Guyana Times - Monday, February 13, 2023

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Monday, Feb 13 – 22:00h to 23:30h and Tuesday, Feb 14 – 23:30h – 01:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, Feb 13 – 08:40h – 10:10h and Tuesday, Feb 14 – 10:10h – 11:40h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be thundery showers during the day. Expect thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly between 2.68 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 09:28h and 22:09h reaching maximum heights of 2.39 metres and 2.25 metres.

Low Tide: 15:35h reaching a minimum height of 0.84 metre.

EIA waived for Guyana’s 1st solarpowered water treatment plant …no

significant impact on environment – EPA

GWI has embarked on other solar power projects, but of a smaller nature. These include the recently commissioned $38 million water system at Kato village, Region Eight, which features solar panels and accessories.

Guyana is one step closer to getting its first ever solar-powered water treatment plant, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has waived the requirements for an impact study for the European Union (EU) funded project that will benefit over 4000 households in East Berbice-Corentyne.

In a notice, the EPA said that the project which will cost US$750,000 (or $150 million) would not have a significant impact on the environment. It was pointed out that the project will draw 40 per cent of its annual energy usage from the solar energy sources.

It was also pointed out that the project will see the existing Port Mourant Water Treatment plant (PMWTP) no longer have to use a back-up generator. Additionally, the project will cater for 4500 residents.

“Impacts from noise will be low to moderate primarily during the operational phase of the PMWTP and the construction of the solar energy field, which will be

short term and localised… impacts from dust pollution will be moderate and primarily during construction of the solar energy field and would be short term and localised.”

“The project is not in close proximity to any sensitive ecosystems. Project activities will have low to minor effects on the existing biodiversity and ecosystem in the proposed project area. The developer will ensure that waste will be recycled and reused as well as utilise appropriate disposal techniques in keeping with the agency’s hazardous waste guidelines.”

Persons were meanwhile given the option of appealing the waiver, within 30 days of the published notice. Last year, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) had announced that the project would be commissioned in 2023.

GWI Manager of Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation, Denise Woolford had said during a press conference that the facility would help reduce “our carbon dioxide emissions

which will then minimise the risks of climate change, and as a company we want to ensure that our activities add value, and do not cause adverse effects.”

This is in keeping with Guyana’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 per cent in 2030 through a progressively cleaner energy mix. It is also interlinked with the renewed and expanded Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.

There are a number of policy decisions the Government has taken towards realising its renewable energy ambitions. These include the revival of the 165-megawatt Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), which was one of the promises made by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic in its manifesto.

The project was initiated under the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, but was scrapped by the coalition Administration which had controlled the National Assembly by a oneseat Opposition majority. At present, there is interest from several bilateral partners in the project to finance the construction of the project.

TURN TO PAGE 16

A recently commissioned $38M water system at Kato village

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Equity in development

Now that the Budget Debates are over, we can examine some of the premises behind the points made by the Government and the Opposition in terms of equity. A large chunk of the $981B Budget was dedicated to investments in infrastructure - $388 billion - and the Opposition criticised it from two angles. Firstly, while they did not disagree fundamentally that investments in infrastructure are necessary, they insisted that more ought to have been expended on social benefits, like pensions. While couched in the language of equity for the “poor”, they are therefore in agreement with the Government’s welfare programme, and differ only on the quanta allocated. This is normal, and even expected, since, when in Opposition, parties invariably adopt a populist stance, and face no blowback if matters go awry. Governments, on the other hand, must weigh the feel-good, short-term populist ploy for votes versus the longer-term imperative for sustainable development.

The other angle of criticism was also couched in terms of equity, but this time concerned the distribution of the contracts awarded. The Opposition Leader claimed, “The stark imbalance in the award of Government contracts must now be addressed to ensure a wider cross-section of Guyanese individuals and businesses can benefit as contractors. There is no denying the obvious fact that only a narrow section of the population benefits overwhelmingly from contract awards. This unacceptable situation has been allowed to continue unrestricted for too long, and has become self-perpetuating. These acts of political and ethnic discrimination in the awarding of contracts are unacceptable.”

Now, these are claims that are being bandied about, and have caused much disquiet since they are coded in language known to all Guyanese, as in claiming “racial discrimination” in the awarding of contracts. However, the Opposition Leader would know that, at both the national and regional levels, there are mechanisms in place – for instance, the Public Procurement Commission – that have Opposition members on board, and they are supposed to be scrutinising the performance of bodies like the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). Rather than making broad, generalised claims, they should be in a position to provide evidence to support their claims. One document circulating, which merely offers the ethnicity of the successful bidders, is quite disingenuous in not identifying, for instance, how many contractors of differing ethnicities submitted bids, and how qualified and competitive they were; so that any inequitable distribution could be discerned.

But the Opposition Leader also made a broader call for equity in the allocation of contracts when he implicitly called for affirmative action programmes to rectify alleged previous acts of discrimination against ethnic, religious, gender, political and social groups that are now underrepresented. These are calls that the Government is quite aware of, and have made interventions that members of such groups as individuals can seize. The key point of difference is that the Opposition have not clearly articulated the justificatory principles that underlie their calls.

For instance, in distributive systems, based on the equity principle that are based on markets as the allocative mechanisms, the goal is to reach a proportionate ratio of merit (“input”) to outcome (“output”) for each individual, and not groups per se. Depending on the allocation context, merit might be defined according to any number of factors —including effort, motivation, industriousness, talent, or ability – all individual, and not group attributes. Outcome, in turn, could refer to any form of reward relevant to the context, such as wages and salaries, entrance into an organisation, or social recognition.

In contradistinction, during the pre- and post-Independence era, both the PNC and PPP agreed on the Marxist distributive principles that stressed equality and need. For socialism: “From each according to his ability; to each according to his contribution", and for communism, “From each according to his ability; to each according to his need”. These were not groupspecific, and their disagreement on specifics was grounded in those principles that have now been shown to be invalid in the early stage of development. Even communist China accepts that.

Haiti needs our help, not our derision

By Dr raulston nemBharD

With Haiti disintegrating into an ungovernable and failed state, I wondered when the world would take serious notice, and at least do something to save the country before it went to a final hell.

But, as they say, better late than never. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced the Government's willingness to participate in initiatives aimed at stabilising Haiti. He has pledged Jamaica as a potential host to any diplomatic initiative that would be engaged to deliberate on ways in which this stabilisation could be achieved, along with military personnel as necessary to help in any intervention.

All of this is good, and should be welcomed by any well-thinking person who wishes the Haitian people a better future. It is fruitless, if not imprudent, for anyone at this time to hold Haiti in derision for the sad state into which it has fallen. It is true that its bona fides for failure have been well established. It has been ruled by factionalism, and leaders who have only sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor and vulnerable. The resources of the country have been plundered to satisfy the elites of Haitian society.

The gangs that now hold sway have been able to do so

by exploiting the weak security infrastructure in the country, not to mention the rampant corruption that permeates every level of society.

Haiti, like Somalia, is a perfect poster child for what happens in a country when there is a breakdown of the rule of law, and where grievous vulnerabilities in one's security apparatus are easily open to exploitation. It is very difficult to establish that Haiti has ever had any decent Government that really cared about the destiny of the Haitian people since it threw off slavery under Toussaint L' Overture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

But the existential crisis that the country faces is not one that the world can continue to ignore. We in Jamaica must be especially conscious of the need to bring peace, stability and prosperity to Haiti. Our maritime border lies only 190 miles from Haiti's southern peninsula, and there is a robust drugs-for-guns activity that takes place between the two countries. We know that this proximity has exacerbated our crime problem, especially gun-related crimes. We should be aware that any mass migration from Haiti by sea, as a result of serious upheaval in that country, would certainly end up on our shores. Will we be able to accommodate this horde? So, quite apart from us having a vested interest

in Haiti's security, enlightened self-interest dictates that we protect ourselves.

I listened to an interview of former head of the Jamaica Defence Force, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, on Nationwide News Network radio. He made the perceptive analogy of Haiti burning and its neighbours being ignited by flying sparks. The analogy is spot on. The implications of Haiti on fire should be unmistakable for us, Jamaica, so we should be robust in our participation in any initiative to help.

It is reassuring that his Majesty's loyal Opposition has signed on as well. The naysayers, who think that Jamaica should first deal with its problems before helping Haiti, are abysmal and naïve in their assumptions, and should be ignored. This is one of those times when we have to chew gum and walk at the same time. This column wishes the initiative well, and prays that it would not become another example of announcements on steroids.

The new legislation to govern the use of our roads is now operational, but it has hit a snag. The issue concerns the use of the child restraint system by taxis and other public passenger vehicles (PPV). The operators of these vehicles have rightly cited the impracticability of using seat restraints in their vehicles.

Interestingly, as far back as

2001, there was provision in the law for this system, but, like so many other creatures of legislation in Jamaica, it was never enforced. Now we are faced with this dilemma.

It is important that the Government listens to the cries and moves to re-examine this clause in the new legislation. Government must do so with urgency, whether by ministerial order or by adjusting the clause in the present legislation. For the sake of our children and anxious parents, the matter is impatient of redress.

Car seat restraints for minors under 12 years old is a necessary part of any attempt to keep our children safe as they are driven on the road. Parents who own vehicles and transport their young ones know almost instinctively what they have to do to protect their loved ones. They do not need to be lectured or legislated to in order to do what must be done. Parents and guardians who ignore this time-honoured practicality have lived to regret the deaths of their young ones. Let us act on this with dispatch. (Jamaica Observer)

(Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life's Storm; Your Selfesteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America.)

Poor safety practices on full display

Dear Editor, The season of fires continues with the recent conflagration at Parika Market, where, from all reports and accounts, the lack of health and safety practices was on full display.

It is being firmly posited by eyewitnesses (the

vendors and stallholders) that the blaze which led to the massive destruction of the facility was ignited by sparks from welding being done on the structure. In a congested area like that, with all kinds of combustible materials, it was very reckless to conduct welding,

knowing it could lead to potential danger, as it did.

The fairly recent destruction of a storage bond by fire which was similarly caused did not, it seems, provide any lessons to those who engaged in the welding activity at Parika. Now lives and livelihoods are disrupted,

and people are in despair. My sympathies to all those who suffered in this man-made tragedy. It is hoped they would overcome this setback and rebuild their lives and trade.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

First Lady Arya Ali and students of the Belle West Nursery School, West Bank Demerara, posed for a picture during a tour of State House - the Official Residence of President Dr Irfaan Ali and his family - on Friday (Office of the President photo)

Nandlall’s timely reminder recounts PPP/C’s legal battles at 2020 elections

Dear Editor,

It is good that at the Commission of Inquiry (into the attempted rigging of the 2020 Guyana Elections), Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall, SC, recapped some recent history, so that we can reinforce the records if, by any chance, there will still be deniers of what actually took place in the aftermath of the said 2020 Guyana Elections. As we all know, the delayed elections were actualised in March 02, 2020, and this was really after some 15 months of tricky dalliance from the fallen Coalition Government.

I think we remember quite well that the then Government was derailed legally too, via the successful December 21, 2018 People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/ C’s) No Confidence Motion, redounding in the said falling “…after APNU+AFC MP Charrandas Persaud voted ‘yes’.”

However, this simple matter was not resolved until July 2019, some six months after the fact.

Editor, let me revisit the end of this No-Confidence Motion, as it serves to highlight the evil gamesmanship of the then Government (running on pure illegality). The apex court, the CCJ, stated that “…upon the passage of a vote of no confidence, (there must be) the resignation of the Cabinet, including the President (even though) among other things, notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office, and that an election shall be held within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution, supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly, determine”.

What I really want readers to grasp is that the attempted rigging of the 2020 Guyana Elections was well presaged in these exercises of evil otiosity. Let me illustrate.

On December 22, almost immediately after the ‘fall’, grounded in the passage of the No-confidence Motion filed

by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition against the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition, (then) Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo emphatically said that the “Government will uphold the law.” He elaborated that “This means, in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana, the Coalition Administration will have to resign and call national elections within the next three months.” So, he and his colleagues knew from the onset what should have ensued. He himself quoted that “Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution states respectively: “The Cabinet, including the President, shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” And “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.” Yet, in evil defiance, A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition frustrated Guyanese, and waited until The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the motion of no confidence of December 21, 2018 was validly passed.

