Guyana Times - Monday December 21, 2020

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4506

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

Licence granted for Caribbean’s largest quarry operation in Region 7 …company to revolutionise industry with state-of-the-art technology See story on page 2

1-year anniversary of 1st oil

ExxonMobil reaches targeted 120,000 barrels of oil per day Pages 7 & 15

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Treat persons P14 seeking public assistance with dignity – Persaud to Ministry’s staff $91M heavyduty bridge P13 commissioned in Region 2

20 new COVID-19 cases detected, 7 persons in ICU P12 Guyanese among 3 killed in P13 Queens, NY fire

…Govt contributed to success – Minister Bharrat

Accelerate e-services to boost efficiency – Finance Minister tells GRA

Page 12

Page 8

Berbice motorcyclist killed after riding into cow

LM&TC looking to decentralise transportation services – Mayor

P14

Page 10

“Life more important” – father of 2 says as he rushes from burning home

Govt targeting February for Budget 2021 Page 3

…Guyanese to see further manifestations of manifesto promises – official

P17 Accident leaves AGM worker nursing mangled leg

2 NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Licence granted for Caribbean’s largest quarry operation in Region 7 …company to revolutionise industry with state-of-the-art technology

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he Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has granted a large-scale Quarry Licence (QL) for the extraction and processing of rock to produce boulders and various sizes of aggregate in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The licence was issued to Black Jaguar Investment Group Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the El Dorado Trading Group of Companies, on December 1, 2020. It is for operations along the Mazaruni River in the vicinity of Marshall Falls. This QL covers an aerial extent of 7086 acres, making it the single largest QL in existence - not just in Guyana but the Caribbean region.

The combined acreage of the other existing QLs in Guyana is less than the size in the QL obtained by Black Jaguar Investment Group Inc. In a statement on Sunday, the company said the area covered by this QL hosts deposits of granite and gabbro type rocks.

“These rocks are excellent for use as first-class aggregate in the construction industry. The elevations within 75 per cent of the area enclosed by the QL are greater than 200 feet, the maximum elevations exceed 300 feet. The 300 feet contour covers approximately 40 per cent of the aerial extent of the QL. The elevation at the Mazaruni Riverbank is less than 50 feet. The overburden in this area is usually less than 40

Guyana and to solve the chronic shortage of supply that has resulted in a resource-rich country having to import aggregate to meet demand.

“The proposed facility will be developed using state-of-the-art technology to maximise capacity and operational efficiency.

The target for initial production is 20,000 tons of aggregate per week. The

prices to support the rapidly expanding development in Guyana, the company assured.

Shortage of stones For several months, there has been a number of complaints about the shortage of stones and delays in importations.

As such, the PPP/C Government in November had announced the remov-

the purpose of Section 17 is importation of stones of a type and quality used in construction and housing, provided that: A Certificate of Caricom Origin is submitted by the importer in accordance with Section 15 of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01…”

The removal of the tax applied immediately until June 30, 2021.

Nevertheless, the start-

Businessman Tamesh Jagmohan of Black Jaguar Investment Group Inc receiving the Quarry Licence from GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison

feet. This leaves approximately 200 feet of rock standing above the level of the riverbank which can be easily extracted,” a missive from the company detailed.

It went on to explain that the aerial extent of the 200 feet contour line with the adjustments for the riverbank overburden indicates that there will be approximately 300 million tons of rock available for extraction above the level of the riverbank.

“Unlike the other quarries in operation the company will be engaging international quarry operators to set up multiple sites of

extraction and production to maximise the output of the quarry to meet the current and expected demand in the local and regional economy. Other quarries in Guyana have a very limited approach to extraction and production, they operate only a single extraction and processing system no matter the size of the QL and the availability of the resource,” it added.

Revolutionise industry

To this end, Black Jaguar Investment Group Inc said it plans to revolutionise the way the quarry industry operates in

Black Jaguar Investment’s operation will follow a similar design as shown in photo

chronic shortage of aggregate has long been causing Government infrastructure projects to run years beyond the projected deadline for completion. No longer will Government or private construction be delayed due to shortages in the supply of aggregate,” it stated.

This highly efficient, new, large scale operation will allow the company to supply products to the local market in a timely manner and at very competitive

al of VAT (value-added tax) from the importation of stones in order to revive of the construction industry, which like many others, had been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This order was made

by President Dr Irfaan Ali in the exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Section 98 (1) of the ValueAdded Tax Act. The Section was amended to say: “…zero-rated for

up design of Black Jaguar Investment’s operation will see the production of some 1.9 million tonnes annually. The operation will be run by professional operators in the industry with over 100 years’ experience in the field along with international engineers.

This Quarry Licence is the first to be granted in the last decade. The last QL was issued to Durban Quarries Inc since 2010.

(G8)

NEWS

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, December 21 – 10:00h – 11:30h and Tuesday, December 22 – 10:30h – 12:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, December 21 – 09:10h – 10:40h and Tuesday, December 22 – 10:25h – 11:55h.

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WEATHER TODAY Expect thundery showers and light cloud during the day. There will be partly cloudy conditions at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-Easterly to Easterly to East North-Easterly to North-Easterly to North North-Easterly to North North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 09:25h and 21:47h reaching maximum heights of 2.19 metres and 2.2 metres.

Low Tide: 15:18h reaching a minimum height of 1.06 metres.

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Govt targeting February for Budget 2021

…Guyanese to see further manifestations of manifesto promises – official

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he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government took office in August 2020 and was able to produce a budget the very next month and it is now setting eyes on February 2021 to produce its next budget.

On Sunday, a senior Government official confirmed that the Administration is presently in the middle of budget preparations and is targeting February to lay its estimates in the National Assembly and to present Budget 2021.

According to the official, Budget 2021 will continue fulfilling the grandiose plans contained in the party’s manifesto, including its plans to deliver 10,000 house lots every year and to expand Guyana’s infrastructure.

The $329.5 billion budget that the Government presented in September of this year was a much-needed emergency budget that covered the remainder of the 2020 fiscal year. Prior to that, the last budget the country had under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government was in November 2018.

After that budget, the former Government fell to a NoConfidence Motion (NCM) in December 2018 but refused to call elections within the threemonth constitutionally stipulated timeframe. Elections were not called until March 2020, but it took another five months before the former Government finally conceded that they had lost the elections, While they sought to stay in power, however, the country’s cash reserves dried up and with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic slowdown crushed the livelihoods of thousands without any budgetary support from the former Government.

Earlier this month, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh had revealed that the Government has initiated the formal process for the commencement of preparation for Budget 2021.

During an appearance on a Department of Public Information (DPI) broadcast programme “The Progress

Report”, Dr Singh disclosed that the Finance Ministry had sent out the budget circular instructing the various Ministries to start preparing their budgets and have them submitted to the soonest.

“Of course, Ministries have been doing preliminary works and considering their strategic priorities and so on.

But the formal budget circular [was sent out] and immediately after it goes out, work across Government will immediately step up to accelerate preparation of the budget… So that work will

immediately start, in earnest, from [this] week,” he had posited.

According to the Finance Minister, next year’s budget will be significant since it will be the first full-year budget that the current Irfaan Ali-led Administration will present.

“It’s going to be the first budget of this Government’s current term in office so it’s going to outline our medium and long-term vision. It’s going to include a number of the important initiatives that we see as critical to realising the modern Guyana that will be

unfolding over the course of the next few years,” he had stated.

Dr Singh further noted that given the substantial nature of Budget 2021, it is going to involve quite a lot of work. However, he pointed out that President Ali has given a clear mandate to his Cabinet that the various Ministries must do all that is necessary to ensure they prepare their budgets in a timely manner so that the budget can be completed and presented early next year to allow for implementation as early as possible.

At the level of his Ministry, the Finance Minister revealed that they are currently working out the prospects for the economy, and accessing and finetuning their estimates of growth for next year.

When it comes to the budget his Government passed within a month of taking office, Dr Singh had explained that Government has been moving apace to implement those initiatives, projects and policies. (G3)

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Broken Windows Policing

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s violent crimes keep rising inexorably, maybe it is time we harken to an idea proposed by James Q Wilson, the long-time Harvard political scientist. He was best known for his work in crime fighting that should be of interest to every Guyanese. The article, Broken Windows, which he actually co-authored, took a contrarian position when it came out in 1982. Up to then, everyone focused on the “root causes” of crime that had to be attacked. Crime would not go down, it was said, and said repeatedly, until we first address the social and environmental causes like poverty, racism, bad housing, poor education, inequality, etc.

Not surprisingly, the Police loved the idea: basically, it absolved them from ever reducing crime in absolute terms.

Their stock answer to the stubborn, high and growing crime figures was: “it’s society’s fault; society messed them up.” In Guyana, there is a persistent section of officialdom that insists on pushing the “root causes” theory of crime reduction. We hope that they will take a look at Wilson’s “broken windows” alternative.

The broken windows theory derived both its inspiration and its name from a widely-observed phenomenon. “Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree,” Wilson and Kelling wrote, “that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighbourhoods as in rundown ones.

Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale, because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing. (It has always been fun.)” What’s true of windows, Kelling and Wilson argued, was also true more generally of “untended” behaviour in a community. Wilson was saying that culture matters.

A stable neighbourhood of families who care for their homes, mind each other’s children, and confidently frown on unwanted intruders can change, in a few years or even a few months, to an inhospitable and frightening jungle.

A piece of property is abandoned, weeds grow up, a window is smashed. Adults stop scolding rowdy children; the children, emboldened, become more rowdy. Families move out, unattached adults move in. Teenagers gather in front of the corner store. The merchant asks them to move; they refuse. Fights occur. Litter accumulates. People start drinking in public; in time, an inebriate slumps to the ground and is allowed to sleep it off. Pedestrians are approached by panhandlers.

At this point, it is not inevitable that serious crime will flourish or violent attacks on strangers will occur. But many residents will think that crime, especially violent crime, is on the rise, and they will modify their behaviour accordingly. They will use the streets less often, and when on the streets will stay apart from their fellows, moving with averted eyes, silent lips, and hurried steps. “Don’t get involved.”

For some residents, this growing atomisation will matter little, because the neighbourhood is not their “home”, but “the place where they live”. But it will matter greatly to other people; for them, the neighbourhood will cease to exist except for a few reliable friends whom they arrange to meet. Such an area is vulnerable to criminal invasion.

In essence, Kelling and Wilson were arguing that minor crimes, if unpunished, led to major crimes and massive social breakdown. The goal of “Broken Windows policing” is to allow a neighbourhood to police itself and reduce crime. The role of Police is to reduce fear through foot patrol, maintaining order, and the judicious use of officers’ discretion. In so doing, they would only be responding to the previously unacknowledged demand in poor communities for the same sense of lawfulness enjoyed in wealthy areas.

While our “community policing’ and “neighbourhood police’ initiatives have adopted their names from “Broken Windows” policing, they have entirely missed the latter’s essence.

These Onderneeming, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) boys are eager to see their Christmas gifts that were distributed as part of the Speaker’s of the National Assembly Christmas Outreach Programme. The Speaker’s Christmas Outreach Programme aims to distribute toys to 7000 children in Guyana (Parliament of Guyana photo)

Let’s salute our teachers

Dear Editor, We must all agree that teaching is a stressful job.

Since the pandemic, it has become even more stressful. Prior to the pandemic, teachers had to make a number of sacrifices, now it is even worse. Many teachers are stressed mentally, physically, and I dare say spiritually. Several teachers, because of online teaching, were exposed to types of behaviours that they would not be exposed to during face-to-face classes.

These include parents exposing themselves in the background during classes, people using expletives in the background while class is in session, or using them to students and teachers during class time, male parents being inappropriate and making sexual advances to female teachers, among other complaints. One of my experiences include watching a fight between two siblings break out beside a student who was online doing classes.

The concept of teaching online is new in Guyana and has been a very good innovation made by the PPP/C Administration, however, while a few teachers were trained to use Google Classroom and Zoom, all teachers are required to use the platforms. Whether or not school reopens next term, an incentive of a tablet, laptop or a cellular phone should be given to our teachers as part of the equipment used as a part of the learning kit — used to conduct online classes.

Online teaching and learning can, undoubtedly, be a challenge for many.

I would never discount or downplay this reality.

However, the mindset of many educators, students, and parents has made the experience all the more tedious and frustrating.

Some persons are simply Luddites. They are opposed to using the new technologies and so they easily feel overwhelmed when there are glitches with their use.

Still, a call for the resumption of face-to-face classes — in a modified fashion, of course — cannot be the sole or foremost elixir.

We need to be open to adapting. Adaptability is high on the list of skills that senior executives desire in their employees. Such a skill enables one to survive and thrive, especially in this current milieu. Moreover, “If we fail to adapt, we fail to move forward.” (John Wooden) How well are our teachers adapting and how well are they modelling such a skill for our students? Are we simply complaining and berating everyone we deem responsible for our woes?

