had been shot three times, including once to the head.

The now dead man’s relatives had told the Police that he had left his home three days before his body was discovered. They had also opined that he might have been lured into the bushy spot by someone he knew. (G1)

Getting closer…

W

…with Suriname hen you come to think of it – and we really never really think of it – the fact that we feel closer to Trinidad and the rest of the British West Indies than to Suriname is really something, ain’t it? After all, Suriname’s just across a river (Corentyne) much narrower than our Essequibo!! That Suriname owns the river up to its reach at low tide makes it even more puzzling since we’re in Suriname every time we take a splash!! Shows us the brainwashing power of colonial Britain and the Netherlands, eh? Whether we wanted to or not, our eyes were steered firmly towards them as “Mother Countries”!

And closer to the West Indies for us and Aruba and Curaçao for the Surinamese. That’s just the way it was.

But slowly, that’s been changing – starting from when Burnham destroyed our economy. Thousands of Berbicians fled to survive in Suriname (like mostly Essequibians to Venezuela). They also fled to the other West Indian islands, but they were shocked when folks they thought were “family” treated them like scum. So much for the vaunted West Indian family!! In Suriname, while there was also some scorn poured onto the Guyanese, they were much more accommodating. That they were supplying the Berbicians with goods to smuggle across to Guyana certainly helped!

Soon many Surinamese were speaking with a Berbician accent!! Did you know that the Surinamese President’s wife is of Guyanese extraction?

Well, looks like we’ll be getting even closer to Suriname – driven by that thing that makes the world go round. Yes, money!! And this case, money from the oil struck off our common Atlantic shore. We’ve had several presidential exchanges signing all sorts of agreements on trade and cooperation. One of them being a bridge across the Corentyne River that’ll make visiting Suriname as easy as visiting Berbice!! But a just-as-critical step was just taken when Guyana’s Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB) launched a Guyana-Suriname Private Sector Business Council before Holi. Like your Eyewitness said, money makes the world go around and these are the folks who’ll be lubricating relations with money!!

So what we’re seeing – as was explicitly announced at the launch – is the consummation of the long-sought CSME that’s been a mirage for the last two decades. Well, we know that Guyana and Suriname are members of Caricom and so, maybe this move will catalyse that dream into reality? There are signs that Barbados under Mia Mottley doesn’t have the crippling ego problem of the other Caricom leaders and is willing to flex and compromise to create the synergy of a CSME. In unity (of money!), there is strength!! …in Parliament?

Your Eyewitness was intrigued to learn there’s a 10-person Parliamentary Delegation jetting to Nusa Dua, Indonesia, for some Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). What was intriguing was there are three Government Ministers, including AG Anil Nandlall and two members of the Opposition, including their Chief Whip Chris Jones. Now, for sure, these first-class tickets had to’ve set back our Treasury some US$8000 a pop. But your Eyewitness feels it’s money well spent.

The question that rushed immediately to his (curious) mind was on that long flight – with all those interconnections – to Nusa Dua, what did these Guyanese from different sides of the parliamentary divide, find to talk about. Was it about how they all enjoyed the revelry of Phagwah? (Did they all PLAY Phagwah?) Was it about how long the present Opposition members will be going on junkets once Norton gets into Parliament??

Or whether Jones asked Nandlall when he’ll be getting back his barber chairs, since he might need them soon??! …to One Guyana?

For “UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination”, the PNC vowed it’ll ensure there’s no racial discrimination.

Does this mean that Volda – who said jobs will be only for “PNC people” – won’t be back??

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

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

NEWS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Health Ministry staff nabbed with guns, ammo, millions in cash at drugs bond …tells cop “sir, tek de whole bag ah money, all I want is me freedom”

A

young employee attached to the Health Ministry, who was detained by Police in relation to an apparent burglary committed at the entity’s drugs bond at Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), attempted to bribe the law enforcement officers with over $4.5 million.

According to a statement issued by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), ranks visited the bond at around 13:00h on Monday to conduct investigations after receiving report of a “simple larceny” committed there. This publication understands that there is an apparent racket ongoing whereby drugs stored at the bond would go missing.

“Investigators contacted and interviewed several employees who were fingered in the alleged crime,” the Police station noted.

After all the workers denied the allegations, the investigators proceeded to search a motor car, PAB 3032, which is owned by one of the suspects,

and he replied ‘well sir tek de whole bag ah money, all I want is me freedom’,” Police headquarters noted.

It was revealed that a total of $4,580,000 cash was found in his possession, which included US$5760.

“The said money, firearms and ammunition were lodged and he remains in custody as further investigations are in progress,” Police said.

This publication understands that Police are also pursuing the businesses to which the stolen pharmaceuticals have been sold.

The guns and ammo found by Police

quantity of cash.

The vehicle owner was cautioned of the offence committed and reportedly replied, “officer leh we deal with this

questioning, requested his duffel bag. When it was handed to him, the man withdrew $1.7 million cash and offered it to the officers to drop the charges likely to be instituted against him.

“At this point he was told of the new offence committed – Corrupt Transaction with Agent – cautioned in accordance with the Judge’s Rules

The car in which the guns, ammo and cash were found

a 23-year-old male.

Police found a duffel bag containing a 9mm Luger pistol without a magazine and two rounds of 9mm ammunition, a .380 pistol with a magazine containing seven matching rounds, 20 rounds of .380 ammunition, and a large

before it reach de station”.

The man was, however, arrested. He, along with four other employees, were taken to the Golden Grove Police Station where they were kept in Police custody for questioning.

The vehicle owner, during

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Some of the money that was offered as a bribe to the Police

10 NEWS Husband stabs wife during Siblings' brawl ends in stabbing …2 in custody, 1 injured dispute on roadside TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

A

44-year-old man has been taken into Police custody after he allegedly stabbed his 42-yearold wife multiple times during an argument on Saturday afternoon at Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Reports are that the wife was in the front passenger seat of a motor car being driven by her husband when the argument ensued at about 13:30h while they were in the vicinity of Buck Town, Wismar, Linden.

The suspect then parked the car and the duo exited. The argument continued.

According to the Police, the suspect

then went to the trunk of the car where he pulled out a knife and ordered the wife into the backseat of the vehicle.

As the couple continued to argue, the suspect stabbed his wife multiple times to her chest, foot and fingers.

The woman made contact with relatives who went to the area and rescued her.

She was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where she remains a patient in a serious but stable condition.

The matter was reported to the Police and the suspect was arrested.

He remains in custody as investigations are ongoing.

A

n 18-year-old lad and his 21-year-old sister have been detained over the alleged wounding they committed on their 26-year-old brother, Kemo Archer, a carpenter.

The incident occurred on Sunday night at the La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home of the trio.

Reports are that Archer went home from work in an intoxicated state and a heated argument ensued with him and his sister. During the row, he reportedly hit her to the head with a plate.

As such, she stabbed him to his left hand with a broken piece of the said plate while the brother dealt him several cuffs about his body before using a pair scissors to stab him to his shoulder.

According to Police, the fight further escalated when the 18-year-old armed himself with a Rambo knife and dealt his brother three stabs - one to his left forearm and the others to his abdomen.

The Police were summoned, the suspects were arrested and

escorted to the West Demerara Regional Hospital to seek medical attention.

The injured man was also taken to receive medical care.

The two suspects were later escorted to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station where they were placed into custody.

Investigations are ongoing.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Spark programme to ignite AI innovation in youths T argeted at fuelling innovative solutions and adding to the world’s digital transformation, the Education Ministry on Monday launched the Spark programme, which will see youths exposed to Artificial Intelligence and leadership skills.

For eight weeks, 136 students from various schools and technical institutions will benefit from two tracks: leadership and creating change; and the second focusing on artificial intelligence and building such software.

Computer Science professor at the University

Prudent water management crucial to sustaining green economy – Mustapha

A

s the world’s freshwater resources face unprecedented pressure from climate change, deforestation, land degradation population growth and consumerism, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has encouraged prudent water management.

In this message for World Water Day 2022, celebrated under the theme “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible”, Mustapha said proper management of this resource is an integral element in building and sustaining a green economy in Guyana and towards ensuring the social and economic development.

“The livelihood of farmers and fisherfolks alike, depend heavily on our ability to sustainably manage our water resources. While the impacts of these pressures are largely visible on the planet’s freshwater resources, they also silently and invisibly impact our groundwater resources…

Revealing and understanding the value of groundwater will hopefully stimulate conversations for its effective management at all levels, while supporting strong decision making, innovation, and investments in sustainable water management,” the Minister penned.

