Guyana Times - Monday October 18, 2021

Region 2 NGSA top students elated at P outstanding performance 13

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4804

THE BEACON OF TRUTH MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

Ghanaian experts review Guyana’s local content legislation …as VP engages counterpart on oil & gas sector Page 3

Deadly weekend: 5 die in separate accidents …farmer was taking new car for 1st "spin" – lone Mahaicony survivor

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Miner found dead in mining P11 camp

Harbour Bridge, Skeldon Energy Inc get new P14 Boards …GGMC, GFC Boards also appointed Strathspey murder

CPG to be resuscitated – P11 AG

P8 14 of 174 matters completed at Berbice, E’bo Criminal Assizes

Page 10

Former Chancellor 4 more Désirée Bernard, unvaccinated 2 other Guyanese persons die recognised as pioneering of COVID-19 C’bean women jurists …93 new cases recorded Page 12

Page 2

Self-confessed murderer P7 appeals life sentence

Drunken P7 GDF rank arrested after collision with motorcyclist

2 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Former Chancellor Désirée Bernard, 2 other Guyanese recognised as pioneering C’bean women jurists

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ormer Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana Justice Désirée Bernard has been recognised by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Academy for Law as a Pioneering Caribbean Woman Jurist.

Also recognised were the late Iris de Freitas Brazao and Gladys Ramsarran - both born in British Guiana.

The latter two women were described “as the women who blazed the trail for others by their early entry into the legal profession” as well as early pioneers in the

male-dominated profession.

Iris de Freitas Brazao

Justice Désirée Bernard

was called to the Bar in 1929 just a few years after women were allowed to enter the profession in Britain.

Ramsarran, on the other hand, was called to the Bar in Trinidad and Tobago in 1932. She was the first woman in British Guiana to qualify as a lawyer.

Last week, the CCJ Academy for Law officially launched the book “Eminent Caribbean Jurist: Pioneering Caribbean Women Jurists” in which 34 outstanding female jurists

from across the region were recognised for their sterling contributions to Caribbean jurisprudence. The book contains detailed biographies of Justice Bernard, Brazao, Ramsarran, and the other honourees.

CCJ’s President Justice Adrian Saunders noted that the women whose life and work are chronicled in the publication “represent the best of our part of the world.”

The regional Judge said that the honourees have persevered against all odds and have distinguished themselves whether at the Bar or on the bench or in some other significant service to society.

Distinguished women According to him, these distinguished women have lent their voice, their skills, and their expertise to the struggles of the vulnerable and the marginalised.

“They have advocated for equality, good governance under the rule of law, and for a just society. They have excelled in their respective fields, and they have set standards worthy of emulation. Their life and accomplishment are an unmatched source of inspiration to generations, especially to women and girls.”

Chairman of the CCJ Academy of Law CCJ Judge Winston Anderson said the

Iris de Freitas Brazao

biographies memorialised their travails and their triumphs. Justice Anderson said their profiles serve to motivate a new generation of lawyers to also leave their footprints on the sands of time.

Justice Anderson said he is delighted to be associated with this lasting tribute to the sterling contributions of these grounding-breaking women jurists. “In working with them, whether physically or through the record they left behind, we were truly inspired,” he expressed.

Justice Bernard’s biography is chronicled on the CCJ’s website. It states that she read law at the University of London, graduating with the LLB (Hons) in 1963. Qualifying as a solicitor in 1964, she engaged in private practice in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana from 1965 to 1980.

During that period, she was appointed a Magistrate (1970), Commissioner of Oaths and Notary Public (1976), and was admitted to the English Roll of Solicitors

(1977).

Thereafter, Justice Bernard established a number of professional “firsts,” being appointed the first female High Court Judge of the Supreme Court of Guyana (1980); the first female Justice of Appeal (1992); the first female Chief Justice of Guyana and in the Commonwealth Caribbean (1996); and the first female Chancellor of the Judiciary of Guyana and in the Commonwealth Gladys Ramsarran Caribbean (2001). ternational seminars and colJustice Bernard took the loquia both regionally and inoath of office as a Judge of the ternationally on a variety of CCJ at the Court’s inaugura- subjects relating to the law, tion ceremony, on Saturday, gender, and other matters of April 16, 2005. public interest.

During her long and disFor her exceptional continguished career, she held tribution to the improvement memberships in various re- of the status of women and gional and international or- the development and pracganisations, having been tice of law, Justice Bernard the founding Secretary of has received several awards, the Caribbean Women’s the most notable being the Association (CARIWA Cacique Crown of Honour, 1970-1974); first President and the Order of Roraima, of the Organisation of Guyana’s 3rd, and 2nd highCommonwealth Caribbean est national awards, respecBar Associations (OCCBA tively.

1976); member and Chair In July 2005, the of the Caribbean Steering Honourable Judge was Committee for Women’s awarded the Caricom Affairs, later established as Triennial Award for Women. the Women & Development She was awarded the degree Unit of UWI (WAND – 1978). of Doctor of Laws (honoris Internationally, Justice causa) by the University of Bernard served as both rap- the West Indies in November porteur (1982-1984) and 2007. In February 2011, she Chair (1985-1989) of the was appointed a Judge of the United Nations Committee Inter-American Development on the Elimination of Bank Administrative Discrimination against Tribunal, based in Women during her member- Washington, DC, USA. ship, which ran from 1982 In 2014, she was appointto 1998. She has presented ed to the Bermuda Court of many scholarly papers at and Appeal. (G1) participated in numerous in-

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Monday, Oct 18 – 02:30h – 04:00h and 13:30h – 15:00h and Tuesday, Oct 19 – 03:00h – 04:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Ghanaian experts review Guyana’s local content legislation …as VP engages counterpart on oil & gas sector

Monday, Oct 18 – 15:05h – 16:35h and Tuesday, Oct 19 – 15:35h – 17:05h.

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Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during discussions with Ghanaian Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo, currently in Ghana on a threeday visit, has held talks with his Ghanaian counterpart Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and has announced that Ghanaian experts will be reviewing Guyana’s draft local content legislation.

He made this announcement during a programme on Asaase radio in Ghana, where he was interviewed on Guyana and its own growing oil and gas sector.

It turns out that Guyana can learn a lot from Ghana, which has a fully developed oil and gas sector and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government fully intends to tap into that knowledge.

“The Local Content Policy that I came here to talk to Ghana about, hopefully by the end of the year we pass this. We want a second look from technicians from here, who’ve done this before, looking at the draft we have, so we can pass this. So that all our people benefit. We work for all 800,000 of our people. If we don’t transform this massive windfall we will experience into better lives for our people, we would have failed as a Government,” Jagdeo said.

In elaborating on the need for Guyana to capitalise on the oil and gas sector, Jagdeo explained the importance of Guyana growing its non-oil economy, while at the same time looking after Guyana from a social perspective.

“We have to build the next generation infrastructure to support a low carbon, non-oil economy. We had laid out this plan before we even discovered oil. So, the oil resources can accelerate our plans for the development of those sectors.”

“Secondly, it has to put in place both the infrastructure on the social side and the economic side. So, the roads, the ports, the hospitals, the schools of the fu-

“We want a second look from technicians from here, who’ve done this before, looking at the draft we have, so we can pass this. So that all our people benefit. We work for all 800,000 of our people. If we don’t transform this massive windfall we will experience into better lives for our people, we would have failed as a Government” – Vice President Jagdeo ture, the big scale infrastructure. And of course, massive amounts of training and support for growing Indigenous industries.”

During Jagdeo’s meeting with the Ghanaian Vice President, they spoke about the initiatives that Ghana implemented to further their industrial agenda and develop its non-oil economy. According to Jagdeo,

Guyana with its vast arable lands in the savannahs and the prevalence of fresh water, is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the agricultural sector and the global demand.

“The world is growing.

By 2050 we’ll have 10 to 11 billion people living in the world. The consumption patterns have changed.

People are eating more

meat. It takes more grains to produce meat. So, on the demand side, you’re going to have massive growth.”

“On the supply side, because so many parts of the world are water stressed.

And you have arable land because you cannot convert forest into agricultural lands because of climate change.

TURN TO PAGE 8

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

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

Social media and youths

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ocial media and its platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat have taken the world in general by storm and youths in particular. They have connected the seven billion people of the earth like at no time before since Homo Sapiens took over from the Neanderthals.

Intended to increase connectivity between persons on the heels of the Internet, it has however, morphed to create changes in its users – especially youths – that might not have been predicted.

From studies conducted, it is clear that social media is addictive with young people and they spend vast amounts of their time on it every day of their lives. “Scientists have found that teen social media overuse creates a stimulation pattern similar to the pattern created by other addictive behaviors.

Hence, the brain responds to social media the same way it responds to other “rewards”— with a release of dopamine.

These dopamine rushes are catalysed when a teen posts something online and is met with likes, shares, and positive comments from their peers.” Most parents are unaware of the amount of time their very young children spend on social media, but may observe the effects.

Social media certainly has its benefits for youths since it is at this stage in life they are learning to form relationships.

“According to a report released in 2021 by Common Sense Media on social media’s effects on teens, about half of the 1500 young people surveyed said social media is very important for them in order to get support and advice, feel less alone, and express themselves creatively, as well as for staying in touch with friends and family while social distancing.

And 43 per cent said that using social media makes them feel better when they are depressed, stressed, or anxious. Among LGBTQ youth, 52 per cent said social media helps them feel better when they are experiencing these difficult emotions.”

Social media also assists youth to discover their identity by providing a forum for them to practise skills related to identity development. “In a longitudinal survey of freshmen at a state university, researchers found that teens who expressed their opinions on social media experienced increased wellbeing. In addition, another study found that adolescents who communicated more online had greater “self-concept clarity” – a clearer idea of who they were. This self-awareness supports mental health.”

But social media also has its downside for youths and researchers at Facebook – which owns Instagram – found that the latter negatively affects their mental health. “They found that 13 per cent of British teen Instagram users and six per cent of American users in the same age segment thought about committing suicide while attributing such selfdestructive feelings to the site.”

But even against that background when Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg was questioned about the subject in a Congressional hearing, he insisted that such statistics were “misleading”. Unfortunately, there are no such studies in Guyana, but the dynamics are the same as should be the effects.

The negative and suicidal thoughts arise out of the operation of platforms like Instagram that are dominated by individuals like the Kardashians and other “influencers” who post pictures of themselves that have been heavily photoshopped and airbrushed to present images that are very unrealistic in comparison to the looks of average youths. All of these create tremendous pressures on youths to achieve that perfection especially when it comes to looks and lifestyle.

When they compare themselves, they despair at the gap and feelings of inadequacy set in, which in turn lead to depressive and suicidal thoughts.

Overall then, social media has its positives and negatives, but it is clear that there has to be more examination to ensure that the latter does not create a public health crisis in youths. While there have been calls for Governments to regulate social media, these have emanated more from those concerned about the platforms’ effectiveness in social mobilisation against Governments or other groups. But that is another story. For now, maybe parents should pay more attention as to where their children’s minds are at with that ubiquitous smartphone in their hands.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo having discussions with Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and a team of technical officials. Jagdeo is in Ghana on a three-day working visit (Office of the Vice President photo)

The next global economic emergency?

Deepening debt in the developing world …poorer nations were more fragile before COVID-19, had less scope to stimulate economies, and are on the wrong side of the vaccine divide

By Larry Elliott

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global pandemic. Rising inflation. The threat posed by climate change. Global policymakers have enough to keep them occupied without a developing country debt crisis adding to their list of problems.

That is a real possibility. Both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund used their annual meetings to stress the pressure poorer countries were under and the need for urgent, collective action. They are right to be worried because debt is at record levels, defences against a crisis are inadequate, and the clock is ticking.

Problems have only gradually surfaced. In the first phase, developing countries borrowed money, some of it from multilateral institutions, some from individual countries and some of it from the Private Sector.

At the time, this seemed relatively safe because the world economy was growing and demand for the commodities produced by low-income countries was strong. The assumption was that debt interest payments would be met by future export revenues. Then, commodity prices crashed in the mid-2010s and the Bank and the IMF started to voice concerns.

The pandemic ushered in a second phase because, while no part of the world was left untouched by COVID-19, poor countries were hit harder than developed nations. Poor countries were more fragile going into the pandemic, had less scope to stimulate their economies, and are on the wrong side of the global vaccine divide.

David Malpass, the World Bank President, said last week that of the 74 countries eligible for soft loans and grants through his institution’s International Development Association’s arm, over half were “in external debt distress or at high risk of it”.

