Guyana Times - Saturday, October 1, 2022

1 homeless after fire destroys Linden home

12-year-old was kidnapped, abused – aunt

One day after Police found a 12-year-old girl who went miss ing in Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), her family is holding out that she was kidnapped and abused by a teen who is an acquaintance.

The girl’s aunt, during a telephone interview Guyana Times, related that while at the Wales Police Station fol lowing up on her niece’s dis appearance, she received a telephone call from an un known person informing her that the child was spotted in Whim, Berbice.

and he ask she where she go ing and she say she going by she aunty.”

“He ask her where she aunty live and she tell him and he scramble her hand and pull she in the car and she start hollering. She said how the window screen was it was wind up so nobody could hear she. She said the driver told her to keep qui et and lie down and do not raise up.”

her.

“She said she kept asking him to give her a call to call her family and he told her that he does not have a sim in his phone. She said she even ask the sister for a call and she too say she doesn’t have a sim in her phone.”

The woman explained that after finding her niece, she confronted the boy’s mother.

AWismar

Housing Scheme resident was rendered homeless after his house went up in flames on Thursday evening.

The fire, according to reports, might have start ed by an unattended flam beau that ignited. The Fire Service stated that the in cident occurred at around 21:00h and completely de stroyed the building owned by Shawn Stewart.

Fire officials stated that after learning of the fire, fire fighters with Water Tenders #12 and 15 from the Linden Fire Station rushed to the scene. Upon arrival, it was observed the one-flat wood

en building was already en gulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished and inves tigations are ongoing.

Preliminary reports in dicate that the purported cause of the fire is naked flames from a lit flambeau that was left unattended and came into contact with nearby combustible mate rials, sparking an ignition. Investigations are still on going.

Just recently, a power surge in First Alley Wismar, Linden, led to a fire that has left several homeless.

It was reported that the one-floor wooden and con crete house, which was

completely destroyed, was owned by 99-year-old Marverine Drewley and oc cupied by 66-year-old Joel Drewley.

According to the Fire Service, the purported cause of the fire was an electrical power surge, which caused substandard electrical wir ing to overheat.

Also affected by the blaze was a two-storey wooden and concrete house owned by an 87-year-old man and his family of nine.

The Guyana Fire Service has reminded citizens to be cautious and to follow safety measures to prevent the oc currence of a fire.

“They told me to come to the area… she then tell me to contact the nearest Police station… the Police took down the information… and then he send it to Police sta tions in Berbice. However, Thursday morning around one o’clock, they called me and they tell me that they find her and let me come to Whim Police station.”

The woman posited that she immediately contact ed the Wales Police and in formed them that the child was found.

“When I go, we took her to the welfare and they send she to do medical. However, she told me that when she was coming by me she see this boy, she said she know the boy because she talk to him already. She said she see when he pull up in a car

The woman said her niece was beaten about her body to keep silent. She said the child told her she was taken to a house in a strange place where she was intro duced to the boy’s mother as his girlfriend.

“She said when she reach there, it was the boy moth er and sister with him. She say when he carry she, he mother say this is who, and he turn and say this is he girlfriend and she said no I am not his girlfriend, and he mother walk away.”

“She tell we that the sis ter turn and say, carry back this girl wherever she live because she is a little child, and she say the boy start a quarrel with them…when the boy father came home, he asked why they didn’t take her back.”

Sometime later, the fam ily claimed that the young man took away the child’s phone and destroyed her sim card, and started to abuse

“I told her that a mother to a mother if you see a child at your house why you didn’t contact the nearest Police station? This is wrong. But all she told me was that she didn’t know anything.”

She added that the girl remains traumatised and has been complaining of pains as a result of the abuse.

“I want her to get coun selling, I don’t care if it is ev ery week. I want her to get it off her mind so that she can go back to school and take in her education,” she said.

Police had reported that acting on information re ceived, they went to a house at Whim Village, Corentyne, and conducted a search where the child was found at the house.

“The occupants of the home – a father, mother, and their teenage son – were all taken into custody at the Whim Police Station, where they are assisting with the investigations.

Aftermath of the fire that occurred at Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden

BRIDGE

Govt to meet with CGX on Berbice Deep-Water Port

FERRY SCHEDULE

The Guyana Government is slat ed to meet with representatives from the Canadian company, CGX Energy Inc, next week to intensify discussions on the deep-water port facili ty that is being construct ed in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

This is according to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, when contacted for an up date on CGX’s Berbice Deep-Water Port (BDWP) project.

Previously, the Government had expressed concerns over the slow pace of the project and had given the company up to September month-end to submit a plan on how it intends to move forward with the port facility.

Minister Bharrat dis closed to Guyana Times that he will be meeting with the company repre sentatives early next week to have “general discus sions” on the project.

The CGX deep-water harbour project has been in the works since 2010.

CGX’s subsidiary, Grand Canal Industrial Estates Inc (GCIE), has been engaged in civil works related to the construc tion of the US$130 million Berbice Deep-Water Port, which intends to serve as an offshore supply base for the oil and gas industry, and as a multi-purpose ter minal cargo handling base to service agricultural im port/export, containerised and specialised cargo.

Initially, it was ex pected that the offshore oil and gas support shore base would be operation alised by the third quarter of 2022, and the cargo ter

minal by the end of 2023.

However, in its finan cial statements in August, CGX informed sharehold ers that it would be unable to meet the 2022 deadline and that a revised sched ule for completion is be ing discussed with the con tractor.

“As a result of certain delays, the Company be lieves it is unlikely that the offshore supply base of the port will be fully opera tional in Q4, 2022 as previ ously envisioned. A revised schedule for completion of the offshore supply base of the port is being discussed with the contractor and the Company anticipates providing an updated timeline to shareholders and stakeholders in due course,” CGX said in its Second Quarter Financial Statement released on August 9.

Given its slow-paced operation, the Guyana Government had CGX re linquish two oil exploration blocks offshore – Demerara

and Berbice – to the State, so that the company can focus on operations in the Corentyne Block as well as the deep-water port facili ty.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has already indicat ed that Guyana has got ten serious interest from Abu Dhabi Ports, a United Arab Emirates-based com pany that deals in indus trial zones and logistics, in establishing a deep-water facility in Berbice.

In fact, a technical team from the company visited in September 2021 and compiled technical in formation on the project.

While in Dubai last October, the Guyanese Head of State also met with officials from Abu Dhabi Ports known as Khalifa Port during which they had extensive and indepth discussions on the possibility of developing a deep-water harbour link to Brazil.

“The interest is great in this project… And they are

looking at a modern stateof-the-art port facility op erated with cutting-edge technology, focusing on efficiency, safety and se curity… Their initial as sessment is one of great optimism. That’s how they described it. They believe that this a project that can happen; that is a proj ect that is viable. They are now working on the nitty-gritty, the finer de tails in terms of this proj ect,” the President told re porters at the subsequent press conference.

Meanwhile, during President Ali’s meeting in Dubai with officials from Abu Dhabi Ports, the com pany’s Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, who is also the owner, operator, de veloper, and regulator of Abu Dhabi’s maritime in frastructure and Khalifa Industrial Zone (KIZAD), had said they are very se rious about investing in Guyana.

CGX Energy Inc’s Berbice Deep-Water Port

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Natural disasters and climate change

As Hurricane Ian – which is now a tropical rainstormroars through some Caribbean countries with high winds and dangerous storm surges that cause massive flooding, the issue of climate change has again come to the fore.

Most of the island of Cuba has been without electricity for three days, due to the expansive damage caused by Hurricane Ian, which hit the country on Tuesday.

Over the past few years, there has been much talk about climate change, and the devastating impact it is having and is likely to have, on communities and the world as a whole. However, while governments and policymakers are busy debating the issues at the national and international levels, many believe that enough is not being done in terms of designing and implementing critical projects at the community levels to encourage and sensitise individuals about the need to play their part in mitigating the effects of climate change.

In fact, it could be argued that, on the global level, not many persons are educated about the issue, especially as it relates to the kind of impact climate change has on the environment and on individuals themselves. Citizens still take the issue for granted, and do not pay much heed to the various messages about the need to change lifestyle patterns, and so on.

Scientists have argued that the planet is indeed threatened by lifestyle patterns of individuals, and if people continue to use resources the way we currently do, the planet’s reserves would be exhausted at an increasingly rapid pace. For many countries, there is still the challenge of getting everyone to not only understand and appreciate the idea of the need to work towards sustainable consumption, but also to take practical steps to move in this direction.

Certainly, governments can set the framework with their policies; set targets, define standards, and give incentives to make companies go green. Businesses and industries, together with researchers, can provide the solutions; but, in the end, the consumers have the power of the purse, to decide whether they buy green products or not. The highly touted ‘green model’ reduces our ecological footprint, emits less greenhouse gases, uses less energy and raw materials, and can create new sources of growth and employment.

In essence, achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. As stated by UNDP, the efficient management of our shared natural resources and the way we dispose of toxic wastes and pollutants are important targets to achieve this goal.

Based on statistics, the world’s population is growing rapidly, as more than a billion new people will enter the middle class by 2050. Experts have predicted that if citizens do not change their consumption patterns, the global use of resources would be multiplied by 15, which is considered dangerous for our planet, as the planet would not be able to satisfy the needs of everyone.

At the individual level, every individual does play a crucial role in defining his/her own consumption pattern, and can, in a way, also contribute to the fight against climate change. For example, we can reduce the level of energy utilised, and the money that is saved on energy could instead be used to develop climate-friendly technologies and appliances. Official records show that, on a global level, more than 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are related to household consumption.

While it is accepted that it is not an easy task to get persons to change lifestyles and to work towards a climatefriendly environment, the task would be much easier if they are educated about the role they could play and the benefits of their own action.

Here, in Guyana, we still continue to dump garbage carelessly. For example, persons continue to dispose of plastic items in a reckless manner, resulting in the clogging of drains and trenches, thereby leading to flooding etc. The flooding has, over the years, exposed our vulnerability, and should serve as a big wake-up call for us to treat the environment differently.

Why a negotiated peace with Putin is the safest way out

By: DaviD von Drehle

Ican’t

fault anyone who objects to the idea of a negotiated settlement of the Ukraine war. Russia start ed with an unprovoked invasion and moved quickly to war crimes. So why do I advocate negotiation if certain terms can be achieved?

Readers angered by my po sition equate a settlement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler. By this analogy, “appeasement” of Putin will only encourage him to invade more countries and seize more land, much as Hitler grabbed Poland in 1939, touch ing off World War II in Europe.

The comparison, once apt, is now past its shelf life. The right time to cite Chamberlain was in February, when the Russian tanks rolled. Good news: The lesson of Munich was emphatical ly learned. Far from appeasing Putin, the United States and its allies stout ly resisted, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stepped into the role of Winston Churchill.

Since then, Putin has been dealt a staggering defeat, from which Russia might never recover. The Ukraine inva sion will go down in history as a near ly unparalleled blunder. Over seven months of an optional war have gutted the Russian military, sunk the Russian economy, weakened Russia’s partner ship with China, alienated Russia’s trading partners, and touched off a stampede by Russia’s best and bright est to escape a dysfunctional country.

Putin’s attempt to snuff out Ukrainian independence has in stead fortified and ennobled it. His ef fort to weaken NATO instead made NATO bigger and stronger than ever. Hitler’s Germany in 1938 was a rising

power bristling with military and in dustrial might. Putin’s Russia is a bro ken nation in precipitous decline, lead ing the world in phishing, porn and not much else.

Russia’s decrepitude has been proved to the world so swiftly that comprehension lags behind. For gen erations, we’ve thought of Russia as a global power. Now we see that the cream of the Russian army can’t ad vance more than a few kilometres into a neighbouring country without losing thousands of tanks, legions of soldiers and numerous generals.

But having seen it, the world won’t forget it. Russia’s days as an aggressor are over.

Critics of a negotiated peace worry about Putin “rebuilding” his aggressive capacity. How can he rebuild if he can’t build in the first place? His army can’t advance into Ukraine, his air force can’t fly over it, and his navy is right ly scared to approach shore. This, after Putin’s much-touted military build-up.

A nation that cannot build an ef fective military when the proceeds of fuel sales are sluicing in is no threat to “rebuild” when its economy is puny. Remember: Ukraine, an inspiring but subordinate power, wiped out the pre mier tank division of a Russian army supposedly built on tanks.

And where would Putin’s imaginary force find its generals? What promising young Russian would waste a career on such a feckless, corrupt force — to be known only for indiscriminate bomb ing, war crimes and incompetence?

The question we face (urgent and dangerous) is: How many more people must die before the fact of Russia’s de feat seeps through the informational dead zone of the Kremlin? Is it wise to accelerate that seepage? The case for negotiation is that a deal might create space for Russia to deflate rather than

explode.

I share the moral outrage at Putin’s unprovoked invasion. I appreciate the visceral wish to see this war continue until even Crimea and Donbas — ter ritory the West did not think worth fighting over before February — are under Ukrainian control. I understand the calls for regime change in Moscow.

But when folks tell me to remem ber 1938, I urge them to remember 2003. Saddam Hussein was a murder ous, kleptocratic war criminal, just like Putin. He boasted of his giant army, just like Putin. And when he was top pled precipitously? We reaped a whirl wind of chaos. A similar chaos in nu clear-armed Russia is too dangerous to risk — if it can be avoided.

Moreover, just as the world could not tolerate Putin in Kyiv, neither can it tolerate mayhem among nucle ar powers.

Critics warn against giving Putin room to “rebuild” his capacity. What capacity? We’ve seen the fruits of more than a decade of military build-up, funded by Europe’s thirst for Russian gas. You can’t rebuild what never was.

Vast in resources, deep in culture, Russia is perpetually poor when it comes to Government. Nothing better than Putin appears to be waiting in the wings. So I reluctantly support a nego tiated settlement, with lines limited to the pre-February status quo, if we can get that deal, to give time for the next step to emerge. It is the safest way out: for Ukrainians, for Russians and for the rest of us. (The Washington Post)

(David Von Drehle writes a twice-weekly column for The Post. He was previously an editor-at-large for Time Magazine, and is the author of four books, including "Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s Most Perilous Year" and "Triangle: The Fire That Changed America.")

Members of the Guyana Defence Force during a two-day quarterly fitness competition which culminated on Friday. The Training Corps team outshone their competitors to cop the top spot. The Intelligence Corps team claimed the second spot, while the Guyana National Reserve team placed third

APNU/AFC must accept that ‘only court of law’ can determine alleged election illegalities

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is being needlessly bad gered by the Opposition A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). It is almost ludicrous to think that they are ‘not getting it.’

By now it is common knowl edge that GECOM has no jurisdiction to investigate these ‘supposed’ unlawful acts, as only a court of law can determine alleged elec tion illegalities. So, why the incessant pettifogging from APNU/AFC?

As painfully pointed out on so many occasions, and again iterated by the GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward, “…Article 163 (1bi) of the Constitution unam biguously states that only the High Court has this ju risdiction.”

My suggestion is that APNU/AFC and their ‘few supporters’ take note that

“… the Constitution of Guyana stipulates that sub ject to the provisions of this article, the High Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any question whether, either generally or in any particular place, an election has been lawful ly conducted or the result thereof has been or might have been, affected by any unlawful act or omission.”

So, here is my take.

First, I did mention ‘few supporters’ in my opening paragraph. This is a fact. I invite any and every one to visit the protest scene. It seems the farthest of things from a protest. I counted the number of persons when I passed the last time, and it did not number ten. I am se rious. I am honest. I think by now the protest has pe tered out, as more and more people are accepting that APNU/AFC are engaging in lies and dissimulation; they seem destined to futility.

Secondly, APNU+AFC

were forced to seek cov er for their duplicity and subterfuge when Attorney General Anil Nandall called their bluff. The de tails herein make for ‘good fun.’ What happened is that this ‘incriminating’ and ‘sacrosanct’ list (theirs, of course) was requested, and this punctured the fluff of APNU/AFC. Their ‘trump card’ became their ‘ticket to hell.’ And hence the claim from them is that “some persons were “mistakenly” included in their evidence, which they (originally) claimed provided proof of voter impersonation at the 2020 General and Regional Elections.”

Think about this, read ers: This is their ace, and they are claiming, after fighting for it to be kept se cret, that it was accidental ly compromised. This kind of ‘dodging around’ is quite typical of APNU/AFC. I re call that it was there with their Statements of Poll

(SoPs). They were so bent on making this esoteric that the law had to take effect to get them to lodge their SoPs, as they were not go ing to make them public, even though their claim was that therein lies the proof of their victory at the 2020 elections.