If the great digital divide is mended, but our education stakeholders remain technologically resistant, many of our current problems with online teaching and learning will persist. We need an attitudinal shift. Otherwise, even our face-to-face sessions will be denied the transformative impact of technology.

We can effectively adapt by learning, as well. In this information-rich age, we can teach ourselves to use the latest innovations.

YouTube, for example, has schooled me in the use of many online tools. Just this weekend I watched several tutorials, paused them intermittently and practised

the steps shared. This was not always easy, but I was consistently open to learning and overcoming the challenges.

Teachers and parents, we have to be open-minded and receptive. We are lifelong learners, and our professional portfolios should be diversified and enhanced throughout our tenure.

Let us be unafraid and unashamed of erring in front of our students and our children. In fact, our students and children are digital natives, and they are happy to assist us when we are unsure of what to do. Learn with them. Grow with them.

Remember, too, that there are many technological tools out there that can reduce your workload. Yes! Be open to exploring them.

We can do this! Stay positive! Teachers, you know how to do this in face-toface classrooms. Parents, you know how to do it in raising children. For all of us, migrating abruptly to an online teaching environment in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic has strained our skills to the breaking point. There were many losses, failures and frustrations along the way.

Even so, a lot of things went well. We figured out how to use video conferencing, although “you’re still muted” is now a fixture of classroom dialogue. We got better at organising and delivering online educational materials. We devised new ways to test what students could do. But improved access to information is not enough to work the magic of turning information into knowledge.

Much of that transformation depends on keep-

ing students engaged. Some students can thrive while working on their own, but most rely on their teachers to create structure and motivation. In fact, teaching is like parenting in this regard. Sometimes kids don’t really care about what we’re asking them to do. But they do it anyway because they don’t want to disappoint us or their fellow students.

Almost despite themselves, they fall into the habit of doing their work, and they learn.

This dependence on teachers entails a solemn responsibility. It is our job to believe in our students even – or especially – when they don’t believe in themselves. To cheer them on, to sympathise with their struggles, and to show them the way forward. We know this because, in these difficult months, students have thanked teachers again and again for believing in them.

For caring about them as people and for believing that they can succeed.

Whether our teaching succeeds in the next school term will depend largely on how well we are able to create those bonds outside of face-to-face classrooms.

For most of us, that is a work in progress. Teachers will need more time and training to learn how to do this effectively online.

Parents need more flexibility and recognition than ever before about their impossible balancing act of parenting, working, and now teaching. Let’s salute our teachers and parents with a deeper understanding of what “education” means.

Sincerely, David Adams

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

5

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

Police, politics, protocols & problems (Part 1) Dear Editor, Guyana was listed as the 85th least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International, after scoring 40 points out of 100.

With all the former APNU/ AFC Administration’s corruptions revealed by the PPP/C Government since taking office, one wonders what the result will be for the current year. With so many ongoing investigations, the Auditor General

is overtasked and overwhelmed with his duties and as a result, among other reasons, many audits have to be contracted to private sources. Guyanese patiently await the disturbing findings and follow-up actions. It is not strange but true, this was one of the damning reasons why the APNU/AFC party, led by past caretaker President David Granger himself, was so adamant and persistent, to retain power at any cost and not to demit office.

Overriding for a minute the pandemic tragedy, the suffering of the impoverished nation, the heat of the high crime wave, the relentless violence against women and the traumatic abuse of children, having a field day is the front-line story of the sad state of affairs of the Police department. They have been the subject of much discussion and, gradually but surely, more and more of their nature (underlying?), are being revealed and exposed.

This should be worrying not

Time for new and younger leadership in PNC Dear Editor, Immediately after the five agonising and harrowing months when combative warfare was waged by members of APNU/AFC to remain in office through rigged elections, the former Minister of Public Health and Chairman of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Mrs Volda Lawrence was sidelined from the main decision-making process of the party. Throughout the five-month ordeal, Mrs Lawrence and a few other PNC members were at the forefront fighting tooth and nail to make sure that the votes were counted accurately and in a transparent manner. Most of the senior members of the party were missing in action. So for the leader of the party to exclude the party’s top executive is clearly a reflection of his infantile and silly behaviour. And to the surprise of many, not a single member of the 35-member PNC executive group had issued a public statement condemning his atrocious, vindictive and ruthless action. To add insult to injury, without any justified reason, the leader single-handedly excluded the PNC stalwart from Parliament and handpicked his surrogate to replace her.

It was a horrible decision, which if not corrected urgently could lead to the demise of the party, which is in the throes of being fractured permanently.

The reason why no executive member condemned his action is precisely because most of them were afraid of reprisals from the leader who demanded total loyalty from the PNC executives. Loyalty to the party leader has been one of the founding principles of the party, but that was more

than 60 years ago when the party was founded. Today the PNC has evolved and should make room for independent thinkers, but it has not. It is still the rule that those who had opposed the leader would face strong disciplinary action with the possibility of being expelled permanently from the party. This has and continues to be the carte-blanche or absolute power wielded by the leaders of the PNC over the decades. The executive must remain loyal to the leader or face the consequences. It is the leader’s way or the highway.

In an earlier period, a similar treatment was meted out to Vanessa Kissoon and Sharma Solomon and like with Mrs Lawrence, who is the most popular leader of the PNC today, the executives remained silent. Such undemocratic and dictatorial approach is absurd, offensive and outdated and must change if the PNC is to win elections long after their leaders have expired.

Several members of the ten PNC groups in the TriState region have to follow the directive of the leader to tow the party line and pledged their loyalty to him, if not, they too will be shunned by the party and their respective groups in the diaspora. At the turn of the century, the PNC leadership established an umbrella organisation known as the North American Region (NAR) whose primary role is to make sure that its member PNC groups abide by the rules. NAR is supposed to be a neutral organisation which means that it should not support any one candidate for the leadership within the party, but it did so on several occasions. Its actions have

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led to major disagreements with several of its member groups in the New York diaspora to the extent that many of them have rescinded their membership from NAR and are operating independently. Today, NAR has become redundant and is a complete failure.

Contrary to the belief of many in the PNC, the party remains divided into two factions—the Volda Lawrence faction and the David Granger faction. To end the factions, the current leaders who are in their 70s must be prepared to pass the baton to a younger, enlightened, compassionate, selfless and talented leaders like Vanessa Kissoon, Sharma Solomon and Thandi McCallister and others with Mrs Volda Lawrence at the helm to challenge the Government on all issues. It is time for new and younger leadership in the PNC. Yours truly, Dr Asquith Rose

only for the Commissioner of Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs but also, the President, Dr Irfaan Ali himself, who is on a mission to clean up all unethical acts and behaviour in all the Government departments and agencies. The past APNU/AFC Administration disfigured the nation with the picture of a corrupted Government, devoid of moral value, lacking the dignity of integrity, the intolerance of honesty and no respect for honour.

This acknowledgement is acclaimed by all local, national, regional and international communities and remains a shame and dis-

grace to Guyana.

The Police department came in for several criticisms and condemnations, especially under the management of a debacle, the former Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, himself a current subject of controversies and suspicions. The impotence of his authority cannot be misguided and his “rubber stamp” position was effected by the hierarchy of the APNU/AFC party and its “bigwigs” calling the shots. No wonder the true status of the Police department undermined the nation during the past election period, when their true colour was revealed. The

timely and strategic changes simply underlined the guilt of that Government and a President who never meant well for this nation. Inclusive in this way of thinking, were the appropriate and sly changes in the army to reinforce the safety and security of that party and its selected members.

Who is policing the Police, internally and externally, is an uncomfortable thought and leaves an open door for discussions, disbeliefs and deliberations.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

Is GECOM in gross dereliction of duty for not taking disciplinary action?

Dear Editor, Guyana’s labour laws provide for summary dismissal from employment by the employer for good and sufficient cause relating to an employee’s conduct and performance on the job.

Under Section 7 of the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, a contract of employment, without term limit, may at any time be terminated: - by mutual consent of the parties; - by notice to the other party; or - by either party for good and sufficient cause Good and sufficient cause include refusal to carry out lawful instructions on a timely basis, providing fictitious and fraudulent information and reports to the employing authority,

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hildren are fresh c h a r m i n g saplings. With care and love, they can be made to blossom into ideal citizens of this land who can understand and practise the great disciplines laid down by the sages for their liberation, through self-realisation.

The parents must bear a major share of the responsibility for the proper upbringing of children. The earliest years of life are the most crucial. The skills, attitudes, emotions, and the impulses that make or mar the future are built into the foundation of life in those years. Parents can help or hinder in the process of making that foundation strong and straight. But parents have no equipment now for this basic role. They have no faith in their own ancient culture; they themselves have no mental peace or sadhana which the children can imbibe from them. Children must grow up in homes where their parents honour their parents, and are happy only when they serve their elders. This must be taught to them by example, rather than by precept! (Divine Discourse, Jan 19, 1969)

Shri Sathya Sai Baba Organisation

misconduct, inefficiency, dilatory tactics, insubordination, and unprofessional conduct and behaviour in the execution of contractual and statutory duties.

Why is there apparent inaction and paralysis or hesitation by GECOM in relation to the conduct and performance of the senior staff of GECOM and other recalcitrant and complicit staff of the Secretariat in the March 2, 2020 National Elections? Why was there no prompt disciplinary action taken by GECOM to replace these obvious recalcitrant public employees who are public servants, paid by taxpayers?

Those GECOM employees who breached the Constitution and any election law, in the conduct of their duties must face prompt disciplinary action

including termination and dismissal for good and sufficient cause. GECOM’s failure or delay or awaiting the outcome of court cases in a gross dereliction of duty.

Court matters, whether criminal or civil, are separate and apart from employment disciplinary actions. Those who breached the law or commit any offence must be prosecuted in the courts, and bear the full force of the law. This is separate and apart from any employment disciplinary action taken for good and sufficient cause.

Time for action now GECOM! Do not hide behind the outcome of court cases. GECOM must take disciplinary action without delay as an employer.

With thanks, Joshua Singh

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

Page

Foundation ◄

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN A solid figure is a figure that has 3 dimensions.

These are some common solid figures:

4 faces and 6 edges.

A sphere has no base, vertices, faces or edges. It is a figure with a curved surface; all points on the surface are equal distance from the centre.

Exercises: Identify the correct solid

The Porcupine & the Snakes

Here are some terms that are used to describe solid figures: Face: The flat surface of a solid figure. Each face looks like a 2-dimensional figure.

Edge: The line where two faces meet.

Vertex of a solid: A specific point at which more than two faces meet, or a point where a curve begins.

Base: The face on the bottom of a solid figure.

Example:

Look at the solid figures on this page.

A cube and a rectangular solid have 6 faces each. Any of the faces can be the base.

A square pyramid has five faces. The base is square and the other 4 faces are rectangular.

A cone has a circular base and 1 vertex. A cylinder has 2 circular faces and no vertex.

A triangular pyramid has a triangular base, 4 vertices,

Friday’s answers

1) 94.2cm 2) Circumference = 18.84m, area = 28.26 square m 3) Circumference = 166.42cm, area = 2205.065 square cm 4) AB 5) 75.36cm

How to build your paper airplane!

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porcupine was looking for a good home. At last he found a little sheltered cave, where lived a family of snakes. He asked them to let him share the cave with them, and the snakes kindly consented.

The snakes soon wished they had not given him permission to stay. His sharp quills pricked them at every turn, and at last they politely asked him to leave.

"I am very well satisfied, thank you," said the porcupine. "I intend to stay right here." And with that, he politely escorted the snakes out of doors. And to save their skins, the snakes had to look for another home.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

1-year anniversary of 1st oil

ExxonMobil reaches targeted 120,000 barrels of oil per day …gas injection system now online

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fter a year that saw delays in ExxonMobil reaching its oil production target and in commissioning a gas injection system that would cut out flaring, the company has rung in its one-year anniversary of first oil by overcoming both of these obstacles.

According to the company in a statement on Sunday, the Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel reached its target of 120,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) earlier this month.

For some time, Exxon has cut back on oil production in an effort to reduce flaring of gas due to the fuel injection system not being commissioned. The shortfall of approximately 15,000 bpd in oil production had been a major impediment to Guyana getting its fourth lift, which was originally scheduled for November and has since been rescheduled for this month.

Now that the gas injection system has been commissioned and 120,000 bpd reached, the US oil giant’s Country Manager Alastair Routledge lauded the work done by the company in overcoming the obstacles.

“We are incredibly proud of the tremendous work of our team in overcoming the challenges of the past year and safely bringing us to

ExxonMobil Country Manager Alastair Routledge

where we are today. This resilient group, which includes a growing number of Guyanese professionals, continue to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic and initial startup challenges to deliver a world-class project,” Routledge was quoted saying.