World Water Day 2022 communicates that value must be placed on groundwater resources to secure the life and livelihoods of current and future generations.

According to him, Guyana is prepared to engage in a global conversation on the value of freshwater in general, and is also ready to shine a light on groundwater.

“It is widely believed that thirty per cent of the planet’s freshwater is hidden away in groundwater aquifers.

However, this resource is under constant threat, but often people are unaware of the impact anthropogenic activities on this vital resource, simply because it is out of sight or invisible as we go about living our lives. Groundwater must be studied and understood in the context of the whole wa-

ter cycle as the health of this resource is heavily influenced by what happens in other parts of the water cycle.”

As nations gain a better understanding of how important groundwater is to the functioning of the water cycle, Mustapha said they would place a higher premium on it.

He detailed, “Public knowledge and awareness create a cycle, in which people care more about the state of our water resources, manage and share it more equitably, and waste or pollute it less. This generates more benefits for people and nature. Groundwater has value from many different perspectives. Certainly, improved groundwater management and governance will help us to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which are currently under acute pressure, and the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change. We are more likely to succeed if we understand the value that water brings – and in this case, groundwater specifically.”

It was concluded that valuing groundwater will contribute to a more sustainable, peaceful and secure future.

“It is also a politically charged topic with implications for global trade, business models, political systems and international law.

The value we place on water influences fundamental social, cultural and spiritual practices. It paves the way for more peaceful, stable, healthy, and prosperous societies and a more sustainable future for the entire planet.

The Ministry of Agriculture will continue to work vigorously to ensure the sustainable use of Guyana’s freshwater, and in particular our groundwater resources.”

Guyanese can employ safe and conservative practices in their daily activities by simply monitoring water tanks to avoid runovers, turning off taps when brushing your teeth and using a bucket instead of a hose to water plants. (G12)

Education Minister Priya Manickchand joined by CEO Denise Hilliman and students of The Bishops’ High School during the launch

of Michigan, Jason Mars shared, “In the Spark programme, we are going to be teaching the absolute latest software systems for building scalable artificial intelligence products…Our students are going to learn how to use these systems and software to build real AI applications.”

Founder of the Lead Mindset, Denise Hilliman will also be integrally involved in sessions of the programme.

According to the Guyanese-

born CEO, competition on the global marketplace requires advancement in technology – which can be achieved for the younger generation through this programme.

BCS Technology is one of the partnering agents in this venture. Francis Cumberbatch said they are investing to drive the transformation journey which Guyana is embarking upon.

“The Spark programme is one of many. This is the

starting of many that we will have. In addition to that, we plan to push this programme a bit further and involve University of Guyana graduates as well. Then, we will have paid apprenticeships for people that come out of these programmes because at the end of the day, employment is important. We need to know where we go next,” Cumberbatch related.

In her remarks, Education Minister Priya Manickchand

said Government is focused not only on academic success but all-round competence of students.

“We want to make sure you’re academically sound.

There is no question about where we are with that. You could tell with the heavy academic push and investments to bring about academic success…We want far more for you. The ideal child we see exiting the secondary sector should be competent not only in academics but in sports, music, another language, volunteerism and TVET subjects,” Manickchand told students.

This is the first programme of its nature in the Caribbean – signalling another trendsetting win for Guyana. According to the Education Minister, leveraging technology to find solutions is the future.

“Not only will this allow you to be creators and innovators, but we hope it is going to make you all into leaders that are academically sound but also have your eye on some entrepreneurship.” (G12)

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

14 NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 22,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19 guidelines

“Look at your risks and decide” – Health Minister calls for individual responsibility …1 new case, 4 in ICU

U

nderscoring that individuals now have an independent responsibility to protect themselves from the coronavirus, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said a level of caution should be exercised by Guyanese.

In the COVID update on Monday, he identified that people have an independence to determine how they protect themselves, and it is not a case of the country dropping its guidelines.

“I wouldn’t say that the guidelines have been dropped but people now have more independence in terms of determining what they do. That independence is: it’s now up to you whether you want to wear a mask or not so it’s optional but you have to look at your

risks and decide whether you want to take precautions. There is an individual responsibility,” Dr Anthony stated.

Workplaces and business entities can also decide on the respective rules governing their space to keep people safe. With 140 active cases still present in the country, he cautioned that infection is still possible “We still have active cases in Guyana. It’s going down for now but those persons can still infect others. We still have to be cautious because not everybody has been vaccinated. Not everybody would be protected. So, we need to be cautious. There is still a lot of unvaccinated people out there.”

Adult vaccination stands

at 437,152 first doses or 85.2 per cent while second doses stand at 384,899 or 65.3 per cent. In the adolescent category, 34,176 first doses and 24,813 second doses have been administered, translating to 46.9 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.

Commenting on the progression of the latter, the Health Minister expressed, “That has been stuck for a while.”

Meanwhile, booster doses account for 56,174 jabs, which he also said is a “relatively small amount of people”. If persons want to remain protected, they were asked to get the booster doses. A majority of severe hospitalizsed cases have been unvaccinated against the virus.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD MARCH 21, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

1 12 128 4

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

8

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

34,096

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

29,099

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

63,195

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

61,829

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

437,152

FULLY IMMUNISED

384,899

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

1226

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

2518

REGION 2

2490

REGION 3

8045

REGION 4

31,244

REGION 5

2378

REGION 6

5733

REGION 7

2422

REGION 8

887

REGION 9

4012

REGION 10

3466

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use hand-sanitizer 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.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Breaches in AG Report

Former APNU/AFC Region 5 REO cannot be found by Police, PAC

PAC Member Juan Edghill

F

ormer Regional Executive Officer (REO) for Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Ovid Morrison is said to be Missing in Action (MIA) and up to last year, was unable to be found, even by the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

This was revealed when regional officials from Region Five (MahaicaBerbice), led by new REO Geniveve Blackman, were called before the Public Accounts Committee to respond to questions about the 2017 Audit Report.

After Morrison’s absence was observed, it was explained by PAC Chairman Jermaine Figueira that they had engaged the Police to help locate the former REO. However, this was with little success. It was explained to the PAC that the former REO was believed to be out of the jurisdiction.

“The absence was observed at the last appearance by the REO and team.

And PAC would have instructed the Clerk to write the Commissioner of Police

which (has relayed) that the former REO is out of the jurisdiction.”

“And no known address of his whereabouts has been made available to the Public Accounts Committee.

So we’re under the impression that he’s nowhere to be found. But we’re of the view, based on the evidence provided by the Police, that the REO is out of the jurisdiction,” Figueira said.

However, this was the status quo as of December of last year. Figueira noted that further checks on the former REO were not made this year. Hence, they were unclear if he was still out of the jurisdiction. PAC member Juan Edghill meanwhile highlighted to the committee, the importance of locating the former REO. “In the absence of any definitive information on the absence of the former REO, knowing that when we examine 2016, there were a number of issues that the accounting officer could not have answered and stated and we were no more the

“Look at your...”

COVID-19 cases

The daily detection of positive COVID-19 cases has shown only one infection, with deaths remaining at 1226. Confirmed cases have reached 63,195.

A total of four patients are in the Intensive Care Unit, 12 institutional isolation, 128 in home isolation and eight in institutional quarantine. Out of the 29,099 males and 34,096 females that contracted the virus, 61,829 have recovered.

Some 559,944 COVID-19 tests have been adminis-

FROM PAGE 14

tered since the virus was detected here.

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.

Globally, over 469 million people have tested positive for the virus and six million have died. In the Americas, more than 149 million confirmed cases have been reported with over 2.67 million deaths. (G12)

wiser, I would put the question to the accounting officer (Blackman), have you been briefed and are you adequately prepared to answer the queries stated before us here?”

“I don’t know if we’re conducting an exercise in futility here. And I would strongly support Mr Mahipaul, that every effort, including knowing what transpired in 2016, that the recommendations of the PAC be followed, that every effort should be made to get Morrison before the PAC to answer questions about his tenure.”

Edghill made it clear that he has serious questions for Morrison, including those that went unanswered in 2016 and are recurring issues in the 2017 report. Meanwhile, efforts by this publication to make contact with Morrison were

Former Region 5 REO Ovid Morrison

futile.