Worse followed, as the country had to wait until another nine months for the elections to be run off, and knowing full well that they lost, APNU-AFC refused to demit office, and instead meandered into futile court battles for another five months.

Thus I am glad that Anil Nandlall touched on the eighty legal battles that marred the holding and the subsequent final results of the 2020 Regional and General Elections. He also reminded all about the iniquitous “…unilateral appointment made by former President

David Granger of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission Ret’d Justice James Patterson. That too was rebuffed by the CCJ, and must be added to the records for progeny.

Now, since there is no need for me to rehash what we all know, and what are being confirmed in the ongoing inquiry, let me close with two comments. First, I really hope that after the misbehaviour of the now Opposition members and their allies are yet again established, and the final report of the findings are submitted, the ruling PPP/C Government would ensure that the occurrence of what took place would be placed in the annals of our political history and be placed in every possible place of access. This ‘attempted rigging’ is too seminal to be left to chance. In fact, a specialised documentary should be produced. It may be costly and time consuming, but it will be worth it all.

Secondly, let me remind readers that this commission of inquiry is a tool to take note of. It is enabling this necessary investigation of a matter of great public concern and in a public forum other than in an ordinary court. Commissions, after all, are aimed at encouraging transparency through fact-finding, and providing input for future investigation or criminal proceedings, if necessary. Commissions of inquiry are normally empowered to gather evidence through investigations, including entering and searching premises, requesting written statements under oath, as well as oral evidence given in a public hearing.

And so far, the proceedings have been fair and balanced, as it is essential that the public have as much information about the proceedings as possible, commensurate with the proper conduct of the hearings and the interests of the parties involved. The role of the media is important too, as, in matters of this sort, there must be transparency and accountability.

Yours truly,

H Singh

Guyana should transition to renewable energy

Dear Editor, Nations around the globe are transitioning to clean, renewable (green) energy to reduce the greenhouse effect that causes climate change (global warming) that threatens Guyana’s coast and survival.

Hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and coal and wood used in the production of electricity would not be completely eliminated, thus Guyana must continue to produce oil; and at any rate, the amount of oil Guyana produces is relatively insignificant in the global market, but significant for revenues to fuel Guyana’s development.

Guyana has a narrow window to exploit production of its oil and gas (20 to 30 years), and should take advantage of it, but also take measures to mitigate the greenhouse effect.

While developing the oil sector and increasing production of oil for revenues to grow the economy, Guyana must transition towards a green economy (less use of hydrocarbons). Guyana has an abundance of natural habitat (wind, solar) and resources (swift moving water and waterfalls) for green energy (sustainable electricity generation without harmful effects to the environment) to power industries and development of the country.

On this note, Vice President Jagdeo is commended for pursuing hydro-electric dam (Amaila) and gas-to-shore project to generate electricity (gas produces less pollution than diesel, with less effect on global warming), and for supporting solar and wind generation of power.

The globe desperately needs a movement away from hydrocarbons (and burning wood and coal) to generate energy because of the lasting effect on climate. Renewable energy substitutes are available, but it will take a cultural transformation to get nations and people to turn to solar and wind and other non-hydrocar-

bon-generated energy. Non-hydrocarbongenerated power is also very costly compared with oil and gas or coal and wood; but, with improved technology for green energy generation, cost will come down, making it affordable for even poorer countries like Guyana.

As more and more countries are turning to green energy to reduce use of hydrocarbon, whose pollution has devastating effects on climate change, Guyana should learn from them and seek their technology.

India, USA, Canada and several European countries have been pioneering green technologies to move towards non-fossil fuels.

Indian technology may be less expensive than those of other countries, and more suitable for Guyana than others.

India also has several hydro-electric dams. India is gradually perfecting green technology. More and more companies that are green technology-related are moving to India to produce equipment for solar and wind generation, and production of batteries for storage of energy.

India can deliver the green technology Guyana needs. There is great scope for green collaboration between Guyana and India, thus Guyana should hitch wagon to India’s green technology (solar, wind, hydro). Such an alliance would boost green growth in Guyana, and it may expand throughout the region.

Guyana has obtained a lot of funding from Norway to protect the rainforests. The money should be invested into generating green energy. Guyana’s oil will not last forever. Government should seek to make Guyana a self-sustainable producer of green energy. The country must not rely on hydrocarbons for energy, or to power development; alternatives must be pursued. Towards this end, people should be encouraged to mount solar panels and wind wheels to generate their energy.

Government should offer grants from the Norway fund to help people make a transition from the power grid to developing their own electricity generation. Surplus energy generated could be sold to the national grid. Technology exists to use electricity from power grids and to inject surplus electricity into the grid. In the US, homeowners and farmers are encouraged to generate clean, green energy, the surplus of which is sold to the electric company.

Several Guyanese in Florida, Minnesota, Upstate New York, among places, are earning revenues or having zero electricity bills from solar production of power. Some related that their electric bills are almost zero, or the company owes them revenues which are kept as a credit for future use. Generating green electricity at home or on the farm becomes a kind of business (generating an income), while also making them conscious of protecting the environment from further pollutants that cause global warming.

It can also be done in Guyana with education. People must be educated that burning clean energy also reduces effects on health. Government must make every effort to convince the public to use less power from the national grid, and to generate their own electricity. As an aside, Government must provide incentives (like a subsidy).

The Vice President, some years ago, won the accolade “Champion of the Earth” for his LCDS initiative and advocacy of protecting the environment from greenhouse gas effects. He should lead the effort in Guyana; he is enormously popular, the public would heed his call to transition to green energy.

Yours faithfully, Vishnu Bisram

Dear Editor,

The CoI set up by President Irfaan Ali has just concluded its hearings, and will soon write up a report. That report will bear evidence that the PNC-led Coalition was on a brazen and unashamed course to rig the March 2020 General and Regional Elections. That document would bear multiple instances when the PNC took every available platform at their disposal to forge an illegitimate win for the party. They even petitioned the courts on numerous occasions to validate that fraud, all to no avail.

Minister Oneidge Walrond summed it up in her 2023 Budget Debate speech: that when we thought that rigging was a thing of the past, we were sadly mistaken, because the sordid events surrounding March 2020 and beyond had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the plan to rig was alive and well.

But, like I said, those plans were defeated by a determined PPP/C and the International Community, which saw to it that such a bold attack on democracy could not take a foothold here in Guyana. That affront that was brought on the people of Guyana had to be put in its place immediately, so that democracy could have a breath of fresh air again.

The same principle was applied when the people of Grenada were violently assaulted by persons who were keen on obtaining power, not through the ballot box, but through the barrel of a gun. Some spectators - and we have a few around here in

Guyana - who are of the belief that they can take power violently, were shocked to the reality that it would not be allowed here. What they thought was a “harmless” exercise to wrest power from an old voodoo dictator, they were rudely awakened to the reality that it would not be tolerated here.

Whether in their mind they thought this was justifiable reason to take power by force, it did not matter; what does matter is power is acquired through the ballot box, and nowhere else! End of discussion! After all, we here in Guyana could have reasoned the same way as did the “revolutionary” crew in Grenada, having been burdened for decades by a voodoo dictator holding on to illegal power. But we didn’t, because that is not the esteemed way to go.

We, on the other hand, toughed it out the right way; that is, the legal way. We fought for free and fair elections through the courts, and with great help from the International Community, and we won. We were not intimidated by Burnham’s Voodoo, or by his rigging pandemic. All through those long years, we became more and more strengthened in our resolve to free ourselves from those shackles of backwardness. Quite thankfully, we were successful all over again in 2020.

So Guyana, yes; all of the Caribbean will remain a zone of peace, and one of free and fair elections.

Respectfully,

Neil Adams

Caribbean will remain a zone of peace, tranquility, free and fair elections

Cost recoverable ExxonMobil HQ justified as production is scaled up – Jagdeo

ters anymore. To manage a million barrel a day industry, from a safety and operational perspective, you need a building of that nature. A high-end building. Also, with advance capabilities,” the Vice President also said.

“And so that has evolved. And now when you look at the cost of rental, it would approximate almost the cost of amortising the building over time. And that comes from our share of cost recovery too. So, the concept evolved. Had they been building that just for headquarters, we would have maintained our same position.”

Cost recovery

The fact that ExxonMobil’s headquarters currently being constructed at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD) is cost recoverable, is justifiable considering the scale of activities being undertaken at the facility.

This was the position of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent interview on social media.

Jagdeo acknowledged that prior to 2020, he did say that the building should not be cost recoverable.

But that was in the context of when Exxon was only producing 120,000 barrels of oil per day. Analyses show that Exxon will be producing 600,000 barrels per day by next year when the facil-

ity is completed and over 1 million barrels of oil per day by 2027.

“I did say in Opposition that the headquarters they were building at the time was several times the price of the Marriott. That was exactly what I said. And that for the scale of operation they had, they did not need such a headquarter building. And that headquarter building, if it continued in that form, we will not support it being cost recoverable,” Jagdeo said.

“But what has changed?

One, when they started that headquarter when I said we’re producing 120,000 barrels a day. By the time we get to the completion of the headquarters, we’ll

be producing 600,000 barrels per day. It has evolved from a headquarter building to house staff. They have 250 staff now, they’re renting. That would evolve to 500 staff, most of which will be Guyanese that will work there.”

Jagdeo pointed out that as such, it was no longer just a headquarter building. Instead, it would feature training facilities, an operations suite and a control centre for all the offshore operations which will be done in the same building. Added to this is the fibre optic cable which will come from the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels

“It’s not just a headquar-

Exxon’s local headquarters being constructed at Ogle, ECD, is pegged at US$160 million. During a press conference last week, ExxonMobil country manager Alistair Routledge had admitted that this amount is cost recoverable.

“It’s there solely to support the operations so the cost will be recovered in the cost recovery mechanism. That’s been clear all the way along with the previous Administration and the current Administration as we set up the project,” Routledge said.

Only last year, a US$751,000 cost recovery audit contract to audit US$9 billion in ExxonMobil cost oil expenses was signed and a second report is expected from the Guyanese consortium doing the audit by March of this year.

The oil rich Stabroek Block, which is producing

the oil, is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres).

Exxon, through its local subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

Currently, the Liza phase 1 and phase 2 developments in the Stabroek Block are operating at a combined gross production capacity of more than 360,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) using the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, respectively.

The third development in the Stabroek Block – Payara – is on track to come online by the end of 2023 with a gross production capacity of approximately 220,000 bpd. While this may be the gross production capacity, it is ex-

pected that the startup will see a much small number of oil barrels being produced. For instance, when the Liza phase two started in 2022, it was producing significantly less than its current production.

Meanwhile the Yellowtail – the fourth development – is slated for 2025 with a production capacity of some 250,000 bpd. Both these development projects have been approved by the Guyana Government.

Uaru is the fifth development and is expected to come online at the end of 2026 with a gross production capacity of approximately 250,000 bpd with first oil anticipated at the end of 2026. The development plan for Uaru was submitted for Government approval in November 2022 and final approval is expected by the end of the first quarter of this year.

ExxonMobil has said it anticipates at least six projects offshore Guyana will be online by 2027. They are meanwhile seeking project approval for their sixth oil development in Guyana’s waters, approaching the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for environmental authorisation for its Whiptail Project. (G3)

…says Exxon facility will also train staff, control offshore operations …cost recoverable signed under APNU/AFC Govt

Construction works ongoing at ExxonMobil’s HQ

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge

2 child rapists move to CoA seeking to overturn convictions, jailtime

boy was six years old, and again on July 10, 2013, when he had turned eight years old.

After the jury had returned its verdict, Campbell, who had been unrepresented by counsel throughout his trial, begged the court for mercy, claiming that he did not have a fair trial.

…The contract??

The Court of Appeal (CoA) in Kingston, Georgetown is gearing up to hear arguments in two separate child rape cases this month. The convicts in both of these matters are men seeking to overturn their convictions and lengthy jail sentences.

