Guyana Times - Saturday, May 27, 2023

Guyanese die P15

3 Page 9

Govt to explore joint gas development with Suriname – VP Page 7

…critical girl to be flown overseas for treatment OAS

Period poverty not only health issue, but human rights one – organisers “Inimical to public policy, against public interest”– AG on Opposition’s bid to stop LGE Magistrates Courts' clerk accused of forging BoG cheques

Final phase of Diamond-toGood Success bypass road commences

Fire suspected to be arson destroys ECD house

3 Guyanese die in 2-vehicle collision in Brazil

Fire suspected to be arson destroys ECD house

Three Guyanese lost their lives in a two-vehicle collision along Toucan Region Highway, approximately 80 kilometres off Bonfim in Brazil.

The deceased has been identified as 45-year-old Carmichael Joseph, a businessman from Lethem, Region Nine; his son Lindomar Santos, 20, hailing from Boa Vista, Brazil;

and Juanita Honorio, a health worker from Tiger Pond Village, Rupununi.

According to reports, the accident involved a lorry and a 4-wheel pick-up truck in which the three victims were travelling. The impact of the crash was severe, causing extensive damage to both vehicles.

The trio reportedly had to be pulled from the wreck-

age after which they were all pronounced dead. The news of this devastating accident has left their friends, family, and colleagues in shock.

Joseph has been operat-

ing a hardware store for several years in central Lethem. While the circumstances of the deadly accident remain unclear, Brazilian Police have launched an investigation.

Several persons are now making alternative living arrangements after their Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home was maliciously set alight.

Based on the information received, the house was reportedly owned by Alexis Spooner and her ex-husband, who had moved out. At the time of the fire, Spooner who operates a car accessory business and her children were not at home.

However, Guyana Times understands that the couple’s relationship was marred by a history of constant domestic issues, ultimately leading to separa-

tion. In fact, Spooner had secured a restraining order against her ex-spouse.

A relative of Spooner told Guyana Times that the man would have made several threats in the past to ‘burn down’ the house, thus causing harm to the woman. Nevertheless, on Thursday evening, flames were seen emanating from the wooden and concrete structure and rapidly engulfed the house. While there are allegations of arson, the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) has not confirmed such accusations but an investigation is underway.

The two vehicles involved in the accident

Dead: Carmichael Joseph and Lindomar Santos

The fire that destroyed the house at Better Hope

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, May 27 – 23:30h – 00:15h and Sunday, May 28 – 10:30h – 11:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, May 27 – 09:05h – 10:35h and Saturday, May 28 – 10:20h – 11:50h.

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 sunshine during the day. Expect clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-Easterly between 0.89 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 09:53h and 22:43h reaching maximum heights of 2.13 metres and 2.08 metres.

Low Tide: 16:05h reaching a minimum height of 1.06 metre.

Deadly Mahdia fire

DNA results positively identify remaining 13 burnt bodies

…critical girl to be flown overseas for treatment

LOTTERY NUMBERS

The bodies of 13 persons, who died in the fatal fire at Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitory, were positively identified and can now be released by the Government to their respective families for funeral arrangements.

This was announced on Friday by the Health Ministry.

The DNA analysis on the remains that were deemed unrecognisable were conducted by Professor and System Chair, Dr Carlos Cordon-Cardo alongside a team of experts at the Pathology Laboratory of New York-based Mount Sinai.

Earlier in the week, samples from forensic specimens taken from the bodies of 13 female students were obtained by Dr Shubhaker Karra Paul, a specialist pathologist from Barbados, while one forensic specimen obtained from the five-yearold male victim was taken by Guyanese pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh.

These samples were compared to those taken from the parents and siblings of the children.

Arrangements have been put in place by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for families to take possession of the identified bodies as the Government continues to offer assistance with funeral arrangements over the following days.

The first funeral of the 19 who perished in the Mahdia fire occurred on Wednesday, as Sabrina John was buried in the presence of her family at Karisparu, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

Overseas for treatment

Meanwhile, during a press conference on Friday, Prime Minister Mark Phillips restated the Government’s commitment to aiding the children, families and community members who were affected by the deadly inferno.

Of the two girls still in

critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), one was identified as requiring further medical treatment and is expected to travel overseas soon, according to Phillips.

In an ongoing show of support from international partners, President Dr Irfaan Ali, during a press conference, revealed that treatment offers from the Government of Cuba as well as Texas-based Shriners Hospital were made.

“We haven’t yet determined where she will go but based on the doctor’s word, that girl has been identified for further treatment overseas and she is being prepared to be sent overseas,” Phillips said.

For the survivors in Mahdia and Georgetown, the Government is continuing to offer necessary resources to aid their healing process.

“We have Ministers that were identified and are working with all survivors

– the girls who were hospitalised in Georgetown, the girls who were discharged from the hospital and are now housed in the different facilities in Georgetown, the families who came out – and we’re offering all necessary assistance,” Phillips said.

He clarified that medical teams on the ground in Mahdia are providing physical and psychosocial interventions, with the counselling intended to be a long-term offering.

Professor and System Chair, Dr Carlos Cordon-Cardo of Mount Sinai

Views

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Delivery of education

Education provides one of the main planks for the pursuit of an enhanced life and lifestyle. The ability to read is critical to a student’s success, as well as to lifelong earning potential and economic security.

In spite of the many and various challenges facing Guyana in the delivery of services in the various sectors, when one focuses on the education sector, one can see marked success in the programmes initiated by past and present Governments to deliver quality education to all of Guyana’s children, and provide equitable opportunities for all in the pursuit of upward mobility.

A primary initiative in the education system, which has created success in the education sector, is the establishment of the Multimedia Centre at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), with one of the centre’s main activities being the production and broadcast on television of educational programmes. The Learning television Channel is dedicated to broadcasting programmes throughout the country via the use of satellite communications technology. Broadcasting commenced in 2011, and has proven to be a great success story.

Additionally, organisational capacity and managerial capability have been enhanced, strengthening the management of the education sector and central ministry.

Focus has been placed on achieving improved educational outcomes through a continuum of policy reviews, initiation of new programmes and initiatives, promoting improved performance management, and monitoring mechanisms geared to ensure that the goals of the Education Strategic Plan are achieved.

Teacher training has also been enhanced with the introduction of the Associate Degree in Education (ADE), for which thousands have enrolled and concluded training at the Cyril Potter College of Education, and there are other teachers in training.

Teachers have been benefiting from continuous development programmes, especially in special training for Maths and English teachers who participate in the non-graduate programmes.

Efforts to support the advances made in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) at the school and post-secondary levels have also borne fruit, as well as in the field of information communication technology (ICT), where teachers receive basic training in the use of computers with a project of equipping computer labs completed. As such, there have been great strides made in ensuring professionalisation of the teaching force.

In the student community, remediation programmes to facilitate improved Math and English scores are an ongoing facet of quality education.

There have been stringent efforts to promote childfriendly schools, including enhancements to the school buildings; sanitation blocks; health, nutrition and counselling services; revitalising the PTAs; community outreaches; student councils, and inclusive education. These elements facilitate the realisation of child-friendly schools.

However, irrespective of the efforts of Government, the development of Guyana’s children needs cooperative partnership between parents and educational mentors, so parents need to recognise that their support and participation are integral to the holistic development of their children, so that they can emerge as rounded adults primed to engage and overcome the challenges of adulthood.

Rigid policies needed to prevent further tragedies

Dear Editor,

Much has been written on the Mahdia fire tragedy, thus it may be redundant to pile on the various outpourings of anger and grief. However, some proposed safeguards can be of great assistance.

All fires are preventable, and almost all – except arson - are caused by irresponsible and substandard workmanship.

There have been previous similar fires, yet no safety standards were ever instituted. On August 31, 2008, a fire broke out in the girls’ dorm at Waramadong Secondary School. Three of the 12 students there at the time: 11-year-old Zanita Sam, 13-year-old Savylin David, and 13-year-old Sharmileza George, all of Kubenang, Upper Mazaruni in Region Seven (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni), perished in its wake. The entire building, which had no electricity, was destroyed.

In December 2007, the boys’ dormitory of the Bartica Secondary School, also in Region Seven, was completely destroyed in a fire of unknown origin. All of the 26 boys housed there at the time had managed to escape unharmed, but had lost almost all of their belongings. There was no Fire Station at Bartica back then, but officers from the city had later travelled to the community to investigate what caused the conflagration.

The recent disaster

which claimed 19 young lives is ample testimony that there is, in Guyana, a dire lack of concern for the safety of people and property by the housing authorities. No warning systems like smoke alarms and automated sprinkler systems were in the dwelling; while escape equipment like ladders to climb to the roof were never installed. Tragedies like this cannot be attributed to carelessness, but rather to a don’t-care mindset.

Guyana needs a complete overhaul of its archaic building codes and safety standards, coupled with periodic inspections by Housing and Fire Safety agencies. Presently, many dwellings - with their poor electric wiring and overloaded circuits, coupled with inferior fixtures - are death traps waiting to claim more victims.

Here are some solutions:

All persons who work in both Public and Private Sectors must be cognizant of the five primary methods that are employed worldwide in cases of fire. The acronym RACEE aptly depicts this: <R = Rescue> anyone in immediate danger.

<A = Alarm:> Call the Fire Department. <C = Confine> the smoke/fire by closing doors and windows. <E = Evacuate> all persons. <E = Extinguish> small fires with portable fire extinguishers.

Buildings in Guyana have no classification. Single family homes are convert-

ed into tenant-occupied portions so that homeowners can accommodate family members and get some income. The flaw in this is that there is the same original plumbing and electrical systems that now have to support more lighting and appliances. As Guyana enters the technological era, a host of appliances are utilized almost always invariably from one outlet.

A microwave oven, an air conditioner and an iron can total as much as 4,000 Watts — enough to induce overloading and precipitate (sparks) fire. Extension cords, most times hidden under carpets, with their multiple connections, pose extreme fire hazard. Then there is the scenario where persons break off one of the prongs in three way plugs to accommodate plug-ins. The earth safety is thus discarded, and overloading is facilitated.

Single-room occupancy (SRO) buildings, prevalent in university and hospital vicinities, need to be registered with the Building Department and given a registration number. In this way, inspection – say, on a yearly basis - can be carried out, safety designs instituted, and complaints taken and investigated. A phone number must be established for this. Thirtyfive persons occupying an uninsured building (near the University) borders on insanity.

A minimum space between buildings, say 5 feet, is a requirement that needs to be incorporated into building codes and zoning regulations. This facilitates evacuation as well as allows access by firefighters.

Commercial buildings need sprinkler systems: a series of roadside connections to connect fire hoses which will distribute water inside a building in event of fire. Automated oxygen-retardant systems need to be installed inside, where an increase in temperature (say at 110 F) will trigger off the chemical (mostly halogens) spray. As this chemical sucks out the oxygen, the fire will be greatly contained. Smoke alarms are cheap, and should be installed along corridors, which are the principal pathways for smoke.

Bonds, regardless of what is stored, need to be sectionalised, much like the compartments in ships such as oil tankers. Concrete separating walls with steel (fireproof) connecting doors must be the code for storage warehouses. This, coupled with periodic safety inspections, must be the way forward. Storage of cooking gas containers must never be inside a closed building. Propane is highly flammable (after all, people cook with it) and needs to be stored outdoors, where any leakage/ explosion will dissipate harmlessly into the atmosphere.