During their time in Guyana between 2015 and 2020, it was pointed out that Exxon has spent over $69 billion with more than 700 local companies. The company also has more than 2100 Guyanese supporting its activities on and offshore. The company also noted that investments will continue to increase as Liza Phase Two and its Payara projects ad-

vance.

Liza Phase One, which is where Exxon has produced all its oil so far, was the first oil field to be approved for the company. Liza Phase Two was approved last year and is expected to start production in 2022, while Payara was approved this year, after an extensive review of the Field Development Plan (FDP) and is likely to start production one year after Liza Phase Two. According to Exxon, more than 6000 personnel have been transferred offshore without any safety scares or COVID-19 positive cases on the offshore facilities.

Routledge expressed disappointment at the equipment issues they experienced this year, but assured that routine flaring will not be used.

“ExxonMobil Guyana is committed to the responsible development of the country’s natural resources and will not utilise routine flaring during our operations,” Routledge explained in the statement.

“We are disappointed by the number of equipment issues experienced and that, because of these issues and COVID-19, commissioning of the gas injection system took longer than originally projected. We took significant steps to limit flaring and are incorporating lessons learned for future proj-

The Liza Destiny FPSO vessel in the Stabroek Block

ects.”

Guyana, with oil giant ExxonMobil as operator, only began producing oil on December 20, 2019, in the Stabroek Block, lifting its first million barrels of profit oil from the Liza-1 well in February 2020. Oil tanker Cap Phillippe transported this lift from the Liza Destiny Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, allowing Guyana to receive its first payment the next month.

That money, $11.4 bil-

lion, constituted Guyana’s first oil revenue-based earnings from production in the Liza field. It was deposited in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in March of this year.

An additional sum of $7.3 billion was subsequently deposited, as well as royalty payments. So far, Guyana has received three cargo lift payments and three royalty payments, courtesy of the Liza-1 well. This means more than US$140 million has been deposited in the

Natural Resources Fund.

However, this money has remained untouched, as the protracted political crisis that followed the March 2 General and Regional elections sabotaged any attempt to set up a system for withdrawing funds. The Natural Resource Fund Act stipulates that various committees must be established to provide oversight for the fund. It is expected that this legislation will be reviewed by the current Government.

(G3)

8 NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Accelerate e-services to boost efficiency – Finance Minister tells GRA

S

enior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh has urged the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to speed up the implementation of its electronic services to foster a more efficient operation.

Dr Singh made this charge during a visit to the agency’s Camp Street head office last week, during which he emphasised that e-services are

critical to serving the public effectively, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).

“I know you have a big agenda for deploying digital information technology to improve the taxpayer interaction with the GRA. I urge you to accelerate this programme, paying due regard to areas of security and quality of the solutions you deploy, so that we get to the point where taxpayers, whether large, corporate or

individual, or persons processing trade transactions at the border or a port of entry, that their experience is reflective of this modernisation,” the Minister said.

GRA launched the first phase of its e-service back in 2018. It said it was moving towards increasing the use of technology to improve taxpayers’ overall experience when interacting with the GRA. The first phase allows taxpayers to file several returns and provides a facility for taxpayers to request refunds and compliances.

Dr Singh said services such as e-filing must be routine and that taxpayers must be able to interact with the GRA digitally to execute their transactions.

“If they have to come in to renew their driver’s licence, they must be able to do so efficiently. This business about a big long queue

Concerns raised...

Y

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

and congestion and tent everywhere and people having to wait long hours, I think much more needs to be done to ensure that we facilitate people’s transactions in an efficient, timely and client-friendly manner.”

He urged the agency to consider other ways in which it could improve citizens’ experience with the revenue authority.

...within the PNC our (patriotic) Eyewitness is worried about the PNC. In case you weren’t aware, Dear Readers, political parties can fall into depression just like people, and self-harm. After all, the former are merely a collection of sections of the latter. And if they practise “group think” to vote for their parties like lemmings jumping off cliffs, why wouldn’t their individual depression coagulate into a collective one? And believe you me, PNC supporters are mighty depressed.

Now, in all fairness, they have a whole lot to be depressed about. Starting from the top, what else but depression can strike a PNC supporter when they think of how they were betrayed by David Granger. Yes, they’d all agreed that Corbin just didn’t cut the right image for a 21st Century PNC...so he had to go. Heck, even CORBIN agreed with that assessment and hand-picked Granger from out of the blue!! Supporters were told he was a “master strategist”, who’d suckled at the feet of Burnham.

He’d cultivated a studied butter-won’t-melt-in-his-mouth demeanour that was sure to sucker in those who didn’t know his real elitist proclivities.

But look how he was outmanoeuvred by Jagdeo and the PPP! He was a strategist all right –- at checkers while Jagdeo played chess! He never saw the NCM coming and was forced to drop his mask of urbane church-goer – who dropped to his knees at the drop of a hat – and reveal his crude craving for power. He inexorably lost each of his pieces as Jagdeo ran circles around him and finally had his King checkmated by the CCJ. In a final show of bravado, he once again raised the hopes of the PNC faithful by insisting he could stare down the Western diplomats after his Burnhamite rigging attempt. But all he did in the end was to shamefully earn the moniker “Sanctimonious Gangster” by Caricom leaders as he suddenly slunk away with his tail between his legs after Claudette Singh “held strain”. How much ignominy could a poor PNCite take?

A further downer was when they figured out he was just “trying a thing” with his elections petitions when he didn’t even ensure he was served within the specified time!

More shame. But the depression that kicked in as massive corruption by PNC big ones was exposed became endemic as the PPP’s developmental blitzkrieg – launched when Granger fled his Bunker in Aug 2 – just kept developing momentum!

Then came the final straw. In the elections, some PNC faithful had already moved to the PPP in frustration with Granger’s inept leadership.

And now, with President Ali’s welter of initiatives, the move had become an exodus! Granger had to go! ...about the vaccine Now that the eagerly-awaited COVID-19 vaccines are finally being rolled out in the richer countries, concerns are being raised – and from insiders. The historic abbreviated time frame to produce them is actually one of the sources of concerns. To accomplish that within a year, the Governments had to allow all sorts of controls to be lifted all through the development path. The data on the tests, for instance, might not have been as rigorously monitored as it normally is. There’s the Moderna vaccine, for instance, which we now know needs two doses only through an accident in the vaccination programme! There are also concerns about possible side effects; mutations of the virus; longer-term effects, etc.

Now, from where your Eyewitness sits, -- and it’s NOT in any medical chair! – these concerns are quite reasonable, even in the face of this global pandemic that has taken almost 1,700,000 lives.

But the bottom line is, if the vaccines weren’t available, those deaths would keep escalating! ...about oil production levels Now that Exxon has reached the projected 120,000 bpd from Lisa 1, the cries for us to cap our production rate will rise. With renewables projected to clip oil within 30 years, your Eyewitness says: “Let the oil gush even faster!”

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

9

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10 NEWS Berbice motorcyclist killed after riding into cow A MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

motorcyclist is now dead after riding into a cow on Saturday night on the Crabwood Creek Public Road, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

Dead is 22-year-old Akram Hack, a construction worker of Lot 38 Grant 7879, Crabwood Creek, Corentyne.

According to Police reports, Hack was proceeding on the Crabwood Creek Public Road when he collided with a cow and as a result, he fell onto the road’s surface and received injuries about his body.

He was picked up in an unconscious state by the Police and taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital, where he was seen by a doctor and treated. However, as a result of the serious nature of his injuries, the construction worker was later transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.

He, however, died on his way to that medical facility.

He was pronounced dead at about 01:50h on Sunday.

Reports are Hack was

Dead: Akram Hack

reportedly imbibing with two friends at a bar in CWC when he left saying that he was heading home for an item.

Munishwar Maniram called “Shatta,” told this publication they were all at a bar and Hack asked for his motorcycle key, telling them that he was heading home to uplift an item.

“He pick up the key and go away with the motorcycle. About 30 minutes we didn’t see him coming back

so we called his phone then we get to hear that he was in an accident and so we go to the hospital,” Maniram said. He said that they rushed over to the hospital and were told that Hack was unconscious.

Meanwhile, his 48-yearold mother, Fazeena Ally said she was at home when she received a phone call stating that her son was injured after riding into a cow and was taken by the Police to the hospital.

“He left and gone wid he friend dem by de rum bar,” the grieving mother told this publication.

Like her 53-year-old

Akram Hack’s grieving parents at their Crabwood Creek, Corentyne home

husband, the grieving mother has suffered a stroke and both of them cannot walk without aid. The mother of six explained that one of her

sons is currently in prison, two have migrated and now Akram has died.

She referred to Hack as being a very comforting per-

son to both his parents as they depended heavily on him for physical assistance around the house.

“What would become of my life now? Me pickney dead,” the grieving mother cried. Hack’s father said that cattle owners in the community are reluctant to take their animals to the ranch in the backlands because they are required to pay for the facility.

Meanwhile, Hack’s body is presently at Ramo Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination.

The cow, which suffered a broken leg, has since been impounded by Police. (G4)

Mabaruma to get 24-hour electricity from today

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esidents in Mabaruma are set to receive 24-hour electricity with the installation of a new genset to enhance supply to the Region One (Barima-Waini) township from today.

The installation of a new genset at the Mabaruma Power Station will address the blackouts residents experience.

During an inspection of the equipment on Saturday, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill expressed his approval for the swift manner in which staff at the power station installed the genset.

“I am extremely satisfied that the engine arrived on Thursday, and today (Saturday) it is already installed and functional. So, that is immediate relief for the people of Mabaruma,” Minister Edghill told the Department of Public

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill inspects the newly-acquired genset at Mabaruma Power Station

Information (DPI).

Accompanying the Public Works Minister was Chairman of the Region One Regional Democratic Council, Brentnol Ashley, who provided the background to the former electricity crisis in the township.

“The bearing in the crankshaft of the 750kVA genset would have mashed, and other problems would

have developed as a result of that which has caused us to have the intervention of Government to have a new generator be procured so that the people of Mabaruma would not be able to suffer from additional power outages.”

“With this engine up and running… we will be able to put the electricity to 24 hours for our residents,” the

Regional Chairman continued.

Region One’s Regional Executive Officer, Regional Vice Chairman, and Mayor were also part of the inspection of Mabaruma’s new genset.

The current Administration has made other significant strides to increase the nation’s power generation. Recently, 10 new gensets valued nearly $500 million were acquired by the Guyana Power and Light Inc. Six of the gensets were successfully installed at the Onverwagt and Sophia substations.

Government has also outlined a series of plans to transform the energy sector, including but not limited to a gas-to-shore facility and the off-grid supply of electricity from renewable energy sources.

11

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12 NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Life more important” – father of 2 says as he rushes from burning home

A

fire suspected to be electrical in nature gutted a two-storey home located at Lot 94-CC Eccles, East Bank Demerara, on

The fire as it engulfed the home Sunday morning. Displaced are 31-year-old Samuel Ward, his wife, Easter Joseph, and their two children, including an eight-month-old baby.

When Guyana Times visited the scene, Ward expressed that he was still trying to come to grips with the tragedy since Christmas is right

around the corner. He recalled that around 08:30h on Sunday, he and his wife were in the lower flat of the building when they heard their baby crying.

According to him, his wife left to tend to the young child, and on arriving in the front bedroom, she saw what he called the “breaker box” on fire. He said that the woman quickly alerted him. Ward noted that by the time he rushed upstairs, his wife was already making her way down with their children.

“When I go upstairs, she was already coming down with the two children. When I go up, the smoke was too thick in the bedroom. So, I said boy life more important,” Ward said, pointing out that he rushed back with his family.

He added that he and his family had been residing at the

The aftermath of the early-morning fire which left a family of four homeless

rented property for the past four years.

The father of two said that the fire service took approximately 30 minutes to arrive at the scene. By then, the fire had already spread and engulfed the entire building.

Nearby houses were not affected by the blaze. No one was injured from the blaze. In the meantime, the man’s wife and their two children are staying at a relative’s home, as he contemplates their next move.

a timely economic impetus and has catalysed business activity everywhere.

President Ali, in his address to the nation at the time, spoke about ensuring the lives of citizens are taken care of, and this is one such initiative. The President and his Administration’s expectation is that the process remains peaceful and free of abuse.

Over the past few months, special teams have been dispatched to communities in various regions to distribute the money.

Disbursements commenced in the hinterland regions, that is, Regions One (Barima-Waini), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Sipuruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). It was then taken to Regions Two (PomeroonSupenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

In an update on the cash grants on Sunday, Government said the distribution exercise is currently ongoing in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

As of Friday last, it was reported that some 11,968 households in Region Four have received payments totalling approximately $299 million. Government is expected to distribute some $3.4 billion to 136,000 households in the region.

