Guyana Times - Monday October 25, 2021

General Colin Powell will be remembered for his courage, integrity – Ambassador Hinds Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4811

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

Granger wants Congress electing new leaders postponed — cites COVID-19 related concerns — against several members handling logistical arrangements See story on page 7

Barbados delegation to form trade partnerships with Guyanese Page 3

— as bilateral talks between President Ali, PM Mottley bear fruit

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3 nabbed with 9lbs of “poppy” in vehicle P13

C’bean P13 businesses to benefit from €3M grant to cushion effects of pandemic WCB man P16 allegedly stabbed by fugitive Anna Regina businesses reiterate P10 call for stray animals to be impounded

The Barbados Housing and Investment Mission Team toured the Barama Plywood Factory on Saturday. The tour was led by Mohindra Chand, General Country Manager, Barama Company Limited (BCL), supported by other team members

US injects further US$2.5M into Caricom to fight COVID-19

Page 11

Page 11

Police Officer among 7 homeless after Corentyne fire

— arson suspected, brother arrested

Tuschen businessman found ...was murdered in home gagged, bound See story on page 10

Decomposed P13 body of pensioner found in Linden home Region 4 man, 91, latest P14 COVID fatality — 90 new infections detected, 3572 active cases being monitored

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Monday, Oct 25 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Tuesday, Oct 26 – 09:00h – 10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, Oct 25 – 06:45h – 08:15h and Tuesday, Oct 26 – 07:30h – 09:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

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High Tide: 06:48h and 18:56h reaching maximum heights of 2.44 metres and 2.49 metres.

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Barbados delegation to form trade partnerships with Guyanese − as bilateral talks between President Ali, PM Mottley bear fruit

E

arlier this month, President Dr Irfaan Ali held bilateral discussions with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Now, a high-level delegation from Barbados is in Guyana to explore investment opportunities and agreements to purchase local construction materials.

The delegation paid a visit to Barama, where they inspected the value-added process of turning timber into lumber. Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar explained that the delegation’s visit is as a result of the bilateral discussions.

“This is following the agreements at a political level between Prime Minister Mia Mottley and President Dr Irfaan Ali. When we were in Barbados, there were a number of initiatives that we agreed on.

One of them was in terms of the housing sector, that they would come to visit and see what we have done in the sector.”

“And what we said to the Bajans is that we have a lot of wood and a large standing forest, we have a lot of aggregates, a lot of sand. Sawn lumber. So, they came to see Barama today, to understand how the manufacturing process is and the need. Because they really import a lot of ply, from extra regional sources too.”

The Minister noted that Guyana has good quality plywood, when the weight and density of the ply is considered. He explained that it is also resistant to pests, and according to him, the Bajans are interested.

“So, we just have to make out the commercial side, between the company and them. Between Barama and the Barbados authority that procures it. Once they agree on the commercial side, the logistics is in place. Because this company sits right by the waterfront. The ships can load and they come and take it out.”

“All in all, I think they (Bajans) are very happy.

Mr Mohindrachand, who is the Managing Director of Barama, is also excited. It will create additional output for his manufacturing facility. And once the output is increased, it will carry down costs,” Indar noted.

According to Indar, Barbados is ultimately interested in Guyana’s sawn timber, for their own housing initiative. And according to the Minister, Guyana has enough of this product to satisfy Barbados’ needs.

“They’re interested in the finished product. They saw the process. They understand its green. Its responsible logging too. So tomorrow we’ll go to some of the sawmillers that do

Members of the Barbados delegation in discussion with Government officials and Barama during their visit

sawed timber, in Parika and also in the Linden area, to look at the sawn lumber part of it. We have the lumber, the plywood, the aggregate, the sand. So, we can really make a bigger inroad into Barbados.”

The Minister also spoke of the trickle-down effect on the Guyanese economy, since Guyana buys from community loggers. Once demand for lumber increases at the level of Barama, it means more work and more money for ordinary loggers.

“If you need sand, it’s more production at the sand pits. If you need aggregates, it’s more production at the crusher. So once demand goes up, it’s more activity at the source.

Then you have transportation too, the workers at the sand pits or the crusher or the loggers. That drives the activity.”

Meanwhile, Dr William Duguid, who is the Barbadian Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, expressed interest in the manufacturing process he observed and moreover attested that Barbados would explore investment opportunities in the sector and would be returning to scope out even more opportunities.

“The first thing I can see are opportunities to purchase the various thicknesses of ply. But also, I can see a benefit to be able to harness green hydrogen

to be able to provide electricity, as well as to be able to install a photovoltaic system on the roof.”

“And by extension be able to reduce the price for the construction industry for the product. So there are a lot of opportunities at this company alone. And I’m seeing so many others along our tour.”

He noted that there is also opportunity for Guyana to benefit from knowledge exchange and technical cooperation, since Barbados has done much work when it comes to pairing solar energy with its housing activities. Additionally, there is technology used for making foundations for homes that can be shared.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 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

Judicialization of politics D

iscussing their recent paper virtually last week, “The Judiciary and the 2020 Guyana Elections”, Lecturer in Law, Dr Ronnie Yearwood and Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Cynthia Barrow-Giles – who led the high-level Caricom team to supervise the recount of all ballots cast at the March 2020 elections –bemoaned the increasing “Judicialization of politics” in the Caribbean but more so in Guyana.

The “judicialization” of politics has been a phenomenon commented on in the US and other jurisdictions since the 1980s.

One expert in the field, Ran Hirschi, defines the phrase to mean the adjudication of “matters of outright and utmost political significance that often define and divide whole polities, such as determination of foundational collective-identity questions, nation-building processes, corroboration of regime change and determination of electoral outcomes.”

The background to these comments on judicial creep into what had been seen as the bailiwick of politics was the centuries-long tradition of the courts being an equal branch of the Government and deferring under the “political question” doctrine on contentious matters, which were referred back to the Executive and Legislative branches. This judicialization of “mega-politics” or “pure” politics in other jurisdictions has included electoral processes and outcomes, restorative justice, regime legitimacy, executive prerogatives, collective identity, and nation-building. All of which have engaged our courts recently.

But Hirschi raises some very pertinent questions on this trend for us in light of recent developments here that started even before the March 2 elections: there was the APNU/ AFC Government resorting to the courts to contest the PPP’s successful No Confidence Motion (NCM) in 2018, claiming that 33 was not the majority of 65. If there was ever an “abuse of process” in the judicialization of our politics that the two lecturers highlighted, this has to be it.

In the election’s fiasco, they felt “the political parties deliberately resorted to the courts in order to resolve what was essentially in our view a political issue”. The issue being “who was the winner of the elections”. Now in strict terms, adjudicating disputes on electoral matters is a matter for the courts, but what was being alluded to had to have been the malfeasance by GECOM officials to thwart the will of the people in the tabulation of the SOPs. Observing that GECOM was one of the most “empowered” institutions in Guyana, they were very blunt about GECOM: “In the context of the problems that Guyana has been experiencing over the years, I don’t think that it serves the purpose of Guyana.” This conclusion should give pause to those who are critical of the PPP Government for tackling the restructuring of the electoral body’s Secretariat.

But Hirschi has some advice for us: “…questions such as a regime’s legitimacy, a nation’s collective identity, or a polity’s coming to terms with its often less-than-admirable past reflect primarily deep moral and political dilemmas, not judicial ones.

As such, they ought – at least as a matter of principle – to be contemplated and decided by the populace itself, through its elected and accountable representatives.

“Adjudicating such matters is an inherently and substantively political exercise that extends beyond the application of rights provisions or basic procedural justice norms to various public policy realms. Judicialization of this type involves instances where courts decide on watershed political questions that face the nation, despite the fact that the Constitution of that nation does not speak to the contested issues directly, and despite the obvious recognition of the very high political stakes for the nation. It is precisely these instances of judicialization of watershed national questions involving the intersection of very high political stakes with little or no pertinent constitutional guidelines that make the democratic credentials of judicial review most questionable.”

However, while it might be best if the politicians could resolve “political questions” among themselves without resort to the courts, we should not be too optimistic. We are, after all, a young nation.

Rather we should take the hint of the lecturers and improve the selection of our Appellate Court Justices.

A view of the sculpture “Together” by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, son of late actor Anthony Quinn, is seen in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, October 23, 2021 (Reuters)

Agriculture − not rhetoric Dear Editor, Permit me the space to respond to the editorial published in another section of the media titled “Agriculture: More Rhetoric.”

The editorial provides an additional opportunity for conversation on the ever-important topic of agriculture in Guyana. The Ministry of Agriculture, of course, welcomes every opportunity to be part of this conversation.

Editor, since August of 2020, under the energetic leadership of HE President Ali in the capacity of Lead Head on Agriculture in the Caricom Quasi Cabinet, collective regional awareness of the importance of Food and Nutrition Security has been significantly heightened. Preceding that period, Guyana’s lead responsibility for Agriculture, Agricultural Diversification and Food Security in the Caribbean Community had all but been relinquished.

In February of this year, in the capacity of Lead Head on Agriculture for the region, President Ali presented the paper titled “Advancing the Caricom Agri-Food Systems Agenda: Prioritising Regional Food and Nutrition Security” to the Caricom Heads of Government. This paper outlined a logical approach and pragmatic programme towards the transformation of the regional food systems and indeed in realistically meeting the goal of reducing the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, that the region has set itself.

Arising out of this process, a Special Ministerial Taskforce on Food Production and Food Security was established and is being ably led by Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, the Honourable

Zulfikar Mustapha. The resuscitation of the Regional Transport Commission and the de-risking of agriculture are two of the critical areas being currently addressed by the Special Ministerial Taskforce.

Even in the face of the current pandemic, substantial collective efforts were invested in hosting the annual Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) 2021 during the week of October 4-8, under the theme “Transforming Our Food Systems”. In his keynote address during the launch of this year’s CWA, President Ali reiterated the point that Guyana takes its role as Lead Head on Agriculture seriously and that Agriculture is of primary importance to Guyana and the Region. During the very week, the Caribbean AgTech Investment Summit was also hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency and again our Head of State delivered a scintillating keynote address.

Guyana’s current efforts for addressing the burgeoning regional food import bill are being undertaken in an integrated manner. Guyana being the largest of the Member States of the Caricom, sees the food import bill as an opportunity for its agricultural producers to replace a significant proportion of the regional food imports.

To this end, the Government of Guyana has been actively pursuing strategic investments to support this vision. To support its production intensification and investment programme in the sector, Guyana in 2021 allocated an initial $500 million to commence infrastructural works in the area earmarked for the cultivation of corn and soya bean by a consortium of Private Sector investors. This

investment will serve as a major input source for the feed processing sector and will significantly benefit the livestock sector.

The PPP Government has always recognised the strategic importance of having agriculture as a robust and competitive tradable sector, in counteracting the paradoxical effects of huge natural resource discoveries. In this regard, the Government has been working assiduously towards attracting sustainable Foreign Direct Investments into the sector, while at the same time, developing an enabling environment necessary for the sector to thrive. For instance, in the poultry sector which is being targeted as a key regional import-replacement sector, Government support is being rolled out in the following ways: * Zero-rating of VAT on the Poultry Industry – VAT-free concessions on items imported for the development of the poultry industry. * Freshwater supply and available lands accessible by a network of roads and waterways. * Concessions for developing lands (Intermediate Savannah). * Tax concessions on Investment in Agro-processing Facilities, Cold Storage and Packaging. * Waivers of Import Duty and VAT on agro-processing equipment. * Enhanced Technical/ Extension support provided via Guyana Livestock Development Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture. * The Food Safety Authority is being established and being made will be fully operational.

Only recently, the National

Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) collaborated with the Guyana Food Safety Authority in the preparation of the Fruits and Vegetables Booklet focusing on sanitary and food safety aspects. The booklet which was launched on October 20 serves as a useful tool for extension officers and farmers alike towards ensuring safe and wholesome food are grown locally and for the region. The preparation and launch of this booklet to coincide with observances taking place throughout 2021 which is being observed as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, was deliberate.

In all of this it should be noted that prior to August of 2020, many persons who were involved in agriculture had either scaled down their operations or left the sector altogether. Today, because of the numerous investments the Government has made, there is a notable renewed interest in the sector. Both local and international individuals and companies are lining up to invest in this very promising sector.

Finally, the Ministry of Agriculture through its various affiliated agencies continues to play a crucial role in supporting the agriculture sector, and in supporting Guyana’s regional role as Lead Head in agriculture.

Guyana continues to lead the region strongly in the production of rice which is an important staple food throughout the Caribbean. Currently, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is undertaking trials towards the development of Biofortified Rice with Zinc for the Caribbean Community.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 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

Everyone must respect the law – the Paul Slowe fiasco Dear Editor, I watched with great amusement, the theatrical display of former Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe when confronted by the members of the Special Organised Crime Unit on the issue of a warrant for his arrest. They were there to carry out an order for his arrest on certain serious charges for which Slowe should have been in the jurisdiction, but he chose to do otherwise.

Paul Slowe was in contempt of the Laws of Guyana which stipulate that he present himself in a court of law within a specific time, not in a time that he decides.