Days after the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) took office in August of 2020, Morrison was one of seven REOs that the Local

Government and Regional Development Ministry had given marching orders to.

Besides Morrison, the REOs relieved of duties were Randolph Storm from

Region One (Barima-Waini), Denis Jaikarran from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), Jennifer Ferreira Dougal from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Kim Stephen-Williams from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), Carl Parker from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Essequibo), and Orrin Gordon from Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

At the time, Minister Nigel Dharamlall had said that “the Ministry lost confidence in their ability to perform. Their deportment was inimical to the effective and efficient functioning of the regions they managed.

Moreover, they practiced heavy partisan politics…

They were void of professionalism and impartiality”.

(G3)

16 NEWS Commercial delegation from Texas in Guyana to peruse investment opportunities T TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he Private Sector Commission (PSC) along with the Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest) on Monday held discussions with a delegation from the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce, Houston, Texas.

The delegation, headed

by Chief Executive Officer of the Bilateral Chamber, Aida Araissi, is looking to promote trade, investment, training, and educational exchanges.

Specifically, the team will be looking to advance talks in the areas of aviation, hospitality, land & equipment, civil engineering, oil & gas and agriculture.

In welcoming the Delegation, PSC Chairman, Paul Cheong said that Guyana welcomes foreign investment as it augurs well for

Members of the Texas Commercial Chamber look on during a presentation at the Marriott Hotel

the development of the private sector and the country as a whole.

Meanwhile, Araissi explained that over the next few days, the delegation will be as-

sessing the needs of Guyana to see what expertise can be provided to support local content.

The Chamber, she explained, has more than 24 years of building strategic alliances in key markets across the globe, providing a gateway to international trade, resources, partners and alliances.

“This has been an incredible morning. This is our first time in Guyana. We are the Bilateral Chamber. And we have a network of over 36,000 business people that are in our network. And we really

just kind of hand selected a few diverse members, in agriculture, oil and gas, infrastructure, in ICT and in airport infrastructure, to kind of assess the needs of the country and what kind of expertise we can bring in, to support the local content needs,” she said.

According to Araissi, there are models in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries, where economies went through astronomical changes after oil and gas was discovered. She noted that the chamber has experience in this.

“We understand the pieces of what would be needed, to make sure it’s a comprehensive and sustainable growth, for all involved. So, we’re excited… we’ve been briefed by the US embassy. We’ve been briefed by GO-Invest. And we’ve been briefed by the Private Sector Commission.

And we feel like we have a lot of information and we’re beginning to understand,” Araissi further said.

It was only last month that a group of United Kingdom (UK) based businesses were in Guyana exploring opportunities in a variety of sectors that could see millions of dollars

in investments being injected into the Guyanese economy.

At the time, they also dubbed Guyana as the most exciting investment destination.

Managing Director of The Caribbean Council, Chris Bennett had outlined that some of the projects that are being floated would see multimillion-dollar investments being made here. Bennett had also said the Group was paying keen attention to the budget proceedings in the National Assembly and is excited about Government’s plans for investments in various sectors of the Guyanese economy.

He added that some of the companies that are a part of the mission could potentially play a really helpful part in driving those plans and helping to deliver them more quickly, more efficiently, in a more cost-effective way and potentially in a way that reduces carbon impact as well.

Bennet had also said that they have been looking at road expansion projects, hydro projects, investments in human capital, digital economy, wireless businesses and new brands such as the rum sector.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Kimbia home invasion

Dead suspect’s mother calls for proper investigation T

he mother of the dead suspect who was apprehended following the invasion of a home in Upper Berbice River, is claiming that her son was brutally murdered in the riverine community.

The motionless body of Kwame Bhagwandin, 38, a labourer of Angoy's Avenue, New Amsterdam, was handed over to Police on Saturday and he was later pronounced dead by a doctor.

It is suspected that Bhagwandin along with three others attacked and robbed a businessman who operates a boat service along the Upper Berbice River

Dead: Kwame Bhagwandin

along with his family on Friday night during a home invasion at Kimbia.

The men reportedly kicked down the front door to the house after failing to

get through the grilled windows.

According to Ryon Gladstone, two of the men had handguns and a third had a shotgun.

He was relieved of about $500,000, personal clothing, foodstuff, used footwear and household articles.

His brother Rayon and wife Delisa were relieved of close to $500,000 and an undisclosed amount of jewellery.

The two brothers and their wives were beaten during the robbery after two of the bandits broke into a bedroom as they demanded money.

They were both masked.

Search for missing fishermen suspended

T

he search for the three fishermen who went missing after the Noble House Seafoods trawler sank on February 19 near the Mahaica River has been suspended.

The announcement was made in the presence of the families of Captain Harold Damon, Winston Sam, Ronald Burton and the lone survivor Vincent Dazzell

by Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill.

During the meeting which took place at the Public Works Ministry, it was disclosed that after covering over 1800 nautical miles within 936 hours, neither the fishermen nor the vessel could be found. The search was undertaken by Noble House Seafoods, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard.

Edghill, in expressing his sympathy to the families, said “at this point, I do not know what else I can do in terms of search. It is a tough decision but we would have to suspend the search and go into a new phase of being on the alert while we continue to traverse the areas praying that we find something”.

“MARAD has assured me that the sonar equipment which scans the riverbed, was damaged during the search. As soon as we could get the parts, we will do a scanning of the seabed again once we get that fixed,” the Minister was quoted by DPI as saying.

While there are many unanswered questions, the Minister said he is saddened that the search has to be suspended until any new information surfaces.

The Minister said he wants the families to be assured that Government has done everything possible to bring the matter to a close.

He also highlighted to the families that there has never been a search for missing persons as extensive and within such a long period, as the search for the three missing fishermen.

“Some people felt that I would have suspended the search after a couple of days

Dead suspect’s mother, Donna Liddell

After the intruders left and family members went to seek medical attention, villagers found some of the articles including electrical appliances in bags. The items are said to belong to Gladstone.

Meanwhile, as villagers were on the hunt for the bandits, Bhagwandin was seen and reportedly captured.

Police have remained mum of both the robbery and the death.

The dead suspect’s mother, Donna Liddell, in describing the images which she claimed were sent to her phone, said the pictures were taken at more than one location.

“No one has told me anything. People have been calling me and sending photo-

graphs. In the photograph that I saw my son has the rope tie around his neck, tie around his two arms, bring up his two feet and tie them to his hands behind his back and his face with a set of blood and he had wounds all over of his body.”

She explained that after looking at some of the photographs, it appears as though Bhagwandin was tortured.

She revealed that there were also injuries to the private parts of his body.

She is hoping for a thorough investigation by the Police.

The mother identified the body on Monday before the autopsy was performed.

According to the 61-yearold woman, her son would make frequent visits to the Upper Berbice River, in relation to a marijuana business that he conducted.

Bhagwandin is known to the law and was arraigned on several occasions for armed robberies in the Berbice area. (G4)

2nd suspect remanded for Berbice mason’s murder and you are not seeing anything floating but I know that there are human beings with real emotions that are looking for answers and I would also want as a person in the discharge of my responsibility as the Minister responsible for the sector, to ensure that everything that was humanly possible, every resource that is available to the State and to the Private Sector was utilised to ensure that we get answers,” Edghill stated in a DPI report.

The report stemming from the Board of Inquiry which was launched into the matter will be made available on Monday, the Minister said. A copy of the report, he assured, will be made available to the families of the missing fishermen.

“If you have any questions, concerns or any information that could help us at the end of reading that report, my office remains open and available to you for engagement,” he said.

Missing men

The Noble House Seafoods Limited-owned vessel reportedly capsized in the Atlantic Ocean the morning of February 19, some 18 miles off of the Mahaicony Coast.

This incident has left the vessel’s 44-year-old Captain, Harold Damon of Lot 4 Water Street, Agricola, Greater Georgetown, and two crew members: 46-yearold Winston Sam of Lot 32 Public Road, McDoom, Greater Georgetown; and 78-year-old Ronald Burton of Lot 23 Water Street, Agricola, Greater Georgetown, missing.

A fourth crew member, Vincent Dazzell, who survived the tragedy, was rescued by another fishing boat and brought to shore on the afternoon of the incident.

Following the sinking of the vessel, a high-level BoI was set up by the Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the sunken vessel.