President Dr Irfaan Ali was at the Rupununi Farmers Market in Lethem, Region Nine, on Friday, where over 300 farmers from the five sub-districts of the Rupununi showcased a wide range of local agricultural products (Office of the President photo)

Ras Khafra has no moral ground to stand on

Dear Editor, Herein I respond to Ras Khafra, who sought to give legitimacy to his mischief and self-appointment in a response to my earlier letter of Sunday, May 21, 2023.

First, Khafra continues to refer to a dissolved cluster that was established for the specific purpose of identifying nominees of the African-Guyanese community to represent the community on the ERC and the Women and Gender Commission. The life of that cluster ended when those nominees were identified.

In my earlier letter, I acknowledged the right of the former members of that cluster, and in fact any group of African-Guyanese organisations, to come together in a cooperative/ collaborative effort among themselves and for themselves. The cluster of which Khafra is now the self-appointed leader is not such a body, and is not made up of persons nominated by their organisations for that purpose. He solicited the assistance of individuals to craft a position paper/ report, then proceeded to describe them as representatives of organizations. No request was made of the

organizations to appoint representatives to a cluster that Khafra was forming; nor did the individuals consent to be members of a representative cluster of the African-Guyanese community; nor are they signatories of a letter to the President in any capacity, although their names are mentioned by Khafra as representatives of organizations in his letter.

It is by virtue of his appointment as the AfricanGuyanese representative on the ERC that he appointed himself to lead the cluster, which no longer exists. The identification of Dr. DaSilva and Eric Phillips as representatives of IDPADA-G and ACDA respectively exposes his scheme. Both organisations and the individuals have distanced themselves from Khafra’s mischief. In fact, most, if not all, of his proclaimed cluster members have indicated that they were not representing organizations.

Khafra has no moral ground to stand on in this matter and in his attempt to judge the actions of others. That notwithstanding, I will trash the remaining garbage of his letter.

Khafra snidely stat-

Rigid policies needed...

Perhaps the worst aspect of construction in Guyana is the electrical system, material and installation codes. This is in serious need of overhauling. Systems such as 100 Amperes distribution with Fly Back Breakers are the standard for commercial buildings such as warehouses, offices, shopping centres, night clubs and so on. This is virtually non-existent. GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets (with built in overload kick-out) rarely exist, while electric wiring is predominantly vinyl coated (easily combustible) copper wire. Additionally, old wiring, coupled with corroded fuses which do not trip or ‘blow’, poses severe risk of fire - as evidenced in the Cummings Lodge case.

Fire hydrants are taken for granted, instead of being seen as a means of emergency water supply. Regular water pressure monitoring needs to be instituted.

The Bureau of Standards must monitor the very poor quality of electrical fittings and accessories that flood the Guyanese market. And

ed that I never attended any of his meetings.

True, but I was never invited. In fact, he made contact with me and asked me to remove myself from the whatsapp group that I had established to facilitate the work of the original cluster. I advised him that the cluster no longer existed, and that I would dissolve the whatsapp group.

While it is not my intention to be dragged into an exchange on IDPADAG’s internal affairs with Khafra -- since Khafra, over two years ago, publicly disassociated the Rastafari Council from IDPADA-G, and late last year sought re-entry but did not complete the required documentation -- it should be noted that his reference to the Pan African Movement Guyana and ACDA as organizations that “took a step back” from IDPADA-G is evidence of his sordid state of mind. Those organizations never stepped back; they have an unbroken association with IDPADA-G.

Laughable is his contention that, “ironically, IDPADA-G was among those which sought external intervention”. Those are but examples of Khafra’s

mischief and barefaced disinformation.

While Khafra seeks to accuse the leadership of IDPADA-G of being political, it is his posture that seeks to infuse partisan politics into IDPADA-G. He explicitly pledges absolute loyalty to the Government, and advocates for the exclusion of APNU personnel from the leadership of IDPADA-G. IDPADA-G is loyal to the AfricanGuyanese community and the goals of the Decade, and embraces all like-minded entities.

Incidentally, IDPADA-G convened a special meeting on Sunday, May 24, 2023, at which its membership overwhelmingly reaffirmed commitment to the organization, and pledged to continue the pursuit of the goals of the UN-declared Decade, including reaching out to the Government for dialogue, although attempts are being made to supplant IDPADA-G by bodies that do not have a mandate from the African-Guyanese community.

Yours sincerely, Vincent

Alexander Chairperson IDPADA-G

the Housing Authority must determine the safety features and occupancy of commercial buildings. The partitioning of buildings with the mere addition of a few walls to obtain an ‘apartment’ to get rental income has proven to have fatal consequences.

Burglar proofing using metal bars can be a feature of being penny wise and pound foolish. Any metal barrier must be of a gate (open & close) mechanism with a metal sliding rod which can only be opened from the inside.

In the final analysis, the Housing Department should install rigid polices to prevent further tragedies. All buildings must carry insurance, have sprinkler systems, and undergo a yearly inspection by the Fire Department, where pitfalls will be identified and corrected. Fines must be imposed on all forms of non-compliance if Guyana is truly serious about preventing fires.

Sincerely,

Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine

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

Multiplying fractions: Reciprocals

To multiply fractions, treat the numerators and the denominators as two different multiplication exercises. Multiply the numerators to find the numerator of the product. Then multiply the denominators to find the denominator of the product.

By James W.smith

You may need to multiply reciprocals. Reciprocals are two fractions that look like upside-down reflections of one another. The numerator of the first is the denominator of the second and the numerator of the second is the denominator of the first.

You could go through the steps of multiplying the numerators (2 x 8 = 16) and then multiplying the denominators (8 x 2 = 16). Notice the products are the same. When multiplying reciprocals, the product of the numerators and the products of the denominators will always be the same.

Exercises: Multiply

Govt to explore joint gas development with Suriname – VP

The Guyana Government is expected to establish a National Gas Strategy that would look into the many variables as those relate to utilising the gas resources, and among the options that will be considered is the possible collaboration with neighbouring Suriname.

This is according to Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Thursday.

In the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, United States oil-giant ExxonMobil and its co-venturers have found some 17 trillion cubic feet of gas; that is: about a quarter of the 11 billion barrels of oil-equivalent. The Pluma and Haimara discoveries are proven gas fields.

Exxon had said previously that significant discoveries were made further to the south-east towards the Suriname border, where

there is a higher gas content in the fields that they have developed so far.

VP Jagdeo said that with similar gas discoveries made offshore the Dutch-speaking nation, there is greater possibility for the two South American neighbours to pool resources for a joint gas development.

“In some areas, like Pluma, more gas was found there [and] less oil. Right across the border in Suriname, they have discovered some gas fields. [So, we’re] looking at the possibility of joint development –all of that will be part of the study [for a National Gas Strategy],” Jagdeo told reporters.

There has been significant gas discovery in Block 58 off the coast of Suriname.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has already been talking about establishing an energy corridor between Guyana

and its two surrounding neighbours, Suriname and Brazil. In fact, the three nations have already held several discussions on combining their ability to create an energy corridor and unlock the potential for a series of

DNA tests positively identify...

As President Dr Irfaan Ali committed to full compensation for affected families, transportation, personal care and hygiene hampers and food packages are being disbursed to community members.

Going forward, Phillips said that efforts will also be made to collaborate with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector and other entities offering support to the victims to implement a coordinated effort to best help individuals who most require it.

CoI

Meanwhile, the Prime

Minister said that the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the dorm fire will help improve dorm facilities across the country.

On Thursday, President Ali, during a press conference, confirmed that a CoI into the fatal fire will be established soon to determine the cause and circumstances of the incident.

“A CoI will serve to identify, from all angles, what may have caused this whole tragedy and also to recommend corrective measures as we seek to improve what we’re doing especially as it relates to housing our students in dorms,” Phillips

said.

FROM PAGE 3

The Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory typically housed some 59 students who lived in villages including Micobie, Karisparu, El Paso and Chenapao.

“We’ll continue to have students in dorms throughout Guyana and coming out of the CoI, in addition to determining the blameworthiness, it will also offer an opportunity for recommendations that will help all of us to improve the dorms and the facilities that we house our students when they’re away from their family,” Phillips said.

manufacturing and industrial development.

However, those talks had featured Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad Santohki, and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was voted out of office in December 2022. His successor, current Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and President Ali are expected to meet in the new week to discuss a wide range of issues, including energy.

The Guyana Government has already declared its intention to monetise its largely untapped gas resources found offshore, which it

said would help to open up new opportunities for trade and energy security between Guyana and its bilateral partners.

The National Gas Strategy, which is expected to be done later this year, will guide the best way possible to do this.

According to Jagdeo, once the ongoing oil block auction and the new model Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) are completed, Government’s attention will be turned to establishing this gas plan.

The strategy will examine, among other things, the type of gas found, the economics of getting it out, the market, and also verifying whether anything else can replace the gas to maintain the reservoirs. Currently, Exxon reinjects the gas in order to maintain the pressure of producing oil wells.

“We’re trying, from the utilisation of these resources, to maximise its value to the country. So that is why we’re looking at, if the gas can be converted to fertilizer or LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and export it… We have to still examine the economics of it – what products you can use the gas for. For example, the gas, when cleaned here, will produce propane, it will produce LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). We can sell

those – the liquids. Then we can use the gas for fertilizer, we can use the gas for basalt fibre – we’re thinking about that and a whole range of [other usage] for the gas, such as to generate more power for other industries. You can use it in cosmetics and in so many other ways,” the Vice President noted.

The Guyana Government has already requested Exxon to prepare a utilisation plan this year for developing its gas discoveries.

Currently, the Ali-led People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration is pursuing its model Gasto-Energy project, which includes the construction of an integrated Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant and a 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

The multi-billion-dollar transformational project will see gas being piped from the Liza Field in the Stabroek Block to onshore at Wales via pipelines that will be procured, installed, and operated by Exxon to the tune of US$1 billion.

Based on studies conducted, ExxonMobil would be able to produce up to 50 million cubic feet of gas per day for this initiative without impacting oil production activities offshore. (G8)

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Magistrates Courts' clerk accused of forging BoG cheques

Salona Wills, an accounts clerk attached to the Diamond/ Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts, who has been slapped with three fraud charges, has pleaded not guilty to any.

The 32-year-old resident of Lot 312 Republic Park, East Bank Demerara has been granted bail in the sum of $100,000 by acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus, before whom she appeared on Friday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that between May 12 and May 16, at Georgetown, she intended to defraud persons unknown to her by tendering three forged Bank of Guyana (BoG) cheques, totalling $2,948,000.

Wills, a single mother of two, was granted bail on the condition that she reports to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters every Friday at 09:00hrs. She has also been ordered by the court to not leave the jurisdiction.

Musings...

…on Independence

Your Eyewitness is writing this on Independence Day - May 26. He knows that, this year, there’s no celebration by the Government because of the Mahdia tragedy. We’re a country in mourning, but, for him, there’s NEVER been any celebration. What was there ever to celebrate?? That Burnham sold out his country by conniving with the Yanks and Brits to remove a democratically elected government and then call it “democracy”?? So, democracy’s a game wherein you can change the rules in the middle of the game in such a way to deliver victory to the leader willing to betray his country?? That’s not cricket, is it?