Government has reminded citizens that the payment is $25,000 per principal household and not one per family.

“We know that some households are big, and, in some cases, more than one family may be living in a household. However, where such situation exists, the distribution clerks and regional supervisors are required to note such instances so that those families can be taken into consideration in the future. The Regional distribution teams are therefore issuing the cash grant to the primary householder, and wherever there are other family members or tenants, as the case may be, those persons are being issued with a

‘pink’ form, which will serve as the instrument to be used to verify those candidates for future consideration.”

Primary householders are required to have a valid form of identification in their possession to receive the grant.

Meanwhile, the names, addresses and contact information of persons who were not at home during the distribution exercise will be collected, and arrangements will be made for them to collect their grants at a later date.

It was noted that at the close of business daily, distribution clerks are required to surrender unused cash along with their receipt books for security control.

“At the end of the distribution exercise, each clerk submits their receipts of payments to be audited by the regional authorities and subsequently by the internal audit department of the Ministry of Finance. In this manner, there is careful scrutiny to ensure that receipts issued are reconciled with cash grants distributed. Any discrepancies are investigated, and necessary action taken.”

There have been several complaints about the payments of the cash grants from citizens. Acknowledging this last week, President Ali told reporters that the Auditor General has been asked to audit the entire cash grant distribution.

Distribution is currently underway on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara and in Sophia, Greater Georgetown. (G8)

20 new COVID-19 cases detected, 7 persons in ICU

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uyana has recorded 20 new novel coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

According to the Ministry’s updated COVID-19 dashboard, this now takes the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 6125.

However, only 647 of these cases are currently active.

This includes seven persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 640 in isolation, that is, 36 persons in institutional isolation and the other 604 persons in home isolation.

There are also 20 persons in institutional quarantine.

The COVID-19 death toll in Guyana remains at 159,

while the number of persons who have recovered from the life-threatening disease thus far has increased to 5319 – 14 more than the figure reported on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Guyana has tested some 35,859 persons for the novel coronavirus to date.

Of the 20 new cases recorded on Sunday, one is from Region One (BarimaWaini); eight from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); one case each from Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Eight (Potaro-Sipuruni); five from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and four cases from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The figures from the oth-

er four regions remained the same with 186 cases

in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); 441 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 75 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and 298 cases in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Sunday, some 75,110,651 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported globally along with 1,680,395 deaths from the pandemic.

Meanwhile in the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the WHO said some 32,437,597 confirmed cases were reported, while the death toll has risen to 809,105.

COVID-19 cash grant

Like the rest of the world, the COVID-10 pandemic has affected many Guyanese.

With many businesses having to downscale or even shut down operations, employees have felt the impact of this situation which has trickled down into households.

One month after taking office, the Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C Government in September had announced a $25,000 cash grant as a relief for households across Guyana.

This was among a range of COVID-19 relief measures designed to bring immediate relief to persons bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, stimulate economic growth, put Guyanese back to work, and remove the heavy tax burdens implemented by the previous Administration.

The cash grant has served as

NEWS

13

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyanese among 3 killed in Queens, NY fire

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hree people died in an early morning inferno inside a Queens home regularly cited by the city for illegally packing in tenants.

Flames were so intense at least one person jumped from the third floor to escape, officials said.

Two of those killed Saturday could be seen struggling to escape, and may have been unable to get out because a door leading to a second-floor terrace was kept locked, sources and a witness told The Post.

“I watched two guys die in front of me because I saw the smoke just surround them and suffocate them,” a first-floor resident said.

Firefighters later slid a victim’s body out of a thirdfloor window of the three-storey brick home, lowering it to the ground in a ladder truck. Onlookers could hear anguished cries.

One “guy was screaming, ‘Help, help,’ but there was nothing I could do. There was too much fire,” said an occupant of the home’s second floor who gave his name

as Samir.

He said two of the dead were immigrants, one from Guyana and one from Morocco.

One man who left the building a year ago said current occupants didn’t have keys to doors on the second floor.

“The windows on the balcony, they are sliding doors, and one of the guys who died last night, I knew him. He lived right next to the window, but the previous owner never gave them the key to the sliding door,” said former resident, Gustavo Escubero, 45.

He claimed he was the former super for the building and once lived there among 30 others.

The 05:37h blaze at 9031 48th Ave left four others, including two firefighters, with minor injuries, officials said. One firefighter fell through a floor but was ultimately able to get to safety.

Onlookers could hear anguished cries. FDNY Chief Thomas Richardson said there were reports of eight people living in the house,

New York firefighters at the scene of the fire (New York Post)

which was badly damaged.

“The entire roof collapsed into the third floor,” Richardson said.

Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the blaze.

“The flames were crazy.

They were shooting out from the windows and shooting out the back of the house.

It eventually broke through the roof,” said Fernando Andujar, 37, who lives across the street. “It spread to the home next door. It was bad. It was a really big inferno.”

Andujar said the new owner of the house had been trying to sell it.

“But he was having a hard time getting rid of the squatters living there,” he said.

“Because of the squatters he was getting frustrated and wanted to sell the house. He didn’t want to be bothered with the whole thing.”

Complaints about the illegal conversion of the home into smaller rental units date to 2001, shortly after it was purchased by the Mahmood family, city records show.

The DOB issued a partial vacate order in February 2018 because the basement was illegally converted into

six living units.

The owner failed to address those violations, and the city issued more than $217,000 in penalties, the DOB said.

In January 2020, a prospective tenant claimed there were more than 60 people living in the house, according to a complaint to the city Department of Buildings.

“I also witnessed people using drugs and the whole house smell of marijuana,” the complaint says.

A DOB inspector was denied access to the house in February, and no one answered the door in May, the Buildings Department said.

The home went into foreclosure and was sold in February 2020 to an LLC for $1.2 million, city records show. The current owner could not be reached for comment.

Escubero said he moved out when the new owners cut the heat and hot water off last winter. He said the utilities were restored over the summer when the remaining occupants — who were not paying rent — complained to 311.

Misbaah Mahmood said his family sold the home, which had been owned by his elderly mother, Munawwara, but he claimed to not know the current owner.

On the apparently locked balcony door, he said, “It doesn’t matter who locked it because when the new owner came, they have to check everything. I don’t remember anything now.”

The FDNY said it would investigate whether the doors were locked as part of its probe.

DOB inspectors were also on the scene Saturday assessing the stability of the damaged house, as well as two neighbouring buildings.

“Illegal conversions pose a severe fire hazard to not only building occupants, but neighbours and first responders as well, which is why we previously issued a Vacate Order for the cellar of this building and issued punitive violations to the landlord. Our inspectors remain on scene, conducting a full investigation into this tragic fire,” said DOB spokesman Andrew Rudansky. (New York Post)

$91M heavy-duty bridge commissioned in Region 2

L-R: A resident of Region Two: Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Regional Chairperson of Region Two Vilma DeSilva

A

new $91 million concrete bridge at Riverstown, Region Two (Pomeroon-Suprnaam), is well-positioned to enable the economic growth of the region.

The heavy-duty structure replaces the failing Acrow panel bridge which had become too costly to maintain.

At Saturday’s commissioning ceremony, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said it was not a standalone project, but part of the Government’s vision of enhancing communities.

According to the Department of Public Information report, Edghill said prior to 2015, the PPP/C “began to replace the bridges to ensure that we did not just have a good road, but the loaded capacity for the bridges would have been able to be up to standard to facilitate heavy commercial and this is a continuation of ensuring that Essequibo Coast… experience the kind of modernisation and development that will be seen all across Guyana”.

The Corentyne River bridge, the new Demerara River crossing, Kurupukari bridge, and other intended projects were highlight-

ed as a testament to the Administration’s plans to connect the country.

The Minister added that the new bridge will immediately be able to accommodate commercial traffic from Moleson Creek and other connecting areas.

“The modernisation of Guyana is taking place in phases and we intend to see it being accelerated,” he is quoted by DPI as saying.

Meanwhile, Regional Chairperson, Vilma DeSilva welcomed the opening of the new bridge, stating that they had been awaiting its reconstruction for some time.

“I know for sure this will benefit Region Two tremendously because we have lots of economic activity [and] heavy trucks to cross,” the Regional Chairperson said.

The bridge was built

by H Nauth and Sons Construction Company.

Contracts for the construction of similar bridges were recently awarded under the 2020 emergency budget. The Administration plans to replace all Acrow panel bridges along the railway embankment between Sheriff Street and the Hope Canal, with concrete bridges to accommodate heavy-duty traffic.

14 NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Treat persons seeking public assistance with dignity – Persaud to Ministry's staff …says no citizen in need should be denied public assistance

H

uman Services Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud has over the weekend charged the five new Boards of Guardians in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to make the lives of citizens who seek Government public assistance easier.

Thirty-three persons were on Saturday given their letters of appointment to serve on the Boards of Guardian in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

There are five such Boards in the East Berbice-Corentyne region. These Boards are located in New Amsterdam; Lower Corentyne; East Central Corentyne; WestCentral Corentyne and Upper Corentyne. In addressing the Boards following the appointments, the Minister pointed out that while some persons’ applications might be denied, it may be a case where the

to your very important responsibility, as a member of the Boards of Guardian, I hope that you will also support all of these initiatives and help us to spread awareness of what we are doing. There is a 914 hotline that has been launched.”

914 hotline

Heads of the five new Boards of Guardians in Region Six share a photo with Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud

person can be directed to the relevant agency, for example, court or other support groups which may not necessarily fall under the purview of the Human Services Ministry.

“There is no reason why people should be deprived of help and we are dealing with people, people of all different backgrounds and all different levels of need,

and because they are in need, there is no reason why they should not be treated with dignity. We will be looking at that seriously. I give you my commitment to that because it is a real problem not only in this region but across the country,” the Minister said while responding to accusations that many officers working in the Ministry are conde-

scending to persons seeking public assistance.

Apart from social assistance and old age pension, the Ministry's survivors advocate programme is another service in which public awareness is being undertaken.

“Aside from the Boards of Guardian, the Ministry has launched a number of initiatives and in addition

Making mention of the recent incident in Bartica, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), where a father allegedly burnt his wife and two children to death and in Region Six where a mother beat her daughter until she was unconscious, the Human Services Minister said violence meted out to children, adults or seniors in Guyana has become very pervasive.

“So, we thought it best to intervene through 914 which is a new hotline which is toll-free. Which means whether you have

a GTT phone or a Digicel phone, the calls are free.”

She further explained that the hotline will allow persons to get immediate help through a wide range of services including the Police, Child Protection Agency etc.

“If someone is actively being violated, when you call 914, the operator takes the call and links you right away to the Police department. In order words, we are going to contact the Police on behalf of that person who is being affected.”

Meanwhile, in welcoming the new Board members, Minister Persaud said it is not just a responsibility but also a privilege to serve.

“I know every one of you will move everything in your path to help those in dire need,” the Minister said while noting that she has been meeting with new Board members across the country. (G4)

LM&TC looking to decentralise transportation services – Mayor

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n an effort to reduce traffic congestion at Central Mackenzie, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell recently indicated that the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) is working on finding alternative measures to decentralise the locations for public transportation in Linden.

She made the revelation during the rolling out of the Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Police Division’s Christmas Policing Plan, where numerous issues regarding traffic were brought

Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell

to the fore.

“As it relates to traffic and traffic congestion, Linden...has grown significantly in terms of vehicles. The Council is working towards, as we said to the drivers...at some point, a decision is going to have to be made that says the one main road and the one central business district of Linden cannot be cluttered with all the transportation services...and all the vendors cannot want to congregate on the one road,” Arrindell disclosed.

The Mayor continued by stating that the Council has already begun the process of removing taxis which occupied the Mackenzie Riverfront area at Co-op Crescent for parking and is having them utilise the Council’s designated park at Republic Avenue. She also pointed to issues currently being experienced by hire car drivers who ply the Georgetown to Linden route.

“There is an issue that is pending, that the hire car licence that is given, and now cars have decided to ply the Georgetown to Linden route. There is no covering

under any Ministry that designates those drivers.

So, we’re now in the process at the Council with trying to come up with ‘how will Linden operate’ in terms of this new system in place and where do we meet with the Police so we can set up something that is effective and efficient,” Arrindell said.

She added that the first phase of the project has already begun, while the next phase will see the Council’s projection to have the Georgetown park out of the centre of the township. “...(The Council is looking at) how do we shift them

out, so those vehicles themselves do not enter the township to park but come in to drop off, but there’s a different location for them to take up passengers,” Arrindell said, adding that it would take a collaborative effort for everyone to understand the need for what is happening as she stressed that the central area is so congested that there is limited space for people.

