Guyana Times - Thursday June 10, 2021

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CNOOC donates $10M to CDC for flood relief efforts Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4674

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

$80 VAT INCLUDED

Countrywide flooding now a Level 2 disaster

PRICE

…water 12ft high in Kwakwani

Pensioner is latest COVID-19 P9 death

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Floods, COVID-19 prevented over 400 students from writing NGSA mock P16 exam Ex-soldier gets life sentence for gunning down taxi driver P8

Pages 3 & 14

– President Ali

ExxonMobil makes 20th oil find offshore Guyana …as Govt calls on other operators to expedite drilling

Page 7

Linden woman’s death

Body found with head, P12 face smashed …house ransacked

Lowenfield, Myers, Mingo Richard Van Westto challenge slapped with additional Charles Granger for PNC electoral fraud charge leadership Page 5

…late court appearance forces adjournment

…134 new cases

Page 10

…as uncertainty still lingers over party’s congress

EBE fatal accident

“Look out for the little ones” on roadways – mother of dead 12-year-old Page 13

CANU unearths $18M worth P16 of ganja on ECD

1st Guyanese woman selected for US Air Force Academy P13

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CANU unearths $18M Woman walks into Police worth of ganja on ECD Station after stabbing

abusive reputed husband

…hands over knife to cops

The 17ft wooden boat in which a large fertiliser bag filled with marijuana was found

T

he Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Wednesday unearthed 136.4 kilograms (300lbs) of ganja at

Unity, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Reports are that ranks were conducting an operation when they found a 17-

The 300lbs of ganja that was found on Wednesday

foot wooden boat along the Unity foreshore with a large fertiliser bag filled with mar-

ijuana.

A search of a nearby coconut grove led to the discovery of an additional 17 bags of marijuana. The 18 bags contained a total of 300lbs of ganja that was valued at $18 million. One person has since been taken into custody.

A

40-year-old woman on Wednesday walked into the Sparendaam Police Station with a knife in her hand, confessing that she had just stabbed her partner.

The woman told investigators that she was imbibing with some friends

at a location on the East Coast of Demerara when her reputed husband showed up and started to physically assault her.

As such, she retaliated and stabbed him twice.

The 29-year-old man is currently hospitalised while the woman has been taken into custody.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Thursday, June 10 – 04:00h-05:30h and Friday, June 11 – 04:00h-05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, June 10 – 16:50h – 18:20h and Friday, June 11 – 17:20h-18:50h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Light showers are expected in the morning followed by sunny intervals in the afternoon.

Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North North-Easterly to Easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 16:36h reaching a maximum height of 2.48 metres.

Low Tide: 10:10h and 22:20h reaching minimum heights of 0.60 metre and 0.76 metre.

Countrywide flooding now a Level 2 disaster – President Ali “…we will support you…so that you can get back on your feet”

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has revealed that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has advised that the flood situation across the country is now a Level 2 Disaster – which means that the country can now lobby for international support.

The Head-of-State on Wednesday visited flood-affected residents on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

It was during his visits that he made the announcement about the current stage of the nationwide floods.

According to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s (CDEMA’s)

The Head of State meeting with residents

munity, and for that system to be maintained.

Walter Archibald said all of his cash crops have been wiped out due to the flood. However, he told this publication that the water levels have been dropping over the past three days.

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President Dr Irfaan Ali, along with CDC officials, during a flood assessment in Berbice on Wednesday

Regional Response Mechanism, a Level 2 Event is one in which the national capacity to respond is not overwhelmed, but some external assistance is required.

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has reported that all ten administrative regions in the country are affected by flooding.

It has also reported that over 25,000 households across 300 communities have been affected.

The Head-of-State has already visited a number of flood-affected villages across the country. The President started his tour on Wednesday with a visit to Fyrish, where residents lamented the lack of support during the current flood.

According to some of those residents, they have not been benefiting from assistance as other communities. They noted that poultry has died. Many of those residents make a living out of farming, and the backlands have been flooded, killing all of their crops.

“The water returned this morning,” one resident told the Head of State.

Residents of Fyrish also asked for a proper drainage and irrigation system to be implemented in that com-

“Since they put that pump there, the water started to go down,” Archibald said.

Those residents also asked for the outfall channel to be cleared at Hogtown.

TURN TO PAGE 12

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Identifying abusers

A

s Guyana continues to battle the scourge of domestic violence, a woman as recently as Wednesday walked into a Police Station and handed over a knife which she had used to stab her abusive reputed husband. Over and over, there are stories being repeated by women who have endured years of abuse.

Too many Guyanese women are being killed at the hands of their husbands/partners/ reputed husbands/estranged partners as they either attempt to escape a life of domestic violence or endure such abuse. Over the years, Guyana has had an intractable domestic violence problem, but this should make us work harder to alleviate this pernicious condition.

While there have been several initiatives launched, one of the areas that have not received much attention in Guyana has been the dynamics operating between couples. Nowadays, arranged marriages are passé, and couples date or otherwise have a relationship for extended periods before actually getting married.

An ever-growing phenomenon, of course, are the couples who ‘live home’ even after children are produced in the relationship.

Are there signs of an abuser that can be discerned early on in a budding relationship, which can then be nipped in mandatory precounselling before matters proceed too far?

While Guyana has not ‘progressed’ to the stage of having dating services, some interesting warning signals have come out from those studies in the countries that we imitate in our social relations.

The concept is the same as where the individual in Guyana reveals his/her personality after a few dates.

As this newspaper had said before, a paper that was published in the journal “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin” examined the influence of prior experiences on partner preferences.

The researchers themselves constructed a believable-looking “online dating service,” and thus were able to track the study participants’ preferences and selection of various partners. Although the study participants didn’t know it, the researchers had carefully chosen the profiles, so that they differed in systematic ways.

For their first study, the researchers focused on heterosexual women’s preferences, and the men’s profiles that they looked at differed in how much they signalled potential for psychological abuse in intimate relationships. The profiles themselves were actually real, with the profiles of potentially abusive men written by men who scored high on characteristics associated with abusive personality: impulsivity, anger, jealousy, low self-esteem. A separate sample of participants independently confirmed that the profiles gave off warning signals of potential abuse.

The researchers’ results are sobering: Women who had a history of being psychologically maltreated in a prior relationship were three times more likely to choose potentially abusive dating partners than women without this history.

In other words, women who are at risk of being abused in their relationships are more likely to be attracted to the very features that others see as clear precursors of abuse. Often, these choices are rationalised: intense jealousy is misinterpreted as caring, and anger is romanticised as “dangerous.”

In a second study, the researchers turned the tables around and focused on heterosexual men’s preferences. Their question was this: Who do potentially abusive men prefer? The results showed that men who scored high on a measure of inflicting psychological abuse were 1.5 times more likely to choose a partner who is high on attachment anxiety. Attachment anxiety is a disposition associated with victims of abuse, and is characterised by an intense anxiety over rejection. As such, people high in attachment anxiety are particularly vulnerable to being “treated like a God” during the courtship phase of a relationship: being flooded with flowers, adulated, constantly called. Fears of rejection overwhelm the ability to detect an unhealthy balance between independence and interdependence in their relationships.

What does one do in the face of such data, with people high in attachment anxiety and their potentially abusive partners essentially judging each other as highly compatible? As simple as it may sound, one powerful answer is to rely on your social networks. Listen to what your friends are saying.

In fact, people in new relationships should actually ask friends their opinions about prospective partners, and these friends should be honest in their evaluation. This is critical advice, both if you are attracted to a potentially abusive mate and if someone you care about begins describing abusive relationship patterns.

Sometimes we need to rely on other people to help us see what we cannot.

Most abuse and violence are committed by “significant others”.

We bear much of the responsibility for choosing them. Let us become educated on the signals sent out by abusers.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh unveiling the Institute of Private Enterprise Development’s life-size bronze bust of that institution’s Founding Chairman, Dr Yesu Persaud on Wednesday. In photo, Persaud smiles during the unveiling. Also in photo is DDL Managing Director Ramesh Persaud

The case has closed on Ratko Mladić. Now we must honour those who survived him

– the war criminal was not indicted for genocide over the horrors of Prijedor, but at least he will never be released

By Zrinka Bralo

I

n June 2011, I watched from London as the former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladi?, captured after 16 years in hiding, appeared in The Hague. I hastily gathered my thoughts in an article for this publication. As a Bosnian refugee in London, as a Sarajevan whose life was altered by the actions of war criminals like Mladi?, I was not jubilant, but perhaps cautiously hopeful that the legal process would give us at least some justice.

Almost exactly 10 years later, this time in Sarajevo, I watched the news as Mladi? heard the final verdict on his crimes. In 2017, he was convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Both Mladi? and the prosecution appealed. The prosecutors did so because they wanted to expand the indictment of genocide to include what happened in six municipalities, including the murder and expulsion of non-Serbs from the Prijedor area in 1992.

I had never been to Prijedor before the war. As a young journalist during the war in Sarajevo, I watched in horror when journalists Ed Vulliamy and Penny Marshall uncovered concentration camps where thousands of people were killed, raped and tortured. Suddenly, the snip-

ers and shelling, as well the starvation, during the siege of Sarajevo did not look that bad in comparison.

As life would have it, when I came to London as a refugee, I ended up working with survivors of camps in Prijedor, more than 2000 of whom were resettled in the UK in the 1990s. The stories of torture and inhumane treatment that I have heard from them were so violent and traumatic that genocide did not seem to be a strong enough word to describe it.

I went to Prijedor for the first time in 2008. Many of the war criminals had gone back to their old jobs and lives, while Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat survivors were still looking for their loved ones.

I was involved with the youth charity Most Mira (Bridge of Peace), founded by Kemal Pervani?, one of the survivors of camps in the Prijedor area.

The visit felt eerie and out of this world. Knowing what I knew about the cruelty and torture, it was hard to meet teachers and talk to them about the logistics of an upcoming youth festival, knowing that they were guards in camps and had blood on their hands. It was hard to look at the beautiful landscape, where every rosebush could be hiding a mass grave. I was humbled by the dignified defiance of the survivors who were slowly coming back, rebuilding their destroyed

homes, and still looking for missing people.

As it turned out, both appeals were refused at The Hague. In a nutshell, the verdict on Tuesday stated that what happened in Prijedor and five other cities was not genocide. But Mladi? is going to spend the rest of his life in prison as a war criminal for the genocide he committed in Srebrenica in 1995.

The limitations of the legal process of this kind are hard to square with the reality of our losses and what we have experienced. General Mladi? did not spontaneously decide to commit genocide in July 1995, and yet all the other atrocities that took place from 1992 are not included in his sentence. This is especially difficult to process because there is evidence that in May 1992 he calmly clarified in an assembly with his political leadership, also convicted war criminals, that what they were asking him to do constituted genocide.

One way to simplify what happened is to imagine that at the Nuremberg trials, the accused Nazis were convicted for atrocities in concentration camps in Poland, but not in concentration camps in Austria.

They would still get the same sentence, but the question is what would be impact on survivors, and what would be political and historical consequences?

From the moment the

murder of 8372 people of Srebrenica in July 1995 was legally declared a genocide, denialism became part of the Serb nationalist narrative. Genocide denial has been described as the final stage of genocide.

So, this verdict marks the end of the process of international justice, but Bosnia and Herzegovina will still be held hostage by continued obstructionism and the rewriting of history: Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, responded to yesterday’s verdict by speaking about the “myth” of genocide in Srebrenica.

Justice may never be fully achieved, especially for those who are still looking for the missing loved ones.

That is why the current moment should be about honouring survivors, especially those who testified in The Hague, and the dignity with which they respected the verdict.

Looking back on June 2011, some of my modest hopes have been fulfilled.

Mladi? lived to stand trial and heard more than 100 witnesses. Like Radovan Karadži?, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. In 2018, The Hague Tribunal Archive Centre was opened in Sarajevo’s iconic City Hall Vije?nica, to give electronic access to all case files from the tribunal. Despite the attempts to deny what happened, independent, legal evidence of these crimes will be available for eternity. (The Guardian)

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

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News

Lowenfield, Myers, Mingo slapped with additional electoral fraud charge …late court appearance forces adjournment

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n additional charge of conspiracy to defraud has been instituted jointly against Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, his deputy Roxanne Myers, and Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, who will all make their court appearance later this month.

The embattled GECOM trio were already facing several charges before this one was added to their rap sheet.

The charge states that the three, between March 2 and August 2, 2020, conspired

Lawrence, at the time Chairperson of the People’s National Congress (PNC), had signed off on the Region Four vote count form containing the manufactured numbers with Mingo. On the other hand, Smith-Joseph was an activist of the party.

