Guyana Times - Sunday, July 9, 2023

US-built military patrol boat to patrol EEZ arriving soon

ERC summons David Hinds over Cybercrime Act violation

…tells Aubrey Norton to “conduct himself in a responsible manner”

GDF to open military & civil

aviation school for Caribbean

Graham’s Hall Primary overcrowded after some parents faked addresses

Int’l Building Expo 2023 launched; to push stronger partnerships, results-driven

…as refurbished Beechcraft plane, Bell helicopter commissioned

…as part of additional GDF equipment to stop foreign illegal fishing Page

Fire ravages supermarket, other buildings on Saffon St block

…5 Chinese nationals rescued during blaze

NGSA 2023

57% of students placed at top 5 schools attended public schools

…Education Ministry to catch weaknesses in hinterland gaps – Manickchand

NGSA exams

“Parental involvement is very important”

– mother of Region 7 top student

…as Aresia makes Karrau village proud

Govt to aid poultry industry with $29M worth of vaccines

Oil spill, women's inclusion in security among focus at Tradewinds 2023

10 homeless after Albion fire

Oil spill, women's inclusion in security among focus at Tradewinds 2023

For the third time, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is all set to co-host the Tradewinds Exercise 2023 – an event that will see local troops benefitting from specialised training and capacity building in a number of security-related areas.

Tradewinds is a multi-domain exercise, sponsored by the United States Southern Command and Army South, with training in ground, air, sea and cyber operations to better prepare troops to counter national and regional security threats.

At a recent press conference to give an update on the upcoming event, which will run from July 14 to 28, Guyana’s lead planner for Tradewinds 2023, Major Jaime Castello, disclosed that more than 1500 participants from some 21 countries will be participating in the exercise that will be held throughout Guyana.

In addition, allied organisations in the Region such as the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the

Regional Security System (RSS), Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) will also be participating in the two-week exercise.

The aim of the exercise is to expand the Caribbean Region’s ability to mitigate, plan for and respond to crisis; strengthen partnership and counter malignant influences; increase regional training capacity and the readiness of all participating forces; and increase inter-agency integration in the Caribbean specifically with special operation forces, regional organisations and partner-nation forces.

Meanwhile, one of the newly introduced objectives of Tradewinds 2023 is promote human rights, women in peace and security, and adhere to shared international norms and values. According to Major Castello, these guidelines will not only be for Guyana but all participating militaries.

“For the Women in

Peace and Security training, there will be a twofold benefit. The Joint Services of Guyana stand to benefit from a one-day conference on this… and within the exercise itself, all of the participants stand to benefit from this [sensitisation]. This is a fairly new and emerging concept within the military and it’s meant to have that broader acceptance

and integration of females into the military environment,” Major Castello explained.

Moreover, under the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) programme, this year’s exercise will also see emphasis being placed on oil spill response training.

Led by Guyana’s Civil Defence Commission

(CDC) in collaboration with regional and international partners, this HADR agenda will be rolled out in several regions including the East Berbice-Corentyne region, where the focus will be on oil spills.

This will be done during the first week of the exercise in Berbice. There are two main training activities on oil spills – the Shoreline Clean-up Assessment at the Number 63 Beach, Corentyne, and a practical oil spill deployment in the Berbice River.

According to Major Castello, these activities will further build on the oil spill practical that was previously conducted by the CDC with local troops.

Meanwhile, training in Region 10 will concentrate on flooding. It will be held in Kwakwani where participants including the CDC will benefit from a stimulated flood-type exercise. This training will be done by the Caribbean Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU).

Among the other trainings that will be undertaken are military-type, special force training and

inter-agency training. The Guyana Police Force, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), and the Guyana Prison Service will benefit from inter-agency training which will focus on public order and law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar Khan used the opportunity at the press conference to encourage media participation in the event. He emphasised the importance of media involvement in sensitising the public about the exercise and its objectives.

The GDF is cautioning members of the public that during the two-week exercise, there will be an increase in military and cargo-carrying vehicular movement as well as military personnel in several communities. Persons are urged not to be alarmed.

Exercise Tradewinds was last hosted in Guyana back in 2021 and was deemed a success, especially as it was held during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (G8)

Guyana’s lead planner for Tradewinds 2023, Major Jaime Castello

SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Sunday, July 9 – 22:00h – 23:30h and

Monday, July 10 – 23:30h – 00:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Sunday, July 9 – 09:00h – 10:30h and

Monday, June 10 – 10:05h – 11:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be thundery showers and sunshine during the day. Expect light rain showers and clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South-Easterly to East North-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 09:16h and 21:46h reaching maximum heights of 2.46 metres and 2.4 metres.

Low Tide: 15:15h reaching a minimum height of 0.78 metre.

US-built military patrol boat to

patrol EEZ arriving soon …as part of additional GDF equipment to stop foreign illegal fishing

Guyana has been losing significant revenue from illegal fishing in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a problem which President Dr Irfaan Ali said is being dealt with through the modernisation and outfitting of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) with a wide range of marine and aviation equipment.

The President made this disclosure during the commissioning ceremony for the refurbished twin engine Beechcraft aircraft which was discovered back in 2017 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and will now be used for Government travel. Also at the ceremony was a new Bell 412 EPI helicopter that has been purchased by the Government.

taken into consideration.”

President Ali spoke of the need for aggressive policing and ways in which the Government is supporting the GDF while it builds capacity. He also revealed that, with the authorisation

that that GuySuCo hangar will now come into use for the Air Corps, but in an expanded way.”

“For aggressive policing, we also need assets to support our Police along the coast. And we’ll be investing

cers to be part of this transition. So that is another piece of asset that will be coming,” the President further said.

It had been announced last year that US-based boat builder, Metal Shark, was constructing a 115-foot military patrol vessel for the GDF. Metal Shark’s Vice President of International Business Development, Henry Irizarry, had said that GDF and his company have been strategic partners for almost a decade.

“The United States Ambassador and US Embassy staff in Guyana were crucial in advocating for Metal Shark and our American-made products, and our team worked closely with the GDF and the Government of Guyana to design a vessel ideally suited for their operational requirements. Metal Shark looks forward to delivering this modern and capable patrol craft platform, which will be the latest success in our long-term partnership with Guyana,” Irizarry had added.

LOTTERY NUMBERS

According to President Ali, patrolling the EEZ will require rapid investment in the Coast Guard and marine assets. Even now, the President revealed that they are awaiting new marine assets from United States (US)based company Metal Shark, such as a Coast Guard patrol vessel that is due to arrive soon.

Additionally, they are already in discussions with different stakeholders on a mother ship to help secure the EEZ. President Ali pointed out that Guyana is already losing significant revenue from illegal fishing in the EEZ.

“We’re already in discussions with different stakeholders on a mother ship that would help us in securing our EEZ and ensuring that the commercial value of our EEZ is not exploited without us having a presence there. And that is what the Beechcraft would allow us to do,” President Ali said.

“When outfitted with additional equipment and the Dornier when that comes into the fleet, [it] will help us to tremendously secure our EEZ. We know from information that is being shared with us that we’re losing a lot of revenue with illegal fishing within our EEZ. So, the commercial viability of the investment is one that is also

of the Defence Board, the GDF will be taking over the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) hangar at the Eugene F Correia airport.

“The Defence Board has also authorised the Air Corps, the Chief of Staff, to move now on setting out a plan to take over the operations, maintenance of the GuySuCo hangar at Ogle. So

in pieces of assets to support Police work, and the military will have the responsibility of ensuring that we have adequately trained Police offi-

“As with the other nearly 1000 Metal Shark Defiantclass vessels now in military service worldwide, the new 115 Defiant combines modern, crew-friendly features in a durable and functional package designed for performance,” said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. “With this new platform we’re delivering a custom-tailored solution that will serve the Guyana Defence Force for years to come, while at the same time presenting a compelling and capable new offering to all of our military clients.”

An example of a Metal Shark military patrol vessel

President Dr Irfaan Ali

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Editor: Tusika Martin

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New literacies

The results of the NGSA were announced last Friday, and all the newspapers’ headlines blared: “Significant improvements in Science and Maths scores”. It is clear we are looking at how full the glass was, rather than how empty; but where our future is concerned -- and these students are our future -- we must be realistic. In Maths, for instance, while the pass rate may have improved, we cannot ignore the fact that SIXTY PERCENT of the 15,273 candidates who sat the Maths exam did not earn 50% of the marks. In other words, they failed by that basic metric. And so did FORTY-FIVE percent in Science, FORTY-ONE PERCENT in Social Studies, and THIRTY-FIVE percent in English.

While we congratulate, as we always do, the top 5% high-flyers – who will enter Queen’s College and the other “elite” Georgetown secondary schools, let us spare a thought for the average 48% of students – 6911 who frankly failed. Later, in September this year, we will be commemorating International Literacy Day (ILD), which was launched in November 1965 just as we, along with so many other colonies, were about to be granted independence. Repressed, in some instances for centuries, in terms of even basic education, many of these societies, including ours, had severe challenges in literacy, measured simply as the ability to read at a level to be functionally literate.

But what constitutes “literacy” in this “Digital Age”, which was born in the last half of a century? The UNESCO information brochure on ILD of 2017 succinctly described the latter: “Digital technologies, including the Internet, mobile phones, and all the other tools to manage information digitally, are fundamentally changing the way people live and work, learn and socialise. This transformation is taking place at record speed with the rapid advancement and expansion of technologies.” The annual releases of smart devices not only enhance video, graphics, and text production and transmission, but seamlessly integrate their operations with other devices, so that even the young can always be connected to the rest of the world even without their phone.

Our policy makers in the education sector must realise that when it comes to using the tools of the Digital Age, our children are like the children of immigrants in a new land - they will be the first to understand the new technology, while their parents are still stuck looking backwards. What this means, however, is that there is an opportunity right now to leapfrog our educational backwardness and jump right into the Digital Age.

What are these? According to the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills Consortium, success in the 21st century requires mastery of the following critical skills: “information literacy, creativity and innovation, collaboration, problem solving, communication, and responsible citizenship.” To expand briefly, to be “functionally literate” in the new dispensation, there is the need for students to be au fait with several “literacies”: scientific, economic, and technological; visual and information; multicultural and global awareness. Since we are now dealing potentially with the entire world, there will be the need to improve the effectiveness of our communication skills. This becomes even more vital because of the need to be able to work in teams where the members are spread in different parts of the globe. Collaboration and interpersonal skills have to be sharpened in this new interactive environment.

One of the more pressing needs for change in our pedagogy in Guyana will be the need to move away from the rote learning, which is unfortunately being emphasised in the NGSA in delivering an outdated curriculum. What is needed in this Digital Age is more inventive thinking outside the box, which can lead to designing, say, apps that can change the world without any huge amount of capital. But to do that, students would have to become more adaptable, and learn to manage complexity while on their own. The results of our NGSA demonstrate that we have much work to do.

Dear Editor,

It is during this period that proud parents boast of their children's common entrance exam (now NGSA) results.

On the one hand, I don't blame them for being happy and for celebrating, because it is quite a challenge getting a child to do well at that exam in Guyana, especially given how many topics are covered in it.

In fact, most of the successful students, if not all of them, do not just rely on the primary education system to succeed, but would be in receipt of extreme additional support from parents and guardians, and so on, whether in the form of extra lessons, extra supervision, or extra resources. And it's those supportive parents and guardians who have every right to celebrate after all their sacrifice.

But, on the other hand, while a portion of parents are celebrating, several of them are in sorrow. For whatever reason - whether it's poverty, or availability of time - these sad parents are unable to provide the support the other parents provide, and their children's grades suffer.

In Guyana's primary education system, children are not doing well unless they have vigilant parents with the resources and time needed to support

them to do well. Is this a sign of the failure of our primary education system?

Guyana has a general overall literacy rate of 86% among our adult population.

Considering that, parents aside, we learn literacy in primary school (or are supposed to be learning it in primary school), is 86% a sign that our primary education system is malfunctioning? The answer to both questions is an emphatic yes. It has been for a long time, and is it malfunctioning.

Let me demonstrate.

Barbados has a population of 281,200 people, and a literacy rate of 99.9%, which means that there are about 280 people on the island who can’t read and write properly (that's about 1/1000 of their population). Guyana has a population of 804,567 people and a literacy rate of 86%, which means that there are about 112,640 people here who can’t read and write properly (that's about 1/7 of our population).

This comparison shows not only that it's possible for our literacy rates to be extremely high, but it shows just how low our literacy rates really are. Imagine walking on the street and every 7th person that passes you can't read or write. Compare that to walking in a street in Barbados, where every

1000th person that passes you can't read and write.

It could be since the 1980s, or from the moment we became independent - I don't know - when it started failing our students, and therefore our nation, but Guyana's primary education system needs to start reprioritising fast, regardless of who is to be blamed. And I am choosing my words carefully, so that this letter does not come across as an attack on any political party (or Government, or Government official) past or present.

In Barbados, MOST of the time spent in primary school is spent learning English - how to read it and how to write it (math comes in second place)and the common entrance exam does not cover any topic except English and math. So that when children there enter secondary school, they are really good, if not excellent, readers and writers; which in turn means that they are able to read more and learn more during their time spent at the secondary level.

In Guyana, however, way too many secondary school teachers are busy teaching children how to read and write, instead of teaching them the secondary curriculum (that is, when they in fact bother to teach reading and writ -

ing at all to the students who are struggling to read and write). We are putting the cart before the horse - teaching secondary subjects in primary school, and primary subjects in secondary school.

Primary education is supposed to be just that - primary. It is in primary school that children learn primary things. And these primary things are the much-needed foundation for learning other things. We cannot learn other things, or display that we have learned other things, like social studies, if we have not learned how to read and write. We cannot understand science properly if we don't understand math. And furthermore, how can we understand math if we can't read about it?