The Mayor emphasised that the Council is definitely working on putting systems in place in light of the holidays as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

She further congratulated the Regional Division and commended the collaboration between the two agencies in working towards order in the township.

“I think the year 2020 brought all that it could bring, but I saw the Police Force stood strong and we really had a wonderful collaboration and we had Linden rising above. Even in relation to COVID-19 and the guidelines that were set,” Arrindell said. (G13)

NEWS

15

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt contributed to success – Minister Bharrat ─ welcomes Exxon 120,000 barrels per day achievement

T

he Government of Guyana said it welcomes the announcement by United States oil and gas company ExxonMobil that it has reached maximum production of 120,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) – a success to which it has contributed.

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat said the Government has been working along with the

oil and gas major for some time now.

“We have been working with Exxon over the last couple of months to ensure we reached maximum production. It is something we have worked with Exxon and we expect the rate to improve to maximum production,” Minister Bharrat told the Department of Public Information on Sunday.

He said production was

below 100 bpd because of the issue with the gas compressor, which resulted in increased flaring. With that being fixed, Minister Bharrat said it has minimised the flaring and maximised production.

Low production had also resulted in only four crude lifts, instead of five.

The US oil and gas major on Sunday announced the Liza Destiny Floating

Homebuilder’s Roadmap to be launched soon

Consumer Affairs Officer (ag) Rusante Perry

T

he Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) will soon launch a Homebuilder's Roadmap, which will provide a wide range of guidelines for persons as they construct their homes.

Consumer Affairs Officer (ag) Rusante Perry told the Department of Public Information (DPI) recently that the initiative started after it was discovered that many people are affected by substandard services while building.

“It’s a homebuilder’s roadmap to guide persons on the processes of building, because a lot of persons want to build but they literally have no clue on what to do. Our roadmap guides you from acquiring land right up to construction,” Perry said.

She added that the document could be kept readily at hand and it will save homebuilders time and money while safeguarding them shoddy work.

According to Perry, the document comprises six phases; acquiring the land, consulting with an architect, the approval of the plan, selecting a contractor, obtaining finance and the construction process.

“We will also provide tips in the construction process, what to look for, how to ensure that you receive value for money in the construction process and we have collaborated with the GNBS (Guyana National Bureau of Standards). So, for standards relating to building, we want to have it high-

lighted on the roadmap so persons can always refer to those standards to ensure that whatever they purchase, it reaches those criteria,” the consumer affairs official said.

She added that the many complaints received about shoddy works from contractors was the main reason the roadmap was developed.

“Because of a lack of knowledge, persons were being tricked into things,” Perry said.

She added: “We need to guide consumers not only about the process but selecting the right contractor because there are a lot of persons who claim to be contractors but they are really not equipped with the neces-

sary skills and so we really want to safeguard consumers against that - not only monetary and time but also their health and safety.”

The roadmap was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Water, The Guyana Institute of Architects, the Mayor and City Council, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and consultations with legitimate contractors, commercial banks and insurance companies.

The “roadmap” will be officially launched on December 29, and will be accessible on the Commission’s website at ccac.gov.gy or persons can uplift a copy of the handbook at the CCAC office, Sophia Exhibition Complex.

Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel reached full capacity of 120,000 bpd and successfully commissioned the gas injection system.

“We are incredibly proud of the tremendous work of our team in overcoming the challenges of the past year and safely bringing us to where we are today,” said ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge.

He added, “This resilient group, which includes a growing number of Guyanese professionals, continues to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic and initial start-up challenges to

been transferred offshore without a safety incident or case of COVID-19 on the offshore facilities. it said overall, the Liza Destiny FPSO

deliver a world-class project.”

The company said more than 6000 personnel have

team has achieved one year and more than one million hours of work without a re-

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

cordable safety incident.

“ExxonMobil Guyana is committed to the responsible development of the country’s natural resources and will not utilise routine flaring during our operations,” Routledge said. “We are disappointed by the number of equipment issues experienced and that, because of these issues and COVID-19, commissioning of the gas injection system took longer than originally projected. We took significant steps to limit flaring and are incorporating lessons learned for future projects.”

It said investment in the local economy continues to increase as the Liza Phase Two and Payara projects advance. More than 2100 Guyanese are now supporting activities on and offshore.

ExxonMobil and its key contractors have spent over $69 billion with more than 700 local companies since 2015.

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice. They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

16 NEWS Reporters trained on effective coverage of court cases M MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

embers of the media recently had a unique opportunity to hear directly from the Judiciary of Guyana on the functioning of the justice system through the first of a three-part webinar series.

The event which was a collaborated effort between the Judiciary, the Guyana Press Association, and the Justice Education Society of Canada, was aimed at training reporters on how to effectively cover court cases.

During introductory remarks, Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards emphasised that the media

In this regard, she said, “the Judiciary is “not alone in our goal to serve justice.

plays an important role in the healthy functioning of a democratic society.

It has been said that the media acts as society’s watchdog or the public watch-

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Yonette Cummings-Edwards

dog. There is the principle of open justice and you also feature prominently in that system. The principle of open justice requires court proceedings to be accessible to the public and the media. […] Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic might have affected the institution, you were there with us as we tried to keep the wheels of justice turning, keep our doors open, and to make sure that cases were heard.”

High Court Judge Brassington Reynolds noted that law and the media have become inescapably intertwined. “Because a relatively small portion of the public has direct experience with the justice system, public knowledge and views of law and the legal system are largely dependent on media representations,” he said.

Meanwhile, JES Project Director Evelyn Neaman said that we all have a role to play in the justice system. She urged those who participated in the webinar to take advantage of this unique opportunity to

JES Project Director Evelyn Neaman

hear directly from members of the court whether to enhance their understanding of and ability to work with the justice system.

President of the Guyana Press Association Nazima Raghubir noted that the media “have to make it our duty to understand legal terms, understand how to break those down for the public, understand the legal processes, dissect those processes so that we understand them and ultimately so that the public, who is accessing the court, can understand them too. We

have to ensure that there is fair coverage, accurate coverage, and that the information we are putting out there can stand up to scrutiny.”

Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature Alicia Lowenfield was tasked with describing the court structure and the duties and functions of court personnel. Senior Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool presented on the process of appeals, while Justice Nareshwar Harnanan provided a brief overview of the code of conduct for judicial officers.

In addition to members of the media, a wide range of participants took part including Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; professors and students of the University of Guyana; and representatives of the civil society and social service providers.

The webinar series will continue on January 16 and January 23, 2021, with additional presentations from Magistrates and Judges. The Judiciary’s Communication and

Guyana Press Association President Nazima Raghubir

Protocol Officer will outline her role and the kind of information she can provide to the media.

There will also be presentations on accessing the courts during the pandemic; specialised courts such as the Drug Treatment Court and Children Court; bail; stages of criminal proceedings in Magistrates’ Courts and restrictions on publications. Senior representatives of the Press Association will also provide presentations on the ethics of media professionals.

Trading account for alleged Ponzi scheme operators in deficit – lawyer

…laws will be tightened to address fraudulent, other investments – AG

T

he trading account for Accelerated Capital Firm Inc, the company accused of fleecing thousands of Guyanese of millions of dollars in a major Ponzi scheme, is currently in deficit. This was recently revealed by one of the attorneys representing the company’s principles Cuban national Yuri Garcia Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael.

During a recent press conference, the lawyer said, “The account has found itself in a deficit, [GarciaDominquez] has to bring it into profitability. It is only then when it is into profitability that persons will be able to really have their monies in a shorter time because his [GarciaDominguez] ability to withdraw will be greater and the amounts of monies to be

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

withdrawn will be greater.”

Garcia-Dominguez had offered to repay his 17,000 Guyanese investors using cryptocurrency, the most widely used being bitcoins.

But Attorney General Anil Nandlall has made it clear that this is not a legal tender in Guyana. The lawyer said that given the state of

the trading account right now, the broker will limit the amount of money his client can withdraw.

The lawyer claimed that if his client attempts to close the account and have all the monies returned, he will face a penalty in which he will have to pay some 68.5 per cent of the capital investment. He added that the profitability of the trading account took a major hit while his clients were incarcerated after being slapped with over 70 charges for allegedly obtaining monies by false pretence.

Together, GarciaDominquez and his wife have been released on over $30 million bail with instructions to lodge their passports and report to the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown.

Nevertheless, the lawyer said that ever since GarciaDominguez was released on bail “he has been trying to bring the account into profitability.”

The lawyer estimated that there should be a “significant turnaround” with the account in the next four to five weeks. This, he added, will give the company the ability to close certain floating trades and withdraw larger amounts to prevent a chaotic situation for repayments. Once this happens, he promised that all investors will be reimbursed their capital within four to five months.

Asked specifically how many investors have been repaid to date, the lawyer

stated, “I do not have that stats right now because I have not been monitoring the day-to-day payments at all. What I can say is that persons were repaid and millions of dollars have been repaid. I do not have the figures right now. The remaining persons to be repaid are still very significant…”

Tightened

As more and more persons, especially the poor, are becoming victims of Ponzi schemes, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, last Thursday, announced that to safeguard Guyanese, Government will have to tighten laws to ensure that there are strong penalties for perpetrators.

“We certainly have to look back at our laws to tighten them to make Ponzi schemes and devices of this type a criminal offence and to have very strong penalties attached to them when they are committed. Right now, we do not have any laws that specifically address this issue. And that is why we have to resort to the ordinary criminal law and common law to get offences to charge these people with.”

Nandlall said that this state of affairs “must change quickly” as Ponzi schemes and other fraudulent investments have become the new phenomenon, that has not only manifested themselves in Guyana but right across the Caribbean region.

Against this backdrop, he added that the region as a whole will now have to prepare itself for greater prolif-

Yuri Garcia Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael

eration of these schemes and fraudulent devices of a similar type.

According to the Attorney General, one of the lawyers representing the alleged Ponzi scheme operators had reached out to him seeking help. As such, he said that he instructed the lawyers to pen their requests in a letter and the Government will make every effort to assist, provided that what they are requesting is lawful and permissible.

“I never heard a word back…,” Nandlall informed.

In light of this, the Attorney General noted that this shows that this was simply a fraudulent design that was executed with great precision and skill and has unlawfully extracted from thousands of Guyanese millions of dollars.

“I am hoping that every effort will be made to expedite these prosecutions so that at the end of the day, the persons who have been

defrauded will feel some sense of satisfaction that justice has prevailed. We have to hope of the two operators do not flee the country.

Of course, they have been backlisted and the Police have their passports, but you know we have porous borders.”

Taking this into consideration, Nandlall said he hopes that the Police will continue to have Dominguez and his wife under continuous scrutiny so that they will not be able to disappear.

The Attorney General pointed out that this Ponzi scheme has yielded grand success for the defrauders, and has given rise to similar schemes across the country. “They [defrauders] take their [investors] life savings, they take capital from their businesses… I know people who have mortgaged their homes and have taken the proceeds and invested it into these schemes and they have lost all.”

NEWS

17

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Accident leaves AGM worker US looking “very carefully” hospitalised with mangled leg at new virus variant

U

A

The scene of the accident

n accident at the Aurora Gold Mine (AGM) in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) has left one worker nursing serious leg injuries.

It is understood that the worker, who is said to be a forklift operator, was carrying out duties on Sunday afternoon as wood was being offloaded from a haulier truck when the load slipped,

The toppled wood

toppling the forklift and pinning him to the ground.

It is understood that the accident has left the worker with a broken and mangled leg.

Further reports also indicate that on Sunday evening the worker was medevacked out of the mining site to a private hospital in the city. Efforts

by Guyana Times to con-

tact Corporate Director Peter Benny for a comment proved futile.

However, in an interview with Demerara Waves Online News, Benny said that the worker was assisting in offloading materials which had arrived at the camp on a truck when the incident occurred. He said that an investigation has since been launched.

Foreign Affairs Minister welcomes return of LIAT to Barbados, St Vincent

F

oreign Affairs Minister, EP Chet Greene, has welcomed the return of Antigua-based carrier LIAT to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines, after both countries restricted the airline for a few weeks.

LIAT restored commercial passenger flights across the region late last month, but announced early in December that services to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines would be suspended, until new approvals were given.

A scheduled flight was made to Barbados on November 30, but the carrier said that they were informed by both territories that new arrangements had to be made for further operations into the countries. In a statement, LIAT said that prior to its suspension of services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline had been operating to these destinations on valid flight approvals, which have not expired.

The decision from both countries drew ire from the government, who called the reasons “subterfuge and trickery,” adding that they were seemingly intended to ensure that LIAT does not succeed. CARICOM was asked to intervene in the matter to facilitate an amicable solution.