And this is the problem that the law has with persons of the likes of a Paul Slowe, he has to realise that our country is governed by laws, something that he has to respect. He has to have it all cleared up in his mind that the law is not at his convenience, he cannot, and I repeat, he cannot turn up whenever he pleases. So, in my book, the SOCU officers had every right to arrest him.

And if Slowe is not aware of this fact, I shall refresh his memory, the GPF and by extension the SOCU officers were under no obligation to shy away from arresting him, those officers were well within their rights. So, him quoting some nonsense that he was not aware of the charges against him or let the officers speak to his lawyers, the point is the officers were not there to speak to a lawyer but there to arrest him. The law is the law and must be respected at all

times.

Feigning ignorance of the officers who were there to arrest him was another ludicrous tactic of his, because soon after Paul Slowe was seen on a political programme recounting the events and the names of all the officers who were there, so it shows clearly this guy is intricately political as is his fancy footwork around the facts.

Then, I would again refresh Slowe’s recollection, that Dr Ashni Singh who is the former Finance Minister in the Ramotar Government, was also charged and shack-

led, because he too was outside the jurisdiction when the arrest warrant was issued. So, I do not know what Slowe was complaining about, maybe he was fantasising with the thought that being a former Assistant Police Commissioner somehow gave him immunity from prosecution, well he is ever so wrong!

What he needs to understand is that under a reformed GPF everyone is equal under the law until otherwise stated.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Finance: “The Way Forward” in Kwakwani Dear Editor, Imagine for a moment that you did not have a bank account. No debit or credit card, no access to an ATM. No cheques, no loans, no savings account. In other words, no access to cheap, reliable, safe and convenient means of saving, borrowing, sending, and spending money.

This situation, which may seem truly frightening to you and me, is a daily reality for many residents in Kwakwani, Berbice River I see a very real need for continuation of the traditional community banking model in Kwakwani for many years. This sub region is without a banking institu-

CCJ’s uncompromisable integrity Dear Editor, Former President Granger erred severely in opining that certain matters such as those of an electoral nature ought not be litigated at the level of the CCJ. On March 14, 2021, during an airing of the “Public Interest”, he further asserted that the role of the Court of Appeal should be strengthened to deal with all internal electoral matters. This in essence casts a shadow of doubt - whether barefacedly or subliminally - on the competence and capacity of the CCJ, especially given the circumstances of his comments.

Two distinguished UWI lecturers, in an article dated October 22, 2021, published by an online publication, made the observation that the High Court and the CCJ are often times on the same page when arriving at judgements. Notably, it is the Court of Appeal whose Granger’s faith lies in, that made its way to jaw-dropping

judgements which required frequent reigning in by the CCJ for being bad in law.

These range from but are not limited to; inventive mathematical reasonings as to what constitutes a majority, somehow justifying erroneous unconstitutional appointments and even paving the way for the disenfranchisement of 100,000+ votes at an election.

Permit me to make it abundantly clear that I hold the Chancellor and Judges of the Court of Appeal in the highest regard. Their intelligence and capabilities are at a place one can only dream to attain. And on that note, I do agree wholeheartedly with the former President that the capacity and independence of the Court of Appeal must be strengthened but, in so doing we cannot despise the CCJ for its contributions and making sensible judgements.

The CCJ in its appellate jurisdiction remains a beacon of hope, not only to Guyanese but many other Caribbean

countries, that independent and unbiased judgements will always be the order of the day.

In Guyana, more mechanisms should be put in place to ensure the separation of powers among the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of Government.

Some might say, and pragmatically so, that the concern of bias is at the very inception given that Judicial appointments originate from the Executive branch.

This of course, is debatable.

However, the CCJ does not rely on Governments for funding or even their appointments. The CCJ can then be seen as an uncompromisable institution which has proven itself in the face of many litigative adversities presented before them and this country must continue to recognise and stand by this institution.

Yours truly, Kadeem Gordon Youth Activist

Agriculture − not...

The GRDB is also playing a lead role in the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) led Regional Project to address Dietary and NonCommunicable Diseases in Caricom through the Introduction of Biofortified Crops. Trials are currently being undertaken by the GRDB and preliminary results appear very encouraging.

The Ministry of Agriculture through the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) has been very active in providing the necessary support to the livestock sector. Over $1.1 billion was allocated to assist the livestock farmers affected by the recent floods in the main farming districts to resuscitate the livestock sector. Of the 9216 farmers registered to date, 4787 received or will receive cash

grants valued at $545 million. Currently, preparatory works for the establishment of a certified swine abattoir are ongoing. This development along with the recently GYS 170:2009 Standard certified Veterinary Services Laboratory, will serve to significantly enhance the sector’s ability to bring market-safe and higher quality livestock products.

Significant resources have been expended through the NAREI to the tune of some $602.8 million at the end of June this year, to further diversify Guyana’s production base and ensure food security. NAREI also provided technical assistance to farmers for the construction of 97 shade houses in all regions across the country, five of which were constructed for demonstration purposes. Additionally, with the continued push for fruit cultivation, the agen-

cy made available hundreds of low-cost seedlings at all NAREI nurseries with 54,915 plants sold for some $13.7 million. During the review period, it was discovered that technical support was also provided to 16,284 farmers. Also, as part of the diversification of the agriculture production base, an injection of $70 million was made to promote the expansion, inter-cropping, utilisation of coconut by-products and to increase production and productivity of the Hope Coconut industry Limited.

To support Guyana’s expansion of agriculture into the intermediate savannah, 18.5 kilometers of road has been tendered through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) for construction. This initiative will strongly support the cultivation of largescale corn and soya that is planned. Additionally, the

FROM PAGE 4

NDIA, in July 2021 commissioned seven new machines that will add capacity to the current fleet of 169 heavy-duty machines among other initiatives.

Editor, hopefully, this letter serves to indicate the managerial, administrative and coordinating efforts the Ministry of Agriculture is involved, in supporting the advancement of the agriculture sector. The work of the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies continue to be critical in ensuring Food and Nutrition Security for the nation, and importantly, in promoting a robust, competitive and sustainable agriculture sector.

Sincerely, Janell Cameron, Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Agriculture

tion. Which has brought on hardship on many residents.

Access to financial services in Kwakwani and the Berbice River could be described as patchy, with considerable disparities between urban and rural areas since the closest commercial banks or microfinance institutions operate in Linden, Region 10 outside of urban centres. 25 per cent or more of the Kwakwani residents remain completely outside of the financial system. This is particularly pronounced in rural areas. As a consequence, many families and individuals have no chance to deposit savings securely, to take out a loan when necessary or desirable, or to transact payments.

When one considers that a person spends $10,000 just to go to Linden and complete a bank transaction.

Indeed, I believe there is a real place for the customisation and flexibility that community banks can exercise to meet the needs of local communities and small business customers. And while I don’t know exactly what the future of Kwakwani community banking will look like, I am confident that the flexibility and creativity of community bankers will allow them to adapt their business model to prevailing financial and economic trends and conditions. Certainly, community banks have a critical role in keeping their local economies vibrant and growing by lending to creditworthy borrowers in the Berbice River area... Such lending helps foster growth in the economy by allowing businesses to buy new equipment, add workers, or

sign contracts for increased trade or services.

Something we should all recognise when people have to go out of the community to do their banking, they’re going to do other services out there also - all you’re going to have left in Kwakwani is a bedroom community.

We’re close to that now, and we want to go the other way.

When a bank branch closes, the decline in business lending and competition for customers can have a significant impact on a small town. It means less money is available to start or expand businesses and pay workers who will spend at least some of that money locally. And it creates a cycle: more unemployed people, and more people with limited incomes make other businesses uninterested in the town.

As we all recover from the COVID-19 recession, can regional banks like Republic Bank and Citizens Bank regain their relevance in Kwakwani? Or will the resident increasingly ask: why are we without a bank? We need a bank to finance the way forward in Kwakwani.

I believe that the future of banks depends on their ability to adopt and scale up innovations from non-banking contexts, and transform their parochial culture and mindset in the process. Only then will these banks ensure that the frightening scenario outlined at the beginning of this letter never materialises in other sub regions like Kwakwani (for their own sake!).

Sincerely, David Adams

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

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Foundation

Architecture SHAPES Our World

By William Blake Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Granger wants Congress electing new leaders postponed − cites COVID-19 related concerns − against several members handling logistical arrangements

PNCR Leader David Granger

W

ith the date for the holding of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) long-awaited Biennial Congress steadily approaching, it appears that the party’s incumbent leader, former President David Granger, is not too eager to face challenges to his leadership anytime soon.

Reports indicate that Granger has penned a letter to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the party, to warn them against holding the congress this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It would not be the first time that Granger has cited COVID-19 to justify delaying the Congress. But according to reports, the former President went even further in his letter to identify several of his potential challengers for leadership, who he said should not play any role in the logistical arrangements for the Congress.

These include Aubrey Norton, Dr Richard Van West-Charles, Mortimer Mingo and Winston Felix.

However, there are several members of the CEC who have indicated intentions to challenge for leadership of the party, including current Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, former Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, former Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) boss Richard Van West-Charles and party stalwart Aubrey Norton.

Additionally, former Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry Simona Broomes

Mortimer Mingo

has indicated in sections of the media that she will contest for leadership if nominated. Efforts to contact Granger about the letter proved futile.

It was only recently, at the party’s 64th anniversary ceremony at Congress Place, that Lawrence made a poignant call for an end to the political confrontation she noted was a liability to the party. “…it is clear that political confrontation will lead us nowhere. Our actions must be set towards unification. We want to proceed in a way that will enable everyone to benefit.

At least this should be our goal,” Lawrence had said.

Lawrence, who formerly served as Social Protection Minister, also spoke of the need for the PNCR to expand its reach as a political party. Additionally, she noted that the party needs to improve on its organisation in order to better serve the country.

At that same ceremony, party leader, former President David Granger, who is taking a leave from politics, had taken what appeared to be a jab at his rivals for the leadership position and spoken against factions within the party during a pre-recorded message.

“Our founder Forbes Burnham, at the party’s first biennial delegates conference in 1975, warned of the menace of factionalism. I quote: ‘To be sponsoring and joining factions in the party is to indulge in anti-party activity, calculated to weaken the party. There may be different

Winston Felix

motivations, some springing from personal ambitions, others from minority positions primarily held.

Whichever it may be, the result is undesirable and deleterious’,” Granger had said.

Amid internal party struggles, there has been mounting pressure for the party to host its Biennial

Aubrey Norton

Congress for new leadership to be elected. But the PNCR Leader has previously cited COVID-19 as the reason behind the delays.

PNC’s last Biennial Congress was in 2018, when Granger was returned unopposed as leader of the party. The PNCR Central Executive

Joseph Harmon

Committee had agreed earlier in the year that the party’s 22nd Biennial Congress should be held by the end of November 2021, but not later than December 13, 2021. This publication subsequently reported that December 11 has been set for the holding of the Congress and November 11 for the nomi-

nation of the candidates Unlike in 2018, when he was returned as leader uncontested, Granger now faces several challengers for the post of leader.

Interestingly enough, sources indicate that Granger has been involved in the logistical preparations of previous Congresses.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

104 cases listed for trial at Berbice October Criminal Assizes

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he Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Suenna Lovell, said 104 matters have been listed for trial at the Berbice October 2021 Criminal Assizes which started last week Tuesday and is being presided over by Justice Brassington Reynolds. A murder trial is currently in progress at the Berbice High Court.

Of the 104 cases, 30 of them are for the capital offence of murder; a total of 50 persons are to be indicted.

In some instances, accused persons will be indicted for up to three counts of murder. There are 10 cases for the offence of manslaughter in which 10 persons will be indicted separately.

There are 21 cases for the offence of rape of a child under 16; 10 for the offence of sexual activity with a child family member; one for carnal knowledge; and three

for rape. There are also cases for attempt to commit murder, felonious wounding, inflicting grievous bodily harm, abduction, robbery under arms, possession of firearm without licence, arson, simple larceny, embezzlement by clerk, among others.

Meanwhile, the Berbice June 2021 Criminal Assizes commenced on June 15 with 102 cases listed for trial, however, only six of these matters were completed.

Five of the matters were for the offence of murder, while the other was for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years.

Two of these murder matters were done before Justice Jo Ann Barlow. In one of them, she 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 Brassington 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.

No arrest made for DHL robbery

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n Sunday, Regional Commander of Region 4 A, Georgetown, Simon McBean told Guyana Times that they are still investigating the robbery that occurred at DHL building, Alberttown, Georgetown, on Friday last and as such, no arrests were made.

According to the Commander, law enforcement officers are currently taking statements that should lead to a breakthrough in the case.

Police had initially launched an investigation into the alleged robbery, after it was reported that five men escaped with two safes

and three canisters containing an undisclosed amount of cash.

In a statement last week, Police said the incident occurred at about 03:23h on the day in question.

It was reported that two unarmed security guards were on duty when one of the guards alleged that he was confronted by a masked suspect who commanded, “Don’t say anything” while he was in front of the compound.

That security claimed that he was placed to lie on his stomach and the suspect proceeded to duct tape him. This then allowed for his four other accomplices to

gain access to the compound from the back fence located north of the building.

Police said that the other security guard claimed he did not hear or see anything since it was raining.

Only a week ago a similar incident occurred at Unity, East Coast Demerara

(ECD).