So, what should the pub lic now make of Member of Parliament Roysdale Forde’s contention? He had firmly stated that the APNU+AFC, during the National Recount 2020, had objected to GECOM about the names of people who were reportedly marked as voting on Election Day but were out of the country. His claim was that APNU+AFC had submitted over 1,000 cases of “voter imperson ation.” Yet the same Forde, in an almost recanting mode, sought to foist on all Guyana that persons were “mistakenly” includ ed in their submissions to GECOM, and will be ex

Response to letter titled “Defending our Territory”

Editor,

It is not unusual for at tempts to be made to re write the history of avia tion in Guyana. This letter is in direct response to the letter at caption, published by Guyana Times on 27th August, 2022. These are some of the facts.

All of the reconnais sance flights into the re gion known as the New River Triangle were done by Guyana Airways pilots using mainly the following company aircraft.

1. Two Twin Otters

2. One Gruman Goose (Amphibian)

3. One Helio Courier owned by the Guyana Police Force and flown by Guyana Airways pilots.

4. One Cessna 310

The pilots of the Guyana Airways Corporation were specifically requested for

this operation, and were tasked with responsibility of training, planning, and execution of the flight op erations’ aspect of the mis sion by the Prime Minister at the time. Consequently, all the preflight training and flight logistics were done by Guyana Airways Corporation pilots.

Upon the successful completion of the mission, the four pilots involved were awarded the following medals:

One pilot was award ed the “Cacique Crown of Valour” while the other 3 received the “Golden Arrow of Achievement.

Unlike the author’s er roneous statement about the Guyana Defence Force air transporting troops to put down the Rupununi Uprising, the fact is that it was the Guyana Airways

Corporation’s DC3 aircraft, flown by their pilots, that ferried the troops at night to the Rupununi.

In the initial stag es of the Jonestown trag edy, it was much of the same. Guyana Airways Corporation used their air craft; namely, the Hawker Sidley 748 and a Twin Otter, to ferry troops in the

night to Matthews Ridge.

Fortunately, the two main pilots that took part in both the Rupununi and New River Triangle mis sions are still alive today.

All for your information and guidance.

Sincerely, Rodwell Paul

hibited publicly, a situation APNU/AFC do not desire.

It gets even juicier! Editor, Forde had stated that the Opposition want ed the ‘evidence’ they sub mitted to be turned over to the Guyana Police Force and General Register Office for verification. So, ‘hav ing no fear’ of the truth, the Attorney-General stat ed that those very docu ments will be investigat ed by the relevant agencies “…with requests that in vestigations be launched to verify the accuracy of the information contained in the documents.” But what? The Oppositionnominated Commissioners at GECOM opposed the re quest for these documents to be turned over to the Government and Police.

This is beyond contra diction on their behalf; it is beyond lying too, as I think this has to be insanity.

I can feel the trepida tion increasing, as GECOM has already decided to hand over the documents (that purportedly provided ‘proof’ of voter fraud at the 2020 General and Regional Elections) for verification. This is what APNU/AFC wanted; this is what they are getting; yet, this is what is having them ‘shake in their boots.’

Editor, all Guyana is awaiting the work of the members of the Commission of Inquiry into the attempt ed rigging of the 2020 elec tions. Whether or not this will be concurrent with the legal issues on hand is irrel evant, as all of the findings will be used to hold per sons accountable, especial ly if they are found to have been involved in illegal ac tivities.

Yours truly, H Singh

Saturday,

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

Page Foundation

Measuring angles

An angle is formed by the rays of two intersecting lines when the rays have the same vertex. An angle is named by both of its lines, with the ver tex in the middle of its name.

Rays OA and OB intersect at Point O, a shared vertex to form angle AOB.

Exercises: Identify the following angles as either acute, obtuse or right angles.

By The BroThers Grimm

WORD SEARCH Angles are measured in degrees. A straight line is 180o , so an angle will always be less than that. Angles that are less than 90o degrees are called acute angles. Angles that are more than 90o degrees are called obtuse an gles. Angles that are exactly 90o degrees are called right angles, and are often indicated with a very small square at the point where the two lines meet.

CONTINUED FROM FRIDAY

BE CONTINUED

Govt to launch 2022 bidding for oil blocks soon – auction to be open for several months

The much-anticipat ed auction of the oil blocks offshore Guyana will be launched soon as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is cur rently finalising the new fiscal terms and conditions to ensure the country max imises economic benefits from the exploration and production of hydrocarbon blocks offshore.

In a statement on Friday, the Natural Resources Ministry said “The 2022 bid ding round, which is expect ed to be officially launched soon, and will be opened for several months which will give interested companies sufficient time to prepare their competitive packages and bid to win the available acreages offshore; which will be done in an open and transparent manner.”

Since the discovery of Liza in 2015, the Guyana offshore basin has seen un precedented development, with Guyana setting a new paradigm for expeditious development of oil and gas resources. According to S&P Global, “the four- anda-half-year time frame from discovery to the first pro duction places Guyana first among global deep-water jurisdictions in terms of the average time to bring major discoveries on stream”.

With the upcoming bid ding round, the Natural Resources Ministry out lined that the Government expects to chart a new path as the country’s offshore areas emerge as a poten tial super basin with over 11 billion boe (barrels of oil

equivalent) discovered to date, and with substantial exploration activities ongo ing, this figure is expected to increase significantly.

To this end, it was noted that Cabinet is concluding definitive terms of reference for the competitive licens ing round which will foster a conducive investment en vironment while maximis ing value for the people of Guyana.

In this process, the Government seeks to ob tain a fair share by ensur ing the country gets a fairer share of revenues from oil and gas resources through improved fiscal arrange ments to benefit the people of Guyana; manage risk by ensuring that it safeguards the safety of people and the environment by following international best practic es in offshore oil and gas development; remain com petitive by maintaining a competitive position in the region and globally as key to continued success; en courage investor confidence by assuring investors of sta bility, predictability, and security on investment; and maintain the pace of devel opment by continuing with efficient and sustainable development of oil and gas resources whilst balancing the nation's developmen tal agenda with its climate change goals.

“Guyana stands out as the most successful of the frontiers now having moved into early-stage production, and it is among the coun tries that have the best prospects of succeeding, given the current pace of

development. Major oil and gas deep-water expertise has been key to unlocking the offshore basin’s poten tial and enabling the de velopment of discovered re sources.”

“Given that Guyana has adopted an open-door pol icy for acreage allocation, which, coupled with reason ably attractive fiscal and contractual terms has prov en successful. This has al lowed our oil and gas sec tor to set a new paradigm for accelerated deep-water development,” the Natural Resources Ministry stated.

To this end, it was pointed out that Guyana Government will be embark ing on an intensive promot ing campaign with all nec essary technical data and requirements which will en sure that the competitive bidding round is successful for the future development of the offshore exploration and production of hydro carbons for Guyana’s econ omy. Further, the Ministry assured, this process will be done in keeping with inter national best practices for transparency and account ability for competitive oil and gas bidding processes.

Earlier this month, during an interview on a local radio show, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo indicated that the auction for relinquished and unex plored oil blocks will run until January/February next year.

The auction is expected to attract global interest, al though experts have warned that it is important to bal ance the PSA’s (Production

Sharing Agreement) fiscal terms.

During a recent visit to Guyana, Norwegian con sultancy Rystad Energy Vice President Shreiner Parker noted that while Guyana will get interests from around the globe when it goes out to auction its oil blocks, getting the financial terms of the blocks right would be very important. He had given the example of Brazil.

“In recent years, they’ve had unsuccessful bid rounds. Even though Brazil is an extremely import ant source of offshore pro duction globally, they were unable to attract the inter

est that it wanted, because the fiscal regimes were too onerous. And they were asking for too much.

“So, the balance that Guyana will have to strike on these new blocks is un derstanding that we’re no longer going to have the Stabroek fiscal regime. We are a petroleum prov ince. Yet at the same time, we cannot expect that it’s a guaranteed success and that every hole poked into the ground will produce oil. So, getting that fiscal re gime correct is going to be paramount to attracting in terest globally.”

When asked if Guyana doing its own 3D seismic

survey of the remaining blocks to establish the val ue of the blocks would help Guyana’s chances, he noted that while it could be of in terest, it may not be neces sary. As he put it, Guyana is already a hot story.

Guyana has long been expected to go out and auc tion oil blocks, both un tapped and relinquished, by September. There are relin quishment clauses, which are typically included in contracts so that companies can relinquish a portion of the block when the renew able period is up, thereby allowing other companies to buy into the respective blocks.

The oil blocks offshore Guyana

Ex-convict who confessed to murdering “Saga” gets life imprisonment

ZZ 22 D’Urban Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, was shot in his abdomen just as he exited a popu lar Kitty, Georgetown hotel with a female companion.

He later succumbed at the Woodlands Hospital while receiving medical at tention. Bobb, in a caution statement, reportedly told investigators that Corporal Eastman was the master mind behind the brazen daylight robbery which led to murder.

planned out, even assur ing the hitman that a lady would deliver the target to the spot while directing that the killing be executed in such a way as to appear like a robbery gone wrong.

Notwithstanding the as surance of protection given by Corporal Eastman, re ality struck when Bobb re turned home the next day to find Corporal Eastman, in the company of other Police ranks, ready to ar rest him.

Thirty-year-old Aubrey

Bobb, who plead ed guilty to murder ing businessman, Godfrey Scipio also called “Saga”, who was shot outside of a city hotel during a rob bery in 2017, was on Friday slapped with a life impris onment sentence.

The sentence was hand ed down at the Demerara High Court by Justice JoAnn Barlow, who ordered that Bobb be eligible for pa role after serving a mini mum of 30 years.

Earlier this month,

Bobb, an ex-convict of Kitty, Georgetown, was arraigned before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court, where he plead ed guilty to the charge.

Following his guilty plea, the confessed killer was further remanded to prison to await sentencing.

Bobb was represented by Attorney-at-Law Teriq Mohammed. The prosecu tion was represented by State Counsels Latifiah Elliot, Marisa Edwards, and Simran Gajraj.

It was reported that Scipio, who resided at Lot

He had accused Corporal Eastman of hiring him as the hitman and providing him with the gun.

Corporal Eastman re portedly had everything

Bobb had claimed that he was forced to confess to the crime as he was intimi dated by Corporal Eastman, who was present at every step of the interrogation.

Lifeless body of La Grange woman found on bed

Afemale labourer was on Friday found dead, lying face down on her bed in her La Grange,

West Bank Demerara (WBD) home.

The dead woman has been identified as 33-yearold Nirmal Sukhai of Factory Dam, La Grange, WBD. Police stated that the now dead woman lived alone in a flat, two-bedroom con crete house

However, her lifeless body was found by her moth er at about 16:00h when she went to the house after at tempts to contact the wom an proved futile.

A report was immediate ly made at La Grange Police Station and a probe was launched. The body was es corted to the Ezekiel Funeral Home. Investigations are continuing.

Seeking…

…the Holy Grail

It’s been ten days since the Warriors rolled into Guyana, and who’ll disagree that the country had practically ground to a halt during that time?!! But it’s over now, and we can also agree that it’s been a roller coaster ride - and then some - from the thrill of those first four victories, which made us all believe once again that this would be THE year, to the agony of the ignominious defeat at the hands of the Tallawahs, which just crushed our spirits. Along with St Lucia, we’re the only territory that hasn’t won a championship in the ten years the CPL’s been around. Woeful and doleful!!

The question posed is how long will this felling of despondency last? And surely, the answer is “this, too, shall (soon) pass!! But, cumulatively, what effect will this “always the bridesmaid and never the bride” situation have on us?? That this year we weren’t even the bridesmaid, but the “flower girl”, just makes it worse. Are we going to be permanently derided as the “chokers” of the CPL? As it was, your Eyewitness was quite miffed when, at the start of the Guyana leg, some Guyanese influencers announced boldly over social media that, once again, the Warriors would crumble. How dare they?? But they’ve had the last laugh, haven’t they??

Now, some may say “it’s only a game”. But your Eyewitness asks: if that were true, why then the national mood of depression?? Truth of the matter is, it illustrates the fact that there’s precious little that we Guyanese –as a people – can cheer as one. And because we want that so badly, it’s not an inconsequential matter. It’s been said that a nation has to be a community that does things together. But then it’s really an IMAGINED COMMUNITY, since we can’t LITERALLY do the same things - but imagine that we do. Reading the newspaper in the morning, it was claimed, was one of those things we do together that bind us together. But can we say that if we rifle though our GUYANESE papers?? With their divergent positions on the same issues, one wonders if we’re on the same planet!! No…in Guyana, newspapers reflect our divisions!!

But Warrior Cricket did bring us together – probably the only thing that did so since the cataclysmic event of March 2, 2020 - which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. There has since been precious little for us to cheer about - period!! – much less to cheer as one. So, Warrior Cricket was – and IS – not just a game. It represents that search for the Holy Grail that we’ve all been seeking – to become a nation in which we can all say in unison: “We are Guyanese!!”

Govt to meet with...

FROM PAGE 3

“We are ready to work with you on having that deep-water port ready for not only Guyana but for the region. And for the most im portant strategic position ing for the UAE in South America, the Caribbean— in Latin America. I think we could just think about it as an upscaled Panama [Canal] de velopment,” the Head of State told the officials.

Moreover, the President had indicated at the time had Guyana wanted to build a strong partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports to create a new logistics hub for the UAE that will connect business oppor tunities in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, North America, and West Africa.

In addition to Abu Dhabi Ports, President Ali told the Stabroek News in August that there is also interest from other investors in the deep-water port in Berbice. These include Saudi Arabia, Qatar and a local consortium of port operators as well.

…less sleazy politics

Just when you thought our politics couldn’t fall any deeper into the gutter, up floats the story of two reporters colluding with a Brooklyn PNC-affiliated political type to use social media platforms to shakedown some local businessmen!! Your Eyewitness had already highlighted the potential of these Wild West platforms to intensify divisions in society – including politics – because of no oversight. Complaining to Facebook, for instance, merely earns the slanderer a ban for a couple of weeks…

But, in the story that’s still unfolding, a “news” site - created during the APNU/AFC’s desperate attempt to hijack the March 2020 elections - was used to post allegations about local businessmen, who’d then be threatened by the reporters that unless they coughed up the millions demanded, the post would be circulated even wider. The political type “spiced up” the local reports and circulated!! When there wasn’t even a smidgen of evidence that there was any truth in the allegations, the businessmen were told their reputation would still be ruined!!

O Tempora…O mores!!

…to fix Warrior heartbreak

Fans: And it’s too late, baby now it’s too late/though we really did try to make it/ Something inside has died/ And I can't hide and I just can't fake it.

Warriors: No! No! No!!

The

Godfrey Scipio, also called “Saga”

Sentenced: Aubrey Bobb

CJIA processed 31,500 passengers for September

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport has reported an in crease of 90 per cent in passenger arrivals for September 2022 when com pared to September 2021.

“During the month the airport processed 31,050 ar riving international passen gers. This notable increase in passenger arrivals is ev ident in the influx of visi tors for the Cricket Carnival activities,” a release from Guyana’s main port of entry stated.

However, commenting on the record-breaking num bers, Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir expressed, “This is the highest number ever recorded for September. I believe the enthusiasm be hind the Cricket Carnival activities is responsible for these numbers we are see ing today.”

Further, he noted that “During this period, our overall objective was to en

sure an efficient, hassle-free arrival process. We worked with our stakeholders to put systems in place to avoid any delays.”

He also stated that the CJIA is pleased to support President Irfaan Ali’s vi sion to celebrate, promote and market Guyana’s rich vibrant culture, especially during the Cricket Carnival period.

Cricket Carnival is be ing held under the “One Guyana” banner which aims to bring people together and unify the country. During this 16-day period, a num ber of events were hosted to promote Guyana’s tourism sectors.

These include food fes tivals, regatta, the Miss Cricket Carnival Pageant, super concerts, beach par ties, and many more but more importantly, the host ing of the final leg of the Caribbean Premier League including the final.

Berbice duo remanded on narco-trafficking charge

Two Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) men were remanded to prison after they were arraigned for possession of narcotics for the purpose of traffick ing on Friday.

Suraj Singh, 30, Lot 69 Section B, No 72 Village, Corentyne, and Mourice Vansluytman, 55, of Lot 18

Section A, No 70 Village, Corentyne, appeared be fore Magistrate Alex Moore at the No 51 Village Magistrate’s Court.

The two men plead ed not guilty to the charge and were remanded to pris on until October 21.

