Guyana Times - Saturday April 10, 2021

P7

President extends condolence to Queen Elizabeth on passing of Prince Philip THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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

Issue No. 4613

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

La Soufriere volcano eruption

All Guyanese in St Vincent are safe – President Ali …disaster relief fund to be launched See stories on pages 3 & 17

…as national mobilisation of emergency items starts

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

P12 Younger diaspora being targeted to take up opportunities in Guyana COVID-19 guidelines

Several persons arrested for failing to wear facemasks in P11 Region 2

Linden poisoning

6-month-old child's condition deteriorates …mother, daughter remain hospitalised

$99M fisheries monitoring vessel to begin patrol soon P11

Explosive eruptions continued on Friday evening at La Soufriere volcano with massive ash venting. According to the UWI Seismic Research Centre, by evening, lightning could be seen in the ash column due to its highly charged nature. Continuous tremours have been recorded since 15:00h (UWI Seismic Research Centre; Caribbean Online Weather photos)

105 new COVID-19 COVID -19 cases recorded …over 52,000 persons Page 9

vaccinated – Health Minister

P12

Ash deposited from the volcanic eruptions covered the streets and houses in St Vincent

Govt requests electoral reforms, forensic sciences, handwriting expertise help from Canada Page 15

Arrest warrants issued for P10 21 COVID-19 guideline violators No report of any kidnapping in Guyana – Police …warn against spreading misinformation P10

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SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, April 10 – 03:00h – 04:30h and 13:30h – 15:00h and Sunday, April 11 – 03:30h – 05:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, April 10 – 15:45h – 17:15h and Sunday, April 11 – 16:20h – 17:50h.

La Soufriere volcano eruption

All Guyanese in St Vincent are safe – President Ali …disaster relief fund to be launched …as national mobilisation of emergency items starts Guyanese leader indicated.

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

Mobilising support

WEATHER TODAY There will be light rain showers during the day and night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 15:57h reaching a maximum height of 2.58 metres.

Low Tide: 09:33h and 21:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.66 metre and 0.63 metre.

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President Irfaan Ali

By Vahnu Manikchand

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has said that all Guyanese living and working in the Caricom island state of St Vincent and Grenadines (SVG), where the La Soufriere volcano begun erupting on Friday, are safe.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, the Head of State said that he has been in constant contact with St Vincent Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, while his Ministers are also reaching out to their counterparts in the island state.

“We’ve also been in contact with the Honourary Consul over there and he has assured us that the Guyanese over there are safe… He’s coordinating, he’s in contact with the Guyanese and he has assured that everything is okay,” the President related.

As it is, there are several thousand Guyanese in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Guyana Times spoke briefly with at least two Guyanese and they indicated that they are safe on the southern side of the island and that most if not all Guyanese they know are also in that area which has been marked as a Green Zone as of now.

When asked, President Ali told this newspaper that as of Friday evening there were no requests from any of the Guyanese in St Vincent to the repatriated.

Nevertheless, Ali, who had reassured his St Vincent Head of State colleague via telephone on Thursday of Guyana’s full and unwavering support during this crisis, pointed out that they have rolled out a national mobilisation plan to assist with the emergency needs of the Government and people of the island State.

“I met with Head of the Private Sector (Commission) today and we’ve decided that we’re going to coordinate our efforts nationally between the Private Sector and Government. We have identified the CDC (Civil Defence Commission) as the focal point to coordinate all the help. We’ve received from St Vincent a list of the essential and emergency needs, and we’re working on that list,” the

In a joint statement on Friday from the PSC and CDC, it was noted that they are mobilising support for SVG, and are working to supply as many items as possible on the country’s immediate emergency needs list.

Among the items required are: 1000 water tanks (800 and 1000 gallons), 5000 buckets (5 gallon), 10,000 folding cots, 150 portable toilets, 30,000 blankets along with 50 field tents (20ft x 20ft) and (910ft x 10ft).

Additionally, two field kitchens, 3000 sleeping mats, 1000 respirator masks with filters, 25,000 goggles, 2000 reflective vests, 100 caution tape (100ft roll), and 10,000 hygiene kits are also needed.

Moreover, President Ali told Guyana Times that in addition to this national mobilisation, they are also looking to establish a Disaster Relief Fund for St Vincent.

“So, all these efforts are being coordinated and being brought together and very soon, we should be able to put things together to send off to St Vincent,” the Head of State noted.

GBTI Relief Fund

Meanwhile, in a statement on Friday evening, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI) announced that it has established a Disaster Relief Fund to help the Caribbean island.

“We at GBTI are known for lending a helping hand to our sister Caribbean Islands

The grey ash from Friday’s volcanic eruptions covered the streets and houses in northern St Vincent

in times of these disasters as the bank assisted Bahamas when they were hit by the hurricane. Once again, the bank has established a disaster relief fund to help St Vincent called the St Vincent Disaster Relief Fund. Persons who wish to donate can do so by visiting any of our GBTI branches and make their deposits to the fund…,” the missive from the bank stated.

The account name at GBTI is ST. VINCENT DISASTER RELIEF FUND and the account number is 011803403012.

La Soufriere volcano

At about 08:41h on Friday, the La Soufriere volcano started to erupt with ash plumes of up to 8 kilometres recorded.

There were at least two other eruptions throughout the

day – one at 14:45h (2:45 pm) which went about 4 km into the atmosphere, and the other at around 18:35h (6:35 pm).

The explosive eruption had put a significant volume of ash into the atmosphere. It was reported that the volcanic ash consists of fine particles of volcanic rock shot into the air during the eruption and prevailing wind conditions had taken the ash clouds in a North-easterly direction.

Reports indicate that it could reach neighbouring islands including Barbados.

UWI’s Seismic Research Centre Geologist, Professor Richard Robertson, said during a Friday morning press briefing that the volcano had gone into continuous tremor overnight before starting to erupt.

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 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

Alcoholism and social ills

T

here have, in the past, been many public debates and discussions on alcoholism and the negative effects it has on individuals and society as a whole. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), alcohol kills a whopping three million people worldwide each year — more than AIDS, violence and road accidents combined. It has been stated that men are particularly at risk.

WHO’s Global Status Report on alcohol and health presents a comprehensive picture of alcohol consumption and the disease burden attributable to alcohol worldwide.

In the past, several letters to the editor of this newspaper had expressed the view that alcohol is being promoted by some chutney singers in their songs. A few years ago, Guyanese were being bombarded with “rum songs” which featured characters who resort to rum drinking to ‘end’ their sorrows. Some of these songs are still being featured at concerts and parties across the country.

One letter writer proffered that alcohol is considered to be a “downer” type of drug, so it should not be consumed if one is in a depressed state of mind. In essence, drinking while in a depressed state would certainly contribute to feelings of more depression, and do more harm than good.

The negative effects of drinking too much alcohol can be divided into short-term and long-term categories. The short-term effects of drinking too much alcohol include loss of judgment, loss of coordination, blurred vision, slurring of speech and loss of balance. These negative effects can cause one to make bad decisions while being under the influence.

The long-term effects include loss of brain cells, liver failure, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, epilepsy, nerve damage, and heart failure. If the abuse of alcohol does not cause immediate problems, then excessive use over a period of time can cause major problems down the line.

Further, alcoholism contributes to a range of social problems; for example, there has been an increase in cases of domestic and other forms of violence in our society. Official statistics show that one in four Guyanese women has been physically abused in a relationship. The increase in domestic violence has been blamed on several reasons, including children being socialised in a society that propagates violence and abuse of alcohol and drugs. While there are many solutions that have previously been put forward to protect our women and girls from experiencing the level of violence we see in our society today, what we know for sure is that there is no one solution to the problem; there needs to be a combination of ongoing measures with the involvement of Government, the Police and the judiciary, religious bodies and other non-governmental organisations and the communities as a whole, to holistically address the problem.

In addition, research has shown that alcoholism contributes to suicide, which has been, and continues to be, a major social problem in Guyana.

The effects of alcohol abuse are well known. Citizens should therefore be encouraged to exercise better judgment in every situation in the interest of themselves, their families and communities, and ignore the messages that encourage rum drinking. While it is not our intention to blame all our problems on alcohol, one cannot dispute the fact it is indeed a contributory factor to some of the social ills we face in our country today. There is therefore urgent need for all stakeholders to redouble their efforts and step up the campaign to spread more awareness and education about the dangers of alcohol abuse.

While Government must play a crucial role in designing the relevant programmes and policies and putting in place the necessary legislative framework and other support mechanisms aimed at addressing the harmful use of alcohol, this burden must also be shared by other stakeholders, such as religious groups, the Private Sector, and other nongovernmental organisations (NGO) among others.

The La Soufrière volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines began its explosive eruption on Friday morning. This is a culmination of the seismic activity that began on April 8. The eruption was ongoing for most of Friday, leaving the streets of St Vincent covered in volcanic ash (UWI Seismic Research Centre photo)

Good move by Guyana Dear Editor, It was Black Friday in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) when the volcano erupted less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves had ordered an evacuation of residents. It prompted Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, to call Gonsalves and offer assistance by way of supplies and accommodation.

It was a good gesture by President Ali, not only on its humanitarian ground, but SVG is a Caricom State, and PM Gonsalves had played an important role in Guyana in his capacity as Chairman of CARICOM. Up to the time of writing, the total effect was not yet known, but what is certain is that flights would be disrupted because of the ash spewed from the volcano.

There is a close affinity between Guyana and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Scores of Guyanese have been living there for decades, including the few well-known

Barbara Bollers, daughter of Guyana’s first Chancellor of the Judiciary, Sir Kenneth Stoby; Dr Francesa Burnham, daughter of the late President Forbes Burnham. Burnham’s first wife, Sheila, lived many years in St Vincent with her daughter, and died in that island. Former Attorney General Emerson Robertson was married to Guyanese Shirley Marshall Robertson, a medical doctor, and they have two daughters who are lawyers.

I worked in that multi-island state for five years as Solicitor General and acting DPP, and played a very important role in that community. I served as PRO to the Rotary Club, where large sums of money were realised for construction of the School for Special Needs. I have several friends there, including Prime Minister Gonsalves; architect Moulton Mayers; Douglas Williams, attorney- at-law and former Speaker of the House, whose first wife was

also a Guyanese who died at a relatively young age.

Friday’s eruption was the second in 42 years.

Incidentally, before moving to SVG, I worked in Montserrat, and that tiny island suffered an eruption in 1997 in which 19 persons were killed and 65% of the island was totally damaged, including the capital, Plymouth. six thousand residents fled, seeking refuge in the UK, Antigua, and other Caribbean islands.

Some took up residence in rural Guyana.

A CNN report on Friday stated that evacuation orders were put in place in about a dozen districts affected, and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on Friday that 20,000 people live in the red zone and up to Friday midday 4,500 have been evacuated -- most seeking shelter in makeshift accommodation.

The Governments of Dominica, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda have

agreed to accommodate some of the evacuees. Also offering assistance in other areas, like transportation and logistics, are the United States Southern Command, Venezuela, Cuba, and the Regional Security System.

Three cruise ships would assist in ferrying the evacuees.

Guyana’s Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon has issued a statement that the Opposition supports the move by President Ali to assist the Vincentians.

Meanwhile, PM Gonsalves has appealed to minibus operators to continue assisting with the movement of persons from the red zone to more comfortable accommodation.

“Based on initial scientific assessments, at a minimum, the recovery could take four months, depending on the duration of the eruption,” the Prime Minister has said.

Sincerely, Oscar Ramjeet

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 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

We must reject attempts Mahadai Das’s to discredit efforts of Govt genius was stymied Dear Editor, It is unfortunate that such views are held by Ms Annie Baliram regarding the efforts of the PPP/C Government in dealing with COVID-19.

Without a doubt, the PPP/C Government has continuously placed emphasis on the pandemic and the well-being of all Guyanese, from the moment it entered into office. Strategies were formulated from the inception, and rolled out across Guyana. Those strategies ranged from the provision of personal protective gear to the distribution of masks; the COVID-19 cash grant; and, more recently, vaccination of citizens.

We would all recall the many images of various PPP officials distributing masks across the length and breadth of the country during the five-month period when the APNU+AFC was busy trying to remain in office through fraud.

Therefore, I cannot comprehend how Ms. Baliram arrived at the conclusion that the Government is “playing politics with our lives”. It is ridiculous, to say the least.

Baliram’s contention, that the “Government can easily access one million COVID-19 vaccines to cover the entire Guyanese population in a short space of time”, is an indication of just how out-of-touch she is on this issue. It must be noted that in terms of securing vaccines for a more extensive vaccination pro-

gramme across the country, there are several complexities to be dealt with; as many countries around the world, even the developed ones, are facing challenges similar to Guyana’s in regard to securing larger quantities of the vaccines from manufacturers.

The pandemic is a global phenomenon, and the shortage of vaccines in countries around the world is because demand for such is growing every day, as the bigger, more advanced nations – many of whom paid millions in advance – hog most of the vaccines being produced. How does a small developing nation such as ours bully the US, UK, China, India and others in order to get to the front of the line?

In terms of current efforts, if one were to examine the percentage of the population of Guyana that is vaccinated against that of many countries in the developed world, taking into consideration supply and resources, Guyana is faring very well. However, there is no denying that there is a long way to go.

It is clear that the Government of Guyana is putting measures in place to ensure that citizens are taken care of as far as possible. The COVID-19 cash grant, which Ms. Baliram notes as being insufficient for Guyanese during the pandemic, is just a reflection of her personal views on the Government. In fact,

the cash grant has assisted Guyanese greatly, and this is a fact, as against the mere opinions shared by Baliram in her letter.

Lastly, it cannot be overlooked that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting countries despite their size and resources. As we await the arrival of more vaccines, it is paramount that we prioritise our health and well-being, as COVID-19 is a global health crisis that can only be tackled collec-

tively.

At the same time, it is equally paramount that we reject the attempts made by persons like Baliram - who appears to have a grouse with Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP - which are geared solely toward discrediting the efforts of the Government in dealing with the pandemic.