Cummings and Miller were clerical staff of GECOM, February was an election officer and Livan was an Information Technology (IT) Officer.

The GECOM trio were supposed to have made an appearance in court on Wednesday. However, they were all late for court, result-

with others, including Volda Lawrence, Carol SmithJoseph, Sherfern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Bobb-Cummings, Michelle Miller and others, to declare a false account of votes cast.

ing in Principal Magistrate Sherdell Isaacs-Marcus adjourning the case to June 29.

This additional charge comes shortly after the Police were able to secure a court order allowing them

GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield (left) and Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

access to the Statements of Poll (SOPs) in Lowenfield’s possession.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, and Commissioner of Police Nigel Hoppie had filed an application requesting certified copies of the SoPs and Statements of Recount (SoRs).

Lowenfield had opposed the release of the SOPs, which would show exactly how much votes were recorded at the time, and whether Lowenfield knowingly falsified the vote count in his election report.

In fact, the CEO had even filed counter proceedings to block the SOPs from being made public. But on May 27, Chief Justice Roxane George ordered

that the SOPs be handed to the DPP and the Police Commissioner to be used to prosecute charges filed against officials at GECOM, including Lowenfield.

The trio are already facing several counts of forgery and misconduct in public office, and are currently out on bail. Lowenfield is currently facing three counts of forgery and three counts of misconduct in public office. He has been placed on $300,000 bail.

His Deputy, Roxanne Myers, has meanwhile been slapped with two counts of misconduct in public office and has been placed on $300,000 bail in relation to both charges. These two were charged along with GECOM officials, including embattled Region Four

Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, who is on $600,000 bail for charges similar to what Myers is facing.

Additionally, they are battling to keep their jobs at the GECOM Secretariat, after motions for their removal were tabled last week by the Governmentaligned Commissioners Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick and Manoj Narayan – all lawyers – before GECOM Chair Justice (retd) Claudette Singh when they last met.

The motion to dismiss Lowenfield from his substantive post as CEO was tabled

by Gunraj and Shadick, and listed 20 grounds on which he should be dismissed. The motion explained that the CEO, in spite of protests from contesting parties other than the APNU/AFC, deliberately chose to neglect the complaints of discrepancies in relation to Mingo’s numbers.

In the case of Myers, that motion was submitted in the names of Shadick and Narayan. They argued that she aided Lowenfield in the Commission of all his infractions, and even went out of her way to facilitate a meeting in a GECOM facility by then Foreign Affairs Minister Karen Cummings, where she threatened to revoke the accreditation of international observers.

Myers’s purported order to have the Guyana Police

GECOM DCEO Roxanne Myers

Force remove Commissioner Gunraj and political party representatives from the GECOM Command Centre during the tabulation of the SoPs is also listed as one of the reasons she should be dismissed from her substantive post as DCEO. The grounds for Mingo’s dismissal surround his tabulation of the SoPs, in which he manufactured numbers to reflect a win by the APNU/AFC. It also concerns his conduct and defiance of the court orders mandating that he follow the outlined statutory process to acquire his final tally of the SoPs. Justice Singh has since written to both Lowenfield and Myers asking them to provide, in writing, responses to the motion indicating why they should not be dismissed from their substantive posts. They have until June 15 to show why they should not be dismissed. (G3)

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Questions 1

Wednesday’s answers

By Robert Pinsky

The legendary muscle that wants and grieves, The organ of attachment, the pump of thrills And troubles, clinging in stubborn colonies Like pulpy shore-life battened on a jetty.

Slashed by the little deaths of sleep and pleasure, They swell in the nurturing spasms of the waves, Sucking to cling; and even in death itself— Baked, frozen—they shrink to grip the granite harder.

“Rid yourself of attachments and aversions”— But in her father’s orchard, already, he says He’d like to be her bird, and she says: Sweet, yes, Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing,

WORD SEARCH

Showing that she knows already—as Art Pepper, That first time he takes heroin, already knows That he will go to prison, and that he’ll suffer And knows he needs to have it, or die; and the one Who makes the General lose the world for love Lets him say, Would I had never seen her, but Oh! Says Enobarbus, Then you would have missed A wonderful piece of work, which left unseen Would bring less glory to your travels. Among The creatures in the rock-torn surf, a wave Of agitation, a gasp. A scholar quips, Shakespeare was almost certainly homosexual, Bisexual, or heterosexual, the sonnets Provide no evidence on the matter. He writes Romeo an extravagant speech on tears, In the Italian manner, his teardrops cover His chamber window, says the boy, he calls them crystals, Inanely, and sings them to Juliet with his heart: The almost certainly invented heart Which Buddha denounces, in its endless changes Forever jumping and moving, like an ape.

Over the poor beast’s head the crystal fountain Crashes illusions, the cold salt spume of pain And meaningless distinction, as Buddha says, But here in the crystal shower mouths are open To sing, it is Lee Andrews and The Hearts In 1957, singing I sit in my room Looking out at the rain, My tear drops are Like crystals, they cover my windowpane, the turns Of these illusions we make become their glory: To Buddha every distinct thing is illusion And becoming is destruction, but still we sing In the shower. I do. In the beginning God drenched The Emptiness with images: the potter Crosslegged at his wheel in Benares market Making mud cups, another cup each second Tapering up between his fingers, one more To sell the tea-seller at a penny a dozen, And tea a penny a cup. The customers smash The empties, and waves of traffic grind the shards To mud for new cups, in turn; and I keep one here Next to me: holding it awhile from out of the cloud Of dust that rises from the shattered pieces, The risen dust alive with fire, then settled And soaked and whirling again on the wheel that turns And looks on the world as on another cloud, On everything the heart can grasp and throw away As a passing cloud, with even Enlightenment Itself another image, another cloud To break and churn a salt foam over the heart Like an anemone that sucks at clouds and makes Itself with clouds and sings in clouds and covers Its windowpane with clouds that blur and melt, Until one clings and holds—as once in the Temple In the time before the Temple was destroyed A young priest saw the seraphim of the Lord: Each had six wings, with two they covered their faces, With two they covered their legs and feet, with two They darted and hovered like dragonflies or perched Like griffins in the shadows near the ceiling— These are the visions, too barbarous for heaven And too preposterous for belief on earth, God sends to taunt his prophet with the truth No one can see, that leads to who knows where.

A seraph took a live coal from the altar And seared the prophet’s lips, and so he spoke.

As the record ends, a coda in retard: The Hearts in a shifting velvety ah, and ah Prolonged again, and again as Lee Andrews Reaches ah high for I have to gain Faith, Hope And Charity, God only knows the girl Who will love me—Oh! if we only could Start over again! Then The Hearts chant the chords Again a final time, ah and the record turns Through all the music, and on into silence again.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ExxonMobil makes 20th oil find offshore Guyana …as Govt calls on other operators to expedite drilling

U

S oil giant ExxonMobil has made its 20th discovery of oil offshore Guyana, finding 70 metres (230 feet) of high-quality oil reservoirs while conducting drilling at its Longtail-3 well in the Stabroek Block.

According to a statement from ExxonMobil’s headquarters, the find was made at the Longtail-3 well by drillship Stena DrillMAX. The well was drilled in over 2000 metres (6000 feet) of water.

Longtail-3 follows on the success of Longtail-1, where oil was found by Exxon in 2018. In the statement, Exxon

“Longtail-3, combined with our recent discovery at Uaru-2, has the potential to increase our resource estimate within the Stabroek Block, demonstrating further growth of this world-class resource and our high-potential development opportunities offshore Guyana,” Cousins said.

“We will continue to leverage our core competitive advantages in our ongoing exploration campaign, delivering substantial value to the Guyanese people, our partners, and shareholders,” the Vice President added.

The Stena DrillMAX drilled the Longtail-3 well

Senior Vice President Mike Cousins said that the find has the potential to increase the company’s resource estimate.

Meanwhile, a statement from Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat lauded Exxon on its latest oil

ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Mike Cousins

find. According to the Minister, the find will add to the previously announced gross recoverable resource estimate for the Block – which currently stands at more than nine billion oil-equivalent barrels.

“The Government of Guyana anticipates that this new development will further increase the potentials for more Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSOs).

Additionally, this will increase the estimated recoverable resource given by the operator, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL).”

Avoid being consumed by negativity, unwarranted criticism – Finance Minister …life-size bust of Yesu Persaud unveiled

F

inance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh has urged Guyanese to avoid becoming consumed by negativity and unwarranted criticism.

Dr Singh made this appeal while delivering remarks at a ceremony for the unveiling of a life-size bust of renowned businessman, philanthropist and founding chairman of the Institute of Private Enterprise and Development (IPED), Yesu Persaud, CCH. According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) report, he said that the former DDL Chairman has been lead-

The bust of the renowned businessman, philanthropist and founding chairman in the IPED foyer

ing a life of positivity, which should be emulated.

“We live in an age of great negativity. It’s very easy to criticise… and in today’s world, the default position is to be negative and critical,” he noted.

The Minister believes that

Yesu Persaud

this age of negativity is caused primarily by social media, which provides a veil of anonymity that emboldens critics.

Dr Singh stressed that constructive criticism is good and a healthy component of democratic cultures.

“But I also feel that it’s important as a society that we do not get consumed by negativity, and that we are not hesitant or shy about being positive.”

He said there are many positive things that persons could embrace. In this regard, the Minister pointed to the life and work of the iconic 92-yearold, who, as a result of his outstanding service, has received some 28 national and international awards, including the Cacique Crown of Honour, Guyana’s second highest national honour, and three honorary doctorates from the University of Warwick, University of the West Indies, and the University of Guyana.

Persaud, a past Chairman of the West Indies Spirits

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

Producers Association, also founded Demerara Bank Ltd, Diamond Fire and General Insurance Inc and Trust Company (Guyana) Ltd. “His life was exemplified, not lamenting what can’t be done or why things can’t be done or what is negative, but instead, identifying opportunities that can be built upon, and things that can be created in a positive way. Everything that we’ve achieved has exemplified that,” Minister Singh said.

Citing one of Tradewinds’ hits “Where are your heroes?”, the Finance Minister said Dr Persaud was both a Guyanese and Caribbean hero. He said Guyanese should not be afraid to applaud his remarkable contributions to Guyana.

Indian High Commissioner, Dr KJ Srinivasa; IPED Board Members and immediate past Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Persaud and Major General (ret’d) Joe Singh also attended the function, which was held at IPED.

According to Minister Bharrat, the Ministry and the oil and gas sector’s regulatory agencies will continue to work with other operators to expedite their drill programme as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration seeks to expand the sector.

This is likely a reference to operators such as CGX Energy, which is scheduled to start its drilling campaign in the second half of 2021 with two wells being drilled in the Corentyne and Demerara Blocks that are expected to cost the company some US$90 million.

In November 2020, CGX had announced that the Government, following discussions on the drilling delays in the Corentyne Block, had agreed to give CGX a one-year extension until November 27, 2021, by which time it is expected to commence drilling.

In the Demerara Block, an exploration well was supposed to have been drilled by February 12, 2021, with another exploration well being drilled by February 12, 2023.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

However, CGX is yet to drill a well in the Corentyne Block, something that the current Government has expressed concern over.

“Again, the Government of Guyana welcomes this new discovery at Longtail-3 offshore Guyana and reinforces its commitment to the sustainable exploration and development of Guyana’s oil and gas resources. This will be done in keeping with the

highest level of compliance and transparency to ensure that the benefits from this sector enhance the lives of all Guyanese,” Minister Bharrat said in his statement.

Exxon last found oil in the Uaru-2 well in April of this year; it was Exxon’s 19th find.

The company has said it deployed two additional drill ships in the first quarter of 2021, including the Stena DrillMAX and the Noble Sam Croft.

The Stabroek Block covers 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). EEPGL, Exxon’s local subsidiary, is the operator and holds a 45 per-cent stake in the Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

ExxonMobil has said it anticipated that at least six projects offshore Guyana would be online by 2027. The oil major has established an ambitious oil exploration plan for 2021 offshore Guyana.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ex-soldier gets life sentence for gunning down taxi driver

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ormer soldier Jermaine Jefford has been sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years for the Emancipation Day 2016 murder of Orin David, the taxi driver who was gunned down in front of his Laing Avenue, Georgetown home.

Demerara High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon on Wednesday imposed the custodial sentence on Jefford, called “Smokey”. Jefford, 28, a father of one, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was found guilty of the capital offence by a jury on May 25, and his sentencing hearing was on Wednesday, where he appeared in court via Zoom.