A security guard of Unity Mosquito Hall, ECD, was brutally beaten by bandits while on duty.

The 57-year-old man, Sarwan Persaud, who is attached to Ramotar and Sons Contracting Services in Unity, ECD, was attacked after the bandits invaded the business place.

Persaud along with two other workers were keeping guard at the business place at the time. Persaud was keeping watch on the second floor of the building, while his colleagues were dispatched at other sections.

The man reportedly left his post to go to the washroom, when he was confronted by three bandits who were armed with knives and a gun. He was gun-butted and tied up while the men demanded that he hand over the keys to the building and other valuables.

The perpetrators discovered that the security guard had no access to the building, and continued to beat Persaud. He was blindfolded, stomped in the back and beaten brutally as he begged mercifully for the men to spare his life.

After ransacking the business place, the men made good their escape.

It was after the men left, Persaud managed to untie himself and raise an alarm.

His colleagues claimed they did not hear anything.

Police are still hunting the bandits.

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The battle for…

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… the soul of the PNC ne of the enduring hypocritical constants in Guyanese politics is the refusal of political parties to be honest on race – not only in the wider body politic – but inside their parties. Jagan formed the original PPP insisting that class not race was the reality.

But he painstakingly patched together individuals from all the race groups to form the leadership!! He even kept a space for Burnham who was studying in London to be the “African” leader. But never publicly announced HE was the “Indian” leader!! But the people knew who was who and who they represented, didn’t they?

Well, it does look like we’ll be having a real heartto-heart on that topic from within the PNC!! With the leadership of the PNC on the line, and Aubrey Norton, Joseph Harmon and Richard Van West-Charles throwing their hats into the ring, it looks like the first two gentlemen (your Eyewitness uses the term loosely!) don’t see Baby Jesus as much competition. They agree with your Eyewitness!! One of Harmon’s surrogates, Roysdale Forde signalled this (and more!) when he pugnaciously endorsed Harmon’s candidacy and took clear aim at Aubrey Norton!

For what it’s worth, your Eyewitness has wondered publicly in this space as to why Forde had been appointed “Acting Opposition Leader” when Harmon dropped off the grid. We now know it was to Mother Africa – and we now also know that Forde’ll be the point man to defend his benefactor! Ah…these army types – Granger included – are so strategic: do we now also know why silk was conferred? And your Eyewitness is vindicated: the Harmon camp will be calling in their chips from all the young’uns they sent off to Parliament with their lunch kits!!

Without mentioning Norton by name, Forde declared in his “endorsement”: “Essential to consolidating the gains of the People’s National Congress Reform is recognising that the PNC is not a tribe. It is a political party in which all the citizens irrespective of race must know and feel that their interests are protected….We must not use statements, we must not use euphemisms, we must not use the word ‘grassroots’ to mean a return or an acknowledgement that the People’s National Congress Reform is a Black people party. It is not a Black people party. It has not, it has never been and it must never be.

A leader that is tribal, a leader that is tribalist cannot advance the cause of the people that support the People’s National Congress”!!

Well!! “Cross my heart and hope to die!” your awestruck Eyewitness exclaims, “That’s some honest sh*t!”

Did Forde’s candidate discover he wasn’t “tribal” before his trip to Ghana or after!! …and riposte Aubrey Norton didn’t waste any time playing coy and pretending he didn’t know who Forde was shooting at and he came out swinging in a letter to the press. Said he, “I find it laughable but mischievous that Mr Roysdale Forde insinuated that the PNCR under my leadership will turn the Party into a Black Party. If Mr Forde was in the PNCR long enough, he would have known that Mr Winston Murray was an Indo Guyanese who Aubrey Norton supported for Leader of the PNCR. I was also his campaign manager leading Mr Murray’s campaign to make him what would have been the first Indo Guyanese Leader of the PNCR when some Mr Forde is speaking to were busy fighting against Murray.” Ooh! Did you get that not-so-subtle dig at Forde and his candidate as “Johnnies-come-lately” in the PNC??!!

But in trying to prove his “race-blind” credentials, Norton exposed the nature of the PNC that formed him.

Murray never said he was “Indian Guyanese”! …new Police Force Your Eyewitness is wondering whatever happened to the file on Orin Boston’s killing by the SWAT team that was sent to the Police Complaints Authority?

How can the GPF be professionalised if its possible lapses aren’t investigated?

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

NEWS

9

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana-Barbados discuss stimulating relationship to drive economic growth with value-added products, it is important to identify a relationship for both economies to work together.

This fortified relationship to move goods and services will drive growth in the economies of both countries, he said.

Notably, Barbados from an investment perspective will be a strategic partnership with both achieving economics to scale.

The Barbados Housing and Investment Mission arrived in Guyana on GO-Invest CEO, Dr Peter Ramsaroop with the Barbadian delegation led by Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, Dr William Duguid

C

hief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), Dr Peter Ramsaroop on Sunday met with a high-level Barbadian delegation to discuss and promote Guyana’s vast investment opportunities.

Dr Ramsaroop met with members of the Barbados Housing and Investment Mission led by Barbados’ Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, Dr William Duguid along with the Permanent Secretary, Senior Housing Planner and other representatives from the National Housing Cooperation and the Barbados Investment and Development Cooperation.

At the meeting, the Chief Investment Officer gave a brief presentation on Guyana’s eight productive sectors and the benefits of establishing strategic partnerships and strong bilateral relations between the countries.

It was conveyed that both Guyana and Barbados could benefit from the export and import of goods and services.

Minister Duguid articulated the importance of value-added products such as lumber and roofing material, among others.

In addition, General Manager of the Barbados Investment and Development Cooperation, Mark Hill iterated that

Friday.

It includes Permanent Secretary Timothy Maynard, Senior Housing Planner Kelly Hunte, General Manager of the National Housing Corporation Ian Gill and Chief Technical Officer Ian Foster.

The team from the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation includes Bio-Economy Manager Marina Taitt.

Director of Quality Guyana Sharon Walton also forms part of the delegation.

10 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Tuschen businessman found murdered in home ...was gagged, bound

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he community of Tuschen on the East Bank of Essequibo (EBE) was on Sunday morning plunged into a state of mourning after the motionless body of a businessman was found bounded in his bedroom.

Dead is 59-year-old Keith Richard Hohenkirk called “One Foot”.

Based on reports received, the now dead man, who was an amputee, lived alone and operated a small grocery business at his shop. He was last seen

alive on Saturday at about 18:40h sitting on his verandah by his neighbour.

However, his neighbour reportedly told Police that she went to check on Hohenkirk at about 06:39h, and as she opened the front door which was locked, she observed the sitting and kitchen areas ransacked.

This prompted the woman to check in the bedroom where she made the gruesome discovery. The now dead man was found lying on his back with his hands bounded with transparent

The body of the businessman that was discovered in his ransacked room

scotch tape. His mouth was also gaged with a piece of brown cloth.

Following the discovery,

the Police were summoned to the scene and launched an investigation. He was picked up and taken to the

Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body was subsequently taken to the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.

Less than two weeks ago, 20-year-old Chris Persaud of Strathspey, ECD, was stabbed to death during a robbery on his electronics store.

It was reported that Persaud operated an electronics store in the area called “Deals on Electronics.

However, on the day in question at about 17:00h, the young man was in the

store when the bandits invaded and held him at knifepoint during which they collected several pieces of electronic devices.

The businessman was also relieved of a gold chain he was wearing at the time along with an undisclosed sum of cash. As the men were about to leave the premises, one of the bandits stabbed the young man to his neck.

Persaud managed to exit the building and raise an alarm. He then collapsed.

He succumbed to his injuries on his way to the hospital.

Anna Regina businesses reiterate call for stray animals to be impounded

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Stray cows in the township of Anna Regina

everal businesses at Anna Regina, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), have made a stern call to the authorities to impound stray animals that roam the streets on a daily basis.

According to the President of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI), Aadil Baksh, this occurrence has severely impacted the businesses in the area.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Baksh explained that the issue with stray animals is rising to a crisis level and is affecting businesses, community development, the tourism sector and more importantly, causing vehicular accidents.

He noted that the ECCI made several complaints in the past to the relevant authorities but nothing has been done to remedy the situation. Baksh also noted that the animals being on the roadway has also contributed to a number of vehicular accidents.

“These animals are traffic hazards because vehicles are hitting them. We have a number of accidents that would’ve occurred as a result of stray animals on the road.

However, I urge all business owners to be socially responsible and remove any structure or impediments they have that are on the sidewalks obstructing the flow of pedestrian traffic and making our public roadways unsafe and dangerous,” Baksh noted.

On this note, Mayor of the township of Anna Regina, Rajendra Prabulall when contacted confirmed that the Constabulary Department and several stray catchers

Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Aadil Baksh

were granted permission to impound the animals.

“We have several facilities that we could use to impound the animals so, if need be, we have areas that we can impound the animals and take care of them. But we do not want to go down that road. We want to work with the cattle owners to bring about an amicable resolution to the issues that we are facing.”

He added that if the cattle farmers refuse to cooperate, the Council would definitely take matters in its own hands and this would result in farmers paying thousands of dollars to get back their animals.

"But we understand that it is not always that persons will have that kind of money. That is why we are trying to work with them to see how best we can have the cooperation between the municipality and the cattle owners,” Prabulall explained.

The Anna Regina Town Council intends to further engage the Police on the matter and efforts will be made to address the issue at the soonest.

NEWS

11

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US injects further US$2.5M to Caricom into fight COVID-19 B

uilding on the strong partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the United States—through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—has announced US$2.5 million in urgent COVID-19 assistance for countries in the eastern Caribbean region, Guyana, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago.

This assistance will provide support for the operational costs of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, outreach activities to reduce vaccine hesitancy in collaboration with local influencers and celebrities, vaccine hesitancy surveys,

and equipment procurement to support the development of COVID-19 vaccine information systems, laboratory detection, and vaccine storage.

Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Georgetown, Mark Cullinane announced the funding during a review of the USAID/Caricom regional strategy on October 21.

He remarked, “This review speaks to the level of importance that the United States holds Caricom as a strategic partner in the global COVID-19 response and advancing health security in the Caribbean. The United States will work proudly alongside our regional partners, PAHO, UNICEF, CARPHA and

Caricom in efforts to mitigate and eliminate the effects of the pandemic in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.”

USAID Regional Representative for the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, Clinton D White said that the funding will also respond to urgent gaps in COVID-19 case management such as procuring oxygen, laboratory equipment, and other critical items to help reduce deaths from COVID-19 in the region.

Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett expressed appreciation for this assistance, particularly on behalf of those Caricom Member States that would benefit. She not-

Police Officer among 7 homeless after Corentyne fire − arson suspected, brother arrested

The aftermath of the fire

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even persons including a Police officer are now homeless after a fire suspected to be an act of arson completely destroyed a two-storey Corentyne building in the wee hours of Sunday.

The fire was first sighted in the wooden and concrete building at about 03:30h.

One of the occupants, Omatoya Melville, recalled being awakened by smoke in her room.

“There was fire all over in the house and when I came out in the road, my other brother said Andrew light the fire.”

Two brothers, Andrew and Elroy Lowenfield, occupied the upper flat of the house while Melville and her three children aged

11, 8 and 7-years-old along with Melville’s brother, Steven, occupied the lower flat.

The mother of three, who is a Police officer attached to the Number 51 Police Station, said the suspected arsonist was later arrested and taken into custody.

“When he drinks, he always like, ‘I gon burn this house down, the only reason why I am not doing it is because of Omatoya and her three children’. He would normally say that,” Melville related.

According to her, the family had been occupying the two-storey building for more than two decades but after Andrew was released from prison two years ago, he started making threats

to burn down the building.

She said he made attempts on two occasions to execute his threats but was unsuccessful. The woman explained that she lost everything in the fire.

“It is affecting me in a real serious way because I don’t have anywhere to go. I am homeless with my three children. I have nothing to start over with, not even a pin,” she explained.

She said as a Police officer living in her own home, life was comfortable until Sunday’s fire. “Now it is hard. I don’t even know my next move,” she cried.

Melville is calling on the public to assist her at this difficult time. She can be contacted on phone number 685-1547.

ed, “No Member State has been spared from this deadly virus and its devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of their citizens and their respective economies”.

Dr Barnett said the resources will assist Member States “to intensify their logistical arrangements and communications to further support vaccine readiness while countering vaccine hesitancy and disinformation, which we anticipate will increase the numbers of persons vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus”.

This additional assistance from the historic American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 builds on the previous COVID-19 support provided to Caribbean countries. USAID has provided nearly US$63 million in COVID-19 assistance to the Caribbean, including near-

ly US$7.45 million specifically to the eastern and southern Caribbean, since the beginning of the pandemic to address the health, humanitarian, and economic impacts of COVID-19.

USAID’s COVID-19 assistance to Caribbean countries is helping to deliv-

er vaccines and get shots in arms, expand access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, protect and train health workers, deliver life-saving health commodities and equipment, share reliable public health information, and safeguard global health security.

12 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

60 complete BIT courses in Berbice

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Minister Hamilton gets his pressure tested by newly-trained persons

The graduates and officials on Friday

ore persons in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) are qualifying themselves with the aim of taking advantage of the opportunities as Guyana’s oil and gas sector booms.