Concerns were raised over the length of the time it took Noble House Seafoods Limited to report to the relevant authorities that the vessel was in distress – something which they could face sanctions for.

It was also revealed that the vessel’s captain was operating under a fraudulent licence – another grave infraction. Suspicions were also raised about the information provided to authorities by Dazzell.

Meanwhile, some nets suspected to have belonged to the trawler were found but to date, there has been no sight of the missing boat.

The BoI – comprising Yurlander Hughes of the Transport and Harbour Department, Captain John Flores of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Ronald Charles of the Ministry of Public Works, Rawle Williams of the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, Ewart Wray of the Guyana Police Force Maritime Unit, an Occupational Safety and Health Officer at the Labour Ministry Dwayne Vyphius, and Head of the Fisheries Department at the Agriculture Ministry Denzil Roberts – was set up on February 21 and had 14 days to investigate the matter.

Charged: Imaran Khan

Charged: Jelon Benny

Dead: Alex Williams

second person was on Monday remanded for the murder of an East Canje carpenter just over a week ago.

Jelon Benny also called “Black Boy”, of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, on Monday appeared before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Albion Magistrate's Court for the capital offence of murder. He was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that he along with others, murdered Alex Williams on March 12, at Sheet Anchor.

The case has been transferred to the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court and will continue on April 5.

On Thursday 22-yearold Imaran Khan also called “Germs”, of Lot 505 Fort Ordinance Housing Scheme, East Canje, was also remanded for the murder of Williams.

He too will be returning to court on April 5.

Police had issued a wanted bulletin for Benny and found him one day later at a house at Number 65 Village, Corentyne.

Reports are that Williams, 24, a mason of Lot 383 Rampersaud Street, Number Two Village East Canje, left home to purchase cigarettes and beers and returned shortly after and told his father that he was “disrespected” by

a group of friends. He then asked his father if he was accompanying him as he went to confront the men.

The now dead man reportedly armed himself with a cutlass and left the house and confronted the three suspects where he was pelted with a

full bottle of Guinness which exploded in his face.

Reports are that after being hit with the bottle, Williams fell to the ground and while there he was chopped by one of the suspects. It is believed that the fatal blow was a chop to his neck. (G4)

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18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

Regional

Jamaican campaigners Brazilian leftist Lula leads Bolsonaro ahead of October election, poll shows call for colonialism apology from royal family F

J

amaican campaigners have accused the Queen of perpetuating slavery in a letter urging the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to atone for colonialism during their Caribbean tour.

As the country celebrates 60 years of independence, a coalition of Jamaican politicians, business leaders, doctors and musicians have called in the open letter for the British monarchy to apologise for colonialism and pay slavery reparations.

Prince William and Kate’s visit is seen as a charm offensive to persuade other Caribbean nations not to follow Barbados in removing the Queen as Head of State this year.

“We note with great concern your visit to our country, Jamaica, during a period when we are still in the throes of a global pandemic and bracing for the full impact of another global crisis associated with

Professor Rosalea Hamilton, one of the organisers and co-signatories of the letter

the Russian-Ukraine war,” the letter states.

“We see no reason to celebrate 70 years of the ascension of your grandmother to the British throne because her leadership, and that of her predecessors, has perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind.”

The group, which calls itself the Advocates Network, is expected to stage a protest today out-

side the British High Commission in Kingston to coincide with the royals’ arrival in Jamaica.

The Cambridges are due to stay until Thursday when they will depart for The Bahamas.

The letter urges the Queen and the UK Government to give “an apology for British crimes against humanity, including but not limited to the exploitation of the Indigenous people of Jamaica, the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the enslavement of Africans, indentureship, and colonialisation”.

Local human rights activist Kay Osborne, who will be joining the protest on Tuesday, said she was participating to demand that Jamaica becomes a republic, and “loosens and removes the Queen’s gloved hands from around our necks so we can breathe”.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

UNC MP wants Integrity Commission to investigate PM, President

C

haguanas West Member of Parliament (MP), Dinesh Rambally is calling on the Integrity Commission to formally investigate the conduct of the Prime Minister in relation to the revocation of the Police Service Commission’s merit list for the position of Commissioner of Police (CoP) after it was submitted to President PaulaMae Weekes last August.

Speaking during the weekly United National Congress (UNC) press

conference on Sunday, Rambally said that under Section 37 of the Integrity in Public Life Act, Chapter 22:01, the Commission may on its own initiative, consider any matter with respect to the duty or obligation of a person under the Act, where in its opinion, it is in the public interest to do so.

The names on the merit list for the substantive appointment of CoP were shown to have been Gary Griffith, Jason Francis, Andre Norton and Erla Harewood-Christopher,

while names for acting appointment as CoP were Griffith and current acting CoP, McDonald Jacob.

“It is certainly in the public’s interest to consider whether any breaches of the (Act) have occurred,” Rambally said, in regard to the Prime Minister’s admissions as contained in a newspaper report, regarding the merit list, the PSC led by then Chairman Bliss Seepersad, and President Weekes.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

ormer leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds a comfortable lead in the runup to Brazil’s October election while voters blame incumbent far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for surging fuel prices, a poll showed on Monday.

Lula, who served two terms as President from 2003 to 2010, would win a first-round vote by 43 per cent to 29 per cent if the elections were held today, the survey by pollster FSB Pesquisa found.

Lula’s 14-point lead widens to 19 percentage points in a run-off between the two main contenders, said the

poll, which was commissioned by investment bank BTG Pactual.

Bolsonaro’s rejection rate is the highest among all potential candidates, with 59 per cent of those surveyed saying they would never vote for him, followed by São Paulo Governor Joao Doria, who is trailing with just two per cent of voter support.

The poll showed Ciro Gomes, the centre-left former governor of Ceara, with nine per cent and former Justice Minister and federal Judge Sergio Moro with eight per cent support.

Asked who was to blame for high gasoline and diesel prices, 29 per cent of voters

polled said the Bolsonaro Government, while 22 per cent blamed State-run oil company Petrobras and 21 per cent pointed to State Governors. Only 18 per cent saw the Ukraine war as the cause.

A majority of those polled, or 61 per cent, said they disapproved of the way Bolsonaro was governing Brazil, while 34 per cent approved.

Bolsonaro will launch his re-election campaign on Sunday and will focus on corruption under Lula. He dismissed the polls as inaccurate.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Long lines for fuel across Cuba sparking concerns over supply, rationing

H

ours-long lines formed at gas stations in Cuba´s capital Havana on Monday after local media reported rationing of fuel in at least one province amid a biting economic crisis that has already left food and medicine in short supply across the island.

Geobel Quintero, a programme coordinator for the Matanzas provincial government, told local media that rationing had begun in that province on Sunday, but downplayed the problem, blaming the shortfall primarily on distribution issues.

“This is not a consequence of a fuel deficit in the country,” Quintero told State-owned provincial newspaper Giron. “This is a temporary problem.”

Quintero said in the report that State-run company Transcupet, which provides fuel to the country´s service stations, was working with only 62 per cent of its delivery trucks. Logistical issues

had hampered distribution, the report said.

Word of the rationing spread quickly through the neighbouring province of Havana, where the remaining fuel was quickly snapped up Sunday, leaving little gas and diesel available at stations in Havana on Monday.

“I´ve been here since 7:00 this morning and now it’s 11:30 – four hours,” said Jorge Paez, 53, a self-employed worker waiting in a nearly one-kilometre-long line to fuel up his Soviet-

era motorcycle and sidecar. “This is a situation that repeats itself every three months ... and the problem is never resolved.”

The Cuban Government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Officials in Cuba have previously blamed the decades-long US embargo and more recent, severe sanctions under former US President Donald Trump for complicating foreign imports of fuel to the island.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Colombia guard held after drug Mexico’s Lopez Obrador inaugurates new international airport lord flees through open door

A

prison guard has been arrested in Colombia following the escape of gang leader Juan Castro from the maximum-security La Picota jail in Bogotá.

Castro, better known under his alias “Matamba”, escaped in the early hours of Friday and is still on the run.

CCTV footage appears to show him leaving through an open cell door wearing a guard’s uniform.

President Iván Duque said he was outraged by Castro’s escape and announced a reform of the jail system.

The director of La Picota has been suspend-

ed along with more than 50 prison guards who were on shift at the time of Castro’s escape, according to Prosecutor Margarita Cabello.