A probation officer who interviewed the convicted killer said that he wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). It was revealed that Jefford, who became involved in gangs as a teenager, was enlisted in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

He was later dismissed from the GDF for varying reasons.

According to the official, prison inmates disclosed that Jefford was very influential in organising and smuggling prohibited items into the prison. She said it was also disclosed that when he was

er, Joycelyn Munroe, said, “I am happy with the verdict. I am glad that justice has been served.”

According to the probation officer, Jefford has continued to deny his involvement in the killing. But since he has been found guilty, he extended an apology to David’s family.

Some...

S

“Heedless”

Convicted killer Jermaine Jefford, called “Smokey”

not given attention on time, he would verbally abuse inmates and prison officers.

Residents of Agricola, East Bank Demerara, where Jefford lived for a while, said his involvement in the crime might be because of his association with persons of questionable character.

The dead man’s wife, on the other hand, said that although her husband had been involved in criminal activities, his death has affected her immensely.

David’s 16-year-old son expressed that witnessing his father’s killing was a traumatic experience. When given a chance to address the court, the dead man’s moth-

For his part, Justice Kissoon described David’s killing as a deliberate, calculated, and brutal act that was committed in the light of day.

“You executed an unarmed and helpless man in full view of his family, in the proximity of his home, in the streets of his community.

You are heedless to man…

Heedless to humanity,” the Judge told Jefford.

In sentencing Jefford, Justice Kissoon considered the mitigating factors, among them being his youthfulness and that he is a first-time offender of previously good character. Included in the aggravating factors considered was the fact that a gun was used during the commission of the offence.

In the end, Justice Kissoon imposed the life sentence on Jefford, and ordered that he becomes eligible for

Orin “Malik” David

parole only after serving 30 years behind bars. It was further ordered that the prison authorities are to deduct the time he spent in pretrial custody from the sentence.

The convicted killer was represented by Senior Counsel Stanley Moore, while State Counsel Lisa Cave appeared on behalf of the prosecution.

“I’m innocent”

During his trial, Jefford had opted to give an unsworn testimony in his defence.

“On the first of August 2016, I was at home at my Diamond residence with my three-year-old son and my girlfriend…The evidence being led against me is false and fabricated, Your Worship. I am innocent of this crime. I do not know about this crime…

This is unfair to me sir…,” he had told Justice Kissoon.

On May 21, 2021, Jefford’s co-accused, Howard Rambarose, called “Spleen”, was acquitted of David’s murder after Justice Kissoon upheld a no-case submission made by his lawyer George Thomas. As such, the Judge had directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

According to reports, David, also known as “Malik”, was shot dead in front of his Lot 89 Laing Avenue, Georgetown home in the presence of his reputed wife and relatives. He received two gunshot wounds one to the chest and another to the leg.

It was reported that the father of one was shot following an argument stemming from the payment of debts. It was reported that David had bailed Rambarose out of prison. However, when he confronted Rambarose for the money, a heated argument ensued between them.

Jefford reportedly was present while they were arguing.

Shortly after, Jefford and Rambarose left David’s home.

However, Jefford returned sometime after, with four other men in a motorcar.

It was reported that Jefford exited the vehicle and shot David with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Following a trial at the Demerara High Court in February 2015, David was acquitted of the August 20, 2010 murder of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara farmer Lakhram Bishundia, who was shot during a robbery at DeHoop Mahaica, East Coast Demerara. (G1)

…can run, but PNC can’t hide ome folks in Guyana are really upset at the “deal” we got for our oil under our Atlantic. Your Eyewitness is also teed off. But isn’t it a bit much that the PNC has also joined the chorus?!! Are they so ashamed that it was under their watch we were taken to the cleaners by the oil majors - which include the Chinese CNOOC, which no one mentions! - that they’ve buried their betrayal in their subconscious? That it was Raphael Trotman who traipsed off to Houston with a plum, but, after his “negotiations”, just pulled out his thumb?? He certainly wasn’t a “good boy”!!

But it would appear that the PPP have being given no slack for the basket they were given to fetch greater revenues from the oil production. It’s not just the usual “sanctity of contracts” argument - which makes the Courts look askance at any attempt to change agreements after there’s been a “meeting of minds” - in play. Those who’re demanding “renegotiation” of the contract should take a look at the “stabilisation clause” Trotman agreed to be inserted. This pretty much freezes the status quo and prevents the Government from changing extant laws that would claw back all that was given away. The ABSENCE of such a clause allowed the PPP Government to recently deregulate the telecommunications sector.

If the PPP were to attempt to force renegotiation, the contract also spells out the procedure that has to be followed in the event of any “disagreement” international arbitration. But here, the deck’s also stacked against contractual changes. Unless we can show that Trotman either took bribes - or was “lacking capacity”, for there to be a real meeting of minds!! One international NGO had recommended that there be an investigation into what went down in Texas when Trotman flew up with his entourage. And they weren’t just talking about the five-star hotel and dining he enjoyed courtesy of the oil company!! Some sleuthing anyone?

But all of this doesn’t stop citizens from working with other NGOs - even the new Exxon shareholder group “Engine No 1”, that just got several seats in the Board of Directors - to get some better terms for Guyana.

After all, the Exxon Mission Statement does exhort the corporation to deal with their clients “fairly”. With the shift in the global view on fossil fuels versus renewables, the oil majors might just flex.

After all they wouldn’t want to be seen bullying tiny, helpless Guyana, would they? Especially courtesy of the renegade PNC!

…want to drink mauby and belch beer Guyanese not easy. Your Eyewitness recently looked at a video that crossed his feed with utter disbelief. Seems that GuySuCo was giving out 20lb bags of Caribe Rice (not just loose rice in some black plastic bag - but premium parboiled rice!) to some sugar workers somewhere on the East Coast Public Road as “flood relief”. But you had to hear them not only bitch and moan, but actually cussing out GuySuCo for not giving them hampers of “rations”!!

And they spelled out what this meant…flour, onions, potatoes, oil etc. etc!! Now, of course, your Eyewitness has heard of people across the country getting “hampers” of food. Your Eyewitness never inquired as to what were in these hampers…and certainly it wasn’t just rice. But jeez, even though things hard, shouldn’t these fellas have taken what they got with some grace, and explained their situation - rather than cussing their benefactors out??

But it was clear from some of their more pointed comments that the kvetchers were Opposition supporters.

And this brings up the point your Eyewitness wants to make.

Isn’t the PNC EVER going to allow their constituency to see the (national) cup half full?

…can collect taxes G7 - the exclusive club of the world’s top economic heavyweights - just decided it would collect a minimum of 15% taxes on the global corporations that get away with highway (tax) robbery.

Will this encourage our IOCs to flex?

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

NEWS

9

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Pensioner is latest COVID-19 death …134 new cases

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JUNE 09 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

134

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

99

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1566

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

20

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

4

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

9103

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

8836

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

17,939

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

15,837

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

214,200 79,800

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

417

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2022 REGION 1

1156

REGION 2

493

REGION 3

2079

REGION 4

8461

REGION 5

611

REGION 6

1246

REGION 7

1229

REGION 8

370

REGION 9

1041

REGION 10

1253

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

per cent of the population.

During his latest update on the COVID-19 situation in Guyana on Wednesday, Health Ministry Dr Frank Anthony implored persons who received their first dose and are eligible for their second shot to ensure they get it to become fully vaccinated against the deadly virus.

“We still see there are people who have received their first dose…but we haven’t seen them coming back to the facility for their second dose. If they are not fully immunised, they are not going to have the full benefit of the vaccine. It’s only when you are fully immunised, meaning that you’ve had both doses of the vaccine, that you would be able to get the benefits of the vaccine,” he stated.

According to Dr Anthony, the Health Ministry has been working very hard to get more people to come out and get immunised. He not-

ed that while the turnout continues to lag in some regions, others have been performing well in terms of getting their population inoculated.

Regions One and Six are leading the way, with more than half of their adult population vaccinated with at least the first dose. That is, 51 per cent in the BarimaWaini region and the 51.9 per cent in the East BerbiceCorentyne region – the latter being the highest number.

The figures for the other regions are: 41.4 per cent of the adult population in Region Two; 43.8 per cent in Region Three; 45.2 per cent in Region Four; 47.8 per cent in Region Five; 43.6 per cent in Region Seven; 28.3 per cent in Region Eight; 41.9 per cent in Region Nine, and Region 10 continues to lag behind with a mere 13 per cent of its adult population taking their first dose.

“Slow progress, but still lagging behind with all the rest, because most of the other regions are either in their 50s or in 40s. So we would like to see improvements in [Region] 10, and hopefully we can urge more people to come out to get vaccinated,” the Health Minister has noted.

Meanwhile, as more people continue to get vaccinated, authorities are urging the public to continue observing all COVID-19 preventative measures, particularly masking in public, social distancing, and frequent hand washing and sanitising.

The measures also include a 22:30h (10:30pm) to 04:00h (4 am) national curfew.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, contact the COVID-19 Hotline: 231-1166, 226-7480 or 6246674 immediately, or visit www.health.gov.gy. (G8)

CNOOC donates $10M to CDC for flood relief efforts

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

A

nother person who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has died, according to the Ministry of Health.

This latest fatality is a 79-year-old male from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) who died on Tuesday while receiving care at a medical facility.

The total number of deaths from the pandemic in Guyana has now gone up to 417. So far, the death toll for the month of June is at 19. With 99 fatalities, May became the deadliest month since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus here last year, after surpassing April’s tally of 66 COVID-19 deaths.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry also reported on Wednesday that another 134 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 from some 1,756 tests conducted in the last 24 hours. This now takes the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to 17,939 – 8,836 males and 9,103 females.

However, 1,685 of these are currently active cases.

This includes 20 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 1,665

persons in isolation. That is, 99 in institutional isolation and the other 1566 in home isolation.

Additionally, there are four persons in institutional quarantine.

Some 15,837 persons have recovered from the life-threatening virus thus far – 209 more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.

To date, 164,622 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus in Guyana.

Of the 134 new cases detected on Wednesday, two were in Region One (Barima-Waini), three were in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), nine were in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), a whopping 49 were in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), another nine were in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 37 were in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), one was in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), 16 were in Region Nine (Upper TakutuEssequibo) and the other eight cases were in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There was no new case recorded in Region Eight

(Potaro-Siparuni) in the last 24 hours, according to Wednesday’s Dashboard.

Vaccination

The Guyana Government launched its COVID-19 vaccination exercise back in February, and is aggressively rolling it out in the various regions in order to achieve herd immunity. Only last week, the vaccination campaign reached the milestone of immunising some 200,000 persons with the first dose of the COVID-19 jab.

So far, more than 214,200 persons have received their first dose of the vaccine, accounting for 44 per cent of the adult population. Further, more than 79,800 persons 18 years and older are fully vaccinated, accounting for 16.4

CNOOC President Liu Xiaoxiang handing over the cheque to CDC Deputy Director General, Major Loring Benons

T

he China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) has donated $10M to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) towards flood relief efforts countrywide.

In a social media post,

the CDC noted that CNOOC President Liu Xiaoxiang stated that the company stands in solidarity with those affected by the floods, and would do what it can to help them return to normalcy.

In expressing thanks for the contribution, CDC Deputy Director General, Major Loring Benons, said the funds would go a far way in supporting affected residents.

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Richard Van-West Charles to challenge Granger for PNC leadership …as uncertainty still lingers over party’s congress

PNC Executive Richard Van-West Charles

D

r Richard Van-West Charles, a People’s National Congress (PNC) executive and sonin-law of the Party’s founder Forbes Burnham, has thrown his hat in the ring against incumbent David Granger for the leadership of the party.

He made the announcement when asked during a programme hosted by Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive Dr David Hinds. Van-West Charles, whose most recent appointment was as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the former Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) under the former coalition Government, said that he is prepared for the role.

“Let me answer this way.

Am I prepared? Yes. Am I willing? Yes. The only thing I would say to you in accordance with the constitution of the PNC. It is in the hands of the membership of the PNC, in terms of the

nominations.”

“So, as we prepare for a congress, once there are nominations in my favor, I am prepared and I am willing to play a significant role in the leadership of the party,” Van West Charles said during the programme.

Van-West Charles is currently coming in for much criticism after it was discovered that as head of GWI he spent over $85M in parties over a two-year period. The former CEO has since justified the spending by claiming that it was an “investment” in staff.

Uncertainty

Despite Van West Charles’ preparation for the congress, much uncertainty still hangs over when the PNC congress will be held.