LIAT has since announced that its flight to Barbados would resume on Monday, Dec. 21, with Cabinet also confirming that both countries [St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados] “have dropped their objections and will have LIAT land at their respective airports.” Speaking to Observer, Greene hailed

the move as a huge benefit to the airline’s operations and to the concept of regional integration.

“It’s a good day for LIAT, it’s a good day for the regional integration movement. The fact that LIAT is in the skies requires traffic for LIAT to be sustained and maintained in the skies. So, to have rights into Barbados [and] into St Vincent, that’s

more than welcomed.

“CARICOM leaders, at their last heads meeting, would have looked at and examined the whole question of the integration movement and the notion of having movement between our respective islands. So, what LIAT is doing here is what [the carrier] has done throughout the years.

(Antigua Newsroom)

S authorities are looking “very carefully” into the virus variant spreading in the United Kingdom, top health officials said Sunday, while indicating that a ban on UK travel was not currently in the cards.

Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor to the government’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine program, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that US officials “don’t know yet” if the variant is present in the country.

“We are, of course... looking very carefully into this,” including at the National Institutes of Health and the US Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, he said.

At the moment, he said, no strain of the virus appears to be resistant to the vaccines available.

“This particular variant in the UK, I think, is very unlikely to have escaped the vaccine immunity,” Slaoui said.

“I don’t think there’s any reason for alarm right now,” agreed Admiral Brett Giroir, the US official overseeing coronavirus testing, when asked about the new variant on ABC’s “The Week.”

Asked whether the United States was likely to follow the example of European countries that

Dr Moncef Slaoui

have suspended flights from the United Kingdom, Giroir replied: “I really don’t believe we need to do that yet.”

(AFP)

Chile’s President fined US$3500 for no-mask selfie

C

hilean President Sebastián Piñera has been fined US$3500 (£2,588) for breaching coronavirus rules by posing for a selfie with no facemask on.

Piñera apologised after the photo of him with a woman - also without a mask - went viral earlier this month.

The president admitted he should have worn a mask when the woman requested a photo on a beach near his home in the town of Cachagua.

Chile has strict rules about wearing masks in public.

Violations of the mask law are punishable with penalties that include fines and even jail terms.

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Chile, which has seen among the highest number of cases and deaths

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera admitted he should have worn a mask when posing for the photo

related to the disease in Latin America.

The country has recorded 581,135 infections and 16,051 deaths to date, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University in the US. Controversial photos have proved politically trou-

blesome for Mr Piñera in the past.

Last year, he provoked anger after being pictured at a pizza party on the night protests over inequality broke out in the capital, Santiago.

Then in April this year, the president sparked outrage again by posing for photographs at the plaza that had been the centre of anti-government protests before coronavirus restrictions were imposed.

There has been unrest over the coronavirus restrictions in Santiago as well.

Since June, Chile has been reporting more than 1,000 new cases a day.

At the start of December, Piñera extended a state of emergency for 90 days, allowing his government to continue imposing restrictions. (BBC)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

Regional

PAHO supports push for T&T PM, Venezuelan Ambassador to meet today nutritional warnings

A woman holds a candle in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, during a vigil for victims who drowned in Guiria last weekend while on their way to T&T illegally

P

rime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has summoned Venezuela’s Ambassador to T&T, Carlos Amador Perez Silva, to a meeting today to discuss recent developments concerning both countries – and Trinidad and Tobago’s position.

Guardian Media confirmed that Dr Rowley would meet with the Ambassador today for the discussions. The meeting

will be a face-to-face event between both men, rather than virtual.

In recent days, Trinidad and Tobago has doubled down on stating its position on Venezuelan migrants, following assorted misinformation on the recent incident where 28 Venezuelans drowned in waters near Guiria. Their boat overturned in Venezuelan on their journey to T&T. The group, reported to be comprising about 30 people, was heading to T&T for new lives. Bodies began surfacing last Friday and were first noted by Venezuelan Coast Guard.

On Thursday, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Williams Saab, via a statement, confirmed the group was heading to T&T. He stated that 26 of the victims were so far identified. Saab said each migrant paid US$150 to a human-trafficking ring for their passage.

The boat’s captain, alleged to have a criminal record for trafficking people and drugs, was arrested.

Also arrested was the owner

of the farm who harboured the group before they left for T&T. The arrest of other Venezuelans was ordered, as well as seven members of Venezuela’s armed forces, for extortion.

Since the shipwreck, T&T has been under pressure, including from international groups like Amnesty International, Venezuelan Opposition Members, Opposition loyalists in Venezuela and in T&T and from locally-based Venezuelans. The majority of the calls have been for the Government to accommodate the migrants coming to these shores seeking refuge.

Rowley, who’s led T&T’s defence, on Thursday made it clear that laws on trafficking would be tightened over upcoming months and moves would be made on other conditions to prevent exploitation of Venezuelans.

He also urged Venezuelans to respect T&T’s laws and borders and not to encourage their loved ones to risk their lives by illegal entry. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Keeping up appearances: Asylum seekers on the US-Mexico border

S

ince the introduction of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) – also known as “Remain in Mexico” policies – in 2019, asylum seekers hoping to enter the United States via the US-Mexico border must wait in Mexico for the duration of their US immigration court proceedings.

As a result of this policy, thousands of migrants and asylum seekers found themselves sleeping on the streets near the border.

Gradually, a camp of around 3000 to 4000 people began to form on the banks of the Rio Grande River that separates the northern Mexican town of Matamoros from the Texan town of Brownsville.

Its inhabitants come from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and – even though Mexicans

are exempt from the MPP – Mexico.

With all court hearings suspended since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the camp’s residents have repeatedly had to present at the US border – waiting for hours in line with no ability to physically distance – only to be told to return a few weeks later. The closure of the courts means that Mexicans, too, must wait.

Since the pandemic began, thousands have abandoned the tent village. Many now live in apartments, often in squalid conditions.

Others have paid smugglers to transport them to the US. Some have headed home.

Around 800 people remain in what is now a tightly policed camp enclosed by a tall razor-wire topped fence.

On Saturday, US President-elect Joe Biden

Fernanda, one of the campers, poses for a photograph outside her tent [Lexie Harrison-Cripps/ Al Jazeera]

and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador committed to work on a humane strategy to regional migration by addressing its root causes in Central America and southern Mexico. (Adapted from Al Jazeera)

COVID-19 infection in Trinidad rate reaches 7000

S

ince March to present, some 7000 people in Trinidad and Tobago have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, according to the latest update from the Health Ministry on Sunday.

The update said TT had 26 new cases of infection

for December 17-19.

The 7000 cases comprise 420 active cases, 6457 recovered patients and 123 deaths. This latter death toll has remained unchanged from the Saturday update, suggesting no new deaths within the past 24 hours. TT has 20 pa-

tients now in hospital for COVID-19.

There are 20 patients in step-down facilities, 422 patients in State quarantine facilities and 354 people in home self-isolation (including 37 in care of the prison system.) (Trinidad Newsday)

T

he Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has called for support for the Caricom Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) proposal to put front-of-package nutritional warnings on food products.

The labelling allows consumers to correctly, quickly, and easily identify foods that are excessive in fats, sugar, and sodium (salt) – all of which are linked to NonCommunicable Diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

The CROSQ proposal, which is under review by Caricom Member States, suggests adopting front-ofpackage labeling that meets PAHO thresholds for exces-

Dr Anselm Hennis

sive fats, sugars, and sodium.

“People living in the Caribbean still do not have access to simple and easi-

ly understood information about whether food products contain excessive and potentially harmful amounts of sugars, sodium, or fats,” said Dr Anselm Hennis, Director of PAHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.

“The need to know about these food products is even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, as persons with NCDs are at greater risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID-19.

“In the Caribbean, about one third of the population is at such a risk. They must be extra careful to avoid products excessive in sugars, sodium, saturated fats, trans fats or total fats,” he said.

(CMC)

Work to be done to dispel myths surrounding COVID-19 vaccine – UWI official

H

ealth officials may have an extremely difficult time trying to convince their populations of the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Karen Josiah, Head of the School of Nursing at the UWI Five Island Campus suggested the above, as she delivered a presentation entitled, “Dispelling Common Myths and Perceptions of Vaccinations”, during the Vice-Chancellor’s Forum on the COVID-19 Vaccination, which was held virtually by the University of the West Indies (UWI), recently.

Josiah stressed that whilst the WHO estimates that vaccines have saved two to three million lives each year from vaccine preventable diseases and all vaccine programmes have improved the health of populations by reducing the transmission of diseases, disability and infant mortality, several myths have emerged surrounding

vaccines. She said health officials must, therefore, reveal the scientific evidence and not hide any information, whether the side effects are good or bad.

“They have to be very convincing and truthful in letting the public know exactly what is happening, because the moment the public senses there is financial gain or any other benefits other than the health and safety of people, that becomes a problem.

Giving ethically and truthful information is very essential.

This will help to build trust and then the compliance

of these vaccines becomes easy,” Josiah commented.

As it relates to the myths, she noted that common ones include the view that vaccines cause neurological conditions in children and vaccines make a man sterile. Also, the belief that vaccines contain preservatives to harm people. She noted that while they do contain preservatives, it is at doses lower than what is in the environment and there is no evidence to show that these preservatives pose a health risk. (Excerpt from Barbados Advocate)

Jamaica: Minister pleased with country’s B+ rating from Standard and Poor’s

M

inister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Aubyn Hill, says he is pleased that Jamaica has maintained its B+ credit rating despite the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“This week, S&P (Standard and Poor’s Ratings Agency) released their update on Jamaica where they are maintaining the credit rating of Jamaica’s longterm bond at B+. S&P rated Jamaica’s long-term bonds at B+ late last year, and that was the highest rating Jamaica has ever received

from S&P in 20 years…they are maintaining that rating and that is something to be proud of,” he said.

Senator Hill was piloting the Financial Administration and Audit (Amendment) (No 2) Act, 2020, during the sitting of the Senate on Friday.

He said it was significant, that in the midst of the pandemic, and a projected 10 per cent contraction of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) “that S&P has seen it fit to maintain and affirm Jamaica’s credit rating at B+”.

Senator Hill attributed the development to the fact that Jamaica “managed to preserve economic stability”

during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, he said that the Bill was an important law to allow for automatic adjustments to the fiscal balance, when the requirements to achieve the fiscal targets were suspended in keeping with the fiscal responsibility framework.

He pointed out that earlier this year, both Houses of Parliament approved the suspension of the fiscal rules for fiscal year 2020/2021, following amendments to the FAA Act, which expanded on the circumstances that could trigger suspension of the fiscal rules. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS China's top refiner sees oil product demand peak by 2025

C

hina's largest refiner, Sinopec, expects domestic demand for oil products to peak by 2025 due to COVID impacts and the rise of electric vehicles, Argus reported on Friday, citing Sinopec's research think-tank as saying in its annual report.

"China's oil products will enter a final growth phase before peaking in the next five years," the Economics and Development Research Institute (EDRI) at Sinopec said, as carried by Argus.

According to the research institute, gasoline demand in China will likely peak in 2025, while demand for diesel could peak as soon as next year.

In 2020, Chinese oil product demand is seen down by 7 per cent annually, EDRI said, as the pandemic cut consumption in China first.

Crude oil throughput at Chinese refineries, on the other hand, are expected to remain flat year over year in 2020, at around 13.4 million barrels per day (bpd), the think-tank forecasts.

Despite the expected imminent peak in domestic demand for oil products, refinery capacity in China is set to jump to nearly 20 million bpd by 2025, up from an estimated 17.83 million bpd in 2020, Sinopec's forecasts cited by Argus showed.

China is already on track to surpass the United States as the world's biggest oil refiner next year or the year after. Last year, refiners added some 1 million bpd to existing capacity, and there is another 1.4 million bpd of capacity under construction.

The new refinery capacity set to come online in China within the next five years will increase the oil product surplus in the country and lead to 30-per cent growth in Chinese exports of refined petroleum products in 2025 compared to 2021, according to EDRI. Surging Chinese oil product exports are set to put pressure on refiners elsewhere in Asia as the global refining industry is struggling with overcapacity. Refiners around the world have been announcing permanent closures of refinery capacity this year after the pandemic crushed fuel demand worldwide, and significant overcapacity still remains, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said last month. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

Biden's options for Russian hacking punishment: sanctions, cyber retaliation

P

resident-elect Joe Biden’s team will consider several options to punish Russia for its suspected role in the unprecedented hacking of US Government agencies and companies once he takes office, from new financial sanctions to cyberattacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter said.

The response will need to be strong enough to impose a high economic, financial or technological cost on the perpetrators, but avoid an escalating conflict between two nuclear-armed Cold War adversaries, said one of the people familiar with Biden’s deliberations, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The overarching goal of any action, which could also include stepped-up counter cyber espionage efforts, would be to create an effective deterrence and diminish the potency of future Russian cyber spying, the person said.

