Guyana Times - Thursday November 18, 2021

Over $20M up for grabs in P Digicel’s Christmas campaign 14

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4835

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

US Bar Association offers to train local lawyers as oil & gas experts …meets with President Ali

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PRICE

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

240% increase in statutory rape in Region 1 P11 Employees exploiting COVID-19 P11 quarantine protocols for sick days – Health Minister Over 230 fire hydrants in Georgetown inoperable P13

President Dr Irfaan Ali along with Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC; acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; acting Chief Justice, Justice Roxane George; Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and other Ministers of Government at the luncheon with the visiting US Bar Association team

Volda Lawrence, Carl Greenidge among 7 nominees for PNCR leader

CANU unearths ganja in packets at abandoned house P8

See story on page 7

International real estate firm RE/MAX opens office in Guyana Page 14

Oil audits will be completed – VP

Woman, 30, among 4 new COVID-19 deaths …83 new cases reported, 20 in ICU

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Gold found

by Canadian company in Region 8 P15 …could open door for further drilling prospects

Specialised intervention needed to P15 tackle genderbased violence – Chancellor

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Thursday, November 18 – 03:30h-05:00h and Friday, November 19 – 04:00h-05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

US Bar Association offers to train local lawyers as oil & gas experts …meets with President Ali

Thursday, November 18 – 15:30h-17:00h and Friday, November 19 – 16:00h-17:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers are expected during the day, with sunny intervals in the afternoon hours. Partly cloudy skies are expected at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 15:50h reaching a maximum height of 2.66 metres.

Low Tide: 09:27h and 21:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.67 metre and 0.54 metre.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

04 15 18

19 22 23

FREE TICKET

25 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

12 15 18 23 24 LUCKY 3

6

1

5

6

Afternoon Draw

8

3

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01 02 04 06 07 09 18 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

01 09 13 15 16 13

02 04 09 16 21

0

4 Afternoon Draw

2X Afternoon Draw

6

9 Evening Draw

FP Evening Draw

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$79.81/barrel

Rough Rice

$258.894/ton

-0.01

London Sugar

$524.70/ton

+2.14

Live Spot Gold

-0.59

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1864.80

$1865.80

Low/High Change

$1852.20 -2.50

$1872.00 -0.13%

President Dr Irfaan Ali hosted a luncheon for the visiting team from the United States National Bar Association and some Cabinet members along with prominent members of the legal fraternity in Guyana

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ith Guyana still in the process of outfitting itself with the necessary capacity as an oil-producing nation, local Attorneysat-Law could soon benefit from training from the United States National Bar Association, which has indicated its willingness to equip lawyers here with oil and gas expertise.

This was indicated by a visiting team led by the Bar Association President, Judge Carlos Moore; Chief Foreign Policy Advisor, Johanna Leblanc, JD, LLM; Executive Director Maurice Foster, Esq and member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Rosalyn Henderson-Myers.

On Wednesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali met with the delegation for brief discussions after which he hosted a luncheon in their honour.

Attending the event were Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips; Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC; Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd and Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud. They were joined by prominent representatives of the local legal fraternity including acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; acting Chief Justice, Justice Roxane George; Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and President of the Guyana Bar Association, Pauline Chase at the luncheon.

The US National Bar Association is in Guyana to establish partnerships with the local Bar Association, the Attorney General Chambers, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in order to invest in the development of Guyana.

Against this backdrop, the visiting delegation also met with AG Nandlall and staff of his Chambers on Wednesday.

During the engagement, the visiting team indicated that they were

willing to collaborate in line with the needs of the Guyana Government.

More specifically, it was related that they were ready to assist with equipping local lawyers in the area of oil and gas expertise.

In this light, the Attorney General suggested that the American Bar Association could facilitate the arrival of an expert in law reform to assist the recently-established Law Reform Commission (LRC).

Other areas in which the US Bar Association can partner with Guyana include exchange of interns and legal experts and seminars with local Attorneys, Nandlall informed the team.

Prior to this, however, the Attorney General

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall and his staff meeting with the US Bar Association members on Wednesday

provided an overview of the role of the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Legal Affairs Ministry.

He indicated that the Chambers would represent the Government in civil litigation and draft legislation on behalf of the Government. He also outlined that his role was separate and distinct from the Director of Public Prosecutions, and further explained the legal system of Guyana, namely that Guyana is a common law country and that the Constitution was the supreme law which recognises the principle of the separation of powers.

AG Nandlall further informed the visiting team that members of the legal profession in Guyana played an important role in society by ensuring that justice was upheld, adding that the AG Chambers

had a great working relationship with legal professionals in the United States of America, as law students have interned at the Chambers.

Meanwhile, other areas of discussion centred on electoral reform and the importance of the rule of law. Both teams agreed that respecting the rights of voters was sacrosanct.

Wednesday’s engagements with President Ali and AG Nandlall followed the visiting delegation’s meeting with Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira and Prime Minister Phillips at his office on Tuesday. At that engagement, the US Bar Association officials were informed of the Guyana Government’s inclusive approach to development and its commitment to the rule of law. (G8)

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 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

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Jonestown, 43 years later

oday, November 18, 2021, marks 43 years since the infamous Jonestown mass murder/suicide occurred deep in the jungles of Guyana. On that fateful day in 1978, all Guyanese were greeted with the grim news that over nine hundred American citizens lay dead, children included, after ingesting cyanide-laced Kool-aid either voluntarily or forcibly.

To say the news was shocking would be a gross understatement.

Many locals were not even aware that the Jonestown-based People’s Temple existed on home soil. As they learnt about it, so did millions across the world, generally beyond the western powers of the United States of America (USA) and the British Empire, learn about a country named Guyana.

Immediately there was a media rush by international entities to this part of South America. After all, an American Congressman, Leo Ryan, was among the dead. Guyana was catapulted into the international spotlight, albeit for grim reasons. It dominated conversations for an extensive period, and many questions were raised.

Those in Government knew about the establishment. From reports, the People’s Temple was permitted to settle at the site, which took its name from the group’s charismatic leader Jim Jones.

It was described as a thriving and self-sufficient town, and those who made the journey from the USA to experience the “paradise” were convinced of such, given the religious context that governed it. It was deemed a large family working towards the betterment of all within.

Those who knew of Jonestown spoke of it being a good example from a community development standpoint. They grew their own food, built their homes, and did everything else in the best interest of the town. Initially, a sense of collective euphoria must have existed, and coupled with the magnetism of Jones, a paradise probably was created.

As it thrived, Guyanese, oblivious of its existence, were being oppressed, and faced insurmountable economic woes as the economy rapidly declined. Despondency prevailed, and many did the opposite to what members of the People’s Temple had done - they left for the USA, their perceived paradise.

Naturally, when they learnt of Jonestown, what it represented and the reported concessions it had gotten from the then Government, the sentiments of many went beyond shock at the mass deaths, and were consumed with discontent, convinced that their welfare was not seen as priority by their own, who was in power.

Secrecy seemed to have surrounded the establishment of Jonestown, since reportedly only the Government and specific agencies knew of its existence. That gave rise then, and even now, to many allegations, including that some local officials personally benefited in the process. Some believed that the town may have been deliberately kept a secret from the populace. Questions abounded: why the secrecy? What would have been the outcome had the mass suicide not occurred?

Forty-three years after, those questions still seem relevant. In 1978, the incident not only gave the world a geography lesson about Guyana, but offered harsh and frightening lessons about a cult. The international focus was on that, and not on the plight of the Guyanese populace. Even up to this day, Guyana is internationally known as a result of that horrific incident, with annual reminders on every anniversary by some international media networks.

In the aftermath, discussions in particular circles may have been on what to do with the site, given the international spotlight. Many felt that it should have been taken advantage of and be transformed into a memorial designed to attract relatives and friends in remembrance of their loved ones. This is similar to symbolic annual ceremonies at war memorials around the world and the 9/11 bombings in New York.

It would have taken planning to create the necessary infrastructure and other resources, for which assistance could have been sought. Had that materialised, Jonestown today could have been a bustling place for tourists, both local and international. It would have boosted the economy there, the immediate environs and the country as a whole.

Others were not that enthused, given the macabre nature of what had transpired there. Maybe people’s preferences, regardless of how ghastly things may appear, were probably not factored it. It would be useful to know what the thinking was of officials then in relation to making Jonestown a memorial; if it was discussed, and if so, why it wasn’t pursued. Focus on other national priorities might have been a possible explanation, and probably understandably so.

In retrospect, it may be seen as a great opportunity lost. There is a memorial in Oakland, California, where some of the victims were from. Like the 911 memorial, people across the USA travel to these places for related reasons. The same could have been for Guyana.

While the country has moved on and has become known internationally for other things, the Jonestown incident, as gruesome as it was, unfortunately seems synonymous with Guyana, and cannot be erased from its history. One argument is to take advantage of it.

Some four decades after, oil has thrust Guyana into the international spotlight, and once again, the Americans are at the centre. Could this be an opportunity to explore the possibility of that memorial?

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo sharing a photo with representatives of the Black Entrepreneurs Association (BEA) following a meeting on Wednesday, when the group engaged in discussions on a range of pertinent issues (Office of the Vice President photo)

Misinformed call for immediate ban on log exports Dear Editor, The call by the civil society group Article 13 for the immediate ban on log exports is emotional and not based on facts.

Similarly, the false assertion that His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali was duplicitous at COP26 whilst calling for a ban on log exports is presumptuous and reckless at its very least.

Firstly, COP26 was not about country positions, but was rather a global call for reduction of emissions. Guyana’s forests, managed by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) under sustainable forest management standards, continue to perform an essential service in climate balance through carbon storage and sequestration. For the uninformed, Guyana’s forest stores 19.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, and sequesters approximately 154M tCO2e annually.

For comparison, the entire world emits about 50 billion tons a year. Guyana’s annual deforestation is among the lowest in the world, averaging 0.056% per annum.

