Guyana Times - Monday, February 14, 2022

P5

David Lammy requests pardon for 1823 slave rebellion convicts Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4920

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

UK vodka producer pursuing joint venture with Uitvlugt Estate for ethanol plant

See story on page 3

Linden-to-Mabura Hill road

Project will have massive positive economic impact on Region 10 – Minister Page 7

PRICE

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Region 2 man latest COVID-19 P16 death …10 in ICU

2012 Soesdyke rape, assault P14

CCJ to rule on whether sentences imposed on convict were appropriate Phone thief jailed for 9 months

P8

…says construction to start this quarter Infectious Unit commissioned at NA Hospital …now better prepared for COVID-19 cases – Health Minister P15

Govt aiming for quarterly cost oil audits – Bharrat P9 …says audits also have to be conducted on blocks outside of Stabroek

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley arrived in Guyana ahead of the International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2022, which begins on Tuesday (DPI photo)

Sophia man stabbed to death by Venezuelan woman Page 16

Guyanese gunned down in Cayenne Page 7

15 babies P2 delivered by EMTs in 2021 …responded to 5488 calls

2 NEWS 15 babies delivered by EMTs in 2021 …responded to 5488 calls S MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ince the launch of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division in 2016, 30 healthy babies have been delivered at the hands of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), 15 of whom were delivered in 2021.

This news comes just after Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had announced that the EMS would soon be extended to Regions Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) and Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

The Minister was at the time addressing Guyana Fire Service (GFS) ranks who recently completed the first stage of an Advanced EMS training.

On Thursday, eight EMTs completed Stage One of the Advanced EMS training.

EMTs are usually the first official persons on the scene of an accident and they play a pivotal role in providing first-aid treatment as well as transporting injured persons to the nearest hospital in a timely manner.

The EMS Division of the

EMTs after delivering a baby in 2021

Guyana Fire and Rescue Service plays a vital role in saving lives and providing prehospital care to the citizens of Guyana.

Over the next four months, the trainees will be engaged in Zoom sessions and practical sessions facilitated by EMS and Physician instructors from the USA and Guyana before completing the course and becoming certified EMTs. The Advanced EMT programme will increase our local EMTs’ educational level from basic to advanced, providing them with life-supporting skills to better serve the Guyanese population.

Upon successful completion of the training, the new advanced EMTs will be able to train other junior technicians which will increase human resources in the field.

This will be a major improvement for the EMS Division and will aid its expansion to Regions Three and Five.

In July of last year, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said good EMS could save

many lives. At the time he was giving his address at the commissioning of the fire station and ambulance service at Melanie on the East Coast of Demerara.

The Health Minister also said the goal was to replicate the EMS countrywide. “…if we take a lot of time in expanding this service and that is what we want, to ensure that we do not lose any more opportunity in terms of saving lives,” he had said.

Some of the services provided by our EMTs include CPR, Basic Life Support, Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Bleeding Control, Baby Deliveries and Breathing Control.

In addition, for the year 2021, EMTs responded to a total of 5488 calls with an average of 15 calls per day.

Citizens are encouraged to call the 912 hotline to request an ambulance and make use of the EMS. (G2)

3 UK vodka producer pursuing joint venture with Uitvlugt Estate for ethanol plant A NEWS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Monday, Feb 14 – 02:00h – 03:30h and 12:30h - 14:00h and Tuesday, Feb 15 – 02:30h – 04:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, Feb 14 – 14:50h – 16:20h and Tuesday, Feb 15 – 15:35h – 17:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be light cloud and light rain during the day and night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to east north-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 15:29h reaching a maximum height of 2.4 metres.

Low Tide: 09:04h and 21:31h reaching minimum heights of 0.96 metre and 0.77 metre.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS K

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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$1855.80 -1.00

$1862.80 -0.05%

n award-winning London-based vodka producer, One True Maverick (OTM), is looking to expand operations to Guyana and has expressed interest in the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate for the potential establishment of an ethanol plant.

OTM co-founder, James Luwagga was among a group of United Kingdom (UK) business representatives who visited Guyana last week as part of the “British Business Mission” to network with both local Private Sector and Government officials as they scope out opportunities for potential investments here.

The delegation was hosted by London-based The Caribbean Council, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the British High Commission’s Department for International Trade.

At a press conference last Wednesday, Luwagga told reporters that he is looking to introduce his OTM Vodka to the Guyanese market and tap into opportunities linked to the alcohol beverage sector.

“We are assessing the opportunities in the micro brewing and micro distillery sector,” he had stated.

Luwagga’s company’s One True Maverick Vodka was awarded a “Master” medal in the 2021 Global Spirits Master awards.

During the press conference, the London-based businessman had revealed that he would be visiting the Albion Estate to get an initial assessment of the factory operations.

“It's just an opportunity to get on the ground and interact with the key people and then once we’ve been given kind of the confidence that the opportunity to invest and to develop and to grow the sector with the Private Sector and the Government as a partnership, then we’re more than confident that we will be returning with very kind of concrete agreements,” Luwagga had explained.

That visit was facilitated

last Thursday by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) through the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and the British High Commission.

Guyana Times was told that the intention behind visiting the sugar estate was to ascertain the possibility of setting up an ethanol plant in Guyana.

“The idea is Uitvlugt. He just wanted to see how a sugar factory works and whether there is an opportunity [for investment] … Sugar makes ethanol and ethanol makes rum. So, he was looking to see if he can build an ethanol plant at Uitvlugt with regards to making his vodka,” a senior GuySuCo official told this newspaper.

However, while the Uitvlugt Estate is the potential site for this project, the visit to the Albion Estate in Berbice, Region Six, was planned instead since that factory started grinding last week.

“It made more sense showing him Albion because you can’t show him a factory that is not working,” the official explained. Uitvlugt is slated to start grinding later this month.

According to the Sugar Corporation official, while this potential investor has expressed serious interest in expanding to Guyana, he still has to do undertake due diligence before making any commitments.

“At the end of the day, a deal is not a deal unless it is bankable. He has to go back to his investors and see if they have the appetite and the money to build an ethanol plant. It will take about US$6 million to complete the whole project so they have to determine whether they are prepared to do that,” this publication was told.

The GuySuCo official went on to outline that Luwagga has indicated that his company has a “potential big market” in China and they are looking to set up shop here to fulfil the demand of that market.

As it is, the Uitvlugt Estate produces approximately 12,000 metric tonnes of mo-

lasses which in turn makes about 9000 kilo tonnes of ethanol. OTM is looking to acquire this entire production from the West Demerara estate.

“They will buy all because they will need more than 9000… Basically, to make alcohol in the UK is very expensive. So, he’s just basically looking to expand but not in the UK, expand in Guyana.

They will produce the [vodka] here and then ship to [the potential market in] China,” the official stated.

At last week’s press conference, Luwagga said that the Guyanese business environment is very welcoming and receptive to the ideas for investments.

“One thing the President [Dr Irfaan Ali] mentioned [Tuesday at a reception hosted by the British High Commission] was around the removal of this level bureaucracy that stops a lot of investments trying to come into Guyana and capitalise on the vast opportunities that are available. That was actually reflected when the Department of Trade facilitated a lot of introductions [with potential investment partners] for us,” the UK businessman noted.

Sparking excitement

Meanwhile, the GuySuCo representative said this potential investment is sparking a lot excitement amongst the top executives of the corporation since the entity has been looking to diversify its operations as part of plans to make the sugar sector financially viable.

“If there is value-added and more money, then it would be good for everyone.

Rum is a very expensive thing.

That is essence of what sugar will be all about – moving towards value-added and rum is a main product of that. So, the idea is to get private investors at Uitvlugt, both in the field as well as in the ethanol aspect.

So GuySuCo will only be there in the middle with the factory,” the official noted.

Uitvlugt Estate once housed the Guyana Distillers

OTM Vodka’s co-founder James Luwagga

Limited (GDL) which produced vodka. GDL was merged with DDL and the stills were sent to DDL, but the expertise is still available.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has been looking to make strategic investments at Albion, Blairmont, and Uitvlugt Estates. In fact, this year, particular focus will be placed on upgrading and mechanising aspects of operations at those estates while expanding packaging capabilities to produce more value-added products for domestic and international markets.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, during the Budget 2022 presentation, disclosed that “…$6 billion [has been allocated] to support GuySuCo’s ongoing investment in field and factory operations to turn around the industry, while we continue to consider the possibility of engaging private investor interest also in some of the estates.”

Further, President Ali had subsequently hinted at Government’s efforts to encourage private investments in the sugar industry.

“It will create more jobs.

Not only more jobs, but more jobs at a technical level if we are to increase our production.

It will expand our production,” President Ali said during an analysis of the $552.9 billion Budget 2022 which was passed in the National Assembly on Thursday last. (G8)

4

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

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

Corrupting Journalism

I

n Guyana, the relationship between the media and the Government, starting from the 1960s when the former played a critical role in ousting the latter, has been fraught with unnecessary tension. Most recently, because of our oil-driven higher profile, we have witnessed the entry of a new form of journalism, Gonzo Journalism, to our shores. By one account, “Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that features the author as its protagonist…(They) become part of the story, portraying events through their own experience, which offers readers their version of the truth. In gonzo journalism, the personality of the piece and its subjective truths are more important than the actual facts of the story, so certain aspects of the writing are often exaggerated or profane, while the tone and writing style may rely on hyperbole, humour, and sarcasm”.

In our democratic (albeit initially colonial-ruled) 1960s, the press was privately owned, as it mostly is today. A section of the press, aligned with the Opposition of the day, however, created and foisted a hysteria in the country by their daily vitriolic outpourings that the elected Government of the day was “communist”. The Government was going to reduce the populace to slavery to serve their nefarious, obviously totalitarian, ends, etc, etc. History has shown that these “facts” were actually lies: some that pulled the strings actually apologised. But the damage had been done: big power intervention followed by 28 years of destruction and decrepitude.

However, the danger that journalism might be used to subvert democracy by stoking the fears of ordinary people and others had been identified long before. In fact, by a man that is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern journalism – the American Walter Lippmann. Lippmann had served in WWI as the US’ propaganda chief in Europe and observed from within how easily the minds of people can be swayed by a mixture of opinions on tenuous “facts”.

Returning to peacetime America, he wrote a prescient text, “Liberty and the News”, which was re-released a decade ago because of its topicality in the modern world.

Lippmann identified what he defined as a “crisis in journalism” precipitated by the sheer explosion of information about a world that had become smaller because of increased communications. And that was before the Internet! No one, he pointed out, could now keep track of what was going on around even his/her limited sphere. John Public now depended on the press to perform that function.

But unlike most commentators who felt the danger lay in advertisers influencing the news, Lippmann believed that the greater menace originated in the smug assurance of some Journalists of their omniscience. And their propensity to place their opinions ahead of facts. Worse yet, there were some that manufactured their “facts”.