Hasn’t this set the precedent for the PNC’s present incarnation and their myrmidons demanding “shared governance” whenever they lose?? How can we ever have a stable political system when the colonial power showed the loser that rules don’t really matter?? Should we celebrate Burnham’s splitting of the unified national movement just to satisfy his megalomania - and then leave us so divided after independence that we still haven’t come together 57 years later??

And then there’s the matter of the date chosen for independence – May 26. Why celebrate the day in which the first ethnic cleansing operation in the hemisphere was executed by the PNC at Wismar - and left the IndianGuyanese majority of the populace traumatised?? Didn’t that dastardly act ensure that, while independence gave us a state, we still haven’t become a nation?? Our independence was like that poisoned tree lawyers talk about – the fruit of which inevitably also becomes poisoned. Fiddled electoral arrangements to install the PNC in Government?? So, didn’t Burnham likewise fiddle around electorally for the next twenty-eight years to remain in office – and the excolonials couldn’t tell him anything??

Independence was supposed to deliver economic prosperity, since the exploiters were now gone. So, what happened?? Economic ruination happened, that’s what!! The rice industry was destroyed to spite the PNC’s political opponents – Guyanese-Indians who supported the PPP. The sugar industry was raped by a levy that scooped off the profits, so that the mainly Guyanese-Indian workers couldn’t get their legally mandated share. Ironically, even the bauxite industry - which employed the PNC’s AfricanGuyanese supporters - was destroyed, since they insisted on employing their unqualified “own”!! Karma’s a bitch!! By 1989, we were certified as the second most povertystricken country in the hemisphere – hovering precariously above Haiti!

Your Eyewitness dares anyone to tell him what positive element there was in Independence. The flag, anthem and motto?? The last just mocks us, since we’re certainly neither a nation nor a people – just a common destiny of destitution.

So, your Eyewitness has been in mourning, not just on this “Independence Day”!

…on Mahdia

So, what have we learnt from the Mahdia horror?? That, for one, there are some among us who don’t know “time and place” on account of their hatred of the PPP Government. How in God’s Name can these people talk about blaming the Government for the action of a clearly disturbed young girl?? So, the Government’s to blame for the fella in Chesney who murdered his wife of 30 years and buried her in a shallow grave??

Then there’s all the expressions of sorrow across the land - and even in “foreign”. Forget about doing anything for the survivors or the parents of the girls who perished. Will all these mourners make any changes in their own home that are all encased in steel grills?? Truth of the matter is that grills became a part of our lives because of the crime invasions since the eighties. Make Guyana safe again, and grills will be gone!!

As for Mahdia, let us mourn for ourselves as much as them.

…Local Government Elections

The upcoming June 12 LGE’s gonna push the Mahdia Horror off the front pages, and we’ll be back to the political tits-for-tats. The only question is how many of the PNC’s strongholds the PPP’s gonna capture!!

File photo: Salona Wills being escorted by a Police rank at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in March 2022 TURN TO PAGE 11

OAS committed to strengthening Guyana’s democratic institutions – SG

Guyanese diplomats during the meeting.

Also on Thursday, SG Almagro met with Speaker of the National Assembly in Guyana, Manzoor Nadir, during which the two officials had fruitful discussions on the history of the country’s dynamic political landscape and the importance of representative democracy.

Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro Lemes has reiterated the regional body’s commitment towards working with Guyana on strengthening its democratic institutions.

He made this declaration via a tweet following a meeting with the Guyana Government on Thursday.

The SG is currently on his inaugural visit to Guyana since his appointment to the position in 2015. On Thursday, he met with President Dr Irfaan Ali and several senior Government officials at State House in Georgetown.

According to Almagro, he had “Productive discussion with President Irfaan Ali [and Government] officials on electoral reform, climate change, multidimensional

security, One Guyana policy & Inter-American system.

[The OAS] remains steadfast in its commitment with Guyana on strengthening democratic institutions.”

Later in the day, the OAS Secretary General participated in a civil society engagement hosted by the Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Ministry at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

“It was a great privilege to present to civil society groups representing vary-

Guyana has received high commendation from the OAS Head for its remarkable efforts in fighting

for its people, which often aids in the further unification of the country.

“Guyana has proven itself to be a great defender of democracy. Equally as important, Guyana continues to be a defender of human rights, especially Indigenous People’s rights, and Afro descendant’s rights, recognising to build a nation of unity, all people must be given equitable access to opportunities,” Almagro underscored.

rights of an individual without distinction, to race, nationality, creed or sex,” the he said.

Acknowledging that the Government has been going above and beyond for its people, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira said the achievement was only with the OAS’ support.

The Guyanese Head of State was joined by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo and several Cabinet Ministers as well as

ing interests in Georgetown, Guyana. It is essential that we implement equitable and inclusive policies that stimulate access to opportunities for all,” Almagro said in a tweet.

for the rights of its people, according to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI).

He said Guyana has always been making headway

The Secretary General further noted that Guyana has been one of the countries to instil crucial principles to always protect its people.

“Its Government has continued to reaffirm the principles set out on the US charter, which emphasises the protection and fundamental

“We are deeply appreciative of the Organisation [of] American States, the electoral observer mission heads, former [Jamaican Prime Minister] Bruce Golding, and for the very forthright principal position of the OAS permanent councillor and yourself, in defending, protecting, the democracy of Guyana,” Minister Teixeira emphasised.

OAS SG Luis Almagro joined President Dr Irfaan Ali, his family and other senior Guyanese officials at the 57th Independence Day flag-raising ceremony in Lethem on Thursday evening

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro

Civil Society organisations at the engagement with the OAS Head on Thursday at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown

“Inimical to public policy, against public interest” – AG on Opposition’s bid to stop LGE

Elections (LGE) which are scheduled for June 12.

In a Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed earlier this month, APNU’s Chief Scrutineer Carol Smith-Joseph averred that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) acted unlawfully when it changed the boundaries of 37 constituencies in 19 Local Authority Areas (LAAs).

The Opposition is insisting that the changes violate Article 72 of the Constitution of Guyana, and Section 3 (1) (a) and (b) of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act Cap 28:03.

Inimical to public policy and against the public interest. This is how Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, has described the main parliamentary Opposition’s bid to stop the upcoming Local Government

Consequently, it is seeking an order directing GECOM to comply with the legal provisions in relation to changing the boundaries before the long-overdue elections are held.

In her FDA, SmithJoseph listed GECOM and its Chairperson, Justice of

Appeal (Ret’d) Claudette Singh as the respondents. However, Nandlall argued that given the fact that he is the Government’s principal legal advisor, he ought to have been properly added as a party.

As such, he has applied

to be added to the proceedings, contending that the court has jurisdiction to add the Attorney General pursuant to Rule 56:01 (1) and (3) of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR).

In the execution of his role, Nandlall submitted that he has “a legal and constitutional onus and duty to participate in these proceedings, as the Government’s interests will be directly impacted by any order prohib-

iting the holding of elections as scheduled.”

Inimical to public policy

Should the court exercise its jurisdiction and grant the reliefs claimed by SmithJoseph, the consequence, whether or not intended, would be to deprive the electorate of the right and benefit of choosing their representatives without further delay, argued the Attorney General.

This, he was keen to point out, would be adverse to a democratic system of Government by which each person is entitled to vote, and by which all members of the relevant community are entitled to vote and to exercise that right to be governed by representatives chosen democratically, whether or not individually. According to him, it is “inimical to public policy and against the public interest” for the APNU member to, at this belated hour, seek to prevent the holding of elections when a mere exercise of good conscience could have been utilised for

a much more urgent filing, were the decision of GECOM as unconstitutional and unlawful as alleged.

Additionally, the Senior Counsel, in his filings, said “we are in elections season”, highlighting that preparations for the June 12 polls are already at an advanced stage and considerable resources have already been expended to ensure the efficient conduct and holding of LGE.

TURN TO PAGE 17

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

Chief Justice Roxane George, SC GECOM Chairperson Justice (retired) Claudette Singh

APNU Chief Scrutineer Carol Smith-Joseph

Mental health teams fanning out to all dorms in Guyana – Dr Ramsammy

Given the gravity of the Mahdia dormitory fire and the psychological effects which may affect students living in dorms, mental health teams have been dispatched to offer support to residents of such facilities across the country.

Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Advisor to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, on Thursday informed that while five teams have been sent to Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) to target schools, mental health professionals are also fanning out to all dormitories.

Presently, Mount Sinai, Southcom Health Clinic, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are lending support. A team from Northwell Health is expected this weekend to bolster the mental health response.

“Whilst this is an immediate response, further short-, medium- and longterm responses for mental health will also be in place…We are also cognizant that children attending schools throughout Region Eight will need counselling and mental health support.

Advisor to the Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

These teams will fan out to the various schools,” Dr Ramsammy has said.

“We are also aware that children that are presently accommodated in dorms across the country, particularly in the hinterland, must be traumatised by this experience. Mental health teams are fanning out to these other dorms to provide support,” Dr Ramsammy shared in an update.

Psychiatrists, child psy-

chologists, counselors and social workers make up the teams which have been dispatched to Mahdia. As at Friday, there were five teams in the region.

Dr Ramsammy detailed, “Whilst the medical response is ensuring that all the children are being taken care of, there is also a mental health response…

The mental health teams are also visiting the villages, finding both male and

female students. They are also talking to the teachers, other support staff, to the family members. So, there is a comprehensive mental health response.”

Dr Ramsammy pointed out that every child who was medevacked for treatment in Georgetown has also been offered such services.

“A similar response is being done in Georgetown. All of the children who have been medevacked and are receiving care at the Georgetown Hospital, whilst in hospital and those discharged, are receiving ser-

vices and care from the mental health team,” he posited.

Three more persons were medevacked to Georgetown Public Hospital on Thursday, bringing the total count treated at the hospital up to 32. While two are solely for observation, the third is under intensive care for ingesting a poisonous substance.

It was previously reported that ‘one boy’ who reportedly attempted to commit suicide was extracted through medical evacuation (medevac) effort. This was divulged by Security

Adviser Gerry Gouveia. Six more young people who were placed on suicide watch were also transported there.

As at Thursday, in Mahdia and other villages, the teams have worked with 260 persons, including 126 children.

Director General of the Health Ministry, Dr Vishwa Mahadeo, is providing overall oversight of the medical response in the region, in ensuring that an enhanced medical team remains in place at Mahdia for follow-up in the next three months. (G12)

Magistrates Courts’ clerk...

Her matter has been adjourned until June 13.

In March last year, Wills was charged with embezzling over $3 million in National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) payments from Leibrands Financial Management and Tax Consultancy, where she had been employed as a supervisor. She was granted $200,000 bail after denying the six charges.

The particulars of the

charges alleged that between August 1 and December 20, 2021, at Durban Street, Georgetown, while being a clerk or servant of Leibrands Financial Management and Tax Consultancy, she fraudulently embezzled $3,134,290 in cash received or taken into possession by her for, or on account of, her employer.

