Guyana Times - Monday, January 15, 2024

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Issue No. 5612

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

Today is Budget Day …Private Sector expects Budget 2024 to build on transformational momentum

PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Essequibo Coast man charged for killing ex-girlfriend’s partner P8

Charity woman P10 jailed for trafficking ecstasy

Page 3 Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and the Budget team on Sunday evening working to finalise Budget 2024, which will be presented today at 14:00h in the National Assembly (Photo Credit: Shaniece Banfield)

Page 7

Regional ferry service “still in planning stage” – Pres Ali

“Don’t be afraid, Guyana’s economy has a lot of potential” – top businessman See story on page 14

…urges local companies to form consortiums to benefit from opportunities

East Canje P15 residents complain of poor Police response …as Deputy Commander listens to complaints during outreach

ECD man caught with illegal ammo P14

Govt lobbying CDB officers, to fund aquaculture “Corrupt” visitors to face full of the law project in Guyana brunt – Prison Director Smuggling contraband into prison

warns

…discusses role of bank in development of Caricom nations P9

P11

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

BRIDGE The Demerara OPENINGS Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, January 15 – 04:00h-05:30h and Tuesday, January 16 – 04:00h-05:30h.

Today is Budget Day

…Private Sector expects budget to build on The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: transformational momentum Monday, January 15 – 07:05h-08:35h and Tuesday, January 16 – 07:50h-09:20h

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery showers are expected in the morning and early afternoon hours, with sunshine in the afternoon. Clear skies are expected at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 07:27h and 19:46h reaching maximum heights of 2.61 metres and 2.66 metres.

Low Tide: 13:18h reaching a minimum height of 0.61 metre.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2024

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$78.24/barrel

-0.06

Rough Rice London Sugar

$318.69/ton $619.20/ton

+1.06 0.00

Live Spot Gold Bid/Ask Low/High Change

USD Per Ounce $2049.90 $2044.60 +1.10

$2050.90 $2052.10 +0.05%

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he eagerly-awaited Budget 2024 will be presented to the National Assembly today by Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh.

This will be the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s fourth national budget since taking office in August 2020.

Up until Sunday evening, Minister Singh and his team at the Finance Ministry were finalising the budget speech, which would be delivered at 14:00h today. This presentation is expected to run for at least five hours.

On Saturday, President Dr Irfaan Ali visited the Finance Ministry to interact with those behind the numbers. During brief remarks, Minister Singh shared that this year’s fiscal plans were designed in the context of continuing Government’s policy framework, which was set out since it entered office in 2020.

The Minister said as was sustained Government policy, there was something for every Guyanese and every sector.

He assured that there would be opportunities for “personal upliftment”.

In a sneak peek, Dr Singh noted “Our fiscal plans for 2024 will be situated within the context of the ongoing implementation of the policy framework that we had laid out in the first instance in our 2020 manifesto. What you will hear on Monday is a wide range of interventions in every single sector, all of which are ultimately aimed at improving the lives across every single category of the population.”

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had said last week that the Administration was continuing within the lines of no new taxes for 2024.

Government said Budget 2024 would strike a balance between addressing the pressing needs and irritants of today and simultaneously investing in the future. A primary focus is placed on policies designed to increase the disposable income of Guyanese and their general quality of life.

Last year, the Government presented a whopping $781.9 billion Budget – the first to be financed in part by revenues earned from Guyana’s historic carbon credits sale agreement and the largest-ever in the country’s history. It was approved in its entirely by the National Assembly in February 2023.

Private Sector expectations

Meanwhile, there is an expectation within the local Private Sector that the Government’s fiscal plans and policies outlined in Budget 2024 will build on the momentum that is already seeing massive economic and infrastructural transformation in the country.

Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman

Komal Singh told Guyana Times that they were looking forward to the national budget for this year being no different than what has been seen in the last three years under the current PPP/C Government.

He pointed out that those fiscal plans have catered for every single facet of society and have seen not only every single Guyanese benefiting but the creation of an environment for businesses to flourish as well.

“There is a lot of expectations, but based on the past, we’ve seen Government meeting the needs of the business society in many forms and this year, we’re not expecting anything different.”

“There is so much government is doing already…

We’re very excited that all the investments that we’ve seen Government embarking on, they’re very strategic. And they’re very strategic in a manner that would help businesses to thrive, it would help the country to develop and it would help citizens to benefit from those developments. And most importantly, in the long run, it creates sustainability for our economy and our people,” the PSC Chairman said in a brief comment to this newspaper.

Expounding on the Private Sector’s expectations of Budget 2024, PSC’s Vice Chairman and Executive of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Rafeek Khan, underscored the need to build upon the current momentum and seeing these initiatives to fruition throughout this year and into 2025.

“What happened in our largest budget in 2023, we

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

want to build upon that. So, the momentum that was initiated in infrastructure and in energy, we want to see both capitalisation and taking it to the finish line because to realise the investment that was made, it has to be completed,” he stated.

The new high-span four-lane bridge across the Demerara River, the Linden-to-Lethem Road, the Schoonord-to-Parika highway in Region Three, the expansion of the Railway Embankment road on the East Coast of Demerara, the upgrade of the East Bank Demerara corridor, the alternative highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek in Berbice, and the model Gasto-Energy project are some of the initiatives that are set to come on stream.

According to Khan, the PSC has made extensive submissions to Government during the consultation stages of Budget 2024. Their proposals, he noted, would help Government to catalyse their economic plans and advance them to the next step.

However, the PSC Vice Chair noted that while businesses have been benefiting from the measures put in place by Government over

the past three years, there were still some areas that needed fixing. For stance, he mentioned Value-Added Tax (VAT) on services and the high cost of imports especially in the manufacturing sector.

He also highlighted the need for more centralised industrial hubs for growing businesses.

“Now that we’ve taken care of the infrastructure around the country and the energy future plans, we want to have more industrial hubs, focused and concentrated in similar commodities. So, the movement of raw materials can come into those hubs…

For instance, if you produce tiles and stones, you find hubs for that… we need to centralise our hubs for manufacturing in locations that brings down the cost of production,” he noted.

Khan added too that logistics continued to be an area of concern. He said while the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted this industry globally, was over, shipping continued to be volatile and the high rates persisted especially with recent events in the Red Sea. TURN TO PAGE 5

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

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Panday on Constitutional Reform

B

asdeo Panday, the former T&T Prime Minister (PM), who passed recently, entered Trinidadian politics as far back as 1966, when, as a newly-minted London-trained lawyer, he was a candidate for the new Farmers and Workers Party (FWP) in that year’s General Election, the first after Trinidad achieved independence in 1962. It was significant that the FWP rejected the ethnically directed mobilization of the then two dominant parties, the PNM and DLP, and focused on representing the working peoples of all ethnicities. Panday never deviated from this line for the rest of his long political career, and it was operationalized when he finally became PM in 1995.

He, however, ruefully concluded that the form of the Westminster-based political structure, inherited from the British, channelled political participation and representation in ways that were not salutary for his ethnically plural society. Ten years ago, after he had retired from politics, he expanded on the need for deep constitutional reform to create more apt political structure, and summarized his views on what such reform should institutionalize. Because our society is very similar to Trinidad’s in its ethnic fissures - and we are embarking on a constitutional reform exercise - it might be useful to consider Mr Panday’s proposals.

He first rejected the usual procedure of appointing “experts” as Commissioners to create a draft Constitution that would then be presented to “the people” for their approval. “Since the purpose of the Constitution (put in non-academic language)is to promote the welfare and happiness of the people, then what the commissioners should be doing is finding out from the ordinary masses of the people what they – the people – perceive to be their problems; not what they think of a draft or what are their recommendations for constitutional reform.”

Substantively, based on working in the system for almost fifty years, Panday interestingly proposed that T&T should abandon the FPTP constituency in favour of PR, which we already have here. He also felt that there should be a single Chamber of Parliament and an Executive Presidency like ours. But significantly, he proposed that, “The President should be elected by the people on the basis of one-man-one-vote. Having been so elected, the President should be empowered to select his Cabinet from (in his view) the most capable persons in the country, who are not members of the legislature. Having selected his Cabinet, the President is then both the Head of State and the Head of the Government.”

As is the case in the US, there would be introduced a more complete separation of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches, since, even though the incumbents might belong to the same party, the President would not be in a position to control the legislators through appointments etc. He suggested: “At the beginning of each year, the President addresses the nation, informing the people of his/her programme for the ensuing year.

He must then go to the Parliament for funding of his programme.”

This programme would be a contract between the Govt and the people.

Mr. Panday also saw the need for more independent Commissions and state bodies: “One of the biggest problems the framers of the new Constitution shall have is how, in a small society such as ours, do you find truly ‘independent’ people to fill critical positions on such organisations as the Integrity Commission, the Elections and Boundaries Commission, the Public Service Commission, etc? Having regard to the class nature of our society and our historical antecedents of colonialism, slavery and indenture that have shaped our culture, that may very well be an impossible task. The way to ensure that there is no discrimination in the performance of the functions of such critical organisations may well lie in not looking for "independent" persons, but rather in balancing the composition of such organisations with representation from the various interest groups in the society.”

Rather significantly, even though at several points on his political journey Mr Panday had coalesced with various groups and parties to contest elections, he did not recommend “executive shared governance” to address the challenge of governing his ethnically plural society.

Denmark's King Frederik X and Queen Mary are waving from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. Queen Margrethe II has become Denmark's first monarch to abdicate in nearly 900 years when she handed over the throne to her son, who has become King Frederik X (VOA)

Give Panday what he wished for

By Ramesh Deosaran

E

verybody has long been hearing what former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday had been wishing for – constitution reform.

At his every twist and turn, it was constitution reform, constitution reform.

Believing that the country needs “racial unity”, for example, he declared in 2016: “The current Constitution is bound to encourage the politics of race, the only way forward is to change the Constitution.” He did not specify but his words will linger. As the adviser told Herod about Jesus: “He will be more dangerous after his death.”

Will the continuing rise of Mickela Panday shake up the political status quo?

Will Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, having apparently misread the 2023 local government results, face another challenge – from inside or outside? How many aces does she hold?

The PM and his PNM [People’s National Movement] Government displayed political generosity, but, perhaps unwittingly, also lit a fire.

It will be challenging to establish a credible commission, its terms of reference, process and the political decision to implement its recommendations.

But it can be done, if all those from top to bottom now singing his praises and celebrating his deeds wish to honour his life.

Piarco Airport or the ORTT [the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) make it look “selfish,” possibly bringing blemish to his memory.

Greeting people outside the Red House, where her father’s casket lay, Mickela said: “My father would have preferred constitution reform rather than renaming Piarco International Airport after him.”

So, why then are so many people now asking for many other things?

Even so, and apart from constitution reform, give him something that truly reflects his mission, his passion for young people, for education and the working class. Not for himself.

How would the ORTT do this? In fact, it is well recorded he refused it, with reasons. Patrick Manning, too.

In this context, Journalist and former editor of the National Target newspaper Ken Ali made an appropriate proposal – a university chair or a library: a union-supported chair in labour and industrial relations or a government and business-supported chair in democracy and human rights. Either would do justice to his memory. The ORTT for him is too cosmetic.

Neither Ms Mickela Panday nor the rest of family wants the Piarco Airport named after him.

In fact, when he kindly appeared before the Cabinetappointed Police Manpower Audit Committee, Panday told its eight members: “In

dealing with crime, security and Parliament, we need to change the Constitution.”

Look, we have launched two Cabinet-promoted constitution reform commissions with great political fanfare – the 1972 Wooding Commission and the 1987 Hyatali Commission.

What happened? Why? In 2016, Panday confessed “neither the Prime Minister nor Opposition Leader wants constitution reform.”

Given the state funeral, lavish praises and celebrations of Panday’s life by both PNM and UNC [United National Congress], will his wish be fulfilled now?