There is nothing primary about science and social studies. Way too much time is spent teaching these extra subjects at the primary level instead of focusing on fundamental things like English and math. Especially English. This has to change.

Guyana can no longer afford to have one-seventh of our population unable to read and write. People who can't read are not just a burden to themselves, but they are a burden to their families and, in fact, to society.

Artists of Italy's Flower Sway Poles performing during the B-FIT in the Street international festival in Bucharest, Romania (VOA)

Ability to read and write should be priority

Continuous registration will make GECOM fully prepared

Dear Editor,

Following highly successful Local Government Elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has issued notice of the resumption of the continuous registration exercise. This process, no doubt, falls entirely within the institution’s mandate for compliance with our legislative framework, and will enable GECOM to be prepared for the holding of elections promptly, and complement many other existential requirements of citizens as an ongoing concern.

This Continuous Registration exercise commenced on July 4, 2023 and, unless extended, will end on November 30, 2023. During this exercise, registration transactions will occur from Monday to Friday at all GECOM permanent offices nationwide. Any person who will be 14 years and older by December 31, 2023, is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalisation or registration, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can apply for registration, provided they were never previously registered. Further, this exercise will allow citizens to update their records regarding name changes, dates of birth, occupation, and present addresses.

Persons who intend to conduct any registration transaction must visit the GECOM Registration Office in their area with the necessary source documents. The source documents are original birth certificate, valid passport, adoption certificate, naturalisation certificate, or certificate of registration and deed poll. It is of note that the applicant must provide an original marriage certificate in support of an application for name change, and in the case of a divorced person, the original marriage certificate and the absolute divorce decree instrument must be provided to facilitate easy transaction.

GECOM’s monthly updating of its records regarding deceased persons is also a step in the right direction. Under the authority enshrined in the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, GECOM will also remove the names of deceased people from the Register in coordination with the data provided by General Register Office every month. This sustained approach to updating the Register of Registrants will improve the statistical accuracy of voters’ responses and quell any concerns or complaints about a bloated List.

Editor, the related

track record of the PNCled Opposition has been a system of deterioration initially driven by a call for a new house-to-house registration approach, which would have disenfranchised thousands of Guyanese citizens. The party commenced the activity under David Granger’s imposed selection of James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM. The Chief Justice eventually deposed this move, and threw out the challenge to stretch the APNU time in power, given that it was clear the plot involved completing the activity way beyond the five-year term of office.

Notably, the Caribbean Court of Justice also ruled that Patterson had to go, thereby loosening the dictatorial grip they were beginning to establish. Subsequently, current Chairwoman Madam Claudette Singh led a Commission decision to stop the sinister house-tohouse activity, driving the final nail in the coffin concerning this wicked intent.

GECOM is now enhancing the work of the Commission to prepare for, and ensure the running of, free and fair elections. Further, the service of treating responses to our citizens’ need for identification cards is a critical beneficial undertaking as young

Ability to read and...

Guyanese come of age. This form of identification is central to essential financial and security, among other developmental operation functions, as the young and other adult Guyanese become more involved in our productive society.

Most adult citizens would recall the improved sense of maturity they felt when first obtaining their Identification Cards, including the recognition that they would be part of the democratic process of being able to vote at the age of eighteen. Consequently, Guyanese must fully utilise GECOM’s genuine efforts to update the Register of Registrants to produce the best Voters List. Of course, the network of GECOM offices countrywide was created to support this mechanism over the years, and citizens must fully utilise the ease of access, since they provide the advantage of convenience nationally. Therefore, we should complement GECOM’s genuine efforts to get all Guyanese of age on the Register of Registrants.

Guyana is on the rise. Our democracy is further being strengthened as our diversity and unity.

Sincerely,

Neil Kumar

If a person can’t read, he or she will have a harder time learning how to live healthily, and can end up in the public hospital, receiving care at the expense of the state. While it is an obligation of the state to assist the unhealthy, it would be cheaper if citizens could read and understand how to live healthily. If a person can’t read, he or she can’t educate themselves, and therefore can’t get a job; and some will seek welfare assistance at the expense of the state. Others will become desperate and turn to crime, which is a major reason why we have such a high crime rate in Guyana.

If a person can’t read, instead of studying for a driver’s licence, he or she will be tempted to buy one, and we all know the consequences of that situation.

The list of problems that our society faces because of our high level of illiteracy is a long one. Subjects like social studies, history and science should not be a focus in primary school, and they certainly should

not form part of the NGSA. Little primary school children should not be labouring with sweat and tears to learn secondary school topics, and half of them can still barely read.

If Guyana is to make use of her citizens in this information age, and in this new period in our local timeline filled with new job opportunities in the oil industry and related/ supportive industries, the new aim of the primary education system will have to be adjusted to ensure no child leaves primary school unable to read and write (and that all children are accessing primary education).

If there’s any basic thing that every citizen needs now, it’s the ability to read and write. And the primary education system, which is the part of our education system charged with this responsibility, has, for the longest while, been failing in this regard, and is failing at the moment.

Sincerely,

John M Fraser

OTHER SMALL DOG BREEDS

Thus far, through our columns of June 18 and June 25, 2023, we have been discussing the small dog breeds that have gained popularity in Guyana over the years,

hired dog walkers on the streets of busy downtown Manhattan walking some four to five leashed bulldogs, and allowing them to playfully interact with pedestrians.

tachment can become tedious to the owner, especially if the latter wants to watch TV from one’s favourite chair. The French Bulldog will invari -

when it exhibits signs of a nosebleed. I also advise giving the animal cold water to drink, even as I administer medication to stop the bleeding.

Long story short, if you have chosen this breed of companion animal, pre -

including the Chihuahua, the Dachshund and the Cocker Spaniel. Today we shall commence a discus sion on the more recent ar rivals of small dog breeds.

FRENCH BULLDOG

This French Bulldog breed seems to have melted the hearts of American canine care givers. Latest reports pos it that the French Bulldog has now superseded the Golden Retriever and the Labrador as the favourite companion animal in the

USA. City dwellers resident in small apartments favour these animals. It is not uncommon to see

Dogs of this stur dy breed are small and compact. According to the Penguin’s Dog Encyclopedia, the French Bulldog makes an ex cellent companion. They truly are cute and friend ly. The com plaints I receive mostly have to do with the unre lenting clinging on to the caregiv er. That is usually an endearing characteristic. However, the constant at

ably attach itself to the chair/caregiver, and will not move. I suppose one can cope with this over-affectionate dog and his loving behaviour. course, being stern and exhibiting a firm hand with a French Bulldog may deter this exhibitionist lovey-dovey attitude. But would you want that altered behaviour from a pet which has an instinctively loving nature?

The main concern which veterinarians who practice in the hot and humid tropics experience is respiratory distress. This ailment is associated with the shortened nasal anatomy.

Again, we humans – in an effort to make an animal cuter – carry out breeding programmes which deform the dog’s physical structure. So, now we have a dog that looks as if it ran into a brick wall. The nasal passages have been bred to be shorter. This does not fare well for a dog living in the hot and humid tropics.

The dog needs longer air passages going to the lungs. The worst-case scenario is when the nasal blood vessels burst, and nosebleed begins. Optimally, the animal should be placed in a cool (even cold) environment

pare yourself to visit your vet and keep all appointments. The rest of the time, just enjoy your pet.

PUG

Someone once said “the Pug is a lot of dog crammed into a small body”; to know one is to adore one.

Like the French Bulldog, the Pug has a short-muzzled face, and is therefore prone to difficulties in breathing in hot and humid environments. Of course, if kept correctly and adhering to veterinary advice (see above comments made for the French Bulldog), your Pug pet will give you hours of fun and happiness.

Owners have extolled these endearing characteristics when describing their Pug companion: Expressive, charming, playful, loyal, clever, mischievous, docile, sociable, affectionate, attentive, quiet, loving, calm – and yes, stubborn (like the French Bulldog), and consequently needing a firm human hand to keep him/ her from becoming a difficult-to-control, own-way pet. Dare I say like children?

Finally, as an answer to the usual question: How long do Pugs live, the answer is – if kept well, and following your vet’s advice – 12-15 years.

FRENCH BULLDOG

PUG

GDF to open military & civil aviation school for Caribbean

…as refurbished Beechcraft plane, Bell helicopter commissioned

By Jarryl Bryan

AGuyana Defence Force (GDF)-run mil-

itary and civil aviation school is in the works.

President Dr Irfaan Ali has revealed that this school will cater for both local and regional students and will bring on board trained military instructors who served in both the GDF and other armies.

The President made this announcement on Saturday at Air Station London (Air Corps) Timehri, while giving the feature address at a ceremony to commission the refurbished twin engine Beechcraft aircraft. This aircraft was discovered back in 2017 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and has since been converted for Government use.

“I have authorised work to be concluded before the third quarter of this year, to have a full presentation to the defence board of an aviation school. A military and civil aviation school, to be run and managed by the air Corps.”

“We’re going to reach out to all the retired assets from the Air Corps and those regionally, as we seek to build one of the most modern and advanced aviation schools in the Caribbean here in Guyana, providing training for all of the Caribbean,” the President said.

President Ali expressed hope that all the formalities could be completed by the end of 2023, so that by the first quarter of 2024, the school could be fully operational. He emphasised that the school would be open to training not only local and regional military personnel, but also training civilian pilots.

“We’re sparing no effort in ensuring that we put our Guyana Defence Force and the Air Corps, on the front line of modernisation and transformation. And creating an environment in which we are second to none, but only second to ourselves. This vi-

sion requires transformation in thinking and the approach to our work. The workplace culture. The workforce culture must change and change rapidly.”

“Aviation requires additional discipline. Additional responsibility. And we’re going to hold the leadership of the air corps accountable. This isn’t the season or time to be laid back. This is a time to be transformative in what we do. And I’m confident that we have the skills, the capacity, the talent in air corps. To achieve all that we set ourselves to achieve,” President Ali said.

President Ali further noted that they must break the “tradition” of losing highly skilled personnel, after they would have invested heavily in training them. According to the President, this can only be addressed by ensuring holistic career development.

“We can only do so if we create a comprehensive pathway for career development also. Those who are pilots and engineers, those who are safety officers, must see their journey not ending after retirement, but see right in Air Corps, their ability to transition into a new form of service. And that is what the school will allow us to do.”

Commissioning

Meanwhile on Saturday, the Commander in Chief of the armed forces commissioned a refurbished twin engine Beechcraft aircraft which was discovered back in 2017 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and will now be used for Government travel. Also at the ceremony was a new Bell 412 EPI helicopter that has been purchased by the Government.

GDF Chief-of-Staff

Brigadier Omar Khan spoke about the efforts currently underway to modernise the army. There is the Bell 412 helicopter in expanding the Air Corps’ capacity and its ability to protect Guyana’s territorial integrity. He noted that it also aligns with President Ali’s announced defence policy initiative.

“At the operational level, one of our roles mandated in the Defence Act is to defend the territorial integrity of Guyana. These assets are complementary to this role in defending our territorial integrity. The Bell 412, for example, enhances our capability to rapidly deploy forces to the most remote locations of our country and to respond to any emergency.”

“This Bell 412 will provide the platform needed for the Air Corps to save lives. It has a substantial role, a po-

tential role in our territorial defence, to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance-type operations. This is in keeping with our national defence policy and it aligns seamlessly with the recent announcement from our Commander in Chief with the defence policy initiative,” Khan said.

Dornier

As a matter of fact, the President revealed that training is currently underway for members of the GDF’s aviation wing ahead of the impending purchase of a Dornier aircraft. Back in February, it had been announced that Guyana was in talks with the Government of India to procure patrolling vessels and a Dornier aircraft to better protect Guyana’s maritime boundaries. This contract, President Ali revealed on Saturday, should be signed by this year-end.

“It is my view that the modernisation of the Air Corps or the aviation wing of the Guyana Defence Force

has just begun. So today as we celebrate the acquisition of these assets, we’re in the final stages of having a contract for another piece of asset. That is the Dornier. So, before the end of this year, we will have the contract in place for the Dornier.”

“And we’ll have another set of personnel from the Guyana Defence Force sent for training on the Dornier. So, we’ll have another complement of human resource assets with another asset, to ensure our borders and to meet the expanding demands of national development,” President Ali further said.

The idea of Guyana acquiring aircraft from India was first raised back in January 2023 when President Dr Irfaan Ali visited the Asian nation, where he toured Indian stateowned aerospace and defence company – Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), in Kanpur and inspected their CG-767 Indian Coast

Guard 18-seater Dornier aircraft. The Guyanese leader was also given a presentation on the company’s capacity and capabilities.

According to reports coming out of that visit, President Ali indicated interest in purchasing two of the India-manufactured Dornier 228 aircraft for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which has an aged fleet.

Dubbed as Guyana’s first major defence deal with India, this move to procure defence assets from the Asian Government comes on the heels of the Irfaan Ali-led Administration taking significant steps to modernise the GDF with the acquisition of new equipment and supplies as well as capacity building.

India and Guyana have already established strong defence cooperation, with several GDF members undergoing various levels of training with the Indian military. (G3)

The Beechcraft plane that illegally landed in Guyana in 2017 has now been converted to both transport the President and for GDF operations

The new Bell 412 helicopter at the commissioning ceremony

Govt to aid poultry industry with $29M worth of vaccines

…zoning system being considered for better poultry management

The education of…

…Hakeem Jeffries

Hakeem Jeffries is a very smart fella. Coming out of an African American family from the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, he’d have had to come into contact with many African West Indians –including Guyanese immigrants - who also ended up there. Unfortunately, he hasn’t come into contact with the Indian Guyanese community who ended up over in Queenswhere Congressman Gregory Meekes represents many of them.

To alleviate the financial responsibilities associated with managing livestock, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday announced that the Government will be aiding poultry farmers by covering the costs of required vaccines. The President made this disclosure during a

poultry symposium hosted by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (AACC).