Contrary to the misinformed article, deforestation does not occur in the forest sector, based on the guidelines that are strictly enforced. Guyana practises sustainable forestry management in a very robust and systematic manner. Our practices are recognised internationally as among the best. This has been confirmed by numerous independent inter-

national audits. Guyana can practise selective logging at a maximum allowable conservative rate of 20m3 per hectare over a 60-year cycle (the equivalent of approximately 3 trees per acre, or 6 trees per hectare). However, even though the annual allowable sustainable production from the allocated forest is 1.2Mm3, the current actual level of production is 400,000m3.

Additionally, about 50% of the state forest is unallocated.

Guyana has had in place a Log Export Policy since 2006. The rates charged per m3 of logs exported have been continuously adjusted upwards, and are currently among the highest, compared with other tropical timber-producing countries.

It is of great interest, too, that log bans have proven to be ineffective in many other countries. If not implemented in conjunction with other measures, a ban would quickly destroy the sector, as it can lead to a glut in the market and lowering of prices, thus forcing producers out of business.

The Guyanese forestry sector provides employment to approximately 20,000 Guyanese, many of whom live in the hinterland regions. Our Government does not make impromptu decisions when considering such important factors that impact these 20,000 forest sector workers; multiple national consultations were done with all stakeholders, in-

clusive of the major producing and manufacturing groups, before the log export policy was developed.

The statistics would also show that current levels of log export are below 20% of actual production.

Thus, over 80% of logs produced are available for local sales, for processing and use in the domestic economy, and for export as finished and value-added production. This 80% is more than adequate, given the current processing capacity in-country.

The Government also has various protection measures for the local processing and value-added industry. For example, the tariffs on imported pine and plywood were increased a few years ago

to the maximum level of 40% and 45% respectively, from the previous levels of 5%. This alone is a direct benefit and protection mechanism for the domestic manufacturers and value-added processing operators.

Finally, the Guyana Forestry Commission welcomes criticism that is constructive and fact-based; it therefore calls on Article 13 to seek clarification and present factual data, rather than making statements that are erroneous and have no linkage with what was reported by HE Dr Irfaan Alli at COP26.

Sincerely, Guyana Forestry Commission

Misplaced view

Dear Editor, The Opposition MP who has a problem with male handing menstrual packages to female students (INews Nov 16) has a misplaced view in this 21st century.

So, should the male cashier at the supermarket check-out not cash/handle the packet of sanitary napkins, but call for a female to so do? Or should the male not go to the pharmacy to get some pain relievers for his wife, mother, girlfriend, sister when in that condition?

Perhaps the MP has lived a sheltered life, in which if a male were to get involved in a woman’s domain, it is seen as unmanly, and it might be

a cultural and religious convention in which lines are not crossed.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a male handing out, purchasing, or assisting in this regard. It is called understanding and appreciating the complexities of womanhood. This episode tells how much work is yet to be done to rid our people of false notions, fallacies and beliefs.

It is noted that the Opposition has not responded, nor have other female groups besides the Women and Gender Equality Commission.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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

Nursery Education emphasis is vital Dear Editor, The Ministry of Education (MoE) must be complimented for its emphasis on nursery education. We must bear in mind that nursery schools form the foundation steps of a child to education.

Therefore, it is important for parents and educators to be very careful in this regard, where choosing and maintaining nursery schools is concerned.

Overall, they should look towards setting up schools where children can learn and grow in a healthy and homely atmosphere, as playing safely is very important in the learning process.

Why do I say this? Well, the world at large is in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Ministry of Education (MoE) was still able to pay homage to the country’s achievement of running its nurs-

ery programme. This has been going now for some for 45 years. Marking this observance was a National Play Symposium, where it was demonstrated that “… play is a fundamental right of every child, and a useful teaching tool to help children learn in practical environments.”

As regards the value of nursery education and play, I do have a few things to say.

First, research is abundant with evidence that shows the benefits of nursey education and early years’ investment actually promote well-being, including helping to improve children’s outcomes and narrowing the gap associated with socio-economic disadvantage. In fact, education overall helps in this all across the world. It is common knowledge that educated people normally earn higher wages, live

better lives, and feel better about themselves.

Secondly, as regards the value of nursery education, it is that children play, and as they do so, they learn through the various exercises of fun and playful exchanges with their peers, adults, and by themselves.

The real key to me, where nursery education is concerned, is to provide children with a warm, safe environment in which they feel comfortable to explore.

And add to that trained caretakers who understand the value of play and have the patience to supervise with care and love.

The National Play Symposium here was held under the theme “Revisiting Play in the Nursery School System in Guyana: Opportunities for Inclusion and Responsive Programming.” This was timely, as the Minister of Education aptly and am-

ply pointed out. According to Priya Manickchand, Minister of Education, “We started nursery education to socialise our children and engage them through play 45 years ago.”

But this has changed, and now, for her, “…we have lost the play and the benefits of play, where we are looking to see how much you can read and write and how much science and social studies you know at six years old, without understanding that the incorporation of play might have more value in the imparting of that knowledge that we need.” This is indeed a solid truth to embrace.

Children educators know firsthand that play can have a significant role in the development of a child’s creative abilities. The development of creativity is also related to cognitive development, because creative think-

ing contributes to problem-solving.

The occasion here was a one-day event collaborated between the MoE and the University of Guyana (UG), and this shows that, more and more, we are realising that education runs right from nursery to university, and the more this connection is realised, the more continuity we are likely to see.

Education runs in stages, and every stage is vital; none must be skipped, if possible.

Another important point from the Minister of Education was the one dealing with materials for the schools. She stated, “About 12 years ago, we had not yet even had our own text. We were taking a serious licking from the private schools that were using the Abeka or Jolly Phonics series.” In this regard, she noted that the

cost factor was quite prohibitive, and led to the exclusion of many of the less fortunate children and families. This was corrected, and now “We (have) developed our own series consciously and strategically, called the Roraima Readers, where every child was able to get their own reader, workbook, diagnostic assessment.”

Well, kudos to the hard-working team at the Ministry of Education. My hope is that we will have many more nursery schools built across Guyana. I hope also that the “Theory of Learning through Play” will be taken into account, as children need large, safe, open spaces and an abundance of games and safe equipment to really get the right start.

Yours truly, H Singh

Response to claims being made by a group of farmers on the Essequibo Coast Dear Editor, Our attention has been drawn to a series of slanderous and erroneous claims being made in some sections of the media and on Facebook by a small group of farmers at the instigation of a close relative, claiming they are being forced off lands on which they currently cultivate rice.

We have been castigated and vilified as the all-consuming, big establishment which is unfairly pressuring small farmers who are eking out a livelihood. The group has portrayed itself as the victim and our company and its principals as the villains.

The fact of the matter is that our company’s intention is not to remove the farmers from our lands, for which we are the lawful holders of title and lease following acquisition from Kayman Sankar and Company Limited. That has never been our intention.

The reality of the situation is that the farmers oc-

cupying our lands have not been fulfilling their lawful obligations of paying rent.

Our Company had requested from the Rice Assessment Committee an increase in rent per acre of only $7,500 per crop, in keeping with the relationship between ‘owners and tenants of rice lands’ as is outlined in the laws of our country. The Committee instead granted an amount of $4,650, which meant that our budget and financial obligations have been affected.

Yet the farmers continue to refuse to pay their rent, and some of these farmers are sub-letting our lands for in excess of $30,000 per acre, making a hefty profit and yet refusing to fulfill their obligations to us. How can this be considered fair?

Our company has, over the past few years, been figuratively bending over backwards to reach out to these individuals with the hope that they would correct this injustice, but to no avail.

As if that were not enough,

these farmers are harvesting from our lands, but are refusing to pay our company rent for using our lands, and are also refusing to sell the paddy to our mills.

We are heavily indebted to the local banking institutions for acquiring these lands from the previous owner, and continued refusal by the farmers to honour their financial obligations is putting serious strain on the finances of our company.

We have constantly encouraged the farmers to come into our company, so we can update our register on who is occupying which portion of land. There are instances when original tenants have passed away and their relatives have taken over working our lands. As indicated above, in some instances, they have sub-let our lands and are receiving rent. Our company simply wishes to regularise the sit-

uation and have an updated register of our operations.

That has been our position from the inception, hence we are perplexed at both the attacks and innuendos hurled at the Government and officials by this small group, forcing them to intervene in what is a private arrangement between the lawful owner of these lands and those who are tenants.

We use this opportunity to implore the Government

officials who have now been drawn in to this issue to explain to the group about their legal obligations to our company, as outlined in the laws of Guyana.

We do hope that good sense prevails, and our company reaffirms our commitment to engaging these farmers, as time is of the essence.

Sincerely, Tamesh Jagmohan

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Estimating Quotients

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hen you estimate the quotient of a division problem, you do not round the numbers. Instead you try to find compatible numbers. These are numbers that you can work with easily in your head.

Example: Estimate 4922 ÷ 6.

Step 1: Look at the first two digits in the dividend – 49.

Can you divide that evenly by the divisor 6? No. Step 2: Think about multiplying by 6. 6 x 6 = 36, 6 x 7 = 42, 6 x 8 = 48. Select the one that is closest to 49. That is 48.

Step 3: Add zeros to the dividend as placeholders. In this example, the dividend has four place values, so you need to add 2 zeros: 4800.

Step 4: Divide by 6. 4800 ÷ 6 = 800

Exercises

1) 12 ÷ 12

4) 7 ÷ 9

Materials:

Square Paper

Instructions:

Start by folding the square in half corner to corner to make a triangle.

Fold that triangle in half corner to corner to form a smaller triangle.

Unfold the previous fold to get the larger triangle. Fold the edges of the triangle into the newly-made crease to form a kite shape.

Fold the inside edges of the kite shape toward the outside edges as shown.

Turn the paper upside down and blow gently into the open end. Your hovercraft should zoom away!

How it works:

The pocket under the hovercrafts trap air and create a zone of high pressure. Further, the air moving over the craft has lower pressure. This difference creates lift and gets rid of the friction that normally holds the paper in place on the table. Without friction holding it back, a little breath is all it takes to get the hovercraft speeding on its way!

