Guyana Times - Thursday, June 24, 2021

P19 15

Trudeau taps Guyana-born former Labour leader, Mayor to fill Senate vacancies Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4688

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

GECOM’s legal officer, chief accountant found in breach of contract – Commissioner ...both resign before action taken Page 3

Operation Tradewinds 2021

Tactical training important for Guyana – President

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Demerara Bank secures US$7M from IDB to support P2 SMEs …5 local companies benefit from funding

Jagdeo P11 appeals default libel judgement Stabroek Market vendor’s murder

“I am fearful my children will have to face the same thing I did” – spouse P10 Page 14

No exit records for over 38,000 Haitians in Guyana between 2015-2020 Page 7

…Govt seeks restrictions to curb human trafficking, smuggling

Guyana is yet to CDEMA teams meet with receive 182,000 stakeholders Sputnik V 2nd to commence doses – Dr Anthony Countrywide flooding

P17

Pages 9& 16

Page 12

damage assessment

…2 more COVID-19 deaths, 125 new cases

Guyana gets US$6.7M from World Bank to improve education sector P12 Driver killed after truck plunges into Demerara River P13

2021 drilling campaign

Exxon exploring Pinktail-1, P15 Cataback wells offshore Guyana

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Demerara Bank secures US$7M from IDB to support SMEs …5 local companies benefit from funding

D

emerara Bank Limited has become the first local financial institution to tap into the Inter-American Development Bank’s Trade Finance Facilitation Programme (TFFP), which will see five of its clients benefiting from some US$7 million in funding.

The TFFP was set up in 2005 to promote development and economic growth in the Region through the expansion of trade financing to Latin America and Caribbean banks, broadening the sources of trade finance available to importers and exporters, and to support internationalisation.

Under this IDB initiative, Demerara Bank was granted a line of credit facility to be used for short-term international trade finance transactions to support local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The five companies that will benefit from the US$7 million facility are: DDL Group (manufacturing); A. Cayume Hakh & Sons and Golden Fleece Rice Investment (agriculture), and Dinar Trading and Pure Diamonds Inc (mining).

During a handing-over ceremony Wednesday morning, Demerara Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pravinchandra Dave said

these companies represented three of Guyana’s priority sectors.

“There were two issues for the exporters. The major issue was cost of credit, which was perceived as high – and I think it’s a little high in Guyana. If you go to an ordinary bank for financing, the bank would charge you between eight per cent to 12 per cent, depends on the bank and size of the loan…

The IDB [has] gracefully agreed to provide us with a line of credit where we can provide a cheaper finance to the exporters by way of these shipment facilities,” he stated.

According to Dave, the

(Sitting) Demerara Bank CEO Pravinchandra Dave; Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, Demerara Bank Chairman Dr Yesu Persaud and IDB Representative Sophie Makonnen along with the representatives of the five beneficiaries of the TFFP funding

facility will also inject US dollars into the local economy. He noted that this was just the beginning since Demerara Bank was in discussions with the IDB officials in Washington, who have promised that the TFFP funding would be revolving. As such, the CEO said Demerara Bank would be widening the sectors that would benefit from the facility.

The TFFP initiative falls under IDB Invest, the Private Sector arm of the IDB Group. As such, IDB Country Representative Sophie Makonnen spoke of the expanding role of the hemispheric institution in partnering with the regional Private Sector.

“We recognised the importance of support growth and the growth is also about supporting the private because it is a critical and fundamental part of developing a country. With all the opportunities that are now presenting themselves … the Private Sector is poised to be part of this transformation and the banks are here to support the Private Sector, thus the line of credit,” she

noted.

Makonnen went on to note the crucial role small businesses play in the economy as the main source of employment not just in Guyana but the entire Latin America and Caribbean region.

“It is true that they account for small shares of the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] and value creation… But it means that it’s fundamental to support small businesses’ growth, improve productivity and with all the innovation, and in key sectors that are critical in the diversification of the economy,” the IDB Representative stated.

On the same note, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh also lauded the IDB for diversifying its investments, noting that it coincided with the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government’s push to have a diversified economy.

“So I was happy to hear amongst your beneficiaries, agriculture, mining and… even manufacturing. Those sectors reflect the direction in which the Guyanese economy will be going… We need

to, together – Government, financial sector, domestic Private Sector and our valued and cherished development partners – consider how we ensure that we realise this aspiration of ours to have a strong and widely diversified economy,” he said.

According to the Finance Minister, Wednesday’s disbursement of funding is an important step in that direction and represents an example of what partnerships can achieve.

Dr Singh also praised Demerara Bank for all that it has achieved since opening in 1994.

This was after the indigenous bank’s Chairman and founder, Yesu Persaud had detailed during Wednesday’s simple ceremony at its Corporate Office on Camp Street, Georgetown, the arduous process of establishing the bank. Pointing to the challenges faced back then and to the success the bank has achieved today, the Guyanese business tycoon encouraged the beneficiaries of the TFFP funding to use that as motivation to be resilient and persevere in the face of hardship, to succeed. (G8)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Thursday, June 24 – 03:30h-05:00h and Friday, June 25 – 04:00h-05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, June 24 – 16:15h-17:45h and Friday, June 25 – 17:00h-18:30h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day with brief thundery showers in the mid-afternoon.

Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected in the night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-Easterly to North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 16:22h reaching a maximum height of 2.60 metres.

Low Tide: 09:53h and 22:07h reaching minimum heights of 0.43 metre and 0.64 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS J

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Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

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GECOM’s legal officer, chief accountant found in breach of contract – Commissioner ...both resign before action taken

T

he Legal Officer of the Guyana Elections C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM), Attorney Excellence Dazzell, and Chief Accountant Joseph Eastman have resigned after they were found to be in breach of their contracts, among other things.

This is according to Government-nominated Commissioner Bibi Shadick, who on Wednesday said the issues relating to their employment were discussed on separate occasions this year at the level of GECOM’s seven-member Commission.

Shadick told Guyana Times that Eastman surprisingly had a 10-year contract which had expired, and he applied to have it renewed. But according to the Government-nominated Commissioner, she had issues with his performance as the Chief Accountant.

“Reading the Auditor General’s report and seeing all the financial irregularities that were taking place at GECOM and all the queries that were made by the Auditor General, I didn’t think that he was doing his job properly. I had a problem with that, so when [his contract renewal] came up, I said, ‘No, we can’t approve’,” she related.

Among the findings in the AG report that Commissioner Shadick cited was the fact that Eastman would give “bizarre” responses to queries made by the Auditor General, and that the financial statements for the elections body were not up to date.

“If that was your job, you’re supposed to do it properly, especially if you’re coming up for contract renewal,” she contended.

Nevertheless, during the time his renewal was being considered, Shadick said, an advertisement appeared in the newspaper for a Tax Consultancy firm operating on Camp Street, Georgetown, which listed Eastman’s personal cellular phone number as the contact.

When confronted, the then Chief Accountant admitted to the GECOM Commission that he had been working all the time for the namesake company, which his father founded.

Shadick said Eastman had claimed that he got approval from former GECOM Chief Elections Officer Gocool Boodoo to conduct private practice, which the Commissioner contended is a breach of this contract.

But she noted that there was nothing in writing to confirm this. As such, the matter was scheduled to be dealt with at Tuesday’s meeting when the seven-member Commission met to discuss the employment of embattled Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, his dep-

GECOM Legal Officer Excellence Dazzell

GECOM Chief Accountant Joseph Eastman

Government-nominated Commissioner Bibi Shadick

uty Roxanne Myers, and Returning Officer for Region Four Clairmont Mingo.

However, at the beginning of the meeting, they were informed that Eastman has tendered his resignation.

Similar circumstances had also surrounding the Legal Officer’s resignation.

Shadick explained that she was somewhat aware that Attorney Dazzell was practising privately despite being employed at GECOM. However, after being informed earlier this year that Dazzell had a “very active private practice”, she moved a motion at the Commission’s level for her to be moved.

According to the Government-nominated Commissioner, private practice was a breach of the contract the lawyer had with GECOM. “She was asked to answer to the allegations that were made, and she accept-

ed that she was practising [privately]… but that the former Chairman [James Patterson] had given her permission. But, again, there is nothing in writing, and it was never discussed with the Commission,” the Commissioner posited.

But according to Shadick, who was on the panel that interviewed Dazzell for the job, what was more egregious was the fact that the legal officer failed to represent GECOM at any time it was involved in litigation, particularly during last years’ five-month post-electoral impasse.

“In all those times when GECOM was being listed as a respondent in all those matters that were being filed, and GECOM would have to enter an appearance, she would not stand up and enter an appearance for GECOM, and there were some other things…so I moved a motion for her to be relieved of her duties,”

she noted.

But Dazzell had some leave accumulated and had taken them in May, during which she resigned.

Commissioner Shadick further sought to clarify that she was not going around looking to remove persons, adding that it was purely coincidental that these two cases came up consecutively.

Nonetheless, she underscored the need for the posts of Legal Officer and Chief Accountant be filled as soon as possible, given their importance within GECOM. Only Tuesday, the seven-member GECOM Commission unanimously decided to send the trio of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo – all of whom are currently before the courts facing charges relating to electoral fraud – on leave.

This publication’s attempts to get a comment from both Dazzell and Eastman proved futile. (G8)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 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

Road fatalities I

n the aftermath of the recent horrendous fatal road accidents within a fairly short period of time, the consequences have attracted much attention. Many families are now left trying to cope with the loss of loved ones.

The recent accidents on the West Coast of Demerara, Berbice Highway and the Linden-Soesdyke Highway have raised much discussion on the dire situation. Guyanese across the country found common ground to condemn and empathise.

The sudden and shocking death of someone close, especially due to an accident, can never be easy. The ensuing excruciating pain and mental trauma that are inflicted on surviving relatives can be unbearable.

In a fleeting moment, families were plunged into sadness and despair, having received the dreadful news that an accident had taken the life of someone dear to them. That’s the painful result, and often its real and lingering impact may be hidden from the spotlight of the media.

The reality is that people, including those who survive an accident, suffer in unimaginable ways. The recent spate of accidents even prompted some to ask the question, “How many more?” One interpretation from that simple question speaks to whether lessons are being learnt from accidents over time. In other words, how many more have to die before better care is being taken while using the roadways?

Given what has taken place on our roadways, one could not be faulted for concluding that the results of the accidents may not have inspired a more responsible behaviour. However, judging from sentiments expressed on social media, it appears that more cognisance has seemingly being brought to the mindsets of many.

While that is extremely heartening, there is uncertainty as to whether the mindsets of the regular errant drivers have been impacted, or whether they have learnt anything from what were obviously painful experiences of others. Judging from what continues to take place on the roadways, it seems clear that many drivers haven’t learnt, or are clearly refusing to even be bothered by the harrowing fatal accidents.

On a daily basis, many drivers use the roadways in a very reckless manner, thereby endangering occupants and other road users, the least being themselves. It becomes painful even to see how they manoeuvre, seemingly without an iota of care for others. Again, it brings into question the role of law enforcement to try and curb such irresponsible behaviour, especially since some traffic violations do occur in the presence of Police.

Even if the Police were to offer an excuse, inexcusable as it may be, there is none that can be offered for not using the public CCTV cameras to take action against the errant drivers. Many of these cameras are strategically placed at some intersections where traffic lights are mounted and in other areas. Very often, persons generally using the cameras from their cell phones would snap and post a picture of a traffic violation.

Many of those violations involve a minibus. It begs another question: if members of the public can take the time and effort to highlight daily traffic violations, and from which the Police sometimes intervene, why can’t the Police themselves use the CCTV cameras in a sustained effort to make defaulters face the law? Millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money were used to procure and mount those cameras; therefore, their value must be to benefit the public.

In addition, the suggestion for undercover cops posing as passengers is repeated. That would help to authenticate, if nothing else is working, violations of speeding, reckless driving, and overloading, among others.

Importantly, the Police must holistically demonstrate that sense of commitment to genuinely collaborate with members of the public to collectively tackle the situation.

This becomes even more necessary given that, generally, the Police’s image in clamping down on errant drivers is not very flattering, especially since many police ranks are believed to own minibuses and taxis. The pain people feel is real and crushing. The question of “how many” is therefore relevant, and the cries for mitigating actions must no longer seemingly fall on deaf ears.

Ranks participating in Exercise Tradewinds 2021 displaying their tactical skills during a field exercise on Wednesday at Yarrowkabra Range, Linden-Soesdyke Highway (GDF photo)

Climate colonialism and the EU’s Green Deal …by employing corporate solutions for climate change, the EU’s Green Deal will entrench further European neocolonial practices

By Myriam Douo

S

ince the beginning of the year, the Amazon Rainforest, our largest tropical forest full of ecosystems essential to global climate regulation networks, has had 430,000 acres (174,000 hectares) cleared and burned to supply the logging industry and clear land for livestock breeding.