– signifies a 90% increase over corresponding period last year

One of the passengers being greeted upon his arrival at CJIA

Fmr Guyoil CEO appointed CAL Country Manager

and your presence here in Guyana as part of your devel opment plans,” the President had said.

Additionally, he had pointed to the challenges re garding frequency and costs of flights to Canada and Miami, and the issue of cargo capacity; and had noted that, during the pandemic, the re lationship had continued, since Guyana was kept rela tively open and CAL’s opera tions were sustained.

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has appoint ed former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Oil Company, Renatha Marshall, as its new Country Manager. Her appointment took effect from September 5, 2022.

The new CAL Country Manager, accompanied by Caribbean Airlines General

Manager Carl Stuart and Sales Executive Dion Inniss, along with Airport Manager Kevin Prashad and act ing Reservations Manager Stephanie Greene, met with President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday to discuss current in-transit arrangements in Trinidad and Tobago; the future development of the airline; and its strategic

position, taking into consid eration opportunities and challenges in the Guyana market.

President Ali and several Government representatives had, in August 2022, engaged CAL executive members to discuss existing challenges and ways of strengthening the CAL-Guyana partner ship. The President had said he is aware that CAL has been an outstanding partner

of Guyana, but informed that it had never been a one-way street.

“We are aware that CAL has been an extremely good partner of Guyana, but you must also accept that Guyana has been an extremely good market for CAL. It has nev er been a one-way street, it has always been a two-way street, and all your previ ous boards and CEOs would have appreciated this,” the

President had said.

The President had also acknowledged that there is room for improvement in many areas, including local content.

“I know that you are cut ting costs and you are cut ting staff, but we would like to see more involvement of Guyanese in the operations; and by that I mean we are willing to work with you on increasing your footprint

“It is under these circum stances that I wanted us to engage and to have a clear understanding as to where CAL is heading,” he had said. Also, “We believe that CAL is a long and strong partner with us, and we need to find a way in which that partnership is demonstrated in a stronger way.”

At Friday’s meeting with CAL, President Ali was joined by Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, and Director of Projects at the Office of the President, Marcia Nadir-Sharma.

Renatha Marshall is being congratulated by President Dr Irfaan Ali

Senior CAL officials meeting with President Ali on Friday

Abuse allegations at St. John’s College almost resolved – MoE PS, Alfred King

Persons tendering dishonoured cheques can be jailed, blacklisted – GRA warns

Arecent

allegation of abuse and discrimi nation faced by a stu dent of the St. John’s College is near resolution, after the Education Ministry inter vened to remedy the situa tion. This was revealed by Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry, Alfred King, on Thursday.

The Education Ministry had undertaken the investi gation after a social media post by a fifth form student of this Georgetown secondary school had detailed what he said were “five years of tor ture” and his “worst night mare”, as he alleged that he had been constantly abused by his peers and teachers be cause of his sexuality.

According to PS King, “Once those things get to the leadership of the Ministry, instantly we try to engage the parents (and) learners, and we sent our Education Officers. Our Welfare Unit was out there to not only do an investigation, but to pro vide immediate support to all those who are impact ed by such behaviour; and, of course, make recommen dations for the best fit…by and large, it is resolved by a number of measures and, of course, intervention by the Ministry.”

A Facebook post was shared by a student in ear ly September. It was a vid

St John’s College

eo recording of him sitting at his desk when another stu dent walked up to him and punched him in the face. The teen said that was not the first time he had been physi cally assaulted at the school, and several reports he had made had all gone unad dressed.

“My school life is like the worst nightmare ever. I’m being abused physical ly, mentally, and verbally by both teachers and students because of my sexuality. I’m tired! There’s this specific male teacher who makes de rogatory remarks at me any time he sees me in and out of the classroom, and when reports are made to the HM [Head Mistress], I’m not giv en satisfaction.”

The teen also alleged that a particular teacher had re fused to teach him because of his sexuality. “I’m being told that if my name wasn’t called, it wasn’t for me. I

can vividly remember my sir coming into my classroom saying, ‘I’m not teaching no auntyman’ loud in front of the classroom, and I was hu miliated”, the teen has said.

“Recently, as of yesterday [September 9], around 10:30 am, I was physically abused by a classmate for no appar ent reason. I’m tired of being abused and misused in that school. I’m just praying for the couple more months to sweep by, so I can write my exams and get out of there. The Ministry needs to look into situations like this…I’m not asking no one to like me or let me be their favourite, but just let me live and be at peace like everyone another student,” the post read.

When contacted, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said the mat ter has been brought to her attention, and an investiga tion has been launched.

TheGuyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has cautioned the gener al public that taxpayers and their representatives mak ing payments to the GRA by dishonoured cheques may be subjected to prosecution under the Criminal Law (Offences Act) Chapter 8:01.

In a statement issued on Friday, the GRA said those found guilty in a court of law in respect to the above situation may be subjected to impris onment. This warning is necessary, it said, in view of the increasingly prevalent practice of persons uttering dishonoured cheques to the GRA.

“Taxpayers are also ad vised that, notwithstanding the penalty outlined above, associated interest and pen alties continue to accrue from the due date of the pay ment until the liability is

settled in full”. Consequently, the Authority advises that “en tities making payments to GRA by cheque must ensure that the information detailed thereon is accurate, and that

cheques for a minimum peri od of six months in the first instance, twelve months in the second instance, and permanently thereafter. Payments effected by such defaulters must thereafter be by cash if less than two million dollars (in keeping with AML regulations), or by Manager’s drafts for any amount.

Such defaulting taxpay ers would be required to make all future payments by either Manager’s cheque or by cash, depending on the amount. Taxpayers are re minded that GRA will not accept cash payments ex ceeding two million dollars, as a result of security con cerns for both the Agency and the general public.

“The Authority again entreats taxpayers to take advantage of the conve nient and secure electronic payment options available through MMG, Bill Express, and any of the bill payment facilities at Demerara Bank, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, and Republic Bank,” the GRA has penned.

sufficient funds are available in their respective bank ac counts to process such pay ments.”

The Authority has cau tioned that persons mak ing payments to the GRA by cheques that are dishon oured due to insufficient funds would be blacklist ed, and not be allowed to make payments by personal

A cheque falls under the dishonoured category when a payee cannot successfully deposit the payer’s cheque. A payer is the one who issues a cheque to the payee. The payee deposits this cheque in the bank. If the bank re fuses to pay the amount mentioned on the cheque, the cheque is dishonoured.

MoH launches Hearts Technical Package at Lethem Hospital

Inobservance of World Heart Day 2022, be ing observed under the theme “Use Heart for ev ery Heart”, the Health Ministry’s Chronic Diseases Unit has launched the HEARTS Technical Package. This was done on Thursday at the Lethem Regional Hospital in Region Nine, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo.

This package aims to bet ter assist health-care profes sionals to prevent and detect early cardiovascular diseas es and hypertension within primary health care.

According to the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the HEARTS Technical Package comprises six mod ules and an implementa tion guide that is of great

support to health-care pro viders. It will also be effec tive in strengthening the management of risk factors for cardiovascular diseas es, and ensuring that there is reasonable access to con tinuous, standardised, and high-quality care for people who are at high risk.

Additionally, the pack age aligns with, and builds on, the WHO Package of Essential NonCommunicable Disease Interventions, and responds to the agreement that sus tains effective actions that urgently require the preven tion of cardiovascular dis eases.

With cardiovascular dis ease being the leading cause of death in Guyana before the COVID–19 pandemic, the Chronic Diseases Unit has welcomed the initiative

from PAHO/WHO to have primary health care prop erly equipped to detect car diovascular diseases in the early stages. As such, eight pilot sites have been select ed to benefit from implemen tation of the package.

Focal point of High Blood Pressure and the HEARTS Technical Package initia tive, Dr Michael Pereira, has emphasised the urgen cy of having these techni cal packages implemented, since it would see a reduc tion in the rate of cardiovas cular diseases and prema ture deaths.

“If we improve the ways we treat, monitor, and look into risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseas es, we can better prolong our patients’ lives,” Dr. Pereira said during his interactions with health care workers in

Lethem.

Dr Pereira has also noted that the ‘S’ from HEARTS will soon be changed to ‘D’ to have a component for Diabetes added. Further, he explained that implementa tion of the HEARTS pack age at the primary healthcare facilities would not only help to reduce the num ber of patients visiting the Lethem Regional Hospital, but would also help to see which patient is at risk in the primary levels, and to have those patients being properly treated.

“Primary health-care

centres play a major role, be cause that’s where we need to control patients, see who is at risk, treat them proper ly, and avoid them from com ing here at Lethem Regional Hospital,” he has said.

Lethem Regional Hospital was the last of eight pilot sites for the offi cial launch of the HEARTS Technical Package.

However, since April, the Chronic Diseases Unit has been developing the initia tive of the package with in various health centres around Guyana. To date, approximately thirty (30)

health facilities have ben efited from this initiative, and the Ministry is hoping to have all health facilities benefit.

Dr Delleana Anderson, Medical Superintendent at the Lethem Regional Hospital; Dr Dianelle Drepaul, Coordinator of the Chronic Diseases Unit; Cecil Abrams, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer; and Dr Shelieza Gopie, Technical Officer for Tobacco and Alcohol Control, were also present and participated in the launch of the HEARTS initiative.

to persons 100 and beyond

Persons who have crossed the milestone of 100 years of age will now be part of The Century Club – launched by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security for the Month of the Elderly, which is celebrated in October each year.

In caring for its senior citizens in a special way, The Club honours those cit izens in Guyana who have made it to 100 years, and even exceeded 100 years.

This programme aims to bring ease and comfort to Guyana’s longest-serving citizens by providing care packages, groceries, health checkups, vitamins, glucose testing machines, and oth er services. These items will be procured directly through the Ministry and through collaboration with various businesses, organizations and entities.

The Honourable Dr Vindhya Persaud, Minister of Human Services and

Social Security, has empha sised, “Our senior citizens have contributed in diverse spheres in our country, and I believe it is incumbent on us to ensure that in their lat er years they're able to enjoy all amenities, facilities, and opportunities to have a good quality of life.”

Additionally, the Ministry has been constant ly working on ways to im prove the lives of senior cit izens. Minister Persaud reiterated in her remarks, “We have moved a great dis tance with regard to pension in terms of our increase in pension, the early delivery of pension books, the introduc tion of the banking system,

and also alternate venues; and we are working on oth er improvements that will come later, so that pension ers can really not have to suffer frustration and has sle.”

During the month of October, the Ministry will be rolling out a number of activities to engage and in volve our senior citizens in ways that can impact their mental health and well-be ing, and overall wellness. Commenting on the impact the Century Club will make on the lives of senior citi zens, Dr Vindhya Persaud said, “You will agree with me that when you hit 100 years, that century, you've done

what not a lot of people not only in our country (but) our world have been (unable) to do. I believe we should hon our; we should salute; we should pay tribute to those who have (attained this age). This is the Ministry of Human Services’ way of say ing thank you to them, and really acknowledging their years on earth with us with something that's impactful, practical, and something that I'm sure they will enjoy and appreciate.

“I'm very proud to launch The Century Club, and this is in honour of all those Guyanese who hit and sur passed 100 years,” Minister Vindhya has said.

The umbrella theme for the United Nations International Day of Older Persons on October 1, 2022 is “Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World.”

According to the UN, over the next three decades, the number of older persons worldwide is projected to more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion per sons in 2050. All regions will see an increase in the size of the older population be tween 2019 and 2050. The largest increase (312 mil lion) is projected to occur in eastern and south-eastern Asia, growing from 261 mil lion in 2019 to 573 million in 2050.

Officials at the launch of the HEARTS initiative on Thursday

Minister Persaud interacting with an elderly person

Guyana’s tourism sector rebounded with pace – GTA Director

Inan effort to ramp up its awareness initiatives for World Tourism Day a few days ago, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) strategically engaged all tourism associations, com mittees and other key sector players to develop activities that placed emphasis on this year’s theme – “Rethinking Tourism”.

GTA Director Kamrul Baksh shared that the sec tor is making its mark again after rebounding.

“As Guyana celebrates together with the rest of the world, World Tourism Day, it is important to reflect on the challenges that the tour ism sector endured particu larly in the last two years. The sector showed resilience at its most difficult moment and has since rebounded with amazing pace and the results prove that the re covery road is well under way. However, as the sec tor emerges into a new light, new challenges lie ahead.

Travellers have become more discerning, expecting a higher level of service, safe ty, quality tourism offerings and an overall good experi ence.”

Baksh added that Guyana has embarked on a pathway to create new tours and packages for all the right types of travel lers. Crucially, the efforts to integrate the Caribbean Region will allow Guyana to tap into new markets, as op posed to focusing on saturat ed ones.

“This diverse product portfolio will allow us to cater to the international and business markets but also the diaspora and do mestic markets. The digi tal expansion strategy will address the footprint is sues and access to services. More seamless transactions translate into higher visi tor satisfaction and that is a top priority for the sector. Importantly, Rethinking Tourism involves strength

ening partnerships with all sector actors that will re sult in sustainable develop ment. A stronger unit will reflect a positive image for Destination Guyana on the global stage.”

One of the priority areas of focus for the GTA in 2022 is to successfully launch 12 new tourism experiences in collaboration with the tour ism private sector and tour ism-focused communities.

This forms the basis of the GTA expanding its reach and diversifying the country’s tourism product offerings. As such, four new tourism experiences were launched in recognition of World Tourism Day.

Through Touring Guyana, the Mangrove Heritage Tour and the New Amsterdam Heritage Trail Tour will certainly at tract history lovers who are seeking to incorporate soft er adventure experiences into their itineraries. Azure Experiences on the oth

er hand, through their new offerings - The Kopinang Waterfall Tour and the Yoga Breakfast and Nature Walk Tour adds a unique twist to adventure-based experienc es.

Earlier in September, the GTA launched the Bush Cow Eco Trails Experience in Nappi Village, and the Quarrie Waterfall Tour, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo). This brings us to a total of six new experiences launched thus far in 2022.

As the GTA embarks on enhancing key sites around the country, a mural was un veiled at the Moleson Creek Ferry Terminal. This mu ral, produced by Colin Nedd, aims to provide a welcoming atmosphere to persons who

will be entering Guyana at this port of entry. This ini tiative ties into the GTA’s inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach to tourism devel opment.

Additionally, the Director of the GTA, Kamrul Baksh, in collaboration with the Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall, as well as the Bartica Tourism Committee officially launched the Baracara Falls Tourism Enhancement Initiative. The team also took part in a clean-up session.

“The GTA is committed to providing the necessary support to all of our tour ism destinations to ensure that they provide the high est quality of service to visi tors. After all, protecting our environment starts with re

specting our environment,” the agency said.

Other major ac tivities included The Imbotero Research Centre Documentary shot in Region One; a mini tourism fair and expo held in Anna Regina, Region Two; pro moting a tri-island hopping Tour with Trail Masters Adventure Tours; A Tourism Destination Feature Video promoted by Region Five Tourism Committee in Mahaicony; and the Karasabai Conservation Group & South Rupununi Conservation Society host ing the first bird fair at Manari Ranch, Region Nine.

The Linden Regatta Camp, Region 10, was hosted by Elite Kayaking.

Tolerance for LGBTQ community grew over 9-year period – study shows

Positive attitudes to wards lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans gender (LGBT) people in Guyana have increased sig nificantly over the last nine years. This was a key find ing of the 2022 poll titled “A Study of Perceptions and Attitudes towards LGBT Persons in Guyana” which was conducted by RMK Consulting Enterprise and commissioned by SASOD Guyana.

This year’s national poll was conducted almost a decade after the first-ev er public opinion poll on LGBT people and issues was done by the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) in 2013.

According to results from the 2022 poll, LGBT accep tance in Guyana has soared since then, moving from 19 per cent to 34.5 per cent with an overall percentage of 72.4 per cent of respondents stat ing that they accept and tol erate LGBT persons.

Presenting at the launch of the findings last Tuesday, Dr Marlon Anatol, a researcher with RMK Consulting Enterprise, not ed that hatred of LGBT peo ple had decreased by 50 per

Dr Mark Kirton

cent from 25 per cent in 2013 to 12 per cent in 2022, which is quite significant.

Other key results in clude that nearly a majori ty of Guyanese believe the Government should prior itise legally protecting the rights of LGBT people with 49.6 per cent of respondents replying positively that it should be a priority for the Government to prioritise le gally protecting LGBT peo ple.