Extra experiments:

2) 22 ÷ 2

5) 500 ÷ 15

3) 92 ÷ 6

6) 26 ÷ 13

These little hovercrafts are so easy to make, it doesn’t take long to build some out of different materials (newspaper, cardboard, aluminium foil) or different sizes see which ones drive the straightest, go the fastest, or take the most breath to get moving! (scienceisfun.org)

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Volda Lawrence, Carl Greenidge among 7 nominees for PNCR Leader …candidates to be given deadline to accept nominations

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he contenders for the leadership of the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) have now expanded to seven, with Carl Greenidge, Volda Lawrence and Basil Williams being nominated for the leadership race.

On Wednesday, the PNC/R announced that a total of seven persons have been nominated for Party Leader. Besides incumbent Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, Aubrey Norton and Dr Richard Van WestCharles, former Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge has been nominated.

Additionally, the party announced that former Attorney General Basil Williams, incumbent PNC/R Chair Volda Lawrence and former Region 10 Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon have also been nominated.

There were 16 group nominations for Party Chairman and 30 group nominations for Party Vice Chairman. In addition, 18 persons have been nominated for the post of Party Treasurer in the PNC/R.

Party Chair

For the position of Party Chairman, the nominations are Lawrence, Harmon, Solomon, Gary Best, Shurwayne

Holder, Amanza WaltonDesir, Roysdale Ford, Annette Ferguson; Aubrey Norton, Ronald Bulkan, Christopher Jones, Richard Van West-Charles, Simona Broomes, Geeta ChandanEdmond, Dawn HastingsWilliams and Mervyn Williams.

Vice Chair

For the position of Party Vice-Chairman, Solomon, Walton-Desir, Elizabeth Niles-Williams, Volda Lawrence, Dawn HastingsWilliams, Annette Ferguson, Vinceroy Jordan, Gregory Fraser, Aubrey Norton, Darren Wade, Gary Best, Christopher Jones, Richard Van WestCharles, Vinceroy Jordan, Shurwayne Holder, Roysdale Ford, Ubraj Narine, Robert Corbin, Simona Broomes, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Kirk Fraser, Randolph Critchlow, Corretta McDonald, Ronald Cox, Ronald Bulkan, Mervyn Williams, Ganesh Mahipaul, Bernita Primo, Samuel Sandy, and Jevaughn Stephens have been nominated.

Treasurer

Meanwhile, the nominations for Party Treasurer include Ivelaw Henry, Clayton Newman, Elson Lowe, Vanessa Kissoon, Derrick Lawrence, Gary

PNCR leadership nominee Carl Greenidge

Former Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon

Incumbent PNCR Chairperson Volda Lawrence

Former Attorney General Basil Williams

Best, Faaiz Mursaline, Ubraj Narine, Ronald Bulkan, Carol SmithJoseph, Annette Ferguson, Amanza WaltonDesir, Roysdale Ford, Dr. Karen Cummings, Volda Lawrence, Ganesh Mahipaul, Daniel Seeram, and Deron John.

“All nominees will be written to and requested to indicate by (date) their acceptance of the nominations. Failure to respond means that, should they otherwise qualify, their names would not automatically appear on the ballot for the position/s for which they were nominated,” the PNC/R said in its statement.

The party’s 21st Biennial Delegates Congress is scheduled for December 11, 2021, over the course of one day. The congress will

be limited to delegates, and will be a mixture of physical and virtual attendance.

In Stage 1 of the congress, elections will be held for the Leader, Chairman, Vice Chairpersons and Treasurer. In the second stage, there will be an election for the members of the Central Executive Committee.

The PNCR – the leading party in the A Partnership for National Unity faction of the APNU/AFC coalition Opposition – has been embroiled in an internal divisive power struggle since the party’s loss at the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Hence, there was mounting pressure for congress to be held to elect new leadership.

Harmon’s candidacy is supported by several Members of Parliament

and party members, who attended his campaign launch that was streamed live on the PNCR Facebook page.

These include: Coretta McDonald, Roysdale Forde, Ganesh Mahipaul and Annette Ferguson – all Parliamentarians.

Meanwhile, Dr Van West-Charles has been endorsed by several PNCR members, including prominent leaders in Linden, including Solomon and former PNC Parliamentarian

Vanessa Kissoon.

Greenidge, a longstanding member of the PNC/R, who once served as Finance Minister under former President Forbes Burnham, served from 2015 to 2019 as Foreign Affairs Minister in the Government of David Granger- whom he previously challenged for the leadership of the party.

He is currently employed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an advisor on borders. (G3)

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CANU unearths ganja in packets at abandoned house the D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown.

In a brief statement on the operation, CANU explained that “these narcotic operations are targeting the persons that are engaged in the selling as well as distribution of narcotics from stands, shops, and other roadside areas”.

CANU Head James Singh posited that the aim of these operations was “to make communities safer by removing those engaging in narcotic activities”. (G9)

The ganja that was unearthed by CANU

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he Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) discovered a quantity of marijuana in an abandoned house situated between Trench Road and James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown.

At the time, CANU officers were conducting an operation at the abandoned property. Officers discovered a quantity of cannabis in small ziplock bags weighing a total of 534

grams.

The operation is an extension of CANU efforts to target individuals who engaged in selling and distributing narcotics within communities.

Investigations are ongoing.

Only two weeks ago, CANU ranks discovered 872 grams of marijuana hidden among rubbish and green vegetation during an operation conducted at The house where the ganja was found

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

The horror!

The horror…

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…of Jonestown n Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, which is an allegory of the West’s violent rape (tautology?) - in the name of “civilization” – of what was to become the “Third World”, the protagonist dies at the end muttering, “The horror! The horror!” It summed up both his life and what by proxy the white man had done in the Congo.

It might as well be the tagline for the new movie that’s being made on Jonestown – starring mega star Leonardo Di Caprio. He’ll be playing Jim Jones in the largest mass suicide in human history – which occurred 43 years ago this day in 1978!!

So, just when we were becoming known for oil, rather than the suicide of 913 people – and the murder of five – notoriety wins out once again!! Over the years, whenever your Eyewitness was asked about Jonestown, he invariably deflected by saying, “It was all Americans who killed themselves, you know.” It wasn’t strictly true, since there were eight Guyanese among the victims, including children. But what the heck? It wasn’t how he wanted his dear mudland known – for all its blemishes.

But also, strictly speaking, Guyana can’t wash its hands of the megalomania of Jim Jones and the tragedy of Jonestown. After the story broke, the Bishop Emeritus Benedict Ganesh Singh of the Catholic Church called for an investigation into how Jim Jones and his cult could’ve gotten almost 4000 acres of land to form what was essentially a state within a state. There was never an official investigation. But from contemporary investigations done by the NYTimes and the Washington Post – still on the web – the PNC was neck deep in the affairs of Jonestown.

From the reports, Ptolemy Reid, Burnham’s right-hand man, was the main contact man. For instance, asked by the NYTimes how 800 persons were allowed to enter the country: “Minister of Home Affairs Vibert Mingo said, ‘I was ordered to process them.’ The order, he added, came from Deputy Prime Minister Reid.” They were also allowed to bring in all sorts of banned items, some of which were sold at Port Kaituma.

According to the Washington Post, Reid and Viola Burnham flew into Jonestown after the suicides: “Reid and Mrs. Burnham had spent the afternoon of Nov 20 viewing the carnage that had then just been discovered at Jonestown. Few people in Guyana know that Reid and Mrs. Burnham personally brought more than $1 million in currency, gold and jewellery uncovered among the ruins of the Peoples Temple back to government headquarters in Georgetown.”

Jones was among a number of shady Americans whom Burnham brought into Guyana on his “socialist” utopian nightmare.

Who’ll play Burnham? Forrest Whittaker, of course! He was so good as Idi Amin!!

…of domestic violence Your Eyewitness lifts up his hands to the skies (Heaven?) at echoes of John King’s “How many more, Jah?” The opening lyrics went, “Rose up early this morning/ To the sounds of crying/ Another mother shedding her tears”.

While King was bemoaning the Police killings of sons, he could as well be singing about all the mothers and other women who’re shedding tears every single day at the violence being meted out to them.

Defeat isn’t implicit in the lines, “Heavenly father, won't you hear my plea?/ Send a helping hand for this country/In man, there's no solution/ (How must we carry this load?). It’s just that the pattern seems to be so deeply imprinted in the men who batter the females in their lives that drastic interventions are necessary. Is it, “Too many big shots with too much connections/ Too many loopholes in Babylon system”?

Maybe the draconian sentences suggested for erring GECOM officials might work?

…of disappearing seafood There’s a lot of handwringing about us importing seafood because of “disappearing” fish stocks. But have we noticed in the first half year we EXPORTED $4 billion worth of seafood?

Is it a supply problem, or a regulatory problem?

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

NEWS

9

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Woman, 30, among 4 new COVID-19 deaths …83 new cases reported, 20 in ICU

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD NOVEMBER 17, 2021 UPDATE

F

our more persons, including an unvaccinated woman in her 30s who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), have died.

The 30-year-old woman, who hailed from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), died on November 16. The other three COVID fatalities are a 50-year-old male from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), who also died on November 16; a 62-yearold female from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) who died on November 17; and a 67-year-old male, also from Region Four, who died since November 12.

With the exception of the 50-year-old male who was fully vaccinated, the other three persons were unvaccinated.

According to the Health Ministry on Wednesday, these patients were admitted with COVID-19-like symptoms, but died while receiving care at medical institutions across the country.

Samples were taken at the time of their admission which subsequently returned positive tests.

These four fatalities have

now taken the total number of deaths in Guyana from the pandemic to 965.

Meanwhile, another 83 persons have contracted the deadly virus, the Ministry’s updated COVID-19 Dashboard on Wednesday detailed. With this, there are now 36,999 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.

But only 2,064 of these are currently active cases.

These include 20 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Ocean View Hospital and the remaining 2,044 persons in isolation; that is, 56 in institutional isolation and the remaining 1,988 persons in home isolation.

Most active cases

Regions Two (PomeroonSupenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four, Six and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) have accounted for most of these active cases.

