Guyana Times - Saturday, December 11, 2021

Govt invests $85M on President’s Youth Advisory Council – PM

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…reiterates commitment to overall development of Guyanese Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4858

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

Vishnu Persaud is new GECOM CEO …hailed as “most qualified” for the job by Chair Page 3

Gas-to-shore project

Guyana has an opportunity to make economic diversification a reality – Routledge Page 2

…confident of Private Sector’s ingenuity

M&CC must properly manage drainage structures – Agri Minister

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

2 more unvaccinated men die from P13 COVID 500 GenderBased Violence victims to get free legal services P16

See story on page 12

Captain drowns after taking boat P on "test" drive 15 Truck bursts into flames on Corentyne Highway P14

…as sections of Georgetown flooded due to heavy downpours

Guyana, UN ink regional 5-year pact to advance 2030 Development Agenda Page 7

Guyana will strengthen "pillars of democracy" – Ali

See story on page 5

Man who P18 fatally stabbed girlfriend 14 times appeals life sentence No doubleparking – Police warns commuters of vehicles being clamped P17

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Gas-to-shore project

Guyana has an opportunity to make economic diversification a reality – Routledge …confident of Private Sector’s ingenuity

T

he Guyana Government’s premier project of piping natural gas from production activities in the Stabroek Block to shore provides an opportunity to make the country’s economic diversification a reality.

This is according to President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge.

The United States oil giant is currently leading operations offshore Guyana, where oil production started in December 2019.

Routledge was at the time speaking about the role of the “Private Sector in the Future of Energy” at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) 132nd Annual Awards Ceremony and Gala on Thursday evening.

He posited that Guyana’s

Private Sector will play a pivotal role in the development of the country’s energy sector.

According to the ExxonMobil Guyana Head, one of the most important trends in this regard is energy diversification, which he said will make the country’s economic diversification possible.

“The Private Sector, including ExxonMobil Guyana, will be central to this initiative. From finding and producing the gas, to building the pipeline that will bring it to shore, we are deeply invested in a cleaner more affordable energy future in Guyana... By bringing the energy to shore, and adding additional sources of energy, Guyana has the opportunity to make economic diversification a reality. The most straightforward path to this outcome is to tap into the

power of the Private Sector to assess investment opportunities and find creative solutions to business challenges,” Routledge asserted.

He went on to outline that modern economies run on energy, which comes from a wide variety of sources. Referencing the recently revised Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Routledge noted the Guyana Government has enlisted the Private Sector in the great mission of delivering more energy at cheaper prices, producing less emissions with the gas-to-energy project and others like the Amaila Falls Hydropower project.

As such, he advised that the local Private Sector use this opportunity to build capacity, capability and experience for long term interna-

tional competitiveness.

“The Private Sector has seized multiple opportuni-

ties and should continue to be bold in its planning. The foundation for sustained growth in the energy sector and beyond is solid,” he stated.

But even as Guyana pursues the gas-to-energy project, the ExxonMobil Guyana Head pointed out that the oil company’s Ogle, East Coast Demerara office is being constructed with net zero energy footprint powered by solar. He said the solar array will help to generate surplus electricity, which will be dispatched to the power grid in Georgetown, consistent with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.

On a corporate level, Routledge disclosed that ExxonMobil announced a Low Carbon Solutions business to commercialise its extensive low-carbon technology portfolio, which is initially focused on Carbon Capture and Storage, advancing plans for multiple new opportunities around the world to enable large-scale greenhouse gas emission reductions.

“Over time, the business will include other technologies, including biofuels and hydrogen, as they mature to commercialisation. Already, we have captured more CO2 from human activity than any other company in the world. Our experience, expertise and ability to scale up technology give us a competitive advantage in what is expected to be a fast-growing market, which Guyana could tap into,” he stated.

Moreover, he reminded of ExxonMobil’s recently announced plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from operated assets in the US Permian Basin by 2030, accelerating and expanding emission-reduction plans for unconventional operations in New Mexico and Texas.

Routledge said these are part of the corporate-wide effort to reduce upstream greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 40-50 per cent by 2030. He added that they further demonstrate the company’s commitment and support for a lower-emissions

future across its global business including Guyana.

The US$900 gas-to-shore project is a game-changing initiative that would see gas from the Liza Field offshore Guyana being pumped onshore to generate power by 2024. The main objective of the initiative is to transport sufficient gas from the Stabroek Block’s petroleum operations to supply some 200-250 megawatts of energy to the national grid, leading to a significant reduction in electricity costs.

The Government has already issued an order to compulsorily acquire land that would be used to construct the gas-to-shore project and lay the gas pipeline from Nouvelle Flanders on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) to Canal Number One Public Road on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).

Earlier this week, while addressing the Harvard Microeconomics workshop, President Dr Irfaan Ali said with the gas-to-shore project on stream, Guyana’s energy capacity is likely to exceed energy demand.

“We’ve launched our gas-to-energy project.

Earlier, I outlined to you how important energy is in terms of our competitiveness. So, the gas-to-shore energy project would use associated natural gas produced offshore Guyana, starting with Liza 1, then Liza 2, and Payara,” he explained.

“The natural gas production is expected to exceed the country’s current demand.

More major investment opportunities will become available for the use of natural gas. As a result of this, we’re in the process of building an Industrial Development Authority in Wales,” the President said.

This excess energy, according to the President, would be used to power additional industries.

The Wales Industrial Zone, he explained, would facilitate new industries, including fertiliser production for the agriculture sector with the intention of supplying the Caribbean.

(G8)

NEWS

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Saturday, Dec 11 – 10:00h – 11:30h and Sunday, Dec 12 – 00:30h – 02:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, Dec 11 – 10:25h – 11:55h and Sunday, Dec 12 – 11:40h – 13:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be thundery showers and light rain showers during the day and night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to West North-Westerly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 10:27h and 22:53h reaching maximum heights of 2.17 metres and 2.19 metres.

Low Tide: 16:22h reaching a minimum height of 1.09 metre.

Vishnu Persaud is new GECOM CEO …hailed as “most qualified” for the job by Chair

W

ith over 17 years of experience working at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Vishnu Persaud has emerged as the new Chief Elections Officer (CEO) following a competitive process which saw some 20 other candidates, including local and foreigners, vying for the top position.

The race had come down to Persaud, a former Deputy CEO, and Jamaican Leslie Harrow – both of whom were interviewed on Monday by the seven-member Election Commission.

When the Commission met on Friday to discuss and vote on who is the most qualified candidate for the job, its members were trapped in a deadlock as they were equally divided between the two frontrunners.

This prompted GECOM’s Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, to flex her casting vote in favour of Persaud, whom she has since hailed as the most qualified for the job.

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In an official statement to the media announcing the selection of Persaud as the new CEO, GECOM said it is hopeful that with his extensive experience in the agency, Persaud will execute the functions of the office of CEO and Commissioner of Registration within the confines of the law and deliver with excellence.

Justice Singh, according to the statement, also justified her decision to vote in favour of Persaud, noting that he has acquired institutional knowledge having been employed with GECOM for 17 years.

New Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud

“Mr Persaud is knowledgeable not only with the understanding and management of the work of the CEO’s office and the operational functions of the Secretariat but also with the geography of Guyana’s ten administrative regions,” the statement explained.

Also contributing to her decision to select Persaud for the post was an endorsement letter submitted by former GECOM Chair, Dr Steve Surujbally.

During his tenure at the Commission, Persaud held the post of Public Relations Officer, Deputy Chief Elections Officer for three years, and acted as Chief Elections Officer on several occasions.

Against this backdrop, Justice Singh noted that she had no hesitation in endorsing Persaud’s appointment since “he has the necessary skills, experience, and expertise that makes him eminently qualified to handle the job”.

Persaud, who was employed as GECOM’s Deputy CEO from 2014 to 2017, was overlooked for appointment when he sought to return to the position in 2018.

In fact, his non-appointment sparked controversy and even an investigation by the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), which had concluded six months after that he was overlooked and was more qualified than the person who was chosen over him for the position, Roxanne Myers.

The then CEO Keith Lowenfield; his Deputy, Roxanne Myers, and Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo were fired from GECOM in August.

The embattled trio is currently before the courts facing a number of electoral fraud charges for their alleged attempts to sway the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then ruling A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

Digesting

When contacted for a comment on his appointment, Persaud expressed “I am still at the moment digesting it”.

“I have been informed that my candidacy was successful and I’m trying to digest it now as I am also trying to deal with so many congratulatory messages,” he added.

According to GECOM, Persaud is expected to assume office in the new week; once all contractual and procedural matters are finalised and he is officially appointed

GECOM Chair, Justice (retired) Claudette Singh

and takes the Oath of Office.

Opposition not pleased

Meanwhile, at a press conference shortly after Persaud emerged successful, Opposition Commissioners disagreed with the decision.

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon also registered his disapproval claiming that he is not in agreement with the Chairman’s decision to vote for Persaud.

Meanwhile, the electoral body is also looking to fill several other key senior positions within the Elections Secretariat including Assistant Chief Elections Officer, Chief Accountant, Legal Officer, Logistics Officer, and Civic and Voter Education Manager.

In light of these existing vacancies, GECOM’s Chair has already written to Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, confirming that the entity is unable to hold Local Government Elections this year as is constitutionally due. (G11)

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 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

City and flooding

C

alls are once again being made for City Hall to better manage the drainage system of the city, as inclement weather causes much flooding in Georgetown.

Heavy rainfall, which is expected to continue over the coming days, on Friday caused flooding in several communities across the country; and, more so, has severely impacted Georgetown.

According to the Hydrometeorological Office, the current extreme rainfall pattern is expected to continue, and, as such, residents have been advised to take precautionary measures, because the likelihood of flash flooding has increased.

Guyana is perhaps one of the more precarious lands in South America, since its coastal strip is already some 2.4 metres below sea level. This makes the country vulnerable to flooding. So, when the weather gets really extreme – as it is presently – Government has to keep its disaster response plans on standby. However, compounding the situation further for Georgetown is the fact that City Hall has failed on many occasions to clear and clean clogged drains and canals in the city. It is well known that citizens of the city are fed-up with the wrangling and sometimes even outrageous behaviour of City Hall, and their failure to carry out their fiduciary duties.

For years, Central Government has been allocating huge sums towards the Council, but, unfortunately, citizens are not seeing the kind of results and development they expect. Certain parts of the city are littered with garbage; there are clogged drains and canals; pavements and surrounding drainage are blocked due to illegal vending.

As is currently being experienced, Georgetown continues to battle with garbage and flooding problems. Instead of there being any notable improvements, the landscape in the city continues to deteriorate, and the problems worsen. The municipality only last week complained about its inability to pay garbage collectors. City Hall has always had a poor track record, which erodes public confidence in its ability to keep a commitment and use taxes efficiently to improve the cleaning and drainage of the city.

For years the country has had two rainy seasons, but, with climate change, the weather patterns across the globe have changed significantly. Experts have predicted that more frequent and extreme weather linked to climate change, like hurricanes and severe flooding, would occur more often. While we cannot prevent natural disasters from occurring, we can certainly prepare better, so that the impact is reduced. For this reason, it is crucial that City Hall, and even the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) in the 10 administrative regions in Guyana, should always be prepared by having control of waste management.

Waiting to clean clogged canals and waterways, or fixing drainage pumps only when the rainy season starts, should be a thing of the past. It is important that we constantly review our disaster preparedness efforts. There should be no circumstance to catch us off-guard. As this publication has said before, the decisions we make today would determine our resilience to natural disasters, and be critical to people’s well-being in the short and long terms.

With respect to City Hall, we agree that the municipality does need money to run the city, so residents and businesses must pay their taxes; but, in the same breath, City Hall too must honour its obligations to the residents of the city. When the previous administration took office in 2015, M&CC had embarked on a massive city-wide cleanup campaign in Georgetown and its environs. It is time that City Hall embark upon these clean-up campaigns as part of its routine schedule to fulfil its obligations to the residents of the city.

President Dr Irfaan Ali and Education Minister Priya Manickchand met with an executive team from Intercorp — a conglomerate of multinational Peruvian companies that cover financial services, retail, education and healthcare — at State House.