“We’ve committed to pay for the vaccines that are needed…[about] $29 million,” Ali said. “That investment by the Government will avoid the $6 increase

per chick to be passed onto the farmers.”

While the President did not specify which vaccines are being purchased, GLDA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Dwight Waldron had noted that contamination and disease outbreak is a rising concern across the markets.

“Bird Flu caused a significant economic and social impact in Europe and the United States (US). In Europe only, they lost in excess of 50 million birds. In the United States, [they lost] in excess of 40 million birds,” Waldron said.

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This lack of familiarity with the Guyanese mosaic became evident when, a couple of years ago, he followed a rabid African Guyanese race-baiting follower of the PNC during the latter party’s attempted rigging of the 2020 elections. He allowed himself to be persuaded by his partisan friend as he addressed a rally against the PPP Guyana Government, and not only denounced them, but also the Ambassador of his country – and called for her removal.

Now, in American foreign policy affairs, this is never done” when it comes to “foreigners” it’s always “America first”!! So, even though the Ambassador had been appointed by the Republican Trump Administration, she was an AMERICAN Ambassador – and not a political appointee, but a career Diplomat at that!!!! One who’d headed the USAID program for Latin America even during the Obama Democratic regime!! So, basically, Jeffries had put his foot into his mouth!!

And this is what President Ali tried to extricate when he encountered Jeffries on the sidelines of the recent Caricom meet. Jeffries – the House Democratic Leader –had come down with a delegation, mostly from the Black Congressional Caucus, to show solidarity with the Caricom leaders. He’d dodged Pres Ali, who had requested to meet him in NYC or Washington to explain the Guyanese reality –but, in T&T, he could neither run nor hide!!

As President Ali said in an interview as to what the interaction with Jeffries was all about - in the wake of US Secretary of State Blinken’s visit to Guyana: “I sought to educate Congressman Jeffries about Guyana and about the narrative that may have misled him, so I was happy that I had the opportunity to meet him and to once again invite him to a meeting, and to seek any concerns he would have had and to educate him on Guyana; and not myself alone, I was happy that other leaders were there.”

So there are witnesses to Pres Ali’s invitation to further educate Jeffries – witnesses who’re leaders of a block of 15 nations that the US is courting!! Guyana doesn’t only have oil, but is on the UN Security Council. The US gonna be looking to us to represent the local sentiments on the intervention in Haiti they seek.

Let’s see if Jeffries will put his friendship about his country!!

…the AFC

Khemraj Ramjattan is now the sole leader of the AFC. Your Eyewitness wonders what’s the status of their claim to “multi-racial” leadership - which was their raison d’etre!with the departure of Rafael Trotman? Trotman, of course, represented “Mixed” Guyanese, so the AFC’s multi-racial credentials were always suspect, since the second largest block of voters – African Guyanese - weren’t represented in the top tier. The third leg of the leadership stool was Sheila Holder, who was also “Mixed”!! So, is the AFC still “multiracial” with only Ramjattan as leader??

Anyhow, Ramjattan now wants post-election coalitions to become possible through constitutional change to remove the present stipulation that had forced the AFC to coalesce with the PNC before the 2015 elections. Now that his party has become the “Dead Meat” he’d predicted if he went that route, he clearly wants to go to Indian Guyanese in the 2025 elections and tell them - with a straight face - that he’d support EITHER the PPP or PNC!!

He thinks folks are dumb!!

…our little darlings

Your Eyewitness just saw the results of the NGSA. And once again, he worries about the effect of creating labels for children aged 11-12 that will accompany them for the rest of their lives.

So sad.

Guyana Livestock Development Authority CEO, Dr Dwight Waldron

President Dr Irfaan Ali

Fire ravages supermarket, other buildings on Saffon St block

…5 Chinese nationals rescued during blaze

Firefighters on Saturday exhausted hours trying to contain a rampant fire that started at a supermarket on Saffon and Sussex Streets in Georgetown - a calamity which also saw ruins to other establishments on the block.

Reports of the fire at the property located opposite the La Penitence market were sounded to the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) at about 02:26h. However, the recently opened supermarket did not stand a chance against the herculean flames.

Responding to the scene were six water tenders, one hydraulic platform, one fire boat, and a hose layer from the Central, Alberttown, Campbellville, West Ruimveldt, Eccles, and Fire Service Headquarters.

As firefighters braved the heat and smoke to quell the inferno, they also managed to rescue five Chinese

pital for smoke inhalation, along with one of the firefighters.

By then, the two-storey building was completely destroyed. According to eye-

At least two other wooden buildings along Saffon Street towards James Street were also burnt.

In a statement, the Guyana Fire Service said it managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the market and nearby buildings located to the south and east of the building of origin. Due to the extent of the fire, several key streets were blocked off.

Reignited

However, hours after, at about 10:45h on Saturday, there were still pockets of fire, which reignited a wooden section of the structure. When Guyana Times arrived on the scene, three fire tenders were already activated.

ets of fire in the building. The fire did reignite on a wooden part of the supermarket briefly but firefighters managed to douse it,” the GFS updated, noting that officers never left the scene until it was completely extinguished.

A bystander relayed that he saw a small smoke in the morning but within a short time, it grew significantly.

“After I see a little

smoke, it start getting more big…When the fire start [on Saturday morning], like I see it start from the roof [of the supermarket] and then it just start spreading coming down,” he described.

“This was a big big fire. I didn’t think it would start back because up to this morning (Saturday) when I come, they had it under control,” a security guard commented.

Placing their efforts in preventing a spread, firefighters managed to enter the remains of the supermarket and quell the fire from within.

This publication understands that millions of dollars have been lost in damages. It is not confirmed if the buildings were insured. The GFS is continuing its investigation into the cause and origin of the fire. (G12)

nationals who were trapped inside the building. Three of them were sent to the hos-

witnesses, the upper flat first collapsed while the second was completely charred.

“While combing the debris, it was discovered that there were still small pock-

The fire completely engulfed the supermarket

Firefighters working into the morning hours to contain the blaze

SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

10 homeless after Albion fire

At least 10 persons have been rendered homeless after a fire of unknown origin destroyed a two-storey house at Lot 51 Guava Bush, Albion, Berbice, (Region Six: East BerbiceCorentyne) in the wee hours of Friday.

Members of the two families who had lived in the building - altogether a total of 10 persons - have reportedly lost everything in the fire, which commenced at just after midnight on Thursday.

Devindra Punwasi, a

32-year-old cane harvester attached to the Albion Sugar Estate, had been

occupying the lower flat of the building with his pregnant wife and their

two children, aged three and one. The upper flat had been occupied by Shavanie Rakesk with her husband and their four children. They say the fire started shortly after midnight.

Rakesk said she and her family were visiting her father, about 10 houses away, when she learnt that her house was on fire. “Me hustle come, and when me reach, me…see one big fire on the house!” the woman said.

Punwasi said he was at home with his family

when he started to smell smoke, and upon inspecting, found that the house was on fire. “Me smell something ah burn! Me get up, me see fire in the house; me hustle run out fuh save meh wife and children. Me come out and me holler fuh the neighbour!” the cane harvester related.

Firefighters from the Rose Hall Town Fire Station responded and were eventually able to put out the blaze.

Neither family was able to save anything

from the fire.

“Everything burn up in me house! Me nah get nothing! Just this pants and shirt meh get! Me and me wife and pickney, nothing we nah get!” a tearful Punwasi has said.

“Me nah get nothing! All thing burn up in ah house! Nothing we nah get!” Shavanie lamented.

These two families are seeking the public’s assistance at this time of need. They can be contacted on telephone numbers (592) 673-2462; (592) 628-3203, or (592) 673-2536. (G4)

Govt to aid poultry...

Bird flu is a disease that can spread across entire flocks of domestic birds within days, through birds’ droppings and saliva, or through contaminated feed and water.

“For us here in the tropics, so far, we have been spared of this particular

disease but it is what we’re doing as a Ministry to ensure that we have systems in place to confront these diseases,” Waldron said.

As a preventative step to counter the potential effects of Bird Flu, the GLDA in May had declared that it was no longer allowing the importation of poultry or poultry products due to “sanitary conditions.”

Meanwhile, Dr Waldron added that Guyana is currently confronted by a situation of Inclusion Body Hepatitis, a disease of young broilers caused by fowl adenoviruses.

“It is something that we’re continuing to work on. At our laboratory level, we have an open budget…to ensure that we do all in our powers to stay on top of this disease and I’m happy to report that we’re now moving into typing viruses locally,” Waldron said.

Viral typing is a way of identifying specific strains of microorganisms, such as viruses, by looking at their genetic material in order to determine the source of foodborne outbreaks.

Zoning

The poultry symposium on Friday was an opportunity for poultry farmers across the country to learn about the current state of their industry and

FROM PAGE 8

Government initiatives to advance it, as well as voice their concerns.

In addition to the procurement of vaccines, President Ali had also noted that the Government was also looking to establish a Project Implementation Unit (PUI) that will, among other tasks, seek to develop a zoning system to allow poultry farmers to work collectively and better manage their livestock.

“We have to see in every region, a zone where we can establish the infrastructure for these small farmers. You’ll have to share resources. You’ll have to learn how to work together,” Ali said.

“For example, if every farmer had problems with losing chickens and we have a zone, very easily you can come together.

So, if you have 100 small farmers in Region Three doing 1000 chickens all over, just imagine if we have a zone with 100,000 chickens. It’s easier for vaccination, monitoring, infrastructure, security, marketing, transport and logistics,” Ali said.

He added that this, however, would require the 100 farmers to form themselves into a group and work together as the success of one would be dependent on the other.

The US-China conundrum

Court rules SOCU breached “fundamental right” of attorney

The High Court in Georgetown recently found that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) breached the fundamental right of Attorney-atLaw Tamieka Clarke, who was arrested by Police last year for advising her client to remain silent.

Ravi Dev

US Secty of State Antony Blinken’s visit, and his meeting with President Ali, followed one to China last month, where he met Pres Xi Jinping. From the reports emanating after the latter meeting, Blinken’s goal was to convince the Chinese to accept the US’s position that competition is the defining characteristic of their relationship, and that they should work together to manage the competition to prevent it from veering into conflict. However, Pres Xi rejected the American premise, and retorted: “Competition among major powers does not conform to the trend of the times, let alone solve America’s own problems and the challenges facing the world.”

As the leader of a small state in a region that the US has considered its “backyard” since 1823, when it promulgated its “keep out” Monroe Doctrine, Pres Ali was forced to dance between the raindrops between these two extremes in his meeting with Secty Blinken. It was not even a subtext, as an ABC correspondent explicitly asked Pres Ali if Guyana’s relationship with China was only economic, or could it possibly become military?

Pres Ali developed the message he had sent two days before to Pres Biden on the US Independence anniversary: “…my Government remains committed to deepening cooperation with the United States of America as our most strategic and valued partner.” He told the reporter, “We are a partner with many countries, and China is one of our development partners.” As such, he clearly defined Guyana’s relationship with China as economic –a “development partner”.

However, he pointed out that in the economic arena, US corporations are not as “aggressive” as the Chinese ones. But there had been discerned a change after the discovery of oil, with the signing of a MOU with the US Exim Bank on a US$2 billion programme. The President candidly announced that borrowing costs would be a major criterion for accepting investment financing.

What is ironic about the US’ present contretemps with China is that it is of their creation. It started with Pres Nixon’s surprise trip to meet Chairman Mao in 1972, Pres Jimmy Carter’s diplomatic recognition in 1978 kick-started American investment in the country, and this became a deluge after Pres Clinton facilitated China’s entry into the WTO in 2001. However, from a US$83B trade deficit in that year, which caused the loss of 1 million high-wage manufacturing jobs, this ballooned to a deficit of US$295 billion by 2011, with a loss of 5 million jobs. It was these job losses by predominantly White Americans, in what became the “Rust Belt” because of abandoned factories, that led to the ideological shift, culminating with Pres Trump’s jingoistic MAGA (Make America Great Again) bully pulpit.

Yet even with trade restrictions in the last decade – presently with advanced computer chips – because of the Chinese economic ‘aggressiveness” described by Pres Ali, the US trade deficit with China last year was US$382.9 – second only to 2018’s historic US$418B, making the US China’s largest trading partner. This distinction is shared by 124 other countries – compared to 76 having that relationship with the US. In 2006, the US was the largest trading partner of 127 countries.

But China’s rise has not only been economic, but militarily. From 2000 to 2016, China’s military budget increased annually by about 10%, before levelling off to a still high 6% annually, reaching $230B in 2022, second only to the United States. This military spending, combined with the Chinese strategic Belt and Road Initiative that now ties large swathes of the globe in the Chinese sphere of influence, has been the trigger for the US security concerns about China. The last APNU Government signed on to the B&I in July 2018, hence the ABC reporter’s question to Pres Ali.

Back in 2015, a Harvard professor looked at the rise of China as challenging the US, which was left as the sole superpower standing after the USSR collapsed in 1989, and analogised the situation to that faced by the ancient superpower Sparta in confronting the rising Athens. He invoked the words of the historian Thucydides, “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable,” to predict the same possibility in the present. But as another expert has pointed out, “War is a choice, not a trap.” However, Pres Xi’s refusal to accept the systemic effects of competition between two major powers is troubling, since he does not concede the need for coordination – especially in flashpoints like Taiwan.

Chief Justice Roxane George delivered this ruling on June 12. In her decision, Justice George declared that Attorney Clarke’s “…fundamental right to personal liberty as guaranteed and protected by Article 139 of the Constitution of Guyana was breached… [by] officers of the Special Organised Crime Unit when the applicant (Clarke) was arrested and detained… for advising [her] client to remain silent when questioned by members of

the Guyana Police Force.”

