Guyana Times - Friday, October 7, 2022

Lethem Police intercept car with cocaine, ganja stashed in trunk

Thirty-five-year-old Duane Johnson of Tabatinga, Central Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday with a quantity of cocaine and marijuana.

The illegal substances were found in the vehicle that he was driving at the time when it was intercept ed by Police.

Police stated that acting on information received, the vehicle was intercept

ed and searched in Lethem during which a significant amount of marijuana and cocaine were found stashed inside the trunk of a red Nissan Juke bearing regis tration number PAB 3824.

At the time, Johnson, his reputed wife, and their nine-month-old son were

occupants of the vehicle.

Reports stated that af ter the vehicle was inter cepted, a search was car ried out on the driver, but nothing was found. As such, ranks proceeded to search the vehicle during which 13 bulky parcels wrapped in plastic were found in a black haversack in the trunk.

In the presence of Johnson and the female oc cupant of the car, the par cels were opened and 11 of them contained cannabis. The other two parcels, ac cording to Police, contained cocaine.

Johnson was told of the offence committed and cau tioned after which he ad mitted ownership. He was then arrested and escort ed to the Lethem Police Station.

The cannabis when weighed amounted to 8045 grams while the cocaine amounted to 1314 grams.

Housewife arrested after attempts to traffic teen into interior – also busted with ganja in haversack

A35-year-old house wife of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was on Wednesday arrested after it was sus pected that she was at tempting to traffic a 14-year-old girl into the in terior.

Based on reports re ceived, acting on cer tain information received of a juvenile being traf ficked, ranks attached to the Bartica Police Station went to Bartica Stelling where they contacted the woman and the teenager of Tuschen Housing Scheme, EBE, who had just disem barked a speedboat.

The duo were taken to the Bartica Police Station where a search was con ducted on the woman’s hav ersack during which a black plastic containing a quanti ty of ganja was discovered.

The narcotic when weighed amounted to 438 grams.

The woman was placed into custody.

Meanwhile, the teen during interrogation re garding the 'trafficking' in formation received revealed that she and the 35-year-old woman were friends.

The girl said she was told by the woman that she was being taken to Blue Mountain Backdam to work at a shop that sells alcoholic beverages.

A Child Care and Protection Officer was notified along with the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) unit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters and an investigation was launched.

The teen is current ly with the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) as investigations continue.

The ganja that was found in the alleged trafficker’s haversack

The narcotics found in the trunk of the car

Duane Johnson, the driver of the car

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The

Harbour

Friday, October 7 – 00:30h-02:00h

Saturday, October 8

The Berbice Bridge

Friday, October 7 –14:45h-16:15h and Saturday, October 8 –15:20h-16:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika

times

WEATHER TODAY

05:00h,

closed

Govt announces $28K one-off cash grant for old age pensioners

The

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government on Thursday announced a oneoff cash grant of $28,000 for all old age pensioners across Guyana – a move aimed at assisting senior citizens to have a better quality of life.

During a live broadcast to the nation, President Dr Irfaan Ali pointed out that since taking office in August 2020, his Administration has ensured that the lives of all Guyanese are improved with a focus on vulnerable groups, especially senior cit izens.

“In keeping with this em phasis of improving not only the pension but the condi tions through which our pensioners enjoy their ben efit, I am pleased this eve ning to announce the pay ment of an additional one-off grant of $28,000 to be paid to each and every single oldage pensioner before the end of 2022. This new announce ment of this one-off grant in 2022 will provide an ad ditional $1.8 billion in dis posable income to our pen sioners,” the Head of State noted.

According to President Ali, this new cash grant comes in light of the fact that the Government rec ognised that senior citizens have served the country and the society in which they live for decades, thus they all de serve a dignified enjoyment now of their silver years.

“To our senior citi zens, I wish to say that the Government will continue to respect and honour the ser vice you have given to our country over the years as we continue to take all the steps necessary to ensure that the quality of life you enjoy, con tinue to improve in every re gard… And I hope that this additional benefit that the Government has announced will go a far way in helping you,” the President stated.

This is not the first time the Ali-led PPP/C Administration would be distributed a cash grant to pensioners.

In fact, last year, a oneoff grant of $25,000 was paid to all old-age pensioners across the country. That ini tiative alone placed an ad ditional $1.6 billion in the hands of pensioners.

This is in addition to the annual increases of the old age pension, he pointed out.

Upon assuming of fice in 2020, the PPP/C Government raised the old age pension from $20,500 to 25,000 in 2021 and from 25,000 to 28,000 in 2022.

“Cumulatively, this is amongst the more than 36 per cent increase granted in two years and places a total of approximately $22 billion in the hands of our old-age pensioners annual ly.

So, last year, in addition to the increases in the pen sion, the one-off grant placed an additional $1.6 billion in the hands of our old-age

pensioners,” the President stressed.

Moreover, he noted that his Administration has also been trying to make it easier for pensioners to access their entitlements by providing alternative payment venues as well as by direct delivery and payment to shut-in pen sioners, including persons who are living with disabil ities and persons who do not have easy access to the post office.

“Alternative payment venues and options were in troduced [for these groups],” the Guyanese Leader said.

Beyond these measures, he further highlighted that the Government also rein troduced the water subsidy to old-age pensioners which has benefited over 27,400 of them, providing additional disposable income of $200 million per annum.

In addition, to these spe cial measures, President Ali stated that senior citizens in Guyana also continue to benefit from the across-theboard investments that his Government was mak ing in various areas includ

ing improving the public healthcare system. Already, a number of new firstclass hospitals and region al health centres, and the improvement and increased the availability of drugs were being undertaken.

Dr Ali added too that sev eral new hospitals have also been approved for construc tion.

In Budget 2022, Senior Minister with responsibil ity for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh had announced back in March that senior citizens remained a valuable institu tional resource to Guyana’s society and must be afford ed the opportunity for a good quality of life – safe, secure, good-quality health care and opportunities for social en gagements.

To this end, he commit ted that the PPP/C would continue to take active steps to support this category of citizens. In fact, it was noted that as the COVID-19 pan demic evolves, access to vac cines and booster shots for senior citizens is prioritised.

“…In 2022, our Government will keep its

promise of further improv ing disposable incomes of se nior citizens,” the Finance Minister said back in January.

Dr Singh further stated that apart from giving great er support to care homes, the wellness of senior citi zens across the country will benefit from major improve ments in health care and related infrastructure; im proved transport networks and expanded food securi ty programmes across the country.

Meanwhile, only Saturday last, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry launched “The Century Club – Extra care for 100 years and beyond” in commemoration of the Month of the Elderly, which is celebrated in October each year.

This is a club which hon ours citizens who have made it to 100 years and even ex ceeded 100 years.

The programme aims to bring ease and comfort to Guyana’s longest-serving citizens by providing care packages, groceries, health check-ups, vitamins, glucose testing machines, and oth er services. These items will be procured directly through the Ministry and through collaboration with various businesses, organisations, and entities.

The Human Services Ministry said it has been constantly working on ways to improve the lives of senior citizens across the country.

During this month, the Ministry will be planning a number of activities to en gage and involve senior cit izens that can impact their mental health well-being and overall wellness.

Pensioners during last year’s cash grant distribution

V iews

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Disposable income, senior citizens

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced a one-off cash grant of $28,000 for all old-age pensioners countrywide.

This, according to the Head of State, would give a whopping $1.8B in disposable income to our senior citizens. Many of our senior citizens depend on their monthly pension to meet their basic needs. Therefore, this additional income would surely be a boost to them. This is in addition to the increase in old age pension from $20,500 to $28,000, as was announced by the Finance Minister during his Budget Presentation. This increase in pension by the Government has placed $22B annually into the hands of pensioners.

This is in addition to the last budgetary provisions for pensioners, receiving free water with the overall removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity and water.

The issue of every country’s older population and their welfare has been a topic for discussion worldwide.

In its Baseline Report for the Decade of Healthy Ageing, the World Health Organization (WHO) included useful insights into the status of the world’s older populations and what health authorities and policymakers and international development partners could do in order to ensure that this group of people are not left behind.

According to the report, at least 14 per cent of all people aged 60 years and over – more than 142 million people – are currently unable to meet all their basic daily needs. The report brings together data available for measuring healthy ageing, defined by WHO as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age”.

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus notes that humans now live longer than at any time in history. “But adding more years to life can be a mixed blessing if it is not accompanied by adding more life to years,” he has said.

He said that the Baseline Report for the Decade of Healthy Ageing has the potential to transform the way policy-makers and multiple service-providers engage with older adults. The report also discusses what is needed to promote collaboration and better measure progress towards healthy ageing.

WHO says that optimising “functional ability” is the goal of the Decade of Healthy Ageing, which begins in 2021 and addresses five interrelated abilities that all older people should enjoy: the ability to meet basic needs; to continue to learn and make decisions; to be mobile; to build and maintain relationships; and to contribute to society.

The Baseline Report presents the experience of countries which have been successful in starting healthy ageing initiatives in each of these areas, such as Ireland, Mexico and Vietnam. It also stresses that older adults must be engaged throughout.

According to the report, only one-quarter of countries around the world are compiling comparable data which can be used to monitor global progress towards healthy ageing. Some countries that are collecting and using data to improve policies and programmes for and with older persons are presented in the report.

A number of indicators to be reported on by countries as a demonstration of commitment towards healthy ageing were agreed on by WHO Member States as part of the Global Strategy on Ageing and Health 2016-2020, and were endorsed in 2020 within the context of the Decade for Healthy Ageing 2021-2030. Examples are the establishment of a national committee or forum on ageing; comprehensive assessments of the health and social care needs of older people; and a policy on strengthening long-term care.

It should be stated that the Caribbean has been recognised as having one of the fastest-growing older populations in the developing world. This certainly poses its own challenges, and Governments and other actors would be required to take the necessary measures to ensure that this segment of the population lead healthier and more productive lives.

There is no doubt that among the more pressing issues affecting older persons are health concerns and the quality of care being provided to them on a daily basis. It is therefore crucial for Governments to put in place systems which would allow for older persons to obtain the health services they need.

WHO’s new Guidelines on Integrated Care for Older People recommend ways community-based services can help prevent, slow, or reverse declines in physical and mental capacities among older people. The guidelines also require health and social-care providers to coordinate their services around the needs of older people through approaches such as comprehensive assessment and care plans.

Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at WHO, Dr John Beard, had previously reasoned that if health systems are to meet the needs of older populations, they must provide ongoing care that is focused on the issues that matter to older people – chronic pain, and difficulties with hearing, seeing, walking or performing daily activities. On this basis, he noted that this requires much better integration between care providers.

In addition to providing financial assistance, the health authorities in Guyana may also want to give serious consideration to recommendations presented in the Baseline Report by WHO.

Cricket Carnival

Dear Editor, Guyana hosted the last round and the play-offs of the recently concluded CPL 2022 tournament. By all accounts; well, at least by governmen tal assessment, it was a very good effort by the organisers. Expectations were met and exceeded.

Co-branded Cricket Carnival, the tournament in deed had an electrifying car nival-like atmosphere. There was heightened fervency and cricket mania, which had been absent for many years, in par ticular the pandemic-restrict ed years. Indeed, CPL 2022 and Cricket Carnival pro vided a much-needed boost for Guyana, especially in its tourism and hospitality sec tors.

Figures indicated that up wards of 30,000 visitors ar rived in this South American country in the month of September. That, according to official governmental state ments, is a record. It is posit ed that most of these visitors arrived mainly for cricket and the festivities.

While this success is be ing celebrated by Guyanese officials and locals, there are calls to make it bigger and better in the next two years that Guyana would be host ing the last round and play offs of CPL. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson jr, is re ported to have said, “We set an ambitious target that we wanna become the events capital of the Caribbean, and there is still a lot for us to do, but we’re off to a great start.”

He tempered expectations by adding, “There are lots of lessons that we are learning. We have to do review sessions on every event, and say that there are areas that we have to improve on.”

So, while the cricket was a typically fever-pitched event and spectator engagement and attendance were nothing short of spectacular, it should also be noted that the Cricket Carnival events held across the country were equally well received. They were, for the most part, family-friendly and wholesome.

However, things got off the wheels, so to speak, at the conclusion of the tourna ment. The post-final concert at the National Stadium at Providence with Jamaican Dancehall artiste “Spice” and the Carnival the following day were anything but fam ily-friendly and wholesome. Those events, while intended to be festive and decent, were anything but festive and de cent. They turned out to be some of the lewdest, vilest and vulgar scenes witnessed in Guyana. It was a descent into bacchanalia, nudity, and debauchery, with scanti ly clad - or rather almost na ked - revellers shamelessly gyrating against each other, sexualising their every move in full public glare in front of minors, families, and oth er innocent viewers on broad cast television. By no stretch of the imagination were those events family-friendly.