The group was led by its President, Carlos Rodriguez-Pastor, and featured CEO of Innova Schools, Jorge Yzusqui; CEO of Urbi, Carlos Casabonne; Vice President of Retail Banking—Interbank, Carlos Tori; and Principal of the Nexus Group, Juan Goicoechea. Harvard Faculty Member Jorge Ramirez-Vallejo was also a part of the meeting (Office of the President photo)

The arguments about abortion in the US are about one thing: controlling women

By Rebecca Solnit

L

ot of people with a lot of power don’t see why women should have jurisdiction over their own bodies. That’s the anti-abortion argument in a nutshell, in that they claim a foetus, or even an embryo, or in some cases even a fertilised egg too small for the human eye to see, has rights that supersede those of the person inside whose body that egg, embryo or foetus might be.

What was clear from the rightwing pundits and conservative supreme court justices who have piped up over the last month as arguments were being heard in the most significant abortion rights case since Roe v Wade, is that in a country whose constitution is supposed to grant us all a lot of rights, they are happy to strip away a right so fundamental it’s unimaginable in other circumstances – or that it would be stripped from other people, namely men. In the case, Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state of Mississippi is asking the court to rule on whether it can outlaw abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation. They are asking, in other words, for the right to punish women for being women.

On Friday morning, the supreme court issued a mixed ruling on another state law restricting abortion access: Texas’s law, designed to evade federal oversight. Eight of the justices upheld a lower court finding that abortion providers should have the right to sue; Justice Thomas did not join them. The four more liberal judges voted for broader rights to sue; the four other conservatives ruled that they can only sue the licensing officials. Judge Sotomayor, in a passionate dissent, wrote: “This is a brazen challenge to our federal structure. It echoes the philosophy of John C Calhoun, a virulent defender of the slaveholding South who insisted that States had the right to “veto” or “nullif[y]” any federal law with which they disagreed.” She added: “The Nation fought a Civil War over that proposition.” Before the civil war, the US was split between free and slave states; the contemporary nation is increasingly divided between reproductive-rights-access states and anti-abortion states.

The goal of the anti-abortionists seems to be to enhance men’s privileges by undermining women’s rights, by making us separate and unequal. (People who do not identify as female also get pregnant and bear children, but the animosity is directed at women and girls, so I’m going to talk about women and girls here.) Since acknowledging this would undermine the anti-abortion case, the emphasis is instead shifted to someone else whose rights are claimed to trump those of pregnant people, the unborn. The unborn are a convenient constituency to advocate for, since they have no voice or vote and anyone can claim to speak for them.

Those who claim to protect the unborn are largely conservatives who routinely reject universal access to healthcare, let alone meeting the basic material needs of babies and children with food, clothing, shelter and daycare.

They also usually oppose reproductive education, including by defunding and demonising Planned Parenthood (which is where, as a teen, I got the reproductive care that protected me from an unwanted pregnancy).

This is how we know that foetuses are not the real subject here. Miscarriages are not generally regarded by anti-abortionists as a loss of human life, unless it’s to criminalise women, some of whom have been sent to prison for miscarrying after allegedly endangering foetuses through their actions. Substance use in pregnancy is considered child abuse in 23 US states, but no one will go to prison for endangering both mother and child through denial of basic needs. Accounts suggest that most of the women being punished under these laws are women of colour. It is widely known that abortion restrictions primarily punish poor and minority-ethnic people too.

Wanted pregnancies are often the occasion for impregnators to preen themselves and be congratulated, but unwanted pregnancies are treated as something wicked that women do all on their own. No man is punished under the law for unwanted pregnancy, though a significant percentage of such pregnancies are the result of sexual coercion and refusing to cooperate with birth control.

Then there is the risk of homicide – one study showed that 8.4% of reported maternal mortality deaths were murders – with African American women seven times more likely to die this way than white women. The largest proportion of these cases occur at the hands of a partner.

There is no other experience that could be so brutal physically and psychologically, could disable for months or result in permanent disability and injury, or even death, that anyone says an individual must undergo when there is a clear and comparatively safe alternative.

(Maybe the military draft in times of war is the closest equivalent when it comes to risk and loss of self-determination, and I’m against that too.)

Wanted pregnancies and births can be wonderful as well as intense, and I know plenty of people who experienced it that way.

But pregnancy and birth can also be, as one of my friends who is the mother of two teens put it, harrowing. I remember a friend’s first pregnancy when she couldn’t stop throwing up, know of people who were bedridden for months, have heard of pelvic bones that broke, hips that came out of their sockets, chronic pain, cases of eclampsia that were life-threatening or fatal, miscarriages that led to haemorrhages. “Women in our nation are dying -- before, during and after childbirth,” said Kamala Harris this week announcing significant investment in maternal health. “In the United States of America, in the 21st century, being pregnant and giving birth should not carry such great risk.” We all know the sheer awkwardness of people in their third trimester who are heavily laden, often exhausted, in a body so transformed in size and function that it no longer feels like their own.

To make someone undergo that involuntarily is punitive.

To argue that pregnancy doesn’t really disrupt a life is ridiculous, but the supreme court’s Amy Coney Barrett did so when, during the hearing, she asked why the fact that babies could be given up at birth didn’t relieve women of the burden, arguing that if “forced parenting, forced motherhood, would hinder women’s access to the workplace and to equal opportunities … why don’t the safe haven laws take care of that problem?”

Imagine telling a woman working as a janitor or a dancer or a farmer or trying to make law partner or compete in her sport that she’s unimpaired by her visibly changing body – and the physical and psychological impacts of it – because she can give away the baby at birth without being criminalised for it? It was also stunning that Barrett recognised that the subject was “forced motherhood”.

Given that the majority of abortions are for women who already have children, imagine the impact on the other children of watching their mother go through an unwanted pregnancy and birth. A lot of women choose abortion out of love for their existing children and the desire to parent them as well as possible. The literature of early birth control advocates is full of the desperation of women who could not cope with the physical impact of another pregnancy and birth and the economic burden and workload of another child to care for. Medical providers I know who worked in a remote part of the Himalayas told me of women who came to them for birth control, swearing they would rather die than have another child. With illegal abortions, an alarming percentage of women do die.

The mother of another friend of mine died giving birth to that friend’s younger sister, and I know of the brutality of caesarean sections, of 36-hour labours, of the rips and tears of vaginal birth that can cause incontinence, fistulas, and other permanent injuries. The hormonal changes are changes in consciousness, and for people whose wellbeing is already fragile, the experience can be devastating, and when it’s an unwanted pregnancy it can be more than that. The experience of bringing a new human life into the world is profound, and to make it involuntary is monstrous.

Denying abortion without exceptions is saying that it’s fine for a child impregnated by her father to have to carry the child to term.

We don’t force anyone to donate a kidney to someone dying of kidney failure; forcing someone to donate their body as an incubator is also an outrage. The late-term abortions that get so much attention are both rare and usually because the foetus is dead, not viable, or the mother’s life is at risk. Ireland’s voters legalised abortion after a dentist in Galway undergoing a miscarriage was unable to have the abortion that would have saved her from death.

The lawyer arguing the case before the supreme court for women’s reproductive rights answered Barrett’s blithe nonsense thus: “Pregnancy itself is unique. It imposes unique physical demands and risks on women and, in fact, has impact on all of their lives, on their ability to care for other children, other family members, on their ability to work. And, in particular, in Mississippi, those risks are alarmingly high. It’s 75 times more dangerous to give birth in Mississippi … than it is to have a pre-viability abortion, and those risks are disproportionately threatening the lives of women of colour.”

Or as the supreme court justice Sonia Sotomayor put it, “So when does the life of a woman and putting her at risk enter the calculus?” She knew, we know, that for those who are committed to the punitive violence of forced birth the answer is: never. (The Guardian) Rebecca Solnit is a Guardian US columnist

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

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News

Guyana will strengthen “pillars of democracy” – Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali

H

aving recognised the threats to democratic rule, which created a prolonged five-month electoral impasse during the 2020 elections, Guyana has recommitted to ensuring that democracy is upheld in future polls, where the will of the people is clearly reflected.

President Dr Irfaan Ali articulated this position on Friday during his address at the Summit for Democracy, hosted by United States President Joseph Biden.

He expressed that democracy cannot be maintained nationally, unless it is sustained internationally.

“The global chain of freedom is only as strong as its weakest link. Democratic enhancement and renewal, therefore, require global effort; one that takes full ac-

count of the multidimensional aspects of democracy, including the provision of conditions for economic progress,” Dr Ali has said.

Recollecting the 2020 General and Regional Elections’ fiasco created by the APNU/AFC, and events which followed, the Head of State credited the international community and Guyanese for remaining steadfast in ensuring democracy was upheld. However, Government is also working to safeguard the country at future elections.

“Democracy was delayed, and almost denied.

It was only the vigilance of the Guyanese people, supported by a watchful international community, that prevented Guyana from being plunged into a dictatorship, with all its disas-

trous consequences. This is why the Government of Guyana is fully committed to strengthening the foundations and pillars of democracy, to ensure that, at all times in the future, the will of the electorate is upheld in free, fair, and transparent elections; and that the independence of the judiciary is maintained.”

It was highlighted that adherence to democracy and the rule of law must be aligned with economic and social progress in conditions of non-discrimination, equity, and equal opportunities.

That is the course on which Guyana is now firmly embarked domestically.

“We have recently become an oil-and-gas-producing nation, and after decades of being the second poorest nation in the Americas, we are on the cusp of an economic transformation. We are devoted to the ambition of empowering prosperity for every citizen of our country, and to achieving this within a framework of democracy,” the President told the summit.

He added, “After our experience of the repression of freedoms, attempted last year, we are determined to build economic progress and social improvement on the foundation of respect for human and political rights and freedom of expression.

And, as we strengthen this foundation of democracy in Guyana, we will similarly champion them abroad. We

ExxonMobil is platinum sponsor of Energy Conference & Expo 2022

President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge

T

he International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana 2022 on Friday announced that oil giant ExxonMobil is a platinum sponsor of the inaugural event, billed for February 2022.

The event is being held in collaboration with the Government of Guyana.

The event in Guyana is unique in the region, in that it brings together in the same forum the highest level of national and regional policymakers with industry leaders and specialists. This model not only allows nation-

al leaders to leverage investment and business opportunities, but also ensures that those initiatives are contextualised in a clearly developed policy and regulatory framework.

In this regard, Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, will deliver the keynote address at the opening of the conference. Also confirmed for the event are Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.

“We are excited to welcome ExxonMobil Guyana onboard. ExxonMobil is not only a world-leading energy producer, but is the leading developer of Guyana’s oil and gas resources, so it was important therefore that their leadership also extended to this conference and expo,” Chief Executive Officer of the International Energy Conference and Expo, Angenie Abel, has noted.

“In addition to the discussions around energy development, we also hope to stimulate discussions around

issues of local content and capacity-building, and the development of a safety culture. ExxonMobil has been a leader in these areas, and is a necessary voice at the table,” Abel noted.

Meanwhile, President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, has said, “Events of this nature create a space for meaningful discussions about the impact this new industry can have on Guyana’s development and the region”.

The conference and expo are slated for February 15 to 18, 2022 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown. They would be held under the theme ‘Charting a Sustainable Energy Future’.

The registration portal for the conference and expo can be found on the conference website: www.guyanaenergy.gy. Pre-registration is now open for sponsors, exhibitors, in-person attendees, virtual attendees, workshop participants, and members of the media; all is being done online.

give that undertaking.”

Calls were also made for nations to acknowledge that autocracy and dictatorships can become pandemics, crossing borders and infecting political processes across the globe, particularly infecting poor and vulnerable countries whose people have little to lose.

“That is why democracy must not be divorced from development. In the global community, each is dependent on the other. This summit must recognise that truth, and act on it,” the President has said.

On March 2, 2020 - with the original counting of the ballots cast having proceeded smoothly and having been completed in nine regions, with the PPP/C in a commanding lead - the

tabulation of Statements of Poll (SoPs) was interrupted in District Four (DemeraraMahaica) after Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo switched from the legal procedure, which ensures transparency, whereby each SoP had to be exhibited to the stakeholders present to enable comparison with their copies. Mingo diverted to a procedure in which the purported numbers from the SoPs were incorporated into a consolidated spreadsheet.