Further, the poll found that a clear majority of 53.9 per cent of the Guyanese population are likely to sup port the elimination of the

law criminalising sex be tween men.

The results also showed that 72 per cent of the pop ulation were likely to sup port legislation that en sures protection against workplace discrimination for LGBT people in Guyana. Remarking on the need for legislators to move with the times, SASOD Guyana’s Managing Director Joel Simpson was keen to note that “we have been in a place where politicians have been saying that the society isn’t ready for change, but these results clearly indicate that the society is way ahead of

Dr Marlon Anatol

its leaders and Guyana has changed significantly over the past decade”. Simpson remarked that “the evi dence is now available to the Government of Guyana to support including protection for LGBT people in work place anti-discrimination legislation”.

Principal and Director of RMK Consulting Enterprise, Dr Mark Kirton gave an overview of the study, in dicating that 1070 respon dents were interviewed in person between June 18 and July 11, 2022, through a house-to-house exer cise across most regions of

Guyana. The stratified ran dom sample was represen tative of the Guyanese pop ulation in terms of sex, age, race, religious affiliation, and other demographics, based on the 2012 National Census for Guyana.

For over 19 years, SASOD Guyana has been at the forefront of calls to re peal the laws which crim inalise same-sex intimacy and disproportionately af fect LGBT people, leading to increased levels of discrim ination in all areas of their lives.

Simpson stated that SASOD Guyana intends to

disseminate the polling re sults widely. He noted that “this information needs to be on the desk of every parlia mentarian” and stated that SASOD Guyana is “going to continue our advocacy to bring this to the attention of the policymakers because we really want to see action, particularly now that we are seeing most of the popula tion, 72 per cent, saying they are supportive of non-dis crimination protections for LGBT persons” as it relates to the right to work. SASOD Guyana has also been advo cating for the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 to be amended to include sexu al orientation, gender identi ty, and gender expression as grounds for discrimination.

SASOD Guyana has not ed with interest the posi tive rhetoric of the PPP/C Administration on LGBT issues. However, Simpson repeated the call for deci sive actions to be taken by Parliamentarians and leg islators. He confirmed that SASOD Guyana would be continuing to engage with the Government on these is sues, noting the significant increase in support for LGBT people across Guyana.

Ex-prisoners benefit from GPS’s Fresh Start initiative

Three ex-prisoners on Friday benefitted from the Fresh Start initia tive that is being rolled out by the Government of Guyana through the Guyana Prison Service (GPS). Lawrence Rambarran received a com plete kit of carpentry tools and equipment, Terrence Barker received a complete welding kit, and Michael Powley re ceived a weeding machine.

In the simple ceremony that attended the handing over of these items to the ben eficiaries, Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, noted that the Fresh Start programme is aimed at reducing criminal re cidivism by helping ex-prison ers with felony convictions to gain access to resources, and by providing them with the necessary motivation for suc

cess after being incarcerated.

Elliot also noted that the programme does not only ad dress the needs of ex-offend ers transitioning from incar ceration back into society, but gives former offenders a chance to embark on their own professional paths.

“So, the focus is to help ex-prisoners concentrate on self -sustaining activities with the hope that they (would be enabled) to make an income and become marketable,” Elliot has said.

The ex-prisoners were con sidered for the “Fresh Start Toolkit” based on a number of qualifying criteria, which in cluded participation in train ing programmes while in prison, conducting reviews, family support, and a post-re lease plan.

Police in Reg 6 working to tackle cattle rustling

In light of an upsurge in cattle rustling in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Police are making every effort to curtail the issue.

There are instances whereby cases of cattle rus tling are not reported to the Police. Farmers have accused the Police of not having an interest in inves tigating the crime as their reason for not reporting it when it happens.

Nevertheless, some cas es are reported.

FROM PAGE 9

In the month of September, three heads of cattle – two of them preg nant and the third had given birth hours before – were stolen and slaugh tered at Number 56 Village, Corentyne. The animals were killed just a short dis tance away from the pen they were in.

In another instance, a cow and its calf were slaughtered at Salton Farm along the Corentyne Coast.

On May 4 last, an 82-year-old cattle farm er of Number 64 Village, Corentyne, lost three heads of cattle; one had given birth prior to the incident. The animals were report edly taken out from the pen and slaughtered.

Farmers also stated that cattle would go miss ing and their body parts are discovered in the sa vannahs.

However, Detective

Rawl Nedd recently told the media that the Police are working to tackle cattle rustling across the region.

“We are dealing with the increase in cattle rus tling in Region Six and we have a team and the CID [Criminal Investigation Department] along with intel and we are attacking that problem head on. We will be looking at both the persons who are supplying and the persons who are

selling,” the senior officer said.

Some farmers in the past have reported that they have supplied the Police with suspects' names, but the Police have not investigated or charged those persons.

On this note, Nedd stat ed, “We believe in inves tigating, having the evi dence, seeking legal advice and based on that advice sending for prosecution”.

More jobs for Reg 2 as new BPO opens in Henrietta

Singh and Vansluytman were arrested on Tuesday by ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) after they were found with a quantity of marijuana and a fire arm with ammunition in a boat along the Manarabisi Canal, Region Six.

It was reported that the officers intercepted the speed boat, which was oc cupied by two adult males and a minor.

A subsequent search of the boat was conducted in the presence of the occu pants, which led to the dis covery of several parcels of suspected narcotics and one shotgun with 16 live cartridges.

The two adult suspects – Singh and Vansluytman – were arrested and escort ed to CANU headquarters

along with the suspected narcotics and shotgun with ammunition.

The narcotics tested positive for cannabis and had a total weight of 126 kilograms (277.7 pounds).

According to CANU, this operation is part of its efforts to reduce the flow of narcotics being trafficked out of the Berbice river district to Suriname. The officers carried out sur veillance activities in sev eral main drainage canals in the Corentyne district, which lasted for a period of two days.

Only last weekend, CANU agents arrested three persons including a teenager after they were busted with more than 200 pounds of marijua na during separate opera tions.

The Government on Friday recommit ted to the develop ment of the telecommuni cations sector, facilitating the opening of a second location for the Express International Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) centre, this time in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam)

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh said Government’s investments in the sector’s development remain evident.

He said the centre is only one aspect of the Government’s investment in the region, making ref erence to the installation of various fibre optic cables in the county, noting that the

environment for rapid pri vate investments in tele communications stems from the liberalisation of the sec tor.

Minister Singh said over 1000 persons are currently employed in the BPO sec tor, a direct result of the Government’s confidence and investment in telecoms.

“Good quality jobs must be created everywhere, across the length and breadth of Guyana. Our commitment is to continue to create the conditions to see new jobs and new types of jobs established in all the regions of our country,” he stated.

Express International Inc opened its first loca tion in Georgetown in 2021, opening some 300 jobs for persons living in the capital city. The company’s CEO,

Ken Deocharran, said his vision encompasses an en vironment conducive to up ward mobility in the sector.

“We are set out to build a sustainable workforce. My goal is to build an envi ronment where employees will be able to achieve their goals, and create an oppor tunity for growth within,” Deocharran explained.

Some 14 persons from

various communities in Essequibo are currently employed at the new loca tion, with more persons ex pected to join in the coming months.

Anna Regina Mayor Rajendra Prahbulall, Chief Investment Officer of GOInvest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop and Regional Chairman Vilma DaSilva were also present at the launch.

The equipment handed over to the trio on Friday

Police Detective Rawl Nedd

The narcotics and firearm found in the boat of the accused

Berbice duo remanded...

Founder of Express International BPO, Ken Deocharran, along with Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, GO-Invest Chief Investment Officer Peter Ramsaroop, and other officials at the opening

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh

Regional

Lula vows 'peace and love' for polarised Brazil in comeback attempt

far-right President Jair President rode into office on a wave of antipathy towards Lula's Workers Party.

Last year Brazil's Supreme Court annulled those convictions. Now Lula is leading the presidential race by a comfortable mar gin, according to most polls, with some showing he could win the election outright, without a second-round vote on Oct 30.

2003-2010 during a com modities boom driving ro bust economic growth, which helped him reduce the country's deep social inequalities, lift millions from extreme poverty and expand access to education and healthcare.

J/ca: $360 million to clear roads after Tropical Storm Ian

It is costing the country an estimated $360 million to clear roads that were flooded and blocked by trees and other debris as a result of rains associated with Tropical Storm Ian, which pelted the island between Saturday and Monday.

next two weeks I will update Parliament as to what those will be," he said.

Brazilian leftist Luis

Inacio Lula da Silva

is within reach of a dramatic comeback in Sunday's election, four years after the popular twoterm President watched from a jail cell as his par ty was trounced in the last presidential campaign.

Graft convictions barred him from running for President in 2018, when

With a gravelly voice and grandfatherly charm, the 76-year-old former union leader, who led strikes against a military dictator ship in the 1970s, is now promising to restore politi cal calm in a country pola rised by Bolsonaro's rightwing populism.

"Little Lula, peace and love, is back," Lula has said in interviews during an election campaign unsettled by rising political violence and even killings of his sup porters.

Lula led Brazil from

He left office with an un precedented 87 per cent ap proval rating. But his lega cy was tarnished by a deep recession overseen by his hand-picked successor and former chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff, who was im peached for breaking bud get rules.

Brazil's largest-ever corruption investigation also caught dozens of busi ness figures and politicians skimming billions from overpriced contracts with state companies. Lula was put on trial for receiving real estate and other gifts.

He spent 580 days in jail until his November 2019 release. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Banging pots, Cubans stage rare protests over Hurricane Ian blackouts

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who made the dis closure in a statement to Parliament on Wednesday, said this figure represents very preliminary estimates to "reopen roads and make sur faces drivable".

"It might increase a lit tle bit more, but thankful ly it is not in the billions; the cost of permanent repairs are being assessed and over the

"Certainly, for the repair of retaining walls that have been destroyed those costs might be a little bit more, but, again, we are not expecting to see a billion-dollar bill for re pairs," he said in reference to the usually high figure to re pair damage resulting from extreme weather conditions in Jamaica.

According to the Prime Minister, based on the cost outlined, it is not expected that there will be any sig nificant new budget allo cations for the repairs. "So the National Works Agency [NWA] would have to look in

its budget to see how these repairs can be addressed," he said. In the meantime, Holness said the NWA has reported that parishes hard est hit were St Catherine and Clarendon, however, Kingston and St Andrew, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and Portland were also significantly impacted by the system.

Many areas were flood ed while others experienced landslides, fallen trees, and scoured road surfaces, while the rains left some commu nities marooned, especially those in low-lying and floodprone areas along the south ern coast. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Fire at Paraguay election agency kills 1; casts doubt on votes

Afire broke out at the headquarters of Paraguay's national electoral agency on Thursday, killing one person and raising questions about prospects for presidential primaries and general elections scheduled for coming months.

causes," TSJE Minister Jorge Bogarin told a radio station.

Fire Captain Hermes Villa confirmed the discovery of the body of an official who had gone missing after the fire erupted.

TSJE President Jaime Bestard told a news confer ence the fire may have dam aged 8500 voting machines and he would look into hold ing December's primaries in two stages.

Cubans

banged pots and shouted protests in neighbourhoods of Havana still without elec tricity on Friday, three days after Hurricane Ian knocked out power to the island of 11 million people.

Sweating in the dark on Thursday night and early Friday, some Havana resi dents resorted to pot-bang ing, a traditional method of expressing discontent in Latin America but one pre viously rarely employed in Cuba.

Hurricane Ian, now ploughing north along the southeast coast of the United States, on Tuesday brought Cuba's grid to collapse, flat tened homes and obliterated agricultural fields.

The Government has

worked on repairs since then, and electric service was back in half of the capital by Friday afternoon.

Jorge Luis Cruz of Havana's El Cerro neigh bourhood stood shirtless in his doorway late on Thursday banging a pot and shouting in anger. Dozens of other people could be heard bang ing pots in the darkness from terraces and rooftops nearby.

Cruz said his family did not want him to take to the street out of fear he would be hauled off to jail.

"Let them take me," he said.

Luis Antonio Torres, head of the country´s rul ing Communist Party in Havana, told state-run TV that utility workers had made significant progress.

"Havana today has more than 50% of its grid recov ered, and about 60% of cus tomers have electricity," Torres said.

By midday Friday, scat tered protests continued in Havana, but largely limit ed to areas where electricity was not yet back.

Street protests in com munist-run Cuba are very rare. On July 11, 2021, an ti-government rallies rocked the island, the largest such demonstrations since former Cuban leader Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.

Police arrested more than 1000 people, according to es timates from human rights groups, and hundreds of pro testers remain in jail, official figures show. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Peru proposes 'new approach' to mining to combat economic disparities, conflicts

Peru's Government proposed on Friday

"a new approach" for mining companies to end social gaps and avoid con flicts in the sector, a mea sure taken after several conflicts in the country in recent months.

Prime Minister Anibal Torres said during a con ference between executives of large mining firms that the new "attitude" aimed to promote local and foreign investment. He added that the Government of leftist President Pedro Castillo re spects private initiative and wants to promote mining activity.

"Although the responsi

bility for closing gaps falls on the State, it is necessary to involve and commit min ing companies to greater social investment," Torres said.

Peru is the world's No 2 copper producer and min ing is vital for the country's economy, representing 60 per cent of all exports.

However, it has faced several conflicts and pro tests from local communi ties in its mining areas that ended up affecting min ing operations. Companies affected include Grupo Mexico’s Southern Copper Corp and MMG Ltd's Las Bambas.

The country's cen

tral bank forecasted in September that mining in vestment would fall 3.7 per cent this year and the deep en in 2023 by 16.2 per cent, with no new large projects in sight.

Poor Indigenous commu nities have increased their demand for greater benefits for the exploitation of re sources, creating blockades on roads and mining areas several times this year.

Torres's speech, at times applauded by mining exec utives, aims to calm down businessmen who have de manded a clearer reaction from the Government to stop the protests. (Excerpt from Reuters)

A huge cloud of black smoke and big flames rose from the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE) in the capital, Asuncion. The fa cility, where hundreds of of ficials work, is used to store election material, including voting machines.

"We have suffered serious damage. We cannot confirm absolutely anything about its

Bogarin said the fire could "eventually alter the schedule that was already drawn up" for coming elections.

He said a team would be set up to investigate the cause of the fire and to find ways to ensure the elections are held.

Primaries for presidential candidates are scheduled for Dec 18 and general elections for President, Vice President, Governors and Congressmen are scheduled for April 30.

But one opposition party leader raised an objection to that suggestion.

"Breaking the elections up is a plan to carry out fraud," said Efrain Alegre, President of the Opposition Liberal Party.

"The law establishes that the primaries are held at the same time as a way to pre vent voters from fraudulent ly voting in two primaries," Alegre said. (Reuters)

In Colombia, land occupations raise tensions and spook investors

Land occupations have spiked since the elec tion of leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has prom ised to spend tens of billions of dollars to ensure smallscale farmers and Indigenous groups have access to more land, as part of a plan to cor rect generations of deep in equality.

Indigenous communitiesmany disenchanted by years of unmet Government prom ises - have long histories of oc cupations, which they call lib erations.

But recent occupations are also being led by impover ished farmers, many of whom have interpreted Petro's promises as permission to carry them out, despite his insistence reforms will take place according to law.

They are perhaps the clearest example of the del icate path Petro must tread if he wants to meet the high hopes raised by his idealis tic campaign rhetoric with out stirring conflict or alien ating the agricultural sector. Farming will be particularly crucial for Petro in his bid to diversify the economy away from oil and coal.

"The issue of liberation is a wider, deeper concept that includes the recovery not just of land, but of water, of wild areas, of animals," said an in digenous leader who gave his name as Cruz.

Occupying the Castilla sugarcane farm in Cauca with 450 others, he said his group had taken inspiration from Petro's promises, but ac knowledged Indigenous lead ership may be misinterpret ing the pledges.

The occupations threaten investment, business people say, and have drawn sharp criticism from Petro's opposi

tion in congress.

Sugarcane industry group Asocana said invasions have stopped production of around 75,000 tonnes of sugar this year, equivalent to about half a month's average output.

There are currently 108 land occupations in Colombia, affecting one third of its prov inces, the human rights om budsman's office said last week. Though comparative figures were unavailable, multiple organisations con sulted by Reuters said oc cupations have risen in re cent months. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil's former President, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva

Workers of a sugar mill preparing the land to plant sugar cane in a cane field that, according to them, could be invaded by Indigenous communities and poor farmers, in Corinto, Colombia September 20, 2022

Around the World

OIL NEWS

Oil falls, but notches weekly gain as OPEC+ considers output cut

Oilprices dipped on Friday in choppy trading but notched their first weekly gain in five on Friday, underpinned by the possibility that OPEC+ will agree to cut crude output when it meets on Oct 5.

