Guyana Times - Friday, September 23, 2022

President Joseph

Friday, September 23 –15:20h-16:50h and Saturday, September 24 – 15:50h-17:20h. September 23 –02:00h-03:30h Saturday, September 24 –

The Berbice 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h,

Pres Ali, UN Secretary General discuss food and energy security, international financing system

Guyana’s leader, President Dr Irfaan Ali, has held several high-level engagements on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York during which he discussed pressing issues such as food security and cli matePresidentchange. Ali was in New York to attend the 77th UN General Assembly, be ing held September 2024 and September 26. He addressed the Assembly during the General Debate on Wednesday during which he highlighted the impact ful role of multilateralism in resolving global challeng es including food security –something he says Guyana is commited to playing a part in Thistackling.issue,on which the Guyanese Leader has been leading the charge both lo cally and regionally, was also raised during his meet ings on the sidelines with several officials, includ ing UN Secretary General AntónioPresidentGuterres.Ali met with Secretary General Guterres at the UN Headquarters af ter Wednesday’s debate ses sion.In a post on the Head of State’s Facebook page, it was noted that the meeting focused on the current glob al crisis and strategies im plemented by the Guyana Government to address var ious challenges, including rising fuel Moreover,prices.abrief state ment from the UN Secretary General detailed that the two officials “…discussed climate change, as well as the challenges posed to food and energy security and the international financing sys tem”.

Food security President Ali also met with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director General, Dr Qu Dongyu and his delega tion on Wednesday.

“Discussions centred on the number of projects

Guyana has undertaken in several areas, including food security. The Director General commended the President on the alignment of Guyana’s policies to sev eral of FAO’s strategic ar eas,” the President’s Office said.The Head of State was accompanied by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd; Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett; Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud and Director of Projects at the Office of the President, Marcia NadirSharma.During his address to the sixth plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, President Ali underscored the importance of countries being better equipped in the future in response to poten tialHepandemics.notedthat the glob al food security problem, which has disproportion ately affected countries, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Citing the significant rise in the global food import bill, the Guyanese Leader stated that world leaders must find the balance now and work collectively to prevent situ ations that could widen in equality and create social as well as economic havoc.

“Now is the time for us to decide if a new approach is needed to guarantee food security, access to health care and quality education, and security from conflict and wars… A welcomed ini tiative is the FAO’s Global Food Import Financing Facility (FIFF), which seeks to respond to the prevailing soaring food import costs and addressing the needs of the most exposed.

“However, there is need to revise the eligibil ity criteria to accommo date countries beyond the categories of low-income and lower-middle income

groups. This narrow group ing heightens the chance that many at-risk, econom ically-vulnerable countries, such as the Caribbean, with large food and food import needs, will be excluded,” he stated.According to the President, his Government is committed to building a Guyana that addresses is sues of food security, climate change, energy security, and inequalities within the country and the Caribbean region.

“We are on a path to re duce Guyana’s food import bill and increase food secu rity – through increased cul tivation and investments in new technology and smart agriculture to posi tion Guyana as a leading food producer in Caricom. Providing incentives, capi tal, land and opportunities for youth and women to par ticipate in the agriculture transformation. To this end, we have earmarked 35 per cent of all new agro-busi ness to be led by women and have increased youth partic ipation in agriculture with the use of technology by more than 40 per cent,” he highlighted.

Climate crisis

On the climate crisis front, President Ali point ed out that the gap between predicted adaptation costs and existing public adapta tion finance flows was gen erally growing and ranged from five to ten times more.

As such, he contended that the paltry US$100 bil lion pledge, and the failure to meet it, was not enough and must be viewed in the context of the likely costs of climate action for miti gation, adaptation, and ad dressing loss and damage.

The Head of State noted that the adoption of broad rules on carbon markets in Glasgow has the potential to unlock critical resources for forest-rich countries.

“Forested countries, like Guyana, can poten tially earn billions of dol

lars accessible through the voluntary carbon mar kets. However, the current approximate price is US$10 per tonne on the voluntary market –whilst according to an IMF [International Monetary Fund] Report, the price should be closer to US$70 per tonne. COP27 must make progress in re fining the rules for the im plementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and make decisions that would increase the price of carbon traded in voluntary carbon markets,” he stated.

President Ali went on to outline that the world was also faced with an energy crisis and a realistic effort was needed to strike a bal ance.

“This conversation must be practical, comprehensive and fact-based. We all recog nise that adjustments must be made to save our planet. But how will we craft this adjustment, considering the energy and food crises which are also critical and ensure that inequality and access do not widen?”

“In this energy transi tion, fossil fuel remains nec essary. In this context, we are convinced that new en trants like Guyana must be part of this balanced ap proach. Even as a new en trant, Guyana proposed, at COP26, the removal of subsidies from fossil fuel production and advocated the need for a strong glob al carbon price. We, howev er, do not believe that new entrants should be pun ished by removing access to financing and increasing costs of financing. This, in effect, will protect an exist ing monopoly, drive up the costs of investments, and deliver a higher-priced prod uct,” the President noted.

Nevertheless, the Guyanese Leader went on to note that the Assembly must reinvigorate the spirit of multilateralism in finding solutions to the extant chal lenges which bedevil the global community of States. (G8)

President Dr Irfaan Ali with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

President Dr Irfaan Ali with FAO Director General, Dr Qu Dongyu

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E-ticketing

Now operational, the e-ticketing system would help bring some order on Guyana’s roadways, particularly those on the East Bank of Demerara.

With this system, any traffic offender would be automatically flagged and issued a traffic ticket.

This system, which is being monitored by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), will certainly lead to improved behaviours by reckless Already,drivers.inits testing phase, this piece of modern technology has caught some 1500 defaulting drivers committing traffic violations.

The ‘culture’ of many local drivers and public transportation operators is one of disrespect for designated major roads. They refuse to adhere to what is mandatory. As a result, a number of accidents occur frequently at some of these points. Similarly, the practice of running red lights and the green signal that allows pedestrians to cross continues unabated, predominantly by minibus drivers. The danger this practice poses needs no explanation.

There is no doubt that there is always an element of risk whenever someone uses the roadways, be they a motorist, passenger, cyclist or pedestrian. The risks may manifest in various forms, such as a lack of street lighting while driving at nights; potholes which when swerved from could place a vehicle in the direct path of another; absence or nonfunctioning of traffic lights, which can create uncertainty among drivers; roaming animals; speeding; drinking and driving; narrow streets, and lack of traffic signage. In addition, disregard of basic traffic etiquette and other rules exacerbates the Whilerisks.

a plethora of traffic violations are committed on a daily basis, some appear more prominent. Undertaking and cutting in front of a vehicle, and the sticking out of a minibus conductor’s arm to do likewise from the other side, seem to be the new norm of driving. Aside from the obvious danger, especially to young and inexperienced drivers, and apart from being an irritant, it is blatant bullyism, and is a potent source for road rage.

It appears that those who engage in such practices do not see themselves as being errant, or what they do as a traffic violation. Lanes that allow for turning-on-red are abused and used as if they are the right-of-way. In the city, many roads other than what are authorised for minibus routes are used as thoroughfares. Speeding is foremost, causing areas that are supposed to be free of minibuses to become dangerous.

In addition, some drivers seemingly take pride in having an alcoholic beverage in their possession while transporting passengers. Adding to their woes, those who abide by traffic rules are verbally abused when trying to stave off a potential transgressor.Whatisdesperately needed is a sustained campaign to reduce traffic violations, and let the law take its course on the errant ones, regardless of who they are. The carelessness exhibited puts all road users at risk.

It must be noted that drivers are not the only violators of traffic rules, for some pedestrians are equally guilty. Aside from the common jaywalking, they cross busy intersections when not authorised, and refuse to use the overhead pedestrian walkways, thereby bringing danger to themselves and others. Like errant drivers, they seem empowered to not observe basic traffic rules. This will change only when there is a constant stream of violators up the stairs of the courts across the country.

With this new technology - E-ticketing – it is hoped that it will improve coordination and collaboration among agencies involved in traffic ticket processing.

Additionally, this will tremendously assist the Guyana Police Force in monitoring the traffic, thus there will be no need for Police Officers to write and process tickets for traffic violations.This24-hour daily monitoring will certainly aid in errant drivers reforming themselves, thus contributing to the reduction of accidents.

The system, which has been in development for several months, uses cameras and other technology to accurately monitor traffic, check speeds, and read licence plates for Guyanese vehicles.

It is hoped that this system can be replicated countrywide.

Procrastination: a feature of anxiety in teens?

The illusion of time

Young people live in the ‘here and now’. Early adolescents or tweens have literal difficulty processing concepts of the future and the ramifications of cur rent actions. As a result, they become so embedded in the moment or their preferred activity that they can lose sight of other things that are required to be done. Parents describe that they seem to be completely obsessed or con sumed with whatever they are do ing, to the exclusion of anything else. While this feature is a normal part of literal or concrete thinking, parents should ideally demonstrate patience. Teens need consistent guidance re garding completing tasks on time and conversely need to learn from the con sequences of not doing so. By adopting a more mindful and patient parenting approach, there is reduction in even tual conflict, stress or overwhelm. In addition, duties do not accumulate or become unmanageable.

this too is part of the normal develop mental pathway, the approach of par ents must change during middle ado lescence. Resist the temptation to say “I told you so”, but rather model appro priate time-management and prioriti sation behaviour as a guide.

Self-doubt, perfectionism and anxiety

Perhaps the most frequent but least acknowledged reasons for teen procrastination surround manifes tations of anxiety. Young people who doubt their abilities, fear failure or have self-induced pressure to per form tend to delay completing tasks for fear of not doing them well enough.

Dr Asha Pemberton

By Dr AshA PemBerton

For many parents, teen be haviour and procrastination go hand in hand. Procrastination refers to the intentional act of defer ring tasks or decisions. Although this happens at every age, teenagers tend to demonstrate it frequently. Young people, in their daily lives, often de lay completing household chores, homework or even personal hygiene actions. This is a source of incredible frustration to parents, and is even often perceived as insolence or frank disrespect. It is interesting, however, to examine the reasons why tweens and teens procrastinate so frequent ly.

Extreme optimism

Another reason that young people procrastinate is due to an overwhelm ing but often false belief that they have everything covered. This mindset prevails in middle adolescence, a time during which young people feel invincible and powerful. Between the ages of 15 and 17, teens are develop ing their sense of identity and often with that comes a sense of bravado.

While positive self-esteem and confi dence are absolutely to be supported, parents must be careful to ensure that their teens have a realistic and practi cal sense of what they can accomplish.

Those who have elevated and false senses of security are prone to mis manage their time and believe they can accomplish everything, only to be left struggling and frustrated. While

Paradoxically, many high-performing young people fall into this group, much to the confusion of parents and teach ers. It can be frustrating for adults who recognise the ability of the young people, yet witness their seeming in ability to complete or even commence tasks. For these young people, deep er inquiry is required to unearth their self-defeating thoughts and treat the underlying anxiety. While external pressures on young people are many in our world today, many teenagers in flict high levels of pressure and perfec tionism on themselves. When anxiety becomes problematic, youth experi ence panic attacks, a constant sense of fear and worry that can literally para lyse their activities and development.

Procrastination can be a subtle and emerging sign of anxiety that needs exploration when overall functioning is impaired. As we continue through the new academic year, be mindful of your teen’s behaviour in this regard. While some procrastination is expect ed, when it becomes applied to several aspects of life and accompanied by un due distress, expert guidance may be required.

(T&T Newsday)

A fan runs with a Guyana flag during Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia King's game at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on Thursday evening. Inset: A child proudly displays a GAW flag during the game

Amerindian Heritage Mural commissioned at Lethem Magistrate’s Court

Indigenous communities also assist in gathering food. This is demonstrated by the female under the tree with the bag pack.

(e) The man sitting is en

An Magistrate’s Monday in commemora of Amerindian Heritage 2022.

The mural, an initia tive of the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards, has been com missioned by the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Sueanna Lovell.

The painting is an origi nal piece that was sketched and painted by four talented grade 11 students of the St Ignatius Secondary School under the guidance and as sistance of two art teachers of the same school. The fi nal product is a compilation of the drawings of the four students.Thestudents who drew the mural were Alissa Roger, Geveron Moses, Aiude Pedro, and Lee Michael. These students were super vised by Romario Cupido and Devon Rodrigues.

Each part of the mural is symbolic of Amerindian Heritage and culture. From their interpretations, each student has paid tribute to the Indigenous people’s way of life through their art.

The way of life of the Indigenous people demon strated in the mural are:

(a) The benab, locat ed at the centre of the mu ral, signifies unity within

the Indigenous community. It functions as a gathering/ meeting place; somewhere for persons to create their craft items, complete chores, and(b)live.The trees represent Amerindian lands and veg etation.(c)The man standing with the arrow and bow and a fish in his hand symbolis es the head of the home. He provides for the family by hunting and fishing for food. This represents the way of life of the Indigenous people, who are very self-sufficient.

(d) The woman under the benab represents the moth er figure of the home. She prepares the meals from what was brought home by the hunter. As seen in the painting, she is squeezing cassava for the prepara tion of Tuma Pot, a delica

cy in the Amerindian com munities. Women in the

gaged in craft-making. This

represents the Amerindians’ craft-making skills. They are skilled in making vari ous handmade craft items ranging from earrings, bas kets, clothing, and much more.(f) The image next to the man making craft is re ferred to as a Totem Pole. The Totem Pole is made from feathers and beads gathered from around the environment.Thelines on the Totem Pole represent the Takutu River. The villagers use the Totem Pole to create music, they would shake the Totem Pole while people sing. This is often done when villagers gather to tell stories.