On Wednesday, February 22, the Appellate Court will commence hearing arguments from Mark Campbell, who is currently serving life sentences for raping a boy on two separate occasions. In his Notice of Appeal, Campbell is asking the Appellate Court to reverse and/or set aside the jury’s verdict, and for his sentences to be quashed and set aside.

Following a trial at the Demerara High Court in October 2017, a jury had found that Campbell had twice engaged in sexual penetration of the boy: during September 2011, when the

“Since the day I enter this court and see how everything was going, I knew I couldn’t get a fair trial,” he had said, adding that his family did not assist him with retaining a lawyer. He had expressed that it was “very hard to know” that he had been convicted of something he did not do.

Responding to Campbell’s comments, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall had said the court was not inclined to show him mercy, given that he had violated the boy in the “worst possible way”, and did not even show “one ounce of love” to him when he, Campbell, testified. “It was as if you were talking to a stranger. This court must send a strong message to others who may want to carry out such acts,” the Judge had noted.

Justice Morris-Ramlall had sentenced Campbell to life imprisonment on each of the two counts; had ordered that the prison terms be served concurrently; and had ordered that Campbell becomes eligible for parole only after serving 30 years.

In August 2018, Campbell had appeared before Demerara High Court Judge Priya Sewnarine-

Beharry to answer a charge of a similar offence. That time, however, he had forgone his right to a trial and had pleaded guilty to sexually penetrating a five-yearold boy on April 16, 2013.

Justice SewnarineBeharry had similarly imposed a life sentence on him, and had ordered that he was not to be considered eligible for parole until after serving 30 years. In sentencing the sex offender, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry had considered these aggravating factors: that Campbell had abused a position of trust, as he was left to take care of the young boy; and the physical, psychological, and emotional trauma the act must have had on the little boy. The Judge had also consid-

ered the serious nature of the offence, but had stated that Campbell, with his early guilty plea, had saved the victim the trauma of having to come and testify.

On February 28, Omadat Persaud’s lawyer will present arguments in a bid to convince the CoA to overturn his client’s 45-year jail sentence for engaging in sexual activity with a child family member. Persaud has been found guilty of sexually penetrating this child between August 1 and 31, 2015, when the child was only five years old.

The jury had returned the unanimous guilty verdict after a little more than two hours of deliberation, and the sentence was imposed by Justice MorrisRamlall who, in sentencing the convict, had taken into consideration the nature of the acts; the fact that they involved a child relative; that penetration was involved; that Persaud had breached a position of trust; the prevalence of sexual offences; and the public’s concern over such acts.

The Judge has ordered that Persaud, who has proclaimed his innocence, must serve 35 years of his 45-year sentence before he is eligible for parole. (G1)

Well, you gotta hand it to those folks who believe the PNC-Trotman-“negotiated” oil contract should be renegotiated. Looks like they’re prepared to follow Churchill’s vow: “We shall fight on the seas and oceans…we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” For our oil, they’d have to fight UNDER the seas!! But after the Nordics blew up that Nord Stream gas line under the Baltic Sea…that’s not so farfetched!!

Now, your Eyewitness has “gotayed” this “renegotiation” demand so many times, he’s getting blue in the face!! While it’s easy to be screaming all sorts of plays from the sidelines for the athletes on the field to score goals, we gotta accept those athletes are the ones to make the call - if for no other reason that they’re actually EXPERIENCING the real world in real time!! That doesn’t mean they mightn’t make mistakes, but we on the sidelines must concede their right to make the calls – and not accuse them reflexively of “selling out” the game!! Which is what some of the critics are screaming!!

If you’d remember, dear reader, your Eyewitness had made two main points: firstly, that something fishy went down with Trotman when he signed the contract in May 2015 – AFTER EXXON HAD STRUCK OIL!! While there was a contract since 1999, this needed to be renewed! So Trotty was starting de novo – as lawyers are wont to say! - on behalf of Guyana, and should’ve done better. Story done!! But since he was presumably of sound mind and was duly authorised by the Government of Guyana, Exxon came out of the “negotiation” with a valid contract.

Which they’ve insisted must be honoured!! Now, the critics are saying that the contract can be renegotiated by its own terms - but fail to mention that this gotta be MUTUALLY agreed to. And Exxon ain’t agreeing to no mutuality!! We on we own!! And secondly, your Eyewitness’s been saying that any unilateral changing of terms or going to international arbitration would tee off Exxon. And since the experience of United fruit from the last century, we know how hot things could get from there onward!! More recently, just think of the Venezuelan debacle!!

Well, Pressie’s now pointed this out after the local Exxon rep said that changing the terms would be “very destructive” to investor confidence. Get it?? “Very destructive”!! Pressie acknowledged this reality when he said last week: “It’s not farfetched, look around us, our neighbours…about agreements that were not honoured and see the consequences”!!

A hint to Beneba mek Quashie tek notice!!

…Ole St Valentine

Well, tomorrow’s gonna be Valentine’s Day…and a whole lotta chocolates and flowers will be sold!! So, who was this Valentine guy who gave his name to romantic love?? Interestingly (to your Eyewitness!), he was a Roman Catholic monk who appears to’ve followed the Biblical dictum, “Lord, give me chastity - but not yet!!” The Roman Emperor Claudius hadn’t converted to Christianity, and was trying to stave off the new religion that was attracting converts in the multitudes.

In addition to feeding them to the lions, he banned Christian marriages – to stop them from “multiplying” when he only wanted “subtracting?? And this is where Valentine stepped in. He kept on performing marriages, and was executed on Feb 14 for his efforts - after a long period of imprisonment. Seems he had some skin in the love game, since he wrote a love note to his jailor’s daughter before losing his head.

He’s also the patron saint of beekeeping, epilepsy, the plague, fainting, and travelling. Just so you know!!

…an old (journalistic) stalwart

Allan Fenty was a journalist who never lost his common touch. In fact, he revelled in it!! He openly wrote about his flacking for the PNC – boosting his credibility when he criticised their coalition.

RIP Allan, who was Frank.

Child rapist Omadat Persaud

Child rapist Mark Campbell

Businessman perishes after being trapped in burning Windsor Forest house

Screams of anguish and disbelief rippled through the Windsor Forest community on Sunday afternoon, as the charred remains of a businessman was transported

into a hearse.

Dead is Rajendra Mohabir, popularly known as “Slowie”.

He died after being trapped in a fire at his Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home that is suspected to have been started by an electrical fault.

The man’s family, who managed to escape the raging inferno, was in disbelief, that they were unable to even stand at the scene. They had to be immediately rushed to the hospital. These persons include the businessman’s two sons and wife.

Guyana Times was informed that the fire started around 14:00h at the Lot 194 7th Street Windsor Forest, WCD home. The two-storey concrete building housed a grocery store, and the Building Your Life Ministries International Church on the bottom flat while the top flat was the

living quarters. A neighbour told this publication that he was at home when he saw sparks coming from the two-storey building. At the time, there were persons in the church practicing. The neighbour further related that shortly after, he heard screams and saw persons running out of the church.

Meanwhile, a church member said that Mohabir’s son is the pastor of the church that is kept on the bottom flat of the building, and they were all preparing for their afternoon service when the area experienced low voltage followed by a power outage in the community.

Shortly after, the elec-

tricity was restored and they heard an explosion in the building, followed by flames.

As such, members of the congregation who were in the building began trying to save some of the items, but the fire spread quickly and they had to exit.

Another church member said they were told by the family that when the fire started, Mohabir was having a shower. His wife was also in the building at the time. They said that after realising the house was on fire, the businessman tried to get dressed and began running out of the building.

They said according to the man’s son [the pastor], Mohabir’s grandchild was visiting the family and he

thought that the child was in the building and turned back to search for him. At that time, they said that the pastor managed to get his mother out of the building. However, when his father tried to exit the building, he was trapped. The son sustained burns on his body as a result. They said shortly after, sections of the building began collapsing.

The Guyana Fire Service was called to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze. They spent hours rummaging through the debris to locate the missing man. His charred body was later found and taken to Dawn and Ezekiel’s funeral home.

GFS has since launched an investigation. (G9)

Dead: Rajendra Mohabir, called “Slowie”

The businessman’s daughter being consoled by Education Minister Priya Manickchand

The building being destroyed

Ministers Robeson Benn and Deodat Indar at the scene of the fire on Sunday afternoon

Guyana still needs debt relief, concessional financing – Dr Singh

…says Caribbean countries are victims of “middle-income illusion”

While Guyana is an oil producing nation, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh recently reminded the World Bank and other multi-lateral financing institutions that Guyana and indeed the Caribbean Region still needs debt relief and concessional financing.

Dr Singh made these remarks while participating

in a regional panel discussion on “Building resilience through sustainable development financing in the Caribbean,” which was facilitated by the World Bank. Also participating were other regional finance and international banking representatives.

“It is well known in the Region that we have a serious problem with indebted-

ness. And we are not being treated with the seriousness that the matter deserves because of what I’ve called the middle-income illusion,” the Finance Minister said.

“There is an illusion of prosperity because many of our countries are middle-income countries and their per capita income is above the specified thresholds. We don’t qualify for the typical

treatments that low-income countries would get. Both in terms of consideration for debt relief and consideration for concessional financing. And this is a problem.”

The Finance Minister called on international development partners to improve access to concessional financing and also urged the Region to explore innovative ways to garner financing and alluded to Guyana’s leadership in carbon credit sale initiative.

“The issue of debt sustainability in the Caribbean has to be addressed. And intellectual effort has to be devoted to articulating why the Caribbean is different and why the peculiar and extraordinary vulnerabilities we face through no fault of ours.”

Singh also cited an example that was given by St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph

Gonsalves, who said that at one point he had to borrow money from international sources to build a bridge, then borrow money to rebuild it after a hurricane and then re-borrow money after a second hurricane to repair that very bridge.

“So, I would want to use this forum to say, when we speak of sustainable financing for the Caribbean, we have to put this question of debt sustainability, squarely on the front of the table,” the Minister said.

“And we have to accept and confront the reality that the Caribbean faces this peculiar vulnerability that has to be taken into account for the purposes of mobilising financing. Both through new resources and debt relief. And the World Bank is uniquely placed and endowed with the intellectual assets to articulate this case in a rigorous way,” Singh

added.

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister further pointed out that a lasting solution to the fiscal challenges faced in the Region will not be achieved until the Region is able to achieve productive diversification. Here he cited the Region’s reliance on tourism, though he acknowledged that a few countries including Guyana are blessed with more natural resources.

The Minister’s reference to carbon credit sales comes even as Guyana has emerged as a leader in the carbon credit market. Last year, Guyana signed a historic, multi-year US$750 million agreement with Hess Corporation for the purchase of 37.5 million carbon credits. Guyana is, in fact, the first country to conclude the ART process of certifying its forest carbon.

These serialised credits, listed on ART’s public registry, are available to buyers on the global carbon market, including for use by airlines for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s global emission reduction programme, CORSIA, as well as for use toward voluntary corporate climate commitments.

Guyana’s completion of the ART process paved the way for other governments that are looking to receive carbon market finance for success in protecting and restoring forests. At the time Guyana was issued with the credits, 14 other countries and large sub-national jurisdictions were working toward their own issuances of TREES credits. (G3)

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh during the virtual discussion

Housewife fined $5000, 2 months community service for ganja

“Boss, is me weed fuh smoke” –teen nabbed with ganja tells Police

Ranks from the Charity Police Station, which is located on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), have arrested a teenager after he was found with a quantity of marijuana.

It was reported that a subordinate officer along with other ranks and members of the Community Policing Group (CPG), Charity, were on mobile patrol in School Street, Charity, Essequibo Coast, on Friday when a teen was seen heading south of the street.

A34-year-old housewife, who was arrested by the Police with small packets of marijuana, has been spared jail time thanks to the recent amendments to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act. Melissa Gillard of Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara, who was arrested on February 8, appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court last Thursday.

During her arraignment before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, she pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that she had 29.1 grams (an ounce) of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) in her possession.