So, if Mr Charles Ramson genuinely wants to improve upon this event as a product, he must be honest with him self and see this year’s ver

sion for what it was - the im portation of foreign artists at the expense of local talent, and the wholesale borrowing and co-opting of alien cultural practices that are detrimen tal to Guyanese social mores and culture, which ought not to be repeated.

As Minister of Tourism, he ought to know that while Guyana is regionally aligned with other Caribbean nations, its culture - though similar in some aspects - is different from that of Jamaica; Brazil; and yes, even Trinidad; espe cially when it comes to festi vals and festivities.

As a product and brand, Guyana’s festivities must be marketed as a wholly Guyanese experience, unique and different from other re gional states. Guyana must focus on defining its own cul tural practices, which must be centred upon good, whole some family values that do not copy the degenerative practices of others.

Thank you, Jay Mobeen

An aching social issue that repeatedly wounds our nation

Dear Editor,

I wish to highlight below issues and matters of do mestic violence which con tinue to be of crucial con cern to our country.

It must be noted that an outburst of domestic vi olence continues to wreak havoc and create distress in our communities and fam ilies. So many victims are suffering silently, and may be, just maybe, their voices would be heard only after they have died.

Can we prevent this

atrocity? Can we reach out in support of these persons before it is too late? I am afraid there is only so much Government and communi ties can do. The decision to seek help is often left to the victims.

It is very dishearten ing to awake on a beauti ful morning to learn about the death of someone dear: a mother, a sister, a cousin, or an aunt, who may have been killed by an aggres sive or abusive partner or husband. Wounds of domes

tic violence (DV) cases go deep into our communities, bringing tears and excruci ating agony that sometimes can last for a lifetime. The blood shed in brutal killings that have stained homes and walls might be erased, but the stories of such suf fering and demise cannot simply fade away in a mo ment. If we are ever to act to protect our women and chil dren, now is the time. We keep losing our women and mothers due to thoughtless and irrational men who are

robbing and depriving chil dren and families of beauti ful moments, and of having the dearest comforter of any home.

As we reflect upon the past few months, we can all agree, without a doubt, that our mothers and women in our society, whether relat ed or not, have lost their lives in some of the cruelest ways. Besides, this seems to be increasing and getting worse every time another case occurs.

Skyvan 8R-GGK received its final salute from the officers and ranks of the GDF Air Corps during a solemn and auspicious ceremony held to officially retire the aircraft on Thursday at Air Station London at Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD)

First Lady bent on betterment for persons with disabilities

Dear Editor,

Just recently, the news read that “First Lady (is) to establish business centres for Persons with Disabilities.” When I internalise this, and as I keep doing so, I feel com pelled to tip my hat to First Lady Ms. Arya Ali. She is emerging as quite a fighter for the once ignored and ne glected.

The details show that her dream is self-driven, as it was through a fundrais er that she was able to raise just over $13 million to com mence the establishment of a business centre for per sons with disabilities (PWD). I doubt if this kind of thing was ever thought about by anyone in such an open and active way.

First, I hope that the nation overall knows that “Disability and Employment” is contention at the level of the United Nations. In fact, UN data show that persons with disabilities face the same predicament every where. It is well document ed by the organization that “persons with disabilities are frequently not considered po tential members of the work force.

Perception, fear, myth

and prejudice continue to limit understanding and ac ceptance of disabilities in workplaces everywhere.

Myths abound, including that persons with disabili ties are unable to work, and that accommodating a per son with a disability in the workplace is expensive. So it is this kind of negative bul wark that the First Lady is pitting herself against.

However, the same UN has also found that, contrary to these notions, many com panies have found that per sons with disabilities are more than capable…

There are examples of persons with disabilities be ing employed and bringing benefits to companies that have employed them. In this regard, my hope is that false perceptions would become a thing of the past, and that employers would give fair and equitable treatment to these potential employees. And if and when the ‘dis abled’ or ‘challenged’ are qualified, they would be em ployed and the necessary ac commodation would be made available to them at the of fice.

In fact, this proposed business centre, the brain

child of Mrs. Ali, is in line with the UN’s thinking and the normal practice of many large corporations. The First Lady must therefore be sup ported, as she “…believes that these individuals must be provided with the resourc es, opportunities, knowledge and skills needed to increase their capacity to determine their own future and ful ly participate in community life.”

A second factor to pon der inheres in what the UN has been philosophising for a long time now. The word from the UN is that organi sations need to hire persons with disabilities, as the ma jority of them want a digni fied and productive life. After all, employment provides not only income, but oppor tunities for social participa tion. I add that research is abundant where the conclu sion is that companies have found that by employing per sons with disabilities, they have been better able to un derstand and serve their cus tomers with disabilities.

This is really a big bo nus. No one would ever chal lenge the fact that adapting services to meet the diverse needs of persons with dis

abilities allows business es to develop greater flexi bility, builds a reputation, and reaches out to a sizeable market. In the words of Ms. Ali, “The ability of persons with disabilities to earn a living for themselves, rath er than to depend on others for a living, is a cornerstone for their economic empower ment. Experience suggests that the majority of persons with disabilities are unem ployed, and often denied employment opportunities even when they have met the necessary requirements. Consequently, they have no stable income, and have to depend on family members, well-wishers and charity groups for handouts to sus tain their livelihood.”

To this I say, “Simple and profound.” I hope, then, that this all-important ini tiative would be successful. In Guyana, there is a vis ible ‘disabled’ group. They are fellow human beings and Guyanese, and their rights are not fewer than, nor of less importance than, those of any other person. So, let’s rally around the First Lady.

Yours truly, H Singh

Hypocrisy at its best

Editor,

sometimes is invalu able for one to reflect on what ‘hypocrisy’ is. It can be defined as the state of pre tending to have beliefs, opin ions, virtues, feelings, qual ities or standards that one does not actually have.

On reading the AFC’s statement, and that of the Leader of the Opposition, on salary increases for teach ers, I felt compelled to vent my repugnance at these hypocritical utterings. It would seem that Mr Norton now realises that the mental wellbeing of teachers should be a priority.

I must draw the atten tion of Messrs Ramjattan and Norton to some of what they promised the people of Guyana: such as ‘significant salary increases for Public Servants; 20% increase across-the-board to sugar workers; no closure of any sugar estate; $9,000 per bag of paddy, etcetera.

In the Kaieteur News of October 6, 2022, the head line blasts “AFC proposes $100,000 pay hike for teach ers”. Sounds goods, but what has the AFC ever done for teachers when they were in Government?

It was an AFC Minister who, in 2015, said the 50% hike in salaries and benefits for Ministers was “fair” and

“necessary”, and the peo ple of Guyana must “trust” them; but, in the same breath, refused to pay the teachers at the bottom of the scale in 2015 one cent over $50,000.

Now these snake oil salespersons in the AFC are coming with their crocodile tears, demanding $100,000 for teachers when they re fused to do anything good for those in education and the other sectors when they were in power during the period 2015-2020. What did they give teachers in 2015?

A measly 5%. What did the Ramjattan cabal give them selves? Ten times that rate (50%).

To compound the decep tion, disingenuousness, and hypocrisy of the APNU+AFC leaders, in the same year 2015, it was none other than the man in charge – Mr. Joseph Harmon - who said he would make no apologies for the 50% salary increase to Cabinet Ministers, ar guing it was well deserved.

Well, the pertinent question is: Was $100,000 per month for the teachers also not well deserved in 2015 un der these APNU/AFC chat terers?

The PPPC Government is cognizant of the needs of all Guyanese, and would give increases at the right time

to ensure that the inflation rate is kept in check. We all know that once the budget allows it, President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who both come from humble begin nings, would do all in their power to give the best to all workers, especially the teachers. The Government does not need the deceptive cries of the hypocrites to be a reminder of the needs of the working-class Guyanese.

For those who do not know, His Excellency the President grew up in a home that is headed by a mother and a father who are ded icated teachers, and thus he intimately knows of the challenges of the teach ing profession. So, Mr. Ramjattan can stop clutch ing at straws and deal first with the mutiny in the AFC against him, and address his record of poor leadership while in Government and seek to temper his wild talk, which is full of hot air and baloney.

The more he speaks, the more his political platform, built on deception, crumbles, because the people continue to see him for who he real ly is: a political opportunist who, when given the chance to serve the people between 2015 and 2020, chose first to serve family, friends and

cronies rather than teach ers, nurses, Police, sol diers and sugar workers of Guyana.

It is these people in the AFC and the APNU who eliminated some 7,000 jobs in the sugar industry, and then refused to pay the peo ple their severance pay ments. It took a court ruling to force them to settle with the workers.

Again, it is comical but yet disgusting to see the AFC continuing the programme initiated by the Coalition to provide breakfast to schools, and more recently a bus to aid with transportation. It would be edifying for Mr Ramjattan to read the PPP’s 2015 Manifesto, then he would realise the folly of his statement.

Today, these people sud denly want to champion the cause of the teachers, and by extension the very peo ple they kicked out of jobs. Shame on them for their hy pocrisy! The people know, and the evidence will clear ly demonstrate in 2025 that there is only one road for Mr. Ramjattan, his AFC ac olytes, and the APNU cor ruptors: that is, the way out of Government forever.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

An aching social issue that repeatedly...

Therefore, it is my hum ble plea to those who are suf fering or trying to survive in DV circumstances to get sup port and help early. Don’t be another statistic, and one whose story goes down into the ground and is being washed away.

Women: our communi ties, homes, and societies need you. You are integral to the nourishment and up bringing of tomorrow’s lead ers. Your role in society is of high respect and value, even if it is simply by being a woman or a mother. While I believe that we cannot con trol all the events around us, I believe that we can use our voices in support of those who are struggling and bat tling DV, so that, like many of us who are living comfort ably, they, too, can live com fortable and secure lives.

May we never lose sight

that this issue still exists among us, and is quietly de stroying the lives of our wom en and children. We cannot deny its existence. Further, since we cannot stop all DV cases from reaching a point of cruelty, I am optimistic that we can reduce its occur rence. DV is occurring too frequently, and is often being treated as something basic.

I beseech you to make full use of the resources and op portunities that are provid ed to you in granting you support to escape the terri ble effects of DV. If you are, or someone you know is, ex periencing DV in any shape or form, please make con tact with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Hotline Number: 914.

Sincerely, Imran Bacchus

Page Foundation

Quadrilaterals

By The BroThers Grimm

CONTINUED FROM THURSDAY

Law school in Guyana will address overcrowding in Region – AG Nandlall

With

Guyana on the verge of setting up its own law school, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, has stated that this move will not only benefit the country and its students, but will also help to address overcrowding at similar institutions across the Region.

Nandlall made this re mark during this week’s edition of his programme –Issues in the News.

Last week, the Council for Legal Education (CLE) in the Caribbean indicated that it would formally write the Guyana Government on the requirements need ed to establish a law school in Georgetown. The CLE ad ministers legal professional education in the Caribbean under the Caricom Treaty.

According to Nandlall, this move is significant not just for Guyanese students, who are currently forced to attend the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad, with only the 25 top law stu dents from the University of Guyana allowed each year into the programme.

In addition to Hugh Wooding, there are two other CLE-operated law schools in the Region – Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica and Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas. However, the Attorney General pointed

out that for some reason, the law schools in Trinidad and Jamaica were mare sought after thus resulting in over crowding with students not only from the Region but be yond attending.

“There is a serious over crowding in those two law schools. Those two law schools cannot accommo date the hundreds and hun dreds of students churned out by University of the West Indies, the University of Guyana, University of Jamaica, University of Trinidad and Tobago, University of London and other universities across North America and United Kingdom.

“As a result, you have in Guyana alone, possi bly over 200 or 300 persons who have LLB degrees, but have not been able to go to a law school. You have a few hundred if not thousands in Trinidad; you have a few thousand in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean, and then you have so many oth er people. So, this law school [in Guyana] will be able to address the backlog of exist ing students,” he contended.

The Attorney General further stated that with the Guyana Law School adding to the Region’s capacity to accommodate students, in take in the universities was going to increase.

Moreover, he outlined

that the establishment of a law school here would en hance the country’s portfo lio of becoming a premier ed ucational destination in the Region.

“We are already in the process of attracting many offshore universities of inter national standing and repu tation to come and establish operations here. This law school will be another exten sion of that initiative, which we are pursuing. When we bring people to this coun try, they will spend money here; they will rent; they will live here, and that brings revenue to the country and that’s another stream of rev enue that we are pursuing. So, from every perspective

Guyana as a country and Guyanese will benefit spec tacularly from this initia tive,” Nandlall asserted.

Previously, there were at tempts by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Administration in 2017 to set up a law school in Guyana, but it was denied permission from the CLE.

But AG Nandlall made it clear that Guyana would not steer away from the auspices of the regional Council.