A batch of 60 persons received their certificates on Friday after successfully completing several courses in customer care service, hospitality, tour guide and care of the elderly and sick. The courses were offered by the

Board of Industrial Training (BIT) but coordinated by the St Francis Community Developers (SFCD).

At the commencement of the care of the elderly course, President of SFCD, Alex Foster said the aim was to equip persons with the skills so that they can establish their own businesses.

On Friday last, he was happy to report that all 30 persons who took the course are now operating businesses based on their new skill.

Foster also pointed out that there were no drop-outs despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Chairman of BIT in Region Six, David Armogan during his address on Friday made reference to the rapid development in economic activities that is being created which will ultimately lead to a demand for trained and qualified persons.

“There are many economic demands and also we are utilising the money to invest

in agriculture, to invest in manufacturing, to invest in other services, and so, therefore, we want to ensure we have trained, capable and qualified people to take up new divisions that are going to be created,” Armogan related.

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton in delivering his address, said the BIT training is the Government’s way of fulfilling its promise of providing competent services to citizens.

“Nothing we do for you is not what we should be doing… we don’t think we (are) doing you a favour by training you. I, as Minister, believe that is my duty to do that…I have a responsibility to do that. We believe that we pledged to give service to you and this is one part of giving service,” Minister Hamilton said.

The Minister urged the

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton hands over a certificate to one of the persons who completed the 4-month course

graduates to give service to their community, region and to an extent the country.

On the other hand, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BIT, Richard Maughn in delivering the charge, told the trained professionals to be

confident and believe that they can achieve all the goals they would have set out to accomplish.

Meanwhile, the BIT has committed to sponsoring a cooking course through SFCD next year.

NEWS

13

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

C’bean businesses to benefit from €3M grant to cushion effects of pandemic

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s Caribbean firms continue to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), with the continued generous support of the European Union, is once again providing critical assistance by making available the second round of direct support grant funding for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Commencing today, firms in 15 Caribbean countries (CARIFORUM) can apply for a non-reimbursable grant of up to €30,000 from a total available grant facility of €3 million. The funds are made available under the Direct Support Grants Programme, and these cash infusions are available to fund special projects that can help speed up growth and fast-track recovery from the negative effects of the pandemic.

"MSMEs form the backbone of many of our econo-

mies, generating precious jobs and opportunities for our people. Caribbean Export must continue to focus our efforts on fast-tracking their recovery as businesses seek to diversify and innovate in the face of the ever-evolving pandemic,” Executive Director of the Caribbean Development Agency, Deodat Maharaj stated.

He further stated, "Supporting the development of a resilient, competitive Private Sector will lead to the economic growth and development of our Region consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, and we are always

delighted to have the generous support of the European Union, in these initiatives".

Firms that never received grant funding from the agency will be eligible to apply, and the programme will support projects in areas of resource efficiency and renewable energy, digitalisation of business, marketing, and promotions, building resilience, purchase, and upgrade of capital goods (capped at a maximum of 50 per cent of budget), certification, capacity building and protection of intellectual property rights.

In addition, Caribbean Export is encouraging wom-

3 nabbed with 9lbs of “poppy” in vehicle

The cannabis found by CANU ranks

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gents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Friday arrested three males following the discovery of some 4.296 kilograms or 9.471lbs of cannabis.

The narcotics were discovered in a car during an operation in Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

It was reported that CANU ranks were conducting an operation in the area when they carried out a search on a while Toyota Fielder Wagon that was parked in front of a shop at D Field Sophia.

At the time, the driver of the vehicle, 31-yearold Roylon Adolph of 657 Industrial area, McKenzie, Linden, and his lone passenger, 31-year-old Akeem Matheson, a labourer of 169 Sin City, B Field Sophia, were with the shop owner, Kacy Bowen, at his

premises.

During the search, the ranks unearthed eight bulky parcels containing cannabis. The three men were subsequently arrested and taken to the CANU Headquarters along with the cannabis, which was examined and weighed.

The narcotics, 4.296 kg of cannabis “poppy”, is valued at over $1.8 million.

The trio remains in custody pending further investigations.

Adolph is well known to the ranks of CANU since he had only been charged for a matter of similar nature back in June, 2020.

Adolph, who was employed at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) as a driver, was nabbed on June 21, 2020, by Policemen with a large quantity of

ganja on the Schoonord Public Road, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

According to Police reports, at about 16:30h on that day ranks on mobile patrol observed motor car PVV 3686 with the RDC 10 logo parked alongside another car bearing registration number PXX 6972 at the said location.

As the ranks approached the two vehicles, the RDC vehicle hurriedly pulled off in an effort to evade the officers but was pursued by the ranks who managed to intercept the RDC vehicle at a dead end of the road.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

en and youth-owned businesses to apply. Youth is defined as persons under 35 years of age. Developed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Direct Support Grants Programme (DSGP) addressed the need for CARIFORUM firms to access finance when cash flow was significantly restricted.

Under the first round of DSGP funding, 63 firms in the CARIFORUM region were awarded grants from sectors including agro-pro-

cessing (22), manufacturing (18), tourism (6), creative industries (4), professional services (5), agriculture (3), information and communications technology (ICT) (3), and health and wellness (2).

Caribbean Export will be accepting official applications for the current allocation until December 5, 2021. Firms can visit https://www.carib-export. com/dsgp2021/ for more information about the Direct Support Grants Programme.

Caribbean Export is the

regional trade and investment promotion agency focused on accelerating the economic transformation of the Caribbean. It works closely with businesses to increase exports, attract investment, and contribute towards the creation of jobs to build a resilient Caribbean.

It is currently executing the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) funded by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).

Decomposed body of pensioner found in Linden home T

he decomposed body of a pensioner was on Sunday morning found in his Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) home.

The dead man has been identified as 73-year-old Edwin Tudor of Burjack, Wismar, Linden. The discovery was made sometime around 06:30h.

According to the Police, Tudor lived alone and his sister, who lives at Block 22 Wismar, said she last saw him on Wednesday at about 16:00h. He had complained of feeling unwell.

She then checked his pressure and observed that it was very high. As a re-

sult, she told Tudor to take some rest but claimed that he felt better after some time. As such, he left for his home.

A neighbour who normally calls out to the elderly man whenever she passes his house told the Police that on the said day, she walked past his home several times and his radio was on but she did not see him.

She stated that around 06:30h on Sunday, she decided to call out to the man after not seeing him for a few days but did not get a response.

Believing something was amiss, she was prompt-

ed to go onto his premises, where she was greeted by a foul stench. Upon looking inside the house, she observed the man lying on his bed in a motionless and decomposed state.

She immediately contacted his family members.

The body was examined but due to the state of decomposition, no marks of violence were seen. The dead man’s home was also searched and nothing appeared to be disturbed.

Tudor’s body was escorted the Pensioner’s Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Investigations are ongoing.

14 NEWS Region 4 man, 91, latest COVID fatality MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

− 90 new infections detected, 3572 active cases being monitored

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he Health Ministry on Sunday reported that another person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus has died, thus taking the COVID-19 death toll up to 895.

This latest fatality is a 91-year-old male from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), who was fully vaccinated but died on Sunday from other complications.

The patient was admitted with COVID-19 like symptoms but died while receiving care at a medical institution, the Ministry of Health said. Samples were taken at the time of admission which subsequently returned a positive test.

However, new statistics provided by the Ministry showed that 90 new COVID-19 cases have been detected within a 24-hour period from 1136 tests conducted.

This now takes the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 35,067.

However, only 3572 of these are currently active cases including 19 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 3553 persons in isolation, that is, 102 in institutional isolation and the other 3451 in home isolation.

There are also three persons in institutional quarantine.

To date, some 30,600 persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease – 11 more recoveries than the figure previously reported.

Moreover, 347,050 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus thus far and of this, 16,581 males and 18,486 females were found to be positive.

Of the 90 new cases detected on Sunday, eight are

from Region One (BarimaWaini); three from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); another three from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 24 cases from the Demerara-Mahaica region; six from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); a whopping 35 cases from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); three more from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni); five from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and the remaining three cases from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

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

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 and reduce the number of COVID-19 infections.

So far, some over 376,400 persons or 73.4 per cent of the adult population have received their first dose of the vaccine and approximately 46.1 per cent or some 236,200 persons who are 18 years and older are fully immunised.

As it relates to children, more than 26,700 or 36.7 per cent first doses have been administered to the 12- to 17-year age group. Of that amount, over 17,100 or 23.6 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Persons are encouraged to get immunised since the COVID-19 vaccine pro-

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD OCTOBER 25, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

90

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

102 3451 19

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

3

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

18,486

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

16,581

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

35,067

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

30,372

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

375,640

FULLY IMMUNISED

235,081

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

895

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1596

REGION 2

1408

REGION 3

4774

REGION 4

16,715

REGION 5

1261

REGION 6

2531

REGION 7

1731

REGION 8

558

REGION 9

2440

REGION 10

2053

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. vides 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 sa-

nitising.

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 242,348,657 confirmed cases

were reported globally along with 4,927,723 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 92,640,794 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2,272,988.

15 Ituni’s Howell Wilson Primary cops 6 out of 10 top spots in Region 10 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Head Teacher Yvonne Nazier

H

owell Wilson Primary at Ituni, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), continues to shine, as the school copped six of the 10 top spots in the region at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Gaining the top spot for the sub-region was Tabitha Fox with 506 marks. She was awarded a place at The Bishops’ High School in Georgetown.

er of the top student, stated that she was brought to tears as she could have hardly contained her excitement when she received the news of her daughter’s performance.

The jubilant mother noted that as she related the news to her daughter, she was overcome with excitement. “We were hoping for President’s College. When I told her she has gotten Bishops’, she shouted: “For truth mommy!” She herself could have hardly believed

teachers who have been instrumental in his success.

The teacher of the day, Yvonne Nazier has been on the profession for the past 33 years but the school has

Ambleleena Grant

In second spot was Laurel George, who obtained 495 marks and a place at St Joseph High, followed by Ambleleena Grant with 483 marks which secured her place at the Mackenzie High School.

In fifth place was Navindra Jaigopaul, who scored 479 marks which saw him getting a space at the Mackenzie High School.

Kristine Lim scored 473

Luther Kench

marks and was awarded a place at Mackenzie High.

In the eighth position was Luther Kench, who scored 467 marks and a place at the Mackenzie High School.

The parents of the top two students in the sub-region were all in praise for teacher Yvonne Nazier, who also serves as Head Teacher of the school.

Admal Fox, the moth-

Kristine Lin

In fact, Fox’s three older siblings were also awarded spots at Mackenzie High after they would have written the NGSA. Following in the footsteps of her mom and several family members, Fox’s desire is to become a teacher after she completes her secondary education.

The mother noted that although the COVID-19 pandemic would have brought some negative impacts, she was able to purchase several worksheets so that her daughter could work until she received the packages from the Education Ministry.

The mother thanked the staff of Howell Wilson, especially Nazier, Cathy Patior, Tamika Juke and Dianne Kench.

Meanwhile, the father of aspiring doctor, 12-year-old Laurel George who copped the second position, be-

one student secured a spot at St Stanislaus College.

Prior to that, several students secured spots at St Joseph High and Mackenzie High School.

Guyana joins world in observing Occupational Therapy Day

Top student: Tabitha Fox

lieves that he could have done better if his confidence did not get the best of him.

“He could have done better, because the girl that top is in the 500 markup and that was his major competition during their primary school days and he was not in the 500s. He was over confident, the boy always know,” Laurel Georger Senior stated.

Nevertheless, the father added that his son has per-

Laurel George

it,” she related.

Tabitha has proven that despite her school being in one of the far-flung districts with limited access to learning resources, anything is possible. Her mother, who is also the Head Teacher at the Ituni Nursery School is also a proud product of Howell Wilson Primary.

After sitting her exams, she was awarded a spot at the Mackenzie High School.

only begun gaining recognition for its outstanding performances quite recently.

In 2011, the school copped a spot at The Bishops’ High and in 2012,

Navidra Jaigopaul

formed outstandingly since his nursery school days and he is proud of him.

“From small growing up he had the potential, I use to see he coming home with school biscuits every day, so when I asked him one day how he does get biscuit everyday he say he does get all of his work right. In primary, every term he would get nothing less the 80 per cent.

I am a very proud father knowing what he achieved,” the father related.

He stated that the pandemic threw his son off balance. “After the lockdown he was not motivated to pick up his book, just before the lockdown he came home with 93 per cent and first place, it distracted him a lot,” he said.

Nazir, who is their neighbour, would occasionally shout at the young man to pick up his book when he was seen playing in the yard.

George’s father said he prays that he continues to focus on his academics as he ventures into a new environ and “think big, because leaving Ituni will give him exposure to a lot of things”.

In fact, the young man told <<<Guyana Times>>> that he vows to remain focused on his school work and wishes to thank God, his father, step mother, family members and all his

W

orld Occupational Therapy Day is observed on October 27 annually, and this year it is being held under the theme, “Belong. Be You.” In observance of World Occupational Therapy Day, Occupational Therapist Zoe Daniels attached at the Regional Special Education Need/Disability Diagnostic and Treatment Centre explained the importance of this simple yet significant form of therapy.