Brent crude futures for November, which expire on Friday, fell 53 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to US$87.96 a barrel. The more active December contract was down US$2.07 at US$85.11.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell US$1.74, or 2.1 per cent, to US$79.49.

Both contracts rose by more than US$1 during the session but dropped on news that OPEC's oil output rose in September to its highest since 2020, surpassing a pledged hike for the month, according to a Reuters survey on Friday.

"There is definitely some profit taking from the gains we saw earlier in the week. US$80 is sort of the pivot point these days," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

"Increased worries about financial stability in the UK ... are undermining the demand outlook once again," Kilduff added.

Brent and WTI gained 2 per cent and 1 per cent on a weekly basis, marking the first weekly rise since August and following nine-month lows hit this week.

Money managers cut their net long US crude futures and options positions in the week to September 27, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said.

While the dollar has dropped from 20-year highs earlier in the week, it gained through the day. A stronger greenback makes dollar-denominated oil more expensive for buyers holding other currencies, reducing demand for the commodity.

"Price swings have become the norm as market players juggle worries over the global economy and the prospect of tightening oil supplies," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

The market has seen support from the prospect of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies considering cutting production quotas by between 500,000 and 1 million barrels per day (bpd) at their Oct 5 meeting.

"A deteriorating crude demand outlook won't allow oil to rally until energy traders are confident that OPEC+ will slash output," senior OANDA analyst Edward Moya said.

Analysts expect a production cut because demand fears linked to a possible global economic slowdown and rising interest rates have weighed on crude prices.

US energy firms this week added two oil rigs for a third week in a row, but growth in the third quarter slowed due to recession fears and nagging supply shortages.

Top White House officials are also set to meet with oil executives on Friday to discuss Hurricane Ian and low gasoline inventories as President Joe Biden warns the industry not to price-gouge consumers, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Brent and WTI prices finished the third quarter with chunky 23 per cent and 25 per cent declines respectively. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ukraine war: Russia completes landgrab as Kyiv's territory annexed

Russia has formally an nexed four occupied re gions of Ukraine, in a move sparking international condemnation.

President Vladimir Putin signed "accession treaties" with the regions' Moscowinstalled leaders at a ceremo ny in the Kremlin's opulent St George's Hall on Friday.

Watched by members of the political elite, he declared the regions would "forever" be part of Russia.

Kyiv reacted by launching a new, fast-track bid to join the NATO alliance.

Flanked by his Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had long been a "de-facto" mem ber of the security bloc, and accused Moscow of redrawing borders "using murder, black mail, mistreatment and lies".

"We are taking our deci sive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated ac cession to NATO," Zelensky said, speaking from the cen tre of Kyiv.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was reluc tant to be drawn on the bid, saying the decision rested with the bloc's 30 members. But he condemned Moscow's

annexation of Ukrainian ter ritory, calling the move "the most serious escalation since the start of the war".

US President Joe Biden also accused Putin of a "fraudulent attempt" to claim Ukrainian territory, and said the move was "trampling on the United Nations Charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations every

where".

"The illegal annex ation proclaimed by Putin won't change anything," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "All territories illegally occu pied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will al ways be part of this sovereign nation."

And French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to "stand by Ukraine in order to deal with Russian aggres sion and to enable Ukraine to recover its full sovereignty across its entire territory".

But Putin has long been unmoved by Western criti cism of his war in Ukraine, and during a rambling 37-minute-long speech on Friday he promised to "pro tect" the newly annexed re gions "with all the forces and means at our disposal". (Excerpt from BBC News)

Inuit Greenlanders demand answers over Danish birth control scandal

Denmark and Greenland have for mally agreed to launch a two-year investi gation into historic birth control practices carried out for many years on Inuit Greenlanders by Danish doctors.

Thousands of Inuit wom en and girls were fitted with an intrauterine device (IUD), commonly known as a coil, during the 1960s and 70s.

It is a contraceptive de vice placed inside the womb - or uterus - to prevent preg nancy.

Among the women and girls fitted with an IUD was Naja Lyberth.

It was in the 1970s that a doctor told Naja, who be lieves she was then aged about 13, to go to her local hospital to have a coil im planted following a routine school medical examination.

"I didn't really know what it [was] because he

Suicide attacker kills at least 19 in Kabul school blast

never explained or got my permission," says Naja, who at the time was living in Maniitsoq, a small town on Greenland's west coast.

"I was afraid. I couldn't tell my parents,” she said. "I was a virgin. I had never even kissed a boy."

Now 60, Naja is one of the first to speak out about what happened.

Naja said her parents' permission had not been

sought, and that her class mates were also sent to hos pital but did not talk about it because "it was too shock ing".

A recent podcast , Spiralkampagnen ("coil campaign"), found records indicating that up to 4500 women and girls - rough ly half of all fertile females - had an IUD implanted in Greenland between 1966 and 1970. But the proce

dures continued into the mid-1970s.

Of these, it is unclear how many cases lacked con sent or proper explanation.

Now, a committee will examine the pregnancy pre vention practices carried out by Danish health au thorities between 1960 and 1991, both in Greenland and at schools in Denmark with Greenlandic students. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Hurricane Ian strikes South Carolina after deadly march across Florida

then cut a destructive path across the state, transform ing beach towns into disas ter areas with catastrophic flooding and winds.

There have been re ports of at least 21 deaths in Florida, Kevin Guthrie, di rector of the state's Division of Emergency Management, said at a morning briefing. He stressed that some of those reports remain uncon firmed.

Asuicide

bomber has at tacked an educational institute in the Afghan capital, killing at least 19 peo ple.

As many as 27 others were wounded in the blast early on Friday, which oc curred in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of western Kabul, a predominantly Shia Muslim area home to the mi nority Hazara community, ac cording to police spokesman Khalid Zadran.

“Students were preparing for an exam when a suicide bomber struck at this educa

tional centre. Unfortunately, 19 people have been mar tyred and 27 others wound ed,” he said.

Videos posted online and photos published by local me dia showed bloodied victims being carried away from the scene. The victims included high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice universi ty entrance exam at the Kaj education centre when the blast went off, Zadran said. Schools are typically closed in Afghanistan on Fridays.

“Attacking civilian tar

gets proves the enemy’s inhu man cruelty and lack of moral standards,” he said, without specifying who was believed to be behind the attack.

One wounded student said the victims were mostly girls.

“We were around 600 (students) in the classroom, but most of the casualties are among girls,” the male stu dent told the AFP news agen cy from the hospital where he was being treated.

No group immediate ly claimed responsibility. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Aresurgent Hurricane Ian slammed into the South Carolina coast on Friday afternoon, making another landfall af ter a deadly march across the Florida peninsula that washed away houses and stranded thousands along the state's Gulf Coast.

The storm swept ashore at 2:05 pm (1805 GMT) near Georgetown, a waterfront town about 60 miles (97 km) north of the historic city of Charleston, packing maxi mum sustained wind speeds

of 85 mph (140 kph) as a Category 1 hurricane, ac cording to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Ian was expected to bring life-threatening flooding, storm surges and winds to South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. Officials in all three states warned resi dents to prepare for danger ous conditions.

The hurricane struck Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US mainland and

Ian was forecast to weak en rapidly as it moves in land across the Carolinas and was expected to dissi pate over western North Carolina or Virginia late on Saturday, the NHC said.

Georgetown, with a pop ulation of about 10,000, is a tourist destination known for its oak-lined streets and more than 50 sites on the National Registry of Historic Places. The town was heavily damaged by 1989's Hurricane Hugo.

More than 145,000 homes and businesses in the Carolinas were without pow er, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Vladimir Putin speaking to crowds in Moscow, with the words "Together forever" at the top of the screen

A resident walking in a flooded street in Charleston, South Carolina, as Hurricane Ian made its second US landfall north of the historic city on September 30, 2022

DAILY HOROSCOPES

You’ll learn much if you participate in community or family events. Listen, ask questions and make suggestions, and you will team up with someone who can help you make progress. Romance is featured.

An open mind will help you better understand what’s within your grasp. Update your skills and parlay some thing you’re good at into a moneymak ing venture.

Keep your life simple, your conver sations honest and your money in a safe place. Overindulgence could put you in a precarious position. Work on self-im provement and discipline.

Take better care of your health, repu tation and home. Someone will make you look bad if given the opportunity. Be on your best behavior, and don’t commit to anything you cannot do. Focus on ideas.

Have fun with friends, family or like-minded colleagues. Getting out and about will broaden your outlook regard ing what’s possible and who can help you. Personal improvement will open doors.

Share accurate information. If some one doesn’t fact-check properly, you’ll be the one who bears the blame. Don’t let anger set in. Be cautious and truthful at all times.

A trip, lecture or exhibit will be en lightening. Personal growth and enter tainment will go together. Leave noth ing to chance, engage in conversations and research whatever interests you.

Make a difference. Size up what’s happening around you and adjust what isn’t working for you. Express your con cerns and offer solutions that you can implement. Update your home.

Don’t bend under pressure. Look for opportunities that let you use your phys ical skills and qualifications to bring about positive change. An older relative or friend may need help or company.

Moderation will help you avoid in sult or injury. Take a pass if invited to a gathering that could put your health at risk. Time spent at home will give you a chance to improve your personal life.

Reach out to someone who is doing something you want to pursue. The con nection will lead to inroads that will help you cultivate skills, experience and knowledge.

You’ll have plenty to contribute ver bally, but don’t let your emotions slip into the conversation. Choose each word carefully to avoid saying something you regret.

West Indies Rising Stars Women’s U19 Tournament developing pool of future cricketers

Twenty-two (22) of the best Under-19 women’s players from across the West Indies have been short listed as a provisional pool from which the squad for the ICC Women’s U19 Cricket World Cup, South Africa 2023, would be selected.

All six Regional Under-19 teams have returned to com petition in the West Indies Rising Stars Women’s U19 Championship, held in Trinidad in July following two years without any re gional age-group cricket due to the coronavirus pan demic. Following the tour nament, fifteen of the twen ty-two players identified played a historic five-match U19 T20 International (T20I) series against the USA at the Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida in August.

The CWI Selection Panel had the opportunity to see the team at play for the first time, and despite the team’s 4-1 loss to the USA, the pan el was pleased that the West Indies Women’s Under-19 players had had opportuni ty to get international match experience, and for the pan

el to better understand the talent within the group. This team is a historical one, as it is the first ever West Indies Under-19 Women's Team.

CWI Lead Selector for Women’s cricket, Ann Browne-John, has said: “The Rising Stars Under-19 tour nament saw a welcome re turn to competition for young women in the region. Following the tournament, these 22 players have been shortlisted to prepare for the World Cup in January in South Africa, as well as some additional preparation matches. After the long pan demic disruption, it was re freshing for the selectors to see some new talent, which augers well for future development.

“This pool, apart from World Cup par ticipation, can also serve as a feeder for the senior team. It contains a great mix of play ers, both right and left-hand ed, and a variety of up-andcoming bowlers.”

The Rising Stars agegroup tournaments within the CWI Future Stars pro gramme play a crucial role in

Manchester City challenge 'excites' Erik ten hag

Erik ten Hag will look to do some thing no Manchester United manager since Alex Ferguson has done when he heads to Manchester City on Sunday for a derby he is hugely looking forward to.

Ten Hag has recovered from a rocky start at Old Trafford to lead Manchester United to four straight wins in the Premier League. However, in order to extend that run, he would have to end a miserable sequence of results for United’s manag ers in their first Manchester derbies.

United ‘great’ Alex Ferguson won his first such clash in March 1987, but each of his successors – David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Ralf Rangnick – have lost their league derby debuts.

Only Chelsea and Liverpool (both 18) have celebrated more Premier League wins against United than their nearest neigh bours (17), who have come out on top in their past three meetings. Yet, ten Hag is rel

ishing the challenge.

ers on Friday: "I played many der bies. I know what they are, what rivals are doing to each other. I know it's the most important game here in the Manchester area for the fans. It excites me. I want to be involved in these games. It's a good fight that gives so much energy. You do everything to win that game."

City have won their past seven home league games, scoring at least three times in each of them, but ten Hag is determined to focus on his own side's merits. "The ap proach is for us to look to ourselves," he said.

"The approach at (Manchester) United is we want to win every game, and that message I've already told several times here. For Sunday, it's nothing else: we have to perform our best. With our way of playing, our rules, our principles, we have to do our best. We have made a good game plan, then it's about execution. We have to do it. We want to

tunity for the most talented players to thrive and devel op further with the goal of ultimately feeding into the West Indies Senior Men’s and Women’s teams.

One of the players short listed is Shalini Samaroo, an opening right-handed bat

ter and captain of Trinidad and Tobago Women’s U19 team. Samaroo was part of the squad to play in the fivematch T20I Series in Florida, and she emerged as the Player of the Series.

Speaking to CWI Media, Samaroo said, “It was a dream come true to be se lected to play for the West Indies, because it was one of my goals, as a cricketer, to be able to wear the Maroon

colours.” She added, “It was a learning experience for me: new coaches, new team mates, understanding differ ent personalities and abili ties. I am happy that we got to play in the Rising Stars tournament again after the delay due to COVID-19. We have all been working hard on our games, waiting for this tournament to put our skills on show to the selec tors and coaches, and I am

2022 international tennis tournaments…

happy that I was one of the twenty-two to be selected as the best Under-19 women cricketers in the region.”

The West Indies Rising Stars Women’s Under-19 team is due to have a train ing camp and trial matches in Trinidad in October, be fore playing an away series against India in November as part of the preparation plans for the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup South Africa in January 2023. (Windies Cricket)

PROVISIONAL WEST INDIES WOMEN’S

U19 PLAYER POOL

* Asabi Callendar

* Kenika Cassar

* Jahzara Claxton

* Naijanni Cumberbatch

* Destiny Edward

* Jannillea Glasgow

* Realeanna Grimmond

* Trishan Holder

* Zaida James

* Djenaba Joseph

* Maria La Foucade

* Namiah Marcellin

* K D Jazz Mitchell

* Ashmini Munisar

* Niveena Ramnath

* Cyanna Retemiah

* Selena Ross

* Shalini Samaroo

* Shunelle Sawh

* Lena Scott

* Abini St Jean

* Kate Wilmott

Cameron Norrie & Liam Broady pull out of quarter-final matches

British number one Cameron Norrie pulled out of the Korea Open less than an hour before his quarter-fi nal match against American Jenson Brooksby was due to be played.

ter-finals. He is eighth in the

get the result, and we know (that) if we want to get the result, we have to do it 100 per cent well."

Similarly, ten Hag has been keen not to spend too much time worrying about Erling Haaland, the City sensation who has scored a hat-trick in each of his past two home league matches. No Premier League player has ever scored three home trebles in a row.

"We don't play against Haaland; we play against Man City," ten Hag added. "They have a team of more than 11 players, but we have also.

We are confident of our capabilities, and if we act as a team, in and out of posses sion, then we can beat our opponents. That is the be lief we have to take with us when we start the game." (Sportsmax)

The ATP confirmed the second seed was un able to play because of ill ness. Norrie, 27, said he was suffering from jetlag, af ter beating Japan's Kaichi Uchida 6-2 6-2 in the previ ous round.

Compatriot Liam Broady, 28, withdrew from the Tel Aviv Open before his quar ter-final encounter against second seed Croatian Marin Cilic. Broady, the British number five, beat Dutch fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets to reach the second ATP quar ter-final of his career and the first since 2017. No rea son has yet been given for his withdrawal.

Serbian top seed Novak Djokovic will play Canada's Vasek Pospisil on Friday in the pick of the other quar

Cameron Norrie's next tournament is due to be the Japan Open, which starts on 3 October

dropped out on Monday and third seed Taylor Fritz with drew on Thursday.

Top seed Casper Ruud of Norway is also out, after losing 6-2 3-6 6-2 to Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Rafael Nadal will move above Ruud in the world

rankings as a result of the defeat, with the US Open and French Open runner-up falling from second to third.

Nishioka will play United States' Aleksander Kovacevic in the last four, while eighth seed Brooksby will play Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the other semi-final. (BBC)

record

derby

Smith, Shepherd must work on death bowling – Sir Curtly Ambrose

Jamaica Tallawahs

bowling coach Curtly Ambrose believes Guyana Amazon Warriors’ pacers Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd have much work to do to improve their death bowling.