This led to immediate calls for transparency from both local and international observers. This led to the High Court case, when all the parties except APNU/ AFC protested the sleight of hand that facilitated an inflation of the votes for that party.

Following the High Court’s decision, Mingo was ordered to revert to the prescribed procedure, but he repeated his subterfuge in another guise, and submitted totals that varied substantially from those of other parties; and had the APNU/ AFC ahead, rather than the PPP/C. The Chairwoman of GECOM, Justice (retd) Claudette Singh, agreed to a recount of the votes, which had been proposed by caretaker President David Granger and agreed to by then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo after an intervention by several Caricom leaders. The PPP/C were later announced victorious, bringing a new administration into power.

(G12)

Edghill, Colombian Transport Minister discuss areas for cooperation

Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill and Colombian Minister of Transport, Angela Orozco-Gomez, in Colombia

P

ublic Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill and Colombian Minister of Transport, Angela Orozco-Gomez, met on Thursday in Bogota and held discussions on several matters of mutual interest.

The two officials have committed to exploring further areas for cooperation in order to strengthen the bilateral relations that exist between the two countries.

Minister Edghill’s visit to Colombia is in relation to the ongoing 13th International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) Air Services Negotiations (ICAN2021) event.

On Wednesday, Guyana and Colombia signed an Air Services Agreement (ASA), and Minister Orozco-Gomez has pledged the participation of other Colombian Ministers to work with their Guyanese counterparts to improve trade, investment, tourism, culture, and agriculture between the two nations.

At the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Heads of State of both countries had commit-

ted to strengthening bilateral relations and technical cooperation. In addition, the ASA signed earlier this week has established the legal framework to promote and facilitate airlines operating air services between the two countries, as well as beyond any third country. Dialogue has already begun with an air operator in Colombia to operate services to Guyana.

“Guyana had successful and fruitful engagements with several countries, including Colombia, Belize, South Korea, Switzerland, Nigeria, among others, to develop its air connectivity and aviation sector,” Minister Edghill has said.

He added, “Our team in Guyana will be aggressively looking to build and implement some of the discussions we have had.”

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Want to make a video game? Here's how!

Test

T

o do this project, you'll need to download and install Scratch, a free programming language from MIT Media Labs.

Change to mixed numbers:

50 14

21 10

43 7

235 20

Change to improper fractions: 7 21

8 9

5) 4

6) 7

16 24

7) 10

1 2

8) 20

Add or subtract and reduce result to simplest form: 9) 7

+

1

1 7

10)

81 19

-

11)

9

18

1 5

+ 2 6

12)

1 3

2 6

-

Multiply: 13)

1 6

x6

14)

1 4

x 25

15) 100 x

5 20

÷9

18)

3 4

÷ 75

19) 40 ÷

16) 36 x

7 35

20) 72 ÷

8 1

Divide: 17)

2 3

10 20

Create a ratio and reduce to simplest form: 21) 9 persons were invited to Mary’s birthday party. How much of the cake will each person receive if the cake is divided equally among the guests and birthday girl?

22) In the church’s parking lot, there are 6 black cars and 10 silver-grey cars. Express this as a ratio.

Determine if the following proportions are equal (write yes or no): 23)

7 1 =

42 7

T

24)

8 9

160 180

=

25)

1 2

=

9 18

26)

1 2 = 3 6

Writing Prompt: There’s no place like home here’s no place like home. Write a short letter to a pen-pal telling her all about her home.

Materials and equipment Computer with internet access. See the procedure for instructions on installing Scratch.

Lab notebook Graph paper Instructions The instructions below divide the process of programming this video game into several manageable pieces. For each piece, you'll be given programming objectives and told which blocks are necessary to create the program. It'll be your task in this science fair project to figure out how the blocks should be hooked together to achieve the programming goals. Once the game is running, you'll make final changes to the game to improve the gameplay experience.

Installing and Getting Started with Scratch To start this science fair project, you should go to the Scratch download page at http://scratch.mit.edu/scratch_1.4/ and follow the instructions there to download and install Scratch for free.

Programming the Cat When you open Scratch, the default screen is a project file that already contains one sprite (all characters and objects in Scratch are referred to as sprites). The sprite for this game is a cat, which will be the character that the player controls during the game.

The cat sprite takes up a large amount of screen space. To make sure there is enough space on the screen to have the dog and the cat running around, you'll need to shrink the size of the cat sprite.

Click on the "Shrink sprite" button in the toolbar (it is near the top right, with

four arrows pointing inward). The button will turn a faint blue colour when it is "active." Note: If you are ever confused about where something is on the interface (the screen), look at the Scratch references in the bibliography.

Once the "Shrink sprite" button is active, move your cursor over the cat and click several times—you will see the cat shrinking.

Shrink the cat until it is approximately 1 inch tall when you see it in presentation mode.

Press the "enter presentation mode" button to enter presentation mode.

Now you're ready to add blocks to control how the player moves the cat around the game screen. The order of the scripts does not matter, as they will all happen simultaneously. Use the blocks shown in Table 1, below, to create the following movements. Experiment with the blocks until your cat can do the following movements: Once the game is started (ie the green flag is clicked), the cat is always in motion.

When the up arrow key is pressed, the cat will change direction so that it moves up.

When the down arrow key is pressed, the cat will change direction so that it moves down.

When the right arrow key is pressed, the cat will change direction so that it moves to the right.

When the left arrow key is pressed, the cat will change direction so that it moves to the left.

Note: in Scratch 2.0, some of the "Control" blocks have been moved to a new "Events" category. All of the tables in this project list the block types for Scratch 1.4.

(Ian Slutz, Planet Moon Studios; Amber Hess; Sandra Slutz PhD, Science Buddies) TO BE CONTINUED

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana, UN ink regional pact to advance SDGs, 2030 Development Agenda

Government and other officials at Friday’s signing

T

he Guyana Government on Friday signed a five-year regional framework agreement with the United Nations (UN) with the aim of accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) 2022-2026 for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, focuses on four priority areas: Economic resilience and shared prosperity; Equality and well-being; Resilience to climate change and shocks, and sustainable natural resource management, and peace, safety, justice, and the rule of law.

According to the UN, the MSDCF 2022-2026 framework was developed to ensure that no one is left behind as the world continues to

grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. The international body recognised that in the Caribbean, as elsewhere, the impact of the pandemic aggravated and revealed existing structural vulnerabilities.

To address such vulnerabilities and with the aim of building back better, the UN and the governments in the region are committing via this framework to contribute to significant structural changes in the economies and governance systems of the countries.

The pact was signed

by Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Ye?im Oruç, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Friday.

Speaking at the simple signing ceremony, Dr Singh posited that this me-

dium-term framework reflects a collective regional effort towards the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

However, the Finance Minister pointed out that the priorities within the framework closely coincide with Guyana’s own national priorities “One will find an extremely close and strongly alignment between the priorities that we have outlined as a Government and the priorities that are reflected in this framework; and that, of course, is not by accident,” he stated.

According to the Finance Minister, despite a positive momentum that Guyana is building, the country is not under any illusion about the challenges it faces – the foremost being climate change.

To this end, he underscored

the importance of global action and commitment towards tackling this scourge.

“Irrespective of what we do in Guyana, because as you know we have outlined a new and expanded Low Carbon Development Strategy… but Guyanese domestic actions alone will not suffice to contain the scourge of continued rising sea levels, and the fight against climate change is a good illustration of the importance of multilateralism… and the importance of global action,” he asserted.

To this end, Dr Singh said the Dr Irfaan Ali-led Government is strongly committed to advancing the global economic and social devel-

Finance Minister pointed out that Guyana is committed to regionalism, as he underscored the importance of the MSDCF 2022-2026 framework being a regional pact.

“We remain strongly committed to regionalism as we are to multilateralism,” Dr Singh posited as he highlighted Guyana’s role in advancing agriculture and food security within the Caribbean region.

The Minister further stated that his Government looks forward to working with the UN agencies and other partners towards translating the framework into specific action plans.

“There is still a lot of very

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Yeşim Oruç signing the MSDCF 2022-2026 Regional Framework Agreement

opment agenda as well as to continuing to work on achieving all the SDGs including those that the country has fallen behind on such as achieving universal primary and secondary education.

Similarly, however, the

important work to be done if we are to achieve the goals we have set nationally and as a member of the global community,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator said that Guyana is a lead-

ing partner in this regional framework and that Friday’s signing, which coincided with World Human Rights Day, sends a vital signal about Guyana’s irrevocable tie to the international system of laws and value.

She spoke of Guyana’s “great momentum” in its development agenda but acknowledged that there is much more to be done for the country to achieve the many global targets it has signed on to as well as its own targets.

“This framework agreement… will guide us in our efforts to align to your national development priorities on the way to recover from COVID and to get back on track with the SDGs… Multilateralism matters. Today’s global problems require global solutions.

With the capacities we have here in the country and also through our great organisation, we hope to be able to work with you in your national development objectives and leverage the capacities and the globality that multilateralism of our organisation [brings],” Oruç stated.

Additionally, both Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd were at the signing and underscored the importance of multilateralism and global partnerships in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. (G8)

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fight over missing cellphone lands fish vendor in court

F

ish vendor Vishal Ally, who allegedly stabbed a man whom he had accused of stealing his mobile phone, has been placed on $20,000 bail after appearing before Georgetown Magistrate Faith McGusty on a wounding charge on Friday.

The 25-year-old father of three, of Rahaman’s Park, Greater Georgetown, has pleaded not guilty to a charge which alleges that on October 29, 2021, at Rahaman’s Park, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Trevor Williams. Ally will make his next court appearance in January 2022.

Facts presented in court revealed that, on the day in question, Ally was using his cellphone prior to him leaving the device down-

On bail: Vishal Ally

stairs and going to the upper flat for a while. When he returned downstairs, he noticed that his phone was missing. As such, Ally went over to Williams, who along with some other men were under a house, and asked Williams about his missing phone.

Williams became annoyed after Ally spoke to him in a loud tone while accusing him of stealing the phone. The two men had a heated verbal altercation which led to a fight, during which Ally is accused of stabbing Williams in the back. The matter was reported to the Police.

The Police prosecutor said that, under caution, Ally denied stabbing Williams, who was hospitalised for four days. Williams was not present at Friday’s court hearing.

Postponing...

W

…the LGE ell, you had to’ve been a special kind of optimist - delusional? - if you believed that there would be Local Government Elections (LGE) this year.

The law says they’ve got to be held every three years – triennially? But this has been observed more in the breach than not for decades. The PPP has been consistently pilloried by the PNC during their 23 years for that state of affairs. But the latter conveniently ignore their role in the lapse. After all, both parties were locked in interminable rounds of negotiation to agree on the ground rules. When you’re reminded that Vincent “circumlocutious” Alexander was the PNC’s negotiator, you may appreciate the PPP’s challenge!!

The PPP had come off the blocks after 1992 all hot and sweaty to hold the LGE rather expeditiously in 1994.

This resulted in Hamilton Green becoming Mayor of Georgetown for the next TWENTY-TWO YEARS!! Surely, if the PPP needed a prod to action for a new LGE, that would’ve been it!! Green, of course, revelled in morphing from “Mayor of Georgetown” to “Mayor of Rubbish”!!

The rest of Guyana’s NDCs and Municipalities became used to “Interim Management Committees” that have subsequently left a lacuna in the legitimacy of Government at the local level.

The PNC matched the PPP’s alacrity for holding an early LGE when they conducted one in 2016 under the new law that demarcated 71 Local Authority Areas - including 6 Municipalities. They boasted that it was the first time LGEs were held within the statutory 3 years when they repeated the exercise in 2018. Now, you really can’t blame the PPP for this present delay - not that the PNC won’t start their usual flagellation exercise!! Back in March, the PPP allocated $1.1billion for preparations for the LGE this year, and waited for GECOM - the body charged with holding elections - to get their act together.

This they’ve been unable to do, because of the simple fact that the entire top tier of the GECOM Secretariat had to be fired for reasons that need no elaboration!! We should be getting a decision on their replacements imminently.

And hopefully, we’ll be hearing when they’ll schedule the LGE. So, what happens in the meantime? Well, for one, once we get through the new GECOM Secretariat's appointments - and more to the point, our Christmas revelry! - GECOM should get right into the education programme included in their billion-dollar budget.