“So, basically this theme, and I love this theme, because, for me, it is where we’re putting the persons with disabilities on an independent level so, for the part belong, it still shows that you belong in society and you belong here and, be you. So, despite your disability and despite whatever limitations you may have, with the assistance of occupational therapy you can still be you, meaning being independent to function in society or for your daily living skills,” she expressed.

She stated that occupational therapy is an individualised therapy - a session that gives persons independence or restores functionality after, for example, they were injured in a motor vehicle accident, after they would have had a stroke, or if they have a disability or disease that can cause impairments.

At the centre, there is a team that conducts various assessments. Daniels stated that she normally does the occupational therapy assessment, whether it’s for a school-aged child or a child that is not at the level of school age as yet.

“I would look at the developmental chart and based on where the child is at, I would conduct the assessment and then we would set goals to see if the child can accomplish them within a given amount of time… we would also keep working with that child to bring them up to their developmental age,” she shared.

Paediatrics setting, as she calls it, is whereby occupational therapists work with the children on bringing them up to their developmental levels, getting them to function in school and to function as a normal child, to play and get set for life.

“For children, we would normally do an assessment to carry out to see what are the different areas that the child is lacking. So, basically, let’s say you have, say a three-year-old baby, whether its boy or girl, and you notice that your child is three years old and still not attempting to hold their own feeding bottle or feeding cup, the child is three years old and still not fully toilet trained, if the child is not eating by themselves, holding their spoons or attempting to brush their teeth. Those are the little red flags that you can pick up and be like, why is my child not holding the bottle although I’m trying my best. So, that is one of the main things that you can see,” Daniels stated.

She pointed out that there are various areas for occupational therapy.

Some of these are ergonomics, which she noted is “mostly like setting up the work environment – even our homes or our bedrooms or our offices or so on. And we basically will check to see if the desk or the bench is too high or too low for persons who are working with the computers or laptops, if you know, their eye levels are maybe too high or the computer level is too low from them, if the chair is too low. If we’re standing in the kitchen for doing your cooking and so on. Maybe your kitchen cupboard is too high for you while cutting or the sink is too low so you will have to be bending over a lot more. So that is ergonomical part of occupational therapy.”

“We’re gonna go into the homes or work areas and we’re going to assess and see how best we could modify the areas for you to help prevent pain,” she further explained.

Occupational Daniels

Therapist

Zoe

She identified another area as the geriatrics setting, which she noted is mostly associated with older persons who would have suffered from stroke, amputation due to diabetes mellitus, or was involved in a vehicular or sport incident.

The third area, whose importance she stressed, was mental health, which is even more important during this time of the pandemic.

“So, we would talk to persons, check their cognition, their orientation, checking on how they are doing and try our best to see if we can work with them so that they can cope through this pandemic time,” Daniels stated.

Occupational therapy, she noted, is a very interesting field.

“So, persons are not aware of what is occupational therapy and when you hear the word occupation, it’s not really the occupation of you being a nurse or clerk or the profession we would hold, but it’s this simple dressing ourselves, bathing ourselves, brushing our teeth, combing our hair and so on. So those are what we call the occupations of our daily lives,” she explained.

“If it is that you had an injury or so on, an occupational therapist would work with you to bring you back to what it is that you’re expected to do.”

16 NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Sheriff-Mandela project General Colin Powell will be remembered for his courage, Roundabout at Multi turn integrity – Ambassador Hinds likely to be completed

Guyana’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Samuel Hinds

G

uyana’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Samuel Hinds, has joined in on the outpouring of condolences following the passing of former Secretary of State, General Colin Luther Powell.

The American statesman, diplomat and four-star general died on Monday from complications caused

by COVID-19 in the United States of America. He was 84 years old at the time.

General Powell had four decades of public service in the US, holding several top posts including Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. He was also a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In a missive on

Thursday, extending sympathies to the grieving Powell family, and the Government and people of the US, Ambassador Hinds said his family should find solace, comfort and strength during this difficult time in his abundance of achievements throughout his life.

“General Colin Powell served the United States of America with dignity and distinction on the American and World Stage to which he rose; his wisdom, forthrightness, professionalism, integrity, kindness and passion were notable,” Hinds posited.

The Guyanese diplomat related that the contributions of General Powell, who was a son of Caribbean immigrants, justifies and commends the words of open doors and welcome at the base of the Statue of Liberty for which so many from the Caribbean and further, must be thankful. He added that the people of the US can also be justly proud of this.

“General Colin Powell will be sorely missed. May we remember him in his legacy of courage and integrity on American national security and public service that will continue to inspire many in America and worldwide,” Hinds stated in the missive.

According to reports in the US, General Powell had been vaccinated and was

next year – Min Edghill

− meetings to be held with respective 4-lane road contractors

Late General Colin L Powell

due to receive his booster shot but this had to be postponed after he had fallen ill and was being treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Maryland, where he died.

Powell was a pathbreaker, using his 35-year military experience to serve in some of the country’s top positions. He was the US’ first African-American and 65th Secretary of State, serving from 2001 to 2005.

He was also the first Black National Security Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A memorial service has been organised for the retired Army General on November 5 at the Washington National Cathedral.

WCB man allegedly stabbed by fugitive

A

D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) man is now hospitalised after he was allegedly stabbed on Monday last by a fugitive.

Injured is 47-year-old Amert Ramlochan of Lot 18 Section E D’Edward Village, WCB. Guyana Times was informed that Ramlochan was brutally stabbed by a man who Police have been seeking for some time, and despite their many efforts, their search proved futile.

On the night in question, Ramlochan’s son wanted to use the toilet, which is situated outside the house and he followed him. As he was waiting on his son, he reportedly saw someone behind the house.

The suspect then approached him and began stabbing him about his body.

Upon hearing the noise, the man’s wife, mother, and nephew rushed to his aid and saw the suspect escaping.

He was then taken to Fort Wellington Hospital

where he was stabilised and transferred to New Amsterdam Hospital for surgery. He was reportedly stabbed to his left ear, left arm and below the ribs, which ruptured his intestines.

This newspaper was informed that the suspect was positively identified as the perpetrator. The matter was subsequently reported to the Rosignol Police Station, and an investigation was launched.

The man who is accused of stabbing Ramlochan is said to have murdered Feroze Khan also called “Eggy”. Khan was beaten and stabbed to death in August 2019 at Bennet Dam, Rosignol, West Bank

Berbice.

It was reported that the now wanted man was at a grocery shop located at Bennet Dam, where he purchased a bottle of water.

He left the shop, picked up a piece of wood and ran towards Khan, who was walking on the said street, and dealt him several lashes about his body.

Khan reportedly fell to the ground after the suspect pulled out a knife from the waist of his pants, dealt him a stab and subsequently fled the scene. Khan was later pronounced dead.

Following the stabbing incident, Police had issued a wanted bulletin for the man. He continues to evade Police.

E

The proposed location to join the Eccles-Mandela road to a roundabout

ven as the SheriffMandela road extension continues, work will also be done on a roundabout that will connect the four-lane highway being built from Eccles to the Mandela four-lane highway, providing commuters with alternatives to the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

On Saturday, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill paid a visit to the site, where he was updated by the technical people on the progress of the road.

The Eccles-Mandela road itself is being done by the Ministry of Housing and Water. But at some point in time, when the roundabout is being built, the contractor building the Mandela extension will have to cede to this road.

“At the time this contract was signed and conceptualised, that road was not coming there. So the contractor that is building the Sheriff-Mandela road would have to cede some space to the contractor that is coming through. But there’s a joint collaboration in terms of the designing and layout and the connectivity.”

“So, we should be able to have a roundabout in this area. We have the drawings. A contract has already been awarded to Junior Sammy Incorporated. And we have started to do some preparatory work. And I stopped to make sure that the contractors, consultant and my team get a clear understanding.

Because somewhere along the line, somebody’s going to say how they say they fin-

ish the road and the part by the multilateral school ain’t finish?”

Edghill explained that the contractor for the Sheriff-Mandela expansion, Sinohydro, cannot proceed with paving and the median, due to the impending roundabout. He noted that there are things that still need to be finalised, such as where the contractor doing the roundabout will take over from Sinohydro.

According to the Minister, a meeting will be arranged with him and the contractors to finalise those details. Additionally, he provided an expected timeframe within which the roundabout will be completed.

“This is going to be an enhancement. Because people who are going to the airport don’t need to continue down Mandela to DSL. Once they come off Sheriff, they get the roundabout. Straight to these four lanes. These four lanes should be able to take them up to Diamond, past the drive traffic.”

“My understanding from the contractor, is that they’re looking to move this ahead by the end of the year. But with the weather, and what I’m seeing here, it may go over into the new year,” Minister Edghill said.

According to Edghill, the project will usher in great possibilities for Guyana, particularly when it comes to opening up new lands for house lots and improving connectivity. He attributed this to his Government’s vision.

“This is a totally different four lane from the one

that is coming from Ogle, all the way out. The possibilities of connectivity, accessibility, cutting travel time, opening up new lands at the back, there is great possibility. Sometimes people don’t get the whole picture and we don’t do them justice, because we know what we’re doing. It’s in our head. But we have to take time to explain it,” he said.

The expansion project, which covers approximately seven kilometres of road between Sheriff Street and Mandela Avenue, involves the relocation of utilities; the installation of lane and shoulder improvements; placement of sidewalks and paved shoulders; traffic signals, traffic signs, streetlights, drainage; a pedestrian overhead walkway; culverts, bridges, and a roundabout.

The project was launched in 2018 but faced many setbacks under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had explained that in August 2020, there was no work being done due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because of non-compliance with environmental standards which resulted in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) being forced to cease disbursements to the project.

The project was eventually restarted in September 2020 and the Dr Irfaan Aliled People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration had anticipated an August 4, 2021 completion.

FEATURE

17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

HEALTH TIPS BREAST CANCER PART 3

es in the breast that may mimic breast cancer on imaging. This process is called fat necrosis, and it can look like an irregular mass with jagged edges on a mammogram, much like the appearance of a new breast cancer.

The best way to distinguish cancer from fat necrosis is with a needle biopsy.

and breast cancer. In fact, there is evidence to support that stress does not increase breast cancer risk. That is not to say that stress cannot impact health at all, however. Part of being human is finding effective ways to deal with the stress we all will inevitably face. This can have profound health benefits, both mentally and physically, but will do nothing to mitigate breast cancer risk.

2. Underwire bras increase the risk of breast cancer

Dr. Tariq Jagnarine Family Medicine, Endocrinology/Diabetes

A

ccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, 685,000 people died from breast cancer, and 2.3 million received a diagnosis. It reported: “As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.”

Its prevalence might help explain why there is a wide range of myths attached to it. Let’s tackle 15 of the most common misunderstandings.

1. A breast injury can cause breast cancer

Injury to the breast cannot cause breast cancer.

However, it can cause chang-

Although underwire bras do not increase breast cancer risk, it is always recommended to use bras without a wire. The wire can irritate the skin under the breast, which can lead to skin breakdown. This breakdown may allow bacteria to enter the breast, causing an infection or an abscess, or both.

3. No one in my family had breast cancer, so I won’t develop it

This is a myth. It is very common for people with a new breast cancer diagnosis to be shocked by the diagnosis, considering that they have no family history. The vast majority of people who are diagnosed with a new breast cancer have no risk factors. In fact, the most significant risk factor for developing breast cancer is being a woman. Around the world, one in eight women will develop breast can-

5. A healthy lifestyle eliminates breast cancer risk

cer over their lifetime. Only about 5–10% of breast cancers are caused by a genetic mutation that is passed between family members. This means that the majority of breast cancers are sporadic, or have no hereditary cause.

Because family history is only one factor in the risk of breast cancer, screening is important. The message is that every woman, starting at 40 years of age, should have a yearly mammogram, regardless of a family history of breast cancer. Those women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer should be evaluated by a ge-

netics counselor by the age of 30. This group of women may need to begin breast cancer screening prior to the age of 40.

If you are a woman and at least 40 years old, please get your screening mammograms!

4. Being stressed can cause breast cancer

With the ever-present stresses of modern life, it is no surprise that people are concerned about how stress might impact health.

However, there is absolutely no evidence to support a link between stress

While it is true that postmenopausal women who are overweight are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, there is nothing that a woman can do to eliminate breast cancer risk.

Even women who undergo bilateral mastectomy are still at risk of developing a new breast cancer. However, it is not suggesting to start “smoking and eating fast food every day.” It is of the utmost importance to take care of the body, because we only get one. But even world class athletes have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

6. Breast cancer only happens to older adults

While it is true that breast cancer risk increases as women age, and the average age of a new breast cancer diagnosis is 61 years,

breast cancer can occur much earlier. About 5% of new breast cancer diagnoses are in women under the age of 40 years. There, unfortunately, have been reports of women in their early 20s, and even teens, who were diagnosed. There is typically a strong family history in these young women. Persons with a significant lifetime breast cancer risk based on a strong family history may qualify for genetic testing and early screening starting at age 25. Although breast cancer is rarer in younger people, persons are encouraged to bring any concerning findings in their breast to their doctor’s attention, and follow their recommended screening guidelines.

7. All lumps in the breast signal breast cancer

This is a myth. Not all lumps in the breast are cancerous. The majority of new breast lumps are benign.