Moreover, there are presently some 55 persons hospitalised across the country with COVID-19. Of these, 35 require oxygen.

While 20 patients are in the COVID ICU, the Ocean View Hospital has a total of 38 patients. In addition, there are nine persons in institutional quarantine.

To date, some 33,970 persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease – 101 more recoveries than were reported the previous day.

Moreover, a total of 375,182 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus thus far, and of this number, 17,434 males and 19,565 females were found to be positive.

Of the 83 new cases detected on Wednesday, four were from Region Two, PomeroonSupenaam; 11 were from Region Three, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara; a whopping 45 were from Region Four, DemeraraMahaica; another four were from Region Five, MahaicaBerbice; 13 were from Region Six, East Berbice-Corentyne; one was from Region Seven, Cuyuni-Mazaruni; two were from Region Eight, PotaroSiparuni; and the remaining three cases were from Region Ten, UpperDemeraa-Berbice.

TURN TO PAGE 14

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

83

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

56

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

1988 20

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

9

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

19,565

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

17,434

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

36,999

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

33,970

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

393,355

FULLY IMMUNISED

264,851

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

965

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1646

REGION 2

1512

REGION 3

5002

REGION 4

17,463

REGION 5

1363

REGION 6

2980

REGION 7

1773

REGION 8

615

REGION 9

2460

REGION 10

2185

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.

10

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

240% increase in statutory Employees exploiting COVID-19 quarantine protocols for sick rape in Region 1 days – Health Minister

Regional Commander Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud

P

olice statistics have revealed that sexual offences reported in Division One (BarimaWaini) are on the increase, continuing a trend that has lasted over a number of years.

In a recent episode of “Police and You”, Region One Commander, Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud, confirmed this information, while stating it is a matter of concern. The Commander said most of these cases are reported after pregnancy had occurred.

“We’ve had a 240 percent in increase in rape in Region 1… it is occurring in the Amerindian settlement…When you say statutory rape, is like consensual sexual intercourse, knowing that the person is underage and cannot give consent, and the target age there is between 12 and 15”, he said.

So far, there were 48 complaints compared to 14 last year, and 14 had been against 3 the previous year, according to the Commander.

“I don’t mean to mention that it will be a cultural norm or anything…

We did a lot of sensitisation programmes since the year commenced. Before I was there, the previous Commander also did some; so, we talked to them about what is the age of consent and those things, and by knowing that, I am in the opinion that this is why more persons are coming on board (In terms of reports).

The Divisional Commander added that, in many cases, the Police have challenges in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“When these things are reported, sometimes they give information like

‘I know he is a Dougla boy from Georgetown’, sometimes they would give you one calling name, and call a far-off village; so, the victims themselves don’t actually give us the information that we need to get to the suspect.”

On this note, the Commander said of the 48 complaints that were made in regard to rape this year, there was only one report of forced rape, and the suspect in the matter was a Venezuela migrant who has not yet been arrested. “…this is because of the information on the migrants… they’re not Guyanese, they are still on the run”, he said.

To curb the increase in these cases, the Commander said it calls for sensitisation of the communities on the issue at hand. “That is why it will be eliminated at some stage. The Toshao and some of the persons that are responsible, the councillors, we do tell them they should be stricter a little more, and let the parents understand what is the consent age.”

The Commander is of the hope that, in the new year, there will be a great reduction in the number of statutory rape cases in the Region.

“So, even though the reports are many this year, I’m hoping that we might get a significant reduction in time to come”, he said.

(G9)

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

H

ealth Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday said members of the Private Sector needs to put better policies in place to ensure that their employees do not take advantage of the COVID-19 protocols, particularly the need for quarantining in cases of exposure to the virus, in order to stay away from work.

During his daily update on the COVID-19 situation in Guyana, Dr Anthony explained the importance of going into quarantine if persons are genuinely exposed to someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

However, he disclosed that there are some employees who are taking advantage of this protocol, and using it as an opportunity to

get additional days off from work.

“There are reports of some persons who, maybe every two weeks they have become exposed to somebody [infected with COVID]. If there’s a pattern like that, it is obvious that that employee or that person might just want days off, rather than, you know, being genuinely sick with COVID. So, some persons are exploiting the situation of claiming that they have been exposed to someone who has been positive for COVID, and that then can be problematic,” the Minister stated.

Dr Anthony’s remarks come in light of growing concerns over the number of staffers who abuse the system to stay away from work.

Similarly, there have also complaints of some employers who are forcing staff members to work even after they have been exposed to the deadly virus, and could possibly transmit it if they too are infected. According to the Health Minister, there needs to be a balance of such exploitative situations with genuine reports of exposure to COVID-19.

To this end, he suggested that businesses come up with a system to verify reports of suspected exposure from employees in order to ascertain whether they are genuine cases, thus not putting others at risk, or they are abusing the protocols to stay away from work.

“We have to balance these two things, and I guess different workplaces would have to get policies where they can verify these reports from employees,” Dr Anthony posited.

When a person suspects they have been exposed to the virus, he/she is required to go into quarantine for at least five days before they get tested. This is because if the virus was just contracted, it is unlikely to be detected in a COVID test in the early days.

Once found to be positive, that person is required to go into isolation and avoid contact with others, so that the virus is not transmitted.

TURN TO PAGE 12

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Internet connection, suicide, language barrier among challenges in Region 1 – Commander C

ommander of Region One (BarimaWaini), Police Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud, has said that Police ranks are faced with many challenges, which include poor internet connection, suicide, and language barrier, among other issues.

The Commander made this disclosure during the GPF’s programme “Police and You” on Tuesday evening, when he said that, as of recent, the Police have

been getting some improvement with the internet connection. However, when it rains, the internet service is down, which makes communicating difficult.

Speaking of other challenges, he said ranks are unable to report crimes in certain areas in the division due to the terrain, which makes it difficult for them to communicate. He said this is one of the biggest challenges they are faced with, since communication is vital

for effective response.

“We do receive reports of crime in certain areas…first of all, for communication, when you have satellite phones you will get through easy, but it will be challenging because someone will have to ride to certain distance before they can get some signal, and then they get on to the Police…,” he said.

Commander Persaud further voiced that transportation to get the Police to

Commander of Region One (BarimaWaini), Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud

various areas in the Region is also a challenge for his ranks. He added that, compared to urban areas, ranks in his division are unable to calculate their response

time to crime.

“To get to certain backdams, you have to use ATVs, and in certain places, you have to walk. You can go with the four-wheel vehicle to a certain point, and then you will have to continue with the ATV, and then by foot; so, sometimes the response time is a bit challenging”.

Language barrier is also a major challenge in this district, according to the Commander. He said that in certain areas in Region One, the literacy level is very low, so communicating with residents can sometimes pose a challenge.

“Certain important messages that (we) would want to send out is very difficult… for instance Baramita, they have the largest Carib settlement, and some of the residents there only speak

the Carib language, and the attendance at school and those things are very low”, the Commander explained.

He said the Region is currently battling a high suicide rate, and the Police are trying their best to curb this situation.

“Within six weeks, we had six reports of suicide in Baramita…to get to some of those backdams, or to transport the body of the victim, it was challenging, because you had to go through trails and you had to get the body out to Baramita to get certified by the medical personnel, then you have to travel to Port Kaituma so that the body can be post mortem there,” he explained.

Commander Persaud posited that these issues are out of his control due to the remoteness of the areas.

(G9)

Employees exploiting COVID-19...

According to the Health Ministry’s updated COVID-19 Dashboard on Wednesday, there are currently nine persons in institutional quarantine in Guyana, while a total of 2,044 persons are in isolation; that is, 56 persons are in institutional isolation and the other 1,988 persons are in home isolation.

Minister Anthony said during his update that the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) continues to monitor those persons who are in quarantine and isolation, once they are reported to the Ministry.

“So, we monitor both of these situations; quarantine

especially, if it is reported to us, because a lot of times those are not reported to us, but certainly, with isolation, we do monitor that,” the Minister said.

“With the records that we have, we know those persons who are positive, and through the telephone system, we are able to contact those persons [who are isolating at home] and to see whether or not they are experiencing signs and symptoms, severity of those signs and symptoms, and then if it becomes very severe, to get them into the hospital. And, of course, we advise them about remaining isolated from the rest of the house-

FROM PAGE 11

hold, because if they don’t, they are going to infect the whole household.”

On the other hand, the HEOC is also responsible for conducting contact-tracing, but according to Dr Anthony, this is sometimes challenging when there is a high number of active cases, and especially so with cases in remote hinterland areas.

“So, if you have 2,000 active cases, to each of those cases, sometimes you have to do contact tracing of maybe five to 10 persons, and that can become very challenging very quickly, depending on which region you’re in,” the Health Minister explained.

(G8)

13 Over 230 fire hydrants in Georgetown inoperable NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

A fire hydrant being examined by Chief Fire Officer Kalamadeen Edoo, firemen, and Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud, in Georgetown

T

he Guyana Fire Service (GFS), at the direction of President Dr Irfaan Ali, is now responsible for the inspection, maintenance and operation of all fire hydrants across the city.

Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud, Chief Fire Officer Kalamadeen Edoo and other officials on Wednesday inspected several hydrants to assess their operability. To date, 356 fire hydrants have been in-

spected following a collaboration with the GFS and the

Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI). Of the total men-

tioned, 121 hydrants are fully functional but are in need of maintenance, such as painting; a total of 235 are inoperable, 182 require minor repairs, and 53 are in need of major repairs.

“Fire hydrants play a vital role in saving lives and property in the event of a fire,” the GFS said as it urged members of the public “to do their part to ensure these hydrants remain operable and accessible at all times.”

“Do not block fire hydrants. Unobstructed access to fire hydrants shall be maintained at all times. The Fire Department shall not be deterred or hindered from gaining immediate access to fire hydrants. Citizens are also urged to ensure fire hydrants are protected, and

to report incidents of vandalism to the Police or the

Guyana Fire Service,” the GFS said.

14 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

International real estate firm RE/MAX opens office in Guyana that the brand is currently dealing with a number of foreign investors, and with the influx of foreign investors that are currently looking to invest in Guyana, having a well-known brand would be encouraging to these investors.