Gillard was sentenced

to pay a fine of $5000 along with two months of community service.

In November of last year, the Government passed amendments to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act which paved the way for the removal of custodial sentences for persons in possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana

Although custodial sentences have been removed, persons found with one to 15 grams of cannabis will be required to undergo mandatory counselling while persons found with one to 30 grams of cannabis will be subjected to community service under the Extra-Mural Work Act for a period not exceeding six months. The

Act will see an offender who breaches the mandatory counselling and community service paying a fine of $250,000.

The amendments intend to reduce recidivism, prison overcrowding, and the burden on the criminal justice system, save State funds and ultimately rebuild lives, families, and communities affected and disadvantaged by the fining and incarceration of persons, especially youths, for the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis.

This forms part of the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government’s commitment to reducing the overcrowding of prisons by providing alternative sentencing. (G1)

He was intercepted and a search was carried out on his person and personal belonging.

After nothing illegal was found on his person, ranks proceeded to search a black pouch he had in his possession at the time, and four small transparent plastic bags, with a number of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis, were revealed.

He later disclosed that he is 18, unemployed and of Charity Squatting Area, Essequibo Coast.

He was immediately shown the suspected narcotic and cautioned. He replied, saying, “Boss is me weed fuh smoke.”

The teen was also found with a BLU cellular phone; a ZET cellular phone, and a Samsung cellular phone.

He was subsequently arrested and taken to Charity Police Station, where the cannabis was weighed and amounted to 4.35 grams. He remains in custody pending charges.

Meanwhile, Police had also reported that a tractor driver was on Friday nabbed with 37 grams of marijuana on the Essequibo Coast. Ranks were on patrol in the

Onderneeming Sand Pit area, Essequibo Coast, when they nabbed a tractor driver who was found to be in possession of 37 grams of marijuana.

The marijuana was found in the AC compartment of the tractor.

The tractor driver was told of the offence committed, and he replied: “Officer, I am a small-time hustler.” He was arrested and subsequently appeared in court and was released on $20,000 bail. (G9)

The ganja that was found in the teen’s possession

The quantity of marijuana that was found in Melissa Gillard’s possession

Melissa Gillard

Motorcyclist dies after crashing into car

…3rd motorcyclist to die on Corentyne Highway within 2 weeks

Dead is 27-year-old Vickram Basdeo also called “Boyo” of Number 71 Village Corentyne, Berbice. Injured is pillion rider Luvendra Dhanraj, 22, of Section A Number 81 Village Corentyne, Berbice.

Reports are that the car driver initially fled the scene but the owner of the car subsequently handed him over to the Police.

The crash occurred in the vicinity of the Skeldon Market.

Amotorcyclist is now dead and the pillion rider injured following a crash involving the motorcycle and a car at Corriverton, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), on Saturday afternoon.

According to the Police, initial investigations revealed that motor car HC 9047 was proceeding south along the eastern lane, and it is alleged that motorcycle CK 3356, which was proceeding north along the western drive lane at a fast rate of speed, collided with the right front portion of the car. As a result of the colli-

NDC councillor wins Nissan X-Trail from Massy …as over $10M in prizes won in Christmas Jackpot

Samsung gas stove; and Amanda Munro, who won a new AKT motorcycle with her entry at Massy Stores Ruimveldt.

Charlyn Artiga, who shopped at Massy Stores Mega and won a chance to win up to $300,000 has not yet taken up her opportunity to win.

Meanwhile, the store currently has its ‘Sweetheart’ promotion, which is a collaboration between Massy Stores and Caribbean Airlines, ongoing. Customers can spend $5000 or more at any of the five Massy Stores to enter and win a trip for two to Trinidad or Barbados. The promotion runs from January 28 to February 28.

sion, the motorcyclist and pillion rider, neither of whom were wearing safety helmets, fell onto the road and received injuries.

Both men were taken to the Skeldon Hospital where Basdeo was pronounced dead and the pillion rider was admitted to the health facility with back injuries.

Basdeo, who worked as a pump attendant at a fuel station at Number 70 Village, had moments before left the Skeldon Hospital Mortuary where he has gone to put the body of a neighbour, who passed away earlier in the day.

Investigations are continuing as the driver of the car remains in custody.

Basdeo is the third motorcyclist to have died on the Corentyne Highway within

Colin Weeks, a Neighbourhood Democratic Councillor (NDC), is the winner of a new 2022 Nissan X-Trail T32, worth over $8 million, the biggest prize that was up for grabs in Massy Stores’ Christmas Jackpot.

He was among thousands of customers who participated in the promotional activity which ran from November 14, 2022, to January 31, 2023.

During a presentation ceremony at Massy Stores, Turkeyen, on Saturday, the grand prize winner said, “I must admit I was shocked and astonished to get the call that I had won something. I want to thank Massy for conducting this prize giveaway and I must say I enjoy shopping at Massy because of the courtesy and customer-friendly attitude consistently displayed during my many visits.”

Weeks, who is a retired officer of the United States Army, is a Councillor for the Good Success/Craig, East Bank Demerara NDC.

Speaking at the event, General Manager of Massy Stores, Robert Singh said, “Our team at Massy Stores continuously looks for ways

to give back to our customers and this year we wanted to go all out for you – the people who make our stores successful by not only choosing to shop with us but giving us critical feedback which we use to improve and better serve you.”

The Nissan X-Trail was one of several prizes worth a total of over $10 million. Every $2000 spent at any of the Massy Stores allowed the customer a chance to win.

Singh added, “This by far is the lowest-cost opportunity anyone can get to win a brandnew Nissan X-Trail. But having one winner irritated us. So, every Massy Store had to get a winner in addition to the grand prize because that’s what our customers deserve.”

Other store prize winners who were presented with their prizes in January are Surojanie Roopchand, who shopped at Massy Stores Providence and won a trip for two to a local destination. She chose Iwokrama; and Michael Brazao, who shopped at Massy Stores Montrose and won a new sofa.

Additional winners are Janakdai Persaud, a shopper at Massy Stores Vreeden-Hoop who won a new

two weeks.

On January 27, Noel Channan also called “Titoo Bai”, 23, a tattoo artist and labourer of Ankerville Port Mourant, Corentyne, died after the motorcycle he was riding crashed into a parked car along the Alness Public Road. He had been imbibing prior to the accident as part of his birthday celebrations and was reportedly doing a stunt on the bike when he lost control of it and slammed into a car.

On February 8, Kelon Scott, 24, of Limlair Village, Corentyne, crashed into a parked lorry at Auchlyne. A part of the motorcycle’s handle went through the man’s leg, making it impossible for residents to take him to a medical facility. (G4)

Colin Weeks and family receiving the new 2022 Nissan X-Trail T32, worth over $8 million, from Assistant Vice President of Massy Stores, Christpen Bobb-Semple

The car and motorcycle that were involved in the accident

Vickram Basdeo

ExxonMobil exploring potential for other gas developments in Guyana

Local affiliate for United States-based ExxonMobil Guyana, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is exploring the potential for other gas developments in Guyana that could possibly see Guyana exporting gas.

This is according to Exxon’s Country Chief, Alistair Routledge, during a recent media briefing when he was asked whether EEPGL is looking at any standalone gas export projects in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.

Routledge explained that Exxon and its Stabroek Block co-venturers have made significant discoveries, especially further to the south-east towards the Suriname border where there is a higher gas content in the fields that they have developed so far.

“So, we’re looking very closely at the potential for gas development. It would be somewhat unique because there’s a lot of volatile oils, condensate and so on. So, we’re doing a lot of technical work current-

ly, and providing updates to the Ministry as to what may be feasible, but part of that would be looking at options for development of gas, export of gas or use of gas in the country for additional projects,” the ExxonMobil Guyana President indicated.

Currently, the Guyana Government is pursuing its model gas-to-energy project which includes the construction of an integrated Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant and the 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

The multibillion-dollar transformational project will see gas being piped from the Liza Field in the Stabroek Block to onshore at Wales via pipelines that will be procured, installed and operated by Exxon to the tune of US$1 billion.

During Thursday’s press engagement, Routledge disclosed that this cost will be recovered through the sale of the gas to the Guyana Government.

“We will be selling [gas] to… the Government – it’s a Government entity or a com-

pany… but only in the sense that this is a pass through to the power. It’s not the country paying, it’s in order to fuel the power station… and take the NGL off.”

“…in essence that development is just going to pay for the pipeline cost – nothing more. No, like profit element… Our commitment is to deliver this for the country. And so, the revenues just cover the cost of the [pipeline] development –nothing more… there is no profit element in there at

all. It’s purely just to pay for that infrastructure,” he stated.

However, it was noted that Government will not be paying for its share of gas. The pipeline cost will be recovered only on the Stabroek Block’s co-venturers’ share of gas. Exxon is the operator of the Stabroek Block and its co-venturers are Hess Corporation and CNOOC Limited.

According to the oil major’s Country Head, the price of the gas has not been de-

termined as yet but assured that it will be at a “very low price” and “very competitive” internationally. He explained that the cost recovery mechanism agreed to stipulates that the price of gas be determined after the pipeline infrastructure is in place to ensure that there is no profit gain or loss incurred.

Once the investment cost is recovered, and there are no additional investments nor impacts on oil recovery, there will be no charge attached to the gas supplied.

Based on studies conducted, Exxon will be able to produce up to 50 million cubic feet of gas per day for this initiative without impacting ongoing oil production activities offshore.

“We’re selling the full 50 million cubic feet a day to the Government or a Government entity that’s being established in order to receive the gas, put it through the power station… At that at point, the Government takes control of the gas and the associated natural gas liquids and could determine does all of

the gas flow into the power station if needed, or does it go into some other kind of industry,” the ExxonMobil Guyana President stated.

According to Routledge, that entity could either be a private or State entity.

While there was no formal announcement or any additional information, it was revealed last month that the Guyana Government has established a special purpose company to manage the gas-to-energy project. In fact, during President Dr Irfaan Ali’s visit to India, it was disclosed that the Guyana Power and Gas Inc – a wholly owned company of the Government of Guyana – signed a contract with Engineers India Limited (EIL) for the provision of consultancy services with respect to the construction of the two plants at Wales.

The President Ali-led Government has boasted that the operationalisation of the gas-to-energy project will see current electricity charges cut in half as well as fuel the expansion of the industrial and commercial sectors.

TURN TO PAGE 16

Young cash crop farmer in dismay after rice farmer drives tractor through farm …damaging

$500,000 worth of watermelons, boulangers

ACorentyne, Berbice crop farmer had his farm driven through by a rice farmer’s tractor, damaging watermelons and boulanger in the process.

The farmer is claiming damages in excess of half a million dollars.

Rakish Takoordial of Alness Village, Corentyne, Region Six, who farms on a six-acre plot of land which belongs to the NDC, has been cultivating cash crops for the past two years.

The 30-year-old farmer said that on Thursday, a rice farmer who has his cultivation adjacent to his farm, drove his tractor through the farm and in the process damaged some of his crop. Takoordial said he was also verbally abused by the rice farmer after he confronted him about the damages.

“I planting watermelon, baigan, sweet pepper and wiri-wiri pepper. I planting here over two years... If he tell me that he wanted to come in I could have pull all the melon and if he mash one or two it wouldn’t have been nothing because I could have part them so that he could drive but he

just come in just so and yesterday [Thursday] when I ask him he start to cuss up me,” the farmer told this publication.

According to the father of three, this is how he makes a living. He said following Thursday’s incident, he reported the matter to the Police, who sub-

sequently engaged the rice farmer. However, again on Friday, the farmer drove his tractor through his farm. This time it was done in the presence of a Police officer who had gone there to appraise the damages. That officer was also verbally abused.

“He cuss up the

Constable too and he cuss up me. He damage my watermelon; the value of the watermelon is $400,000 and the baigan is $100,000. The baigan plant I collected from NAREI [National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute].”