When the US Federal Reserve starts to raise interest rates the third phase will begin. Many poor countries have borrowed in US dollars, and the cost

of servicing these loans – already high – will increase still further as the Fed tightens policy. That will be the point of maximum danger.

Malpass knows this. Last week, he said: “A comprehensive approach, including debt reduction, swifter restructuring and more transparency is needed to help countries assess and manage their external debt risks and work toward sustainable debt levels and terms.”

As things stand, the chances of getting a “comprehensive approach” seem remote. In April 2020, the G20 group of major developed and emerging market economies agreed a debt service suspension initiative (DSSI) designed to ease the immediate financial pressures on the poorest countries, but this was only ever a stopgap solution and has had only limited success.

The Jubilee Debt Campaign says the 46 low-income countries that applied for help have had US$10.3 billion (£7.5 billion) of debts suspended and US$300 million cancelled, but have still made US$36.4 billion in debt repayments to creditors.

The DSSI expires at the end of the year and is being replaced by the Common Framework for Debt Treatments, an initiative that is supposed to include all creditors – public and private – and to offer debt cancellation rather than suspension.

Three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – Chad, Ethiopia and Zambia – have applied for debt cancellation under the Common Framework, but without success. The difficulty is that debtors applying to the scheme need to get all creditors to agree to the same deal. Thus far, the Private Sector has refused to do so and there is not a lot the G20, the World Bank or the IMF can do about it.

The communique issued at the end of last week’s G20 meeting said it welcomed the “progress” made on the Common Framework, but as Tim Jones, head of policy at the Jubilee Debt Campaign, noted it was hard to see what this progress amounted to given that the amount of debt cancellation for Chad, Ethiopia

and Zambia so far is zero.

“The G20 are asleep at the wheel as the debt crisis intensifies in lower income countries,” Jones said. “The current rise in global interest rates will worsen the crisis, preventing countries from recovering from the pandemic. The G20 urgently need to compel private creditors to take part in debt restructuring.”

The question is how to do this in the absence of a sovereign debt restructuring mechanism (SDRM) that would allow countries to declare themselves bankrupt. Over the years, advocates of a SDRM have noted that companies have a legal way to rid themselves of unsustainable debts, but nation states do not.

Malpass was the latest to point this out last week.

Realistically, there will be no progress on an SDRM until it is backed by the US and while it is possible Joe Biden might throw his weight behind the idea it is reasonable to assume a bankruptcy scheme is not at the top of his to-do list.

In the meantime, Jones says there are ways pressure could be put on Private Sector creditors to play ball, such as through legislative changes in the US or the UK, the two countries where Private Sector creditors tend to take action in the courts to have their debts repaid.

One possible option would be collective action clauses that would bind all creditors to a restructuring deal in the event that a sizeable majority – say 66 per cent – were in agreement. In those circumstances, individual creditors would be unable to hold out for a better deal.

Another would be to update the 2010 UK legislation that prevented vulture funds suing to secure better terms than they would have received had they agreed to take part in the Highly Indebted Poor Country initiative (an earlier stab at comprehensive debt relief).

Prevention is always better than cure and the threat of a debt crisis needs to be recognised before it is too late. Tick tock, tick tock. (The Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

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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

Would PNC Congress produce Time to make serious effort to address suicide anything of relevance?

Dear Editor, The PNC/APNU/PNCR, whatever you may want to call them, would be having their congress celebrations this month, during which time they will take the opportunity to choose a new leader for the party. I wish them well in their endeavours. While that party’s congress holds significant interest for those running for office, I on the other hand, am not so keen on their internal affairs, however, I would like to make some comments which, I think those in the party might find helpful.

My comments stem from the fact that this party held political office for the longest period in our nation’s history and as such they owe it to us to clear up those negative images of the party

etched our minds. At least they owe us the decency to come clean in their act this time around.

So, once again I say that party held national office for the longest period of our history, the first instance being 28 continuous years. During that period this country experienced its most harrowing ordeal, we were relegated to the position of a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) the true interpretation of that acronym meaning, we were ranked below Haiti. We were poor, as well as we were a highly indebted country, as Guyana and Guyanese were looked upon with scorn and derision; this is what our country was subjected to.

The last experience of them which lasted for 5 years 5 months, was no dif-

ferent, here the party caused a growing economy to slump back into the dumps, while the higher echelons held tenaciously on to power. For the next 5 months the PNC tried every conceivable ruse at their disposal to hang on, power being the central focus of their attention. This only ended after a final recount of the votes and some pitched court battles right down to wire.

Now, it is hoped that with new leadership - there is definitely going to be a change - that some semblance of decency and class might grace that party. But that is just wishful thinking, because much of what we see as replacement is the same old classless gang, thinking under the same old, retrograde dogmas.

Except and until that image

is erased the party will continue to languish in the doldrums.

Another disgraceful and embarrassing feature of that party is the age-old problem of rigging. This is not only an endemic situation when on the national level, but even among party members themselves rigging or the falsification of election results is a serious malignancy. Until such time that the party put away that ghost of rigging, they will continue to be a symbol of repulsion in the eyes of the people. So, if you should ask me if there will be another episode of gunplay at this year’s party congress, I am tempted to give you an answer in the affirmative.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Opposition has consistently lied to its supporters Dear Editor, Over the last year under the PPP/C Government, we have seen massive development throughout the country despite the pandemic and other forces being at play. The Government has been working assiduously to fulfil their manifesto promises and thus far, they have done just what they promised to do. Such is an indication of great things that are yet to come under the PPP/C-led Administration.

However, despite the Government working towards developing the nation and bettering the lives of the people, we see the Opposition APNU/AFC trying very hard to derail progress almost every day. One thing is made clear through their behaviour; the coalition will do anything for political mileage even if it means stooping to the lowest point possible. I cannot say that better is expected

from them because that’s just in their nature and it has been that way from the inception. However, I write today to express how badly I feel for the APNU/AFC supporters who continue to be lied to and abused by the so-called “Opposition” on a daily basis.

Editor, the coalition has a history of lying to their supporters.

They have lied so many times that it would be impossible to keep track of all the lies. I wish to point out that prior to the 2020 elections the APNU/AFC started what I would call their “campaign of lies” beginning with the appointment of Justice Patterson as the Chairman of GECOM. They lied to their supporters saying that his appointment was constitutional when in actuality, it was not. They lied saying that the NoConfidence Motion brought before them would not suc-

Propeller death places focus on safety Dear Editor, The horrific death of the porter who was killed by the propeller of a plane after he rushed to offload a still active aircraft, amidst allegations he was earlier to the arrival of the aircraft seen imbibing, places the focus on the operational and safety aspects, in this particular case: •Was the deceased trained in this type of operation?

•Were the safety precautions observed?

•How could he be imbibing, as is being al-

leged, prior to the arrival of the aircraft?

•Supervision, lax or lack thereof of this employee, especially since he was a migrant.

And the list goes on.

It would appear employees in hinterland locations are usually left to their own devices, so they get involved in activities inimical to their own benefit or that of their employer.

It is regrettable, the loss of this young life.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

ceed but in actuality, it did.

They then lied saying that 33 is not a majority of 65 when even a school dropout would be able to tell you that it is indeed a majority.

They also managed to come up with some very creative lies during the elections period like saying that the Russians were trying to rig the paper-based election.

That just showed the level of stupidity that was emanating from their camp.

Lies upon lies they fabricated during that very period to say that they won the elections. In fact, they told so many lies that they couldn’t keep their story straight. First, they said that they won the elections, but as we all know, they were trying to alter the results in their favour using their destructive elements. When their rigging attempts were brought to light, they then lied to their supporters to say that the recount would prove that they have more votes. The recount debunked that lie in front of the international community. They then went on to lie saying that they would be back in office

within three months of winning the election petition.

Did they? No, because they just continue to embarrass themselves as if they were clutching to straws at that point. They continue to lie simply because they have to keep their supporters believing in something even if that something is a big fat lie. That just shows how low the coalition will stoop to serve their own interest at the expense of their supporters who they continue to use as pawns.

I can go on and on about the lies that they have been telling from last year to now but there is no need for that since we all can clearly distinguish truth from lies. Editor, at this rate, I have no doubt that the APNU/AFC coalition would remain in opposition for years to come. It is time for their supporters to wake up and say enough is enough.

It is time that they stand up and reject the lies being peddled to them by the very people that claim to represent them. The time is now.

Yours very truly, Anson Paul

Dear Editor, Guyana has been severely affected by COVID-19. As a result, many lost close ones or have been feeling the effect financially. Many issues also arise, coupled with the confusion arising from the election in 2020 and crime.

Over the years, periodically, Guyana would see a surge in suicides, and whilst many would vent their concerns, little could be done.

Incidentally, many of us would see someone displaying abnormal signs and would disregard them without giving a second thought because lots of people are not trained or know how to deal with such issues. Some would even use the opportunity to “add salt to the wounds” of someone who is experiencing mental health issues or some would refuse the help being offered or just be scared to talk to anyone because of the way society works.

Editor, of recent, there’s been an extreme increase of posts flooding social media about mental health,

and whilst many are citing others or their observations, some seem to be experiencing the same based on their posts. Of all the posts about mental health, only one person posted information regarding counselling for mental health issues.

There are about nine places offering counselling services and only the Ministry of Health is offering their service for free. Many people are willing to seek help for issues affecting them, and some are reluctant to visit the Ministry. It’s time the Government seriously makes provisions to combat this plague that has been affecting us for the longest time. Get more centres countrywide and ensure the service is free. Guyana always has groups that form, collect grants/loans/monetary donations from all around and do not provide a proper service. Some only seem to surface when it’s time to bid for grants/loans.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

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Foundation

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oes green apple juice taste the same as red apple juice? That might seem like a silly question.

Food colouring does not have any flavour – so how could it change how something tastes? Find out whether it does in this food science project!

The taste buds on your tongue detect flavours and food groups, and help you identify the foods you eat.

However, other senses play a role in how we experience food. You probably know that the smell of foods can have a strong effect on how they taste, but did you know that the appearance of food also changes how we experience it? Because we usually look at food before we put it in our mouths, the very first information your brain gets about any particular food comes from your eyes!

From an early age, we learn to associate colours with flavours.

When something is orange, we expect an orange flavour. If you tasted green pudding, you would be surprised to find that it had a cherry flavour. Discrepancies between the appearance of food and their taste can make it more difficult to identify the flavouring.

Research has shown that the appearance of food can dramatically affect how it tastes. In one study, participants ate a plate of normal-looking steak and French fries. All the participants said they enjoyed the food, and it tasted fine. However, when the lights were brightened, it was revealed that the steak was dyed blue, and the fries were dyed green. When they saw this, many of the participants refused to eat any more of the food, and a few even grew sick! In this experiment, you will explore how the appearance of the food we eat affects how it tastes. Do not worry—there will not be any blue steaks!

Materials and equipment Volunteers (at least 3) Large bottle of apple juice Red, green, and blue food colouring Clear disposable cups (3 per volunteer) Permanent marker Drinking glasses (1 per volunteer) Water Table where you and your volunteers can sit Timer or stopwatch Lab notebook

Procedure Note: It is important that your volunteers do not know that there is apple juice in each cup! The idea is that your volunteer should expect something different in each cup. Therefore, do not let them see you prepare the drinks ahead of time!

1. Use your marker to number the clear cups. Label one third of the cups with the letter A, the next third with the letter B, and the final third with the letter C. 2. Add about 1/4 cup of apple juice to each clear cup.

7.

3. Line up all the cups labelled A in a row, all cups labelled B in a row, and all the cups labelled C in a row.

4. Add two drops of blue food colouring to the cups labelled A (add more food colouring if the colour is not dark enough).

5. Add two drops of green food colouring to the cups labelled B (add more food colouring if the colour is not dark enough).

6. Add two drops of red food colouring to the cups labelled C (add more food colouring if the colour is not dark enough). a copy of Table 1 in your lab notebook.

8. Fill the three drinking glasses with filtered water.

9. Have your first volunteer sit down at the table. Line up a cup labelled A, B, and C in front of your volunteer. Also give them a glass of water.

10. Ask them to start by drinking some water to cleanse their palate.

11. Tell your volunteer that you want them to taste the drink in cups A, B, and C, drinking water in between each. They have two minutes to taste the drinks. Once they have tasted the drink in each cup, they should rate them from the one they liked the best, to the one the liked the least. Your volunteer can taste each cup more than once, but they should drink water in between each taste.