Between August 2019 and July 2020, another 2.7 million acres (1.1 million hectares) were destroyed. Much of the wood and meat produced in Brazil from this deforestation ends up in Global North markets.

In Southeast Asia, deforestation linked to the palm oil industry also continues.

Between 2018 and 2020, almost 500,000 acres (202,000 hectares) of rainforest were cleared in just three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, leading to Indigenous communities losing their land.

The demand for palm oil from top food brands in the Global North remains high, despite their commitments to reduce use.

Meanwhile, the push for greener sources of energy, particularly in the Global North, is driving the demand for metals like nickel, cobalt and lithium. Labourers in mining communities working to extract these metals face dangerous and degrading working conditions.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the use of child labour in cobalt mines is widespread, putting the lives of children at risk, damaging their health and depriving them of education. In Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, lithium mining uses large quantities of water, accelerating

desertification and polluting underground waters and rivers, putting the health of local communities at risk.

According to data gathered by London-based NGO Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, there have been 304 complaints of human rights violations by 115 companies mining these minerals.

Although the end of colonialism was declared decades ago, its last effects in the form of these extractive industries are clear. The system of Indigenous land takeovers, resource extraction, labour exploitation and wealth transfer set up by European colonialists continues to operate and dispossess people in the Global South.

It is against the backdrop of this neo-colonial reality that the European Union announced its Green Deal at the end of 2019.

Underpinned by an apolitical narrative that humans have already changed the Earth’s climate and degraded the majority of its ecosystems, so action needs to be taken, the Green Deal completely ignores the fact that the Global North was the main driver of climate change and environmental degradation across the world.

European Governments and corporations not only damaged and destroyed the environment on the continent and exploited local marginalised communities, but have been engaged in the same exact behaviour and worse, on all other continents.

The natural world in Africa, Asia and Latin America has been destroyed through the capitalist economic systems deployed

by the Global North which normalised, expanded and strengthened hyper-extraction through overproduction and over-consumption.

The European Green Deal does not outline how it will reconcile and repair the losses and damages EU countries have caused to ecosystems and communities outside of Europe. Nor does it acknowledge how this damage forces people in the Global South to migrate to Europe’s shores, where they experience pushbacks, must less offer a solution.

The European Green Deal also ignores the environmental impact of Europe’s drive for renewable energy and electric mobility on other parts of the world, where resources for this economic shift will have to be extracted. It also does not pay attention to how climate change and environmental degradation have disproportionately affected its own marginalised communities and the poor and destitute in the Global South.

In other words, in the pursuit of making the EU the first climate-neutral region in the world by 2050, Brussels is falling back on its old ways and deploying what we call climate colonialism.

The EU’s apolitical narrative on climate change – ignoring the impact of colonialism and capitalism and heavily influenced by the very corporations who profit from them – could result in climate action that is not only non-impactful but, worse, could be unsustainable and damaging for marginalised communities on the continent as well as the Global South.

It relies on tech solu-

tions and silver-bullet ideas, promising to lead a “green, sustainable” economy with electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines and other exciting renewable innovations.

But the question is, who will this be sustainable for?

In order not to fall into climate colonialism, the European Green Deal needs a clear plan to eradicate harmful extractive models, recognise its historical responsibility in the climate crisis, and provide accountability for the damage EU companies cause in the Global South.

Working within the same system that causes injustice will only reproduce injustice. We at Equinox have put forward a number of important recommendations that could help steer the Green Deal away from its capitalistic, colonial foundation and towards new holistic, intersectional approaches that put social and racial justice at its core.

Among these recommendations are a clear commitment to racial justice, integrated policies linking the EU’s Anti-Racist Action Plan to the Green Deal, institutional reform, and a new relationship with civil society.

Only by acknowledging that it is perpetuating colonial capitalism, and committing to ending this approach, can the EU’s Green Deal be truly effective in addressing climate change. For far too long, European governments and companies have wreaked havoc across the world. It is time for justice, accountability and a complete overhaul of economic systems. Our collective survival depends on it. (Al Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

5

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

Ogle Airport Inc violated member’s right

Dear Editor, Enshrined in Section 189 (1)(b) of the Companies Act is this provision: “A company shall prepare and maintain at its registered office records containing min-

utes of meeting…”, and further, in Section 194 (1), the law allows the members of the company access, free of charge, to examine the company’s records – which includes minutes of meeting(s)

during the usual hours of the company.

Yet Ogle Airport Inc. (OAI), the company which is an integral part of the Public-Private Partnership arrangement of the Eugene

How much longer will this carnage continue?

Dear Editor, Based on what was observed, it seems as if immediately after the Guyana Police Force announced that the stop-and-search procedure would be reduced, motorists started to show their appreciation by recklessly utilising their freedom on the roadways to cause serious and sometimes fatal accidents around the country.

It boggles my mind to see so many accidents occurring and motorists continuing to disregard all caution that they are supposed to exercise on the roadways. Added to that, we’re presently experiencing periodic heavy rainfall, and that makes the roadways extremely slippery and dangerous.

Editor, we are presently confronting the deadly COVID-19 virus, heavy rainfall that is causing widespread flooding, unnecessary increase in prices for almost everything available in Guyana, and now the unwanted and deadly accidents occurring countrywide.

Without a doubt, there’s no way Guyanese could be pleased.

We are seeing a dogeat-dog situation obtaining.

Instead of us coming together and working for solutions to ease ourselves away from the various disaster facing us, we are instead adding fuel to the proverbial fire.

Guyanese are hard-working people, but money is not circulating; sellers are using the floods to inhumanely increase the prices of their products; presumptuous people are defying the laws of the land to host events and parties, to encourage gatherings which makes it possible for the COVID-19 virus to spread, and when the authorities act, it becomes an issue.

Finally, Editor, looking at the condition of vehicles in the aftermath of those accidents, it is remarkable that people survive some of those accidents. Many have asked how come the vehicle in the recent accident at Stewartville split. It’s no se-

cret that, to beat the taxation system in Guyana, many people would ‘chop/cut’ a good car/vehicle in two, and ship it to Guyana either by and to various people to eliminate trace, and then a body shop would weld the two parts back together. Again, in most cases, for cheaper service, they would go to places where that type of service doesn’t cost too much, and in reality, those doing the work are not properly trained to do that kind of welding.

In addition, used tyres are very prevalent in Guyana, although they are condemned in other countries, which deem them unsafe. So, when a mishap occurs, they malfunction, causing an additional burden to the drivers. My main concern is that, knowing so many accidents are occurring, drivers are still getting involved in accidents. Are supernatural forces taking control of their vehicles?

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

F Correia International Airport, has continuously denied all of my formal requests, and violated my rights as a member of the company to examine the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting (AGM).

I understand clearly that minutes only get approved at the next AGM, but they should still be distributed and circulated among the members, or at least be made available upon any member’s request, within a few days of the AGM of which they are recorded, and not nearly one year after they were recorded, as is usually the case with OAI. The reason is very simple and logical. Members of the company not only require the minutes to implement the decisions which were made, but to keep track of them throughout the year leading up to the next AGM. Almost always, these decisions are major and critical to the operations of the company. They involve policies, financial dealings, major infrastructural projects to be undertaken, and so on. Therefore, it is necessary that the minutes get into the hands of the members fresh out of the AGM, and not a few days before the next AGM. Though the Companies Act gives a one-year timeline to circulate the minutes between AGMs, it is an

abuse and breach of several provisions of the Act to delay circulation of the minutes while denying a member access to examine the minutes within a reasonable time immediately after the AGM. I call upon the Chairman, Company Secretary, and Directors of the Board of OAI to immediately right this wrong, since the next AGM is just a few weeks away.

Yours faithfully, Capt A Mazahar Ally Managing Director for ASL, AMSL & GRSI Shareholders of OAI Editor’s note: This letter was sent to Ogle Airport Inc for a response. The following is the response: Dear Editor, I write on behalf of Ogle Airport Inc. with regard to correspondence you have received from Capt A Mazahar Ally, Managing Director for

ASL, AMSL and GRSI. I am pleased to inform you that the shareholders of Ogle Airport Inc have received the Draft Minutes of the 2020 AGM, along with the Notice for the 2021 AGM, scheduled to be held on Monday, 28th June, 2021.

Mr Mazahar Ally has been free to visit our registered office at any time, to examine the approved Minutes of the 2019 AGM and the Draft Minutes of the 2020 AGM when they were completed.

Mr Ally has not made a formal request to visit our offices for this purpose.

It is important to point out that the Minutes of the 2020 AGM remain in Draft, and will become the permanent record of the company only when they are approved at the 2021 AGM. Regards, Kit Nascimento Public Relations Consultant Ogle Airport Inc

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$75.19/barrel

Rough Rice

$238.500 /ton

-0.82

London Sugar

$423.60/ton

+1.17

Live Spot Gold

+0.51

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1774.50

$1775.50

Low/High Change

$1772.80 -3.80

$1796.00 -0.21%

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Question 1

Wednesday’s answers

By Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

T

o fully create a realistic-looking nest, start by identifying the tasks in front of you. Consider the following: Will the nest structure require framework?

How do you keep the nest from falling apart? How would birds do it? (mud and saliva, spider webs, weaving grasses, etc.) For our nests, what could we use instead of mud?

What kinds of materials would work best for the main nest?

For example, what length and thickness of twigs and/or grasses might be best? Should items be flexible or sturdy?

How do you keep the inner shape of the nest relatively round?

Should you add a lining for the eggs and baby birds? What might birds use? (soft plant fibers, dog fur, downy feathers, leaves, etc.)

Is there anything unique about the nest that you’d like to build?

Would you add a roof of sorts or create more of a cavity style? (.greatstems.com)

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went.

The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No exit records for over 38,000 Haitians in Guyana between 2015-2020

…Govt seeks restrictions to curb human trafficking, smuggling Restrictions

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

F

aced with growing concerns of human trafficking and the more than 30,000 Haitian nationals who entered Guyana over the past few years but cannot be accounted for, the Government of Guyana has opted to implement visa restrictions on Cubans and Haitians seeking to enter

During an edition of ‘Issues in the News’, Attorney General Senior Counsel Anil Nandlall announced the impending implementation of visa restrictions for Haitians and Cubans.

According to Nandlall, the Government’s sole motivation is to curb human smuggling.

“You know that we have a problem in Guyana which we have been grappling with, and it is the influx of illegal aliens into Guyana and the influx of persons from various nationalities into Guyana. It has long been suspected that they are part of a human smuggling ring of international stature. They enter Guyana and they do not remain here. Very few leave through the channels they came,” he disclosed.

According to Nandlall, the human smuggling ring involves Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans. He referred to last week’s discovery of 10 Haitian teens, including one

requirements. Guyana will be moving in that direction,” Nandlall said.

According to Nandlall, the 10 teens who were discovered last week are being looked after at the Hugo Chavez Centre on the West Coast of Berbice while Police conduct their investigations.

The AG has also lambasted A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) personalities for twisting it into an issue of race.

“The last time we arrested and detained them, they went to the courts. And obviously, every time you try to do something, the APNU/ AFC plays the race card.

So, it’s not about protecting Guyana’s borders, it’s not about enforcing Guyana’s laws, it’s not about ensuring that our country is not being used as a trans-shipment point; it’s about (race). That’s the only card they can play on the table.”

In November 2020, Police in E Division (Linden-

The Haitians who were intercepted in Guyana last year (File photo)

Guyana.

According to data seen by this publication, as many as 9,239 Haitians entered Guyana in 2020. However, only 717 are documented by the authorities as leaving. For 2021 so far, 1378 Haitians were documented entering Guyana, but only 165 were shown to have left.

In 2019, there was a whopping total of 20,261 arrivals of Haitian nationals in Guyana. However, only 1,697 were recorded as leaving Guyana, a difference of 18,564. In fact, a cumulative total of 38,187 Haitian nationals entered Guyana from 2015 to 2021, but were never recorded as having left.

who was pregnant, who were found in a hotel at Skeldon, East Berbice without any passport or ID. “These are the classic trappings of a human smuggling ring, where you have young women, young men and people deposit them.

They come through the backtrack route illegally, and the person just disappeared with their passport. And they are left in a hotel room, to become a charge on the state.

“Well, there are laws to govern these situations… we have to tackle this issue once and for all. Only three countries in the Caribbean are visa free for Haitians. All the other Caribbean countries had to put in place visa

Kwakwani) had arrested 26 Haitians who had reportedly entered Guyana illegally. They were reportedly intercepted in two minibuses at Mabura Trail, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

It was reported that the Haitians were detained after it was discovered that they had entered the country illegally via Suriname.