There is a confusion of what “liberty” under a democracy meant for journalism: not just to print whatever came to mind but according to Lippmann, “the effort to protect for public use, access to a factual record”. This is a lesson that is lost to some local newspapers: that veracity comes before “edification”. With Gonzo Journalism we have Journalists that still use “he seh, she seh, and dem seh”, but now add “me seh” to define businessmen and Governments in toto as “corrupt” by simply making claims of their own artifice or by individuals with their own agendas.

There is the further irony that in being so arrogant in asserting that their opinion is not merely a point of view, but instead the “TRUTH”, these Journalists betray their own totalitarian and fascist tendencies. Some have pointed out these tendencies arise out of their Nietzschean ressentiment at being failures but yet obsessed about being “first world” and “putting third worlders in their place”. This is, as has been remarked, a most dangerous development.

We call upon the members of our newspaper fraternity to recognise these Gonzo pen pushers who are destroying the good name of journalism. Or would we rather repeat history?

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association's (GMSA's) “The Benab Duty Free Shop”, which will be open until February 18.

The event, GMSA said, will be complementing the 2022 International Energy Conference & Expo. The event, which is being held at the Umana Yana, features local designers, craft makers, manufacturers and major beverage companies. A model of a modular timber home is also being constructed and will be on display (GMSA photo)

Where has all the love gone?

By Lloyd B Smith

C

ome today, February 14, 2022, many despite the hard times and COVID-19 restrictions, will be celebrating Valentine's Day, although there doesn't seem to be much love going around in the society at large. In any event, given the over-commercialisation of this event, it becomes difficult to determine the level of sincerity being expressed by many who may well see it as merely a day of atonement with respect to those in estranged relationships or experiencing sexual abandonment, for that matter. Others may view it as another opportunity for heightened sexual promiscuity.

A line from that famous literary masterpiece Desiderata reminds us not to be cynical about love, because it is as perennial as the grass; however, this writer cannot help but view this Valentine's extravaganza as more hype than substance. According to the experts, “Valentine's Day, also called St Valentine's Day, is a holiday when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbid the celebration of Lupercalia and is sometimes attributed with replacing it with St Valentine's Day, but the true origin of the holiday is vague at best. Valentine's Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century.”

There are several other amazing stories about this holiday's origin, but suffice it to say the average John Doe and Mary Jane have no clue about how it came about, but may lavishly take advantage of the day's significance to express their love and affection for their significant other. Of course, Valentine's Day comes against the backdrop of the high level of hatred and intolerance that has become pervasive in the Jamaican society.

Long before Valentine's Day became so popular in Jamaica, there was much more love to go around, not just

feigned affection or opportunistic liaisons.

Yes, there was a time when romance was king! I recall, as a lovestruck youngster, I would pen a love letter to the girl of my dreams and place it in an envelope with some sweet-smelling talcum powder and some crushed flowers. That actually got me into some serious trouble when I sent one to a particular girl who had been ignoring my expressions of interest in her. When she opened the envelope, the powder splashed all over and she screamed and fainted thinking that someone had sent her an obeah letter. Luckily, it was not that easy to trace it back to me as the address in the letter was “Lover's Lane, Kisses Post Office”, and was signed simply “Secret Admirer”, and delivered by my accomplice, who refused to disclose the identity of the sender.

Interestingly, my forays into becoming a wordsmith had its genesis then as, eventually, word got around in school that I was very good at penning love letters and love poems. I was soon making a killing, in terms of being rewarded financially by some of my fellow male students, who paid me handsomely to put pen to paper in their bid to woo that special girl.

Nowadays, with the advent of social media, catfishing or providing false information, as well as photographs, have become the order of the day, among other deceptive means of going after romantic interests. In the good old days one would have to send a message or love note/letter and wait with bated breath for a reply. In many instances, parents, guardians, grandparents, or a big brother or sister would have to be approached or used as an intermediary to get to the 'princess'. But it was all fun and games.

A typical scenario, especially in the lower echelons of the society, is for the guy to say, “Hey, gyal, come ya. You wan see di I check fi di dawta, so wha you a deal wid?”

The sad truth is that, in many instances, women and girls are disrespected or treated with scant regard, even when they are being courted, and what is amazing is that many of them do not seem to mind at all. One only has to observe what goes on at a par-

ty or dancehall session. And, of course, the lyrics of the songs tell it all.

Gone are the days when love songs were part and parcel of 'making it' with a particular female. Indeed, based on most of what is being churned out as music these days, there is very little romance involved. We are now in the age of “haul and pull up” and 'skin out', no more 'rent a tile' or may I have this dance? In fact, the typical scenario is for the men to be on one side of the room while the women huddle in another section as the men compete among themselves with the latest dance steps and the women 'bump and grine' or get on bad.

All of this is symptomatic of what has gone wrong in a society in which domestic violence is rampant and our womenfolk are treated as mere sex objects.

At home and in school, boys are no longer taught the social graces, including how to treat their counterparts of the fairer sex. Many of our womenfolk, on the other hand, very often tolerate this level of crassness and lack of civility, preferring their men to be thugs rather than gentlemen.

Call me old-fashioned, but where did all the love go?

Frankly, there is too much 'butuism' out there. In this vein, girls and women should raise the bar and insist that they be treated with tenderness and love, not coarseness and disregard.

Then again, sometimes it is difficult to differentiate who is male or female these days. Sometime ago, I courteously opened the door for who I thought was a rather chic young woman, albeit with a bleached-out face, only to be greeted with, “A wha di man a deal wid? Mi look helpless to you?”

This Valentine's Day, let's try to bring back the love. Boys and men, treat the women how they should be treated and vice versa. Gifts and sexual exploits are not necessarily true expressions of love. (Jamaica Observer) (Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 45 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor.)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

5

News

David Lammy requests pardon for 1823 slave rebellion convicts

A monument to the 1823 revolt in Georgetown, Guyana. The rebellion involved 10,000 enslaved people, of whom 73 were tried and 21 executed (Photograph: MJ Photography/Alamy)

D

avid Lammy has written to the government asking it to pardon 70 abolitionists convicted for their role in the historic 1823 Demerara rebellion by enslaved people against British colonialists in the Caribbean.

The shadow foreign secretary described the revolt, involving 10,000 enslaved people, as a “seminal moment” in the history of slave resistance. Although unsuccessful at the time, the event contributed to the abolition of slavery 10 years later, in 1833.

Lammy said exercising the royal prerogative of mercy to grant pardons to those involved in the uprising, which was brutally crushed by the colonial militia in part of present-day

Guyana, would be “a significant step in Britain’s acknowledgment of its role in the history of slavery”.

The letter names 73 people who were tried, 70 of whom were found guilty, including 21 who were executed, including 10 who were decapitated after being hanged and had their heads put on poles. Hundreds of others were killed during and in the immediate aftermath of the uprising.

Lammy highlights two particular cases, that of Jack Gladstone, a slave who was the principal organiser of the uprising, and John Smith, a young British Protestant minister, both of whom were sentenced to death before having their sentences commuted. Gladstone, who was “owned” by John

Gladstone, the father of the future prime minister William Gladstone, was not violent, according to testimonies – and also intervened to prevent other acts of violence. After his death sentence was commuted he was transported to St Lucia for hard labour.

Smith had his sentence commuted by King George IV but died in prison in 1824 before the decision was communicated to Demerara. A two-day debate on whether to pardon him posthumously took place in parliament in June of that year, but the motion was defeated.

In the letter, addressed to the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, Lammy wrote: “In recent years, this country has entered into a discussion about its colo-

Demerara was one of Britain’s most lucrative colonies, being rich in sugar plantations. It was known for the harsh treatment of enslaved people (Photograph: John Carter Brown Library)

nial history and the path to repair. The full pardoning of both John Smith and Jack Gladstone would be a significant step in Britain’s acknowledgment of its role in the history of slavery. Both John Smith and Jack Gladstone were pioneers of the abolition movement, and they must be remembered and celebrated as such. It is for this reason that I am requesting a pardon through the exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy.”

Demerara was one of Britain’s most lucrative colonies, being rich in sugar plantations at a time when the British economy was heavily dependent on the crop. It was known for the harsh treatment of enslaved people, designed to discour-

A tribute to Lata Mangeshkar Dear Editor, The classic Lata Mangeshkar, dominated the Indian world of music, With a physic of a story to withstand any test being forensic.

An intrinsic love for art, never with any goal being extrinsic, Her beauty she maintained so basic, with a memory without any amnesic.

Being testy or moody, worse yet, toiling and twisting so broody, Lata’s soothing melody, will certainly change the language of the body.

It will take thee into custody, transfixed with the seizure of a rhapsody, Fused with a unique parody, and mesmerized by sheer prosody.

Mangeshkar’s fame and fortune rose to a high, due to many a tune, Opportune moments derived when young, a voice her father did prune.

Immune to any renditions or restrictions, to her likeness, all attune, Soon, no dune stooped her, not even the Monsoon season in June.

Didi’s assertive tone mellowed the audience over the microphone, Leaving no stone unturned as she reigned as a Queen on her throne.

Solitarily alone in a field, how difficult any attempt to match a clone, It was bone chilling, knowing she reigned with autonomy over her zone.

Too sweet to describe, a feat ascribed with any song as a geet, Only a music sheet she needed, like a nightingale, she would tweet.

Always willing to be on her feet, oh how she was welcomed in the street, To greet her in frenzy, all went crazy, shouting and hailing, no way discreet.

What sentiment a doyen did serenade for all to acclaim and comment, With a cool temperament to easily fashion the highest of complement.

So soothing an element which literally provides uncontrolled excitement, The 35,000 odd records is a testament without being

bias in judgement.

The world paid much attention, overwhelmed with fused emotion, There was little option, to participate in any given competition.

Compensation for such artistry cannot be waged in financial reflection, Generation of past, present and future, will accept a satisfied saturation.

Hema had a universal effect, awards and accolades so many, she did collect, Always a winner when to select, the Voice of the Millennium, was so perfect.

Faultless and flawless, so much respect, no one found a reason to object,

She became a spotless subject, very melodious, there was no room for any defect.

At an amazing ninety and two, Lata gracefully bid a final farewell to history and society, Leaving renowned recognition and gaiety to calmly detach only for purity in piety.

A cultural community too large in language and variety, sadly mourning in anxiety, Will never forget the voice of sobriety, too true to deny but to remember in subtlety.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

age them from rebelling against the white colonialists they heavily outnumbered.

Lammy, who has spoken previously about the legacy of slavery and its impact on black Britons, based the letter on research into the Demerara uprising contained in the book White Debt.

In a reply from Raab sent to Lammy on Wednesday, the justice secretary said that following Guyana gaining independence in 1966 and the country becoming a republic in 1970, it would be for the president of Guyana to grant such pardons.

Thomas Harding, the author of White Debt, described Raab’s response as “shocking”.

He said: “Britain was

responsible for this gross miscarriage of justice, not Guyana, and the British government should be the one to pardon those found guilty. The men and women who took part in the Demerara uprising of 1823 were attempting to abolish British slavery. It was a British court martial which found the 70 people guilty, a court established by a British governor in a British colony (later known as ‘British Guiana’), on behalf of the British king, under British military code.