The incident, which sparked widespread condemnation and even protest action by the legal fraternity, occurred on October 28, 2022, at the SOCU Headquarters on Camp Road, Georgetown.

At the time, Attorney Clarke had accompanied her

client, who was under investigation by SOCU, to the agency’s office where he was asked to sign a statement.

However, the client told investigators that he was advised by his lawyer not to sign anything.

This resulted in one of the SOCU ranks accusing the at-

torney of preventing her client from giving a statement, and ordered that she be arrested for obstructing an officer in the conduct of his duties. The lawyer had revealed that her cell phone was taken away and she was prevented from leaving.

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Attorney-at-Law Tamieka Clarke

ERC summons Dr David Hinds over Cybercrime Act violation

…tells Aubrey Norton to “conduct himself in a responsible manner”

In probing recent complaints over alleged breaches of the country’s Cybercrime Act, the Ethnic Relations Commission has summoned Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive Member, Dr David Hinds for violation.

The first complaint was made following statements or remarks arising from a post by Albert Morgan on a live Facebook broadcast hosted by Dr Hinds, titled Politics 101.

The Commission, having reviewed the post, said it was found to be a serious threat to life and sought the assistance of the Guyana Police Force for further investigation.

“Having been advised by the Police that Morgan was taken into custody, the Commission provided two statements reflecting its concerns and its firm belief that the said post transgressed the Laws of Guyana, including the Cybercrime Act. Dr Hinds was also written to and asked to appear before the Commission given that he failed to condemn the post and/or disassociate himself

from it,” the Commission disclosed.

At that time, Prime Minister Mark Phillips commented on the utterances of Hinds, where he called for racial harmony to prevail.

“Hinds’s cynical and race-hate commentary on his programme ‘Politics 101’ is an affront to the collective effort of the Government and the wider Guyanese society to promote racial harmony and to focus our people on the ever-expanding developmental path,” he penned.

Since the ERC was reconstituted on March 21, 2023, a number of complaints were received and

reviewed. It has also reviewed a video recording from a recent public meeting during which the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, made demeaning comments against First Lady Arya Ali. He has since been written by the body to conduct himself in a responsible manner during public engagements.

“The ERC is of the firm view that the context and explicit reference were unnecessary, demeaning, provoking and not in keeping with the esteemed Office of the Opposition Leader. It outlined in its letter that it was necessary to advance an atmosphere of respect

and responsible behaviour during public discourses which are tenets vital to the promotion of peace and harmony.”

Tacuma Ogunseye

Meanwhile, two complaints were received pertaining to comments allegedly made by Executive Member of the WPA, Tacuma Ogunseye at a public meeting in March 2023 at Buxton, East Coast Demerara. The matter is currently engaging the attention of the Guyana Police Force.

In April, the 71-year-

Coast Demerara (ECD).

The charge read that he attempted to excite hostility or ill-will against a section

damning remarks that day, among which the member declared that “the first objective is to get the African team in a state of battle readiness… the AfroGuyanese Police and soldiers… would stand with Afro-Guyanese in resisting mainly Indo-Guyanese supporting the PPP/C.”

old appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, East

of the public on the ground of their race by words spoken by him.

Ogunseye made several

Meanwhile, the ERC said a number of complainants have opted not to pursue their respective matters for complaints which were received by the Secretariat in 2022. Several other complaints are currently under review and the necessary action will be instituted. (G12)

Dr David Hinds

ERC Chairman, Dr Ronald McGarrell

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

NGSA exams

“Parental involvement is very important” – mother of Region 7 top student …as Aresia

By AlvA Solomon

When the Education Ministry released the results of the National Grade Six Examinations (NGSA) on Friday, young Aresia Cornelius was among the hundreds of children across the country who eagerly awaited to hear how they performed. Little did she know that she would be among the top performers in the country, and that she would be making the small community of Karrau, in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), proud of her achievement.

The young lady has always been a top student, her mother Melrose Allicock told Guyana Times, and as such, her efforts at the exams paid off, since it will see her turning out at the Bishops’ High School this September. Aresia attained a score of 498.3 marks at the NGSA, and has been declared the top performer for Region Seven.

History repeated

But while her family members, teachers and friends are basking in her glory, the result may have been expected by some within the family circle. Some 20 years ago, Aresia’s father, Shane Cornelius, had topped Region Seven at the “Common Entrance” examinations.

“She has been in the 90s in terms of percentage through her primary

school life,” her mother, who teaches at the school, related. She said her daughter commenced her school life at the Karrau Nursery School, and she worked with her to build a solid foundation, since there was a shortage of teachers at the community at the time.

Described as a well-rounded student, Aresia participated in multiple school-related activities, and was last year declared winner of the Emancipation Spelling Bee Competition at Bartica. She also participated in dramatic poetry

competitions during Mashramani celebrations throughout her primary school years, and even participated in poetry for the Ministry of Education’s Vaccination Week activities several times.

Surprised

Aresia told Guyana Times that she felt “ecstatic” when she heard about her performance at the NGSA, and was also surprised that she had won a place at the Bishops’ High School. Her preparation for the exams

was quite easy, she said, since she has been preparing for the exams her entire primary school life.

“I study after school. I watch booster videos, and every night I would still watch the television,” she said. At the moment, she is still undecided about what career path she may take, but she noted that her immediate plan is to explore and enjoy secondary school, since it may be filled with exciting experiences.

Aresia’s classmates also performed well at the exams, and Aresia noted she is very proud of them. Her mother has urged parents to always be at their children’s side, and she noted that preparation for the NGSA examinations does not begin in the year of the exams.

“Preparing for Grade Six does not begin at Grade Six. Consistency throughout primary school life is key,” she said. “Parental involvement is very important. When parents work together with the teachers, great things can happen.”

This was evident in this year’s performance by students of the Karrau Primary School, she added, noting that the parents listened to the advice given by the teachers, and have seen good performances from their children.

Aresia Cornelius of the Karrau Primary School has been declared top student for Region Seven at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment examinations. She will be attending the Bishops’ High School this September

makes Karrau village proud

Aresia and a few of her female classmates during a recent event

– Region 2 top performer to future NGSA students

Doodnauth,

a total of 503 marks and was awarded a place at Queen’s College.

During an interview with Guyana Times , Doodnauth, who is the youngest of three children for his parents, said that he is aspiring to become a lawyer.

Doodnauth, who was very excited upon hearing the news of his success, said he went to after-school lessons, and credited his achievement to his teachers and parents, whom he said went the extra mile to ensure he was successful.

The aspiring lawyer remarked that he was very elated when he learnt that he was named the top performer for Region Two. Doodnauth, whose mother is a former educator –is now advising his peers to stay focused, burn the midnight oil, and always pray to the Almighty for wisdom and understanding.

His parents Shabana Khan-Doodnauth and

Kamrajh

Doodnauth said they are very proud of their son’s performance. Shabana Khan is a former teacher at Better Success Nursery School and Khemrajh is a heavy-duty machine operator.

“As his mother, I was very excited to hear about his accomplishment but I was not surprised because I expected it to happen since both of his older siblings have done well academically,” the proud mother said.

She said growing up, Avron was always an energetic and curious child. During his spare time, he enjoys gaming and learning about history and geography.

Avron Doodnauth smiling brightly with his mother Shabana KhanDoodnauth following the announcement of the NGSA results on Friday

Avron Doodnauth with his proud parents, Shabana and Kamrajh Doodnauth

Eleven-year-old Avron Doodnauth of Sparta Primary School is the top performer for Region Two

(Pomeroon-Supenaam) at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

who hails from Coffee Grove, scored

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit these shores, several people discovered opportunities which they never knew existed. In some instances, people explored their natural talents and converted such ventures into jobs.

Such is the case of Michelle Teya Boyan, a make-up artist and resident of Wakapao, a Pomeroon riverine community in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), who ‘discovered herself’ during the latter part of 2020.

“I enjoyed designing things with my hands, especially in art, so I would say I'm artistic and imaginative,” Boyan told Guyana Times.

Boyan, a married mother of one, explained that ever since high school, “I've always been shaving and doing my friends’ brows, braiding and cutting hair; so, it's always like that.” She said that her friends and others would always seek her out to get their hair or makeup done. “It's always my thing,” she said.

Start of the pandemic

During the pandemic, the country was at a standstill, the number of COVID-19 cases was

climbing to alarming rates, the country’s economy took a beating, but people were discovering their talents.

“That was when I realized I could start showcasing my work.

So, I created a page, and (that)

is when people started recognizing my work and would hire me now and then for different occasions,” she said. “But officially, I am now two years into the business.”

Boyan said her clientele

is located mainly in the West Demerara area, where she has been living for the past four years, and in the Pomeroon area. The young mother said that when her clients cannot find her, she finds them. She

said that most of her customers are brides and their bridal parties, although she did not really specialise in that area initially. “Even though I do not specialize in bridal make-up, people do request my services,” she said.

Theological calling

She said she previously studied theology at a missionary training college for three and a half years prior to her new venture. “After graduating in 2019, I got pregnant and had my son in March 2020, when the pandemic hit. So that's when it was a perfect timing to start something for myself, and I used every bit of opportunity to work towards it,” she explained.

Boyan has said she would explore her creative talent to the fullest, and noted that she plans to utilise her financial gains from the venture and place them towards her academic feat. For now, she continues to build her business venture and focus on her family life.

Boyan’s work can be found on her social media accounts, all of which she created to enhance her business. Her work can be found @TeyaGlam_palette on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Michelle Boyan advertising her work using her social media platform. Here, she poses in her own work as a Disney princess

A portrait done by Michelle Boyan in the colours of the Golden Arrowhead

NGSA 2023

57% of students placed at top 5 schools attended public schools

…Education Ministry to catch weaknesses in hinterland gaps – Manickchand

Out of the 868 candidates who were awarded a place at a national school, also known as the top five schools, following the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), 499 of them were from the public school system.

This means that 57.4 per cent of students from the public schools secured places at Queen’s College, The Bishops’ High School, St Stanislaus College, St Rose’s High School and St Joseph High School.

It is a turnaround from the trend of private schools taking these places. The remaining spots were secured by 369 students from private institutions, accounting for the other 42.6 per cent.

According to Education Minister Priya Manickchand, this is one step closer to ending the disparity which previously existed. She added that the investments which Government are injecting into the sector is showing positive signs.

“Investment produces results. We’re convinced of that so we won’t stop invest-

ing in our children…We have more children from the public school being awarded places

at our national schools than private school children. There has always been a bemoaning of the disparity in performance between private and public. It was something that we always had our eyes set on,” she zeroed in.

In 2019, 738 students were placed at the national schools, due to expanded capacity at these institutions to accommodate more candidates. The cut-off marks this year were 499.2 for Queen’s College, 496.2 for The Bishops’ High School, 493.6 for St Stanislaus College, 490.7 for St Rose’s High School and 488 for St Joseph High School.

Hinterland gaps

Meanwhile, a trend which has continued for years is the disparity in the performance of coastal students versus those in remote communities. The Minister pointed out that there is a low number of trained teachers in the hinterland, which creates a gap in the performance of students.

“The performance of the hinterland continues to not measure up to the performance on the coast. While we are seeing better, we have not been able to catch the gap there for a variety of reasons. The hinterland has the lowest number of trained teachers. While they are doing amazing work across the country, we see a direct correlation between trained teachers and the results.”

To address such, the Ministry has facilitated easier avenues for persons to complete their training at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), thereby producing a

larger batch of teachers every year. Manickchand calculated that this should mean more trained educators for the hinterland communities.

It has been mandated that every teacher who is currently untrained in the system will have to gain the requisite qualifications, aligning with the Ministry’s efforts to have 100 per cent trained teachers within the next few years.

Minister Manickchand positioned, “We have to do what’s in the best interest of children. Ten times the amount of work that happens on the coast has to happen in the hinterland. And we’re saying to you, we’re committed to that route. We know what some of the weaknesses are and we know that we have to catch those weaknesses. We have already begun to do that.”

Some 15,273 students wrote the NGSA on May 3 and 4, 2023. From this number, 287 were Spanish-speaking students. (G12)

Top performers at the NGSA 2023

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

Graham’s Hall Primary overcrowded after some parents fake addresses

…Ministry now forced to use 3-tier verification

The Education Ministry is currently battling with the issue of overcrowding at the Graham’s Hall Primary School, after parents disingenuously produced a different address in order to get their children into the institution.

Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain updated on Friday that upon initial investigation, it was found that the school had an excess of 300 students more than its capacity. Along with the challenge of space, it presented a host of other problems such as inadequate washroom facilities.

“This is not healthy and most importantly, this is not safe…We discovered that the school had in excess of 300 students above its capacity. We had to look at every single student who was placed at the school from

Grades One, Two and Three. We began by doing a second round of verification to ensure that the students are living within the catchment of that school,” Hussain pointed

out.

By doing the verification, the Ministry uncovered some 140 students who were not living within the area. In one case, a student was travelling

to the school all the way from Mahaicony. Parents were engaged and presented with three options: to accept a second location with teachers provided, a primary school closer to their actual home, or use a temporary arrangement at the school.

“We found students who were not living in the catchment, who in some cases, used very creative ways of being members of that catchment. We held several meetings with the parents and we offered the three options to the par -

ents…Parents said they were not satisfied with the round of verification that we did and so we did a second round of verification.”

The CEO informed that about 40 students have since been registered to another location. The majority of parents opted for their children to remain at the school, and students are being taught in a separate arrangement.

In the new academic year, the Ministry will be employing three levels of verification before

students are placed at Graham’s Hall Primary School.