Guards noticed Castro was not in his cell during the early-morning roll call on Friday.

Surveillance footage released by Colombia’s prison service shows a man they say is Castro calmly leaving the prison wing through a door left ajar in what looks like a guard’s uniform.

No guards are seen in the footage, only a little dog appears to notice the man leaving.

The guard suspected of handing him the uni-

form and leaving the door open has been arrested.

Prosecutors said he would be charged today with aiding a prisoner’s escape.

Castro had been in jail since May 2021 following his arrest on drugs charges and was wanted for extradition by the United States.

He is accused of running up to 20 per cent of the cocaine shipments from Nariño province, in Colombia’s south-west.

It is not the first time Castro has broken out of prison, there are at least two previous instances in which he fled, but both times he was recaptured.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

M

exico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador inaugurated a new airport serving Mexico City, in a hallmark move more than three years after he scrapped a separate partly-built multibillion-dollar construction project by the previous government that he said was a symbol of corruption.

A handful of flights took off from the Felipe Angeles International Airport north of the capital on Monday as Lopez Obrador was on hand for its official opening. It begins operations without a train connection, which is due to be ready next year.

The airport, built on the site of a former military air base, is the first of the major infrastructure projects

planned by Lopez Obrador to be launched, and is aimed at easing congestion at the current Mexico City hub that lies approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) to the south.

Earlier on Monday he held his regular morning news conference at the airport and

quickly rounded on critics who had questioned whether it would be completed.

“This work was done in spite of resistance from vested interests and people who wished us ill,” said Lopez Obrador. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Crude settles up more than 7% as EU mulls Russian oil ban

O

il prices settled up more than 7 per cent on Monday, with global benchmark Brent climbing above US$115 a barrel, as European Union nations disagreed on whether to join the United States in a Russian oil embargo after an attack on Saudi oil facilities.

Brent futures settled at US$115.62 per barrel, up US$7.69 or 7.12 per cent, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at US$112.12 per barrel, up US$7.42 or 7.09 per cent.

Such an embargo "could be the precipice for global trouble supply-wise," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC. Given the uncertainty about the EU's potential ban of Russian petroleum imports, US gasoline futures jumped 5 per cent.

European Union governments will consider whether to impose an oil embargo on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine as they gather this week with US President Joe Biden for a series of summits designed to harden the West's response to Moscow.

The EU and allies have already imposed a panoply of measures against Russia, including freezing its central bank's assets.

Ukraine defied a Russian demand that its forces lay down arms before dawn on Monday in Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped in a city under siege.

With little sign of the conflict easing, the focus returned to whether the market would be able to replace Russian barrels hit by sanctions.

Over the weekend, attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group caused a temporary drop in output at a Saudi Aramco refinery joint venture in Yanbu, feeding concern in a jittery oil products market, where Russia is a major supplier and global inventories are at multi-year lows.

Saudi Arabia on Monday said it would not be responsible for any global oil supply shortages after these attacks, in a sign of growing Saudi frustration with Washington's handling of Yemen and Iran.

The latest report from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, together known as OPEC+, showed some producers are still falling short of their agreed supply quotas.

Oil prices were also sensitive to talk of Hong Kong lifting COVID-19 restrictions, which could increase demand, and to the growing list of US companies retreating from Russia including Baker Hughes, ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chinese Boeing jet crashes in mountains with 132 on board, no sign of survivors

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China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737800 with 132 people on board crashed in mountains in southern China on a domestic flight on Monday after a sudden descent from cruising altitude. Media said there were no signs of survivors.

The airline said it deeply mourned the passengers and crew, without specifying how many people had been killed. Boeing said it was ready to assist China Eastern and was in contact with US transportation safety regulators over the incident.

Chinese media carried brief highway video footage from a vehicle's dashcam apparently showing a jet diving to the ground behind trees at an angle of about 35 degrees off vertical. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.

The plane was en route from the southwestern

I

was crucial that "influencers who discuss financial products and services online comply with the financial services laws. If they don't, they risk substantial penalties and put investors at risk".

Aleks Nikolic, who dislikes the label influencer, but posts about financial investment on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, told the Guardian the information sheet was useful.

"I think it's some of their clearest and best comms they've ever put out, potentially ever," she told the paper.

"Obviously everyone will

city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong, when it crashed.

China Eastern said the cause of the crash was under investigation. Such accidents typically involve multiple factors.

The airline said it had provided a hotline for relatives of those on board and sent a working group to the site. There were no foreigners on the flight, Chinese state television reported, citing China Eastern.

Relatives, friends and colleagues of passengers gathered late on

Ukraine rejects ultimatums as conflict intensifies

U

kraine said it would not accept ultimatums from Russia after Moscow demanded it stop defending besieged Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are suffering through Russian bombardments laying waste to their city.

Mariupol has become a focal point of Russia's assault on Ukraine, but attacks were also reported to have intensified on the country's second city Kharkiv on Monday.

The conflict has driven almost a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes, and Germany predicted the refugee number could reach as high as 10 million in

Influencers in Australia risk jail for breaking finance tips rules nfluencers in Australia face up to five years in jail if they break laws on financial advice, a new information sheet warns.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) says they may need a licence to give such advice.

A 2021 ASIC survey suggested 33 per cent of 18 to 21-year-olds follow financial influencers.

And it also found that 64 per cent of young people in Australia changed a financial behaviour because of an influencer.

ASIC commissioner Cathie Armour said it

People sit in an area where relatives of the passengers of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane, which crashed in Wuzhou flying from Kunming to Guangzhou, wait for news, at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China March 21, 2022

Monday in a cordoned off area at the jet's destination, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The aircraft, with 123 passengers and nine crew on board, lost contact over the city of Wuzhou, China's Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the airline said.

The plane, which Flightradar24 said was six years old, had been cruising at 29,100 feet at 0620 GMT. Two minutes and 15 seconds later data showed it had descended to 9075 feet, and 20 seconds after that its last tracked altitude was 3225 feet.

Media cited a rescue official as saying the plane had disintegrated and caused a fire destroying bamboo trees. The People's Daily quoted a provincial firefighting department official as saying there was no sign of life among the debris.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

now madly scramble to become compliant, but that was the point."

The information sheet also gave a number of examples of statements that could constitute financial advice.

The information sheet also warns that making misleading or deceptive remarks about financial products could also break the law.

And it points out that sharing affiliate links which send followers to online brokers could be offering a financial service and might require a licence.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

coming weeks.

Europe said Russia was using refugees as a tool and that it was prepared to take more action on top of existing sanctions to isolate Russia from global finances and trade.

Russia's military had ordered residents of Mariupol to surrender by 5 am local time on Monday, saying those who did so could leave, while those who stayed would be handed to tribunals run by Moscow-

backed separatists.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Government responded that it would never bow to ultimatums and said cities such as the capital Kyiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv would always defy occupation.

"There can be no question of any surrender" in Mariupol said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Russia's invasion, now in its fourth week, has large-

ly stalled, failing to capture any major city, but causing massive destruction to residential areas.

Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov that was home to 400,000 people, has run short of food, medicine, power and water. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said its "heroic defenders" had helped thwart Russia elsewhere. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Climate change: “Madness” to turn to fossil fuels because of Ukraine war

T

he UN Secretary General said the rush to use fossil fuels because of the war in Ukraine is "madness" and threatens global climate targets.

The invasion of Ukraine has seen rapid rises in the prices of coal, oil and gas as countries scramble to replace Russian sources.

But Antonio Guterres warned that these shortterm measures might "close the window" on the Paris climate goals.

He also called on countries, including China, to fully phase out coal by 2040.

In his first major speech on climate and energy since COP26, Guterres made no bones about the fact that the limited progress achieved in Glasgow is insufficient to ward off dangerous climate change.

Scientists believe that keeping the rise in global temperatures under 1.5C this century is crucial to

Guterres said that the rush to find alternatives to Russian fuels is a threat to climate goals

limiting the scale of damage from global warming.

To keep that threshold alive, carbon output needs to be cut in half by the end of this decade. Instead, as Guterres pointed out, emissions are set to rise by 14 per cent.

The war in Ukraine threatens to make that situation even more problematic, he said.

Europe and the UK and other countries are looking to cut their reliance on Russian oil and gas this year. Many are turning to coal or imports of liquefied natural gas as alternative sources.