The eggplants were planted 6 weeks ago and

according to Takoordial, his expenses include fertiliser, pesticides and gas to pump water to water his crop The farmer is seeking the intervention of officials from the Agriculture Ministry even as law enforcement is looking into the matter. (G4)

Some of the damaged watermelons

NDIA-operated excavator causes explosion at Kingston Power Plant

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL)

Incorporated is again imploring with utility companies to be cautious when working in proximity to its network after an excavator tripped its distribution feeders at the Kingston Power Plant on Sunday, resulting in two hours of power outage. According to GPL, an excavator executing works at the corner of Cowan and High Streets in Kingston, Georgetown, came into contact with its network, causing one of the primary distribution feeders at the Kingston Power Plant to trip.

“[This resulted] in the loss of approximately 36 megawatts (MW) of generation. This sudden loss of generation caused a cascading effect on the grid which

resulted in several generating units going offline, disrupting service to customers in Demerara and Berbice,” the power company explained.

The incident occurred sometime around 12:42h and restoration works commenced immediately. Consequently, at approximately 12:53h, the first area in Demerara was repowered.

Incremental restoration continued until all areas in Demerara and Berbice were fully repowered at approximately 14:09h.

“Our company continues to implore the public to exercise extreme caution when operating machinery in close proximity to the company’s network to avoid unnecessary incidents of this nature… We continue to implore contractors to

contact GPL before executing work in close proximity to our network,” GPL noted in a statement on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar revealed in a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, that the excavator was being operated by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

“…a long reach excavator operated by NDIA at High Street Kingston came into contact with high voltage wire there, resulting in a huge explosion bringing down the power plants,” Indar stated.

This is the second time in recent months that NDIA machinery has been blamed for damages to infrastructure.

Last month, Guyana Times had reported that

West Berbice man celebrates 101st birthday

excavator operators working for the NDIA had damaged a recently completed road on the Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) – the recently constructed $1.18 billion farm-to-market access road at Number 58 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

In October 2022, President Dr Irfaan Ali commissioned the 6.5km all-weather road.

But during a visit in January, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill inspected the damaged road and called for an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall.

was built with a particular design.”

In explaining this, he pointed out that geo-fabric and geo-cells were used in the construction because there are two waterways; one on each side of the road.

“So, we had to build this road to avoid slippage. We had to ensure that the shoulders are adequate. Since we build this road, another Government agency awarded contracts to deal with the drains and it is clear that they are inexperienced operators,” Edghill noted.

Rather than digging the drains with a slope to ensure that the toe is in place, the walls of the canals were dug vertically.

The Minister said since taking up the position at the helm of the Public Works Ministry, he was able to address the issue of agencies digging roads shortly after they were constructed to plant utility infrastructure. Edghill said since discussing the matter with Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, the issue has not surfaced again.

“There is a need for a discussion with the Minister of Agriculture who oversees the NDIA and we have an excellent working relationship but then there is also a need for a conversation at the technical level… Minister Mustapha with his wisdom would have awarded contracts to get this work done. The problem is when contractors are engaged, they must know what they are doing and not just what they want to do because, in the digging of these drains, they are going to affect the road.”

Edwin Renford

McDonald or “Uncle

Ren” as he is fondly called by family and villagers, was born on February 10, 1921, and is a father of 15 children.

He is now 101.

He celebrated the milestone with a simple church service at his Bel Air, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) home, with his nine children who are still alive.

Though he is visually impaired, he still attends Hopetown Congregational Church.

McDonald, who has outlived his other two siblings, grew up at Hopetown but now lives in the neighbouring village of Bel Air. He can still remember his boyhood days.

After leaving school, he worked for a short period as a carpenter, then he left for Kwakwani, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), where he was employed at the Demerara Bauxite Company in the drilling section. He later worked in Linden in

the bauxite industry for four years, and later returned to Kwakwani where he worked for a few additional years seeking to find bauxite.

He found love at Hopetown and married Hannah McDonald, now deceased. He built his home in Number 22 Bel Air, Hopetown Village, and remained there where he worked on his farm, planting rice, ground provisions and other vegetables. He also reared poultry and cattle.

McDonald was the father of fifteen children but only nine survived.

He also worked at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council from Number 30 Village to Fort Wellington, as the village ranger who ensured that there was proper drainage and irrigation and properly tended farms.

With his speech now failing him, he told this publication that his great-grandfather was the first child to be born after slavery was abolished.

Referring to his father, who fought in the First World

War, he said that when his father returned home, he was not inclined to live the life he lived before going into battle.

It was in 1952 that McDonald, then a ranger working with the NDC, met his wife, farmed and reared cattle, sheep, goats, and fowls. He also planted vegetables, and it was only recently that he gave up taking care of the garden because of poor health. Now he is confined to his bed if not assisted. Apart from his nine children, McDonald has about 85 grandchildren, 70 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great grandchildren.

His wife died at age 73 and his two siblings both died in their 80s. His eldest child is 75 and the youngest is 56.

“Uncle Ren” had a cousin from the same community who passed away last year at 102 while his mother-in-law lived to be 103.

Though confined to soft and liquid diets, McDonald still loves his plantains and eddoes. (G4)

“I will have to raise this at a higher level because this is a lack of inter-agency engagement. This road

“As a result of that, they are interfering with the shoulders of the road which is leading to slippage,” he explained.

“When they are digging, they are pulling mud from the actual shoulders of the road. So, we have to have a conversation with local authorities when they are looking after community roads, the Ministry of Agriculture, NDIA and we have to deal with private developers who are seeking to build bridges and to excavate and clean in front of them…. from this it is a clear case where I would have to convene a meeting with the technical people as well as the Ministers and ensure that we don’t have a repeat of this because it would be spending money only for somebody to come behind and destroy. And we will have to spend money again,” Edghill posited. Remedial work had to be done on the damaged sections of the farm-to-market access road to prevent water from getting under it and to prevent further damage. (G8)

EIA waived for Guyana’s 1st...

The AFHP was the flagship of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). It was expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy that would have been affordable and reliable, and was envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels.

The AFHP was first identified in 1976 by the

Canadian company Monenco during an extensive survey of hydroelectric power potential in Guyana. Various studies have since justified and strongly supported the construction of the AFHP.

Meanwhile, there was a $362.4 million InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) funded contract that was signed last year for a solar farm at Mahdia, Region Eight, that will benefit close to 3000 residents

FROM PAGE

and significantly reduce the State’s expenditure on heavy fuel oil.

The 0.65MW Mahdia solar farm is being financed through a loan from the IDB, under the Energy Matrix Diversification and Strengthening of the Department of Energy (EMISDE) programme.

There is also a 1.5MW Bartica solar farm, which will cost $625 million and will soon be completed. (G3)

ExxonMobil exploring potential...

So far, Government has spent $24.6 billion on the start-up of this project. This includes $400 million for the acquisition of private lands to facilitate the laying of pipelines in Region Three and the remaining $24.213 billion was a 15 per cent payment on the

Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract, which was awarded to US companies CH4 and Lindsayca late last year. The total cost of the EPC contract is US$759.8 million.

In addition to the EPC contract, the supervision of the NGL and power plant

components of the project will cost another US$23 million.

With a timetable to deliver rich gas to fuel the power plant by the end of 2024 and the NGL plant to be online by 2025, works are progressing on getting the gas-to-energy project off the ground.

Edwin Renford McDonald, called “Uncle Ren”, with seven of his children

The long-reach excavator that caused the Kingston Power Plant distribution feeder to trip on Sunday

NGSA Questions: Social Studies NGSA Questions: Science

Canadian Prime Minister to travel to The Bahamas to meet with Caricom leaders

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will be heading to Nassau, Bahamas, this week, to participate as a special guest at this week’s Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

At Caricom, which brings together the leaders of the 15 member states, Trudeau said he will “drive progress on shared priorities, including continued support for the Haitian people.”

“The visit will provide an opportunity for the leaders to consider further regional political security, and humanitarian assistance in support of the Haitian people and Haitian-led solutions to the ongoing situation in Haiti,

which is having a devastating impact on the Haitian people,” the Canadian Prime Minister said.

“As a steadfast partner, Canada has taken action in response to the egregious situation, including by providing support to the Haitian National Police, deploying a long-range patrol aircraft to disrupt the activities of gangs, coordinating the delivery of vital security equipment purchased by the Haitian Government, providing humanitarian support, and implementing robust sanctions on those responsible,” he added. “We will continue to stand with the Haitian people as they strive for a brighter future.”

As Caricom celebrates its 50th anniversary, Trudeau

Biden and Lula project unity on democratic values and climate change

with other traditional allies during the far-right leader’s presidency.

said he will participate in group discussions and bilateral meetings with Caricom leaders.

He said he will work to strengthen Canada’s partnership with countries in the Caribbean region, including by advancing democracy, human rights, “economic growth that benefits everyone”, and developing clean energy.

The Canadian Prime Minister said he will also work with Caricom leaders to increase trade and investment between Canada and the Caribbean to create jobs and growth, and advocate for climate action and resilience for the Region, “which is particularly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters”. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

At Mexico’s Chichen Itza site, researchers discover ancient ‘elite’ residences

Archaeologists have revealed a group of structures discovered at the famed Mayan Chichen Itza archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, believed to have been part of a housing complex inhabited by the elite of the sacred city founded in the 5th Century AD.

Archaeologist Francisco Perez Ruiz said there were no known residential groups in Chichen Itza, meaning the housing complex would represent “the first residential group where a ruler lived with his entire family.”

The area, known as Chichen Viejo, is expected to be integrated in the near future into the visitor area of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The newly discovered complex includes the entrance arch, the House of the Snails, the House of the Moon, and the so-called Palace of the Phalluses.

Researchers from

the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) hope that this area and those yet to be uncovered can provide information on what life was like for the people who inhabited the city.

“There must be more residential groups that have not been explored yet. The study of these peripheral groups, around the central part, could tell us about

other families, other groups that made up this great city,” said archaeologist Jose Osorio Leon.

The area has been under exploration since 1998.

Around 2 million people visit Chichen Itza site in southeast Mexico each year, according to official data.

It was founded as a Mayan pilgrimage centre by the Itza, or “water sorcerers.” (Reuters)

Seven police officers killed in cocaine hotspot of central Peru

Seven police officers were killed after being ambushed in an area of central Peru known for its cocaine production, the National Police said Saturday.

The attack took place in the town of Natividad, in the remote Andean and jungle region known as the VRAEM, or Valle de los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro, which produces 75 per cent of the South American nation’s cocaine.

“We mourn the loss of our police brothers who were

ambushed when they were travelling in a police vehicle in the town of Natividad in the Vraem,” the National Police of Peru said on its Twitter account.

It added that an additional police officer was involved in the attack but survived.

Authorities did not blame any organisation for the attack, but the area has a strong presence of drug trafficking groups allied with remnants of the Maoist rebel group Shining Path.

The VRAEM, a mountain-

US President Joe Biden met on Friday with Brazilian leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a reboot of relations between the hemisphere’s two largest democracies after the end of Donald Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro’s stormy rule.

During the visit, Washington said it would work to provide support for a fund to protect the Amazon rainforest and Biden agreed to travel to Brazil, according to a joint statement released by Brazil, while the two leaders spoke of shared

values in fighting climate change and protecting democracy against a rise in authoritarianism.

“We have to continue to stand up for democracy and our democratic values that form the core of our strength,” Biden told Lula before a private Oval Office session between the leaders, adding that the two were on the “same page” about the “climate crisis.”

Bolsonaro had enjoyed vocal support from former US President Trump, a Republican, but Brazil’s diplomatic relations cooled

Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan 1, having challenged the results of the Oct 30 runoff election that he narrowly lost to Lula. Days later a violent movement of election-denying Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil’s presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court.

Brazil “self-marginalised itself for four years” under the former President, Lula said at the White House, without mentioning Bolsonaro by name.

His world, Lula said, had “started and ended with fake news in the morning, afternoon, at night,” prompting Biden to laugh and interject, “sounds familiar.”

Lula said Brazil was trying to reposition itself in the world, and both countries should never again allow the kind of attacks like the one by Bolsonaro supporters last month or the one it echoed at the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, that aimed to prevent the certification of Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump.