This shouldn’t just be directed to voters, but to candidates - independent and party-sponsored. For too long, Local Government Councillors haven’t appreciated their intended duty to bring democracy to the grassroots.

Their roles, responsibilities and powers must be clearly explained to them.

We may finally experience bottom-up democracy!! …Congress Some may say that the postponement of the PNC’s Congress by a week was really “no big deal”. A “storm in a teacup”, or “the mountain laboured only to produce a mouse”!! But that would be missing the point - if not the boat. The point being that the three contestants for the top spot felt it necessary that the arrangements for the elections be investigated and fixed to their satisfaction. And this is seismic, because it’s a concession that democracy within the party - just like democracy outside of the party on March 2 - can be corrupted by the gatekeepers.

Now, we, the people, know this has been a feature of our democracy ever since Burnham tried to stage a putsch against Jagan at Metropole Cinema in 1954. Or when Jagan rigged PPP elections to favour Brindley Benn. But we glossed over these.

So, Alexander’s imposed one-week delay would hopefully bring internal party democracy to the fore in Guyana.

Even at the cost of possibly being the Grinch that stole Christmas!! …Christmas?

But really, your Eyewitness knows that we Guyanese will never forget Christmas. We’ve been colonialised so deeply that even Hindus and Muslims will be preparing that black cake and ginger beer!!

Not to mention those “fairy lights”!!

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

9

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

M&CC must properly manage drainage structures – Agri Minister …as sections of Georgetown flooded due to heavy downpours

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha is seen inspecting the pump located at Commerce Street

A

One of the flooded streets in Georgetown

griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, along with officials from the National Drainage

and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), on Friday visited the sluices located at Cowan Street, Commerce Street,

and at River View to assess their operations as several parts of the City experienced flooding due to heavy rain-

fall.

Although reports have suggested that all of the structures were operable, many parts of the City had experienced instances of flooding for most of Friday.

Residents who reside close to the River View sluice reported that their homes were flooded. They claimed that the operator who is responsible for operating the sluice did not respond to the situation promptly, which resulted in the flooding.

One resident who met with the Minister said he had been bailing water from his property for most of Friday morning.

While speaking with media operatives, Minister Mustapha said that although all of the sluices and

age pump is currently being installed at the Commerce Street pump station, to facilitate more effective drainage in that area. He also called on the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to better monitor the structures, so that flooding can be minimised.

“I hope that the City Constabulary can better monitor the City’s sluices and pumps. They need to ensure the operators assigned to these structures are consistent and open these sluices on time. A few months

This operator is opening the sluice door after it was noticed that the structure was not functioning at its full capacity

pumps appeared to be operable, residents reported that there was a delay in the opening of some of the sluices, which contributed to the flooding.

“From around midnight last night to early this morning, we’ve had about four inches of rain, which resulted in a number of areas being flooded. That’s why I decided to visit some of these sluices, to see what can be done to drain the City as soon as possible. We have three engineers who normally check to ensure these structures are fully functional, but (they) are often faced with difficulties, because some of the gates are usually locked and our officers are not granted access to monitor these structures,” he explained.

“While at River View, residents complained that the structures were not operable last night, which contributed to the entire area being flooded,” Mustapha noted.

Minister Mustapha also disclosed that a larger drain-

ago, the President himself, during an assessment of several structures in the City, discovered that pumps were off while operators assigned to operate those structures were sleeping. This remains a cause for concern, because, when flooding occurs, residents are inconvenienced,” the Minister explained.

“Now that the Christmas season is here, a lot of people are conducting business in this part of Georgetown, so I am hoping that effective drainage is maintained. The NDIA has also given a lot of help to the City Council to get these areas drained, so it is now up to the Council to effectively manage these structures so that we can have proper drainage whenever there are instances of heavy rainfall,” the Minister noted.

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council have primary responsibility for monitoring and maintaining the drainage structures in the City.

NEWS

13

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 more unvaccinated men die from COVID – death toll now 1016; 53 new cases recorded

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD DECEMBER 10, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

51

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

46

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

743 14

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

4

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

20,328

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

18,125

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

38,453

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

36,634

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

REGION 1

1687

REGION 2

1572

REGION 3

5158

REGION 4

17,958

REGION 5

1446

REGION 6

3492

REGION 7

1793

REGION 8

621

REGION 9

2476

REGION 10

2250

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

405,043 284,870

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020

1016

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

T

he Health Ministry has reported that two more unvaccinated men who had tested positive for the deadly virus have succumbed, thus taking the death toll since onset of the pandemic to 1016.

A 45-year-old died on December 9, and an 84-year-

old died on December 10. They were both from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

New statistics provided by the Health Ministry have shown that 53 new infections have been detected in the past 24 hours. The total confirmed cases now stand

at 38,453, of which 18,125 are males and 20,328 are females.

The data further showed that 31 persons are in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU); 743 are in home isolation; 46 are in institutional isolation, and four are in institutional quarantine.

The statistics have further shown that 36,634 patients have recovered from the life-threatening virus.

Of the new infections, 20 were recorded in Region One (Barima-Waini); one in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); seven in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 15 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); three in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); 17 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); two in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); one in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), and three in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There has been no new case in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has said that 435,085 first doses of an anti-COVID vaccine have been administered across the country. This accounts for 56.3 per cent of the population.

“We are doing quite well in terms of our general population. We have to remember that persons who neonate to 11 years of age cannot access a vaccine because we don’t have vaccines being available for neonates to five years of age; and for the five-to-11 years of age, we’re working to get those vaccines,” he stressed.

Overall, second dose coverage is pegged at 39.6 per cent.

The World Health Organization has set a target that, by the end of December, at least 40 per cent of the country’s population must be vaccinated.

“If we work hard enough, we would be able to complete that 40 per cent coverage by the end of December. I think we’re in a good position relative to some countries in the world,” Dr Anthony has said.

Guyana has initiated a multifaceted approach to sourcing vaccines, wheth-

er through State purchases, the COVAX mechanism, donors or bilateral arrangements.

“We have been able to have, so far, an adequate amount of vaccines made available to us… We’re working directly with COVAX, so we are expecting additional vaccines through the COVAX mechanism.

We have, from time to time, been getting offers through some bilateral arrangements for vaccines. I expect those to continue in the near future, and we are going to continue to work with the Government of the United States to get some more vaccines,” the Minister has divulged.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs additional information, they are invited to contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 231-1166, 226-7480, or 624-6674 immediately, or visit www.health.gov.gy.

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Truck bursts into flames Man who breached bail remanded on multiple charges on Corentyne highway

J

A

motor lorry which was traversing along the Corentyne highway on Friday morning went up in flames.

Reports are that the incident occurred at about 07:45h at Number 62 Village Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice.

The 53-year-old driver managed to escape from the fire unharmed.

Reports revealed that the man was driving his motor lorry, GYY 6066, proceeding north, on the western driving lane at No 62 Village Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice, when his right-side rear tyre blew out, which caused the said vehicle to swerve to the left side parapet and come to a halt.

The lorry subsequently burst into flames from the engine compartment, after which the driver exited the vehicle.

A fire tender attached to the Skeldon Fire Station was summoned to the scene, and the fire officers went into action and extinguished the fire.

The entire engine compartment and front of the lorry was destroyed.

In an interview with the driver, he related that after the truck burst into flames he quickly exit-

The truck on fire along the Corentyne highway in Region Six

ed the truck. He said the fire service arrived some 45 minutes lat-

er and extinguished the blaze.

Investigations are ongoing. (G9)

oel Khan of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne Berbice, who breached the bail imposed on him by Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh in the Albion Magistrate’s Court on October 15 last, was on Friday remanded to prison on multiple charges after appearing before the said Albion Magistrate after a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

The 29-year-old had initially appeared before Magistrate Singh to answer the following charges: five counts of threatening behaviour, four counts of abusive language, one count of unlawful wounding, and one count each of simple larceny and provoking a breach of the peace.

He is accused of committing these offences against Towona Low on October 10.

At his arraignment in October, Khan had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was released on cash bail pending the determination of his matters. However, after

Remanded: Joel Khan

he failed to appear in court on several occasions, Magistrate Singh issued a warrant for his arrest.

As a result, Khan was arrested by the Police on Thursday, and appeared before the said Magistrate on Friday. His bail was revoked, and he was remanded to prison.

His cases have been adjourned until February 8, 2022. (G1)

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt invests $85M in President’s Youth Advisory Council – Prime Minister – reiterates Govt’s commitment to overall development of Guyanese

P

rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Friday reiterated the Government’s commitment to the overall development of Guyanese under its “One Guyana” policy approach.

“We understand very well that it is the people who elected us into the of-

fices that we hold and the power, therefore, belongs to them. Hence, our services are to and for them…we take care in the way we operate to ensure that no one person ever feels disadvantaged or excluded for any reason.”

These were the sentiments of Phillips during the

virtual 18th ParlAmericas Plenary Assembly, titled “Rebuilding the Social Contract”. At the forum, he outlined some of the steps the Government has been taking to ensure fairness and equitable development in the administration of the affairs of the State.

He said that constitu-

Captain drowns after taking boat on “test” drive

T

wo days after 23-yearold Michael Saffee of Grove, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD), went missing, his lifeless body was discovered on Thursday.

At the time of the discovery, a wound was seen on his mouth and blood was oozing from his mouth and nostrils.

Police stated that on Tuesday, Saffee and the owner of the metal boat which was powered by a 48-horsepower Yamaha outboard engine went for a test drive in the Mahaicony River.

However, about one mile away from the Mahaicony stelling, the boat reportedly spun around and eventual-

ly capsized. As a result, both occupants fell overboard.

The owner reportedly managed to swim to safety but Saffee was nowhere in sight.

Soon after, the owner was rescued by another boat that was passing. He was taken to the stelling at Central Mahaicony where he proceeded to the Mahaicony Police Station and made a report of the incident.

Police stated that the scene was visited by ranks who noticed the boat and engine which were submerged and tied to a tree trunk with a chain.

The boat along with the engine was then towed to the Mahaicony Police Station where it was lodged.

Berbice man busted with 115 grams ganja

The cannabis that was found on the suspect

A

man has been taken into Police custody after he was busted with 115 grams of cannabis in his possession on the Glasgow public road, East Bank Berbice.

Based on reports received, at about 23:40h on Thursday, Police on mobile patrol along the Glasgow public road spotted a male pedestrian who, upon seeing the patrol vehicle, reportedly started acting in a suspicious manner. He was stopped and searched, but

nothing illegal was found on his person. Nevertheless, a small transparent parcel containing the cannabis was found in a haversack he was carrying at the time.

The suspect was cautioned, arrested, and taken to the Central Police Station along with the suspected narcotics. There the contents of the parcel were weighed in his presence, and amounted to 115 grams.

He remains in custody pending charges.

Meanwhile, as a search continued for the missing man on Thursday, his body was found floating on the southern side of the Mahaicony River.

The body was taken to Bailey’s Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination. An investigation is underway.

Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips

tional reform is high on the Government’s agenda and that a draft has been made publicly available to give all stakeholders the opportunity to participate in the consultation process.

Additionally, he said that a total of $85 million

was budgeted between 2020 and 2021 for the functioning of the President’s Youth Advisory Council, which will allow young people to play a more active role in policy formation.

“The Youth Advisory Council’s secretariat has already been established within the Office of the President and will become fully functional very soon.”

The Prime Minister said too that the Government has been actively including women and vulnerable groups in its programmes as part of its developmental agenda.

“Our Government has designed and implemented programmes for vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, women, and children… earlier this year our Government launched the first-ever business incubator dedicated to women which will

give assistance and support to budding female entrepreneurs. Certified training programmes in diverse areas are also available to women countrywide to develop and enhance their skills.”

The Prime Minister also detailed his Government’s plans for bridging the digital divide through the “ICT Access for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities” project, the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, and the complete removal of taxes from data.

ParalAmericas comprises 35 national legislatures from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Among its goals is the facilitation of parliamentary best practices, promotion of cooperative political dialogue, mainstreaming of gender equality, and strengthening of democratic systems.