“Now is the time for the British government to take full responsibly for its legacy of slavery, to pardon the ‘Demerara 70’ and recognise them for what they were: heroes, for all of us.” (The Guardian)

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Page

Foundation ◄

Circle Graphs or Pie Charts A circle graph compares parts of a whole to a whole. They are also called pie charts because each looks like a pie that has been sliced up. When you read a pie chart, it does not always matter how big the whole is, because you are comparing parts to each other and the whole. However, sometimes you can calculate a whole exactly.

Examples: Which kind of bank note did Patricia save the most?

Step 1: Find the biggest segment of the pie chart.

Step 2:Read the label for that segment. Patricia saved more $20 bills than any other kind of bank note.

Materials: Patricia saved a total of 98 bank notes. How many of them were $20 bills?

Step 1: Look at the whole circle. You may not be able to tell exactly how big each part is. However, you can estimate. The $20 bills segment accounts for roughly one half of the circle.

Step 2:Multiply ½ x 98 = 49. There are 49 $20 bills.

Calculate the value of the $20 bills segment: $20 x 49 = $980.

Types of pie charts

12-ounce drinking glass 8 oz of 7-Up or Sprite 12 candy conversation hearts

Instructions:

Fill drinking glass with the soda Drop all the conversation hearts into the soda Observe the hearts dance up and down in the soda

How it works:

The carbon dioxide picks the candy hearts up and throws them to the top of the glass. When they reach the top, the bubbles burst and the candy work their way down again.

Extra experiments:

Try doing several glasses, but in each glass have only one colour of conversation hearts inside. Does one colour of conversation heart do better than others? If so, why could that be?

Try using several different types of soda (for example, Dr Pepper, Pepsi, Coke, etc). Which soda works the best?

Try using diet soda versus regular soda. Which soda works the best? (sciencefun.org)

Teacher's Tip “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever” – Suzy Kassem

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Linden-to-Mabura Hill road

Project will have massive positive economic impact on Region 10 – Minister …says construction to start this quarter

T

he construction on the Caribbean Development bank (CDB) funded Linden to Marbura Hill road project, is expected to commence in the first quarter of this year, following on the heels of a Brazilian company being identified to construct the road.

This is according to Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, in an interview with this publication. He explained that the project, which was budgeted for in the 2022 budget, will start soon.

“We have had evaluations received and they’ve received no objections. So the construction phase of that project is imminent.

That’s $6 billion in our budget for that. So that’s 122 kilometres, from Linden to Mabura Hill,” Indar said, confirming that the project should start in the first quarter of the year.

Indar also talked of the massive employment opportunities that will be created in Region 10 when the project starts up. According to the Minister, the economic impact on surrounding communities will be huge.

“That’s a big project. What that project entails, it’s a lot of earthworks, building material.

Sand. Loam. Crusher run.

Massive employment for the people of Linden.

People of 47 and 58 Miles.

People in the communities stretching along that area too.”

“A lot of people in and out of Linden will get work. There are businesses. Where would workers sleep? Where would they get their food from. A lot of

A section of the Linden-Mabura road link

business. Transportation.

A lot of business for Lindeners and the people of Region 10. Inland. The riverine communities,” Indar said.

It was announced earlier this month that negotiations are to commence with a Brazilian company for the award of the monumental Linden-toMabura Hill road project, following the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) giving its no-objection to Government.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh had announced that discussions would commence with the most responsive bidder, Construtora Queiroz Galvao SA from Brazil.

This project is the first link in the highway between Linden and Lethem.

It would provide major support to ease of travel, trade, and general connectivity between Guyana

and Brazil, and open vast opportunities by linking Guyana’s hinterland communities to Georgetown.

The process leading to the award of this contract followed a stringent and transparent procurement process by which the call for proposals for the prequalification of contractors was made in February 2021. Ten contractors were prequalified, and this list was approved by the CDB in October 2021.

Following the prequalification phase, the bidding process began in October 2021 and ended in December 2021. Of the 10 prequalified contractors, the following five made submissions: China Gezhouba Group Company Limited; China Railway International Group & China Railway No 10 Engineering Group Co Ltd; Shandong Luqiao Group Co; OECI SA (OECI) in JV with Castilho Engenharia E Empreendimentos SA

(CEE); and Construtora Queiroz Galvao SA. The bids were careful-

ly scrutinised and evaluated by a team of local engineers. After a thorough evaluation process involving engagements and consultations with the Caribbean Development Bank, Construtora Queiroz Galvao SA was determined as the most responsive bid, indicating full compliance with all environmental, social, health and safety requirements.

This project would be the largest project ever funded by the Caribbean Development Bank, and is one of the most historic projects undertaken in Guyana. The road works include upgrading the existing alignment to asphaltic concrete surface; 2 lanes spanning 7.2 metre width; and 122 kilometres with the inclusion of five drainage structures.

Construtora Queiroz Galvao SA is a large Brazilian contractor established in 1966. The company specialises in the construction of refineries, roads, bridges, commercial offices, residential buildings, highways and sewage systems worldwide.

The Linden-to-Lethem Road, a key link between Guyana and Brazil, with the potential to boost trade, is at present little more than an unsurfaced trail that deteriorates in rainfall. As such, the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF) programme, administered through the CDB, would be providing funding for the first phase of the road: from Linden to Mabura Hill, as well as a crossing at Kurupukari.

(G3)

Guyanese gunned down in Cayenne

A

27-year-old Guyanese man is now dead after he was shot multiple times about his body in Cayenne, French Guiana. The man, according to reports, was killed on Saturday last.

Dead is Akeem Peters of Bagotstown, Georgetown.

While details of the man’s murder remain sketchy, Guyana Times understands that Peters was riddled with bullets at his Cayenne home, by gunmen whom Cayenne Police officials are currently hunting.

In video footage that was circulated on social media, the man was seen lying motionlessly in a house, covered in blood. A woman was also seen doing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, but despite her efforts, he remained motion-

Dead: Akeem Peters

less.

The 27-year-old Guyanese man was later pronounced dead, while a probe into the murder was immediately launched.

This is the second Guyanese that was killed in the neighbouring country within the past three years.

On February 11, 2019,

a Guyanese man was killed by a fellow Guyanese woman and her children, during a fight in the country.

Thirty-four-year-old Orlando Josiah was killed by the woman, who was his reputed wife and her two children, aged 15 and 10.

The man, who was allegedly abusive to his reputed wife, reportedly attacked her with a knife and upon seeing this, her daughter first rushed to her aid and stabbed the man.

Shortly after, the woman’s ten-year-old son rushed to the aid of his mother and sister and inflicted stab wounds on Josiah. He subsequently died.

The woman and her two children were later taken into custody for questioning in relation to the murder. (G9)

8 NEWS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Phone thief jailed for 9 months A 20-year-old man was handed a nine months’ jail sentence after admitting to stealing a cellular phone from a member of an Alexander Village, Georgetown masjid.

The sentence was imposed on Joshua Viera when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

On July 20, 2021, at Alexander Village, Georgetown, he stole a Samsung S20 cell phone valued at $75,000 and $12,000, property of Haroon Hussain.

The court was told that Viera and Hussain are known to each other since they attend the same masjid. On the day in question, the victim left his cell phone and money with his niece in the kitchen area of the masjid and went to pray.

Upon his return to the kitchen area, Hussain noticed that his money and cell phone were missing and raised an alarm. The matter was reported to the Police, and an investigation was launched. Viera was only recently arrested for the crime.

Last year, he was charged and convicted for a similar crime.

Meanwhile, in a similar matter, a man accused of stealing several electronic items from staffers at the Finance Ministry was charged with three counts of simple larceny and appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Joseph Harper also appeared before Magistrate Daly. He denied the charges.

It is alleged that on June 14, 2019,

Valentine’s Day…

V Jailed: Joshua Viera

at the Ministry of Finance, 49 Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown, he stole a Samsung cell phone valued at $100,000, property of Anuradha Persaud. It is also alleged that on the same day and at the same location, he stole two Samsung tablets valued at $75,000, property of Eleeni Komal.

The court heard that on the day in question, a well-dressed Harper walked into the Ministry's compound under the pretext that he was employed there.

He thereafter walked into the building and carried away the phone and electronic tablets. After discovering that the items were missing, the virtual complainants raised an alarm.

CCTV footage from the Ministry

Remanded: Joseph Harper

was reviewed in which Harper was observed entering the Ministry’s compound, removing the items, loitering, and leaving. A report was lodged with the Police and investigations were carried out.

The Police prosecutor said that Harper admitted to stealing and selling the items under caution. The prosecutor’s objections to Harper being granted bail were upheld by the Magistrate who remanded him to prison until March 18. (G1)

…betrayal alentine’s Day is usually commemorated because of some far-fetched associations with medieval “courtly love” –- which is quite a stretch since St Valentine was killed sometime back in the 3rd century!! He’s also the saint of epileptics so maybe his connection with courtly love is the “swooning” at a time when epilepsy hadn’t been properly diagnosed?!

Anyhow, Valentine’s Day has become associated in modern times with some more unsavoury events.

Take Chicago of 1929, when Janet Jagan née Rosenberg was an elementary school student: it was a tough city even back then. At that time, the inner city Irish and Italian gangs (under Al Capone) were battling it out for turf. There was the St Valentine’s Day massacre when seven mobsters were lined up against a wall and executed. Maybe because both the Irish and Italians were Catholic, they knew St Valentine was also associated with executions of early Christians by the Roman Emperor?

But we in Guyana also have reason to remember Valentine’s Day for weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth rather than swooning love. After all, wasn’t it on Valentine’s Day 2015 that coalition politics – which a lot of Guyanese felt could’ve resolved Guyana’s political wars – was destroyed forever?? That’s right!

It’s on that day Granger’s PNC signed the Cummingsburg Accord with the AFC – only to promptly betray every single commitment to the principles of coalitions!! And making every fair-minded person who’d voted then for them swear off coalitions for life!!

How are we – or more importantly Norton – gonna ever get folks to trust the PNC again?? AFC’s Ramjattan had smelt a rat when he said his party was gonna be “Dead Meat” if he consummated the marriage! Boy was he ever right!! Right now, they’ve become not just “Dead Meat” but – to use the words of one of his henchmen – “stink and dutty Dead Meat”!! Ramjattan and Nagamootoo had made Granger promise there’d be no closing of the sugar industry; Nagamootoo would be given a Prime Ministership on steroids; there would be power sharing with the PPP, etc, etc!!

On the campaign trail, Granger and Nagamootoo – poor, deluded fool! – played up the Valentine’s Day theme, with the two of them holding hands and simpering at each other on the stage!! But we all know – as ex-President Ramotar had predicted in rather elegant language – he got “Larwah”!! What turned off idealists, who’d chosen “coalition politics”, was that the AFC leaders had known of the PNC coalition history with the UF – and its tragic and cynical denouement.

The PNC hadn’t only vowed, but had signed along the dotted line, to keep their word. What can they possibly do differently going forward?