Lula said the two leaders could also work together to combat inequality and climate change. (Excerpt from Reuters)

PAHO issues measles alert for Region

The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has issued an alert, urging countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean, to update their response plans to prevent the re-establishment of endemic transmission of measles virus.

This follows a reduction in childhood vaccination coverage, increasing the possibility for outbreaks of this disease.

“Vaccination and epidemiological surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases are essential health services and should not be interrupted,” the alert stated.

According to PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group

(TAG) on vaccines, the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the Region is at its highest point in the last 30 years.

PAHO estimates that in 2021 more than 1.7 million children in 28 countries and territories of the Americas did not receive an initial dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday.

In 2021, PAHO said regional coverage for the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) was 85 per cent.

It said only six countries reached the recommended level of 95 per cent or more needed to sustain elimination of these diseases, and ten countries reported cover-

ous region the size of Puerto Rico, is the center of constant operations by the security forces against remnants of the Shining Path, which police say acts as “bodyguards” for drug traffickers.

The Shining Path began to fade in the early 1990s after the jailing of founder Abimael Guzman and has since developed ties with drug traffickers.

Local news reports said the members of the police patrol were attacked with bursts of long-range firearms. (Reuters)

age of less than 80 per cent.

Measles is a serious and highly contagious virus, for which safe and effective vaccines are available.

It said between 2000 and 2018, the measles vaccine prevented an estimated 23.2 million deaths worldwide.

The Americas were declared measles-free in 2016. However, as the virus continues to circulate in other parts of the world, PAHO said countries of the Region reported an increase in imported cases between 2017 and 2019, with the most significant outbreaks occurring in Brazil, where endemic circulation continues, and Venezuela. (CMC)

Pope voices his concern for imprisoned Nicaraguan bishop

Pope Francis on Sunday spoke of his concern over the imprisonment of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in the Latin American country.

The Pope’s comments about Alvarez, who is a vocal critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, were made in his weekly blessing to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square.

Ortega has accused

Catholic leaders of attempting to overthrow him after protests that killed about 300 people in 2018. Since then, the government of the former Cold War-era Marxist rebel has expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries.

Alvarez was convicted on Friday of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges.

The previous day Alvarez was included in a surprise re-

lease of 200 political prisoners by Ortega’s government but would not board the plane to the United States.

“The news from Nicaragua has grieved me not a little and I cannot help but remember with concern the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, whom I love so much and who has been sentenced to 26 years in prison, and also the people who have been taken to the United States,” Pope Francis said. (Reuters)

A general view of “Casa de La Luna” during a media tour to Chichen Viejo at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, in Piste, Mexico, February 10, 2023

President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Joe Biden walk along the West Colonnade to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, USA, February 10, 2023

Russian oil price cap is meeting objectives – G7

The Russian oil price cap mechanism is still meeting its objectives, a G7 price cap coalition official told Reuters on Friday.

Any Russian production cuts that may be forthcoming will disproportionately hurt developing countries, the G7 official added. Earlier on Friday, Russia announced a 500,000 bpd crude oil production cut—crude oil production, not crude oil and condensate production—with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak preceeding that with a warning that there was a risk of reduced crude oil production yet this year directly as a result of the EU import bans and the G7 price caps on its crude oil and crude oil products.

The G7 official cautioned, however, against the veracity of Russia’s reports of oil production cuts.

Up until this week, it had been widely reported that Russia’s crude oil production and exports were holding fast in the fact of the bans and price caps, with the Russian Ministry reporting 9.8-9.9 million bpd last month—a close match to November and December figures despite the new measures designed to punish Russia for its military operations in Ukraine.

The discount for Russian Urals crude oil has dropped to US$30 per barrel below the international Brent crude oil benchmark, with Russia’s budget sinking into a deficit in January. An oil production cut on behalf of Russia could boost the Brent benchmark, inadvertently boosting Urals pricing too. The Kremlin said that it had talked with some OPEC+ members regarding its decision to cut oil production, but two OPEC+ delegates told Reuters that OPEC+ had no plans to cut production.

So far, Russia has been able to find willing buyers in the Asian market for its crude oil, largely in defiance of Western sanctions. (Oilprice.com)

Canada hunts for wreckage of latest object shot down by US fighters

Around the World

Russian soldier death rate highest since 1st week of war – Ukraine

Russian soldiers are dying in greater numbers in Ukraine this month than at any time since the first week of the invasion, according to Ukrainian data.

The Ukrainian data shows 824 Russian soldiers dying per day in February.

The figures were highlighted by the UK’s Ministry of Defence. The figures cannot be verified - but the UK says the trends are “likely accurate”.

The increase comes as Ukrainian officials say that Russia has launched a “big offensive”.

However, the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), Oleksiy Danilov, also said Russia is experiencing “big problems” with

the campaign.

“Our troops are repulsing [the offensive] very strongly,” Danilov said. “The offensive they planned is already taking place, gradually, but it’s not the offensive they imagined.”

Last week, Ukraine’s outgoing Defence Minister,

Oleksiy Reznikov, said they were anticipating a new Russian offensive around February 24 - the anniversary of the full-scale invasion.

Some of the fiercest fighting has been around Bakhmut in the east of the country.

On Sunday, the head of

Russia’s Wagner mercenary force said the group had seized a settlement near the devastated city.

According to the Ukrainian data, highlighted by the UK, 824 Russian losses a day is more than four times the rate reported in June and July, when around 172 Russian soldiers died each day.

The Ukrainian military claims 137,780 Russian military deaths since the fullscale invasion began.

The UK’s MoD pointed out the recent increase could be due to “a range of factors, including lack of trained personnel, coordination, and resources across the front”. Ukraine “also continues to suffer a high attrition rate”, the UK said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Rescuers denounce aid ‘failure’ in Syria’s devastated northwest

Syrians living in the rebel-held northwest region have decried the lack of humanitarian aid for victims of two powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, describing catastrophic scenes in an area already ravaged by 12 years of civil war.

On Sunday, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths acknowledged the shortcomings, saying the Syrian population in the territory feel “abandoned” because the assistance they had hoped for had not yet arrived.

“We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned. Looking for international help that hasn’t arrived,” he said in a tweet.

“My duty and our obliga-

tion is to correct this failure as fast as we can. That’s my focus now,” he added during a visit to the border area, five days after devastating magni-

tude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes – and numerous aftershocks – rocked Turkey and Syria, killing more than 33,000 people including at least 4500 in

Syria alone.

However, according to Raed al-Saleh, head of the Syria Civil Defence or White Helmets, the two convoys that went through on Thursday and Friday – a total of 20 trucks – carried “scheduled aid”, which is periodically delivered to families in refugee camps and which includes sugar, flour and cooking oil.

“It wasn’t aid for the families and people in the towns and cities which were in the disaster zone of the quake,” he said on Saturday.

He went on to urge the UN to work to open more land crossings into northwestern Syria other than Bab al-Hawa, which is the only one approved by a UN Security Council resolution. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Canadian investigators are hunting for the wreckage of an unidentified flying object that was shot down by a US jet over Yukon territory, the third such interception by American fighters.

“Recovery teams are on the ground, looking to find and analyse the object,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Sunday.

“The security of citizens is our top priority and that’s why I made the decision to have that unidentified object shot down,” he said, adding that it had posed a danger to civilian aircraft.

North America has been on high alert for aerial intrusions following the appearance of a white, eye-catching Chinese airship over American skies earlier this month.

The 200-foot-tall (60-metre-high) balloon - which Americans have accused

Beijing of using to spy on the United States - caused an international incident, leading Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call off a planned trip to China only hours before he was set to depart.

Surveillance fears appear to have US officials on high alert.

Twice in 24 hours, US officials closed airspace - only to reopen it swiftly. On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration briefly closed space above Lake Michigan. On Saturday, the US military scrambled fighter jets in Montana to investigate a radar anomaly there.

China denies the first balloon was being used for surveillance and says it was a civilian research craft. It condemned the United States for shooting it down off the coast of South Carolina last Saturday.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

DR Congo soldiers get death sentence for cowardice against M23 rebels

Acourt in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced seven soldiers to death for cowardice in the face of the enemy and murder.

They were found to have fled advancing M23 rebels, retreating through the town of Sake where they caused the death of two people by recklessly discharging their arms.

Their lawyers plan to appeal.

Last November, three other soldiers were convicted of cowardice and sentenced to death.

In DR Congo death sentences are commuted to life imprisonment.

Fighting in the mineral-rich North Kivu province has intensified, driving tens of thousands from their homes, despite a passionate appeal by Pope Francis to end conflicts when he visited the

Turkey orders 113 arrests linked to collapsed buildings probe

country last week.

“Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa, it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered,” Pope Francis said at a Mass in the capital Kinshasa, estimated to have been attended by a million people.

DR Congo has been beset by conflicts since its independence in the 1960s. Some have been driven by the fight to control its mineral wealth, others by ethnic rivalry.

There’s been public anger against the UN and the East African regional force for failing to stop M23 rebels from capturing large swathes of territory in North Kivu.

DR Congo, the US and UN experts accuse neighbouring Rwanda of backing the rebels - a claim it denies. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Turkey has decided to thoroughly investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings in the country’s catastrophic earthquakes, having already ordered the arrest of 113 suspects.

Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said late on Saturday that 131 suspects had so far been identified as responsible for the collapse of some of the thousands of buildings flattened in the 10 provinces affected by the earthquakes on Monday.

“Detention orders have been issued for 113 of them,” Oktay told reporters in a briefing.

“We will follow this up meticulously until the necessary judicial process is concluded, especially for buildings that suffered heavy damage and buildings that caused deaths and injuries.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Justice Minister has promised to punish anyone responsible and prosecutors have begun gathering samples of buildings for evidence on materials used in construction.

While the quakes were powerful, victims, experts and people across Turkey are blaming poor construction for the extent of the damage.

Environment Minister Murat Kurum said, based on the assessment of more than 170,000 buildings, 24,921 structures across the region had collapsed or were heavily damaged.

Rescuers were still looking for survivors in the rubble six days after the disaster, which hit parts of Syria and Turkey. The death toll has exceeded 29,000 and is expected to rise further.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A Ukrainian soldier walks in Bakhmut this week. Of the 50,000 people who lived in the city before the war, only 2000 remain

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media before discussing healthcare with Provincial and Territorial premiers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 7, 2023

A member of the Syria Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, stands near the rubble of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023, in the town of Jandaris, as search-and-rescue operations continue following the deadly earthquakes [Rami al-Sayed/AFP]

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Do whatever it takes to resolve issues. You will leave a lasting impression on someone you are trying to please. If you look at the big picture, you will find answers and support.

DILBERT

(March 21-April 19)

Stick to your own devices instead of following in someone’s footsteps. Finish what you start and embrace what makes you happy. You have more options than you realize.

(April 20-May 20)

Don’t believe everything you see or hear. Someone will be using unusual means to persuade you to do something unwise. Use your intelligence to outmaneuver anyone trying to take advantage of you.

PEANUTS

(May 21-June 20)

Follow your imagination and let your creative drive lead the way. You’ll find it easier to come up with original ideas that will speed things up and motivate you to be a leader.

(June 21-July 22)

Take a unique approach to exploring interests. A self-improvement project will lead to personal growth. Physical activity will require precision, thought and caution to avoid injury.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Imagine how you want your life to be and make the necessary alterations. It’s up to you to make your dreams come true. Waiting for someone to step in and do things for you won’t work.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Take a moment and revisit your plans. Wait before you give the go-ahead to someone, or a promise may be difficult to keep. Give yourself the time necessary to do things properly.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

You’ll need a clear head to come up with the right answers, choices and actions. Don’t fear being different or taking the road less traveled. Do your own thing.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Take the plunge and outdo yourself; use your skills in new and exciting ways, but don’t lose sight of what you are trying to achieve. Having a purpose will result in confidence.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

An open mind will prompt a magical journey. Listen, contribute and develop a plan to help you bring about beneficial changes at home or work. A positive attitude and physical action will pay off.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Size up the possibilities and put a realistic plan in place. Innovation will draw attention to you and bring about positive change. Self-improvement is favored.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

You’ll have a change of heart that motivates you to embrace what’s important to you. Don’t let anger kick in when your energy needs positive direction to achieve your desired results.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

SATURDAY'S WORD -- INFECTS

Women’s T20 World Cup 2023:

India's Rodrigues, Ghosh punish sloppy Pakistan to seal tense chase

Jemimah Rodrigues had lost her timing briefly, and Harmanpreet Kaur was nervously chewing her fingernails while Coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar was furiously writing notes in his diary. The Pakistani players could scent a famous win in what seemed like a contest like no other at Newlands in Cape Town.