Yours respectfully Erin Northe

Thoughts and prayers with Caricom nation Dear Editor, Our sister Caricom nation St Vincent and the Grenadines is facing a crisis situation of immense proportions.

While the Guyana Government has offered assistance and support, our thoughts and prayers are with

the people of that Caribbean nation at this very grave time.

It is hoped that the fate which befell another Caribbean island some years ago would not result in this instance.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

Please correct this hazardous situation

Dear Editor, I am a resident of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, and, over a period of time, what I observed with our main access road is that when it rains, many parts of the road become waterlogged. This causes a number of things: importantly, the road is being damaged by erosion; pedestrians have difficulty walking; and, if unfor-

tunate, can get wet with water splashed by vehicles.

I know our senior Minister of Public Works is a no-nonsense and hardworking individual, and I appeal to him to use his good office to correct this hazardous situation.

Thank you.

Sincerely, Parmanand Ram

Dear Editor, Pointing out how Mahadai Das had been politically used and abused, with horrific consequences, is not reductionist at all. Actually, it adds to her lustre: that in spite of having gone through all the pain, suffering, agony and debilitation, her poetry emitted pearls of perfection, and her achievements intensify and rise higher as a result.

Nowhere, in pointing out these horrific realities about her life, is her poetry ever pulled down or diminished.

In fact, if anything, the spotlight would actually send many scurrying for her poetry, to find out what manner of individual could go through all that she had gone through and yet produce the brilliance that had emanated from her.

Besides, no individual is one-dimensional, single-layered, unifaceted; and Mahadai Das certainly was not. Thus, to somehow insinuate that her poetry is all she is is the actual reductionism, especially since, as Ellie Williams-Brown and Shivani Sahaya pointed out in writing about JK Rowling following her transphobic tweets, an author/poet is not separate from his/her creation; his/her work reflects his/her worldview.

And who can doubt that Mahadai Das’s worldview had been significantly impacted by her horrific rape and its awful consequences, which consumed her life thereafter?

Thus, it is important that her work be given context, so that her messages can be provided with meaning and clarity. For, in the final analysis, it is the writing that survives everything else, as Khalil Gibran so succinctly points out: “The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

So, in feasting on the words Mahadai Das left behind, we must do so with a clear grasp of how she had been shaped, and what had pushed her to create. And, in the final analysis, we would grasp that this tragic daughter of Guyana had been a victim of our all-consuming politics, which drives men to the most abominable and horrific acts; and that may well have stymied her genius, if not cut short her life.

Sincerely, Annan Boodram

6

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

Page

Foundation

Writing activity

For this activity, kids will discover favorite stories from their own families by interviewing a family member from an older generation.

Individual: each child works independently on their interview and story presentation.

Small groups: siblings can work together on their interview and story presentation.

This is a home-based project. For youth programs, the staff can explain the project to parents and let them know how they can assist with the interview.

Supplies

•Notepad or paper, pen or pencil •Drawing paper and drawing tools: colored pencils, markers, or watercolors (optional) •Smartphone with built-in audio recording feature or other kind of portable recording device; device with a video chat service (optional)

Let's get started

Tell the kids that they will be trying to uncover a treasured family story by interviewing a family member. Kids should choose someone from an older generation — parent, aunt or uncle, parent's cousin, grandparent, great-grandparent, or great aunt or great uncle. Kids could also decide to choose an older friend of the family, someone who knows them well.

Ideally, this should be a person that the child can sit down with in person. It can be helpful to record the conversation with a smartphone or other portable recording device that the family has. Other "face-to-face" interview options are: •Smartphone interview: capture the conversation with the phone's audio recording feature.

•Video chat interview: record the conversation with a video chat service (like Zoom).

Hearing each other's voices is a wonderful part of the interview process. However, kids can also do the interview by email or regular mail.

Warning: snail mail will require patience!

Getting ready for the interview

Together as a group, talk about the art of doing a good interview.

Tell the kids: you could just jump in right

away and ask, "Can you tell me a great family story?"

But sometimes it's better to get to that question within a longer conversation — it gives kids a chance to learn more about their elders and gives the elders time to reflect on the past.

Kids can come up with their own questions, or use some of the questions we've provided on page 8. Have the kids practice interviewing each other with a shorter list of questions before they interview their grown-ups.

Interview day

Have the kids to bring their questions, a pen or pencil, and a notepad or other paper to write down all of the details they will hear about their family stories.

Tell the kids to start the interview by asking their family member to say their name and age.

Sometimes the person you're interviewing is shy or quiet and gives a short answer. It can be helpful to then ask, "Could you tell me more about that?"

Remind the kids that they are looking for good details to make their stories interesting — things like unusual characters, a colorful setting, unbelievable action, funny expressions, and a satisfying ending.

Next, have the kids give an oral summary of the story and ask if they've left out any colorful or important details. Remind the kids to thank their grown-ups for sharing their family stories.

Banish Air from Air - (963)

By Emily D ickinson Banish Air from Air Divide Light if you dare They’ll meet While Cubes in a Drop Or Pellets of Shape Fit Films cannot annul Odors return whole Force Flame And with a Blonde push Over your impotence Flits Steam.

Questions: What type of poem is it? What is it all about? How did you know what it was about?

Writing time

After saying goodbye and offering thanks again for the shared time, the kids will write down their version of the family story. Younger kids who aren't yet writing can dictate their stories to an adult. Encourage the kids to include a drawing of the family member who shared the story, or a character or event from the story. You can remind the kids about the basic parts of any good story: •Beginning-middle-end format We Are Storytellers Exploring Family Stories •The main character has a problem that needs to be solved by the end of the story •Family stories (like folktales) are often funny or silly or outlandish, so don't forget the humor!

WORD SEARCH

7 President extends condolence to Queen Elizabeth on passing of Prince Philip NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…says his imprint on 20th century was “ineffaceable”

Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, died on Friday morning at the age of 99

O

n behalf of the Guyana Government, President Dr Irfaan Ali extended condolences to the people of the United Kingdom and Queen

Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth

Elizbeth on Friday, following the announcement of the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In an official statement from the Office of the

All Guyanese in...

According to Professor Robertson, while the first eruption was not a big one, more explosions are expected and these could continue for days and even weeks.

Prime Minister Gonsalves on Thursday evening had declared a red alert and issued an evacuation order. Videos circulated on social media showed evacuees with luggage treading through the streets covered in ashes with a grey smog filling the air.

During an interview on NBC Radio in St Vincent

Friday evening, Professor Robertson urged persons to not be in the ash and to ensure that their homes and other premises are secured to prevent the tiny particles from entering.

“Look up and if you’re in it, you want to cover yourself with sort of a mask – a dust mask is ideal but the mask that we use for COVID could also work… You want to not breathe it in and avoid doing that… It’s not going to cause you to sort of die but it could cause you serious health prob-

President, Prince Philip was regarded as an extraordinary public servant, proving stalwart support throughout decades of unprecedented change. The Head of State lauded the Duke for serving with great honour as the patriarch of the Royal Family.

The statement added, “Prince Philip’s military service, particularly in the Second World War, has earned him great respect the world over. His Royal Highness’ early outspoken advocacy for conservation and protection of the environment inspired many and the absence of his voice will be deeply felt. His imprint on the 20th century is ineffaceable.”

According to the BBC, Prince Philip died at the age

FROM PAGE 3

lems [especially] if you’re prone to respiratory problems,” he explained.

No fatalities

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gonsalves during that same interview Friday evening that revealed that there have been no fatalities recorded from the eruption activities earlier in the day. He went on to urge citizens in St Vincent to be patient, responsible, orderly and offer assistance whenever they can.

“Let us all cooperate with

of 99 at Windsor Castle on Friday morning. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history, having been at the Queen’s side for more than her six decades of reign.

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband,” the Palace said as his passing was made public.

In tribute to the Duke, Westminster Abbey began tolling its tenor bell once every 60 seconds at 18:00. It rang out 99 times to honour each year of his life. Earlier, the flag at Buckingham Palace was lowered to halfmast and a notice was posted on the gates to mark the Duke’s death.

People placed floral

tributes outside the palace, while hundreds visited Windsor Castle to pay their respects. However, the Government urged the public not to gather or leave tributes at royal residences amid the coronavirus pandemic.

From midday today, a 41-gun salute will take place for Prince Philip in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as in Gibraltar and at sea from Royal Navy warships, the Ministry of Defence said.

They will be broadcast online and on television for the public to watch from home.

The prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen.

Back in March, the Duke

one another,” he noted, while also recognising and praising those who have stepped up to the task.

“Our own people have opened their doors to their families and to their friends…

Sometimes they taking people whom they don’t even know…

It is the kindness and the solidarity and the good neighbourliness; it is as told in the New Testament. It is so heartwarming,” an emotional Dr Gonsalves stated.

In addition to shelters, there are also hotels and guesthouses that have been made available in St Vincent to accommodate those who

had to be evacuated from the red zone area but persons are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to access these facilities.

Additionally, there are four cruise ships on the island to transport persons to nearby countries but they too will have to be vaccinated in order to gain entry into those nations.

The St Vincent PM implored the citizens on the island to ensure they adhere to the COVID-19 protocols amidst the natural disaster.

“This is at the time of COVID and we have to protect each other’s health,” he stressed.

President Irfaan Ali

left King Edward VII’s hospital in central London after a month-long stay for treatment. He was admitted on February 16 after feeling unwell, and later underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

According to the University of West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre in an update at 20:00h on Friday, lightning could be seen in the ash column due to its highly charged nature. It was further reported that lightning could be seen and thunder heard, which is associated with the discharged particles in the eruption column. Scientists continue to monitor the situation.

The La Soufriere volcano last erupted in 1979 with no deaths or injuries since the area had been evacuated.

However, a previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1600 people.

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Senior Police promotions case

Speedy conclusion now necessary – Chief Justice …likely to rule on May 24

Chief Justice Roxane George, SC

A

five-month-old court case that has been hampering the promotion of several senior Police ranks could be resolved on Monday, May 24, 2021, by Chief Justice Roxane George, SC. This was the tentative date set on Friday by Justice George for ruling in the matter.

The case was filed in December 2020 by Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus, who alleged that he is being bypassed by the Police Service Commission (PSC) for promotion to

the rank of Assistant Commissioner due to frivolous allegations of indiscipline levelled against him for which he has not been called upon to defend.

At another hearing on Friday which was set for clarifications and/or directions, Justice George said that though given a chance to come to an amicable resolution in the matter, the parties have been unable to do so. In this regard, she noted that a speedy conclusion to the matter is now necessary given the nature of the case and the fact that “it has been going on for a little while.”

At a hearing in early January, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who is among named respondents in the case, had indicated that he was engaging Chairman of the PSC, Assistant Commissioner of Police (retired) Paul Slowe, and several aggrieved Police Officers on the possibility of arriving at a resolution outside the judicial system.

But at a subsequent hearing, Deputy Solicitor General Deborah Kumar told Justice George, “Despite

Form vs substance…

I

Senior Superintendent of Police Calvin Brutus

strenuous efforts and the parties meeting, regrettably I am to inform this honourable court that we have not made progress in the matter.”

The matter would have started when Brutus complained to the High Court that he is being bypassed for promotion due to frivolous accusations even though he was recommended for promotion by the Commissioner of Police.

Following the initial challenge, several other senior officers were added as

Chairman of PSC, Assistant Commissioner of Police (retired) Paul Slowe

interested parties. Brutus has moved to the High Court seeking among other things, an order of certiorari quashing, nullifying, and/or cancelling the decision of the PSC to promote three Senior Superintendents of Police to the rank of Assistant Commissioner over him.

According to Brutus, the three ranks who were promoted in front of him are facing more serious allegations.

In an affidavit, the senior Police rank outlined that his colleagues are facing disciplinary and/or criminal investigations for dereliction of duty, facilitation of unlawful activities, perverting the course of justice, corruption by a public officer, among other offences.

“The difference in treatment of ranks who found themselves in the same grouping was substantially and fundamentally unfair, unreasonable, unequal, and discriminatory,” he argued.

Against this backdrop, he argued, too, that the PSC committed an error of law and violated the principle of legality when it acted in a manner that was incompatible with his fundamental right to equality of treatment guaranteed under Article 149 (D) of the Constitution of Guyana.

Brutus noted that he is suitably qualified for and entitled to the promotion as he is better academically qualified than the ranks promoted in front of him.

Apart from asking the Court to grant an order overruling the PSC’s practice of not promoting officers with pending disciplinary matters, Brutus wants the Court to award him damages, costs, and such further and other orders.

In the meantime, a conservatory order granted by the Chief Justice last December blocking the promotions by the PSC remains in effect until she renders her ruling next month. (G1)

…in PNC’s “democracy” n a parliamentary democracy - even more than the intricate dance - while “it takes two to tango”, both parties must play their part, or they stand in danger of falling flat on their faces. With the dance, there’s only the danger of bruised shins and egos, but in politics, we can have folks actually getting killed and the country plunged into ruination. If you forgot what happened right here in Guyana between 1998 and 2008, just look at the news of what’s going down in Myanmar. It ain’t pretty…and it’s downright bloody.

And this is what’s troubling your Eyewitness about the PNC’s behaviour since 2015. After their decade-long extraparliamentary onslaught failed (don’t forget Desmond Hoyte said there were “no criminals” in Buxton during the height of the attacks) there was an apparent shift in their modus operandi. Granger took over, promised a “kinder, gentler” PNC, and was able to woo the AFC into an alliance that delivered power.

And the mask was ripped off! Your Eyewitness doesn’t have to repeat the sordid, morbid details this early in the day, does he? And if he does, it means there is no hope for democracy to ever take root in Guyana. For 28 years, the fundamental tenet of democracy - that it is the people who must choose their government - was violated with increasing impunity. Those riggings betrayed not only a contempt for democracy, but for us, the people. They killed one of our best and brightest who raised his voice against their excesses, and yet we saw their supporters support them en masse in 1992, when “free and fair” elections were returned.