And, if they had a recent mammogram that was normal, then that percentage is likely even higher. Any new lump should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. * Breast cancer is an incredibly difficult disease to fight or to watch a loved one go through. However, no one has to go through it alone.

Early detection is a better choice!

18

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

Regional

Colombia’s most wanted drug lord captured

Dairo Antonio Usuga, alias “Otoniel”, the leader of the Gulf Clan, being escorted by Colombian military soldiers [Handout via Reuters]

S

ecurity forces in Colombia have captured Dairo Antonio Usuga, the country’s most wanted drug trafficker.

Better known as “Otoniel”, the leader of the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia or the Gulf Clan, was captured on Saturday in a rural area in the Uraba region.

President Ivan Duque hailed Usuga’s capture as a victory, likening it to the arrest three decades ago of the notorious Colombian drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar.

“This is the biggest blow against drug trafficking in our country this century,” Duque said during a news conference. “This hit is only comparable to the fall of

Pablo Escobar in the 1990s.”

The Colombian President said his Government was working on extraditing Otoniel, most likely to the United States, where he was first indicted in 2009 in a Manhattan federal court on drug trafficking charges.

The 50-year-old also faces criminal charges in Brooklyn and Miami in the US on charges of “operating continuing criminal enterprises, participating in international cocaine trafficking conspiracies and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes”.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), congratulated the Colombian Government on Usuga’s capture, tweeting that the drug lord “must be held accountable for the hundreds of crimes committed under his command”.

Vivanco added: “The victims deserve justice.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

UNICEF warns Haiti fuel shortages put hospitalised women and children at risk

F

uel shortages in Haiti are putting the lives of hundreds of women and children at risk as hospitals run low on supplies for electricity, United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said on Sunday.

Fuel supplies to the capital Port-au-Prince have been severely disrupted in recent weeks by a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction this month of a group of American and Canadian missionaries. Transport industry leaders say making fuel deliveries is too dangerous for

drivers who are at risk of kidnapping or hijacking.

UNICEF said it negotiated a deal with a local company to provide fuel to hospitals in Port-au-Prince and Haiti’s southern peninsula, which suffered an earthquake in August, but the company reneged on the deal, citing security concerns.

“The lives of many child-bearing women and newborn babies are in danger, because hospitals that should give them life-saving care cannot operate normally due lack of fuel,” said Raoul

de Torcy, UNICEF Deputy Representative for Haiti, in a statement.

Many Haitian businesses and institutions rely on diesel generators to ensure electricity due to constant blackouts.

The inability to transport fuel has triggered warnings by industrial groups, including the country’s main cell phone service provider, that they may have to shutter services in the coming days.

A Government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)

Hurricane Rick edges closer to Mexican coast north of Acapulco

H

urricane Rick edged slowly closer to Mexico’s Pacific coast on Sunday, expected to unleash heavy rains north of the beach resort of Acapulco late in the evening, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Rick was packing maximum sustained winds near 140 kilometres (85 miles) per hour with strong gusts as it moved northward at approximately six km (three miles) per hour.

The storm was located 210 km (130 miles) south of the beach city of Zihuatanejo in Guerrero state.

The NHC estimated that Rick will strengthen as it draws closer to the coast and bring “life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds” along a stretch of coastline from Tecpan de Galeana

Standardisation of travel rules key for Latin American airlines’ recovery

G

etting standardised rules for international travellers amid the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest hurdle for Latin American airlines, with their recovery threatened by a lack of consensus among health authorities, industry leaders said on Sunday.

Passengers suffer constant delays and restrictions as they travel between countries due to differing entry requirements established to curb the spread of different strains of the coronavirus, aviation industry directors said at a conference in Bogota, Colombia.

“Standardisation is vitally necessary to build confidence so people return

in Guerrero, just north of Acapulco, to Punta San Telmo in Michoacan.

Rainfall in some areas was expected to amount to 20 inches, likely causing flooding and mudslides.

Authorities in Guerrero warned that waves in the Acapulco area and northward could reach between 3 and 4 meters high.

Rick was expected to dissipate by Tuesday, the NHC said.

The coastal states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit states were opening shelters in areas expected to receive heavy rains, a government official told Televisa News.

Storm Pamela hit Mexico’s western state of Sinaloa in mid-October as a hurricane, leaving downed trees, damaged businesses and flooded streets. (Excerpt from Reuters)

fine airlines for passengers’ non-compliance with the rules, Heilbron added, though did not say which ones.

Almost a year and a half of restricted travel has put airlines and airports across the globe under severe financial strain, necessitating a more complete re-opening of travel so that the industry can recover, saving millions of jobs.

“Generally speaking there are quite a few agreements and there is relative standardisation, but the big differences come from health authorities,” said Lucas Rodriguez, the head of Colombia’s civil aviation authority’s air transport office. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Dominican Republic nationals charged for smuggling 43 Haitians into Mona Island, Puerto Rico

T

he United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency says four men from the Dominican Republic appeared before the US District Court, where they faced criminal charges after the US Border Patrol agents arrested them for transporting 43 Haitian migrants into Mona Island, Puerto Rico.

Subsequently, the US Border Patrol has issued a warning about the danger of crossing the Mona Passage and leaving migrants on the inhospitable Mona Island.

“We will continue to pursue criminal prosecution for anyone smuggling non-citizens into the United States,” said Xavier Morales, Chief Patrol Agent at the Ramey Sector. “Bringing non-citizens into Mona Island is a serious crime and puts lives at risk. We will bring the smugglers to justice.”

“By narrowing immigration channels, more people

A Coast Guard cutter transported the group to the Mayaguez Port, where Border Patrol took custody of the group for processing.

seek the help of smugglers, who endanger the lives and integrity of migrants in their increasingly risky efforts to bypass border controls,” Morales added.

According to the CBP, Carlos Javier Lopez, Josue Elias Robles, Jonathan Garcia, and Mauricio Sosa Belen appeared before US Magistrate Judges Marcos E Lopez and Marshal D

Morgan for their initial hearings.

They are charged with violating Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324, for “bringing in and harbouring migrants,” CBP said.

A Coast Guard cutter transported the group to the Mayaguez Port, where Border Patrol took custody of the group for processing.

(Excerpt from CMC)

Crisis looming in Trinidad as COVID hospitalisations rise

T

Rainfall in some areas was expected to amount to 20 inches, likely causing flooding and mudslides

to flying,” said the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association’s chief executive, Jose Ricardo Botelho.

The lack of accord between different countries, with frequent changes to air travel rules, leads to uncertainty for passengers, airlines, and airline staff, said Copa Airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pedro Heilbron.

“When you carry passengers and there are thousands of requirements, it’s almost impossible that at least some passengers don’t have the right paperwork,” he told Journalists in opening remarks at the ALTA annual conference.

Some countries even

he Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and High Dependency Units (HDUs) at Trinidad’s COVID-19 treatment facilities are approaching capacity as more severely and critically ill patients are being admitted.

With an upward trend being observed in admissions, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is warning that once the threshold was reached, doctors would be forced to decide who received treatment. It’s quite likely a death sentence for those who don’t make the cut.

“The doctors will have to determine, if you have ten persons who need ICU

or HDU care and you only have five of those beds available, which five will get it,” Minister Deyalsingh said during a virtual press conference on Saturday.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are reaching that point in Trinidad and Tobago that we have been advising (and) warning the population for months now.

“We are reaching a very dangerous juncture in our fight against COVID-19.

The danger that we are facing is what Dr Richards and Dr Trotman started to talk to the country about over a month ago. You may recall, Dr Trotman over a month ago at a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre

spoke to the fact that our ICU/HDU capacity is limited and that if patients present needing that advanced level of care they may have to triage patients and that’s not a good thing. It means the doctors will have to determine, if you have 10 persons who need ICU or HDU care and you only have five of those beds available, which five will get it.”

Principal Medical Officer of Institutions, Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards said a “consistently” increasing number of patients were being admitted to the elevated treatment units over the past week.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia vows zero carbon emissions by 2060

O

ne of the world’s largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia, announced it aims to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, joining more than 100 countries in a global effort to try and curb man-made climate change.

The announcement on Saturday, made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in scripted remarks at the start of the kingdom’s first-ever Saudi Green Initiative Forum, was timed to make a splash before the start of the global COP26 climate conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland.

Although the kingdom plans to reduce emissions within its own borders, there is no indication Saudi Arabia will slow down investments in oil and gas, or relinquish sway over energy markets by moving away from the production of fossil fuels.

Energy exports form the backbone of Saudi Arabia’s economy, despite efforts to diversify revenue as the world increasingly looks to transition away from reliance on fossil fuels.

The country is forecast to make US$150 billion in revenue this year alone from oil.

Crown Prince Mohammed pledged that Saudi Arabia will plant 450 million trees and rehabilitate huge swaths of degraded lands by 2030, reducing 200 million tonnes of carbon emissions and attempting to turn the landlocked city of Riyadh into a more sustainable capital.

The kingdom joins the ranks of Russia and China on their stated net-zero target date of 2060. The United States and the European Union have aimed for 2050.

The kingdom, one of the world’s biggest polluters, said it would also join a global effort to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

In making the announcement, analysts said the kingdom ensured its continued seat at the table in global climate change talks. Saudi Arabia has pushed back against those who say fossil fuels must be urgently phased out, warning a premature switch could lead to price volatility and shortages.

In transitioning domestically, the kingdom could also take the oil and gas that it subsidises locally and allocate it as a more lucrative export to China and India, where demand is expected to grow in the coming years.

“The kingdom’s economic growth is driven by export of its energy sources. It’s no state secret,” Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the forum in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia says it will reach net-zero through a socalled “carbon circular economy” approach, which advocates “reduce, reuse, recycle and remove”. It is an unpopular strategy among climate change activists because it touts still unreliable carbon capture and storage technologies rather than honing in on the phasing out of fossil fuels.

The announcement provided few details on how the kingdom will cut its emissions in the short and medium term, including when it will peak its emissions. Experts said sharp cuts are needed worldwide as soon as possible to ensure the world has a chance of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as agreed in the 2015 Paris accord.

As OPEC’s heavyweight, Saudi Arabia holds tremendous influence over energy markets and can pressure other producers to fall in line, as seen last year when the kingdom triggered a price war that successfully got Russia to curb its production amid a slowdown in demand from the pandemic.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Around the World

At least 25, including minors, died in illegal refinery blast in Nigeria

A

t least 25 people, including some minors, were killed in an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria's Rivers state on Friday, a local leader and a resident told Reuters on Sunday.

"The casualties involved are very high ... we are counting 25 bodies," Ifeanyi Omano, a community lead-

er, told Reuters, adding: "We aren't certain of their identities yet," he said, adding that the dead included some minors.

Omano and local resident Chikwem Godwin said the explosion took place in the early hours of Friday, adding people from several communities were killed.

A local police spokesman

C

to manage its frontiers.

China has been closely watching neighbouring Afghanistan, where the Taliban returned to power in August, to guard against a possible inflow of refugees or Islamic extremists crossing over to link up with the Muslim Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region.

At its Himalayan frontier, Chinese soldiers have been in a standoff with Indian troops since April 2020.

China has also tak-

previously confirmed the incident but did not disclose the numbers of casualties.

Illegal refining is common in the oil-rich Delta region of Nigeria as impoverished locals tap pipelines to make fuel to sell for a profit.

The practice, which can be as basic as boiling crude oil in drums to extract fuel, is highly dangerous.

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil exporter. Officials estimate it loses an average of 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil - more than 10 per cent of its production to those tapping or vandalising pipelines. The theft and vandalism contribute to enormous pollution in the region. (Excerpt from Reuters)

COVID cases in Eastern Israel to build 1300 new Europe surpass 20M West Bank settler homes as outbreak worsens I

Medical professionals assist COVID patients in an overcrowded intensive care unit at a hospital in Bucharest, Romania [Octav Ganea/Inquam Photos via Reuters]

C

oronavirus cases in Eastern Europe have surpassed 20 million, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as the region grapples with its worst outbreak since the pandemic started and inoculation efforts lag.

Countries in the region have the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, with less than half of the population having received a single dose.

Hungary tops the region’s vaccination rates with 62 per cent of its population having received at least one shot, whereas Ukraine has given just 19 per cent of its residents a single dose, according to Our World in Data.

New infections in the region have steadily risen and now average at least 83,700 new cases per day, the highest level since November last year, Reuters data through Friday showed. Although it has just four per cent of the world’s population, Eastern

Europe accounts for roughly 20 per cent of all new cases reported globally.

According to a Reuters analysis, three of the top five countries reporting the most deaths in the world are in Eastern Europe – Russia, Ukraine and Romania.

More social gathering indoors after the lifting of restrictions just as winter sets in is driving a rise in COVID-19 infections in many countries across Europe, the World Health Organisation’s emergency director Mike Ryan said on Thursday.

As the wave of infections intensifies, many people in Eastern Europe are torn between defiance and regret over not getting vaccinated.

Hundreds have protested in Sofia, Bulgaria, and other cities against mandatory certificates that came into force on Thursday, limiting access to many indoor public spaces to those who have been vaccinated. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China strengthens land border protection with new law hina passed a law on Saturday to strengthen border protection amid a protracted standoff with India, worries about spillover effects from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and the spread of COVID-19 from Southeast Asia.