And then everything Pakistan did right until that point came crashing down. Confidence gave way to nerves, fielders fumbled, bowlers lost their lengths, and eight boundaries were leaked in the next three overs. And that was game, set and match to India.

Richa Ghosh, the gum-chewing, big-hitting teenager who won the Under-19 World Cup last month, led the turnaround, coolly hitting medium pacer Aiman Anwer for three successive fours in the 18th over to bring the chase down to 14 off 12.

At the other end, Rodrigues, who has held the batting line-up together, found her range. She pulled, swept, and then fittingly hit the winning runs by backing away and carving a boundary through extra cover, which also brought up her half-century.

Their unbroken 58-run stand, a perfect combination of aggression and touch play for the best part, has led India to their highest successful chase at the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Bismah Maroof’s career strike rate over 122 T20I innings prior to Sunday stood at 90. When she walked out to bat in the second over, she was faced with the challenge of forcing the pace on a slow surface with a lot of grip. Manufacturing shots wasn’t easy, as Javeria Khan had found out in her short stay before top-edging a sweep. And so Maroof got her eye in by playing street-smart cricket, ensuring Pakistan kept scoring at least at a run a ball, until they got to a stage from where they could launch.

That launch point seemed really far off at 43 for 3 in the eighth over, when Nida Dar, Pakistan’s best batter for the conditions, was bounced out by Pooja Vastrakar in what was a perfectly set-up dismissal. Every time Maroof tried to shift gears, Pakistan found a stumbling block. When Sidra Amin was out reverse sweeping in the 13th, Pakistan were in trouble at 68 for

4, and fast reaching a point of no return.

Ayesha Naseem gives India the jitters

Maroof now needed a partner to play the perfect foil, and she found one in Ayesha Naseem. All of 18, Naseem showed why she’s rated highly. A game without half-measures and a penchant to hit the long ball have had several former players in awe. On Sunday, she played a knock that matched the grandeur of the occasion, and, in doing so, briefly gave India the jitters.

In throwing Renuka Singh off guard with 18 runs off the 16th over, she changed the complexion of the innings.

And suddenly here they were, with Maroof nudging and caressing the ball into the gaps for her half-century, while Naseem backed away and muscled big hits for fun.

Pakistan found their hitting range, and scored 58 off the last five to post their highest total at a T20 World Cup, setting India 150 to win.

The top-order wobble without Smriti Mandhana

Opening in place of the injured Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia struggled for rhythm and timing, despite going for shots. The outcome, though, was anything but effective, as she was out for a 20-ball 17.

Shafali Verma too wasn’t at her fluent best, streakily picking boundaries off thick edges and misfields. Shafali was kept quiet from overs seven to nine, and this increasingly led to her eventually trying for a release shot. When she stepped out to loft left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu off the first ball of the 10th, it seemed destined to cross the ropes for most parts. Until Amin intercepted the ball with a superb leap sideways to pull off a stunning boundary catch at long-off.

In the same over, Sandhu nearly had Rodrigues stumped. India were stuttering at 67

for 2 at the halfway mark, needing another 83 off the last 10.

The Ghosh-Rodrigues Show

Harmanpreet allayed some nerves by hitting two boundaries in quick succession, but when she top-edged a swipe across the line to short third, India were in trouble. Sandhu’s second wicket capped off a terrific spell that read 4-0-15-2, and had Pakistan on top, with India needing 55 off 36. Then Ghosh and Rodrigues combined like a dream, seemingly intent on taking the game deep, and, in doing so, allowed Pakistan to make mistakes.

At the first sign of mistakes, they pounced on them and quickly turned the game on its head to seal a memorable win. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan Women (20 ovs maximum)

Muneeba Ali †st †Ghosh b Yadav 12

Javeria Khan c Kaur b Sharma 8

Bismah Maroof (c) not out 68

Nida Dar c †Ghosh b Vastrakar 0

Sidra Ameen c †Ghosh b Yadav 11

Ayesha Naseem not out 43

Extras (lb 1, w 6) 7

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 7.45) 149/4

Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Javeria Khan, 1.4 ov), 2-42 (Muneeba Ali, 6.5 ov), 3-43 (Nida Dar, 7.3 ov), 4-68 (Sidra Ameen, 12.1 ov)

BOWLING O M R W

Renuka Singh

Deepti Sharma

Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Radha

Rashford scores late goal as Manchester United win

Manchester United have scored twice in the final 10 minutes at Elland Road to leave manager-less Leeds deep in relegation trouble.

Three days on from Marcus Rashford netting the Red Devils’ first goal as they came back from 2-0 down at home to secure a Premier League draw, the England striker broke the deadlock when he rose to meet Luke Shaw’s curling cross to head past Illan Meslier for his 21st goal of a superb season.

Substitute Alejandro Garnacho then outpaced the home defence before beating Meslier at his near post, to the obvious joy of manager Erik ten Hag on the touchline.

The result was harsh on Leeds, who created a number of decent opportunities but could not beat visiting goalkeeper David de Gea.

It also turns the focus on football director Victor Orta, who is responsible for bringing in a replacement for Jesse Marsch, who was sacked last week. Chief executive Angus Kinnear, who sat next to Orta in the directors’ box, pointed out in his programme notes that he understands the importance of a prompt replacement for Marsch, not least because chairman Andrea Radrizzani suggested last Tuesday it was imminent. That work continues with the knowledge that if Everton win Monday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield, Leeds would drop into the bottom three.

For almost 45 minutes, the atmosphere was by some distance the best bit of an afternoon crackling with tension but lacking in quality. Sadly, the electricity around the stadium took on a more sinister tone just before the break, when a sizeable section of

the Leeds fans to the left of the stand behind De Gea’s goal sang the ‘Munich’ song about the Manchester United air crash in 1958 which resulted in the death of 23 passengers, including eight players.

On the pitch, in stoppage time before the interval, Meslier produced an excellent feet-first save to deny Bruno Fernandes, who had run beyond the Leeds defence after blocking Max Wober’s intended pass. From the subsequent corner, the ball bounced off Luke Ayling and went narrowly wide of the far post, with Rashford inches away from being able to convert.

It was thoroughly in keeping with the general mood around Elland Road that Jadon Sancho and Tyrrell Malacia were the subject of ferocious but fair early Leeds tackles. Ayling and Malacia had a grabbing match, as the Leeds man kept hold of the ball when his opponent tried to snatch it from him to take a quick throw, and Leeds duo Junior Firpo and Weston McKennie and Manchester United’s Fred were all booked as referee Paul Tierney

tried to regain control.

Leeds in danger at the bottom

Despite the complaints of Ten Hag after the meeting between these sides on Wednesday, when United came back from two goals down to draw 2-2, the visitors one again did not start the game well.

And they were fortunate not to concede at the opening of the second half, when Crysencio Summerville brought a low save out of De Gea, Jack Harrison prodded a shot narrowly wide of the near post, and Ayling’s effort deflected off Shaw.

It was the prelude to a more positive contest on the pitch, as the second period also contained Diogo Dalot crashing a shot against the bar from the edge of the area, and Ayling sending an overhead kick straight at De Gea, who also turned away a Summerville shot heading for the far corner.

In the end though, it was the visitors who had the extra touch of class to take them seven points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham in the battle for a Champions League spot.

Leeds have now gone nine games without a win, equalling their worst run in the top flight league since the rebranded Premier League was launched in 1992; and they have taken just 12 points from their last 19 matches. With matches to come against Everton and Southampton, both currently in the bottom three, Leeds badly need to identify a replacement for Marsch, after hitting a brick wall in their attempts to lure Andoni Iraola from Rayo Vallecano and Carlos Corberan from West Brom. (BBC Sport)

3 0 24 0

4 0 39 1

0 31 0

India Women (T: 150 runs from 20 ovs)

Bhatia c Fatima Sana b Sadia

17

Verma c Sidra Ameen b Nashra Sandhu 33

Rodrigues not out 53

Kaur (c)c Bismah Maroof b Nashra Sandhu 16

Ghosh †not out 31

(w 1) 1 TOTAL 19 Ov (RR: 7.94) 151/3 Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Yastika Bhatia, 5.3 ov), 2-65 (Shafali Verma, 9.1 ov), 3-93 (Harmanpreet Kaur, 13.3 ov)

English Premier League football…

Referees body admits "human error" in VAR process in Arsenal, Brighton games

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions that went against Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday’s Premier League matches were down to “human error”, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has said on Sunday.

Ivan Toney’s equaliser for Brentford has seen league leaders Arsenal drop two points in the title race, but replays showed it should have been ruled out for offside in the build-up, leading Mikel Arteta to accuse officials of “changing the rules”.

Arteta felt it should have been disallowed because Ethan Pinnock appeared to be offside while blocking defender Gabriel Magalhaes as a free kick was delivered into the area for Toney to volley back across goal.

Across London, Brighton & Hove Albion saw their quest for

European football hit a speed bump at Crystal Palace when they were held to a 1-1 draw, but Pervis Estupinan’s goal was wrongly chalked off for offside. However, the offside line on replays was wrongly drawn for James Tomkins, instead of fellow Palace defender Marc Guehi, who was behind him.

“PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday,” it said on Sunday.

“Both incidents, which were due to human error and related to the analysis of offside situations, are being thoroughly reviewed by PGMOL.” (Reuters)

Manchester United have scored 11 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, more than any Premier League team this season

Premier League - Arsenal vs Brentford - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 11, 2023 Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta reacting REUTERS/David Klein

Rodrigues celebrating the win

Bismah Maroof raised her fifty with Ayesha Naseem for company

Everest congratulates Chanderpaul, Nandu on momentous achievements

In a statement on Sunday, the Executive members of the Everest Cricket Club have extended congratulations to Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Matthew Nandu on their respective phenomenal accomplishments on the cricket field.

Chanderpaul, who had a sterling Test debut in Australia, converted his maiden Test century into a majestic 207* in just his fifth innings during the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe.

He became the first Windies opener not called Kraigg Brathwaite to score a Test hundred since Chris Gayle in March 2013.

He and Brathwaite produced the first-ever triple-century opening partnership for West Indies in Tests, as they batted for 114 overs in Bulawayo to put Zimbabwe through the grind.

More so, he became the 10th West Indian to covert his

maiden Test century into a double; and the actions of the proverbial “cub” have surpassed those of the fearsome “Tiger”, in that Tagenarine’s hitherto best Test score of 207 has surpassed that of his father Shivnarine’s 203.

As for the up-and-coming warrior batsman Matthew Nandu, this 19-year-old has become the fourth Guyanese, and the first since Sudesh Dhaniram in 1987, to score a first-class century on debut, having registered a score of 126 against Barbados Pride at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua in the first-round matches of the West Indies 4-Day Championships.

He followed that up with a battling 60 which helped the Guyana Harpy Eagles wrest a draw against the Windward Volcanoes in Grenada on Saturday.

“Chanderpaul and Nandu, two of our young promising

talents, have done not just here at Everest, but Guyana and the West Indies proud with their accomplishments. Their efforts and immense patience are a testament to the desire of both young men to succeed at the highest level, and we wish them further success in the future, the statement detailed.

With an active youth programme, Everest hopes to nurture young talents to ideally go on to play the sport at the highest level.

Exciting rivalries as "Greatest of the Streets" begins on "West Side"

Showstoppers, Jetty Gunners, Team Family, Ballers Empire and ESPN were among winners when the Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” East Bank/West Demerara Championship commenced on Friday evening at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.