And in case anyone thought that was an aberration, the PNC returned again to their rigging ways last year, after five years of betraying all the promises in their Manifesto. As someone said, “Democracy is all about differences, dissent and divergence, and the patience to accept them. It is the art of being able to disagree with dignity.” But with the PNC, their insistence at making a mockery of both the form and substance of democracy leaves the Guyanese nation with little dignity. How will we ever live down the “33 not greater than 32” snub, or the “Sanctimonious Gangster” label?

The clear and present danger lies ahead, from the reaction of PNC followers who fell for the “we wuz robbed” shrieks.

As Rowley said, this will not end well.

…in British Monarchy So, Prince Phillip passed away at 99. In those years, we discovered, though his attempts at “humour”, his view of us natives. Here’s a sample: 1984: "You are a woman, aren't you?" In Kenya after accepting a small gift from a local woman.

1986: "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slittyeyed." To a group of British students during a royal visit to China.

1994: "Aren't most of you descended from pirates?" To a wealthy islander in the Cayman Islands.

1994: “Yak, yak, yak! Come on, get a move on,” Prince Philip said to the Queen from the deck of the Britannia in Belize, as she was talking to her hosts.

1998: You managed not to get eaten, then?" To a British student who had trekked in Papua, New Guinea, during an official visit.

1999: "Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf." Speaking to a group of young deaf people in Cardiff who were standing near a steel band.

2002: "Still throwing spears?" Question put to an Australian Aborigine during a visit.

2013: "[Children] go to school because their parents don't want them in the house." To Malala Yousafzai who survived a Taliban assassination attempt, and now campaigns for the right of girls to go to school.

Ah, well…he was “royalty”! …on COVID caution The Police just went around G’town stores and warned them that they have to install sinks etc. But the vendors outside were left undisturbed.

Have they been determined incapable of transmitting the COVID-19 virus?

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

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

105 new COVID-19 cases recorded

…over 52,000 persons vaccinated – Health Minister 271, 247 and 449 respectively.

Ramadan measures

Ramadan, a holy month of prayers for the Muslim community, starts on April 13 and the National COVID-19 Task Force has outlined measures to be enforced throughout the religious season.

The guidelines were finalised after consultation with the Muslim community of Guyana. An advisory from the secretariat noted that mosques can open for the daily prayer sessions but only at 40 per cent capacity.

Where available, outdoor spaces should be utilised along with adequate social distancing.

Persons are asked to sa-

O

ver 52,000 persons across Guyana received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of this week – a noteworthy feat as Government seeks to inoculate the entire adult population.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony said the health system has increased its daily immunisation statistics to an estimated 4500.

This week, authorities were aiming to vaccinate 40,000 persons and have already surpassed this target.

“We have completed vaccination for 52,554 persons and so we are on target with what we have set out. I think that’s good that people are coming out to get their vaccines. Most of the vaccines that we’re using are two doses so those persons who have taken the Sinopharm vaccine, many of them are now being due.”

While the interval between doses for the Sinopharm and Sputnik vaccines is four weeks, the AstraZeneca timeline is at least 12 weeks. For a person to be considered completely immunised, they have to wait seven days after the second dose is administered.

“We started to utilise the Sputnik vaccines. However, for the rollout of these vaccines, we had to retrain our staff because these vaccines have to be kept at a special temperature. We have to maintain what you might consider to be a very cold temperature, -18 to -20 (degrees Celsius). Once we thaw those vaccines out, you can’t go and put them back into the fridge,” he outlined.

If a person contracts the virus after taking the first dose, they have to recover completely before taking the second one. Next week, another batch of the Sinopharm vaccine will arrive – the second of several

until 200,000 doses are delivered.

New cases

On Friday, a whopping 105 new cases were confirmed while deaths remained at 252. According to the Ministry’s dashboard, the total number of confirmed cases in the country is now 10,958.

There are 1071 active cases: 13 in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 1059 in home isolation and 71 in institutional isolation.

Nine persons are also in institutional quarantine. The data showed that 9576 patients have recovered from the life-threatening virus.

From the new cases, 36 were detected in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), 46 in Region Four, five in Region Five (Demerara-Mahaica), four in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), four in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) and 10 in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

The cases in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) remain at 1028,

nitise, wear a mask and ensure four feet distancing throughout prayer services.

A suggestion was made for persons to walk with their prayer mats. The Task Force added that the elderly, pregnant woman, the sick and children under the age of 11 should not attend masjid during Ramadan.

Personal iftar arrangements are allowed as long as there is adequate spacing.

However, iftars on a congregational level is prohibited.

Iftar is the first meal in the evening after fasting for the entire day.

Meanwhile, the Esha and Taraaweeh prayers should be completed by 21:30h. To curtail overcrowding for the Jummah and Eid-ulFitr prayers, the secretari-

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

at said multiple prayers can be conducted at the same venue as long as it is sanitised. Imams and executive members of masjids are responsible for enforcing the

COVID-19 measures.

The Task Force will be conducting COVICURB inspections nationwide, to ensure compliance with these guidelines.

10 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No report of any kidnapping in Guyana – Police

…warn against spreading misinformation its follow-up action and ensuing investigations; inclusive of all Police stations in the country being quickly informed with pertinent information.

There is a Missing Person Unit at the Criminal

Arrest warrants issued for 21 COVID-19 guideline violators

Persons were cautioned to desist from spreading misinformation about such topics since it can increase social tension. In a social media post, which pointed to the attempted kidnapping of two females, this was later

S

S

ocial media platforms started buzzing with a series of missing person reports within the past two weeks, prompting the public to draw conclusions about suspected kidnappings.

But the Guyana Police Force invalidated these claims on Friday, stating that there has not been any recent report of kidnappings.

“The Guyana Police Force has taken notice of a Facebook post showing concern in relation to the number of recent missing person reports in the country, particularly teenagers…The Police Force is once more giving citizens the assur-

ance that this is far from reality and that there has not been any report of any kidnapping received by the Police within recent times,” a statement issued by the Force stated.

The Force went on to say while the public’s concerns are valid, the allegation that “this issue does not appear to be receiving the full attention of the Guyana Police Force” is untrue.

Moving forward, assurances were given of increased efforts to publicise these incidents when such reports are made. The Force added that throughout the years, it has dealt aggressively with missing person reports in terms of

Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, which has the specific responsibility of assuming the lead role in the investigation of such cases.

“The Guyana Police Force already has a system, which is being publicised periodically, to receive information and tips on any police-related matter from members of the public, in a confidential manner, through specific telephone numbers and its Facebook page.”

proven to be a false report.

“While the call for neighbours and others to look out for each other is appreciated, the peddling of this misinformation about alleged kidnappings can result in unwanted tension, anxiety and stress in the society.

The Guyana Police Force is reiterating that it has received and has been dealing professionally with recent reports of missing persons, but none of kidnapping,” the missive added. (G12)

enior Magistrate Leron Daly issued 21 arrest warrants on Friday for a group of COVID-19 guideline violators who failed to appear in court.

The matters were called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and all 21 of the persons who were charged for breach of restrictions on social activities were no show.

When the cases were called on Friday, each person’s name was called thrice by the court’s orderly inside and outside of the court but no one answered the call.

Arrests warrants were therefore issued for Eric Moses; Akisha Forester; Natalie Cush; Jason Bacchus; Elizabeth Payne; Aaliyah Harding; Mark Jones; Lisa Smith; Faith Bacchus, Sarah Tucker; Selidyn Prescott; Abiola Lackno; Abiki Moses; Shania Carter; Tiffany Anthony; Roger James; Mark

Blackman; Carl Adams; Tanesa Joseph; Tasha Payne and Janenda Singh.

The prosecution is contending that ranks of the Joint Services were patrolling after curfew time to ensure that night clubs and bars were closed when they noticed that while the gate of Kairos Bar at Charlotte Street, Georgetown, was closed, loud and continuous noise was coming from the inside.

As such, ranks cordoned off the club and knocked on the club’s door for about ten minutes.

When the club’s door was opened, ranks saw the defendants inside the club parting. As such, they were all arrested and released on station bail pending their court appearance. However, their failure to make the court appearance led to the arrest warrants being issued. The case will continue on June 14. (G15)

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SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

$99M fisheries monitoring vessel to begin patrol soon

A

griculture Minister Z u l f i k a r Mustapha on Friday said that in light of the increase in traffic within Guyana’s Maritime space, the $99 million Fisheries Department monitoring vessel will be in full operation within two months.

He noted that although the vessel has The Fisheries Department’s monitoring vessel been acquired, approximately $51 miltion to get skilled persons to eration because it will help lion worth of equipment is man this vessel,” he said. us first of all to patrol our yet to be procured.

Meanwhile, Mustapha exclusive economic zone. It “Now this year’s budget, said the vessel will assist in will help to patrol the sea we have money allocated for monitoring local marine ac- and other areas to curb pirathe equipment. So hopeful- tivities. cy which is a big issue in the ly at the end of this expendi“They will patrol to check fishing industry,” Mustapha ture this year, we will have on boats and other vessels explained. a fully equipped vessel,” the in the country to see if fishAdditionally, the Minister related. ermen and fisherfolks are Minister noted that the Moreover, he said that equipped with the right monitoring vessel will be the Agriculture Ministry and equipment and they are working simultaneously its Fisheries Department practicing safe regulation with Coast Guard vessels in are still in search of a com- and they abide with all the Guyana’s exclusive econompetent workforce for the ves- rules and regulations gov- ic zone. sel. As such, he explained erning the fishing industry,” The vessel was commisthat coupled with advertised he explained. sioned on June 30, 2020, vacancies, the Ministry is He added that the vessel, by the then Minister of also seeking to recruit ex- which is the first of its kind, Agriculture Noel Holder and Coast Guards. will also be used to ensure was named after the Cavalli “I’m hoping that we can international vessels abide (Caranx hippos), an abunwork along with the Coast by Guyana’s rules and sov- dant species of fish distribGuards and other agen- ereignty. uted across both the tropical cies so that they can help to “This is very important and temperate waters of the point us into the right direc- to bring this vessel into op- Atlantic Ocean. (G15)

COVID-19 guidelines

Several persons arrested for failing to wear facemasks in Region 2

Joint Services ranks patrolling in Region Two during a mask-wearing exercise

A

number of persons were arrested in the township of Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), on Friday for failure to wear a facemask in the public.

The arrests came as the Joint Services in collaboration with the Regional COVID-19 Task Force ranks enforced the stipulated COVID-19 guidelines as set out by the Public Health Ministry.

Commander of G Division, Crystal Robinson stated that the mask-wearing exercise will be an ongoing task in the region and as such, persons found walking on the road without a mask will be charged, granted bail then given a date to attend court.

The region’s Commander said that masks can help prevent the spread of the virus and as such, persons should be serious. She advised that persons should also practice social distancing and hand hygiene.

In Region Two, 272 pos-

Some of the persons who were arrested for failure to wear a face mask in public outside the Anna Regina Police Station waiting to be processed

itive COVID-19 cases were recorded with the active cases standing at 21. During the Easter holiday weekend, 27 persons were arrested at resorts, beaches, and lakes along the Essequibo Coast.

These persons were fined $30,000 for breaching the COVID-19 guidelines.

Earlier this week, Former Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said that Guyana could only get out of the pan-

demic if persons adhere to the guidelines outlined by the Health Ministry and by taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

He noted that each time persons leave their homes, they should be wearing a face mask and also ensure that they are following the public health guidelines, adding that those who want to make the wearing of face masks an option are making living an option.

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Younger diaspora being targeted to Linden poisoning take up opportunities in Guyana 6-month-old child’s

I

n attracting the Guyanese diaspora community to return and grasp the slew of imminent opportunities within the country, Government is targeting second and third generations from these families abroad.

Foreign Secretary at the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry, Robert Persaud disclosed that Government is partnering with the International Organisation for Migration to target this younger population and fill the demands in several sectors.

“One project that we’re working on the IOM, which is a very innovative project, is to target young people meaning the second and third generation living in the diaspora for them to come back, to serve, volunteer; work with both the Government; Private Sector, civil society, NGOs and groups that are in need of special care, attention and support,” Persaud shared.

These efforts, pegged at some $38 million, are geared at ensuring that there is continued interest in development and also mobilising skill sets or capital which the diaspora can inject into the country.

“We don’t want to lose the second and third gen-

Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud

eration of Guyanese living overseas, losing interest and also missing out on the opportunities here but also to attract their skill and capital to support what is taking place.”

Consequently, the Foreign Secretary assured that these avenues for the diaspora community will not subtract from opportunities for citizens locally or prove as a disadvantage. Instead, he said they are channelling these resources to add to current operations to realise the bigger picture of transformation. Moreover, Persaud noted that this invitation does not extend to preferential access to the disadvantage of those living here.

It was emphasised, “I

want to make it clear that our emphasis on the diaspora is not to the disadvantage to persons who live here, who have worked here, studied here and who have perhaps made the sacrifice of staying on. Sometimes, I think people see it as a competition. It is not. For us, it is how we can complement the progress we were making and further support the government’s vision and the developmental drive.”

Apart from diaspora engagement, Government has started to engage Guyanese missions, consulates, consul-generals and honorary consuls across the globe. This has extended to Guyanese organisations in North America and else-

where to update on developmental projects.

“We have a point person who is dedicated in terms of dealing with the diaspora in the US, but particularly in the tri-state area. We started speaking with other groups, reaching out to Atlanta, [Washington] DC and even going across to Canada, Toronto, Ottawa and elsewhere. In the Caribbean, we started to look at how we can ramp up our activities and engagement.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted physical engagements but a virtual conference has been planned for May 27 and is aiming to attract much attention on the prospects of returning to Guyana.

“That’s a very important conference where we’ll have the President and other Government leaders, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other sector Ministers that are relevant…We have a number of agencies and Ministries where we have detected there have been interest in the diaspora so they can speak and engage groups and officials and members of the diaspora,” Persaud indicated.