“I made it clear that

Guyana will continue to be part of that regional umbrel la. That we will not act in sularly, but we will act as a part of a collective. That we don't want a law school here that will not be part of the Council of Legal Education, but we want the Council’s law school here, because that Council law school has inter national standing... It has re spect in the academic world. And we want a law school here that will have that type of academic respect in the international arena. That its graduates will be recognised by countries across the world as the other Council’s law schools are recognised,” the Attorney General asserted.

Last month, Nandlall disclosed that he, along with top officials in the lo cal Judiciary, met with the CLE during which Guyana presented its case for the Council’s law school to be set up here.

He informed the Council that unlike the previous pro posal by his predecessor, the current Guyana Government is proposing that the law school be a CLE institution –to be managed and adminis tered by the Council but that the Government will provide

the land and buildings based upon criteria and specifica tions set by the CLE.

“This request was fa vourably considered, and the Council made a decision to write the Government of Guyana shortly, inform ing of this decision and set ting out the criteria and oth er requirements which the Government will have to sat isfy,” a missive from the AG office detailed.

For nearly three decades, Guyana has been trying to establish a law school within its jurisdiction.

Every year, Guyanese students are faced with enormous financial burden, including $6,616,548 in tui tion/compulsory fees for the two-year programme offered at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

This, coupled with the cost of living in Trinidad and Tobago, has deterred many persons from pursuing a le gal career.

In response to this, the Government of Guyana now offers limited fully-fund ed scholarships to Hugh Wooding Law School. These scholarships are open to new and continuing students.

Attorney General & Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

Boyfriend arraigned for murder of La Grange woman

it appeared to have been cut from the back. A brown-han dle knife had also been found on the bed under her body.

Nirmala’s body was tak en to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where her death was confirmed.

It was reported that Nirmala had last been seen alive while engaged in a drinking session with Ryan Johnson, who is alleging that while they were drink

ing, Nirmala had “disap peared with another man in the back yard of the bar”, and this had made him angry.

According to Johnson, they had terminated the drinking session and had gone to Nirmala’s home, and their argument had re sumed. The suspect is al leging that they had started to fight, and he had choked Nirmala until she had be come unresponsive.

RyanJohnson was on Thursday remand ed to prison by Wales Magistrate Faith McGusty for the murder of his girl friend Nirmala Sukhai, aka ‘Shorty’, whose body was found in her La Grange home on Friday, September 30, 2022.

In his arraignment be fore the Magistrate, he was not required to plead to the indictable charge of mur der, which detailed that be tween September 29 and 30, 2022, he murdered Nirmala Sukhai, also called 'Shorty'. He has been remanded un til October 27. It has been

reported that the lifeless body of the 33-year-old wom an was found on her bed in her flat, two-bedroom, con crete house. After the discov ery, the late Nirmala’s moth er said she discovered her daughter’s lifeless body in the house, lying face down on her bed.

At the time of the discov ery, Nirmala was clad in a pink top, but was not wear ing any undergarments, and a reddish substance that ap peared to be blood was oozing from her mouth. The scene was processed, and a pair of grey short pants were found on the bed. Police have said

Duo charged, remanded for robbing GDF rank

32-year-old Junior Jordan of Non-Pareil Street, Albouystown and 18-year-old Brandon Robinson of Hunter Street, Albouystown, Georgetown have been remanded to pris on until November 7, 2022 on a joint armed robbery charge.

These two men ap peared at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, and were not required to plead to a charge which stated that on September 29, 2022, at

Good Hope Phase 3, East Coast Demerara (ECD), they robbed 23-year-old Marlon Reynolds, a serving member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

It has been reported that Reynolds was attacked and robbed by three men who were armed with handguns. He was relieved of one red-

Cleaning out...

…voters list?

The procedure to produce an “Official List of Electors” (OLE) here was painstakingly worked out after the PNC used every trick in the book – and then some – to rig elections between 1968 and 1985. Basically, a National Register of Registrants’ Database (NRRD) – which was initiated in 1967 by the PNC – and maintained by the General Registry Office (GRO) -- contains a list of all Guyanese fourteen years old and over who’d been registered since the last house-to-house (HtH) registration in 2008. Then, 430,746 persons had registered, and some 33,000 had to be straightened out for one reason or the other.

The NRRD’s been updated ever since by having youths register when they become 14 in a process of continuous registration. The problem, however, is those thousands who emigrate to “foreign” – but their names remain on the register – since they can be removed by the GRO only after they receive death certificates. When elections are in the offing – Local or National - a “Preliminary List of Electors” (PLE) is extracted of everyone who’s 18 or older, and GECOM then engages in a “Claims and Objections” (O&E) process. Here, everyone who can prove they should be on the list makes a “claim”, and those who detect missing and dead persons can make an “objection”.

In the just concluded O&E, there were some 3000 claims and only 18 objections. Now, since 2008, undoubtedly there are scads of Guyanese who’re now “foreign”, but their names remain on the List. So, for instance in 2019, with a population of 786,508 persons, the OLE had 661,378 voters – which was 84% of the list.

The PNC, when in Opposition, had insisted this “bloating” had to be remedied before they participated in elections – cause it helps PPP rigging, even though they’d LOST the 2015 elections!! They embarked on a HtH exercise in 2019 to “debloat” the list, which they claimed also had many dead people. The Court, however, was petitioned by a citizen, who claimed it was unconstitutional to remove overseas citizens’ names just because they weren’t resident in Guyana – and it ruled in his favour!!

Yet, the PNC’s again demanding HtH registration before it participates in elections - and didn’t even join in the latest C&O!! You would have thought that at the least they could’ve embarrassed the PPP by identifying all the dead folks they claimed to’ve uncovered as voting for them!! The PPP retorts that, with all the checks in the system - like picture IDs and other biometrics, checks by parties’ agents and GECOM staff etc - there cannot be widespread cheating to affect the elections results.

For instance, no one claims Barbados elections are rigged, yet, out of a population of 302,674, their OLE had 266,330 voters – 88%!!!

Lotsa Bajans are also foreign!!

…the kitty??

and-black XR motorcycle, CJ 4308, property of the Guyana Defence Force; one iPhone 8+ and $15,000 cash.

The Police have said that Reynolds was in front of his girlfriend's home at Phase 3 Good Hope Access Road, ECD when he was confronted by the suspects, who drove up in a dark-coloured Toyota Vitz motor car. The car driver re portedly pointed an AK-47 ri fle at Reynolds, while another suspect pointed a small hand gun at him and told him not to move. They then confiscat ed the items from him, and two of the suspects escaped in the vehicle while the third suspect jumped on the motor cycle and made good his es cape.

The matter was report ed and an investigation was launched, during which Jordon and Robinson were arrested and charged. The third suspect is yet to be ar rested.

One popular strategy used in politics was interestingly coined (yes, “coined!) by PT Barnum, the circus shill!! He said promise folks everything and they’ll believe it, cause “a sucker’s born every minute”!! So, in Guyana, as soon as oil was struck, WPA leader CY Thomas, in his “Declaration of Buxton” – studiously echoing Burnham’s “Declaration of Sophia” – called in 2018 for the Government to hand over US$5000 EVERY year to EVERY Guyanese family!! Now, if that wasn’t designed to bring voters into the WPA camp, what was??

Problem is, there’s around 224,000 families in Guyana, so, to fulfil that promise would take over US$1.1 billion annually!! Yet, after three years, by the end of 2021, the NRF only had a total of US$608 million - with US$1 billion expected for this year!! So, the Government shouldn’t be using the NRF to develop infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generation!!

While your Eyewitness believes in a “basic income” –let’s not put the cart before the donkey, shall we??!!

…snow??

Guyana’s a transshipment point for Colombian cocaine. But three arrests from three random car searches? That’s ridiculous! 2.1kg each in cars at Bagotstown and Goed Fortuin…but, thankfully, only 16.5 grms at Goedverwagting.

Thankfully? The last was in the fella’s crotch!!

Murder accused Ryan Johnson

Dead: Nirmala Sukhai, aka Shorty

Brandon Robinson

Junior Jordan

11 orphanages ‘adopted’ through First Lady’s initiative

ments was the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Guyana, Her Excellency Guo Haiyan, whose govern ment is sponsoring three of the homes.

Ambassador Haiyan un derscored the need for chil dren to live in an environment in which they are happy, feel safe, and are healthy. She said that, like Guyana, China places great importance on children and their develop ment.

Eleven orphanages will begin receiving sig nificant financial and other support from corporate sponsors through the ‘Adoptan-Orphanage’ Initiative which was introduced by First Lady Arya Ali last year.

At a ceremony on Thursday at the Hope Children’s Home in Enmore, the eleven orphan ages signed Memorandums of Understanding (MUs) with their respective sponsors for a duration of six to 12 months.

Having recognised the difficulties orphanages were facing due to financial con straints, the First Lady intro duced the initiative with the

intention of ensuring support for the homes was sustain able. Eight orphanages were sponsored last year, with three more being added this year.

The 11 orphanages are Joshua House Children’s Centre, Bless the Children’s Home, Ruimveldt Children’s Home, St John Basco Orphanage, Shaheed Boys Orphanage, Shaheed Girls Orphanage, St. Ann’s Orphanage, Prabhu Sharan Orphanage, Hope Children’s Home, Red Cross Convalescent Children’s Home, and Canaan Children’s Home.

The sponsors are: the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Guyana Shore Base Inc., Demerara Bank, Go Logistics, China Trading, Premier Construction, Optique Ninon, Vitality Inc., Junior Sammy Guyana, Optique Vision Care, and Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital.

According to the First Lady, this new phase of the project would include visita tion to the homes, for spon sors and volunteers to spend one-on-one time with the children; provision of medi cal care, including eye test ing and dental services; coun

selling and tutoring services; and social activities, includ ing picnics.

The First Lady has said that with support from the Ministry of Human Services, she would also begin examin ing “a robust transition plan” for teenagers in those homes who are stepping into adult hood.

“A comprehensive ap proach to ensuring their seamless integration into so ciety is critically important. And my office will also begin engaging entities to create employment opportunities for them,” she has said.

During her speech, Mrs.

Ali highlighted that orphan ages exist to create a positive environment in which chil dren feel cared for, their per sonal needs are adequately met, and their social and pro fessional development is nur tured. With this in mind, she said, it is therefore important to ensure that these homes are provided with as much support as they require.

“This initiative also pro vides us with a unique oppor tunity to reflect on our role in helping to create a better Guyana for our children,” she told the sponsors and other attendees.

Echoing similar senti

“So, I am happy today to be part of this project to ben efit the children,” she said, adding that she hopes this opportunity would lead to strengthening of the rela tionship between Guyana and China. Remarks were also delivered by Ms Saleema Haniff, founder of Aspire, a lo cal non-governmental organi sation (NGOs) that works with orphanages across the country; and by journalist and media personality Leroy Smith, who had spent eight years of his childhood at the Alpha Children’s Home.

Both individuals laud ed the First Lady for her in tervention, highlighting that her advocacy could lead to the transformational changes that are needed at some of the homes. At the end of the cer emony, tokens of appreciation were presented to the spon sors by the First Lady.

First Lady Arya Ali and representatives of the eleven orphanages which were ‘adopted’ by corporate sponsors

First Lady Arya Ali, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Guyana, H.E. Gou Haiyan (third left), and other sponsors of the Adopt-an-Orphanage Initiative

Govt to assist new homeowners with $700M in cement, steel by year end

Persons constructing homes costing up to $25 million will soon be able to benefit from ce ment and steel as part of the Government’s homebuilders support initiative.

Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sherwyn Greaves said the Government was expect ed to invest approximate ly $700 million in the pro gramme by the end of the year.

In July, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that persons constructing homes costing $6 million or less would be given the steel needed and one sling of cement for the construc tion of the foundation. For home builders spending $6 million to $25 million, the Government would provide two slings of cement.

Greaves explained that the modalities of the pro gramme have been worked out and the Housing Ministry was now moving to the tendering stage, where it will be seeking out suppli ers to provide the materials to qualified persons.

“We want to make this process as transparent as possible so we are moving to a process of tendering. But, most importantly, we want to ensure that everyone gets a fair chance and so, we will go all across the regions,” the CEO said while speak ing on the sidelines of the launching of the Bartica,

Region Seven housing pro gramme on Tuesday.

He added, “And so, let’s say for example, as we are in Region Seven here today,

coupled with a housing plan, and approaches the bank for a loan to commence con struction, they will be sup plied with the materials.

Qualified persons will be issued with a voucher to purchase the materials at selected merchants.

“Persons must be aware that we will have officers following up to ensure they receive what they are sup posed to receive and they utilise it to the fullest,” the CEO further explained.

He said that the pro gramme was ongoing and so, those persons who were yet to approach the banks for loans, or were still wait ing to identify their lands would benefit from the pro gramme.

The initiative adds to the host of measures already

we want all the suppliers of cement and steel in Region Seven to be given a chance to tender for this programme.”

Greaves highlighted that once a person owns land,

implemented by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government to en sure citizens are allowed to achieve homeownership in keeping with its manifesto promise.