The Police Prosecutor had related that, besides receiving funds from clients on behalf of the company, Wills

was also tasked with ensuring that clients pay their employees’ National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions.

In the periods mentioned in the charges, the company’s clients had handed over sums of money to Wills to pay their employees’ NIS and PAYE. The woman, however, allegedly stole those sums of money.

This publication is unaware of the legal status of the latter six charges. (G1)

Guyana's 57th Independence

Independence Anniversary

Final phase of Diamond-to-Good Success bypass road commences

Works on the final part of the bypass road from Diamond to Good Success on the East Bank of Demerara have commenced, thus paving the way for the rehabilitation of the entire EBD highway from Diamond/Grove to Timehri.

This alternative road, which runs from Kaneville/ Grove to Good Success, will facilitate the East Bank traffic while rehabilitation works get underway on the highway.

The Public Works Ministry, in a statement on Friday, assured persons living along the EBD corridor within the Diamond/ Grove area that the construction of the Diamond to Good Success Road will be completed before works start on the highway.

As per the current bypass, the road and bridge works include the widening of community roads and the construction of two reinforced concrete bridges between Diamond and Good Success. In Diamond, the Back, and Third Streets are being rehabilitated and widened; while in New Grove, First Street is

being rehabilitated to link to Kaneville Main Access Road with the construction of a new bridge.

Contracts for this final phase of the bypass were awarded this month and contractors began mobilising.

In the kick-off meeting last Monday to launch the works, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill stressed the importance of this roadway to the development of the East

Bank Demerara corridor.

“This bypass will provide critical road connectivity, precisely why it is being built, to accommodate road users while we rehabilitate and upgrade the EBD highway. I don’t need to tell you how critical this is, you already know, and so I urge representatives of the contractors and utility companies to work assiduously to complete the works within the agreed timelines,” the

Minister stated.

Meanwhile, civil works are also ongoing with the installation of streetlights in all three communities and are scheduled to be completed by the end of this week.

The relocation of utilities has commenced and will be completed in four weeks’ time. Works are presently ongoing in Kaneville Main Access Roads. While works for utility poles and being un-

dertaken in-house.

In relation to the road widening works, contracts were awarded in five lots, the contractors are currently mobilising for the completion of works in July 2023. These works are being funded by the Government of Guyana at a cost of $554 million.

Traffic advisory

The Ministry has noted that travel will only be permitted to cars, SUVs, and buses. No heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be permitted to use the bypass road.

“HGVs will be required

to continue to use the EBD Public Road. In that case, all road users are also urged to follow traffic signages within the proximity of the area, follow designated pedestrian routes, and obey traffic signals,” the Ministry underscored.

Road users were also asked to exercise alertness and patience as changes are expected in the route. Members of the public were cautioned to adhere to posted speed limits and adjust driving speed accordingly when passing through the area.

(G12)

Quamina St accident

No sight of ‘stray dog’ in CCTV footage in accident that killed motorcyclist

Days after 27-yearold Shamar Frank Wilson of Quamina Street in Georgetown died in an accident along the Rupert Craig Highway, Greater Georgetown, due to him colliding with a stray dog, new evidence suggests that might not have been the case.

According to information received, new CCTV footage obtained by investigators revealed that the now dead motorcyclist might have been struck down by another vehicle.

With this new evidence, the Police have arrested a man, who is assisting with the investigations.

Initially, Police had issued a statement relating that Wilson died after he collided with a stray dog in the vicinity of the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Wilson was reportedly riding his motorcycle, CM 1892, when he came into contact with the dog which suddenly darted across the road and into his path.

The collision caused

Dead: Shamar Frank Wilson

Wilson to lose control and crash. He was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

However, with the emergence of the new video footage, the Police are also urging anyone with additional information in connection with the fatal accident to come forward.

OAS committed to...

FROM PAGE 9

The Government has committed to electoral and legislative reforms, contributing to the drive for democracy.

As such, efforts to promote transparency and accountability have seen the passage of the Representation of the People Act (RoPA) and the tabling of the National Registration (Amendment) Act.

Additionally, the establishment of the Constitutional Reform Commission is representative of the Government’s pledge to the maintenance of local democracy.

Moreover, during his visit, SG Almagro on Thursday evening attended Guyana’s 57th Independence Day Flag Raising Ceremony,

which took place, for the first time, in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

The OAS Head said he was honoured to participate in the event. “I applaud President Ali’s inclusiveness in recognising [the] role played by Indigenous people in the country’s development & honouring the victims of the tragedy in Mahdia,” Almagro posited.

The flag-raising ceremony to usher in Guyana’s 57th independence anniversary was transformed into an evening of prayer and reflection in honour of the 19 students who lost their lives in the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire on Sunday last.

Demarcation of the Grove-to-Diamond bypass road

Only 11 SpeechLanguage Therapists in Guyana

…awareness campaign begins for more professionals

Menstrual Health Expo

Period poverty not only health issue but human rights one – organisers

Eleven Speech and Language Therapists currently provide services across Guyana for persons requiring such care, and this has prompted the Health Ministry to encourage persons to join the profession.

Speech and Language

Therapist Sonia Fredericks appeared on the Health Matters programme this week, as the country joins the observance of Better Hearing and Speech Month. According to her, 10 of the 11 Speech and Language Therapists are stationed in Georgetown, posing a challenge in access for other areas. This year, the focus has been on raising awareness on the need for more such health professionals.

“We’re trying to encourage persons to join the profession, and to know where they can go to join the profession. That is our main target for this year… Presently, in Guyana, we only have 11 Speech and Language Therapists serving the entire country,” Fredericks underlined.

Currently, the Health Ministry relies on Rehabilitation Assistants to fill the gaps. But she zeroed in on the need to build a stronger foundation in such services.

“We need more human resources. This is why we have focused on encouraging others and teaching them about the profession, so that many can join and we can build a stronger foundation.”

Speech and Language

Therapists are experts in communication, working with people of all ages in diagnosing and treating communication and swallowing disorders. On the other hand, audiologists specialize in assessing and preventing hearing and balance disorders, as well as providing audiologic treatment. The University of Guyana currently offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Language Therapy and

Audiology under the School of Medicine.

Diverse avenues Fredericks underscored that the profession is not limited to one facility or age group, but offers diverse avenues to practise. If Guyana builds adequate capacity, schools can also benefit from these services. She underscored, “Basically, because we are limited in our human resource, we haven’t been able to play that role in the school setting. We would like to expand our field, so that we can introduce that system too, where you can go into a school and there is a SpeechLanguage Therapist to assist the children.”

According to Kerrianne Richards, who is also a Speech and Language Therapist, Guyana is still seeking to understand what are the trends in relation to autism cases. Currently, the Ministry uses clinical signs and symptoms, or characteristics associated with the condition, to identify where children need assistance.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, interacts with others, and experiences the environment. It is a lifelong disability that starts when a person is born. People with ASD often have problems with social, emotional and communication skills. While there is no cure, research shows that early intervention and treatment can improve a child’s development.

Richards stated, “We’re trying to put ADHD and autism in the same category, but we cannot, because one is an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the other is a nodal developmental disorder…In our clinic, we look at their speech, language and behavioural problem, and not the condition. We work with the child with whatever problem they have.” (G12)

For many in Guyana, particularly in rural communities, conversations surrounding periods and menstrual hygiene and health are still taboo.

“For as long as I can remember, menstrual health [and] hygiene is a topic that is never discussed. Periods

are shunned and considered untidy, and not a normal bodily process,” said Schmel Patrick of Guyana Girls’ Guide Association (GGGA).

“It’s culturally and socially ingrained into us that topics involving our ‘cycle’ should be kept hidden [or] private. But it is critical to

have these conversations to know when problems arise and when medical attention is needed. If we don’t talk about it, we cannot be 100 per cent safe,” added Beaunce Atkinson, Niki Morgan and Arieanna Madray of The Ayvanna Foundation (TAF).

Period poverty, the TAF members explained, is not limited to just the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products but the lack of education surrounding periods and absence of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities.

TURN TO PAGE 16

Speech-Language Therapist Kerrianne Richards

Speech-Language Therapist Sonia Fredericks

Initiatives taken to reduce period poverty across Guyana

Mechanic slapped with causing death by

dangerous driving charge

Shawn Phillip Parasram, a 34-yearold mechanic, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday to answer a charge for the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

He was arraigned before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on May 22, at Camp and Church Streets, Georgetown, he drove a motor car in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Natisha Natalie Fernandes.

The matter has been adjourned to June 13.

Reports are that the accident occurred at about 23:00h on May 22.

According to Police, the accident involved motor car PAD 8395, owned and driven by Parasram, and motor car PTT 7041, owned and driven by a 63-year-old man.

At the time of the accident, Ronda Holder, 30, and Fernandes, also 30, of Kitty, Georgetown, were occupants of motor car PTT 7041.

Police said motor car PAD 8395 was proceeding east on the southern side of Church

Street, approaching the intersection of Church and Camp Streets, where a traffic light is erected and was flashing red in his direction.

Police added that the driver of motor car PAD 8395 failed to stop at the intersection and collided with the right rear portion of motor car PTT 7041, which was proceeding south on the eastern drive lane of Camp Street.

As a result of the collision, both vehicles were damaged extensively. The driver and occupants of motor car PTT 7041 were transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Unfortunately, Fernandes succumbed to her injuries while receiving medical attention.

Breathalyser tests were conducted on Parasram and the driver of motor car PTT 7041, with the results showing 14% and 33% BAC for Parasram and 3% and 6% BAC for the driver of PTT 7041. (G12)

Period poverty not only...

“There are menstruators unaware of critical menstrual hygienic practices such as how long a menstrual product

should be worn, how to properly dispose of them and the different menstrual products that are available to them. These are all topics that should be covered and helps that menstruator to properly deal with their menstrual cycle in a safe and hygienic way,” said Atikinson, Morgan and Madray.

The absence of these basic needs and information is a lapse in the health curriculum in schools and can potentially have adverse effects on individuals’ health, education and mental well-being.

Period poverty is thus not only a health issue but a human right one and as such requires active solutions to solve it, according to Dr Sara Scott, Joy Zammett and Lyndisha Joseph of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Adventures (SRHR-A).

As such, aiming to dismantle this stigma surrounding menstruation and promote more comprehensive menstrual health education, GGGA, TAF and SRHR-A alongside The Breadfruit Collective (TBC) and University of Guyana Female Empowerment Movement (UGFEM) hosted a Menstrual Health and Hygiene Expo on Saturday.

#WeAreCommited

Following this year’s theme for Menstrual Hygiene Day –to be celebrated on Sunday – “#WeAreCommited,” each organisation focused on different topics related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene and health through a panel discussion and information booths.

These included reproductive health, various types of menstrual products, reusable alternatives, menopause, collecting data on period menstruation in Guyana, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and local initiatives relating to period poverty in the country.

FROM PAGE 15

The event also included a variation of activities, games and giveaways to disseminate the information in a more interactive way.

“[We want] to expand the conversation on comprehensive sexual education that is often missed from our school curriculum, to meet people of all ages and talk about menstruation in hopes of breaking down stigma and creating equal access to products,” said TBC’s Christine Samwaroo and Afeefa Richardson.

This is not the first initiative that these five organisations have implemented to dispel misinformation surrounding menstruation and eliminate period poverty in Guyana.