Hussain also indicated, “The intake for Graham’s Hall will be less this year in an effort to reduce the number of students in classes…I wish to remind that the Ministry of Education does not have any rule that says your child has to be placed close to where you work. It’s a concession. If there is space, then this can be accommodated. If there is no space, then it cannot be accommodated.” (G12)

Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain

Int’l Building Expo 2023 launched; to push stronger partnerships, results-driven

…30 companies already on board

As the International Building Expo 2023 officially launched on Friday, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal disclosed that 30 companies within the construction sector have already indicated their interest in participating and boosting their products and services.

Themed, “Building For All: One Guyana, Many Opportunities,” this year’s Building Expo is being held from August 24-27 at the National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

This event encourages companies within the building sector to display their ser-

vices, thereby providing networking opportunities and fostering collaboration among local and foreign investors.

“This national event will showcase innovation [and] new products critical to ensuring that the progress and the development trajectory continues and continues rapidly,” Croal said. “Already, 30 companies over [a period] of eight hours indicated their interest [in participating] even before launching [on Friday]. That can tell you the interest that is there.”

“We intend to ensure that the interactions are results-driven and that opportunities for sales are fully explored and that home builders

are also fully benefiting from the interventions,” Croal added.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Housing Ministry Susan Rodrigues noted that this event is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships with the private sector.

“This year, we look forward to having and building stronger partnerships with our members of the private sector,” Rodrigues said.

“Of course, we welcome our big corporate sponsors but we [also] welcome those medium and small-scale businesses. That is essentially what the expo is for: to give our members of the private sector, to give new and young en-

trepreneurs an opportunity to put on exhibition, their products, services and new technology in the building sector,” Rodrigues explained.

The Minister added that the expo will also feature its hallmark event—the “Dream Realised” housing allocation exercise.

Since 2020, the Housing Ministry, alongside the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), has allocated some 23,500 house lots across the country with an overall goal of 50,000 by 2025.

Croal noted that approximately 15,000 persons have been shown or given access to their house lots, therefore, there are potentially 15,000

persons planning to attend the expo and look for contractors and other necessary services.

Minister Rodrigues, however, remarked that like last year, this expo will expand beyond the Housing Ministry and its housing projects and will also provide a platform to share a number of infrastructural works being done by the Government at large.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips encouraged persons to attend the expo as the country is experiencing a building revolution.

“Guyana is changing and changing for the better. The building revolution is a part of that transformative process.

Guyana’s transformation will be showcased during this year’s International Building Expo. I therefore wish to encourage exhibitors to put their best foot forward as they showcase what is on offer to support our country’s building revolution,” Phillips said.

Guyana held its first building expo in August 2010. It was an initiative by President Dr Irfaan Ali, while he was Housing Minister, aimed at creating connections between local businesses and other regional and international companies.

Last year’s expo–the first after some seven years–featured the participation of 356 local, regional, and international companies.

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

Minister within the Housing Ministry, Susan Rodrigues

Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips

Dentures — commonly known as false teeth — are fitted to act as a prosthesis for missing teeth. They’re often made of acrylic, nylon, or metal. They can be used in place of one tooth, several, or all the teeth, and they fit snugly over the gums.

Properly fitted dentures have numerous benefits, including improving speech, eating capabilities, and self-confidence. It can also help to prevent the face from sagging over time, and may

HEALTH TIPS DENTURES

offer protection to the remaining teeth.

TYPES OF FALSE TEETH

There are numerous types of false teeth available, including partial dentures and full dentures. All require fitting so that they match the teeth’s shape, size, and colour. The fitting can be done by a specialist, called a prosthodontist, or by a general dentist, many of whom also fit dentures.

Partial dentures

Partial dentures are used

if people still have some healthy teeth available. These dentures are often clipped around the remaining healthy teeth. These clips may be visible when those people talk, but can be made in tooth-coloured material.

Full dentures

Full dentures are used if a person has lost all their teeth, which may occur due to injury, infection, periodontitis, or other medical condition. These artificial teeth are attached to a plate that sits against the gums. The plate and gum fittings — which can be made from either metal or acrylic that matches the colour of the gum — typically aren’t visible to others.

False teeth adhesive can be used to help keep the dentures in place.

• Removable dentures

Removable dentures are the traditional model, and they come with a big added benefit of being easier to clean. They can, however, slip out of place more easily, so dentists recommend avoiding foods that are particularly chewy, sticky, or hard.

False teeth adhesive can help keep them in place, but these adhesives can be difficult to use. Removable dentures typically last about five years before they need to be replaced.

Partial and complete traditional dentures tend to fall in the same price range, starting at about $60,000. The more money that is spent, the more comfortable and better-looking the dentures will be. The price ranges up to $150,000 for well-fitted dentures.

Price variations depend on the materials used, the number of teeth, and whether persons are getting a single plate or two (upper and lower). Flexible dentures

Flexible dentures are a popular alternative to traditional dentures, and they’re made with flexible but extremely durable materials that can be more comfortable to wear. Thanks to the translucent resin that matches the gum colour, they don’t require any visible clips, like those seen with partial dentures. Flexible dentures are also more lightweight and less bulky in the mouth. They can last around five to eight years.

They are more expensive than other methods, and can

only be used for partial dentures. Flexible dentures typically cost between $140,000 and $300,000 for a partial set.

MAINTAINING THE FALSE TEETH

Our mouths are full of bacteria, so it’s not surprising that artificial teeth need to be cleaned daily.

The dentist will advise about the best way to clean the dentures, depending on what type of false teeth are used. Removing partial dentures, for example, can make it easier to clean the teeth when you’re brushing at night.

Use cleaning solutions specific to dentures to help clean them effectively. False teeth require different solutions, depending on the materials they’re made from.

• To increase the lifespan of the false teeth, be careful when handling them. Don’t bend them, and try to avoid damaging any of the clips while cleaning them.

• Soaking the dentures overnight can prevent them from drying out, but make sure to rinse them under water before putting them back in place.

The dentist may also advise to avoid certain foods. Avoid drinking beverages that are hot enough to warp the dentures. It may also be a good idea to avoid foods that are tough, like hard candy, or chewy like gum.

SIDE EFFECTS OF FALSE TEETH

When someone first gets false teeth, especially immediate (temporary) dentures, they may notice an increase in saliva. This is normal, and subsides as the mouth gets used to the new addition. Some people also experience temporary nausea.

They may have difficulty eating at first, while getting used to the new dentures. Start with soft and liquid foods, to get accustomed to them. Similarly, people may struggle to speak as they used to before getting dentures. This gets easier as one gets used to the dentures. Practice saying words that are difficult to pronounce in order to speed up the process.

Dentures can sometimes cause irritation or sores in the mouth while getting used to them. This is

common, and often subsides as people adjust. Gargle with salt water, and maintain excellent oral hygiene to help treat these symptoms.

• It’s common to experience high air pressure against removable dentures when coughing or sneezing. This can dislodge them. To prevent this, cover the mouth with the hand when sneezing, yawning, or coughing.

There are certain signs that indicate that the false teeth need to be adjusted, refitted, or repaired. These include:

• Chips or cracks in the false teeth

• difficulty chewing after the adjustment period (which can take about a week)

Changing fit over time, where it’s not as snug as it used to be (removable dentures may slip or fall out more often, which is normal after several years, but require refitting)

Pressure sores from where the false teeth fit into place, especially after the adjustment period.

• Consistent speech pattern changes don’t go away after the adjustment period.

Odor coming from the false teeth.

ALTERNATIVES TO DENTURES

In addition to dentures, there are other alternatives that some individuals may find more appealing.

False teeth implants are permanent, thanks to a metal screw placed into the jawbone for stability before a false tooth is placed on top of it. People can have just one implant, or a full set. Implants are significantly more expensive than dentures, though some people are happy to pay for the permanence.

Veneers can help improve the appearance of existing healthy teeth by placing a thin layer of porcelain over the front of the teeth. They can’t replace missing teeth, however.

Bridges are another common alternative to dentures. Bridges are made up of fake teeth that are held in place by a dental crown that’s cemented to neighbouring teeth or an implant. They are more permanent than removable dentures, and may not require the implant process if healthy neighbouring teeth are available.

Dr. Tariq Jagnarine Family meDicine, enDocrinology/ DiabeTes

Govt provides relief to storm-hit West Berbice residents

The Government through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) on Friday distributed building materials to 13 households that were impacted by severe high winds last week on the West Coast of Berbice, Region Five (MahaicaBerbice).

Affected residents were given quantities of zinc sheets, nails, screws and lumber to aid in their restoration of normalcy.

On Monday, a rainstorm accompanied by lightning and thunder left several homes within Union, Trafalgar and Bel Air with damaged roofs, broken pillars and posts, and significant flood impacts.

Some residents had also reported instances of dam-

aged crops and the death of livestock when their pens were blown down.

In an initial display of assistance, the CDC team had distributed tarpaulins to create temporary shel-

President Bharrat Jagdeo met with the residents and assured them of plans to continue discussions on further assistance and future development plans in the following week.

“When I reach with the 13 families in Georgetown, they will receive more help and we will also talk about the sporting facilities across the whole region,” Jagdeo said.

He also noted that residents of Trafalgar, popularly known as Number 28 Village, will soon see roads within their community being rehabilitated, and new

are doing concrete roads in some areas and so persons from that area will get the work,” Jagdeo said.

During this visit, the Vice President was accompanied by Public Service

Minister Sonia Parag and CDC Director General Nazrul Hussain. The CDC continues to render aid to residents and communities that are impacted by hazards and di-

sasters, and persons are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any impacts to local authorities or the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) at 600-7500 or 226-1114.

ters and protect household items of the affected residents.

To bolster the Government’s response to this incident, Vice

ones being constructed.

“This year we will be doing 100 roads in this region, just like every year, so before you know it all, the roads will be done. We

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo meeting with the residents of West Berbice who were affected by the high winds

PPP/C is growing stronger – Jagdeo to Region 2 residents

ing stronger every minute... The entire campaign in all Local Government Election in Guyana was positive,” General Secretary said to the large crowd.

He said come 2025 an overwhelming victory will be possible if the citizens continue to support and work with the PPP/C.

Encouraging residents of Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) to support and continue working with the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo on Saturday evening said a “bigger” victory will be cel-

ebrated in 2025 when citizens cast their votes in the next General and Regional Elections.

During a General Public “Thank You” meeting held at the Anna Regina Car Park, following the PPP/C’s victory in all areas in Region Two at the recent Local

Government Elections, General Secretary Jagdeo told residents that the party led the way to return to freedom.

“This party brings freedom that comes under threat and this party led the way to return to freedom...The party is grow-

The PPP/C now controls 67 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) following the LGEs and was able to garner more votes in the thousands in regions and communities that historically supported the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

With a higher voter turnout in Georgetown this year, moving from 24 to 29 per cent, the PPP/C picked

According to the Vice President, in Region Two the PPP/C won all the NDCs. He extended his party’s ap-

up well over 5000 additional votes, while the votes for APNU dropped by the hundreds.

preciation to the candidates and the supporters.

Also attending the

Public “Thank You” meeting were Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva,

Regional Vice Chairman Himace Oodit among other regional officials.

Residents at the general public meeting

General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to residents at the public “Thank You” Meeting at Anna Regina

Guyana to host 2nd AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum

The second AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF23) will be hosted in Georgetown, Guyana from October 30 to 31, 2023, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Government of Guyana (GoG) announced on Saturday.

Organised under the overarching theme “Creating a Shared Prosperous Future”, and convened by Afreximbank and the GoG, ACTIF23 will focus on consolidating commercial collaboration between the Caribbean Region and Africa, for increased inter-regional trade and investment; building on the successes of the inaugural edition that was held in Barbados, in September 2022.

Commenting on the announcement of ACTIF23, Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, said that “Guyana looks forward to hosting the second AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum. We are

keen to actively harness the potential of our economic relations as we build on the historic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.”

“We are excited to announce the second AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum,” said Prof Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank.

“Going by the impressive gains we have recorded in less than one year since ACTIF2022, we have every reason to look forward to a further deepening of commercial relationships between Africa and the Caribbean when we meet in Georgetown, Guyana. We are exceedingly grateful to the Government of Guyana for agreeing to host this important bridge-building Forum”.

The AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum was introduced in 2022 to enhance the growth of trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean, including promoting airlinks, tourism,

Court rules SOCU...

As such, Clarke remained detained at SOCU in silence until her lawyer, Nigel Hughes, got there.

Clarke, who previously served as a State Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), was only released after the intervention of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who has offered her a profound apology for what he had described as an “unfortunate incident”.

Attorney Clarke subsequently filed a lawsuit against the State, naming the Attorney General as the respondent. She was seeking more than $300,000 in damages for, among other things, false imprisonment and violations of her constitutional rights.

trial is yet to get underway, the Chief Justice delivered her ruling on a series of declarations that were sought.

In addition to finding that Clarke’s fundamental right was breached, Justice George also made four other declarations.

It was found that the detention and seizure of the attorney’s cellular phone by officers of SOCU without her permission and without lawful excuse was wrongful.

The High Court Judge also declared that an attorney-at-law, admitted to practice in Guyana, is entitled to advise a client to remain silent when questioned by any lawful enforcement agency.

ruled that an attorney-at-law, to practice at the Bar in Guyana, is entitled to consult with his/ her client in private without the contents of the consultation being recorded in any way including by means of audio-visual recording by any law enforcement agency in Guyana or elsewhere.

The Chief Justice also found that as a practicing attorney-at-law admitted to practice in Guyana, Attorney Clarke is entitled to advise any person who has sought her counsel to exercise the right to remain silent when questioned by a member of any law enforcement agency in Guyana.

technology transfer, financial stability, food security, industrialisation and cultural ties. The inaugural event welcomed over 1267 delegates from 108 countries, including participants from 50 African countries, 13 Caribbean countries, and regions as far away as Oceania.