16 NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

500 Gender-Based Violence victims to get free legal services

T

he Human Services and Social Security Ministry has inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bar Association of Guyana, activating the Legal Pro Bono 500 initiative that will provide free legal aid to victims of gender-based violence.

The framework outlines their respective obligations and responsibilities to the Legal Pro Bono 500 Initiative and the Bar Association’s commitment to providing pro bono legal services to 500 gender-based violence victims. It was executed by President of the Bar Association of Guyana, Pauline Chase, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar.

This forms part of the Ministry’s mandate to end gender-based violence and specifically violence against women and girls. Guyana is on a mission to build programmes geared towards providing efficient and effective services to victims of gender-based violence.

The access of free legal services by victims can diminish the losses experienced by women, children, families, and

Services and Social Security recognises that the Bar Association of Guyana is equipped with the necessary resources and expertise to provide high quality essential legal services and is therefore, a reliable strategic partner to provide additional free legal services to gender-based violence victims.”

To ensure that this Initiative is effectively managed and is sustainable, the Ministry has engaged the United Nations Population Fund under the Spotlight

Bar Association President Pauline Chase and Permanent Secretary Shannielle Hoosein-Outar at the signing ceremony

communities in terms of productivity, educational achievement and help break the cycle of violence. Data from the 2019 Guyana Women’s Health and Life Experiences survey revealed most survivors are not accessing services at acceptable rates.

“Access to justice and legal services can be a challenge for vulnerable groups of people across Guyana, owing to high legal costs, limited legal aid reach in certain regions, backlog of cases and lengthy

trials, lack of human and technological resources, among others. Therefore, there exists a need for the expansion of legal pro bono services,” said the Ministry in an issued statement.

Taking this into consideration, the initiative was conceptualised by Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, to expand the provision and reach of free legal services to persons experiencing gender-based violence.

“The Ministry of Human

Initiative, the global initiative funded by the European Union to end violence against women and girls worldwide, to provide funding and technical support through the establishment of a legal pro bono referral department.

The Minister has also signalled her intention to engage other existing law societies to provide legal pro bono services and stated that, “Access to justice is even more important when someone has experienced domestic violence and this initiative will complement

the already existing and overburdened legal aid services.”

Persaud said she looks forward to a time when, “There will be a lesser need for this type of service but for now, the Ministry is ensuring that every survivor has access to justice as is their fundamental human right.”

In her speech, the President of the Bar Association of Guyana noted that, “Initiatives such as these do not imbalance the scales of lady justice but rather assist in lending balance”.

Teen arrested, 2 at large after robbing Chinese supermarket

T

he Wanwan Chinese Supermarket at Cove and John, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was in the wee hours of Friday burglarised.

Based on reports received, the 57-year-old female Chinese national who operates the supermarket secured the establishment at about 20:00h on Thursday evening and retired to bed.

However, at about 1:50h, she reportedly heard a noise emanating from inside the supermarket and without hesitation, she contacted the Cove and John Police Station.

However, when they arrived the three suspects who had made their way into the supermarket had already made good their escape.

Police stated that ranks who were on patrol in the area,

observed three males riding bicycles, and upon seeing the ranks the men attempted to ride away.

The ranks gave chase and managed to apprehend one of the suspects. A search was conducted on him and a knife was found on his person. The 18-year-old has since been identified as a resident of Nabaclis, ECD. He remains in custody as investigations continue.

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

double-parked PAHO monitoring spread of Vehicles during Christmas season Omicron in region – Director will be clamped – Police

T

he Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is currently monitoring the spread of the newly-discovered Omicron variant in the region, which has already been detected in several countries across the country.

In her weekly media briefing, PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne indicated that nations should be “extra-vigilant” in the short term since the arrival of a new variant does not mean “things will be worse”.

“PAHO is monitoring the spread of the Omicron variant in our region. Omicron has already been detected in several countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the United States, although it’s just a matter of time before the variant circulates in more countries…Research is ongoing to better understand Omicron’s behaviour and the potential risks for our region,” the Director highlighted.

In the meantime, she said authorities must remember that they are already dealing with the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible.

“It’s important that countries continue to leverage the full package of public health measures that have proven effective against this virus, including handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing. And that people get vaccinated when it’s their turn.”

She outlined that vaccines remain a critical tool to reduce hospitalisations and deaths and to limit the appearance of new variants.

PAHO Director, Dr Carissa Etienne

So far, 55 per cent of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID. “While this number is a testament to the efforts of countries in the region that have been working hard to secure and deliver the doses they need to protect their populations, there are still too many people who remain unvaccinated. Twenty countries in our region have yet to reach the WHO’s yearend 40 per cent vaccination coverage target.”

Over the last week, there were over 782,655 new COVID-19 infections and 10,950 COVID-related deaths reported in the Americas.

In North America, cases are increasing in Canada and parts of Mexico, such as Baja California. In the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago continues to experience jumps in COVID cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.

Other, smaller islands like the Cayman Islands are also witnessing increases in

COVID infections.

Except for Panama, Central America is experiencing a steep decline in COVID infections. In South America, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia continue to see a steady increase in COVID cases. While Ecuador, Chile and Argentina are reporting a drop in COVID infections.

And while it is expected that some of these remaining countries will get there in the next few weeks, Guatemala and several Caribbean islands – like Haiti, Jamaica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines – remain far behind.

Dr Etienne added, “At the current pace, as many as six countries may not meet the 40 per cent yearend target…PAHO is doing everything that it can to accelerate vaccinations in our region. This week, more than 1.6 million doses are being delivered to countries in our region, completing a total of 72 million doses so far, and we expect more doses to arrive in the coming

Pedal cyclist injured following collision with cop

A

pedal cyclist is now suffering from brain injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital following an accident along the Cummings Lodge, Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Wednesday.

The injured man has been identified as 55-yearold Suresh Persaud, a labourer of Industry Front, ECD. According to informa-

tion received, a motor car bearing registration number PAB 4328 driven by a Police Constable was proceeding along the Cummings Lodge, Railway Embankment when it is alleged that the pedal cyclist swerved right into the path of the motor car.

As a result, the left side front fender of the motor car collided with the rear of the pedal cycle. Persaud reportedly fell onto the parapet and received injuries about

his body.

He was picked up in a conscious state and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was seen and examined by a doctor on duty. He was subsequently admitted to the medical facility suffering from brain injuries.

His condition, however, is regarded as stable. The Police Constable remains in custody pending further investigation.

days. In the short term, we are racing to get people protected from this virus. But COVID will require a longterm strategy, especially as we learn more about the duration of protection, the impact of the vaccine on different age groups, and the behaviour of new variants.”

The PAHO Revolving Fund is a mechanism with a 40-year legacy that purchases all routine vaccines for 42 countries and territories in the Americas, including COVID vaccines. This year, the Revolving Fund has already purchased for our Region more than $1 billion dollars’ worth of all routine vaccines, including COVID-19, and we expect to buy even more as countries place their orders.

PAHO has been working with countries to organise immunisation campaigns to reach populations in rural, remote, and harder-to-reach areas, such as in border communities where a clinic or doctor may be many kilometres or even days away.

Countries are also working to reach those without easy access to transportation to health services in urban areas.

Vulnerable groups like our Indigenous peoples, the elderly and those with existing conditions that leave them at higher risk of severe COVID should be first in line for COVID vaccines.

“As we near the end of the year and countries are deploying more doses to reach the WHO’s yearend targets, we continue to make a call for equity and preparedness. We need a reliable supply of doses so that our COVID vaccination campaigns do not widen the inequities that have long divided our region. And countries must prioritise and accelerate vaccine rollout because we just cannot afford to leave anyone behind.”

I

n its bid to reduce congestion in the Georgetown area during the Christmas season, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has reintroduced the clamping of illegally-parked vehicles.

This clamping of motor vehicles is expected to commence soon, according to Deputy Superintendent Timothy Moore, who is attached to Regional Division 4A. This measure had previously been introduced in the city, but it was not enforced.

Over the years, other steps have been taken to reduce traffic congestion, including traffic changes, with some roads being designated for one-way traffic.

Moore has said that clamps would be placed on vehicles which have infringed traffic arrangements, and in cases where their owners cannot be located. The vehicles can also be towed to the nearest Police station, where a fine of $10,000 would have to be paid before a vehicle is released to its owner.

He added that clamping would be the last resort, and would be employed only if the driver of the vehicle cannot be found.

“We will check to see, once you are double-parked, we will check to see if we can find

the drivers for those vehicles that are not properly parked; and if we cannot locate those drivers, we will have to utilise the clamp,” the Police official has said.

He added that, in order to foster a smooth flow of traffic, more emphasis would be placed on busy areas.

“The plan is to ensure that we have a smooth flow… We are trying and we are working to ensure that we minimise congestion. Our ranks will be out there in their numbers. We have ranks on foot, on motorcycles, and we have ranks in cars…” he said.

“As the Christmas season is dawning upon us, it becomes a major challenge, since many persons are out shopping for supplies, causing traffic to further build up in an already congested city. In most countries, wheel-clamping is one of the less-involved ways that law enforcement officers can use to catch illegal parkers, especially if the vehicle is unattended,” he explained.

“For that reason, the GPF have incorporated wheel clamps to deter violators from parking illegally.

Drivers and motorists are further advised to avoid parking their vehicles illegally during this time, to avoid their vehicles being clamped,” he has advised.

18 NEWS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New MACORP facility to Man who fatally stabbed girlfriend be constructed in 2022 41 times appeals life sentence

MACORP CEO Guillermo Escarraga

MACORP CFO Anita Ramprasad

achinery Corporation of Guyana Ltd (MACORP) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Guillermo Escarraga on Thursday announced plans to build a state-of-the-art facility in the company’s efforts to provide continuous support to strengthen the partnership between Guyana and his company.

With the discovery of oil and gas in Guyana’s waters, many companies from all around the world have started to invest into Guyana as the production of oil and gas is expected to boost Guyana’s economy ten-fold. A recent addition to the list of growing investors is Guyana’s only authorised dealer of Caterpillar products, MACORP. On Thursday at the company’s Construction and Infrastructure Equipment Conference, CEO Escarraga unveiled the much-awaited live action 3D model of a state-of-the-art facility that is to be built in the near future.

According to Escarraga, the mega complex is to be constructed to house all of MACORP’s warehouses, workshops, machine shops, and “a new state-of-the-art training centre which will include classrooms, simulator rooms, […] computer labs” and so much more.

This new training centre will be constructed in hopes to better educate MACORP’s technicians, according to Escarraga.

The entire facility is ex-

pected to be constructed on some twenty acres of land at Covent Garden as MACORP begun clearing the land in 2019.

Escarraga, in his remarks at the event, spoke enthusiastically about providing assistance to help build a better future for Guyana through means of technology and knowledge.

“We will provide, to you [the people of Guyana], the most advanced technology in the world for construction.

Advanced machinery that is here because you deserve the better – you deserve the best of technology,” he said.

In his brief presentation, the MACORP boss, said that the advancement of their machinery is for the people of Guyana and that the new facility will benefit hundreds of young Guyanese who will acquire the skills needed to help better the future of Guyana.

Escarraga stated that this new project is a show of MACORP’s commitment in providing sustainable, integrated solutions for all of the productive sectors in Guyana.

According to reports, construction of the new mega complex facility is expected to cost US$25 million dollars, which is approximately $5.4 billion Guyana dollars.

Also at the event was Chief Financial Officer, Anita Ramprasad, who called for businesses to take the step up and change along with Guyana as it embarks on a bright and monumental fu-

M

13-year-old arrested for stealing neighbour’s cash, jewellery

A

13-year-old boy was caught and confessed to stealing his 62-year-old neighbour’s purse, which contained a quantity of cash and jewellery.

Reports are that the incident occurred at about 14:40h on Thursday at Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice.

According to Police, the housewife was relieved of $38,000 and a gold chain valued $40,000.

It was reported that the victim was at her residence when she was approached by the teen suspect, who is known to her.

The teen reportedly asked the victim for $1000 and she

handed him same from her purse, after which, she placed the purse on her kitchen table and continued with her chores.

Sometime later, the victim made checks and realised that the purse was missing.

The Police were summoned, contact was made with the teen and a search was subsequently conducted which led to the woman’s valuables being found in his position.