Several party members on Wednesday could not say if preparations for the congress is taking place. Some weeks ago Congress Place was picketed by members of Granger’s own party. The protestors demanded that he hold the congress so that the party could choose a leader. One placard, aimed at Granger and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, had read “David and Joe, stop denying democracy in the PNC. Time for congress”.

PNC’s last biennial congress was in 2018, where Granger was returned unopposed as leader of the party.

This time around, Granger has cited the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay in holding the congress.

PNCR Leader David Granger

He had said that the party is trying to work out the logistics of holding the congress, while at the same time ensuring social distancing.

However, many other organizations have held virtual meetings using Zoom, which allows hundreds of participants.

Granger, who left office in August 2020, after a fivemonth battle in Guyana for democracy to prevail, has been facing pressure from within the party and has suffered a sharp drop in popularity, over the loss of the 2020 General and Regional elections after just one term in office.

These divisions were exacerbated by the list of parliamentarians he picked to send to the 12th Parliament, after party stalwarts like Chairperson Volda Lawrence were excluded and the WPA was not consulted to name their candidate.

WPA subsequently with-

drew from the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, following on the heels of the Justice For All Party (JFAP).

Granger has also been denounced by individual members of the party, like one time PNC Parliamentarian James Bond. Bond has in fact labelled Granger’s leadership as “ineffective” and “mediocre”.

Granger has also been criticized by the PNCR diaspora group, who added their voices last month to calls for the former President to step down from leading the party.

In a letter signed by Connie McGuire, Michael Bramford, George E, Lewis and the PNCR New York Diaspora group, they appealed to all PNC Executives, members and supporters to demand the resignations of Granger and other party leaders.

They noted that after

PNC Executive Aubrey Norton

working tirelessly to get Granger elected in 2015, the party made a series of missteps, failed to connect to supporters and sidelined young and dynamic leadership like that offered by former Region 10 Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon.

According to the group, the PNC’s elitist attitude

adopted after they entered Government is responsible for losing the March 2 General and Regional Elections last year. It also wasn’t lost on the group that Granger and his fellow PNC leaders have been ducking responsibility for their party’s loss at the polls. The party has in fact gone to court claiming that the elections were rigged against them. Both of their election petitions have been tossed out.

Van West Charles now joins party stalwart Aubrey Norton as two executive members of the party who have indicated their interest in the top job. Norton, who challenged for leadership of the party and lost to Granger in 2014, has said that there is a need for a new political culture. He was of the view that he could usher in this new political culture, as leader of the PNC. (G3)

Camp Street shooting-robbery

“Foots” remanded for murder of baggage handler

Dead: Ronald Omar Smith

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lmost two weeks after a baggage handler attached to Trans Guyana Airways was gunned down during a robbery at Camp Street, Georgetown, a 43-year-old man was on Wednesday charged with his murder.

Allistair Naughton, called “Foots” or “Markey” of East La Penitence, Georgetown, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on May 28, 2021, at Camp Street, Georgetown, while being in the company of others, he murdered Ronald Omar Smith during the course or furtherance of a robbery. He was remanded to prison until July 6, 2021.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) had said that 40-yearold Smith of Wakapao, Pomeroon, Essequibo Coast,

Remanded: Allistair Naughton

Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) was fatally shot by two bandits on a motorcycle as he was talking to his girlfriend in front of the Impeccable Beauty Salon on Camp Street.

Police said that investigations revealed that Smith had made several stops, conducting business in and out of the city, in the company of a miner, who was driving him in motor car PZZ 6065. According to Police, Smith sold some gold and placed the $437,000 he received as payment in a haversack and went to visit his girlfriend.

It was further reported that the couple were standing in front of the sa-

lon when the bandits approached them on an XR motorcycle. According to Police, the pillion rider dismounted and discharged two rounds at Smith, who fell to the ground.

The bandit then snatched Smith’s haversack which contained the cash, after which he and his accomplice made good their escape north on Camp Street. The injured man was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died while receiving medical attention.

Police said that Smith was shot to his upper left shoulder, mid- abdomen, and under the right armpit.

NEWS

11

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Miner stabbed to death in brawl over woman

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20-yearold miner of Third Avenue, Bartica in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) has been stabbed to death during a drunken brawl with a colleague.

Reports are that Shemar Drakes was stabbed on Monday at about 01:30h at Suewanda Backdam, Upper Mazaruni. It has been revealed that at the time of the incident, Drakes and the suspect were both

However, at the Suewanda Landing party, the suspect approached Drakes and an argument again ensued, during which the suspect dealt drakes a single stab to his lower abdomen, causing his intes-

The body of Shemar Drakes lying on the roadway after being stabbed at Suewanda Backdam

at a party at Suewanda Landing. Reports are that the men had earlier in the day been engaged in a heat-

ed argument over a woman, and a fight had ensued, but they were parted by persons in the area.

Attorney found dead in home

R

esidents of Durbana Square, Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown were left in shock on Tuesday after an attorney whom they had seen just a few days ago, and who had seemed to be in good health, was found dead in his home.

Dead is 77-year-old Hubert Nathaniel Rodney, who had last been seen taking out his garbage on Friday. He was the brother of prominent Guyanese historian and political activist Dr Walter Rodney.

Neighbours have said they realised something was amiss after a stench began emanating from the

man’s residence. As a result, an alarm was raised and the Police were called.

The Police went into Rodney’s home, and discovered him lying motionless on the kitchen floor.

His body was checked for marks of violence, but none was seen.

Rodney’s body has been taken to the Lyken Funeral Parlour to await a Post Mortem Examination. (G9)

tines to protrude.

Drakes managed to run to a nearby shop, where he told the owner what had transpired before he collapsed and died.

His body was examined, and a single wound was

seen to his lower abdomen.

The body was later escorted to the Bartica Public Hospital.

Efforts to locate the suspect have so far been futile, Police say, as investigations continue. (G9)

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Linden woman’s death

Body found with head, face smashed

…house ransacked

P

olice are continuing investigations into the death of 56-yearold Lindener Wanda Patricia Wilson, also known as Sheila Wilson, whose body was discovered inside her Kara Kara, Mackenzie home on Tuesday. The gruesome discovery was made about 17:15h.

An associate of the family reported to the Police that he was called to make checks on Wilson and her son, who reside at the same property. Upon arrival, he met with the woman’s son and observed the entire dining area was ransacked with furniture and appliances scattered about.

“We are not your enemies” – Police commander to youths

Dead: Wanda Patricia Wilson, also known as Sheila Wilson

Suspecting that something was amiss, he proceeded to the Mackenzie Police Station where he made a report pertaining to his observations.

Ranks then visited the scene with him and upon arrival, it was observed that the entire house had been ransacked. The woman’s body was discovered in a bedroom, on a bed with

The house in which the woman and her son resided

a door on top of her. It was examined for marks of violence, and the head and face appeared to have been smashed in.

Wilson’s body was taken to the Linden Hospital

Complex (LHC), where her death was officially pronounced. The body was subsequently taken to the Pensioner’s Funeral Home, where it awaited a post mortem examination. The wom-

an’s son was taken to the LHC to be examined. Police said no marks of violence were seen on his body. He is currently in custody pending investigations. (G13)

Countrywide flooding now...

Regional Commander for Region Four C, Khali Pareshram

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) is encouraging persons across Guyana especially teenagers, who are involved in criminal activities, to see that ranks of the Police Force are their friends and not their enemies.

That statement was made by Regional Commander for Region Four C Police Division, Khali Pareshram during an episode of “Police and You” on Tuesday.

At the time, the Commander was responding to a question related to teenagers being involved in criminal activities.

He stated that based on the Police’s analysis, a number of teenagers were involved in crime. As a result, he said the Force has been working with teens to curb the situation.

“We have seen that most of the persons involved in the criminal acts, they have come from all communities. However, they have come from broken homes, some of them may not have the opportunity of completing even a primary school when you do check on the background of them...,” he

said.

The Commander said that in his division they have been targeting youths in at least 10 communities.

He said currently his district has 10 youth groups and 10 scout groups.

“We need to work with them, because if there is nobody to engage them, to work with them and to show them what is life, to give them a skill, they will fall either to peer pressure or groups. What I have observed is that …older folks are now engaging those said youths, to get them into crime, or to get them to be involved in criminal activities.”

“Do not see the Police as your enemies, we are your friends,” the Commander said.

Pareshram also made reference to persons who are fearful of coming to the Police for assistance, or even to share information. He said those persons should not have such feelings towards the Police.

The Commander assured that all information provided to the Police would be kept confidential.

(G9)

President Ali assured of his Government’s comment to assist all affected areas.

At Kilcoy, Nazir Hossein said that with the cultivation area under water, sugar workers will not have employment.

However, President Ali assured his administration would ensure that persons have employment.

“We have been investing in the sugar industry because we want people to get back their jobs, so we will not let you down. Already we have employed eighteen hundred people… Don’t worry about it, your jobs will be secured.”

Over at Port Mourant, the President expressed concern and noted that he personally flew over several regions and saw firsthand what is happening in the country.

“There is a lot of water which has to come down,” he declared.

The President added he is aware that crops and livestock have died due to the current flood.

While addressing residents, the Head of State explained that, apart from the flood, Guyana is also dealing with the global pandemic, and has invested in vaccines.

This was in response to a request for financial relief to families affected by the flood.

President Ali also noted that the pandemic has cause world prices to skyrocket.

“It used to cost US$2500 to ship a container from China, now it is US$12,500.

We will support you after the flood, so that you can get back on your feet,” President Ali assured residents at Manchester, Corentyne.

Those residents claim that every time a machine is sent to that community to execute work, it is removed before the work for which it

was sent is completed.

“Every time, they come and carrying it away to another community, and this thing going on for years, one resident told the President.

According to President Ali, as much as is possible, Government would like to install pumps in every community, but the Government doesn’t have all those pumps.

Accompanying President Ali to the Corentyne were Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall; DirectorGeneral of the CDC,

FROM PAGE 3

Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig; Head of the NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth; and Regional Six Chairman David Armogan, among others.

The Head of State also met with residents of Port Mourant, Manchester, Mibicuri and Johanna in the Black Bush Polder, and had several other engagements with affected communities along the Corentyne Coast. During the interactive engagements, officials from the various agencies were able to brief residents in the communities on the progress of interventions in their respective areas.

NEWS

13

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

EBE fatal accident

“Look out for the little ones” on roadways – grieving mother of dead 12-year-old

R

e s h m a Ramroop, a mother of two, is calling for justice after the younger of her children was struck down and killed by a pickup on Tuesday afternoon.

V a r s h a n i e Ramroop, a 12-yearold student of the Greenwich Park Primary School, met her demise at around 15:15h when she was struck by the vehicle as she was crossing the road at Farm, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). At time of the

Dead: Varshanie Ramroop

horrific accident, the girl was heading home from lessons.

The child’s grieving mother related on Wednesday that she was informed of the incident by her niece.

“Her cousin said that she was crossing the road…and all of a sudden a vehicle came, and like when she saw the vehicle she tried to run or something, and the ve-

hicle just hit her. I don’t know if it was trying to overtake,” the mother explained.

The mother described her daughter as “hardworking and very adorable”.

“I was hoping for the best for her…that’s my baby. It’s really hard, I can’t explain it. She [Varshanie] was telling her friends them how she wants to make her mother proud,” Reshma recalled.

“She was so good at everything, was very bright, she was very tough in her exams… Last year, during COVID, my son wrote National Grade Six [NGSA]

Guyanese woman selected for US Air Force Academy

G

u y a n e s e Emmanuela Desir has been selected to attend the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America. She is the first female from Guyana to have achieved this honour.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, has congratulated Desir, of Georgetown, during a pre-departure ceremony at the US Embassy, where representatives from the Military Liaison Office were present.

Desir will receive a full four-year scholarship at the Academy, sponsored by the US Government. The US

Embassy in Georgetown on Wednesday said that only 15 international students from around the world are admitted to the academy per year. It noted that this scholarship builds on the US’ commitment to women, peace and security, “as we recognise the unique and necessary skills that women bring to the security forces”.

“The United States knows that when we invest in a woman, she changes not only her own life, but also that of her family and community. Add that change in a key institution such as the military, and she will change that institution and her country,”

Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch congratulating Emmanuela Desir

the embassy has said.

Ambassador Lynch has praised Desir’s strong desire to serve her country in

the area of science, and has noted her plans to return to Guyana to work in the field of green energy.