12. Have your volunteer start the test. When they taste their first cup, start your timer or stopwatch. Do not answer any questions your volunteer asks you, or react to anything they say!

13. After two minutes, stop your timer and tell your volunteer to stop tasting.

14. Ask them which drink was their favourite. In the 'Volunteer 1' column, mark their favourite cup with the number '3.' For example, if your volunteer said they liked the drink cup B best, you would write the number 3 in the 'B' row under 'Volunteer 1.'

15. Ask your volunteer which drink they liked least. In the 'Volunteer 1' column, record their least favourite cup with the number '1.'

16. Write the number '2' in the remaining row.

17. Repeat steps 1-9 with your remaining two or more volunteers. Record their responses in the corresponding columns.

18. Add the values across each row and record the totals in the 'Total' column. For example, if cup A was rated a 2, 1, and 2 by the three volunteers, you would record '5' in the Total column for cup A. 19. Which cup has the highest total? Which cup has the lowest total? Were there any patterns in which cup the volunteers seemed to prefer? How does this compare to your prediction about whether colour affects taste?

(Megan Arnett, PhD; Ben Finnie, PhD; Science Buddies)

By Jane Taylor Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark Thanks you for your tiny spark, How could he see where to go, If you did not twinkle so?

In the dark blue sky you keep, Often through my curtains peep For you never shut your eye, Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark Lights the traveler in the dark, Though I know not what you are, Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Source: The Golden Book of Poetry (1947)

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Self-confessed murderer appeals life sentence on January 20, 2017, Rodrigues was stabbed multiple times to his chest by three men who attempted to rob him at the route 32 minibus park in Georgetown. It was previously reported that the men had trailed Rodrigues from a nearby bar, where he was seen consuming alcohol with friends.

When asked by Justice Kissoon if he had anything

see with me. I didn’t waste the court’s time,” Haymer said.

The High Court Judge, in his sentencing remarks, highlighted that even though Yenkana and Haymer were previously convicted and served time in jail for armed robbery and theft, they still elected to resort to a life of crime.

Importantly, the Judge pointed out that the young

the now-dead man without violence. But because of their premeditated design to obtain money criminally from unsuspecting citizens, they deliberately armed themselves with a deadly weapon, the Judge said.

Given the prevalence of murders/robberies, Justice Kissoon stressed that the sentence imposed by the court must be one of sufficient deterrent effect to contain those who may have like or similar intentions.

Drunken GDF rank arrested after collision with motorcyclist

A

Dead: Rawle Rodrigues

A

keem Haymer, one of the two men sentenced to life imprisonment after confessing to the January 2017 killing of Leopold Street, Werken-Rust, Georgetown mason - 43-year-old Rawle Rodrigues, has filed an appeal against his sentence at the Guyana Court of Appeal.

Haymer called “Curry” and Affiba Yenkana, called “Dugla”, both in their early 20s, were initially jointly charged with the capital offence of murder. Their trial had already started when they opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter at the High Court in Demerara.

As such, Justice Sandil Kissoon directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict for both of them on the lesser count. They were each sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Reports are that

possession.”

While noting that Yenkana and Haymer had an accomplice, Wayne Gilbert, who was also committed to stand trial for Rodrigues’ murder, Justice Kissoon said they could have easily subdued

Murder convict: Akeem Haymer

Murder convict: Affiba Yenkana

to say before sentence was passed, Yenkana expressed, “I am really sorry how this thing happen.

Like I don’t know what more to say right now. I am really sorry about what the deceased’s family has to go through right now”.

“I am sorry how things happen. This is the first time this happened, and it won’t happen again. I am begging the family for mercy. I am begging them to be lenient with me. I am begging the whole court to

men have demonstrated a reluctance and unwillingness to reform and have established robbing people as their “chosen occupation”.

“You two came out to do your line of work, your chosen occupation and profession of crime in what was a planned criminal course of action to rob by violence…

You set about to extract from citizens in the area of their earnings, their wages, their property, or any monies they had in their

drunken Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank is in Police custody following a collision on the Belle Vue Public Road, West Bank Demerara, which has left a motorcyclist hospitalised.

The accident occurred at about 21:25h on Saturday and involved motor car PNN 5522, owned and driven by the 36-year-old GDF Sergeant, who resides at Belle Vue, WBD, and motorcycle CK 9418, owned and driven by a 26-year-old of Stanleytown, WBD. Reports are motor car PNN 5522 was proceeding north on the western side of the road while motorcycle CK 9418 was proceeding in the same direction, from behind, at a fast rate of speed on the Belle Vue Public Road.

The motorcyclist reportedly lost control and collided with the rear right-side bumper of the motor car.

As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist fell

onto the road’s surface and received injuries to his face and about his body.

He was picked up in a conscious state by public-spirited citizens and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was seen and examined by a doctor who later transferred him to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted a patient in the hospital’s Male Surgical Ward.

His condition is regarded as stable.

The motor car and motorcycle were lodged to be examined by the licensing and certifying officer and the GDF Sergeant was placed in custody at Wales Police Station. Statements were taken and a notice of intended prosecution was served. A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver of the motor car and he was found to be under the influence.

The motorcyclist was unable to be tested due to the nature of his injuries. (G9)

8 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

14 of 174 matters completed at ss Berbice, E’bo Criminal Assizes A Exploring…

total of 72 cases were listed for trial when the Essequibo Criminal Assizes commenced on May 18.

However, only eight of them were completed before Justices Navindra Singh, Simone Morris-Ramlall, and Priya SewnarineBeharry at the High Court in Suddie.

Five of the eight matters were presented before Justice Singh. Three of the five cases were for the offence of murder, while the other two were for manslaughter. In one of the manslaughter cases, the

accused persons pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

One of these cases had three accused. They were respectively sentenced to 20-, 17-, and 15-years’ imprisonment. In the other case, two accused persons were indicted together and they were both found not guilty by the jury.

Justice Morris-Ramlall presided over two matters, one of which involved two persons who were indicted on 10 counts of manslaughter. They were both acquitted by jury verdicts.

The other case was for the

The High Court in Essequibo

trial judge upheld a no-case submission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

In the other manslaughter case, two accused were jointly indicted.

While one of them pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the other accused was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life imprisonment. In two of the three murder matters, the

offence of attempt to commit murder with an alternative count of felonious wounding for which the jury found that the accused was guilty. He will be sentenced on October 26.

Meanwhile, one matter for the offence of rape was completed before Justice Sewnarine-Beharry.

The jury in this matter returned a majority verdict for the accused who was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment.

V

The Essequibo Criminal Assizes remains in progress up to October 25.

The Berbice Criminal Assizes commenced on June 15 with 102 cases listed to be heard. Only six matters were completed before Justices Jo Ann Barlow and Brassington Reynolds. Five of the matters were for the offence of murder, and the other, for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years.

Two of these murder matters were done before Justice Barlow. In one of them, the trial Judge upheld a no-case submission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. In the other matter, the accused pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The other three murder cases and the lone sexual offence matter were prosecuted before Justice Reynolds. One of the accused in the three murder matters pleaded guilty to

the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Another accused was acquitted after the trial Judge upheld a no-case submission. The jury in the other matter found the accused not guilty for the offence of murder and returned hung on the lesser count of manslaughter. This accused was granted bail in the sum of $500,000.

In the sexual offence matter, the complainant testified that she did not wish to proceed with the evidence, and as such, the trial Judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. The Essequibo Criminal Assizes continues up until today.

The Berbice October Criminal Assizes with 104 cases listed to be heard will commence on Tuesday before Justice Sandil Kissoon, while the Essequibo assizes will begin on October 26 before Justice SewnarineBeharry with 84 cases listed to be tried. (G1)

Ghanaian experts review Guyana’s...

FROM PAGE 3

This will lead to increased prices. Food production will become an important task of the future,” Jagdeo explained.

The Vice President was accompanied on his visit to Ghana by Floyd Haynes, a member of the Advisory Panel on Local Content in Guyana; Gopnauth Bobby Gossai Jr of the Natural Resources Ministry, and career Diplomat Hamley Case.

It is fitting that Haynes was a part of the delegation to Ghana. He was on the HighLevel Local Content Panel that President Dr Irfaan Ali established after assuming office in August last year, to review policy initiatives on local content in the petroleum sector and provide guidance for the development of Guyana’s Local Content Policy and Legislation.

The panel, chaired by Shyam Nokta, compiled and submitted the Local Content Report. Also on the panel were former Foreign Affairs Minister and Economist Carl

Greenidge, Carvil Duncan, Anthony Paul, Kevin Ramnarine and the Natural Resources Ministry’s Legal Officer Sasha RajkumarBudhan.

The end product was a list of recommendations and subsequently, a draft Local Content Policy that the Government had released in February of this year. The stakeholders’ consultation on Guyana’s draft Local Content Policy for its petroleum sector started that same month.

Approximately 140 stakeholders were engaged by the panel on the compilation of the report.

The report outlines several recommendations to improve the country’s policies and legislation.

Government is likely to hire experts to examine and incorporate comments and suggestions emanating from these stakeholder consultations into the final policy document that will be presented in the National Assembly.

(G3)

…old linkages P Jagdeo was shown honouring Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, by planting a tree in front of his statue in Ghana. This is as it should be…we are connected to Ghana in so many ways…not the least because most foreigners up to now when hearing the name “Guyana” almost always respond, “Ghana?”!! So, for sure, they’re much more wellknown (infamous?) than us. But really our connection goes back to billions of years when what is now Africa and South America were all physically connected.

And then again when the Europeans decided to drag Africans as slaves for their sugar plantations, many of them were brought from Ghana which was then known as the “Gold Coast” – while we were the “Wild Coast”!! Our climate is very similar and because of our geological connection we both produce gold and have oil deposits off our coasts. Nkrumah was also known to both Jagan and Burnham since all of them belonged to the same era of fighting for independence from Britain. Ghana was the first country to gain independence from Africa in 1957, a decade later than India – and both inspired local efforts for the same goal.

Like Jagan, Nkrumah was of a leftist bent and was quite sceptical about the intentions of the West, calling the condition after independence “neo-colonialism” to signal that nothing had really changed beyond some symbolic paraphernalia like flags and national mottos.

Like Jagan, he was removed from office through colonial manipulation – with just as much violence by the CIA. Another similarity between us is the nature of our politics – ethnic politics. And this just goes to show that it’s not just racial difference that can form deep political cleavages but tribal (as in Africa) or religious (as in Northern Ireland).

The lesson for us is to look at the systemic factors that lead to the debilitating, zero-sum politics we practise and move on to a less fractious model. Like with us free and fair elections were returned in 1992 after a series of military-dominated governments through one coup or another. Since then, even though they’ve had some hitches, their two-party system has survived and have alternated Governments fairly regularly.

It’s for this reason the PNC should take a leaf out of Ghana’s political playbook by electing leaders committed to democracy and work to cobble together majorities by appealing across their ethnic bases.

Maybe VP Jagdeo should invite some members of the two parties in Ghana to have a chat with the PNC. After all, in 1964, President Nkrumah had sent a personal emissary, Prof Abraham, to mediate a settlement between Jagan and Burnham.

Burnham, of course, reneged. …Venezuela’s recalcitrance We all know that early last month, Norway was trying to bring Venezuela back into the fold of civilised nations on account of the human tragedy unfolding there as the Maduro regime continues their “socialist” experiment. Six million of their citizens have fled – with 30,000 to our Reg 1. As a “low hanging fruit” -to get Maduro to speak to the Opposition (which the US recognises) – they went along with the two sides “agreeing” that Essequibo was theirs!!

For all of Norway’s “progressive” reputation, they refused to recognise our rights to determine our destiny. And just as germanely, to recognise the UN system that has placed Venezuela’s border controversy with the World Court. Anyhow, after what was thought to be the ice breaker, the resumption of talks was scheduled for yesterday, but was CANCELLED!! Why? Well, Maduro picked a money launderer to represent his government and when he was extradited to the US, he became miffed!!

Your Eyewitness hopes that Norway realises they’re dealing with a Madurain criminalised state in Venezuela!! …the Rolling Stones’ Id The Septuagenarian Rolling Stones are about to tour the US. But they had to drop their super hit “Brown Sugar”.

In the age of BLM: “Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields/“ just don’t rock!

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

9

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Deadly weekend: 5 die in separate accidents

The three vehicles involved in the Liliendaal, ECD accident

By LaWanda McAllister

T

hree accidents over the weekend have claimed the lives of five people.