PNC martyred coalition politics! RIP! …commercialised love Now you don’t have to be a Marxist to appreciate how capitalism has commercialised everything – including social relations of the most intimate nature such as “romantic love”. But then again hadn’t the same ideal of “romantic love” been invented – yes, invented! – during the feudal period of knights going off to battle dragons and (same difference!) Muslims in their “Holy Land”??

Don’t forget that along with the romance of scented handkerchiefs and poetry, the chivalrous knights invented the “Chastity Belt” – when the men literally held the key!! Your Eyewitness knows that notions of hygiene were always looser among the English, but didn’t the women itch like hell? From that time into the present, women were still men’s property, but they (the women) were convinced it was cute!! So today, fellas who’d neglected their women, or worse yet, even physically, verbally (dildo anyone?) or otherwise psychologically, will redeem themselves by bringing home some flowers and chocolate!!

If it were up to your Eyewitness, he would’ve just said, “Gwan da side!!” …making up?

Maybe this Valentine’s Day 2022, the PNC selfselected “Elders” -- the PNC don’t do “elected”! – will broker an Accord between Norton and Granger on the LoO? OK…we know Aubrey transgressed when he went and got ELECTED. But still!!

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

NEWS

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt aiming for quarterly cost oil audits – Bharrat …says audits also have to be conducted on blocks outside of Stabroek local capacity. We cannot bring a Local Content Bill to the National Assembly for providing food and engineering and welding and fabrication and then we outsource totally, the auditing of our oil expenses,” Bharrat said.

According to Annex C of the PSA Guyana signed with Exxon, pre-contract costs “shall include four hundred and sixty million, two hundred and thirty-seven hundred thousand and nine hundred and eighteen United States Dollars The Liza Destiny FPSO

T

he Government is aiming to build local capacity to the point where local companies can conduct half yearly or even quarterly audits of cost oil claims, ensuring that up to date audits are done on international oil companies exploring in Guyana’s water.

This is according to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat. He recently told the National Assembly during the examination of his Ministry’s budget that the collaboration a local consortium of auditors will be doing with a foreign company to audit Exxon’s post-2017 cost oil claims, will be important to building capacity for future audits.

In fact, the Minister explained that this international company will have to abide by the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the contract to train the local firms and transfer skills to them.

According to him, four leading local audit firms have been identified for this task.

“So it’s not just training or doing the audit, it is also building capacity in our local auditors in Guyana. So that sometime in the future, we can have local firms conducting a full audit of expenses in the oil and gas sector. That is the idea behind this,” Minister Bharrat said.

“It will also allow us to save revenue and have up to date audits of the records of expenses. And we don’t have to wait until 2018 to audit from 1999 to 2017 or wait until 2022 to audit 2018 to 2020 and we can bring it up to date, to where we can even do quarterly or half yearly audits. Because we have the local capacity in Guyana.”

Audit

When it comes to the actual audit of ExxonMobil’s cost oil claims for the Stabroek Block, Bharrat emphasized that the Government is committed to auditing the company this year, for the preceding years of 2018 to 2020.

“We are committed to ensuring we start the audit in 2022, for the years 2018 to 2020. And Mr Speaker, I want to put that issue to rest. I want to say clearly, that the Government of Guyana is committed to ensuring that we conduct this audit. Because it is our responsibility, being a responsible Government, to ensure that we audit the expenses of oil exploration in the oil sector.”

“So, we are committed to ensuring that we do this.

But everyone knows there has been a slight delay in starting the process. And we also know it is because we want to ensure we build

(US$460,237,918) in respect of all such costs incurred under the 1999 Petroleum Agreement prior to the year ended 2015”.

There is an additional sum of approximately US$400 million from 2016 to 2017, which it is believed will also come under the rubric of cost oil. Meanwhile, the post-2017 sum is believed to be over US$9 billion, inclusive of sanctioning expenses for the Liza Phase One and Two projects.

Other blocks

While the Stabroek Block has received much attention for the over 25 oil finds ExxonMobil has made in the block, there are a number of other blocks where oil exploration is actively being conducted. In fact, Exxon is operational in two of these other blocks.

Minister Bharrat explained that the Government is also committed to conducting the audits of the remaining seven blocks, including the Corentyne, Kaieteur,

Orinduik and Kanuku Blocks. Bharrat explained that with the packed work programme in these blocks, work has to start on auditing their exploration activities.

“Because based on the work programme we have seen from the oil companies and we’ve been working with them almost on a daily basis, the work programme indicates that we will have significant exploration activities over the next two to three years,” he also explained. (G3)

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14 NEWS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2012 Soesdyke rape, assault

CCJ to rule on whether sentences imposed on convict were appropriate

G

uyana’s final court of appeal, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will this week deliver its decision on whether the sentences imposed on a 29-year-old man convicted of raping and assaulting a woman were appropriate.

In 2015, Calvin Ramcharran was convicted by a jury of rape and assault causing actual bodily harm committed on a woman, 20, on July 23, 2012. He was sentenced to 23 years and three years in prison on the rape and assault charges, respectively.

Trial Judge Jo Ann Barlow ordered that the sentences are to be served concurrently. Through his Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Ramcharran filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence at the Guyana Court of Appeal.

Among other things, in his grounds of appeal, he had pointed to “several errors in law” committed by the trial Judge and argued

Rape convict: Calvin Ramcharran

that the sentences were excessive.

Finding that Ramcharran’s appeal had no merit, it was dismissed in January 2021 by the appellate court which held that the only shortcoming on part of the trial Judge was her failure to outline how she had arrived at the sentences.

Given the aggravating

circumstances, especially the fact that the victim was beaten during the commission of the rape, the Court of Appeal unanimously agreed that the sentences were just. In the end, the court affirmed his conviction and sentences.

Ramcharran was granted leave by the Court of Appeal to appeal against his sentences to the Trinidad-based court of last resort. Before the CCJ, Ramcharran’s lawyer submitted that when compared to precedents set out by the very CCJ, the Court of Appeal failed to adhere to sentencing guidelines established therein.

In advocating his case, Hughes relied heavily on the case of Linton Pompey v the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of Guyana - a sexual offence case brought to finality by the CCJ. On September 21, 2015, Pompey was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child under the age

of 16.

He was sentenced to 15 and 17 years in prison on the first and second counts of rape, respectively, and five years in prison on the sexual activity charge.

Trial judge Barlow ordered that the sentences are to be served consecutively— bringing the convict’s total sentence to 37 years’ imprisonment.

The sentences were later affirmed by the Guyana Court of Appeal. However, in a majority ruling in May 2020, the CCJ found that the 37-year sentence was manifestly excessive. While the CCJ affirmed the sentences imposed appeal court, it ordered that they run concurrently, thereby reducing Pompey’s total sentence to 17 years.

While he acknowledge the serious nature of sexual offences, Hughes said that given the directives outlined in the Pompey case in which the complainant was a child, in Ramcharran’s

case where the complainant was an adult, he thought the Court of Appeal would have lowered his client’s sentence.

On behalf of the State, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Diana O’Brien told the CCJ that when considering the majority of comparable cases in Guyana, the sentences imposed on Ramcharran did not fall outside of the ranges in those cases.

As it relates to whether a sentence starting-point, or range in relation to an adult victim of a sexual offence should be necessarily lower, O’Brien reasoned that this would depend primarily on the circumstances of the particular case.

Relying on case law authorities, the prosecutor submitted that the Court of Appeal was right in not interfering with the sentences since it did not find them to be wrong in principle, nor did it consider them to manifestly excessive or unjust.

Ramcharran’s appeal was heard by CCJ Justices Winston Anderson, Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, Andrew Burgess, Peter Jamadar, and Denys Barrow.

In Ramcharran’s case, the evidence disclosed that on the night in question – July 23, 2012 – the woman had gone to a party at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara (EBD), with some friends, and was making her way to the washroom when Ramcharran followed her and asked her if she was “doing business.”

When she replied, “No”, he grabbed her hands. A fight ensued between them, during which Ramcharran hit her several times with a bottle to her head, and then dragged her to the back of the building. Whilst there, he choked and punched the victim, after which he had sex with her against her will.

After committing the heinous act, he offered the woman $65,000 and instructed her to meet him at a car on the road.

However, the victim, who was stripped of her clothes by the convict, alerted her friends, who immediately carried her to the hospital.

The matter was reported, and Ramcharran was arrested and charged.

The CCJ will rule on Friday. (G1)

NEWS

15

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Infectious Unit commissioned at NA Hospital …now better prepared for COVID-19 cases – Health Minister

A

ctive COVID-19 cases in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) continue to show a downward trend. Two months ago, the region had more than 200 active COVID-19 cases. However, currently, there are 127 active cases in the region.

To help in the care of COVID-19 cases, a new Infectious Unit was on Saturday commissioned in the compound of the New Amsterdam Hospital.

The $41 million facility will boost Guyana’s capacity to manage COVID-19 patients while at the same time improving healthcare services.

The new Infectious Unit will be equipped with fifteen beds including a maternity unit.

Addressing a small gathering at Saturday’s commissioning ceremony, Region Six Chairman David Armogan pointed out that in the early days of the pandemic, the region did not have the capacity to house patients who needed to be isolated and the administration reached out to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Rose Hall Estate and this facility was able to be used as an isolation centre.

“Every day I used to get a complaint from people who were housed there but we still need to be grateful to GuySuCo for providing those facilities when things were bad. So today we recognise that there is a need for a permanent Infectious Unit where our patients can be comfortable and the team that is left in charge of looking after

Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer Dr Vishalya Sharma pointed out that of the 127 active COVID-19 cases, 39 are in New Amsterdam and 37 on the Corentyne. The town of Corriverton currently has 19.

East Canje, which was for

The new infectious unit, New Amsterdam Hospital

these patients is also comfortable,” he pointed out.

Patient care

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, who also spoke at the ceremony, said he is looking forward to a more elaborate plan as to what the New Amsterdam Hospital can do as it relates to patient care.

“Seventeen years ago, the profile of diseases was totally different, so, now we have to rethink what we are doing and also the types of surgeries and other services that we are offering they have to be radically different,” the MINISTER said.

“I know that the Sergeants have been doing a lot of laparoscopic surgeries and we want that to be one of the hallmarks that we have here. So, we have to make sure that they have the right equipment to be able to continue this type of surgery here at this hospital and it also would limit the time people spend in the hospital.”

He explained that while not much has been done in

terms of providing infrastructure, they have been training persons hence boosting human resource. If we continue along this trajectory, he added, significant changes will be seen.

He noted that while COVID-19 is being managed, it is not the only thing that has to be done in the health sector.

“With this particular variant, Omicron that we have just gone through we don’t know what would be the next step.

We don’t know what next will be coming because we still have a lot of people who are unvaccinated and there are reservoirs of mutations and what the next variant is going to be, we don’t know. So, these facilities are not going to be idle because for the next wave of COVID infections, we are even better prepared and when we get out of these waves of COVID infections, we would repurpose this to ensure that we can use it for other types of infectious diseases. So, it is important that we have these resources,” he pointed out.

several months been considered a hotspot had 32 active cases as of Saturday.