Grieving mother Reshma Ramroop

and he got Bishops’ High, and I was hoping for the best for her,” Reshma explained.

Amid all her grief, the woman is calling on road users, especially drivers, to be more cautious and considerate of pedestrians.

“Look out for the little ones, try to assist and help.

I can’t express my feelings enough, the pain is still here; but I am appealing to parents and road users: beware of speeding vehicles, because we don’t know what can happen next,” the grieving Reshma has said.

The Police have said a notice of intended prosecution has been served on the driver of motor pickup GXX 7522, a resident of Windsor Estates, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Noting that charges against the suspect will not bring back her daughter, the grieving mother is still demanding that the full

force of the law be meted out against the man responsible for her child’s death.

“I want justice! I want justice for my child, because she done pass away and I can’t get nothing more, just the justice. I need justice from the Commanders and the big ones. Also, I’m appealing that the Minister of Education can put a part in this and help me out with the situation, cause it’s a really tough situation.”

Reports have indicated that the girl had just disembarked a minibus, and was in the process of crossing the road when she was struck down by the motor pick-up. As a result of the collision, she fell onto the road surface and received severe head injuries. She was picked up in an unconscious state and escorted by Police to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Floodwater 12ft high in Kwakwani

…temporary shelters to be established in Region 2

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Region Two villages under floodwater

ore than 850 residents in Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are currently affected by flooding following some two weeks of heavy rainfall across the country.

Kwakwani is one of the hardest-hit communities in the region and perhaps the country, where water levels remain some 12ft high due to the overflowing of the Berbice River.

Regional Chairman Deron Adams told this publication that some 150 persons in Kwakwani are affected, with 42 currently seeking refuge in temporary shelters.

In Aroaima, more than 400 persons are affected, 42 of whom are in shelters.

could not pronounce on the extent of the damage imposed.

He noted that the main priority is to ensure people are provided with food and shelter, and said the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has since activated its Disaster Preparedness Plan to bring relief to residents in affected areas.

Through collaborative efforts, he said, Regional Authorities have already established several shelters in the region. He added that the region worked along with the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) to ensure their respective services are available at the shelters.

Amerindian settlements Muritaro and Malali, located along the Demerara River in Region 10, under floodwater

Going forward, he called for financial aid to be provided to families who have been severely affected by the flooding, and for assistance in moving them to higher ground.

“We are calling on the Government to ensure that emergency works are done on the outlets and clearing of the many clogged creeks

Minister Juan Edghill on a flood assessment outreach at Muritaro and Malali along the Demerara River in Region 10.

The Minister said over 20 homes were affected, and would have received relief supplies.

A commitment was also given for a medical team to be in the area to conduct

China Trading donated items towards flood relief efforts Deputy Director General of the CDC, Major Loring Benons, accepting the cheque from representatives of the Association of Chinese Enterprises

In Hururu, more than 200 are affected, with 41 being in shelters. In Malali, more than 80 families are affected, two of which have been relocated. In Muritaro, more than 50 families are affected; and in Rockstone, 18 persons are in shelters.

In addition, the floods have wiped out many farmlands and livestock, and destroyed several homes. The Regional Chairman has noted that assessments are still ongoing, and therefore he

Hundreds of relief hampers have already been distributed to affected residents, with more slated to be distributed.

The Regional Chairman is also calling on Central Government to lend more assistance in especially the area of health. “[There is] need for areas to be fogged out to prevent mosquito infections and the potential spread of malaria, zika and dengue,” he explained.

in the region. Financial grants for every household affected, businesses with losses, and affected farms; and for the damaged properties, houses, furniture, electrical appliances and vehicles. There is much need for lands for relocation of people to higher ground, and assistance for the rebuilding of their homes,” the Regional Chairman said.

PM visits

On Wednesday, Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips was panied by Public

Prime (ret’d) accomWorks

an outreach, since reports of rash, and even vomiting and diarrhoea, have been received.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Phillips has said that all 98 families in Muritaro would receive a food hamper with cleaning agents as well as safe drinking water.

The Prime Minister also appealed to the residents to take the COVID-19 vaccine in order to protect themselves and loved ones.

Temporary shelters

Meanwhile,

the

Civil

Defence Commission on Wednesday said two temporary shelters are being established in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). The shelters are being set up at Karawab and St. Monica to accommodate residents who have been displaced as a result of flooding due to heavy rainfall.

CDC on Monday dis-

Local support

Meanwhile, several local businesses and organisations have been offering support to the CDC. On Wednesday, the Association of Chinese Enterprises donated $2M towards relief efforts.

Additionally, Cyril’s Transportation Services donated $1M towards relief efforts by the CDC.

Representatives of Toucan Distributors handing over food supplies to CDC

patched items, including cots, blankets, mosquito nets, pillows, water purification tablets, face masks and soap, to meet the immediate needs of residents who would be placed in the shelters.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the CDC said at least ten persons in the region have already been identified for evacuation, and a total of 1,084 households have been impacted by floodwaters in Region Two.

Also, Toucan Distributors and China Trading on Wednesday handed over supplies to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) for distribution to flood-affected households.

Added to these, Mantra Restaurant and Lounge, Level Patio and Grille, The Boardroom and Ecom Shop Guyana also donated food items, cleaning supplies and rain boots to the Civil Defence Commission to aid the national flood relief efforts.

15 Over 2000 Region 1 residents affected by flooding NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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ore than 2000 persons are currently affected by the floods in communities across Region One (Barima-Waini).

Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley told Guyana Times that no villages have experienced any recent episodes of flooding, but communities that were inundated over the past few weeks remain affected.

Some communities that remain waterlogged are Hosororo, Koriabo, Aruka, Morawahanna, St Dominic, Ibataro, Smith Creek, Arakaka, Chinese Landing, Kokerit, Waikerebi, Black Water, and Redhill Village.

Ashley noted that the communities were being constantly monitored and it has been observed that water was receding.

While some villages have already received relief packages, the Regional Chairman noted that distribution would be done in others soon.

“As it relates to help to the affected residents, we would’ve done assessments across the region in every village and we would’ve provided a report to the

Flooding in Region One (Barima-Waini)

ing our farmers to safeguard whatever planting materials they have for when we go back to the extent of normalcy with the floods and so forth,” Chairman Ashley

added.

With respect to infrastructural damage, he revealed that the Wauna Bridge, which connects the village of Five Star to Big

Creek, has suffered some ill effects from the flooding.

He said there were other instances of minor infrastructural damage across the region.

Fiancée hands over Lusignan Prison escapee to Police

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Central Government,” he explained, noting that Central Government has already responded and the relief supplies were on their way.

The Regional Chairman noted, however, that it may take some time to distribute the supplies to affected ar-

eas owing to the rough terrain.

As it relates to the impact of the floods on the farming communities, the regional official said they were also awaiting the intervention of Central Government.

“We have also been advis-

ndrew Chaung, one of two prisoners who escaped from the Lusignan Prison on Tuesday, is back in Police custody.

A statement from the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) said that Chaung was handed over to Police at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by his sister and fiancée.

He is expected to be charged “criminally for escaping from lawful custody”.

Chaung was on remand for break and enter and larceny.

The other prison escapee – Shazam Kalil, also known as “Boi”, a murder convict who was serving a life sen-

Andrew Chaung

tence – remains at large.

Authorities have not yet revealed how the inmates made their escape. Their es-

Still on the run: Shazam Kalil, also known as “Boi”

cape was discovered around 07:30h on Tuesday during a roll call.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Floods, COVID-19 prevent over 400 students from writing NGSA mock exam

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ore than 400 pupils missed T h u r s d a y ’ s mock National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) exams due to either the floods that are affecting several communities across the country or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, the twoday mock examination for Grade Six pupils who are sitting the exam at school, at home, or online commenced across the country. For those writing the exam in schools, it would be the first time in over a year they have attended a class setting. They wrote Papers One and Two for

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

exam is to prepare pupils for the official assessment in August.

According to prelim-

day of the mock exam, just over 12,000 pupils wrote the mock exam on the first day, accounting for some 85 per cent of the 14,000 plus pupils who are listed to sit this year’s NGSA. This means that more than 2400 children were absent from the mock exam.

Of this figure, it was noted that some 420 pupils did not write the examination.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has pointed out that the Ministry would be reaching out to those pupils who did not turn up for the mock exam, to ascertain the reason behind their absence and to give assistance if

Some 85% turnout for the NGSA mock exam

Science and English on the first day, and today will sit the Mathematics and Social Studies papers. This

inary figures provided during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to give an update on the first

needed.

“Sometimes people don’t come for all kinds of reasons. This morning, par-

Pupils during their NGSA mock exam on Wednesday

ents might not have had passage to bring them to school. Is that something we could help with? Or they might have passage but they don’t have anything to put in their lunch kits.

Is that something we could help with? Or they couldn’t come today particularly because they had small siblings to look after at home while the mother or father was at work. So there are very many different things here that we might be able to help with, so we just have to first learn what the problem is, why they are not here?” she posited.

But it was noted that among the options given to students regarding this mock examination was to not write it at all.

Further, while these figures are not final, there are a small number of pupils who have not been participating in any academic ac-

and what it is we need to do to get them interested back in education… We will find every single one of those students who did not turn up to participate either at home or in the class room, because we will not lose them. They will not become dropouts at this age,” she asserted.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , Manickchand has reassured that various schools, especially those in communities that are being affected by the floods, are being given flexibility in rewriting the mock exam, and the same option is also being considered for the NGSA exam in August.

“They are going to be allowed to write the [mock] exam at a different date. So, I think they already have dates in mind in various places. They have scheduled dates for when they write the exam… On the is-

Public Road on Tuesday.

The mock exam for that school has been rescheduled to Monday.

The Education Minister has noted that even if students do not sit the NGSA exam, they will still be given placements in schools.

“There are students who opt not to write the exams at all, and that will be an option that students are going to get in August too. If you don’t want to write the exam, that’s fine; but we will place you according to your regional average into schools in your region. So that’s what we would do very happily for the students who were unable to be engaged in this last year also,” Manickchand has stated.

Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson further posited that all hope is not lost, even for those children who have dropped out

tivity in preparation for the NGSA exams in August, and cannot be accounted for by the school. This, according to the Education Minister, is a matter of concern. She contended that the Ministry would not allow these children to drop out of school, and, as such, will be fanning out across the country to locate the children and then figure out how to get them back into the system.

“It will be a robust plan using all of our resources, including welfare and other means to figure out where these children are,

sue of the actual NGSA, if there are students who cannot take the NGSA on the scheduled dates, then the Ministry has the possibility of administering a similarly weighted exam at a later date for those students.

So, we will have to assess that as we go along,” the Minister posited.

of school due to varying circumstances. He cited the Ministry’s vast TVET curriculum.

“We don’t want to say that because a child did not write the Grade Six Assessment that that child’s life is over. We have to be careful, because the system is designed in such a way that even late developers or bloomers could actually become important people and contribute to the development of society through technical and vocational education and other means,” the CEO explained.. (G8)

Rescheduled

Meanwhile, this same courtesy has been extended to the Greenwich Park Primary School on the East Bank of Essequibo, where one of the pupils was struck and killed on the EBE

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 3 Police host seminar on “Community Oriented Policing” …large turnout by CPG

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he Guyana Police Force’s Regional Division Number Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) hosted an interactive seminar last Sunday on ‘Community Oriented Policing’.

Held at Barnwell Events Space and Hotel on the East Bank of Essequibo, the event was attended by executive members of Community Policing Groups (CPGs) across Region Three. It was organised by the Commander of Region Three, Senior Superintendent Errol Watts, and Deputy Commander Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud.

The seminar focused on addressing issues and challenges faced by the Community Policing Groups within the Region, such as lack of vehicles and other resources to effectively function. Strategies and ways in which the policing groups and Police in the Region can continue working together to deter crimes and traffic-related issues were discussed as well.

In attendance were the Commander, Deputy

Executive members of Community Policing Groups (CPGs) across Region Three share a photo with Region Three Commander Senior Superintendent Errol Watts and Deputy Commander Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud, along with other officials from the GPF

Commander, their team of Sub-Divisional Officers, Executive Members, and representatives of the CPGs and special invitees.

Head of the Police Force’s Communications Unit, Mark Ramotar, Regional Vice Chairman Omesh Satyanand, and President of the Region Three Chamber of Commerce, Halim Khan, all delivered brief remarks, in which they lauded the regional Police and CPG for their continued collaboration,

which has seen a considerable reduction in crime and accidents.

Commander Watts outlined a strategic crime-fighting plan for Region Three, and spoke about efforts being made to foster and strengthen ties between the Police and the communities.