Sir Curtly made this dis closure after the Tallawahs had posted a mammoth 226 for five to beat the Guyana Amazon Warriors by 37 runs in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) quali fier two match at Providence Stadium on Wednesday eve ning.

Smith and Shepherd had haemorrhaged 66 runs against the Tallawahs in the last three overs of their in nings. Smith, who bowled overs 18 and 20, conceded 43 runs.

Although elated that his batsmen were able to capital ise on some loose bowling, Sir Curtly, a West Indies legend and one of the greatest bowl ers ever, said the two play ers must improve on their re spective performances to help

the regional side.

"We know that they ha ven't been bowling well to wards the back end of the in nings. It's not once or twice, it's been happening for a lit tle while. We knew that once we have wickets in hand for those last five, six, seven overs, we can get a big total,” he disclosed.

"Quite frankly, for Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd – West Indian players – they need to do some work so they can be better in the back end. But for us, we're happy to be in the final," he had said.

Ambrose had also criti cised his bowlers, as Keemo Paul (56 off 37), Odean Smith (24 off 14) and Gudakesh Motie (22 off 13) had kept the crowd interested even as the run rate had skyrocketed. The Warriors eventually closed their innings on 189 for eight.

"The bowling was real ly good. I thought maybe the last couple of overs we eased up a bit and gave them a few runs because the game was already won, which I'm not

Winners of 2022

World Cup to get US$1.6M in prize money

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Friday that winners of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia will take home prize mon ey of US$1.6 million, the same amount that was taken home by the winners of last year's edition.

The runners-up will col lect US$800,000 and the two losing semi-finalists US$400,000 each, as had ob tained last year.

The 16-team tournament starts on October 16, and will be played in two rounds. The eight teams: Namibia, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, UAE in Group A; and West Indies, Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe in Group B, will play the first round. For any

win in this round, a team would receive a monetary prize of US$40,000.

Four teams - the top two from each groupwould qualify for the Super 12 round. They will join Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa there. The ones who get knocked out in the first round would each get US$40,000.

In the Super 12 phase, each win would fetch a team US$40,000. The eight teams who exit at the Super 12 stage would each receive US$70,000, just like had ob tained in the 2021 edition.

The tournament would have total prize money of US$5.6 million. (Cricinfo)

happy about. I've always told my bowlers: whenever yuh have ah team to kill off, yuh kill them off. Don't give them no chance to come back," Sir Curtly has said.

The bowling legend has praised the batsmen for set ting up the game perfectly in order to bring home vic tory. "It's not just the bowl ers. I thought it was a great team effort. Brilliant knock by Shamarh Brooks, and well supported by Imad Wasim," he declared.

Speaking after the de feat, new Guyana Amazon Warriors manager Romario Samaroo defended his bowl ers by declaring, “We know Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith have the ability to bowl in the death. They've done it in the past, it just didn't click this time. Most teams struggle in the death, it's not just us."

Challenged by Newsday about Smith and Shepherd's death bowl ing ability, Samaroo add ed, "Would you support that with stats? We back our players 100 per cent,

whether it's 22 from the last over, 36 from the last over, or six from the last over."

On September 8, 2022, at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia, Guyana had vic tory in hand against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who needed 22 for victory in the fi nal over. The ball was tossed to Shepherd, who was hit for three sixes in five balls, in

being treated by the massage therapist, but he was shocked by the victory.

Earlier this month, West Indies Chief Selector dis cussed Shepherd's omission from the West Indies T20 World Cup squad by saying, "His bowling has gone off a little bit."

On Sunday, in qualifi er one against Barbados

tence in the late overs. He bowled three no balls and three wides on Wednesday to finish with figures of one for 64 in four overs – the third most expen sive bowling performance in CPL history. (Newsday)

GPF Females are champions of GDF’s Run & Shoot competition

Guard Males participated against tactical and talent ed units of the GDF.

The competition was graced with the presence of GDF Chief of Staff Brigadier Godfrey Bess, Deputy Police Commissioner, ‘Operations’ (ag.), Ravindradat Budhram, and other senior and junior officers of the two Services. (GPF)

CLASSIFIED

Guyana Police Force (GPF) Female team have dominat ed the Run & Shoot com petition of the Guyana Defence Force's two-day Third Quarterly Fitness Competition which was held at Base Camp Stephenson (BCS) at Timehri, East Bank Demerara on September 2930, 2022.

The

That event saw ranks from the GPF Females, al ready reigning champions of that competition, retaining their crown when they con tested against four powerful female units of the Guyana Defence Force. The disci plined, dedicated and de termined GPF females exe cuted superbly in all areas of the tournament; namely:

night shooting, swimming, navigation, rope climbing, target-shoot, 5k run, obsta cle course, falling plates, and grenades throw.

They copped 454 points and earned 55% to be crowned champions of the female category of the com petition.

The Tactical Services Unit (TSU) and Presidential

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Guyana Police Force Females

Sir Curtly Ambrose

Odean Smith Romario Shepherd

LGC/Sankar’s Auto Spares golf tournament tees off today

…Persaud optimistic of a good turnout as Suriname Open looms

By TimoThy Jaikarran

The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) golfers would be itching to get much-needed tournament exposure today, when the Sankar’s Auto Spares golf tournament kicks off with a bang from 12:30h.

This tournament would

Open.

The format of this tour nament is Stableford over 18 holes and shotgun start. The goal of the Stableford is to score the most points. Every score (net score), when com pared to par, is equivalent to a set number of predeter mined points. The points per hole are awarded as follows:

* Even par: 2 points

* One stroke over (bo gey): 1 point

* Two strokes over (dou ble bogey or worse): Zero points.

Essentially, the goal is to make as many birdies (or better) and pars as are possi ble to have the highest num ber at the end of the round.

third place. Prizes will be awarded for Nearest to Flag – Hole #4 and Longest Drive – Hole #5.

LGC Captain Videsh Persaud has said, “As the final tournament before the Suriname Open, we will be hoping to get a good turnout. The tour nament will be a stable ford tournament, which will be the same format as the Suriname Open. We think this tourna ment will be a good ex posure and experience to this format of the game to all players participating.

To the sponsors, Sankar’s, we’d like to thank them for stepping up and sponsor ing this tournament, espe cially at this time before the Suriname Open and the Guyana Open. It really gives a sense of competitive ness to all the players, and having them feel the tourna ment vibes.”

see many of Guyana’s top golfers taking to the field with the aim of working out issues on the course before they touch down in Paramaribo, Suriname next weekend for the Suriname

* Three strokes under (double eagle/albatross or hole in one): 5 points

* Two strokes under (ea gle): 4 points

* One stroke under (bird ie): 3 points

There are no negative holes, which means any thing after a double bogey can be picked up and moved to the next hole.

The prizes up for grabs are trophies from first to

Persaud added that sponsorship is important, as this allows players to turn out and have a sense of what it is like to play in a tour nament, as it would lend a more serious, competitive nature to the game and en courage a more serious play ing style to the game.

Persaud explained that

golfers who come out to play today can expect a good course to play on, as the com petition is expected to be on a different level, based on the various tournaments held over the past few weeks.

All participants are ad vised to contact the club’s manager on the day of the tournament to collect their scorecards, pay their tour nament fees, and proceed to their allocated tee boxes to begin play at 12:30h. Once

Lots of natural talent displayed in 1st ever Recurve Archery shoot

Junior being tied at 203, resort had to be made to a count of 9s, after both had scored the same amount of 10s. Jad was awarded the gold for having scored more 9s than Junior.

The ranking produced a match play in which both Jad and Junior got byes to the semifinals, while elimi nation match 1 was between Octavious and Ryan, with Octavious getting ahead of Ryan.

points, after which Junior won 4 straight set points.

Jad came back to even the score at 4 set points each. Junior, however, went on to score the next 2 set points, bringing him to the winning total of 6 set points.

on their respective tee box es, players must await the sounding of the horn or siren as indication to begin teeing off. Players are expected to carry a timing device for the purpose of measuring the time spent searching for a lost ball, either theirs or an other competitor’s.

Presentation of prizes will be held upon comple tion of the tournament, at approx imately 5:30pm.

Archery

Guyana's

Region 9 Competition 2022, sponsored by Oasis Waters/Guyana Beverages Inc. and over seas- based group Friends of Old, was completed on September 26, 2022 with presentation of medals be ing done at the opening of the Region 9 Heritage cele brations at the St Ignatius Village.

Medals were present ed by the Honourable Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of Guyana, and by Ms Mignon Bowen-Phillips, wife of the Honourable Prime Minister; by Regional Executive Officer Karl Singh, Lethem Mayor John Macedo, and the Toshao of St Ignatius, Quarrie and Kumu Villages, Wilson Laurentino.

The archery competi

tion began on September 24 at the Wilson Laurentino Sports Ground in St Ignatius Village with a ranking of the cadet archers.

The five cadet archers competing were:

1. Chris Da Silva

2. Kevin Da Silva,

3. Fernando Adrian

4. Roland Gomes

5. Ezra Hamilton

The competition was a 10-metre ranking round consisting of 5 ends of 6 ar rows. Results were:

1. Ezra Hamilton - Gold

2. Kevin Da Silva - Silver

3. Roland Gomes - Bronze

The following day, the females competed, but be cause there were only two archers, the competition was solely a ranking one of 5 ends of 6 arrows, with the results being:

1. Rea Juan - Gold

2. Rosita Simon – Silver

The Men’s competition was a much more expansive affair consisting of another 30 arrows ranking, elimina tion and finals. There were 6 archers:

1. Ryan Gittens

2. Octavious Hendricks

3. Jad Juan

4. Ted Juan

5. Junior Martin 6. John Yow

The rankings, elimina tions and finals were all keenly contested. Out of a possible 300 points, the re sults for the high scoring and closely contested rank ings were:

1. Jad Juan - 203 points - Gold

2. Junior Martin - 203 points - Silver

3. Octavia Hendricks198 - Bronze

The scores for Jad and

The second elimination match, between John and Ted, resulted in John get ting ahead of Ted.

The first semi-final match, between Jad and Octavious, was a nail-biter, with both archers achiev ing 5 set points. The decider of a one arrow shoot-off re sulted in Jad getting ahead of Octavious, placing Jad in the finals.

Junior bulldozed John out of the second semifinal with 6 set points to zero. This win placed him in the finals against Jad.

John and Octavious then competed for the bronze medal, with John getting the better of Octavious.

The highly anticipated and closely contested final between Junior and Jad re sulted in Junior winning the gold and Jad winning the sil ver. The match seesawed be tween the two archers, with Jad scoring the first 2 set

The medals were award ed at the prestigious open ing ceremony of the Region 9 Heritage celebrations of 2022. This event was at tended by high-ranking Government, Regional and Village officials and admin istrators. The audience also included cultural represen tatives and many fans from the surrounding villages.

National Coach Robert

lows the archer to shoot at longer distances with more consistency and accuracy.

He also included a plea for financial support at the Government, Regional, Village and general pub lic levels to develop archery within the region to produce champions that can repre sent Guyana at national, in ternational and ultimately prestigious Olympic Games’ levels.

In the words of Coach

Singh made opening re marks which included point ing out the similarities and differences between Traditional Archery and the Olympic Recurve Archery. He noted that the princi ples are the same, but the Olympic Style allowed for specialised equipment and

Robert Singh, “The resi dents of Region 9 are born with archery skills, it is in their blood, it is in their DNA.”

More information on Archery Guyana can be found on its website: www. ArcheryGuyana.org

Region 9’s Archery Guyana Competition…

LGC Treasurer Maxim Mangra receiving the sponsorship cheque from Managing Director of Sankar’s Auto Works

King’s brilliance steers Tallawahs to 3rd CPL title

By Brandon Corlette

Brandon King came to the party with an other royal innings that enabled the Jamaica Tallawahs to clinch the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title for 2022 at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence. This is the Tallawahs’ third title in the history of the CPL.

The Tallawahs defeat ed the Barbados Royals by eight wickets through a col lective bowling effort from Fabian Allen and Nicholson Gordon, which restrict ed the Royals to 161-7 in 20 overs. The Royals’ icon ic batsman Azam Khan made another fifty, but the Tallawahs ended their in nings on 162-2 after 16.1 overs, after King had pro duced an unbeaten 84.

In the chase, Tallawahs lost Kennar Lewis for a golden duck when he was bowled by Kyle Mayers with the score at 1-1 in the opening over, but Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks, both of whom had scored centuries at Providence this season, consolidat ed the chase by taking the Tallawahs to 41-1 at the end of the powerplay.

Brooks continued his fine form in playing text

book cricket shots, while King played second fiddle as Tallawahs reached 86-1 in 10 overs, then requiring 76 runs from the last 60 balls. However, after the break, Brooks flicked one into the hands of Ramon Simmonds to give Holder the breakthrough. The 86run partnership ended af ter Brooks had made a classy 47 from 33 balls, in cluding six fours and two sixes.

At 87-2, captain Rovman Powell came to the crease, and the runs continued to flow. King showed his roy al touch by thumping leftarm spinner Joshua Bishop for four boundaries in the 12th over, wherein the Tallawahs surged past the 100-run mark.

It was all elegant strokeplay for the West Indies opener as he raced away to his fifty from 36 balls.

Powell played spectator as King took the spinner Mujeeb to the cleaners in the 16th over, which yield ed 20 runs; and King sealed the match with a maximum off Kyle Mayers as fans at the Providence Stadium danced away.

King’s innings of 84 runs from 50 balls was decorated with 13 fours and two sixes, while Powell was unbeaten

on 14 as the Tallawahs re corded a crushing win over the Barbados Royals.

Earlier, Barbados Royals won the toss and opted to bat first. Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers, blazing away, registered 63 runs for the opening wick et at the end of the pow erplay. Mayers was at his classy best while Cornwall was his dominant self as he slammed Imad Wasim for a 105-metre six over the scoreboard to leave the Tallawahs players and fans in awe. Fabian Allen was then introduced, and he re moved Cornwall for a 21ball 36 after the big man had slammed four sixes and two fours.

During the massive powerplay, the duo of Kyle Mayers and Azam Khan struck eight fours and four sixes, but, six runs lat er, Mayers was bowled by Allen, and he departed for a 16-ball 29 that included six fours.

At 69-2, Azam Khan was joined by Jason Holder, and the duo added 48 runs for the third wicket. Although Holder looked promising in that partnership, it was the dominant Khan who struck sixes at ease. Khan, son of former Pakistan wicket-keeper Moin Khan,

danced down the track and showed his full range.

Holder made a 19-ball 17, which includ ed two fours, before he was bowled by the left-arm spin ner Imad Wasim when the Royals’ score was at 117-3 in 14.2 overs. The Royals required a strong fin ish, but the out-of-form Afghanistan batsman Najibullah Zadran again failed to deliver, instead scoring six from 12.

Khan, who brought up his third CPL fifty in Guyana from 39 balls, de parted with the next ball after making 51 runs from 40 balls in an innings that included four boundaries and three sixes.

Devon Thomas came and struck a six, but the Tallawahs kept things tight to restrict Royals to 161-7 when their 20 overs had expired.

Allen was again in the wickets, claiming 3-24 in four overs, and Nicholson Gordon had 3-33 in his quo ta, having removed Corbin Bosch (07) with the final ball of the innings.

Amazon Warriors inspire next generation through ExxonMobil engagement

Lifestories, motivational speeches, fun in the sun and overall unforgettable moments were on the cards on Tuesday, when the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) interacted with the next generation of youth cricketers and athletes.

The engagement which was organized by ExxonMobil, fit perfectly into the Amazon Warriors’ annual effort to immerse themselves in charitable causes, especially surrounding chil

dren.

The ExxonMobil Guyana event sought to give the youngsters a chance to learn from their cricketing idols in a fun, interactive environment. The chil dren selected to attend hailed from vari ous schools around the country, cricket clubs and other organizations and was

hosted in the Marriott Hotel Parking Lot.

The initial panel set-up allowed the youngsters to quiz the cricketers about various aspects of life and the sport.

“The first disappointing call I received as a cricketer, it was when I was around 16,” Ronsford Beaton shared as he re counted one of his most disappointing experiences as a teen ager.

“I had my hopes up because then I did all the things that I need to do to prepare for the tournament. But when I received the call that I wasn’t selected, I was heartbroken.”

In a bid to enlighten the youngsters on how to deal with such, Beaton continued, “It was a sad feeling, but I overcame it as the days go by.”

Also opting to share valuable words of advice, was Saxacalli’s Keemo Paul.