Police related that the foreign nationals were enroute to neighbouring Brazil at the time of interception.

The Haitians were placed in protective custody at the Hugo Chávez Centre, and Chief Magistrate Sherdel Issacs-Marcus had granted an order to deport them after being approached by the

Immigration Office.

However, the Association of Haitian Nationals in Guyana successfully approached Acting Chief Justice Roxane George on December 3, to block the deportation until the constitu-

tionality of their detention came up for the hearing of arguments on December 18.

Before the hearing could come up, however, the 26 Haitians who were detained and subsequently released by local authorities pending

the determination of court proceedings disappeared from their city dwelling.

This publication had visited the guest house, where it was confirmed that the 26 Haitians, including children, were no longer there. (G3)

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Porter who snatched US Coast Guard’s purse remanded

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wenty-eight-year-old Alvin Archer, who had previously been charged with armed robbery, was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he allegedly stole several items from a US Coast Guard.

A porter of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, Archer was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, before whom he pleaded not guilty to the charge, which alleged that on June 20, 2021, at Croal Street Georgetown, he stole from the person of Melissa Owens one brown purse valued at $8,000, one apple iPhone 11 valued at $250,000, and cash in the sum of $9,200, property of Owens.

The Police Prosecutor told the court that the virtual complainant is a US citizen who is enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and is currently in Guyana for a training exercise. On the day in question, the woman and two of her colleagues were walking along Croal Street, Georgetown when Archer emerged from a crowd and into their path.

Archer then snatched the

Remanded: Alvin Archer

woman’s purse containing her cell phone and other valuables before running back into the crowd, but Owens gave chase after him. The defendant was eventually apprehended by Police ranks on patrol duty at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.

Surrounded by armed Police ranks, Archer dropped the woman’s purse, but was later escorted to the Brickdam Police Station.

The Police Prosecutor objected to Archer being released on bail on the basis that he has similar charges

before the courts. The accused thief has thus been remanded to prison, and the case has been adjourned to July 7.

In March 2020, Archer and another man appeared in court on a robbery-under-arms charge alleging that on March 18, 2020, at Dowding Street, Kitty, Georgetown, he and Jermaine Grenville, while being armed with a pair of scissors, robbed Terrence Bouyeau of a Samsung J2 prime cellphone valued at $30,000, together with a memory card and a SIM card.

They both denied the charges.

The court was told that on the day in question, Bouyeau, a truck driver, was heading home when he was accosted by Archer and his alleged accomplice. While Archer stabbed the man, Grenville relieved him of his cell phone.

Following the ordeal, the virtual complainant alerted nearby Police ranks, who apprehended the men. They were searched and the cell phone was allegedly found on Grenville. (G1)

Manufactured ignorance...

O

…by the PNC ne way to keep people under your thumb is to keep them ignorant. Men all over controlled women by “keeping them barefooted and pregnant”, and leaders ensured that hicks never got to see the bright lights of the city, so they’d remain happy with the pigs on the farm. And pigs, we know, are happiest when they’re knee deep in sh*t! But as radio, movies, TV, and finally social media permeated even the most remote hamlet, it became impossible to hide the fact that one didn’t HAVE to live in do-do.

But that didn’t stop men from controlling others. Using the old, tried and true dictum that “a sucker is born every minute”, democracy ironically became a new way of keeping unwary folks in thrall: by MANUFACTURING ignorance.

They discovered that ignorance wasn’t just NOT KNOWING what’s going on, but could also result in feeding folks horse sh*t and convincing them that it was “KNOWLEDGE”! In caps even!!

Take, for instance, right here in Guyana. Our “land of six peoples” was united after WWII about throwing out the British to run the country by ourselves. Until, of course, Burnham - who’d mastered the art of manufacturing ignorance from an old master named Machiavelli - convinced African-Guyanese that he should be LEADER. Not because he was just an out-and-out, conniving megalomaniac, but he was “doing it for them”!! This was all manufactured ignorance, because though he “tacked and turned” with every whim of the British and the US - and these were the words of the latter! - he had “his people” believe Jagan was their enemy.

But the proof of the pudding on manufactured ignorance came after Burnham and the PNC benefited from a “constitutional coup” by the British, and took power in 1964. Burnham and his successors absolutely destroyed the country and all its institutions - with the people (all people) walking around with “white mouth” – yet, in 1992, in the first “free and fair” elections in 28 years, the PNC received the same percentage of votes they’d garnered back in 1964!! And this was in the face of the most profound activist in politics to come out of Guyana - Walter Rodney, who just happened to also be African-Guyanese - trying to open up people’s eyes. That’s the power of manufactured ignorance!!

And so here we are in 2021, almost a quarter of a century into the new millennium, and the PNC are still shovelling BS to their supporters. And they’re lapping it up. And your Eyewitness isn’t even talking about their BS that they didn’t try to rig the elections of March 2, 2020.

Imagine them convincing followers that the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t genuine!! …and vaccines So, let’s talk a bit about vaccines in general. Viruses have been around even longer than mankind, so, obviously, they had been infecting us and causing illnesses from the beginning. Yes, dear readers, Neanderthals were also hit by viruses. But as far as fighting them, it wasn’t till 1796 that one fella named Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids who had contracted COWPOX - similar to the human SMALLPOX - were immune to smallpox.

Jenner’s eureka moment came when he figured out that the infected milkmaids had produced SOMETHING within their bodies that could fight the smallpox virus. So, as knowledge of what that SOMETHING was became known - a complex process by the cells of our body’s auto-immune system that coaxed the similar virus or later a denatured one -vaccines became widespread. So we conquered once feared diseases like polio, which was prevalent in Guyana into the late 1950s. Who in Guyana haven’t received their MMR shots?

So, you’d think by now we’d have been resistant to PNC’s manufactured ignorance.

But a fool… …on Caricom’s “free movement” It’s an open secret that Haitians and Cubans are being trafficked through Guyana. The new “visa” requirement for them will simply require that they have the means of staying in Guyana.

That’s “racist”?

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

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 more COVID-19 deaths, 125 new cases GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JUNE 23 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

125

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

115

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1473

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

20

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

8

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

9892

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

9467

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

19,359

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

17,297

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

229,053

FULLY IMMUNISED

101,246

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

454

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1182

REGION 2

537

REGION 3

2225

REGION 4

8982

REGION 5

652

REGION 6

1466

REGION 7

1243

REGION 8

379

REGION 9

1325

REGION 10

1368

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.

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

G

uyana’s COVID-19 death toll continues to climb as two more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus died.

According to the Health Ministry on Wednesday, this now takes the total number of deaths locally from the virus to 454.

The latest fatalities are a 68-year-old female from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) and a 55-year-old

male from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). They both died on Tuesday while receiving care at medical facilities in the respective regions.

With these, the COVID-19 death toll for the month of June has gone up to 56. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus here last year, May became the deadliest month with 99 fatalities, after surpassing April’s tally of 66.

New cases

Meanwhile, some 125 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 from 2018 tests conducted in the previous 24 hours.

This is according to the updated dashboard on Wednesday, which indicated that the total number of confirmed cases has increased to 19,359.

But only 1608 of these are currently active cases,

including 20 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The other 1588 persons are in isolation – 115 in institutional isolation and the remaining 1473 in home isolation.

There are also eight persons in institutional quarantine.

Some 17,297 persons have recovered from the life-threatening virus to date – with 56 recoveries reported on Wednesday.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Guyana last year, 180,632 persons have been tested for COVID-19 with 9467 males and 9892 females returning positive results.

Of the 125 new cases recorded on Wednesday, 11 were from Region One

(Barima-Waini), two from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 14 from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), a whopping 53 cases from DemeraraMahaica, another two cases from Region Five (MahaicaBerbice), 24 from Region Six, four from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and the remaining 15 cases from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-r Berbice).

There were no new cases recorded in Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) in the past 24 hours, according to Wednesday’s dashboard.

Meanwhile, as more people continue to get vaccinated, authorities are urging the public to continue observing all COVID-19 pre-

ventative measures, particularly masking in public, social distancing, and frequent hand washing and sanitising. The measures also include a 22:30h (10:30 pm) to 04:00h (4 am) national curfew that is in effect until June 30, 2021.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Wednesday, some 178,837,204 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 3,880,450 deaths.

WHO also reported on Sunday that in the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 71,055,452 while the death toll in the Region has gone up to 1,868,214.

tim armed himself with a cutlass and chopped the suspect to his shoulder.

The suspect retaliated by firing a shot in the victim’s direction, which struck him in the upper left chest. The suspect subsequently fled the scene.

The victim was escorted

by public-spirited citizens to a health post where he succumbed to his injury.

His body was then taken to the Bartica Hospital, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted.

Police are on the hunt for the suspect. (G9)

(G8)

Moruca miner shot dead after chopping man

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he family of a Moruca, Region One (BarimaWaini) miner is in mourning after he was shot dead subsequent to chopping a man with a cutlass.

Dead is Shane Blake, a 30-year-old miner of Moruca, North West District (NWD).

Police said that Blake was shot dead around 05:20h on Tuesday by a 30-year-old suspect at their camp at Middle Mazaruni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Reports are that on Tuesday morning, the victim was awakened by the armed suspect who ordered him to put on his clothes.

Upon complying, the vic-

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Stabroek Market vendor’s murder

“I am fearful my children will have to face the same thing I did” – spouse F

By LaWanda McAllister

our children, aged seven, nine, 12 and 14, have been left fatherless after their father’s life was snuffed out by a 46-year-old vendor, who is now in custody for stabbing him to death at the Stabroek Market Square in Georgetown on Tuesday afternoon.

Dead is 35-year-old Robert Bizzette of Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Reports are that he and the suspect were arguing at about 16:30h after the suspect had objected to the placement of Bizzette’s stall. During that argument, Bizzette had pulled out a “jucker” and allegedly threatened the suspect.

The argument continued, and Bizzette armed himself with an axe and chased the suspect, who was armed with a knife.

The Police have said that the suspect fell down, and Bizzette walked away, after which the suspect got up

and stabbed Bizzette multiple times.

Bizzette then ran to the Police mobile outpost, where he fell to the ground and was immediately escorted to the hospital, where he died while receiving treatment.

On Wednesday, Guyana Times visited Bizzette’s home, where the mother of his children, Sherrimae Tixey, told this publication that the argument was initially not a serious matter.

“They had an altercation before, not nothing serious, because is a cart that start the story, sleeping on the cart. My child father talk to he about it before on more than one occasion, and is only yesterday (Tuesday) they had an altercation (about the same cart).

Me don’t know if he malicious, me don’t know if he presumptuous and he still go and lay down on it, and it cause a whole story,” she said.

The woman said Bizzette had been selling at the market since he was a child, and had never previously had

Dead: Robert Bizzette

such an altercation. She said he had started his own business about 10 years ago, and had resumed working at the market square only after returning from the interior.

“According to what the people them did saying, it was like a confrontation with weapons, and me children father had the upper hand. That’s what all the source say; and when he turned his back, he just blow

him”, she said.

Tixey, who had shared a relationship with Bizzette for the past 13 years, said now that he is gone, she is fearful that her fatherless children would have to face rejection the same way she had had to face it.

“I am fearful that my children will have to face the same thing I did. To be honest, I lost friends before, but not nobody so close… It’s hard, it’s like what I faced…

Although my father is still alive and he is a millionaire, he is pay no interest in me… it was my mother, who is a strong woman, that teach me my ways, and I will have to cope for them [her children]. I just trying to cope with it”, the tearful woman said.

Tixey said she was hopeful that her children’s father’s life could have been saved, because he had so much to live for, especially his children.

“The only plead I would like to plead is…I can’t understand, with the amount of people out there, nobody couldn’t stop and nobody couldn’t’ve said nothing, even self if I passing by, I couldn’t say nothing to shun or turn away Rod? All I want is justice”, the grieving woman said.

“Short Boss” appealing life sentence over killing of Timehri youth

Confessed killer Travis Evans

Dead: Ronsley Clarke

ravis Evans, called “Short Boss”, is appealing the life sentence imposed on him for the killing of 21-year-old Ronsley Clarke, whom he shot dead at a Sophia party back in 2018.

Initially indicted for the capital offence of murder, 26-year-old Evans had appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon in the Demerara High Court in April and had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment with eligibility for parole after serving 25 years.

Evans unlawfully killed Clarke on August 2, 2018

in the county of Demerara.

The Prosecutor had stated that on the day in question, Clarke, a mason of Timehri, East Bank Demerara, and his girlfriend were at a birthday celebration at “C” Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown. While Clarke was sitting next to a horse cart with his friends, Evans walked up to him and shot him before escaping. He was subsequently arrested, and according to the prosecutor, he gave Police ranks a caution statement in which he stated that he and Clarke had had a disagreement a day before, and as a result, he shot him.