He said security cameras would be placed at strategic points on the West Bank and West Coast public roads.

On the issue of traffic

management, Watts also noted that “we are doing the best with the resources we have in Region Three in terms of traffic management on a daily basis.

“We have our operation at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, where we have two double lanes going in the morning starting from 5:30, and that is going well… we have been getting some positive feedback on this.”

The Regional Commander further stated that the division is expect-

ing a few new vehicles, and once received, two will be dispatched to the islands of Wakenaam and Leguan.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commander Persaud, who chaired the seminar, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the crime and traffic situation in the Region, highlighting a reduction in the various crimes and accidents when figures are compared for the same period between 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, there were six

murders, 21 cases of robbery under arms (firearm used), seven cases of robbery with aggravation, five cases of rape, and four burglaries. During the same period this year, however, there have been four murders – a decrease of 33.3 per cent; 18 robbery under arms – a 14 per cent decrease; no robbery with aggravation – a 100 per cent decrease; two rapes – a 60 per cent decrease, and two cases of burglary – 50 per cent decrease.

The Deputy Command also outlined that there has been a 69 per cent increase in serious accidents, a 7.69 per cent spike in damage accidents; as well as a 100 per cent decrease in fatal accidents.

According to Persaud, during the reporting period, the division has not recorded any fatal accident for the year compared to the period January 1 to May 31, 2020, when eight cases were recorded. The Region recorded its first road fatality on Tuesday when 12-year-old Varshanie Ramroop was struck and killed by a pickup vehicle on the East Bank Essequibo Public Road.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

Regional

US blacklists 4 Nicaraguans, Drug kingpin El Chapo’s wife including Ortega’s daughter to plead guilty to US charges

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he United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four Nicaraguans, including a daughter of President Daniel Ortega, and Washington warned it would continue to use diplomatic and economic tools against members of the leftist Government that it accused of undermining democracy.

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken urged Ortega to release detained presidential candidates as well as other civil society and Opposition Leaders arrested over the past week in what he called a “wave of repression”.

“As these sanctions demonstrate, there are costs for those who support or carry out the Ortega regime’s repression,” Blinken said in a statement.

“The United States will continue to use all diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to support Nicaraguans’

Camila Ortega

calls for greater freedom and accountability as well as free and fair elections.”

The US Treasury Department on Wednesday slapped sanctions on Ortega’s daughter Camila Ortega Murillo, who is also a senior government official, and three others it accused of supporting the Government that Washington said has undermined democracy, abused human rights, and enacted re-

pressive laws.

The Treasury said Camila Ortega managed television station Canal 13, a family-run media outlet that it accused of spreading propaganda, while the President “uses State spending and tax laws to promote family-run stations and squeeze independent rival outlets”.

Also hit with sanctions are: Leonardo Ovidio Reyes Ramirez, President of the Central Bank of Nicaragua; Edwin Ramon Castro Rivera, a deputy of the Nicaraguan National Assembly; and Julio Modesto Rodriguez Balladares, a Brigadier General of the Nicaraguan Army and executive director of the Military Social Welfare Institute.

The Nicaraguan Government and Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the sanctions. (Excerpt from Reuters)

CDC lowers Bermuda’s COVID-19 risk rating to moderate

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he Atlanta-based US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered Bermuda’s coronavirus risk rating from very high to moderate after a plunge in COVID-19 cases, handing the island’s tourism officials a major boost.

The CDC lists Bermuda as “Level 2 – moderate”, down from “Level 4 – very high” in a travel advisory on its website. The CDC raised Bermuda’s rating in April after a massive increase in cases that peaked at 904.

But the number of active cases now stands at eight with no one in hospital. Only

three new cases — all residents returning from the United States — have been recorded so far in June.

In all, 2497 cases have been logged from more than 284,000 tests. Thirty-three people have died, including five in May. “COVID-19 cases are down in Bermuda, thanks in part to our aggressive testing and vaccine programme,” Health Minister Kim Wilson told a news conference.

Just under 54 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated, well short of the 70 per cent herd immunity Premier David Burt is

seeking.

Tuesday was the final day for people to get their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine as supplies sent to the island from the British Government expire at the end of the month. Officials hoped the island’s 12 to 15-year-olds would get their jabs after being given the green light to receive them.

On the downside for tourism officials, however, is news from Royal Caribbean International (RCI) that it has scrapped plans to bring two of its liners to the island over the summer. (Excerpt from CMC)

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he wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Emma Coronel Aispuro, is expected to plead guilty today in federal court in Washington, where she has been accused of helping her husband run the Sinaloa cartel of smugglers, court records show.

Coronel, who prosecutors say played a key role in Guzman’s 2015 escape from a Mexican prison, is slated to appear for a virtual hearing at 10:00h ET (1400 GMT) before US District Judge Rudolph Contreras.

Reuters could not immediately determine what

charges she will plead guilty to, and there was no additional information on the court docket. If convicted on all charges she faces, she could be sentenced to as long as life in prison and fined up to US$10 million.

Attorneys for Coronel could not be immediately reached.

The 31-year-old former beauty queen was arrested in February on allegations that she relayed messages to help Guzman conduct drug trafficking from 2012 to early 2014, and continued delivering messages while visiting him in a Mexican prison following

his February 2014 arrest.

The FBI in court documents said Coronel, who was born in California and holds both US and Mexican citizenship, and members of her family were deeply involved in the cartel’s trafficking activities.

Prosecutors have also said she conspired in Guzman’s famous July 2015 escape from the Altiplano prison in Mexico through a mile-long (1.6 km-long) tunnel dug from his cell, and began plotting another escape following his January 2016 capture by Mexican authorities. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Barbados safe, open for business, tourism

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arbados Tourism and International Transport Minister, Senator Lisa Cummins has reiterated that the country was safe and open for business and tourism after recent concerns were raised in relation to COVID-19 and the country’s reopening. “…I take strong objection to the views of some with their own agenda that suggest by their position and their stance that tourism workers and people who depend on the tourism sector, which remains our largest revenue earner, should not be able to eat or feed their families or send their children back to school until COVID is extinct from the Earth.

“I feel as though we have to stand up for these people.

Barbados is safe and open for business, for tourism, as

Barbados Tourism and International Transport Minister, Senator Lisa Cummins

long as our officials do exactly what they do every day – guide potential visitors on how to observe and to have our protocols enforced.”

She pointed out that “on Monday, for example,

a cruise ship carrying 600 passengers arrived here. We welcomed them. We spent the last year working with the cruise lines to have everyone on the same page.

And it was the first cruise anywhere in the entire Western Hemisphere. We brought it here and we did it safely”.

“It would be no different for the organisers of Haywire or any other group from anywhere in the world – white, black, yellow, blue, proposing to travel to Barbados because tourism is our business. What’s more is that we also have to be confident in who we are and the fact that Barbados and Barbadians are about far more than excessive drinking and excessive feting. And that is definitely the case for our tourism product.” (Excerpt from Nation News)

Trinidad: Venezuelans charged Colombia protests lose steam, but their economic toll rises after human trafficking probe

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nti-Government protests in Colombia were sparsely attended on Wednesday, but the economic fall-out of the six-week-old demonstrations is far from over, officials said.

Road blockades associated with protests have caused shortages throughout the country, interrupted exports, and hit oil and mining production.

Marches on Wednesday were largely concentrated in the capital, after union and student leaders called for protesters to “take over Bogota”. Groups of hundreds gathered at several points around the city.

Talks between protest leaders and the Government were suspended over the weekend over discord about a pre-agreement and the blockades.

The national strike committee, made up of unions and other groups, will adopt a new tactic for marches, union leader Francisco Maltes said, adding that the details would

Demonstrators gather outside a local hotel where representatives of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) and union leaders meet, in Bogota, Colombia, June 9, 2021

be announced today.

The Government estimates blockades and protests have cost the economy some 11 trillion pesos, equivalent to more than US$3 billion.

Many protesters have vowed to keep marching until the Government makes changes to economic and social policies and tackles alleged Police brutality.

Exports have been interrupted by barricades at the principal Pacific port in Buenaventura, where some

378,000 tonnes of corn and other grains are stuck, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Around 1.8 million jobs connected to agriculture are at risk, Agriculture Minister Rodolfo Zea said in a Wednesday statement.

“The losses we’ve had in exportable products are worrying and have especially affected coffee, bananas, avocados, tilapia, and sugar,” he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

wo Venezuelans have been charged following investigations by the Special Investigations Unit (Special Task Force) with the assistance of the Counter Trafficking Unit and Interpol.

A Police press release indicated that Pedro David Hernandez Patete, 29, was charged with transporting a person within Trinidad for the purpose of exploiting that person for prostitution, contrary to Section 23 of the Trafficking in Persons Act 12:10 and; procuration for prostitution contrary to Section 17 of the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 11:28 as amended.

Nohemy Del Rosario Valasquez, 22, was charged with procuration for prostitution, contrary to Section 17 of the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 11:28 as amended.

The two appeared at a virtual hearing before a Port of Spain magistrate on Wednesday and bail was denied. The matter was ad-

journed to July 7.

On June 2, officers intercepted two vehicles at Bamboo Settlement No 2, Valsayn, transporting nine Latin American nationals inclusive of a minor. Two TT nationals were also arrested.

Following investigations, a search warrant was executed at Central Park, Balmain, Couva where three people were arrested.

After statements were taken from the nine Latin American nationals, two

suspects were charged by Acting Sergeant Ramsaran.

The two locals were released pending further enquiries.

The investigations were coordinated by Senior Superintendent Christopher Paponette and spearheaded

by Superintendent Michael Veronique in conjunction with Alana Wheeler of the Counter Trafficking Unit.

Special Investigations Unit legal officer Zaheer Ali was also involved in the investigations which remain ongoing. (Trinidad Newsday)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices fall following large fuel inventory build

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rude oil prices fell slightly on Wednesday after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported an inventory decline of 5.2 million barrels for the week to June 4.

A day earlier, the American Petroleum Institute (API) had reported an inventory draw of over 2.1 million barrels for the period.

Analysts had expected the EIA to report an inventory draw of 3.576 million barrels, after last week the EIA estimated inventories had shrunk by over five million barrels for the last full week of May. Oil has been trending higher again this week, with Brent returning to over US$72 per barrel at the time of writing and West Texas Intermediate at over US$70 per barrel, mostly driven by the rebound in demand for fuels and Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Sates-plus OPEC+ plans to not rush with the easing of its production cap.

"Demand is ramping up very quickly because everybody's driving, and we have the reopening of Europe, which is really starting to happen, while India seems to have hit an inflection point, in terms of cases, which in my mind could mean you also get a return of mobility," Francisco Blanch, global commodities and derivatives strategist at Bank of America, said this week.

That’s good news for fuel stocks, too, but the EIA data has yet to reflect the rebound.

In gasoline, the EIA estimated an inventory build of seven million barrels for the week to June 4. This compared with a build of 1.5 million barrels for the previous week. (Excerpt from Oilprice.com)

US “to buy 500 million COVID vaccine doses for world”

Russian court bans Alexey Navalny groups, labels them “extremist”

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Russian court has outlawed the organisations founded by Alexey Navalny by labelling them “extremist”, a move criticised by the Opposition Leader’s supporters as part of a campaign to muzzle President Vladimir Putin’s opponents months before parliamentary elections.

The Moscow City Court’s ruling on Wednesday, effective immediately, prevents people associated with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption (FBK) and his network of regional offices across Russia from seeking public office.

The label also means that

U

S President Joe Biden's Administration will provide 500 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to about 100 countries over the next two years, US media report.

About 200 million doses will be distributed this year, with the remainder delivered in 2022.

The US has been under pressure to raise vaccination rates in poor countries.

The move comes as Biden landed in the United Kingdom at the start of his first foreign trip as US President.

The White House is yet to officially comment on the plan to roll out 500 million doses worldwide.

But when asked if the US Government had a vaccination strategy for the world, Biden said: "I have one, and I'll be announcing it", before boarding Air Force One. An eager crowd awaited

his arrival on Wednesday at the RAF Mildenhall airbase in Suffolk, keen to catch a glimpse of Air Force One when Biden touched down on Wednesday evening.

Biden addressed US troops stationed at the base, paying tribute to military families and remembering his late son, Beau, who served in the National Guard.

He praised US allies – "like-minded nations" – and added: "The United States is back!"

"Democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future," he said.