Columnist Jarred De Matas very charitably wrote: “His repeated calls for constitution reform, a style of governance set apart from our British colonial history and tailored to our specific need of representation, truly made him an undisputed post-colonial, Caribbean and visionary leader.”

Another columnist, Jonathan Bhagan, recently wrote: “The best way to honour Panday’s memory is to hearken to his voice and reform the Constitution to strengthen or democracy.”

Around all this, though, from Facebook to newspaper letters, the accusations of “neemakarams” and “hypocrisy” uncharitably filtered through. Dr Ramchand Rampersad’s letter two weeks ago was headlined “Neemakarams galore.”

Columnist and former

trade union leader and [Member of Parliament] MP Raffique Shah remains sceptical. However, while such “freedom of speech” views are accommodated, the question is: In the long run, how will Panday’s life and service be really remembered and recorded?

Many others are watching.

Watching who was signing and praising, Rex Chookolingo, wrote last week: “Mr Panday would not want any institutions or buildings named after him; he would not even want the posthumous ORTT.” Right.

Where did this ORTT offer come from?

Look, let’s get real.

Even if Panday, senior citizen and tired soldier, had accepted the ORTT for “distinguished and significant national service,” it would have done nothing to his tired soul. Hanging it around his neck, he would still have to line up at counters, fight traffic, stumble over potholes like everybody else, and be barred from using the Priority Bus Route, while those who fail to do anything “distinguished and significant” for the country parade up and down the PBR. That’s our style.

Check how other Caricom countries – Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua, etc – treat their citizens who get the nation’s highest award.

But this is TT, which has not yet evolved either in governance or in political character. (T&T Newsday)

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

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

A time for Guyana’s young people Dear Editor, Back in April 2022, at the eleventh annual Youth Forum, the topic was “Young people’s meaningful involvement vital for advancing sustainable development goals.” This is such an important reality to grasp, and I am pleased that President Irfaan Ali sounded this message when he intermingled with some 50 Kitty youths, telling them that they need to be enrolled in skills development programmes that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic is so bent on.

At the forum I mentioned, it was drilled into the audience that youths must “take action, not ‘pat ourselves on

the back and move on.’ Why? This is because “the participation of young people is vital in order to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals …as failing to invest in children and youth triggers substantial economic, social, and political costs, resulting from negative outcomes such as early school drop-out, poor labour market entry, risky sexual behaviours, substance abuse, and crime and violence.”

So, I am all for this commitment from the President, who said, “I want our youths to be engaged in a skills development programme; so, right now, we have a shortage of machine operators,

welders, construction workers.”

Editor, firstly, I want people to know that even highrisk youths can avoid involvement in delinquency, if they experience many protective factors. These include improving education and youth employment opportunities, enhancing social skills, and providing youth with mentors and adult role models that are essential components of delinquency prevention. For too long, too many authorities have been focusing on ‘stepping in’ after the damage has been done, and then the only resort sometimes is a punitive one.

I believe the pathway of

having “our youths to be engaged in a skills development programme…” is not only preventive in terms of combatting anti-social norms, but would almost assure the young people of a profitable livelihood as their years unfold. The good thing about this venture is that the young people need nothing but their commitment to get going. The President iterated, “I want all of you to be registered in a training programme, and we are going to get you employed after…and a stipend will be given to participants during their course of training.”

The big picture is something else.

Just back in November

PNC was the worst thing that ever happened to Guyana Dear Editor, The PNC/PNCR/APNU is the worst thing that ever happened to Guyana. Some members within that party may lodge an objection to the above statement, deeming it too harsh, but after examining the facts carefully, even the diehards are forced to admit that every word of that evaluation rings true.

I have already dealt with one crucial area, that is power generation. However, today I shall draw our attention to another of the retrograde moves that have pushed this country backwards. I make mention of our international airport and Government's plans to modernise and properly equip that entity to meet international standards.

The plans for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri were conceptualised and put in place by the Jagdeo administration. The contracting firm to build the airport was China Harbour Engineering Company. The Ramotar Government that

succeeded was committed to carrying out the project, but unfortunately couldn't get anything done due to the PNC-led coalition voting it down for the flimsiest of reasons.

The Coalition using its one-seat majority to so callously stop a project speaks volumes of its non-commitment to the wellbeing of the Guyanese people. Theirs was a myopic and visionless view of what constitutes Government's obligation to the development of society.

Sadly, that was, and still is, a fundamental void within that party.

Now, when it got into power, it suddenly had a change of heart, after viewing the prospects of a developing country having a modern international airport, so it backpedalled and renegotiated with the Chinese. The new contract saw a scaling down of the plan for the airport from eight (8) air bridges to four, among other drastic changes. All of this taking

Today is Budget...

In recent days, there have been heightened attacks on ships in the Red Sea which have pushed ocean freight rates higher thus triggering warnings of inflation and delayed goods. This, coupled with the Panama Canal experiencing low water levels caused by drought, has forced many ships to choose a longer route thus creating delays.

“So, we need to be mindful and don’t be too confident that our shipping crisis has been solved,” the Private S0ector official cautioned. He also stressed the need for getting more and bigger vessels to come to Guyana’s ports.

Khan went on to highlight that while Guyana was grappling with a shortage of skilled labour, there was a similar crisis with medium and high-level management in the country.

“We’re not realising that

FROM PAGE 3

we’re building out the country and we’re building out businesses, but we need to get more high-level management. And is going to have to come from the region, because bringing in these high-level management from Europe, from Asia is very expensive… We need to prepare graduates from the university; have them be prepared to manage companies and so on,” he stated, According to the PSC Vice Chair, Budget 2024 should also give a greater push to what has already started in the Caribbean in terms of regional integration. For example, he pointed to efforts for the establishment of an economic zone between Guyana and Barbados.

“We want to see some of these things being realized.

They’ve started with discussions but we want to see them implemented,” he posited.

place with a revised upward cost to the changes made.

The sum total of it all is that most of the airport project was never completed, which meant that the incoming PPP/C Administration had to make the necessary changes to bring our main international airport up to standard.

The point that is of great importance here is when elected Governments fail to stand up to legally binding international contracts, it inherently lowers your rating in the eyes of the contracting agencies, or any investor for that matter. When you can so flip-flop with projects like that, your country as a whole is seen in a bad light.

Thankfully, the Chinese

accommodated us and made the required changes that we can now boast of today. The failure to fulfil the contract of our airport marks another key point why, we the people, ought to be ever careful when choosing our government. We cannot place people who have no vision for our country, or put our country in the hands of those who know not where we should be in the next decade.

With this in mind, the next general election would be the defining moment when Guyanese would definitively make the decision as to who governs them.

2023, it was announced that, “As the PPP/C Government continues to place heavy emphasis on technical education, six new technical and vocational education training (TVET) centres will be opened soon… The centres will be built in Mabaruma, Region One, Fellowship in Region Three, Beterverwagting in Region Four, Hopetown in Region Five, Bartica in Region Seven, and St. Ignatius in Region Nine.”

The statistics are quite encouraging too, as “In 2023, a grand total of 4,444 individuals from all 10 administrative regions successfully completed free skills training programmes organised by the Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT).”

The details show that “BIT certified 187 individuals in Region One, 646 in Region Two, 320 in Region Three, 1,224 in Region Four, 254 in Region Five, 697 in Region Six, 265 in Region Seven, 118 in Region Eight, 190 in Region Nine, and 543 in Region 10.”

Bear in mind that the programmes being offered have enabled the gradu-

ates to take on independent projects for personal growth while earning an income.

This is what life is all about.

And there is a place for every single young person who wants to embrace this possibility.

The Government is behind “…a slew of courses, including fibre-optic installation, building construction, boat building, welding and fabrication, cosmetology, electrical installation, heavy-duty equipment operation, early childhood development, and commercial food preparation, among others.”

People just need to ‘getup’ and be enrolled. It’s a win-win situation. In fact, as the President stated, “We are spending more than US$100 million on creating a new state-of-the-art national skills-training centre, not only for the oil-and-gas sector, but for every single sector in our country, and every single skill that will be required to take our country forward.”

No doubt, this is the age for Guyana’s young people.

Yours truly, HB Singh

Respectfully, Neil Adams

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 06:00 (Sign on) Inspiration Time 06:30 Cartoons 07:00 Evening News (RB) 07:30 Cartoons 08:00 Stop Suffering 08:30 Stay Woke 09:00 Guy's Grocery Games 10:00 Grand Designs 11:00 Paternity Court 11:30 Divorce Court 12:00 News Break 12:05 Indian Movie -The Archies (2023) 14:35 The Tom and Jerry Show S3 E26 15:00 Indian Soaps 16:00 Sydney to the Max S3 E15 16:30 Austin & Ally S4 E19 17:00 The Young & The Restless 18:00 CNN 19:00 The Evening News 20:00 Love & Laughter 21:00 The Resident S4 E14 22:00 The 100 S7 E1 23:00 Queen of the South S1 E7 00:00 Sign off

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

Foundation ◄

Page

CHANGING MIXED NUMBERS TO IMPROPER FRACTIONS To change mixed numbers into improper fractions, find the fraction part of the mixed number.

Multiply the whole number by the denominator of the fraction. Then, add the numerator to that product and place the total over the denominator.

Example: Change

into an improper fraction

GREEN IS THE COLOUR OF THE WORLD in face of Present Being-Buber

by Wilson Harris

Step 1:

I

Multiply 3 x 6 = 18

Green is the colour of the world

Step 2:

like grass growing in a clean river

1 8 + 1 = 1 9 and the remainder becomes the fraction.

seen so that the clean river

Step 3:

becomes dark-green and beautiful like a hidden capacity beneath what is tangible Changeable is the mirrored unseen world

Exercises: Change to improper fractions

in the dark beautiful water Each possibility lingers hopefully until a cloud condemns the impossible surmise

In this fun and easy cool science experiment for kids, we’re going to learn how to make mist and demonstrate Bernoulli’s Principle. In fluid dynamics, Bernoulli’s Principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid’s potential energy. The principle is named after Daniel Bernoulli, a Swiss mathematician, who published it in 1738 in his book Hydrodynamics.

Materials: Straw Scissors Glass of water

MAKE MIST Instructions: Cut a horizontal slit in a straw about a third of the way from the bottom of the straw. Leave enough of the straw connected so you can bend the straw at the slit without the bottom section breaking off.

Put the short end of the straw in the water, keeping the slit about one quarter of an inch above the water level.

Blow hard through the long section of the straw.

A spray of mist should come out the other end of the straw.

How it works: Mist is nothing more than tiny droplets of water suspended and moving in the

and the misery of worms and flies eating holes into human flesh air. Mist can cool through evaporation in a way similar to human sweat. Blowing air through the straw creates a low pressure zone that pulls up the water from the glass. When this liquid meets the blast of air, it breaks up into a fine spray. This is a great activity to demonstrate Bernoulli’s Principle.

Make this a science project: Try different sized straws. Try cutting the slit at different lengths from the bottom of the straw. Spray the same amounts of mist on different colours of construction paper. Place the papers in the sun and determine if one evaporates quicker than the others. (Adapted from sciencefun.org)

is brushed aside by blurred ripples and all things lose identity. The waters are colourless with this unusual pain but they melt and mirror the immaterial world again in a new access of existentiality, in God's concern to laugh or weep!

TO BE CONTINUED

WORD SEARCH

OBLIGED GRATITUDE CONTENTED

THANKLESS THANKFUL UNGRATEFUL

INDEBTED CRITICAL RELIEVED

SATISFIED PLEASED

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Regional ferry service “still in planning stage” – Pres Ali T

he details surrounding the much-anticipated regional ferry service between Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are still being ironed out, according to President Dr Irfaan Ali. Earlier this month, the Guyanese Leader announced the establishment of this new service, which is expected to push trade and people movement in the southern Caribbean.

Last week, it was reported that the Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet had approved the use of that country’s Galleons Passage vessel to operate the ferry service with the twin- island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.