(g) The rocks at the bot tom showcase some of the symbols used by Indigenous people. Historically, they used symbols carved unto rocks to communicate.

(h) At the bottom, their

talents are summed up. The pot represents their pot tery-making skills, the fish on a hook represents their hunting and fishing skills, and the hands with the knife represent their craft-mak ing Toskills.show appreciation for the great work done by the art students and teachers of the St Ignatius Secondary School, and to demonstrate the Supreme Court’s social responsibility to the commu nity that is home to a court of law, the Supreme Court has donated a quantity of textbooks, art supplies and sports gear for the benefit of the students of that school.

The donation was made by Ms Lovell on behalf of the Chancellor of the Judiciary. Lovell has encouraged the students to keep up their good work, and wished them well in their upcoming ex aminations. (G1)

The Supreme Court of Judicature has donated a quantity of textbooks and sports gear to the children of the St Ignatius Secondary School

An Amerindian Heritage Mural was commissioned at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court by the Supreme Court of Judicature. The piece was sketched and painted by four talented Grade 11 students of the St Ignatius Secondary School

Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Sueanna Lovell (second from right), the children who sketched and painted the mural, and other court staff standing in front of the recently-commissioned mural

Metric Units of Length

The

metric units of length are millimetres (mm); centimetres (cm); metres (m) and kilometres (km).

1 centimetre = 100mm

1 metre = 100cm

1 kilometre = 1000m

You may have noticed that metric units are based on the powers of 10. So they are easy to work with. For example: 1 metre = 1000mm = 100cm = 0.001km.

Remember Learn these prefixes:

Milli = thousandth

Centi = hundredth

Kilo = thousand

Examples:

How many cm = 45m?

Step 1: Think: 100cm = 1m

Step 2: Multiply the number of metres x 100.

You can do this by regular multiplication: 45 x 100 = 4500

However, it is much easier to move the decimal point two places to the right.45m = 4500cm

How many m = 575mm?

Step 1: Think: 1000mm = 1m

Step 2: Divide: 575 ÷ 1000 = 575/1000.

You can also do this calculation by moving the decimal point three pla ces to the 575mmleft.=0.575m

Exercises: Calculate

Paint watercolour leaves

You’ll enjoy ma king these colour ful place cards

What you need leaf pattern or any real leaf of your scissorspaperheavywatercolourchoosingpaintswatercolour

What you do

Use the pattern to draw leaf shapes on the water colour paper or trace the outline of a real leaf.

Cut out the leaf shapes. Paint the leaf shapes with watercolours. Let dry. Write a name on each leaf. (rangerrick.org)

CONTINUED FROM THURSDAY

By The BroThers Grimm

Guyana discusses pharmaceutical cooperation with Rwanda, Barbados

President Dr Irfaan Ali has held fresh talks with his counterparts from Rwanda and Barbados on potentially cooperating in the area of pharmaceuti cal Theproduction.Guyanese

Head of State met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, on Wednesday afternoon in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

“The leaders discussed cooperation in pharmaceu tical production following the disparities in COVID-19 vaccines supplied to devel oping countries,” a brief statement on President Ali’s Facebook page said.

Accompanying the Head of State were Guyana’s Representative to the UN, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and Director of Projects at the Office of the President, Marcia

thefuture.thenovativehadWhileinGovernmentCommonwealththistialingWednesday’sNadir-Sharma.meetisafollow-uptoinidiscussionsheldonmatterduringtheHeadsofMeetingheldRwandabackinJune.there,PresidentAlicalledforboldandinthinkingtotakeCommonwealthintotheAtthatbiennialmeeting,Commonwealthlead

ers discussed the impact of conflict; the COVID-19 pan demic, including the need for equitable distribution of vaccines; and the urgent threat of climate change.

During his visit to Kigali, the Guyanese Leader was also invited to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of COVID-19 vaccine mak er BioNTech’s mRNA vac cine factory in the Rwandan capital city.

The vaccine facility is ex pected to enable the African nation to jump-start its own vaccine manufacturing, and according to President Ali, Guyana is hoping to do the

same in the future especial ly, since the country is aim ing to become a medical hub in the Caribbean.

“Of course, for Guyana, this is the direction we want to head in. We want to be able to develop the frame work and infrastructure to be able not only to build a similar facility in Guyana, but to encourage investors in research and develop ment in the medical field as a whole to come to Guyana as a medical hub, in devel oping vaccines and develop ing a treatment for malaria, etc,” he stated at the time.

But, to achieve this,

the President had noted, the “right” regulatory, leg islative and institutional framework and the support of countries like Rwanda and Ghana, who have al ready charted the way, would be required.

To this end, it was noted that bilateral discussions on the way forward were al ready “on the agenda” with the two African nations.

“We can work with these countries in building our regulatory framework, our institutional framework, and developing the train ing facility that will ensure we have highly-skilled and

capable human resources to transition into this new field, and to transition into this new area of develop mental opportunity that we want to bring to Guyana,” the Head of State had said.

President Ali had re minded that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught the importance of not only hav ing access to vaccines but ensuring that every region globally is vaccine-secure. He had also highlighted the great inequality in not only the manufacturing of vac cines and the pricing, but also the distribution.

In order to combat these challenges, the President disclosed that Guyana and Barbados would be work ing “aggressively” together with innovators, research ers, and developers in ad vancing this goal.

“Well, Prime Minister Mottley and I had had some discussions already. And one of the things that we’re looking to do is to have the regulators and the Attorneys General for the countries look at our exist ing legal framework, look at our existing food and drugs administration, and to see how we can bridge the gap; and then to take the model out of Rwanda and Ghana, to incorporate that mod el in advancing our legis lative framework to build a foundation that this in

dustry can be built on,” the Guyanese Leader had said.

Such a facility in Guyana, the Head of State emphasised, would benefit the entire Caribbean Region as well as South America, and would provide access to many other vaccines utilis ing the “Well,technology.it’snot only Guyana; we are an import ant hub: we are part of the Caribbean, we are a part of South America, we have a lot of trade agreements with a number of countries, and it is one to ensure that the region itself – Guyana and the region – has a facili ty that we can be dependent on in terms of crisis vac cines to respond to our own needs, to build our capacity, and also, more importantly, to make us vaccine-secure,” he posited at the time.

The President had fur ther stated that the inten tion was to bring the local players in the pharmaceu tical industry together in a consortium with the region al and international actors in order to generate the ca pacity needed. He reminded that part of Guyana’s devel opment trajectory in diver sifying the economy was to invest in the knowledge sec tor, and to invest in health care and education as a great export earner for the country.

President Dr Irfaan Ali meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday

Youth on trial for Stabroek Market murder

he was 21, commenced on Thursday in the Demerara High Court of presiding Justice Sandil Kissoon.

McKenzie is alleged to have mur dered Richard Noel, called “Nippo”, on June 4, 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge for the capital offence of murder, and is being represented by defence counsel Ronald Daniels, while State Counsel Muntaz Ali is leading the prosecution’s case.

The trial of Timothy McKenzie, a Kitty, Georgetown youth accused of killing another man at the Stabroek Market in Georgetown when

Police reports indicate that the murder reportedly stemmed from an old grievance between the two men, allegedly involving the sister of Noel, whom McKenzie had reportedly hit, and that had resulted in a fight be tween the two men. However, on the day of the murder, the men had report edly crossed paths, and McKenzie had been heard asking Noel if he “wanted a problem.”Ithasbeen reported that Noel had walked away, and McKenzie, aggra

vated, allegedly went after him and stabbed him twice in his chest. After Noel had fallen, McKenzie had report edly stomped him on his chest.

Noel had been rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries one day lat er. (G1)

Murder trial underway for man accused of shooting machine operator

Elliott is representing the prosecution.According to reports, Ramanah sustained a gun shot injury to his abdomen when two armed men in vaded his home at just af ter midnight on December 13, 2017. During the rob bery, the machine operator was relieved of a gold chain valued at $40,000 before the bandits made good their es cape.

The injured man was tak en for emergency attention at a medical facility, where he underwent surgery, but succumbed one month lat er while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital on January 13, 2018.

Carter was subsequent ly arrested by Police ranks and placed on an identifica tion parade, wherein he re portedly was positively iden tified. (G1)

Cleaningup...

…the voters’ list

It looks like the Opposition’s drawing a line in the sand on having a “clean” voters’ list before they will participate in any election – local or national!! Now, on the surface of things, who can quarrel with such a request?? But in our dear Mudland - as we Guyanese should know - very few things “on the surface” have to do with what’s really going on – or going down!! Is it the mud?? The problem’s about– as far as your Eyewitness can tell – what’ll satisfy the TheirOpposition.mainobjection

is that for a country with a population of our size, the voters’ list is outta whack at 90+ percent of our 758,000!! Meaning that 90% of Guyanese are over 18 years?? Can’t be!! And in this inflated list, the PPP could do a lot of hanky-panky!! But who are the Guyanese on the VL?

All of us know that the “excess” names are primarily due to Guyanese who’re there legally but have since migrated. Now, several of our Caricom neighbours, like Barbados, have a higher percentage of voters to adult population than us –but they don’t kvetch. That’s understandable, however, they never had a party like the PNC, which rigged elections for 28 years, and have rigging on their mind.

Atrial is underway for 25-year-old Rayan Carter, the accused in the murder of 30-year-old machine operator Ishwar Ramanah of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD), who was shot and killed when gunmen invaded his home on December 13, 2017.

Arraigned before Demerara High Court

Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, Carter has denied the charge which alleges that between December 13, 2017 and January 13, 2018, in the county of Demerara, he murdered Ramanah during the course/furtherance of a robbery. He is being repre sented by Attorney-at-Law Konyo Sandiford-Holder, while State Counsel Latifah

Businessman among 3 busted with ganja

But you gotta hand it to the PNC in the “having no shame” category. This isn’t “pot calling kettle black”; this is the cauldron calling karahi black!! Imagine that the same list was the base in 2011 when the PPP – in office – was checkmated at the polls by the PNC, and barely clung on to the presidency by the hair on their chinny-chin-chin. Three years later – with all the opportunity to do whatever the PNC think they do to rig – the PPP LOST the elections to the PNC coalition!! And now they claim the PPP rigged from the

OUTSIDE!??!Butone may say, ‘Why not use records from the Immigration Dept to flag all those migrants who’ve departed legally and then remove them from the list??’ Well, two things: that wouldn’t take care of the “backtrack” – and who might just outnumber the “legals”!! Then there are the Courts, who’ve pointed out that it’s unconstitutional to strike any Guyanese citizen from the list. This’ll prevent them from voting – just because they’re migrated – even though Guyana allows dual citizenship!!

Your Eyewitness suggests that since it appears that Pres Ali might meet LoO Norton on the matter, they should agree on what was done in 2007. If you can’t raise the bridge –lower the river!! Don’t change the Voters’ List - which the Courts’ll knock down – update the current National Register of Registrants’ Database (NRRDB) through HtH registration.

The Voters’ list is extracted from this!!

…Europe’s mess

Abusinessman is among three per sons arrested on Wednesday after a quanti

ty of ganja was found on his premises at Barama Line in Baramita, North West District (NWD).

The Police have said that ranks were conducting a raid for narcotics, guns, ammunition, stolen arti cles and wanted persons in the Barama area when they unearthed 17 Ziplock bags and one transparent plastic bag containing a quantity of ganja in the bathroom of his home, hidden between the ceiling.Atthe time of the raid, the businessman and two other occupants were in the house, and one of the occu pants subsequently admit ted ownership of the ganja.

They were all arrested and taken to the Baramita Police Station, where the cannabis was weighed in their presence and amount ed to 29.8 grams.

Now that QE II’s funeral’s over (whew!!) maybe Europe’s gonna deal with Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons if the Ukrainians – armed to the teeth by the US via NATO –increase the gains they’ve made recently. Now, quite early in the day, your Eyewitness had suggested that the Ruskies’ move into the West via Belarus was just a feint - while they concentrated in the South West towards the great prize of the port of Odessa.

But with Ukraine developing spunks, looks like Putin isn’t about to lose face to have someone like Zelensky –who was literally a comedian before he became president – stare him down. The trillion-dollar question, of course, is how far Putin’s gonna go? But that means really how far will the WEST go to have Putin save face - and Russia not be treated like a “shithole country”. The former KGB boss has signalled that he’s backing the referendum with Ukraine’s western provinces to join “Mother Russia”.

Best let that be!

…in cricket

How sweet it is!! Your Eyewitness isn’t one to gloat – well, not too much!! So he won’t dwell too long about predicting that our Warriors would start their winning streak on Wednesday night.

But he’s saving his “black tongue” for the elections!!

Dead: Richard Noel

Murder accused Timothy McKenzie

Dead: Ishwar Ramanah

Murder accused Rayan Carter

The ganja that was found on the premises

Pressure pot explodes, sets Berbice house on fire

Four persons are now homeless following a fire on Thursday morning at Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).Reportsarethat a pres sure pot reportedly explod ed and hit out the gas hose connected to the stove caus ing fire to ignite in the house located at Crabwood Creek. This is according to fire in vestigators.