“In life, there will be a lot of disappointments. There will be a lot of ups and downs, you know, life is never a smooth road but its how we deal with it and how you cope with it,” Paul openly shared.

“For me, I think family is important and I just want to en courage each and every one of you to just keep following your dreams, keep working hard, stay disciplined, stay grounded, and be humble always. No matter how far you reach in life, just try to stay as humble as possible and go step by step.”

Paul further stated, “When those disappointments come, just remember it’s not the end of the road.”

Following the verbal interaction concluded, it was time to hit the pitch in a mock-up cricket game. Additionally, the children also got the opportunity to take photos and get auto graphs from the GAW Players.

The amazon Warriors take a phot op with students from Queen’s College

“Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unify ing force. As we celebrate “One Guyana”, the hosting of the CPL final will be an energis ing force. We are building a product that will be spectator-focused, integrated with our re gional partners for a global market. Cricket

Carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other glob al cricketing event. We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, pageantry, Caribbean vibes with a South American touch, and, of course, cricket played loud est.”

Onbehalf of the management, coach ing staff and players of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, I would like to welcome all the fans in our dear land of Guyana who will be coming out from today in numbers to fill our National Stadium in all our games – and those who could not get in because the tickets were all sold out with in a few days. In the ten years that the Hero T20 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has been in existence, I can say – without any fear of being accused of exaggeration that you have been the most consistent in dem onstrating support for your team – and for CPL Cricket – in all of the territories.

And I repeat, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are your team and your vociferous support of your team in and out of the sta dium has proven to be their secret weapon – providing at crucial moments that rush of adrenalin that takes teams across the line from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victo ry. Your Guyana Amazon Warriors have re sponded by being the most consistent team in the last decade. And they have become known as a team that never say die.

This year, our season was bookmarked between the end of the month of August – the month we have commemorated as “Freedom Month” for more than a century and a half – and the end of September, which is the month we celebrate “Amerindian Heritage Month” in honour of our First Peoples. During that time, we West Indians have marked that freedom and indigenous ness by achieving success in several fields –but nowhere else more unique than in the culture we evolved in celebrating life itself. Maybe it is because, more than most other

A Message by Hon. Brigadier (Retired)

Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana

Guyana is a proud host of the highly-anticipated finals of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022, the domestic Twenty20 cricket league played here in the West Indies.

We warmly welcome the teams, players, coaches, and their fans for the final leg of the tournament. The first game in Guyana is set for Wednesday, September 21, and will climax with the finals on Friday, September 30.

An exciting brand of cricket is ex pected from the six teams partici pating in the tournament namely, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Barbados Royals, Trinbago Knight Riders, St Lucia Kings, and, of course, the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

This is the 10th season of the CPL, but the first time that the finals are being held in Guyana. We anticipate an electrifying atmosphere from the wave of fans who will fill seats at the National Stadium in Providence to witness the games.

My fervent hope, like many Guyanese, is for our Amazon Warriors to draw inspiration from the games be ing staged in Guyana to finally reward their passionate and loyal fans by win ning the elusive CPL championship on home soil.

Notwithstanding, hosting the CPL is a special moment for Guyana.

As a result of the vision and invest ments of our Government, led by Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, the CPL finals were secured, particularly

given the socio-economic development benefits that cricket offers.

The CPL games in Guyana are paired with Cricket Carnival, a fun, vibrant and colourful medley of ac tivities held under the “One Guyana” theme.

This is the first of three annual CPL finals and Cricket Carnivals to be hosted by Guyana.

The CPL and the carnival events mean a lot to Guyana as our unwav ering drive is to bring people togeth er and to unify the country. There is no better way to achieve this than through sports and culture.

Both events fulfil the Government’s overall mission of promoting Guyana

as a top-tier international destination for investment, tourism, entertain ment, sports, food, and cultural activi ties.

There is something for everyone to enjoy, including music festivals, food shows, concerts, competitions, and or ganised tours.

More importantly, the Government’s intention through the events is to invest in its people as a springboard that will foster economic opportunities for every Guyanese.

In advance of the CPL, we noted that hotels were booked solid and nu merous economic opportunities have opened up for bed and breakfast ac commodations, vendors, restaurants, bars, transportation services, and tour operators.

Guyana is rapidly evolving as an oil and gas market, and our Government has mapped out a transformational de velopment trajectory that will ensure the diversification of our economy by using the gains from this natural re source for countrywide development.

We will continue to build out many new pillars so that our econo my will be resilient, strong and sus tainable. Combined, CPL and the Cricket Carnival is one such avenue Government has adopted as a unifying catalyst for economic growth.

On behalf of the Government and the people of Guyana, I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to thousands of visitors from across the globe, par ticularly our Caribbean Region.

places, our history has made us appreciate life more, since it could have been so easily taken from us. This year, we have launched a unique Cricket Carnival to bring it all to gether!

Cricket has been an integral part of Caribbean life, and as I have said in previ ous years, T20 might have been launched elsewhere, but its joie de vivre and all its synonyms – cheerfulness, cheer, light-heart edness, merriment, glee, gladness, happi ness, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, delight, pleasure, high spirits, good spirits, good hu mour, jollity, jolliness, hilarity, mirth, jovi ality, exuberance, elation, exultation, eu phoria, jubilation – declare it was “born” in the West Indies.

Once again, on behalf of your Guyana Amazon Warriors I ask that you join me as I say with all sincerity:

GO WARRIORS! – Let us celebrate the joy of Caribbean Cricket!!

“T

he 10th anniversary finals in Guyana will be the biggest finals the CPL has ever had. We’ll have sellout crowds to all the games, there’s going to be an extraordinary atmosphere. As I said, that coming togeth er of Carnival and cricket will never be seen better than in Guyana this year. So, for us it is all about, you know, enjoy ing what’s ahead. I think it’s going to be a phenomenal few days in Guyana, and I hope all the fans, both watching at home and in the stadium, will enjoy the experience.”

Guyanese Peters relishing experience with CPL marketing team

Afterworking at Digicel for 14 years, Guyanese Delon Justin Peters is enjoying working with the biggest party in sport, Caribbean Premier League. The businessman, who is also a sponsorship officer at CPL said he has learned valuable lessons during his journey from Digicel to CPL.

Peters had enjoyed working at Digicel but the party atmosphere in CPL and the fans are a joy. “Loving it. It is the best job I think I have had next to Digicel. I have worked at Digicel for quite a few years, so we were accus tomed to getting stuff done, but now being integrated into the sport, into cricket it is even more fun.”

“While I do not follow the games per se, it is always fun to see the people and enjoy themselves, and me being a big part of it, I enjoyed that,” Peters said.

The Guyanese, who is often spotted on television presenting cheques to fans of dif ferent CPL matches, gave an insight into his job with CPL. “I am one of the sponsorship officers at CPL, and our main focus is to make sure that the sponsor’s activations are prop erly integrated. That the sponsors get the right experience from their partnership,” Peters disclosed.

Equipped with 14 years of experience at Digicel, Peters was familiar with how things are done on an international level, through television.

“Coming from a Digicel background, I am familiar with how things are done internationally, but from a sporting perspective, I think I understand more sponsorship in its entirety, and then sports sponsorship, and then I under stand how TV works because some of us are sitting at home watching these things happening on TV, but we don’t know how these things work.”

“My role allows me to understand how it works when it works. The general knowledge in marketing in its entirety,” Peters explained.

How do you feel about Guyana hosting its 1st CPL Final in the tournament’s 10 year history?

SEON BOVELL

Response: Cricket is one of the most popular games in a majority of the countries. Born in Guyana, the immense interest of cricket has made it popular in many nations where it has become more of a passion, a dream and a part of their blood stream. Great stalwarts like Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards, Greg Chappell and a long list of popular cricketers have added greatness to the game, not to forget Sir Don Bradman. Though it takes on the nerves in nerve-clinching games, the game of cricket is itself a stress reliever and a great entertainment for millions of fans the world over. “Most games are skin deep, but cricket goes to the bone” is the saying that epitomises the fervour of cricket. Whether you win or lose the game or it ends in a tie, it is the game of cricket that always wins. So, to have the CPL finals here in Guyana for the first time is an immense step for our country as a whole. It will help showcase to the tourists what Guyana has to offer and make them want to return.”

SHIVANAND HARIPRASAD

Response: “When the tickets came out, you could have seen the crowds on the first day. As soon as the finals tickets were released, everything was sold out, so everyone is ready for this season and I’m sure for the next three years as well the same thing will happen.”

DELICIA GEORGE

Response: You know after years of it keeping in Trinidad, it feels as though we have accomplished a lot this year by securing the CPL Finals. Most Guyanese will get to step foot into the experience. It is a proud moment for all Guyanese.

PERNELL CHRISTIE

Response: To have the CPL Finals hosted here in Guyana was long overdue given the support that the Guyanese people show to cricket as a whole and not just the Amazon Warriors. I’m sure we will come out in our numbers regardless of which two teams will be in the Finals because at the end of the day, we all represent West Indies Cricket.

AREEB ALI

Response: It feels amazing. Cricket is such a great sport here in the country and we rally behind our teams through and through. Guyanese thirst for games to be played here so to have the finals being hosted is a dream come through. The Guyana Amazon Warriors have been to the final so many times and not won so maybe now they’re getting that last ingredient which is to play in their backyard and win.

SUNIL RAMLALL

Response: “I’m excited and I know my Guyanese brothers and sisters are ecstatic. You can have a look for yourself, the tickets that were released sold out a few hours after they became available. That tells you something, after a twoyear pause of CPL due to the pandemic, Guyana cricket crazed! We have the play-offs and finals for the next three years to go hand in hand with the Cricket Carnival and we all know the Warriors fans always think to themselves, “this year is we year!”

Response: “I feel an immeasurable amount of pride that the CPL finals are being hosted here after so many years. To be able to go and enjoy the sport itself with other fans in such an exciting atmosphere is honestly incredible. It would be even more amazing if Guyana makes it to the finals, because I would be able to support my favourite team in person. A victory in Guyana’s home turf would be poetic and iconic and I feel like this is the perfect time for us to win the title.”

Response: “As a sports fan to have the second most-watched T20 league final being hosted in my country is amazing – moreover, in its 10th anniversary, definitely is momentous. It’s investment in sports tourism for our country. I hope it’s a signal of the beginning of major investment in sports for Guyana.”

LAKANAND SINGH

Response: It is a wonderful feeling as a patriotic Guyanese citizen to have the finals being hosted, in a franchise that has reached the finals in almost every CPL tournament thus far. So, as a Guyanese fan it has been a long time coming to have the tournament hosted here and hopefull this is our lucky year.

VARSHA BOODRAM

Response: “Truly a great feeling. The Guyanese fans certainly welcome this inaugural event and look forward to the excitement of it. It will also be a memorable one if Warriors finally win on their home turf.”

ISHAKA JACKMAN

JENNIFER SAM

Scenes from Guyana Amazon Warriors home games at Providence

CPL 2022: Warriors, Royals, Kings and Tallawahs into playoffs

Knight Riders were knocked out of the Caribbean Premier League for the first time in the tournament’s ten-year history. Guyana Amazon Warriors handed TKR the knockout punch at Providence on a super Saturday to storm into the play-offs while Barbados Royals, St Lucia Kings, and Jamaica Tallawahs are the oth er teams into the final rounds.

Trinbago

The Warriors had a slow start to the season, suffering defeats away from home, but upon return to its home turf, the team dominated with clinical wins, especially against one of the most anticipated and talked about matches on Saturday evening.

During the home games, the magnificent Shai Hope and Afghanistan’s Rahmanulla Gurbaz scored half-centuries while other players chipped in.

Shimron Hetmyer has chipped in with runs on a consis tent basis, but he was not as dominant throughout the sea son. Leading the team for the first time, Hetmyer continues to learn from every game, and with the addition of Gurbaz and Shakib, the Warriors were in full flow at the crunch time of the season.

The dangerous Odean Smith who has often come and ex ploded at the end, has a strike rate of over 200 this season with the bat, while Keemo Paul has also chipped in at the end. Opener Chanderpaul Hemraj is due for a big score and that innings might come in the final games.

From a bowling perspective, the veteran Warrior, Imran Tahir has 10 wickets while Smith has seven wick

ets. Tabriz Shamsi, who departed for international duties, had claimed eight wickets in the five matches he played. Gudakesh Motie has been economical in his outings bowl ing some death overs, while the young Junior Sinclair has shown great promise.

“Fantastically well done by the boys. Don’t have enough words to express how great they were. Really really proud of them. Gurbaz came in and felt at home really. Back-to-back fifties - we can see he’s comfortable now,” Hetmyer said after the win against TKR.

Barbados Royals, the form team

The Barbaos Royals have shown dominance from the in ception of CPL 2022. Led by David Miller, and Kyle Mayers, Royals came and conquered. Mayers led the batting with more than 300 runs while South African trio, Miller, Quinton de Kock, and Corbin Bosch showed class with the bat. However, the trio departed for international duties, but Azam Khan stepped up when the team needed him.

In the bowling department, Jason Holder and Obed McCoy are star performers while Afghanistan ace spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been a threat to opponents.

The Royals who struggled to qualify in previous seasons, changed their management and looked like a stronger team this season.

Tallawahs flexing muscle

have carried the Jamaica Tallawahs this season.

Powell has been racking up half centuries while King was all royalty at Providence when he scored that brilliant century against the warriors. Raymon Reifer has been a silent contributor and he was also rewarded with a West Indies call-up at the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Pakistan’s duo Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir has also been outstanding with the ball all season, impressing the Assistant Coach, and legend, Sir Curtly Ambrose.

Kings inspired by home support and Sammy

In the King’s camp, former West Indies Captain, Daren Sammy now head coach for the team has been an inspira tion to the team. The home support in St Lucia was impres sive as the batting of Johnson Charles, who has more than 300 runs this season.

Captain Faf du Plessis was impressive with a fantastic knock of a century at Providence and he continues to lead his troops well.

David Wiese has contributed all-around for his side while Alzarri Joseph has been a superstar with the ball. He has also been bowling at a serious pace this season. The four teams have shown differences in approach, and this sets up a close contest in the playoffs.

Now that the stage is set for the final showdown, the fans are hoping that their team goes through to the final which is set for Friday, September 30 at 19:00h.

West Indies players Brandon King and Rovman Powell

Guyana Amazon Warriors Barbados Royals

Jamaica Tallawahs

Lucia

Realising the CPL dream, 10 years down the line

By Jemima Holmes

Tenyears, to many, can seem like a very long time; but when you’re enjoying your favourite sport on a sunny day in the Caribbean, with some of the world’s most explosive talents waving back from the bound ary, your favourite tunes blasting loudly from several speakers, the prettiest cheerleaders grooving to the beat and of course, mouth-wa tering delicacies and drinks flowing freely, 10 years can pass ever so quickly.

And even for the most fanatical of partygoers or sport lovers, a constant factor every year for 10 years can get monotonous, bor ing, and dreary. Not the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) though.

Ticket sales for this year’s Hero CPL final in Guyana is testament to not only the tourna ment’s ability to keep the Caribbean engaged, but to the growth that a particular group hoped for, 10 years ago.

“The key thing for us was to differentiate and our key proposition was always well, what we’re looking to do is combine cricket with carnival. You know, we wanted to make sure that from a fan perspective, fans could come and watch our games – obviously enjoy great cricket, cricket always had to be the primary driver, but also have a good time, cre ate an atmosphere and a vibe that was truly Caribbean and the Caribbean people really bought into,” Hero CPL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pete Russell said about the vision of the tournament.

But things weren’t always as good as they are now, tick ets didn’t always go like hot cakes.

“The first game that we played, which was in Barbados, which was Barbados play ing St Lucia and actually four days before the game, we’d lit erally sold probably 200 tick ets, something like that. So, it wasn’t looking great. But we had a fantastic surge three days before and there was huge amount of marketing ef fort, lots of innovation was created by spon sors and ourselves,” Russell recalled.

“And I remember just looking at that first game, it was packed, it was absolutely packed and the vibe and the atmosphere was just amazing. And that sort of set the tone really for what was to come.”

Although for most, the Hero CPL is all about the game and ensuing entertainment, the work behind the scenes to produce the “Biggest Party in Sport” has been, and still is, arduous. Being an annual event, the CPL’s most difficult task is to keep fans engaged for 11 months, each year, when their tournament wasn’t in action.

Russell explained to this publication, “That is a challenge, of course, but I think that the key is to make the tournament as good as it can be. So, everyone’s experience when they go to a CPL game has to be I want more of that. I want to go back, I want to want to be part of a CPL game in the future. Because that’s obviously, you know, how you get peo ple to return in future years, but you have to give them not only value for money but a great entertainment experience.”