“On Thursday [January 11, 2024], the Cabinet will sign off on this decision; and only this morning, the Minister of Transportation was told to ready the Galleons Passage for the inaugural trip as soon as that documenta-

President Dr Irfaan Ali

In a Facebook post on Sunday, President Ali shared several photos of the Galleons Passage, which he said would be operating between Guyana and Trinidad, and later Barbados. This vessel can accommodate 400 passengers and 60 cars. Among the facilities onboard the Galleons Passage is a cafeteria, a bar,

Onboard the Galleons Passage vessel that will be used for the regional ferry service

tion is ready and the vessel is ready,” Trinidadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had announced last Wednesday.

and a VIP lounge.

Guyana Times subsequently reached out to the Guyanese Head of State to en-

quire whether a date has been set for the first trip, and for an update on the ferry company that is to be set up between the three countries.

President Ali indicated that these details are “still in the planning stage.”

On January 5, the Guyanese Leader disclosed that Guyana, T&T and Barbados have formed a joint company that would work towards the introduction of a ferry system for passenger and cargo between the three countries.

“That would open up massive opportunities,” Ali had stated.

Back in May 2022, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago had embarked on setting up a ferry service between the two countries to transport people and cargo.

During a joint press conference between President Ali and Prime Minister Rowley in Georgetown, the two nations had signed a Memorandum

T&T’s Galleons Passage to operate the ferry service between Guyana and Trinidad, and later Barbados

of Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in a number of areas.

“As we speak to you now, we are already exploring the possibility of having a cargo-plus-ferry facility as an experiment between Guyana and Trinidad, moving people and goods and services… We cannot address any issues unless we create a platform, the vehicle that will allow us to do that, and this MoU does that,” President Ali had noted.

Meanwhile, regional leaders have long recognized that affordable intra-regional travel remains one of the major bugbears to trade and movement of skilled labour within the Caribbean. Consequently, they have been working on a regional ferry network.

In 2022, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) had approached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for funding to establish this intra-regional ferry service. At the time, the

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) was tasked with ironing out a proposed roadmap study for a fast ferry service with an initial focus on trade between Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados.

According to a communiqué at the end of the 43rd Regular Meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government Meeting, held in July 2022 in Suriname, it was noted that this initiative falls into the myriad of measures agreed to by the Region’s leaders to advance reduction of the Caribbean’s food-import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

During that Caricom meeting, the Heads of States were updated on the advanced discussions with the UAE for both a traditional ferry and fast ferry service for the Region.

The meeting saw the agreement for the establishment

of a working group to provide oversight of the project, which will include representatives from the Governments of Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the Caricom Secretariat, Caricom Private Sector Organisation (CPSO), and the CDB. However, a subsequent document prepared by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has identified four potential routes for an intra-regional ferry service in the Eastern Caribbean Region. Guyana was named in only one of those proposed routes. That route – Guyana, Suriname and T&T - was named the most viable option by Associate Economic Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Infrastructure Services Unit in the International Trade and Integration Division, Diogo Aita, who prepared the proposal. (G8)

8 NEWS Essequibo Coast man charged for killing girlfriend’s ex-partner MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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wenty-year-old Elroy Matthias, called "Chine Boy", appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court on Friday, charged with the capital offence of murder.

The allegation is that on January 7, 2024 he murdered Ricardo John.

Matthias, a labourer of Supenaam, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was remanded to prison.

Taking example…

T

Murder accused: Elroy Matthias

Dead: Ricardo John

The matter has been transferred to the Anna Regina Magistrate's Court and will continue on January 24.

John, called “Cardo”, was chopped to death last Sunday night by his girlfriend’s former partner.

John ,of La Belle Alliance, Region Two, succumbed to his injuries whilst receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Reports are that John was at a shop in the vicinity of Richmond Access Road leading to Lima Sands when, about 23:30h, an altercation ensued between him and a cutlass-wielding Matthias.

The accused reportedly inflicted severe injuries on John’s upper body before fleeing the scene.

The victim was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital in an unconscious state, but was later transferred to the GPHC where he died.

On Monday, January 7 at about 14:00h, John was apprehended.

He has since reportedly confessed to the crime. (G1)

...from MLK

oday’s the birthday of that great fighter for social justice, Dr Martin Luther King. With some in our society having a penchant for invoking MLK’s name at the drop of a hat, it might be useful to explain how he advised on WHAT oughta be done to achieve that social justice. Even as a young man, he was troubled by the treatment meted out to African Americans by White Americans and the Government – at all levels – and was determined to do something about it.

Seeking a method to struggle within the constructs of the Christian Ministry - into which he’d been inducted - he was struck by the message of non-violent struggle, or “satyagraha”, utilised by the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi in his fight in India against the British, between 19151948. Interestingly, Gandhi, as a student in England, had been influenced by the teachings of Jesus!! It’s evident that once you’ve already chosen the method, activists will look at arguments to justify their chosen path. When your Eyewitness listens to the call to arms by some of the “justice fighters” in Guyana, he knows they’d long chosen their path!!

“Satya” means “truth” and “graha” means “force”. So Gandhi and MLK propose an active “truth force” that’s deployed against oppressive forces. As MLK phrased it, “Non-violent resistance does resist. It is not a method of stagnant passivity. While the non-violent resister is passive in the sense that he is not physically aggressive towards his opponent, his mind and emotions are always active, constantly seeking to persuade his opponent that he is wrong. The method is passive physically, but strongly active spiritually. It is not passive non-resistance to evil; it is active non-violent resistance to evil.” It does not recommend beating up vendors at a market who just happened to be members of a particular race!

Dr King and African Americans such as Rosa Parks would confront an analogous situation in the American South to that confronted by Gandhi in South Africa. Satyagraha distinguishes its methodology from the way of violence, that’s still the dominant reaction by one clique in Guyana.

Satyagraha is very sensitive to means and ends. “Nonviolence does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win friendship and understanding,” King said. “The nonviolent resister must often express his protest through noncooperation or boycotts, but he realises that these do not end themselves; they are merely meant to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent… The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness.”

MLK warned that activists for justice must treat those they say they’re representing as ends in themselves, and never means to THEIR ends. …from MLK’s instructions Your Eyewitness thinks that some activists are “hard ears”, so maybe they need to have MLK’s methodology spelled out more carefully!! He summarised his methodology of non-violent resistance step by step. Step one – make very sure that the activist is thoroughly informed about the injustice, and THEN educating others about it. Teaching is through action, rather than words, and in this way, one transforms oneself. The trouble is that most of our locals are so convinced about a violent confrontation that, to them, everything else is “showing weakness”!!

Step two! Negotiations gotta be opened up with opponents, using win-win scenarios – as ironically, the Government did at Mocha, remember?!! And then – only if unsuccessful – in step three, direct action such as sit-ins, marches, petitions, etc, is launched. Finally, as Mandela demonstrated magnanimously in South Africa, you gotta attempt to reconcile with your opponents. After all, if you care about our country, ultimately, we have to live together and build our nation together.

Restorative rather than retributive Justice can heal many wounds!!

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

…from the old Empire??

It used to be said that “Brittania rules the waves”. And the subtext was that whoever ruled the waves ruled the world. So, is it to rule the Red Sea (that) the US and Britain bombed the Houthis?

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

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

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt lobbying CDB to fund aquaculture project in Guyana …discusses role of Bank in development of Caricom nations

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali has asked the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to mobilise funding for a massive aquaculture project in Guyana to serve regional as well as North American markets.

The Guyanese Head of State, who is the current Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), met with CDB President, Dr Hyginus “Gene” Leon, on Saturday at State House in Georgetown. President Ali has been driving Caricom’s food security initiative – Vision 25 by 25, which seeks to reduce the Region’s high food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

During the meeting, discussions focused on the strategic role of the CDB in supporting the development agenda of its member states and its future plans.

Following that high-level meeting, President Ali disclosed during an event later Saturday evening that Guyana was eyeing a $4 billion aquaculture market in the United States. In fact, he noted that in the next five years, he wants Guyana to be the largest supplier for that market.

In order to achieve this target, the Guyanese Leader has pitched the project to the CDB officials.

“I told the CDB to launch a special instrument to mobilise the capital from all the pension funds in the Region and all the capital that exists in the Region, and let us build a world-class aquaculture sector in Guyana that will process and supply the US market – that is $4 billion.”

“We don't even need to meet the US market, because if we create a regional instrument that brings in regional capital to build out the aquaculture industry here then every regional government has a responsibility to ensure that this is the supplier for their aquaculture market, because pension fund is invested in it and private capital from those countries is invested in it,” he posited.

Vision 2030

However, the president outlined that while Guyana was opening up this opportunity for the region and was lobbying the CDB for funding, the country would not wait to develop its aquaculture industry and would move ahead with building it

Caricom Chairman, President Dr Irfaan Ali; Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett and other officials met with CDB President, Dr Hyginus Leon and his team at State House in Georgetown on Saturday

out.

Ali noted that this initiative formed part of the Guyana Government’s aggressive efforts to build out a first-class agro-industry.

This, he pointed out, will have to be on stream by 2030, in line with the Administration’s transformational plan for Guyana – Vision 2030.

The fundamental tenets of Vision 2030 cater for infrastructural, human, technological and social transformation; economic diversification; international positioning; equitable prosperous devel-

opment; environmental responsibilities; sustainable advancement; service reorientation and security.

“We are working on Vision 2023 and we are going to be eating up the larger share of the aquaculture market of the US… We have to target that market. And how do we do it? Guyana has the most competitive natural environment. We have all these pension funds that exist in the Region. We have the Caribbean Development Bank,” he noted.

As a matter of fact, President Ali, as the Caricom

Chairman, discussed strengthening the role of the CDB as a partner in providing project financing and development support to the Region during Saturday’s high-level meeting with the Bank’s President.

According to Caricom, the Chairman reaffirmed the importance of the CDB as a regional institution and development partner, and expressed confidence in its capacity to provide the support needed by member states in the pursuit of their sustainable development agendas.

He stressed the need for in-

creased responsiveness to the needs of the Region, proactiveness in programme development and project delivery and streamlining of operations to shorten the period between project identification, approval and completion.

Meanwhile, the CDB President informed of work being done by the Bank to develop a more strategic focus on resilient development priorities of the Region and on mobilisation of financial resources which could result in more affordable financing of projects.

The meeting also addressed concerns raised by member states ahead of the upcoming Caricom Heads of Government conference next month in Georgetown.

Also attending the meeting were Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett; Senior Executive Officer (Caricom), Michelle Micheir; Chief of Staff of the CDB, Andrea Power; and Advisor to the CDB, Ashaki Goodwin.

President Ali was joined

by Director of Presidential Affairs, Marcia Sharma, and the Finance Ministry’s Project Cycle Management Division Director, Dr Tarachand Balgobin. (G8)

10 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Known character jailed Charity woman jailed for 3 years, fined $50K for trafficking ecstasy for unlicensed firearm A

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Jailed: Troy Fordyce

roy Fordyce, 39, is well-known to the Police. Last week, he was fined $50,000 and imprisoned for three years for possessing an unlicensed handgun.

The jail sentence was imposed by Magistrate Esther Sam of the Charity Magistrate’s Court, where Fordyce had been on trial for the offence of possession of firearm without licence.

He was found guilty.

Police in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) arrested the shopkeeper after he was found with an illegal Beretta Pistol, several rounds of matching ammunition, and a quantity of narcotics.

The incident occurred on May 7, 2023, at Charity Market Street, Essequibo Coast.

According to information received, Police, acting on information, went to Charity Market Street and arrested the man about 10:00h on the day in question.

On arrival, the offi-

The firearm that was found in the shop

cers had observed Fordyce standing next to a corner shop, and upon seeing them, he walked towards the back of the shop, placed a shiny object under a board, and walked away.