Also in his eight-day trip Biden will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle and join his first Nato summit as President. He has said the visit is about "America rallying the world's democracies". (Excerpt from BBC News)

ly consists of more than 30 entities, including the ISIL (ISIS) armed group, al-Qaeda and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Navalny, Putin’s most prominent rival, was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin – an accusation that Russian officials reject.

In February, the 44-yearold Opposition Leader was given a prison term of two and a half years for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement charge. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

tion following controversial changes to Mongolia's Constitution that restricted Presidents to one term in office.

His victory follows a lowkey campaign marred by COVID-19 restrictions. Most outdoor events were cancelled on Saturday after the outsider candidate Enkhbat of the National Labour Party tested positive for the coronavirus.

Mongolia's hybrid political system gives its elected Parliament the right to appoint Governments and de-

cide policy, but the President has the power to veto legislation and hire and fire judges.

With the presidency often controlled by the Opposition party, the division of power has created political deadlock that some believe has held back Mongolia's development.

Khurelsukh's election is expected to give the MPP more control over the levers of power, though he is obliged to relinquish his party affiliation as soon as he takes office. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ex-Mongolian Prime Minister wins presidential election

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ormer Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh became the country's sixth democratically elected President on Wednesday, further consolidating the power of the ruling Mongolian People's Party (MPP).

Khurelsukh, who was forced to resign as Prime Minister after protests earlier this year, comfortably defeated Sodnomzundui Erdene of the Opposition Democratic Party and Dangaasuren Enkhbat of

the Right Person Electorate Coalition in a national vote, the General Election Committee said.

With 99.7 per cent of votes counted overnight, Khurelsukh's tally had reached 821,136, or 68 per cent of the total. Enkhbat came second with 242,805 votes, or 20.1 per cent, while Erdene trailed in third place, with 72,569 votes, six per cent of the total.

Khurelsukh will replace incumbent Khaltmaa Battulga, who was denied an opportunity to seek re-elec-

South African woman gives birth to 10 babies in Pretoria – reports

A President Biden arrived with his wife Jill

Alexey Navalny was arrested in January upon returning from Germany [File: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP]

activists who have worked with the organisations, anyone who donated to them, and even those who simply shared the groups’ materials could be prosecuted and receive lengthy prison terms.

“It was found that these organisations not only disseminated information that incited hatred and enmity against Government officials, but also committed extremist actions,” Alexei Zhafyarov, a spokesman for the Prosecutors who had filed the motion, said outside the court.

Russia’s list of “extremist organisations” current-

South African woman has reportedly given birth to 10 babies in what would be a new world record.

Gosiame Thamara Sithole's husband says they were astonished by decuplets after scans only showed eight in the womb.

"It's seven boys and three girls. I am happy. I am emotional. I can't talk much," her husband Teboho Tsotetsi told Pretoria News after the birth.

One South African official confirmed the births to the BBC; however, another said

they were yet to see the babies.

A family member, who did not want to be identified, told the BBC that Sithole had had 10 babies – five via natural birth and five via caesarean section.

Guinness World Records told the BBC it was investigating Sithole's case.

A woman who had eight babies in the US in 2009 currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.

Last month, 25-year-old Halima Cissé from Mali

Most pregnancies involving large numbers of babies end prematurely, says BBC Africa's health reporter Rhoda Odhiambo.

Multiple births involving more than three babies are rare and often the result of fertility treatGosiame Thamara Sithole, pictured here ments – but in a month ago, gave birth on Monday this case the couple say they congave birth to nine babies, who are reportedly doing ceived naturally. (Excerpt from BBC News) well at a clinic in Morocco.

US, UK leaders expected to work to reopen travel – UK statement

U

S President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are expected to agree to work to open up travel between the two countries "as soon as possible", the British Government said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Biden, who arrived in England on Wednesday for his first overseas trip as President, will meet with Johnson in Cornwall today ahead of a meeting of

the leaders of the Group of Seven advanced economies that begins Friday, the statement said.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Biden Administration was forming expert working groups with Britain, Canada, Mexico and the European Union to determine how best to safely restart travel after 15 months of pandemic restrictions.

US and UK airline officials said they do not expect

Washington to lift restrictions until around July 4 at the earliest.

Airlines and others have pressed the Administration to lift the restrictions on most non-US citizens who have been in Britain, the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without border controls, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran, and Brazil.

The two leaders are expected to agree on an ambitious new "Atlantic Charter" modelled on the one signed

by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941 that set out their goals for the post-war world.

The new charter maps out plans for close cooperation in eight areas, including "defending democracy, building a fair and sustainable trading system, dealing with cyber-attacks, combating climate change and ending the coronavirus pandemic. (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

You'll have a chance to show what you are capable of doing. Set reasonable goals. Express your vision with enthusiasm and a solid plan. Question anyone who is disruptive or deceptive.

A change of plans will throw TAURUS you in an unexpected direction.

(April 20- Don't overreact; do what you do best and keep moving forMay 20) ward. Hard work will pay off in the end; complaining will stand in your way.

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Finish what you start, regardless of what others do or say. Don't count on anyone but yourself when it comes to making a difference. Pick your friends and collaborators carefully.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Be receptive to new or unusual concepts. Personal growth and enlightenment will foster new beginnings that are not only lucrative, but energizing as well. Be wary of deceptive people.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Work alongside people who share your interests and concerns. Consider where your energy and money will make a difference and structure your plans accordingly. Don't let emotions take charge.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Professional matters will challenge you. Make adjustments to fit the changing playing field, and you will stay on top of your game.

Control situations instead of letting them lead you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Hone your skills and put them to work in new and exciting ways. Make changes that will help you get ahead. Doing something you enjoy will lift your spirits and improve your health.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Pay attention to what associates, friends and relatives are doing. Be ready to jump in and make a difference, and you'll change the way people view you. A relationship will take a positive turn.

A situation involving SAGITTARIUS a friend, relative or part(Nov. 23ner will require monitoring.

Dec. 21) Verify the information you receive and be prepared to discuss confusing or questionable matters.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Revisit your financial, business and investment options. Consider the best way to make your money grow.

Rethink any changes you want to make to your living space. An unnecessary expenditure will lead to stress.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Listen to what others have to say, but do what feels right when it comes to situations that affect your home and family. You should do what's best for you and your loved ones.

PISCES

You'll face opposition.

You are better off sitting back, listening carefully and mulling over your options.

Don't feel guilty or obligated to get involved in something you don't like.

(Feb. 20March 20)

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

21

“It has been a strange transition” − says Jason Holder on losing Test captaincy

"I

t was kind of a shock" for Jason Holder to be relieved of the West Indies Test captaincy, and while he admits to finding it difficult to transition from being the leader to being an ordinary member of the team, he wants to focus more on his game, and be a sounding board for youngsters looking for guidance.

"Yeah, it's been difficult. I probably may not show it, but it has been difficult," Holder told ESPNCricinfo in an interview a couple of days away from the start of West Indies' first Test against South Africa, to be played in St Lucia.

"For the last five (or) six years, I've been captaining West Indies, whether that be Test-match cricket or One-Day cricket. So now being relieved of both captaincies, it has been a strange transition for me personally," he explained.

Kraigg Brathwaite led the West Indies in Bangladesh when Holder and a number of other regulars opted out of the tour because of the COVID-19 situation around the world. West Indies swept that twoTest series, and when it was time to select the squad for the home se-

ries against Sri Lanka in March, the team kept faith in Brathwaite.

Roger Harper, the lead selector, said at the time that Brathwaite's role in shepherding the team successfully in the absence of many first-choice players in Bangladesh had played a big role in his appointment on a permanent basis.

That meant Holder's stint as captain, which had begun in October 2015, ended after 37 matches, which included 11 wins and 21 losses. It was a period in which Holder climbed to great heights as a player, piling on big hauls with the ball, and even hitting a double-century with the bat.

After 47 Tests, Holder has taken 123 wickets at an average of 27.41, scored 2253 runs at an average of 33.13, and holds the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings for Test allrounders.

Holder played the home series against Sri Lanka in Antigua, and did well. In the first Test, there was a five-wicket haul (his eighth in Tests), and in the second, there were scores of 30 and 71*. Both matches were drawn.

"It's no longer a time (when) you've got to look to select teams,

look at combinations… all these things have just gone through the window. So, for me now, it's just a little bit more detailed as to my preparation into myself particularly, and not having to deal with the team aspect of it," Holder explained.

"It was kind of a shock.

Yeah, still lost for words in regards to that, but I am not dwelling on it. I don't think it's something I should dwell on, to be fair," Holder said.

"I am just trying to find ways to move on and transition back to just being a regular player. For me now, it's about showing a bit more of my character, and being a lot more…I would say outspoken. I am relatively outspoken, but just expressing myself a little bit more and having fun.

“I feel as though I have been really, really committed to West Indies cricket. I am still committed to West Indies cricket, but more or less, for me now, it's just about having fun and enjoying however many days I have playing international cricket."

Holder is still only 29, and has

spent most of his career at the highest level in leadership roles. Without that responsibility, Holder felt he would have to redesign his role in the team.

"There is a lot less pressure, a lot less responsibility.

It's just about me now, personally…

I'm a 100% team man. So, I'll play my part to help the team, and if there are other players who are seeking out advice or guidance, no doubt I'll be here to give them that," he said.

"But it's no longer a time where you've got to look to select teams, look at combinations…all these things have just gone through the window. So, for me now, it's just a little bit more detailed as to my preparation into myself, particularly, and not having to deal with

Nadal beats Schwartzman in

tricky battle in French Open 2021

D

efending champion Rafael Nadal reached a record-extending 14th French Open semi-final after outlasting Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in a tricky battle played in front of 5,000 fans in Paris.

Spanish third seed Nadal, who has won a record 13 titles, won 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-0 against 10th seed Schwartzman on a buzzing Court Philippe Chatrier.

Nadal, 35, will next face either Serbian top seed Novak Djokovic or Italian ninth seed Matteo Berrettini. The pair meet on Chatrier at 19:00 BST. Djokovic, 34, avoided a shock fourth-round exit when he fought back from two sets down against teenager Lorenzo Musetti, leading 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (27) 6-1 6-0 4-0 when the 19-yearold Italian retired.

Berrettini, 25, has not played since Saturday, after he was given a walkover following Swiss

Nadal has won 105 of his 107 matches at Roland Garros

20-time major champion Roger Federer's withdrawal.

Nadal is still deemed the favourite to land the title on Sunday, where a 14th victory would move him clear of Federer in terms of most men's Grand Slam triumphs.

After winning for the 105th time in 107 matches at Roland Garros, Nadal said: "The numbers are just amazing. But I can't think about that now, honestly. Let's talk about that when I finish my career.

Now is a moment to be happy.

“I won an important match today against a tough opponent.

I was able to find a way to play my best tennis in the moment that I really needed."

OUTCLASSED Up to 5,000 spectators were allowed on Chatrier after France's coronavirus restrictions were loosened on Wednesday,

providing an increased buzz as Schwartzman looked to create an upset at the place where Nadal has dominated since 2005.

Even though Nadal cruised through the fourth set, it was a far from straightforward afternoon for the Spanish lefthander. After serving out the opener for his 36th successive winning set at Roland Garros, most would have backed Nadal to complete another three-set win to equal his personal record of 38 in a row.

But there was a twist.

Schwartzman, playing with aggression and without fear, levelled at one-set all, and became the first player to take a set off Nadal at Roland Garros since the 2019 final.

"I don't pretend to come here and not lose sets. It is not my mindset to come here and think that losing a set is going to be a disaster for me. That's part

of the game," said Nadal. "Losing sets is something I accept well.

The thing that matters is how you recover from a set lost."

Schwartzman continued to cause problems, and for a short while, in a tense third set, it looked like the Argentine could achieve an even rarer feat: leading Nadal by two sets to one on the Paris clay.

The last time that had happened was back in 2011, when Nadal trailed John Isner in the first round before recovering to win in five sets.

Schwartzman looked more comfortable on serve than his opponent, with Nadal showing a few signs of uncertainty.

Then, from 4-4 in the third set, Nadal suddenly upped his level to leave Schwartzman reeling, and he swung the match back in his favour.

Nadal broke for 5-4 and served out to edge ahead, then dropped just five points in a one-sided fourth set, as Schwartzman - now sapped of energy and belief - wilted.

"I was in a tricky situation, 4-3 for him in the third set, one set all. That was the moment to calm myself, to think about the things that I was doing well in practice," said Nadal. "It was a tough moment. I'm very proud that, from this moment, I played probably my best level of tennis until the end of the match, with not many mistakes." (BBC Sport)

the team aspect of it.