But Guterres warns this short-term approach heralds great danger for the climate. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

(March 21-April 19)

DILBERT (April 20-May 20)

Use common sense and keep your plans to yourself until you reach a point of no return. Control what you do and what you want. Don't let outside influences interfere. Put your energy where it counts.

Pursue what makes you feel passionate. Don't let obstacles defeat you.

Embrace a challenge with an open mind, and you'll find a way to exceed your expectations. Align yourself with innovative people.

Put your efforts into meeting your goals. Take care of details and iron out differences before you enter into an agreement or agree to a plan that puts you in the hot seat. Read the fine print.

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Branch out and see what you can do with your skills and knowledge.

Explore what's trending, and you'll discover something that interests you. Step back from joint ventures.

Contracts will be misleading.

Expand your interests. Venture out and discover what's happening in your community or chosen profession.

Add to your qualifications or look for a unique way to use your skills. Use your imagination!

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Pay attention to detail, and finish what you start. Don't leave yourself open for criticism. Take an interest in what family and friends are doing. A change in routine will require discipline.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Pay attention to your needs. Take a break, pamper yourself, or find a solution that will help encourage better health, organization and money management. Avoid shared expenses, joint ventures and unnecessary change. Romance should be a priority.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Keep the peace. Find ways to improve your life. Hone your skills and incorporate a plan that encourages the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. Don't let anger or revenge get the better of you.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

LAST PUBLISHED WORD-- DURABLE

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Oversee everything important.

Domestic problems will surface if finances aren't handled properly. Be up-front about your feelings, desires and expectations. Take care of important paperwork.

Know what you are up against and take care of matters swiftly. Use your imagination when it comes to money and how best to handle people who ask for too much. Be willing to do the work yourself.

Revisit your responsibilities and find out how to get things done without interference. Stick to your plan, work alone and don't stop until you are satisfied with the results.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Call on someone who can offer inside information or help protect you against loss. Take better care of your physical and emotional well-being.

Don't take a risk or give in to someone putting pressure on you.

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

21

Nida Dar helps Pakistan end 18-match World Cup losing streak

P

akistan aced the trial by spin on a Seddon Park surface where run-making was not easy to end their record 18-match losing streak in Women's World Cup. Playing her first match in the competition, left-hand batter Muneeba Ali scored 37 off 43 balls and helped chase down 90, with seven balls and eight wickets to spare, in a 20-overper-side game.

The win got Pakistan their first points while jolting West Indies' chances of making the semi-finals. The last team Pakistan had beaten in a World Cup were also West Indies, back in 2009.

Muneeba played out a maiden off Hayley Matthews in the first over of the chase, but soon got a measure of her, hitting the offspinner for back-toback fours in the third over. She also worked the offspin of Anisa

has seen.

It was the magic of Nida Dar, who picked up her careerbest One-Day International (ODI) figures earlier, that helped Pakistan keep West Indies to 89 for 7 after a delay of over five hours due to rain and wet

Mohammed behind square on the leg side and ran well between the wickets to help Pakistan get off to a positive start.

Afy Fletcher, who troubled Bangladesh in the previous game, struck immediately to dismiss Sidra Ameen, who went for a wild slog to be bowled. But Muneeba found the ropes in three out of the next five overs to keep Pakistan in front at the

Deandra Dottin top-scored for West Indies with 27

Dar struck with her first ball to dismiss Dottin for 27 as West Indies' scoring rate dropped further on a surface aiding the spinners. Stafanie Taylor promoted herself up to number three but failed to have the desired impact, eventually falling for 18 off 31 to Sandhu, who delivered a wicket-maiden in the 17th over of the innings.

Apart from Dottin, Taylor and Fletcher, no West Indies batter could get into double digits as Dar

ran through the middle order, picking two wickets in two balls at one point. Offspinner Sohail also made inroads by getting one to spin past Chedean Nation to bowl her.

Fletcher and Aaliyah Alleyne struck some useful blows towards the end, adding an unbroken 26 off 23 balls for the eighth wicket.

But it wasn't enough for them to notch up a fourth win that could have smoothened their passage to the semi-finals. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Nida Dar bagged 4-10

halfway stage. Her partnership with Captain Bismah Maroof also stood out for the numerous tap-and-runs to rotate strike, something Pakistan were guilty of in their previous outings.

But Shakera Selman's introduction saw Muneeba slice a short ball to backward point. This, after she saw a catch go down as well as survive a run-out chance – both off the same delivery, a ball before her dismissal.

Maroof then found an ally in young Omaima Sohail, who survived some nervy moments to help Pakistan see through the chase with minimum drama, an anomaly given the number of close finishes this tournament

outfield.

Deandra Dottin hit a flurry of fours in the first three overs, including three in an over off Diana Baig, after Pakistan opted to bowl. But from the other end, left-arm spinner Anam Amin, who came into the XI for Ghulam Fatima, kept it tight by bowling a maiden in the final over of the four-over powerplay.

That brought about a wicket for Pakistan as Hayley Matthews top-edged one to backward point off Fatima Sana in a bid to break free. Captain Maroof kept the pressure on by bowling Amin's four overs at one go and bringing on another left-arm spinner in Nashra Sandhu soon after.

WEST INDIES WOMEN INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Deandra Dottin c & b Nida Dar 27 Hayley Matthews c Muneeba Ali b Fatima Sana 1 Stafanie Taylor (c) c & b Nashra Sandhu 18 Shemaine Campbelle † st †Sidra Nawaz b Nida Dar 7 Chedean Nation b Omaima Sohail 0 Kycia Knight c Nashra Sandhu b Nida Dar 8 Chinelle Henry c Aliya Riaz b Nida Dar 0 Afy Fletcher not out 12 Aaliyah Alleyne not out 9 Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 1) 7 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 4.45) 89/7 Did not bat: Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Hayley Matthews, 4.2 ov), 2-34 (Deandra Dottin, 9.1 ov), 3-46 (Shemaine Campbelle, 11.2 ov), 4-51 (Chedean Nation, 12.4 ov), 5-63 (Kycia Knight, 15.5 ov), 6-63 (Chinelle Henry, 15.6 ov), 7-63 (Stafanie Taylor, 16.1 ov)

BOWLING Diana Baig Anam Amin Fatima Sana Nashra Sandhu Nida Dar Omaima Sohail

O-M-R-W 2-0-17-0 4-1-6-0 4-0-14-1 4-1-24-1 4-0-10-4 2-0-12-1

PAKISTAN WOMEN INNINGS (TARGET: 90 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Muneeba Ali c Dottin b Selman 37 Sidra Ameen b Fletcher 8 Bismah Maroof (c) not out 20 Omaima Sohail not out 22 Extras(nb 1, w 2) 3 TOTAL (18.5 Ov, RR: 4.77) 90/2 Did not bat: Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Sidra Nawaz †, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Anam Amin Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Sidra Ameen, 5.2 ov), 2-57 (Muneeba Ali, 12.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Hayley Matthews 4-1-16-0 Chinelle Henry 2-0-8-0 Anisa Mohammed 4-0-21-0 Afy Fletcher 4-0-23-1 Shakera Selman 3.5-0-15-1 Deandra Dottin 1-0-7-0

Denver Coach Malone slams Pooran says Test cricket is still in his plans Nuggets: “We gave in and quit”

E

D

enver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone has slammed his side claiming that they "gave in and quit" in Sunday's 124-104 loss to the Boston Celtics.

The Nuggets trailed 6843 at half-time after a 46-21 run to the Celtics, leading to Malone benching several starters for the third quarter, including Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokic, who shot eight-of-23 from the field for his 23 points.

Malone was livid with his side, who slipped to a 42-30 record and seventh spot in the Western Conference.

"To me, it appeared we just kind of gave in and quit.

I didn't want to reward that behaviour," Malone told reporters after the game.

"I thought the bench unit was at least going out there and competing and fighting."

Malone added: "If somebody’s kicking our ass and we’re fighting and competing, and they’re better than us, so be it."

"They’re a very good team, but if we’re getting our butts

kicked, and we’re just taking it, possession after possession, heads are dropped, body language giving in, I’m not going to reward that behaviour.

"There’s principles in life, and that goes against every principle inside my body."

Jokic was well down on his usual output with eight rebounds and four assists along with his 23 points, while starters Aaron Gordon (13 points, four rebounds), Monte Morris (seven points, four rebounds and four assists), Will Barton (eight points and five rebounds) and Jeff Green (six points and one

rebound) struggled for impact.