Sharing some of the entity’s secrets, Russell credited not only CPL’s motivation, but the role that franchises play.

“The one thing that I would say is what we’re very conscious of – and it’s a little bit like how NFL do it – you don’t want to saturate the market. You don’t want to be too much, do too much. You want everyone to have a great time, but at the end of it, want more.”

He said with a smile, “But, of course, what’s been fantastic over the 10 years is that there’s been great rivalries created within teams and between players across those teams, so, it is all about balancing.”

Touching on the CPL’s six franchises, Russell said: “The teams have learned over the years how to deliver on the pitch and off the pitch. So, there’s a huge amount that goes into it. And we’re very grateful for the team owners that we now have who we believe are second to none in terms of world cricket.”

Now, where would the CPL be without its sponsors? Before the famous Hero motor cycle was posted up in stadiums across the Caribbean, there were bottles of Limacol be ing distributed, right alongside tastes of El Dorado’s special brews and Republic Bank’s fan stand – a perfect picture of support.

Russell figures the CPL would be close to

we’ve had,” the CPL CEO went on to add.

Of course, by now the cat is out the bag; Guyana

Cricket Carnival, that in some ways can be seen as the celebration of CPL’s milestone. Ten years ago, the fusion of carnival and crick et was nothing but a vision, now it will engulf entertainment spots in Guyana.

“Well, His Excellency, the President has been a huge fan of CPL really from the early days and he’s always been very keen and obviously instrumental in in terms of getting the finals to Guyana. But what he was clear about was al ways to make sure that that carnival atmosphere, the car nival side of things was cre ated not just in the cricket ground but outside it,” Russell said in talking about Guyana “bringing to life” that dream.

Between the first final and the Cricket Carnival, Guyana is truly living the CPL dream.

Back in 2013, before the CPL even began, GAW Chairman Dr Ranjisinghi “Bobby” Ramroop had shared, “We believe in the transfor mative potential of CPL for the Caribbean Region. Not only does it promise to com pletely rejuvenate and revit alise cricket in the Caribbean, it has the potential to provide a tremendous economic and social boost as well.”

10 years on and truer words…

lost without the corporate boost.

“I mean, bluntly put, if you don’t have sponsors, you don’t have a tournament. They are the lifeblood from a financial per spective. So, you know, they’re very important, but, of course, you know, they don’t do it just out of largess, they do it be cause there’s a value to them to their business es and obvious ly, how they’re able to interact with their cus tomers.”

“We’re very proud of all the relationships

CPL CEO Pete Russell

The Hetmyer-led

GAW team is equipped with balance and skill

The Hetmyer-led GAW team are equipped with balance and skill

Shimron Hetmyer leads the Guyana Amazon Warriors into bat tle in the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The former West Indies U-19 World Cup-winning Captain has a team equipped with balance and great skill. In the batting department, Hetmyer is expected to play a major role while the experienced overseas pros Paul Stirling, Colin Ingram, and Henrich Klaasen offer firepower.

GAW batting in focus

Hetmyer has 145 T20 matches under his belt and 2784 runs. He has an average of 26.26 and a healthy strike rate of 132.5. With 15 half-centuries and one century, the ultratalented Hetmyer will be a prize scalp for any opposition. He will remember his U-19 World Cup glory, and will have intentions of leading the Warriors to a title win at home.

Aggressive Irish opener Paul Stirling has been in red-hot form in 2022. The experienced opener has 306 T20 match es under his belt and 7628 runs. He has a strike rate of 142, with three centuries and 49 half-centuries in the T20

format. His experience and skill will certainly boost the Warriors’ chances of winning 2022 CPL.

South Africa’s wicket-keeper batsman Henrich Klaasen has played in 124 T20s and has 2335 runs, averaging 28. He has a healthy strike rate of 136.4 and having played in T20 tournaments around the globe, he is expected to shine bright in Warriors kit. Colin Ingram, another overseas pro, has 317 T20 caps with 7721 runs. Ingram, who is no strang er to the CPL, having played for Trinbago Knight Riders, has four centuries in this format and 47 half-centuries. His strike rate of 137.6 will certainly boost the middle order.

First-choice Guyanese opener Chandrapaul Hemraj, who scored a majestic century against Barbados Royals in CPL, entered this tournament in serious form. Hemraj has 33 T20s under his belt with 730 runs. He will be aiming to extend consistency and return to the West Indies colours.

West Indies’ number 1 One-Day International batsman, Shai Hope has been eager to strengthen his shorter format credentials. The very classy batsman played 54 T20s and has 979 runs with three fifties in the format. Given there is a chance of players being unavailable, Hope bats at the top of the order, a position he batted in the past for Barbados and the West Indies.

West Indies Test Vice Captain Jermaine Blackwood pro vides that balance to the middle order once the opportuni ty arises. He has played 27 T20 matches and has only 357 runs, but the Jamaican batsman with three Test centuries is capable of producing more.

Tahir leads versatile bowling group

Imran Tahir ages like fine wine. The 43-year-old vet eran has played 362 match es and has 453 wickets with best bowling figures of 5-23. He has a bowling average of 19.78, an economy rate of 6.9 and a strike rate of 12. Simply amazing. With 10 four-wick et hauls and three five-wick et hauls under his belt, Tahir has been a handful for all teams at the Hero CPL.

left-arm wrist spinner, has 195 matches to his name and 223 wickets. He has an average of 22.3, an economy rate of 7.28, and five four-wicket hauls.

Gudakesh Motie continues to climb the ranks, having made his international debut this year. He had a good de but season with the Warriors last year and was among the players retained. With seven T20s in his blooming career and eight wickets, Motie’s economy rate of 6.6 has shown his ability to bowl to big players and keep them quiet. His Albion clubmate, Veerasammy Permaul is also with the Warriors this season. He has played 89 T20s and has 61 wickets. Having shown his skills to bowl in the powerplay, Permaul has an impressive economy rate of 6.95.

Ronsford Beaton, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, and Odean Smith are the seam bowlers for the GAW. Beaton, arguably the fastest of the lot, has 48 matches under his belt and has 42 wickets. He has best bowling figures of 4-9, and after remodelling his action, he will be hungry to show case his pace.

Smith and Shepherd, who were the top wicket-takers in the 2021 CPL, are hungry for more success. The West Indies all-rounders who also have prowess with the bat play im portant roles for Warriors. Smith has played in 50 T20s and has 55 wickets. He has best bowling figures of 4-30 at an av erage of 25.

Shepherd has 65 wickets in 56 matches at 22.7 with best bowling figures of 4-13 and an economy rate of 9. His bat ting strike rate of 153 and high score of 72* adds that bal ance to the Warriors team. The returning Paul, a son of the soil, has played in 81 T20s and has 70 wickets to his name. He is aiming to stay fit and focused to help Warriors clinch the championship at home. He is also among the few bowl ers in T20 cricket to claim a five-wicket haul. His best of 5-15 shows his quality.

Meanwhile, the emerging players, Matthew Nandu and Junior Sinclair are expected to show their talent when giv en an opportunity. Nandu is a West Indies U-19 top-order batsman, who scored a century against PNG in the recent World Cup in the Caribbean. The young Sinclair is a ver satile cricketer, who bowls off-spin and bats right-hand. electric fielder and announced himself at the senior stage, when he dominated the Guyana Harpy Eagles trial matches with his off-spin.

uphor ic scenes took

over Warner Park Stadium on Sunday, September 4, as the Trinbago Knight Riders Women rev elled in the team’s first Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) victory and a landmark achieve ment for past, current, and future female cricket ers across the Region.

Three years ago, the Hero CPL made its first attempt at including the Region’s female cricketers in the “Biggest Party in Sport”. In 2019, the League tested the waters with a twoteam T10 tournament, hosted solely in Trinidad and Tobago.

While the participating teams had their own spon sors, that tournament was nothing close to what the CPL would initiate as part of its 10th anniversary cel ebrations in 2022.

“Of course, you’ve got the Women’s CPL, which for me is going to be great because it’s the first time we’ve obviously done it in its franchise for mat,” Hero CPL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pete Russell had shared at the onset.

The franchise tournament was intended for more than just inclusion purposes, however, but rather as an opportunity to ignite the women’s game in the Caribbean Region.

Russell explained, “That’s where we see a growth opportu nity for the sport across the Region. We have a huge fan base; we’ve got a very large number of women and girls who come and watch the games. So, hopefully, by seeing women in action that will encourage them to go and play the game too.”

It is safe to say that after the conclusion of the women’s tournament, that vision is slowly being realised. Ranging from Quiana Joseph’s all-round heroics to get the Barbados Royals into the WCPL final, Deandra Dottin’s lone campaign for the Trinbago Knight Riders in said final, or the bravery of Shabika Gajnabi and Cherry-Ann Fraser as they put Guyana Amazon Warriors Women into positions of power, the WCPL was the perfect showcase for the talent of regional women.

From the players’ perspective, the Massy WCPL has been able to achieve all that it set out to do.

WCPL: The key to transforming the Women’s game

E“I think the whole reason and a lot of im portance in this tournament, is definitely the growth of young players, and I think the more young players we could have coming through a system like this, the better it’s go ing to be for West Indies cricket on a whole,” Barbados Royals and West Indies Women’s Captain Hayley Matthews shared about the potential of the tournament.

She added, “Obviously, we’re going to want young players developing, break out in tournaments like these and come into the West Indies set-up and, hopefully, on to the international level.”

Even further, Matthews believes that the inclusion of female international stars will do well to lend to the goal of bettering young regional talent.

Matthews related, “So, I think getting the opportunity to play with players like Chloe Tryon, the Suné Lusses and these very experienced players from overseas, I think the young players could hope fully pick their brains a bit, take the opportunity to try to learn from them.

“And hopefully, we’ll be able to have them progress a bit quicker than just being in a domestic set-up.”

Former West Indies Women’s Captain and Captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) Women, Stafanie Taylor wholly agrees.

“Hopefully, we could definitely give some young faces op portunity ‘cause sometimes it’s not all about winning, but also improve other players and I think that’s what you want,” Taylor shared.

“We have some young players in the group and we’ll defi nitely want to give them the opportunity on the stage, to show case what they could do,” the GAW Captain went on to relate.

The vision was clear and the execution, even better. It may take another 10 years, but the WCPL is sure to bring new, ex citing and refreshing talent to the West Indies Women.

Trinbago Knight Riders Women lifted the inaugural Massy WCPL trophy

Shabika Gajnabi and Cherry-Ann Fraser were among some of the exciting female talents on display

aspiring to be a top-notch venue

…MAJOR WORKS ON THE HORIZON

By TimoThy Jaikarran

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be coming to Guyana and the ex citement is in the air. To add some more icing on the cake, the grand finale will also be held here. For the Everest Cricket Club, lo cated at Carifesta Avenue, this means that it will be used as a practice venue for the games which will be held at Providence Stadium.

President of the Club, Manzoor Nadir is ex tremely proud of this accomplishment as the club is taking the right strides in becoming a top-notch venue.

In a comment, he said, “The executive and members and I, yeah, a few years ago, decid ed that we have to take the club to the high est level in terms of its facilities where sport, recreation and the com fort of members are con cerned. And in this re gard, we had embarked and we have a pro gramme to upgrade all of our facilities to what we consider to be good inter national standards. This is a programme that saw us invest in our facilities for our people and also in vest in the facilities that will improve the comfort for our members. What are those in particular? We have built a very nice lounge – what we call the Baroda Lounge because the Baroda Bank gave us the resources to start our project. Our clubhouse

status, and we have a full report on that which we are now work ing to implement. The facilities for our patrons, not just the members, have tremendously improved our stands, we have excellent wash room facilities which exist for visi tors who come to watch a game.. an ordinary game at Everest.”

The Everest President further related that the club has worked assiduously to improve and keep the grounds. He boasted that the pitch was in tip-top shape and they have invested in a broadcast box, which is equipped with fibre-optic Internet facilities. He explained that there has been a lot that the

has gone through significant improvement in terms of its renovation to accommodate our guests. We have invested a tremendous amount of resources in preparing for safety is sues as a club. We have a brand-new metal fire escape. We asked the fire department to give us a review of our occupational safety and fire

club has done in the last 14 months and there is more to come.

“I must say that all of the work that we have embarked on [paid] not only the club div idends but also brought recognition to Guyana as a whole when the ICC [International Cricket Council ]-Cricket West Indies team visited in September of 2021. They were look

ing for two broadcast venues for cricket, in order for Guyana to qualify to host the ICC U-19 matches. We were very honoured that the ICC said that Everest is almost there to be a broadcast venue. We had to do a few oth er things which we gladly consented to do to bring us up to par and these were things like raising our northern sightscreen by four feet. So that when the batsman from the southern end is looking to North, there is enough cover age with black screen. We had to mount bars on top of those screens and run the electri cals to house the cameras for live broadcast. We also had to put in place additional wash rooms and urinals for the players, and we had to have at least two showers, two toilets, two urinals, and two hand sinks in both dressing rooms,” he shared.

Nadir also shared that a lot of work has gone into the venue and its improvements, something which he is proud of. He went on to share that aside from the ICC U-19 match es, the club has hosted the regional women’s tournament and other regional matches. He divulged that while at most times, other ven ues were unplayable, at Everest because of the work they continuously do, the club was able to provide facilities for training and they match the highest level, as the GCB Harpy Eagles had used the club’s facilities for train ing prior to their departure earlier this year

for the regional four-day tourna ment. As it relates to the club be ing chosen as one of the practice venues for CPL 2022, Nadir said that the club was extremely hon oured to be chosen.

“When Operations Director Michael Hall visited, he said Everest was a no-brainer, he felt so proud, with almost an instan taneous approval of the facility. But we know we have to do much more and for CPL, we are putting facilities in place which will stay in place, such as laundering tow els; when our sports people come, they can have a shower. We have a full kitchen at Everest: every thing we provide in terms of eat ing is provided on site and that kitchen is going to be expanded. We do have some concern with the pitch, as we saw in the Bangladesh series at Providence, we saw quite a bit of negative comments and that is because of the inclement weather, we had to cover the pitch. So, Everest will now have to look at bringing in the roll-on covers, that will put the tarpaulin directly on to the surface, but give breathing space between the tarpaulin and the pitch,” Nadir stated.

Going forward, he clarified that the club’s intention was to add more pitches on the square while expanding the field, so the northern boundary will go 40 feet to the north and the eastern boundary will go 30 feet to the east, which will add a tremendous amount of space. Nadir also shared that they will also be lengthening the pitches, which will require the club to take the square 10 feet to the north as there is little buffer zones between the stands and the boundaries.

“One of our prides at Everest is our hybrid power system that was installed and we don’t want to boast, but we will proudly say that Everest is, by far, the only club that has a sig nificant amount of energy consumption com ing from solar generation. So, we are looking at the environment, we’re looking at the club’s own contribution to development,” he said.

Everest Cricket Club President Manzoor Nadir

EVEREST

CPL's newcomer Paul Stirlingenjoying Caribbean atmosphere

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) offers great vibes and an electric atmosphere. The general unique culture of the different Caribbean countries is often relished by the overseas players.

For Irishman Paul Stirling, he is relishing the different Caribbean countries in this, his maiden stint in the CPL. He is certainly enjoying the tournament, despite having a slow start. The 32-year-old, who has played in more than 300 T20 matches around the globe, said he enjoyed St Kitts and the general atmosphere.

When asked about the impact he is hoping to make, Stirling said he aimed to score runs at a fast rate. “I think just come here and score runs at a good rate. You have to weigh up every condition and speaking to the teammates, the conditions change in each island, not dramatically, but a little bit. Coming here to St Lucia, there was extra bounce and pace, so a few things like that, I heard so many good things about the competition, so I am really enjoying it,” Stirling said.

Historically, the Amazon Warriors are known for making the play-offs but not crossing the final hurdle. However, Stirling is confident of the group of players. “They seem to be do ing a lot of things right, which is showing, going to the finals each time, so they are desper ate to get one step further and win it this year. All you can do is keep putting yourselves in those positions, and eventually you will get across the line,” Stirling said.

The aggressive Irish opener has been in red-hot form in 2022. The experienced opener has 306 T20 matches under his belt and 7628 runs. He has a strike rate of 142, with three centuries and 49 half-centuries in the T20 format. His experience and skill will certainly boost the Warriors’ chances of winning the 2022 CPL.

Paul Stirling in the nets for Amazon Warriors in St Lucia (Brandon Corlette photos)