The Police apprehended Fordyce and escorted him to the back of the shop, where they retrieved an unlicensed 9mm (.380 auto) pistol and one magazine with several rounds of ammunition from under a board. The serial number on the firearm was filed off.

Fordyce was told of the offence committed, and cautioned, and he denied the firearm belonged to him. He was arrested and escorted to the Charity Police Station, where the gun was marked, sealed, placed in an evidence bag in his presence, and lodged.

As investigations progressed, the ranks later escorted Fordyce to his shop at Charity Market Street and conducted a search for narcotics and unlawful articles in the presence of his reputed wife.

However, nothing unlawful was found.

They then went to his home at Charity Housing Scheme for a search to be conducted, to which Fordyce agreed. During the search, Police found a crossbody bag in one of the bedrooms.

When checked, the bag had eight small transparent zip-lock plastic bags containing a pink powdery substance and one transparent plastic bag containing five pink rocklike substances – all suspected to be ecstasy (Methamphetamine).

Additionally, three transparent plastic bags containing a quantity of ‘Fronto’ leaves were also found in a clothes basket in the bedroom. Following these discoveries, Fordyce was escorted to the Charity Police Station, where the suspected ecstasy was weighed in his presence, amounting to 6.71 grams.

Fordyce was charged with possession of narcotics in September 2022. (G1)

42-year-old woman was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment after she was found guilty of trafficking 12.8 grams of ecstasy.

Roxanne Lawrie, a vendor of Charity Back Street, Essequibo Coast and Lot 142 Charity Squatting Area, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), had been on trial for the offence of trafficking in narcotics before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Charity Magistrate’s Court.

At her initial court appearance in September 2023, Lawrie had denied the allegation.

The charge was laid under Section 5 (1ai) of the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substance Control Act, Chapter 10:10.

At the end of her trial last Monday, Lawrie was convicted.

The Essequibo Coast woman was arrested on Friday, September 8, 2023,

Jailed: Roxanne Lawrie

following the discovery of a quantity of ecstasy during a Police operation at her home.

Police stated that ranks, acting on information received, went to a house at Charity, where a search was conducted on Lawrie.

During the search, the ranks discovered a small white plastic bottle hidden in her genitals containing 14 pink and 15 yellow tab-

lets suspected to be ecstasy.

Lawrie was informed of the offence committed and was cautioned. In response, she told investigators, “Them tablets me got fuh headache.”

She was arrested and escorted to the Charity Police Station, where the narcotic was weighed and amounted to 12.8 grams.

(G1)

Teen nabbed with illegal gun remanded to prison

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n 18-year-old was on Friday remanded to prison after he was charged with possession of a 12-gauge shotgun, which the Police say was found in a salt bag.

Joshua Abel Persaud, of Suddie Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), was arraigned before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court.

The charge stated that on January 7, at Suddie

The shotgun that was seized by the Police

Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, the defendant had in his possession a shotgun

without being the holder of a firearm licence.

Persaud pleaded not guilty to the charge after it was read to him.

Bail was objected to by the Prosecutor and the defendant was remanded to prison.

The case has been adjourned to January 26, 2024.

Police in Regional Division Number Two on January 7, 2024 , about 21:30h, searched the home of the teen labourer after receiving information that he had arms and ammunition.

Two cellphones were found that did not belong to him.

He told investigators that the phones were given to him by someone and the same person also gave him a shotgun to keep.

He then accompanied Police ranks and pointed out a salt bag. The bag was opened in his presence, and a 12-gauge shotgun was found with the serial number filed off. (G1)

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Smuggling contraband into prison

“Corrupt” officers, visitors to face full brunt of the law – Prison Director warns

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Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot

n a bid to end the continued flow of contraband into the prisons, Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot said on Sunday that additional security measures would be employed within the confines of each prison location.

Elliot alluded to the recent attempts by members of the public to either throw con-

Safraaz Hossein with the drugs he allegedly attempted to smuggle

traband items over the prisons’ fence or place such items around the prisons’ perimeter.

The Prison Head also in-

Drugs were found concealed in items relatives attempted to deliver to prisoners

Pradesh Ballkishun with the drugs that he allegedly attempted to smuggle

dicated that persons’ movement near the prison locations would be restricted and, in some cases, a “stop-andsearch” exercise would be conducted.

Director Elliot also indicated that the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) would also be erecting signs at strategic points outside the prisons, warning the public to desist from such acts and the consequences attached to them.

Meanwhile, Elliot warned that there would be no let-up in bringing down corrupt prison officers, family members and friends of inmates who are bent on breaking the law.

“Public safety is a key component of the prison system, and all efforts will be made to achieve such a task,” the Prison Head said.

On New Year’s Day 2024, two separate attempts to smuggle drugs into Guyana’s prisons were thwarted by vig-

Jailed: Teana Anderson with the drugs she attempted to smuggle into the prison

ilant law enforcement officers.

In Georgetown’s Camp Street penitentiary, Pradesh Ballkishun, a resident of Coldigen, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was apprehended by Police stationed at Brickdam.

Ballkishun had visited the prison to drop off personal items for an inmate; however, during the routine check of the items, prison staff uncovered a concealed stash of marijuana in a bowl of soup.

The marijuana was found wrapped in small plastics and hidden inside the dumpling.

At the New Amsterdam Prison, a 29-year-old man from Corentyne, Berbice, Safraaz Hossein, attempted to smuggle two grams of marijuana into the facility.

Hossein, who was visiting the jailhouse to deliver personal items for his brother, raised suspicions among the

jail staff owing to his peculiar behaviour. A subsequent strip search revealed the contraband hidden in his underwear.

Hossein was promptly arrested.

On December 12, 2023, a female prison officer attached to the New Amsterdam Prison was remanded to the same facility after allegedly attempting to smuggle narcotics into the penitentiary.

Angelica Cameron, 32, was arraigned at the New Amsterdam Court on two counts of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

It is alleged that on December 9, at the New Amsterdam Prison, she had in her possession 137 grams

of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The mother of two was also charged with being in possession of 152 grams of cannabis, also on December 9 at Penitentiary Walk, New Amsterdam, for the purpose of trafficking.

Cameron pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Earlier in 2023, a prison officer, Sarafane Pitt, was charged and granted $100,000 bail after pleading not guilty to a charge of trafficking narcotics into the prison.

Pitt, 29, of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) was accused of attempting to smuggle 604 grams of cannabis into the

NA prison.

In September 2023, a 21-year-old woman who attempted to sneak 106 grams of marijuana into the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Teana Anderson, a security guard of C Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, pleaded guilty to trafficking in narcotics before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.

In August 2023, a man and a woman were taken into custody after some 249 grams of cannabis, intended to be delivered to two inmates, was found in their possession.

The individuals had visited the correctional facility to provide items for two different inmates.

12

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 202

Fire prevention campaign: The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has commenced a robust camp two weeks. Already for the year, The GFS has recorded over 20 fires. In photos, GFS office

24 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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paign to raise awareness on fire prevention after an alarming increase in fires over the past ers are engaging businesses and residents in various regions on fire safety (GFS photos)

14 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Don’t be afraid, Guyana’s economy has a lot of potential” – top businessman …urges local companies to form consortiums to benefit from opportunities

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rominent Guyanese businessman Komal Singh is urging local companies to be proactive and take advantage of the “tremendous amount of opportunities” that are now available in the Guyanese economy.

Singh, also the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), made this remark at the commissioning of his company GAICO Construction & General Services Inc’s US$30 million marine facility at Nimes, West Bank Demerara on Saturday.

The newly built facility comprises a wharf, dry dock, and laydown and storage yard. The port facility will serve as a critical infrastructure for offloading equipment and materials being used to advance the development of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

Key aspects of the development in the region and the country as a whole are the ongoing construction of the new high-span four-lane bridge across the Demerara River and Government’s highly-tout-

ed Gas-to-Energy Project, which will feature a 300-megawatt power plant and an integrated Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) plant at Wales, WBD. “We all need to make sure that we capitalize on what is in front of us here today. Oil and gas have brought tremendous amount of opportunities to Guyana, and we from the business sector need to be proactive. We need to look ahead of what is happening, and don't just build for today. We need to build for tomorrow,” Singh posited.

Through strategic efforts of the current Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration, the businessman pointed out, investment in

the local economy has now become easy, and almost risk-free. In fact, the PSC Chairman disclosed that in the last three years, in excess of US$25 million has been invested by the Private Sector into the Guyanese economy.

“I'm saying the economy is robust. The economy has a lot of potential, and none of us should be scared of it… You can be very confident, about 60 or 70 per cent, that your investment is going to be successful.

You know why this is so?

It is because, when we look at the Government's strategic vision to develop this country, it is not done in a very haphazard manner; it's done in a very

organized strategic manner… All of these projects, when you look at them, they have sustainability.

If oil and gas go tomorrow morning out of Guyana, those developments will sustain the other sectors in a very, very big way,” the businessman posited.

Singh noted that the vast opportunities that have been created by both the Government and the local oil and gas industry have also brought on a tremendous amount of pressure for the Private Sector.

Consortiums and partnerships On this note, the PSC Chairman explained that in taking advantage of these opportunities, local businesses cannot do it alone. He urged companies to explore creating partnerships and consortiums in order to develop and position themselves, in the shortest possible time, to benefit from these economic opportunities. Key to this, he emphasised, is finding the right partners.

Singh used his own company as an example to demonstrate how beneficial consortiums are. Back in 2017, in order to get a contract for waste management services from United States oil major ExxonMobil, which along with its co-venturers is producing oil offshore Guyana in the Stabroek Block, he partnered with a firm from the United Kingdom. However, they were unsuccessful in getting the contract.

Then in 2019, when the contract was retendered, he went in search of a ‘more competent partner’, having learnt from what they lacked the pre-

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, GAICO CEO Komal Singh

vious time. GAICO found a company in Finland with the required technical expertise and the financial support. Despite having these resources, however, Singh explained, they realized that their chances of winning the contract was about 50 per cent. But if they bring in a third partner, then their chances of winning the tender would almost double to 99.9 per cent; and it did.

Together, GAICO, Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) and Finlandbased Lamor established Sustainable Environmental Solutions (SES) – a local company that offers hazardous and non-hazardous waste management and tank cleaning services.

“We took the risk of sharing the pie, but standing the chance of winning the tender. And thankful, we went together as a…huge consortium and we were very successful.

Today, we operate a huge

facility in GYSBI compound… and that facility treats all the hazardous waste that comes off from the rigs, and we're doing it in a very high-tech manner. The facility we have there right now, we recovered 100 per cent base oil.

We don't burn any waste oil; and I think, for the country, for the environment, it is an awesome and a real good facility. But we could not have done it without bringing ourselves together in a consortium and partnership,” he explained.

“The pie is so big we should not be greedy at any one time to say we can do it alone. Because when we form a consortium, there's a huge opportunity arising out of those consortiums… So, we must not, and we should not, don’t look for partnership.

The market is growing aggressively right now, and we should all look to see where we can develop,” the businessman posited. (G8)

ECD man caught with illegal ammo

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fficers attached to the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) have arrested a male following the discovery of several types of ammunition.

The ammunition was found on Saturday when CANU Officers conducted an operation at Norton Street in Wortmanville, Georgetown. During the exercise, a search was conducted on the suspect, leading to the discovery of 12 rounds of ammunition.

These includes 11 9mm and one .223.

The 46-year-old resident of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was arrested and escorted to CANU’s

The illegal ammunition that was found by CANU

Headquarters along with the ammunition. He was subsequently handed over to the Guyana Police Force

with the ammunition for further investigation.

Investigations are ongoing.

NEWS

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

East Canje residents complain of poor Police response …as Deputy Commander listens to complaints during outreach

“The men were in my house; I called the police and they told me to come to the station” – East Canje resident

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disappointment with the response they have been receiving from the police.

lice.

“The police have not been efficient,” he told Deputy

delegation from Regional Police Division 6.

Superintendent Stanley pointed out the need to build partnerships saying that the division was bringing policing to the community.