Five families were forced to accept their losses and are yet to come to grips with the sudden death of their loved ones, who lost their lives on the roads of Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara (WBD); High Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown and Liliendaal Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The first catastrophe occurred on Saturday evening at about 22:30h in the vicinity of Liliendaal Railway Embankment, ECD. That accident claimed the life of a hire car driver, Devaskar Jetoo, of Lot 79 New Road Vreed-enHoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and 24-year-old Nazad Ali, who resided at Lot 148-150 Atlantic Gardens, ECD. It involved hire car HC 6244, driven by Jetoo; motor car PMM 1176 owned and driven by Petal Northe, 45, of Lot 14 Arapaima Street, East

Dead: Bhickram Singh

Dead: Dilcharran Dass

La Penitence, Georgetown; and motor car PWW 3133, driven by Ali, and occupied

by Evana Seejatan, 26, of Lot 148-150 Atlantic Gardens, ECD. Based on reports, motor car PWW 3133 was proceeding west along the southern side of the Railway Embankment at Liliendaal at a fast rate of speed, when the driver was in the process of overtaking motor car PMM 1176 and in doing so, collided with the right-side front fender of the said motor car.

The driver of PWW 3133

then lost control and ended up in the path of hire car HC 6244 which was proceeding east along the said road where a second collision occurred. As a result of the collision, motor car PWW 3133 and the hire car were extensively damaged.

The driver of motor car PWW 3133 was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor.

The body was then taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Meanwhile, Jetoo, who was taken by ambulance

to the Georgetown Public Hospital, succumbed at about 04:00h on Sunday morning at GPHC. The third driver and the other 26-year-old occupant who was in one of the vehicles are admitted at the GPHC with multiple injuries.

The mangled vehicles involved in the accident are presently lodged at Turkeyen Police Station to be examined by a licensing and certifying officer.

The second accident took the lives of two other young men after the car in which they were travelling ran off

The vehicle that was involved in the accident at Mahaicony Branch Road

managed to exit the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the driver and the other occupant were trapped. They were subsequently taken out in an unconscious state by public-spirited persons and rushed to the Mahaicony Public Hospital where they were pronounced dead on arrival.

New purchase

Dead: Eon Howard

the Mahaicony Branch Road, ECD, and ended up in the trench.

Dead are 38-year-old Deocharran Dass of New Providence, Mahaicony, and 31-year-old Bhickram Singh of Mortice Branch Road, Mahaicony.

Another person, Vishan Motie, a 27-year-old labourer of Mahaicony Branch Road, was also injured in the accident, which occurred at around 22:30h on Saturday.

Police said the accident occurred some 11km in from the main road.

Investigations so far revealed that the three men were imbibing at a friend’s house and after some time, they left with Dass driving motor car PFF 3940 while Singh and Motie were in the vehicle.

It was reported that Dass was proceeding south along the eastern side of the Mahaicony Branch Road at a fast rate when he failed to negotiate a sharp left turn, and instead continued straight into the canal, which is situated on the southern side of the road.

The width of the canal is approximately 65 feet, and the depth is about 15ft – 20ft.

The vehicle flipped over and was submerged in the canal.

Motie, who was seated in the front passenger seat,

In an interview with Guyana Times on Sunday, Motie said that Dass had only purchased the vehicle on the morning of the accident, and it was his first time driving the vehicle when the tragedy occurred.

After picking up the car, the unlicensed new vehicle owner took Motie for a drive down the Mahaicony Branch Road, to show him the power of his said car.

However, at about 11:00h, Dass picked up both Motie and Singh to go for a “spin” at their friend’s house, where they consumed seven beers each.

"While going down the road me and dem boy. The guy was driving fast, he did drink...it happens so quickly after the car landed in the canal, I tried to come out but I had hard time and gave up.

I decide to try one more time and I push my hand and feel the window and pull myself out. I tried to help them but you can't see under there. So, I go to the neighbour and get some help and they try to get a tractor to pull out the car,” he explained.

According to the lone survivor, it took about one and a half hours to get the vehicle out of the water. By the time they did, the men were already dead.

The bodies are presently at the Mahaicony Public Hospital’s mortuary awaiting PME.

Speeding motorcycle

Meanwhile, Eon Howard, 48, of Lot 433 B Field, Samaroo Street, South Sophia, Greater Georgetown,

was killed in an early morning crash on Sunday.

The accident occurred sometime around 00:35h on High Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, in the vicinity of Carnegie School of Home Economics.

Police said Howard was driving his motorcycle, CK 7303, at the time and was proceeding south on High Street at a fast rate of speed, when he lost control and ended up in a concrete drain located on the eastern side of

The motorcycle that was involved in the accident at Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown

the road.

As a result, he was pinned by the motorcycle.

The motorcyclist was subsequently assisted out of the drain by public-spirited citizens and later examined and pronounced dead at the accident scene by a doctor from the Emergency Medical Service Unit.

Howard’s body was then taken to Memorial Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination with dissection.

11 Strathspey murder Miner found dead CPG to be resuscitated – AG in mining camp NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Dead: Ganesh Persaud

F

ollowing the murder of a young businessman at Strathspey, East Coast Demerara, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall visited the family where he said efforts will be made to resuscitate the Community Policing Group (CPG) in Strathspey, East Coast Demerara.

Ganesh Persaud, who operated an electronics store in the area called “Deals on Electronics”, was in the store at about 16:30h when the bandit invaded, held him at knifepoint and collected his valuables, Police said.

The young businessman was relieved of a gold chain he was wearing at the time along with an undisclosed sum of cash, according to Police.

The self-confessed killer in Police custody

In his confession, the suspect, who was arrested shortly after the robbery, said that he stabbed the young man to his neck during a scuffle over his gold chain. The chain has since been recovered by Police.

During the visit to the family, the DPI reported that the AG was informed that the CPG which served the community was dismantled by the previous Administration.

“Perhaps this may not have happened if persons knew that there was vibrant, active policing group in this area that had access to guns. I am not saying that it could have been prevented, but it could have been a deterrent,” the AG was quot-

AG Anil Nandlall expressing his condolences to Radesh Persaud, father of slain youth Ganesh Persaud

ed as saying.

The Minister said the resuscitation of the CPGs was a manifesto promise of the PPP/C Administration. He said CPGs had played an integral role in curbing crimes in communities countrywide, under the PPP/C tenures.

“We have to begin to resuscitate the Community Policing Group and to equip it so that it can continue to offer some type of protection to the citizenry of our country.”

“The policing group helps a lot. We do not have thief. Anywhere people call on us, we are there, all in

Lusignan, we are there.

When the Police call on us, we are there, we do not lapse with that at all,” Sasenarine Sukram, a former member of the CPG, said during the visit.

The move was also welcomed by the father and brother of the slain youth.

Following the robbery, the injured Persaud managed to exit the building and raise an alarm. He then collapsed and was picked up and placed into a vehicle and taken to a private medical facility but he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The miner’s lifeless body that was found on Friday

A

miner’s lifeless body was found at a mining camp a White Creek Backdam, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini).

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 54-year-old man, called “Dell” (correct name and particulars still to be ascertained), was staying at a mining camp located in the White Creek Backdam owned by a 34-year-old gold miner.

Reports are at about 06:00h on Friday, the man

complained of pains about his body.

A gold miner told investigators that he found “Dell” lying motionlessly and unresponsive in his hammock at about 18:00h.

At about 14:00h on October 16, “Dell” was taken to the Port Kaituma Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The body was examined by a Police rank and no mark of violence was seen.

The body is presently at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post-mortem. (G9)

12 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

4 more unvaccinated persons die of COVID-19 …93 new cases recorded

T

he COVID-19 death toll in Guyana has gone up to 870 after four more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus died.

According to the Health Ministry on Sunday, these latest fatalities include a 44-year-old and 65-yearold male, both of whom are from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) along with a 51-year-old female, also from Region Four, and an 83-year-old woman from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). They all died on October 16 and were unvaccinated at the time of their deaths.

The Health Ministry said the patients were admitted with COVID-19 like symptoms but died while receiving care at various medical institutions. Samples were taken at the time of their admission which subsequently returned positive tests.

Meanwhile, it was also reported on Sunday that an-

other 93 persons have contracted COVID-19 within a 24-hour period. With this, the total number of confirmed cases in the country has gone up to 34,455.

However, only 3853 of these are currently active cases including 28 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 3825 persons in isolation, that is, 123 in home isolation and 3702 in institutional isolation.

There are also four other persons in institutional quarantine.

To date, some 29,732 persons have recovered from the life-threatening virus – 13 more recoveries than the previous day.

Moreover, 338,451 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus thus far and of this, 16,305 males and 18,150 females were found to be positive.

Of the 93 new cases detected on Sunday, five are from Region One (Barima-

Waini), another five cases from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 13 from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), a whopping 41 cases from the Demerara-Mahaica region, seven cases each from Regions Five (MahaicaBerbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), two from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), two more cases from Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), and the remaining 11 cases from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There were no new cases recorded from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) on Sunday.

In order to curb the rising number of cases in the country, the Guyana Government launched its COVID-19 vaccination exercise back in February and continues to roll it out across the various regions in order to achieve herd immunity.

So far, more than 371,000 persons or over 72.3 per cent

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD OCTOBER 17, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

93

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

123

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

3702

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

28

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

4

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

18,150

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

16,305

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

34,445

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

29,732

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

371,007

FULLY IMMUNISED

228,262

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

870

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1565

REGION 2

1358

REGION 3

4694

REGION 4

16,483

REGION 5

1219

REGION 6

2444

REGION 7

1719

REGION 8

541

REGION 9

2434

REGION 10

1998

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

of the adult population have received their first dose of the vaccine and in excess of 44 per cent or over 228,000 persons 18 years and older are fully immunised. As it relates to children, more

than 26,100 first doses have been administered.

Persons are encouraged to get immunised since the COVID-19 vaccine provides a layer of protection against severe symptoms of

COVID-19.

Nevertheless, as more people continue to get vaccinated, authorities are urging the public to continue observing all COVID-19 preventative measures, particularly masking in public, social distancing and frequent hand washing and sanitising.

The measures also include vaccination requirements to access any public building such as restaurants, places of worship, schools as well as Government buildings.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Sunday, some 239,437,517 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 4,879,235 deaths.

The WHO also reported on Sunday that in the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 91,875,767 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2,254,048. (G8)

NEWS

13

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 2 NGSA top students elated at outstanding performance

By Raywattie Deonarine

R

egion Two ( P o m e r o o n Supenaam) continues to shine at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) exams as three girls and one boy from the Essequibo Coast have emerged amongst Guyana’s best performers for 2021.

Shreya Ramnarine of CV Nunes Primary School secured the first position in the region. With 517 marks, she was awarded a spot at the prestigious Queen’s College located in the capital city.

Additionally, Bhavin Griffith of Huis’t Dieren Primary School copped the region’s second position with 516 marks. Aashia Mohamed of Al Madinah Islamic and Jessica Innis were also awarded a spot at Queen’s College with 510 marks.

Eleven-year-old Shreya Ramnarine, who hails from the vibrant village of Anna Regina Housing Scheme is an aspiring lawyer. During an interview with Guyana Times, she expressed her elation and satisfaction with her performance. She noted that her objective was to make herself, her parents and her teachers proud – something she has certainly attained as the region's NGSA top performer.

Lalina Ramnarine, 41, the proud mother of Shreya Ramnarine said that she could not contain her excitement when she heard that her daughter topped Region Two for the National Grade Six Assessment.

Shreya Ramnarine

Bhavin Griffith

Aashia Mohamed

Jessica Innis

"When they said that results for Grade Six students will be out, I became nervous... My hands were cold. After hearing her results, I was so excited and proud. I started to jump up while she was looking at me with a bright smile on her face. I am so overjoyed and proud of her,” Shreya’s mother said She also told this publication that Shreya was always a good performer since she started her nursery level of education at Cotton Field Nursery. She added that her child is always willing to join any inclass activity.

"She was always CV Nunes Student Representative and she was also the Vice President of Caricom Youth Group.

I am always proud of my daughter. At nursery level, I am always with her teaching her to read and write,” Shreya's mother said.

The young valedictorian told the publication that she intends to pursue her secondary education and later follow the path of be-

coming a lawyer because of her deep love for law, adding that she always imagines herself dressed in a suit.

Lalina worked closely with her daughter, doing revision and working past papers while also leaving time during the weekend to relax and play. This, she noted, was very helpful as it provides a meaningful balance between work and play.