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TURN TO PAGE 14

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Jagdeo appeals default libel judgement V

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo has moved to set aside a default libel judgement granted against him by High Court Judge Sandra Kurtzious.

In a Notice of Appeal filed on Monday at the Demerara Full Court, Jagdeo is not only challenging the Judge’s ruling, but is also seeking an urgent stay of its enforcement until the hearing and determination of his appeal.

Last Wednesday, Justice Kurtzious affirmed the default judgment she had initially rendered on March 11, after dismissing an application filed by Jagdeo to have it set aside.

Although she upheld the judgement, the Judge recalled her previous award for damages set at $20 million to former APNU/ AFC Government Minister Annette Ferguson, who had filed the lawsuit against Jagdeo in January 2020.

Following the dismissal of his application, Jagdeo was ordered to pay $75,000 in court costs to Ferguson.

The parties in the matter have been instructed to file submissions concerning the assessment of damages. The Judge will make an award on July 28.

Justice Kurtzious rendered the default judgment

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

after Jagdeo’s lawyer at the time, Anil Nandlall, SC, now the Attorney General, failed to file a defence within the time prescribed in accordance with Part 12:01 (2) (d) of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR).

Attorney-at-law Lyndon Amsterdam had filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ferguson, claiming that she had been defamed by Jagdeo, who had made certain statements questioning her acquisition of a house lot and the construction of her home at Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

Ferguson had also claimed that her reputation was tarnished by the statements Jagdeo had made while he was Leader of the

Opposition.

Should the Full Court set aside the judgement, the Vice President then wants the court to grant an order allowing him leave to file a defence in the claim. Hoping to have the judgment set aside, Jagdeo’s lawyer, Devindra Kissoon, is contending that Justice Kurtzious erred in arriving at her decision.

Jagdeo contends that the Judge erred in law and in fact when she found that he had no prospect of defending the claim. He similarly argues that she erred and misdirected herself in law by entering a default judgment against him without considering all of the grounds of his defence, which were only recently filed. Arguing again that the Judge had erred and misdirected herself in law, Jagdeo pointed out that Justice Kurtzious had attempted to assess the evidence and conduct a mini-trial, as opposed to merely finding that he had a real prospect of success, overlooking and failing to assess the facts averred in his pleadings, which would be proved at trial.

Having examined the statements Jagdeo had made about Ferguson, Justice Kurtzious underscored that they were very serious allegations, as they

suggested she was corrupt and involved in misappropriation. In that regard, the Judge said the defences relied on by him could not stand.

The High Court Judge also found that he failed to disclose the source of the information he disseminated.

But Jagdeo maintains that “The learned trial Judge erred in law and in fact by misconstruing and misapplying the law surrounding the defences of fair comment and qualified privilege.”

Moreover, Jagdeo contends that the Judge erred in law and in fact by finding that the explanation proffered by him for failure to file the defence was not good and substantial.

His counsel had previously submitted that his client had a good reason for failing to file a defence.

The lawyer had, among other things, deposed that this was as a result of Jagdeo’s then lawyer, Anil Nandlall, now the Attorney General, being preoccupied, having been responsible for a large part of the PPP/C’s March 2020 national elections campaign.

Besides this, Kissoon had also submitted that Nandlall was also extensively and exclusively engaged in matters relating to elections, includ-

Annette Ferguson

ing acting as lead counsel for Jagdeo in election-related litigation, as well as matters involving a recount of votes.

But although the reasons for the non-filing of a defence proffered by Jagdeo were numerous, Justice Kurtzious held, “They left the court unconvinced as to their accuracy and reasonableness.”

According to the High Court Judge, Jagdeo’s claim that his failure to file a defence was as a result of the courts not sitting for most of 2020 “is incorrect, to say the least. “The court was never closed totally to the public…” She said that the courts were working under COVID-19 practice directions that were disseminated to practising lawyers by the Bar Association and published in the Official Gazette. (G1)

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana gets US$6.7M from World Bank to improve education sector T he Government of Guyana has been able to secure approval from the World Bank for a US$6.7 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which will go to improving Guyana’s education sector.

According to a statement from the bank, the project will be aimed at improving learning in nursery schools, increasing the use of technology in primary schools, and improving the functionality of the national education management information system.

The money is being administered under the Guyana Education Sector Program Project. World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Ozan Sevimli, was quoted as speaking of the importance of education to unlock Guyana’s human capital potential.

“Guyana’s education sector has made progress in the last 15 years.

There have been improvements; however, the learning outcomes remain low, and improving the quality of education at all levels will be the priority for Guyana to develop its human capital,” Sevimli said.

Meanwhile, GPE Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright has said that with the global COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on the education sector, it is important for Guyana to get all the help it can get for its education sector.

“As the impact of the pan-

The Smart classroom that was commissioned at Leonora Secondary School in April 2021

demic on education is still being felt around the world, GPE’s support to strengthen education in Guyana is more critical than ever. GPE will continue to help make Guyana’s education system more resilient and effective, so that the most vulnerable girls and boys can go to school and learn,” Albright said.

It was explained in the statement that at the nursery level, money for the project will support teacher training, to improve how teachers approach learning as well as delivering a new curriculum.

“The training will include foundational skills as well as student-centred pedagogy, formative assessments, and socio-emotional aspects which are of particular importance during the pandemic.

The project will also provide learning materials and deliver parental education,” the statement said.

“At the primary level, the financing will equip schools with computer tablets to enable them to use technology for foundational skills like mathematics and literacy, as well as smart classrooms to support learning. Given the inequitable access to learning during

the school closures, technology-assisted learning can facilitate teaching and cater to more learning styles for students with different needs.”

It was further explained that the project will finance the further development and roll out of an integrated education management information system at the national level in the nursery, primary and secondary sectors.

“This enhanced system will generate information, enabling stakeholders across levels to make informed and evidence-based decisions. This project will complement

two ongoing projects financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association.

“The Education Sector Improvement Project aims to improve mathematics education and the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The Secondary Education Improvement Project is also strengthening innovative teaching methods, increasing enrollment in secondary schools, and supporting school construction,” the World Bank said.

GPE, of which the World Bank Group is a member, is a global fund that focuses on financing education-related projects to help students in lower income countries achieve a quality education, one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Since the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) return to power, it has made the delivery of smart classrooms and schools a priority.

Earlier this year, the Education Ministry commissioned smart classrooms at the Brickdam Secondary School and the East Ruimveldt Secondary School in Region Four, and a smart classroom at the Leonora Secondary School in Region Three.

It was announced that all smart classrooms will have an interactive board, a television that allows teachers and students to connect remotely, and motion and voice-activated cameras complete with a face recognition feature. (G3)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Driver killed after truck plunges into Demerara River

A

truck driver is now dead after the lorry he was operating plunged into the Demerara River at the John Fernandes Wharf located at Water Street, Georgetown.

Dead is 36-year-old Sheldon Wilson of Hand-enVeldt Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Police said on Wednesday that Wilson had gone to the wharf in motor lorry GNN 7207 to collect feed from a boat on Tuesday.

After collecting the feed, Wilson started the truck; however, it went over the rail and into the river.

Several persons jumped into the river to rescue the driver, who was found and taken to the hospital. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Guyana Times under-

Dead: Sheldon Wilson

stands that it took some 20 minutes for personnel on site to retrieve Wilson, who was trapped in the cabin of the truck.

Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) footage seen by this

newspaper showed the truck slowly driving towards the river and later going overboard.

When contacted on Wednesday, Wilson’s mother ,Valmai Ramsay, was still in a state of shock and could not speak with the media; however, his aunt, Denise Ramsay told this publication that her nephew’s death has shaken the family.

Wilson’s aunt said her nephew, who had no children nor wife, lived with his parents.

She said on Tuesday, he left his Mahaica ECD home, with the intention of going to work. Little did they know that he would

The truck being pulled out of the Demerara River

not return.

“We heard that the truck driver over the river and he drowned… he left home very early yesterday [Tuesday] for work…. He has three other siblings and he was the only one that is with his parents. We are taking it very hard, because he wasn’t sick; it is something sudden, so it will affect us a lot,” Ramsay said.

She added that since the accident, Wilson’s mother could not stop crying for her son and has been taking his sudden death very hard.

Following the incident on Tuesday, it was reported that the Labour Ministry was said to be investigating the matter.

(G9)

14 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Operation Tradewinds 2021

Tactical training important for Guyana – President

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has hailed a success the tactical exercise of Operation Tradewinds 2021, conducted on Wednesday at the Yarrowkabra Range on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

During the adrenaline-packed simulation, the ranks showcased their tactical abilities and demonstrated the skills learnt over the past two weeks.

The demonstration culminated with three Black Hawk helicopters swooping down to ferry the ranks to safety, signalling a successful extraction of the troops.

The Head of State, who was accompanied by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief of Staff

Brigadier

Godfrey

Bess,

National Security Advisor

Captain Gerry Gouveia, and other military officials from participating countries, including the United States, applauded the performance.

“I want to thank you guys. I think this was a great exercise,” the Commanderin- Chief was quoted by Office of the President’s Public Information and Press Services Unit as saying.

President Ali pointed to the importance of strengthening the decision-making capabilities of the ranks in the fields, which he said would allow them to strategise better, and respond better to a range of scenarios.

The Head of State add-

ed that the strategies and teamwork executed by the ranks are needed to combat the changing nature of crime in the region.

Prior to arriving at Yarrowkabra, the Commander-in-Chief had stopped at the Ramada Princess Hotel, where he was given an administrative and logistical briefing on the two-week operation.

He was also provided with a situation update on two enemies’ courses of action, as well as three friendly forces’ courses of action by several staff officers.

After the briefing, he lauded the ranks for the successful execution of Operation Tradewinds, given the COVID-19 environment in which they operated.

“I would like to see at the end of the exercise, the heads come together and maybe develop a manual as to how you did it in such an environment for future exercises, and out of that you can develop a master plan of best practices in operating and working in an environment that we are in right now.”

This, he added, would be a critical, progressive and visionary outcome of the exercise, and would pave the way for future exercises.

Tradewinds is a US Southern Commandsponsored combined joint

exercise conducted with partner nations to enhance the collective ability of defence forces and constabularies to counter transnational criminal organisations, conduct humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief operations.

Tradewinds exercises also help to develop strong relationships and reinforce human rights awareness.

This exercise dates back to the mid-1980s.

Representatives from the United States and 12 partner nations, including host nation Guyana, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Netherlands, Brazil, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are participating in the 36th iteration of Tradewinds. The exercise commenced on June 12 and is scheduled to run until June 25.

As hosts, 350 ranks from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were trained in various military skills, including close-quarters combat.

Local ranks have also been trained in marksmanship, emergency medical evacuation, search-and-rescue and recovery responses, and mechanical and engineering repairs for both air and water transportation, among other areas.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2021 drilling campaign

Exxon exploring Pinktail-1, Cataback wells offshore Guyana CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

ExxonMobil has said it anticipates that at least six projects offshore Guyana will be online by 2027. A fourth project, Yellowtail, has been identified within the block with anticipated start up in late 2025 pending government approvals and project sanctioning. This project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30

O

The Noble Sam Croft will drill both wells

il giant ExxonMobil is going full steam ahead with its 2021 drilling campaign, conducting drilling operations at two new wells in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The two wells are the Pinktail-1 and the Cataback-1, which are being drilled by Exxon subsidiary and block operator Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) 104 nautical miles off the coast of Guyana.

According to notices from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the Pinktail-1 well will be drilled by the MODU Noble Sam Croft from June 18 to June 22, 2021. The area being drilled is approximately 0.29 nautical square miles.

Meanwhile, the Noble

Sam Croft will be drilling the Cataback-1 well from June 22 to July 3, 2021.

In both notices, MARAD warned mariners to stay clear of these vessels as they worked, and to “navigate with extreme caution when in the vicinity.”

Earlier this year, ExxonMobil had deployed the Stena DrillMAX and the Noble Sam Croft to enable further exploration and evaluation while continuing development drilling activities offshore Guyana.

It was only recently that ExxonMobil made its 20th discovery of oil offshore Guyana, finding 230 feet or 70 metres 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, which was drilled in over 6000 feet of water, had 70 metres of high-quality oil reservoirs.

Longtail-3 follows on the success of Longtail-1, wherein oil was found by Exxon in 2018. Prior to Longtail, Exxon last found oil in the Uaru-2 well in April of this year. At the time, that was Exxon’s 19th find. The company had said at the time that it deployed the two additional drill ships in the first quarter of 2021.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). EEPGL is the operator, and holds 45 per cent interest in the Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of

kilometres) southeast of the Liza developments.