Witnessed by a mammoth crowd hungered by a three-year absence of this particular action, home side and threetime champions Showstoppers overcame newcomers CN Ballers by a 2-1 scoreline after Dexroy Adams had bagged a brace in the fifth and 25th minutes. For the losers, Jamal Crawford netted in the ninth minute to briefly restore parity to the proceedings.

Similarly, dark horses Jetty Gunners edged Team Anti-Social 2-0, compliments of a ‘Guinness Goal’ (GG) [a goal scored in the final three minutes of the second half counts as two] scored by Marvin Josiah in the 28th minute.

Ballers Empire mauled the Ramsay Clan 4-0, with Jaleel Hamilton and Seon Alfred scoring goals in the sixth and 14th minutes respectively, while Solomon

Austin recorded a “GG” in the 29th minute.

ESPN downed Upsetters 2-0 after Dennis Edwards and Tefon Daly had scored in the 14th and 18th minutes respectively.

And Team Family edged Hillside 1-0 after Eon Mars had found the back of the net in the fourth minute.

Saturday’s proceedings resulted in an evening of penalty shootouts, as Showstoppers, Jetty Gunners, Ballerz Empire and Bagotstown Warriors each clinched a semi-final berth when the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West Demerara edition continued on Saturday at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.

The mammoth crowd that descended on the venue to support the home side saw three-time winners Showstoppers edge inaugural champions West Side Ballers 2-0 on penalty kicks after

regulation time ended their game at 1-1. Stephon Jupiter and Dexroy Adams were on target to seal their team’s berth in the semifinal round.

Similarly, their impending opponent in the semifinal section, Jetty Gunners, overcame Up Like 7 by a 6-5 score on sudden death penalty kicks, compliments of a Kevin Cummings strike. The score at the end of full-time was 0-0.

Meanwhile, Bagotstown Warriors upset ESPN 1-0 on penalty kicks following a scoreless affair. They will now meet Ballerz Empire, who defeated

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Team Family 2-0 via penalty kicks after regulation time was unable to separate the teams at 0-0.

In the Plate section, Team Anti-Social defeated Up Top Bosses via walkover, while the Ramsay Clan mauled Hillside by a 4-0 score. And Red Triangle crushed Team Upset 4-0 while the Pouderoyen Brothers edged CN Ballers. The semifinal and finals for both sections will commence at the same venue on Friday 17th. Over $600,000 in prizes will be disbursed to the top four finishers and the plate winner.

Fresh faces among new GSA Executives

Severalfresh young faces have been added to the Executive membership of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) following the hosting of that entity’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) last week at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street. This new Executive Board has been elected to serve for the period 2023/2024.

Stepping down to give the younger members a seat at the table were long serving Executives Garfield Wiltshire and Suzanne De Abreu.

Mr. Wiltshire has given decades of service to the sport: as a player, executive treasurer, and manager of both junior and senior teams on regional and international tours. The Wiltshire name is synonymous with Squash, with Garfield heading a family of talented CASA champions and national players, and his contribution to squash is very highly appreciated.

Ms. De Abreu has also been a player and board member, having spent years in the role of executive secretary before sidestepping to head the fundraising committee. She, too, will remain within the close squash fraternity despite her exit from the board.

Also handing over the reins was Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer Anabelle Singh, after 5 years of service.

The Guyana Squash Association has said it is very grateful to all exiting members who have been, and continue to be, the cornerstone of the sport. The new board has the value of experienced members alongside the vitality, enthusiasm, and technological capabilities of the younger generation.

Wrapping up the AGM, seasoned

President David Fernandes has thanked the previous committee for their hard work, celebrated the successes for 2022, and looked forward to the future of the sport.

He said, “Those leaving are a huge part of squash, and will still be around in an advisory capacity to offer their expertise and experience to those young board members coming in. I’m so proud to see our younger members step up and be willing to help steer our association on a new path. 2023 is going to be a big year for us, with a

budding junior academy, new facilities in the pipeline, refurbished courts around Georgetown, and the top junior and senior teams in the Caribbean striving to raise their standard even higher to compete on a broader international field.”

Full list of GSA Executives:

President – David Fernandes

Vice President – Lorraine Ince

Treasurer – Ashley DeGroot-Khalil

Secretary – Victoria Arjoon

Asst. Secretary/Treasurer – Ashley

Khalil

Chairperson for Clubs Committee –Robin Low

Chairperson for Competitions

Committee – Deje Dias

Chairperson for Junior Affairs Committee

– Taylor Fernandes-Henry

Athletes Representative - Alex Arjoon

Past President - Owen Verwey

Appointed Sub Committee Chairperson for Fundraising-- Juanita Fernandes

Appointed Sub Committee Chairperson for Competitions- Jonathan Antczak

Appointed Sub Committee Chairperson for Junior Affairs - Tian Edwards

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Caption: Evin Lewis and Rashid Khan were teammates at St Kitts & Nevis Patriots last season

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Part of the action between Hillside (red) and Team Family (white) in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Bank/West Demerara Championship at the Pouderoyen Tarmac

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Matthew Nandu

WI Tour to Zimbabwe 2023: Test 2 of 2…

Motie bags seven wickets as West Indies dominate

Aseven-wicket haul by Gudakesh Motie and a half-century by Raymon Reifer have headlined a dominant day for West Indies at the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday.

Motie finished the day with 7 for 37, to bag his first seven-for haul in first-class cricket and help West Indies skittle Zimbabwe out for 115. Reifer (53) then put on useful partnerships with Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Jermaine Blackwood as West Indies ended day 1 on 133/4, leading by 18.

Opting to bat, Zimbabwe were without Gary Balance, out of the second Test due to a migraine. He has been replaced by Milton Shumba. Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava also missed out, with Donald Tiripano and Tanaka Chivanga each getting a game. West Indies have brought in Shannon Gabriel in place of Kemar Roach. Apart from the two boundaries that Innocent Kaia scored off Gabriel, it was a watchful first hour for Zimbabwe on a dry wicket.

Tanunurwa Makoni, at the other end, was bogged down by some disciplined bowling, and eventually edged an Alzarri Joseph delivery to Joshua Da Silva, who took a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss him for a duck off 24 balls.

Kaia kept the boundaries coming, some of them streaky, while Chamu Chibhabha was quick to take on the spinner Motie, scoring two successive fours off him. Chibhabha, though, got a leading edge to give Holder his first wicket, and Holder also had Kaia edging to Kyle Mayers at first slip.

Things went from bad to worse for Zimbabwe, as Motie had Shumba caught at short-leg and Tafadzwa Tsiga slicing a catch to cover. Craig Ervine, who was unbeaten at Lunch, became the spinner’s third scalp at the start of the second session, as he was trapped in front after missing a sweep. And Wellington Masakadza

SCOREBOARD

Zimbabwe 1st Innings

Tanunurwa Makoni c †Da Silva

b Joseph

(Brandon Mavuta, 32.5 ov), 9-89 (Victor Nyauchi, 34.4 ov), 10-115 (Tanaka Chivanga, 40.5 ov)

WI 4-Day Championship 2023…

By Brandon Corlette in Grenada

Guyana Harpy Eagles salvaged a remarkable draw last Saturday in round two of the West Indies Championship against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in Grenada.

The events that occurred on that fourth day, and to an extent across the game, can best be described as “The Great Escape”, and credit is due to Kevin Sinclair and Ronsford Beaton for scripting that thriller. Valiant efforts were turned in by this brave Guyanese duo, who survived for 81 minutes, during which they faced 17.5 overs and added 39 runs for the last wicket.

As the lights began fading at the Grenada National Stadium in St Georges, there were ominous rumblings from the fiery Volcanoes, and four wickets were extracted for a mere six runs, thus reducing Guyana to 211-9 in 73.5 overs. At that stage, many had expected the Windward Islands to “close out the game”.

Guyanese were left hoping that Beaton would stick around long enough with Sinclair, or that the rain would return in torrents, since this game in Grenada had already had 12 rain interruptions across the four days. But when Guyana most needed the rain, the sunny Caribbean climate was in attendance.

Sinclair kept changing his helmet for a floppy hat every over, and Beaton kept seeking medical attention, as the Guyanese seemingly employed every tactic that had some chance of bringing them respite from the pyrotechnics being generated by the Volcanoes.

From the Volcanoes’ perspective, Kenneth Dember even allowed a ball to run into the boundary in order for Beaton to remain on strike. And Sinclair, who ended on a career-best 77 not

out, even turned down runs to help the Eagles’ cause.

However, it was a surprise to many when the Volcanoes took the new ball. At that stage, a certain left-arm spinner was in the middle of a dream spell in cleaning up the Harpy Eagles batsmen; he was getting the ball to turn in the footmarks. As the new ball was taken, Sinclair played some crisp shots, dancing down the track to pacer Preston McSween and thumping him for six. Beaton faced 24 balls. In fact, he survived and scored one run.

Then lights began to fade, and the local fans and their Volcanoes icons were disappointed that the Guyanese players had held on for an unlikely draw.

The Essequibian Beaton, having played one of

got an inside edge off Motie to hand a catch to leg-spin and leave Zimbabwe sweating at 81/7.

Tiripano fought hard for his unbeaten 23, which included three boundaries; but he did not receive any support from the other end, as Motie continued on his wicket-taking spree. Brandon Mavuta was caught off a deflection from the ‘keeper’s gloves by first slip, as Motie bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket and followed it up with the wicket of Victor Nyauchi.

Chivanga was involved in a 26-run stand for the final wicket with Tiripano before being bowled by Motie, who became the first West Indian to bag a seven-wicket haul against Zimbabwe.

Brathwaite and Chanderpaul began West Indies’ reply in a sedate fashion, as they looked to blunt the Zimbabwe bowling attack like they did in the first Test. The West Indies captain, however, was dismissed for 7 off 27 as he was trapped in front by Masakadza, who dismissed Brathwaite for the third time in as many innings.

Chanderpaul struck successive boundaries off Chivanga, and continued to bat steadily in partnership with Reifer in the post-tea session. The second-wicket pair added 73, with Reifer scoring 41 and Chanderpaul 30 in the partnership. But a soft dismissal ended Chanderpaul’s stay as he top-edged a sweep off Mavuta to depart for 36.

Blackwood came out with positive intent, scoring boundaries off Nyauchi and a six off Mavuta, while Reifer got to his second Test fifty as West Indies entered the lead. But a mix-up resulted in Reifer’s run-out, which ended a stand worth 31. Blackwood followed soon after, mistiming a pull off Mavuta to depart for 22.

Mayers and Roston Chase were unbeaten when stumps were drawn early due to bad light. (cricbuzz)

the most important batting innings in his career, said he and Sinclair had had a plan. “It was all about sticking at the crease. Kevin is the more senior batsman in the middle at that time. With his seniority and my experience batting and playing regional cricket for so many years, we just had a simple conversation for him to bat most of the deliveries and I see one or two; but sometimes it did not get off. But at the end of the day, we stuck it out,” Beaton said.

Sinclair, meanwhile, has been very happy to pull off this draw for his team. The Berbician has said he was confident from the time he set foot at the crease. “I went out there confident that we could do it, because we were ahead in terms of runs from balls. I looked to hit the gaps, and stay out there while being patient. The captain

sent out a message for us to draw the game, but I believe that we could have pulled it off. Seeing wickets falling around me, I felt that I should just be out there and stay calm and composed to see it through,” he divulged.

“I was telling him (Beaton) to bat. I told him he has a big heart, and to stay with me. I think he did a great job in the way he played and stayed with me; so, credit to him (Beaton),” Sinclair has said.

A win and a draw have certainly encouraged these Guyanese players, their having come into this tournament feeling the heat from the local media. The tournament will break, and resume on March 15. According to reports, Guyana will play their three matches at the National Stadium at Providence, in Guyana.

Sinclair is congratulated by Beaton while Volcanoes fielders worry (Brandon Corlette photos)

Kevin Sinclair defends during his 77 in Grenada

Jason Holder and Tagenarine Chanderpaul celebrating a wicket

Brathwaite is trapped leg-before cheaply

Raymon Reifer has scored back-to-back fifties