An allocation of $50 million has been earmarked for the Diaspora and Remigration Unit for staffing, internships, and providing the positive information that will attract possible remigrants. Rosalinda Rasul was recently recruited to spearhead this department and is backed by Leroy Adolphus.

condition deteriorates …mother, daughter remain hospitalised

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s Police continue their investigation into the poisoning of two Linden children by their mother, who also consumed the poisonous substance, the younger of the two children’s health has deteriorated.

This, according to Police, led to the six-month-old child being transferred from the Linden Hospital Complex to the Georgetown Public Hospital at about 12:00h on Friday. The 24-year-old woman and her eight-yearold daughter remain patients at the LHC. Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Divisional Commander, Superintendent Hugh Winter has noted that Police will have to seek legal advice on the way forward.

The Regional Commander said the Police

are continuing with the investigation. Following the investigation, Superintendent Winter said the file will be sent for legal advice.

The Police had launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the hospitalisation of a Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) mother and her two children, who were admitted to the Linden Hospital Complex after consuming a poisonous substance.

Reports are that the 24-year-old mother had allegedly fed her eight-yearold daughter and six-monthold son with the substance before consuming it herself. Reports are that the incident occurred at about 10:00h at Wisroc, Linden, and they were later rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC).

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Taxi driver’s murder

Linden man on Convict appealing 80-year jail bail for wounding time to know fate on April 23 GDF ranks

Murder convict Balram Singh

B

alram Singh, the 50-year-old Agricola, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident who is appealing his conviction and 80-year prison sentence for the 2010 murder of a taxi driver will know his fate on April 23 when the Guyana Court of Appeal delivers its judgement.

Following a trial before Justice Navindra Singh in 2015, Balram Singh was found guilty by a jury of

the January 2010 murder of taxi driver Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo.

After the custodial sentence imposed by Justice Navindra Singh, the convicted killer filed an appeal in which he asked that his conviction and sentence be set aside. Among the grounds of appeal argued by the convict is that his sentence is manifestly excessive.

Balram Singh, through his lawyer Nigel Hughes, argued that there is no basis in law to support the trial Judge commencing his sentence at a base of 60 years.

The lawyer noted that the trial Judge made additions to the base sentence without any jurisprudential basis.

Moreover, the convict submitted that the Judge made several errors in law during his trial such as failing to adequately put his defence to the jury for consideration. This appeal was heard by the Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Dawn

Murdered: Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo

Gregory and Rishi Persaud.

Senior State Counsel Diana Kaulesar-O’Brien appeared for the prosecution.

Media reports are that Sukhdeo was killed between January 19 and January 27, 2010. He was kidnapped and robbed of his vehicle.

His charred remains were discovered in Mocha, EBD, days after he had gone missing. He was reportedly shot to the head and his body burnt.

During Balram Singh’s trial, it was revealed that he gave a caution statement to the Police in which he admitted that he and an associate murdered the father of two. He told detectives that his associate shot Sukhdeo to the left side of the neck with a .38 revolver and later dumped his body.

The convict related that on January 19, 2010, he and his associate went to Georgetown. He said that while he waited, his associate returned in a white car driven by Sukhdeo.

According to the caution statement, they then drove to Agricola, where Sukhdeo was told to stop.

It was then, Balram Singh said, his associate pulled out a gun from a haversack he was carrying and shot Sukhdeo to the head.

They then drove the dead man’s vehicle to Eccles, EBD, where they dumped his body in the bushes. They later retrieved the body from Eccles and took it to Mocha where they burnt it.

Decomposing body of Grove man found in home

T

he body of a 54-yearold man was discovered in a partially decomposed state at his Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home on Wednesday.

The man has been identified as Harry Samuel of Lot 446 Back Street, Grove.

Police said the man was found in a semi-decomposed state on his bed in the front room of the two-storey wooden and concrete structure.

Based on reports received, the man was found by his neighbour on Wednesday

at about 12:30h.

The woman told Police that she observed a strong stench coming from the man’s house, and decided to venture over to check on him but to her horror, she found him dead. Reports are that the man, who was living alone, was last seen alive on April 1.

His body was transported to the mortuary and is awaiting a post-mortem examination. Investigations are ongoing.

Just a few weeks ago, the

lifeless body of an 81-yearold man was discovered at his North Sophia, Greater Georgetown premises in a state of decomposition.

Dead is Budhan Singh, a pensioner of Block R North Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

Based on reports received, the now dead man lived alone. His daughter, who lives on the East Coast of Demerara, told detectives that she visited him on January 14.

However, when she returned a few days later and

called out to her father, her calls went unanswered.

Suspecting that something was amiss, she requested assistance to break the door in order to enter the house.

After doing so, she found her father’s decomposing body lying on the bed without clothes. Foul play was not suspected. (G9)

Charged Joshua George GDF rank Selwyn Cumberbatch

J

oshua George, also known as “Baby”, of Block 22, Wismar, Linden, appeared virtually at the Linden Magistrate’s Court to answer to two counts of unlawful wounding. One of the charges laid was indictable.

The 26-year-old was charged contrary to Section 50 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act Chapter 8:01.

It was alleged that George, on March 27 at Block 22, Wismar, Linden, unlawfully wounded GDF ranks Selwyn Cumberbatch and Terrence Collins.

George, a miner, was arraigned before Magistrate Wanda Fortune. He was placed on $30,000 bail on the indictable charge. On the summary charge, he pleaded not guilty and was released on self-bail.

Based on reports, the two GDF ranks were at a party where they were involved in

a fight with George. During the ordeal, Cumberbatch and Collins were allegedly stabbed several times about their bodies by George.

The injured soldiers were then rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex for treatment.

Following investigations, George was arrested and charged by the Police.

The matter has been adjourned to April 30.

Meanwhile, Humphrey Hope, 36, a machine operator of Aroaima, Upper Berbice River, was charged for feloniously wounding Adolph Allicock.

He was charged contrary to Section 57 (a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act Chapter 8:01.

Humphrey also appeared virtually at the Linden Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Fortune where the indictable charge was read to him. He was released on $75,000 bail and the case was adjourned to May 21.

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Teen beaten, robbed by armed bandits

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16-year-old teenager of Kaneville on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) was beaten and robbed at knifepoint on Friday morning by three armed men.

Police said the teen was robbed of a black BMX bicycle valued at $12,000 and $240 at Hammer Head Kaneville, EBD. Reports are at the time of the robbery, which occurred just after midnight, one of the three men was armed with a knife.

Freeman told investigators he was on his bicycle heading to a shop, which is located at Hammer Head, Kaneville, to purchase ramen noodles, when he was approached by the three bandits on foot.

The three suspects allegedly pounced upon the

victim and two of them searched his person while the third held him at knifepoint. In his report to the Police, the teen said that he resisted and the men dealt him a cut to his hand.

One of the suspects has

since been arrested and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he is under guard receiving medical attention. Investigations are ongoing.

Just recently, a 19-yearold was robbed at Plantain Walk, West Bank Demerara

(WBD), after leaving her aunt’s house in the said vicinity to go home.

The teen left her aunt’s house a few minutes prior to the incident and was waiting for a minibus to go home when she was approached by a young man riding a bicycle, who threatened her with a knife as he demanded that she hand over her bags.

Intimidated by the threats, the teen said she handed over the bags – one containing $15,500; headphones, an iPhone and smaller articles while the other contained books, a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt. The suspect then made good his escape by riding in the direction of Vreed-en-Hoop.

The matter was later reported to the Police.

Main Street execution

“Killa” released on station bail

Released on station bail: Rondell Bacchus, called “Killa”

R Engineer on $250,000 bail for illegal gun, ammo charges

K

ayode Goodman, an engineer of Section C Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, appeared virtually before Magistrate Dylon Bess to answer to charges of possession of ammunition and possession of a firearm while he was not the holder of a licence.

Goodman was charged contrary to Section 16 (2) (a) of the Firearm Act Cap 16:05. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

It is alleged that on April 6, Goodman was arrested after he was reportedly found with the illegal gun and ammo at the Port Kaituma waterfront.

Reports are that Police went to the waterfront in search of the 45-year-old

The gun and ammunition

man after a report was made at the Port Kaituma Police Station, North West District

(NWD), by a man alleging that he had been threatened with a firearm.

The prosecution is contending that during a search of his person, a black .32 pistol fell out of his left pants leg. The weapon was examined and found to be loaded with eight live matching rounds, Police said. This resulted in Goodman being arrested and taken to the Port Kaituma Police Station where the firearm, along with the ammunition, were lodged.

Goodman was released on $250,000 bail by Magistrate Bess. As a condition for bail, he was ordered to report to the Port Kaituma Police Station on the first Friday of every month until the conclusion of the case. The matter has been adjourned to May 4. (G15)

ondell Bacchus called “Killa”, who was in custody since Tuesday for questioning into the murder of Ricardo Fagundes called “Paper Shorts”, has been released on $100,000 station bail.

According to the Public Relations Officer, Mark Ramotar, a Habeas Corpus Writ was served on the Guyana Police Force today “…in relation to Rondell Bacchus, who is a suspect in the murder of Ricardo Fagundes, being kept in Police custody.” This was after the 72 hours detention limit was up.

Consequently, the Police said Bacchus was placed on substantial bail and will be required to report to the Police on specified days as the probe continues.

However, while Rondell Bacchus was being escorted from the lock-ups at the Brickdam Police Station after his release on Friday, he maliciously damaged a Police vehicle for which he has been charged and will

Dead: Ricardo Fagundes, called “Paper Shorts”

make his court appearance on April 12, 2021.

Bacchus surrendered to the Police on Tuesday hours after a wanted bulletin was issued for him to be questioned into the Fagundes murder.

Fagundes was murdered on March 21, outside of a popular Main Street, Georgetown night club.

The 42-year-old gold dealer of Lot 25 Sandy Babb Street, Georgetown, was shot several times about his body at about 22:00h on the night in question. While information remains sketchy about what transpired, the Police stated that the now dead man was in the company of a close friend partying at Palm Court when his mobile phone rang.

As such, he reportedly exited the club to take the call but soon after, several gunshots were heard. Patrons of the club including the now dead man’s friend rushed out to enquire but they saw Fagundes lying motionlessly in a pool of blood close to his motor car.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt requests electoral reforms, forensic sciences, handwriting expertise help from Canada A

ttorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, has requested Canada’s assistance in electoral reforms, forensic sciences, ballistics, handwriting expertise, forensic medicine among other areas.

This was conveyed on Friday during a meeting with Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Mark Kevin Berman. The AG and the High Commissioner also discussed several matters relating to enhancing Guyana’s legal capacity. The meeting examined various platforms and programmes in existence between the two countries, which can be used by the Legal Affairs Ministry in the discharge of its mandate.

Under existing pro-

grammes currently being administered by the High Commission in collaboration with various international agencies, the Attorney General requested technical assistance for the Law Reform Commission, the impending law revision exercise to update and consolidate the laws of Guyana as of December 31, 2020.

Additionally, Nandlall requested assistance with the publishing of updated law reports of Guyana (20072020) and other important areas that will enhance the State’s legal capacity to enforce the laws of Guyana and to maintain good governance and public order.

A statement from the AG chambers stated that the High Commissioner ex-

pressed his commitment to cooperate in the stated areas and in future endeavours and agreed to meet on a regular basis to advance this agenda. Also present at the meeting were Counsellor, Development Cooperation, Janine Cocker, and Development Officer Tariq Williams of the Canadian High Commission and Public Trustee Prithima Kissoon.

The Attorney General expressed his gratitude to the Government of Canada for being a great developmental partner of Guyana.

Nandlall also thanked successive High Commissioners for the essential contributions they have made to the advancement of the people of Guyana. (G1)

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, in discussion with Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Mark Kevin Berman and High Commission of Canada Counsellor Janine Cocker

Smart classrooms commissioned at NA, Skeldon Line Path Secondary Schools R

egion Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) now has smart classrooms in public schools for the first time. On Friday, Education Minister Priya Manickchand commissioned smart classrooms at the New Amsterdam Secondary School and the Skeldon Line Path Secondary.

While at the New Amsterdam Secondary School, Manickchand said that she was very excited to be commissioning the smart classroom in the region making it the first such facility commissioned in the region at a public school while the Skeldon Line Path Secondary School’s smart classroom is the second in the region.

The two classrooms are the fifth and sixth smart class-

rooms to be commissioned across Guyana.

The Education Minister said that persons must be cognisant of the difficult experiences being faced by

said that visual learning and the use of technology are extremely important to move forward in the education process. He said that research has shown that technology-assisted learning has become the better method of teaching.

Head Teacher of the New Amsterdam Secondary School, Vanessa Jacobs during her remarks said that her school does not have a physics teacher presently but with the smart classroom now ready to use, her school

Line graphs being taught to a student by a teacher of the Skeldon Line Path Secondary School

Guyana and the world at large due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that the pandemic has been a sobering experience for all and has had a tremendous im-

pact on the education sector.

While COVID-19 has forced schools to be closed, she noted, it has also shown the importance of tech-

nology to education delivery. However, even though the Ministry of Education has a strategic focus on installing smart classrooms, Manickchand said that there is an equal thrust to increase the number of trained teachers in the education system.

“Even as we do the smart classrooms across the country and improve facilities to access online teaching, we need to ensure that we pay attention to the training of teachers,” the Education Minister remarked.

She said that the two go hand in hand, adding that from Monday the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) will begin online training of teachers. This approach, she added, has allowed the college to increase its enrolment from approximate-

ly 500 students last year to over 2000 new students this year.

Minister Manickchand said that the smart classroom will allow the schools to teach lessons to students in any part of the country including the hinterland.

This will serve to reduce the disparity in education delivery between the hinterland and coastal schools.

“We are building a programme in the Ministry to ensure that the smart classrooms are not just in schools but are being used effectively for the benefit of the students, teachers and the wider community,” she pointed out.