There has been growing commercial cooperation between Africa and Caricom supported by Afreximbank. Eleven Caricom member countries are now participating States in the bank and the bank’s Board approved a limit of US$3 billion for Caribbean economies to enhance trade and investment opportunities between the two Regions. The bank is launching its representative office in Bridgetown, Barbados; and providing technical assistance towards the establishment of the Caricom Export-Import Bank, and the deployment of the Pan African Payment and Settlement System in the Caribbean.

While the substantial

Justice George also

The matter is set to be called again on September 19. (G8)

File photo: AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum 2022

Botanical Gardens to be upgraded to attract more tourists

proving coastal tourism, the stakeholders took a walk through the area on Friday to assess and deliberate on how they can make the space more visitor-friendly.

Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, Jason Fraser spoke with the Department of Public Information about the importance of the gardens and the need for more tourists.

industry and growing, stating that the body is working on showcasing what happens at the back of the frequently visited area.

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Kamrul Baksh also noted that the area has much tourism potential.

here in Georgetown,” he underscored. Meanwhile, Wilderness Explorers General Manager Carla Vantull noted that she is optimistic about the prospects of developing the area and using it more.

The Protected Areas Commission and the Guyana Tourism

Authority have engaged local tour operators on ways that the Botanical Gardens

can be improved to attract more visitors to the space. With an interest in im-

“The Botanical Gardens sit on 86 acres in the middle of Georgetown. It’s a very unique space, over 100 different species of birds, other wildlife and it just provides

“There is immense potential for the development of additional excursions here in the gardens. So, we have brought together some of the licensed tour operators who are very interested in seeing how to expand their own catalogue of tours and experienc-

“These discussions that we are having now, it’s just how can we further enhance it. There is a gap for excursions and experiences that are close to the coast. Botanical Gardens just seems like a no-brainer… to just see how we can maximise the beautiful space that is here, looking at some paddle boats for example,

a serene environment for citizens to relax and to come and enjoy,” Fraser noted.

He said birding, for example, is an eight-billion-dollar

es. I think the location is very essential and I think it could be more optimally utilised for the integration of the whole tourism circuit

so those things can certainly add to what we can do,” Vantull said. She is happy that the stakeholders were included in the consultation.

Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, Jason Fraser, taking tourism stakeholders around the park

Tourism stakeholders walking through the back of the Botanical Gardens

T&T’s Behaviour Council: Rowley's platform remarks 'insensitive, inappropriate'

The Prime Minister used language that was "insensitive and inappropriate" and breached the country's Code of Ethical Political Conduct said the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour in a statement on Thursday.

While the council, led by Dr Bishnu Ragoonath, did not reproduce Dr Keith Rowley's offending words, it said it was acting in response to a complaint by National Transformation Alliance (NTA) about his remarks on a political platform.

The NTA has complained about Rowley's remarks at a recent PNM rally in St James which NTA head Gary Griffith described as race baiting.

Rowley had questioned the UNC/NTA pact's proposed stand-your-ground laws to reduce home-owners liability in cases of self-defence against home intruders.

He said, "That they are going to give people of a certain race to shoot people of another race, because they are saying the crime in this

country – which we know is across the board – is one race attacking another race."

The council said the NTA accused Rowley of an offensive utterance using inflammatory language which could cause irreparable consequences.

"The council, having reviewed the speech made by the Prime Minister, is of the view that the language used was clearly inappropriate and insensitive.

"To be sure, the statement from the Prime Minister runs counter to clauses in two sections of the code, the ‘commitment’ section as well as the section on ‘prohibited conduct.’"

Under ‘commitment’ the code says parties, coalitions and candidates must "promote and enforce respect, tolerance, harmony and peace" among supporters and the general public, during the campaign, elections and post-election period.”

The council said under prohibited conduct, the code abhorred the encouragement of violence; the intimidation of candidates or supporters;

or the promotion of hatred, resentment or any form of violence.

"As Prime Minister, one would have expected that Dr Rowley would be promoting unity in our diversity, and while it may not have been his intention, the utterances can easily be interpreted as underscoring our diversity and more critically could have led some supporters to embrace and foster hatred and divisiveness for members of other ethnic commu-

nities in our society.

"In our quest to guard against such possibilities, Dr Rowley as well as all political leaders must set an example for the citizens to follow and must be always mindful to avoid inflammatory statements."

The statement said the council had heard a claim that inducements were being made to facilitate party jockeying.

While the council had not investigated and could not

rule on the validity of such claims, it reminded all that prohibited conduct under the code said parties, coalitions and candidates must not offer any inducement or reward to join or not to join a party; attend or not to attend a public meeting; vote or not to vote; or refuse a nomination as a candidate or to withdraw as a candidate.

"A third issue considered by the council refers to the issue of smear campaigns, which was brought to the council’s attention. Again, due to the lateness of this concern reaching the council, the council could not have carefully reviewed the claim."

However the council reminded all of the code's clauses regarding campaigns.

"Not discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, class, religion or belief, or seek to mobilize support by reference to race, sex, gender, religion or class."

No one should make false or defamatory allegations in print or speech, inclusive of images and effigies, during

an election of a party, candidates, representatives or members.

"Not seek to assassinate the character of or make defamatory comments about any individual, family, professional group or section of the community.

"Not criticise aspects of the private lives of candidates, their families, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or candidates of other parties."

The council urged political entities to follow the code.

"As we continue in this campaign, it is the hope of the council, as well as the vast majority of citizens that the remainder of this campaign will be peaceful, respectful and based on tolerance.

"Mindful of the fact that there may be instances of possible breaches of the code, the council is urging the citizenry at large to bring to its attention any instances that it may detect during the campaign. Reports of possible violations can be emailed to the council at info@politicalethicstt.org." (T&T Newsday)

Paternity insurance coming in Jamaica

Starting next month, fathers or fathersto-be whose partners do not have insurance will be able to benefit from paternity insurance coverage under a new collaboration between Sagicor and Covenant Insurance Brokers.

Executive manager of Covenant's newly opened Montego Bay branch, Oral Heaven, is excited about the product that, he says, is part of the company's efforts to revolutionise the insurance industry.

"We acknowledged that if a woman is uninsured, both partners are still responsible for funding the birth. Consequently, we collectively conceived the idea of approaching insurance companies to underwrite this coverage. We received an enthusiastic response from Sagicor Life Insurance, which supported the proposal and is currently finalising its processes to assist us in bringing this offering to the market by August 1," Heaven told the Jamaica Observer.

Heaven, who is

also president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, explained that benefits will be similar to those provided to women, such as coverage for various aspects of childbirth and related medical expenses.

"This benefit allows fathers to contribute to their child's and family's well-being. It is important to note that a waiting period is required, and there are other conditions that will be applicable," he said.

According to Heaven, the soon-to-be rolled out comprehensive paternity insurance package is the first of its kind in Jamaica.

The move comes in the wake of the Government's decision to offer paid paternity leave to public sector workers as of January 1 this year. Under the measure, fathers of newborns are entitled to 20 working days off. The same benefit is also provided, in the form of adoption leave, to parents adopting and bringing a new child into the home.

Also effective January 1, paid maternity leave

was increased from 40 days to a period of 60 working days for Government workers. The changes were part of the Government's wider public sector compensation review.

While maternity leave has been available within the public and private sectors for decades, paternity leave sparked debate with questions ranging from the frequency with which the benefit could be accessed, to the issue of proof of paternity.

As outlined in the amendment to the 2004 Public Sector Staff Orders, each man can access paid paternity leave for only three births. The time off is supposed to be spent nurturing and caring for the newborn.

A number of private sector companies have also introduced paternity leave.

The insurance brokers now appear to be catching up, ready to take advantage of any opportunity this presents.

As Heaven noted, the roll-out is part of the company's efforts to attract a

T&T Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

partic

Apartment building collapse kills 14 in Brazil

Aresidential building collapse in northeastern Brazil killed 14 people, civil defence officials said on Saturday, as the last missing people were found lifeless.

The collapse occurred on Friday in the Janga neighbourhood on the outskirts of Recife, the capital of the northeastern state of

Pernambuco.

The apartment building collapsed during heavy rains that struck the region while many residents were still asleep.

According to a statement from civil defence, three people managed to survive the collapse, whose cause remains unclear.

On Friday, officials had al-

Two dead, output impacted after fire engulfs Mexican oil platform

ready reported eight deaths.

Governor Raquel Lyra of Pernambuco expressed her condolences on Twitter, pledging that the state government would spare no effort in assisting families in need.

Recife, a coastal city with around 1.5 million residents, has been grappling with heavy rainfall in recent days.

(Reuters)

Honduras probes Chinese interest in investing in $20 billion rail line

The Honduran Government on Friday told Chinese officials it is seeking investors to help fund construction of a proposed US$20 billion rail line connecting the country's Atlantic and Pacific coasts, part of a binational trade and investment push.

Honduras and China have been negotiating a first-ever free trade pact linking their economies. Fredy Cerrato, the Honduran Economic Development Minister, told reporters officials from both countries also discussed infrastructure projects relating to dams and power generation.

"We presented (Chinese officials) with the projects that Honduras is interested in getting financed, that are vital for the development of our country," said Cerrato.

"We're talking about building dams, the construction of an transoceanic train that also has to do with our electric generation

system," said Cerrato.

He added that officials in China, the world's second largest economy, have shown interest in projects developed using both public and private funds.

The Minister added that proposed train line could be

ready in about 15 years.

Honduras and the Asian giant launched diplomatic relations in March, after the Central American nation ditched its longstanding ties with Taiwan in favour of mainland China and its economic leverage. (Reuters)

Two workers died and another remained missing after a raging fire broke out early on Friday morning at an offshore platform run by Mexican state oil company Pemex just off the southern edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

In posts on Twitter, Pemex said it had accounted for all other workers and said oil production had taken a major hit from the blaze.

Video circulating on social media showed the massive platform and its tangle of pipelines engulfed in flames as nearby boats sought to douse the fire with hoses.

The platform operates in the company's Cantarell Field, once one of the world's most productive.

Earlier in the day, Pemex said six people had been injured in the fire, which it said started at the Nohoch-A platform and then spread to a compression platform.

It was not immediately clear on Friday evening

whether the casualties were among the six injured.

"Our technicians are studying how to repair the pipelines, interconnections and other works to restore it," the company said in a separate post on Twitter.

Chief Executive Officer Octavio Romero referred to the impact in a video the company posted.

"We're going to keep looking for this person as our number one priority, as well as think about how we

can reactivate activity in the area because Nohoch is very important," he said.

A Pemex statement Friday morning indicated that 321 of 328 people working on the sprawling platform had been successfully evacuated.

Over the past decade, Cantarell has seen its crude output slide significantly. But it is still responsible for around 170,000 barrels per day, according to company data. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US Appeals Court upholds Venezuela creditors ability to sue

AUS court of appeals on Friday rejected Venezuela's bid to prevent six companies from joining a proposed court auction of shares in a Citgo Petroleum parent to enforce judgements for past expropriation of assets.

The decision allows the six to move ahead with their about US$3 billion in combined claims against Venezuela state oil firm PDVSA in a Delaware federal court. That court is in the initial steps of prepar-

ing an auction as soon as September.

"For the second time in five years, we conclude that PDVSA is the alter ego of Venezuela, and we will affirm the District Court's denial of sovereign immunity to PDVSA," the three-Judge panel ruled. It also declined to consider PDVSA's request to bar the attachments from the district court case.

The companies had won conditional attachments to a federal case in which the

Judge has approved a process to auction the shares to pay a US$970 million judgment won by miner Crystallex.

Since March, creditors including a unit of O-I Glass, Huntington Ingalls Industries, ACL1 Investments, Koch Minerals and mining firms Rusoro Mining and Gold Reserve, have been granted rights to seize shares in the parent of Venezuela-owned refiner Citgo, PDV Holding. (Reuters)

Colombia, Brazil Presidents pledge cooperation to protect Amazon

The Presidents of Brazil and Colombia discussed regional coordination to fight deforestation and protect the world's largest and most biodiverse rainforest at a meeting in Colombia's Amazonian city of Leticia on Saturday.

"My Government is committed to eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who called for better regional and global coordination. "This is a commitment that the Amazon countries can assume together at the upcoming Belem summit."

The meeting between Lula and Colombia's President Gustavo Petro followed talks in Leticia earlier this week between Environmental Ministers from Amazonian countries, including Colombia's Susana Muhamad, Peru's Albina Ruiz Rios, and Josue

Lorca from Venezuela, among others.

Both Petro and Lula, who each took office less than a year ago, have called on rich nations to cough up funds to help South American countries preserve the Amazon, considered key to fighting global climate change.

Meetings in Leticia come

before a summit of Amazon nations hosted by Brazil in the city of Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon River, in August.

The coming summit is an attempt to move the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation nations to act together to preserve the forest and promote sustainable development in a re-

gion

by

The organization was started in 1978 by Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname,

and Venezuela. French Guiana, an overseas territory of France, is invited to meetings. (Reuters)

J/ca: No tears as head of accused rapist found in bag

It was a gruesome find. However, residents of this small community did not shed any tears. In fact, they said no one was surprised that the severed head of a man found in a shopping bag was that of one accused of rape and other crimes, and who was on the Police wanted list

The head identified as that of Rohan Barrett, otherwise called "Black Seed", a resident of Porus, was found about 6:30 am in a shopping bag at a fruit stall at Whitney Turn in the community. Up to late Thursday Barrett's torso was not located. Heyward McLean, a vendor, said he was alerted by residents that

Barrett's head was found at his fruit stall.