UGFEM recently held an outreach within various high schools to educate girls on what to expect during their period and how to use menstrual products, as well as teach boys on how to approach or operate around a girl on her period.

Meanwhile, TBC hosts regular period drives where they donate products to places like Help and Shelter, St Ann’s Orphanage for Girls, Childlike, The Amerindian Hostel and the Night Shelter.

To women on maintaining their menstrual health, SRHR-A’s Scott, Zammett and Joseph advised women to embrace their flow and take the time to learn about it.

“Proper maintenance of your menstrual health and hygiene starts with knowing exactly how your menstrual experience is unique to you. Know the length of your period and cycle. Know the signs and symptoms of each phase. Know the accompanying emotions. Be conscious of what you take in (food and otherwise). Pay attention to your habits and practices, for example, how often you change your sanitary napkin. Just know yourself and the rest should come easy,” they said.

Dead: Natisha Natalie Fernandes

7 homeless after WCB blaze …pensioner, CXC students among affected

Apensioner and two students who are currently sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams are among seven persons who are now homeless following an early Friday morning blaze at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) . That fire destroyed two houses, but residents are of the opinion that the Fire Department could have saved the second building, had their equipment been functioning.

The fire was reportedly seen at about 12:30h on

Friday, coming from a house where the four occupants are on vacation, having left earlier in the month. The second building was occupied by a 79-year-old pensioner who suffers from a hearing impediment, and three of her grandchildren. The pensioner’s tenant - a family of three - occupied the lower flat. Nothing was saved from any of the buildings.

Reports are that after the fire was seen at the first building, the pensioner’s teenage grandson alerted his siblings, and urged them to get out of the building.

Seventeen-year-old Bibi Isahack told this publica-

tion that she was asleep when her brother broke into her room and woke her up. She said that even though she was not fully awake, she was able to get her 12-yearold brother and her grandmother out of the building.

“I ask him why he chasing me out of the house; allow me to sleep. He said, ‘Girl, get out of the house!’ So, I wake up grandma and I open the door, because he brake the lock, and I go outside in the hallway, and then I feel the heat. And when I look through the window, I see how the place bright, so I thought was we house.”

The teenager said she as-

“Inimical to public policy...

FROM PAGE 10

He pointed out, “Approximately $2.9 billion has been allocated to GECOM for preparatory works to ensure the successful planning and execution of the elections; nomination of candidates; polling stations have been identified and prepared; ballots have been printed; appointment of polling agents etc; training; and media sensitisation campaigns.”

The Attorney General argued that it is therefore in the public and national interest that LGE are held as lawfully determined and scheduled.

“[LGE] are a matter of public importance as they allow citizens to exercise their franchise to elect persons to represent their interests at the level of the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and the National Democratic Councils (NDCs). These elected representatives perform crucial duties, many of which are essential to the proper functioning of their constituencies. [LGE] are past due, having been statutorily due since December 2021.”

This matter will come up before Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton recently announced that the party has instituted legal proceedings concerning, inter alia, instances of forgery and voter impersonation, it has brought to the attention

of GECOM, but which the electoral body has continued to ignore.

Voters’ list

Also, next Tuesday, Justice George will deliver a ruling on the application by Smith-Joseph, challenging the process used by GECOM to compile the voters’ list for the upcoming polls.

“The process employed by the Commission to prepare a Register of Voters for use at the next Local Government Elections has deprived the electors and/or voters of the opportunity to object to persons on the Register of Voters in the manner provided for in, and contemplated by, Local Authorities (Elections) Act Cap 28:03”, Smith-Joseph has deposed in court filings.

In February, three months after it had to reverse the demarcation of constituency boundaries after recognising that Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall was not empowered to make such changes, GECOM approved Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud’s report on the demarcation of constituency boundaries. The changes were gazetted on February 8 despite objections from Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioners.

The Opposition contends that in making the changes, GECOM blatantly disregarded the criteria and procedures for the demarcation

of constituencies that it had previously used.

Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander had previously told another section of the media that the demarcation process entails party representatives and registration officials going out into the fields to agree on the boundaries; however, GECOM would have the final decision on the demarcations.

This court action comes at a time when GECOM is moving full steam ahead in preparing for the polls. In fact, Nominations Day was held on April 17, and saw parties or organisations/ groups or individuals contesting at LGE making their way to a designated location set by GECOM, where their representatives submitted their List of Candidates, as well as signed on to the required documents, such as a code of conduct, in order to contest the elections.

Local Government Elections were initially scheduled for March 13, but disagreements over constituencies and how lists were to be extracted caused a holdup.

LGE were constitutionally due at the end of 2021, but GECOM was without a Chief Election Officer and could not have prepared to host the elections. GECOM, a constitutional body, was allocated $5.2B in the 2023 National Budget to carry out its functions. (G1)

sisted her grandmother out of the building and ensured that her elder and younger brothers were also out.

“Before I walk out, I remember that the girl living downstairs, and I go and hit down the door and tell her to come out of the house, and she come out. When we go outside and walk at the side, we didn’t see any fire on we house; the fire was on the back house,” she explained.

According to the teenager, the fire started to spread to their house just before the Onverwagt Fire Department arrived. She said it was only a curtain hanging at the window which was in flames when they arrived on the scene. She said firefighters sprayed water on the roof of their house, and after a few seconds, reported that the water had finished.

Video footage of the incident seen by this publication shows firefighters standing in the street with a hose spraying water. The water coming from the hose lasted a few seconds before the pressure dropped significantly, making it impossible for the water to be directed at a location.

“It is then the fire start to catch by the back verandah, on the wood itself; and they just stood there and watched. Persons were shouting at them to use the trench water. So, two men went into the trench and start digging the mud so they could place the pump. When they finish digging, then they tell the two persons in the trench that the pump not working.”

Residents have expressed disappointment at the firefighters from Onverwagt.

One businesswoman who lives next door to the pensioner said one unit from New Amsterdam in Region Six went to their rescue, and the firefighters were prepared for the work at hand.

According to Revina Khemraj, she was awoken by the sounds of loud explosions, and when she looked outside, she saw the burning building.

She said she was able

to contact emergency services, and after about forty-five minutes, the Fire Service from the next village, Onverwagt, arrived.

“When they came, it was another situation. By the time they set up the hose, the water that they had on the truck was not enough. The curtain on this pensioner’s house started to catch. At that time, if the Fire Service at that time could have rendered assistance when they came on the scene and they had water, the lady’s house could have been saved.”

Khemraj said she is not pleased with the service they have been receiving from the Fire Department in Region Five, and she made mention of other instances. “They are not doing their job properly. When the fire

truck from New Amsterdam came, they had water. They could have gotten water from the canal. Thank you, guys!” she said.

The fire also caused minor damage to two other buildings. Nevertheless, the teenager related that she and her brother are currently sitting the CSEC examinations. This, she added, will have a major setback for them, since all their study materials were destroyed in the blaze.

Regional Parliamentarian Fizal Jaffarally has expressed concern over the action of the Onverwagt Fire Department. Meanwhile, persons willing to assist the family can make contact with them at (592) 6819017. (G4)

The aftermath of the fire at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice

Cuba says no quick fix as economic crisis drags on

There is no quick fix for Cuba's sputtering economy, its Economy Minister said on Thursday, as inflation, fuel shortages, plunging farm production and a cash crunch drag on output and continue to fan discontent in the communist-run island nation.

Economy Minister Alejandro Gil, in an hourlong presentation before newly elected lawmakers, said there was too little foreign currency on the island to pay for coveted fuel, food and farm imports, meaning Cuba would increasingly scrape by with what it can produce at home.

"If we can´t produce it, we won´t have it," Gil told lawmakers, referring specifically to some food products and urging legislators and municipalities to put renewed impetus on farm output this year and next.

A severe economic crisis in Cuba, among the worst since Fidel Castro´s 1959 revolution, has led to shortages of food, fuel and medicine and contributed to a record-breaking exodus of migrants north to the

United States.

Tourism, once a key driver of much-needed foreign exchange, has struggled to revive, with visitor numbers between January and April this year at only half that of the same period in 2019, Gil said.

That has left the country short of the foreign currency necessary to import critical farming necessities like fertiliser and animal feed.

Fuel that might otherwise help bolster farm production and deliver goods

Peruvian Police seize cocaine bricks wrapped in Nazi insignia

Peru’s anti-narcotics

Police have seized 58kg (127 pounds) of cocaine headed for Belgium in packages bearing Nazi symbols and imprinted with the name of Germany’s wartime leader Hitler.

The drugs were hidden in 50 packages the size of bricks, each one bearing a Nazi swastika, according to pictures released by Police on Thursday. Some of the packages were open with the word “Hitler” written in high relief on the compacted white powder.

The drugs were found in a Liberian-flagged boat in the small northern port town of Paita, close to the border with Ecuador. The ship had come from Guayaquil, the Ecuadoran port city known as a major jumping-off point for South American drugs heading to the United States and Europe.

Police did not say if any-

changes

Brazil's Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha said on Friday the Government still has the instruments to maintain its sustainability agenda, even as Congress moves to weaken key Ministries' environmental powers.

His remarks come after a congressional committee approved a proposal Wednesday to the gut the Environmental Ministry of its oversight of the rural land registry. The Bill also removed the Indigenous

Ministry of its power to demarcate Indigenous lands.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met earlier on Friday with Environmental Minister Marina Silva and Indigenous Peoples' Minister Sonia Guajajara and said the Government will try to revert the changes proposed in the Bill.

The Ministers left the meeting knowing that there will not be losses in those Ministries, Padilha told reporters after.

Lula is under pressure to generate jobs in a

long-lagging economy that has grown more dependent on environmentally threatening agricultural exports. Yet, he has staked his international reputation on slowing deforestation which surged under his predecessor, far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Friday's meeting intended to assure the Ministers and reaffirm that the Government will not set aside campaign commitments if the changes come into effect. (Reuters)

to market has been re-routed to electricity generation, Gil said. Cuba used nearly twice as much diesel as planned to produce electricity in the first four months of 2023, the Economy Minister added. Soaring food prices, due to inefficiencies and dwindling production, have far outpaced the buying power of most Cubans, Gil said, leaving many with salaries short of covering their "basic needs." (Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexican officials find 175 migrants in truck near southern border

Mexican authorities found 175 migrants, mostly from Guatemala, crowded into a truck trailer in the southern state of Chiapas, the National Migration Institute (INM) said on Friday, in the latest mass human smuggling incident to be detected in the country.

IMF predicts 3.9% growth of Grenada economy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

one was arrested.

The Peruvian Police’s anti-drug directorate showed videos and photographs to the Associated Press news agency revealing that the drugs were hidden inside the ventilation system of a container. Police continued to search the more than 80 containers on the vessel.

Drugs wrapped in Nazi insignia is a new development for Peruvian Police who have previously reported finding cocaine in brickshaped packages with various and strange symbols.

After its neighbour Colombia, Peru is the largest producer of cocaine in the world, with about 400 tonnes produced each year, according to official figures.

The country is also one of the largest producers of coca leaf, a product that is legal when used to chew or make an infusion but is also the primary material in cocaine. (Al Jazeera)

Friday said Grenada is navigating the recovery from the twin shocks of the pandemic and a rise in energy and food prices and that the island’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have expanded by 6.4 per cent in 2022.