The start-up of Liza Phase 2 remains on target for 2022, as the Liza Unity FPSO prepares for sail away from Singapore to Guyana later this year. The Unity FPSO has a production capacity of 220,000 barrels of oil per day at peak rates. The hull for the Prosperity FPSO vessel, the third project at the Payara Field, is complete, and topsides construction activities have com-

menced in Singapore with a startup target of 2024.

These new projects continue to drive investment in the Guyanese economy.

More than 2,300 Guyanese are now supporting project activities on and offshore, which reflects a more than 20 percent increase since the end of 2019. ExxonMobil and its key contractors have spent approximately US$388 million with more than 800 local companies since 2015.

16 NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana is yet to receive 182,000 Sputnik V 2nd doses – Dr Anthony

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ome 182,000 second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine are outstanding from Government’s purchase order, but Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has assured that the jabs will arrive within the necessary timeframe for persons to receive their second shots.

Dr Anthony made this disclosure during Wednesday’s update on the COVID-19 situation in Guyana as he responded to concerns raised on social media about the unavailability of the second dose of the Russian-made jab.

The Health Minister explained that Government had first ordered 400,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine – 200,000 first doses and 200,000 second doses.

From that, Guyana has al-

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

ready received the 200,000 first doses as well as 61,000 of the second doses.

The country then placed a second order for 86,000

doses, comprising of 43,000 first doses and 43,000 second doses. However, while all of the first doses from this second order were re-

Drunken father stabs teen son

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19-year-old lad has been stabbed by his drunken father at their home at Number 55 Village, Corentyne, Berbice on Monday evening.

Police reports are that the 43-year-old father and his friends were in the yard consuming alcohol. The son had retired to bed, but could not sleep because of the noise his father and his friends were making. As a result, he went downstairs and asked them to tone down the noise.

This triggered an argument between the father and son, during which the father armed himself with a screwdriver and stabbed his son to the chest.

The teenager ran out of the yard and was rescued by

his neighbour, who rushed him to the Skeldon Public Hospital. He, however, took self-discharge and went to his mother’s residence and told her that he was okay, after which he went home.

According to his mother, at about 07:30h on Tuesday, her son collapsed in front of her gate. As a

result, she rushed him to the Port Mourant Public Hospital, where he was seen by a doctor and was later transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he is a patient.

Checks were made for the suspect, but he was not found. Investigations are ongoing. (G9)

ceived, none of the second doses were delivered.

As such, in total, the country is still awaiting the arrival of second doses from both purchase orders, amounting to a total of 182,000 doses.

On May 27, the Health Ministry had announced that no second doses of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine are available following a delay in supplies. And to date the country remains without second doses.

But Minister Anthony speculated on Wednesday that this long delay in shipment could be due to global events, particularly spikes in COVID-19 cases in Russia.

“There are various spikes around the globe, and you have in Moscow itself.

You have spikes, new cases especially with the Delta variant, and in Moscow they have increased vaccination. So, I think globally there will be an issue of supply,” he explained.

Nevertheless, he reiterated that persons who have already received their first dose of the Sputnik V can wait up to 12 weeks to receive the second dose. Dr Anthony also assured that the second doses would arrive well within that timeframe.

“We have not exceeded that 12-weeks yet…and we are working very hard to make sure that we get those second doses in before that 12-weeks expire…I am reassured that we will get it before that 12-weeks expire.

So, people out there can rest assure that they will get their second dose [Sputnik V] vaccine within that timeframe,” he posited.

Meanwhile, the Health Minister is encouraging persons who have not as yet taken any vaccine to take their first dose.

“We have enough first doses right now, that does not stop you from making sure that you come out and get your first dose vaccine.

And we’ll be able to get you your second dose in time,” he posited.

However, Dr Anthony further reminded that second doses of the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines are

Last week, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon had called for the suspension of the Sputnik V vaccine amid concerns that the vaccines were fake – something which Government has vehemently denied. In defending the use of the Russianmade jab, it had pointed to the adequate paper trail and detailed processes in place to track the authenticity of the Sputnik V vaccines being used to immunise the population.

In fact, the Russian

available, and he urged persons who are due for their second shot to go and get it.

To date, 229,053 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, representing 47.1 per cent of the adult population. Of these, a total of 101,246 persons, or 20.8 per cent of the population, are now fully inoculated.

“I think this is a milestone worth celebrating…

With persons who’ve received both doses of their vaccines, we have not seen any of those persons coming to the hospital, meaning they don’t get the most severe form of the infection, nor have they been admitted to any of our ICUs or die from COVID, and I think that’s a very important thing for people to understand,” Dr Anthony stressed.

Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), in a letter to Dr Anthony on Tuesday, confirmed the authenticity of the Sputnik V vaccines. In the correspondence from RDIF Director General Alexander Christyakov, it was noted that batches were dispatched to a company called Aurugulf in the United Arab Emirates, which received authority to sell and distribute Sputnik V shots to other countries, including Guyana. All documentation relation to the batch release, certification of analysis and packing list were also provided.

Nevertheless, Harmon, who is fully vaccinated with the said Russian-made jab, on Monday had admitted that the question of the authenticity of the Sputnik vaccine “is not so much of an issue”. (G8)

“Short Boss” appealing life...

Reports are that Clarke was shot to his right-side rib and his right-side upper back in the presence of his girlfriend. His cause of death was given as haemorrhage and shock due to gunshot wounds.

During a sentencing hearing, Justice Kissoon had told Evans, “This is the gravest offence that can be committed by man on his fellow man.” Considering this, the Judge noted that although the factors highlighted in mitigation were considered, they would not be of tremendous aid, given the circumstances under which Clarke had met his demise.

According to the High Court Judge, apart from sexual offences, which account for a large portion of matters listed in the crim-

inal assizes, murder also dominates the list.

Evans is also charged with the 2018 murder of 46-year-old Gregory Frank.

That charge against Evans alleges that between July 31 and August 2, 2018, at Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway, he murdered Frank during the course of a robbery.

According to reports, Frank, a legal clerk, was found lying in a pool of blood in his home at Lot 686 Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway. The gruesome discovery was made by Frank’s father after he had suspected something was amiss and had decided to check on his son.

A post-mortem performed on Frank’s body revealed that he died as a result of asphyxiation due to

FROM PAGE 10

compression injury to the neck, compounded by blunt trauma to the head.

Moreover, Evans is awaiting trial at the High Court in Demerara for rape.

It is alleged that on October 30, 2010, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration of a woman without her consent.

He was also charged with robbing the same woman of $650,000 on the same date, while being armed with a knife. He pleaded not guilty to this charge, but was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by a High Court Judge.

Evans was among three prisoners who escaped from the Lusignan Prison in October 2018. For that offence, he has also been sentenced to a term of imprisonment. (G1)

NEWS

17

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Countrywide flooding

CDEMA teams meet with stakeholders to commence damage assessment CDEMA Coordination Unit.

On Wednesday, teams were deployed to commence assessments in Regions Two, Five, Seven and Ten. Two teams will be covering Region Seven, with one team conducting assessments in the Lower and Middle Cuyuni-Mazaruni and the other team assessing the Upper CuyuniMazaruni.

The team in Region Five will also be conducting the assessment for Region Six.

An officer from the assessment team in Region 7 on Wednesday

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he “Detailed Damage Sector Assessment” (DDSA) on Guyana’s current flooding situation began on Wednesday, with teams being deployed to the various regions and commencing meetings with the respective regional executives and other stakeholders in each region.

According to a report from the Department of Public Information, the teams will be covering assessments and analysis across seven sectors; namely health, water

and sanitation, infrastructure and housing, agriculture, social services, shelter and mining in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Each respective team would include specialists for each of the sectors being assessed.

The DDSA is based on an agreement between the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management

Agency (CDEMA) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), with the team being comprised of multiple stakeholders from several international, regional and local agencies.

Support for the deployment of the DDSA is being provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Eastern and Southern Caribbean through the Caribbean Climate Resilience Initiative, which is being implemented by the

Men experiencing domestic violence, sexual abuse urged to speak out

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ommander of Region Two (PomeroonS u p e n a a m ) , Superintendent Crystal Robinson, on Tuesday evening encouraged men who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse to speak out and file Police reports against their attackers, even if they are women.

She was at the time being interviewed on the weekly “Police and You” radio programme hosted by Police Public Relations Officer Stan Gouveia.

Acknowledging that the issue of men being victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse is still taboo, the Commander assured that the Police in her division treat these matters very sensitively, so as to protect the identities of victims.

In fact, she revealed that throughout her entire career, she had come across only two instances where men had spoken out against their female abusers.

“Since my years in the Guyana Police Force, I’ve come across about two reports where females raped men. The matters went to court, but the men never turned up,” the Commander said.

“I also know of a woman abusing her husband.

He did (go) to court and she was fined, because he said he don’t want her to be incarcerated. She was fined, and

Commander Superintendent Crystal Robinson

eventually they separated,” the Commander added.

She noted that society has an important role to play in men staying silent in these situations, and she encouraged communities to be more supportive of men showing emotions.

“What happens with society, when you’re coming up as a youngster and you cry, persons say, ‘Why you crying? You want to be a sissie?

You’re a man! Stop crying!

Stand up, men don’t cry!” But we have to realise that we’re only human, and we have feelings, and there is nothing wrong with men crying,” the Commander posited.

She explained that this is a problem with society that

needs to be corrected.

“I think men don’t want to look small in society because (they realise their) peers would look down on (them) and say, ‘How you allow she to beat you up, boy?’…and all kinds of things… [and because of that] persons don’t want to come out and talk when their rights are being violated,” the Commander explained.

However, she made it clear that “the same action we take against the man, the same action we take against the woman,” as she encouraged male victims to report their attackers.

The Commander reassured that cases of sexual abuse and domestic violence in her region are dealt with professionally, and with the strictest confidence.

“When [the media] call me, I tell them I’m not reporting on no sexual violence, no domestic violence…I’m not giving you any information. I don’t even send rape messages to Georgetown, I don’t….

I always keep it together because you don’t know the mind of a person, especially the young people. You don’t know their minds, and when you’re going to put it out there…We are not really caring for nobody, we just want to get the news to put out there, but you have to remember someone is suffering silently,” the Commander expressed.

The assessments are expected to last at least five days in each region, upon which the team will then analyse the data gathered and submit a complete report.

The team scheduled to cover Region Two will visit the communities of Anna Regina, Devonshire Castle, Bounty Hall, Queenstown, Perseverance, Suddie, and David James Scheme.

The Region Five team was scheduled to cover Fort Wellington, Woodley Park,

Bath, Rosignol, Ithaca, and Blairmont for the first day.

In Region Seven, the Upper Cuyuni-Mazaruni team was schedule to visit Imbaimadai/Omenike and Kambaru, while the Lower Cuyuni-Mazaruni team was expected to visit Bartica, Agatash, and Dog Point.

In Region 10, that team was scheduled to begin their assessment with visits to Block 42, Amelia’s Ward, Rainbow City, Silvertown, and Lower Kara Kara.

Linden road closed for 1 week to facilitate major repairs

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wing to major repair works being undertaken on a stretch of road along Casaurina Drive in Linden, by the Public Works Ministry, the connecting Washer Pond Road situated in the vicinity of the Guyana Revenue Authority has been closed to vehicular traffic for one week.

The closure took effect from 13:00h on Tuesday.

Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Chairman Deron Adams, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Public Works Committee Chairman Eleze BenjaminHall and Councillor Hugh Stephens paid a visit to the site on Tuesday to monitor the works being executed and have since made a promise to follow the progress of the project closely.

Drainage works commenced at the location, which has been in need of significant repairs for a few months; however, road works commenced on Tuesday. As a result of the closure, traffic will be diverted along the nearby Noitgedacht road, which was recently rehabilitated.

Meanwhile, following a visit to the site, the Regional Chairman in an invited comment said he was optimistic that the works would be executed at a high standard.

“The project is being done by the Ministry of Public Works staff, so I believe at the end of it, we will have a good quality standard coming out of this entire project...They’ve upgraded the drainage system….However, I think one of the concerns is that we have to maybe look and see that some materials might be washing down from the Bosai (bauxite company) area into the drains. And so we have to have a team go out and possibly assess it. Maybe have Bosai themselves come on board to see how we can remedy that,” the Regional Chairman explained.

He added that a number of other areas in Linden have also been identified for major rehabilitation.

One of the roads that are being rehabilitated in Linden

Regional Chairman Adams pleaded with mem-

bers of the public to be patient as works continue.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

Regional

Brazil’s Environment Minister quits Trinidad: Taxpayers to foot amid illegal logging investigation TT$110M bill for CAL retrenchment

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Scientists say the Amazon has suffered losses at an accelerated rate since President Jair Bolsonaro took office

B

razil’s Environment Minister has quit ahead of a criminal investigation into claims he obstructed a Police inquiry into illegal logging in the Amazon.