At the time of the blaze 42-year-old Nalanie Sarjoo and her two children – aged 7 and 11 – were at home.

Sarjoo said the children were in the verandah and she had gone to have a bath leaving the pressure pot with beans on the stove.

In tears, the mother of two told Guyana Times that as she opened the door to re turn to the house, she saw fire in the “Everythingkitchen.gone. Me nah get nothing fo meself. Only dis clothes me get on…”

According to Sarjoo, she would normally leave the

pressure pot on the stove and go downstairs to take a shower in the morning be fore her children leave for school.On Thursday, shortly be fore 07:00h, she did her usu al routine.“Ihear ‘babam’ and

when I watch in the kitch en is sheer fire.” By the time I reach upstairs the whole kitchen ketch afire. People come and throw water, but nobody can’t do nothing,” she“Theexplained.whole house ketch afire,” she added as she tried

desperately to hold back her tears.Sarjoo said she was cook ing on a two-burner gas stove and next to it was a kerosene oil stove which was not in use at the time.

According to Sarjoo, she was unable to save anything

apart from her two chil dren’s lives. In the process of saving them, she suffered burns to her back.

“We had every little thing. My kid has to go to high school from the third of next month and everything gone.”The family had been liv ing at the Lot 101 Grant 1806 building for the past 10 years. Her husband, Hemchandra Bacchus, who works as a driver built the house.According to Bacchus, when he built it the mate rial cost $2 million. He said about $1 million worth of household articles were de stroyed.“My house had every thing.”According to the man, there is no decision on the next move but he is pleading with the public to assist him to rebuild.Healso pointed out that the family has more immedi ate needs, one of which is a place to stay.

Fire Service response Meanwhile, Officer-inCharge of the Corriverton Fire Station, Ewart Kesney said when the Fire Service arrived on the scene, the en tire building was engulfed, but they were able to pre vent the fire from spreading to other buildings.

“First when we got there was a little struggle to get to where the fire was, but with the help of civilians in the area, they were able to ex tinguish the fire,” he said.

He added that his in vestigators were told by the house owner that when she got to the kitchen, she ob served fire there and the hose connected to the gas bottle was dancing.

“What actually happened is that after the explosion, the pot fell and hit off the gas hose from the stove and it ignited the entire kitch en.”Bacchus said persons who may wish to contact him can do so on phone number (592) 653-7440. (G4)

Hemchandra Bacchus along with his wife, Nalanie Sarjoo, and their two children

The aftermath of the fire at Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Region Six

More psychiatrists needed in health system – Dr Anthony …as mental health takes priority

With greater em phasis now be ing placed on ad dressing mental health issues and illnesses in the population, the need for more psychiatrists to bet ter manage cases has been emphasised.

The Psychiatric Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital records a patient count of approximately 490 every month - of which an average of 40 are new pa tients. There is also an out reach programme in which doctors from the hospital would visit various regions.

At the outpatient clinic

of the National Psychiatric Hospital in East Berbice, another 200 patients are seen every Speakingmonth.on this is sue on Thursday, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony noted that there is need for more professionals in the field of psychiatry. He also hinted at offering schol arships to get persons on board.“I think we currently have about 16 psychiatrists in the system, and we obvi ously need to get more peo ple in psychiatry. Mental health has definitely (been) shown to be one of those

areas where we’ll have to train more staff, get more doctors to be working in this area. It’s something that we’ll have to offer more scholarships for peo ple to specialise in mental health,” Dr Anthony under scored.Atpresent, Government is collaborating with Columbia University to conduct three studies –causes and prevention of suicide; analysis of acci dent victims; and vulnera bilities of persons between the ages of 12 and 24.

“The findings of these we’ll be able to incorporate

E-ticketing system begins, 1500 traffic violations already recorded

er the number of accidents caused by dangerous and reckless driving.

…into our programmes, so that we can strengthen and prevent people from committing suicide. Based on the findings, we’ll be able to design better pro grammes,” he explained.

Through UNICEF, a new curriculum is being developed to train nurs ing staff to provide spe cialised mental health care. Coupled with the new

Mental Health Bill, the Minister shared, a more enabling environment is being created for practi tioners and patients.

The Mental Health Protection and Promotion Bill 2022 was passed in the National Assembly on August 8 of this year. Enshrined in the law is a series of rights for mental health patients, including

access to care. The Act pro vides for the mental health care of persons suffering from mental illness, and protects, promotes, and fulfils the rights of those persons during the deliv ery of mental health care. Additionally, it seeks to promote the mental health and well-being of persons in Guyana, and to ensure that all persons receive the best mental health care.

When the Bill was passed in August, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony had labelled the legislation as a modern one that would positively impact the lev el of care of persons suffer ing from mental health is sues. While the traditional method of addressing men tal health patients was to institutionalise them, the Health Minister has posit ed that this way does not allow for them to be inte grated into society. (G12)

The e-ticketing system, which is being piloted by the Government, is now operational and will begin issuing tickets within the next few weeks.

The system, which has been in development for

ute to the modernisation of the GPF in carrying out its mandate to ensure public order and safety.

The system will also im prove coordination and col laboration among agencies involved in traffic ticket

several months, uses cam eras and other technology to accurately monitor traf fic, check speeds, and read licence plates for Guyanese vehicles.

The system can also flag any traffic offenders and au tomatically issue and email traffic tickets to the driver based on customisable pa rameters.

This system, which will be used for monitoring and enforcement by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), is part of President Dr Irfaan Ali’s vision to use modern tech nology to improve the lives of all Guyanese.

The automated genera tion and dispatch of e-tick ets are expected to improve the efficiency with which fines and penalties are en forced, as well as contrib

processing, such as the GPF and Guyana Revenue Authority.Onthe first day of test ing, the system was able to record close to 10,000 ve hicles traversing the new Mandela-Eccles Highway, with approximately 1500 users committing traffic vi olations such as speeding and not wearing seatbelts.

It is expected to be ex panded to many busy ar eas, removing the need for Police Officers to monitor traffic and write and pro cess tickets for traffic viola tions.

This system, which is free of human error and op erates 24 hours a day, is ex pected to encourage drivers to follow traffic laws, pro mote greater driver disci pline on the roads, and low

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

Blairmont, Uitvlugt workers protest after "selected" staff get 5% pay hike

Field foremen/fore women attached to Blairmont and Uitvlugt Sugar Estates took to the picket line on Thursday, calling for fair treatment and equal oppor tunities.Theworkers are peeved over a five per cent sala

ry increase which was giv en to their colleagues who were recently confirmed.

This increase sees these persons with fewer years of service earning more than theirAlmostcolleagues.allof the 41 other foremen/forewom en attached to the estates

participated in the demon stration, calling for the al leged discrimination to end.“End discrimination now,” they chanted.

On Tuesday, the fore men/forewomen said they voiced their concerns with the estate manager, but

were not satisfied with the outcome of that meeting.

Adelki Jackson, a fore man for the harvesting gang, explained that they were seeking to have a lev el playing field.

“So, we here now as old staff of the same Blairmont Estate with some of us hav ing 16 years’ service are

dissatisfied with the deci sion that they took. At the meeting, they claim that it is not their responsibili ty for wages. The manager said that it was the CEO’s decision to give the five per cent,” Jackson told Guyana Times

The Blairmont Estate workers are contend

ProtestingEstate

ing that the decision was made at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) head office and not at the estate

“Alllevel.ofus out here came in as trainee foremen and after the training pro gramme, we were never given any test. Therefore, if that is the case, why don’t they take us through the same process and let us get the same test?” workers are contending.Meanwhile, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) in

a statement on Thursday said that a similar exercise was held at Uitvlugt Estate, West Coast Demerara.

At Uitvlugt Estate, workers from several de partments picketed to reg ister their dissatisfaction over what they called “un equal treatment”. They highlighted that some of

their colleagues received pay increases in recent times. The workers shared that they brought this con cern to the attention of the estate management which undertook to conducting some checks and provide a response by Thursday; however, when they ar rived for the meeting, man agement informed them it could not offer a response.

According to GAWU, the workers enquired when would it be possible to hear from the estate, but re ceived an evasive answer.

Protesting workers at Blairmont Sugar

workers at Uitvlugt Sugar Estate

Scenes from #27, Warriors versus St Lucia Kings at the National Stadium

COVID-19 reinfection causing difficulties in achieving herd immunity – Health Minister

with the virus, and, at reg ular intervals, be boosted with the boosters that are becoming available. That’s one of the reasons they’re now changing to develop bi valent vaccines that would have parts of the ancestral strain and the circulating strain.”When asked if the Health Ministry would be introducing COVID-19 vac cines in their childhood im munization programme, Dr Anthony posited that this would be possible if the im munity is long-lasting. “The vaccines we currently have would last from four to six months, then you have to be boosted. You’re getting some short-term protecting, but unless that protection is renewed, you are going to have challenges. Unless a pan-coronavirus vaccine is developed that protects you for a long duration, then that type of immunisation would not be possible,” he

explained.Whilecases, deaths and hospitalisation rates have fallen, an emergency com mittee at the World Health Organization would deter mine if the pandemic is still a health emergency after an alysing the epidemiological status of COVID.

New infections

There have been 17 new reported coronavirus in fections as confirmed cas es moved to 71,304 on Thursday.Some 107 active cases are being monitored, and the death toll remains at 1281. There is one patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Meanwhile, four persons are in institutional isolation, 102 are in home isolation, and one is in institutional quarantine. To date, 69,916 persons have recovered after beingAccordinginfected.to the World Health Organization’s

(WHO) figures, some 609 million confirmed cases have been reported globally, along with 6.5 million deaths. In the Region of the Americas, that is: Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cas es has increased to 177 mil lion, while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2.8 million.Symptoms of coronavi rus infection include fever, cough, tiredness, diarrhoea, pains, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell. The more serious symptoms are diffi culty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain, and loss of speech or movement.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms as sociated with COVID-19, or need any additional in formation, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline numbers: 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 imme diately, or visit www.health. gov.gy. (G12)

Reinfection

is a road block in achiev ing herd immunity against COVID-19, and it is linked to the emergence of newer variants that are pos ing newer challenges.

Over 70,000 persons have been infected local ly since COVID-19 was de tected in March 2020, and vaccination has since been rolled out countrywide. However, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony shared on Thursday that since

COVID-19 does not oper ate like a typical virus, the country would be challenged to arrive at herd immunity.

Initially, herd immunity was touted as having 80 to 85 per cent of the population vaccinated against the novel virus. “When you talk about herd immunity, it means that a high percentage of people would have been vac cinated or infected, recov ered, and they have endur ing immunity afterwards. COVID-19 is not operating

like that, because, with new er variants, you get reinfect ed. That’s a challenge. With reinfection, it’s hard to get that herd immunity. It’s dif ficult to say. The mere fact that people are getting rein fected shows that, with new er variants, it will be tough to arrive at herd immunity,” he has said.

He has advised that, for now, persons should just up date their protection with booster doses. “What we will have to do is learn to live

Guyana-Suriname ferry out of operation until further notice

Guyana. It is jointly owned by the Governments of Guyana and Suriname, with each country owning 50 per cent of the issued share cap ital.Over the past 5 years,

the ferry has been dry docked from time to time on numerous occasions, and the resulting delays have been exacerbated by the ef fects of the COVID-19 pan demic. The MV Canawaima

was previously dry-docked for more than a year, and re turned to operation only in October of 2021. In March, it was out of operation for a week, in order to facilitate emergency repairs. (G12)

"Satan" arrested 3 years after raping female

Owing to mechani cal failure, the MV Canawaima, which plies the Guyana-Suriname route, will be out of opera tion until the issue is reme died.Management of the Guyana/ Suriname Ferry Service has advised via a statement that, until fur ther notice, this service will be halted. The issue stemmed from mechanical

failure of the second engine onboard the vessel, causing interruption to the daily ser vice since Tuesday. In the past months, the vessel had been encountering numer ous engine problems.

“Please note that we are working assiduously to have same rectified in order to resume service between Guyana and Suriname at the soonest possible time. Management apologises for

any inconvenience this clo sure may cause,” the notice added.If persons have ques tions, they are asked to con tact the office on telephone numbers 339-2787 or 3392744 for further informa

tion.The Canawaima Ferry Service was incorporated in Guyana on October 28, 1998 under the Companies Act No. 29 of 1991 of the Laws of

Reid, also called ‘Satan’, a person who was wanted for the offence of rape committed three years ago, was arrest ed on Wednesday in the com munity of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Alvin

Based on reports re ceived, Police, acting on in formation received, went to an area in Ann’s Grove, ECD and arrested the 37-year-old wanted man.

Reid was serving time in prison on a murder charge when he was ‘accidentally released’, and he has since been wanted for discharging a loaded firearm, larceny of cattle, and other offences.

Upon his arrest, wounds were seen on his left side ab domen, and a suspected gun shot wound was on his back.

He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was treated and admitted as a patient. He re mains under Police guard at theThehospital.Police have said that two Constables were injured during Reid’s ar rest. They were taken to the Mahaicony Hospital, where they were treated and sent away.Reid, of Nimrod Street, Ann’s Grove, was committed to stand trial for the mur der of 14-year-old Malika Hamilton, which occurred between August 8 and 9, 2016. It was reported that Hamilton and Reid, who had been known to each oth er, had gone for a swim in

the Hope Canal on August 8, 2016, but she was never again seen alive.