“During the second spike, we would have had five epicentres with cases in Orealla.

Today we would have come such a far way in the region that

even if there is an outbreak in Orealla, we don’t need to send a team because they now have the capacity to deal with it,” the RHO pointed out while noting that this was made possible by the work put in by the Regional COVID Taskforce. (G4)

16 NEWS Region 2 man latest COVID-19 death MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…10 in ICU

A

nother person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has died, according to the Health Ministry on Sunday.

This latest fatality is a 57-year-old male from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), who died on Saturday. At the time of his death, the man’s vaccination status was unknown.

With this, the total number of deaths from the pandemic outbreak in Guyana has gone up to 1194.

Consequently, the COVID-19 death toll for the month of February is now 24.

Meanwhile, there were 34 new COVID-19 infections detected within a 24-hour period, according to the Health Ministry’s updated COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday.

This now takes the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to 62,255 of which only 1940 are currently active cases. This includes 10 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 1930 persons are in isolation, that is, 80 in institutional isolation and the remaining 1850 in home isolation.

Additionally, there are 12 other persons currently in institutional quarantine, according to the dashboard.

Moreover, some 59,121

persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease to date – 109 more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, approximately 524,376 persons have been tested so far and of this, some 28,668 males and 33,587 females were found to be positive.

Of the 34 new cases reported on Sunday, two were from Region One (BarimaWaini), a whopping 17 cases from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 10 more from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), another two cases from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), one each from Regions Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

There were no new cases recorded in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) within the 24-hour period.

While it is on the decline now, the surge in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks has been attributed to the Omicron variant, which though not deadly is highly transmissible.

As such, health authorities are urging persons to get vaccinated, and for those

who are qualified to get their booster shots, in order to add a layer of protection against the virus.

Latest figures show that so far, over 429,000 or 84 per cent adults have taken a first dose and of that amount, some 62 per cent of persons 18 years and over are fully vaccinated.

For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, almost 34,000 or 46 per cent have received at least one dose of which some 33 per cent of them are fully immunised.

So far, more than 45,000 persons have returned for their booster shots.

However, as more people continue to get vaccinated, authorities are urging the public to continue observing all COVID-19 preventative measures, particularly masking in public, social distancing and frequent hand washing and sanitising – which are more significant now with the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recent figures, some 404,910,528 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 5,783,776 deaths.

In the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has in-

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD FEBRUARY 13, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

65

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

80

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

18,50

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

10

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

12

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

33,587

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

28,668

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

62,255

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

59,121

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

REGION 1

2444

REGION 2

2407

REGION 3

7976

REGION 4

30,855

REGION 5

2325

REGION 6

5638

REGION 7

2404

REGION 8

868

REGION 9

3885

REGION 10

3453

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

427,680 320,221

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020

1194

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

creased to 141,992,745 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2,559,572.

As it relates to vaccination against COVID-19, the WHO also reported that a total

of 10,095,615,243 doses have been administered worldwide. (G8)

Knife-point robbery accused remanded Sophia man stabbed to death by A Venezuelan woman

man accused of robbing another man at knife point was on Friday remanded to prison when he appeared before

Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Charged is Emmanuel Larry, who denied the charge.

Particulars of the charge stated that on February 9, at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, while armed with a knife, he robbed

Robbery accused: Emmanuel Larry

Damion Harry of his cell phone valued at $50,000.

The unrepresented defendant was remanded until March 22, 2022.

The Police Prosecutor said the Virtual Complainant and defendant are known to each other. On February 9, Harry went to Larry’s home to meet a female. While there, it is alleged that Larry held him at knife point and relieved him of the phone.

The complainant reported the incident to the Ruimveldt Police Station and Larry was arrested. The Police Prosecutor opposed the defendant being granted bail on the ground that he was previously charged with a similar offence.

The Prosecutor’s objection was upheld. (G1)

A

Sophia, Greater Georgetown man lost his life on Saturday after he was stabbed twice about his body by a Venezuelan woman, whom Police are now hunting.

While details are still sketchy, Guyana Times was informed that the man was identified as Marlon Watson. He was reportedly killed in the North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini).

When contacted on Sunday, Regional Commander Himnauth Sawh said based on the information he received, the victim, the suspect, and another woman were allegedly at a bar imbibing. Shortly after, the suspect left the

bar with the other female, and the victim followed.

“They meet at a point … the victim requested that either the suspect or the other female join him on his bike, and when the other female did, the suspect became annoyed and dealt a stab wound to the victim,” the Commander said.

The man was reportedly stabbed to his left side chest.

As a result, he collapsed and subsequently died.

Commander Sawh said his ranks are currently investigating the matter, to ascertain what really transpired. He said efforts are also being made to contact the other female who witnessed the stabbing incident. (G9)

17 Ukraine seeks meeting with Russia within 48 hours to discuss build-up U NEWS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

kraine has called for a meeting with Russia and other members of a key European security group over the escalating tensions on its border.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia had ignored formal requests to explain the build-up of troops.

He said the "next step" was requesting a meeting within the next 48 hours for "transparency" about Russia's plans.

Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite the build-up of some 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine's borders.

But some Western nations have warned that Russia is preparing for military action,

Ukrainian soldiers and Police have conducted a wide range of exercises in recent days

with the US saying it could begin with aerial bombardments "at any time".

More than a dozen nations have urged their citizens to

leave Ukraine, and some have pulled embassy staff from the capital. CBS News reported that the US is preparing to withdraw all its personnel from Kiev within the next 48 hours, citing three sources.

Kuleba said Ukraine had, on Friday, demanded answers from Russia about their intentions under the rules of the Vienna Document, an agreement about security issues adopted by the members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Russia.

"If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfil its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all," he said.

However, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who criticised the "panic" that could spread from such claims, said he had seen no proof that Russia was planning an invasion in the coming days.

On Sunday, he spoke for nearly an hour by phone with US President Joe Biden. The White House said President Biden had reiterated US support for Ukraine, and that both leaders had agreed on "the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence".

Ukraine's statement of the call said its president thanked the US for its "unwavering support" and that, at the end, President Zelensky invited the US leader to come to Ukraine.

There has been no comment on the invite from the White House.

An hour-long call between President Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin the day before failed to yield a breakthrough.

Diplomatic efforts are set to continue into Monday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has meetings scheduled with President Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday and with President Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.

The chancellor, who took over the leadership of Germany from Angela Merkel in December, has warned of severe economic consequences for Russia if it should launch any invasion, echoing statements by other Western nations and members of the Nato military alliance.

But Berlin officials have downplayed any expectation of a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to hold fresh diplomatic talks across Europe to bring Russia "back from the brink" of war.

Comments made by Mr Johnson's defence secretary earlier on Sunday drew ire from Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.

Ben Wallace compared the current situation to the appeasement of Nazi Germany in the run-up to World War Two in an interview with the UK's Sunday Times newspaper.

Mr Prystaiko responded by telling the BBC's Broadcasting House radio programme: "It's not the best time for us to offend our partners in the world, reminding them of this act which actually did not bring peace but the opposite - it bought war."

Prystaiko later acknowl-

edged to the BBC that his country may be forced to contemplate shelving any potential ambitions of joining Nato if they were "threatened... and pushed to it".

One of Russia's demands is that Ukraine - not currently a member - would never be allowed to join Nato.

Nato and Western nations insist that sovereign countries such as Ukraine are free to decide things for themselves, including potentially applying for membership of the security alliance, formed in part as a counter-measure to the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War Two. (BBC)

Man pleads guilty to murdering abducted 8-year-old stepson

T

he man accused of killing his eight-yearold stepson two years ago after the child's mother ended her relationship with him, pleaded guilty to the crime when he appeared in the Supreme Court on Friday.

Ochest Rose is facing the court for the murder of Galen Buchanan, who went missing on January 21, 2020, a day after his mother told Rose that their eightmonth relationship was over.

Galen's body was later found with the hands bound about 3:15 pm on January 23, that same year, in Kingston Harbour by residents of Royal Palm, Bournemouth Gardens.

Rose, who was on the run, was arrested in Trelawny two days later and charged with his stepson's murder on February 4, 2020.

The 42-year-old is to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, which is to be presented at his sentencing hearing on April 1. (Jamaica Observer)

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Regional

Opposition MP accuses T&T Government Peruvian community to restart blockade of Las Bambas mine road, neighbours pause protest of ignoring human trafficking

C

haguanas West Member of Parliament (MP) Dinesh Rambally has accused the Government of turning a blind eye to human trafficking and said the Administration has lost its moorings in good governance.

In a statement on Saturday, Rambally criticised the Prime Minister’s statements made in Parliament on Friday where he said there was a high level of sex trafficking and named Chaguanas as one of the areas where there was high demand.

Dr Rowley was responding to a question on the Coast Guard tragic shooting death of a one-year-old Venezuelan boy in a boat full of illegal migrants and called on the Opposition to “cease and desist” its verbal attacks.

In quoting a report from an independent Latin

American publication named Insight Crime, he said “Demand for sex and prostitution in T&T is being driven by a high rate of local consumption, especially in the borough of Chaguanas.”

Rowley urged the Opposition to tackle the issue of prostitution as the first step in dealing with illegal migration.

Rambally said the PM referred to a report from 2021 yet failed to address it during the past years, but was rather “content to politically shame certain areas of this country”.

“If Dr Rowley is himself convinced that the human trafficking situation is somehow dangerously linked to central Trinidad, as head of the National Security Council, how come he has never invited and/or instructed other Members of Parliament, including myself, to join in finding solutions of mitigation measures

A

Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally (Parliament photo)

which would ease or eradicate human trafficking?”

Rambally asked.

He said the PM conveniently highlighted other reports to make his Administration look good yet continued to neglect the pertinent issue of human trafficking, which was not something new to T&T. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Nicaraguan ex-rebel leader dies in jail

F

ormer Nicaraguan rebel leader Hugo Torres has died in prison aged 73, eight months after being detained on treason charges.

The retired Army General fought alongside current President Daniel Ortega during the country’s revolution, helping free him from jail in 1974.

But he later accused Ortega of becoming a dictator and founded an Opposition party.

He was one of the Opposition figures arrested ahead of last year’s election.

Torres had been transferred to a hospital after his health deteriorated and died there of an undisclosed ill-

ness, the Government said.

Torres’ children expressed their “deep pain over the death of our beloved father”.

Torres was seen as one of the heroes of the Sandinista Revolution against the brutal dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza in the 1970s.

He took part in a risky operation to free Ortega, who was being held by Somoza’s regime.

But Torres was among 46 former rebels arrested in June in what critics called a crackdown on opponents of Ortega. They were prevented from contesting elections which saw Ortega elected for a fourth consecutive term.

Torres – then vice-president of Unamos, an Opposition party created after the spit from Ortega in 1995 – was charged with “conspiracy to undermine national integrity”.

Unamos said Torres had been subjected to “physical and psychological torture” since he was detained.

The party said it asked the Government about his declining health last month, but it did not respond.