Manickchand added that these activities to commission smart classrooms are bigger than having headlines in the news and likes on social media. She said that these programmes will be analysed and measured to ensure they are being used effectively to produce the desired outcomes.

Meanwhile, Regional Chairman David Armogan

can benefit from the assistance of a physics teacher from another school such as Queen’s College in Georgetown.

The smart classrooms are equipped with items such as an interactive board, a television that allows teachers and students to connect and interact remotely. Motion and voice-activated cameras complete with a voice recognition feature are also installed to ensure effective communication between participants.

Convict escapes from Mazaruni Prison

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Providence Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara man who was serving a 56-month sentence after he was convicted for robbery under arms escaped from the Mazaruni Prison on Friday.

Reports are that at about 03:15h Kevin LaFleur made a run for his freedom into the bushes aback the prison.

According to Police, Prison Officers scoured the area but did not locate the escapee.

As such a Joint Services team was called in to search for the escapee.

On February 16, four prisoners, including inmates on death row who were convicted for murder and manslaughter, escaped from the high-security Mazaruni Prison in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Those who had escaped were 25-year-old Imran Ramsaywack of Adelphi

Escapee: Kevin LaFleur

Village, East Coast Berbice (ECB); 44-year-old Kenrick Lyte whose last known address was Grant Good Intent, Lower Pomeroon River; 22-year-old Samuel Gouveia of Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and 22-year-old Rayon Jones of Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Ramsawack and Jones were killed during a shootout with Police on March 22 at about 20:40h at the Better Hope Backlands, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Lyte and Gouveia are still on the run.

16 NEWS Georgetown drainage pumps fully operational – Agri Minister SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

mation he has been receiving from the Guyana Rice Development Board, he is expecting a bumper crop this season.

“We’ve seen an increase in our quota to Brazil from 10,000 tonnes to 34,000 tonnes of rice. We also have new markets in Hungary and Latvia, so, generally, our overall export quota

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he Hydromet Department has issued an advisory predicting instances of high-intensity rainfall over the next three or four days, and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Friday conducted a site visit to two of the recently acquired drainage pumps in Georgetown to ensure the structures are functioning properly.

One of the pumps is located at Sussex Street and the other is at Ruimveldt.

A Department of Public Information report stated that Mustapha said a visit to the pumps was necessary. He said it was important to assess the city’s drainage structures ahead of the forecasted rainy weekend, given that many areas in Georgetown are prone to flooding. “…from the NDIA, we’ve boosted our drainage capacity with three additional pumps through the Indian

Line of Credit. We were able to purchase 12 additional pumps at a cost of US$3.5 million. One of these hydro-flow pumps costs US$500,000, and we have three of those in Georgetown to boost the city’s drainage capacity. One of these pumps is capable of draining 35,520 gallons of water per minute.

With such a high drainage capacity, I’m hoping we can avoid the kind of flooding that we experienced over the last few months.

“The City’s Engineer has also assured me that he has enough human resources to manage these structures; to not only ensure they remain operable, but operate on a timely basis, because we do not want to have a repeat of what took place two weeks ago,” Mustapha said.

Precautions

Further, given the inclement weather, he urged

rice farmers to take precautions when traversing the dams to transport their paddy from the fields.

“We are currently in the harvesting season, with about 50 per cent of the rice fields completed. Ahead of the harvesting period, the (Agriculture) Ministry would’ve expended millions of dollars to rehabilitate a number of dams so that farmers could transport their paddy out of the fields. Due to the inclement weather, many of those dams are once again becoming impassable.

“I want to assure our farmers that we will continue to do maintenance of these dams; but, at the same time, I want to appeal to the farmers to use the dams in a responsible manner, so that everyone would have a chance to bring out their produce,” he said.

Additionally, the Minister said that, based on the infor-

will be increasing and, at the same time, we’ll see an increase in production this crop. This is why we are working to put things in place, so that we can avoid, or at least minimise, farmers’ losses and also avoid flooding in residential areas,” Minister Mustapha said.

He also said he would

be conducting other site visits to pumps along the coast over the next few days.

The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority’s Chief Executive Officer Fredrick Flatts, Chairman of the Board Lionel Wordsworth, and other NDIA officials also attended the exercise.

DMX, American rapper and actor, dies aged 50

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S rapper and actor DMX has died at the age of 50, five days after suffering a heart attack.

The performer, whose real name was Earl Simmons, had been placed on life support and died with his family by his side.

In a statement, his family said he was "a warrior who fought till the very end".

"Earl's music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever," they said. DMX, aka Dark Man X, was a leading hip-hop performer who collaborated with such artists as JAY-Z, Ja Rule and LL Cool J. He took his moniker from the name of a drum machine used in rap tracks.

The chart-topping artist's songs included Party

Up (Up in Here) and X Gon' Give It To Ya. He also acted on screen, appearing in such films as Cradle 2 the Grave, Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1970, DMX publicly battled substance abuse for years and spent several periods in rehab.

A father of 15, he served jail sentences on charges including animal cruelty, reckless driving, drug possession and weapons possession.

According to his family, DMX died on Friday at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York.

"He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him," their statement continued.

"We appreciate all of the love and support during this

incredibly difficult time.

"Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle and the man the world knew as DMX." His manager Steve Rifkind also paid his respects, writing on Instagram: "The team is going to finish what we started and your legacy will never go away.

"That's my word. Rest Easy X".

Tributes were paid throughout Friday, with a host of stars expressing their admiration for the musician and offering sympathies to his family.

"His gift meant so much to so many," tweeted actress Halle Berry. Rappers Ice Cube, Soulja Boy and Chance the Rapper also tweeted their condolences.

(BBC)

17 Explosive eruption rocks St Vincent A NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

n explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday following mandatory evacuation orders from the local government.

Emergency management officials said the ash column was about 20,000 feet (6 kilometers) high and that the ash was headed east into the Atlantic Ocean.

However, heavy ashfall also was reported in communities around the volcano, said Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies Seismic Center.

“More explosions could occur,” she said, adding that it was impossible to predict whether any potential upcoming explosions would be bigger or smaller than the first one. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The volcano last erupted in 1979, and a previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people.

The new eruption followed mandatory evacuation orders issued Thursday for people who live near the volcano. Officials planned to place them aboard cruise

Evacuees travel on a farmer’s truck as they leave the village of Rose Hall following the eruption of La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent, April 9, 2021

ships, send them to nearby islands or take them to shelters elsewhere in St. Vincent that are outside the danger zone.

Roughly 16,000 people live in the red zone and will need to be evacuated, Joseph, said.

The pandemic could hamper evacuation efforts.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a press conference that people have

to be vaccinated if they go aboard a cruise ship or are granted temporary refuge in another island. He said two Royal Caribbean cruise ships are expected to arrive by Friday and a third one in the coming days, as well as two Carnival cruise ships by Friday. Islands that have said they would accept evacuees include St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Antigua.

“Not everything is going to go perfect, but if we all cooperate … we will come through this stronger than ever,” Gonsalves said.

He noted that he was talking to Caribbean governments to accept people’s ID cards if they don’t have a passport.

“This is an emergency situation, and everybody understands that,” he said.

Gonsalves added that he highly recommends those who opt to go to a shelter in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, an island chain of more than 100,000 people, be vaccinated.

Emergency management teams have been going out to communities in the red zone and providing transportation to safer locations, including prearranged shelters, according to Joseph.

“They know who doesn’t have transportation because all of this has been canvassed before,” she said, adding that those who board the cruise ship would not be taken elsewhere but would remain there for an unspecified period of time.

By late Thursday evening, shelters were filling up

as a string of car lights making their way to safer ground twinkled through the darkened mountains.

John Renton, a school principal who was in charge of one shelter, said in a phone interview that they had plenty of masks and other personal protective equipment but needed more cots. While talking, he was interrupted by a phone call from a government official asking about the state of things. “We’re over capacity,” he responded, noting that the shelter could hold 75 people and was already filled up.

Government officials tweeted that the dome of the volcano located on the island’s northern region could be seen glowing by nightfall.

The alert issued Wednesday follows days of seismic activity around La Soufriere.

Gonsalves urged people to remain calm and orderly.

“I don’t want you panicked,” he said. “That is the worst thing to do.”

Scientists alerted the government about a possible eruption after noting a type of seismic activity at 3 a.m. on Thursday that indicated “magma was on the move

close to the surface,” Joseph said.

“Things are escalating pretty quickly,” she said of the volcanic activity, adding that it was impossible to provide an exact forecast of what might happen in the next hours or days.

A team from the seismic center arrived in St. Vincent in late December after the volcano had an effusive eruption. They have been analyzing the formation of a new volcanic dome, changes to its crater lake, seismic activity and gas emissions, among other things.

The eastern Caribbean is home to other active volcanoes. Seventeen of the region’s 19 live volcanoes are located on 11 islands, with the remaining two underwater near the island of Grenada, including one called Kick ‘Em Jenny that has been active in recent years.

The region’s most active volcano in recent years has been Soufriere Hills in Montserrat, which has erupted continuously since 1995, destroying the capital of Plymouth and killing at least 19 people in 1997.

(Antigua Newsroom)

Spewing ash and smoke for miles

Ash and smoke billow as the La Soufriere volcano erupts in Kingstown on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent, April 9, 2021

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volcano in the southern Caribbean that had been dormant for decades erupted in a billowing blast of gray smoke Friday, spewing clouds of ash for miles and forcing thousands to evacuate.

The volcano, known as La Soufrière, on the northern tip of the main island of St. Vincent, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, had started showing signs of renewed activity in late December.

It moved into an “explosive state” on Friday morning, the National Emergency Management Organization said in a Twitter posting.

“It was a very, very loud bang,” said Shaquille Hadaway Williams, 22, a St. Vincent resident, describing the moment the volcano erupted. Soon the smell of sulfur permeated the air, he said, followed by clouds of ash, with stones falling on roofs and flashes of volcanic lightning in the sky. “You never see something like this,” Mr. Hadaway said.

The country’s emergency

management agency said the ash fall had been registered as far as the country’s international airport on the southern part of the island — more than 12 miles away — while an ash plume had billowed 20,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean.

The morning eruption was followed about six hours later by a “second explosive eruption” that was not as extensive, the agency said.

Video clips shot in Chateaubelair, a town on the foothills of the volcano, showed the sky darkened by ash as evacuees wearing face masks trudged through the streets lugging their belongings. Other clips posted on social media showed homes and streets blanketed in grayish white ash.

“The sky, right now it’s very, very dark because of the ash plummeting into the air,” said Mr. Hadaway, who had evacuated from his village on the western part of the island on Thursday afternoon as the government

warned of possibly imminent eruptions.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, and the extent of any damage in the surrounding area was unclear.

The eruptions came a day after officials had raised the alert level following several small tremors detected at the volcano, with clouds of steam seen erupting from its peak. The country’s prime minister, Ralph Gonsalves, ordered a full evacuation of the area.

“I want to urge all our people to be calm — do not panic,” Mr. Gonsalves said at a news conference on Thursday. “We will come through this stronger than ever.”

As of Friday morning, close to 20,000 people had been evacuated from the area surrounding the volcano, according to officials.

The coronavirus may complicate evacuation efforts, however, according to Erouscilla Joseph, director of the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center.

“The Covid pandemic is still ongoing and you’re talking about moving people for what may be weeks, possibly months,” Ms. Joseph said in a phone interview.

“This is a huge cost in terms of a humanitarian effort.”

Prime Minister Gonsalves said on Thursday that in order to board the cruise ships sent to evacuate people from the island, evacuees must be vaccinated, while the nearby island nations that are planning to accept refugees will also require vaccinations. Mr. Gonsalves also recommended that those who arrive in

shelters on St. Vincent be vaccinated as well.

Islands that have said they would accept evacuees include Antigua, St. Lucia, Grenada and Barbados.

“Amazing on this dangerous road to Jericho we have the good Samaritans,” Mr. Gonsalves said at a news conference on Friday. “It brings home that we are one Caribbean family.”

Scientists warned that eruptions could continue over days and even weeks.

“Once it has started it’s possible you could have more explosions,” said Richard Robertson, a professor of geology at the University of the West Indies, during Friday’s news conference.

“The first bang is not necessarily the biggest bang this volcano will give.”

Some of the most destructive volcanic eruptions on record are part of the history of the Caribbean’s mountainous islands. In 1995, the Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat, a British territory, roared back to life after more than three centuries of dormancy. Over the next two years it would bury half the 39-square-mile island in ash and rock, including the capital, Plymouth, and render much of Montserrat uninhabitable.

Grenville Draper, a geologist at Florida International University, called it “the last really long-lived eruption” in the region. Mr. Draper said the greatest peril from the St. Vincent eruption was not from lava, which is generally slow moving in Caribbean volcanoes, but from pyroclastic flows — fast-moving avalanches of searing hot gas and volcanic debris. “If it starts producing pyroclas-

tic flows, then it’s very, very dangerous anywhere on the flanks of the volcano,” he said.

The 95,000 people on St. Vincent had been on edge for months in fear of an eruption of their volcano.

Some still vividly recalled La Soufrière’s last eruption, in 1979, which hurled debris thousands of feet but caused no fatalities thanks to a hastily arranged evacuation of residents to local beaches. Its ash reached as far as Barbados, 100 miles east. An earlier eruption, in 1902, killed nearly 1,700 people.

Cecilia Jewett, 72, a roads supervisor with the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said she suffered through the

1979 eruption and recalled the scenes of panic and the desperate scramble for water, the sky darkened by ash and the overpowering stench of sulfur. Her father, she said, survived the deadly 1902 event and told stories of victims buried in ash, and corpses lying in the streets.

“Those stories come back to my mind on hearing that the La Soufrière was acting up,” she recalled when interviewed last December. “It’s just too much. These young people would not understand. They think it’s just an explosion.”

“The sulfur, what it does to your eyes, your breathing, your very existence,” she continued. “It was a time I would not want to relive.”