Her body was subse quently found by residents of the community, floating in the canal several miles away from the Hope Canal Bridge.Hamilton, of Two Sisters Village, ECD, had left home following an argument with her father over the tele phone, and did not return home. Reid, who had man aged to evade the Police af ter being identified as a

suspect in her murder, was eventually found hiding in a barrel in the Ann’s Grove cemetery a few days later.

Further, it was reported that Reid was cleared of the charge in March 2017 due to insufficient evidence, but following an appeal by the Police in September of that same year, he was re-arrest ed and committed to stand

trial.The Police have not re leased any information with respect to the rape allega tion.

AGM/Zijin Mining Group supports Caria Caria Heritage Day …was 'accidentally released' from prison pending murder trial

The AGM Inc./Zijin Mining Group has made a substantial contribution to Caria Caria Village in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). AGM Inc./Zijin Mining Group’s Liaison Manager, Ragunauth Ramsaroop, presented this contribution to the Chairman of the communi ty, Campton Klass.

The donation, which was made on Wednesday, is in support of the community’s annual Heritage Day cele brations, which will be held on Sunday. The celebrations consist of cultural dances, poetry, Amerindian bever ages and mouth-watering food.In alignment with the company’s corporate so cial responsibility initia tives, AGM Inc./Zijin Mining Group has said, “We contin ue to support the commu

nities in which we operate, and Caria Caria is one such community.Overthe years, our con

tributions to this communi ty have become one of our social commitments.”

The MV Canawaima is out of operation until further notice

‘Satan’ after he was arrested on Wednesday

AGM Inc/Zijin Mining Group Liaison Manager Ragunauth Ramsaroop (right) handing over the contribution to the Chairman of the Caria Caria community, Campton Klass

“There is more access” – SEN Coordinator on special needs children …says more benefiting from mainstream education system

More children with special needs are now able to ac cess education in a main stem school setting, with increased sensitisation to eliminate stigmas, and with teacher training by the Special Education Needs Unit.National sessionsGeorgetown.Demerara-Berbice);Essequibo),NineSeven(East(Mahaica-Berbice),(Demerara-Mahaica),WestThree(Pomeroon-Supenaam),Oneregions,haveyearProgrammeMinistry’sduringSavvieCoordinatorSENHopkinsonexplainedtheEducationSpotlightthat,forthisonly,706teachersbeentrainedinninebeingRegions(Barima-Waini),Two(EssequiboIslands-Demerara),FourFiveSixBerbice-Corentyne),(Cuyuni-Mazaruni),(UpperTakutu-Upper10(UpperandThesetrainingaretargetedbased

on what officers uncover during visits, or from infor mation provided by teach ers.According to the Coordinator, children living with disabilities are appear ing more in public due to in creased sensitization, and are even accessing learning in the mainstream setting,

as opposed to specialised schools.“We would have discov ered many children in the past. If they have a physical limitation or learning dis abilities, they may not have been accessing education for many reasons, one of which would be stigmatisation. Before, we would not see many children who have dis abilities, now you see them more in public,” she said.

“The same existing main stream environment, the support can be provided within those settings. There is more access because of information, and the en tire school population being prepared to be inclusive in

their approach,” Hopkinson shared.Itwas outlined that due to this inclusive environ ment being created, par ents feel comfortable enough to send their children to schools.The Special Education Needs Unit was established to provide support for stu dents with learning chal lenges. It is an arm of the Education Ministry, giving guidance on education poli cies and promoting equal op portunities despite dispari ties. Some services include continuous professional de velopment training for spe cial needs teachers.

“Every child could learn,

and children learn differ ently. If we help teachers with using research and ev idence-based practices to provide methodologies or de liver education in different ways, every child can bene fit,” she explained.

She added, “By now we know that, in every class room, children perform dif ferently, their developmen tal stages will not be the

same. But when we discov er that whatever is happen ing is affecting their learn ing, then we have to be able to provide information, re search, evidence-based prac tices, and support, so that we can overcome some of those challenges.”

At the ending of 2022, a new special needs school will be ready for Region Two. Community outreach

es will continue, targeting parents and guardians.

“If you have a child with special needs, we want to help you in how you can help your child. We would have meetings, forums, symposiums based on differ ent areas, like autism, pa rental involvement, provid ing learning resources…” Hopkinson has shared.

Police Force receives 4 XR Honda motorcycles

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday received four XR Honda Motorcycles from GuyAmerica Construction Inc.The handing-over ceremo ny was held at the Tactical Services Unit Drill Square. According to acting Deputy itylyBrutus,(Administration)CommissionerCalvinthedonationistimeandwillaidtobuildcapacwithintheForce.Duringthesimplebutsig

nificant handing-over cere mony, Reeyad Khan, Director of GuyAmerica Construction Inc, noted that he looked for ward to many more partner ships with the GPF.

National SEN Coordinator Savvie Hopkinson

Regional

Bermuda braces for Fiona as Biden pledges support for Puerto Rico

Residents of Bermuda have boarded up their windows and stocked up on supplies as Hurricane Fiona moves closer to the territory after leaving a trail of destruction across the Caribbean over the past sev eralAsdays.ofThursday afternoon, Fiona had maximum sus tained winds of 125 kilome tres per hour (78 miles per hour) and was about 555km (345 miles) west-southwest of Bermuda, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said.

A hurricane warning remained in effect for all of Bermuda, an overseas British territory home to more than 60,000 people, while the NHC reported that the eye of the storm is expected to pass just west of Bermuda on Thursday night.“I encourage everyone to properly prepare for this storm [and] stay out of the water,” Premier David Burt wrote on Twitter. “Take care of yourself [and] your fam ily. Let’s all remember to check on as well as look out

for your seniors, family and neighbours.”Acrossthe island, peo ple cleared loose debris from yards and readied to close storm shutters: Many homes are built with small shuttered windows, slate roofs and limestone blocks to withstand frequent hur ricanes.“I’m taking every pre caution to stay safe,” said Dean Williams, a resident of the capital city of Hamilton. “Preparation is the key be cause at its highest inten sity we can do nothing but wait it out.”

At least eight deaths

have been attributed so far to Fiona, which has brought heavy rain and destruc tion to several parts of the Caribbean since last week end.

Officials are working to support residents across the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, which have all been affected by the hurri cane.United States President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the full force of his Administration was ready to help Puerto Rico recover from the devastation. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Warwick University Professor goes missing during Chile research trip

through the Warwickshire force, relatives said: "We are deeply concerned for Tom and miss him, and would ask anyone who may have information on his where abouts to please help."

Specialist Police Officers were supporting the family, Police said.

information or thinks they can help in any way, please contact the police.... Thank you."My family, and my dad's friends and colleagues, would be beyond grateful for any help or information."

Climate change: Spike in Amazon emissions linked to law enforcement

Carbon emissions in the Amazon region in 2019 and 2020 more than doubled compared to the average of the previous eight years, according to a newDeforestationstudy. for agri culture and fires were the main drivers of the increase, according to the authors.

The scientists say that a "collapse" in law enforce ment in recent years has en couraged forest clearing.

The research findings have been submitted for publication, but have yet to be independently re viewed.Ashome to the largest tropical forest on Earth, the Amazon plays a critical role

in maintaining the Earth's climate by storing massive amounts of carbon in trees andOversoils.the last few decades the forest has been under growing pressure as land has been cleared in Brazil and neighbouring countries, primarily for farming.

Last year researchers published data indicating that the eastern part of the forest was being cut down at such a rate that more car bon was being released than absorbed by the trees and vegetation.Nowthe same scientists believe that an explosion of forest clearing in the west ern part of the Amazon has also turned that region into

a source of carbon emis sions.Using small planes, the researchers have collect ed hundreds of air sam ples from different parts of the forest over the last 10 years.Their new study shows that in 2019, carbon emis sions increased by 89 per cent compared to the annu al average of emissions be tween 2010 and 2018. In 2020, the picture was even worse, with an increase of 122 per cent.

While fires played a role, the main factor was the re moval of trees by land clear ing, which increased by 75 per cent in 2020. (Excerpt from BBC News)

PM Mottley appeals for changes to global financial system

incur short-term debt and must be replaced by “at least 30-year money”.

Development Office (FCDO), INTERPOL, and Chilean authorities.The60-year-old's family said they were "deeply con cerned".Ina statement issued

In a post on social media, his daughter Tabitha said the family was "desperate" to find the Professor of as tronomy and astrophysics.

"He was out on an ob serving run at the La Silla Observatory in Chile when he went missing.

"The closest town is La Serena. If anyone has any

Provost of the University of Warwick, Professor Chris Ennew, said the founding professor of its astronomy and astrophysics group was reported as missing from the observatory.Hehad recently been working there as a visiting astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, Professor Ennew added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

CCJ hosts 1st hemispheric meeting of regional courts

History was made on Thursday morning as the first hemi spheric meeting of region al courts and tribunals in the Americas kicked off at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain.The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) said the twoday conference features "heads of judiciaries, senior judicial officers, jurists, ac ademics, and policy-makers from across the Region".

It will include sessions and discussions under the theme: Rule of Law and International Justice.

CCJ President Adrian

Saunders said the confer ence was especially signifi cant for the CCJ as it was the first in-person conference the court has held since March 2020."It is not by chance that the CCJ urged the conven ing of this gathering. It was a logical step for us.

"In the first place, here are regional courts, international court judges operating in this part of the world, defending and protecting the rule of law, ensuring that we faithfully carry out our respective man dates to interpret and apply the treaties that prescribe those mandates; and linked

together by similar aims and challenges."Hesaid since the CCJ was the youngest of all the courts represented at the conference, its youth was a motivating factor in its read iness to host.

"We, therefore, have a considerable amount to learn from the experience of the other courts. It is par ticularly in the CCJ’s inter est to discover best practices which we can adopt in or der to build upon the mod est advances we have made to date in the pursuit of our own mandate."(Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Worldleaders were challenged on Thursday to de mand change to the global financial system, so that it will better serve the major ity of today’s UN Member States.Prime Minister Mia Mottley spoke extensive ly about the need to reform the global financial archi tecture when she delivered Barbados’ national state ment to the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77).

Mottley said multilat eral institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund “no longer served the purpose in the 21st century that they served in the 20th century” and needed to bet ter reflect today’s realities and make it easier for cli mate-stricken countries to accessThecapital.Prime Minister re stated her long-held view that financing for devel opment for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Barbados could not

“The world recognised this when it allowed Britain to participate in the refi nance of its World War I bonds, which were only paid eight years ago, 100 years after World War I started,” sheMottleysaid. argued that Germany was allowed to cap its debt payments at the equivalent of five per cent of its exports, under the prem ise that the “cataclysmic” ex perience of a war was not go ing to allow them to finance reconstruction while repay ing debts incurred during the“Wewar. are no different,” she said. “We have incurred debts for COVID-19, for cli mate, and now to fight this difficult moment of the infla tion and [supply crisis].

“Why, therefore, must the developing world now seek to find money within seven to 10 years, when oth ers had the benefit of longer tenures to repay their mon ey?” (Excerpt from Nation News)

Baby dies after allegedly being fed insecticide by relative in Trinidad

Anine-month-old baby girl has died after be ing fed an insecticide by a female relative.

The woman reportedly has confessed, and is in Police cus tody.A nurse contacted the Police around 15:15h on Wednesday, after the baby was brought to the Princes Town Health Facility unre sponsive.When the Police arrived at the facility, they met the fe male relative who admitted

what she did.

She allegedly told them that she was at her New Grant home with the baby and a 10-year-old boy.

The woman said around 12:20h, the baby began to cry uncontrollably, and she be came frustrated and fed her Malathion insecticide using a syringe.Sheleft the baby on a bed. Shortly after she found her unresponsive. The woman called the ambulance which took the baby girl to the health

facility. She was then trans ferred to the San Fernando General Hospital where she died around 18:30h.

Police recovered a sy ringe, a baby bottle and a 250 ml bottle with the markings Malathion at the woman’s home.The female relative is still in Police custody.

Officers of the Princes Town Police Station and Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region 3 are investigating.

(Trinidad Guardian)

A man boards up a store in Hamilton, Bermuda, as Hurricane Fiona approaches on September 22 [Sebastien Vuagnat/AFP]

Prime Minister Mia Mottley assailed the global financial system during her address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday

AWarwickshireProfessorhasgonemissingduringaresearchtripinSouthAmerica,Policesay.ProfessorTomMarsh,aUniversityofWarwickacademicfromRugby,hadbeenvisitingLaSillaObservatoryinChile.HewaslastspokentoonFridayevening.WarwickshirePolicesaiditwasliaisingwiththeForeignCommonwealthand

OIL

Russia to begin annexation votes in Ukrainian regions

Russia will today be gin its plan to annex around 15 per cent of Ukrainian territory via ref erendums in four regions controlled by Russian forc es, a move the West says is a gross violation of interna tional law that significantly escalates the war.

Oil edges higher on Russian supply concerns in volatile trade Around the World

Oil settled nearly one per cent higher on Thursday, paring earlier gains as the market focused on Russian oil supply concerns, rebounding Chinese demand, and as the Bank of England hiked interest rates less than some had expected.

Brent crude futures settled up 63 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at US$90.46 after rising by more than US$2 earlier in the session.West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled up 55 cents, or 0.7 per cent at US$83.49, after rising by more than US$3 earlier in the session.