Torres had been “denied freedom in inhumane conditions and subjected to a legal process with no guarantees”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said. (BBC News)

Parliament sings its praises for 2021-22 performance

A

s Parliament grows more accommodating with most of its committees being chaired

by Government Members of Parliament (MPs), members were positive about its performance up to the end of the 2021-22 session.

Leader of Opposition Business, Anthony Hylton (St Andrew Western) approved the announcement of a huge increase in committee meetings, as well as a record 77.3 per cent attendance recorded for sittings during the year.

“In the spirit in which you have expressed this wish to get the productivity of the House of Representatives up, and to get the standards and to do more for the Jamaican people, that the Opposition is with you,” Hylton said.

He said he expected

that with the increase in the number of meetings and the level of attendance, there would be improvements in their quality and output.

“The Opposition in carrying on its role will be vigorous as well, to ensure that the processes for getting things done are observed, and the rulings of the Speaker will also help to get more things done,” Hylton added.

He was responding to information produced by Leader of the House of Representatives, Edmund Bartlett.

Bartlett brought to the members’ attention, as the House adjourned after its first meeting for 2022-23 on Thursday afternoon, that it was the first time he could recall having a meeting after the Throne Speech for

Peruvian community said on social media on Sunday that it would restart a road blockade against MMG’s Las Bambas mine, even as a second community agreed to a 45-day truce in its blockade.

Las Bambas, which produces two per cent of the world’s copper supply, has said it would have to suspend production on February 20 if the road was not cleared by then.

The threat leaves Las Bambas still at risk of suspending operations, even as the road was being cleared on Sunday. Leaders in the Ccapacmarca district agreed to lift their blockade for 45 days following a meeting with new Prime Minister Anibal Torres.

Minutes after the truce, leaders from Coporaque district, which briefly blocked the road as well this week, published their own statement.

“Good for our brothers in Ccapacmarca.

Meanwhile, Las Bambas will not pass

FILE PHOTO: Police Officers stand guard while people march as community leaders rejected a Government proposal to prevent future blockades affecting the Las Bambas copper mine, in Sayhua, Peru, January 17, 2022 [REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda]

through Coporaque,” the Coporaque Defence Front said in a message on Facebook.

Roger Condo, a member of the Front, told Reuters that the road was currently clear, but that they would meet today to plan the blockade.

The road leading up to Las Bambas is a flashpoint of protests. Dozens of impoverished Andean communities

lie along the winding 400-kilometre dirt road, who have often complained the mine’s trucks pollute the environment while the company has failed to improve their quality of life.

Both Ccapacmarca and Coporaque are demanding that Las Bambas contribute more to their respective communities. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Avocado ban caps tough week for Mexican President

A

US decision to suspend avocado shipments from a violent Mexican state sealed a challenging week for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose approval rating suffered an unusual dip in a tracking poll published on Sunday.

Lopez Obrador, whose still robust popularity has been more resilient than most global leaders, has this month become embroiled in a war of words with a critical Journalist over his reporting on the lifestyle of one of the President’s sons.

On Friday, the President devoted a chunk of his daily news conference to criticising Journalist Carlos Loret de Mola – and named his salary – just a day after authorities had confirmed the fifth killing of a media professional in Mexico this year.

“He’s gone from being against the system to ‘I am the system’,” said Roy Campos, head of polling firm Consulta Mitofsky, whose

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

tracking poll this weekend showed support for Lopez Obrador taking its biggest daily drop in nearly two years.

The poll published on Sunday shows the left-leaning Lopez Obrador with an approval rating of 61.2 per cent, 0.6 percentage points lower than on Saturday and 1.5 points lower than a week earlier.

Lopez Obrador argues that Loret is part of entrenched interests resisting

his project of making Mexico a fairer society. But his singling out of the Journalist at a time of heightened sensitivity about the profession has stirred unease.

Loret said the revelations have put him in danger, and that Lopez Obrador was angry because his reporting on the son’s apparently expensive lifestyle sat awkwardly with the image of personal austerity the President has projected. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T&T: 7 more die from COVID-19 Opposition Spokesman on Industry, Investment & Global Logistics, Anthony Hylton (file photo)

anything other than renaming committees and tabling the budget book for the incoming fiscal year. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

S

even more people have died of COVID-19, the Trinidad and Tobago Health Ministry has announced in its daily update.

A further 382 have contracted the virus.

Total deaths from the virus now stand at 3526 and active cases are 21,491.

Meanwhile, the Head

of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if about 70 per cent of the world gets vaccinated.

“Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, the 70 per cent vaccination [target is achieved] by

mid this year around June, July,” DR Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in South Africa on Friday.

“If that is to be done, the acute phase can really end, and that is what we are expecting. It’s in our hands.

It’s not a matter of chance.

It’s a matter of choice.”

(Excerpts from Trinidad Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS OPEC gets further behind oil production quotas

O

PEC raised its crude oil production by just 64,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January 2022, well below the 254,000-bpd increase in output allowed under the OPEC+ deal, as OPEC and its allies in the OPEC+ group continue to undershoot quotas and supply fewer barrels to the market than promised.

All 13 members of OPEC—including the three producers exempted from the OPEC+ quotas Iran, Libya, and Nigeria— pumped 27.981 million bpd in January, up by 64,000 bpd from December, according to secondary sources, OPEC's Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) showed on Thursday.

The biggest increases in crude oil production came from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait, while output declined in OPEC's second-largest producer Iraq, as well as in Venezuela and Libya.

According to the secondary sources that OPEC uses to track its members' production, even top producer Saudi Arabia failed to deliver its 110,000-bpd monthly increase. The Kingdom raised its oil production in January by 54,000 bpd to 9.999 million, below its 10.122 billion bpd quota for January per the OPEC+ deal. However, Saudi Arabia self-reported a much higher production increase last month. Based on direct communication from members, Saudi Arabia boosted its production by 123,000 bpd to 10.145 million, OPEC's monthly report showed.

OPEC and OPEC+ have not been pumping as much as the OPEC+ pact calls for, essentially tightening the market and distorting analyst assumptions about market balances.

For half a year now, OPEC+ has actually added lower volumes to the market each month than the 400,000 bpd nominal monthly increase announced in each of the OPEC+ meetings since August 2021.

OPEC+ was a massive 800,000 bpd behind its overall production quota in January, as the producers in the pact increased output by 260,000 bpd last month, an Argus survey showed on Wednesday. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

Canada bridge protesters cleared

by Police after a week of disruption

P

olice have cleared the remaining protesters blocking a key bridge between Canada and the United States, after a week of disruption.

Canada's protests against COVID vaccine certification to cross the border have paralysed trade across the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario.

A Judge issued an order on Friday to break up the protest, but dozens of demonstrators remained in defiance.

Police have now cleared the road, though the bridge remains closed.

In a statement, Police said Sunday's action resulted in over a dozen arrests on a charge of mischief - which

T

bridge between the floor and the internal staircase to get them safely out of the building," the Station Commander said.

LFB said crews from three fire engines from Homerton, Bethnal Green and Leyton fire stations and two rescue units from East Ham and Edmonton stations attended the scene.

A statement on Two More Years' Instagram ac-

refers to damage or interference with property. Multiple vehicles were also seized, Police said, none of the arrests became violent.

The clearing effort first began on Saturday morning, when many of the vehicles

T

he Swiss voted on Sunday to tighten their notoriously lax tobacco laws by banning virtually all advertising of the hazardous products, with nearly 57 per cent of voters and 16 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons backing the near-total ban, final results showed.

“We are extremely happy. The people under-

count said the venue would remain closed "for now" and added: "Our thoughts are with everyone that has been affected."

It said "thankfully" noone had sustained critical injuries.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan thanked the ambulance service, fire brigade and police for their "swift action". (Excerpt from BBC News)

stood that health is more important than economic interests,” Stefanie De Borba of the Swiss League against Cancer told AFP news agency.

Switzerland lags far behind most wealthy nations in restricting tobacco advertising – a situation widely blamed on substantial lobbying by some of the world’s biggest tobacco companies with headquarters in the country.

Currently, most tobacco advertising is legal at a national level, except on television and radio, and when specifically targeting minors.

Some Swiss cantons

P

Kaminski said in a tweet published Sunday.

The Mayor of the eastern Polish town of Ciechanow said on Saturday that he was asked by his regional government to prepare accommodation for possible refugees.

"We were asked to indicate the list of accommodation facilities for refugees, the number of people it would be possible to accommodate, the costs involved and the time for adaptation of buildings with a recommendation of up to 48 hours," Krzysztof Kosinski tweeted.

have introduced stricter regional legislation and a new national law is pending, but the campaigners who forced the issue to a vote under Switzerland’s direct democracy system demanded far tighter rules.

Opponents of the initiative, which include the Swiss Government and Parliament, argued that it goes too far.

“Today we are talking about cigarettes, but we will soon be talking about alcohol and meat,” warned Philippe Bauer, a parliamentarian with the rightwing Liberal Party, decrying “this dictatorship

of the politically correct, where everything has to be regulated”.

Campaigners say lax advertising laws have stymied efforts to bring down smoking rates in the Alpine nation of 8.6 million people, where more than a quarter of adults consume tobacco products.

There are about 9500 tobacco-linked deaths each year.

Pascal Diethelm, head of the OxyRomandie tobacco control group, told AFP that Sunday’s vote should help lead to a “change of paradigm” for federal authorities. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Pakistan: Man accused of blasphemy killed by mob in Khanewal

A

mob has killed a man for allegedly burning pages of the Koran in central Pakistan, Police say, in the latest

Poland preparing for potential influx of Ukrainian refugees – Interior Minister oland is preparing for "various scenarios" for a possible influx of refugees if Russia were to attack Ukraine, Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Sunday.

Washington has said Russia, which has more than 100,000 troops massed near Ukraine, could invade at any moment. Moscow denies having any such plans.

"In connection with the situation in Ukraine we are preparing for various scenarios. One of them is regional preparations related to a possible influx of refugees from Ukraine,"

involved left peacefully on Police orders. But as news of the Police action spread, more protesters turned up, temporarily swelling the crowd.

But by Sunday morning, only a few dozen people re-

Swiss voters approve near-total ban on tobacco advertising

Hackney Wick bar floor collapse: 13 people injured hirteen people have been injured after a mezzanine floor collapsed at an east London pub.

Emergency services were called to the Two More Years bar in Hackney Wick at about 16:50 GMT on Saturday.

Firefighters rescued seven people who were trapped after the collapse.

London Ambulance Service said three people were seriously hurt and 10 more had minor injuries. It said four people were taken to hospital and major trauma centres.

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said it is working with the emergency services and a structural engineer to assess the privately-owned building.

Brian Jordan, strategic commander at London Ambulance Service, said the collapse was treated as a major incident and teams from the air ambulance were sent to the site.

London Fire Brigade station commander Sacha Clement said crews found seven people who were trapped upstairs on the remaining part of the mezzanine floor.

"Crews used a ladder to

Police moved in on the remaining protesters in large numbers on Sunday morning

mained, and Police resumed their operation.