“We are doing this rather than you having to come to us... Some persons may not want to go to the police station but if we are here they may want to open up,” he said, noting that persons would have been allowed to discuss sensitive issues in private during the engagement.

Meanwhile, residents complained bitterly of the service they have been receiving from the police.

This was brought out during a recent engagement between residents and the

Commander of Region Six Superintendent Ravindra Stanley, who headed the

One resident said that last year his house was broken into on four occasions

ome residents of Number Two Village East Canje, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) have expressed

police during an outreach.

During the engagement, one resident did not hold back in expressing his disappointment with the po-

Deputy Commander of Region Six Superintendent Ravindra Stanley along with other senior officers meeting with residents of Number Two Village East Canje, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne)

and there has been no response from police.

“One time I made four calls to the police while the men were in the house. On the fourth call they told me to come to the station and make a report, and then men were in the house...”

However, some spoke of the police responding to calls noise nuisance but said they were not pleased with the response.

“When you called the police, they came and I don’t know what they went and tell the people and drove off,” one resident explained.

Another resident spoke of members of a certain fam-

ily stopping their vehicle in front of their house and loudly playing a recorded death announcement of a member of their household.

“If the police don’t do anything you may have to come here for something else, because all the police doing is saying that this is a private matter and it is not me alone; look all of these families here are being affected...” one resident said.

Meanwhile, the community was told that the matter has reached a different level and the police are currently investigating acts of cybercrime have taken statements from several

persons, and have also taken possession of some electronic devices.

Some of the issues addressed by Superintendent Stanley and team were noise nuisance, thieves living in abandoned houses, and the need for a community policing group within the community.

Those issues among others were addressed by the deputy Commander and arrangements were made to deal with existing matters.

Superintendent Stanley promised a follow-up visit to the community to see if the issues have been addressed.

(G4)

16 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fire Service engages ECD children at “Kids Fire Safety Camp”

Kids Fire Safety Camp” at the Lusignan Community Center on Sunday

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n an effort to bring awareness to children about the dangers of fires, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) on Sunday held a “Kids Fire Safety Camp” at the Lusignan Community Centre.

Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham, in brief remarks, highlighted that the Camp was an integral part of a strategic plan aimed at reaching and teaching children from all backgrounds.

Chief Wickham emphasised that children are the future, and through the camp, attendees will serve as catalysts for spreading the message of fire prevention.

He expressed optimism that the participants will make a positive impact in their families, schools, and communities.

According to the GFS, the Camp saw children from several schools on the East Coast of Demerara, including Mon Repos Primary,

Good Hope Secondary, and Camille’s Institute, as well as children who reside in the area.

With a focus on fire safe-

ty, the Camp instilled essential life skills in the young participants through engaging activities, interactive question-and-answer segments, and practical demonstrations, the Fire Service said on Sunday.

It added that it was aiming to continually host camps and other awareness events to spread the message of fire safety to citizens.

A technical team from the Guyana Water Inc led by Chief Executive Officer, Shaik Baksh visited the well at Covent Garden, to assess the ongoing drilling operations. The well will serve the surrounding areas of Farm, Prospect, Herstelling, and Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara (GWI photo)

FEATURE

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

HEALTH TIPS

SEIZURES IN CHILDREN – PART 1

Dr. Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

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eizures have many causes, and are either generalized or focal.

Within these categories, several types may affect children.

About 1 in 10 people will have a seizure at some point during their life. Seizure disorders can begin in childhood.

About one in 150 children receive an epilepsy diagnosis before the age of 10 years old. The types of seizures in children fall into the same

broad categories as seizures in adults. These are generalized seizures, which affect both sides of the brain; and focal seizures, which affect one side of the brain. It may be impossible to diagnose the reason for a child’s seizure based solely on the symptoms they display or the type of seizure they have. A doctor may ask about seizure symptoms because this can help narrow down the regions of the brain the seizure affects, which may ultimately help with diagnosis.

While epilepsy is a common cause of childhood seizures, a wide range of medical conditions can cause seizures.

Sometimes a child has a seizure for no clear reason. The child might never have a seizure again, or could continue having seizures.

Keep reading to learn more about different types of seizures that can affect children, including the causes, what to expect, and how to treat them.

CAUSES OF SEIZURES IN CHILDREN Many different medical conditions can trigger a sei-

zure, though one of the most common is the seizure disorder epilepsy. The type of seizure a person has is not always helpful for discerning its cause, so it is important to talk with a doctor.

Some non-epilepsy causes of seizure include: • Poisoning, including from drugs or alcohol.

• Electrolyte imbalances • Hypoglycemia • Brain injuries • Cancer • Fever • Infections Seizures in children fall into two general categories, based on whether they involve the entire brain, or just one side of the brain.

Within these two categories, there are many different subtypes of seizure.

• Generalized seizures.

Generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain.

Some of the most common types include: • Absence seizures An absence seizure causes a person to temporarily be unaware of, or unrespon-

sive to, their surroundings.

They may blink rapidly or seem to be absent. Doctors used to call them petit mal seizures. Most absence seizures last just a few seconds.

Some people experience atypical absence seizures, which may last longer, or cause additional symptoms such as smacking the lips or other unusual movements. Absence seizures are more common in children than in adults. Because the symptoms are subtle, adults might not recognize that children experiencing absence seizures are having a seizure.

Anti-seizure medication can help prevent absence seizures, or reduce their frequency. In most children, absence seizures disappear on their own in adulthood.

• Tonic-clonic seizures Tonic-clonic seizures most resemble the stereotypical seizure: with shaking, twitching, and lack of awareness. Some people cry out or make unusual noises right before or during the seizure. These seizures typ-

ically last less than 5 minutes, though a person may have temporary neurological changes after the seizure ends. The tonic phase happens first, causing the muscles to stiffen. This can cause a person to fall or make noise. A person might also bite their tongue.

During the next phase, the clonic phase, a person may begin convulsing, with their arms and legs jerking or twitching. Doctors used to call tonic-clonic seizures grand mal seizures.

During this seizure, the only treatment is to keep the child safe. Do not shake them or move them, but monitor them to ensure they are breathing, and are not able to injure themselves. If a tonic-clonic seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, call 911, even if the child has had a seizure before.

Epilepsy usually causes tonic-clonic seizures. Longterm treatment involves anti-epilepsy or anti-seizure drugs. If these drugs do not work, implantable devices or surgery may help reduce the frequency of seizures.

• Atonic seizures Atonic seizures, which some people call drop attacks, cause a sudden loss of muscle control and tone.

A child may suddenly flop to the floor or go limp. Their head may drop. These seizures can be focal, starting in one side of the brain; or generalized, affecting both sides of the brain.

Atonic seizures commonly begin in childhood because of epilepsy. Seizure medication, diet changes, nerve stimulation devices, and surgery may help.

• Focal seizures Focal seizures affect just one side of the brain. Some doctors call them partial seizures. Some examples of focal seizures include: • Simple focal seizures Simple focal seizures, also called simple partial seizures, affect a single part of the brain, causing small and subtle changes in con-

sciousness, such as twitching or unusual perceptions.

Some doctors call them partial seizures or focal aware seizures. A child remains aware during a simple focal seizure.

Anti-seizure medication may help. If it does not, implantable devices, dietary changes, or brain surgery may help reduce the frequency of these seizures.

• Complex focal seizures Complex focal seizures, or focal impaired awareness seizures, are similar to

simple focal seizures. They may cause twitches, unusual facial movements, tics, or cause a person to seem confused or distant. Unlike simple focal seizures, a child is not aware during the seizure. Some children wander.

Anti-seizure medications may help prevent these seizures. When medication is ineffective, diet changes, surgery, or nerve stimulation devices may help.

• Secondary generalized focal seizures A secondary generalized

seizure begins as a focal seizure and then spreads to other areas of the brain, eventually affecting both sides of the brain. This type of seizure may become a tonic-clonic seizure.

Treatment depends on the type of seizure or seizure disorder that causes the seizure to spread. It often involves anti-seizure medication.

• Infantile spasms Infantile spasms are specific types of spasms and seizures in children younger than 2 years old. They are very brief, lasting just 1–3 seconds, and cause a child to stiffen or jerk their arms and legs every few seconds for 5–10 minutes.

Many parents may not recognize these spasms as seizures.

These seizures often signal a more serious type of epilepsy, so it is important to seek early treatment to help prevent neurological damage and improve a child’s development. Antiseizure medications do not usually work. Instead, doctors may recommend other treatments, such as steroids. If medications do not work, a doctor may recommend surgery or other interventions.

18

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

T&T Police Officers want Global community urges inauguration of Guatemala's PSC to probe Commissioner’s conduct in promotion matter Arevalo amid delay

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ensions were rising on Sunday as the inauguration of Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo was delayed without explanation and delegations for countries present for the event and a US official called for the process to be respected.

Demonstrators pushed through barricades and were threatening to storm Guatemala's Congress after the unexplained delay to first induct Congressional lawmakers Sunday morning. By the time Arevalo's planned inauguration was due to begin at 15:00h local time, the first session still had not

called on all sides to remain calm.

Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina called for Arevalo's inauguration to be respected on a message shared on X, saying he made the statement on behalf of the delegations present in Guatemala, including from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the European Union.

"The Guatemalan people expressed their democratic will in fair, free and transparent elections, endorsed by the international community through its electoral observation missions. That will must be respected," Reina said.

run-off in a sweeping victory.

In the months after, Guatemala's Attorney General – seen as an ally of outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei – has intensified attempts to discredit Arevalo's victory and hinder his transition.

The Attorney General has tried to strip Arevalo and his Vice President-elect Karin Herrera of legal immunity, suspend his Semilla party and annul the election. The "coup" attempt, as Arevalo terms it, has drawn tens of thousands of Guatemalans to the streets. The international community, including the United States, has piled vast

A

ttorneys representing 93 police officers have written to the Police Service Commission (PSC) to probe Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher.

The Attorneys want the PSC to act against Harewood-Christopher for her mishandling of promotions for over 2000 Constables dating back to 2009.

In their letter, Attorneys Jagdeo Singh, Karina Singh and Leon Kalicharan reminded the PSC of its powers over the Police Commissioner, saying that dismissal proceedings can be constituted for breach of contract or reported inefficiency based on performance appraisal.

“The PSC is also empowered to make appointments on promotion and to confirm appointments and also, terminate the services of the Commissioner or a Deputy Commissioner

T&T Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher

of Police [after giving her an opportunity to be heard] on several grounds,” the Attorneys stated.

They contended that the treatment of their clients in the promotion issue constituted both a breach of her contract for failing to ensure that “the human, financial and material resources available to the service are used in an effi-

cient and effective manner” and her inefficient handling of the entire process.

The lawyers highlighted that part of the issue stemmed from the fact that the Promotions Advisory Board (PAB) had not properly met since 2009, creating a backlog of constables to be promoted to corporal.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Heavy Rio de Janeiro rains kill at least 11

H Indigenous people march in support of Guatemala President-elect Bernardo Arevalo in Guatemala City, Guatemala, January 14, 2024 (Reuters/Cristina Chiquin photo)

started.

The presence of Police with riot gear was growing on the streets.

Arevalo's Semilla party sent a message on social media platform X at 16:00h saying Arevalo was officially the President of Guatemala, though the message appeared to be deleted several minutes later.

A spokesperson for Semilla told Reuters that Arevalo was at a hotel in Guatemala City.

US aid chief Samantha Power said there was "no question" that Arevalo is the President of Guatemala and

Guatemala's top court earlier on Sunday decided that Semilla party lawmakers will not take office affiliated with their party but as independents. That would block them from joining Congress' board of directors and weakens the new President's ability to wield power.

The court said it was planning to meet again at 18:00h.

Vowing to restore democracy and banish deep-rooted corruption in Guatemala, the most populous country in Central America with 17.1 million people, Arevalo, 65, won the August presidential

pressure on Giammattei's Administration to proceed with the transition of power.