Russia pushed ahead with its biggest conscription since World War Two, raising concerns an escalation of the war in Ukraine could further hurt supply.

"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's bellicose rhetoric is what's propping up this market," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

Supply constraints from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) added further support, analysts said."OPEC crude exports have levelled off from a strong increase at the start of this month," said Giovanni Staunovo, commodity analyst at UBS.

The European Union is considering an oil price cap, tighter curbs on high-tech exports to Russia, and more sanctions against individuals, diplomats said, responding to what the West condemned as an escalation in Moscow's war in Ukraine.TheEuropean Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is also considering a temporary break on energy derivatives as prices have risen following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.Theparameters of such a mechanism should be set at the European Union (EU) level to apply to all platforms that trade energy derivatives, it said.

Crude oil demand in China, the world's largest oil importer, is rebounding, having been dampened by strict COVID-19 restrictions.TheBank of England raised its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 2.25 per cent and said it would continue to "respond forcefully, as necessary" to inflation.

The rate hike was "less than markets had been pricing and defying some expectations that UK policymakers might be forced into a larger move," ING bank said.

Turkey's central bank unexpectedly cut its policy rate by 100 basis points to 12 per cent, when most central banks around the world are moving in the opposite direction.

Following the US Federal Reserve's hefty 75 bps rise on Wednesday, rate increases also came thick and fast from the Swiss National Bank, Norges bank and Indonesia's central bank, and the South African Reserve Bank.

Interest rate hikes to quell inflation have weighed on equities, which often move in tandem with oil prices. Rate increases can curb economic activity and demand for fuel.

"This just shows how synchronised this current tightening cycle is," Deutsche Bank said. (Reuters)

AChinese official said on Thursday that the country was inmanChinaiswesternhumanNationsaction"counter-measures"readyingincaseistakenataUnitedbodyagainstitsrightsrecordintheregionofXinjiang.AgroupofcountriesmullingactionagainstatanongoingUNhurightscouncilmeetingGenevaaftertheUNhu

man rights office released a report saying the deten tion of Uyghurs and other

Muslims in China's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity.

"We are not afraid of that," Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang Government spokesman told journal ists in Geneva, referring to a possible anti-China mo tion at the council. "We are going to take countermea sures. We are ready for the fight actually, so that the light of justice can shine in the world," he said, without elaborating. (Reuters)

After nearly seven months of war, and a critical battle field defeat in north-eastern Ukraine earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin explicitly backed the refer endums after the Russiancontrolled regions lined up to ask for swift votes to join Russia.The self-styled Donetsk (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republics (LPR), which Putin recognised as independent just before the invasion, and Russianinstalled administra tions in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions will

holdThevotes.voting, which the West and Ukraine says is a sham, is due to begin today and will end on Tuesday, with results expected soon afterwards.Russiawill formally an nex the areas after the re

sults."The Kremlin is organis ing a sham referenda to try to annex parts of Ukraine," US President Joe Biden told the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"Ukraine has the same rights that belong to ev

ery sovereign nation. We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine," said Biden, who cast the war as part of a glob al contest between democra cy andUkraine,autocracy.whose post-Sovi et borders Russia recognised under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, says it will never accept Russian control of any of its territory and will fight until the last Russian soldier is Putin,ejected.Russia's para mount leader since 1999, said Russia would never abandon those in the regions it controls and whom he said wanted to secede from Kyiv.

In a direct nuclear warn ing to the West, Putin said he would defend Russian ter ritory - and these regions of Ukraine will be considered Russian territory by Moscow shortly - with all means at his disposal. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Israeli PM Lapid backs two-State solution with Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on Thursday for a two-State solution to decades of IsraeliPalestinian conflict and reas serted that Israel would do "whatever it takes" to stop Iran from developing a nucle ar bomb.Hismention of a twoState solution, the first by an Israeli leader in years at the United Nations General Assembly, echoed US President Joe Biden's sup port in Israel in August for

the long-dormant proposal.

"An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two States for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's se curity, for Israel's economy and for the future of our chil dren," Lapid said.

He added any agree ment would be conditioned on a peaceful Palestinian state that would not threat en Israel.Lapid spoke less than six weeks before a November 1 election that could return to

Iran: Raisi says Police custody death must be investigated

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said the death of a woman in Police custody must be investigated af ter it sparked widespread protests.Speaking on a vis it to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Raisi accused the West of hypocrisy for rais ing concerns over Mahsa Amini's death.

She died hours after morality Police arrested her for allegedly breaking headscarf rules.

At least 17 people have died in the worst unrest in Iran for Amini,years.aKurdish wom an from the north-western city of Saqez, died in hos pital in Tehran last Friday following three days in a coma.Raisi repeated a cor oner's conclusion that the young woman had not been beaten. Iranian Police said she had suf fered "sudden heart fail ure".Protesters reject the

State's conclusions, point ing to reports that officers beat Amini's head with a baton and banged her head against one of their vehicles.Thehard-line President warned the protesters that the "acts of chaos" were not acceptable.

He accused Western nations of "double stan dards", pointing to killings by Police in the United Kingdom and the US.

"Every day in different countries, including the United States, we see men and women dying in Police encounters, but there is no sensitivity about the cause and dealing with this violence," he added.

His shot back at the West came hours after the US announced sanctions to be placed on Iranian Morality Police.

The US treasury de partment said the sanc tions were for the abuse of Iranian women and the violation of protesters' rights. (Excerpt from BBC News)

power the right-wing former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longstanding opponent of the two-State solution.Israel captured East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza – areas that Palestinians seek for an independent state – in a 1967 Middle East war. USsponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.

In his speech, Lapid again denounced Iran and voiced Israel's determination to pre

vent its longtime foe from gaining a nuclear weapon.

"The only way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is to put a credible military threat on the table," he said. "We have capabilities and we are not afraid to use

them."Widely believed to have the Middle East’s only nu clear weapons, Israel re gards Iran as an existential threat. Tehran denies trying to develop a nuclear weapon.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

UN boss seeks “urgent report” after S Sudan sex abuse allegations

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has requested an “urgent report” detailing the ac tions taken by UN staff to ensure accountability af ter an investigation by The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera revealed that sexu al abuse allegations against aid workers at a UN-run camp in South Sudan have largely gone unchecked over theTheyears. Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal opened its doors in late 2013 to offer ref uge to people fleeing South Sudan’s ruinous civil war.

Accounts of sexual abuse committed by aid workers first emerged in 2015, but the scale of the problem has since grown despite a UNled task force charged with tackling it, according to aid workers, camp residents and victims interviewed by The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera. Reporters also an alysed several UN and Non-

Governmental Organisation (NGO)

“Thedocuments.Secretary General is appalled by these alle gations of sexual exploita tion and abuse which caus es irreparable harm to victims and their fami lies,” Guterres’s spokes person said in a statement to The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera after the publication of the report on Thursday.Thestatement added that the UN chief “has asked for an urgent report on the immediate actions being taken by the UN Country team to address sexual ex ploitation and abuse across our operations in South Sudan and ensure account ability”.The revelations suggest a litany of systemic failures and missed opportunities by the aid sector and a deep be trayal for vulnerable women and girls at the camp, which now hosts some 37,000 persons. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A service member of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stands guard at a polling station ahead of the planned referendum in Donetsk

China “ready for the fight” if Xinjiang motion is brought to UN rights body

DILBERT

SUDOKU

(June

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Gauge your every move. You will fall behind if you miscalculate what you can handle. Don't ignore how much prepara tion is necessary to reach your destina tion. Go above and beyond.

Make plans with someone who puts a smile on your face and offers mental stimulation. Your discussions will open a window of opportunity and help you discover what you want to do next.

Refuse to get into an emotional sit uation with someone who tends to em bellish or overreact. Stick to the truth and pay attention to detail, and you will avoid a troublesome argument.

Give whatever you do a twist that makes you stand out. Getting others to notice what you offer will lead to valu able opportunities. Broaden your hori zons and pursue your interests.

Know your audience. Preparation will help you address concerns that res onate with the people you are trying to impress. Mix business with pleasure. Seek support from like-minded people.

It's up to you to change; don't wait for someone to do the work for you. Digging in may be necessary if you want to make a difference. You must be willing to make a serious commitment.

Stick close to home. Don't feel the need to share your thoughts and feel ings. Arguing will not help you solve is sues. Focus on making your space func tional, and you'll find it easier to be

productive.Putyour

heart and soul into getting things done to your specifications. Share information with like-minded people, and you'll save time and money when putting your ideas to the test.

Be careful what you wish for and with whom you discuss private matters, and you'll avoid confusion. Don't trust anyone to do things your way or to pass along valid

Participateinformation.inenjoyable activities

and spend time with loved ones. How you conduct business will affect how oth ers view you. Friendly banter and a gen erous spirit will pay off.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Feb.

Put your energy where it will war rant a positive outcome, and don't stop until you are satisfied with the results. An opportunity will help you make a name for yourself.

Look for problems before you commit to something. Monitor what others do and how they feel before you share your beliefs. Having an idea of what you want and what will work for you will be key.

Football Association criticised over statement delay in lead-up to World Cup 2022 in Qatar

Campaigners have crit icised the Football Association for the "severe delay" in its state ment on human rights in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

On Wednesday, the FA launched an anti-discrimi nation campaign that would feature a OneLove arm band, and backed calls for compensation to be award ed for any injury or death related to a World Cup con struction project. Human Rights Watch has, however, questioned the timing of the move."The English Football Association's statement is welcome despite the severe delay," said spokesperson Rothna Begum. "With just weeks to go before the first football is kicked, it is ur gent that all football asso ciations maximise pressure on FIFA and Qatari author

ities to commit to, and set up, a fund that will com pensate wage theft, injuries and deaths since they were awarded the hosting of the World Cup in 2010.

"The statement notes that they needed the time to work out what role they needed to play, but we and many others have been call ing on them for much longer to step up their support for migrant workers."

The World Cup takes place in the Gulf state from 20 November to 18 December.TheFA says it has been in dialogue for more than a year over Qatar with human rights organisations, trade unions and non-governmen tal organisations, "in or der to get a balanced under standing of the key issues in the country”, and England captain Harry Kane plans to wear a OneLove armband

for Nations League games and at the World Cup.

The Netherlands began the OneLove campaign pri or to Euro 2020 to promote diversity and inclusion, and as a message against discrimination. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Wales and Switzerland are also sup porting the initiative.

It is estimated that up to 30,000 migrant labourers have been used on projects to build seven stadiums for the finals in Qatar, as well as a new airport, new metro and new

ashostfrastructureemployedhumangrantdredssaysAmnestyroads.Internationalthatsince2010,hunofthousandsofmiworkershavefacedrights’abuseswhiletobuildwiderinnecessarytothetournament,aswellthevenues.TheFAsaiditislobbying

Kipchoge plays down world record chances in Berlin Marathon

"I respect all the com petitors, but I treat myself as the best one," Kipchoge has said. "I have trained well. I know something else can happen, but I respect my trainings. What has changed is maybe the way I think. I treat marathons in a special way.

Raducanu beats Yanina Wickmayer to continue run at Korean Open

Double Olympic mara thon champion Eliud Kipchoge has played down his chances of setting a new world record when he lines up for his sixth Berlin Marathon on Sunday.

The 37-year-old set the current benchmark with a spectacular time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds on his last outing in the German capital four years ago; and the Kenyan has since won his fourth London Marathon, retained his Olympic title in Japan last year, and finished first in the Tokyo Marathon in March as well.

"I always say I don't call a world record, but I want to run a good race," Kipchoge told BBC Sport Africa. "Be it a world record, be it a per sonal best, be it a good race,

but let us call it a good race. If all goes well and it be comes either a personal best and world record, then I will celebrate. I don't know my limits, actually, in Berlin, but I'll try to push myself. I don't know where [the] lim it is."In 2019, Kipchoge be came the first person to run the marathon under two hours, with an unofficial time of 1:59:40 in Vienna, Austria. He ran the fourth quickest time in history when he won in Tokyo six months ago, and as he re turns to the famously fast Berlin course this week end, he says the city is a "very good place" where the world record could be broken again."Itell

people that if you want to push your limits,

come to Berlin," he said. "I have shown the way to many athletes, to the next genera tion, that one day a human being will run under two hours in a normal course.

I don't think I'm going to run under two hours, but I'm going to Berlin to run a very good race, which will make everybody get inspired and love marathons and en joy watching."

Respect and records

Kipchoge has been con sistent with what inspires him to run, saying he wants to make the world "a run ning village". In Berlin, he will face defending champi on Guye Adola of Ethiopia. The pair went head-tohead at the 2017 Berlin Marathon, which Kipchoge won.

The last time I was in Berlin was before I actually ran a sub two-hour, and you can see now that the mental ity has changed a little bit on how to approach the race, on how to train. But the train ing is under the same coach, the same training routine - just injecting some small routines."Victory in Berlin would give Kipchoge a re cord-equalling fourth win, putting him level with Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie. Retaining the aim of being on the start line at the 2024 Paris Olympics to attempt to become the first athlete in history to win three Olympic marathons, Kipchoge says the discipline is as much a mental one as it is a tactical "Marathonone.is a very long event, and if your mind can not handle running for a very long time, then your tactics cannot work," he said. "When your mind is okay, then your muscles are good. So, I'm trying my best to convince my mind that I've done a thorough train ing. The mileage is already in my muscles, and the big day to implement all these things is coming," he said, (BBC Sport)

Britain's Emma Raducanu has defeat ed Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 6-3 7-5 to prog ress to the last eight in the Korea Open in Seoul.