Ricardo Salles is accused of vouching for the legal origin of a vast haul of timber worth approximately US$25 million.

This is despite police evidence that it had been illegally logged.

Salles is also facing a separate investigation into allegations that he was involved in the export of illegal tim-

ber to the US and Europe.

“I understand that Brazil throughout this year and next, on the international stage and also nationally, needs to have a strong union of interests,” Salles said on Wednesday. “So that this can be done as smoothly as possible, I have submitted my resignation.”

He has repeatedly defended his record on protecting the rainforest, arguing that he had tried to find a balance between mining and agribusiness and the need to safeguard the Amazon.

In 2019, Salles told the

BBC: “Brazil has done an excellent job. We have 84 per cent of the Amazon preserved as opposed to many other countries that criticise us, they have no forest anymore.”

Conservationists have blamed the Government of President Jair Bolsonaro for turning a blind eye to farmers and loggers clearing land in the Amazon, hastening deforestation.

Salles will be replaced by the Ministry’s Secretary for the Amazon, Joaquim Alvaro Pereira Leite. (BBC News)

Actor Michael B Jordan to rename J’Ouvert rum after Nicki Minaj criticism

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ctor Michael B Jordan is to rename his rum drink brand amid allegations of Caribbean cultural appropriation.

The Creed star’s J’Ouvert liquor shares its name with a carnival tradition which, while celebrating Caribbean culture, has ties to 19th Century slavery.

In an Instagram post explaining the history, Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj urged Jordan to rethink its use.

Jordan posted an apology and confirmed plans to change the name after “a lot of listening” to the community.

“I just wanna say on behalf of myself & my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture (we love & respect) and hoped to celebrate & shine a positive light on,” he wrote in a statement on his Instagram story.

“We hear you. I hear you & want to be clear that we are in the process of renaming,” he added of the drink, which launched earlier this month.

The actor, who was born in California and played villain Erik Killmonger in Black Panther, has no links to the Caribbean.

Actors Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, and

Chadwick Boseman at a Black Panther press junket In her post addressing the controversy, Minaj clarified that she did not believe Jordan would “intentionally do anything he thought Caribbean people would find offensive”.

Khemi Salhan, associate at law firm Gowling WLG, told BBC News that Jordan’s swift response reflected the importance of cultural awareness in modern-day marketing.

“Contemporary values demand more sensitivity towards issues of cultural appropriation and stereotyping,” she said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaica’s PM announces curfew ease

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he Jamaica Government Tuesday announced reduced hours for the curfew as it moves to reopen the entertainment industry hard hit by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Parliament that effective July 1, the curfew hours will begin 23:00 (11 pm) Mondays to Saturdays and 18:00h (6 pm) on Sundays, ending at 05:00 (5 am) the following day. He said this will continue until August 11.

“We believe, Madam Speaker, that this will allow almost full return in terms of business capacity to the quick service industries,

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness

and it will start the phasing-in of entertainment,” Holness told legislators, adding that the entertainment sector will have to be reset to operate within the new hours.

He said that beaches, rovers, zoos, water parks

and attractions will open from 6 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturdays and from 6 am to 5 pm on Sundays given the change in curfew hours.

“In crafting the approach to events and entertainment, we have paid careful attention to reducing and mitigating the risk on the one hand, while optimising the social and economic benefits of a phased resumption of the other,” Holness said, adding that the Ministries of Health and Wellness, local Government and Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, had been working together to develop the new protocols.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

he State will finance the retrenchment of 25 per cent of staff at Caribbean Airlines (CAL) at an estimated cost of TT$110 million.

This was revealed by Finance Minister Colm Imbert in the Senate after he was asked by Opposition Senator Wade Mark how the severance packages for the 450 employees would be financed.

On Monday, the airline announced it had suffered over TT$172 million in losses for the first quarter of 2021 and, in an effort to ensure a sustainable business model

going forward, it would be retrenching up to 450 employees and cutting its fleet and routes.

On Tuesday, Imbert said the airline was at the beginning of the consultation process for staff reduction and is finalising the exact number of personnel to be sent home.

“Caribbean Airlines does not have the required finances for the severance payments and therefore the severance payments will be financed by the Ministry of Finance,” Imbert said.

Asked by Mark the value of the severance packages, Imbert responded, “The esti-

mate given to the Ministry of Finance at this time, which is subject to finalisation, is in the vicinity of TT$110 million.”

Mark also asked how the proposed retrenchment would affect CAL’s future operations.

Imbert said the airline had informed the Finance Ministry that passenger demands on its routes are forecast to decrease in the short to medium term by both the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and CAL’s consultant, Amadeus.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Once-kidnapped Colombian politician wants more “heart” from ex-rebels

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former Colombian presidential candidate once held for more than six years by the FARC rebels on Wednesday criticised former guerrillas who have asked forgiveness for kidnappings.

Ingrid Betancourt, who was rescued in a cinematic military operation in 2008, met face-to-face for the first time with now-demobilised Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leaders as part of the ex-guerrillas’ participation in a truth commission created under a 2016 peace deal.

“I wanted to hear you speak from your heart, not from politics,” Betancourt said. “This is a meeting of hearts, not a political meeting.”

Former FARC leaders accepted responsibility for tens of thousands of kidnappings earlier this year. Exfighters, including top leader Rodrigo Londono, repeated their regret on Wednesday.

Betancourt thanked some ex-guerrillas who have tried to understand the suffering of the kidnapped and their families, but said while she and other victims cried

Ingrid Betancourt, French-Colombian politician and former FARC hostage, speaks during an act of recognition with the participation of her kidnappers and their now political party Comunes, in Bogota, Colombia, June 23, 2021

at the event, former fighters had dry eyes.

“Becoming human again is crying together. Someday we will need to cry together,” Betancourt said, urging the group to hand over drug trafficking assets for victim reparation.

The event included testimonies from seven other victims and seven former combatants.

Some victims said they forgive the FARC. “I have forgiven to stop poisoning my spirit,” said

Armando Acuna, who was kidnapped in 2009. “I want to ask (the FARC) to do all that is humanly – and even inhumanly – possible for the peace of this country.”

Others said more needed to be done, especially in the search for remains of hostages who died while being held.

“There isn’t a day when I get up and don’t think of them,” said Helmuth Angulo, whose parents were kidnapped and killed by the FARC in 2000. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US to send 3 million J&J COVID-19 vaccine doses to Brazil

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he United States will today ship three million doses of the Johnson & Johnson oneshot COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil, the country with the second-highest coronavirus death toll in the world, a White House official said on Wednesday.

The shipment – part of Washington’s pledge to donate 80 million vaccines –will depart Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on an Azul Airlines flight this evening, bound for Campinas, a city in south-eastern Brazil about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from São Paulo, the official said.

The donation comes as Brazil continues to battle the virus, which has claimed

over half a million lives, aggravating deep political divides ahead of next year’s presidential election and sparking unrest around the country.

The White House said scientific teams and legal and regulatory authorities from both countries worked together to ensure prompt delivery.

The one-shot J&J vaccine is seen as particularly helpful in ensuring effective vaccination rates in remote areas since it does not require a second dose.

The official said the vaccines had been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and would come from the supply that the United States had

immediately available.

Brazil had already given regulatory approval to the J&J vaccine, providing the quickest path to getting a large number of doses to the country immediately, the official added.

Manufacturing of the J&J vaccines at Emergent BioSolutions Inc’s Baltimore plant was halted in April by the FDA following a production error that led to millions of doses being ruined.

The White House official underscored that the doses being shipped to Brazil were safe and stressed they came with no strings attached for the Government of President Jair Bolsonaro.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil climbs to highest in over 2 years as US supplies tighten

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il prices rose on Wednesday, with Brent climbing above US$76 a barrel to its highest since late 2018, after data showed US crude inventories declined as travel picks up.

US crude inventories fell by 7.6 million barrels last week to 459.1 million barrels, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said, a much steeper drawdown than the 3.9 million barrels that analysts had expected in a Reuters poll.

Stockpiles at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for US crude futures, fell by 1.8 million barrels to the lowest since March 2020. Gasoline demand also edged higher last week.

"People are getting back in their cars again and that's showing up in the numbers in a big way. That's going to keep the upward pressure on prices," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

Brent crude rose 38 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to end the session at US$75.19 a barrel. Its session high, US$76.02 after the EIA data, was the highest since October 2018. US West Texas Intermediate added 23 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to settle at US$73.08 after hitting US$74.25, also the highest since October 2018.

A retreat in the US dollar has also boosted the price of crude, making it less expensive for buyers holding other currencies.

"The inventory relief could provide another reason for the OPEC+ alliance to boost production further from August, and the coming meeting next week is expected to be material for policy and prices going forward," said Rystad Energy’s oil markets analyst Louise Dickson.

Brent has gained more than 45 per cent this year, supported by supply cuts led by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) and as easing coronavirus restrictions boost demand.

Some industry executives are talking of crude returning to US$100 for the first time since 2014. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Leaked UN draft report warns of accelerating climate devastation

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leaked draft report from the United Nations has painted a distressing picture of how climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

In what is by far considered the most comprehensive catalogue ever assembled of how climate change is upending the world, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) drafted a 4000-page document that was seen

by AFP news agency on Wednesday.

Species extinction, more widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas – these and other devastating climate effects are accelerating and are bound to become painfully obvious before a child born today turns 30, according to the draft report.

“The worst is yet to come, affecting our children’s and

grandchildren’s lives much more than our own,” the draft report says.

But the document, designed to influence critical policy decisions, is not scheduled for release until February 2022 – too late for crunch UN summits this year on climate, biodiversity and food systems, some scientists say.

The report warns that previous major climate shocks dramatically altered the environment and wiped out most species, raising the question of whether humanity is sowing the seeds of its own demise.

“Life on Earth can recover from a drastic climate shift by evolving into new species and creating new ecosystems,” it says.

“Humans cannot.”

The IPCC released a statement on Wednesday saying it “does not comment on the contents of draft reports while work is still ongoing”. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Trudeau taps Guyana-born former Labour leader, Mayor to fill Senate vacancies

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rime Minister Justin Trudeau announced three new Senate appointments on Tuesday — a former national union leader, the current mayor of Cornwall, Ontario and the CEO of Port Saint John — as he chips away at the 15 vacancies that have piled up in the Red Chamber over the past two years.

With these new picks, Trudeau has now installed 55 Senators in the upper house — an unusually large number of appointments for a single Prime Minister.

More than half of all sitting Senators were appointed by Trudeau. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper let vacancies in the place pile up as the 2013-15 expenses scandal raged on, leaving Trudeau with more opportunities to appoint

Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff looks on as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Labour 7 Consultation in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 (Justin Tang/ The Canadian Press)

senators friendly to his push for an independent Senate.

Hassan Yussuff — who, until just last week, was the President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) — will represent Ontario in the Senate.

The Guyana-born labour

leader was accused by some within the union movement of being too cosy with the governing Liberals.

At its convention last week, the CLC affirmed its longstanding support for the New Democratic Party over the objections of Yussuff

and others who said they favoured a more "pragmatic" approach to political alliances.

While at the CLC, the country's largest labour organisation, Yussuff was tapped by the Liberal Government to serve on a number of advisory bodies, including the NAFTA Council, the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities and the Net-Zero Advisory Body.

Before taking the reins of the CLC, Yussuff worked at the now-defunct Canadian Auto Workers union.

Yussuff was the first person of colour to hold an executive position at the CLC. He has received numerous leadership awards and honorary doctorates from two universities. (Excerpt from CBC)

Biden backs funding more Police to fight crime wave

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resident Joe Biden has unveiled a plan that includes funding more Police to combat a nationwide surge in homicides, which he blamed on lax gun control.

He said officials in high crime areas can hire more law-enforcement personnel using coronavirus relief funding.

Biden's crime-fighting strategy calls for curtailing rogue gun dealers and firearms trafficking.

Republicans are depicting Biden's Democrats as weak on crime, amid calls by left-wingers to defund the Police.

Announcing his five-point strategy at the White House on Wednesday, the President urged cities and states to use US$350 billion of funding from a COVID-19 relief bill on public safety efforts, including adding more Police Officers, even beyond

US President Joe Biden

pre-pandemic levels.

"It means more Police Officers, more nurses, more counsellors, more social workers or community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes," the President said.

Some members of Biden's party have amplified calls by Black Lives Matter activists to defund the Police, though the President himself has resisted the slogan, which is

unpopular with most voters.

In unveiling his anti-crime plan, Biden said: "This is not

a time to turn our backs on law enforcement or our communities."

Unless tamed, the crime wave is likely to become a major issue ahead of next year's congressional mid-term elections.