“We’re dealing with a lot of investors right now – foreign investors – because the brand is internationally known. These people are coming to Guyana feeling comfortable if they know

Team members of RE/MAX Guyana, Shiv Misir (centre), Hemant Misir (left), and Delorall Narine (right)

R

E/MAX Guyana held its official launch on Tuesday at the Aura Sky Lounge located at Pegasus Hotel. The launch saw the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon by the RE/MAX team and special guest invitees.

RE/MAX, a world-renowned real estate company, held the official launch of RE/MAX Guyana. Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, who spoke at the launching, said the brand’s presence in Guyana is timely.

“Today, more than ever before, international visitors, international investors,

international companies, and your more discerning domestic consumer is looking for brands that they recognise. And so it’s not an accident that we’re seeing the turning of the sod for more Marriotts, more Hyatts, more Best Westerns, the entry of international food chains, the entry of international brands in literally every sector and segment of economic activity. And so it does not come as a surprise to me that, in the real estate space, a major international brand like RE/MAX is entering the Guyanese market,” Dr. Singh indicated.

One of the founders of RE/MAX Guyana, Shiv Misir, a Guyanese based in Toronto, explained what led the RE/MAX brand to come to Guyana.

“I’ve been travelling back and forth for the past 40 years, and I’ve noticed over the past years that there’s a need for organised real estate in Guyana - something that I haven’t seen. And I’m hoping that with RE/MAX coming on board, it will start some form of organised real estate, where people can come and get training, get the knowledge, get the expertise.

He further highlighted

they have to deal with a renowned, established brand,” Misir stated.

With the recent discovery of oil in Guyana, many people are seeking business and investment opportunities in one of the world’s fastest growing economies, with many in the diaspora looking to return to Guyana.

Operating in over 100 countries, the company is distinguished by having the largest market share in the world, which is measured

through volume of real estate transactions.

Guyana is said to have been the only country in the South American continent that did not have a RE/MAX office.

The entrance of RE/MAX into Guyana is expected to offer world-class real estate professional services The official doors of RE/ MAX are expected to be opened soon, and the offices will be located at Movietowne Guyana. (G2)

Over $20M up for grabs in Digicel’s Christmas campaign

T

oday Digicel will launch its Christmas 2021 campaign, “More Ways to Win This Christmas”.

Customers who use the My Digicel app to SHAKE will be entered into a grand prize drawing to win one of three fantastic prizes. Every SHAKE performed throughout the promotional period gives you an entry into the grand prize drawing.

One million dollars will be awarded to the first-place winner, two Copa Airline tickets to any Copa destination will be awarded to the second-place winner, and the third-place winner will receive a Samsung S21 Ultra smartphone.

“This Christmas, we’re sharing over twenty million dollars in prizes with our loyal customers,” said Simone Pierre, Chief Commercial Officer, while adding that there is the fun element of shaking your smartphone to win one of the many prizes in the comfort of your home.

“We’d also like to express our gratitude to our customers for their support

throughout the year, and wish their family and loved ones a happy holiday,” she said.

In order to qualify for this campaign, prepaid and postpaid customers must be on an eligible Prime Bundle to participate. Prepaid customers activating any Prime Bundle will earn an instant SHAKE on the day of activation. Using the My Digicel app, customers can then SHAKE for a chance to win digital prizes such as credit, data, or a discount on their next Prime Bundle purchase.

On Saturdays, both pre-

paid and postpaid customers on an eligible Prime Bundle can shake for a GUARANTEED WIN of either a digital or non-digital prize. The range of non-digital prizes includes laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cash prizes of $10,000 and $20,000. Customers can also increase their chances of winning throughout the promotion by earning additional SHAKEs by completing daily challenges given in the suite of apps: PlayGo, Sportmax, DMusic, Loop, Bip, Billo, or GoLoud.

Earned shakes are valid for 24 hours.

Woman, 30, among 4...

No new cases were recorded in Region One, Barima-Waini; and Region Nine, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, on Wednesday.

The Guyana Government launched its COVID-19 vaccination exercise back in February, and continues to roll it out across the various regions in order to achieve herd immunity and reduce the number of COVID-19 infections.

Recent figures show that some 393,355 persons, or 76.7 per cent of the adult population, have received

their first dose of the vaccine, of which some 264,851 persons, or 51.6 per cent of persons who are 18 years and older, are fully immunised.

As it relates to adolescents, some 28,501 children, or 39.1 per cent between the ages of 12 and 17, have gotten their first dose; while 19,693 persons, or 26 per cent of that age cohort, are fully vaccinated.

Persons are encouraged to get immunised, since the COVID-19 vaccine provides a layer of protection against severe symptoms of

FROM PAGE 9

COVID-19.

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

The measures also include vaccination requirements to access any public buildings, such as restaurants, places of worship, schools, as well as Government buildings.

(G8)

NEWS

15

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Gold found by Canadian Specialised intervention needed to tackle company in Region 8 gender-based violence – Chancellor …could open door for further drilling prospects …as course launched at UG

G

oldsource Mines Incorporated, a Canadian company that has concessions in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), has found gold in its Eagle Mountain gold project, opening the doorway for additional targets for drilling in the area.

In a statement, the company explained that the newly reported results are for 29 core holes that were drilled a total of 3,269 metres from the Bacchus, Bottle Bank, No. 1 Hill and Bucket Shaft areas of the Eagle Mountain deposit. Another seven core holes totalling 803 metres are for the Salbora deposit.

The statement quoted the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Goldsource, Steve Parsons, who explained that the company would continue to focus on priority areas of interest, while at the same time continue testing of known geophysical targets on its SalboraPowis location.

"We are pleased to have completed this year's infill and expansion drilling of the Eagle Mountain and Salbora deposits as we prepare for the updated MRE. The latest drilling has provided key insights with respect to the intersection of the sub-vertical breccia structures of the Salbora deposit with the newly interpreted sub-horizontal structures.”

He noted that this is similar to those of the Eagle Mountain deposit, and “can result in high gold grades in the immediate area of their intersection, as shown with the Salbora drilling. This may provide additional tar-

The Eagle Mountain production plant

gets within the Salbora-Powis north-south structural trend, including the re-interpretation of the Toucan and Powis prospects.”

It was explained that these drill results represent the final set of infill and expansion drill results from the 2021 programme. They are also the final drill results to be included in the updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) which the Company expects to complete by year-end.

“In total, the updated MRE will reflect an estimated 21,000 metres of additional core drilling completed from November 6, 2020, the cut-off date for the February 2021 MRE. The majority of the drilling was infill, testing the continuity of the shallow sub-horizontal zones of the Eagle Mountain deposit and the sub-vertical breccia zones of the Salbora deposit.

“The expansion drilling was designed to test for lateral extensions of the Eagle Mountain zones to the north

and southwest, and for new sub-horizontal zones at depth.

The February MRE is contained in a report titled "Eagle Mountain Gold Project, Potaro-Siparuni Region Guyana, NI 43-101 Technical Report", dated April 7, 2021, with an Effective Date of February 17, 2021,” the company said.

Additionally, the Company is conducting a 5,000-metre Phase 2 exploration programme that is designed to test known geophysical targets and follow up on prospects along the Salbora-Powis location.

Drilling at the Toucan and Powis prospects is also progressing well, with results expected soon.

Omai Gold Mines, another Canadian company which returned to the Wenot and Fennell pits at the Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) site in 2020, after leaving Guyana in 2015, found high- grade gold earlier in the year. (G3)

GTT customer wins 1-year free internet

T

he GTT has announced that Chaitnarine Puran is its first grand prize winner of its E-Billing signup competition. Puran has received one-year free internet service from the telephone company, starting in December 2021.

Upon receiving the good news, Puran, a resident of Best Road, West Coast Demerara, said he is happy to receive the one-year free internet service from the company. “This will be one less bill to study for one whole year, and I am happy to be the first winner,” he said.

GTT’s Marketing Coordinator Diangelly Singh, in congratulating the winner, said the next set of winners would be chosen in early December. “We have two other lucky persons who will win the one-year free internet service as the grand prize, and various handsets for the second to fourth prize winners. So, we look forward to announcing them shortly, and we look forward to more customers opting out of paper bills and into our e-billing platform, as we aim to promote an eco-friendly environment while providing convenience to customers,” Singh said.

In October, GTT announced that the company would increase its digital footprint to offer all its service bill-

GTT’s Marketing Coordinator, Diangelly Singh handing over the E-billing competition first prize to winner Chaitnarine Puran

ing online by January 2022.

With the new e-billing platform, customers will be able to view their full detailed bills instead of a summary bill via WhatsApp or Email.

Customers can opt in to receive their bills via Whatsapp

or Email via https://gtt.gy/ ebillx or they can send their account number to 627-bill.

All customers that receive and download their bills for the month will be automatically entered to win prizes.

T

UG Vice Chancellor, Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martin

he University of Guyana’s School of Behavioural Sciences and Research, in collaboration with the Judiciary of Guyana and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Tuesday launched a training programme that would see members of the legal profession in Guyana becoming better equipped to address gender-based violence.

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonnette CummingsEdwards, in opening remarks, made note of the fact that gender-based violence was an issue that plagued many societies.

“Violence committed against men, women and children is not only a criminal offence, but it is also a violation of their fundamental rights, their human rights,” Justice Cummings-Edwards expressed.

To this end, she noted that Guyana, in having a responsibility to protect citizens, has created legislative measures all directed at combating gender-based violence.

Even with these in place, Justice CummingsEdwards noted, the unfortunate reality was that most of the cases were not reaching the courts.

“One of the main challenges in addressing gender-based violence as we would have observed is the lack of specialised interventions,” she said.

The acting Chancellor further noted that she saw the opportunity of partnering with UNICEF and UG as one area of specialised intervention to deal with the issue. “[Given] the sensitive nature and serious nature of matters of this kind, our legislators saw the

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards, OR, CCH

need for legislation to deal with the issue and to allow some measure of protection to protect persons who experience such violence,” Justice CummingsEdwards said.