Ranked 77th in the world, Raducanu broke Wickmayer's serve three times in a row at the end of the first set to seal the open er. A cagey second set end ed with Raducanu breaking once more, after being tak en to deuce in the previous game.The 19-year-old will next play Poland's world number 51, Magda Linette. Victory over Linette would be the first time Raducanu has won three matches in a sin gle tournament since her ex traordinary run to the US Open title in September 2021.World number 460, Wickmayer, who was ranked as high as 12th in the world before taking a break for the birth of her first child in 2021, grew into

the match and threatened to take the contest to a decider; but Raducanu, who has been working with Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov since July, kept her composure and con sistency to see out the win.

Elsewhere, defend ing champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo because of illness. The 24-year-old was due to play Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round. "This has and always will be a special tournament for me, and I wish I could have stepped on court today, but my body won't let me," she said.The four-time Grand Slam winner, who has slipped to 48th in the world, had won only one of her pre vious seven matches before arriving in her native Japan. Her first-round victory over Daria Saville came after the Australian tore knee lig aments in their match on Tuesday. (BBC Sport)

Emma Raducanu

football's world governing body FIFA to construct a mi grant workers' centre, and that workers would be in vited to the England team's World Cup training base in Al Wakrah to engage with

players.Begnum said the arm bands were "an important symbol to show support". But she added: "All football asso ciations should also be call ing on the Qatari authorities

to ensure that no-one faces discrimination for their gen der, sexual orientation, and regardless of whether they are Qatari or foreign nation al, during or after the World Cup." (BBC Sport)

Migrant workers have helped to construct the stadiums that will stage the World Cup

Hetmyer hails Smith for match-winning heroics against Tallawahs

Premier League (CPL) tourna ment on Wednesday.

With the Warriors desperate ly needing a result in their first match on home soil this season, Smith impacted the game deci sively at both ends. Batting first, the Warriors found themselves in deep trouble at 98 for 7, before Smith bludgeoned 42 from 16 and shared in a seventh-wicket part nership of 74 from 27 with Keemo Paul, to push the team to a re

spectable 178 for 8.

On the back of a defiant 104 from Brandon King, the Tallawahs seemed poised for an unlikely victory, needing just 20 off the last over. King got things started off with a 6, but Smith shut the door, taking 2 wick ets and effecting a runout for an overall 26 runs. He was named the man of that match.

“I actually had no idea we would have actually gotten that

many. I was actually thinking let’s get to 140/ 150 and we’ll fight, but as we saw today, it was a fan tastic innings from him (Smith). Hats off to him!” Hetmyer has said of Smith's contribution.

“He played one of the most special innings that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, and he’s one of those guys that anything can happen on a given day. He’s just one of those special guys.” (Sportsmax)

The 12th edition of the South American Games is sched uled to be held in Asuncion, Paraguay from October 1st to 15th, and Guyana’s par ticipation therein would be in the disciplines of badmin ton, boxing, squash and table tennis.The team for each of these sporting disciplines would be accompanied by a coach. In the case of boxing, a man

ager has also been select ed to travel with the team. The Chef de Mission/Head of Mission for the said games is Keavon Bess, President of the Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GBBFF), who had also served as Chef de Mission for the 11th South American Games in Bolivia in 2018.

The Badminton players would be first to spring into action when they square off

on the 1st and conclude their outing on the 7th of October. Boxing punches off on the 7th and its final round would be on the 13th of October. Table Tennis serves off from the 8th and concludes on October 14, Squash runs from 9th to 15th October.

Guyana’s athletes for the South American Games are as follows:

Badminton: - Naeem Haque (Coach)

Joshua Football Tournament commences this weekend

Boxing:

- Terrence Poole (Coach) - Gregory Cort (Manager)

Squash: - Garfield Wiltshire (Manager)

- Ashley Khalil

Table Tennis - Idi Lewis (Coach)

- Christopher Franklin - Shemar Britton

- Elishaba Johnson - Chelsea Edghill - Natalie Cummings - Priscilla Greaves.

CLASSIFIED

BUS

Bus Service: Need a bus? Call us. Planning a Tour? Call us. Matthew’s Bus Service and Tours. Call or WhatsApp: 639-2663 or 673-2348.

FOR RENT

Aferya

Denny, the mother of Joshua Denny, will be coor dinating a 4-team compe tition in his honour. The tournament will be com peted at the under-20 level among Camptown, Santos, Fruta Conquerors, and Georgetown Football clubs.

Joshua Denny, who had represented the Lodge Secondary School team at the Milo and KFC tourna ments, and had also rep resented the Camptown Football Club from un der-11 to the senior lev el, was robbed and brutal ly murdered on September 30, 2021 while on his way to

work.“It is against this back drop myself and family

wish to host this tourna ment to sensitise the pub lic, and more so the youths, about working to achieve their goals, instead of crime,” Aferya Denny has said.The theme of this tournament is “Mothers Against Violence”, and it will be hosted on September 23 and 30

at the Ministry of Education Ground. It takes the format of a knockout tournament. See fixtures below.

TOURSSERVICE

Tours: Planning a tour or planning a trip? Call Matthew’s Bus Service and Tours. Call or WhatsApp: 6392663 or 673-2348.

WANTED

For international visitors seeking over six (6) months or long term contractual new ly built house, fully furnished 5 bedrooms, bathrooms, ed 5 minutes Timehri Contact Brian Baksh at +13476134987 657-5574

Hero Caribbean

-He’s just one of those special guys, he says

The late Joshua Denny

- Priyanna Ramdhani

- Narayan Ramdhani

- Akili Haynes

- Keevin Allicock

- Desmond Amsterdam - Colin Lewis

- Nicolette Fernandes

- Taylor Fernandes - Larissa Wiltshire

Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis and Desmond Amsterdam

The Ramdhani siblings

Nicolette Fernandes

Olympian Chelsea Edghill

Odean Smith

South

Rutherford's half-century instrumental in Patriots’ win over TKR in CPL 2022

By Brandon Corlette

and Guyanese

Kevin Sinclair.

In pursuit of the target, TKR had a slow start, with Leonardo Julien departing for one at 5-1, and Colin Munro making only three before being trapped by Kevin Sinclair, who made his Patriots debut.

Kieron Pollard promoted

himself to number four and attempted to rebuild with Tim Seifert, but Pollard was living a charmed life, being given not out leg-be fore twice to Rashid Khan, and being dropped. The big Trinidadian was also pep pered by Rutherfordwith some test ing shortballs before he teed off against Akila Dananjaya, the man he once slammed for six maximums when he was skipper of the West Indies. Pollard slammed him for consecutive sixes, but Dwyane ‘The Champion’ Bravo removed his counter

part when he held out to long-on for a 36-ball 31. Pollard, who depart ed with TKR on 79-3 in 12.2 overs, added 57 runs

andSeifert,withNewZealandercontinuedtooccupy the crease, turning on the heat when he switch-hit Sinclair for a six. The Berbician Sinclair then got his re venge by claiming his sec ond wicket when he re moved Nicholas Pooran (15) by way of stumping.

Seifert reached his half-century in 42 balls, but his innings ended af ter he had scored 59 from 47 balls. Andre Russell came and threatened

ed with 3-33 in four overs, while Sinclair had 2-18 in his Earlier,quota. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won the toss and opted to bat first on the same Providence sur face that was used on Wednesday.Trinbago Knight Riders got the early

Brevis added 57 runs to gether in the death overs. Rutherford slammed five sweet sixes and six fours, while Brevis slammed five sixes in six balls, ending on 30 not Theout.penultimate over, which was bowled by

Hosein, yielded 30 runs, as Patriots posted a strong total of 163-6 in 20 overs.

South African pacer Daryn Dupavillon had 3-38 from four overs for TKR.

Patriots have completed their league matches, and have scored eight points.

wicket of Andre Fletcher, who laboured for his two from 12 balls.

At 12-1 after 3.1 overs, Keacy Carty joined Evin Lewis, but runs were dif ficult to come by. Carty played a poor shot and was bowled by Akeal Hosein for five, as Patriots slipped to 20-2 in 6.2 overs.

Eight runs later, Lewis departed for 15 from 19 balls to give Samit Patel a wicket, but Darren Bravo and the dangerous Rutherford add ed 66 runs from 54 balls to put Patriots back on track. Bravo struck a promising 23 from 21 balls in an innings that included two fours and oneRutherfordsix. showed his class in hitting the ball clean. The left-hand ed Rutherford and Dewald

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Akeal Hosein 4-0-39-1

Daryn Dupavillon 4-0-38-3

Andre Russell 3-0-29-1

Anderson Phillip 2-0-16-0

Sunil Narine 4-0-13-0

Samit 1-0-7-1

Kieron Pollard 2 -0-17-0

Tim Seifert scored a fine half-century for TKR

Sinclair claimed two wickets on his debut for Patriots (Photos: CPL)

Brevis made 30 from six balls

Rutherford slammed a brilliant 78

Dupavillon claimed three wickets for TKR

CPL WarriorsGuyana2022:Amazonare2in on home turf

By Brandon Corlette

Acentury from St Lucia

Kings captain Faf du Plessis went in vain as Guyana Amazon Warriors recorded their second win in as many nights at the elec trifying Guyana National Stadium at Providence, EBD.

Led by another Shai Hope classic and Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blazing half-centu ry, Warriors chased down 195 to win by six wickets.

In hot pursuit of the tar get, openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Chandrapaul Hemraj added 81 runs, with 71 of those coming in the pow er play.When Hemraj played

across the line and was bowled for 29 by Roston Chase, Gurbaz continued to ignite the Providence Stadium, striking seven fours and two sixes in his 26-ball 52; but his was the second Warriors’ wicket to fall, when the score was on 85-2 in 8.1 overs.

With the next ball, off-spinner Mark Deyal sent AlShakibback

Hasan for a golden duck, and Warriors lost three quick wick

However, Captain Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope took the score to 100-3 after ten overs, and the chase was set up.Hetmyer, who sur vived an umpire’s call deci sion and continued his merry way, playing some free-flow ing strokes, was eventual ly caught at deep backward square for a 28-ball 36 off Alzarri Joseph. His innings was decorated with two fours and one Aftersix.the 63-run part nership between Hope and Hetmyer ended at 148-4 from 15.2 overs, Romario Shepherd partnered the classy Barbadian Hope, who destroyed Roshan Primus by slamming him for three sixes in three balls to put Warriors in the driver’s seat. Hope reached his fifty in 25 balls, and he finished things in style to give Warriors a big win, as he ended on 59 from 30 balls, and his score was decorated with five sixes and two Markfours.Deyal claimed 2-32 in a dif

ficult night for the bowlers.Earlier, Kings won the toss and opted to bat first, after the Warriors play ers had greeted President Dr Irfaan Ali of Guyana. Romario Shepherd made an early im pact when he removed Mark Deyal for a duck, caught at mid-on.Niroshan Dickwella then took ten runs off Junior Sinclair's first over, and Faf du Plessis then struck 17 runs off Shepherd's second over, including four boundar ies.Kings raced away to 50 in the sixth over, post ing 62 runs in the pow erplay, and the South African du Plessis reached his fifty from 29 balls.

Warriors bowlers were tak en to the sword, as Kings reached 98-1 in 10 overs. Faf was all guns blazing, while Dickwella played a support ing role. The duo added 132 runs before Dickwella de parted for a 32-ball 36.

Captain Faf continued to light up Providence with his masterful strokeplay, but he lost partners in Adam Hose

(01), who was stumped off Shakib; and David Wiese, who was trapped by the same bowler for 12.

At 157-4 in 16.3 overs, Kings were searching for a strong finish, and Faf reached his century in 56 balls, but three runs later, his in nings came to an end when he was cleaned up by the quick Odean Smith. By then

skipper had already slammed ten classy fours and six Primusmaximums.(11) and Chase (17) ended Kings’ innings on 194-5 when their 20 overs had expired. Shakib claimed 2-33 from his four overs on a hard day for bowlers.

The tournament will continue on Saturday with TKR playing Warriors at Providence from 19:00h.

is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unify ing force. As we celebrate “One Guyana”, the hosting of the CPL final will be an energis ing force. We are building a product that will be spectator-focused, integrated with our re gional partners for a global market. Cricket

Carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other glob al cricketing event. We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, pageantry, Caribbean vibes with a South American touch, and, of course, cricket played loud est.” GUYANA, CPL

Onbehalf of the management, coach ing staff and players of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, I would like to welcome all the fans in our dear land of Guyana who will be coming out from today in numbers to fill our National Stadium in all our games – and those who could not get in because the tickets were all sold out with in a few days. In the ten years that the Hero T20 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has been in existence, I can say – without any fear of being accused of exaggeration that you have been the most consistent in dem onstrating support for your team – and for CPL Cricket – in all of the territories.

And I repeat, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are your team and your vociferous support of your team in and out of the sta dium has proven to be their secret weapon – providing at crucial moments that rush of adrenalin that takes teams across the line from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victo ry. Your Guyana Amazon Warriors have re sponded by being the most consistent team in the last decade. And they have become known as a team that never say die.