The events leading up to Arevalo's inauguration underscore Guatemala's fragile rule of law, with the country pushed to the brink of a governance crisis that could limit his ability to rule and keep campaign pledges to root out bad political actors, fight organised crime, and create new jobs.

The attorney general's office has denied that it is attempting a coup and defended its actions as within the framework of Guatemalan law. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ecuador cracks down on prisons to restore order after hostage crisis

E

cuador's Police and military on Sunday were aiming to restore order inside the country's dangerous prisons where dozens of staff were held hostage by inmates amid an uptick in violence in the Andean nation.

Images on social media shared by Ecuadorean armed forces showed shirtless prisoners on their knees with hands on their heads as armed soldiers

entered the seven jails that were the scenes of a hostage crisis that ended Saturday evening.

Security forces were conducting searches and regaining control of the prisons, the military said.

"The national police are respecting the human rights of these people.

We are doing so in a very calm manner," Norman Cano, Police Chief at the Esmeraldas prison, said on

social media.

The hostages, which the SNAI prison agency previously said were 158 guards and 20 administrative staffers, were held since last Monday in at least seven prisons before they were freed.

Armed groups appear to be reacting to President Daniel Noboa's plans to tackle the dire security situation, according to the government. (Reuters)

eavy rains that buffeted Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state this weekend have killed at least 11 persons, according to the state fire service.

The rains flooded streets,

the city's metro line and peoples' homes, bringing down trees and causing landslides.

Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes announced a state of emergency while President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Government offered federal support.

Firefighters are still looking for one woman who is missing after her vehicle fell in a river. (Reuters)

Nicaragua expels Catholic Bishop Alvarez, priests amid crackdown

N

icaragua said it expelled 19 clergymen to the Vatican on Sunday, including Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez, a prominent critic of President Daniel Ortega.

Bishop Isidoro Mora, 15 priests, and two seminarians who were detained in Nicaragua were also expelled.

Nicaragua thanked Pope Francis and other Church members for "the very respectful and discreet coordination carried out to make possible the trip to the Vatican" for the clergymen, in a statement shared on local media outlet El 19.

Alvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa, forcefully criticised the Government's deadly response to mass protests in 2018, and was convicted of treason and sentenced to a 26-year prison term earlier this year.

"Thank God he is gone, exiled but now free," a family member of one of the expelled clergy members said.

Rolando Alvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and a critic of the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, shown praying at Managua's Catholic church where he was taking refuge, alleging he had been targeted by the Police, May 20, 2022 (Reuters/Maynor Valenzuela file photo)

Mora was arrested in December for saying at a mass that he was praying for Alvarez, sources said.

The Government has not issued any statements explaining any alleged

crimes committed by the priests or reasons for their arrests, but since the protests five years ago, Ortega has accused church leaders of seeking to overthrow his Government. (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

19

Around The World

Fierce fighting in Gaza OILNEWS OIL NEWS as war hits 100 days Norway to boost oil and gas exploration

O

il and gas companies plan to boost exploration activity and spending offshore Norway this year as Western Europe’s top oil and gas producer looks to maintain production and raise exports to the rest of Europe.

Currently, most exploration efforts are focused on areas around existing infrastructure so discoveries can be tied back quickly and create value while the fields are still in operation, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said in its annual report this week.

While this is important for maintaining production levels in the near and medium term, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said it “would like to see companies exploring actively in more frontier areas.”

“In order to realise more of the resource potential, companies must to a greater degree commit to testing new ideas in frontier areas,” the Norwegian authority said.

The robust exploration and production activity of the past year is set to continue into 2024, it noted in the report.

Last year, operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf spudded 34 exploration wells, which is on par with recent years, and 14 oil and gas discoveries were made – 11 in the North Sea, two in the Norwegian Sea, and one in the Barents Sea, the Directorate said.

This year, exploration activity will pick up, with 40 to 50 exploration wells planned by operators, according to the authority.

Overall, Norway’s oil and gas production was slightly lower than expected in 2023, largely due to unplanned and extended maintenance shutdowns at multiple fields and onshore facilities during the summer.

Gas production resumed full force starting from early autumn, with November and December being particularly good months for gas exports, Norway said. According to the Directorate’s preliminary figures, a new export record for a single month was set in December, with just under 12 billion standard cubic meters of gas exported.

Currently, Norway has as many as 27 projects under development, contributing to robust activity in the supplier industry. The high development activity since 2022 means that Norway’s oil and gas production is expected to remain stable for the next few years.

Over the short term, the new fields coming on stream will offset lower production from aging fields, the directorate said.

It also highlighted that “The Norwegian shelf will continue to play an extremely important role for energy security in Europe for many years to come.”

Norway became Europe’s top natural gas supplier in 2023, replacing Russia, whose pipeline gas volumes to European customers plunged after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(Oilprice.com)

I

sraeli tanks and aircraft hit targets in southern and central Gaza on Sunday, and there were fierce gun battles in some areas as the war reached 100 days since the October 7 attack led by gunmen from the Islamist Hamas movement.

Communications and Internet services were down for the third day running, complicating the work of emergency and ambulance crews trying to help people in areas hit by fighting.

The clashes were concentrated in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Hamas said its fighters hit an Israeli tank, as well as in Al-Bureij and Al Maghazi in central Gaza, where the military said several fighters were killed.

Hamas' armed wing

spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said on Sunday the fate of many Israeli hostages captured on October 7 has become unknown.

In his first televised appearance for several weeks, marking the 100th day since the outbreak of the war, he said many of the hostages "may have been killed", blaming their fate on Israel.

Hamas showed it retained rocketry capacity, launching a fresh salvo on Sunday at Ashdod, an Israeli town 40 km (25 miles) away. There was no word of any casualties.

Abu Ubaida said the group had been told by "several parties in the resistance fronts that they will expand their strikes on the Israeli enemy in the coming days".

Over the past 24 hours,

the Gaza health ministry said 125 people had been killed and 265 wounded, bringing the total number confirmed to have been killed since the start of the war to almost 24,000, with

more than 60,000 wounded.

Israel's military said it has killed around 9000 Palestinian fighters, and lost 189 soldiers, in the Gaza war so far. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Trump dominates as Iowa voters kick off 2024 US election race

A

s Iowa finds itself at the centre of a brutal winter storm, it also sits, momentarily, at the centre of US politics.

It's a position that voters there are used to finding themselves in – for more than 50 years, their state has been the first to pick the party nominees for President.

While the Democrats have changed their schedule this year, for Iowa Republicans today's caucuses offer the chance to fire the starting gun on the 2024 race and offer crucial momentum to their preferred candidate.

This weekend, political attack ads played out nearly constantly on the TV screens of bars and restau-

rants, while campaign posters could be spotted in snow-covered yards and foggy windows.

In conversations with dozens of Republican voters, border security and the economy were the issues that seemed front of mind for many. But with Donald Trump dominating the race, it was rarely long before the former president's name was mentioned by his supporters and opponents alike.

"I'm pretty sure Trump's going to win because most of the people I talk to are for him," said Joe Van Ginkel, as he ploughed snow on a frigid morning.

It was the second blizzard of the week to hit Madison County, which lies south of the state capi-

Volcano erupts in Iceland, flowing lava reaches fishing town

A

volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, with molten lava flows reaching the outskirts of a small fishing town by midafternoon, setting some houses alight.

The town was evacuated earlier and no people were in danger, authorities said.

Fountains of molten rock and smoke spewed from fissures in the ground across a wide area stretching to the town of Grindavik, where at least one house had caught fire, live video published by daily Morgunbladid showed.

The eruption began early on Sunday north of the town, which just hours before had been evacuated for the second time since

Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli strikes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 14, 2024 (Reuters/Tyrone Siu photo)

tal Des Moines. Van Ginkel is chair of the county's Republican Party and like many local party officials, supports Trump.

Trump was the first

choice of 48 per cent of likely Republican caucusgoers in the Des Moines Register/ NBC News/MediaCom poll.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Russia's ally China needed to end Ukraine war, diplomat says

C

hina needs to be involved in talks to end the war with Russia, Ukraine's top representative said after a high-level diplomatic meeting ahead of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Ukraine's presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Sunday it was important that Russian ally China was at the table when Kyiv convenes further meetings on its peace formula.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation in Davos this week. Asked if President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would meet Li, Yermak told a news brief-

ing "let's see", adding he had not seen the Ukrainian President's final agenda.

Zelenskiy is due to arrive in Bern, Switzerland today to meet the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd.

Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, who attended Sunday's discussions, told an earlier news conference: "We must do everything to end this war."

"China plays a significant role. We must find ways to work with China on this," Cassis said, adding that both Russia and Ukraine were not willing to make concessions.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Mine landslide kills 22 people in Tanzania

T

A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, January 14, 2024 (Iceland Civil Protection/Handout via Reuters)

November over fears that an eruption was imminent amid a swarm of seismic activity, authorities said.

Authorities built bar-

riers of earth and rock in recent weeks to try to prevent lava from reaching Grindavik, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of

the capital Reykjavik, but the latest eruption have penetrated the town's defences (Excerpt from Reuters)

wenty-two people have died following a landslide at an illegal mine in northern Tanzania, officials said.

The incident occurred at Ng'alita mine in Bariadi district, Simiyu region on Saturday, district commissioner Simon Simalenga said.

It occurred after a group of people started mining in an area where activity was restricted due to heavy rains, he told Reuters news agency.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her "great sadness" at the news.

"These fellow Tanzanians were small miners in the area, trying to earn a living for themselves, their families," she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Simalenga said he was initially told that there were 19 to 20 people trapped in the mines, but that 22 bodies ended up being retrieved. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Consider making a change. A new job, adventure or educational pursuit will be enticing. Follow your heart and do what makes you happy. It’s time to make a big move.

(March 21-April 19) Connect with people who’ve impacted your life and pick up where you left off. Discussions will spark your imagination and give you plenty to consider.

A change will stimulate your mind.

PICKLES (April 20-May 20)

Stick to what you know and do best.

Don’t share personal information or make misleading gestures. Focus on personal growth, meaningful relationships and taking care of pending matters.

(May 21-June 20) Step outside your comfort zone and try something new. Let your imagination run wild, and you’ll discover how to turn something you love doing into a lucrative or helpful pursuit.

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

Choose your battles wisely. Don’t agree to participate in something that doesn’t interest you. Attend an event geared toward self-improvement.

Update your image.

(July 23-Aug. 22) Money spent on educational pursuits or equipment to increase productivity will pay off. Making a change will give you a new lease on life and encourage you to focus on your future.

CALVIN AND HOBBES (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

Monitor what’s happening around you. Avoid sparring with a friend, relative or colleague. Take pride in what you do and spend more time carrying out personal changes that make life easier.

Stick close to home. Recycle or discard things you no longer need and sell some items to boost your bank account.

A gesture you make will improve the dynamics of a relationship.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) A realistic attitude will help you avoid an emotional situation with a friend, relative or colleague. Set boundaries rather than expose your inner thoughts.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don’t let an opportunity pass you by; know when to act. If you share your intentions before you launch your plan of attack, someone will take advantage of you.

LAST PUBLISHED WORD -- PORTRAY

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Set a budget and use your imagination. Change doesn’t have to be costly, but efficiency will be necessary if you want to get your money’s worth. Live up to your word and standards.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don’t believe everything you hear.

Protect your name, ideas and position.

Someone will use manipulation to disrupt your plans. Be quick to respond, and you’ll maintain control.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

21

Afghanistan Tour to India 2024: T20I Series, Game 2 of 3…

INDIA SEAL SERIES WIN – as Jaiswal, Dube go full-throttle

S

cintillating half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube helped India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20I in Indore, thereby taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the threematch series. This win also extended to 15 India's unbeaten streak in bilateral T20I series at home. The last time they lost a home T20I series was in 2019, when Australia beat them 2-0.