Highlighting that application can be made within the courts for certain protection orders, apart from the criminal charges that can be laid, she revealed that once filed, these applications are given priority.

“A member of society who seeks the protection of the court would need to have judicial officers and other functionaries who could understand their apprehension, who could understand their reluctance, their frustrations, even feelings of guilt and remorse as they make their complaints and seek their various orders,” she highlighted.

Working with UG Meanwhile, UG Vice Chancellor, Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martin expressed that the University was delighted to be working with the Judiciary.

“This Chancellery in the last four years or so has been very focused on using the Judiciary to create wellness, to create justice, to create fairness for all our populations,” Dr Mohamed-Martin stated.

While noting that the programme would be delivered online, the Vice Chancellor stated that she has hopes of it also being delivered face to face when the University embarks on its blended learning initiative in the near future.

In giving a brief overview of the programme, Dr Mohamed-Martin shared, “We’ll be looking in detail at these localised reports when we work with the Judiciary and the Police over the next five weeks

as we deliver the course.

Because really understanding how we apply our laws, our policies to our local context in a very objective empirically-based way is something that we really have to embrace and I know that the Judiciary does embrace that.”

In addition to this, UNICEF Representative for Guyana and Suriname, Nicolas Pron stated that – ahead of 16 Days of Activism under the theme, “Orange the world: End violence against women now!” and World Children’s Day under the theme, “A better future for every child” – “I am very happy that we are all becoming activists today and doing all we can to make both themes a reality.”

The UNICEF Representative stated that while UNICEF did not have all the answers in regard to changing the current scourge of gender-based violence, the organisation was aware of a few key strategies that could work in answering the questions of how to change the reality of gender-based violence and what more could be done.

“These [strategies] include: more open discussions, greater ownership and accountability, and more capacity building,” Pron stated.

“Just this month, we were asked to reflect on those cases of domestic violence that have contributed to a national change or debate on the national matter of domestic violence. I am sure all of us may know of at least one case. And based on our work, including in the Judiciary, we can vividly remember cases and we must use these examples as a means of creating change now, and creating a better future for children.” (G2)

16 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Oil audits will be Opposition says draft does not completed – VP adequately address its concerns V

ice President Bharrat Jagdeo said the Government would complete the audits of costs claimed by ExxonMobil for its operations, and assured that Guyana’s interests would be protected.

His comment was made in response to concerns that the accounting provisions in ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block contract stipulate a two-year deadline, and would prevent the Government from recovering inflated or unreasonable costs.

The Vice President also dismissed criticisms from the political Opposition on this matter as self-serving, given that Government has been transparent about why it has not yet contracted an auditor.

“We have made it clear what our intention is – to have local people involved,” the VP told the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday.

The Government is seeking to assemble a group of Guyanese in the sector who demonstrate strong auditing capabilities in this area and would be able to collab-

orate with a reputable international firm for the audit of ExxonMobil’s post-2017 costs.

Government has noted that it was important for a local firm to participate in this audit, in its public calls for Expressions of Interest.

The Government recognises that strong local content achievement is important to the Guyanese people, and its efforts to gather capable local auditors would give effect to that in a practical way. It will also allow them access to considerable revenues from audit fees.

When the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government assumed office in 2020, it took over the shepherding of an audit of ExxonMobil’s pre-contract and other pre2017 costs. The audit was being conducted by the UK firm, IHS Markit, which was hired by the previous Administration four years after oil was first discovered offshore.

The Vice President reminded that cost recovery audits were left outstanding for years. He expressed disappointment that

Electoral reform proposal

…now wants independent arbiter involved in GECOM hiring process

O

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Guyana, under the previous Administration, did not develop its capacity to conduct cost recovery audits, nor did it make haste to contract a firm to conduct those audits.

In addition to setting the stage for local audit firms to benefit from involvement in cost recovery audits, the Government will also build the capacity of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to conduct its own cost audits for the oil sector.

Jagdeo said he intended to address the issue more comprehensively in a future engagement.

pposition Leader Joseph Harmon, who was invited by the Government to express his views on the draft electoral reforms, has said that one of his concerns is with how the reforms address voter impersonation.

During a press conference on Wednesday, the Opposition Leader weighed in on the draft reforms to the Representation of the People Act that were developed by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.

According to Harmon, the draft reforms to the Representation of the People Act do not adequately deal with his party’s concerns on issues such as voter fraud.

While the voters’ list was previously subject to a claims and registration process in 2019 prior to the General and Regional Elections of 2020, Harmon said that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) would not accept the voters list in its current state.

The Opposition Leader criticised the move to divide Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) into sub-districts. According to Harmon, there is also concern over the management of the registration database.

Harmon meanwhile also addressed the current efforts being made to appoint critical officers to GECOM, including to the

When GECOM had put out the advertisements, over a dozen persons – both local and foreign – had applied for the post of CEO. So far, former CEO Gocool Boodoo, who was one of the more prominent names to apply, has withdrawn his application.

According to a list seen

by Guyana Times, Dr Kurt Clarke from Texas, Leslie Oliver Harrow from Jamaica, and Eugene Godfrey Petty from St Kitts were the foreign applicants. Of the three, this publication was able to ascertain from news reports in Jamaica that Harrow was up until May employed as head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

The local applicants had included Vishnu Persaud, the former Deputy CEO

posts of Chief Elections Officer (CEO) and Deputy Chief Elections Officer. “…I’m in support of an independent person being part of a selection committee at GECOM… we are saying, it is not too late at this stage to get an independent arbiter to deal with this matter,” Harmon said.

Currently, both the Government and Opposition-nominated sides of GECOM have settled on a shortlist of their favourite candidates for the positions of CEO and Deputy Chief Elections Officer, with the Government side settling on six names and the Opposition three.

whose non-appointment for the role in 2018 triggered controversy. Another applicant for the post was Attorney-at-Law Saphier Hussain, who was the Presidential Candidate for his National Independent Party (NIP) in the May 2015 General and Regional Elections.

Former Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President, Omar Shariff was also among the applicants.

The persons who are eventually hired will fill the vacancies created by the removals of former CEO Keith Lowenfield; his former deputy, Roxanne Myers and former Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo. (G3)

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

for feedback from representatives of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), former President David Granger, and Harmon.

GECOM

Wide consultation

While the Government has the draft electoral reform legislation and wants to take it to Parliament at the earliest possible opportunity, it has said it wants to have the widest possible consultations on the changes that will be made to the Representation of the People Act. These consultations include with the various political parties. In fact, Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira recently revealed that copies of the draft amendments were sent to the main parliamentary Opposition APNU/AFC. Particularly, Teixeira had said that the Government was hoping

NEWS

17

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Jonestown survivor who was shot 5 times and went on to Congress retires: “I lived and I served”

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a l i f o r n i a Representative Jackie Speier, who was shot five times in an ambush by Jonestown cult members in 1978, announced this week that she won't seek re-election after serving seven terms.

"Forty-three years ago this week, I was lying on an airstrip in the jungles of Guyana with five bullet holes in my body," Speier, 71, said in a YouTube video Tuesday announcing her

decision. "I vowed that if I survived, I would dedicate my life to public service. I lived and I served."

As she noted, Speier was inspired to pursue political office during the 1978 trip with her then boss, Representative Leo J Ryan, on a fact-finding mission to Jonestown, a remote settlement in Guyana founded by Reverend Jim Jones and followers of his Peoples Temple church.

Ryan went to investi-

Jackie Speier was wounded by gunfire in 1978 (Credit: Bettmann Archive)

California Jackie Speier

Representative

gate reports of abuse in Jonestown, where some of his San Francisco-area constituents were among approximately 1000 church members living there.

Speier, who was 28 at the time, was the Congressman's staffer.

While trying to leave on an airplane with defectors from the group as well as Journalists and concerned relatives who joined the congressional fact-finding mission, Ryan and four others were shot and killed by members of Jones' cult on November 18, 1978.

Nine others, including Speier, were wounded.

Speier ran for Ryan's seat in Congress a year later, but lost that election.

After serving six years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and

1978 photo of the Guyana airstrip where Representative Leo J Ryan died (Credit: Tim Reiterman/The San Francisco Examiner via AP)

18 years in the California State Legislature, she was elected to Congress in 2008, claiming the seat Ryan once held, the Associated Press reports.

"It has been a remarkable journey that has surpassed my wildest dreams," Speier said in her retirement announcement this week. "It's time for me to come home, time for me to be more than a weekend wife, mother and friend. It's been an extraordinary privilege and honour to represent the people of San Mateo County and San Francisco in almost every level of gov-

ernment for nearly four decades."

Following the deadly 1978 ambush in which Speier was seriously injured, the Guyanese army arrived at Jonestown to find 909 of its inhabitants dead — including 304 minors — in a mass murder-suicide.

In what became known as the Jonestown massacre, many of the group's members drank a poisoned grape-flavoured drink prepared by church leaders under Jones' direction. Some, including babies, were given the laced concoction.

Speier, who has been out-

spoken about sexual harassment and shared her own experience of being attacked by a congressional staffer in 2017, this week also thanked her community for sending her to Washington, DC, for seven consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

"I have never forgotten that I have been given the opportunity to serve because of you," she said. "As I leave, I want to convey my deepest appreciation to you and urge you to protect our precious democracy. It is fragile and vulnerable."

(People Magazine)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Regional

Trinidad and Tobago records PAHO calls on people to protect themselves during upcoming holidays highest daily COVID-19 case number to date – 781 R

T

rinidad and Tobago has recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases to date, with 781 cases being reported on Wednesday.

This is only the second time that the number of daily cases has crossed 700, the first being 708 on May 21.

Six deaths were also recorded on Wednesday, the lowest number since October 29.

The 781 cases continue the trend of rising daily cases which began in October.

The Health Ministry has said the rising numbers are owed at least partially to the presence of the Delta variant, which is three to four times more transmissible than the original virus.

Officials continue to implore people to get vaccinated

and follow the “3 Ws” of washing hands, watching distance, and wearing masks.