This year, our season was bookmarked between the end of the month of August – the month we have commemorated as “Freedom Month” for more than a century and a half – and the end of September, which is the month we celebrate “Amerindian Heritage Month” in honour of our First Peoples. During that time, we West Indians have marked that freedom and indigenous ness by achieving success in several fields –but nowhere else more unique than in the culture we evolved in celebrating life itself. Maybe it is because, more than most other

places, our history has made us appreciate life more, since it could have been so easily taken from us. This year, we have launched a unique Cricket Carnival to bring it all to gether!Cricket has been an integral part of Caribbean life, and as I have said in previ ous years, T20 might have been launched elsewhere, but its joie de vivre and all its synonyms – cheerfulness, cheer, light-heart edness, merriment, glee, gladness, happi ness, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, delight, pleasure, high spirits, good spirits, good hu mour, jollity, jolliness, hilarity, mirth, jovi ality, exuberance, elation, exultation, eu phoria, jubilation – declare it was “born” in the West Indies.

Once again, on behalf of your Guyana Amazon Warriors I ask that you join me as I say with all sincerity: GO WARRIORS! – Let us celebrate the joy of Caribbean Cricket!!

“Cricket

WELCOME TO GUYANA, CPL 2022

Guyana is a proud host of the highlyanticipated finals of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022, the do mestic Twenty20 cricket league played here in the West

WeIndies.warmly welcome the teams, players, coaches, and their fans for the final leg of the tournament. The first game in Guyana is set for Wednesday, September 21, and will climax with the fi nals on Friday, September 30.

An exciting brand of cricket is expected from the six teams participating in the tournament name ly, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Barbados Royals, Trinbago Knight Riders, St Lucia Kings, and, of course, the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

This is the 10th season of the CPL, but the first time that the finals are being held in Guyana. We anticipate an electrifying atmosphere from the wave of fans who will fill seats at the National Stadium in Providence to witness the games.

My fervent hope, like many Guyanese, is for our Amazon Warriors to draw inspiration from the games being staged in Guyana to finally reward their passion ate and loyal fans by win ning the elusive CPL cham pionship on home soil.

Notwithstanding, host ing the CPL is a special mo ment for Guyana.

As a result of the vi

sion and investments of our Government, led by Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, the CPL finals were secured, particularly given the socioeconomic development bene fits that cricket offers.

The CPL games in Guyana are paired with Cricket Carnival, a fun, vi brant and colourful medley of activities held under the “One Guyana” theme.

This is the first of three annual CPL finals and Cricket Carnivals to be host ed byTheGuyana.CPLand the carnival events mean a lot to Guyana as our unwavering drive is to bring people together and to unify the country. There is no better way to achieve this than through sports and culture.

Both events fulfil the Government’s overall mis

sion of promoting Guyana as a top-tier international destination for investment, tourism, entertainment, sports, food, and cultural ac tivities.There is something for everyone to enjoy, including music festivals, food shows, concerts, competitions, and organised tours.

More importantly, the Government’s inten tion through the events is to invest in its people as a springboard that will foster economic opportunities for every Guyanese.

In advance of the CPL, we noted that hotels were booked solid and numer ous economic opportunities have opened up for bed and breakfast accommodations, vendors, restaurants, bars, transportation services, and tourGuyanaoperators.israpidly evolv ing as an oil and gas market,

and our Government has mapped out a transforma tional development trajec tory that will ensure the di versification of our economy by using the gains from this natural resource for coun trywide development.

We will continue to build out many new pillars so that our economy will be resil ient, strong and sustainable. Combined, CPL and the Cricket Carnival is one such avenue Government has ad opted as a unifying catalyst

for economic growth.

On behalf of the Government and the people of Guyana, I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to thousands of visitors from across the globe, particular ly our Caribbean Region.

“The 10th anni versary finals in Guyana will be the biggest finals the CPL has ever had. We'll have sell out crowds to all the games, there's going to be an ex traordinary atmosphere. As I said, that coming together of Carnival and cricket will

never be seen better than in Guyana this year. So, for us it is all about, you know, en joying what's ahead. I think it's going to be a phenom enal few days in Guyana, and I hope all the fans, both watching at home and in the stadium, will enjoy the expe rience.”

By Jemima Holmes

In 2014, a lanky Guyanese lad from Cumberland, Berbice got another shot at represent ing the West Indies on the international stage, having played Under-15 cricket pre viously. Two years later, the same teenager achieved the unthinkable – the opportuni ty to lead that very Under-19 team that he was first select ed for, two years prior.

Upon his return from Bangladesh with the West Indies’ first Under-19 World Cup trophy and a smile that you could spot miles away, the Berbician lad was hailed as the “Captain of Destiny” by a Guyana Chronicle writ er – a title that is truly fit ting, six years down the road.Of course, the individual needs no introduction. He is Shimron Hetmyer, Captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and only the sec ond Guyanese to hold the ti tle in the franchise’s 10-year

be played at the Guyana National Stadium.

I’d like to call that desti ny.

“I got the opportunity now to captain my side and captain my country as well; it’s something that I can’t wait to actually go out on the field and start doing,” Hetmyer told the Hero CPL’s media team prior to the com mencement of the 2022 sea

son.“Being here for a while I think, yes, I am ready,” the left-handed batsman added.

As one would expect, Hetmyer has been looking forward to his rise in the ranks for quite a while; may be even since his entry into the Warriors team in 2016, months after his World Cup glory. The then 19-year-old only played a single match for the Warriors, but two years later announced him self as the flamboyant bats man Guyana has come to know and

However,love.Hetmyer, who is still the youngest player to slam a Hero CPL century (having done so as a 21-yearold), is looking to bring more than boundaries and maxi mums to the table.

“I’m very excited actu ally. It’s something that I’m

a team player than just try ing to hit 6s and 4s basical ly.”

He continued, “So, I’m trying as much as possible to do as much as I can, in terms of being the captain, trying to help out as much as I can and just being there for the team.”Of course, the captain cy hat is one that we have not seen Hetmyer taking on much, since 2016. Aside from occasional stints at the national level, Hetmyer has stayed far from leadership, but this time around, the challenge is what enticed him.“I think it’s the experi ence really. Being around the West Indies team, I think I’ve learned a lot, in terms of how to go about doing stuff as someone in a leadership group. I’m just trying to do my best, in terms of trying to help the guys that are com ing up in their careers and who’re in the centre part of their careers. To really push on and really play more for the West Indies,” the 25-year-old said.

When it comes to pres sure situations, Hetmyer is pretty confident that there is enough support for his team to rely on.

plained, weighing the pres sures of performing at home and the captaincy, “Knowing that you’re playing at home, it’s always fun and exciting, but it’s also very challeng ing, because of the fact that you know you have to win, or there’s this pressure on you to win.”

Nonetheless, Hetmyer is very eager to get to the

Guyana, the crowd and so on and knowing the conditions that I’m playing in as well, so, all of that helps. It makes it just a little bit more exciting, a little bit more special when you actually win games in Guyana.”“Winning the World Cup, it was just a breath-tak ing feeling. There were just so many different thoughts running through each and everyone’s head,” A young er Hetmyer had reflected to the International Cricket Council (ICC) back in 2020.

He went on to add, “Lifting the trophy, that was a feeling like no other, be cause being the first captain to do it and then having such a wonderful team and some great guys that I actually grew up with since Under-15 cricket, that made it even moreAndspecial.”now, the GAW

Captain would love nothing more than to raise the Hero CPL trophy at the Guyana National Stadium.

“That’s something all Guyanese players, fans, ev eryone have been looking for ward to and more so myself, because I literally cannot wait to go back to Guyana and play some cricket.”

Think about it: a GAW team stacked heavily with Guyanese players, the Guyanese fans enthralled in the boisterous crowd as they revel in the glory of win ning their first Hero CPL trophy, at the first final to ever be played at their home ground. And, of course, they are being led in celebra tions by none other than the only captain who has led an Under-19 West Indies side to World Cup victory.

Some occurrences have destiny written all over them, and Shimron Hetmyer’s cap taincy is one of them.

very year, as Hetmyer leads the local fran chise in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the Amazon Warriors may have the opportunity to play their first CPL final at home, the first time that the final will

really looking forward to, to be honest and it’s something I think I could learn a lot from, in terms of taking my cricket forward. Like how to manage my innings, how to look after my team, as well. Just to be a little bit more of

On this topic, he relat ed, “It’s always good to know that there’s guys you could always go to and find out what they’re thinking and they could help you, in terms of field setting, who to bowl at a specific time, just to make sure that everything runs“There’ssmoothly.a lot of guys there that’s actually experi enced.”One pressure situation that Hetmyer might not be able to escape that easily is the thousands of adoring fans in the Guyana National Stadium, holding strong to the hope that Captain Hetmyer would get their team over the line this time.

“It’s a little bit of both, to be honest,” Hetmyer ex

Hetmyer’s batting has also reflected his intent to lead well

Shimron Hetmyer is embracing the captaincy role

Shimron Hetmyer is no stranger to lifting trophies as captain

Guyana leg of the Hero relish“[But]HeCPL.related,Ireallyplayingin

Shimron Hetmyer: The long-proclaimed “Captain of Destiny”

WhenPresident Dr Irfaan Ali boldly declared his intention in December 2021, to bid for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals in Guyana, lit tle did anyone know that the Head of State had bigger plans in mind.

A grand celebration of Guyanese and Caribbean culture, an array of colours and costumes, coupled with the sport that the Region enjoys the most, was what he had in mind. And so, Cricket Carnival was birthed.

“The loudest it will ever be!” was the vow President Ali made on the evening of March 30, 2022, when he went on to announce the inaugural Cricket Carnival, a fusion of fete and cricket that has never been attempted in the Caribbean Region before.

Of course, the thought of Cricket Carnival sounds easy to those who may not have an intricate knowledge of the planning that has gone into the event, but, in six months the

Cricket Carnival planning committee has managed to pull it off.

Simply put, the main objective of Cricket Carnival is to diversify Guyana’s tourism product, but for other sectors like culture and arts, it is said to be the driving force that will put Guyanese creatives on the map.

Of course, coupled with the Hero CPL, it would be hard for tourists to resist and that fact has unfolded well for Guyana.

“By the time we announced, all the rooms in the hotels were booked up and so, we launched the Bed and Breakfast programme that added 300 new rooms, those are most ly taken up, sorry to say,” Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond said about the response to Cricket Carnival.

She continued about the event’s future prospects, “In these next three years, this Cricket Carnival is only going to get big ger and bigger and we will be perfecting the

product every year. And, after three years, we will have a big surprise for you, it’s going to get even bigger.”

Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr has, however, offered a different perspective on the prospects of Cricket

“FromCarnival.theperformance arts area, those young people, they’re going to be able to get the biggest platform that they have ever had before. People from all around the coun try, the Region and the world will be here in Guyana and getting the opportunity to see our talent here. Getting them the name and face recognition that they would not have had otherwise,” he explained.

Ramson Jr further elucidated, “This is

an event that is streamed by 500 million people in the world, they get to see this. Five hundred million people tune in to the CPL finals and semi-finals. How would they have had that otherwise?”

Pegging the event as an outlet that will leap frog Guyana in sectors out side of agriculture and oil and gas, Ramson Jr also touched on the necessity of Government’s involvement.

He remarked, “What I want everyone to know, too, is that when we speak about Carnival, for us it’s Cricket Carnival, but Carnival in Trinidad, which has been the biggest in the Region, is not a Government-led process. It’s not the Government that budgets a significant sum of money, puts aside the mon ey to do all the events or puts together a committee that is chaired by the President and co-chaired by two Ministers.”

“It’s not done that way, but we’ve done it in this way, because we need to leapfrog the curve, so that we start to occupy space in a much more significant way,” Ramson Jr added.And indeed, the Cricket Carnival has put Guyana on the map; flights in and out of the country are booked, hotels reserved to capacity, and tourists from all around the globe are mingling comfortably with Guyanese natives.

The only aspect left that will make it a perfect picture of success is the music, food, culture and not to forget, the cricket. Let the fete begin!

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond

Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr

A glimpse of what to expect at Cricket Carnival

The 10th edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has already brought the vibes and the atmosphere is immaculate. To make things even sweeter, the “Biggest Party in Sport” launched the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL). The Guyana Amazon Warriors were selected as one of the three competing franchises as they possessed an exceptional line-up led by the one and only Stafanie Taylor. The squad comprised a well-balanced unit, with an equal balance of experience and youth.

Warriors Women’s batting strength

The team’s skipper, Jamaica-born Taylor emerged onto the international scene as a 17-year-old, hitting a 49-ball 90 on her T20 International debut against Ireland in 2008. In 2013, she became the only player in history, male or female, to ever achieve the number one OneDay International (ODI) ranking in both batting and bowling simultaneously. Taylor’s crown of glory came in 2016 when she led West Indies to the Women’s World T20 title. The talented allrounder has amassed a total of 5298 runs in the ODI format with a healthy average of 44.15 and a high score of 171. On the T20I scene, she has scored 3121 runs at an average of 35.87. With the experience of having led a team to a world title, Taylor was a definite fit for the Warriors camp, bringing a wealth of experience to the side.Another important player was Sri Lanka’s very own Chamari Athapaththu. She is her country’s highest run scorer in the T20 format. She is a hard-hitting player and by no means, needs an introduction as her reputation precedes her. The attacking left hander has played 90 ODIs and scored 2840 runs at an average of 31.91 while in the T20I format, she has blasted 2079 runs from 98 matches at an average of 22.11 with a high score of 113.