Ramnarine credited her success to her parents and teachers who worked assiduously with her in completing and understanding difficult topics within the four main core subjects.

among the top three performers in Region Two. Twelve-year-old Griffith wants to become a lawyer in the future and he believes that hard work and dedication are important to achieve success. He credited his success to his parents, teachers, and his uncle Sunil.

"I am very happy, excited and proud of myself. I expected myself to do well but not so excellent. I want to study law in the future and aiming for the best for myself to make my family and teachers proud of me," Griffith said.

The other two top performers in the region Aaisha Mohamed of Anna Regina Housing Scheme,

who would be going to Anna Regina Multilateral School (ARMS), and Jessica Innis who would be attending the Abram Zuil Secondary School (AZSS) - both scored 510 marks and were awarded a spot at Queen’s College.

Mohamed, who hails from Anna Regina Housing Scheme, said that she is elated over her performance at the NGSA. She added that she worked and studied hard in order to make her grandparents proud.

"I am not sure about my future but the future is in the palm of my hand. My future may be to teach children of Grade 6 students or to become a doctor," Mohamed told the Guyana Times.

Proud of myself

Securing the number two spot for Region Two was Bhavin Griffith of Huis’t Dieren Primary School, who gained a place at Queen’s College with 516 marks.

Griffith, who hails from Huis’t Dieren village told <<<Guyana Times>>> that he is very excited and elated since he is the only boy

Mohamed's proud grandmother said that she is very happy and excited that she was able to sit the examination. She gave praise to God, her teacher and the Al Madinah Academy for her success.

The Zorg-en-Vlygt, Essequibo Coast student, 12-year-old Jessica Innis of Fisher Primary School is nevertheless thrilled and related how grateful she is for her parents, teachers and not forgetting the Almighty for their courage and guidance.

Jessica's mom related that she is very proud of her child. "I am proud and speechless. I want to thank all the teachers of Fisher Primary who worked with my daughter in making this possible for her."

She said that her daughter always has the ability to work and study even though there are lots of things in her way. She added that during the global pandemic that resulted in school being closed, she worked with Jessica towards excelling at NGSA and her efforts and time spent with her were worth it.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Harbour Bridge, Skeldon Energy Inc get new Boards …GGMC, GFC Boards also appointed

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he Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) and Skeldon Energy Incorporated were among the State enterprises to get, in some cases, new Chairmen and Directors following the granting of Cabinet approval.

According to the gazetted order, DHBC will be headed by Ravie Ramcharitar,

Lam, Raphael Gonsalves, Yurlander Hughes, a representative of the union and the DHBC General Manager as an ex-officio member.

Among the things the DHBC has oversight for is the $650 million Eco 2000 Batch Mix Asphalt Plant, which was supposed to have been activated under the former A Partnership

has been returned unchanged, with Dr Grayson Halley heading the entity as Chairman and Attorney-atLaw Adrian Anamayah as Vice Chairman.

Also on the Board are Wayne Watson, Loris Nathoo, Zamal Hussain, Errol Assar and former Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Company GGMC Chairman Jimmy Reece

while former parliamentarian Odinga Lumumba will be the Vice Chairman.

Additionally, the Board of Directors will comprise Joseph Holder, Jaishree

for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government but which had to be delayed to 2021.

Meanwhile, the Skeldon Energy Incorporated Board

National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Chief Executive Officer Radha Krishna Sharma.

A number of entities that

focus on the natural resources sector also had new Boards appointed. These include the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the regulatory body for all things mining related.

According to a notice, former GGMC Manager Jimmy Reece will be returning as Chairman of the agency. He was first appointed to that role last year, making a return to the agency after being ousted back in 2015.

Also on the GGMC Board is former Deputy Solicitor General Pritima Kissoon. The Board also includes GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison; former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Retired Major General Norman McLean; Kristen Chand Singh; Guyana

Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) representatives Azeena Baksh and Dabria Marcus.

Also on the Board are Guyana Women Miners Association (GWMA) representative Urica Primus, Ministry of Labour representative and Permanent Secretary Bishram Kuppen, Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) representative Rawle Lewis, Guyana

DHBC Chairman Ravie Ramcharitar

Skeldon Energy Inc Chairman, Dr Grayson Halley

tive Visal Satram, Fazal Khan, Stephen Belle and Eondrene Thompson as an ex-officio member.

A Board was also appointed for the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), which will be chaired

by Sandrina Benn. Also appointed as members were Andrew Bishop, Nazim Hussain, Zamal Hussain, Yvonne Fredericks Pearson, GGMC representative

whereby it was unable to pay staff. In addition, GFC was unable to fund critical operational costs for several months, while workers were not paid their 2018 bonus up to this year.

Soon after taking office, the President Dr Irfaan Aliled Government was forced to disburse $350 million to support the GFC, thus enabling the agency to turn around its fortunes.

Gold Board representative Eondrene Thompson, Workers’ representative Vickram Manoo, Evan Persaud and Azad Abrahim.

The Board is also expected to include in its membership representatives from the National Toshaos Council (NTC), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), as well as GGMC’s Legal Advisor, as ex-officio members.

When it comes to the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), Bank of Guyana Chairman Dr Gobind Ganga will also chair the GGB. The members include Dennison, Sharon RoopchandEdwards, GGDMA representative Andron Alphonso, Ministry of Natural Resources representa-

Jacques Foster, Attorneyat-Law Rajendra Jaigobin and representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Amerindian Affairs, as well as the Forest Producers Association and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

GFC has been caught in a financial whirlwind for the past few years. At the end of 2014, the GFC had a surplus of some $211 million. By 2019, however, this had plummeted to a surplus of $2.3 million. The depleted state of the GFC was coupled with the reduction in exports, from US$53 million in 2014 to US$34 million in 2019.

The GFC also found itself in a position, soon after the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) took office,

NEWS

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CXC endorses 2021 NGSA exam, marking process – Education Ministry …says APNU/AFC attempt to bully children reprehensible

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he Education Ministry on Sunday dismissed any notion that the 2021 National Grade Six Assessment examination and marking process was compromised, and called out the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition for politicising and bullying children in Guyana.

According to the Ministry, it is disappointed and saddened about a statement issued by the coalition Opposition regarding the recent NGSA results, saying that the party was unable to unreservedly congratulate the students, parents, teachers and Education Ministry – all of whom in the midst of a pandemic persevered and conducted and sat the assessment.

In the missive on Sunday, the APNU/AFC spoke of the Ministry not using certain data in the presentation of the 2021 NGSA results last week as well as mentioning integrity of the results.

But in a subsequent statement responding to the Opposition, the Education Ministry said “…the Ministry thanks the party for acknowledging publicly that the process was clean and bears the integrity any exam should. APNU/AFC by stating that the process ‘could have been brought into disrepute’ is clearly and openly acknowledging that the process was NOT brought into disrepute.”

It went on to explain that the since 2016, the

NGSA has been administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) – the premier regional examination body whose examinations most Guyanese have written to start their careers and further studies locally and internationally.

This year, in the interest of a fully transparent process that carries the CXC mark of integrity, the Ministry said that the role of that examining body was expanded to conduct the exam from the beginning to the end. It added that this was far more than what CXC was contracted to do under the APNU/AFC. “To bring this reputable examination body into disrepute of being unable to run an examination without interference is a slap in the face of this entity, Caricom, and hard-working Guyanese. It also brings into question the foundation of many people’s lives.”

The Ministry reiterated that the process was entirely a CXC process and “the way the exam was conducted and marked is fully endorsed by CXC” as was stated openly by Dr Nicole Manning, the Director of Operations, of CXC. It further highlighted that at this year’s NGSA examination, Guyana’s children performed well in harsh circumstances and this should all be celebrated by everyone.

“If the APNU/AFC had listened to the children who wrote the exams they would

have heard almost all of the public-school children and many of the private school children crediting for their success, the NGSA Booster program on the Learning Channel, text books they received, The QuizMe platform and the consolidated curriculum, none of which existed prior to August 2020. Still, the Ministry believes it was doing what it is mandated to do: respond as the needs arose, a matter about which the Ministry remains proud. That party can make itself useful and would be serving its constituency sensibly if it were to encourage parents and students alike to make good use of those products in the absence of normalcy in the school environment and in preparation for next year’s NGSA,” the missive from the Education Ministry detailed.

Moreover, in response to the APNU/AFC questions about the non-presentation of certain statistics, the Ministry pointed out that CXC, for the first time this year, prepared and presented the report and more statistics than are usually given were presented on a screen, no less, complete with bar graphs and charts.

“The Ministry would be happy to help the Opposition interpret those statistics.

The Ministry of Education is also pleased to say that within the next few days any member of the public would be able to access the performance of any school to see the progress/decline there-

NYPD offers US$15,000 reward for murder suspect believed to have fled to Jamaica

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he New York Police Department (NYPD) is seeking the help of the Jamaican public to locate a murder suspect, Dean Boland, who is believed to have fled to the island.

A US$15,000 reward is being offered through the NYPD's Crime Stoppers programme for Boland's capture.

According to authorities, in July 2017, brothers Rasheed and Dean Boland got into a verbal dispute with Justin Hackley, 20, and his 24-year-old friend.

The dispute turned physical and ended when one of the suspects fired several shots

which struck Hackley in the neck and chest.

Rasheed Boland, 26, was arrested months later in Lubbock, Texas, where authorities said he fled after allegedly killing Hackley on Ocean Avenue near Church Avenue in East Flatbush.

The NYPD publicly identified Rasheed Boland as a suspect in November 2017 and released a picture of him. The second suspect, identified as 29-year-old Dean Boland is still being sought and is believed to be in Jamaica, the NYPD said.

According to the authorities, Rasheed is believed to be the gunman.

Hackley had been home

on summer break from college when he decided to visit a friend, according to his mom. Earlier that day, Rasheed had reportedly made a disparaging comment to the girlfriend of Hackley's friend.

The friend confronted Rasheed and they argued.

Rasheed reportedly told his brother Dean to come to the scene with a gun. The brothers started attacking the friend and Hackley, who had just arrived, intervened in the fight when he was shot in the head and chest and died soon after at Kings County Hospital, according to the police. (Jamaica Observer)

at for the last few years. We will do this with great pride and in the interest of transparency and accountability. For we do not believe we can advance if we do not all acknowledge where we are.

This is a marked departure from the APNU/AFC not publishing the education digest for any of the years it has been in office, a practice the PPP/C Government had made normal for all almost its years in office,” it stated.

Further, the Education Ministry contended that if the mere routine visit, in the presence of cameras and close to 500 persons, by subject Minister Priya Manickchand – as was previously done by former Education Minister under the coalition regime, Rupert Roopnaraine – to the marking centres could bring the process into disrepute then

that entire process would need to be thrown out and restarted. However, the Ministry posited that this was not necessary since there is nothing wrong with any such open visit.

“For the APNU/AFC to have suggested otherwise was an illogical, mischievous, politically opportunistic position that was adopted which simply does not reflect the truth and which they now accept was a flawed position even as they continue to offer enough suggestions to create doubt.

The attempt by sitting MPs of the APNU/AFC to bring children of Ministry officials into disrepute and/or to publicly bully and/or take actions that can cause them to be bullied and harmed is nothing short of reprehensible and must be condemned by all.

The Ministry is viewing this matter with the seriousness it attracts and will take any action necessary to protect the nation’s children…

The Ministry reiterates its position that the education of the nation’s children should not be politicised and hopes that the APNU/ AFC can adopt a responsible posture going forward,” the statement outlined.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry also threw out some questions to the APNU/AFC Opposition about certain things that were done under its tenure in office such as why the former Minister of Education Nicolette Henry instructed that the scripts of NGSA exams be burned almost immediately upon marking thereby breaching all established international examination protocols. (G8)

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Let us go out there and be the difference” – cop to colleagues on gender-based violence …as 50 more Police trained

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ifty more Police officers are now more equipped to deal with gender-based violence and domestic violence after undergoing training at the Police Officer’s Training Centre.

The second and third batch of graduates from the Human Services and Social Security Ministry and United Nations Populations Fund COPSQUAD 2000 aim to improve the efficiency of the Guyana Police Force in dealing with these cases. In September a batch of 18 graduated.

The initiative was launched in August with the hope that 2000 persons will be trained before the end of this year.

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud attended the event.

“We will have to admit if we are looking at the statistics that it isn’t working itself out in ways which we would want it to work out as

The batch of graduates of the COPSQUAD 2000 programme

quickly as we would want it to happen and hence, we have these training programmes. We have many of these new aspects of training for Police … and education and training because we know the range of policing interventions are much more than what it used to be,” Benn is quoted as saying by DPI.