The unfolding crisis - and the lack of visibility over the extent of the infiltration into the computer networks of federal agencies including the Treasury, Energy and Commerce Departments - will push to the front of Biden’s agenda when he takes office on Jan 20.

President Donald Trump only acknowledged the hacking on Saturday almost a week after it surfaced, downplaying its importance and questioning whether the Russians were to blame.

Biden’s team will also need a better grasp of US intelligence about the cyber breach before making any decisions, one of the people familiar with his deliberations said.

“They’ll be held accountable,” Biden said in an interview broadcast on CBS on Thursday when asked about how he would deal with the Russian-led hack. He vowed to impose “financial repercussions” on “individuals as well as entities.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

COVID: Nations impose UK travel bans over new variant

E

uropean nations have begun to apply travel bans with the UK after it reported a more infectious and "out of control" coronavirus variant.

Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium are all halting flights and travel. The measures vary and are initially generally short-term.

An EU meeting will be held today morning to discuss a more coordinated response.

The new variant has spread quickly in London and south-east England.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday introduced a new tier four level of restrictions for those areas, scrapping a planned

The initial coronavirus has a lower "viral load", which makes it slower to be passed on

relaxation of rules over the Christmas period for millions of people.

Top health officials said that there was no evidence the new variant was more deadly, or would react differently to vaccines, but it was proving to be up to 70

per cent more transmissible.

In the UK, it was first identified in the middle of October from a sample taken in September.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday said the new strain "was out of

control. We have got to get it under control", admitting that this was "an incredibly difficult end to frankly an awful year".

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the same mutation has also been detected in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.

Dr Catherine Smallwood, of WHO Europe, said that as of December 20, the numbers in those countries were small, nine in Denmark and one each in the other two nations. But she said other countries had notified WHO of other variants "that also carry some of the genetic changes seen in the UK variant". (Excerpt from BBC News)

Several COVID patients killed in Turkey hospital fire

A

t least 10 people have been killed after an oxygen machine caused a fire in a private hospital in Turkey’s southeastern Gaziantep province, the Health Minister said.

The incident took place in the COVID-19 intensive care unit in the Sanko University Hospital where a fire was caused by a highflow oxygen therapy machine used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, according to a statement by

the hospital.

The victims were aged between 56 and 85.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 10 people were killed in the fire, raising the earlier estimate of eight dead by the hospital and the Gaziantep governor’s office. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

Over 50 people, including doctors, medical personnel and security guards, were affected by the fire while try-

ing to transfer patients from the scene during the incident, and 10 staffers are in oxygen therapy, the hospital said in a statement.

After the explosion, 11 other patients receiving COVID-19 treatment in the unit were referred to various hospitals, it added.

Police and fire service teams were dispatched to the scene.

An investigation has been launched regarding the incident.

Intensive care units across Turkey currently have a 74 per cent bed occupancy rate due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Government figures, although medical associations have claimed that hospitals are overrun.

Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, and hoped for the “urgent recovery” of those who were wounded.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Central African Republic opposition calls for election delay due to violence

C

entral African Republic’s main opposition coalition on Sunday demanded the Dec 27 election be postponed due to violence by armed groups outside the capital Bangui, but the Government insisted the vote would go ahead.

On Saturday, the authorities accused former president Francois Bozize of plotting a coup after his candidacy was rejected. United Nations peacekeepers also dispersed armed rebel groups occupying roads and towns near Bangui.

Fighting was going on in several towns, including Mbaiki, about 100 km (62 miles) from Bangui on Sunday, according to one security source and two hu-

manitarian sources.

The opposition alliance, called Cod2020, which includes Bozize, said violence was preventing presidential and parliamentary candidates from campaigning and had led to the destruction of electoral material and threats in almost all provincial centres, without

providing details.

In response, the Government said it was doing everything possible to ensure the vote could take place as planned, deploying troops alongside UN peacekeepers to regain control of occupied towns.

A number of planes from Russia, an ally of President

Faustin-Archange, landed in Central African Republic this weekend, the security source and a source at the airport said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on whether Russia had sent planes. It has previously sent arms and security contractors to CAR, while Russian national Valery Zakharov is a security adviser to Touadera.

In a statement on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said a representative had talked with CAR’s Foreign Minister by phone to reaffirm Russia’s support for the country and its Government’s efforts to ensure security. (Excerpt from Reuters)

“The terrorists have carried out a terrorist attack in Kabul city,” he said.

The attack happened while the convoy of lawmaker Khan Mohammad Wardak was passing through an intersection in Kabul’s Khoshal Khan neighbourhood. The blast set afire surrounding civilian vehicles, as well as damaging nearby buildings and shops.

A security source said a car bomb had detonated.

“It was a powerful explosion that has caused a lot of damage to houses in the vicinity,” the source said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

Afghanistan has seen a sharp rise in violence, particularly bombings, in recent weeks as the Afghan

Government and Taliban hold talks to find an end to the country’s almost 20-yearlong war.

Separate bombings were also reported on Sunday in the provinces of Logar, Nangarhar, Helmand and Badakhshan, in which a number of civilians and security forces members were killed and injured. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A general view shows a part of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic, February 16, 2016

Kabul bomb attack kills women, children; lawmaker wounded

A

car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least nine people and wounded more than 15, including a member of Parliament.

The death toll from Sunday’s attack could rise, Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said, adding that the dead included women, children and the elderly.

20

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Don't make a fuss. Embrace change, and turn it into a golden opportunity. A move will turn into a positive learning experience. Act responsibly, do your part and finish what you start. Romance is on the rise.

A change can be confusTAURUS ing. Be clear about what (April 20you are doing to avoid a May 20) misunderstanding.

Joint ventures handled with diplomacy will turn out well.

Don't offer to pay for someone's mistake.

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO

SUDOKU

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Refuse to let anyone dictate what you can do. Use your attributes wisely, and strive for perfection. Channel your energy into new beginnings and opportunities that improve your life.

Don't let anger or emotions take control. Embrace change, and you'll discover something you are good at and enjoy doing. Keep secrets and passwords to yourself.

Look at your options, take care of responsibilities and leave no room for error. Don't let a change someone makes upset you.

Concentrate on your goal, and strive for positive results.

Make adjustments at home that will help keep the peace. Be mindful of others, and look for a pursuit you can enjoy with a loved one.

Offer suggestions that will help solve financial issues.

Delve into something that needs to be revised, and make the necessary adjustments. Engage in talks that will help you overcome any uncertainty. Stubbornness will not solve problems.

Do what's best for you.

Don't feel obligated to agree to something. Uncertainty is proof enough that it isn't time to make a move. Assess your situation, use your imagination and look for solutions.

Someone you live or work with will offer false information. Verify what's expected of you before you jump into action. Make changes that suit your needs. Romance is on the rise.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

A creative outlet will help you relax. A change of plans will turn out to be better than anticipated. Head in the direction that makes your life easier and less stressful.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Take your time, think matters through and avoid making a premature move.

Use your intelligence, connections and skills to help you make better decisions.

Push back if someone pressures you.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Leave nothing to chance.

How you handle your responsibilities will affect your reputation. Make a point to align yourself with people who share your motives, ethics and beliefs.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

21

Shami ruled out of remaining Australia Tests with fractured arm M

ohammed Shami has been ruled out of the rest of the Australian tour with a fractured arm, sources have confirmed to Cricbuzz.

A day after the debilitating defeat at the Adelaide Oval comes a bigger loss for the Indians. It is still unclear when the fast bowler will be returning home exactly. But chances are it could well be along with Captain Virat Kohli, who was spotted in Adelaide on Sunday and should be on his way out soon for the birth of his first child.

Shami was struck on the right arm, just under the elbow, by a rising Pat Cummins delivery on Saturday evening in India's shambolic second innings. He was immediately tended to by the Indian medical staff. The fast bowler did try resuming his innings, but did not seem to even be able to lift his arm while holding the bat. The medical staff returned to the scene before leading Shami off the field, bringing an end to the Indian innings for their lowest-ever

Test score of 36.

Shami did not come on to the field during Australia's second innings and was not spotted when the two teams exchanged handshakes after the premature end to the first Test. He was later seen leaving the Adelaide Oval with his arm in a sling.

Kohli had revealed in his post-match interview that Shami had gone to get scans and that he had been in a "lot of pain", being unable to "even lift his arm". As feared, those scans have revealed a fracture that Shami will not be able to recover from while he's in Australia.

The fast bowler from Bengal had gone wicketless in Australia's first innings, but had bowled with great rhythm and intensity, creating a number of chances and beating the bat quite often.

His unforeseen departure will leave a gaping hole in India's fast bowling stocks, which has already been heavily impacted with the absence of Ishant Sharma. Shami has been India's go-to wicket-taker in

overseas Tests over the last few years and that responsibility will now solely rest on the shoulders of Jasprit Bumrah while Umesh Yadav continues to improve on his consistency and control.

India are now left with two other options in the squad in the form of Navdeep Saini and Mohammad Siraj, both of whom are yet to make their Test debuts. Siraj was impressive during both his outings in the warm-up matches and could well be the front-runner to come in for Shami even if Saini has been in the squad since the tour to New Zealand.

The visitors could also potentially rope in one of their three reserve fast bowlers who've spent long hours in the nets bowling to those within the squad. Shardul Thakur does have a Test to his name, even if his debut lasted all of 10 balls before he was injured. T Natarajan, who made a name for himself during the white-ball leg of the tour, has been leaving quite a mark, meanwhile, on the Indian top

order in the nets over the last couple of weeks. He has managed to beat the bat of or strike the pads of most batsmen, including Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the nets. It's also been seen that bowling coach Bharat Arun, in particular, has taken Natarajan under his wing , constantly working with the left-armer in the nets.

The 20-year-old Kartik Tyagi was part of the warmup game at the Drummoyne Oval and bowled some quick spells. It was his bouncer that unfortunately hit Will Pucovski on the helmet, a blow that has now ruled the Victorian batsman out of the first two Tests of the series.

Tyagi too has bowled some eye-catching deliveries in the nets, including some sharp bouncers to the likes of Kohli and Pujara.

In some better injury news for India, Ravindra Jadeja has gone from doing sprints to batting in the nets to bowling in the middle – as spotted before the day's play on Saturday – over the last four

Mohammed Shami

to five days. Rohit Sharma is still in quarantine in Sydney and should be out halfway through the Boxing Day Test.

That should give him enough time, if deemed fit post his quarantine, to be ready for selection for the third Test on January 7.

The Indian team are staying back in Adelaide, even

as a number of broadcasters and media personnel made their way across the South Australian border into Victoria on Sunday owing to the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney. They are, in fact, also scheduled to have an optional training session at the Adelaide Oval today.

(Cricbuzz)

Liverpool: The Christmas leaders who bounced back from humiliation W hen Liverpool lost 7-2 to Aston Villa on October 4, their ability to defend the Premier League title they won in such style in 2019-20 was questioned. But by scoring seven goals of their own against Crystal Palace on Saturday, they underlined their status as favourites.

Their performance at Selhurst Park was an ominous one for those rivals who would like to think they can capitalise on the season's unusual circumstances to mount a challenge – and who would like to prevent the Reds from winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984.

Liverpool are now the first side to spend three consecutive Christmases on top of the English league since they achieved the feat from 1978 to 1980.

And the stats make good reading for the Reds – 11 out of the past 15 sides leading the way on December 25 have gone on to win the title. Liverpool have a five-point lead at the summit of the table after Everton's win over Arsenal on Saturday.

Manager Jurgen Klopp, though, indicated that this was no time to be getting over-excited. "I don't feel satisfaction – I am happy in the moment absolutely, because it was a top game, but at a time like this it makes no sense to be over the moon about something," said Klopp. "The season is not finished. There are a few games to come, but we will be ready."

Liverpool have lost just once in all competitions since losing 7-2 to

Aston Villa on October 4. Klopp is a much happier manager now than he was after that cold October night in the West Midlands. After the shock defeat by Villa, he said his side had "lost the plot".

Liverpool became the first reigning champions to concede seven goals in a league game since Sunderland beat Arsenal 7-1 in September 1953.

But since the embarrassment at Villa Park, Klopp's side have marched up the table. Their phenomenal attacking display at Selhurst Park was a significant statement of intent.

They don't have the 10-point cushion they enjoyed on Christmas Day 2019 – and Tottenham could reduce their lead to three points when they face Leicester on Sunday.

But Liverpool's lead does mean their rivals are already playing catch-up.

"We scored wonderful goals in the first half and even more so in the second half," Klopp said. "We controlled the game and didn't let Crystal Palace back in, so [it was a] wonderful performance."

The facts don't lie. Liverpool dominated possession, had five different scorers, and attempted 14 shots to Palace's five. On BBC Sport's player rater, no Liverpool man got lower than 7.62.