The middle order was bolstered by Vice Captain Shemaine Campbelle. The explosive middle-order batter hails from Berbice and has captained her national team. She is enjoying a resurgence in international cricket. Campbelle is a veteran of 77 ODIs with an average of 20.25, scoring 1357 runs with a high score of 105. In her 91 T20Is, she has an average of 13.10 and can change a match in the middle overs when her bat gets hold of the ball.

Opener Rashada Williams is a Jamaican cricketer who plays for the Jamaica women’s national cricket team in the Women’s Super50 Cup and the Twenty20 Blaze tournaments. In January 2019, Williams was named in the West Indies squad for their tour of Pakistan. She is a right-handed batter and is a wicketkeeper as well; she has played 16 ODI matches thus far with a high score of 78 not out.

Another young talent in the Guyana Amazon Warriors Women’s side was Rachel Vincent, a Trinidadian cricketer who plays for the Trinidad and Tobago women’s national cricket team in

the Women’s Super50 Cup and the Twenty20 Blaze tournaments. In June 2021, Vincent was named in the West Indies A Team for their series against Pakistan. In the said series in Pakistan, she registered a high score of 56 on July 12, 2021.

Chedean Nation, who is Jamaican, is a right-hand middleorder batter, who has represented the West Indies in 59 ODI matches and has scored a total of 812 runs with a high score of 51. In the T20Is, she has played 38 matches, scoring 406 runs with a high score of 63. Her role in the GAW-W team was to cement the middle order and set the tone for the power hitters.Zaida James, represents the Windward Islands Women and the West Indies A Women. In June 2021, James was named in the West Indies A Team for their Pakistan.againstseries

The St Lucian has scored 147 runs from four games in the Women U19 T20, 2022 tournament at an average of 73.50.

GAW-W’s all-round ability

Cherry-Ann Fraser is a Guyanese cricketer; the 23-year-old allrounder was added to the West Indies Women’s Twenty20 International squad in November 2019 as a replacement for the injured Stafanie Taylor. In May 2021, she was awarded a central contract by Cricket West Indies (CWI) and on September 16, 2021, she made her ODI debut against South Africa, bowling 1-33 in her seven overs. She was picked to showcase her exceptional talent as she has the ability to pick up wickets at will and can score runs through all parts of the ground.

Shabika Gajnabi plays for Guyana and the West Indies. She is a right-arm medium bowler. In August 2019, she was named in the West Indies squad for their series against Australia. On the regional scene, she has dominated with both bat and ball, as she emerged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Guyana Cricket Board’s Female Inter-County 50over competition, scoring 173 runs and taking five wickets. In the ODI format, she has taken 10 wickets while she has only taken one in T20Is.

Yet again, Captain Taylor appears on the list; she has shown her worth on the international scene and is one of the most sought-after players. With the ball, she has bagged 152 wickets at an economy rate of 3.52 in the ODI format while with the ball in T20Is, she has picked up 98 wickets at an economy rate of 5.66.

GAW-W’s bowling unit

The bowling unit is led by Ayabonga Khaka, the South African cricketer who plays for the national cricket team as a right-arm medium bowler. Khaka has played a total of 87 ODI matches and has bagged a total of 113 wickets at an economy rate of 4.14 with a best of 5-26. In the T20I format, she has played 42 games and picked up 37 scalps with a best of 4-23 at an economy rate of 6.43.

Kaysia Shultz is a Guyanese cricketer; the talented slow left-arm orthodox bowler is a main feature in the Guyana side as she has been representing the country since 2016. She was named in the West Indies squad for the Women’s T20I series against England, earning her maiden call-up to the team. Recently, she played for West Indies in a tour match against South Africa Women XI, and bowled figures of 1-23 off her six overs at an economy rate of 3.83.

Shamilia Connell is a Barbadian cricketer who represents the West Indies; the right-arm speedster has played a total of 56 ODI matches

and bagged 42 wickets at an economy rate of 4.62 with a best of 4-54. In T20Is, she has played 54 games and taken 36 wickets with a best of 3-14 at an economy rate of 6.54.

Karishma Ramharack is a Trinidadian cricketer who plays for Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies as a right-arm off-break bowler. She made her T20I debut on February 3, 2019. She has played 14 ODI matches and taken eight wickets with a best of 2-18 at an economy rate of 4.40. In the T20I format, she has played seven games and taken seven wickets with a best of 3-8 at an economy rate of 6.59.

Isani Vaghela was the baby of the Warriors camp, Vaghela is 16 years of age and plays for the United States of America Women’s team. She is a right-hand batter and bowls right-arm medium pace. She was also named in America’s squad for the 2021 Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe. On November 23, 2021, she played in America’s first match of the tournament against Bangladesh.

The 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is certainly a historic event. For the first time in the tournament’s history, a Women’s CPL was played, with three teams locking horns. While noting that this CPL signi fied growth of women’s cricket, Guyanese crick eter Kaysia Schultz said she was excited to rep resent the Guyana Amazon Warriors Women.

“It’s a great feeling to be a part of this his toric Women’s CPL, having a women’s franchise tournament in the Caribbean will surely grow women’s cricket,” the left-arm spinner said.

When asked about her expectations, the 25-year-old Schultz said she expected to see more fans support the women’s game. She also added: “In the future I’ll like to see more female

teams competing in the Women’s CPL, which will also widen the pool of Caribbean players.”

The Women’s CPL will certainly inspire more young female cricketers around the globe. According to Schultz, the CPL is a huge inspi ration for young Caribbean players to share the same dressing room with international stars.

“It’s a huge inspiration for young female cricketers to share the same dressing room with top international players and gain knowledge to develop our game, and even to young female cricketers aspiring to make a career out of crick et,” the humble spinner added.

When asked about her emotions when she first heard she was playing in the Women’s CPL, Schultz said it was a dream come true.

whencomedream“AtrueIfound

out I was playing for my home franchise, it’s every cricketer’s dream to be play ing for their home franchise as well.”

Schultz, who finished with eight wickets in the Women’s T20 Blaze, which was held in Guyana earlier this year, said her goal was to capture the most wickets and help Warriors lift the Whiletrophy.theentire Women’s CPL is be ing played in St Kitts this year, Schultz has hopes of playing at Providence, in front of her family and friends. She explained that it would mean a lot for her.

By TimoTHy Jaikarran

The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) fixtures for the 2022 season were announced with the best crick eting talents from across the Caribbean and from around the world set to be part of the Biggest Party in Sport. As such, local son of the soil, Chandrapaul Hemraj is set to turn out in his patriotic Guyana Amazon Warriors colours as he is eager to hit the field and showcase his talent before his home crowd.

The talented left hander in the 2021 edition had blast ed a scintillating 105 not out against the Barbados Royals, which he deemed as one of his most memorable moments.

“Being able to score a century last year definitely gave me the confidence going into this tournament, knowing I can score bigger at this level. I am very much prepared going into this tournament, I have it very clear. I understand my role and responsibility with the team, but you know as an opening batsman, I see myself as an entertainer and that’s what I’m going to do this season and I’m looking forward to entertaining my fans.”

In the 2021 edition of CPL, Hemraj was the third highest run scorer for the Warriors with 254 runs at an average of 25.40 with a strike rate of 133.68. In 2022, he played in the US Minor League and from his 11 games, he walked away

with 353 runs at a strike rate of 177.39 and an average of 35.30; he also scored two centuries in the league with a high score of 130.

As he has been playing minor league cricket during his off season, Hemraj came into the CPL with some form. In further preparation, he had been challenging himself to bat 12 to 15 overs every game. The fitter-looking Hemraj has been putting in the necessary work over the past few months as he prides himself on bringing out the best version of himself. “Over the last few months, I have been putting in a lot of work in the gym, a lot of strength work, been plac ing some emphasis on my diet and coming into this tourna ment I feel more prepared, mentally and physically. I don’t want to be overconfident, but I just want to be prepared,” he shared.Hemraj has stated that one of the things he would be looking forward to is playing in front of his friends and fami ly and the huge crowd at the National Stadium. He revealed that the National Stadium was a venue where he enjoys batting and was optimistic that he would be able to help the Warriors bag some victories.

As it relates to how confident he is that the Warriors will lift the trophy, Hemraj explained that it is his belief that the process is very important for the team. He clarified that as much as one would like to look at the results and

that the team just needed to go through the process and once they get to the semi-finals, take it home for the fans.The talented Guyanese also reiterated that for him, it was a privilege to represent the Warriors year after year as he stressed on the importance of playing in front of his friends and family. He stated that it was an honour to rep resent the Guyana Amazon Warriors and he has spent four years with them. He added that in this time, he has gained a lot of experience and he believes that now is the time to show some more maturity and have a good season.

Hemraj ended the interview by saying, “We all know that Warriors fans are one of the most passionate fans out there, but I think it’s time for us to deliver it. Time for us to give them what they have been asking for from the incep tion. We have a good bunch of players here, a good bunch of locals and international players and I’m very confident we are going to deliver this year.”

For a company as large and successful as ExxonMobil, the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is increasingly important.

For the oil and gas giant, its CSR knows no bounds, ranging from educational ini tiatives including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), community projects and agriculture to, of course, sport.

Since ExxonMobil began consistent operations in Guyana, it has contributed heavily to several sport disciplines, such as athletics, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, motor rac ing, squash, tennis and volleyball.

Only this year, the company has resuscitated its Petra-organised ExxonMobil Under-14 Boys’ and Girls’ schools’ football tournament, which fills a critical gap in youth football

ExxonMobil has sponsored both the GAW Men’s and Women’s teams this year

development, between the Pee- Wee (Under-11) and Under-18 levels. ExxonMobil also eagerly hopped onboard as the title sponsors of the National Schools’ Basketball Festival, which has introduced and produced national youth players sinceNot2006.to mention the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will don the company’s logo for the sixth consecu tive year. Not only has Exxon thrown its support behind the men’s team, but its support for the women’s team in the inaugural Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has been equally consistent.

To be frank, ExxonMobil is the perfect picture of sport involvement and develop ment, and the company is always elated to play the role.

“The many benefits of sport are wellknown, and we take our role as a part of the Guyanese community very seriously. That’s why we support sports at the youth lev el as well as raising our sponsorship of the Warriors,” ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge shared as the compa ny announced its support for the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Men and Women.

Similarly, Community Relations Advisor Ryan Hoppie shared at the commencement of the third ExxonMobil U14 football tour nament, “You know sport is very important for youth development, and we know that it brings both physical and mental benefits, but, also the camaraderie among players within the team!”

Additionally, given that the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is return ing to Guyana, after being hosted in soli tary destinations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, ExxonMobil is going all-out for sport once again.

There will be a booth at the Guyana National Stadium on every game day, where Guyanese patrons can interact and play games for chances to get their hands on prizes.Aside from this, the company is plan ning activities where fans can meet Guyana Amazon Warriors players.

ExxonMobil’s hands-on approach to en suring sport development in the country is a great example of avid investment in sport development. One can only hope that more corporate entities will take a page out of Exxon’s book.

Earlier this year, ExxonMobil became the title sponsors of the National Schools' Basketball Festival

ExxonMobil’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Marcus Tripp was present for the kickoff of their Boys’ and Girls’ U14 football tournament

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is known as the biggest party in sport. During the COVID-19 pan demic, this was the first league to host a bio-secured tournament, and it was a success. The stands were empty, as fans were not al lowed, and the tournament was played in one country only. For the players, it was difficult, as they were not allowed to leave the hotel/ bubble.Come 2022, the CPL is being played in four countries:St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. The fans are back, and stands are filled to capac ity. Players are allowed to move around the different Caribbean countries, and even have their families withThethem.2022 CPL has burst the bubble, and players, match officials, and own ers are relishing this expe rience. Moreover, the 2022 CPL was historic in nature, with the first Women’s CPL being played in St Kitts, and the newest format, 6IXTY being played in St Kitts as well.

From St Kitts to Guyana, fans are going wild for tick ets, which are high in de mand. This is according to the numbers and a re cent comment from CPL’s Head of Marketing, Chris Watson.“Across all four of host locations this year, the sales have been really strong, and the reaction has been huge. Particularly in Guyana, the new box office

in Camp Street, the guys have seen great levels of interest, with some games sold out already. So, it has been a strong reaction.”

“Surprisingly, for some of the neutral games, 10 in the morning has been on sale, and it shows how hun gry fans are to come out to a more normal CPL,” he said.

“We have not been able to put on games in Guyana since 2019, so we are really excited to bring a more nor mal CPL this year.”

In recent interviews with fans at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, the excitement for the return of CPL has been over-the-roof. Fans from the United States of America, who are Guyanese by birth, noted that the CPL has the best atmosphere and it was good for them to see live ac tion

Fromagain.a Guyanese stand point, the CPL carnival in Guyana has attracted a large number of tourists. A majority of the hotels are booked and this is evidence of the high level of interest for CPL 2022, the tourna ment where the bubble was officially burst.

Guyana Amazon Warriors Squad for 2022 CPL: Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Tabraiz Shamsi, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Colin Ingram, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Paul Stirling, Shai Hope, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Jermaine Blackwood, Gudakesh Motie, Ronsford Beaton, Veerasammy Permaul, Junior Sinclair, and Matthew Nandu.

A few fans from the United States of America came to witness the CPL live and direct (Brandon Corlette photos)

Fans were delighted with the return of CPL