The teen was told of the allegation and cautioned in the presence of his adult relative where he admitted. He was sent away in the custody of the his relative as investigations continue.

ture.

She said, “…Now more than ever, businesses must abandon their old ways of tactical thinking and forget about putting out the fire before you today, solving the issue at hand only, and you must transcend the way you think to a more strategic line of thought”.

The MACORP CFO also urged businesses to develop more long-term plans to safeguard them in the future.

Ramprasad also called for businesses to develop more partnerships. She stated that MACORP is ready to work with businesses no matter the size of the job they need to get done.

“Whether you need to upgrade or expand your feet.

Whether you need to upscale or rescale your technical team, we are here for you,” she encouraged.

MACORP has been operating in Guyana for nearly twenty-eight years, providing equipment made with the latest technology to assist in Guyana’s production sector, such as mining, construction, agriculture and forestry, while remaining Guyana’s leading company of heavy machinery.

Ramprasad stated that the aforementioned project is expected to commence construction in 2022.

A

Grove, East Bank Demerara man who was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to a manslaughter charge over fatally stabbing his girlfriend has filed an appeal.

Shivanand Roopnarine, 27, is contending that the custodial sentence is severe in all the circumstances of the case.

Initially charged with the April 2015 murder of 18-year-old Alissa McPherson, Roopnarine opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence when he appeared before Demerara High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon in January 2020.

Reports are that McPherson left her home and went to a party in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, with a male friend. While at the party, McPherson was confronted by Roopnarine, who accused her of cheating on him.

However, when McPherson denied it, Roopnarine took her to the back of a yard, pulled out a black object from the waist of his pants, and stabbed her.

The young woman was discovered in the toilet area with stab wounds. She was rushed to the Georgetown

Jailed: Shivanand Roopnarine

Dead: Alissa McPherson

Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

A post-mortem examination later revealed that McPherson was stabbed 41 times about her body.

At a sentencing hearing, Roopnarine’s lawyer had told the court that his client was intoxicated when he committed the offence.

Roopnarine was on the run for the murder for one year.

He was reportedly heading to Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and while at a checkpoint at Mabura, Region 10 (Upper

Demerara-Berbice), he was asked to produce a form of identification.

It was at this point that Police recognised the young man and arrested him.

Following his guilty plea, Roopnarine had begged his now-dead girlfriend’s family for forgiveness. The confessed killer becomes eligible for parole after serving 20 years behind bars.

Justice Kissoon in sentencing the killer considered the victim’s age, the manner in which she was killed, and the fact that a weapon was used to commit the crime.

(G1)

NDC, residents at loggerheads over impounding of cattle

A

griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has distanced himself from the impounding of heads of cattle on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) earlier this week.

The Number 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council took a decision at a special meeting held on Monday to employ stray catchers.

However, in January the Agriculture Ministry had announced that it has stopped impounding at the 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) area after there had been complaints of illegal impounding. This was after residents had alleged and complained that their animals were being collected even when being attended to and taken to the pound and they were forced to pay huge sums to have them released.

The Home Affairs Ministry also revoked the permission given to stray catchers, making it illegal for them to catch animals and take them to the pounds which were also ordered closed.

Last Friday during a regional outreach at number 63 Village, the issue of rice and cattle once again surfaced.

Former Chairman of the 52/74 Water Users Association Ahmad Rajab, speaking on the issue of cat-

File photo: Cattle on the road in Berbice

tle entering rice fields and feasting on the rice plants pointed out that earlier in the year the Agriculture Minister had given orders for pounds to release animals that were being kept.

“So, what do we do? They want us to plant rice or they don’t us to plant rice,” he questioned.

“We are asking to get these stray catchers to come back. I am planting 300 acres of rice, when I am finished planting rice I must go and look for cows? This thing is very costly. I already spent over $8 million.

I re-migrated to come and plant rice here,” he added.

Within the 52/74 area, there are 14,000 acres under rice cultivation.

Speaking at the outreach, former Magistrate Krissondat Persaud, who is also a rice farmer, said the NDC has jurisdiction for the

reserves in the community and as such, the NDC has the authority to impound.

Regional Chairman David Armogan informed that the ban on impounding was taken by the Agriculture Ministry, but the former Magistrate argued that the Ministry does not have the authority to stop the impounding of animals.

The Regional Chairman who consulted the Minister informed the farmers that the Agriculture Minister had no issue with reopening the pounds and impounding animals that are destroying crops.

“So, the pounds can be reopened. The other thing is that we have to contact the Minister of Home Affairs to resuscitate the impounding of animals with people who are given a document to do so – that is the stray catchers. In the meantime, if you

have other means of taking them to the pound, those measures can be utilised in the meantime.”

As of this week scores of animals have since been impounded as the NDC took a decision to impound animals that have been found to be damaging rice. Animal owners have voiced their concerns, saying animals that are not straying and also being taken to the pound.

Anthony Ramnauth, a cattle farmer, said over 30 heads of cattle were impounded for him and he had to sell some of the cattle to get the money to pay $287,000 to get them released.

He told this publication that he was told by his workers that the animals were on the dams when they were collected by the stray catchers and taken to the pound.

(G4)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices on track for biggest weekly gain since August

O

il prices rose on Friday slightly and were on track for their biggest weekly gain since late August, with market sentiment buoyed by easing concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant's impact on global economic growth and fuel demand.

The Brent and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude benchmarks were both on course for gains of about 8 per cent this week, their first weekly gain in seven, even after a brief bout of profittaking.

Brent futures were up 42 cents, or 0.6 per cent, at US$74.85 a barrel by 2:06 pm. Eastern (1706 GMT) after falling 1.9 per cent on Thursday.

WTI rose 43 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to US$71.37 after sliding 2 per cent in a volatile session the previous day.

"Oil traders are coming out of their shell-shock and feeling more bullish as they recalibrate their demand expectations in the aftermath of the Omicron variation of the coronavirus," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst price futures group in Chicago.

US consumer prices rose further in November to produce the largest year-on-year rise since 1982, Government data showed, adding to bullish sentiment on oil demand.

Earlier in the week the oil market had recovered about half the losses suffered since the Omicron outbreak on Nov 25, with prices lifted by early studies suggesting that three doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine offers protection against the Omicron variant.

"The oil market has thus rightly priced out the “worst-case scenario” again, but it would be well advised to leave a certain residual risk to oil demand in place," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.

Keeping a lid on prices are faltering domestic air traffic in China, owing to tighter travel restrictions, and weaker consumer confidence after repeated small outbreaks.

Meanwhile, ratings agency Fitch downgraded property developers China Evergrande Group and Kaisa Group, saying they had defaulted on offshore bonds.

That reinforced fears of a potential slowdown in China's property sector, as well as the broader economy of the world's biggest oil importer. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil’s Health Ministry website hit by hacker attack, systems down

B

razil’s Health Ministry said its website was hit on Friday by a hacker attack that took several systems down, including one with information about the national immunisation programme and another used to issue digital vaccination certificates.

The Government put off for a week implementing new health requirements for travellers arriving in Brazil due to the attack.

“The Health Ministry reports that in the early hours of Friday it suffered an incident that temporarily compromised some of its systems ... which are currently unavailable,” it said in a statement.

Police said they are investigating the attack.

The alleged hackers posted a message on the website saying that internal data had been copied and deleted. “Contact us if you want the data back,” it said, including e-mail and

Telegram contact info.

The message had been removed by Friday afternoon, but the web page was still down, while user data in the ConectSUS app had disappeared.

The Ministry said it was working to restore its systems.

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga told reporters that no data will be lost, saying that the Ministry holds all the information that was taken down.

Under measures decide on Tuesday after President Jair Bolsonaro opposed the use of a vaccine passport, unvaccinated travellers arriving in Brazil will have to quarantine for five days and be tested for COVID-19.

The requirement was due to start on Saturday but the government said that will be postponed for a week as vaccination data was not accessible online following the attack.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

19

Around the World

Three vaccine doses key for tackling Omicron

T

wo doses of a COVID vaccine are not enough to stop you catching the Omicron variant, UK scientists have warned.

Early analysis of UK Omicron and Delta cases showed the vaccines were less effective at stopping the new variant.

But a third booster prevents around 75 per cent of people getting any COVID symptoms.

It comes as another 448 cases of Omicron were confirmed in the UK, taking the total number to 1265. The total number of COVID cases reported on Friday was 58,194. This is mostly still the Delta variant, but is the highest figure since January 9 this year.

Meanwhile, the Government said it is updating its guidance for care homes in England - limiting the number of visitors allowed per resident, and increasing testing "in order to balance the current COVID-19 risk".

One of the main concerns since the heavily-mutated Omicron variant first emerged was that it would make vaccines less effective.

The UK Health Security Agency said vaccines were still likely to offer good protection against severe COVID that needed hospital treatment.

Scientists analysed data from 581 Omicron cases and thousands of Delta cases to calculate how effective the vaccines were against the

There is optimism that vaccines will still keep many people out of hospital even if more do get COVID. Data on severity could be published next week

new variant.

The analysis is based on limited data, but showed a dramatic drop in effectiveness for the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine and a significant drop off for two doses of Pfizer.

The 75 per cent protection against COVID symptoms after a booster is not

as high as against previous variants.

So far around 22 million people have received a booster dose, but even if everyone was boosted the lower vaccine effectiveness would still leave millions of people susceptible. (Excerpt from BBC News)

PM Modi to unveil Kashi Vishwanath Dharm in grand ceremony on December 13

W

hen prime minister Narendra Modi will reach his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi for unveiling the renovated and redesigned Kashi Vishwanath Dharm on December 13, a galaxy of BJP leaders will be there for grand ceremony, which will be live-streamed at 51,000 different locations across the country with special arrangements for priests and saints.

The three-day visit of the prime minister will also witness several other events including a conference of the BJP ruled states chief ministers and also mayors conference. The prime minister will do a padyatra from Kal Bhairav temple to Kashi Vishwanath Dham to unveil the pilgrimage.

The chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of the BJP ruled states will be present in Varanasi along with their families during the grand unveiling of the renovated temple.

As per tradition, Kal Bhairav is the “Kashi Kotwal” and one seeks his permission before visiting the Kashi

Vishwanath temple.

Modi has insisted the refurbished temple should be known as “dham” and not a “corridor” as it is being called now. However, the prime minister has asked the party MPs to stay in the national capital and not skip the ongoing parliament session. For MPs, the BJP has organised live-streaming of the event at Birla Temple in the national capital.

BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh said in a press briefing that it was almost after 250 years that a renovation and beautification exercise around the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple has been done.

The mega cultural outreach exercise assumes extra significance as the BJPruled Uttar Pradesh is headed for assembly polls early next year, and the party’s work on its Hindutva agenda, including ongoing construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, is a major component of its campaign besides development works undertaken by its governments at the Centre and the state. The inauguration

ceremony has been named "Divya Kashi, Bhavya Kashi" (divine Kashi, grand Kashi).

“To make this once-in-alifetime historical and unprecedented event, BJP president J P Nadda has planned several events at the party-level. For one month, starting on December 13, 2021 and till January 14, 2022 (Makar Sankranti), various programmes and events will be organised across the country," Chugh, who was joined

by Union minister G Kishan Reddy, said.

A conference of mayors from across the country is also scheduled for December 17 followed by a congregation of experts and farmers working on organic and progressive farming.

Over 3,000 seers, figures associated with different religious maths, artistes and other noted people will assemble at the venue on December 13 to witness the inauguration. The BJP will install LEDs at all major Shiva temples and ashrams in all its mandal units to show the programme live,

he said.

In the run-up to the exercise, the BJP has asked its members to undertake cleanliness exercises in various temples and holy places on December 10-11 while "prabhat pheri" will be carried out on December 9.

State units of the party will be giving details of their programme in the days ahead, Chugh said. The BJP will also organise a youth meeting in Varanasi on January 12, birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Reddy, who is Union culture and tourism minister, said the renovation work has been undertaken with utmost care with no changes being made to the original structure of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Built over a sprawling area of 5,000 hectares, the has decongested the temple complex, which was earlier surrounded by buildings on three sides, officials have said, noting that the project will connect the two things Varanasi is well known for: Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ganga river. (The Times of India)

Caribbean countries to benefit from FAO fisheries project

F

our Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries are to benefit from projects aimed at addressing land degradation, biodiversity and sustainability of marine resources, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has announced.