(NY Times)

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

Regional

Peru braces for “most fragmented election in history” as pandemic grips

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eru will vote for a new President on Sunday in a wide-open election framed by a deadly surge in coronavirus cases, and under the long shadow of a constitutional crisis last year that saw the Andean nation go through three leaders in a week.

As candidates closed their campaigns, pollsters say half a dozen of them are still in the running for a top two spot, which would see them move into a second-round run-off vote in June. Predicting which two will make it, they say, is impossible.

“These are the most fragmented elections in history, we have never reached the eve of the election with so many candidates in with a chance,” Alfredo Torres, head of local pollster Ipsos Peru told reporters on Thursday.

The uncertainty over the elections comes as Peru battles the peak of COVID-19 cases with hospitals overwhelmed and after the world’s

People wave flags and hold placards during Peru’s presidential candidate Yonhy Lescano of the Accion Popular party’s campaign closing rally in Lima, Peru, April 8, 2021

no 2 copper producer suffered its worst economic drop in three decades last year. The twists and turns have buffeted markets and Peru’s sol currency.

In the final pre-election polls, Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the imprisoned ex-President Alberto Fujimori, has climbed to the top of the pack, but with a slim lead. A radical leftist professor Pedro

Castillo has also shot up from nowhere.

No candidate has more than 13 per cent of the voting intention and “no vote” still remains the most popular single choice.

There are 18 presidential candidates and Peruvians will also elect 130 members of the unicameral Congress. Voting is mandatory with a fine of up to $25. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US considering cash payments to Central America to stem migration

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he United States is considering a conditional cash transfer programme to help address economic woes that lead migrants from certain Central American countries to trek north, as well as sending COVID-19 vaccines to those countries, a senior White House official told Reuters on Friday.

The possible cash transfer programme would be targeted at people in the Northern Triangle region of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Roberta Jacobson, the White House’s southern border co-

ordinator, told Reuters in an interview, without saying who exactly would receive the cash.

Roughly 168,000 people were picked up by US Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border in March, the highest monthly tally since March 2001 and part of steadily increasing arrivals in recent months.

“We’re looking at all of the productive options to address both the economic reasons people may be migrating, as well as the protection and security reasons,” she said.

Jacobson did not provide

a detailed explanation of how any cash transfer programme would work.

“The one thing I can promise you is the US Government isn’t going to be handing out money or checks to people,” she said.

Jacobson said that no decision had been made regarding whether to prioritise sending vaccines to the Northern Triangle countries, but added that the Biden Administration would consider how the vaccines could help ailing economies in those countries. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ecuador weighs two very different economic visions in election

Recent polls show a close race between Andres Arauz, who plans to increase the social safety net, and Guillermo Lasso, who would steer Ecuador towards a more free-market economy

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anks and barbed wire surround the National Electoral Council as Ecuador prepares to choose a new President after a disputed first round of voting and rising tensions between the two candidates ahead of Sunday’s run-off election.

Nearby streets are open, but nearly deserted after the Government imposed a “state of exception” that restricts traffic based on licence plate numbers and includes a nightly curfew, both designed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

At the centre of the election: the future of Ecuador’s economy. Recent polls show a close race between Andres Arauz, a left-wing economist who plans to increase the social safety net, and Guillermo Lasso, a ring-wing banker who would steer Ecuador towards a more free-market economy.

According to the World Bank, Ecuador’s gross domestic product rose from US$18.3 billion in 2000 to US$101.7 billion in 2014 before levelling off and now declining.

The twin shocks of declining oil prices and COVID-19, however, have led to “a significant economic downturn and an increase in poverty, despite government efforts,” according to the World Bank.

Amid rising partisanship, rumours about both presidential candidates have spread like wildfire on social media. Lasso supporters claim that Arauz wants to move the country towards socialism like nearby Venezuela and get rid of the United States dollar.

Arauz denies that claim, writing in his campaign materials that he wants to strengthen dollarisation and the Ecuadorian economy in the process.

The current congress, however, takes the idea seriously enough that they are attempting to create legislation to prevent the next President from changing the currency.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Beast of 5 teeth: Chilean scientists unearth skunk that walked among dinosaurs

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fossil of a skunklike mammal that lived during the age of dinosaurs has been discovered in Chilean Patagonia, adding further proof to recent evidence that mammals roamed that part of South America a lot earlier than previously thought.

A part of the creature’s fossilised jawbone with five teeth attached was discovered close to the famous Torres del Paine national park.

C h r i s t e n e d Orretherium tzen, meaning “Beast of Five Teeth” in an amalgam of Greek and a local indigenous language, the animal is

thought to have lived between 72 and 74 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous period, at the end of the Mesozoic era, and been a herbivore.

Prior to its discovery, and the teeth of the Magallanodon baikashkenke, a rodent-like creature, in the same area last year, only mammals living between 38 and 46 million years ago had been found in the southernmost tip of the Americas, the team that discovered it said.

The finds are critical to completing the evolutionary puzzle of the Gondwanatheria, a group of long-extinct early mammals that co-existed with

dinosaurs, said Sergio Soto, a University of Chile palaeontologist.

The discovery was published in the journal Scientific Reports by experts from the University of Chile working with researchers from Argentina’s Natural History and La Plata museums and the Chilean Antarctic Institute.

The scientists think Orretherium tzen cohabited with Magallanodon baikashkenke, which was thought to have been an evolutionary step between a platypus or marsupial, and dinosaurs such as the long-necked titanosaur.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

WHO warns on Brazil COVID-19 outbreak as Bolsonaro blasts Senate inquiry

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razilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday blasted a pending Senate inquiry on his handling of a record-breaking COVID-19 outbreak, which global health officials compared to a “raging inferno.”

Supreme Court Justice Luis Roberto Barroso ruled late on Thursday that enough senators had signed on to a proposed inquiry on the Government’s pandemic response to launch the probe despite stalling by Senate leadership.

“It’s a stitch-up between Barroso and the leftists in the Senate to wear out the Government,” Bolsonaro told supporters outside his residence, accusing the judge of “politicking.”

A Senate investigation represents the most severe political consequence to date for Bolsonaro’s approach to the coronavirus, which he compared to a “little flu” last year as he ignored health ex-

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro looks on during a ceremony at the Sao Sebastiao neighbourhood in Brasilia, Brazil, April 5, 2021

perts calling for mask-wearing and social distance.

Bolsonaro has backed off his criticism of COVID-19 vaccines, but he continues to attack Governors attempting lockdowns and even milder measures, accusing them without proof of killing more with those restrictions than the virus itself.

COVID-19 has taken more than 345,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States. One in four deaths from the pandemic this week were in Brazil,

where a brutal wave is overwhelming hospitals and setting records of more than 4000 deaths per day.

“What you are dealing with here is a raging inferno of an outbreak,” said Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the Director General of the World Health Organisation, in a public briefing.

Yet fatigue and political pressure from Bolsonaro have pushed some governors to ease restrictions despite record deaths. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Proposals made for Tobacco Bill to limit public sector/business links

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roposed limitations on interaction between public bodies/personnel and tobacco products companies raised temperatures at Thursday’s meeting of a joint select committee reviewing smoking regulations.

The limitations included in Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) states: “In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with nation-

al law.”

Opposition spokesman on health Dr Morais Guy questioned if Article 5.3, which specifically relates to health officials, was mandatory and whether it infringed on the constitutional rights of the public servants and bodies which it will affect.

Albert Edwards, legal consultant at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, confirmed that the guidelines relating to the article would be applicable to all Government officials, when instituted, whether at the national, state, provincial, municipal, local of any other level of the public service which handles

health issues.

“The principle being that there is an irreconcilable conflict from the perspective of those who are seeking to control the use of tobacco. There is an irreconcilable conflict: That is the philosophy, that is the policy underlying these controls,” Edwards told the committee.

He said that while there will be the need for interaction between the public bodies and public officials involved with public health matters and the industry, there should be accountability and transparency in terms of that relationship. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil edges lower on mixed supply and demand outlook

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il prices edged lower in rangebound trade on Friday on rising supplies from major producers and concerns over a mixed picture on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on fuel demand.

Brent crude futures for June fell 16 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to US$63.04 a barrel by 1:38 pm EDT (1738 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for May was at US$59.38, down 22 cents.

Both contracts are on track for a 2 per cent-3 per cent drop this week but still far from a low of US$60.47 hit two weeks ago.

Downward pressure has been exerted by the decision of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, to increase supplies by 2 million barrels per day between May and July.

“Favourable oil demand prospects are being largely offset by the expected increase in OPEC+ production that could be approximating 2 million barrels per day by the end of July,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Illinois.

Meanwhile, US drillers kept the number of oil rigs unchanged this week, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said on Friday, with analysts forecasting more rigs were needed to keep production steady.

Renewed lockdowns in some parts of the world and problems with vaccination programs could threaten the oil demand picture.

Stephen Innes, chief global markets strategist at Axi, said oil prices are expected to trade in a range between US$60 and US$70 as investors weigh these factors.

“There’s real push-pull in the market based on vaccination acceleration, increased production and new lockdowns, which is why we are moving sideways,” said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

Talks to bring Iran and the United States fully back into the 2015 nuclear deal are making progress, delegates said on Friday, but Iranian officials indicated disagreement with Washington over which sanctions it must lift. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Britain's Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's “strength” for 7 decades, dies at 99

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rince Philip, who was Queen Elizabeth’s husband for more than seven decades and helped to modernise the British monarchy and steer the royal family through repeated crises, died on Friday. He was 99.

The Duke of Edinburgh, as he was officially known, had been by his wife’s side throughout her 69-year reign, the longest in British history.

During that time, he earned a reputation for a tough, no-nonsense attitude and a propensity for occasional gaffes.

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said in a statement.

“His Royal Highness passed

Britain's Queen Elizabeth waits to read the Queen's Speech to lawmakers in the House of Lords, next to Prince Philip, during the State Opening of Parliament in central London, May 9, 2012

away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”

Flags at Buckingham Palace and at Government buildings across Britain

were lowered to half-mast and members of the public laid flowers outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

Prince Charles, Philip and Elizabeth’s eldest son and heir to the British throne,

visited the queen at Windsor on Friday afternoon, a royal source said.

A Greek prince, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947.

He went on to play a key role helping the monarchy adapt to a changing world in the post-World War Two period, and behind the walls of Buckingham Palace was the one key figure the queen could trust and turn to, knowing he could tell her exactly what he thought.

During that latest crisis, Philip was in hospital where he spent four weeks having treatment for an infection and to have a heart procedure before returning to Windsor in early March. He died two months before his 100th birthday. (Excerpt from Reuters)

“Lost golden city” found in Egypt reveals lives of ancient pharaohs

T

he discovery of a 3000-year-old city that was lost to the sands of Egypt has been hailed as one of the most important archaeological finds since Tutankhamun's tomb.

Famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass announced the discovery of the "lost golden city" near Luxor on Thursday.

He said the find was the largest ancient city, known as Aten, ever uncovered in Egypt.

It was unearthed within weeks of the excavation starting in September 2020.

The city dates to the reign of Amenhotep III, one of

Dr Zahi Hawass, pictured here looking at the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun, is a former Antiquities Minister

Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, who ruled from 1391 to 1353 BC. The city continued to be used by pharaohs Ay and

Tutankhamun, whose nearly intact tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

She said the city would "give us a rare glimpse into the life of the ancient Egyptians" at the time when the empire was at its wealthiest.

The dig revealed a large

number of valuable archaeological finds, such as jewellery, coloured pottery, scarab beetle amulets and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep III. The team began excavations on the west bank of Luxor near the Valley of the Kings, some 500 km (300 miles) south of the capital Cairo.

Now, seven months after the dig started, several areas or neighbourhoods have been uncovered, including a bakery, an administrative district and a residential area.

Egypt is seeking to promote its ancient heritage to revive its tourism sector, which has been flagging after years of political turbulence and disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Excerpt from BBC News)

“Law against Islam”: French vote in favour Kim Jong-un warns of of hijab ban condemned North Korea crisis similar to deadly 90s famine A Ingenuity helicopter poised N for first-ever flight on Mars

bid by the French Senate to ban girls under 18 from wearing the hijab in public has drawn condemnation, with the hashtag #HandsOffMyHijab circulating widely on social media.

The hijab is a headscarf worn by many Muslim women and has been the subject of a decades-long feud in France.

The French Senate’s move comes as part of Paris’s push to introduce a so-called “anti-separatism” bill which it says aims to bolster the country’s secular system, but critics have denounced, arguing it singles out the minority Muslim population.

While debating the proposed legislation on March 30, senators approved an amendment to the bill calling for the “prohibition in the public space of any conspicuous religious sign by minors and of any dress or clothing which would signify inferiority of women over men”.

The ban is not yet law, with France’s National

Assembly required to sign off on the change before it can take effect.

But a backlash to the amendment was swift, with some suggesting the proposed rule amounted to a “law against Islam”.

The issue also attracted the attention of several high-profile figures.

The National Assembly, France’s Lower Chamber which is dominated by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist La République En Marche (LREM) party, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the bill on February 16 before it was passed up to the conservative-led Senate.

The legislation has been debated in a highly charged atmosphere in France after three attacks late last year, including the beheading on October 16 of teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown his students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson on free speech. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

orth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has told citizens to prepare for hard times ahead, following warnings from rights groups that the country faces dire food shortages and economic instability.

Speaking at a party conference, Kim appeared to compare the situation to the devastating 1990s famine, estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands.

North Korea has shut its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trade with China, its economic lifeline, has come to a standstill.

This is on top of existing international economic sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

In a rare admission of looming hardship, the authoritarian leader of the single-party state on Thursday called on officials to "wage another, more difficult 'Arduous March' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little".

The Arduous March is a term used by North Korean officials to refer to the country's struggle during the 1990s famine, when the fall of the Soviet Union left North Korea without crucial aid. The total number of North Koreans who starved to death is not known, but estimates range up to 3 million.

Earlier this week, Kim had warned the country faced the "worst-ever situation" and "unprecedentedly numerous challenges".