The Land Borders Law will not necessarily change how border security is handled when the measure takes effect on Jan 1, but it reflects China's growing confidence in its capability

19

en great pains to keep the COVID-19 virus outside of its borders, after illegal crossings from Myanmar and Vietnam contributed this year to a surge in cases in its southern provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi respectively.

This is the first time that the People's Republic of China, founded 72 years ago, has a dedicated law specifying how it governs and guards its 22,000-km (14,000-mile) land border shared with 14 countries,

including former superpower Russia and nuclear-capable North Korea.

Chinese military and military police - the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force - are responsible for guarding the border against any "invasion, encroachment, infiltration, provocation".

The law stipulates that China can close its border if a war or other armed conflict nearby threatens border security. (Excerpt from Reuters)

srael has announced plans to build more residences for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, drawing immediate condemnation from Palestinians, peace activists and neighbouring Jordan.

The announcement on Sunday from the Ministry of Construction and Housing in right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Government said tenders had been published for 1355 homes in the West Bank, which was seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Those new homes add to the more than 2000 residences that defence sources said in August would be authorised for West Bank settlers.

Housing Minister Zeev Elkin, a member of the rightwing New Hope party, said in a statement “strengthening Jewish presence [in the West Bank] was essential to the Zionist vision”.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, speaking at a

weekly Cabinet meeting, called on other nations – especially the United States – to “confront” Israel over the “aggression” that settlement construction poses for the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) will be keenly watching for a response from US President Joe Biden’s Administration, which has said it opposes unilateral Israeli settlement construction as an obstacle to a twostate solution to the conflict.

On Friday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US was “concerned” about the housing plans. He called on Israel and the Palestinians to “refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tension and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution”.

About 475,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, on land Palestinians claim as part of their future state. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

German far-right group attempt to block migrants

G

erman Police have stopped armed members of an extremist right-wing group from blocking migrants crossing the Polish border.

More than 50 far-right vigilantes were armed with pepper spray, a bayonet, a machete and batons, police said.

The group is believed to support the Third Way, a far-right party with suspected links to neo-Nazi groups.

The party has called on its members to take action against border crossings, which have increased since August.

Police seized weapons and made the group leave the area near the town of Guben on Saturday night and early on Sunday, a spokesperson said.

A counter-demonstration was held in opposition to the far-right patrols.

"We don't want to leave the region to the neo-Nazis.

We want to set an example that asylum is and will remain a human right," the organisers of the vigil told the news site Der Spiegel.

Germany has deployed an extra 800 Police officers to the Polish border in an effort to control the number of migrants attempting to enter the EU from Belarus, the Interior Minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

"Hundreds of officers are currently on duty there day and night. If necessary, I am prepared to reinforce them even further," Horst Seehofer told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

There have been more than 6000 unauthorised entries into Germany from Belarus and Poland this year, he said.

There are no plans to shut the border with Poland, he said, but added that controls may need to be reintroduced. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

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)

Focus on what you need to get what you want. Prepare to negotiate with finesse and show you are qualified to take on whatever comes your way.

Don't be shy; speak up and make things happen.

Uncertainty and indecisiveness are your enemies.

Check every angle, and consider the pros and cons. Take advantage of an opportunity.

A baby step is better than no step at all.

Pay attention to detail. Set high expectations and do whatever it takes to finish what you start. An opportunity to advance is within reach. Add to your skills, then forge ahead.

Engage in something challenging. A creative endeavor will come with a price; before you begin, consider what you can afford, and you'll find a way to stick to a budget and get things done.

Approach people you can count on for assistance and worthwhile suggestions.

Discussions will help you get the ball rolling. Opportunity and rewards are within reach if you set your course and follow through.

Be a good watchdog. Stay on top of facts and verify information when someone tries to lead you astray. Put your effort into whatever makes the most sense, and you will do just fine.

Pick up the pace, gather information and set a path that will encourage you to expand your mind. Look for efficient ways to run your life and home. Make sure to include loved ones in your plans.

Don't ignore a problem you encounter with a friend, relative or peer. Address matters quickly and go about your business. Make changes at home that will help you maintain a steady income.

Listen to your heart, but SAGITTARIUS don't ignore the facts. Be (Nov. 23proactive; question anyone Dec. 21)

who tries to mess with you.

Recognize what you want, and you'll develop a solid plan.

Personal improvement is favored.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

Investigate situations that don't feel right. Your best path forward is to trust in your abilities and use your skills to your benefit. Don't allow others to take care of your responsibilities.

Take a moment to adjust your budget to fit your lifestyle.

Rearranging how you delegate funds will encourage you to set your priorities straight and enjoy what life has to offer.

Be honest with yourself and others. Having a realis(Feb. 20tic plan in place will help you March 20) bring about positive changes.

Call on those who offer encouragement and hands-on help.

PISCES

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

21

T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka pull off big chase against Bangladesh SCOREBOARD S ri Lanka produced a stunning run chase to beat Bangladesh by five wickets in their first Men’s T20 World Cup Super 12s match. Chasing 172, Sri Lanka slipped to 79-4 before Charith Asalanka’s unbeaten 80 and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s aggressive 53 from 31 balls put them on top.

Their 86-run stand helped Sri Lanka secure victory in front of a lively crowd in Sharjah. Bangladesh had earlier posted 171-4 from their 20 overs. After two low-scoring games in front of half-full stands, this was the match that made the tournament come alive.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s 67 and 62 from Mohammad Naim had helped Bangladesh post an imposing total. But Asalanka, arriving with his side 2-1, played aggressively from the start, while Rajapaksa’s big hitting swung things Sri Lanka’s way.

Both players were dropped by Liton Das as Bangladesh faltered, with Sri Lanka winning with seven balls to spare. There was some tension, with Lahiru Kumara having a heated exchange with Das after

dismissing the Bangladesh opener.

Several players became involved in the confrontation before the umpires stepped in.

But that was a sidenote to the brilliant 73-run stand between Naim and Mushfiqur, which thrilled the full stadium. Naim anchored the innings while Mushfiqur hit out, slogsweeping two sixes to up the run-rate. While Naim fell shortly after making his half-century, caught off a top edge, Mushfiqur continued

to accelerate, bringing up his own 50 from 32 balls.

Bangladesh’s total always felt imposing and when Kusal Perera fell in the first over of Sri Lanka’s reply, bowled by Nasum Ahmed after missing a sweep, it looked as though the game could be over quickly.

However, Asalanka played superbly, hitting two sixes in three balls and targeting the Bangladesh spinners as Sri Lanka moved to 71-1. Two wickets in three balls for Shakib checked Sri

Lanka’s momentum — and delighted the crowd — but Rajapaksa was the ideal foil for Asalanka, with the two dispatching the 16th over for 22 runs.

Rajapaksa was dropped on 14 by Das on the boundary edge, but it was the same man’s drop of Asalanka on 63 that proved decisive.

Bangladesh face England on Wednesday, while Sri Lanka play Australia on Thursday.

(BBC Sport)

Bangladesh Innings Mohammad Naim c & b B Fernando 62 Liton Das c Shanaka b Kumara 16 Shakib Al Hasan b Karunaratne 10 Mushfiqur Rahim not out 57 Afif Hossain run out (Kumara) 7 Mahmudullah (c) not out 10 Extras (b 2, lb 3, nb 3, w 1) 9 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.55) 171/4 Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Liton Das, 5.5 ov), 2-56 (Shakib Al Hasan, 7.4 ov), 3-129 (Mohammad Naim, 16.1 ov), 4-150 (Afif Hossain, 18.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Chamika Karunaratne 3-0-12-1 Binura Fernando 3-0-27-1 Dushmantha Chameera 4-0-41-0 Lahiru Kumara 4-0-29-1 Charith Asalanka 1-0-14-0 Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva 3-0-29-0 Dasun Shanaka 2-0-14-0

SRI LANKA INNINGS (TARGET: 172 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Kusal Perera † b Nasum Ahmed 1 Pathum Nissanka b Shakib Al Hasan 24 Charith Asalanka not out 80 Avishka Fernando b Shakib Al Hasan 0 Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva c Mohammad Naim b Mohammad Saifuddin 6 Bhanuka Rajapaksa b Nasum Ahmed 53 Dasun Shanaka (c) not out 1 Extras (w 7) 7 TOTAL (18.5 Ov, RR: 9.13) 172/5 Did not bat: Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Binura Fernando Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Kusal Perera, 0.4 ov), 2-71 (Pathum Nissanka, 8.1 ov), 3-71 (Avishka Fernando, 8.4 ov), 4-79 (Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, 9.4 ov), 5-165 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 18.2 ov) BOWLING

O-M-R-W Nasum Ahmed 2.5-0-29-2 Mahedi Hasan 4-0-30-0 Mohammad Saifuddin 3-0-38-1 Shakib Al Hasan 3-0-17-2 Mustafizur Rahman 3-0-22-0 Mahmudullah 2-0-21-0 Afif Hossain 1-0-15-0

Alaba scores 1st goal in Real Salah scores hat-trick as Liverpool Madrid victory over Barcelona thrash Manchester United 5-0 R

L

iverpool humiliated Manchester United and their under-pressure manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they handed out a thrashing in front of a stunned Old Trafford.

On a day of acute embarrassment for United and Solskjaer, 10 years and one day since they lost 6-1 at home to Manchester City, Liverpool emphasised the vast gulf between the sides in brutal fashion.

Mohamed Salah was predictably their main tormentor as the Egypt forward claimed a hat-trick, the first of which meant he had scored for the 10th successive game.

Solskjaer cut a dejected figure as he and his players faced the full fury of their own fans after an insipid and disorganised display.

The warning signs were posted for United after five minutes as Liverpool sliced them open as Salah set Naby Keita through to score at the Stretford End. Diogo Jota then slid in at the back post unmarked to add a second from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s

delivery eight minutes later.

Liverpool were tearing United apart and the irresistible Salah got his first when he thumped the ball into the roof of the net and then beat David de Gea with a low effort to give Jurgen Klopp’s side a fourgoal halftime lead. Many Manchester United fans left at the break and Solskjaer’s response was to send Paul Pogba on for Mason Greenwood, but on a day when nothing went right for United even that mainly cosmetic move backfired horribly.

Salah raced on to Jordan Henderson’s superb pass to complete his treble five minutes after the break, then Pogba was sent off for a reckless lunge at Keita that saw Liverpool’s midfielder taken off on a stretcher. The rest was a formality as Liverpool cruised to victory in front of thousands of empty red seats deserted by the home supporters. (BBC Sport)

eal Madrid beat Barcelona in a newlook El Clasico to go top of La Liga and leave Ronald Koeman’s side down in eighth in the table.

It was the first Clasico without Barca icon Lionel Messi or Real legend Sergio Ramos — who both joined Paris St-Germain in the summer — since 2004. David Alaba started and finished a counter for Real’s first and Lucas Vazquez scored a second in injury time.

Sergio Aguero scored his first Barca goal, but it was almost the last kick. Alaba’s goal was the best of the game.

The former Bayern Munich defender won the ball from Barca striker Memphis Depay on the edge of his box before starting a counter-attack.

He finished it off by running onto Rodrygo’s pass before slamming a shot across home keeper Marc-André ter Stegen into the far corner. It was his first goal for Real Madrid, who he joined in the summer, on his El Clasico debut.

The final two goals came in injury time with Vazquez tapping in after

Marco Asensio’s shot was saved by ter Stegen. Substitute Aguero buried Sergino Dest’s cross, in what was only Barcelona’s second shot on target, but the final

whistle went seconds later.

Barca boss Koeman said he could not be under more pressure going into this game. Well, he actually is now. They remain eighth, as close to 14th-placed Elche as new leaders Real.

Barcelona, in front of over 86,000 fans, put in a limp performance — with Real keeper Thibaut Courtois only making one save all afternoon.

It is a new-look Barca, with 17-year-old Gavi the youngest El Clasico starter

since 1941 — but he had limited impact.

Koeman is only the second manager to lose his first three Clasicos as Barcelona boss — after Irishman Patrick O’Connell, who lost four between 1935 and 1940.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Real did not even have to play especially well to win at the home of their fiercest rivals and it is hard to imagine this Real team winning a Clasico against any other Barca team of the past 15 years.

Madrid h a v e won four consecutive Clasicos for the first time since they managed seven in a row in the 1960s. Unless something changes — and there is surely every chance they will face a different manager in the next meeting — they could break that run. (BBC Sport)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

Pakistan beat India in historic T20 World Cup win P

akistan beat India by 10 wickets in both teams’ first Super 12 game in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium. Pakistan made history in Dubai, beating neighbours India in a World Cup for the first time to move top of Group 2.

Set 152 to win, Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan produced a batting masterclass to chase down the target without losing a wicket and with 13 balls remaining. The loss is not only India’s first at a World Cup to Pakistan, but is also their firstever 10-wicket defeat in T20 internationals.

Earlier, Virat Kohli produced a captain’s knock to help India recover from a shaky start to set Pakistan 152 to win in the crunch Group 2 game in Dubai. Kohli’s 57 off 48 deliveries was his 29th T20 half-century for India and his 10th at World Cups, and came at a particularly important time for his team after a fiery opening spell from Shaheen Shah Afridi blew apart the top order.