The death toll now stands at 1891. The Health Ministry’s COVID-19 update on Wednesday said the people who died were three elderly men, two middle-aged men, and one middle-aged woman, all with comorbidities. It said five of these people had multiple comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, while one

person had one comorbidity, namely obesity.

There are 7689 active cases.

Since March 2020, there have been 63,865 cases, of which 54,285 have recovered.

The number of people tested in public and private facilities is 425,989.

At present, there are 473 patients in hospital, the third highest for the pandemic period to date. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Macron hosts Brazil’s Lula at French presidential palace

P

resident Emmanuel Macron hosted former Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for a meeting at the Elysee palace on Wednesday, a rare honour signalling support for a rival of Brazil’s far-right incumbent with whom the French leader has traded barbs.

Lula, a former union leader who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, is expected to challenge far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, though neither has officially declared their candidacy.

In an official statement after the meeting at the French presidential palace, Macron’s

office said Lula had “shared his vision of Brazil’s role in the world, noting how, over the past three years, Brazil has set itself aside of the multilateral system and major international agreements”.

The statement appeared as a thinly-veiled dig at Bolsonaro, with whom Macron has been on the opposite side of many arguments, including enforcement of the Paris climate accord and the EUMercosur trade negotiations.

In Rome last month, videos from G20 events showed Bolsonaro as an isolated figure, who was not part of the photo taken at the Trevi foun-

tain with other world leaders.

Since taking office, Bolsonaro has railed against the enforcement of environmental regulations in Brazil, announced intentions to develop the Amazon region, questioned the severity of the coronavirus, shunned lockdowns, sowed vaccine doubts and pushed unproven cures.

In 2019, Bolsonaro mocked Macron’s wife and accused him of disrespecting Brazil’s sovereignty because of the French leader’s criticism of deforestation. Macron called Bolsonaro a liar, adding Brazilian women were “probably ashamed” of him. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Cuba dissident leader Yunior Garcia in Spain after crackdown

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uban dissident, playwright and activist Yunior Garcia has escaped Cuba following a Government crackdown on protests in Havana and has flown to Spain, according to reports.

Garcia and his wife landed at Madrid’s Barajas airport on Wednesday afternoon, a Spanish Government official told news services, putting an end to uncertainty over his whereabouts “We confirm that he has arrived with his wife, on a tourist visa,” a Government source told Agence FrancePresse.

Garcia, 39, is the founder of Opposition group Archipelago and was a central figure in major protests that rocked Cuba in July. The protests against shortages of basic goods and curbs on civil liberties were Cuba’s largest in decades.

Cuba’s Government has responded with a harsh crack-

esidents of Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) member countries are being encouraged to take the necessary steps to safeguard themselves against COVID-19 infection during the upcoming holiday season.

The period, for some countries, starts as early as Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 25, and segues into Christmas and the New Year.

PAHO’s Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Ciro Ugarte reiterated that these safeguards include getting vaccinated and observing protocols such as wearing masks in public,

hand washing and sanitising, and physical distancing.

Speaking during PAHO’s recent COVID-19 digital media briefing, Dr Ugarte said it was possible for families and friends to gather for holiday celebrations, once they adhere to the prescribed safeguards.

He noted that vaccination was imperative, particularly against the background that holiday celebrations usually involve several generations of individuals, including the elderly, older and young adults, and children, coming together, in instances from different locations.

“If you’re planning to participate in a family gath-

ering or meet with friends, make sure that you have been [fully vaccinated]. If you have received just one dose and have not received the second, make sure that you get the second,” Dr Ugarte cautioned.

Additionally, he said persons who have not been immunised and plan to travel should get vaccinated, “particularly if there is someone… who [could potentially] be impacted by COVID-19”.

“If you’re not [fully] vaccinated, I suggest that you do so at least 14 days before travelling to be fully protected,” Dr Ugarte urged.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

St Lucia needs prudent financial management, says new PM

T

he St Lucia Government on Tuesday said that the island’s debt at the end of July was EC$3.93 billion (one EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) and for the next three months, it would have no access to institutional lending.

Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre told Parliament that the last Administration had been reckless in its financial management.

“As of July 31, 2021, the former Government has used EC$301 million, meaning that of the COVID-19 borrowings, this Government only benefited from EC$19 million of these loans. My Government is able to draw down on a US$10 million loan from the Republic of Taiwan,” Pierre told legislators.

“We have found a situation where Government expenses have to be financed from revenue, rollover financing, and bond financ-

Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre

ing, and treasury bills. For the last three months and before the next budget cycle begins, we have no access to institutional lending as was available to the last government,” said Pierre, who is also Finance Minister.

Pierre, noting the state of the country’s finances when his St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) Administration came to power on July 26, said St Lucia now required

prudent financial management to avoid falling into “a financial abyss”.

In a breakdown of the debt, Pierre told Parliament that the public debt was estimated at EC$3.932 billion, local payables EC$154 million, design finance contracts EC$184.5 million, unpaid land acquisition EC$60 million and EC$27 million was owed to the University of West Indies.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

Jamaica-China relationship under surveillance by US, says Embassy official

J

Actor and playwright Yunior Garcia, leader of protests in Havana, left Cuba because of “Police pressure” sources close to him told a Spanish newspaper [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]

down and arrested hundreds.

This week, a planned demonstration in the capital Havana on November 15 was thwarted as Opposition Leaders were detained and security forces flooded the streets.

Garcia had intended to march through the centre of Havana with a white rose in hand, to draw attention to the non-violent nature of the protest movement.

But Garcia’s home in Havana was surrounded by State security and

Government supporters and by the day of the planned protests, his neighbourhood was largely quiet.

Fellow activists on social media had said they had not heard from him since Tuesday morning.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted sources close to Garcia saying he left due to the “brutal police pressure” he had suffered in recent weeks ahead of the planned demonstration. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

ohn McIntyre, Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Embassy in Kingston, has indicated that he was following the lead of the White House as it relates to discouraging or encouraging Jamaica’s relationship with China.

McIntyre was addressing Journalists during a roundtable discussion organised by the Embassy, which was held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in St Andrew a day after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping eased longstanding tensions between the two world powers during a virtual summit on Monday in Washington. They, however, failed to come to a consensus on key issues such

as trade, technology, human rights and China’s relationship with Taiwan.

Xi even warned Biden that encouraging Taiwanese independence would be equivalent to “playing with fire”.

Former US President Donald Trump maintained an aggressive stance towards China throughout his time in office and relations were also sour with US Administrations prior to Trump’s.

“We have a new administration now, but I think President Biden is very clear about where the US Government is on this.

Recently, there was a virtual summit with the leader of China. We remain concerned

about any country with investment in this region and Jamaica in particular where ethical and environmental norms are violated.

“We are going to watch that no matter where we are and we are going to hold ourselves to the same high standards. In that case, I think we are particularly concerned about telecommunications, cyber security and infrastructure especially as Jamaica moves forward. We are going to continue to follow the White House’s lead, which has been very clear to date and we are going to continue to engage with Jamaica and regionally,” McIntyre said. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

19

Around the World

of emergency declared in OILNEWS OIL NEWS State British Columbia after storm Oil slumps, hits six-week lows on revived supply concerns

O

il prices slumped on Wednesday, driving major benchmarks to their lowest settlement levels since early October, after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned of impending oversupply, while rising COVID-19 cases in Europe increased downside risks to demand recovery.

Prices dropped further in thin post-close trading after Reuters reported that the United States was asking other major global oil consumers like China and Japan to consider a coordinated release of oil reserves to bring prices down.

Brent crude futures fell US$1.36, or 1.7 per cent, to US$81.05 a barrel by 12:18h EST. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at US$78.36, down US$2.40, a three per cent decline.

The declines took Brent to its lowest close since October 1 and US crude to its lowest settlement since October 7. Traders said funds apparently are weighing a greater likelihood that supply would start to outpace demand, with sharp declines in near-term futures pointing to funds closing long positions.

"It signals a movement towards balance which we’ve not seen for many months," said Tony Headrick, energy analyst at CHS Hedging.

In post-close trading, US crude fell to US$77.98 a barrel.

The global oil market has been focused on the swift rise in demand against a slow increase in supply from OPEC and its allies, along with reluctance from big US shale players to overspend on drilling.

However, both the IEA and OPEC in recent weeks said more supply could be coming in the next several months.

OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, have maintained an agreement to boost output by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) every month so as not to overwhelm the market with supply.

On Tuesday, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said the group saw signs of an oil supply surplus building from next month, adding its members and allies would have to be "very, very cautious".

Other nations, including the United States, have called for OPEC+ to boost output more swiftly. The United States has considered announcing an emergency release of crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which contains more than 600 million barrels of oil.

In the last two weeks, the US Energy Department has sold more than six million barrels of oil – part of previously approved sales.

The United States currently has discretion to sell several million barrels from the SPR thanks to previous Congressional approval. JP Morgan analysts said the White House could speed up those sales rather than declare an emergency – calling it the "easiest of the options the White House has" to combat rising fuel prices.

The IEA has already said US supply is expected to increase at a swifter pace in the second quarter of 2022, and US rig counts have been rising, with private operators seeking to take advantage of higher crude prices. The IEA expects US output will account for about 60 per cent of its forecast of 1.9 million bpd for nonOPEC supply growth in 2022.

US crude oil inventories fell by 2.1 million barrels last week, Government data showed, running against analyst expectations for a build of 1.4 million barrels. Headrick noted, however, that the modest build in inventories at the key Cushing, Oklahoma hub of 213,000 barrels signalled that the end may be near for drawdowns.

New waves of COVID-19 cases in Europe have driven some Governments to reimpose restrictions; Austria has ordered a lockdown on unvaccinated individuals.

The Biden Administration asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the growing gap between the cost of unfinished gas and what consumers are paying at the pump. (Reuters)

A

state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian western province of British Columbia after a major storm cut road and rail links in the region.

The Canadian Armed Forces are being deployed to help thousands of stranded residents who have been trapped since the storm hit overnight on Sunday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged assistance during a visit to Washington DC and said troops would help rebuild.

One woman was killed in a landslide, and two people are missing.