Central Housing and Planning Authority CEO Sherwyn Greaves

MoE launches breakfast programme for Reg 2 schools

The Education Ministry on Thursday officially launched its Edutrition: Breakfast for Success pro gramme in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Through this programme, all Grade Six children, nurs ery-level pupils as well as those in Grades One and Two, and children living in Amerindian communities will now receive breakfast every day at school.

During the launch at the Taymouth Manor Primary School on the Essequibo Coast, Education Minister Priya Manickchand stated that the programme was part of the Ministry’s plan to en sure every school-aged child received an education.

She highlighted that the programme built on the hot meals programme implement ed by then President Bharrat Jagdeo. The Minister also ex plained that much thought and research went into meal planning so that pupils would

get the nutrition they need.

She further noted that in addition to easing the burden of some parents and providing breakfast for thousands of pu pils, the programme also em ploys persons in the region.

Minister Manickchand then reiterated the commitment to

improving the lives of children across Guyana.

“These programmes come from a will to serve you, to be your servants to serve in a way that your life and your children’s life get changed. We intend that because of our ser vice to you, your children will

have better lives and you will have fewer struggles than you had and will have more and live a life of plenty. That is what we want in this govern ment for you and that is why you see programme after pro gramme being rolled out so that we could make sure your children are better off,” the Minister stated.

Head of the Ministry’s Distribution Unit, Wentworth Tanner, in brief remarks, said: “This feeding programme not only benefits schoolchildren but it is a programme that will benefit Guyana in the fu ture and the availability of its high-quality workforce. And finally, a programme that is benefiting Guyanese families now.”

Similarly, the Coordinator of the Breakfast Programme, Mahendra Phagwah told the pupils at Taymouth Manor Primary School that the pro gramme was created to meet their needs, so they could en joy a nutritious yet tasty meal.

“I want to say to you that no one here should think his or her voice is too small, we will listen to you and we will try our best to ensure that what you receive is quality,” he said.

Regional Chairperson Velma De Silva, in her re marks, highlighted that the commissioning of the pro

gramme demonstrated the Government’s commitment to ensuring education remained a top priority.

“To ensure that we have a developed country, we have to take care of education and it starts with you, the children and that starts with a proper meal in the morning to ensure that you focus during class,” the Region Two Chair noted.

Wanita Hunte, an Education Officer in the re gion, stated that the pro gramme would transform the lives of pupils and pave the way for their future.

To date, some 10,700 pupils from 245 primary schools have benefited from the Education Ministry’s Edutrition: Breakfast for Success pro gramme. Additionally, more than 80,000 children bene fit from the National School Feeding Programme every single day. The programme has also been credited with improving the number of pu pils attending school.

Enmore businessman busted with vanload of contraband items

A31-year-old Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) businessman who breached the Police roadblock at Mahaica on Wednesday was eventually arrested after a quantity of contraband items was found in the vehicle he was driving.

Police stated that on the day in question about 16:45h, a team of Police ranks attached to the Mahaica Police Station was conducting a roadblock exer cise in the vicinity of Unity Junction, ECD, randomly stopping and searching ve hicles.

However, a van bearing

registration number GLL 987 which at the time was being driven by the business man of Logwood, Enmore, ECD, breached the roadblock at a fast pace.

As a result, ranks gave chase and the van was inter cepted at Enmore; a search was then conducted on the vehicle in the presence of the businessman during which a quantity of uncustomed goods was found in black plastic bags.

The items seized includ ed 11 boxes of Zenden brand mosquito coil containing 660 packs; three boxes of Atlanta cigarettes containing 150

Some of the seized items

cartons and two boxes of Red Oris cigarettes containing 100 cartons.

During the operation, Police found that all the doc uments for the van were ex pired. In addition, the driver only had a valid licence for a motor car.

The businessman and the van, along with the uncus tomed goods, were taken to the Enmore Police Station where the items were lodged and the businessman was placed in custody.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) was also in formed as investigations con tinue.

Regional Chairperson Velma De Silva

Education Minister Priya Manickchand officially launched the Ministry’s Edutrition: Breakfast for Success programme in Region Two

Avenue fatal collision

Truck driver gets 5 years for killing businessman

Teen among 3 nabbed with ganja during Police operation

Adriver who caused the death of a father of four after jumping the traffic light and colliding with the man’s vehicle in a horrific accident on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown was slapped with a five-year jail sentence.

Forty-four-year-old Aslom Masood of Supply, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Thursday to answer to a causing death by dangerous driving charge to which he pleaded guilty.

He admitted that on September 15, at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, he drove motor lorry GYY 5875

in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby caus ing the death of 45-yearold Nigel Cush, of Roxanne Burnham Gardens, Georgetown.

It was reported that the accident occurred around 01:30h on the day in ques tion on Mandela Avenue and Vlissengen Road in Georgetown. At the time, Masood was driving a truck bearing registration num ber GYY 5875 while Cush was operating his motor car, PVV 7062.

The truck was proceed ing east along the northern carriageway on Mandela Avenue and according to its driver, as he approached the traffic light at Vlissengen

Road and Mandela Avenue, which was showing green, he continued his journey.

He claimed that mo tor car PVV 7062, which was proceeding south along Vlissengen Road, slowed down on the approach to Mandela Avenue, and con tinued further south, into the truck’s path.

The lorry driver related that he applied the brakes and swerved in a south-east erly direction, but the left front portion of the truck collided with the right front portion of the motor car. As a result, the car then slammed into a lamp pole in the centre of the median.

After the collision, Cush, who sustained inju ries about the body, was pulled from the wrecked vehicle in an unconscious

state. He was placed in an ambulance and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arriv al.

However, contrary to the driver’s account of the accident, video footage that was taken from a nearby Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) showed that Cush was crossing the said junc tion of Vlissengen Road and Mandela Avenue with the light showing green.

The traffic light, in the direction of the truck, showed red. A breathalyser test conducted on the driv er revealed no trace of alco hol in his system.

Cush was the propri etor of Grill and Jerk Bar on Cummings Street and South Road, Georgetown.

Three men were tak en into Police cus tody on Wednesday evening after a quantity of ganja was found in their possession during an op eration at Adventure Back Street, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

The three men – a 19-year-old, a 30-year-old, and a 39-year-old – were reportedly sitting under a house and upon seeing the Police patrol, they attempt ed to leave the area, but were all intercepted.

The ranks conducted a

search of the men’s person, but nothing incriminating was found.

However, when the ranks conducted a search of the area where the men were seated, a transparent plastic bag containing 36 smaller plastic bags with ganja was found.

The three men were all cautioned separately and informed of the offence af ter which they were arrest ed and taken to the Anna Regina Police Station, where they denied owner ship of the illicit substance.

The marijuana dropped in Triumph

Dead: Nigel Cush

The car that the businessman was driving at the time of his demise

Jailed: Aslom Masood

16 matters completed at CoA, 5 at Full Courts between June & October

From June to date, 16 matters were called at the Court of Appeal (CoA) while four and one re spectively were called at the Demerara Full Court and the Berbice Full Court re spectively, a statement from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stated on Thursday.

The matters called at the Court of Appeal were for the offences of obtaining money by false pretence, murder, rape, manslaughter, feloni ous wounding, and inflict ing grievous bodily harm.

Of the 16 matters, the Court of Appeal granted 11 appellants leave to file Notices of Appeal against their convictions and sen tences, three others were granted their applications for an extension of time to file and serve Notices of Appeal and two appellants were denied bail.

During this time, the Demerara Full Court sat four times to hear matters for the offence of possession

of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Three appellants were allowed their applications in part. In one matter, the Demerara Full Court af firmed the appellant’s con viction but reduced the sen tence.

The other two appel lants were given suspend ed sentences; if they are ar rested and convicted for the same offence, they will have to serve their sentences.

The one other applicant was denied his application for an extension of time to file a Notice of Appeal be cause the Court ruled his reason to appeal was not good.

The Berbice Full Court sat once in July to hear a matter for the offence of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. The appellant was grant ed leave to file an applica tion for an extension of time to file a Notice of Appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Teen among 3 nabbed with ganja...

The marijuana was weighed in their presence and amounted to 40 grams. They remain in custody as investigations continue.

Meanwhile, Police ranks on mobile patrol duty at Ogle Street, Triumph, East Coast Demerara (ECD) re covered a quantity of mar ijuana after two men were observed standing at a cor ner of the street. One was reportedly holding a black plastic bag and they were both acting in a suspicious

manner.

Upon seeing the Police, both men ran with one dropping the plastic bag he was holding. The bag was retrieved and 12 Ziplock bags containing cannabis were found.

The ranks gave chase, but the men made good their escape through an empty lot. The marijuana was tak en to the Beterverwagting Police Station where it was weighed and amounted to 33 grams.

The ganja found during the operation in Essequibo

"Mudwata" cyberbully charge

Ruling on whether matter can proceed deferred to November

Acritical

ruling on whether the cyber crime charge against photographer Keron Bruce can proceed will be hand ed down on November 1 by Magistrate Sunil Scarce.

Bruce, 35, of Lot 295 Soesdyke Back Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), is facing a charge under the Cybercrime Act at the Diamond-Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

He is accused of being the person behind the so cial media cartoon character “Mudwata” which, according to the Police, has made slan derous publications about several persons.

It is alleged that on January 25, 2021, at Soesdyke, EBD, he used a

computer to disseminate in formation about Journalist Leroy Smith, knowing same to be false. Police are alleging that the information subject ed Smith to public ridicule, contempt, hatred, and embar rassment.

The charge was filed ear lier this year and Bruce was released on $100,000 bail af ter denying it.

However, his lawyer, Bernard Da Silva has raised issues regarding the statute of limitations – the law pre scribing a period of limitation for bringing the charge.

When the case was called earlier this week, the Prosecutor laid over submis sions to the court on the is sue. This was also done prior by Bruce’s counsel. As such,

Magistrate Scarce is expect ed to hand down his ruling on the legal issue on November 1.

Bruce was arrested and subsequently charged after Smith alleged that he was being relentlessly attacked by the cartoon character on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Back in January, Police arrested Bruce and sever al other persons on allega tions of the cartoon charac ter slandering persons. Police Headquarters said that ranks seized several pieces of equip ment from a DD Eccles, EBD home.

In addition, several voice messages were collect ed, which, when analysed, matched with the “Mudwata”

Motor car up for grabs in ANSA McAL Trinchloro Christmas Promotion

commentary, Police Headquarters had said.

Bruce’s arrest came days after Smith, owner and man aging editor of the online me dia outlet BIG SMITH News Watch, offered a $1 million reward for reliable informa tion that would lead to the proper identification of the cartoon character.

Smith had made this of fer after a video aggressively attacking him was posted by “Mudwata” on Facebook and YouTube.

After Bruce’s arrest, Smith had stated that sever al persons had come forward with information about the cartoon character. As such, a court order was issued to search Bruce’s house for any evidence that would pin him to the character.

The Police are obliged under the provisions of the Cyber Crime Act 2018 – legis lation that was passed under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government – to investigate any report made with respect to cyberbullying.

Meanwhile, in February of this year, Bruce filed a $101 million libel suit against Mikhail Rodrigues, better known as the “Guyanese Critic”, whom he has accused of slandering him.

In that lawsuit, filed at the Demerara High Court, Bruce claims that, on January 29, Rodrigues, via a Facebook Live which attracted 761 comments, 933 reactions, 33,000 views, and 91 shares, Rodrigues made several false and defamatory statements about him being the person behind “Mudwata”.

Insisting that he and the “Mudwata” character are not “one and the same”, Bruce said Rodrigues had not pre sented any credible evidence to the contrary, and, there fore, this could not be a “mat ter of fact”, since this had not been proven in a court of law.

Bruce alleged that Rodrigues’s utterances were for the sole purpose of in creasing views, financial gain, followers, reactions, and for his own personal clout.

According to him, Rodrigues’s comments have caused irrevocable damage to his reputation, and have sub

jected him to public ridicule, con tempt, hatred, and embarrass ment, and have also brought his career into disrepute.

The photographer told the High Court that he was so fearful for his life that he has hired a 24-hour security service to protect himself and his family, because Rodrigues has threatened to “show up” at his home and go live on Facebook.

Apart from the monetary award for damages, Bruce is asking the court to order Rodrigues to publish, or cause to be published, an apology to him.

He is also seeking a per manent injunction restrain ing Rodrigues from pub lishing, or causing to be published, the posts or simi lar words which are defama tory to him.

It

is approximately two months away, in 2022, but for distribution gi ant ANSA McAL, the ear ly bird catches the worm. The Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD)based company kicked off its Grand Christmas Promotion on Saturday, October 1, 2022, with the launch of the “Trinchloro White Christmas” Promotion.

According to a missive from ANSA McAL, three lucky persons will have the chance to drive away with a Toyota Axio motor car for the holidays, in addition to other grand consolation prizes up

for grabs which include two trips for two to any Copa des tination, one cash prize, and two shopping sprees along with two Apple iPhone 13.