"When I got the call I came down here and saw the Police draw long yellow tape and said I cannot open the shop until they finish, it is a crime scene," he said." The head was in a brown shopping bag that you carry to supermarket. They carry [the head] come put down in front the stall for somebody to see it," he added. McLean described Barrett as a wellknown "troublemaker" in the Porus area. “Him do a lot of crime in the community, so him have to ran weh go May Pen. Him do crime a May Pen, him do crime a town [and] dem nuh want him a

town, so him affi come back a Porus and a hide and a sleep inna tree and a broke people place," said McLean. Other residents who gathered at the area where the severed head was found described Barrett as problematic. “Him name call following the rape of a woman in the community since year and him did run weh and a hide," said one resident. A senior Police source corroborated the allegations against Barrett. “He is wanted in relation to a case of rape, burglary, assault at common law, and unlawful wounding committed in Whitney Turn, Porus in February of this year," the Police source said.

(Jamaica Observer)

Boats spraying water onto an offshore oil platform that caught fire at the Pemex's Cantarell Field, in the Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico July 7, 2023

Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen shaking hands with Melvin Redondo, Vice Minister of Economic Development of Honduras after Shouwen arrival at the Palmerola International Airport in Comayagua, Honduras in this photo released on July 7, 2023 and distributed by Foreign Ministry of Honduras/Handout via Reuters

threatened

illegal loggers and gold miners, animal smugglers and drug traffickers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shaking hands during the event "Road to the Amazon Summit" in Leticia, Colombia July 8, 2023

Around the World OIL NEWS

Ukraine war: 8 killed in Russian strike in Lyman, say authorities

US drillers add gas rigs as oil rig count slips further

The total number of total active drilling rigs in the United States rose by 6 this week, after falling by 8 last week, according to new data from Baker Hughes published Friday.

The total rig count rose to 680 this week—72 rigs below this time last year. The current count is 395 fewer rigs than the rig count at the beginning of 2019, prior to the pandemic.

The number of oil rigs declined by 5 this week to 540, while the number of gas rigs rose by 11, to 135. Miscellaneous rigs stayed the same at 5.

The rig count in the Permian Basin rose by 1 this week, and stand at 8 rigs below this same time last year. The rig count in the Eagle Ford fell by 1, and was down 8 rigs from this time last year.

Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing unfinished wells (which is cheaper than drilling new wells), fell by 5 in the week ending June 30, to 272. The frac spread count is 13 behind where it was this time last year.

Crude oil production levels in the United States rose to 12.4 million bpd in the week ending June 30, according to the latest weekly EIA estimates—a gain of 200,000 bpd from the beginning of the year. US production levels are now up 300,000 bpd versus a year ago.

At 12:21 pm ET on Friday, the WTI benchmark was trading up US$1.14 (+1.59%) on the day at US$72.94—up about US$2 per barrel from this time last week, and US$4 per barrel from the week before that. The Brent benchmark was trading up US$1.14 (+1.49%) at %US$77.66 per barrel on the day—up US$2.50 from a week ago. (Oilprice.com)

At least eight people have been killed in an attack on a residential area in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, the country's authorities have said.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said another 13 people were wounded in the Russian shelling of the town of Lyman.

The strike caused fires in a house, a printing shop and three cars which have now been put out by rescuers, the Ministry said.

It comes as the country marks the 500th day of the invasion.

Ukraine's counter-offensive, which began last month, continues to grind on in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.

Its advances have been slow, as Russia continues its missile and drone attacks.

The small city of Lyman is a key railway hub in the Donetsk, and was initially captured by Russia but then retaken by Ukraine's army in October.

Russia had been "concen-

Six dead in corporate jet crash outside Los Angeles

All six people aboard a small corporate jet died when the aircraft crashed and burned in a field near an airport outside the Los Angeles area early on Saturday, local and federal authorities said.

The aircraft, a Cessna C550 business jet, was travelling from Las Vegas and crashed near French Valley Airport, about 85 miles (136.79 km) south of Los Angeles, at around 4:15 am

Sudan conflict: Air strike kills at least 22 in Khartoum

ASudanese army air strike on the capital has killed at least 22 people and injured many others, eyewitnesses and an official have said.

Women and children were among the victims, the eyewitnesses told the BBC.

The airstrike hit the Dar es Salaam district of Omdurman, on the opposite bank of the Nile to the capital Khartoum, early on Saturday.

The army and a paramilitary force have been battling for control of the capital since April.

The conflict began after the head of the army, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, fell out over the future of the country.

A Khartoum state health official, quoted by Reuters news agency, said at least 22 people had been killed in Saturday's airstrike, while the RSF said the death toll was 31.

The RSF controls much of Khartoum and its twin cit-

Fighting for control of the capital has continued since 15 April, including on Tuesday when this photograph was taken

ies of Omdurman and Bahri. The army has carried out frequent artillery and air attacks to try and dislodge the paramilitary fighters. But it is thought that Saturday's strike could have resulted in one of the largest death tolls from a single attack.

Twelve weeks of conflict have left the civilian population in the capital terrified. Shops and markets are rarely open and almost all medical facilities have shut down.

Clashes have spread beyond the city, including to the western Darfur region which has seen an outbreak of ethnic violence.

Across the country, hundreds have been killed and almost three million people have been forced from their homes.

There have been partially-successful attempts to secure temporary ceasefires, but these have never lasted long. (Excerpt from BBC News)

(0815 GMT), the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Details of the passengers were not immediately available.

Aerial video from local media showed burnt rubble in the shape of a small aircraft laying in a blackened part of a field across the road from the French Valley Airport.

Radar data from flight tracking website FlightAware shows just one business jet travelling from Las Vegas to French Valley at the time. That plane circled once near the field before descending. The sheriff's office in Riverside County, where the French Valley Airport is located, said officials responding to the crash located an aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field and that six occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said. (Reuters)

trating quite powerful forces" there, the spokesman of Ukraine's eastern group of forces, Serhiy Cherevatyy, told Ukrainian television on Friday.

"At around 10:00, the Russians struck the town with multiple rocket launchers," the regional governor of

Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said on social media on Saturday. He said a house and a shop were damaged.

The BBC has not been able to verify the claims.

On Thursday, 10 people, including a woman aged 95, were killed after a Russian rocket hit an apartment building in Lviv, western Ukraine.

Another 40 people were injured in what the mayor of Lviv described as "one of the biggest attacks" on the city's civilian infrastructure.

And the previous week 13 people were killed - including children - when a restaurant and shopping centre were struck in Kramatorsk, an eastern city close to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. (Excerpt from BBC News)

At least 11 killed in local polls in India’s West Bengal

At least 11 people have been killed and dozens more injured in clashes, according to media reports, during the municipal polls in West Bengal, a state notorious for political violence during election campaigns.

Voters cast their ballots on Saturday in a fierce contest to elect municipal leaders, with more than 200,000 candidates in the fray across the state of 104 million people.

Indian media reports, quoting the Press Trust of India news agency, said at least 11 election-related deaths in the state governed by the opposition Trinamool Congress party, and where the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying hard to gain a toehold as it seeks to expand beyond the Hindi-speaking north.

Six Trinamool Congress members and one worker belonging each to the BJP, the Communist Party

Yellen urges US-China cooperation on

USTreasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Saturday urged closer communication between China and the United States to improve economic decision-making, and challenged China to join global initiatives to help poorer nations address climate change.

Despite bilateral tensions, record high USChinese trade last year showed there was "ample room" to engage in trade and investment, and it was critical to focus on areas of common interest and address disagreements through dialogue, Yellen told Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the start of a meeting. The talks lasted for about five hours, followed by a for-

of India (Marxist), the Congress and a regional Muslim party were killed, the agency said, adding that the identity of the 11th person was not known.

Al Jazeera was not able to independently verify the deaths.

Ballot boxes were snatched and set alight outside polling stations in many places, according to reports, as rival parties blamed each other for the chaos.

More than 200 crude bombs – a staple of West Bengal elections that are sold cheaply on the black market to maim or intimidate voters – had also been seized during the polls, police said.

The West Bengal state was ruled by a communist party for more than three decades until Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee defeated the communists in 2011. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

economy,

mal dinner, according to a Treasury official.

Chinese state media described the meeting as "indepth, candid and pragmatic". Treasury said the meeting was "candid, constructive, and comprehensive."

Yellen is due to hold a news conference in Beijing early today.

State-run Xinhua news agency said the talks were "constructive", but the Chinese side expressed concern about US sanctions and restrictive measures against China.

China also believes that generalising the concept of national security does no good for normal economic and trade exchanges,

climate

Xinhua reported.

Treasury said Yellen also conveyed that "even when the United States and China have disagreements, it is vital that the two countries find ways to work together on issues of shared – and global – concern, including debt distress in low-income and emerging economies and climate finance."

Yellen's visit through Sunday is Washington's latest attempt to repair ties between the world's two biggest economies, battered over issues from Taiwan to technology that have drawn their allies into their rivalry, having an impact on companies and trade ties. (Excerpt from Reuters)

The attack caused fires in several cars, authorities say

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

GEMINI (MAY 28June 20)

CANCER

(June 21July 22)

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Apply pressure if you want help. Do what you can independently and call in an expert when necessary. It’s better to be safe than sorry when dealing with domestic matters.

Excess is the enemy today, so approach everything with a minimalist attitude. Discipline will be necessary to avoid temptation. Distance yourself from toxic people and be careful with your money.

By questioning anything that sounds suspicious, you’ll avoid getting entangled in someone else’s mess. Recognize when someone is taking advantage of you, and don’t hesitate to say no.

Stop and appreciate what life has to offer. Embrace the positive and walk away from those who are hostile and unappreciative of what they have. Spend time making the world a better place.

Live up to your word; if you keep changing your mind, you’ll jeopardize your reputation. Accurate information is the best way to get others to respond and participate. Be consistent in all things.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Discuss topics of interest with knowledgeable people, and search for ways to make a difference in your community. Don’t be afraid to apply pressure where it will do some good.

Emotions will weigh you down if you procrastinate. Size up situations, discuss your options with people you trust and stay on the path that leads to better health and happier times.

Observation will be your best friend. Monitor situations closely and look at your options. Be resourceful and innovative. Don’t let anyone hold you hostage or tempt you with false information.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22Jan. 19)

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES

(Feb. 20Mar. 20)

You’ll drum up interest in something if you make your pitch entertaining. A chance to learn something new will boost your confidence and bring you in contact with someone interesting.

Adapt your surroundings to make room for a new endeavor. How you manage your cash and deal with people you are connected to will determine how your plans unfold.

Take a breather and give yourself a chance to digest all that’s happening around you. Look at your finances and determine how best to save money for something unique.

Get out with friends and engage in something that stimulates your mind and encourages you to try new things. Be open to suggestions and willing to make changes. Think creatively.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

Pickles

The Ashes Series 2023: Test 3 of 5…

England need 251 to keep Ashes alive

-as Chris Woakes and Travis Head star in opposing roles

ing to Wood's short ball, the top-edge spiralling backward of square, where there was nearly a horrendous mix-up, with Jonny Bairstow seemingly bailing out of the catch, leaving it to Harry Brook, who sprinted from short leg and pulled out a full-length dive.

As he did in the first innings, Wood gave Cummins a brief and very effective working over, and Headwho was 34 off 82 balls at the time - knew it was then time to change gear, although Murphy had cover-driven his

SCOREBOARD

Australia 2nd Innings

Usman Khawaja c †Bairstow b Woakes 43

David Warner c Crawley b Broad 1

Marnus Labuschagne c Brook b Ali 33

Steven Smith c Duckett b Ali 2

Travis Head c Duckett b Broad 77

It took six hours to get there amid the rain, but the third day at Headingley produced an electrifying final session in which both sides traded blows in their attempts to set up victory.

England struck early through Chris Woakes, but Travis Head counterattacked with the final two wickets for company to create a target of 251. Faced with 25 minutes to see out the day, with the sun bursting through, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett slashed 27 off the target, while Australia also burned a review for a leg-side catch against Duckett.

Last season England chased 296 against New Zealand, and, of course, there needs little reminding of 2019; so, they certainly won't be overwhelmed by the pursuit.

From where they were at lunch on the second day --

142 for 7 and trailing by 121 -- England would have gladly accepted this position. After regular showers during the day, play eventually began at 4.45pm, but only one over was possible initially before another brief stoppage. A further three overs were trimmed from the allocation, but what remained produced a further passage of gripping cricket in a series that has been compelling from the start.

It felt as though Woakes had made decisive blows when he claimed Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey; and when Pat Cummins fell to Mark Wood, Australia were 170 for 8, a lead of 196. Head was then able to add 54 for the last two partnerships with what could prove one of the most important innings of his Test career, in which he has already produced a series of match-chang-

ing and match-defining scores, albeit usually in the first innings, to set up a game.

Woakes was tremendous when play resumed for the second time. Finding the outside edge of Marsh, who again looked in excellent touch, when he tried to withdraw the bat, he soon added Carey, who had earlier been part of one of the more bizarre stories of the series involving false allegations of a non-paid haircut, as he also tried to leave the ball and played into his stumps.

While Wood's return to the side has brought many of the headlines, given the blistering pace, Woakes's comeback has been equally impactful. His list of wickets in this match reads: Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Head, Marsh (twice) and Carey.

Mitchell Starc briefly played confidently, before fall-

Mitchell Marsh c † Bairstow b Woakes 28

Alex Carey †b Woakes 5

Mitchell Starc c Brook b Wood 16

Pat Cummins (c)

†Bairstow b Wood 1

Todd Murphy lbw b Broad 11

Scott Boland not out 0

Extras (b 5, lb 2) 7

TOTAL 67.1 Ov (RR: 3.33) 224

Fall of wickets: 1-11 (David Warner, 2.2 ov), 2-68 (Marnus Labuschagne, 25.2 ov), 3-72 (Steven Smith, 27.4 ov), 4-90

first ball from Wood to the boundary.

In the next over from Woakes, Head pulled and carved two boundaries, then, against Wood, collected another brace, which took him to fifty off 94 balls. England persisted with the short ball to Head, sometimes with nine men on the boundary, and

(Usman Khawaja, 34.5 ov), 5-131 (Mitchell Marsh, 49.5 ov),

some more damage. He pulled Wood for consecutive sixes over the leg side, before falling as he attempted something similar off Broad and it found deep midwicket.