After being sent in, Afghanistan rode on Gulbadin Naib's 57 off 35 balls, before India applied the brakes. But a late assault from Karim Janat and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who scored a combined 41 off 19, lifted the visitors to 172.

During the chase, Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled Rohit Sharma for a first-ball duck. Rohit was out without scoring in the first T20I as well, run-out off the second ball he faced. Virat Kohli,

Yashasvi Jaiswal made a fluent 68 off 34 balls

Axar Patel removed the dangerous-looking Gulbadin Naib

playing his first T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup, also looked to attack right away, and was a lot more successful than his captain, scoring

Shivam Dube scored his second successive half-century

SCOREBOARD Afghanistan (20 ovs maximum) Rahmanullah Gurbaz † c Dube b Ravi Bishnoi 14 Ibrahim Zadran (c) b Patel 8 Gulbadin Naib c RG Sharma b Patel 57 Azmatullah Omarzai b Dube 2 Mohammad Nabi c Singh b Ravi Bishnoi 14 Najibullah Zadran b Arshdeep Singh 23 Karim Janat c Patel b Arshdeep Singh 20 Mujeeb Ur Rahman run out (†JM Sharma/Arshdeep Singh) 21 Noor Ahmad c Kohli b Arshdeep Singh 1 Naveen-ul-Haq not out 1 Fazalhaq Farooqi run out (†JM Sharma/Jaiswal) 0 Extras (lb 4, w 7) 11 TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 8.60) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2.2 ov), 2-53 (Ibrahim Zadran, 5.4 ov), 3-60 (Azmatullah Omarzai, 6.5 ov), 4-91 (Gulbadin Naib, 11.3 ov), 5-104 (Mohammad Nabi, 14.2 ov), 6-134 (Najibullah Zadran, 17.1 ov), 7-164 (Karim Janat, 19.1 ov), 8-170 (Noor Ahmad, 19.5 ov), 9-171 (Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 19.5 ov), 10-172 (Fazalhaq Farooqi, 19.6 ov) •

BOWLING Arshdeep Singh Mukesh Kumar Ravi Bishnoi Axar Patel Shivam Dube Washington Sundar

O-M-R-W 4-0-32-3 2-0-21-0 4-0-39-2 4-0-17-2 3-0-36-1 3-0-23-0

India (T: 173 runs from 20 ovs) Yashasvi Jaiswal c †Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Karim Janat 68 Rohit Sharma (c) b Fazalhaq Farooqi 0 Virat Kohli c Ibrahim Zadran b Naveen-ul-Haq 29 Shivam Dube not out 63 Jitesh Sharma † c Mohammad Nabi b Karim Janat 0 Rinku Singh not out 9 Extras (lb 2, w 2) 4 TOTAL 15.4 Ov (RR: 11.04) 173/4 Did not bat: Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Rohit Sharma, 0.5 ov), 2-62 (Virat Kohli, 5.3 ov), 3-154 (Yashasvi Jaiswal, 12.3 ov), 4-156 (Jitesh Sharma, 12.6 ov) • BOWLING O-M-R-W Fazalhaq Farooqi 3.4-0-28-1 Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-0-32-0 Naveen-ul-Haq 3-0-33-1 Noor Ahmad 3-0-35-0 Mohammad Nabi 2-0-30-0 Karim Janat 2-0-13-2

29 off 16.

The stars of the match, though, were Jaiswal and Dube. The two seemed to be competing against each other, with the Afghanistan bowlers looking incidental. Jaiswal reached his fifty off 27 balls, and Dube off just 22, as both tried to send every possible ball to the boundary. As a result, India chased down their target in just 15.4 overs.

Naib leads Afghanistan's charge Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Afghanistan a quick start, hitting the first legal delivery of the first over for a four, and the first one of the second for a six. But his stay was short-lived, as he fell to Ravi Bishnoi for 14 off nine.

Naib, batter #3, ensured Afghanistan did not lose their momentum.

He hit back-to-back fours off Mukesh Kumar, before topping it with 6, 4, 4 off Bishnoi in the next over. He ended the powerplay with yet another boundary, taking Afghanistan to 58 for 2 after six.

At the other end, Shivam Dube castled Azmatullah Omarzai with a back-of-thehand slower ball. But Naib took a liking to him, hitting the medium-pacer for two sixes in his next over, the ninth. Between those two hits, he had a slice of luck when Kohli, charging in from long-on, shelled a difficult low chance. Naib was on 41 then.

He brought up his fifty shortly afterwards, off just 28 balls.

Axar applies the brakes Axar Patel has looked a far more complete bowler since his return from the quadriceps strain that had ruled him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup. During the forced

break, he worked on slowing down his pace, and is now reaping the rewards.

Introduced in the sixth over, he turned one past

Rohit-Kohli watch Rohit was run out in the first T20I when Shubman Gill did not respond to his call for a quick single. Tonight, in his 150th T20I, his early dismissal was owed less to misfortune. Facing his first ball, he moved towards the leg side in an attempt to pull Farooqi.

He missed, and Farooqi hit the top of off stump.

Kohli, who had missed the first game for personal reasons, opened his account by smashing Mujeeb over ex-

Gulbadin Naib scored his second T20I fifty

Ibrahim Zadran's outside edge to hit the off stump.

Then, in the 12th, he bowled one from well behind the popping crease - thus changing the length without a change in action - to have Naib caught at short midwicket. Bowling his four overs in a single spell, Axar finished with 2 for 17. Naib's wicket put the brakes on the scoring rate - Afghanistan managed just 27 in five overs, from 12 to 16.

Afghanistan finish strongly Najibullah Zadran was on 6 off 15 before he got stuck into Bishnoi. In the 17th over, he hit the legspinner for two sixes and a four. When he departed, Janat and Mujeeb took over, and smashed Dube for 20 in the penultimate over of the innings. Despite Arshdeep Singh giving away only eight in the final over, which included four wickets (including two via run-outs), Afghanistan scored 55 in the last four.

tra cover. In the same over, he swept a similar delivery to the deep midwicket fence.

In all, he hit five fours in 16 balls. When he was caught at mid-off off Naveen-ul-Haq,

the crowd was disappointed, but this might have been exactly the approach the team management wanted him to adopt.

The Jaiswal-Dube Show Jaiswal had kicked off India's chase by cutting Farooqi to point boundary.

In the seamer's next over, he hit a straight six, before offering a return chance. Farooqi failed to hold on to it, and then watched the next ball sail over deep square leg for six more. Jaiswal was equally severe on Mujeeb, hitting him for a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over. At the end of the powerplay, India had raced to 69 for 2.

Dube took some time to get going. He was on a runa-ball 7, but was soon outpacing Jaiswal. It started with him launching Noor Ahmad over long-off, before he clobbered Mohammad Nabi for three successive sixes. After ten overs, India's required rate had come down to 5.70.

Jaiswal and Dube added 92 in just seven overs. By the time Jaiswal was out for 68 off 34, India needed only 19 off 45 balls. Jitesh Sharma fell for a second-ball duck before Dube, 63 not out off 32, and Rinku Singh took India over the line. (ESPNCricinfo)

West Indian...

Sean Easey, the ICC Manager for Umpires and Referees, has said the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is a very important event for both players and officials in the ICC calendar.

“It has long been considered a platform for future stars of the sport to make a name for themselves; and for many of the participating players in this year’s edition, it is their first taste of competing on the world stage," he said.

“Similarly, it is an important development event for the umpire pathway also. A diverse and motivated team of international match officials has been appointed, and I am

FROM PAGE 22

confident that they will do an excellent job. I wish them the very best of luck across their time in South Africa," Easey added.

West Indies, winners of the tournament eight years ago, will do battle in Group B, alongside South Africa, England and Scotland, and will open their campaign against the hosts at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom next Friday. In preparation, they face New Zealand at Braamfischer Oval in Gauteng on Sunday in their first official warm-up, before taking on Nepal at St Stithians in Johannesburg next Wednesday.

(Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

Olympic Solidarity Archery Coaching CLASSIFIED ADS Course to be hosted in Guyana A

rchery Guyana will stage an Olympic Solidarity Coaching Course, beginning on Wednesday, January 17, and lasting until Sunday, January 21, 2024.

This five-day course will be held under the auspices of Olympic Solidarity, and in this regard, the Board of Directors commended the Executive Committee of the Guyana Olympic Association for the guidance and for making this possible for Archery and for Guyana.

World renowned World Archery Coach Trainer Ms. Ludys Carina Tejada, who hails from the Dominican Republic, had actually participated in archery as an athlete from 1978-2008. She has been recipient of several awards, and has medalled in a number of events. She is now an Archery Coach, and has been a mem-

ber of the World Archery Development Committee from 2010 to date. Currently, she is a Coach of the Santo Domingo Archery School and the Pedro Henriquez Ureña University, positions which she has held since 2014.

She has been selected as the facilitator of this course, which will be attended by 20 participants, both male and female, who are all local archery coaches of various levels, and work with various schools throughout the various Regions. Ms Tejada has tailored a programme to include the basics of coaching juniors right up to the team tactics of senior level competition.

Archery Guyana President, Mrs Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, in giving an update on planning of the event, expressed special thanks to President of the Guyana Olympic Committee, Mr. Godfrey Munroe, Mr.

Archery Guyana President, Mrs Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon

Garfield Wiltshire and Executive Committee members for the provision of an Olympic Solidarity grant,

Director of Sport Mr. Steve Ninvalle and the National Sports Commission and the Unit of Allied Art, Ministry of

Education.

She disclosed that among the topics to be covered in the proposed agenda are: Code of Ethics/WADA, Introduction to what is Archery and what is Coaching, the Beginners Award Programme, How to build an Archery session, preparatory movements/stance and nocking, string grip, bow and hand setting, body preposition, bow rising, anchoring, full draw form, production of forces, full draw form, expansion, aiming/target panic, Para Archery, release and follow through, balance, physical development, psychology, mental and visual and breathing.

The course will be conducted at the National Resource Centre on Woolford Avenue, Georgetown. There will be theoretical and practical sessions twice per day, lasting from 8:30hrs to 12:00hrs, and from 13:00hrs to 16:30hrs.

Tottenham fight back to earn draw at Man Utd

T

ottenham came back from behind twice in a pulsating Premier League encounter to deny Manchester United a victory in front of new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe, attending his first game since a proposed 25% purchase of his boyhood club was confirmed on Christmas Eve, said beforehand that he was "very excited" to be there.

Ratcliffe saw Rasmus Hojlund drive United into a third-minute lead, but his pre-match assertion that United "normally do well against Spurs" wasn't quite borne out here. With his sixth goal in as many Premier League games, Brazilian striker Richarlison levelled for the visiting Spurs, who were without three players, including captain Son Heungmin, who is away with South Korea at the Asian Cup. Marcus Rashford put hosts United ahead before the break, but Rodrigo Bentancur wiped out the advantage a minute after the restart with a blistering shot, his first goal since April, during which time he has recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury and an ankle problem.

The rest of the game was an education for Ratcliffe, who sat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the Directors Box. United had less than 40% possession, nine shots against Tottenham's 16, and only a third of the visitors' six on target. A draw was not enough to take Tottenham above rivals Arsenal and into the top four. But it did allow them to maintain an eight-point advantage over their hosts, who could drop to 10th before they are next in action against Wolves on 1 February.

Hojlund and Rashford's rare double

Prior to this game, Hojlund and Rashford had

ry was an excellent effort.

Debutant Timo Werner provided the pass - a collectors' item, given he managed only one assist in 21 league appearances during his final season at Chelsea - and Bentancur steadied himself before belting a drive past Africa Cup of Nations-bound Andre Onana at his near post.

A draw was the least

Rodrigo Bentancur equalised for Tottenham in the first minute of the second half, but the visitors could not find a winning goal

scored only four Premier League goals between them this season. Ratcliffe was therefore indeed privileged to see both get on the scoresheet in his first 45 minutes as a returning 'fan'. That the pair also had significant involvement in the others’ goal just added to the sense of occasion.