Gender-based violence covers sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, child marriages and early union, child abuse, trafficking in persons and intimate partner violence. Persaud told the graduates that she has confidence in them to work towards changing the statistics.

“I would like to challenge

all of you, to channel and harness your energies so that they could be utilised effectively to make that tangible impact. Wherever you are, let your name be that name that is called for all the good things that will happen in the Police stations or in the offices or in the communities where you find yourself,” she said.

Several of the graduates of the five-day training expressed enthusiasm for returning to work and putting into practice what they have learnt from the training. “I am pleased to say that … there are many options available for a survivor who encounters gender-based violence or any form of violence that falls under gender-based,” said Constable Tanesha Johnson as she addressed

the gathering.

“I have learnt a new way to interview a survivor of domestic violence and most definitely I will continue to move in a swift manner to ensure that justice is served and that persons are comfortable,” she added.

Constable Guwraft Bissessar, another beneficiary of the programme, also responded positively to the training. “When I return to my place of work, I will educate the public along with Police officers about the different ways and means of dealing with domestic violence and their speedy response to domestic violence,” he said.

Sergeant Kevin Fields, who is attached to the Finance Department of the Guyana Police Force is also grateful for what he has

learnt.

“This course came in a timely manner and gender-based violence, domestic violence, intimate partner violence is very prevalent in our society and the reality is, a lot of people go through this and they don’t speak,” Sergeant Fields said.

“Let us go out there and be the difference, let us change lives, let us educate people and let them know that there are places for them to go to, there are professionals for them to talk to,” he urged his fellow graduates.

Commissioner of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie said seven women have been killed by their partners for this year up to October 15, 2021, compared to 11 for the same period last year.

NEWS

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Spanish PM vows to 6 wounded in reported shooting abolish prostitution at Pennsylvania mall

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez

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pain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged on Sunday to outlaw prostitution in the country.

Speaking to supporters at the end of his Socialist Party's three-day congress in Valencia, Mr Sanchez said that the practice "enslaves" women.

Prostitution was decriminalised in Spain in 1995 and in 2016 the UN estimated the country's sex industry was worth €3.7bn (£3.1bn, $4.2bn).

A 2009 survey found that up to 1 in 3 Spanish men had paid for sex.

However, another report published in 2009 suggested that the figure may be as high as 39% and a 2011 UN study cited Spain as the third biggest centre for pros-

titution in the world, behind Thailand and Puerto Rico.

Prostitution is currently unregulated in Spain, and there is no punishment for those who offer paid sexual services of their own will as long as it does not take place in public spaces. However, pimping or acting as a proxy between a sex worker and a potential client is illegal.

The industry has boomed since its decriminalisation and it is commonly estimated that around 300,000 women work as prostitutes in Spain.

In 2019, Mr Sanchez's party published a pledge in its election manifesto to outlaw prostitution, in what was seen as a move to attract more female voters.

The manifesto called prostitution "one of the cru-

ellest aspects of the feminisation of poverty and one of the worst forms of violence against women".

However, two years on from the election, no legislation has yet been tabled.

Supporters of Spain's current system say that it has brought huge benefits to the women working in the trade and made life safer for them.

However, in recent years significant concerns have grown around the potential for women to be trafficked into sex work. In 2017, Spanish police identified 13,000 women in anti-trafficking raids, stating that at least 80% of them were being exploited against their will by a third party. (BBC News)

Park City Center in Lancaster (Google Maps)

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ix people suffered injuries in a reported shooting Sunday at a Pennsylvania mall, as two suspects were taken into custody.

Two of the six people wounded in the incident at the Park City Center in Lancaster suffered gunshot wounds, according to Lancaster Online, which cited a dispatch report.

The injuries were described as non-life-threat-

ening, according to Heather Adams, the district attorney for Lancaster County.

Authorities have not released the names of the suspects or any victims.

Police responded to the scene Sunday afternoon, while multiple ambulances were sent to the mall following reports of gunshot wounds and trampling injuries.

The shooting is said to have occurred following a

dispute involving four people near the Tabarek AlHana food store, one of the store’s owners, Hana Ali, told Lancaster Online.

Ali said a man pulled out a gun, and that another man shot him with it after he lost his handle on the weapon. She said two people were shot in total.

“Everything went so fast,” Ali told the news outlet. “We were scared so we we’re hiding behind my register.”

Disturbing video that was allegedly taken at the scene was shared online and shows people running and screaming after a loud noise filled the air.

The mall will be closed until Monday.

“We are saddened and angered by the unfortunate, isolated incident that happened in our shopping center today,” said Lindsay Kahn of Brookfield Property Partners, which owns the Park City Center, according to Lancaster Online.

“Our highest priority right now is the well being of our guests and tenants.”

Police said there is no present threat of danger at the mall. Lancaster is about 70 miles west of Philadelphia.

(NY Daily News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

Regional

Jamaica desperate for solution to US missionaries kidnapped in Haiti as gangs grow more brazen problem of violent crime, says Golding

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US Christian aid organisation on Sunday said a group of its missionaries had been kidnapped in Haiti, a further sign the Caribbean nation’s gangs are growing increasingly brazen amid political and economic crises.

The group was in Haiti to visit an orphanage when their bus was hijacked on Saturday outside the capital Port-au-Prince, according to accounts by other missionaries, amid a spike in kidnappings following the murder of President Jovenel Moïse.

Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said it had

no information on who was behind the abduction nor where they took the group, which includes 16 Americans and one Canadian.

“We are seeking God’s direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help,” it said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Haiti’s Police said they did not have any information to provide about the incident.

The US State Department said it was aware of the reports. US Embassies typically do not release information about citizens due to privacy regulations.

The Canadian Government said it was working with local authorities and groups to gather more information.

Kidnapping has been on the rise for months in Haiti as the impoverished country’s economy worsens, though abductions of foreigners are relatively rare.

US Congressman Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, told CNN the United States must find the missionaries and seek to negotiate their release without paying a ransom, or should use the military or Police to secure their freedom. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Thousands protest in El Salvador against Bukele Government

People take part in a protest against actions by the Government of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, such as the use of bitcoin and legal reforms to extend his term, in San Salvador, El Salvador, October 17, 2021

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housands of people in El Salvador took to the streets on Sunday to air a range of complaints against President Nayib Bukele, from adopting bitcoin as legal tender to firing Supreme Court Judges, viewed by critics as a power grab.

At least 4000 people, according to estimates by local media, marched through the capital San Salvador with banners and signs rejecting bitcoin, which offi-

cially became legal tender in the Central American country in September, the removal of Supreme Court Judges, and the potential for Bukele to seek a second consecutive term.

People in the streets chanted slogans including “What does El Salvador want? Get rid of the dictator!” Near the capital’s main square, protesters set fire to a doll bearing the likeness of the 40-year-old President.

Bukele proclaimed himself “dictator” of the Central American country on his Twitter account last month, in an apparent joke amid concerns about his increasing concentration of power.

In May, a Congress dominated for the first time by Bukele’s New Ideas party voted to fire the Judges on the constitutional panel of the Supreme Court, among the most senior jurists in the country, as well as the then Attorney General.

Replacements seen as friendly to Bukele were swiftly voted in to replace them, which generated harsh criticism from the United States as well as top international rights groups.

Bukele’s Administration then came under fire from the United States after the Supreme Court Judges ruled that the President could seek a second consecutive term, which Washington saw as unconstitutional. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Venezuelan Opposition, Norway urge Maduro Government to resume talks

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he Chair of the V e n e z u e l a n Opposition’s negotiating team at talks with the Government urged President Nicolás Maduro’s Administration on Sunday to resume dialogue as soon as possible, after the Government suspended its participation this weekend.

Maduro’s Government put the conversations on ice after Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a Venezuelan envoy, was extradited to the United States from Cape Verde on Saturday to face corruption charges.

It was the latest setback at Norwegian-sponsored talks between the two sides, which have yet to make concrete advances toward end-

ing Venezuela’s long social and economic crisis.

A majority of Venezuelans live in poverty, suffering gasoline shortages and frequent power blackouts. Millions have emigrated, seeking work and better living conditions.

“We urge our counterpart to restart as soon as possible the session in Mexico to produce the necessary agreements,” said Opposition negotiator Gerardo Blyde, speaking from Mexico City.

Norway echoed that call on Twitter, saying negotiations are the only solution.

“We will keep working for the parties to, as soon as possible, continue their important effort at the negotiating table,” the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry

tweeted.

Socialist party legislator Jorge Rodriguez, who heads the Government’s negotiating team, announced the suspension on Saturday.

The Venezuelan Government in September named Saab – who was arrested in June 2020 when his plane stopped in Cape Verde to refuel –as a negotiator. His inclusion in the negotiating team was widely seen by Maduro critics as an attempt to delay his extradition.

The US Justice Department charged Saab in 2019 in connection with a bribery scheme to take advantage of Venezuela’s State-controlled exchange rate. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Opposition Leader and People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding

“J

amaica desperately needs a sustainable solution to its problem of very high levels of violent crime”.

That is the pronouncement of Opposition Leader and People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding. He made the comment on Sunday as he addressed the Party’s 83rd annual conference via Zoom.

“It’s a desperate situation,” Golding remarked

while highlighting that Jamaicans were being murdered this year at an even higher rate than last year.

Official Jamaica Constabulary Force statistics indicate that murders are up 10.4 per cent this year when compared to the corresponding period in 2020.

“Domestic violence is higher than ever. Violent crime is fed by a general lack of moral norms, discipline and behavioural stan-

dards which, as a nation, we must address,” Golding told comrades. He said the fear and sorrow caused by such high levels of violent crime have sapped the hope of the nation.

And, he pointed out that there was a massive economic incentive to solving the country’s crime problem as a World Bank study has noted that crime results in a direct cost to Jamaica of nearly four per cent of annual Gross Domestic Product. This is in a context where Jamaica “has failed to achieve constant annual growth of even two per cent,” observed Golding.

He said the PNP believed that a balanced approach would yield long-term results in the sustained reduction of violent crime.

“It cannot be achieved by resorting to oppressive laws that abrogate the rights of our people,” he remarked. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

UNC: President did not act in public’s best interest

UNC Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial

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he Opposition in Trinidad and Tobago does not think President Paula-Mae Weekes acted in the public’s best interest in the matter of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the appointment of a Police Commissioner.

The Opposition shared its view at its weekly press briefing on Sunday, at its Charles Street, Port-ofSpain office.

Opposition Senator

Jayanti Lutchmedial addressed the President’s fullpage published statement on the matter which was printed in all three daily newspapers.

She said any person who holds office must act in the best interest of the people.

“I do not believe that what we have heard so far and even with the President’s explanation today of what her actions or lack of action was in this sit-

uation that she acted in the best interest of the public in this situation.”

She said it was “quite frightening” that anybody could take information to the Chairman of a service commission about someone who is a candidate; who maybe on a merit list; who has applied for a job or shortlisted for a job and that can cause the entire process to be quashed and the Order of Merit List to be pulled back.

“That is a very dangerous situation. It really speaks to the level of autocracy, the lack of discipline and the lack of independence that we are seeing in our institutions which are enshrined in our Constitution for a reason. It insulates them and ensure that they remain independent.”

Lutchmedial said that what should happen if someone has credible information is that it should go to the appropriate authorities to investigate. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Mexican electoral body says 2.85M signatures needed to open presidential recall referendum

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exico’s national election authority said Sunday that 2.85 million signatures are necessary to move forward with a recall referendum on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s mandate.

The National Electoral Institute (INE) said three per cent of the 94,845,915

registered voters in 32 states would need to show support between November 1 and December 15, mainly through its mobile app, in order for the recall referendum to move forward.

Lopez Obrador, who took office in 2018, has long said he would hold a recall referendum halfway through his

term to decide if he continues in office.

Opposition parties, however, are against the referendum, which they see as a way to polarise voters and galvanise supporters of the President, who has consistently enjoyed support of around 60 per cent.

(Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS “Crazy” bets on US$200 oil invade the options market

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roaring trade in bullish crude-oil options says the 2021 energy rally is far from over.

Traders once again are betting that the US oil benchmark will surge above US$100 a barrel, from a recent US$82, as early as December. US crude, known as West Texas Intermediate or WTI, is up 10 per cent this month, and 70 per cent this year, but it hasn’t hit US$100 since the oil crash of 2014.

Wagers across the Atlantic are even more aggressive.