"Tonight I can't point to one thing we did well," Malone said.

Jokic added: "Overall, they had a really good defensive game and I had a really bad offensive game."

Jayson Tatum, who was serenaded with "MVP" chants from the Celtics crowd, was joint top scorer with 30 points along with Jaylen Brown.

Boston's win improves their record to 44-28 and fourth in the east, having won three in a row and 10 of their past 12 games. (Sportsmax)

ver since Nicholas Pooran made his international debut against Pakistan in 2016, many admirers of his batting capabilities have been asking the same question…When will he play Test cricket?

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo last Friday, the West Indies T20 Vice Captain shed some light on how he feels about representing the Region in the longest format of the game.

“Playing Test cricket is still in my plans, but as I say, everything happens at the right time. When it's my time to play Test cricket, I'm sure I will,” he said.

One way that Pooran could find his way into the Test plans for the Windies is through playing First-Class cricket, but that has been difficult for him over the years.

“After the IPL finishes in May, West Indies have a few white-ball series, so I don't know when there's actually time for me to play FirstClass cricket or what the way forward is. It's a challenge,” he said.

“It's difficult, we don't

really get much time off for ourselves. I believe there should be a compromise, but everyone sees it differently,” he added.

Since his debut in 2014, Pooran has only played five First-Class matches with the last coming in December 2020 for the West Indies A against New Zealand A. Pooran, who is set to represent the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL),

said he has already had conversations with head selector for the West Indies men’s senior team, Desmond Haynes, about his redball prospects for the West Indies.

“We had a small conversation. It went well actually, so let's see what happens in the future. Going forward, it's a conversation I need to have with the selectors and coach,” he said. (Sportsmax)

22

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GAICO Chess Tournament kicks off with inaugural live broadcast

O

AFM Davion Mars (left) vs FM Anthony Drayton

ver-the-board chess returned in a big way last weekend with some of Guyana’s top national players competing alongside up-andcoming stars in the sport in the first Grand Prix tournament of 2022.

Intense competition got underway with the first four rounds played on March 19 and March 20 as players of all ages vied for a spot on the national team to represent Guyana at this year’s FIDE Olympiad in India. The Grand Prix initiative, the brainchild of Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) Director Loris Nathoo, is a points-based programme which will aid in the selection of the best players to

represent Guyana.

The Olympiad is an international biennial event for the sport where hundreds of countries send their best players to face off. This year’s edition was moved from Moscow, Russia to Chennai, India. The new date is yet to be announced.

Adrian Roopnarine and FIDE Master (FM) Anthony Drayton lead the points table on 3.5 each after four games heading into the next round.

Roopnarine racked up wins against Italy Ton-Chung, Pooja Lam, and Ethan Lee, and drew his match against Drayton. He faces Oluwadare Oyeyipo in the fifth round.

Loris Nathoo playing in the GAICO Grand Prix

A tense struggle between FM Drayton and Arena FIDE Master (AFM) Davion Mars took place on board one in round four. The two showed their vast experience in the opening and their creativity in the middle game. Advantages were held by both players in an extremely imbalanced endgame. Both players' time had been drained after four hours of struggle, and the game was held afloat only by the 30-second increment gifted per move. Mars' time had unfortunately elapsed before he could move, leaving Drayton as the victor in the most gruelling game of the weekend.

Drayton will face Nathoo in the next round.

Oyeyipo and Keron Sandiford are currently leading for the juniors on three points each.

Oyeyipo drew his matches with Jaden Taylor and Nathoo, but defeated Jessica Callender and Anaya Lall.

Sandiford won against Lall, Lucas Simpson, and Taylor, but lost to AFM Mars. He faces Lee in the next round.

Chelsea Juma is leading for females on 2.5 points after drawing her match with Taylor and defeating Arysh Raghunaugth and Ton-Chung.

She faces AFM Mars in the next round.

For the first time, the GCF is broadcasting the games from

Anaya Lall (left) vs Oluwadare Oyeyipo

boards one to six for each round on the Internet. Persons from Guyana and around the world can watch these games, in near real-time, on their computers, phones and other devices and participate in the emotional roller-coaster rides that come with this glorious sport. All chess players are encouraged to pay close attention to these broadcasts as much can be learned from observing the strategies and tactics of these top players. The public can access the broadcast on the GCF website at www.guyanachess. org by clicking on the flyer for the tournament.

The remaining four rounds will be played on March 26 and

March 27. Action will kick off at 09:00h on Saturday at the Guyana National Stadium.

At the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, trophies will be awarded for the best female player in the tournament, as well as the top male and female junior players.

Trophies and cash prizes will be offered to the top three finishers in the tournament while medals will be given to the fourth to 10th place finishers.

The Guyana Chess Federation says it remains thankful to GAICO Construction for its continuous support towards the advancement of the sport throughout the year.

Ramdhani siblings in Canada…

Youth cricketers and clubs benefit Priyanna cops bronze, Narayan from BCB’s Ray Hazel Trust Fund gets CCAA All-Canadian award

A

total of 30 youth cricketers drawn from seven clubs in the New Amsterdam area on Thursday last benefited from a donation of cricket gear from the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)organised Ray Hazel Memorial Trust Fund.

The fund is one of several of its kind to be set up over the past four years by the Board with the main objective of providing youth players with the necessary cricket items to allow them to fulfil their dreams.

BCB President Hilbert Foster, accompanied by Secretary Angela Haniff, Assistant Secretary Ameer Rahaman and executive Edgert Edwards, conducted

Priyanna Ramdhani (left) and Abbey Taylor during the women’s doubles

Ancel Hazel, who was also Head of the Guyana Teachers Union.

Ray died several years ago in the United States after a brief illness.

The donated gear was posted late last year, but owing to the ongoing worldwide shipping delays were not delivered for several months. One box sent to the BCB was destroyed in the fire at the Laparkan bond, but two barrels were fortunate to survive.

Foster urged the youths to not only take care of the items but to develop a culture of hard work, discipline and dedication while appreciating the investment that the Hazel family was making into their development. He also pledged

G

uyanese siblings Narayan and Priyanna Ramdhani took on the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) National Championships over the weekend, and once again made waves with their performances.

With the competition beginning on March 17 and running into the weekend, Narayan and Priyanna advanced to the semi-finals of their respective categories on the first day of the competition.

After winning four out of five games in the preliminary rounds, Narayan went on to meet Kunal Sokar in the semi-final round.

In what was described as “a very tiring and upsetting match where several questionable calls were made which frustrated and demotivated Narayan”, he lost after three tough sets 21-14, 1621, and 21-12.

He went on to play the thirdplace play-off, where he suffered another defeat, this time to Yuge Zeng, in a two-set encounter, 2117, 21-11, resulting in a fourthplace finish in the men’s singles.

Nonetheless, Narayan went on to pick up the CCAA AllCanadian Award.

benefit from the investment.

He also stated that he was very impressed with the development taking place in the county and pledged his future support. Clubs also received a set of cricket gear, uniforms and a scorebook.

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Cricketers pose with BCB officials after the presentation

Narayan Ramdhani

On the other hand, Priyanna teamed up with Abbey Taylor for the women’s doubles.

The pair got off to a rough start, losing three of their five preliminary games, but still managed to make it to the semifinal round. There, they came up against the top-seeded duo of Victoria Duong and Praanjal Taneja, and lost in two straight sets 21-19, 21-18.

However, for the third- place play-off, Priyanna rebounded well and she and Taylor were locked in a three-set thriller against Salina He and Kathie Liu, which they eventually won

18-21, 21-16, 21-16. Priyanna walked away with a bronze medal for her performance.

With the Canadian badminton season coming to a close, the Ramdhani siblings will shift their attention to the Pan American Badminton (Individual) Championships, where they will represent Guyana from April 28 to May 1, 2022. The event is expected to be hosted in San Salvador, El Salvador, where Narayan and Priyanna will compete individually in the singles events and later team up for the mixed doubles.

the transparent distribution of the gear via a raffle system at the Area H Ground in front of the players, executives of the different clubs and parents.

Among the gear distributed were bats, batting pads, batting gloves, wicketkeeping gloves, wicketkeeping pads, footwear and helmets. The clubs whose members benefited were Guymine, Rose Hall Canje, Tucber Park, Kendall Union, Edinburgh, Mount Sinai and East Bank Berbice.