"I guess my contributions now will be more so in small groups and one-onone basis with the players. And team meetings, obviously, I'll share my expertise and give as much guidance as I possibly can, but I still think the captain has to be given his leeway to lead the team the way he wants to lead the team, and we've got to give him confidence and support that we can, as the group."

The first West Indies vs South Africa Test starts on June 10, with the second set for a June 18 start at the same venue. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Athletes for Tokyo Olympics 2020 to be monitored by GPS

Fans from abroad would not be allowed at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics

A

thletes at this summer's Olympics will be subject to GPS monitoring, says Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee Chief Toshiro Muto.

The system will not be used to track their real-time movements, but to trace them retroactively if issues arise around COVID-19.

International members of the media would also be subject to monitoring.

Muto said it had not yet been decided if alcohol would be allowed in the Athletes' Village.

Tokyo remains under a state of emergency amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, with the start of the Olympics just over six weeks away. The Olympics are set to run from 23 July to 8 August, with the Paralympics following from 24 August to 5 September.

Muto has said it would be of "great regret" if athletes from some countries where the Delta variant of coronavirus is spreading were unable to participate.

Border controls have been strengthened in recent weeks in Japan, but insiders said they would not impact "Games-related entries".

Earlier this week it was decided that people arriving from the UK would need to quarantine on arrival for six days rather than three.

However, the British Olympic Association says it has not been told of "any further restrictions facing the British delegation" beyond those outlined in the playbook for the Olympics.

That says athletes and accredited personnel would need to quarantine for three days after they get to Japan. (BBC Sport)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

Maximo unfazed by Golden Jags’ loss to Puerto Rico

H

ead Coach of the Senior Men’s National Football Team, Marcio Maximo, is quite unbothered about the team’s recent loss to Puerto Rico, choosing instead to focus on the positive takeaways from the game.

Guyana succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of ‘The Blue Hurricane’ on Tuesday afternoon, after which Maximo shared his thoughts during a virtual media engagement.

“I think we had great development since last games. I think that the guys come into the game, respond very well,” Maximo shared.

He added, “We had good im-

provement, and hope it stays like this for Guatemala game.”

Despite the Golden Jaguars going down to St Kitts 3-0 just days prior to going down to Puerto Rico by a 2-0 margin, the Head Coach believes the team is showing improvements on the field.

“For me, in comparison with last game, the team improved,” Maximo said adamantly.

“Especially today, you take a lot of observations, for the players, for the team and strategy; and I’m very optimistic that we can do a surprise,” he declared.

“The guys that came into the game today, nobody failed the game, everybody show what we

can do, and I think that we have bright future,” Coach Maximo has posited.

Speaking to the opportunities made available to the Golden Jaguars’ local players, Maximo assured that it would be a good experience for them, going forward.

“Today, eight local players, majority young players, played today. It’s a good experience for them, and I’m sure that in (the future), they’ll start to take results for us,” the Head Coach explained.

The Golden Jaguars’ next international engagement will come on July 3, when they take on Guatemala in the preliminary round of the Gold Cup 2021 quali-

Golden Jaguars Head Coach, Marcio Maximo

fiers.

Guyana will be among 12 teams who, through their CONCACAF Nations League (CNL) performances, will compete in the Preliminary Round (Prelims) from July 2-6 as they vie for a spot in the second knockout stage.

Should Guyana emerge victorious from the knockout, they will advance to battle the winner of a Guadeloupe vs Bahamas matchup for a spot in Group C of the Gold Cup. The Gold Cup will run from July 10 to August 1.

Brazil squad “against” Copa GTTA continues to strive, America, but agree to play despite challenges

T

he Brazil squad have said they are "against" the Copa America, but will not boycott the upcoming South American showpiece.

The Copa America tournament, scheduled to get underway on Sunday, has been overshadowed by controversy and uncertainty after CONMEBOL relocated the event to Brazil.

Postponed from 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Copa America had been due to be shared between Colombia and Argentina, though both countries were removed as co-hosts following respective political and COVID-19 issues.

Brazil was awarded hosting rights, despite being one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Selecao captain Casemiro suggested the entire team was against hosting the Copa America on home soil, with head coach Tite promising more would be revealed following Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Paraguay.

After Neymar and Lucas Paqueta preserved Brazil's perfect qualifying record with a 2-0 win away from home, the squad stated their intentions in a statement via social media, while criticising CONMEBOL. "For different reasons, be they humanitarian or professional, we are not

satisfied with the way the Copa America has been handled by CONMEBOL," the players said.

"All the recent facts lead us to believe in an inadequate process in realising [the tournament]."

Defending champions Brazil are scheduled to open the Copa America against Venezuela in Brasilia on Sunday. Tite's Brazil are in Group B for the Copa America, alongside Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.

"We are workers, professional footballers.

We have a mission to take with the historic green and yellow shirt that won the World Cup five times," the statement continued.

"We are against the organisation of the Copa America, but we will never say no to playing for Brazil."

Amid the uncertainty, the future of Tite has also been called into question due to the stance of the squad. But Tite told reporters post-match: "I am not a hypocrite. I am not aloof, and I know what is happening. But I know what the priority is. The priority is my work and the dignity of my work."

Tite was reluctant to discuss the stance of his players regarding the Copa America, following his historic outing against Paraguay.

Brazil boss Tite has never lost in World Cup qualifying (W16 D2) – the longest unbeaten sequence for a coach of any national team in CONMEBOL history after the Selecao won in Paraguay for the first time since 1985.

(Sportsmax)

Some of the extensive work the GTTA has done thus far

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on sporting activities, despite some sports having resumed being played in Guyana. the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), under the leadership of Godfrey Munroe, has continued to strive in spite of the challenges faced.

The GTTA have been pushing the game of table tennis in schools and elsewhere, to ensure the growth of the sport. In an exclusive interview with this publication, Godfrey Munroe was asked his view on the extensive work the GTTA has done even during the pandemic.

Munroe responded, "It’s been a bit commendable that we are still able to do work.

The nature of our sport allows social distance in some degree, which allowed us to do some work. However, it has been a bit challenging, given the rate of acceleration of programmes needed to expedite and advance the sport in so many dimensions, and based on the trajectory we were on before the pandemic occurred, and the negative impact the pandemic had on slowing that process significantly.

“However, some of the investments made before the pandemic have allowed us to be able to continue to roll out our programmes. For example, the Memorandum of Understanding and partnership with the Government of the People’s Republic of China, through its embassy in Guyana, which provided tables, racquets, balls for developmental work in our schools and community programme, has allowed us to have resources to do work in Regions 6, 10, 2, 9, 4 and Georgetown currently."

The GTTA boss has said that sponsorship engagement with Stag International has allowed the association to have equipment to

GTTA President Godfrey Munroe

support its programmes at the national level.

Munroe also iterated that the investment made in the training of coaches in programmes to ensure there are coaches-instructors has enabled the GTTA to have physical education teachers trained.

"Our work with the Guyana Olympic Association (caused us to access) funding to help a small nucleus of our athletes to be supported with a small stipend (in order) to maintain a system and regimen of training.

Provision of coaching support, our work with coaches and teachers, physical education teachers, all these have helped us in some dimension and degree to continue to work during the pandemic," Munroe added.

He was adamant that all that is being done would, in some measure, help the GTTA to mitigate against the negative impacts and effect of COVID-19 on the sport, as the GTTA seeks to lay the foundation for growth and acceleration.

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

By Brandon Corlette

T

he first Test match between West Indies and South Africa is set to bowl off today - Thursday June 10 - from 10:00h local time at the Daren Sammy National Stadium in St Lucia.

History is on the side of the South Africans, their having won three of the last five matches against the Caribbean team, while drawing two.

Favoured with home conditions, a higher ranking than South Africa, and confidence from recent Test series wins, the West Indies would be eager to turn history around and continue to climb upwards in Test cricket.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Both teams are equipped with strong fast-bowling attacks, and on a relatively quick St

Lucia pitch, the fast bowlers would be eager to get going.

Speaking on

Dean Elgar

the eve of this Test match, captain Kraigg Brathwaite has said his team would be looking to continue the great things that began in Bangladesh. He also noted that the team is excited for what he describes as a challenging series.

While West Indies have not won a Test series against South Africa since a 1-0 series win in 1991, Brathwaite has said his men would be looking to do the simple things right, and rewrite history.

Kraigg Brathwaite

"The guys are ready to go, and as batsmen and bowlers, we know the job we have to do, so we will give it 100% in the field," Brathwaite explained.

The West Indies last won a Test against South Africa in 2007/2008.

South Africa captain Dean Elgar hopes to make the team's training count on match day.

"We are aware of the failures we have had in the past.

The one thing that we can control is our preparation.

That's a key foundation to try and give you success in this format.

We have prepared very well, and with preparation, there is no guarantee of the outcome. We are very aware of what's happened in the past, and we are trying to rectify that, bearing in mind that we've lost quite a few experienced batters in the past. It's now time for guys to put their hands up.

The opportunities are there for guys now," Elgar said.

The South Africans, who are in transition phase with some experienced players out of the mix, are equipped with some talented and capable players the likes of captain Elgar, Kagiso Rabada and Quinton De Kock. Elgar

23

and his men will be aiming to turn the tide and register wins, having lost three of their last five Tests.

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Peterson, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lizaad Williams, Prenelan Subrayen, Marco Jansen.

West Indies squad for first Test reads: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.

Key stats: South Africa have never lost a Test series in the West Indies. They were defeated in a one-off match on their return to the international game in 1992, but have since won three series in the West Indies, and four at home.

Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase need 55 and 131 runs respectively to reach 2000 Test runs.

GCB congratulates new MSC President South Africa have never lost a Test series in the Caribbean

Ramson sheds light on format of Sports Academy

T

he prospect of being able to focus on sport only, while being subsidised for training in their respective disciplines, is the dream of many Guyanese athletes.

Getting up to speed with the international sport world, Guyana has made financial provisions for a sporting academy to be instituted.

Earlier this year, the 2021 $1.5B Budget for Sport had indicated that athletes will have the opportunity to ‘go pro’ in an academy system. Now, Subject Minister Charles Ramson Jr. has shed some more light on the way it would be executed.

Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce’s launch for their Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP) on Tuesday, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., highlighted that this would be a

Sport Minister, Charles Ramson Jr

first for the nation.

“So, for the first time in the country, we now have a line in our budget for a Sports Academy. For the first time in our country!” the Minister boasted.

Delving into the Ministry’s plan for the Academy, Ramson explained

that the intention is to train sport prodigies from their teenage years.

“The Ministry is going to be supporting, through our Sports Academy, a nursery for all of the core sports; which means that from the ages of 14 to I think 21 or so, all of the core sports will

have their nurseries and then as we get out of tournaments, you’ll have an elite training academy,” Ramson explained.

Graduating from the nursery programme, Guyana’s ‘elite’ athletes will then be paid a stipend.

The Minister went on to reveal, “The elite training academy is intended that when you have the above-average players, they go into the academy where they are paid a stipend for the time that they are in there.”

“All these are new initiatives,” he added.

Back in February, in presenting what has been heralded as the largest budget allocation for Sport in Guyana’s history, Dr Ashni Singh revealed that $320M of Sports’ $1.5B budget will be used to implement a ‘Sport Academy’. The Academy, according to the budget, will benefit athletes and coaches.

(Jemima Holmes)

Malteenoes Sports Club President, Deborah McNichol

T

he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has extended congratulations to Ms. Deborah McNichol on her recent election, unopposed, to the presidency of the Malteenoes Sports Club.

Ms. McNichol has brought to this position a wealth of experience, having served for many years on the executive committee of the Malteenoes Sports Club as well as the Georgetown Cricket Association.

The GCB notes that Ms Mc Nichol is the first female president of a major cricket club in Guyana and possibly in the Caribbean.

The GCB feels her ascendancy to the position of president is testimony to her hard work and commitment, and trusts that this achievement would set the stage for more females to come forward and contribute to the progress and development of Guyana cricket, both as players and cricket administrators.

“The GCB commends the members of Malteenoes Sports Club for having placed their confidence in Ms. McNichol, and by so doing, having broken the gender barrier.

The GCB wishes Ms. McNichol a successful tenure as president of the Malteenoes Sports Club, and stands willing to assist her as she undertakes the stewardship of one of Guyana’s leading sports clubs”.

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

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

See story on page 23

Page 21

“It has been a strange Maximo unfazed by Golden transition” − says Jason Holder Jags’ loss to Puerto Rico on losing Test captaincy Page 22

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