Within hours, only a small number of stragglers remained on the sidelines, though Police vehicles, rather than protesters, continue to block off the road to the Ambassador Bridge.

Windsor Police warned people to avoid the area of the bridge, tweeting: "Enforcement will continue in the demonstration area and there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity."

The protest has inspired others around the world to stage similar action, in a bid to congest city roads and attract attention - such as in France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Poland is home to between one and two million Ukrainians, many of whom came to the country to work.

A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry declined to provide more details about the preparations taking place, referring to Kaminski's tweet. Ciechanow's town hall did not respond to Reuters request for comment.

In late January, Poland's Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik said Poland was bracing for up to one million Ukrainian migrants.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

case of blasphemy-related violence in the country.

Police say more than 80 people have been arrested in connection with the killing on Saturday in the district of Khanewal in Punjab province.

Reports said the man was in Police custody before a crowd snatched him.

His body was handed over to his family and a funeral held on Sunday.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said the case would be "dealt with the full severity of the law" and asked for a report on Police officers accused of failing their duty to save the man.

His Government, he said, had "zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands".

Police official Munawar Hussain said officers arrived to find the man, reportedly in his 40s, unconscious and tied to a tree.

Khanewal is located 275km

(170 miles) south-west of Lahore.

"The villagers armed with batons, axes and iron rods killed him and hanged his body from a tree," Hussain told Reuters news agency.

Munawar Gujjar, Chief of the Police Station in Tulamba, where the incident happened, added to the AP news agency the victim had been "mentally unstable for the last 15 years".

The killing comes just over two months after a Sri Lankan factory manager was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob over blasphemy in Sialkot city, also in Punjab province.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws carry a potential death sentence for anyone who insults Islam, but critics say they have been used to persecute minority faiths and unfairly target minorities.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Stop beating yourself up and start enjoying the things that make you happy. Channel your energy into something you feel passionate about. Change is up to you. Follow your heart.

(March 21-April 19) An emotional situation will escalate quickly. Take control and put a positive spin on whatever develops to maintain peace and order. It's up to you to keep things manageable.

DILBERT (April 20-May 20)

Spend time with those you know and trust instead of trying to make new connections. Tried-and-true methods won't disappoint. Put your heart into learning and achieving what you set out to do.

(May 21-June 20) Stretch your imagination; you'll come up with an idea that opens a window of opportunity. Don't stand in the way of progress because you are hesitant to do things differently.

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

An unpredictable attitude can be advantageous if multitasking is required.

Jumping from one thing to another with ease and grace will impress onlookers.

Stand tall and do your own thing.

(July 23-Aug. 22) You are perfectly able to make a move if you hustle. Assess the situation quickly. You don't want to waste a moment. Seek out people you feel comfortable sharing with, then proceed.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take your time. Overreacting or making assumptions will backfire. Stick to your original plans, and home in on what needs to be taken care of before moving on to other projects and pursuits.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Underlying emotional turmoil will get to you if you don't address issues swiftly. Do what's necessary to ensure everyone knows how you feel. Being secretive will only confuse people.

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Pay attention to money matters, what old friends or relatives are going through and business affairs. Staying on top of small details will help you ward off interference and criticism.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SATURDAY'S WORD -- RESPECTS

You'll have plenty to do, and you'll get good results if you push forward with the changes you want to make. A partnership will get the boost it needs to bring both parties closer together.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Set your sights on what's important to you, and don't look back. Lift barriers and embrace what life has to offer.

Don't wait for someone to beat you to the punch. Don't miss an opportunity.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Ask, and you shall receive. Make the changes that you want to see happen, and you'll have no regrets. Assess your situation and make your move. Now's the time to take charge.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

E

ngland batter Liam Livingstone became the most expensive foreign player in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) auction when he was signed

by Punjab Kings for £1.1 million.

Livingstone, who also bowls off-spin and legspin, hit England's fastest Twenty20 century – off 42 balls – against Pakistan last year. He cost £73,000 when he was signed by Rajasthan Royals last season.

England pace bowler Jofra Archer joined Mumbai

Indians for £783,000. Archer is unlikely to play in this season's IPL as he continues his recovery from elbow surgery, but was given permission to enter this year's auction with a view to playing in the 2023 and 2024 tournaments.

England One-Day Captain Eoin Morgan, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL final last year, went unsold. England's Dawid Malan, the fifth-ranked T20 batsman in the world, was also unsold but all-rounder Chris Jordan was signed

by Chennai Super Kings for

£352,300.

England pace bowler Tymal Mills went to Mumbai Indians (£146,790); all-rounder David Willey signed for Royal Challengers Bangalore (£195,700) and wicketkeeper Sam Billings joined Kolkata Knight Riders for £195,700. Billings is joined in Kolkata by former England opener Alex Hales (£146,790) while uncapped English all-rounder Benny Howell was signed by Punjab Kings for £39,142.

Livingstone scored only 42 runs in five innings for

Rajasthan last season, but enjoyed a successful whiteball summer. He returned to England's T20 side against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in June, four years after making his debut, and helped them reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in November.

He was also named Most Valuable Player in last summer's inaugural Hundred competition. Other notable buys on the second day of the two-day auction included West Indies pace bowler Odean Smith, who went

to Punjab for £580,000.

South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen joined Sunrisers Hyderabad for £427,000 and Delhi Capitals signed India seamer Khaleel Ahmed for £513,000. Fast bowler Mark Wood was among the England players bought on day one when he joined new franchise Lucknow Super Giants for £734,000.

Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan joined Mumbai Indians for £1.5 million to become the second-most expensive

21

Liam Livingstone

Indian player in IPL history after former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. South Africa's Chris Morris is the most expensive IPL player of all time, a £1.6 million signing

by Rajasthan last year. (BBC Sport)

West Ham snatch late draw to boost Champions League hopes

Ricardo Pereira got his first Premier League goal since scoring against West Ham on 22 January 2020

R

K

Kemuel Moses

emuel Moses had a grand return to cycling in Guyana as he reigned supreme in the Kaieteur Attack Racing Cycling Club-organised race on Sunday.

Moses was the top senior rider in the race that commenced on Carifesta Avenue and proceeded to Mahaica before returning to the point of origin for the finish.

Alexander Leung, Clavicia Spencer, Paul Chooweenam, and Raymond Newton also emerged as winners of the various categories on Sunday

when the cycling season opened with the 50-mile road race in Demerara.

The top six finishers in the senior category were rewarded with cash incentives, as were the top three in the other divisions.

Below are the summarised results from the race.

Seniors

Kemuel Moses (winner) Paul Chooweenam Kwame Ridley Jamaul John Lyn Murray Curtis Dey

Juniors

Alexander Leung (1st) Mario Washington Sherwin Sampson

Masters

Paul Chooweenam (1str) Kwame Ridley Lyn Murray Ladies Clavicia Spencer(1st) Marica Dick

Over-50

Raymond Newton (1st) Ian Jackson Talim Shaw

icardo Pereira got his first Premier League goal since scoring against West Ham on January 22, 2020. Craig Dawson's injury-time header earned West Ham United a crucial point in the fight to finish in the top four just as Leicester City looked set to put their recent struggles behind them.

The first serious questions were being asked about Manager Brendan Rodgers after the FA Cup fourth-round thrashing at Nottingham Forest was followed by defeat at Liverpool. The Foxes made a slow start and were punished by Jarrod Bowen's 10th-minute strike. But they were gifted a lifeline right on half-time when Aaron Cresswell needlessly handled James Maddison's corner, Youri Tielemans drilling home the penalty.

Leicester were galvanised and further rewarded for their improvement when Pereira headed home a Harvey Barnes cross after 57 minutes.

West Ham, who were without controversial defender Kurt Zouma after he felt unwell in the warm-up, had lost their way, but rescued the draw that keeps them a point

ahead of Manchester United in fourth. Dawson rose highest to meet a Bowen corner and score with a looping header.

The fragile state of affairs at Leicester was illustrated by the sound of groans and jeers as they passed the ball around at the back after West Ham took an early lead. Frustration was in the air and returned at the final whistle when the Foxes lost the advantage late on, for the third time recently after losing to Tottenham and drawing with Brighton.

It was a desperate body blow for Rodgers and his players who looked like stepping out of their malaise as they were moments away from coming from behind to win.

The pain was etched on faces all around the King Power Stadium as this was a movie they have seen before.

Leicester have a soft centre without key defenders Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana.

It was exposed by Issa Diop's pass for Bowen's goal and then again in stoppage time, even after Rodgers had sent on the giant figure of Jannik Vestergaard late on, presumably to guard against such an eventuality as Dawson's goal.

West Ham Manager David Moyes would have been relieved to earn a point so late on, but also feel his side wasted an opportunity to earn a vital victory. The Hammers were in control without sparkling in the first half only to throw away a position of power via Cresswell's needless handball moments before the break.

The goal, coming at such a crucial time, threw West Ham off course and few could have complained had Leicester hung on at the end. The Hammers were poor after the interval, but deserve credit for at least sticking at it to stage another late show.

Moyes can point to the reshuffle that robbed him of Zouma just before the kick-off, but he will also know his side let Leicester off the hook when they had them down, in arrears, and with the crowd restless in the opening period.

It may prove an important point in the final reckoning, and West Ham stay in the top four – albeit having played a game more than Manchester United. Moyes will know, however, that high standards have been set this season and this was a performance that was below them. (BBC Sport)

22

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

H

aving witnessed the immense potential of Rose Hall Canje Cricket Club’s young fast bowler Isai Thorne, on duty with the West Indies Under-19 team that toured England in 2020, Dr Frank Denbow, cognisant of the fact that Berbice has not produced many fast bowlers, felt it was time to change that.

So, the Queen’s College alumni, whose desire is always to help empower, bring talent to the fore and give back, decided to contact the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), which is led

by Hilbert Foster.

Dr Denbow made the necessary contact with the indefatigable Foster and put the proposal to him based on what he would have seen in young Thorne. Little did he know that there is never a challenge that Foster does not take on, especially when it comes to youths and their development.

“It all started last year (2020) August-September, I saw a young man bowling very well with lots of potential. I got in contact with Mr Hilbert Foster and told him what I thought about having a fast-bowling camp and if he gets Sir Curtly [Ambrose], I would bankroll the whole deal; so said, so done,” Dr Denbow said.

Targeting the inspirational personality of Sir Curtly to be the facilitator

Dr Frank Denbow

of such a camp was a huge ask but not impossible, so the BCB President took on the challenge and succeeded in making the historic undertaking a reality.

Dr Denbow modestly stated that sponsoring the entire event was his “little contribution to cricket in Berbice”. The Demeraraborn-and-bred Doctor continued, “I’ve contributed to Demerara cricket; in terms of Essequibo, I contribute to them in other ways, and I have not contributed anything to Berbice, so I am making a clean sweep now, all three counties now benefiting.”