There have been warnings for months that the people of North Korea are struggling.

Reports of hardship appear to be coming especially from towns near the Chinese border, where smuggling would have been a huge earner for many.

The price of corn, the staple diet for most of rural North Korea, has reportedly fluctuated enormously and at times a kilogram of corn has cost more than a month's wages. (Excerpt from BBC News)

L

ike a plucky character in a children’s book, NASA’s intrepid four-pound helicopter has survived a long, perilous journey to reach the rocky bottom of Mars’ Jezero Crater. There it will attempt what has never been tried before: flying on another planet.

The four-foot robot has already gotten through the rivet-wrecking vibrations of a rocket launch and overnight temperatures on Mars as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius (-130 degrees Fahrenheit). It detached itself from the Perseverance rover, straightened out its legs and raised its solar panel to the sun for the energy it needed to not only keep warm but also lift off from the surface.

The little helicopter with the oversized blades is poised to take flight no ear-

lier than Sunday, April 11.

On that first voyage, Ingenuity aims to climb straight up at the rate of about one metre (three feet) per second, fly to an altitude of about three metres (10 feet) and hover for roughly 20 seconds. It will then descend at the same speed until it touches down.

Overall this first flight is expected to last 90 seconds. In 1903, when Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered flight on Earth, it lasted 12 seconds.

Ingenuity is carrying a suite of sensors that will help it start right and stay on course even if it runs into trouble with, for example, the Martian winds.

Given that the ground it is sitting on may not be level, Ingenuity is carrying an inclinometer to tell it if it’s resting at an angle. (Exverpt from Al Jazeera)

20

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

Keep moving forward.

Explain your intentions (March 21- and long-term plans to April 19) someone you love, and together you'll find a way to make your dreams come true. Make your surroundings more comfortable.

ARIES

Stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish. A (April 20disciplined attitude will lead May 20) to new opportunities. Take care of fundamentals. Don't doubt yourself. Put your energy where it counts.

TAURUS

DILBERT

An offer is heading your GEMINI way. Reconnect with people (May 21you enjoy collaborating with, June 20) and take advantage of an opportunity that can send you on a new adventure. Trust your instincts.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Let your intuition lead the way. Take charge of any situation that can influence your personal or professional life. A partnership problem will push you to go it alone and do your own thing.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing. You know who you are and what you want. Focus on personal growth, self-improvement and emotional well-being. Health and fitness are encouraged.

The change you initiate will dictate what you can do down the road. You can build the foundation for future enterprise and a peaceful, stress-free lifestyle. Satisfy your curiosity.

PEANUTS

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

You'll be drawn to people and situations that fuel your soul and encourage you to live life your way. Enhance a personal relationship with new plans that will bring you and the other party closer together.

SCORPIO

Don't let uncertainty stand between you and what you want. Ask questions and proceed to work on achieving your personal goals. Moderation and simplicity are encouraged.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

Stretch your imaginaSAGITTARIUS tion to come up with an idea (Nov. 23that will bring you closer to Dec. 21) the ones you love. Personal gain, romance and self-improvement are favored.

Make your home into a welcoming space.

Expect to face opposition CAPRICORN when dealing with a friend or (Dec. 22relative. You may have to be Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

accommodating if you want approval. Take better care of your physical, emotional and financial well-being.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Put your energy into something that matters to you. Fixing up your place and making financial or professional improvements will pay off. Ease stress and improve your lifestyle.

Use your energy wisePISCES ly. Arguing will be a waste (Feb. 20of time. Focus on improving March 20) your attitude, appearance and overall well-being. Look for ways to cut costs or subsidize your income. Be honest.

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

Harper rues missed opportunity in first – but is pleased with Test against Sri Lanka series’ outcome

C

hairman of Selectors of Cricket West Indies, Roger Harper, believes the recent drawn Test series against Sri Lanka has provided reason for continued optimism, but rues that the Caribbean side was unable to nick a victory in the opening Test.

Both matches proved to be attritional affairs on flat tracks at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua, with neither side possessing the extra firepower to claim 20 wickets.

West Indies looked to be in with a chance of forcing an outright result in the first Test when they dismissed Sri Lanka

cheaply for 169 in their first innings, and then carved out a lead of 102 runs ahead of the second innings.

But debutant Pathum Nissanka struck a century to power the visitors to 476 in their second innings, forcing West Indies to save the game after they were set an improbable victory target of 375.

“I think we really lost an opportunity in the first innings of the first Test,” Harper pointed out. “Having dismissed Sri Lanka for a relatively low total, we really needed to build a big lead and apply the pressure to Sri Lanka. Instead, we got a lead of

The West Indies Test team played to a 0-0 draw against Sri Lanka

a little over 100 and the pitch got very flat, and we got ourselves batting to save the game, rather than applying pressure to the Sri

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Pre-Qualifiers…

Lankans.

“I thought we lost an opportunity there (in) not being able to build a big first innings’ lead in that first Test match, having bowled them out,” he said.

West Indies resumed the final day on 34 for one, with uncertainty over their ability to survive three sessions, but Nkrumah Bonner struck his

maiden Test hundred to erase any such doubt. Harper has said the ease with which the home side batted out the final day is an indication of their recent development.

“The pitch had a bit of moisture in that first innings, and we bowled and managed to use that to our advantage; but we did not bat and take advantage of it, and we let that opportunity slip away,” Harper noted. “The fact that we were able to bat out the fourth innings for a draw was significant. I cannot tell the last time a West Indies Test team was able to do that - to bat out the time for a draw, so that’s significant.”

The result meant West Indies went undefeated in the multiformat series, after winning the Twenty20 series 2-1 and sweeping the three-match OneDay International series.

And following on from the Test series’ win in Bangladesh

21

Lead Selector Roger Harper recently, Harper said the Sri Lanka series represented another step forward.

“I think, overall, it was a very pleasing effort all-round,” Harper told Starcom Radio’s Mason and Guest. “We had a whole series, where we played T20Is, ODIs and Tests, and to come away with a series victory in the T20Is, a complete 3-0 victory in the ODIs; and then, as much as we would have liked to have won the two Tests or the Test series, to come away with two draws is a positive for us.

“I think we had a very good home series, and it is a performance we can continue to build on,” he declared, adding: “I don’t think there were any disappointments. I think there were areas that we could improve on…and can get better at. I would say, overall, when you look at the performances of the teams, it was a pretty good Test series.” (CMC)

“I believe the team will compete and perform well,” says Ian Hercules Caribbean teams to battle for spots

in CONCACAF Group Stage: July 2-6

– Guyana to face Guatemala,Haiti to face St Vincent and the Grenadines

G

The side selected

By Timothy Jaikarran

G

uyana will journey to El Salvador to compete in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas PreQualifiers at the José Adolfo Pineda National Gymnasium. In the meantime, team members are practising arduously as they aim to come out one top.

The Guyanese side boast a plethora of experienced players, and despite having to face some tough opponents, they are expected to emerge as favourites.

Head Coach of the national side, Junior Hercules, is adamant that the team selected boasts the right amount of experience and youth, which can get the job done. In an interview with this publication, Hercules said, “My conclusion is the team selected is the best team of available players. Well balanced with

experience and youth. The team preparation is satisfactory, given some limitation of COVID-19.

We need more urgency and discipline from the defensive end, an area for which I believe we will get better as we continue to trust each other.

“I believe the team will compete and perform well, once we continue to trust each other.”

Hercules also said many comments have been received over the recent non-selection of Dominic Vincente. However, he said he believes that team selection went well, the team is balanced, and is the best to complement its goals.

The head coach also relayed that as the team prepares to depart, Guyanese fans should continue to remember them in their prayers, so that they would remain safe and fearless as they represent the country they love so dearly.

Head coach Junior Hercules

The top three (3) teams will advance to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 – Americas Pre-Qualifiers in July 2021. The participating national teams would now include Costa Rica (CRC), El Salvador (ESA), Guyana (GUY), Jamaica (JAM) and Nicaragua (NCA).

Team Guyana would begin their campaign against Nicaragua on Thursday, April 15 at 21:00h GYT.

uatemala faces Guyana while Trinidad and Tobago will go up against Montserrat when Round One of the preliminaries of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup kicks off on July 2 and 3 at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Florida.

Cuba will tackle French Guiana, Guadeloupe will battle the Bahamas, and Bermuda go up against Barbados in what would be the first time ever that the competition would have preliminaries, that will see three teams qualifying for the 16-team Group Stage.

“We look forward with great anticipation to this summer’s Gold Cup, which will undoubtedly be enhanced by this new Preliminary Round,” said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani.

“The past year has been very challenging in our region and our thoughts are with all the communities that have suffered.

We hope the opportunity to watch the best men’s national teams in Concacaf compete in our flagship tournament can provide fans with some hope and enjoyment.

“All 12 of the competing nations in the Prelims will get a full Gold Cup experience at the excellent Inter Miami facilities, and we look forward to a great set of games.”

“We look forward to hosting the Gold Cup Prelims tournament in our stadium,” said Inter Miami CF Managing Owner Jorge Mas. “Our facilities in Fort Lauderdale were built with the intent of giving our fans opportunities to

enjoy the world’s game, knowing that our vibrant culture and sports-centric region would be attractive for global teams and competitions. This is just the beginning of the great things that lie ahead.”

Round Two will begin on July 6 when the winner of the Haiti/St Vincent clash will take on the winner of the Bermuda/ Barbados matchup. The winner of the Guatemala/ Guyana encounter will play winner of the Guadeloupe/ Bahamas match.

And winner of the Cuba/French Guiana match will tackle winner of the Trinidad and Tobago/ Montserrat clash.

The winning nation in each of the three Round Two matchups would advance to the Group Stage of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, where they were drawn into Group A, B and C as follows: Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao, and Winner Prelims 9 Group B: USA, Canada, Martinique, and Winner Prelims 7

Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname, and Winner Prelims 8 Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada, and Qatar.

The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage will kick off on July 10 and run through August 1, 2021. It would feature 16 national teams, of which Canada, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, eighttime and defending champion Mexico, Panama, Suriname, six-time champion the United States are already qualified to the group stage of the tournament.

Additionally, Qatar has been invited to the tournament as the current champion and representative of the Asian Football Confederation.

The remaining three countries will qualify through the Gold Cup Prelims, in which 12 member associations will compete for the final three spots, to be played from July 2 to 6 at Inter Miami CF Stadium in South Florida. (Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

IPL 2021 Tournament…

Harshal, de Villiers steer RCB home in tight opener

Chris Lynn scored 49

T

wo men who had played no senior competitive cricket since IPL 2020 turned up with ball and then bat as the Royal Challengers Bangalore began IPL 2021 with a last-ball win against defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Harshal Patel took the IPL's first five-wicket haul against Mumbai, returning 5 for 27 in four overs as he ripped the heart out of Mumbai's monster hitters with a variety of slower balls and inch-perfect yorkers to keep the IPL's most winning side to just 159 for 9.

The Royal Challengers then had the game well in hand, with 62 needed off 46 and eight wickets in hand, but a collapse ensued, with Mumbai clawing back every inch of the way into the contest.

However, they couldn't get past AB de Villiers - not until the final over, when he was run out.

He had done enough to put his team in a position from which they could get over the line. Just about.

Patel bowled overs 16, 18 and 20, and was single-handedly responsible for Mumbai ending up below 160, when they looked set for more than 180.

His wickets were Ishan Kishan, the Pandya brothers, Kieron Pollard and debutant Marco Jansen; and each wicket was a result of the bowler

outfoxing the batsman.

His bowling meant that Royal Challengers could weather a collapse and still win, although they needed de Villiers to smash 48 off 27 in a death-overs masterclass of his own, taking on Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.

Patel still needed to come out and hit the winning run with one needed off the final ball. He dug out a Jansen yorker short to fine leg to scamper the single that sealed the match.

Chris Lynn stops, edges, then starts Early indication of how the pitch would play arrived in the opening overs, with Rohit Sharma and Chris Lynn often early into their shots, and the ball not only sticking in the pitch but also keeping low. Lynn was given a chance thanks to Quinton de Kock still being in quarantine, and looked rusty. A mixup that resulted in Sharma - who had just begun to find his flow - being run out didn't help Mumbai.

However, Lynn rode his luck to stick around. He had no fewer than five edges and mis-hits during his stay,

SCOREBOARD MUMBAI INDIANS INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Rohit Sharma (c) run out (Kohli/Chahal) 19 Chris Lynn c & b Washington Sundar 49 Suryakumar Yadav c †de Villiers b Jamieson 31 Ishan Kishan † lbw b Patel 28 Hardik Pandya lbw b Patel 13 Kieron Pollard c Washington Sundar b Patel 7 Krunal Pandya c Christian b Patel 7 Marco Jansen b Patel 0 Rahul Chahar run out (Kohli/†de Villiers) 0 1 Jasprit Bumrah not out Extras (nb 2, w 2) 4 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 7.95) 159/9 Did not bat: Trent Boult Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Rohit Sharma, 3.6 ov), 2-94 (Suryakumar Yadav, 10.6 ov), 3-105 (Chris Lynn, 12.5 ov), 4-135 (Hardik Pandya, 15.6 ov), 5-145 (Ishan Kishan, 17.4 ov), 6-158 (Krunal Pandya, 19.1 ov), 7-158 (Kieron Pollard, 19.2 ov), 8-158 (Marco Jansen, 19.4 ov), 9-159 (Rahul Chahar, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W 4-0-22-0 Mohammed Siraj Kyle Jamieson 4-0-27-1 Yuzvendra Chahal 4-0-41-0 Shahbaz Ahmed 1-0-14-0 Harshal Patel 4-0-27-5 Dan Christian 2-0-21-0 1-0-7-1 Washington Sundar

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE INNINGS (TARGET: 160 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Washington Sundar c Lynn b KH Pandya 10 Virat Kohli (c) lbw b Bumrah 33 Rajat Patidar b Boult 8 Glenn Maxwell c Lynn b Jansen 39 AB de Villiers † run out (KH Pandya/†Ishan Kishan) 48 Shahbaz Ahmed c KH Pandya b Jansen 1 Dan Christian c Chahar b Bumrah 1 Kyle Jamieson run out (Bumrah) 4 Harshal Patel not out 4 Mohammed Siraj not out 0 Extras (lb 2, nb 1, w 9) 12 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.00) 160/8 Did not bat: Yuzvendra Chahal Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Washington Sundar, 4.2 ov), 2-46 (Rajat Patidar, 5.5 ov), 3-98 (Virat Kohli, 12.3 ov), 4-103 (Glenn Maxwell, 14.1 ov), 5-106 (Shahbaz Ahmed, 14.6 ov), 6-122 (Dan Christian, 16.3 ov), 7-152 (Kyle Jamieson, 18.5 ov), 8-158 (AB de Villiers, 19.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Trent Boult 4-0-36-1 Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-26-2 4-0-28-2 Marco Jansen Krunal Pandya 4-0-25-1 Rahul Chahar 4-0-43-0

until the sixth one consumed him.