During his remarks at the White House, the President also took aim at armed militias, saying those who believe they need weapons to move against the federal government would "need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons". (Excerpt from BBC News)

Russia says it chases British destroyer out of Crimea waters with warning shots, bombs

Antivirus software pioneer McAfee found dead in cell after Spanish court allows extradition

A

ntivirus software pioneer John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell near Barcelona on Wednesday, according to press reports, hours after Spain’s High Court ruled he could be extradited to the United States, where he faced tax evasion charges that carried a sentence of up to 30 years.

McAfee apparently hanged himself, his lawyer told Reuters news agency.

A statement released by the Catalan provincial government confirmed that a 75-year-old US citizen was found dead in his prison cell.

An unnamed Government source told the Associated Press the statement referred to McAfee.

US federal prosecutors in Tennessee charged McAfee

with evading taxes and wilfully failing to file tax returns to disclose income made from promoting cryptocurrencies, speaking engagements, and selling the documentary rights to his life story.

He was also charged in a separate cryptocurrency fraud case in New York.

McAfee, who was known for eccentric behaviour, was arrested in October 2020 at Barcelona’s international airport.

During a court hearing in Madrid last week, he argued that the tax fraud charges filed against him were linked to his failed US presidential run in 2020 as a Libertarian Party candidate – his second failed run at the White House. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A still image taken from a video released by Russia's Defence Ministry allegedly shows British Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender filmed from a Russian military aircraft in the Black Sea, June 23, 2021 (Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/ Handout via REUTERS)

R

ussia said on Wednesday it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of waters Moscow claims in the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimea peninsula.

Britain rejected Russia's account of the incident, saying it believed any shots fired were a pre-announced Russian "gunnery exercise", and that no bombs had been dropped. But it confirmed that its destroyer, HMS Defender, had

sailed through what it described as waters belonging to Ukraine.

The ship was "conducting an innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law", Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said: "It's incorrect to say either that it was fired upon or that the ship was in Russian waters." (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

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ARIES (March 21April 19)

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DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

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PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Refuse to let anyone push you into an emotional frenzy based on misinformation or assumptions. Trust in your ability to take control and get to the bottom of any situation you face.

Expand your search, and you’ll discover what’s required to reach your goal.

Emotional spending on luxury items is discouraged.

Pay attention to what’s essential.

A discussion regarding sensitive issues will help you move forward. Put your energy behind the changes that will make your life less stressful and more in tune with what brings you joy.

You’ll attract a lot of attention if you pursue an innovative professional path.

Keep your emotions out of the workplace to ensure you make the best decisions. Do what’s right, and you will succeed.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Emotional matters will escalate if you or someone isn’t honest about a legal, financial or health issue.

Request transparency from anyone who might be withholding information. Focus on maintaining stability.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Express your feelings, and you’ll find common ground with someone who interests you. Listen and find out all you can instead of yammering on about yourself. Put more energy into physical fitness, nutrition and overall health.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Focus on what’s essential, doable and will help you avoid an emotional spat with a friend or relative. Don’t take on a task that will put you at risk. Use intelligence and common sense, and call on an expert.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Check out the possibility of changing your living arrangements to suit your budget or reflect what you want to pursue. Think outside the box, and try something you’ve never done.

Pay attention to the reacSAGITTARIUS tions and responses you re(Nov. 23ceive from partners and those Dec. 21) close to you. Consider the best way to keep the peace without jeopardizing your plans.

Do the work required to excel.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) YESTERDAY'S WORD - QUIZZICALLY

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Go over the changes you want to make at home before you begin, and you’ll spare yourself unnecessary hassle.

Show a loved one what you plan to do to bring you closer together.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Concentrate on what’s important to you, and put your energy where it counts most. How you deal with authority figures, rules and regulations will determine how well you do.

PISCES

Pay attention to what others are doing. Someone will try to undermine you if given a chance. Put more thought and effort into the way you present who you are and what you can do.

(Feb. 20March 20)

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

21

Sublime New Zealand win inaugural World Test Championship

E

ven the English weather couldn’t summon enough cruelty to break New Zealand hearts once again.

Whereas two years after they lost out on the ODI World Cup without actually losing the final, glorious late-evening sunshine this time saw New Zealand through to their first world title, the inaugural World Test Championship.

It was well past regulation closing time on the reserve day, the sixth of the match, which featured only three-and-a-half days of actual cricket, because of bad weather.

But what cricket it was!

Two absolutely high-quality sides in extremely difficult conditions for batting combined to produce a thrilling contest of cricket in such little time. New Zealand needed to be highly efficient, consistent and skillful if they were to have a chance of winning this, and they managed it just in time.

New Zealand began the final day - on which the ICC guaranteed 98 overs, weather permitting, never mind the over rates - needing eight wickets before they could get to bat and knock off the runs conceded plus the 32 India were in the clear at the end of day five. They managed to take a wicket every five-and-a-half overs, with precise planning and execution of those plans by a relentless attack.

A target of 139 in 53 overs wasn’t exactly a cake walk: the previous three innings had gone at 2.35, 2.5 and 2.32 an over, and India were not laying anything on the platter. By the time R Ashwin took out both the openers, New Zealand had

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson saw New Zealand through to the end

managed just 44 in 17.2 overs.

A lesser batting unit might even have taken a risk here and given India a window, but the old firm of Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson took them home with a calm yet urgent and unbeaten partnership of 96 in 28.3 overs.

It was so tight that there was no room for any mistake or further weather disruption. As things got tight, New Zealand’s minds might have gone to the cricketing gods. To the boundary countback, to all the near misses, to the one hour of rain on the fifth morning out of nowhere (it didn’t rain in many other neighbourhoods in Southampton), to the dropped catch of Rishabh Pant on the sixth day, which made it too close for comfort as New Zealand strove to get the final wickets.

In the end, India were the side left looking to the

SCOREBOARD INDIA 2ND INNINGS Rohit Sharma lbw b Southee 30 Shubman Gill lbw b Southee 8 Cheteshwar Pujara c Taylor b Jamieson 15 Virat Kohli (c) c †Watling b Jamieson 13 Ajinkya Rahane c †Watling b Boult 15 Rishabh Pant †c Nicholls b Boult 41 Ravindra Jadeja c †Watling b Wagner 16 Ravichandran Ashwin c Taylor b Boult 7 Mohammed Shami c Latham b Southee 13 Ishant Sharma not out 1 Jasprit Bumrah c Latham b Southee 0 Extras (b 1, lb 8, nb 1, w 1) 11 TOTAL (73 Ov, RR: 2.32) 170 Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Shubman Gill, 10.4 ov), 2-51 (Rohit Sharma, 26.5 ov), 3-71 (Virat Kohli, 35.5 ov), 4-72 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 37.3 ov), 5-109 (Ajinkya Rahane, 49.6 ov), 6-142 (Ravindra Jadeja, 62.5 ov), 7-156 (Rishabh Pant, 69.2 ov), 8-156 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 69.4 ov), 9-170 (Mohammed Shami, 72.2 ov),

10-170 (Jasprit Bumrah, 72.6 ov) BOWLING Tim Southee Trent Boult Kyle Jamieson Neil Wagner

O-M-R-W 19-4-48-4 15-2-39-3 24-10-30-2 15-2-44-1

NEW ZEALAND 2ND INNINGS (TARGET: 139 RUNS) Tom Latham st †Pant b Ashwin 9 Devon Conway lbw b Ashwin 19 Kane Williamson (c) not out 52 Ross Taylor not out 47 Extras (lb 11, nb 2) 13 TOTAL (45.5 Ov, RR: 3.05) 140/2 Did not bat: Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling †, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Tom Latham, 13.3 ov), 2-44 (Devon Conway, 17.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Ishant Sharma 6.2-2-21-0 Mohammed Shami 10.5-3-31-0 Jasprit Bumrah 10.4-2-35-0 Ravichandran Ashwin 10-5-17-2 Ravindra Jadeja 8-1-25-0

cricketing gods, having lost yet another knockout match in an ICC tournament, now their sixth without a title since the Champions Trophy in 2013.

The uneven bounce on practically a fourth-day track would serve as a teaser of what might have been had Southampton remained dry for the duration of the final. Then they lost the toss after a whole day of rain, and got the worst of the conditions.

There might be some criticism of India’s batting, which lasted just 73 overs in the second innings, but they were up against a relentless five-man seam attack. That attack knew it would have to prise the wickets out.

Not for the first time did Kyle Jamieson raise his hand in the first session. His height and skills made Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara play at balls they have become expert at leaving. The first-innings lbw would have been fresh on Kohli’s mind when one more inswinger from Jamieson hit him on the pad, but a touch too high this time. That was perhaps why Kohli pushed at a shortof-length ball well outside off, edging him through.

Immediately after, Pujara chased a length ball just outside off, getting out caught at slip off a fast bowler for the first time since December 2019.

With his tail up, Jamieson nearly made it three in a quick time with a near replay of Pant’s dismissal of the first innings, but Tim Southee spilled it at second slip. Southee, who had an ordinary first spell on day two, had kept New Zealand ahead on day five with an attacking 30 to get them the lead, and then had got two skilful lbws off inswingers to send back the Indian openers in flat conditions in the evening. Now with the time running out, a catch was dropped and Pant was tormenting New Zealand with streaky runs.

However, cricket gods gave New Zealand one back when Ajinkya Rahane gloved an innocuous Trent Boult delivery

down the leg-side half an hour before lunch, making it 109 for 5, a lead of 77. It was about this time that India decided it was going to be a matter of runs and not time, with the forecast good for the rest of the match.

Pant and Ravindra Jadeja took their chances as Boult and Southee attacked, leading into lunch. By lunch, it became practically 98 for 5. Now New

Zealand could not afford another cameo. Now the pitch looked flat. Now the batters looked comfortable. Now was the time for Neil Wagner. He launched a short-ball barrage that not only shut down the scoring, but eventually - in the 10th over of that spell - brought the Jadeja edge to a length ball for a catch that took BJ Watling to No. 7 on the all-time catches list, in his last Test. He took this one with a dislocated ring finger, refusing to go off.

Pant, who had been audacious in becoming the top scorer in this innings, finally took one chance too many, skipping down at Boult and getting a massive edge. This looked like it was going to fall safe until Henry Nicholls ran back from point and took it over his shoulder, making the toughest genre of catches look ridiculously simple.

Flood gates opened after that, but a chancy 13 from Mohammed Shami made it an asking rate of 2.62 in the last innings.

India made a testing start with the new ball, before Ashwin breathed life into their spirits with some wizardry to

get rid of the openers, both lefthand batters. Tom Latham was stumped off a sharp offbreak, Devon Conway lbw to the straighter one. During that spell of play, six overs produced four runs, taking the asking rate to an even three an over for the last 31 overs.

It was not all about asking rate. If you went chasing too hard and took your eye off, there was every chance there could be a collapse that could have brought India right back in.

New Zealand wanted to score the runs faster, but without risking getting into a position where they would have to fight for a draw.

Under this pressure, Taylor and Williamson found the right balls. The flagging Shami, bowling his eighth over out of 23 in the innings, provided the first leeway with balls short and wide. Taylor then took Ashwin on and cleared wide mid-on.

Now they had the flow in the innings, and all their experience and expertise came to the fore as they first steadied the ship, and then saw it home at 6.35pm, ironically, in bright sunlight. (ESPNcricinfo)

NBA playoffs 2021…

Ayton, Suns stun Clippers with last-second dunk for Game 2 win

D

eandre Ayton’s dunk with less than one second to play gave the Phoenix Suns a stunning 104-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

Ayton was the Suns’ most reliable player throughout a back-and-forth affair, and came up huge in the end, soaring to catch an inbounds pass from Jae Crowder over the rim and slam it home for the final margin.

After the last in a series of lengthy video reviews in the final two minutes, the officials put 0.7 seconds on the clock for the Clippers, but Paul George could not get

off a shot before the buzzer expired.

With the Suns missing team leader Chris Paul due to COVID-19 protocols, and their star Devin Booker having a difficult night, it was Ayton who came up huge on Tuesday.

The big man scored 12 points in the first quarter on the way to a 24-point night on 12-of-15 shooting, in addition to grabbing a gamehigh 14 rebounds.

On a night that saw Booker make only five of 16 shots from the field and turn the ball over seven times, Paul’s replacement, Cam Payne, was a huge factor for Phoenix.

Payne, whose previous

career playoff scoring high was 19 points, scored 29 in 37 minutes on a memorable night in Phoenix.

The Clippers were also missing a star, as Kawhi Leonard sat out a fourth consecutive game with a knee injury, and George could not lift Los Angeles to victory by himself.

The veteran led the Clippers with 26 points, but made just 10 of 23 shots, and missed two critical free throws in the closing seconds to give the Suns a chance to win it.