Head of Consumer Goods, Subrina Bhajan-Kishore not ed that “Trinchloro White Christmas Promotion is in keeping with ANSA McAL’s core values to provide excel lent services to our custom ers. Our promotions recog nise the needs of our loyal consumers by giving them chances to win prizes rele vant to their sustainability.”

Consumers nationwide can win the prizes by simply submitting any Trinchloro la

bel with their names, contact number, and address in the Trinchloro White Christmas Promotion box available at 65 leading supermarkets na tionwide.

The promotion runs un til December 11, 2022. The drawing dates are set for November 1 and November 19 while the final drawing is December 20, 2022.

As such, ANSA McAL en courages consumers to take advantage of this promotion by entering to win. The com pany has extended gratitude to its loyal customers for their continuous support of the Trinchloro brand.

Keron Bruce

The animated character “Mudwata”

A look at the Trinchloro White team

GDF Skyvan 8R-GGK retired after 38 years in operation

The final flight of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Shorts Skyvan 8R-GGK land ed at Air Station London, at Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD) to a tradi tional water cannon salute, followed by a final salute from the officers and ranks of the Air Corps during a solemn and auspicious cere mony held to officially retire the aircraft.

The ceremony held on Thursday was the first of its kind facilitated by the GDF.

Skyvan 8R-GGK has served the GDF for the last 21 years and has been in ser vice to Guyana for 35 years.

It was manufactured in 1984 by Shorts Brothers Limited in Belfast, Ireland, and was registered G-BLLI (Gulf-Bravo Lima Lima India). The Barbadian Government purchased it on September 3, 1984 and registered it 8P-ASG (Eight Papa-Alpha Sierra Gulf).

The aircraft was pur chased by the Guyana Civil Aviation Department

(CAD) from Barbados and it was flown to Guyana on July 25, 1987, under the command of Captain Gerry Gouveia, who is current ly the National Security Advisor.

It was later transferred to Guyana Airways un til May 2001, when it was again transferred this time to the GDF.

During its time in opera tion, the 8R-GGK has made numerous flights, most no table being its deployment in 1989, to the islands of

the Lesser Antilles for hu manitarian aid and disaster relief operations following Hurricane Hugo.

In 1990, it transported a company of GDF soldiers to Trinidad to aid in peace restoration following the Jamaat al Muslimeen coup; it flew almost continually for 24 hours, making four round trips to the twin-is land republic – in excess of 2424 nautical miles.

In 2007, during the Cricket World Cup, it trans ported the team’s equip ment around the Caribbean

for the matches. Excluding Presidents Arthur Chung, LFS Burnham and Janet Jagan, every President of Guyana has flown on the aircraft as well as a few Heads of State from oth er countries, with the last being Barbados’s Prime Minister, Mia Mottley.

Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, in his clos ing remarks to the gather ing, posited that recogni tion and appreciation must be given where it is due. He also announced that the 8R-GGK would be mount

ed in a prominent place at Air Station London and its history and contribution to the development of Guyana, displayed for future genera tions.

Brigadier Bess also not ed that the 8R-GGK has made unparalleled contri butions to national develop ment.

The 8R-GGK has served the GDF and Guyana in nu merous ways and has flown a total of 25,408:36 hours and completed a total of 26,937 take-offs and land ings. (GDF)

Duo slapped with 14-year jail sentences for murder of Linden businessman

Two men were handed respective sentenc es of life in prison and 14 years’ imprison ment by Demerara High Court Justice Brassington Reynolds for the 2015 murder of Richard Remington, a resident of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Stafrei Alexander, who is currently serv ing a life sentence for at tempted murder, and Owen Belfield were found guilty of the crime by a jury back in April. During their sentencing hear ing on Tuesday, High Court Justice Brassington Reynolds imposed another life sentence on Alexander, ordering that he be ineligi ble for parole before serv ing 25 years of his sen tence.

Belfield, on the other hand, has been imprisoned for another 14 years, from which would be deducted the time he has already

spent in pre-trial custody.

Alexander, called “Ratty” and “Mad Dog”, and Belfield had initially pleaded not guilty to the joint indictment, which stated that they murdered 44-year-old Remington between February 8 and 12, 2015 in the county of Demerara.

Government

Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh had testified that Remington was shot twice to his right-side temple. He gave the man’s cause of death as gunshot inju ries to the head.

Remington’s decom posed remains were found in a clump of bush es along a track in the vicinity of Matthews Lane in Christianburg/ Cholmondeley Hill, Linden.

The late Remington’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 had known.

Back in 2018, Alexander was found guilty of at tempted murder, and was sentenced to serve life in prison. On March 23, 2015, in the county of Demerara, he discharged a loaded firearm at Curtis

Thom with intent to mur der him. The facts of the case are that the two men were not friends, even though they resid ed in the same communi ty. On the day in question, Thom had held a christen ing at his Laing Avenue, Georgetown home to wel come his baby daughter.

When the event was

concluded and the guests had left, Thom went to the back of his yard to clean up and feed his dogs, when Alexander walked past him and grumbled some thing. As Thom was en tering his home, he saw Alexander standing next to him, holding a shiny gun.

Alexander shot Thom twice, and Thom collapsed to the ground in a bloody state. The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he underwent surgery and re mained a patient for seven weeks.

Alexander was among several high-profile in mates who escaped from custody when a fire de stroyed the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown back in 2017. Then, in January 2021, Alexander was found not guilty of murdering Terrence Thomas, whose body was found floating in the Demerara River.

It was alleged that Alexander mur dered Thomas between December 8 and 11, 2015 at Linden. Alexander and Thomas had escaped from the Mackenzie Police Station, where they were being held for questioning in relation to the murder of Linden businesswom an Shevon Gordon, who was gunned down during a robbery outside her Linden home on April 4, 2015.

It was reported that, while in custody, Thomas provided the Police with vital information about the woman’s murder. He was, however, later found dead in the Demerara River in the vicinity of West Watooka, Wismar, Linden.

Alexander, who is awaiting trial for the woman’s murder, was pre viously sentenced to two years in prison for escap ing from lawful custody.

Skyvan 8R-GGK receiving the traditional water cannon salute

Air Corps team of engineers

Convicted killer Stafrei Alexander

Convicted killer Owen Belfield

Court orders SOL to pay GRA $2.7B in taxes owed

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has won a court battle against SOL Guyana Inc., and the fuel importer will now have to pay to the GRA a whopping $2.7 billion in taxes owned for fuel impor tation.

In a statement issued on Thursday, GRA said the judgment was obtained against the company for cor poration tax owed to the tune of $2,713,212,251, together with penalties and interest applicable until the debt has been completely paid.

It has been revealed that in another matter involving GRA and SOL, a High Court Judge had last Friday re fused an application made by the fuel importer for an Order seeking an extension of time to file a corporate tax appeal against the Revenue Authority in relation to tax es calculated in several Years of Assessment that were raised and maintained

pursuant to the provisions of the Income and Corporation Tax Acts.

The Court ruled that SOL Guyana Inc. failed to satisfy the precondition for a tax appeal, as set out by Section 98 of the Income Tax Act. The Revenue Authority had argued, among oth er things, that the company has no right of appeal under Section 86 of the said Act, and that no extension of time beyond the lapse of the stat utory period could be consid ered where there is no right of appeal.

Further, the Court has ruled that “the full payment of disputed taxes or the lodg ing of a bond or a guaran tee to the satisfaction of the Commissioner-General is a precondition before the right of appeal against an assess ment under the Income Tax Act can be exercised.”

Moreover, it was found by the Court that Sol’s failure to secure and place a bond before the CommissionerGeneral for him to deter mine whether or not it is to his satisfaction, pursuant to Section 98, at the time

they requested one to be lodged, has frustrated the Company’s right of appeal in the circumstances.

Back in March of this year, it was revealed that GRA was investigating SOL for importing and clear ing millions of litres of fuel at duty-free rates for ExxonMobil’s local affili ate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), but was failing to deliver the fuel to the oil

company. EEPGL is entitled to tax exemption on fuel im ported for its operations.

At the time, GRA had claimed that SOL owed $2.6 billion in taxes by abusing EEPGL’s exemption letters.

“SOL Guyana Inc. uti lised EEPGL’s tax exemp tion letters to import and en ter quantities of Gasoil…at a lower rate of Excise Tax, and failed to deliver the full amounts to [EEPGL] as re quired…This act in itself

is a flagrant disregard of the laws administered, and the Revenue Authority will not condone and allow the Government revenues to be used as ‘turnovers’ or in any such manner,” Stabroek News had quoted from a let ter, dated March 9, sent to SOL from GRA.

Further reports at the time had revealed that SOL had allegedly committed similar acts; that is, by fail ing to deliver the full quan tities of fuel it imported for other major companies oper ating in Guyana.

SOL had denied the ac cusations made by GRA, saying in a subsequent statement that “…SOL cat egorically denies these false, highly misleading, and dam aging allegations.”

Moreover, the fuel im porter had noted that it has worked collaboratively with GRA and has systems in place to ensure its compli ance at all times.

Fire hydrants to be installed in neglected areas in Reg 6

As part of activities to commemorate Fire Prevention Week, the Guyana Fire Service will, for the first time, be install ing hydrants in several com munities in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

New Amsterdam is the only municipality that cur rently has water hydrants, and that is a worrying situa tion, according to Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald.

Addressing the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Thursday, the fire official disclosed that 30 hydrants would be installed through out the region.

“We will be getting 30 hy drants in Region Six. That is

A fire hydrant

17-year-old charged for murder of Canal Polder man

A17-year-old male was on Thursday virtual ly arraigned before Wales Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty for the murder of Deonarine Ramachandran, called 'Avinash', who was stabbed to death during an argument at Canal #1 Polder, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

The teenager was not required to plead to the in dictable charge, and has been remanded to prison until October 27, 2022.

The incident report edly occurred at the Conservancy Dam in Canal #1 Polder last Saturday, October 1, 2022, and the teen and his 58-year-old father are reportedly in volved.

Reports are that Ramachandran and the teen were consuming alco hol at his home during that Saturday, when the teenag er reportedly became intox icated and began to behave

in a disorderly manner.

According to the Police, he reportedly picked up a knife and made several at tempts to take his own life.

This prompted Ramachandran to inter vene by taking away the knife from the teen, and by also dealing him sever al slaps in an effort to calm him down. However, in fury the teen ran out of the house and recommenced using abusive language and a series of threats as he made his way home.

He subsequent ly armed himself with a cutlass and returned to Ramachandran’s home, and Ramachandran also armed himself with a cut lass and approached the teenager.

Ramachandran at tempted to chop the teen, but failed; and the teen ran away on the Conservancy Dam, where he continued to use a series of exple

tives and threats directed at Ramachandran.

The 29-year-old Ramachandran reported ly became annoyed and again confronted the sus pect. During that confron tation, the teenager ran away and went home, and it is then that his 58-yearold father became involved in the altercation. A scuf fle then ensued between Ramachandran and the teen’s father, during which the 17-year-old armed him self with a knife and dealt Ramachandran a stab to his abdomen.

Ramachandran was picked up by relatives and escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died while receiving treatment. Both the teen and his father were sub sequently apprehended. Following their investiga tions, the Police instituted the murder charge against the teenager.

just for the first stage. So, we have to install those hy drants. We have to work in collaboration with the re gional authority and all of the other Government arms, including GWI (Guyana Water Inc), because we do not have the resources; so, we are stretching our arms to the stakeholders, and es pecially the regional author ity, for things like human resources, excavators. And then, of course, when we dig and we plant, we will have to fill back, and probably roads might be damaged,” McDonald related.

Placing the responsi bility for hydrants with the Guyana Fire Service followed a decision by President Dr. Irfaan Ali,

who had set up a task force that the Chief Fire Officer reports to.

That task force was head ed by Major General (ret'd) Joseph Singh, and includ ed Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Annand Persaud; and Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal.

McDonald noted that, by next week, a further 148 hy drants would be supplied to the GFS, and those would be distributed countrywide. “So, we are just asking for the assistance of the region al authority to assist us in installing these hydrants,” he pointed out.

Regional Chairman David Armogan has pointed

out the need for the regional administration to assist.

“This is a very import ant development, because for too long fires have been taking place in certain ar eas, and there is no water supply. As a result of that, it has been impeding the work of the Fire Service. It is good that His Excellency the President has seen it fit to set a committee in place to ensure that fire hydrants are spread right across all of the regions of our country,” Armogan has declared.

The Guyana Fire Service is currently celebrating Fire Prevention Week, which is being observed under the theme “Working together as One Guyana to prevent fires”.

Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald and Regional Chairman David Armogan at the RDC meeting on Thursday

Regional

UN calls for humanitarian corridor in Haiti’s crisis-hit capital

TheUnited Nations is calling for a humani tarian corridor to al low fuel to leave Haiti’s main terminal in Port-au-Prince, where an outbreak of cholera and surging gang violence have raised international concern.