It said that Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname will benefit from the projects approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in eight countries, totalling more than US$13.6 million in funding.

The approval was given during the virtual 61st meeting of the GEF Council, its main governing body.

The latest projects will address urgent environmental challenges — such as land degradation and soil erosion, biodiversity loss, unsustainable fishing, and food production — that affect the food security and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

The latest projects to be approved by the GEF will assist countries and communities to restore degraded land and seascapes, adopt more sustainable and cli-

mate-resilient practices and foster greater regional cooperation.

The projects to be implemented in partnership with and co-financed by the four Caricom Governments as well as Cabo Verde, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, and Thailand, will directly benefit more than 135,000 people and restore over 4150 hectares of degraded landscapes.

Initiatives in the Caribbean will focus on supporting countries to enhance the food security, environment, and livelihoods of Small Island Developing

States (SIDS), which face unique environmental challenges and have also been hard hit economically by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago will work together on a project aimed at reducing overfishing and promoting more responsible fisheries and marine conservation, while a project in the Marshall Islands aims to restore degraded forests and improve marine management to transform agrifood systems. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

20

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take nothing for granted.

Live up to your promises and take rules and regulations seriously. Channel your energy wisely and keep your life and relationships simple. Find someone who can help you.

Confusion will set in if someone withholds information or you have too many options. Take a step back and do something physical. An energetic activity will help you gain needed perspective.

Broaden your scope, pay attention and put in the work required to get what you want.

Share your vision and consider how to improve your relationships. Take a short trip or attend a seminar.

Keep your emotions in check. Be a good listener, and you will avoid saying something you'll regret. A creative outlet will ease stress and broaden your interest in a potentially lucrative hobby.

Gather information before you share your thoughts and feelings. It's up to you to be responsible and to allocate your time to suit your needs. Set a good example to attract valuable support.

You'll encounter trouble if you aren't up-front. Be diplomatic, but not misleading. It's time to make a change that will take care of a problem that's been weighing you down.

Keep the peace and focus on domestic matters. Take the time to hear grievances and to make adjustments that will accommodate loved ones. Compromise will pay off down the line.

Look at the big picture.

Baby steps will get you further ahead than making unrealistic promises and falling short. Be up-front about your feelings, and you'll find out where you stand.

SAGITTARIUS A problem with a friend, relative or loved one will sur(Nov. 23face if someone isn't honest.

Dec. 21) Don't exaggerate or overreact. Be a good listener, assess the situation and offer a straightforward opinion.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

Look at the possibilities and choose the people you want to work alongside.

Make a difference at home or in your community. Pay attention to a loved one.

An emotional matter will escalate. Put a positive spin on whatever you do or say.

Change is upon you; it's up to you to take the path that adds to your happiness.

Your imagination will run wild. Don't get caught up in (Feb. 20something that isn't realistic.

March 20) Focus on what's doable and helpful. You can make a difference if you use your skills, not your cash, to help others.

PISCES

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

21

The Ashes series…

Malan and Root put up big thirdwicket stand as England fight back with his hundred in 2017, and he has now scored more than half of his Test runs in Australia, averaging more than 46, compared to 22 elsewhere.

Australia had no answers in the late afternoon heat. Hazlewood, remarkably, only bowled eight overs for the day, but there were no indications of an injury issue. David Warner, meanwhile, spent all day off the field, nursing sore ribs following the blows he copped while batting. Lyon was frustrated, as he could not find his elusive 400th Test scalp. Starc looked ragged late in the day, and Cameron Green was used sparingly, as Cummins tried to do a lot of the heavy lifting himself.

Starc fared better with the bat in the morning,

Dawid Malan is not out on 80

E

ngland captain Joe Root has proved why he is the top-ranked Test batter in the world, while Dawid Malan has continued his love affair with the Australian bowling, as England fought their way back from near oblivion to erase most of the 278run first-innings’ deficit and keep themselves in the game.

The pair have so far put together an unbroken 159-run stand for the third wicket, with Root making 86 while Malan finished the day on 80, to leave England just 58 runs behind with eight second-innings’ wickets in hand.

They came together at 2 for 61 midway through the day, with England 207 runs behind and staring at a possible innings’ defeat, and played with fluency and positivity as the Gabba surface flattened into a great batting tract and Australia's celebrated attack showed signs of the vulnerability India exposed last summer.

However, England still have a huge mountain to climb in order to either save or win the game.

Earlier, Travis Head made his second Test 150 to help Australia build their first-innings’ lead. Head showed England's bowlers the same contempt on the third morning as he did in the final session on day two.

He clubbed Ben Stokes over mid-off, and flicked Mark Wood over wide fine-leg for sixes.

Head's thirst for big scores has increased in the last 14 months, and is part of the reason for his return to Test cricket. In his

last six first-class centuries since October 2020, including this hundred, he has converted five into 150-plus scores, after having only converted two of his first 12.

After Australia were bowled out for 425 eight overs shy of lunch, England's openers were bombarded either side of the break. Rory Burns curiously didn't face the first ball for the first time in 40 innings, and just the third time in his Test career, as he stood at the non-striker's end and watched Mitchell Starc steam in to Haseeb Hameed, who faced the first ball in a Test innings for the first time.

The tactic to avoid a pair nearly backfired when Burns was adjudged lbw later in Starc's first over, only for it to be overturned on review, with the extra bounce in the Gabba track ensuring the ball was going over. England got to lunch unscathed, but that same bounce undid Burns after the break, as Pat Cummins got one to rear from a length and clip the gloves on the way through to Alex Carey.

Hameed also gloved Mitchell Starc down the leg side 11 overs later for 27, after again looking comfortable during his 58-ball stay.

Root was predictably greeted by the duo of Josh Hazlewood and Cummins on his arrival, having fallen to the pair a combined 15 times in the past. But he withstood a stern examination of his front-foot defence, and waited 20 balls to score his first boundary with a sumptuous clip off his toes.

Thereafter, Root played

Joe Root remains not out on 86

with the class and authority that he has shown throughout 2021. He looked in complete control against the quicks, and played one of the shots of the match off Starc, thumping him through the covers on the up.

But, more impressively, he toyed with Nathan Lyon, sweeping, pulling, and reverse sweeping him consistently. He did have one slice of luck with an inside edge bouncing off pad and just over Marnus Labuschagne at short leg, but he was flawless otherwise. He became the eighth man to pass 1500 runs in a calendar year, and the first Englishman to do so.

Root's fluency undoubtedly freed up Malan after he was troubled early. He wasn't as much in control as his captain, but played some lovely strokes through the off-side. He played roulette with Lyon, sitting back to cut, and was rewarded a few times without nicking, despite playing and missing at many deliveries.

Malan's half-century was his fourth in Australia to go

proving the perfect foil for Head in an enterprising 85-run partnership that took Australia well clear of

SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS David Warner c Stokes b Robinson 94 Marcus Harris c Malan b Robinson 3 Marnus Labuschagne c Wood b Leach 74 Steven Smith c †Buttler b Wood 12 Travis Head b Wood 152 Cameron Green b Robinson 0 Alex Carey † c Pope b Woakes 12 Pat Cummins (c) c Hameed b Root 12 Mitchell Starc c Burns b Woakes 35 Nathan Lyon c Robinson b Wood 15 Josh Hazlewood not out 0 Extras (b 4, lb 6, nb 4, w 2) 16 TOTAL (104.3 Ov, RR: 4.06) 425 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Marcus Harris, 5.2 ov), 2-166 (Marnus Labuschagne, 47.2 ov), 3-189 (Steven Smith, 52.6 ov), 4-195 (David Warner, 55.2 ov), 5-195 (Cameron Green, 55.3 ov), 6-236 (Alex Carey, 64.4 ov), 7-306 (Pat Cummins, 75.6 ov), 8-391 (Mitchell Starc, 95.6 ov), 9-420 (Nathan Lyon, 102.3 ov), 10425 (Travis Head, 104.3 ov)

England. Starc made 35, including five boundaries, the best of which was a dismissive lofted on-drive off Chris Woakes. But he holed out to deep square-leg two balls later.

Lyon hung around to add 15 in a partnership of 29 with Head. Wood continued to run in with unwavering commitment, and eventually got some reward, finishing with 3 for 85.

Lyon top-edged a pull shot to square leg with Head still three runs shy of 150. And while Wood tried the three-card trick

BOWLING Chris Woakes Ollie Robinson Mark Wood Ben Stokes Jack Leach Joe Root

O-M-R-W 25-8-76-2 23-8-58-3 25.3-4-85-3 12-0-65-0 13-0-102-1 6-0-29-1

ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS Haseeb Hameed c †Carey b Starc 27 Rory Burns c †Carey b Cummins 13 Dawid Malan not out 80 Joe Root (c) not out 86 Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 5) 14 TOTAL (70 Ov, RR: 3.14) 220/2 Yet to bat: Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler †, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Rory Burns, 8.6 ov), 2-61 (Haseeb Hameed, 20.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Mitchell Starc 14-2-60-1 Josh Hazlewood 8-4-13-0 Pat Cummins 14-4-43-1 Nathan Lyon 24-4-69-0 Cameron Green 7-2-12-0 Marnus Labuschagne 3-0-14-0

to Hazlewood, delivering two bouncers and a yorker, Australia's No. 11 was equal to it.

Head soon brought up his 150 with a blistering slog sweep off Jack Leach, the left-arm spinner who finished with figures of 1 for 102 from 13 overs. Head was eventually clean bowled by a rocket from Wood, as he exposed his stumps to try and carve the ball past point. Head finished with 152 off 148 balls, only Adam Gilchrist has scored a faster Ashes 150 in terms of strike rate. (ESPNcricinfo)

GFF President Wayne Forde sends condolences upon passing of former coach George Green

The late George Green

W

ayne Forde, President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), has this week paid tribute to former

national team coach and player George Green, who passed away on December 4 at the age of 83.

“It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of George Green,” Forde has said. “There are no words to express the sadness we feel for this loss, that affects us all. An exemplary player, coach and administrator, Mr. Green was a man committed to sport,” Forde continued.

“Thanks to his undoubted human qualities, his legacy and career will be remembered and truly missed. He left us many treasured memories that cannot be replicated. In these difficult moments of irreparable loss, we accom-

pany them from a distance, and hope that our words will serve as a small consolation.”

Green represented what was then British Guiana between 1958 and 1966, before assuming the role of coach of the national team until 1980. He also represented the West Indies Football Team, touring England in 1959 and coaching Caribbean sides against England’s Hull City and China’s Guangdong Province.

After a glittering career as player and coach, Green worked for the Department of Youth & Sports, and coordinated the national CocaCola Secondary Schools U19 tournament.

22

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GBBFF Seniors Bodybuilding Championships…

Permission granted for in-house audience of 200 fully vaccinated persons spectacular physiques on stage.

Approximately 30 athletes would be competing in the different segments of the championships - Bodybuilding, Bikini, and Men’s Physique.

Some of the athletes set to perform are Darious Ramsammy, Christina Ramsammy, Rosanna Fung, Nicolas Albert, Emmerson Campbell, Yannick Grimes, Colin Chesney, Marlon Bennet, Lyndon Kennedy,

Julio Sinclair was the winner in the Over-165lb category

T

he Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GBBFF) are all set to host their first Seniors Bodybuilding Championships for 2021 on December 19, and have been granted permission from the COVID-19 Task Force to accommodate 200 fully vaccinated individuals to witness the event in person.

The GBBFF have said in a statement, "On Thursday night, the 9th day of December, 2021, the GBBFF was officially informed, via email, that permission was granted

Ronaldo Caldeira is the Men’s Physique winner

by the Minister of Health for a live audience to attend the National Seniors Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition on the 19th day of December, 2021.

This permission was granted on the condition that the GBBFF must follow all the guidelines as set out in the Gazetted Order on COVID-19. Further, the GBBFF can only accommodate 200 fully vaccinated persons in the audience. Tickets will soon go on sale."