The series shifts to Los Angeles on Thursday, with the Clippers looking to bounce back at home. (Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

Women’s hockey team back in action tomorrow …competing in Indoor Pan Am Cup

C

oming off of a twoyear hiatus from international competition, which can be attributed to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Guyana’s National Women’s Indoor Hockey Team will get their feet wet for the first time tomorrow during the Indoor Pan Am Cup (IPAC).

The competition, which will be contested at the Training Center at Spring City, Pennsylvania, USA, will run over the weekend, from June 25th to 27th.

According to the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), with training being suspended for most of 2020, the ladies resumed training under strict COVID-19 social distancing measures earlier this year, and have been working hard to make up for lost time.

“Of course, all countries participating would have experienced various levels of disruption, and so Guyana will not be the only participant needing to prepare a team in short time,” the GHB related through a missive.

The ladies have been training at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall under the guidance of head coach Philip Fernandes.

Only five players remain from the team that contested the last IPAC, held for the first time in Guyana

in 2017. Those players are goalkeeper Alysa Xavier, Trisha Woodroffe, Marzana Fiedtkou, Captain Gabriella Xavier and Aliyah Gordon.

Added to the team would be defensive stopper Makeda Harding; the young Spartan trio of Abosaide Cadogan, Madison Fernandes and Sarah Klautky; experienced defender Ashley DeGroot, and the baby of the team, Saints striker Clayza Bobb.

This is said to be the youngest ever squad to represent Guyana, but one that is packed with talent.

Coach Fernandes is, however, very excited at the several teenagers in the line-up, as he feels that they are among the most talented players he has seen in recent years in the women’s programme, and they have responded well to the training.

“It was a challenge to get the young players to understand systems and team attack and defence concepts in such a short time, as there is no substitute for experience” Fernandes has said. “But these girls have the skills and hockey intelligence to be competitive.”

The team will face host nation USA in their first match on Friday 25th (tomorrow) at 11:30am.

Gabriella Xavier commanding a play back in 2019

The USA are the defending champions, who represented the Americas in the last Indoor World Cup in Berlin, Germany. The USA is the top ranked Pan American team at #12 in the world, and will further benefit from competing on their home court, where the team has been encamped.

Guyana is the lowest ranked team in the competition at #31, with Argentina at #16, Canada at #18 and Uruguay at #22.

After their clash with the USA, the Guyanese la-

dies then face Argentina at 6:00pm the same day, before facing Canada and Uruguay respectively the following day. A According to Fernandes, while he does not place a limit on the team’s potential, he considers toppling any of the four powerhouse nations to be a success.

The winner of this year’s IPAC would secure the spot to represent the Americas in the next

Indoor World Cup, scheduled for Belgium in 2022.

The COVID-19 protocols for the competition unfortunately bar spectators from viewing the matches live. Matches will all be played at The Training Center in Spring City Pennsylvania, and will begin on Friday 25th June according to the schedule on the Pan Am website:

The full Guyana squad reads:

Simmons dissects West Indies’ batting failure after South Africa loss

Golden Jags touch down in W USA for Gold Cup qualifier

The local arm of the Golden Jags 23-man team prior to their departure for the USA

T

he domestic-based contingent of Guyana’s senior men’s national squad arrived in the United States on Wednesday to begin final preparations ahead of their CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminary round qualification match against Guatemala.

The Golden Jaguars, who departed from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Wednesday morning, will train and compete in friendly match-

es in Florida, before facing the Central American nation at 9.30pm local time on Saturday July 3 at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

“We wish the squad and staff all the best in their quest to qualify for the final rounds of the Concacaf Gold Cup for the second consecutive tournament,” said Guyana Football Federation President Wayne Forde.

“We expect Guatemala to prove challenging op-

ponents, but we know our players will leave everything on the pitch, and that the entire nation will be roaring with the Golden Jaguars,” he said.

The winner of the firstround qualification fixture will play either Guadeloupe or the Bahamas on July 6 for a place in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final competition. The 2021 Gold Cup tournament takes place between July 10 and August 1 at various venues across the United States.

1. Abosaide Cadogan 2. Alysa Xavier 3. Gabriella Xavier 4. Ashley DeGroot 5. Trisha Woodroffe 6. Sarah Klautky 7. Madison Fernandes 8. Aliyah Gordon 9. Clayza Bobb 10. Marzana Fiedtkou 11. Makeda Harding Coach: Philip Fernandes Manager: Princessa Wilkie

est Indies coach Phil Simmons has acknowledged that his batters have work to do on their techniques after their 2-nil series defeat against South Africa. Not only did West Indies lose both Tests by significant margins inside four days, they also failed to cross 200 in any of their four innings.

They were also bowled out for 97 in their first innings of the first Test, their lowest against South Africa, which Simmons indicated was an illustration of a wider problem.

“In that first Test match, we got caught playing away from our bodies a lot and when a wicket is doing as much as it did in that Test match, then that is to your detriment and we saw that in being bowled out for 97,” Simmons said.

The conditions were bowler-friendly, with plenty of movement through the air and off the seam and good bounce on offer, and though Simmons mentioned that West Indies actually wanted to host South Africa on the slower surfaces in Trinidad, he did not bemoan conditions in St Lucia and said the groundskeeper has been “very helpful,” in providing what West Indies asked for. “Maybe the pitch for the first Test match had a little more moisture than we expected. The pitch for the second Test match, we

Phil Simmons

got what we wanted.”

And the performance in the second Test was marginally better. “A few of the guys came back from that and in the second Test match we saw a few of the guys getting 40s and 50s but at the same time, we needed to assess the whole situation of the game and know we need to be tight for a while to put pressure on them. When they got two wickets, they just ran through us.”

Between them, West Indies only scored two fifties in the series - Roston Chase’s 62 in the second innings of the first Test and Kieran Powell’s 51 in the second innings of the second Test - and though Simmons was concerned about that, he did not think the line-up was incapable of big scores “For the last two series that we played, we’ve gotten totals above 200. It’s a case of us assessing what it is we did differently and trying to make sure that in the coming Tests we get back to where we were,” he said.

West Indies scored two hundreds and six fifties against Sri Lanka, and one hundred and six fifties against Bangladesh, so Simmons knows the ability is there, but the players need to find form. He said the amount of cricket and the training set-ups on different islands have hindered the consistency of the upskilling the players can do.

“When we leave a tour we always have to go and work on things. Tours come up quickly these days so little things we have to correct come up again and again.

We had done some work on facing spin, and now we need to do some work on fast bowling,” whe said. “I don’t think high quality preparation is happening enough in the territories. A lot of players come to us and we step up the intensity. More needs to be done in the territories.

But that is something we have been saying for a long time.” (ESPNcricinfo)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fitness of West Indies players a work in progress – says Jimmy Adams

he subject of fit- Tuesday’s Mason and Guest ness has been a top- radio programme.

When it was reportic of discussion in the Caribbean, with many de- ed in February 2021 that scribing the fitness stan- Guyana’s Shimron Hetmyer dards of Cricket West Indies had failed the fitness test, (CWI) as unclear. Director it sparked the discussion of CWI, Jimmy Adams, how- revolving around fitness. ever, describes the fitness Players who fail to get 40 standards of West Indies points are considered unavailable for selecplayers as a work in progress. tion.

“A work in progIn a past interview with ress…we are moving Adams, he noted them to internationthat there has alal standards. Some of ways been a fitthe players are already there, but collectively ness policy, there is still work to be but the only done, but improvements (are) being made, and we will continue to keep pushing them, because we feel it’s a very important component of being able to complete at the highest level,” A d a m s Director of CWI said on Jimmy Adams

difference is that back in September 2018, there was a change in the coaching and selection panel, and this new panel is keen on implementing this aspect in West Indies cricket.

CWI’s minimum standard for selection is 40 points in the yo-yo test, and players have been aware of this since 2018. Adams said this test has been conducted at the regional (franchise) level and the response has been good statistically, with most players reaching above 40 in the yo-yo test.

It is evident that some players currently in the West Indies set-up are unable to make 40 points in the yo-yo test. Like most rules, there are concomitant exceptions. Adams disclosed that players who are unable to make the 40 points are given exemptions.

“Through the Medical Panel, they would be given their individual target that they will work with, and they will be looking to improve,” he had said.

“There are people who

23

Shannon Gabriel and Rahkeem Cornwall

have medical issues that we have to give exemptions to, because it could be ankle or knee that would impact neg-

atively,” Adams explained.

Rahkeem Cornwall and others are being considered for selection, but the con-

sistency of continued improvement in the yo-yo test is essential. (Brandon Corlette)

Emanuel Archibald is the new face of Malta Carib! …signs with brand for one year

GTTA pushing against the odds

– Kwakwani able to complete PE Moderation Session

The students of Kwakwani were able complete their Physical Education Moderation Session in table tennis

W

ith a national emergency being declared by His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali due to the widespread flooding across Guyana, the Secondary students of Kwakwani have been able to continue their preparation for their CSEC examination.

In Kwakwani, one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding, CSEC students were able to complete their Physical Education Moderation Session in table tennis. This was made possible by the Ministry of Education partnering with the GTTA. The GTTA continues to benefit from the MOU with the People’s Republic of China for the supply of equipment and expertise, which started in 2019 with a donation of tables to 50 schools.

In an interview with this publication, GTTA President Godfrey Munroe said, when asked his view on making things possible for the students of Kwakwani, “It is great to see so many students undertaking and playing the sport, considering

Brand Manager of Malta Carib, Gabriel Lopes, handing over flight details to National Long Jump Champion Emanuel Archibald

L

GTTA President Godfrey Munroe

the recent flooding in the Kwakwani area. We are happy to provide the seeds to catalyse the sport in the region. The pandemic would have force students who normally undertake or participate in other sports discipline to gravitate to table tennis, given its minimal, noncontact and adaptive nature to COVID19 protocols. Kwakwani is a hub for sporting talent, and we are happy to be able to make inputs there.

The plan now is to sustain and advance this momentum, as it shows what can occur when conditions are right, facilities, and human resource support sys-

tems are in place. This follows on our key strategic objective of creating equity access as we embark on mass participation model.”

Guyana and the people of China have always enjoyed extensive exchanges in table tennis. As early as 1973, the Guyana table tennis team visited China and participated in the Asian, African and Latin American Table Tennis Friendship Invitational Tournament held in Beijing. Over the past few decades, China has sent several table tennis coaches to Guyana to help in the development of table tennis here.

ocal companies continue to utilise local athletes as brand ambassadors, and National Senior and Long Jump Champion Emanuel Archibald has signed a one-year contract with Malta Carib.

The contract, signed on Tuesday June 22, will make Archibald the face of Malta Carib, with the top sprinter and long jumper having a significant chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in July.

In addition, Malta Carib has paid for Archibald’s ticket to the Bahamas, where he will compete this weekend.

Archibald, who recently won silver for Guyana in the 100M sprint at the South American Senior Championships, has said this is a moment he has been dreaming of.

“I am pleased to receive this sponsorship from Malta Carib; and I just want to thank God, my parents, and the Brusche Family for keeping me grounded to this point in my life,” he gushed.

“This moment is something I wrote down since 2018 as

a goal, and to receive this is like a dream come true. The belief of betting on yourself and hoping that one day someone sees your hard work paved the way for such a moment. I am thankful for this sponsorship, and (am) looking forward to a longterm partnership with this great company,” Archibald stated at the contract signing.

Country Manager for Carib Brewery Limited (CBL), Kelvin Singh, highlighted the importance of such relationships with athletes.

“We are extremely happy to commence this partnership with the very talented Mr. Emanuel Archibald, that will span for the next twelve (12) months.

Emanuel has been one of the top and most consistent athletes during past couple of years to represent Guyana. We believe that these strategic relationships are required to support the athletes and provide sustenance during the year, rather than a one-off sponsorship. I would like to wish

Emanuel all the best during the meet in Bahamas and the rest of the season,” Singh shared.

Meanwhile, Brand Manager of Malta Carib, Gabriel Lopes, mentioned that Malta Carib is proud to associate itself with such a hard-working athlete.

“Emanuel has the heart and focus it takes to become an exceptional athlete. He is already halfway there, and Malta Carib is delighted to be partnering with him to assist in making his dreams a reality. Just look at his track record so far, he was able to set the Guyanese record in the long jump, and now he aims for bigger and better. We believe that this is just the beginning of greater things to come for him,” Lopes said.

Archibald will be heading to the Bahamas on Thursday, where he would participate in a meet that can possibly raise his ranking in the long jump. He would also be trying to qualify for the men’s 100 metres event in the Olympic Games.

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

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

Page 22

Emanuel Archibald is the new face of Malta Carib!

Pg 23

Women’s hockey team back in action tomorrow …competing in Indoor Pan Am Cup

…signs with brand for one year Pg 21

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