Armed gangs have block aded the Varreux terminal, the country’s primary fuel entry point, for weeks in an ger over cuts to Government subsidies, and a worsening lack of supplies has pushed health facilities to the brink of collapse.

The UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) on Thursday called “for the im mediate opening of a human itarian corridor to allow the release of fuel to meet the ur gent needs of the population”.

“Access to potable wa ter, sanitation, and health care is severely disrupted, which is essential to prevent and respond quickly to chol era,” it said in a statement.

“The crisis that Haiti is going through affects the popula tion throughout the territory and the most vulnerable peo

ple are the first to suffer from the blockage.”

Local authorities and in ternational aid groups have raised alarm after Haiti on the weekend reported its first cholera cases in more than three years.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for interna tional assistance in a speech to the nation on Wednesday night. “We want them to pro vide all the support that is necessary to prevent peo ple from dying,” Henry said,

as reported by The Miami Herald.

An earlier cholera out break in 2010 linked to United Nations peacekeepers in Haiti caused approximate ly 10,000 deaths and more than 820,000 infections.

On Thursday, the Haitian Public Health and Population Ministry said 11 cases of chol era had been confirmed as of Wednesday evening, while two deaths also occurred at health facilities. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Experts sound alarm as Ecuador sees more deadly prison clashes

Apanel of United Nations experts has raised “grave” con cerns about the deadly vi olence plaguing Ecuador’s prisons, as officials in the South American nation said after more than two dozen people were killed in bloody clashes this week.

At least 13 people died and 23 others – including five Police Officers – were wounded in new fighting on Wednesday at a prison in the north-eastern port city of Guayaquil, the country’s prison authority (SNAI)

said.

The agency on Thursday expressed “solidarity with the families in these pain ful moments”, adding that it had retaken control of the penitentiary.

Separate clashes on Monday and Tuesday left at least 16 dead and 43 in jured at another prison in the city of Latacunga, ap proximately 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Guayaquil.

Hundreds of people have been killed in pris on violence across Ecuador during the past few years,

with authorities blaming the clashes on rival drug gangs battling for smug gling routes and control of the facilities.

Experts have pointed to systemic issues, howev er, including a lack of re habilitation programmes for inmates and shortag es of trained prison staff, as major factors contrib uting to the continuing vi olence. In May, Amnesty International said impris onment is nearly a “death sentence” in Ecuador. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Latin America’s left raises pressure on Venezuela’s Guaidó at OAS

Abloc

of leftist Latin American nations

ramped up pres sure against Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó on Thursday at a dip lomatic summit, although they failed to pass a motion to discuss ousting his repre sentation from the organisa tion.

Guaidó has claimed to be Venezuela’s rightful President since 2019 and the Organisation of American States (OAS), which is host ing its General Assembly in Lima, has recognised him.

But Guaidó has never ac tually held power, and the country remains led by so cialist President Nicolás Maduro.

At the OAS Summit, ma

jor Latin American nations led by leftist leaders voted in favour of discussing the pos sibility of ousting Guaidó’s representation to the OAS.

While 19 nations voted in favour and only four against, the motion fell short of the necessary 24 votes. The OAS counts 35 nation members.

The vote was symbol ic of a recent shift in Latin America, with leftist lead ers replacing more conserva tive Governments in Chile, Colombia, and Peru since last year.

Nations voting against Guaidó included Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Brazil and Ecuador abstained.

Guaidó’s OAS represen tation announced ahead

of the Assembly that they would not attend. Maduro announced his withdrawal from the OAS in 2017.

Peru’s vote was notable as the Andean nation was once the driving force behind the so-called Lima Group, a bloc of nations opposing Maduro that once backed Guaidó’s claim to the presidency.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Cesar Landa told Reuters last week that the Lima group had “ceased to exist”.

“Countries have been step ping away and Peru is pro moting dialogue, so Maduro’s Government is recognised, as well as a legitimate Opposition and for transparent elec tions to be held,” Landa said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chile files charges against mining company for giant sinkhole

Chile’s

environmental regulator announced on Thursday four charges against Canadianowned Lundin copper mine for a sinkhole that appeared at the site of one of its mines in the north of the country in late July.

The country’s SMA en vironmental regulator said the main infractions were overextraction and construc tion outside of environmen tally-approved zones.

Emanuel Ibarra, the SMA superintendent, said in a statement that the re gional office’s investigation linked the sinkhole on the mine’s property to ore over extraction.

“In addition, when the event occurred, large amounts of water began to leak into the mine from places where the company intervened beyond what was considered in the environ mental assessment,” Ibarra said.

A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022 (Reuters/Johan Godoy file photo)

fined the equivalent of more than US$13 million, as well as face closure or have its environmental permit re voked.

In a statement, the com pany said it was analysing the regulator’s decision and has been collecting data on the sinkhole’s causes.

“The company is con vinced, based on the data collected and analysed to

date, that multiple factors influenced the formation of the sinkhole in the terrain of our site,” the statement said. “With mining being a relevant activity.”

In addition the company said it had “acted responsibly and decisively to mitigate the possible effects of the sink hole” and it was awaiting the final report from authorities.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexican Mayor assassinated in town-hall massacre St Vincent to get oil under PetroCaribe agreement

Gunmen have shot dead the mayor of a small town in west ern Mexico, and at least 17 others, officials say.

Police say gunmen stormed the San Miguel Totolapan town hall at 14:00h (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Photos online show it riddled with bullet holes.

Mayor Conrado Mendoza Almeda’s leftwing PRD party con demned his “cowardly” as sassination and demanded justice.

The attack has been blamed on the Los Tequileros criminal gang,

which is linked to a power ful drug cartel.

Police Officers and council workers were also killed in the massacre, with graphic images of bloodied bodies lying on the ground circulating on social media.

Mendoza Almeda’s fa ther, former Mayor Juan Mendoza Acosta, was also killed – in his home – be fore the attack moved to the town hall.

A highway in the state of Guerrero, where San Miguel Totolapan lies, was reportedly briefly blocked by large vehicles to prevent security forces from getting into the city.

Even by the violent standards of Guerrero state, this was a shocking attack, reports the BBC’s Mexico correspondent, Will Grant.

San Miguel Totolapan lies in the heart of a region known as Tierra Caliente, a violent part of drug car tel-controlled western Mexico.

Various groups battle for control of the lucrative drug routes north along the Pacific corridor, our corre spondent adds. The region is a hotspot for the growing of opium poppies and the production of heroin. (Excerpt from BBC News)

The company could be

Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves says approxi mately 23,000 barrels of oil will arrive by the end of this month under Venezuela’s PetroCaribe agreement.

Gonsalves told a news conference that the logis tics regarding the importa tion of the oil are still be ing worked out with the St Vincent Electricity Services (VINLEC) regarding stor age capacity.

“Assuming everything goes to plan…sometime be fore the end of this month,

we should be seeing the first shipment of diesel back with the resumption of the PetroCaribe agreement,” Gonsalves told reporters.

In April, Prime Minister Gonsalves said Caracas has agreed to cancel St Vincent and the Grenadines’ debt under PetroCaribe, its oil initiative with Latin American and Caribbean countries. He said as a re sult, this could result in the national debt declining by nine per cent.

He said Kingstown and Caracas are tallying the precise size of the debt and

that “it may be up to US$70 million, meaning EC$189 million”.

Gonsalves said Venezuela would half the debt of the other member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) that are members of PetroCaribe, which will now be reset to offer fuel at 35 per cent dis count to participating coun tries.

Gonsalves said there would also be a revival of PetroCaribe, which has been brought to a screech ing halt effectively by cer tain sanctions.

Gangs have maintained a blockade of the main fuel entry point into Haiti, the Varreux terminal in Port-au-Prince, for weeks [Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters file photo]

Oil prices rise 1% on cuts to OPEC+ output targets

Around the World

Thailand massacre: ex-cop kills 23 children in knife and gun rampage at day care

Aformer

prices rose about one per cent on Thursday, holding at three-week highs after OPEC+ agreed to tighten global supply with a deal to cut production targets by two million barrels per day (bpd), the producers’ largest reduction since 2020.

Oil

Brent crude futures settled at US$94.42 a barrel, up US$1.05, or 1.1 per cent. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at US$88.45 a barrel, gaining 69 cents, or 0.8 per cent after closing 1.4 per cent up on Wednesday.

The agreement between the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+, comes ahead of a European Union embargo on Russian oil and would squeeze supplies in an already tight market, adding to inflation.

“We believe that the price impact of the announced measures will be significant,” said Jorge Leon, Senior Vice President at Rystad Energy. “By December this year, Brent would reach over US$100/bbl, up from our earlier call for US$89.”

Following the OPEC+ decision, Goldman Sachs raised its 2022 Brent forecast to US$104 per barrel from US$99, and its 2023 forecast to US$110 from US$108.

Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said the real supply cut would be about one million to 1.1 million bpd. Saudi Arabia’s share of the cut is about 500,000 bpd.

Iraq Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar told Kuwait news agency (KUNA) the OPEC+ move came as result of a production surplus.

Several OPEC+ members have been struggling to produce at quota levels because of underinvestment and sanctions.

“Maybe Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and the ‘little train that could’ Kazakhstan may cut production to new quota, but I doubt anybody else will,” said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York.

The output cut comes as the US Federal Reserve and other central banks are raising interest rates to fight inflation. Higher oil prices will likely cut demand, which could cap price gains, said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

“That’s what’s cutting back the other way and why prices have stabilised for WTI just under US$90,” Kilduff said.

US President Joe Biden expressed disappointment over OPEC+ plans and said the United States was looking at ways to keep prices from rising.

“There’s a lot of alternatives. We haven’t made up our minds yet,” Biden told reporters at the White House.

Earlier, the White House said Biden would continue to assess whether to release more supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and would consult Congress on other ways to reduce market control of OPEC and its allies. (Reuters)

Policeman killed 34 people, in cluding 23 children, during a knife and gun ram page at a day-care centre in northeast Thailand on Thursday, Police said, before later shooting dead his wife and child at home and turn ing his weapon on himself.

In one of the world’s worst child death tolls in a massacre by a single kill er in recent history, most of the children who died at the day-care centre in Uthai Sawan, a town 500 kilome tres (310 miles) northeast of Bangkok, were stabbed to death, Police said.

The age range of children at the day-care centre was from two to five years, a lo cal official told Reuters.

Police identified the at tacker as a former member of the force who was dis missed from his post last year over drug allegations and he was facing trial on a drugs charge.

People gather outside a day-care centre which was the scene of a mass shooting, in the town of Uthai Sawan, around 500km northeast of Bangkok in the province of Nong Bua Lam Phu, Thailand, October

The man had been in court earlier in the day and had then gone to the day-care centre to collect his child, Police spokesper son Paisal Luesomboon told broadcaster ThaiPBS.

When he did not find his child there, he began the killing spree, Paisal said. “He started shooting, slash ing, killing children at the Uthai Sawan day-care cen

tre,” Paisal said.

“It’s a scene that no body wants to see. From the first step when I went in, it felt harrowing,” Piyalak Kingkaew, an experienced emergency worker heading the first responder team, told Reuters.

“We’ve been through it before, but this incident is most harrowing because they are little kids.”

“I begged him for mercy”

Photographs taken at the daycare centre by the res cue team and shared with Reuters showed the tiny bodies of those killed laid out on blankets. Abandoned juice boxes were scattered across the floor.

“He was heading towards me and I begged him for mercy, I didn’t know what to do,” one distraught woman told ThaiPBS, fighting back tears.

“He didn’t say anything, he shot at the door while the kids were sleeping,” another woman said, becoming dis traught.

Police said the attacker’s weapon was a 9 mm pistol and it had been obtained le gally.

Thailand’s Police Chief said the perpetrator had tried to break into the prem ises and had mostly used a knife in the killings.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Ukraine lauds Kherson gains as Russian strike destroys building

Ukraine said on Thursday that it has recaptured swathes of territory from Russian troops in the country’s south as discontent mount ed within Russia about the handling of the war.

Ukrainian forces have

retaken more than 500 square kilometres (195 square miles) of territory and dozens of settlements in the southern Kherson re gion alone since Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

In a video address, he

said there have also been more military successes in the east. The battlefield vic tories reported in Kherson are the latest in a series of Russian defeats undermin ing the Kremlin’s claim to have annexed about 20 per cent of Ukraine.

Southern army com mand spokeswoman Natalia Gumeniuk said the recaptured territory was home to nearly 30 towns and villages that had been occupied by Russian forces for months. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

UN body rejects debate on China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in blow to West Biden pardons thousands

of marijuana

US President Joe Biden has an nounced a sweep ing pardon for thousands of people convicted of marijua na possession under feder al laws, penalties that have disproportionately affected people of colour across the United States.

The announcement on Thursday was seen as an enormous step towards fed eral decriminalisation of marijuana, a drug that has become legal for recreation al use in more than a third of US states over the last de cade.