Some traders are betting Brent crude, the global benchmark, will hit a record high of US$200 a barrel

by December 2022, according to data from provider QuikStrike. Options give investors the right to buy or sell at a stated price by a certain date. Traders typically use options to make directional bets or to hedge their portfolios.

The bullish trading amounts to a gamble that supplychain disruptions and regional shortages will keep pushing energy markets higher, despite a slowing global economic expansion and concerns that higher oil and naturalgas prices will crimp consumer spending. The wagers also show that investors drawn by the small upfront investments and potentially quick payoffs of options trades are piling into energy markets, echoing trades in the stock market this year.

Wall Street is watching whether the energy-price surge will dent third-quarter corporate earnings. Delta Air Lines Inc on Wednesday warned investors that it expects higher fuel prices to undercut profit in the fourth quarter.

In coming days, earnings from airlines including United Airlines Holdings Inc and American Airlines Group Inc will shed more light on the issue.

The supply squeeze already has had profound effects.

US crude recently hit its highest level in almost seven years. Natural-gas prices have more than doubled this year and are trading above US$5 per million British thermal units. Some warn of a prolonged bout of inflation, others that high energy prices will hit consumers who are already expecting to pay more for heat this winter.

One sign of the crude-options frenzy: Expected volatility—a measure of how turbulent traders expect an asset to be over a given time frame—has risen alongside prices in recent weeks, upending the typical relationship in which rising prices lead to lower volatility and vice versa. Traders say that is a sign that so many traders are piling into the market that bigger swings are becoming almost inevitable.

An average of around 167,000 WTI options have changed hands daily in October, the most since March 2020, according to CME Group data. The US$100 call, a bullish contract that confers the right to buy oil contracts, is the most widely held option in the WTI energy markets now, according to QuikStrike. Traders said that was unusual because of how far “out of the money,” or above the current trading level, it is.

Traders turned to these bets earlier in the year, but activity has ramped up again lately. The number of call options contracts outstanding tied to WTI hitting US$100 a barrel across all contract expiration dates topped 141,500 Thursday, equivalent to more than 141 million barrels of oil—more than a day’s worth of output in the global economy.

Call options tied to WTI jumping to US$95 or US$180 a barrel have also been popular over the past week, QuikStrike data show.

Benigno said that speculative traders have made aggressive, bullish bets on oil over the past year. As the commodity’s rally accelerated, many of them appeared to close out their existing options positions and pegged their bets to even higher prices in a wager that oil would keep soaring.

At the same time, the volume of speculative activity could make for large, single-day pullbacks in the oil market if economic data or other information comes to light that conflicts with the bullish narrative. (Excerpt from The Wall Street Jaournal)

Kerala floods: Dozens missing in deadly India disaster

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ore than 20 people have been killed in floods in southern India after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, cutting off towns and villages.

Several houses were washed away and people became trapped in the district of Kottayam in Kerala state.

Days of heavy rainfall in Kerala has caused deadly landslides and the Indian military has joined rescue efforts.

Helicopters have been used to fly in supplies and personnel to areas where people have been trapped under debris by the landslides, officials said on Sunday.

In one tragic incident, a family of six - including a

Sections of some roads were washed away

75-year-old grandmother and three children - were confirmed dead after their home in Kottayam was swept away, news agency PTI reported.

The bodies of another three children - aged eight, seven and four - were also

found buried under the debris in Idukki district, where the search continued for at least five other missing people, the agency said.

Fishing boats are being used to evacuate survivors trapped in Kollam and other coastal towns, as sections of

road have been swept away and trees uprooted.

Dozens of people have been reported missing and there are fears the death toll could rise further.

Local residents joined rescue teams on Sunday to help remove mud, rocks and fallen trees from affected areas as the search for survivors continued.

Refuge centres have been set up in various areas across the state.

It is not uncommon for heavy rainfall to cause flooding and landslides in Kerala, where wetlands and lakes that once acted as natural safeguards against floods have disappeared because of increasing urbanisation and construction. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Russian team back on Earth after filming 1st movie in space

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The movie has been in its own kind of space race - with Tom Cruise.

He is apparently part of a Hollywood filming-in-space project involving Nasa and Elon Musk's SpaceX. The module carrying Peresild and Shipenko, along with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, parachuted down to Earth at about lunchtime on Sunday in the Kazakhstan steppe.

Their departure was not delayed by Friday's glitch, which resulted in lost positioning control for about half an hour.

It wasn't the film crew's only close encounter with tech breakdown. On arrival on October 5, the Soyuz's automatic Kurs docking system failed and the commander had to switch to

manual control.

The actor and director will now be taken to Russia's Star City training

No end in sight to La Palma volcanic eruption – Canaries President

sraeli settlers have committed violent, daily attacks against Palestinian villages and residents harvesting their olive trees over the past week.

The attacks, which include beatings of farmers and destruction of trees, preceded the formal start of the olive harvest season on October 12 in the occupied West Bank, but intensified in number over the past week.

The most targeted areas have been in the northern occupied West Bank, around villages south of Nablus city and Salfit, according to local observers.

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler violence in the northern West Bank, told Al Jazeera that 58 attacks have been recorded since the start of the season, including nine on the village of Burin south of Nablus alone.

“It is evident that there is an increase in the attacks.

We are 30 per cent into the olive harvest season, and

Russian film crew are back on Earth after wrapping up scenes for the first movie shot in space.

Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild left the International Space Station and landed in Kazakhstan - to be met by a crew filming touchdown scenes.

The ISS shooting was not without drama - suitable for a film called Challenge.

On Friday the ISS unexpectedly tilted after a glitch in its thrusters, pausing filming. It was not thought to be part of the script.

In a farewell tweet from the ISS, Peresild showed off a weightless hairdo likely to thwart any conspiracy theorists who think it was all shot on Earth:

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here is no immediate end in sight to the volcanic eruption that has caused chaos on the Spanish isle of La Palma since it began about a month ago, the President of the Canary Islands said on Sunday.

There were 42 seismic movements on the island on Sunday, the largest of which measured 4.3, according to the Spanish National Geographic Institute.

“There are no signs that an end of the eruption is imminent even though this is the greatest desire of everyone,” President Angel Víctor Torres said at a Socialist party conference in Valencia, citing the view of scientists.

Streams of lava have lain

waste to more than 742 hectares (1833 acres) of land and destroyed almost 2000 buildings on La Palma since the volcano started erupting on September 19.

About 7000 people have been evacuated from their homes on the island, which has about 83,000 inhabitants and forms part of the Canary Islands archipelago off northwest Africa.

Airline Binter said it had cancelled all its flights to La Palma until 1pm (12:00 GMT) on Sunday because of ash from the volcano.

Almost half – 22 out of 38 – of all flights to the island on Sunday have been cancelled, state airport operator Aena said, but the airport there remains open.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

base for a 10-day rehab, which is two days less than their actual space stay.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Settler attacks wreak havoc on Palestinians during olive harvest

A Palestinian man inspects his olive tree that was cut by Israelis near Tubas in the occupied West Bank [Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

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we have already had 58 attacks in the north [of the West Bank],” said Daghlas, describing the attacks as “planned and not spontaneous”.

Settler attacks are a frequent, near-daily reality for Palestinian villages, but the number of attacks increases during the olive harvest season, which runs through November, as settlers target families working on their lands.

On October 12, settlers uprooted 900 olive and apricot saplings, and stole olive crops in the village of Sebastia, north of Nablus, while uprooting 70 olive trees in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

On October 13, settlers chopped down dozens of olive trees and sprayed them with chemicals in Awarta, east of Nablus, destroyed some 70 olive, fruit and vegetable trees in al-Tuwani south of Hebron, and slashed tyres, and vandalised cars and walls in the village of Marda near Salfit.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

Dig in, get the facts, formulate a plan and leave (March 21nothing to chance. A suggesApril 19) tion will help you update the way you present yourself to others. Broaden your awareness through participation.

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Go over personal documentation to make sure everything is updated. An opportunity will require you to step outside your comfort zone. Think twice before you put yourself in an awkward situation.

Focus on what's important to you and the best way to get what you want. A work-related matter will broaden your scope and boost your morale.

A partnership will encourage you.

Consider the pros and cons of any situation before you make promises. Don't let an emotional issue spiral into an argument that can disrupt your plans. Be prepared to proceed alone, if necessary.

Consider the result you are trying to achieve and make arrangements to reach your goal.

Discipline will be necessary if you want to avoid temptation.

Upgrade your surroundings.

Romance is favored.

Be diligent regarding your health and well-being. Take an intelligent approach to fitness, proper diet and attending events.

Walk away from anyone putting pressure on you.

Someone will take advantage of you if you are too accommodating. Focus on taking care of your responsibilities and doing the best you can.

You can offset someone's efforts to take charge.

Leave nothing to chance.

Take care of personal matters yourself. Look for a unique way to organize your space, and put aside time to spend with someone who lifts your spirits.

Check out the possibilSAGITTARIUS ities yourself. If you rely on (Nov. 23someone, you will miss out Dec. 21) on something spectacular.

Make decisions that are going to benefit you. Romance is on the rise.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) SATURDAY'S WORD -- TRIAGE

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Take a moment to rethink your financial plans.

Keep your emotions under control, and you'll avoid paying for something you don't need or want. A joint venture will require work.

Your determination and dedication will pay off. Discuss your plans with a loved one, and you'll come up with a blueprint for your financial future. Consistency will be key.

Set a reasonable budget.

Have patience when dealing with friends and (Feb. 20relatives. Being a good lisMarch 20) tener will help you figure out how best to respond to someone asking for too much. Set guidelines.

PISCES

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

21

T20 World Cup: Scotland beat Bangladesh after Oman thrash Papua New Guinea

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hakib Al Hasan became the leading wickettaker in Twenty20 internationals, but Scotland successfully defended 140 against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup in Muscat, Oman.

Shakib took 2-17, as he moved to 108 wickets and overtook Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, during Scotland's 140-9.

Chris Greaves made 45, and then took 2-19 as Bangladesh finished 1347, six runs adrift. Earlier, Oman thrashed Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in the opening game. After being put in to bat, Scotland made a slow start and lost Captain Kyle Coetzer for a duck, but recovered to 45-1, before losing five wickets for just eight runs in 25 balls, to slip to 53-6.

Greaves then shared 51 with Martin Watt, who made 22, and 27 with Josh Davey to work Scotland up to a defendable total. Scotland removed both openers to leave Bangladesh 18-2, before a 47-run partnership between Shakib (20) and Mushfiqur Rahim (38) gave the Tigers a platform.

But both fell in the space of two overs, meaning the runrate started to rise sharply, and despite conceding 17 from the final over, some earlier good bowling and catching was enough for Scotland to pick up the win.

Hampshire's Brad Wheal was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-24.

In the tournament's first game Papua New Guinea –

SCOREBOARD

who had lost their previous 10 games in white-ball cricket and were making their World Cup debut, resulting in tears during the national anthems – were 0-2 before recovering to 102-3, but another collapse restricted them to 129-9, with Captain Assad Vala topscoring with 56.

Oman Captain and spinner Zeeshan Maqsood claimed 4-20, the best figures by an Oman bowler in T20 cricket, before his openers Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas – who had never batted together for Oman – hit 12 fours and five sixes as Oman won with 38 balls to spare and became just the third men's team to win a T20 World Cup game by 10 wickets.