Given their recent history, a chase of 251 is well within England's reach; but, with the Ashes on the line, surely there is a twist or two to come yet.

Max Verstappen pips Lando Norris to pole in British Grand Prix

Red Bull's Max Verstappen stole pole position from McLaren's Lando Norris in a gripping and surprising qualifying session at the British Grand Prix.

Verstappen dashed the hopes of the British fans in the packed grandstands after Norris went fastest with three drivers still to set their final times. One of them was Verstappen, who grabbed pole by 0.241 seconds.

Norris led a McLaren twothree ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri for McLaren's best qualifying for years.

The revived McLarens, sporting an upgrade that had vaulted the car up the grid when Norris alone ran it in Austria last weekend, beat the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in fourth and fifth, and the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in sixth and seventh. Williams’ driver Alex Albon took eighth, ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, with Pierre Gasly's

Alpine completing the top 10.

The session started wet, and progressively dried throughout. Timing the runs, and nailing the lap when it mattered, was key. Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez fell on the wrong side of the line, and was knocked out in the first session.

The Mexican will start down in 16th, missing out on the top 10 on the grid for the fifth race in a row, as his diffi cult season continues.

The fans arrived at Silverstone in huge num bers from Friday through to Sunday. Through the diffi cult running, Verstappen re mained serene. The Dutchman did not top the first session, which was stopped and re started with three minutes to go, with rain spitting and in which Norris went fast est.

And he made his life harder when he broke his front wing

leaving the pits, catching it on the wall opposite the garage, something he was able to make a joke out of later.

But Verstappen was quickest in the second session, and again on the first runs in the final top-10 shootout, when he was the only driver on new tyres. On the final laps, Leclerc and Sainz got to within a few hundredths of a second of Verstappen's time, but it was Norris

placed him, to cheers from the crowd, only for the world champion to dash home hopes.

Norris said: "Pretty insane! My last lap was a good lap. I could hear Zak [Brown, chief executive] on the radio on the in-lap, which was the best thing ever. It's always Max. He always ruins everything for everyone."

Piastri's third place was by far the best result of his fledging F1 career - he is in his first season, after McLaren took a chance on the Australian after a stellar junior career.

"What a qualifying session," Piastri said. "Almost out in Q1, but the car was a rocket ship in Q2 and Q3. And I felt like I put a decent lap together. Massive result for the team, to have both of us up Piastri, who was 0.131secs off Norris's time, had fitted to his car for the first time this weekend the upgrade Norris debuted in

Austria, while Norris continued with it, and also had a new front wing. McLaren had always hoped the upgrade would turn around their season. They started the year having admitted they had missed their development targets and needed to change design philosophy.

They were pleased by the performance of the car in Austria, where Norris finished fourth, but were keeping expectations in check after that race, because it has always been a good track for them. But Silverstone seems to have confirmed they have made a significant step forward.

Ferrari challenged Verstappen for pole in Austria, but expected to be a little further from the pace this weekend because their car's main weakness is in fast corners.

Leclerc ended up 0.416secs slower than Verstappen and just 0.012secs ahead of Sainz, with Russell a further 0.007secs adrift, and Hamilton 0.056secs behind him.

(BBC Sport)

7805.

Chris Woakes

Digicel Knockout Schools Football tournament 2023… World Athletics Championships 2023…

BEI through to final

Ground on Princess Elizabeth Road in New Amsterdam on Friday.

Floyd Chester scored for BEI in the 5th minute, Cotisi Scipio did likewise in the 8th minute, and T’Jon Reid followed suit in the 16th minute. Tutorial Academy got their consolation goal in the 22nd minute off the booth of Don Singh.

BEI will now meet Vryman’s Erven Secondary on Tuesday, July 11, while Tutorial Academy and New Amsterdam Multilateral will meet on Monday, July 10, in a play-off for third place at the same venue.

Vryman’s Erven Secondary booked their place in the final with a 4-1 (penalty) win over NA Multilateral on Thursday.

After disposing of Port Mourant Secondary 14-0 in their previous game, New Amsterdam Multilateral failed to find the back of the net in this encounter.

Brianna Williams on Jamaica’s team to Budapest

-overcomes recent injury scare to secure spot

Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) are through to the Region

Six final of the Digicel Knockout Schools Football tournament, having booked their spot

with a 3-1 win over Tutorial Academy in a game played at the All-Saints

Both schools tried desperately to score, but were unsuccessful during the 70 minutes of play, and the game had to be decided by penalty kicks, which saw Vryman’s Erven Secondary

Briana Williams ran a season's best 11.01 for fourth place and a place on Jamaica's team to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month.

In a remarkable display of resilience and determination, this Olympic relay gold medallist defied the odds to make a triumphant comeback at the Jamaica National Athletics Championships on Friday night. Despite battling injuries throughout the season, she managed to finish fourth in the highly competitive 100m race, clocking a season's best time of 11.01 seconds.

The race was dominated by some of Jamaica's finest sprinters, with Shericka Jackson leading the pack and setting a world-leading time of 10.65 seconds to claim victory. Sashalee Forbes, who achieved a personal best of 10.96 seconds, secured second place, closely followed by Natasha Morrison in third place with a time of 10.98 seconds.

For Williams, this achievement was nothing short of miraculous. Just a week prior, her hopes of participating in the trials seemed bleak after she had suffered an injury. However, through the relentless efforts of the staff at the YB Rehabilitation Centre, she made a remarkable recovery, defying the odds to secure a place on Jamaica's team for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

In a post-race interview, Williams expressed her gratitude, and acknowledged the support she received during her challenging journey.

"Last week, the unbelievable happened to me, and I wasn't even sure if I was going to run at trials this week. The YB Rehabilitation Centre worked tirelessly on me, and I just want to thank God that I made it out here and was able to run all three healthy races," she revealed.

While the fourth-place finish may not have been her ultimate goal, Williams re-

mains positive, focusing on the progress she had made despite the setbacks.

"The season's not over. I still have more personal bests to run, but I just want to thank God that I still made the team," she said, emphasizing her determination to continue improving.

She also highlighted the improvements in her race execution, crediting her coaches at Titans International for their unwavering support and guidance. She acknowledged the hard work they put into refining her performance, and expressed confidence in her increased strength compared to the previous year.

“Definitely a lot stronger than last year. Just a few more things to work on, and just focused on being healthy for the rest of the season, so I can get (to) lower my times each race. Right now, it's going well. I'm just happy that I made it without feeling it (the hamstring) and I'm so grateful,” she expressed. (Sportsmax)

CWI Regional Men’s U19 tournament…

GUYANA REGISTER FIRST WIN

-as Rampersaud shines

The Guyana Under-19 team have recorded a 54run (DLS) win against their Barbados counterparts in the Regional Under-19 men’s tournament being played at Arnos Vale in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Batting first, Guyana posted 178-9 in their 50 overs,

with Rampertab Ramnauth scoring 35 and Jonathan Rampersaud making an unbeaten 31 while batting at number nine. Isiah Folkes took 2-21 in an all-round bowling effort for Barbados.

In reply, Barbados were restricted to 104-8 in 27.2 overs.

Zon Brathwaite top-scored

with 31, and Ramnauth’s off-spin claimed 3-20 from six overs, which included two maidens. He was supported by Jermey Sandia with 2-21, and by Isai Thorne with 2-25.

Guyana U-19 will play Trinidad and Tobago on Monday July 10.

BEI’s goal-scorers

Guyana Under-19 recorded their first win

Brianna Williams

GCB U17 Inter-County Super 50 tournament 2023…

Berbice crush Essequibo in opening round

The Berbice Under-17 cricket team crushed their Essequibo counterparts by ten wickets in a match played at the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground on Saturday.

Batting first, after winning the toss, Essequibo were dismissed for 59 in 34.3 overs. At one stage, they were 32 without loss. Bowling for Berbice, Matthew Pottoya took 4-7 off nine overs, and was well supported by Salim Khan (2-8) and Sanjay Algoo (29).

In reply, Berbice raced to 60 without loss in just

Kisten and Ramnauth added quick runs

7.5 overs. National under-17 wicketkeeper-batsman Kevin Kisten blazed

36 off just 26 balls, while Rampersaud Ramnauth stroked 17 off 21 balls, to

make light work of a small target. The GCB Under-17

Shane Deitz appointed new West Indies Women’s Head Coach

Cricket West Indies (CWI) have announced the appointment of Shane Deitz as the new Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s team. The appointment was confirmed at the CWI Board of Directors meeting on Friday, 30 June, at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

Deitz, 48, is a former first-class player who repre-

sented South Australia as a wicketkeeper-batsman in 66 first-class matches between 1998 and 2008. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position, having been coaching at the professional and international levels for over a decade. He was the Head Coach of the Bangladesh Women’s team, and is currently the Head Coach of the Netherlands

Women.

Johnny Grave, CWI Chief Executive Officer, has said:

“We are pleased to announce Shane as our new West Indies Women’s Head Coach, following a robust global recruitment process. Shane is well equipped for the role, having coached extensively in both the Men’s and Women’s game in his

Lara says India challenge could bring the best out of West Indies

hundreds and four fifties.

“They’re both young, capable players. Of course, you’d hope they had a little more experience in the first-class arena but, looking at their style of play and their attitude, I believe they do have what it takes to perform at the highest level,” Lara said.

native Australia as well as other parts of the world. He is dynamic, energetic, and is very familiar with the requirements of the women’s game. He brings the right skills and experience to drive the team and the women’s game in the West Indies forward.”

Shane Deitz has said: "I am very honoured to have the opportunity to coach the

West Indies Women’s team.

West Indies cricket, both men and women, have a great history of success whilst playing entertaining cricket, and my aim is to continue with that formula. The team has a great blend of world class senior players and some talented younger players, which is a good starting point to build from. We have a lot of work to do, though, as reality is,

we are behind the top few sides in the world, and we need to bridge that gap and become competitive again to challenge for World Cups in the future.”

He added: “I do believe, though, the nucleus is there to create a world class competitive side, and that is what I will aim to do. The standard of women’s cricket is at an all-time high, and we need to strive to reach those heights through good planning, a lot of hard work, and then executing on the pitch.

I am very excited about that challenge, and can’t wait to start working with this talented squad.”

Deitz will start the role in late August, ahead of the Women’s CPL and the West Indies Women’s next international assignment, the away tour of Australia in October. (CWI)

West Indies great, Brian Lara, believes India can bring the best out of the West Indies when they square off in a twomatch Test series beginning on July 12 in Dominica.

“It’s a young group, ably led by Kraigg Brathwaite, of course, but I feel like some of the guys can really come into their own in this series,” Lara, who is with the team as a performance mentor, said in a CWI interview on Saturday.

“It’s a tough opposition but I believe that’s the way we can get the best out of them,” he added.

The West Indian selectors have started to look to the future in the batting de-

partment with the selections of 22-year-old Kirk McKenzie and 24-year-old Alick Athanaze.

“It may take some time but, obviously, as an international cricketer, if you’re entering this stage it doesn’t matter what age you enter; you’ve got to learn very quickly and I think they have that sort of attitude to want to learn and be willing to listen.

I look forward to good things in the future,” he added.

These matches will mark the start of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle for both teams.

“Obviously, we’ve got two very important Test matches against India that start the two-year cycle for us. We know, whether it’s at home or away from home, they’re one of the top teams in the world,” Lara said.

All-star Basketball lights up Gymnasium

Jamaica’s McKenzie earned his selection on the back of some good performances in the inaugural Headley Weekes Tri-Series and in a subsequent A-team tour of Bangladesh. He had scores of 221 and 50 in the Headley Weekes series and followed those up with scores of 91 and 86 against Bangladesh A. Athanaze captained the Windward Islands Volcanoes in this season’s West Indies Championship and scored 647 runs in five matches at an average of 64.70 with a pair of

“I think the guys are moving in the right direction in terms of where we started the camp and where we are at this present moment only a few days out from the first Test match in Dominica,” he added.

The two teams had very different results in the 202123 cycle. India, currently the top-ranked Test team in the world, finished the cycle second behind Australia, who they recently lost to in the World Test Championship Final.

On the other hand, the West Indies ended the cycle in eighth, only finishing ahead of Bangladesh. (Sportsmax)

Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) hosted an All-star ‘Showcasement’ at the National Gymnasium on Friday last, and the best of Guyana’s junior and senior players in both boys’ and girls’ categories exhibited their dribbling abilities and shooting skills.

In the first All-star Game of the night, Team Jaden showed their dominance by leading the game against Team Boshane 18–14 at the end of the first pe-

riod. Team Boshane, who managed to keep their composure, went on to lead the game in the second quarter, which they won 33–30. Team Boshane maintained their lead in the third period with the score on 50–46, and strengthened their lead in the final quarter to secure their 72–63 victory over Team Jaden.

In the second Allstar Game, Team Krizel started in great fashion with a three–pointer and two-pointer to lead the game

5–0. Team Malia managed to keep themselves focused and came back to lead the game at 13–10 at the end of the second period. Team Malia increased their lead in the penultimate round to 25–13, and secured a 32–19 victory in the final quarter.

Team Mckoy started the game on a high, maintaining a 13-9 lead in the first period, and going on to dominate the remaining quarters to win the game with a commanding victory over Dainty.

Action at the Gymnasium on Friday

Inter-County Super50 Tournament will continue today, July 9, with Berbice

playing the GCB Select XI at Port Mourant from 09:30 hours.

Matthew Pottoya claimed four wickets (Brandon Corlette photos)

Shane Deitz

Lara and Roach engaging in a chat

Brian Lara and newcomers Alick Athanaze and Kirk McKenzie