But before being dismissed, he had converted an iffy start, where he was 6 off 11, into an innings of 49 off 35. He stuck to his strengths, muscling the ball once he had sussed the pace of the pitch better, taking boundaries off Yuzvendra Chahal and Shahbaz Ahmed.

Suryakumar Yadav was fluent right from the time he came in, and with Lynn beginning to hit with more authority, Mumbai looked on track to get a score in the region of 180. Yadav's dismissal, edging behind a Kyle Jamieson slower bouncer, made Mumbai stutter somewhat.

Kishan still kept them going, and with a middle order packed with big hitters, Mumbai still seemed well on top.

Harshal Patel strikes Patel began by conceding seven runs off his first legal ball via a noball and a free-hit six, amounting to 15 runs in his first over.

A f t e r AB de that, he was Villiers on thrown the ball only at the go the death, given the

responsibility of bowling to Mumbai's array of fearsome hitters. He responded with three overs that made everyone forget - at least for this game - that the Royal Challengers had entered this tournament with a big death bowling hole to fill.

In the 16th over, he bowled a dipping full toss to Hardik who completely missed his whip to be struck in front.

In the next, he landed a perfect yorker to Kishan that was so well bowled it outdid even umpire Nitin Menon, whose onfield 'not out' was overturned on review after what felt like ages.

His last over topped it all, with Krunal and Pollard falling off the first two balls, undone by changes of pace to hole out.

A yorker reminiscent of Lasith Malinga almost gave him a hattrick against Jansen, but it just about missed the stumps.

He wasn't to be denied next ball, completing a five-wicket haul for the first time in T20 cricket with an in-swinging yorker that shattered the stumps.

Patel had bowled three of the last five overs, which saw only 31 runs, and the last over

yielded a single run, in Patel's grandstand finish.

Maxwell tees off, de Villiers finishes With Devdutt Padikkal still not fully fit after a bout of COVID-19, the Royal Challengers sprung a surprise by sending in Washington Sundar to partner Virat Kohli at the top. The move didn't quite pay off, with Sundar not finding the gaps, or his timing, but Kohli started smoothly in the powerplay, which put his team on a steady course in the chase.

Sundar and Rajat Patidar - another IPL debutant - fell cheaply, but that allowed Glenn Maxwell to have a crack at No.4 for his latest IPL franchise.

Three balls in, Maxwell reverse swept Rahul Chahar over point for a boundary. Shortly after, he stepped out and sent Krunal out of the stadium with a monstrous six over long-on.

He had no sixes at all in IPL 2020, and his first hit over the fence was as if he was making up for that drought.

The Royal Challengers looked

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WANTED Virat Kohli scored a handy 33

like they were cruising, with Maxwell shrugging off his IPL blues and Kohli ticking along, when a wobble showed at once how they were vulnerable as well as how the acquisition of Maxwell could provide a counter to that. Because with Maxwell at No. 4, it meant the trump card of de Villiers remained in the Royal Challengers' hands.

Bumrah started the slide, as he often does, trapping Kohli lbw in the 13th over, and suddenly, from 98 for 2, they slid to 122 for 6 in four overs. But de Villiers was still there, and with 34 needed off 18, he took Boult for 15 runs, and then with the game in the balance, he hit two stunning fours in Bumrah's over - the 19th of the innings - to bring his side to the doorstep of victory.

In a final twist, he was run out on the fourth ball of the last over, with Jansen showing great promise on debut to nail his yorkers. But while the de Villiers run-out meant one last heart-stopping moment, Patel wasn't to be denied on this night.

(Adapted from ESPNcricinfo)

ACCCC to host COVID-19 vaccination drive today

T

he Albion Community Centre Cricket Club (ACCCC), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccination Drive today: Saturday April 10, commencing from 8:30 hours at the Albion Community Centre (Albion Sports Complex).

ACCCC President Vemen Walter has said this initiative is receiving full support from the Albion/Port Mourant community, GuySuCo, the business community, and individuals in the Lower Corentyne area will be the target. Workers at the Sugar estate would also be specifically targeted.

According to Walter, this exercise was the brainchild of the club's patron, Dr Leslie Ramsammy. He noted that in addition to cricket, the club recognises the importance of community development projects.

"We do feel that the community has an integral part to play in human resources, hence we embark on community projects," he explained.

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ACCCC President Vemen Walter

Since onset of the COVID-19 disease, the ACCCC has engaged in distribution of hampers and face masks.

Persons 40 years and above will be vaccinated.

ACCCC Secretary Omarnauth Outar can be contacted on telephone number +592 6263091 for more information.

Registration forms are currently available at the ACCCC office located at the Albion Community Development Centre.

Transportation would be provided via GuySuCo's labour lorries and minibuses volunteered by prominent businessmen from the Community.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

GABF announces roster change – Akeem Crandon to replace Yonnick Tappin T

he Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation announced the following roster changes on Thursday, 8th April. Six-foot, eight-inch (6’8”) Center Akeem Crandon will replace Yonnick Tappin, who has been placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list.

As stipulated by the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA’s) COVID-19 Protocol for FIBA Competitions version 3 section 5.1 – Participating Team Delegations – Pre-travel, FIBA requires COVID-19 testing of all members of a Team Delegation. This includes all players and support personnel or any other individual who has had contact with the team, and it should be funded by the National Federation.

Prior to leaving for a FIBA competition, all members of a Team Delegation are required to do a testing regime of two (2) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests. Only PCR tests from samples (nasopharyngeal or saliva) collected by a health professional and analysed by a laboratory accredited by its

government or national public health authority to perform PCR testing will be recognised as a valid test. FIBA will not accept samples that are self-collection samples, antigen testing, or point of care testing.

The two (2) PCR tests shall be carried out as per the following timeline: One (1) PCR test taken seven (7) days before the departure. In case the date is on a bank holiday, or testing is not possible on the required date, then the test may be exceptionally postponed to six (6) days before departure; and one (1) PCR test taken no later than 48 hours prior to departure (or in case of individuals located in the country of the host or game, arrival at the game location), or earlier if required by the host country authorities in order to enter the host country.

In case the date is on a bank holiday, or testing is not possible on the required date, then the test may be exceptionally anticipated to 72 hours before departure.

Participants shall obtain at least two (2) copies of the results

of these tests in the English language, and the PCR tests must be negative in order for the person tested to be allowed to travel to the FIBA competition.

Any participant who has a positive PCR test result from these tests shall isolate immediately and shall not travel.

GABF General Secretary Patrick Haynes has been in constant consultation with the FIBA Americas Regional Office after learning of the positive PCR test result, and was advised to have the player removed from the team immediately; and that player shall be placed in a quarantine facility. Upon the recommendations of FIBA, the GABF activated FIBA’s recommendations.

Akeem Crandon will add additional defense to the heavy offence team.

The team delegation will undergo their second PCT test on Sunday, 11th April and depart on Monday, 12th April. (guyanabasketball.com)

Essequibo Coast All-Star X1 to tour Pomeroon Phillips beats A Fletcher against the odds

Pomeroon X1 will clash with an Essequibo Coast All-Star X1 on April 18 at the Jacklow ground as part of the Devon Ramnauth Youth Cricket League tournament. The 40-over action is set to begin at 09:30 hrs.

In preparation for that oneday game, long-time cricket enthusiasts and organizers, siblings Ernesto and Kim De Mattos, will have a friendly Under-19 40-over match at Jacklow ground, where Lower (Strike Force) and Upper (Jacklow Youths) Pomeroon will meet each other on Sunday (April 11, 2021).

After this game, the Pomeroon X1 will be named to play the Essequibo Coast XI at Jacklow at a later date.

According to founder Devon Ramnauth, a former national youth player, this encounter is part of the continued development of cricket in Region

T

Kim De Mattos

Devon Ramnauth

Two. The Essequibo Coast AllStar team will be selected from the six sides that competed in the recently concluded inaugural Youth League T20 tournament.

Queenstown Under-19 emerged victorious. Those teams are from the Coast, but Ramnauth stated that a game of this magnitude against the Pomeroon combination will entice greater competition and simultaneously showcasing the

tremendous talented players too.

In an invited comment, Ernesto De Mattos mentioned that youths in the Pomeroon are understandably excited to have this confrontation with the Essequibo Coast X1. He also emphasized the importance of competitive cricket in the Pomeroon, and expressed his gratitude to Ramnauth for this wonderful initiative of getting

Ernesto De Mattos

things going.

All COVID-19 measures will be put in place, according to Ernesto.

The Devon Ramnauth Region #2 Development Youth Cricket League will be a club cricket tournament played throughout Region #2 (Essequibo Coast) to help promote youth cricket development in the region and also showcase their talents via social media.

Carl Moore re-elected President as Tucber Park CC hold elections – Senior Moore urging youths to be inspired by Shepherd, Smith

T

he Tucber Park Cricket Club (TPCC) held elections on Thursday last at the Berbice High School, and long-serving cricket administrator and manager Carl Moore, who now resides in the United States of America (USA), will continue to serve as President.

National Coach Julian Moore will serve as first VicePresident, while Anthony D'Andrade has been elected second Vice-President and Tamesh Mohabir is the Secretary. Gary Millington is the Assistant Secretary, while West Indies female player Tremayne Smartt is the Treasurer.

Orlando Tanner has been elected Assistant Treasurer,

and Brandon Corlette is the Public Relations Officer.

Carl Ramsammy, Michael Newland, Zahir Moakan and Joel Davis are committee members.

In a virtual call, Carl Moore snr said he is impressed with the works of the club. He hailed the work being done by his son Julian and the other members of the club.

"Julian, Anthony, Smartt and the Secretary Tamesh have done a good job. They are carrying on the works that we started a few years ago to help the youngsters in New Amsterdam and surrounding areas," Carl snr said.

Over the past years, Tucber Park has been moving from strength to strength in

producing solid players. West Indies senior player Romario Shepherd and Guyana pacer Nial Smith are the latest elite products from the New Amsterdam-based club.

Jeremy Gordon, the former senior Guyana player is also a product of the club. Gordon now plies his trade in Canada.

The former manager of the championship winning Guyana team in the Stanford T20, Carl Moore has said he is impressed and beyond proud of both Shepherd and Smith, who began their cricketing careers at the TPCC. Well-known as “Mr Moore”, Carl took up the TPCC mantle in 1999. He described Smith and Shepherd as committed and disciplined

players. He is hoping that this duo would inspire the upcoming talents at TPCC. In addition to Tremayne Smartt, Candacy Atkins, who played for USA, is also another West Indies female product of TPCC. Eugene La Fleur is another proud product of TPCC. He was the captain the Guyana U-19 Team in 2008.

The likes of former senior Berbice players Devon Clements and Maxie De Jonge, along with D’Andrade, have played for UWI Vice Chancellor vs Zimbabwe back in 2010.

They are products from the TPCC. The TPCC produced more than 40 National Youth players in recent years.

Another election for the TPCC is due in two years’ time.

he second match of the inaugural CPL Esports Series saw Glenn Phillips of the Jamaica Tallawahs take on Andre Fletcher of the St Lucia Zouks at Sabina Park, and despite his claims to have never played Cricket19 before, it was Phillips who emerged victorious in a stunning all-round display.

Phillips was put in to bat by Fletcher, and the New Zealander took control of a digital version of himself and he was out of the gate like a shot, making 30 runs off the first over on his way to a match win-

Phillips continued to plunder runs from the last over, finishing on 80 (19) and leaving the Zouks a daunting 127 to win.

Fletcher got the Zouks chase under way with some fireworks as he took control of himself and smashed 26. He looked well set to match Phillips’ efforts, but a mistimed shot saw him caught at extra cover.

When Andre Russell had R a h k e e m Cornwall caught and bowled in the next over, it left the Zouks in trouble, and it got worse when Daren Sammy was out first ball.

Sandeep

Andre Fletcher

ning score.

Chadwick Walton fell early but wicket of his opening partner did not slow Phillips down as he brought up a 10 ball fifty in the third over as he used his crease to make it difficult for the bowler to bowl to his plans.

It was 105/1 at the end of the fourth over and a single from the first ball of the fifth got Phillips back on strike for the last five balls of the innings.

Lamichhane went even better than Russell when he picked up a hattrick, dismissing Mohammad Nabi, Roston Chase and Scott Kuggeleijn to leave the Zouks chase in tatters at 41/6.

Some lusty blows from Chemar Holder brought some respectability to the Zouks total, as he made 34 (7), but it was too little too late as the Tallawahs emerged winners by 28 runs. (CPLT20.COM)

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021

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

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Pg 21

Caribbean teams to battle for spots Phillips beats in CONCACAF Group Stage: July 2-6 Fletcher against – Guyana to face Guatemala, Haiti to the odds

face St Vincent and the Grenadines Pg 23

GABF announces roster change – Akeem Crandon to replace Yonnick Tappin

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Carl Moore re-elected President as Tucber Park CC hold elections – Senior Moore urging youths to be inspired by Shepherd, Smith

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