Foster, in brief remarks during the ceremony, noted that he was contacted by the Hazel family to host the fund in memory of the late Ray Hazel, a former junior Berbice player and table tennis champion. Ray was the son of former BCB President

that the BCB would continue to invest in youth development at all levels with the hosting of cricket tournaments and numerous developmental programmes while assisting clubs and players as much as possible. Foster, who is a Director at Cricket West Indies (CWI), also announced that dozens of players, schools and cricket clubs across Berbice would soon benefit from millions of dollars’ worth of gear through a joint effort with the Cricket Kindness Group of England.

Arlington Hazel, Ray’s brother, expressed thanks to the BCB for joining hands with his family in honouring his sibling.

He disclosed that the trust fund would be regularly bolstered and he was confident that the county cricketing system would

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23

Guyanese team depart for AMBC Elite Championships

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arly on Monday morning, three Guyanese boxers, along with a coach, departed local shores for Guayaquil, Ecuador where they will fly the Golden Arrowhead high at the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Continental Championships.

The boxing team comprise three former Caribbean champions – Colin Lewis (light welterweight), Jamal Eastman (lightweight) and Desmond Amsterdam (middleweight). The accompanying Coach is Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Technical Director Terrence Poole, MS. The championships run from today, March 22 to April 2, 2022.

Coach Poole, along with

GBA President Steve Ninvalle

recently-appointed National Boxing Coach Lennox Daniels, was responsible for training and preparing the team, following an announcement of shortlisted pugilists for the event in January 2022.

According to Guyana

Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle, the team departed Guyana on Monday morning for Panama, after which they will travel to Ecuador.

Citing the lack of competitive boxing during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ninvalle viewed the AMBC Championships as a testing ground.

“This is going to be a testing ground for us, because of the fact that we’ve not been in competitive boxing for quite some time, we’re now returning, of course with the exception for the lone Olympic qualifier and the World Championships,” the GBA President shared.

Zeroing in on Guyana’s chances at the champion-

ships, Ninvalle expressed his confidence in the ability of the team and told of their commitment to doing well.

“This is the largest team that we are sending in quite a while. I would expect that they would give of their best,” Ninvalle revealed.

He went on to add, “I had a meeting with the Coach and the boxers last evening before they departed, and they’ve also convinced me that they will be giving of their best.”

The GBA boss was keen to highlight the threatening competition that the Guyanese pugilists will face off with later this week.

“The AMBC Championships will have all the usual powerhouses – Cuba, the USA, Mexico, Puerto

Rico, Brazil, Argentina, just to name a few countries. So, we will be coming up against some formidable opponents and again, we expect them to give their best,” Ninvalle stated.

Similarly to what was done at the Boxing World Championships in November 2021, the International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) will be awarding cash prizes to boxers who medal. The medallists in each of 13 male and 12 female weight categories will receive prize money: US$10,000 for gold, US$5000 for silver, and US$2500 for bronze.

In this light, the GBA President referenced Trinidad and Tobago’s Nigel Paul, who claimed bronze and the

US$25,000 cash prize in the super heavyweight division at the aforementioned World Championships in Russia last year, highlighting the significant financial boost that this measure will be for amateur boxers across the region.

He noted, “Now he goes to this championship, and [if] he wins that, he gets $10,000 and then there are other competitions held throughout the year.”

As such, the IBA’s move came in for praise from the AMBC Vice President.

“It gives boxers something to work towards. Apart from the pride and the glory, there’s now the financial aspect of it which means a lot.”

West Indies name House of Majesty-Beacon Ministries golf tourney a success unchanged 13-member … LGC hopeful for Government’s support to expand golf course squad for 3rd Apex Test

The winners’ row

Bholawram Deo was the winner in the 19-over flight

B

holawram Deo, Shanella London, and Bridgelall Harry were the big winners on a hot afternoon of competition for the House of Majesty-Beacon Ministries annual golf tournament at the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) last Saturday.

Other strong performers were LGC Secretary Chet Bowling, Patrick Prashad, and Jordi Pinol among others.

London’s win in the 0 to 9 flight was remarkable, because she also had a major role on the host committee.

She managed to keep a cool head in the hot afternoon to emerge in a deadlock with Club Captain Prashad, winning first place after a countback.

The champion best net golfer was the remarkable poised Deo – who, playing partner Chilean Ambassador Juan Miguel, described as a most consistent golfer. His patient approach resulted in a place on the podium.

The other winners of the competition were: Best Gross and Longest Drive: Avinash Persaud, Nearest to the Flag: LGC President Patanjilee

Persaud. In the handicap 9 and under category, Mike Mangal came in third after London and Prashad and Kasim Khan, fourth.

In the handicap 10 to 18 category, the victorious Harry was followed by David Harry, Assrodeen Shaw, and Maxim Mangra in that order. In the handicap 19 and over, Deo claimed another title followed by Pinol, Bowling, and Maurice Solomon.

LGC Secretary Bowling thanked the representatives of The House of MajestyBeacon Ministries for a fantastic sponsorship, creating a family and community atmosphere, which is very important to golf and which the Club cherishes. He also thanked the members for turning out in large numbers, recognising the most important role members play in keeping golf relevant in Guyana.

Archbishop Guy Griffith spoke on behalf of the sponsor and began by paying homage to the driving force behind the House of Majesty, Pope Emanuel London.

The Archbishop recognised London’s sportsmanship by listing a few of the sports disciplines London has been involved with at the community and national levels.

The Archbishop also thanked the LGC for the opportunity to sponsor a tournament. He reminded the members and attendees that Beacon Ministries has been

Bridgelall Harry was the winner in the 10-18 flight

sponsoring tournaments since 2013 and fully intended to do so for years to come. He thanked all players and congratulated the winners as he ensured that all participants received a token courtesy of Beacon Ministries.

In the coming week, the Golf Club will be sharing details of its youth outreach agenda which will take flight on Saturday, April 16. This new push is intended to begin a sustained campaign designed to give more youths access to the golf course and mentors. LGC hopes to develop the next generation of Guyana’s female and male golfers, some of whom will represent Guyana on the international stage. With professional golf being a very lucrative sport as well as an Olympic event, Guyanese should set their sights on achieving top status. It is the Club’s hope to also garner support from the Government for the expansion of the club to an 18- or 27-hole professional golf course, which will greatly aid in the growth and development of Guyana’s golf.

The first two Test matches in the Apex series resulted in draws

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) Men’s Selection Panel has named an unchanged squad for the third and final Apex Test match against England.

The match will be the series decider and will be played at the Grenada National Stadium from March 24 to March 28. The three-match Apex series is level 0-0 following draws in the first Apex Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and the second Apex Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados, which ended on Sunday.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite was named Player of the Match in the second Apex Test. He scored a marathon 160 in the first innings – his 10th Test century and first on home soil – and then 56 not out in the second innings on the final day.

Lead Selector Desmond Haynes said, “We were very impressed with the Captain, Kraigg Brathwaite showing the fight in the both innings

and the way he led from the front with the bat. Also, Jermaine Blackwood and the way he played in the first innings to get a century. They batted very well together. We really appreciated the fighting spirit from the batting department. We decided to stick with the same squad and want to see them continue to give a big effort in the third Apex Test match.”

Tickets for the third Apex Test match are available for purchase straight to a mobile device via the new Windies tickets service.

In addition to being able to choose and pay for seats in advance, the service allows fans to save their purchased tickets to their device for ticket scanning at the venue, avoiding the need for queues and travel to the box office.

Fans in the West Indies can watch the match live on ESPN Caribbean and on BT Sport in the United Kingdom, as well as other international broadcasters around the world.

West Indies Test Squad:

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain) Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain) Nkrumah Bonner Shamarh Brooks John Campbell Joshua Da Silva Jason Holder Alzarri Joseph Kyle Mayers Veerasammy Permaul Anderson Phillip Kemar Roach Jayden Seales

Apex Test series

(10am local time/9am Jamaica Time) March 8-12: 1st Apex Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – Match drawn March 16-20: 2nd Apex Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados – Match drawn March 24-28: 3rd Apex Test at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

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

Page 21

Nida Dar helps Pakistan GAICO Chess Tournament end 18-match World kicks off with Cup losing streak inaugural live broadcast Page 22

Ramdhani siblings in Canada…

Page 23

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