In a statement following an IMF mission to the Caribbean island, the Washington-based financial institution said that Grenada’s decisive policy response, supported by the policy space that was created from past fiscal prudence, provided space to cushion the impact of these shocks.

It said as the recovery takes hold, the immediate policy priorities are to return to the fiscal rules to preserve credibility and to deepen structural reforms to promote robust, inclusive, and sustainable growth.

The IMF said enhancing the fiscal framework and increasing public expenditure efficiency will help create fiscal buffers against fu-

ture shocks and make space for the country’s development and resilience building needs.

“Measures to increase competitiveness, such as promoting gender equality, investing in skills development, and expanding digitalisation, would help boost economic growth.”

The IMF said that the economic recovery is taking hold and that tourism activity has rebounded strongly, with stay-over tourist arrivals reaching 80 per cent of their pre-crisis levels, and private and public construction projects also contributed to the growth.

“There was a sharp fall in agricultural production, however, largely due to adverse weather. Inflation rose modestly to 2.6 per cent on average in 2022 despite the surge in global food and energy prices, as the authorities’ policy response, such as the temporary removal of the petrol tax and of the value added tax (VAT) on basic food items, helped dampen the inflation pressure from higher global prices.” (Excerpt from CMC)

Members of the National Institute of Migration (INM) and Police officer are monitoring close to migrants after finding 175 migrants, mostly from Guatemala, crowded into a truck trailer in the southern state of Chiapas, when it was stopped at a checkpoint in Chiapas, Mexico, according to the INM statement, in this photo released on May 26, 2023 and distributed by INM

Immigration agents heard yells and banging coming from inside the vehicle when it was stopped at a checkpoint in Chiapas, INM said in a statement.

Although the driver refused to open the truck's back door, the faces of migrants could be seen through vents in the compartment, INM said.

Images released by the institute showed people standing closely together inside the truck before descending one by one with the help of INM agents.

Most of the migrants were from Guatemala, with others from Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras. One person was from the Dominican Republic and one from Pakistan.

The group included 28 unaccompanied minors from Guatemala and two from El Salvador.

Migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Latin America frequently pay smugglers in an attempt to pass through Mexico clandestinely on their route to the US. One group detected this year included more than 300 people in a truck trailer in the eastern state of Veracruz.

US Homeland Security official Blas Nunez-Neto said last week that migrant encounters at the USMexico border have dropped 70% since the end of COVID-era border restrictions known as Title 42 on May 11.

Still, the number of US-bound migrants crossing the dangerous jungle between Panama and Colombia has soared this year, Panamanian data shows, underscoring the challenge the US faces as it seeks to curb surging migration. (Reuters)

T&T: Father of 3 gunned down in front of girlfriend

Abudding singer and father of three was gunned down while walking along Milk Road, Turure, Sangre Grande.

Kerwyn Coa, 33, of Milk Road, died on the spot after a gunman shot him several times in front of his girlfriend, who escaped the attack unhurt.

According to Police reports, around 4:30 pm, Coa had just purchased KFC and mangoes and was walking along Milk Road with his girlfriend when his attacker jumped out of some bushes and began firing at him. Coa ran a short distance to avoid the gunman, who followed him and continued firing.

Coa eventually fell on the roadway and died instantly.

Police officers from the Sangre Grande CID, Task Force and Homicide officers from the Arouca Bureau Region 2 responded.

Relatives who rushed to the scene cried continuously after getting there, some hugging and consoling each

other.

Meanwhile, villagers who rushed out their houses looked on in shock, noting they had just seen Coa minutes before with his girlfriend.

Relative Lee Coa said Kenwyn was a single parent, as he was responsible for taking care of his first

child, a boy, from his first relationship, while other the children lived with their mother.

He said Coa was a budding singer and was friends with some of the popular local artistes.

“He was focused on becoming a professional singer, that was his goal. He sel-

dom limed, as his interest was on his son,” Lee said.

Kerwyn’s girlfriend was said to be traumatised by the incident and could not speak.

Asked about his son, Lee said he too was traumatised and would be taken care of by his aunt. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Brazil still has tools to meet sustainability plan, says Minister, amid legal

People buy vegetables on the street in downtown Havana, Cuba, November 30, 2022

Around The World OIL NEWS

Russian attack on Ukrainian clinic kills 2 and wounds 30, Kyiv says

Oil prices rise as US closes in on debt deal

Oil prices ticked up on Friday as US officials appeared close to striking a debt-ceiling deal, and as the market weighed conflicting messages on supply from Russia and Saudi Arabia ahead of the next OPEC+ policy meeting.

Brent crude settled 69 cents, or 0.9%, higher at US$76.95 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate closed up 84 cents, or 1.2%, at US$72.67 a barrel.

On a weekly basis, both benchmarks posted a second week of gains with Brent climbing 1.7%, while WTI rose 1.6%.

Still, markets remained cautious as debt talks may drag on and there are fresh worries about a Federal Reserve interest rate hike next month that would curb demand after strong US consumer spending data and inflation readings.

While it is possible negotiators will reach a deal on Friday to raise the US Government's US$31.4 trillion debt ceiling, talks could easily spill over into the weekend, a Biden Administration official said.

Benchmarks had settled more than US$2 per barrel lower on Thursday after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak played down the prospect of further OPEC+ production cuts at its meeting in Vienna on June 4.

Russia was leaning toward leaving oil production volumes unchanged because Moscow is content with current prices and output, three sources with knowledge of current Russian thinking told Reuters.

That contrasted with earlier hints of possible output cuts from Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, de-facto leader of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), who warned short sellers to "watch out."

Bets on falling oil prices have risen.

"I think we all are on guard here ahead of next week's OPEC meeting," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital.

Money managers cut their net long US crude futures and options positions in the week to May 23, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.

Meanwhile, US demand for gasoline is expected to remain strong with motorist group AAA predicting the May 27-29 Memorial Day holiday weekend will be the third-busiest for auto travel since 2000.

On the supply side, US oil rigs fell five to 570 this week, according to a report from energy services firm Baker Hughes Co. In May, the oil count fell by 21 rigs, which was the biggest monthly drop since June 2020.

However, slowing economic growth and sticky inflation in Europe has capped price gains, with Dutch Central Bank chief Klaas Knot saying the European Central Bank needs at least two more 25-basis-point interest rate hikes. (Reuters)

ARussian missile hit a clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, killing two people and wounding 30 in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called a crime against humanity.

Video footage showed a devastated building with smoke pouring out of it and rescue workers looking on. Much of the upper floor of what appeared to be a three-storey building had been badly damaged. A covered corpse lay in the road nearby.

"Another (Russian) missile attack, another crime against humanity," Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter.

He said a psychological clinic and a veterinary clinic had been hit, and added: "Only an evil state can fight against clinics. There can be

no military purpose in this. It is pure Russian terror."

Regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said a 69-yearold man had been killed as he passed the clinic and another man's body had been

pulled from the rubble. He said 30 people had been wounded, including two children, and contact had not yet been made with three people thought to have been in the building when it

was hit.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry called the attack a serious war crime under the Geneva Conventions, which set out how soldiers and civilians should be treated in war.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had carried out an overnight strike on Ukrainian ammunition depots.

"The target of the strike has been achieved. All designated facilities were hit," the RIA news agency quoted it as saying.

Moscow has dismissed allegations that its soldiers have committed war crimes and denies deliberately targeting civilians although it has bombarded cities across Ukraine since invading 15 months ago. (Excerpt from Reuters)

More time for debt-ceiling deal as US pushes back possible default date

Democratic and Republican negotiators on Friday got more time to reach a deal to raise the US Government's US$31.4 trillion debt ceiling, as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government was likely to run out of money to pay its bills on June 5, four days later than she previously predicted.

Yellen's announcement gives a bit more breathing room for Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy to reach an accord to raise the Federal Government's self-imposed borrowing limit and avert a potentially disastrous default.

Negotiators appear to be nearing a deal to lift the limit for two years, but remain at odds over whether to stiffen work requirements for some anti-poverty pro-

grammes.

Any agreement would have to win approval in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democraticcontrolled Senate before Biden could sign it into law -- a process that could take more than a week.

The two sides have tentatively reached an agreement that would cap spending on many Government programmes next year, according to a US official.

But the safety-net programmes remained a sticking point.

Biden and his Democrats have resisted a Republican push to require childless adults under 56 years old to show they are working or looking for work in order to qualify for the Medicaid health plan and the SNAP food-assistance programme.

The Republican proposal

would require more participants in those programmes to show they are working or looking for work. That would save US$120 billion over 10 years but also

force more than 1 million Americans out of those programmes, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

India official empties dam to retrieve lost phone

AGovernment official in India has been suspended after he ordered a reservoir to be drained to retrieve his phone.

It took three days to pump millions of litres of water out of the dam, after Rajesh Vishwas dropped the device while taking a selfie.

By the time it was found, the phone was too water-logged to work.

Vishwas claimed it contained sensitive Government data and needed retrieving, but he has

Scientists find 5000 new species in Pacific, warn of mining risk

Astudy has identified

more than 5000 new species living in deepsea habitats in the Pacific Ocean in a region known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a seabed targeted for mining in the coming years.

The zone extends roughly 6 million sq km (2.3 million sq miles) between Hawaii and Mexico.

Researchers said on Thursday that they had identified 5578 species in the zone, of which 92 per cent were new to science.

“There are 438 named, known species from the CCZ,” said the study’s lead author, Muriel Rabone, deep-sea ecologist at the

Natural History Museum

London. “But then there are

5142 unnamed species with informal names.”

“These are species that haven’t been described yet, meaning we might know the genus but can’t identify the

species. It is actually a lot more than I thought.”

Most species recorded were arthropods, invertebrates with exoskeletons made of chitin, such as shrimp, crabs and horseshoe crabs. Others were worms in the annelid and nematoda groups.

The scientists used taxonomic surveys for the area that began decades ago as well as data made available by the International Seabed Authority, which has requested companies interested in mining collect and share environmental information.

The findings illustrate that “the CCZ represents

significant undescribed biodiversity” and “the novelty of the region at deep taxonomic levels”, said the study, published in the Current Biology journal.

According to the research, mineral exploration started in the 1960s, and there are 17 contracts for mineral exploration covering 1.2 million sq km (463,000sq miles) with companies from several countries, including Canada, China, the United Kingdom and the US.

“If there are mining operations and we don’t know what species are there, that’s a big risk,” Rabone told media outlets. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

been accused of misusing his position.

The food inspector dropped his Samsung phone, worth about US$1200 (100,000 rupees), into Kherkatta Dam, in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, on Sunday. After local divers failed to find it, he paid for a diesel pump to be brought in, Vishwas said in a video statement quoted in Indian media.

He said he had verbal permission from an official to drain "some water into a nearby canal", adding that the official said it "would in fact benefit the farmers who would have more water".

The pump ran for several days, emptying out some two million litres (440,000 gallons) of water - reportedly enough to irrigate 6 sq km (600 hectares) of farmland.

His mission was stopped when another official, from the water resource department, arrived following a complaint.