Biden said the move re flects his view that “no one should be in jail just for us ing or possessing marijua na”.

“There are thousands of people who have prior feder al convictions for marijuana possession, who may be de nied employment, housing, or educational opportuni ties as a result,” he said in a statement.

“My action will help re lieve the collateral conse quences arising from these convictions.”

The order only applies to those convicted on feder al charges of “simple mari juana possession” – a term that refers to drug posses sion for personal use, with no intent to distribute –and does not relate to those who have been convicted of possessing marijuana in state courts. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

The United Nations rights council on Thursday voted down a Western-led motion to hold a debate about alleged human rights abuses by China against Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang in a victory for Beijing as it seeks to avoid further scru tiny.

The defeat – 19 against, 17 for, 11 abstentions – is only the second time in the council’s 16-year history that a motion has been re jected and is seen by ob servers as a setback to both accountability efforts, the West’s moral authority on human rights, and the cred ibility of the United Nations itself.

The United States, Canada and Britain were among the countries that brought the motion.

“This is a disaster. This is really disappointing,” said Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress,

whose mother died in a camp and whose two brothers are missing.

“We will never give up,

but we are really disappoint ed by the reaction of Muslim countries,” he added.

Qatar, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan rejected the mo tion, with the latter citing the risk of alienating China. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights, called the voting record “shameful” on Twitter.

China’s envoy had warned before the vote that the motion would cre ate a precedent for examin ing other countries’ human rights records.

“Today China is tar geted. Tomorrow any oth er developing country will be targeted,” said Chen Xu, adding that a debate would lead to “new confrontations”.

HOROSCOPES

Temptation to overdo things is prev alent. Rethink your financial and pro fessional positions and create a plan to help you stretch your money by doing only what’s necessary.

(March 21-April 19)

SUDOKU

(April 20-May 20)

Change will cause uncertainty. When in doubt, sit tight until you feel comfort able with the changes you want to make. Do whatever it takes to tidy up loose ends. Avoid health risks.

Be careful what you share with oth ers. Don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position. Assess situations and listen to others’ input before you share your opin ion. Personal improvement is featured.

(May 21-June 20)

You know the drill. Your perception will encourage you to forge ahead in a direction that makes you feel good about yourself. A change at home or work will pay off. Take a unique approach.

(June 21-July 22) (July 23-Aug. 22)

Take an aggressive approach to get ting things done and making a differ ence. Reach out to people who can help bring about positive change. Romance will encourage long-term plans.

Let go of people and situations that drag you down. Reassess your personal and financial positions, and you’ll devise a plan to help you resolve nettlesome is sues. Back away from shared expenses.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Take pride in how you look and how you treat others. Reach out to someone who needs help, and together you will make a difference. Added discipline will help you push your way to victory.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Nurture what you love. Build a solid home base that fits your lifestyle. Listen to the experts and check out interesting groups. The information you receive will change your way of thinking.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Choose your words wisely. Someone will misinterpret you if you are too vague. Add to the comfort of your home. Be creative but don’t go over budget. Romance is favored.

Dismiss outdated ideas and concepts, and make room for something new and exciting. Take pleasure in using your creative imagination to figure out what you want to do next.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Set a budget to help you reach your financial goal and save for something you want. It’s up to you to bring about change if you aren’t happy with your lifestyle. Self-improvement is favored.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Fatigue will set in if you lack orga nization. Listen to what others say, but don’t trust anyone to handle matters for you. Keep your discussions honest and your plans doable.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

series: Game

Miller, Klaasen, seamers help South Africa earn crucial World Cup Super League points

Sanju

Samson smashed 86 not out off 63 balls, but India fell just short of what seemed an improba ble chase at one stage against a South African side desper ate for wins in the World Cup Super League. The visitors escaped with ten points after being set up by an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 139 off 106 balls between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, who helped set India a target of 250, and a strong bowling effort ear ly on that reduced India to 51 for 4 in 18 overs.

What should have a been a straightforward result in favour of South Africa was turned on its head by Shreyas Iyer and Samson, who put on 67 for the fifth wicket, and then Samson and Shardul Thakur. They added 93 in 66 balls for the sixth wicket and were particularly severe on South Africa's second spinner, Tabraiz Shamsi. He conceded 89 runs in eight overs, includ ing 20 in the final over, when India needed 30.

In the end, both teams were left to consider the limita tion of using only five bowlers in an ODI innings. India only picked five while South Africa chose not to use part-timer Aiden Markram, and both at tacks had mixed results. Their opening pairs were exceptional - Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan gave away only 28 runs in the eight-over powerplay, and Rabada and Parnell re duced India to 8 for 2 in 31 balls upfront - but one each of their spinners proved costly. Ravi Bishnoi, on debut, conced ed 69 runs in eight overs while Shamsi's economy rate was a massive 11.12.

In a match that was re duced to 40 overs a side, South Africa took time to set the pace of their innings in challenging conditions. Siraj and Avesh sent down four testing overs each, in which they found movement and challenged the

openers' awareness of their off stumps, but could not separate them.

Instead, it was Thakur, brought on

the recovery with a fourth-wick et partnership of 39. The two were going well un til de Kock missed a reverse sweep off

his. Rabada looked as danger ous as ever as he main tained a length just short of a good and a line outside off, finish ing his five-over opening

Thakur joined the fun when he guided Ngidi fine and then hit a Shamsi long hop through square leg, prompting Bavuma to bring back Rabada and then Parnell. Parnell was too short in his last over and Samson hit him for two fours. He was replaced by Ngidi, who also of fered a back-of-good-length ball for Samson to pull for six.

Still, with India needing 74 off the last five overs, South Africa were the favourites.

from point.

India needed 30 off the last over, which started with a wide. Samson then took 14 runs off the next three balls to leave 15 to get off three. He then tried to slog sweep Shamsi but couldn't pierce the field and the match was all but over. South Africa would have had their hearts in their mouths until the end, when they sealed a tense win.

as first change, who issued the first threat. He drew Janneman Malan forward to take the edge but Shubman Gill, at first slip, put down the chance. India would go on to drop three more catches. Thakur got Malan two overs later, when the batter clipped a full ball to Iyer at midwick et and the opening stand end ed on 49.

That brought under-fire captain Temba Bavuma to the crease and he almost fell for a third duck in four innings when he bottom-edged Thakur onto his foot and came close to chopping on. Bavuma went on to strike two sweet boundar ies but was then bowled by a cross-seamer from Thakur for 8.

Sensing an opportunity to get into South Africa's mid dle order, Shikhar Dhawan brought on Kuldeep Yadav to replace Bishnoi and it was clear that Aiden Markram could not read him at all. Markram was foxed by the googly and the shorter deliv ery and then bowled by the leg break as he moved forward to defend. South Africa were 71 for 3 after 16 overs.

Klaasen and de Kock led

Bishnoi and was out lbw for 48. With 17.4 overs left and a decent platform laid, the stage was set for Miller to tee off. He smacked a short, wide de livery from Bishnoi upfront, then swept the first Kuldeep ball he faced for four more and brought out the heavy artillery when he tonked Bishnoi back over his head for six.

The aggressor's role was swapped between Miller and Klaasen who settled on a mid dle ground between an all-out attack and saving themselves for the end. In the 36th over, Miller reached his fifty off 50 balls, and Klaasen got to his milestone off 52. Klaasen's was his first 50-plus score in 10 in nings since April 2021, while Miller's milestone continued his golden run in 2022. Miller averages 61.75 from ten ODIs and 56.60 from 12 T20Is this year. The pair plundered 54 runs off the final five overs to give India a challenging target of 250.

India's task was made to look even more daunting by the sixth over of the chase. Gill inside-edged a full delivery from Kagiso Rabada onto his stumps and Dhawan chopped one from Wayne Parnell onto

spell with figures of 1 for 10.

Maharaj was brought on just after the powerplay and held his end well to keep Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan quiet. By the time Tabraiz Shamsi was called on, in the 16th over, Gaikwad's patience had run out. He ad vanced down the track to hit Shamsi over the off side but was beaten by the turn and stumped. Maharaj also enjoyed some of the spoils when Kishan danced down to clip him over the leg side in the next over and handed Malan a simple catch at leg slip.

India's required rate had climbed to more than nine an over when Iyer decided to take matters into his own hands. He hit Shamsi back over his head for four, helped himself to three successive boundar ies off his next over, and took on Lungi Ngidi's pace to bring up India's 100. Iyer's fifty came off 33 balls and his partnership with Samson had South Africa worried. Ngidi, though, put out those fears. He dismissed Iyer for the fourth time in four ODIs against him, with a short ball that Iyer lobbed to Rabada at mid-on. But the danger was far from over.

Both Shamsi and Rabada's seventh overs were hit for 14 each and but panic was setting in, Ngidi removed Thakur and Kuldeep off successive deliver ies. Thakur didn't get hold of a full ball while Kuldeep tried to loft Ngidi over extra cover but Bavuma took a good catch run ning backwards. Ngidi him self, though, dropped Avesh in Rabada's final over, running in

Having dropped points against Ireland, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and with three matches against Australia due to be forfeited, all of South Africa's matches are effective ly must-wins. They remain in 11th place on the stand ings but have closed the gap between themselves and Sri Lanka and could leapfrog them and Ireland into ninth place with another win in this series. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Parnell

South Africa (40 ovs maximum)

BATTING R B

Janneman Malan c Iyer b Thakur 22 42

Quinton de Kock † lbw

Ravi Bishnoi 48

Temba Bavuma (c) b Thakur

Aiden Markram

Kuldeep Yadav 0

Heinrich Klaasen

David Miller not out 75

Extras (b 2, lb 4, nb 1, w 15) 22

TOTAL 40 Ov (RR: 6.22) 249/4

Did not bat: Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

Fall of wickets: 1-49

(Janneman Malan,12.1 ov), 2-70 (Temba Bavuma, 14.6 ov), 3-71 (Aiden Markram, 15.6 ov), 4-110 (Quinton de Kock, 22.2 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W Mohammed Siraj 8-0-49-0 Avesh Khan 8-0-51-0

Shardul Thakur 8-1-35-2

Ravi Bishnoi 8-0-69-1

Kuldeep Yadav 8-0-39-1

India (T: 250 runs from 40 ovs)

BATTING R B Shikhar Dhawan (c)

Bishnoi

Extras (lb 2, nb 2, w 14)

BOWLING

Kagiso Rabada

Wayne Parnell

Keshav Maharaj

Lungi Ngidi

Tabraiz Shamsi

Tourney resumes on Sunday with doubleheader

It’s

down to a battle for pride when the East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Senior Mean’s League, powered by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), resumes this Sunday at the Federation’s National Training Centre at Providence, EBD.

Two groups of six clubs each commenced the League in March, and it’s virtually now down to the top four, two each from Groups A and B, who will clash, come October 23, for the right to meet in the final, which will be contest ed on October 30th, all at the same venue.

This Sunday, however, St. Cuthbert’s Jaguars, in their first competitive tour

nament at this level under the Association, will contest their final match when they come up against fellow Linden Soesdyke Highway team Swan FC. Action will kick off at 13:00hrs.

The main attraction on Sunday brings togeth er Friendship All-Stars and Soesdyke Falcons – leaders of Group B, and one of two un beaten teams in the League. The league’s other unbeaten team is Agricola Red Triangle of Group A.

The Falcons have made a huge statement in this com petition, as it is the first time in many years that they have been this dominant; and they would, no doubt, be seek ing to go all the way. They

have already handed Timehri Panthers the lone defeat they have suffered so far.

They are currently on 12 points, and boast the best goal difference of all 12 teams

in the league to date. Even though the Falcons are al ready through to the final four, they will be aiming to end the group stage on a high note on Sunday against Friendship.

The layoff from active play could, however, have an im pact on all the teams, so one must be cautious, as either team can walk the preverbal plank in losing.

Fans are looking forward to an exciting match-up, de spite Friendship being fifth on the table. The Soesdyke fans will be out in their numbers for sure, so the Friendship team might be well advised to ensure their fans comes out in their numbers too, in order to counter the vociferous Falcons supporters.

Meanwhile, the final three group matches are set for Sunday, October 16, when Mocha Champs match skills with Samatta Point Kaneville from 10:30hrs, to

be followed by a clash be tween Diamond United and Grove Hi Tech from 13:00hrs. The final match would see Timehri Panthers taking on Kuru Kururu Warriors from 15:30hrs.

The winner of the League will pocket $200,000, while the losing finalist would take home $100,000. A total of $50,000 is set aside for the third-place winner, and a tro phy has been set aside for the fourth-place team. The top three teams would also receive trophies. The Most Valuable Player as well as the Highest Goal Scorer would each re ceive a pair of football boots, while the Best Goalkeeper would be presented with a pair of gloves.