President of the GBBFF, Keavon Bess, was also quoted as saying, "The GBBFF is happy that, after 2

years, we can finally have our days back in the arena, cheering on the favourite athletes and motivating them to give of their best. Further, the GBBFF will have the opportunity to earn some much-needed income from the entrance fee that patrons will pay to see live bodybuilding after 2 years."

Bess relayed that the pressure is on a lot of the top athletes to prove their mettle against the up-and-coming new ‘bloods’ that are nipping at their heels. Hence it is anticipated that the fans would witness a very competitive championship and

Bartica turns to ‘experience’ to boost female football programme

Referees are “ready to go” for Super-16 -says GFF Head of Refereeing, Dion Innis

T

he Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) match officials have completed their preparations for the three year-end senior competitions, with the GFF Refereeing Department providing expert physical, match scenario, and techni-

A

s preparations intensify for the Bartica FA Female Team's participation in the GFFKashif & Shanghai Female Super-16 Tournament, two of the town's most experienced coaches have stepped in to help boost the female developmental programme.

Christopher George and Calmeth Young have both represented Bartica and Guyana with distinction in the game of football. As a result of the amazing talent they have each displayed during their playing years, both men have served on BFA teams and on the Guyana Men’s National Team.

Having educated themselves in regard to the technicalities of coaching the game, they have, over the years, shared their experience and knowledge with young players. Now the two football maestros have teamed up to help the Bartica Female Programme.

While the immediate focus is on the team's upcoming engagement in the GFF-K&S Female Super-16 Tournament, the Bartica Football Association is looking further down the road towards a structured, continuous programme for the development of female football through its Academy Training Center.

To date, more than 30 young women are involved in the training sessions.

GFF Head of Refereeing, Dion Innis

Some of the action among the ladies

Christopher George and Calmeth Young look towards the future of female football in Bartica

Brian Singh, Odel CrumEwing, Ashanti Conway, Gale Karim, Jonathan Jeffery, Julio Sinclair, Ronaldo Caldera and Joel Caldera.

This competition, the first Seniors Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships to be held since 2019, has so far attracted financial support of the National Sports Commission, besides Fitness Express and Rosanna Fung won the Miss several other business enti- Bikini category at the last ties and individuals. championships

cal sessions with professionally trained instructors to ensure a safe and well-managed return to play.

Recent sessions at the GFF’s National Training Centre at Providence, EBD have seen 25 shortlisted match officials taking part in theoretical classes covering competition rules and guidelines, recent changes to the laws of the game, and observing COVID-19 protocols in line with Government’s regulations. The group has also participated in physical training and match scenarios on the FIFA-funded all-weather pitch, to put their learning into action.

“It is customary for these major tournaments that, prior to the commencement of that tournament, we organise these sessions so that our referees can become familiar with the competition regulations,” Dion Inniss, GFF Head of Refereeing and Executive Committee mem-

ber, has said.

“We issued a number of reminders on procedures that will be followed during the tournament, and we also ensured they were brought upto-speed with the COVID-19 regulations that have been stipulated by the authorities,” Innis continued.

“They assimilated quite well all that was instructed by our group of competent instructors, and we are very confident that they will officiate these tournaments very well,” he opined.

The GFF Refereeing Department has been highly active this year, providing training and workshops for match officials involving national and international instructors in order to keep its cohort of registered referees and assistant referees up-todate on the laws of the game, and having them physically prepared for competition.

“Returning to football has been great. I would have done a few youth games in the U13 tournament, which was a great initiative by the GFF to have youths playing some football at the grassroots, not just for players, but the referees,” said workshop participant Shavin Greene.

“Now that we are having the year-end tournament coming into play, it’s most welcome,” Greene said.

“Training and preparation so far have been great, and we have tried to stay active and keep fit throughout the pandemic. We’re ready to go, and let’s have a great tournament from both the referees and the players.”

The Year-End Football Festival kicks off this weekend with the GFF Women’s Super-16 Festival 2021, which will commence on December 11 and conclude on January 2.

Following hot on the heels of the women’s tournament is the GFF-K&S Super-16 Cup, which would be played between December 12 and January 1; while the GFFK&S Futsal Championship will take place over the period December 14 to January 8.

“It’s great to have football restarting,” Match Official Denisha Isaacs has said. “It’s a great initiative for the upcoming players and referees. The preparation for this tournament was very challenging due to the COVID pandemic, but we had grassroots sessions and the annual Referees’ Assessment programme. Now, with the help of our local and international instructors, it’s great to see everyone out again and looking forward to a really good tournament.”

Since September 2020, the GFF has been running its nationwide “Get Involved” campaign to recruit more referees for both men’s and women’s football for all age groups.

For more details, please contact the GFF Refereeing Department.

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23

KFC Guyana plugs $10M into GFF-K&S Super-16 Cup

T

he Beharry Group of Companies’ KFC Guyana has thrown its support behind the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) Kashif & Shanghai Super-16 Cup, which is scheduled to be held from December 11, 2021 to January 2, 2022.

The fast-food giant has recently presented the GFF with a donation of $10 million at the KFC Headquarters on Vlissingen Road. During that presentation ceremony, KFC Operations Manager Charissa Rampersaud noted

that KFC is happy to partner with the Kashif & Shanghai organization; the GFF; and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to host the 2021 edition of this tournament.

"Football is a unifying sport that brings Guyanese across the country together, and the Kashif & Shanghai tournament has been giving us that opportunity for the past three decades,” Rampersaud posited. “KFC Guyana is proud of its contribution to keep this tradition

and legacy alive.

“Many of us grew up hearing about the Kashif & Shanghai football tournaments, and many of our youths grew up aspiring to be one of the teams taking part," she said.

She declared that sports play an important part in the development of young people, and help them to be well-rounded individuals; and iterated that it is important that the Beharry Group of Companies continues to support these endeavours,

Coach Ryan Hercules states his ultimate goal for the Amazon Jaguars team -team doing well, players progressing…

-says there is room for improvement among players

Some of the players running the 2K race by

Brandon Corlette

N

ewly-appointed Guyana Amazon Jaguars Assistant Coach Ryan Hercules is hoping to play a role in the team's success, and ensure players progress to higher levels of competency in the

some experience that I would have gained playing cricket in the past in England and Australia," Hercules has said.

Asked what got him into coaching, Hercules said it was injury.

"Injury got me into coach-

Hercules conducting a fitness drill with Clinton Pestano, who is aiming to make a return

game.

Describing his appointment to the senior regional set-up as “a good feeling”, this athlete from the Essequibo county, who is assistant to Head Coach Esuan Crandon, also hopes to share some of his experience with the Jaguars players during his coaching stint.

"I must give God praise and thanks for seeing that through. It is a good feeling for me, knowing I can be around some high-level players and put in some work with them. I was looking forward to it, and it is a great feeling to be around those guys, learning from them and probably giving them

ing. In terms of my playing career, it was stopped short because of injury; but living in England and going to Australia, coaching was something we had to do (in) playing for clubs.

“I believe in getting knowledge and giving back to players as part of my philosophy as a coach,” he explained.

Having coached Essequibo to the Cricket Guyana Inc franchise in the past, and having played a significant role in local cricket, Hercules took time to reflect on ‘his journey’.

"It's been a long journey, starting off coaching and then coming back home and

coaching in Essequibo setup, and then in Demerara as well. For me, it is now the beginning, getting into the First-Class team, I'm looking forward for the years to come,” he declared.

"In terms of achievement, once the team's does well, that is a good feeling for me. Players being successful getting into a West Indies (team) or going forward playing in franchise cricket…

But in terms of my progression, I want to be a regular in the national set-up, and (I’m) even looking forward to being in the West Indies set-up in the future," Hercules disclosed.

Room for improvement Meanwhile, the Assistant Coach has noted that there is room for improvement among the Amazon Jaguars players in relation to fitness.

"We had a good day today. We did a lot of core work, we did the 2k run, and we had some good results from the guys; but there is always room for improvement," he divulged.

In terms of preparation for the team, which is set to play the Regional 4-Day in February, Hercules said he and Crandon would make sure they put in the work with the players, while taking into account the weather.

On the opening day of the fitness test at Leonora, Tevin Imlach, Kevin Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson had some top fitness levels, while Sylus Tyndall and Junior Sinclair joined that group in terms of solid fitness levels on day two.

GFF President Wayne Forde

as they support the aspirations of youths to be part of these great teams and exciting tournaments.

In responding, GFF President Wayne Forde said, “It is indeed a pleasure to visit the Head Office of KFC. It is indeed a pleasure, as we have been doing this quite often, as it also feels like home.

By saying that, I’m trying to (speak of) the good relationship that we have had with KFC over the past couple of years. KFC has been sponsoring (our) Under-20 InterAssociation Tournament for the past two years, and we believe that that partnership

KFC Operations Manager Charissa Rampersaud

will endure for the next couple of years.

“The GFF-K&S Super-16 Cup is an indication of a longheld tradition of my administration, and that is: seeking out partnerships that will help the game grow.”

Forde has acknowledged that the Kashif and Shanghai organisation is renowned for pulling off exceptional events. He made it clear that the GFF is happy to partner with the Kashif & Shanghai organisation, and said he is looking forward to growing the partnership over the next couple of years.

He predicted that the

KFC investment would go “a very far way”, and said it is his belief that it would go “a far way in aiding youths to express and discover the lengths and depths of the talents they possess”.

In closing his remarks, Forde said, “So, we would like to take this opportunity to thank KFC for their generous support to football and to many other disciplines over the past couple of years they have been operating in our local environment. I believe that KFC stands out as an example of how Corporate Guyana will impact the lives of young people in Guyana.”

Five more youth cricketers honoured under BCB/Adana Homes CSEC Awards Programme

BCB Competitions Chairman Leslie Solomon is seen posing with the five awardees after the presentation

T

he ongoing efforts of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) to promote the importance of education took another giant step forward when the vibrant board hosted the second edition of the BCB/Adana Homes CSEC Awards.

Five youth cricketers have on Wednesday last each received a financial award of $20,000 for outstanding performances recorded at the 2021 sitting of the CSEC examinations.

The students are: Jeremy Sandia, Christopher Deroop, Zeymul Ramsammy, Shelton Ramsay, Roland Fullerton and Zeymul Ramsammy.

Another youth cricketer, Vettori Lathman, received his award earlier from the BCB when the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association hosted its Annual General Meeting late last month at the Skeldon Community Centre.

BCB President Hilbert Foster has said his administration places special emphasis on the educational ca-

reers of players because he strongly believes that education is the foundation of a successful life.

Also a Vice President of the Guyana Cricket Board, Foster has said only one percent of active players would develop into professional cricketers, and it is therefore important for the others to have an educational background on which to rely.

He has urged the awardees to seek other ways to improve themselves, and has committed the BCB to supporting their endeavours in any way possible.

Foster has disclosed that the main objectives of the BCB/Adana Homes CSEC Awards are: to encourage cricketers to make education a priority in life; to identity role models for others to emulate; and to make players better thinkers of the game.

Over the last four years under Foster’s leadership, the BCB has provided educational grants to hundreds of youths to assist them in their pursuit of education,

while more than 300 bicycles have been distributed to less fortunate students to assist them to attend school.

Additionally, close to 1000 youths have received school bags and educational materials, while the BCB has also awarded its first-ever University of Guyana scholarship.

Seeking re-election to the post of President at the BCB’s Annual General Meeting on December 19, Foster has said the pro-education campaign would be expanded in 2022, while several major cricket development projects would be unveiled in the near future as the board strives to take the game to a higher level.

He has also expressed gratitude to Mr Satishwar Persaud and Adana Homes for their support of the Scheme. Mr Persaud is an overseas-based Guyanese who is actively involved in the promotion of the game in his adopted homeland of Canada, where Adana Homes is one of the leading real estate businesses.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

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

KFC Guyana plugs $10M into GFF-K&S Super-16 Cup

Page 23

GBBFF Seniors Bodybuilding Championships...

Page 22 Darious Ramsammy was adjudged overall winner of the last competition

Permission granted for in-house audience of 200 fully vaccinated persons

Coach Ryan Hercules states his ultimate goal for the Amazon Jaguars team -team doing well, players progressing…

-says there is room for Pg improvement among players 22

Guyana Amazon Jaguars Assistant Coach Ryan Hercules

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