"He has been suspended until an inquiry. Water is an essential resource and it cannot be wasted like this,"

Priyanka Shukla, a Kanker district official,

told The National newspaper.

Vishwas has denied misusing his position, and said that the water he drained was from the overflow section of the dam and "not in usable condition".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Rescuers work at the site of a clinic heavily destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, May 26, 2023

Fauna from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone [Images from the study How Many Metazoan Species Live in the World’s Largest Mineral Exploration Region/Current Biology]

DAILY HOROSCOPES

(March 21-April 19)

Don't overdo it or let anyone take advantage of you. Relax, rethink your plans and adjust whatever is slowing you down. Don't structure your life to suit others when success is your responsibility.

Think big and get involved in something that makes you feel good about yourself. Hard work will make a difference and provide insight into how you want to live your life and spend your time.

(April 20-May 20)

PEANUTS

(May 21-June 20)

Stop, reevaluate what's happening around you and avoid doing something unwise. Choose discipline over emotional mayhem. Do something that you find satisfying or that will benefit you.

Pitch in and help others. Express your concerns and suggest solutions. An interesting idea will lead to a new way to spend time and make extra cash. Try not to take on too much or stretch your budget.

(June 21-July 22)

Rethink your financial strategy. You'll have to tighten your purse strings if you want to save money. Don't let others define or change you. Make your intentions and desires clear.

(July 23-Aug. 22)

CALVIN

AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Be receptive to information that comes your way, but verify its validity before you share it with others. Be energetic but not aggressive in all things today.

Rearrange your home to suit your needs. Sort and declutter. Don't let laziness set in when you know you'll feel better once you have everything in order. Keep busy and learn as you go.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Fill in the blanks, and you'll get your answer. You can fix an emotional situation if you share your feelings. Don't let your secretive nature stand between you and something you want. Love is favored.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Don't fold under pressure. Someone will use emotional manipulation to push you in a questionable direction. Put your energy into something that will strengthen your position.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Head to a place that puts your mind at ease and brings you the comfort and confidence you require to move forward. Focus on home, family and improving your relationships with others.

Stick close to home. Bypass situations that are extreme, tense or indulgent. Observe rather than get involved in something that can disrupt a relationship. Keep the ball rolling.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Put every ounce of your energy into what's important to you. Turn an idea into a way to save money and live with less tension. Spend time pampering yourself and relaxing with a loved one.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Tata IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians…

Gujarat Titans into another IPL final

-thanks to Shubman Gill's magical century

Shubman Gill's majestic 129 off 60 balls has powered Gujarat Titans into the final of IPL 2023 with a 62-run win over Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad. Titans will face Chennai Super Kings at this very ground on Sunday in a bid to defend their title.

Rain had earlier delayed the match by 30 minutes, and with the weather around, Rohit Sharma opted to chase after winning the toss. Titans didn't have a great start, but Gill's knock lifted them to a mammoth 233 for 3.

This was Gill's third hundred in four matches. Only Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler (four each) have scored more in a single edition of the IPL. The knock took Gill's run tally to 851. Once again, only Kohli (973 in 2016) and Buttler (863 in 2022) have had more productive seasons.

No team had chased down such a high score in the IPL. And then Mumbai lost two early wickets. But they didn't go down without a fight. Suryakumar

Yadav and Tilak Varma took them to 72 in six overs, before Rashid Khan castled the latter. From there on, Suryakumar kept them in the contest almost single-

handedly with his 61 off 38.

Mohit Sharma, however, uprooted Suryakumar’s leg stump when the batter missed a scoop, and in the next over, Rashid trapped Tim David lbw to end Mumbai's hopes.

Mohit, who hadn't bowled till the 14th over, used his slower balls to good effect, and finished with figures of 2.2-0-10-5.

Unstoppable Gill

Despite scoring at least one four in every over from the second to the fifth, Titans reached only 38 for no loss after five. Gill then latched onto Chris Jordan in the last over of the powerplay. The second legal delivery of the over was too short, and sat up on this sticky pitch. Gill waited for it, and pulled it with disdain over deep square leg. The next one was slightly short outside off. Gill once again showed no mercy, and cut it ferociously to the cover boundary.

Luck was also on Gill's side. In the same Jordan over, he punched one uppishly to the right of mid-on, where Tim David dived, got both hands to the ball, but couldn't hold on to it. He was on 30 at that point.

Titans finished the pow-

erplay on 50 for no loss, but Wriddhiman Saha was struggling for timing. In the fourth over of the innings, Akash Madhwal had hit him on the helmet with a skiddy bounc er, and soon after, Piyush Chawla had him stumped with a leg-side wide. It was the sixth time in 16 innings this season that Chawla struck in his first over of the match.

Gill brought up his fifty off 32 balls. And then he cut loose. In a space of nine balls, he hit five sixes and a four off Madhwal and Chawla. He didn't slow down, even in the 90s; his second fifty took just 17 balls. Immediately af ter reaching his hundred, he smashed Cameron Green for 6, 4 and 6. By the time Gill holed out to deep midwicket, off Madhwal, Titans had reached 192 in the 17th over.

Sudharsan retired

All this happened while Sai Sudharsan was playing second fiddle to Gill. But with nine wickets in hand, Titans needed both batters to attack. The 18th and 19th overs combined went for just 16, after which Titans retired out Sudharsan, who scored 43 off 31. Rashid replaced him in the middle, and hit his first ball for four. Hardik

NBA Eastern Conference Finals 2023…

applied the finishing touch, hit- ting the last two balls of the innings for four and six.

Rashid, Mohit trump mighty Mumbai Varma started by hitting two sixes in his first four balls, and then smashed Shami for four fours and a six in a 24-run over. He had moved to 43 off just 13 with 100% control over his shots. Hardik turned to Rashid in an attempt to put the brakes on the scoring rate. The spin-

Celtics rout Heat to force Game 6

performance.

The Celtics shot over 50 percent from the field, and were 16 of 39 from 3-point range, including White going 6 of 8.

Boston are 34 of 84 from deep in the past two games, after going 31 for 106 in the first three games of the series.

by bowling Varma when the batter tried to sweep him. It was a rare kind of delivery; the speed was less than 85kph. Rashid is usually way quicker.

At the fall of Varma's wicket, Green - who had retired hurt in the 2nd over, taking a blow to his left arm - came out to resume his innings, and was looking dangerous. He and Suryakumar added 52 in 5.2 overs, before Josh Little pinged his leg stump with a delivery that seamed in from good length.

Suryakumar, though, was still battling in the middle. He reached his fifty, off 33 balls, with a scooppull over the wicketkeeper's head, and brought down the

equation to 79 needed from 34 balls before Mohit sent him packing. Two balls later, the seamer had Vishnu Vinod - on as concussion sub for Ishan Kishan, who got accidentally elbowed in the face by Jordan - caught at extra cover.

David was Mumbai's last hope. Hardik, as always, had saved Rashid's one over, and brought him on in the 16th. With his third ball, Rashid trapped David lbw. The batter reviewed the decision, but he couldn't have been more out.

From the other end, Mohit cleaned up the tail to pick up his maiden five-for in T20 cricket.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Gujarat Titans (20 ovs maximum)

Wriddhiman Saha †st

†Ishan Kishan b Chawla 18

Shubman Gill c David b Madhwal 129

Sai Sudharsan retired out 43

Hardik Pandya (c) not out 28

Rashid Khan not out 5

Extras (lb 2, nb 2, w 6) 10

TOTAL 20 Ov (RR: 11.65) 233/3

Cameron Green b Little 30

Suryakumar Yadav b Sharma 61

Tilak Varma b Rashid Khan 43

Vishnu Vinod c Pandya b Sharma 5

Tim David lbw b Rashid Khan 2

Chris Jordan c Sai Sudharsan b Sharma 2

Piyush Chawla c Miller b Sharma 0

Kumar Kartikeya c

Miller b Sharma 6

Jason Behrendorff not out 3

Extras (lb 2, nb 1, w 4) 7

Boston scored 20 of the game's first 25 points, and held a comfortable lead the rest of the way to cut the series’ deficit to 3-2. The Celtics will try to prolong their season again

when the series moves back to Miami for Game 6 on Saturday. They are two wins away from becoming the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series,

after 150 previous teams failed to do so.

Marcus Smart had 23 points, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each added 21 in Boston's second consecutive strong shooting

Duncan Robinson led Miami with 18 points off the bench, while Jimmy Butler was held to 14 - his lowest total of the postseason. The Heat committed 10 firsthalf turnovers, and trailed 61-44 at the break. Miami point guard Gabe Vincent sat out with a sprained left ankle, and was replaced in the starting lineup by Kyle Lowry, who had five points and four turnovers in 30 minutes. (Sportsmax)

Fall of wickets: 1-54 (Wriddhiman Saha, 6.2 ov), 2-192 (Shubman Gill, 16.5 ov), 3-214 (Sai Sudharsan, 18.6 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Jason Behrendorff 4-0-28-0

Cameron Green 3-0-35-0

Akash Madhwal 4-0-52-1

Chris Jordan 4-0-56-0

Piyush Chawla 3-0-45-1

Kumar Kartikeya 2-0-15-0

Mumbai Indians (T: 234 runs from 20 ovs)

Rohit Sharma (c) c Little

b Mohammed Shami 8

Nehal Wadhera c †Saha

b Mohammed Shami . 4

TOTAL 18.2 Ov (RR: 9.32) 171

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Nehal Wadhera, 0.5 ov), 1-17 (1.5 ov), 2-21 (Rohit Sharma, 2.2 ov), 3-72 (Tilak Varma, 5.6 ov), 4-124 (Cameron Green, 11.2 ov), 5-155 (Suryakumar Yadav, 14.3 ov), 6-156 (Vishnu Vinod, 14.5 ov), 7-158 (Tim David, 15.3 ov), 8-161 (Chris Jordan, 16.1 ov), 9-162 (Piyush Chawla, 16.3 ov), 10-171 (Kumar Kartikeya, 18.2 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W

Mohammed Shami 3-0-41-2

Hardik Pandya 2-0-24-0

Rashid Khan 4-0-33-2

Noor Ahmad 4-0-35-0

Josh Little 3-0-26-1

Mohit Sharma 2.2-0-10-5

Celtics avoided elimination again, routing Heat to force Game 6

Gill's hundred pleased everyone, including Rohit

Coach Sammy in conversation with Hetmyer, Lewis, Russell and Narine for possible WI return

Newly appointed West Indies white-ball Head Coach Daren Sammy has been in conversation with T20 stars Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Evin Lewis and Sunil Narine relative to their possible return to the West Indies team.

According to Sammy, he has been having conversations with Hetmyer and Lewis, along with Russell and Narine; and he has been encouraged by those talks.

“I would like to make it know that everyone who plays regional cricket is available, or indicating that they are available, for West Indies selection,” Sammy has declared.

“I have had conversa-

tions with both Hetmyer and Evin Lewis. Having played not too long ago, and understanding the complaints of players and the lack…of… communication, I think it is important for us to communicate. It sounds simple, but just the clear communica-

tion makes the process better, and it gives you a better understanding,” Sammy has said.