Afridi produced two stunning deliveries to get Pakistan off to a flier, after Azam had won the toss and opted to bowl first. The 21-year-old’s rocket of a yorker had Rohit Sharma trapped plumb

Virat Kohli hits one into the leg-side during his half-century

Dynamic duo: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan took Pakistan to a 10-wicket win

in front for a first-ball duck inside the opening over.

And the Pakistan left-armer bagged the scalp of KL Rahul in his second over, swinging one back through the gate at high pace to castle the opener’s stumps.

Suryakumar Yadav’s shortlived counter-attack was ended by a brilliant catch by Mohammad Rizwan off Hasan Ali. But Captain Kohli anchored India’s recovery, helping his side

to 60-3 at the midway point of the innings, before upping the scoring rate in the second half of the innings.

Rishabh Pant’s 39 (30) had Pakistan sweating before Shadab Khan removed him caught and bowled in the 13th over. And Ravindra Jadeja, promoted up the order, struggled to get going with a patchy run-a-ball 13. But Kohli looked secure throughout his knock, bringing up the half-century with a clip

GFF delivers elite football training to hundreds of talented children across Guyana

to deep midwicket as he helped his side to a competitive total – something that seemed some way off at 6-2 in the third over.

Kohli's fifty means he goes above Chris Gayle to become the leading half-century scorer in T20 World Cup history with 10, and he now averages 83.4 across 17 World Cup innings. But his innings came to an end at the hands of Afridi, who returned for the penultimate over, bamboozling the India skipper with a slower-ball bouncer that was edged behind.

Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar scrambled 18 runs off the last eight balls, leaving Pakistan with 152 to chase for a first T20 World Cup win over their neighbours.

The run chase Rizwan got Pakistan’s reply off to a phenomenal start, smashing 10 runs off the first three deliveries of the innings.

And while the Pakistan openers slowed the scoring rate, the

partnership was exactly what their side required, eating away at the target with minimal risk while not allowing the required rate to climb too high. And the pair hit full flow as the innings progressed, with Rizwan finishing on 78* from 55 and Azam stroking 68* off 52 in a partnership of the highest quality. The result gets Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign off to a perfect start by putting two points on the board, with games against Afghanistan, New Zealand, Namibia, and Scotland to come in the Super 12 stage. (ICC)

SCOREBOARD India Innings KL Rahul b Shaheen Shah Afridi 3 Rohit Sharma lbw b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 Virat Kohli (c) c †Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi 57 Suryakumar Yadav c † Mohammad Rizwan b Hasan Ali 11 Rishabh Pant †c & b Shadab Khan 39 Ravindra Jadeja c sub (Mohammad Nawaz) b Hasan Ali 13 Hardik Pandya c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar not out 5 Mohammed Shami not out 0Extras (b 6, lb 1, nb 1, w 4) 12 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 7.55) 151/7 Did not bat: Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Rohit Sharma, 0.4 ov), 2-6 (KL Rahul, 2.1 ov), 3-31 (Suryakumar Yadav, 5.4 ov), 4-84 (Rishabh Pant, 12.2

ov), 5-125 (Ravindra Jadeja, 17.5 ov), 6-133 (Virat Kohli, 18.4 ov), 7-146 (Hardik Pandya, 19.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-0-31-3 Imad Wasim 2-0-10-0 Hasan Ali 4-0-44-2 Shadab Khan 4-0-22-1 Mohammad Hafeez 2-0-12-0 Haris Rauf 4-0-25-1 PAKISTAN INNINGS (TARGET: 152 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Mohammad Rizwan † not out 79 Babar Azam (c)not out 68 Extras (lb 1, w 4) 5 TOTAL (17.5 Ov, RR: 8.52) 152 Did not bat: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi BOWLING O-M-R-W Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-0-25-0 Mohammed Shami 3.5-0-43-0 Jasprit Bumrah 3-0-22-0 Varun Chakravarthy 4-0-33-0 Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-28-0

East Bank Cricket Association has new committee A look at some of the GFF’s engagement programmes across Guyana

M

ore than 700 girls and boys across Guyana are receiving the benefits of the Guyana Football Federation’s elite youth football development training as all regional GFF Academy Training Centres (ATC) have now returned to action.

The GFF’s ground-breaking academy programme, the first of its kind in the Caribbean and launched in 2016, is an elite, selective national youth development programme, which gives girls and boys aged between six and 19 a weekly, structured training curriculum that is anchored in the GFF football philosophy and delivered consistently across the nine Regional Associations.

The GFF delegated the running of the ATC programme to its Regional Associations as part of its efforts to build capacity at the local level, supported by the pioneering GFF Members Financial Assistance Programme (M-FAP), which is unique in the Caribbean region and provides unprecedented levels of financial and logistical backing for regional football programmes.

“We are delighted to see all

The newly-elected EBCA committee

of the academies up and running again in a safe and secure environment after the significant disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “The ATC programme is the jewel in the crown of our administration, and we are determined to continue to invest heavily in supporting our members as they take up the mantle to drive youth football development across the country.”

“We know that the future stars of our national teams will be coming through these programmes, as they are already doing, from youth level to the senior sides,” he added.

The ATC programme is intended to enhance the quality of football development by exposing talented girls and boys to regular training sessions from GFF-certified coaches as they work towards the internationally-

recommended target of 10,000 hours of deliberate practice that is required to develop elite players for professional football.

The programme, along with its grassroots component, is actively increasing the player population, improving coaching standards under the expert guidance and financial backing of the GFF Technical Department, acting as a talent scouting pathway for the national teams, and enhancing the administration of football at the regional level. It also provides a platform for regular competition among the Regional Associations.

Many of the talented players participating in the academies today were scouted during the delivery of the U-15 and U-17 intra-association tournaments, which were made possible by generous sponsorship from Namilco and the Pele Alumni.

P

uneet Jaigopaul was elected unopposed as President of the East Bank Cricket Association (EBCA) at its recent elections held at the FarmHerstelling Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) office while Abhilash Dookie and Clement Archer will serve as the Vice Presidents.

The important position of Secretary was filled by Fazal Ishak while Asif Ishak will be his assistant.

Waqar Bacchus and Sohini Narine will serve as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer respectively. Eric Sukrah secured the position of Competitions Committee Chairman with Patrick Khan as Marketing Manager and Devanand Indar as the Public Relations Officer.

Five persons were elected as Committee Members: Kelvin Singh, Corwin Austin, Sunil Ramlall, Harry Persaud,

and Darren Manohar. Lloyd Ramessar and Jonte Thomas are the new Trustees while Nadeem Khan was elected as the Auditor.

The positions of Chairman of the Senior Selectors and Chairman of the Junior Selectors will be filled at the first meeting of the new Executive Committee. It is expected that all Sub-Committees will be named at that meeting.

President Jaigopaul, in a brief address, thanked the members for the confidence placed in him and his Committee, and gave the assurance that he would work diligently towards developing cricket on the East Bank of Demerara. He added that the early priorities would be preparation of grounds, sponsorship and acquisition of cricket gear. He concluded by requesting the full

support and cooperation of all the member clubs.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

— calls for more attention towards female cycling

By Brandon Corlette

C

ourage, toughness, talent and determination. Those are some of the great qualities of Guyana's national female cycling champion Suzanne Hamilton.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, the consistent and dominant cyclist, who is also a professional accountant, shared her cycling journey and stated that female cycling in Guyana should be given more attention. She is hoping to earn selection to represent Guyana at the upcoming Caribbean Championships and Commonwealth Games.

The cycling journey Suzanne is a young woman who grew up in Mackenzie, Linden. She started cycling as a form of exercise in 2020 and was inspired by her father Nigel London. The young woman always enjoyed taking on physical challenges and found the extent of his training to be extraordinary; hence her decision to take up the challenge of joining her father.

The year 2021 has been

Hamilton told Guyana Times Sport.

special for Hamilton, who won the national cycling championships, (including time trials). "The year 2021 had major wins for me, including my dominant victories at the Independence Three Stage Road

Race, and the National Cycling Championships Road Race & Time Trial event. Additionally, at the two recent Gold Races, I was able to display equal zeal and consistency in winning as I did throughout the season,"

T20 World Cup...

A

fter his team were dismantled for 55 all out against England in the T20 World Cup match on Saturday, West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons said the batting misery came on the back of bad shot selection and not extraordinary bowling.

Coach Simmons also said their aggressive style would not change, but their assessment of situations and taking of responsibility would have to be better.

"The style in which we play has always been the style, but we must assess and play to the situation, because there is enough experienced players there. We will continue to be aggressive, but must assess the situation," Simmons stated.

He said that each player understood the game plan against

Challenges Despite all of her success in such a short period, Hamilton continues to face challenges in a sport dominated by men.

"Female cycling is definitely not given as much attention and support as male cycling.

Sponsorships, prizes and recognition are mostly tailored around the senior males.

The female riders should be taken seriously and given equal opportunity for proper coaching and advancing their cycling careers. Greater efforts should be made by the Cycling Federation to encourage and promote the growth of female riders," Hamilton added.

Sharing her sentiments on how she balances work and cycling, Hamilton, who is always up for a challenge, revealed that she enjoys keeping her body active. "As a professional accountant I operate my own financial and business consultancy. I'm also involved in karate training and hiking.

I enjoy keeping my mind and body active."

Having displayed great dominance in her cycling career, Hamilton is hoping she earns selection to represent Guyana at the upcoming Caribbean Championships and Commonwealth Games.

"For someone who has been cycling for less than two years, based on my consistent season of training and dominating

the female category – I hope that my efforts qualify me for selection to represent Guyana at the upcoming Caribbean Championships and Commonwealth Games, in addition to attracting major sponsorships and overseas training opportunities," Hamilton stated.

With a few more races left in the season, she is hoping to extend her dominance.

Hamilton expressed gratitude to her family who has been her major support system throughout. "My training and sponsorship have been aided by parents – Nigel and Sinetta London, my fiancé and siblings.

Without their efforts I would not have made it this far," she declared.

Permaul, Smith in CWI Best v Best squads ahead of Sri Lanka Test tour

West Indies will continue aggressive approach, but assess better – says Coach Simmons England, but failed to assess the sessions in which wickets fell.

The WI Coach, at the inception, read the pitch as a 180-run total pitch, but as the game went along, the Dubai pitch became a 140-150 pitch. He added that both spin and pace would have an important role to play, but bowling in the right areas was essential. Simmons was also impressed with the effort shown by the West Indies bowling group in defence of the small total of 56.

Looking ahead to the South Africa clash, Simmons said the personal pride in the team would motivate them to come back strong against the South Africans, who lost a close contest against Australia and edged West Indies in a series win in the Caribbean earlier this year.

"Everyone is looking forward

to the next game, and not just because it is South Africa, but it is the next game to make amends to what happened against England. Every game is important now, we have to look at each game as a final,” he said.

The Head Coach added that there were no regrets for leaving out Roston Chase, but the team were disappointed, a bit embarrassed, and this was something the team would look back at as a one-off and lift their game to get the Caribbean people smiling again.

"When we assessed the pitch and the squad, we thought that was the right combination for that game," Simmons said.

West Indies will play South Africa on Tuesday, October 26 in Dubai from 06:00h Eastern Caribbean Time. (Brandon Corlette)

T

Nial Smith

he Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel has announced the squads for the upcoming Best v Best men’s red-ball matches. The Panel named 24 players, with Nial Smith and Veerasammy Permaul being the Guyanese players set to play two threeday fixtures, which will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on October 27-29 and November 1-3. The two teams will be led by Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood respectively.

The players will use these matches as preparation ahead of West Indies’ forthcoming tour to Sri Lanka for two Test matches following the ICC T20 World Cup. The team will depart from Antigua on

Veerasammy Permaul

November 6 and the tour will run until December 4. The full tour squad and schedule will be announced at a later date.

The series is the second of six series, three at home and three away, that West Indies will play in the 2021-2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship after drawing the first Betway Test Series against Pakistan in August.

Senior Men’s Lead Selector Roger Harper said: “These Best v Best matches are a critical part of the Test team’s preparation for the series in Sri Lanka. For a number of players, it will be the only serious redball cricket they will have since the Betway Test series against Pakistan and prior to

going on this tour. So, it helps to get them back into the groove of the red-ball format and gives the Selection Panel an indication of the players’ readiness for the tour.”

Squad A: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain); Shamarh Brooks; Rahkeem Cornwall; Joshua Da Silva; Shannon Gabriel; Shai Hope; Kyle Mayers; Veerasammy Permaul; Jayden Seales; Preston McSween; Nial Smith and Jeremy Solozano.

Squad B: Jermaine Blackwood (Captain); Nkrumah Bonner; Jahmar Hamilton; Chemar Holder; Kavem Hodge; Alzarri Joseph; Imran Khan; Shayne Moseley; Kieran Powell; Raymon Reifer; Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican. (CWI release)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

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

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— calls for more attention towards female cycling Page 23

Pakistan beat India in historic T20 World Cup win T20 World Cup...

West Indies will continue aggressive Permaul, Smith in CWI approach, Best v Best squads ahead of Sri Lanka Test tour but assess better – says Coach Simmons See story on page 23

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