It was only in United's last home game, against Aston Villa on 26 December, that Hojlund broke his duck with a memorable late winner, and his latest effort smacked of someone who is having a surge of confidence.

Hojlund wasted little time in blasting a shot high into the Tottenham goal, after Destiny Udogie had stepped in to halt Rashford's charge across the penalty area.

Rashford has achieved so much that confidence should not be an issue, but he has been a shadow of the player who broke the 30-goal mark for the first time last season.

There was an element of being unsure of himself when he delayed getting a shot away, having found himself in the perfect position just before half-time. By then, although he had already found the net once, Bruno Fernandes was a significant factor, spraying a superb pass out to the England forward.

Hojlund then provided the perfect return pass, to which Tottenham's defenders were

too slow to react as Rashford sent his shot into the bottom corner.

Midway through the second half, manager Erik ten Hag had an extended chat with Rashford during a break in play. It seemed more tactical than an assessment of the forward's latest wasted opportunity, as Pedro Porro matched him for speed during a rapid chase into the Tottenham area, before the full-back outwitted his opponent as he tried to check onto his right foot.

When Rashford was eventually replaced by Antony three minutes from time, he did not seem happy, chuntering to himself as he took his seat.

Bentancur shines

Tottenham fans' favourite, Betancur, had an eventful day as he worked his way back from the ankle injury that followed a month after his recovery from cruciate surgery. The Uruguayan had an early effort cleared off the line by Dalot, and then earned himself a caution in ridiculous fashion, as he kicked the ball away after a flag had gone up for an offside, ludicrously arguing he was giving the ball back to United, when he had in fact sent it yards away from where it needed to be.

Betancur’s first goal since the day he suffered his inju-

Tottenham deserved, as £25m new arrival Radu Dragusin made his debut as a late substitute, although they would hope the injury that forced off Micky van de Ven near the end is nothing more than fatigue-related, given the Dutchman was returning after a two-month absence with a hamstring injury. (BBC Sport)

West Indian umpires Duguid, Gustard appointed for U19 World Cup

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WANTED: Nigel Duguid (left) and Patrick Gustard

W

est Indian umpires Nigel Duguid and Patrick Gustard have been named among match officials appointed for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup scheduled for play from January 19 to February 11 in South Africa.

Duguid and Gustard are among 16 officials who would stand in games during the youth showpiece, which will be played across five venues.

Duguid, 54, has already stood in one Test, 15 OneDay Internationals, and 44

Twenty20 Internationals, while featuring as television umpire in 36 men’s senior internationals. He will be involved in the January 20 contest between reigning champions India and Bangladesh.

Gustard, 52, has never stood in either a Test or a men’s ODI, but has officiated in 29 T20 Internationals and has served as TV official in a further nine. The Jamaican will join Mick Burns on field for the January 21 encounter between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

23

Kascon Engineering bats for Adrian Hetmyer T

he multi-purpose engineering company Kascon has thrown its full support behind national youth batsman Adrian Hetmyer for the year 2024.

Owner of Kascon Engineering, Businessman Rafeek Kasim, has said he recognises how ultra-talented young Hetmyer is, and has decided to motivate the lad by giving him a monthly stipend for the entire year.

Kascon has also presented Adrian Hetmyer with top quality cricket equipment at a presentation ceremony held at the company’s Number 2 Village, East Canje Berbice offices.

At the tender age of 14, Adrian Hetmyer has already scored nine centuries, including three double centuries, and cricket runs deep in his veins. He is the son of

Mr Rafeek Kasim speaking at the presentation ceremony

Seon Hetmyer and nephew of Shimron Hetmyer.

“We, at Kascon Engineering, we have one saying, ‘Test cricket was made for the Gods; average men play ODI and T20 crick-

et’. With three double centuries at the age of 14; with an uncle who played at the highest level; with a father whose name is synonymous with a complete cricketer, and (is) probably the best

ICC Under-19 World Cup…

all-rounder in the Canje district, Mr Adrian Hetmyer, we at Kascon Engineering (are) proud to be part of your life for the next 12 months,” the businessman has said.

“We are more than grateful to have you (as) part of our family. We do hope (that) in whatever way we can make your life better, just know we are always here for you,” the influential Kasim explained.

The young Hetmyer has expressed his gratitude to the businessman and his company, and noted that this sponsorship would benefit him significantly in his career. The 14-year-old, who has already played for

Guyana Under-15, disclosed he is aiming to go one step higher in 2024: at the regional level. “I had a bad season in 2023, so I am looking to better that this year,” Adrian has said.

President of the Berbice Cricket Board, Dr Cecil Beharry, was also present at the event, and spoke highly of young Hetmyer. And Coach of the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Cricket Club, Ameer Rahaman, was high in praise of Kascon for recognizing Adrian’s talent.

The right-handed batsman Adrian Hetmyer was recently called up to the Guyana Harpy Eagles senior trials. While in Berbice,

he featured in senior and junior club cricket, and has shown he is a cut above the rest.

Additionally, Kasim donated cricket balls to the Rose Hall Canje Community Centre Cricket Club, as he believes that club has shown significant growth in producing quality cricketers.

Kascon Engineering is a Guyanese company that specializes in constructing roads, buildings, and sea defences. Kasim is no stranger to cricket, as he had previously played competitive cricket and had served as a cricket administrator of the Young Warriors Cricket Club.

Chess season kicks off with Century 21 Grand Prix

Windies U19s beat New C Zealand by six wickets in first warm-up game

entury 21 Real Estate Agency is again supporting local chess development in Guyana.

An estimated 30 players are competing at the National Racquet Centre in Georgetown in the first Grand Prix One Chess tournament hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF).

This tournament is the first for the year in a series of chess events scheduled by the GCF, and is sponsored by Century 21. The event runs from Friday 12th to Thursday 18th January.

The eight-round Swiss System competition is being contested in the Open Category by players such as FM Anthony Drayton, veteran players Loris Nathoo and Errol Tiwari, experienced

FM Anthony Drayton vs Kishan Puran

The West Indies Under-19 team had a good start to their World Cup campaign

T

he West Indies Under19s comfortably defeated New Zealand by six wickets on Sunday at the Braam Fisherville Sports Complex in Johannesburg, in their opening warmup game ahead of the commencement of ICC Under-19 World Cup on January 19.

Vice-Captain Nathan Sealy took 4 wickets for 21 runs from nine overs to help the men in maroon restrict New Zealand to 131 all out in just 39.2 overs.

The Windies then needed just 24.5 overs to post 1324, thanks to an unbeaten 58run match-winning partnership between Joshua Dorne and wicket-keeper Jewel Andrew.

Dorne ended on 45* off 66 balls, including three fours; while Andrew finished on 36* off just 24 balls, having hit one four and three sixes.

Jordan Johnson (14) and Steven Wedderburn (10) also chipped in for the Windies.

New Zealand Captain Oscar Jackson took 2-14 from three overs.

West Indies will take on Nepal on Tuesday in

their next warm-up match.

(Sportsmax)

SCOREBOARD New Zealand Under-19s (50 ovs maximum) James Nelson c Johnson b Sealy 17 Luke Watson c N Edward b Edwards 12 Tom Jones c & b Dorne 24 Snehith Reddy lbw b Sealy 2 Oscar Jackson (c) run out (Dorne/Andrew) 2 Lachlan Stackpole c †Pascal b N Edward 23 Oliver Tewatiya c †Pascal b Thorne 5 Alex Thompson † lbw b Sealy 3 Zac Cumming b Sealy 17 Matt Rowe not out 1 Ryan Tsourgas b James 1 Extras (b 1, lb 4, nb 1, w 18) 24 TOTAL 39.2 Ov (RR: 3.33) 131 Did not bat: Rahman Hekmat, Ewald Schreuder, Sam Clode, Mason Clarke Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Luke Watson, 4.2 ov), 2-57 (James Nelson, 14.4 ov), 3-65 (Snehith Reddy, 18.6 ov), 4-71 (Oscar Jackson, 23.2 ov), 5-75 (Tom Jones, 26.4 ov), 6-102 (Lachlan Stackpole, 32.3 ov), 7-103 (Oliver Tewatiya, 33.2 ov), 8-125 (Zac Cumming, 36.5 ov), 9-130 (Alex Thompson, 38.2 ov), 10-131 (Ryan Tsourgas, 39.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Nathan Edward 5-0-18-1

Deshawn James Reon Edwards Isai Thorne Nathan Sealy Tarrique Edward Joshua Dorne

3.4-0-11-1 3-0-13-1 5.4-0-28-1 9-0-21-4 10-1-31-0 3-1-4-1

West Indies Under-19s (T: 132 runs from 50 ovs) Adrian Weir c Tewatiya b Tsourgas 3 Stephan Pascal (c)† b Rowe 4 Joshua Dorne not out 45 Jordan Johnson b Jackson 14 Steve Wedderburn c Jones b Jackson 10 Jewel Andrew not out 36 Extras (lb 4, w 16) 20 TOTAL 24.5 Ov (RR: 5.31) 132/4 Did not bat: Tarrique Edward, Reon Edwards, Deshawn James, Mavendra Dindyal, Devonie Joseph, Isai Thorne, Nathan Edward, Nathan Sealy, Raneico Smith Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Adrian Weir, 3.3 ov), 2-19 (Stephan Pascal, 4.3 ov), 3-57 (Jordan Johnson, 12.3 ov), 4-74 (Steve Wedderburn, 16.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Matt Rowe 4.5-1-19-1 Ryan Tsourgas 4-0-17-1 Ewald Schreuder 4-0-21-0 Oscar Jackson 3-1-14-2 Snehith Reddy 5-0-28-0 Oliver Tewatiya 3-0-26-0 Zac Cumming 1-0-3-0

Nellisha Johnson vs Shazeeda Rahim

players Justino Da Silva and Gilbert Williams, reigning National Junior Champion Keron Sandiford, Ricardo Narine, and youngsters Kyle Couchman and Sachin Pitamber.

Competing in the women's category are 2023 National Women's Champion Jessica Callender, Sasha Shariff, Shazeeda Rahim, and youngsters Aditi Joshi and Ciel Clement, to name a few.

Proving there are no limits to game performance based on age, this tournament promises excitement, and will prove that chess is a

battle of wits and strategy.

The total prize fund is $70,000. Prizes for 1st to 3rd places in either category are $20,000, $10,000, and $5,000 respectively. The tournament will be played by FIDE (International Chess Federation) rules. Players will see their ratings dip or move upwards based on their performance. The Chief Arbiter for the tournament is FIDE Arbiter John Lee, assisted by FIDE Arbiter Anand Raghunauth and National Arbiter Odit Rodrigues.

The CENTURY 21 Chess Grand Prix One is the first of four similar tournaments billed for 2024. Each Grand

Prix tournament gives players a chance to earn Grand Prix points, which would be tabulated in conjunction with their scores earned from the 2023 and 2024 National Open Championships and 2024 National Women’s Championship tourneys.

These top scores would ultimately determine the team for the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024.

Players who also compete regularly can improve their internationally recognized FIDE ratings.

Grand Prix One and Grand Prix Two will be a rigorous testing experience for top male and female chess players to become eligible for selection in the upcoming inaugural Caricom tournament in March 2024. The top eight players would have opportunity to represent the country at this prestigious event.

Updates on each round of the Grand Prix One games, and player results can be viewed on the GCF website: guyanachess.gy.

The GCF wishes to extend its gratitude to the CENTURY 21 Real Estate Agency for its collaborative and sustained partnership in the further growth of chess locally. The GFC would also thanks the National Sports Commission (NSC) for the use of the National Racquet Centre.

MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024

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

Pg 23

Windies U19s beat New Zealand by six wickets kicks off with Century in first warm-up game 21 Grand Prix Pg 23

Pg 23

bats for Adrian Hetmyer

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