"We were clinical in front of goal," added Captain Jordan Henderson.

"All of the finishes were brilliant. Mo [Salah]'s was brilliant – that last one – and Bobby [Firmino]'s were brilliant.

Taki [Minamino]'s too.

work. If the full-backs go forward and lose the ball, Henderson is in a great position to help out. We give Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson the plaudits for all the assists they get, but Henderson does a lot of their work."

Jurgen Klopp was named 2020's Best FIFA Men's Coach

"We are focused on what's important to us – whether that's the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, etc. It's a difficult period for everyone, so we need to keep going. We have a few players coming back from injury which is important for us."

Former England Captain Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day: "It was a devastating display of finishing.

The appreciation and understanding of what is in and around the players and then the space for others to run it is so intelligent.

"Just sit back and admire Salah's second goal, it was magnificent from all the forwards on the pitch."

Ex-Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas added: "There are a lot of players in the Liverpool team that can be rested, but the demands and the drive comes from the captain, the leader Jordan Henderson. "He leads by example and does so much selfless

“We are humiliated by the result” A manager since 1976, Roy Hodgson has seen enough of football's highs and lows to maintain a sense of perspective. The Crystal Palace boss is not a man to use words such as "humiliated" lightly.

So the fact that he used that word on Saturday was an indicator of his strength of feeling.

"There is nothing positive I can say," said Hodgson, who looked a forlorn figure. "We are humiliated by the result. We take it very badly. For most of us in the dressing room, we have not been on the end of a 7-0 defeat.

"We just have to get over it. There is no point dwelling on it and we have to learn lessons."

The result was Liverpool's first league victory by a margin of seven or more goals since a 9-0 win over Crystal Palace in September 1989.

Liverpool were top at Christmas that season too. They went on to win the title by nine points. (BBC Sport)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

Charles, Gayle power Atlanta Paramveers to US Open title J

ohnson Charles stroked a well-composed 70 and Chris Gayle made 49 and claimed one wicket to lead the Atlanta Paramveers to a 10run win against the 22 Yards Sultans in the grand final of the USA Open T20 tournament in Florida.

Chasing 183 to win, a Guyanese-filled 22 Yards team ended on the losing side, falling short on 172-7 when 20 overs had expired.

Earlier, 22 Yards won the toss and opted to bowl first. Atlanta Paramveers lost Darpan Patel for two when he was cleaned up by Guyana's Ashmead Nedd at 2-1. Gayle, batting at number three, joined his long-time West Indies partner Charles and the duo showed experience, adding 107 runs for the second- wicket partnership.

Gayle, who made a matchwinning half-century in the semi-final, fell one run short of another fifty. The big Jamaican faced 36 balls and scored 49, which was decorated with three sixes and four boundaries. It was Christopher Barnwell who got the big fish when Trevon Griffith took a stunning catch at 109-2 in 13.3 overs.

Fresh from a man-of-thematch effort in the semi-final, Sherfane Rutherford proved himself with the ball in hand this time around. He removed Steven Taylor (01) and Param Patel (03). The St Lucian Charles

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hit sweet sixes and rode his luck after he was dropped by Griffith on 52 off the bowling of Barnwell.

However, Charles was undone by the brilliance of Devendra Bishoo in the field, off the bowling of Rutherford.

Charles’ innings of 70 came off 50 balls and included nine fours and one six. The South African Wayne Parnell finished off the innings for Parmaveers, striking 27 from 12 balls to ensure the Atlanta-based team reach 182-

6 in their allotted 20 overs.

Garth Garvey (17) and Parnell took a liking to Barnwell, hitting 23 runs off his final over. Rutherford had figures of 3-24 while Nedd (118, three overs), Jasdeep Singh (1-47) and Barnwell (1-49) had one wicket each.

Griffith and Ahad Malek added 64 runs for the first wicket in 7.1 overs to set an early tone. Malek was bowled

by Gayle, the first ball into his spell. Griffith continued to play

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his shots, but he played one too many and was caught by Charles off the bowling of Parnell. The left-hander hit two fours and two sixes.

With no run for the taking, Rutherford took off and the bowler hit the stumps and he was run out for 11 at 111-3 in 12.5 overs. Barnwell played well for his 20-ball 35, but

that proved insufficient in the end, when he was run out. 22 Yards required 20 runs in the final over with Sinclair and Barnwell in the middle. It was Evroy Dyer with ball in hand; Barnwell and Sinclair had a big miscommunication and that led to an angry Barnwell's dismissal. Bowling for the Atlanta team, Parnell had 2-27 in his four overs.

Holder, Paul expensive with ball on Big Bash debut

W

est Indies duo Jason Holder and Keemo Paul had expensive spells and went wicket-less in their Big Bash debut over the weekend. Holder, playing for Sydney Sixers, bowled two overs for 26 runs while Paul, playing for Hobart Hurricanes, bowled two overs for 27 runs.

In the match where Holder featured, the Sixers won by 38 runs against the Adelaide Strikers. Sixers, batting first, scored177-5 in 20 overs with Dan Christian hitting a 15-ball 50 and Daniel Hughes scoring 46. Holder, batting down the order, scored an unbeaten five-ball 11, which included one six and one four. In response, Strikers were restricted to 139-7 in 20 overs with former West Indies T20 Captain, Carlos Brathwaite claiming 2-23 in four overs.

Meanwhile, in the other match that featured Paul, the Hurricanes won by six wickets against the Melbourne Renegades. The Renegades scored 157-5 in 20 overs while Hurricanes made 161-4. Ben McDermott hit a sublime 89 not out from 55 balls.

McDermott continued his magnificent run of form coming off a century for Australia A against India, smashing seven fours and five sixes in a flawless display against both pace and spin.

Earlier, half-centuries from Sam Harper and Rilee Rossouw rescued the Renegades from early trouble after Scott Boland and James Faulkner

caused major damage with the new ball. Boland finished with figures of 2 for 19, but the Renegades made a mess of the last seven overs after Harper and Rossouw's 113-run stand had them poised to post a total in excess of 170. Some good death bowling from the Hurricanes restricted their opponents to just 5 for 157, which was nowhere near enough.

The duo did an exceptional job to get the Renegades back on track after a disastrous start. Having been sent in on a surface with plenty in it for the seam bowlers, the Renegades slumped to 2 for 4 with Shaun Marsh out to a leading edge in the first over while Jake Fraser-McGurk was all at sea against Boland, nicking to slip during a wicket-maiden. Rossouw and Harper paced their recovery beautifully. They

weathered the storm against the nip and swing of Faulkner and Boland, and then attacked the extra pace and wayward lengths of Riley Meredith and Paul, thumping 51 from their first four overs combined. Rossouw raced to 50 off 32 in an excellent centurystand.

During the partnership, the Renegades made a strange move at the 10-over mark. With the score at 2 for 69, and the power of Mohammad Nabi, Beau Webster, and Will Sutherland still to come, the Renegades elected to sub out spinner Peter Hatzoglou for batsman Mackenzie Harvey. The idea was to free up Rossouw and Harper given the added batting depth. The Power Surge was also set up to be taken early in the last 10 overs. But the plans went

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haywire with the score at 2 for 107 after 13 overs.

They scored just 10 runs in overs 14 to 16 without taking the Surge.

Rossouw and Harper let off-spinner Will Jacks bowl the 14th over at a cost of just four singles. Rossouw then fell in the 15th, and Harper and Nabi scored just three singles in the 16th with Boland conceding just five runs from his first three overs. They made up for it somewhat in the Surge overs scoring 29, including five boundaries, with Harper reaching his fourth BBL half-century. But they failed to score a boundary in the last two overs of the innings and Harvey did not bat.

As the Big Bash continues, the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Andre Fletcher will also entertain the Big Bash with Caribbean flavour.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

"We will keep up Wilbert Benjamin's legacy" – widow Y

vette Benjamin, the widow of the late champion cyclist Wilbert Benjamin, has pledged to keep up his legacy by donating to cyclists and continuing to support racing events.

Mrs Benjamin spoke to Guyana Times after the final leg of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) time trials which was held in Berbice.

"We have to keep up his legacy and do the exact thing that he does. Donate stuff, sponsor races and so on. Me and my daughters and we also have the coach (Randolph Roberts) to help us," she said. In the upcoming 2021 cycling season, the Benjamin family will be keeping up the cycling legacy of

the late Wilbert.

Coming from a family of cyclists (father, uncle, older brother), Wilbert Benjamin raced to three national school titles in the 80s, and went on to represent Guyana at the InterGuianas, CARIFTA, Pan-American and Texaco Games in his transition from junior to senior champion rider.

Aside from being a champion cyclist and businessman, Benjamin can be hailed as a philanthropist who often contributed cash or kind to young riders, and to the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC) of which he was a member.

He eventually migrated in 1992, and spent some years in Monserrat before taking up

Super50 carded for February 4-27 in Antigua: Red Force commence preparations

T

he Regional Super50 tournament is set for February 4 to February 27, 2021 in Antigua.

The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force began preparations for this tournament with training sessions followed by trial matches. In the first match, Evin Lewis and Ravi Rampaul were the star performers. Lewis hit 80 while Rampaul took 4-27.

In match two, Tion Webster and Jyd Goolie hit centuries.

Webster and Goolie each scored centuries for their respective teams, as the Denesh Ramdin XI whipped the Imran Khan XI by 50 runs on Friday, in the second TT Red Force trial match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba.

The Ramdin XI, batting first after winning the toss, posted a score of 276 runs for six wickets off 40 overs (the match was reduced from a 50-overs-per-side affair due to early morning rain) with Webster hitting 127 and fellow opener Keagan Simmons 85. In reply, the Khan XI made 226-7, with Goolie scoring an unbeaten 122.

Webster and Simmons featured in an opening stand of 180 off 26.1 overs, before Webster (96 deliveries, seven fours and eight sixes) was bowled by fast bowler Uthman Muhammed.

Off-spinner Bryan Charles dismissed Isaiah Rajah (ten) and Nicholas Alexis (one) and Goolie, with his leg-breaks, ended Simmons’ knock with the score on 239, in the 37th over. Simmons faced 92 balls and struck six fours. Goolie got rid of skipper Ramdin (one) while Jarlanie Seales (12) fell to Shaaron Lewis, but Yannic Cariah was unbeaten on 22 and Amir Jangoo on two.

Goolie took 2-17 off two overs and Charles 2-55 off eight. In their pursuit of 277, Khan opened with Jeremy Solozano and they put on 38 for the first wicket before Khan was removed by pacer Anderson Phillip for 25. Solozano quickly followed for 15, bowled by off-spinner Jon-Russ Jaggesar.

Goolie tried valiantly to keep the Khan XI within touching distance of their required run-rate, but he had little support from the middle order, as Jason Mohammed (nine); Kirstan Kallicharan (one); Steven Katwaroo (nine); Terrance Hinds (14) and Charles (13) failed to impress.

Goolie put his name in the selectors’ minds with a 97-ball knock, which included nine boundaries and seven sixes.

Jaggesar (2-10 off seven overs); Phillip (2-42 off seven) and leg-spinner Rajah (2-38 off six) were the chief destroyers for the Ramdin XI. (T&T Newsday)

residence in Canada in 1997.

There, he opened the Benjamin Sports Sales & Services, a store which offered bicycles and other cycling equipment and services.

He later opened the Benjamin Sports Store in Fyrish, Berbice, which catered to not only cycling but other sporting disciplines. He also had been the owner of the Benjamin Fitness Gym in Fyrish. Since his migration, the cyclist would return frequently to host road races and give back to cyclists and clubs across the country.

Benjamin was involved in an accident in August while making his morning rounds on his bicycle as part of his daily training routine on the Hampshire Public Road. After being struck down by a motor car, the former national cyclist lost consciousness and was taken to the Anamayah Hospital on the Corentyne, where he underwent routine tests, including CT scans.

The hospital had found no irregularities and the cyclist was discharged sometime later.

However, he started to experience headaches, and returned to the hospital, where a test revealed he had sustained a fractured skull and brain damage. It was concluded that Benjamin would have to be taken to Georgetown to undergo surgery. While one private hospital had no doctor on hand to perform the surgery, Benjamin was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

It was then that a mixup occurred. According to Benjamin’s family members, the staff on the ambulance in which he was being transported realised that there was not enough oxygen for the patient for the journey to Georgetown, and the decision was made to go back to the hospital on the Corentyne. However, upon their return, the Berbice River Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic, causing a lengthier delay.

Benjamin was eventually taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, but succumbed hours prior to his arrival there.

The late Wilbert Benjamin

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020

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

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Charles, Gayle will keep power Atlanta “We up Wilbert Paramveers to Benjamin’s US Open title legacy” – widow

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