The work of the BCB, over the years, especially under the astute leadership of Foster, a household name in Berbice and Guyana, now a Director of the Cricket West Indies Board (CWI), has been nothing short of extraordinary, Dr Denbow posited.

“I am very impressed with the work of the BCB, particularly Mr Foster, here

Sir Curtly Ambrose

is a man who is clearly an innovative thinker, somebody who gets things done and I saw a kindred spirit. I live in the USA and I do work in the Caribbean – both Jamaica and Guyana – and one of the things I always say is that, if you are in the so-called developed world and you are trying to do something in the developing world, you have to have a partner who shares your ideals, your attitudes, your drive, your enthusiasm, and I saw that in Mr Foster.”

The subsequent relationship and partnership with the BCB and Foster, was made easy given the qualities that the leading BCB administrator possesses, Dr Denbow noted.

The humble Doctor added that recognition of being deliberate in giving back should be part and parcel of those who have made it to the highest level.

“People do not need a handout, they need a hand up and that is what life is all about. It’s about help-

ing people accomplish their goals and fulfil their potential. As you have seen here at this camp, there are lots of young fast bowlers with tremendous natural talent, but this talent needs to be nurtured; it needs to be finetuned,” he said.

Dr Denbow made reference to the fact that the sport was now very analytical, since teams record matches of the opposition to study their strengths and weaknesses as a means of planning to overcome them.

“We have to do the same, we cannot just go on natural talent; natural talent is not enough. That natural has to be taken and made better, for us to be able to compete internationally,” he declared.

Zooming in on the fact that he was humbled by Sir Curtly accepting the invitation to do the clinic, Dr Denbow said that it was obvious that “Ambi” was not just a legend, he was somebody who was deeply passionate about West Indies cricket.

“Anything he could do to help West Indies cricket get better, I know he would. I saw him with a young fast bowler on the opening day of this camp, and in five minutes, that young fast bowler was able to accomplish something that he hadn’t accomplished before in just five minutes, so I am elated.

“We would not see a

WI fast bowler Isai Thorne

whole lot of Berbice fast bowlers playing for the West Indies in the next year, but, what I would say is, we have laid the groundwork with this camp for the future of fast bowling in Berbice that’s going to permeate Guyana’s cricket and hopefully, West Indies cricket.”

Dr Denbow then reiterated following up was vital.

He has taken contact information for some of the players he chatted with during the camp and has promised to keep in contact with them.

“The thing is to keep them motivated, to keep them working hard and working smart. At the end of the day, all I ask people to do is to do their best and let’s see what happens.

I cannot ask anybody to do more than their best, once

you can honestly put your hand on your heart and say I tried my best, that’s all I am asking and that’s the goal,” Dr Denbow said.

He has already spoken to some other folks about physical therapy for players who are injury-prone. He will also be looking at injury prevention methodologies as well as nutrition which are quite important.

“I am a scientist and it is clear to me that the way cricket is played in 2022 is different from the way cricket was played in the 1970s. In today’s world, when you go out to play for the West Indies, the opposing teams study every area of your game as they want to get you out and that’s what we need to be doing as well – being more analytical."

LGC concludes successful Odyssey Essequibo Cricket Board announces squad for GCB Under-15 tourney Sightseeing Tours Golf Tourney

T

he Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) was host on Saturday to the Odyssey Sightseeing Tours tournament, which saw many players coming out to do battle. However, in the end it was Eureka Giddings, Ravi Persaud, and Kassim Khan who won their respective categories.

Team Essequibo

T

he Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) has named its 15-member Under-15 squad and five reserves to contest the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-15 inter-county tournament to be held in March in Georgetown.

The team were selected after three days of trials at the Imam Bacchus Cricket Ground, Affiance, Essequibo Coast. Initially, 48 young cricketers from seven Area

The results for the tournament were as follows:

9 and Under Flight Kassim Khan: HC 5, Gross 74, Net 69 Rakesh Harry: HC 7, Gross 80, Net 73 Patrick Prashad: HC 9, Gross 83, Net 74

10-18 Flight

Ravi Persaud: HC 11, Gross 89, Net 78 Mahesh Shivraj: HC 13, Gross 92, Net 79 Miguel Ovideo: HC 18, Gross 100, Net 82

19-16 Flight

Eureka Giddings: HC 23, Gross 93, Net 71 Bholoram Deo: HC 20, Gross 91, Net 71

Kassim Khan won the 9 and Under flight and also overall net score of 0-36

Guillermo Escarraga: HC 21, Gross 101, Net 80

Overall Net Score 0-36

Kassim Khan: HC 5, Gross 74, Net 69 Eureka Giddings: HC 23,

Gross 93, Net 71 Bholoram Deo: HC 20, Gross 91, Net 71 All COVID-19 protocols were in effect.

Committees affiliated to the ECB attended the trials.

The Coach, Manager, Captain and Vice Captain will be named before the team depart for the tournament.

Players selected are: Omarion Smith, Ethan Silas, Ravid Fredricks, Earo Benjimin, Nazaam Mohamed, Bomesh Lall, Virendra Pooran, Krishna Gobardhan, Videsh Rooplall, Rakesh Kellawan, Zandon Rose, Hemant Sukdio, Nicholas Lovell, Elisha Ramdatt, and Christopher Williams.

Reserves are: Rondel Singh, Jadesh Shadeo, Ian Kanhai, Mondel Edwards, and Khemol Harakram.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Big pay day for Shepherd, 14 West Indians secure contracts at IPL Auction

B

Odean Smith

erbician Romario Shepherd had a memorable day on the second day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction when he was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 7.75 crore, which is equivalent to US$1,030,750.

Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals all engaged in a bidding war for the 27-year-old Shepherd, but Sunrisers Hyderabad prevailed. Shepherd joined Guyana Amazon Warriors Captain Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, and his fellow Berbician, Shimron Hetmyer as million-dollar men at this year’s auction.

Meanwhile, Sherfane Rutherford was snapped by Royal Challengers Bangalore. The left-handed Guyanese batsman was sold for his base price of 1 crore, which is approximately US$133,000.

Eight other West Indians

were snapped up at the mega auction on day two.

Odean Smith, who played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, also secured a good price from Punjab Kings at 6 crore (US$798,000).

Dominic Drakes went to Gujarat Titans (1.1 crore – US$146,000); Kyle Mayers Lucknow Super Giants (50 lakh – US$66,000); Alzarri Joseph Gujarat Titans (2.4 crore – US$319,000); Evin Lewis Lucknow Super Giants (2 crore – US$266,000); Rovman Powell Delhi Capitals (2.8 crore – US$372,000); Obed McCoy Rajasthan Royals (75 lakh – US$99,000) and Fabian Allen Mumbai Indians (75 lakh – US$99,000).

On day one of the auction, Nicholas Pooran became the highest bid for a West Indies player in the IPL auction history when he was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 10.75 crore (US$1,430,000).

Romario Shepherd

Jason Holder was snapped up by Lucknow Super Giants for 8.75 crore (US$1,164,000).

Hetmyer, who was the first West Indian buy in the IPL auction, was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for US$1,132,000. Dwayne Bravo returned to Chennai Super Kings for US$584,000.

Hetmyer posted on his social media, moments after the auction news.

Kieron Pollard (US$798,000), Sunil Narine (US$798,000) and Andre Russell (US$1,596,000) were all retained before the auc-

tion. With the inclusion of the retained trio, 17 West Indians will be in the 2022 IPL that is tentatively set for April 2.

Below are the full squads: Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Robin Uthappa, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, N Jagadeesan, Hari Nishaanth, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Bhagath Varma, Prashant Solanki, Chris Jordan, Dwaine Pretorius, Devon Conway, Adam Milne, and Mitchell Santner.

Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur,

Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Ashwin Hebbar, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert, Praveen Dubey, Rovman Powell, and Lalit Yadav.

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhinav Manohar, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Dominic Drakes, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, and B Sai Sudharshan.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Sam Billings, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Salam, Abhijeet Tomar, Pratham Singh, Aman Khan, Ramesh Kumar, Ashok Sharma, Tim Southee, Alex Hales, Mohammad Nabi, Umesh Yadav, B Indrajith, and Chamika Karunaratne.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, K Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Dushmantha Chameera, Ankit Rajpoot, Shahbaz Nadeem, Manan Vohra, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Kyle Mayers, K Gowtham, and Evin Lewis.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, M Ashwin, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Sanjay Yadav, Ramandeep Singh, Aryan Juyal, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Hrithik Shokeen, Rahul Buddhi, Arshad Khan, Tymal Mills, Jofra Archer, Fabian Allen, Daniel Sams, Anmolpreet Singh, Tim David, and Riley Meredith.

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Jonny Bairstow, Liam

Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Odean Smith, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Sandeep Sharma, Atharva Taide, Vaibhav Arora, Ansh Patel, Raj Angad Bawa, Benny Howell, Rishi Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej

Singh, Writtick Chatterjee, Nathan Ellis, and Prerak Mankad.

R a j a s t h a n Royals: Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, and Obed McCoy. Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Suyash Prabhudesai, Luvnith Sisodia, Aneeshwar Gautam, Jason Behrendorff, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Siddarth Kaul, Chama Milind, Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, and Finn Allen.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

23

Sherfane Rutherford

Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Saurabh Dubey, Shashank Singh, Sean Abbott, R Samarth, J Suchith, Romario Shepherd, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

RR was willing to pay more for Hetmyer, franchise will work on his fitness – CEO

Royals CEO Jake McCrum

By Brandon Corlette

R

ajasthan Royals (RR) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jake McCrum described Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer as a match winner who can bat at number five or six and win games in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Berbician Hetmyer was picked up for 8.5 crore, which is equivalent to US$1,132,000 by the Royals.

"We were willing to go a little bit more for him. He bats in that five/six role, and he is capable of winning IPL matches. We are delighted to get him on board and we probably got the two bargains of the auction in Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi

Ashwin, so we are delighted; we built a really, really strong side," the Royals CEO said.

Hetmyer, who last played for West Indies in November 2021 and was the leading run-scorer for the West Indies at the 2021 T20 World Cup, has had his fitness issues. Those issues have kept him out of the West Indies side, but the 25-year-old has shown improvements in fitness assessments conducted in Guyana.

When asked if the Royals are concerned about Hetmyer's fitness issues, the Royals CEO said: "We did speak to a number of people over there (in the Caribbean) working with Shimron. I think he

was playing a game couple of days ago, so we got some more background around those fitness areas to get him in great shape. We have the Barbados Royals over there (in the Caribbean), so we can get a net workout there, so we can work with that, so he can get the best possible shape for this season, and yes, we are looking forward to having him."

In the 2021 IPL, Hetmyer played for Delhi Capitals, the team that were involved in a bidding war with RR for him in the 2022 auction. The lefthander is currently playing in Trinidad for the Guyana Harpy Eagles in Cricket West Indies Regional FourDay Championships.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

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

Page 23

Page 23

Big pay day forShepherd, RR was willing to pay more 14 West Indians secure for Hetmyer, franchise will contracts at IPL Auction work on his fitness – CEO LGC concludes successful Odyssey Sightseeing Tours Golf Tourney

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