The next Group B games are on Tuesday, with Scotland facing Papua New Guinea (11:00 BST) and Bangladesh taking on Oman (15:00). (BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD PNG Innings Tony Ura b Bilal Khan 0 Lega Siaka b Kaleemullah 0 Assad Vala (c)c Jatinder Singh b Kaleemullah 56 Charles Amini run out (Mohammad Nadeem) 37 Sese Bau c Jatinder Singh b Zeeshan Maqsood 13 Norman Vanua b Zeeshan Maqsood 1 Simon Atai c Ayaan Khan b Bilal Khan 3 Kiplin Doriga †c Sandeep Goud b Zeeshan Maqsood 0 Damien Ravu c Mohammad Nadeem b Zeeshan Maqsood 1 Kabua Morea not out 6 Nosaina Pokana not out 5 Extras (lb 6, w 1) 7 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.44) 129/9 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Tony Ura, 0.5 ov), 2-0 (Lega Siaka, 1.3 ov), 3-81 (Charles Amini, 11.3 ov), 4-102 (Assad Vala, 14.1 ov), 5-112 (Norman Vanua, 15.1

ov), 6-113 (Sese Bau, 15.3 ov), 7-113 (Kiplin Doriga, 15.5 ov), 8-117 (Simon Atai, 16.6 ov), 9-118 (Damien Ravu, 17.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Bilal Khan 4-1-16-2 Kaleemullah 3-0-19-2 Aqib Ilyas 4-0-28-0 Mohammad Nadeem 3-0-23-0 Khawar Ali 2-0-17-0 Zeeshan Maqsood 4-0-20-4 OMAN INNINGS (TARGET: 130 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Aqib Ilyas not out 43 Jatinder Singh not out 42 Extras (lb 2, nb 3, w 3) 8 TOTAL (13.4 Ov, RR: 9.58) 131 BOWLING O-M-R-W Kabua Morea 2-0-18-0 Damien Ravu 3-0-28-0 Nosaina Pokana 2-0-15-0 Simon Atai 1-0-9-0 Charles Amini 2.4-0-31-0 Assad Vala 1-0-11-0 Lega Siaka 2-0-17-0

Scotland Innings George Munsey b Mahedi Hasan 29 Kyle Coetzer (c) b Mohammad Saifuddin 0 Matthew Cross † lbw b Mahedi Hasan 11 Richie Berrington c Afif Hossain b Shakib Al Hasan 2 Calum MacLeod b Mahedi Hasan 5 Michael Leask c Liton Das b Shakib Al Hasan 0 Chris Greaves c Shakib A l Hasan b Mustafizur Rahman 45 Mark Watt c Soumya Sarkar b Taskin Ahmed 22 Josh Davey b Mustafizur Rahman 8 Safyaan Sharif not out 8 Brad Wheal not out 1 Extras (lb 4, nb 1, w 4) 9 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 7.00) 140/9 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Kyle Coetzer, 2.4 ov), 2-45 (Matthew Cross, 7.2 ov), 3-46 (George Munsey, 7.5 ov), 4-52 (Richie Berrington, 10.2 ov), 5-52 (Michael Leask, 10.4 ov), 6-53 (Calum MacLeod, 11.3 ov), 7-104 (Mark Watt, 17.1 ov), 8-131 (Chris Greaves, 19.2 ov), 9-131 (Josh Davey, 19.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Taskin Ahmed 3-0-28-1 Mustafizur Rahman 4-1-32-2 Mohammad Saifuddin 4-0-30-1 Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-17--2

Mahedi Hasan Afif Hossain

4-0-19-3 1-0-10-0

BANGLADESH INNINGS (TARGET: 141 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Liton Das c Munsey b Wheal 5 Soumya Sarkar c Munsey b Davey 5 Shakib Al Hasan c MacLeod b Greaves 20 Mushfiqur Rahim b Greaves 38 Mahmudullah (c) c MacLeod b Wheal 23 Afif Hossain c Davey b Watt 18 Nurul Hasan †c MacLeod b Wheal 2 Mahedi Hasan not out 13 Mohammad Saifuddin not out 5 Extras (lb 2, w 3) 5 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.70) 134/7 Did not bat: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Soumya Sarkar, 1.3 ov), 2-18 (Liton Das, 3.3 ov), 3-65 (Shakib Al Hasan, 11.1 ov), 4-74 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 13.1 ov), 5-106 (Afif Hossain, 17.3 ov), 6-110 (Nurul Hasan, 18.2 ov), 7-116 (Mahmudullah, 18.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Brad Wheal 4-0-24-3 Josh Davey 4-0-24-1 Safyaan Sharif 3-0-26-0 Michael Leask 2-0-20-0 Mark Watt 4-0-19-1 Chris Greaves 3-0-19-2

Vitality Inc constructing new home for BCB Office Assistant

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he long-serving Office Assistant of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), Ruthel Henry would soon be moving into a new home, compliments of a joint project of the Board and the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), with support from Vitality Inc of Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Henry’s dream for over two decades has been to have her own home, so that she and her youngest son Xavier could live in comfort.

Henry recalled that she had approached BCB President Hilbert Foster in 2018 when he was elected and he had promised to assist her to raise some funds to construct a small one-bedroom home. Foster had raised a tidy amount of money,

Ruthel Henry

but a life-threatening medical condition saw the funds being used to save Henry’s life.

Despite the setback, Foster recommitted to seek ways to construct the home by the end of 2021. Vitality Inc’s principal, Sureain Sawh, an overseas-based Guyanese, was approached for assistance and he, along with the other Directors of the company,

readily agreed to help.

Vitality Inc is a US$10 million investment in Guyana by overseas Guyanese that offers services ranging from providing equipment needed to service the oil industry to consultancy and strategic planning.

It hopes to employ over 40 Guyanese and to establish other departments in an environmentally-friendly waste management facility, as well as accounting and medical testing facilities.

The 20-foot by 28-foot house would contain two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and washroom facilities.

Foster is confident that the home would be completed in time for the family to move in before the festive season,

and expressed thanks to the management of the company for its generous contribution including Sawh, Abbas Hamid, Simon Kandial, and Matt Averkamp.

The BCB President and RHTY&SC Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is also a Director of Cricket West Indies (CWI), stated that he

was delighted that Henry would have the keys soon to her new home, and committed himself to making sure that the home was fully furnished after it was completed. He stated that the BCB and the RHTY&SC were both committed to making a positive difference in the lives of persons involved in the game who need assistance.

Foster disclosed that since 2018, his administration had assisted clubs and players with more than $15 million in items as part of its outreach programme. An emotional Henry stated that she was overjoyed at the start of the construction and expressed thanks to the BCB and the RHTY&SC along with Vitality Inc for making her dream become a reality. She noted that Foster

was a very compassionate leader who cared a lot for the people around him.

She stated that the BCB President led by example and, most importantly, was a man of his word. Henry recommitted herself to the development of Berbice cricket and pledged to work even harder to make sure that the current high standard is upheld.

Vitality Inc is an official sponsor of both of the BCB and the RHTY&SC. The company earlier this year donated in excess of $1.4 million worth of cricket gear to clubs in Berbice while it also sponsored a cricket tournament for teams in Upper Corentyne . The company is also the official sponsor of the RHTY&SC Vitality Under-23 team.

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

NSC to engage with hockey, squash today as National Sports Academy planning gets underway

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n a move aimed at kickstarting the country's first-ever National Sports Academy, the National Sports Commission (NSC) on Saturday met with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) and the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA).

The meeting, held in the boardroom of the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry, was attended by Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle; Assistant Director Melissa Dow-Richardson; NSC Chairman Kashif Muhammed and Commissioner Cristy

Members of the NSC continue to engage sporting bodies as planning for the National Sports Academy bowls off

Campbell.

At the inaugural Guyana Sports Conference, hosted by the Ministry and the NSC, a presentation was made on the structure of a sport academy for each of 12 identified core sports by Minister Charles Ramson Jr. There was a commitment made by all stakeholders to collaborate with the NSC in developing the three pillars of these academies l Nursery, Tournaments and Elite Training Academy.

Today, the NSC will meet with the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) and the Guyana Squash Association, while on Wednesday, it will engage

the Guyana Basketball Federation (GABF) and the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA).

On Thursday, meetings will be held with the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) and the Guyana Volleyball Federation. Friday's meeting with the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) will mark the last engagement with the identified core sports in the first phase of planning.

The National Sports Academy is the brainchild of Minister Ramson in keeping with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government's manifesto for sports.

GABF responds to King of Region 7 Chairman accepts the Court tournament promo: challenge to lead Rising Stars FC NCBL not affiliated to GABF

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n response to the circulated video promoting the National Community Basketball League’s King of the Court Tournament, the Guyana Basketball Federation (GABF) has issued the following statement: The National Community Basketball League (NCBL) is not affiliated to the GABF or any of the Sub Associations and Councils under the governance of the GABF. The subjected activity has not been approved or sanctioned by the GABF and as such, no registered member of the GABF, including its Sub Associations and Councils, is authorised to participate in this event. Under the GABF Constitution, and in the interests of good governance, player safety,

Kenneth Williams is set to lead Rising Stars FC

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ising Stars Football Club, which is affiliated with the Bartica Football Association (BFA), e l e c t e d Kenneth Williams as President when it held its Annual General Meeting last Friday at the B a r t i c a Community Centre.

Williams, who is also Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), accepted the role of Club President, signalling

full support for the game at the local level, and beyond.

The full Executive Committee is as follows: 1. President – Kenneth Williams 2. Vice President – Nadia Alli 3 .

Secretary – Michael D o Santos 4

Treasurer – Colin Joseph 5. Secretary/Treasurer – Elwes Jones

s .

Committee Members: 6. Jermaine Christian 7. Jermin Lynch 8. Devon Elias Rising Stars FC is one of the leading clubs of the BFA, having produced many talented players over a number of years.

The new Executive Committee pledged to lead the club to higher heights while throwing down the challenge to other clubs that Rising Stars FC will rise to the top of the table, once competition resumed in Bartica.

university eligibility compliance a n d professional standards, G A B F members are only authorised to participate in officiallysanctioned events.

Any participation in unsanctioned activities may result in punitive action, including fines and suspension.

Furthermore, at this time, any basketball-

related activity must be reviewed and approved by the National COVID-19 Task Force before permission is granted by the GABF. The GABF encourages the basketball community to continue to follow and obey the COVID-19 regulations and protocols as ordered by the Government of Guyana to

protect the health and well-being of the general populace during this pandemic.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Story and photos By Brandon Corlette in Essequibo

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resh from a solid season in the United States of America, We Stand United star rider Briton John clinched the fourth annual Urban Benjamin Memorial Gold race in Essequibo, stopping the clock at two hours 45 minutes and 55 Taste of Gold! Briton John claimed victory

Walter Grant-Stuart leaving Horace Burrowes in the dust after their showdown

podium in that order in a 35mile race from Charity to Anna Regina and back. Paralympian Walter Grant-Stuart then beat Horace Burrowes in a sprint home for the veteran Under-50 title. Paul Choweenam came in third in that category.

Ian Jackson was the top Over-50 rider while Garfield Lorrimer placed second and Neil Gomes came in third. Top junior, Berbician Mario Washington continued his good season, topping his category while Team Alanis' Sherwin Sampson came

We Stand United came out in their numbers and enjoyed success in the race

Paul DeNobrega was also affected.

The three big guns – Jamual, Briton and Crawford attacked early – and enjoyed a huge gap which they maintained throughout the race. Briton claimed the first and fourth

Ambrose pipped Hicks and Green in a close sprint home.

This race was the fourth annual Urban Benjamin Memorial road race and was

Vehicle (ATV) accident while working in the interior. Sponsor Conrad Gomes and his company in an effort to keep the memory of a good worker alive, decided

seconds.

A total of 34 starters took centre stage under scintillating sunshine at a buzzing Charity and raced towards Supenaam, before returning to the point of origin, covering 74 miles. Briton, who rode solo in the final stages to claim victory, was followed by the red-hot Jamual John, who rode in second, and national champion Romello Crawford, who came in third. Army-man Alonzo Ambrose was fourth,

Top junior Mario Washington was all smiles

in second and Aaron Newton third.

Three big guns: Briton John, Jamual John and Romello Crawford finished the race in that order

beating Andrew Hicks (fifth) and Andre “Padlock” Green (sixth).

In the female category, the queen of Guyana's roadways,

Suzanne Hamilton dominated to claim the top spot while Clivecia Spencer and the returning Marica Dick completed the

As it happened The Essequibians came out in their numbers, viewing the race from their homes and the roadways. Some 34 riders transformed the roadways into their play-field, but 10 minutes into the race, a major accident occurred, which left two of Team Evolution riders in shock, suffering injuries. Christopher Griffith and Segon Hubbard were the injured riders while

sprint prize while Crawford had the second and third sprint prizes and Jamual had the other sprint prize.

A pack of top riders found it difficult to chase the big three, but 20 minutes after they turned back, Green, Hicks and Ambrose attacked. It was off the radar to close the gap set by the top three, and the other trio that completed the top six entertained the Cinderella county.

Eventually, it was Briton who rode away from Crawford and Jamual to claim gold, while

Strength of a woman! Queen Suzanne Hamilton dominated again

professionally organised by Evolution Cycle Club and sponsored by Conrad Gomes.

The late Benjamin was a cycling enthusiast who met his demise following an All-Terrain

to host this event for the lad who hailed from Pomeroon. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) had an all-hands-on-deck approach during the race.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

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

Pg 23

Page 22

GABF responds to King of the Court tournament promo: NCBL not affiliated to GABF

NSC to engage with hockey, squash today as National Sports Academy planning gets underway

See story on page 22

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