“Yes, we have had indepth conversations with Shimron and Evin Lewis about their mindset and their plans, and where they

see West Indies cricket in align with themselves. I must say the feedback has been positive. Guys like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, I have reached out to them as well, to hear what are their thoughts, because they still take part in our domestic competitions (CPL),” this dynamic St Lucian, who has led the West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles, added.

“But it takes honest, mature conversations, which I am not afraid to have with players. That is the position on that. I am encouraged by the discussion we have had when it comes to West Indies cricket and outlining clear plans on how we integrate,” Sammy continued.

“These players, when you look at the calibre of Shimron, I am sure it hurts the fans to see him perform elsewhere, and not in the maroon,” Sammy said.

Lewis last played for the West Indies in October 2022, while Hetmyer last played in August 2022. Russell played his last game for West Indies in November 2021, while Narine last wore the maroon colours in August 2019. (Brandon Corlette)

Lara gets thumbs up from CWI President

CWI

President Dr

Kishore Shallow has said the feedback from Brian Lara’s involvement with the West Indies international teams has been positive so far.

The new Cricket West Indies president made this remark when he addressed several issues on the Mason and Guest cricket radio programme on the Voice of Barbados on Tuesday night.

Former WI captain Lara, hired as a performance mentor in January, has a contract that would last until the end of next year. Shallow has said his understanding is that the legendary WI batter has had a positive impact.

“Basically, the feedback

from the players and management who have engaged Brian is quite positive. There are some who gave examples of exchanges with him that have already manifested in positive results,” Shallow has said.

Among those is batsman Alick Athanaze, who credited Lara with improving his form in the CWI Four-Day Championship after he spent time with the world Test record-holder.

Athanaze scored the most runs in an innings during the tour of South Africa earlier this year.

“And others have expressed similar sentiments,” stressed Shallow.

With the myriad of limited overs’ leagues engag-

ing the services of WI players, Shallow had this to say on the topic of player availability: “We have to have the conversation with the players. At this point, I can’t say there is one player who has made him or herself un-

available for selection. So, it is really for the director of cricket and the lead selectors to reach out to the players, probably have a forum, probably one-on-one in some cases, and just to confirm the availability of those players. Probably it would help if we had that extended schedule…so they could know their commitments.”

Shallow has said that while the CWI is happy that players, whom he said have a short career, could be contracted to leagues throughout the world to earn more income, it is imperative for them to be there for the Windies.

“What we want though, is for them to be available to us for international duty, to represent the West Indies. And by us communicating, we will certainly understand that; and hopefully, with more confidence in the system, with some frank discussions, we would hopefully have those players available at all times, so we could always have our best 11 on the field,” he explained.

On the matter of WI cricketer Devon Thomas being suspended by the ICC

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for seven breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code, Shallow said he was shocked to learn the news, and said the CWI must do better with their education of players.

“We have to continue our drive to sensitise cricketers to the risks of corruption, of doping in the game,” he said.

The 33-year-old Thomas last played for the West Indies in December 2022, when he made his Test debut in Adelaide against Australia. Thomas has 14 days from May 23 2023 to respond to the charges made against him. The charges involve “contriving or being party to an agreement to fix or attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of matches in the Lanka Premier League 2021,” according to an ICC statement released on Tuesday.

Thomas has also been charged under several other codes, including failing to disclose full details of an approach in the Lanka Premier League 2021, Abu Dhabi T10 2021, and CPL 2021. (T&T Express)

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Brian Lara

Kevin Sinclair takes five wickets as West Indies ‘A’ beat Bangladesh ‘A’

The five-wicket haul of Player of the Match, Kevin Sinclair, and Brandon King’s half-century, his first useful score on tour so far, steered West Indies ‘A’ to a narrow three-wicket victory over Bangladesh ‘A’ at Syhlet International Stadium on Friday.

Resuming from their overnight score of 274-6, a lead of 166, the hosts managed to add only 23 runs to their score, and were bowled out for 297, giving them a lead of 189. Chasing victory, the West Indies were in trouble at 70-5, before King scored a stabilizing 54 that led the West Indies to 191-7 in 49.5 overs.

Irfan Sukkur, 64 not out, and Nayeem Hasan, on 14 overnight, extended their 65-run partnership to 78 before it was broken when Jair McAllister had Hasan caught behind for 17. Sinclair then dismissed

Tanzim Hasan Hakib and Sukkur in quick succession, for four and 72 respectively, before McAllister ended the innings with the wicket of Khaled Ahmed for a duck with the score at 297.

Sinclair finished with the impressive figures of 5-79 to go with his first innings’ take of 2-44. McAllister, the Player of the Match in the first drawn unofficial Test, finished with 2-42, while Akeem Jordan took 2-38.

Chasing a target of 190 for victory, the West Indies were in danger of relinquishing their grip on the match when they lost their first five wickets for just 70 runs. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Raymon Reifer each scored 22 before losing their wickets to Saif Hasan. Kirk McKenzie made 12, and Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze each made four, as the tourists’ run chase faltered.

However, Brandon King,

who has had a terrible time of it so far with two consecutive ducks, found some form to help stage a West Indies recovery with a well-played 54, as he and Captain Joshua da Silva added a crucial 76 runs for the sixth wicket.

That stand was ended when King was dismissed by Tanvir Islam with the West Indies’ still 44 runs shy of their target. Things got worse when the bowl er also had Sinclair caught behind for four. Da Silva and Akeem Jordan then combined to score the remaining runs.

The captain scored an unbeaten 47 for the second time in the match, and

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh A 2nd Innings

Shadman Islam lbw

b Akeem Jordan 74

Zakir Hasan c J Da Silva

b Raymon Reifer 13

Saif Hassan c Kevin Sinclair

Akeem Jordan scored 22 from 20 balls as the West Indies ‘A’ secured victory at 191-7.

Tanvir Islam took 4-52 and Saif Hasan 2-24 in the losing cause. (Sportsmax)

People’s Day Horse Meet and Lime postponed

With rain having fallen constantly in the last couple of days, and with more rain forecasted for the coming days, the seven-race card dubbed the People’s Day Horse Meet and Lime, set for staging on Sunday, May 28 at the Rising Sun Turf Club on the West Coast of Berbice in Region Five, has been postponement to a date to be announced.

Fazal Habibulla, promoter of this card, has declared, “Mother Nature knows best. However, I will like to take this opportunity to thank all horsemen who entered their horses for Sunday’s card.”

Despite the change in plans, Fazal has showered praise on the card’s backers.

“I will like to thank my sponsors: Banks DIH, Crawford Family, and Night Eyes Stables, who bought five out of the seven trophies to be handed out to suc-

cessful owners on the day, and (provided) other assistance. Along with Jumbo Jet and his son Nasrudeen Mohamed, Chris Jagdeo and his son ‘Turbo’.

“Racing is difficult to promote if the promoter/s do not get assistance from sponsors,” Fazal has declared. In his outpouring, he

added, “This day was dedicated to the people. The theme of the day was One Guyana, and the ‘People’, who look forward to coming to have a fun-filled day at their racetrack.

“I will like to assure my loyal supporters and spon-

b Akeem Jordan 16

Mohammad Naim

b Kevin Sinclair 28

Shahadat Hossain lbw

b Kevin Sinclair 50

Afif Hossain c A Athanaze

b Kevin Sinclair 4

Irfan Sukkur c Keacy Carty

b Kevin Sinclair 72

Naeem Hasan c J Da Silva

b Jair McAllister 17

Tanzim Hasan Sakib c Raymon

Reifer b Kevin Sinclair 4

Khaled Ahmed b Jair McAllister 0

Tanvir Islam Not out 0

Extras 19 (B: 1, LB: 14, NB: 3, W: 1)

TOTAL (72.4 Ov, RR: 4.09) 297/10

Bowling Akeem Jordan (14-2-38-2)

Raymon Reifer (9-1-48-1)

Anderson Phillip (8-0-49-0)

Jair McAllister (10.4-1-42-2)

Kevin Sinclair (26-7-79-5)

Kirk McKenzie (2-0-15-0)

Alick Athanaze (3-0-11-0)

FOW: Zakir Hasan 1-30 Saif Hassan 2-51 Mohammad Naim

3-107 Shadman Islam 4-175 Afif Hossain 5-180 Shahadat Hossain

6-209 Naeem Hasan 7-287 Tanzim

Hasan Sakib 8-292 Irfan Sukkur

9-297 Khaled Ahmed 10-297

West Indies A 2nd Inn

Tagenarine Chanderpaul c

Mohammad Naim b Saif Hassan 22

Bowling

15-year-old cyclist Alexander Leung is one for the future

sors (that) there is good to come out of this perceived disappointment. God knows best, and things will be more enjoyable when this day is staged in the near future. Thanks, everyone!” Fazal declared.

Jamaican athlete Christopher Taylor facing potential four-year ban -after being charged with anti-doping rule violation

Jamaican 400m runner Christopher Taylor is facing a lengthy absence from the track, after being charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Anti-Doping Code Article 2.3, as reported by the Jamaica Observer and independently verified by SportsMax.TV.

The WADA Article 2.3 states it is an offence to evade, refuse, or fail to submit to sample collection without compelling justification after notification, as authorised in applicable anti-doping rules.

The Jamaica

Administrative Athletics Association and the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission have reportedly been already notified by the Athletics Integrity Unit.

The Olympic and World Championship finalist now faces a minimum two-year ban from the sport, as per World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Anti-Doping rule 10.3.1, which states: “For

violations of Article 2.3 or Article 2.5, the period of ineligibility shall be four years, unless, in the case of failing to submit to sample collection, the athlete can establish that the commission of the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional (as defined in Article 10.2.3), in which case the period of ineligibility shall be two years.”

The 23-year-old Taylor hasn’t competed since August 30th of last year. His personal best, 44.63, was achieved earlier in that month to win at the NACAC Championships in Freeport. (Excerpted from Sportsmax)

Talented We Stand United cyclist Alexander Leung demonstrated skill and stamina at the recent Independence three-stage Cycle Race. At age 15, Leung not only finished as the top junior rider, but placed fifth overall, after battling across Guyana’s roadways for more than 160 miles in two days.

Ironically, the man who won the Independence three-stage race was Phillip Clarke, a 48-year-old Barbadian veteran cyclist. After Leung had won the junior category in the opening stage in New Amsterdam, he told Guyana Times Sport that he has the winning mindset.

On the final day of the event, Leung finished fifth overall, after romping with the big boys. He said he was expecting to win the junior category, but finishing fifth overall was some achieve-

ment for a 15-year-old.

“It feels really good to come out on top! And to me, I performed well. My body was holding up good for a youngster. I had to push through pain on the last stage,” he revealed.

“I was expecting to win the juniors, but not to place fifth in the senior race. It felts really good to be a young champion,” Leung said.

According to organizers, at 15 years old, Leung is the youngest person ever to complete the Independence three-stage. Speaking to media operatives after the race, Leung said he is looking forward to returning stronger next year.

Leung has also been fully supported by his parents, who are always present at cycling events throughout the country. Surely, he has a bright future in cycling.

(Brandon Corlette)

West Indies won by three wickets

Sinclair was awarded player of the match

Alex Leung

Fazal Habibulla The horse-racing card set for Sunday May 28 has been postponed due to rain

Christopher Taylor representing Jamaica at the Tokyo Olympics