South Africa celebrating

White Ferns win series 4-1

GMR&SC Race of Champions to ignite South Dakota on November 12–13

…Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart up for grabs

The annual November Race of Champions event of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) will take a different twist this year as the GMR&SC teams up with local business entity Impressions to host what is now being called “the pre mier auto event of the year”, the Guyana Automotive Expo and the Ignite Race of Champions.

The South Dakota Circuit, home of motor rac ing in Guyana, will, between November 12–13, welcome some of the region’s fast est cars in various groups, along with radical cars.

Summerbell Jnr, is also expected to compete in Guyana.

Zane Maloney, the 19-year-old Bajan 2022 FIA Formula 3 Vice-Champion, is also listed among the star-studded drivers touted to be part of the event.

Apart from the high-oc tane events at South Dakota, the Guyana Automotive Expo, the GMRSC said, would be the first-of-itskind to be held in the coun try, and would cater to auto dealers, banks and other en thusiasts.

West

NewZealand’s Maddy Green undertook the Herculean task of seeing her team through to the end, as the White Ferns tightened their grip on the T20 International series against West Indies Women in Antigua.

Playing at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium at North Sound in Antigua and Barbuda, Green claimed the Player of the Match title fol lowing a blistering 32 from 29 balls, inclusive of 2 fours.

The New Zealand Women were tasked with chasing 102, after the West Indies Women posted 101-8. Sophie Devine (23 from 26 balls) and Amelia Kerr (25 from 31) pitched in to get the White Ferns close to their target, but they did not achieve that target before experiencing some nail-biting moments in the dying min utes of the game.

Needing 8 from 12 balls, Sheneta Grimmond restrict ed the batters to three runs from the penultimate over, and picked up her lone wick et of the game. Karishma Ramharack was handed the ball for the final 6 deliver ies, but Green consistently found no man’s land in or der to grind out the target in singles and doubles. Needing one run from one ball, Green comfortable notched a single for the victory.

West Indies Women Captain Hayley Matthews had earlier finished the se ries as the highest run-scor er of the series, following a classy half-century on Thursday. Matthews’s 56 from 54 was the only respect able tally from any WI bat ter, as all the others were dismissed for single figures.

New Zealand have won the T20I series 4-1.

TOTAL 20

New Zealand Women (T: 102 runs from 20 ovs)

The GMR&SC has said that, over the past 50 years, the automotive industry in Guyana has been trans formed through the stra tegic creation of high-lev el racing meets and events which cut across various de mographics: status, religion, gender and age; attracting more than 30,000 patrons in a single space for one day.

The GMR&SC has pointed out that, in the last years, major work has been done at South Dakota as it aspired to accommodate high-level action such as Formula 4 cars for the North and Central American Championships (NACAM) in the near future.

(RR:

Did not bat: Karishma Ramharack

Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Aaliyah Alleyne, 4.4

1-50 (8.6

2-63 (Rashada Williams, 12.1

3-71 (Natasha McLean, 13.6 ov),4-80 (Shabika Gajnabi, 15.6 ov),5-83 (Hayley Matthews, 16.4ov), 6-96 (Chedean Nation, 18.5ov), 7-96 (Kyshona Knight, 18.6ov), 8-100 (Afy Fletcher, 19.5 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Fran Jonas 4-1-8-2

Lea Tahuhu 2-0-17-0 Sophie Devine 1-0-5-0 Molly Penfold 2-0-15-0 Amelia Kerr 4-0-24-0 Eden Carson 4-0-17-2 Suzie Bates 3-0-10-3

BATTING R B Sophie Devine (c) run out (Ramharack) 23 26 Suzie Bates b Fletcher 13 20 Brooke Halliday b Grimmond 1 4 Amelia Kerr c sub (CS Fraser) b Gajnabi 25 31 Maddy Green not out 32 29 Georgia Plimmer run out (†Williams) 3 6 Lea Tahuhu not out 1 3 Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 1) 4 TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 5.10) 102/5 Did not bat: Isabella Gaze †, Molly Penfold, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Suzie Bates, 6.2 ov), 2-28 (Brooke Halliday, 7.3 ov), 3-42 (Sophie Devine, 9.3 ov), 4-79 (Amelia Kerr, 15.5 ov), 5-97 (Georgia Plimmer, 18.5 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W Shamilia Connell 4-0-16-0 Hayley Matthews 4-0-25-0 Sheneta Grimmond 4-0-18-1 Afy Fletcher 4-0-12-1 Karishma Ramharack 3-0-20-0 Shabika Gajnabi 1-0-8-1

November’s highly-an ticipated annual Race of Champions is said to be the single largest sport ing event that is consistent, well managed, and attracts a steady following and equal investment; and is also the marquee event on the GMR&SC’s local motor-rac ing calendar.

According to organ isers, the ongoing ‘Radical Caribbean Cup’ (RCC) will culminate in Guyana with fans being given the oppor tunity to cheer on Kristian Jeffrey, the lone Guyanese competing in the series.

As the series heads to Trinidad this weekend, Jeffrey, with four wins in the six races so far, leads RCC standings with 125 points.

Jamaica’s Senna Summerbell, son of mul tiple Caribbean Motor Racing Champion David

Meanwhile, the GMR&SC will, for the first time, be giving away a brand-new Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart car to one lucky pa tron attending the event.

With every purchase of a ticket to the November 12–13 event at South Dakota, an opportunity would be obtained to enter a draw to win the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart car.

The GMR&SC plans to host a series of events to pro mote this November meet.

President Irfaan Ali had listed motor racing as one of the sports his adminis tration intends to target for investment as Government pushes to make Guyana the premier destination for sports tourism and enter tainment in the Caribbean.

Junior Sammy, ENetworks, Banks Beer, Prem’s Electrical, Vitality, Beharry Automotive Limited, Secure Innovations and Concepts, Government of Guyana, and Ministry of Tourism are listed as spon sors of this event.

GFF signs off on Ethics and Procurement Policies

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has created and ap proved strict Ethics and Procurement Policies, shar ing the new rules with its membership to improve ac countability and transpar ency in football as part of the ongoing FIFA reform pro cess.

The documents were signed off by the GFF Council - formerly the GFF Executive Committee –bringing the national federation and its

membership in line with the highest global standards in football.

“The GFF is committed to managing football in the most professional manner, in order to ensure the long-term stability and development of the game and its administra tion,” GFF President Wayne Forde has said. “It is one of our strategic goals to contin ue to strive for good gover nance, because football can not thrive and grow without a strong institutional foun

dation,” he explained.

“We believe these new standards place the GFF at the forefront of good gov ernance in sports adminis tration in the Caribbean re gion,” he concluded.

The policies apply to the GFF Council and General Secretariat, as well as its re gional associations, member affiliates, and member clubs. The full documents can be found online on the GFF’s website.

The Ethics, Anti-Bribery

and Anti-Corruption Policy supports the GFF’s zero-tol erance approach to unethi cal and illegal behaviour in football. Covering areas such as gifts, hospitality, facilita tion payments, kickbacks, employee and contractor re sponsibilities, record-keep ing and conflicts of interest, it establishes a register of interests for senior officials across the football commu nity.

The Procurement Policy outlines rules and thresholds

for tendering goods and ser vices across a range of bud gets, from open and restrict ed tendering to the request for a quotation for the GFF and its members.

“All procurement now re quires a clear paper trail and an accountable, transpar ent process,” Forde has said. “This will ensure the GFF and its members not only ad here to ethical practices, but also ensure that money is well spent through a fair pro cess for service providers.”

West Indies seeking top-order runs, series parity in final T20I

With the T20 World Cup approach ing in just over a week's time, the final prepa rations are underway for

ries parity.

For the first time in his 96-match T20I ca reer, Australia skipper Aaron Finch came out to bat at number four. The reason, he lat er revealed, was to accom mo date the in- form Cameron Green at the top, while lending some experience to the middle order. The out

with a delivery to spare and three wickets in hand.

The victory was, how ever, too close for comfort, and Australia will be hop ing that the big names in the side: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, get some quality time out in the middle with the bat.

As stylish and audacious as Kyle Mayers’s cover-driv en six off the back foot was, West Indies would also like some more substance

for Odean Smith's 17-ball 27, they would have finished with a lot less than the 146 they had managed.

While they have the depth in their batting order, a strong foundation would do them a world of good.

What to expect: Only five T20Is have been played so far at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, with the Australia-Sri Lanka encoun ter in 2019 be ing the last match held here. West Indies are the only team to have de

Australia have an early lead in the two-match series, and will be looking to finish it off in a clinical manner, after huffing and puffing to victory in the first game. For West Indies, this will be their final internation al fixture before the mega event, and they will be hop ing to take the most from the game, while also seeking se

come was a match-winning 58 in a tense finish to the first T20I, with West Indies doing themselves no fa vours by dropping a couple of catches in the final over.

Apart from Finch, the re surgence of Matthew Wade as a finisher continued, as he stayed till the end, scoring a 29-ball 39 to help Australia prevail in a chase of 146,

from the top order. Losing wickets at regular intervals had left the West Indies in danger of being bowled out cheaply, and had it not been

feated Australia in a T20I at The Gabba, which happened way back in 2013.

The conditions are ex pected to favour the batters,

Busy weekend for Guyanese athletes in

The South American Games being held in Asuncion, Paraguay will continue to see Guyanese athletes compet ing fiercely this weekend in hope of clinching medals.

Since the multi-sport event began last Saturday, October 1st, Guyana has thus far been represent ed in the discipline of Badminton. Although the Badminton team, compris ing Akili Haynes, Priyanna and Narayan Ramdhani, and Coach Naeem Haque, did not clinch any medals, the team has had great re turns. In two categories, namely the Women’s sin gles and mixed doubles, the Guyanese racquet-wielders had reached the quarterfi nal stage.

Attention would now

with teams batting first hav ing a better success rate.

Pleasant weather, with a high of 20 degree Celsius, is forecast for the match day.

Australia: The hosts are likely to stick to the elev en that took the field at the Carrara Oval in the first T20I, which means Steven Smith would miss out again.

Possible XI: David Warner, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Aaron Finch (c), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Matthew Wade

(wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

West Indies: The Caribbean side could look to bring in Evin Lewis for Raymon Reifer, in order to strengthen their batting unit.

Possible XI: Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran(w/c), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Yannic Cariah, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell.

Crawford wins second annual Eon Amsterdam Cycle Race in NA

and by Manager Gregory

Guyana’s Table Tennis team would also be in ac tion on October 8th.

Christopher Franklin, Shemar Britton, Elishaba Johnson, Chelsea Edghill, Nathalie Cummings and Priscilla Greaves comprise this team, along with Coach Idi Lewis. A full com ple ment of

events is on the cards for the Guyanese team. These include women’s and men’s singles, women’s and men’s doubles, women’s and men’s teams and mixed doubles.

The following day, a group of Guyanese ladies would begin their Squash campaign at Paraguay’s National Squash Center. Nicolette and Taylor Fernandes, Ashley Khalil and Larissa Wiltshire are expected to feature in the singles, doubles and wom en’s team events. The Squash team is being su pervised by Squash great Garfield Wiltshire.

The 2022 South American Games are be ing hosted in Asuncion, Paraguay, from October 1st to 15th 2022.

race

sponsors and officials at the

over the weekend

Guyana's nation al cycling champion

Romello Crawford de feated his Berbician coun terparts over the weekend at the second annual Eon Amsterdam Cycle Race, held in the town of New Amsterdam.

The race pedalled off from Republic Road and Charles Place at 10:00h, and head ed towards Vryheid Street. From there its participants almost flew to Main and Philadelphia Street, before returned to the point of origin to complete one lap. There were 10 laps in this race.

Crawford stopped the clock in 25 minutes and 27 seconds, pipping Andre "Padlock" Green, Junior Nyles and Syborne Fernandes in that order.

In the junior catego ry, Mario Washington came in first, followed by Richard Crandon and Joseph Cumberbatch. In the vet erans’ category, seasoned campaigner Junior Nyles took top honours, followed

by Fernandes and Travis Cipriani in that order.

Eight sprint prizes were up for grabs. Washington took one, Green took three, and Crawford took four. This race was the second an nual event sponsored by Eon Amsterdam, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police and former Commander of Region Six. He was cele brating his 60th birthday, and hosted this cycling event.

Certificates of apprecia tion were presented to execu tives of the Flying Ace Cycling Club. Recipients were Pearl Arokium, Randolph Roberts, Mursalin Bacchus, Balram Narine, Fiazal Ali and Floyd Hazel.

The Flying Ace Cycling Club is thanking the Guyana Police Force for their guid ance, and the Amsterdam family for being on hand to make the presentations. According to Flying Ace Cycling Coach and President Randolph Roberts, this event would be expanded in the up coming years.

Kyle Mayers looked dangerous with the bat

Guyana’s Boxing trio at the South American Games

Guyana’s Badminton team

concluded

Guyana’s Table Tennis Olympian will go into action this weekend

West Indies seeking toporder runs, series parity in final