Thousands remain evacuated after an "atmospheric river" – a long strip of

British Columbia left devastated after storm

moisture in the air that transports water from tropical areas towards the poles – dumped the region's monthly rainfall average in 24 hours.

Officials in the region have attributed the natural disaster to the effects

of climate change.

The impact of climate change on the frequency of storms is still unclear, but we know that increased sea surface temperatures warm the air above and make more energy available to drive hurricanes,

cyclones and typhoons. As a result, they are likely to be more intense with more extreme rainfall.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless Governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan said the emergency order took effect at 12:00h local time (20:00GMT) in a news conference on Wednesday.

He said that travel restrictions would keep people off flooded roads and ensure that essential goods "reach the communities that need them". (Excerpt from BBC News)

Majority of US House votes to censure Republican for violent video

T

he US House of Representatives has voted to formally rebuke Republican Congressman Paul Gosar for tweeting an animated video that portrayed him killing progressive congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.

In a 223 to 207 vote largely along party lines on Wednesday, the House censured Gosar and stripped him of two congressional committee assignments. One member voted “present” on the resolution.

“This is not about me. This is not about

Representative Gosar. But this is about what we are willing to accept,” OcasioCortez said before the vote.

She denounced Republicans who backed Gosar for what she called failing to condemn “incitement of violence” against a US Congress member.

The video also shows Gosar swinging two swords at President Joe Biden.

It opens up with real footage of migrants crossing the US southern border and ends with the flag of Arizona, where Gosar’s district is based.

On Wednesday, Gosar, who is a staunch supporter

of former President Donald Trump, played down the cartoon as a mere statement against unauthorised immigration, rejecting accusations that it was violent or threatening.

Republican House lead-

er Kevin McCarthy came to Gosar’s defence, noting that the Congressman deleted the video. He accused Democrats of abusing their power as a majority.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Germany hit by full force of COVID – Merkel

Malcolm X's 1965 assassination: Convictions of 2 men to be quashed

A

senior US Prosecutor says two men convicted of the murder in 1965 of the US civil rights leader Malcolm X are to have their convictions quashed.

Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam did not get the justice they deserved, the Manhattan District Attorney says.

Prosecutor Cyrus Vance Jr told the New York Times that the FBI and Police had withheld evidence that would have likely resulted in their acquittal.

Malcolm X was shot dead at a New York City ballroom in front of his family.

Aziz and Islam – along with a third man, Thomas Hagan – were convicted of the murder, and sentenced to life in prison.

The three men – members of the Nation of Islam political and religious movement – have all since been paroled. Islam died in 2009.

In an interview with the New York Times newspaper, Vance apologised on behalf of the law enforcement agencies, saying they had failed Aziz's and Islam's families.

In 2020, the Manhattan District Attorney launched a review of the convictions after meeting representatives of the Innocence Project, a non-profit legal group campaigning for justice for individuals it said had been wrongly convicted.

Earlier this year, Malcolm X's daughters requested that the murder investigation be reopened in light of new evidence. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Chancellor Angela Merkel

G

ermany is in the grip of a "dramatic" fourth COVID wave, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said on the eve of a crisis meeting with regional leaders.

Daily infections hit a new German record of 52,826 on Wednesday as European Governments responded to a surge on much of the continent.

Belgium announced a series of measures in an attempt to avoid a lockdown.

"All the alarm signals are red," said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, as he told people to limit personal contact.

"Europe's map is quickly going red, and we are the same."

Children in Belgium

will have to wear masks from the age of 10, rather than the current age of 12.

Working from home will become compulsory from Saturday for four days a week. Passes known as Covid Safe Tickets will be required in theatres, cinemas, and museums.

A third booster vaccination will be rolled out for all Belgians by the end of April 2022.

Austria, which imposed a lockdown on an estimated two million unvaccinated people on Monday, reported record daily infections on Wednesday.

The Netherlands, which also reported record cases, has already brought in a partial lockdown. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Keep a close eye on what others do or say. Gather information, sort through your options and make arrangements to put your plans in motion. Don't take a health risk to prove a point.

Make a physical change that will improve your health, state of mind and financial future. Size up a situation and be prepared to do your own thing. Refuse to let anyone interfere.

Work hard to take care of your responsibilities. How you conduct business will influence your reputation, position and chance to advance.

Refuse to let anyone take credit for your ideas or work.

Change can be good if you implement it the right way.

Look for a unique way to use your attributes, and you will excel. Help from someone you least expect will encourage you to broaden your horizons.

Sit tight until you gather enough information to make a sound decision. An argument will leave you in a vulnerable position. Find a way to get along, and you will make progress.

Connect with people who have something to contribute, and you will find it easier to get things done on time. A networking function will help you understand what's trending.

Romance is favored.

Set your sights on what you need to do, and get moving. Discipline will help you reach your destination with time left over to enjoy your accomplishments. A better health regimen is encouraged.

Take care of business.

Once you act, you will feel relief and get a clear picture of what you want to do next.

Embrace life and entertain the possibility of new beginnings. Love is featured.

You'll gain ground if you SAGITTARIUS work alone. Don't give any(Nov. 23one a chance to interfere or Dec. 21) meddle. Forge ahead with a destination in mind and a well-thought-out plan.

Discipline and moderation will be key.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Spend time fixing up your space. Feeling comfortable in your environment will ease stress and help you make better decisions regarding personal and professional matters.

Separate what's necessary from what isn't. Following someone else will lead to disappointment. Do what's best for you and those you love.

Self-discipline is encouraged.

Use your imagination to resolve issues that (Feb. 20- are standing in your way.

March 20) A discussion with someone who can help you will give you hope that change is heading your way. Stop dreaming and start doing.

PISCES

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Ashwin, Suryakumar, Rohit shine as India earn hard-fought victory over New Zealand D

aryl Mitchell is a seam-bowling allrounder who usually bats in the middle order, but for New Zealand's T20 side, he's now an opening batter who barely bowls at all.

Venkatesh Iyer is a seam-bowling allrounder who opens the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders, but on Wednesday night, making his India debut, he didn't get to bowl, and walked in at #6.

When Venkatesh faced his first ball in international cricket, India were being threatened with losing a match that they seemingly could not lose less than half an hour ago.

With six balls left, they needed ten runs to win. And New Zealand, having used up all their main seam bowlers, threw the ball to Mitchell.

Mitchell had earlier been out for a first-ball duck.

Venkatesh had not been required at all until this point.

Now they both had the chance to be the hero.

Neither took that honour in the end. Venkatesh swatted the first legal ball he received for four, but was dismissed off the next ball attempting a cute reverse-lap.

Mitchell got that wicket, but he also sent down two big wides that reflected his rustiness as a bowler. Eventually, it came down to 3 off 3, and Rishabh Pant, who had struggled to 13 off 16, stepped out and swiped Mitchell over mid-off to put an end to what had become an unexpectedly close contest.

There had been fifties for Mark Chapman, Martin Guptill and Suryakumar Yadav, and a 48 from Rohit Sharma full of vintage strokeplay; as well as terrific bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin and Mitchell Santner, but the end result came down to the bit-part players.

It's in the nature of T20 to throw up these sorts of twists, and a capacity crowd in Jaipur - in the first international game played in India since the devastating second wave of COVID-19 - were thoroughly entertained as India took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Swing keeps New Zealand quiet

Bhuvneshwar played no part in the T20 World Cup after he and India went wicketless in their opening game against Pakistan.

There was no swing (if your name wasn't Shaheen Shah Afridi) in Dubai, though, and there was a good amount of it in Jaipur. After a pair of outswingers to Guptill, the second of which was pushed for a single, Bhuvneshwar greeted Mitchell with an inswinger. Mitchell jabbed at the ball with no footwork, and the ball

sneaked past his inside edge to knock back middle stump.

That was India's only wicket in the powerplay, but the ball kept swinging for Bhuvneshwar, Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Siraj, and all three made a concerted effort to bowl within

He bowled another now, pitching on leg stump, and it beat Chapman's leg-side heave to peg back his off stump.

The next three balls were a probing examination of Glenn Phillips's technique.

Two offbreaks - the first going

The partnership between Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav put India on top

the stumps and give no width.

Chapman, New Zealand's #3, struggled to break free of this strangulation, or even get off strike. After three overs, Guptill had faced just two balls, and after five overs, he had faced just six.

At that point, Chapman was on 20 off 23, and New Zealand were 26 for 1.

A partnership blossoms

New Zealand got going in the final over of the powerplay, when Chahar overused the slower short ball and conceded 15. There was only one boundary in the next four overs - shared between Ashwin and Axar Patel - but India conceded a spate of them after that, with Guptill extending his arms through a pair of lofted drives against Siraj, and Chapman putting Axar away for six and four in the 12th over, and bringing up his fifty in the process.

When Guptill and Chapman hit back-to-back boundaries off the last ball of the 13th and first ball of the 14th over respectively, New Zealand were 110 for 1, and looking on course for 177, according to ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster.

Ashwin turns on the magic

But Ashwin had other ideas. He had already discovered that this pitch was offering grip and turn if he bowled the odd ball a little slower, and had beaten Chapman's outside edge comprehensively in the seventh over with a dipping offbreak laden with overspin.

with the arm past the outside edge, the second ripping inwards to beat the inside edge and hit thigh pad - and then the carrom ball, angling in before straightening towards off

stump. Phillips's bat sliced across the line in defence, and the ball beat his outside edge to hit back pad - more or less in line with off stump, an umpire's call verdict sending him on his way after he reviewed.

Chahar and Siraj deny New Zealand big finish

Guptill was still in though, and big sixes off Siraj and Bhuvneshwar in the 15th and 17th overs hurried him past 50 (he got there in 31 balls) and into the 60s.

Then Axar dropped Tim Seifert at the cover boundary, and Guptill nailed a massive drive into the stands beyond midwicket off Chahar at the start of the 18th, to bring up New Zealand's 150.

The momentum seemed to be going entirely one way, but Chahar struck a crucial blow the next ball, taking pace off it to ensure a repeat attempt from Guptill ended up caught on the boundary. New Zealand's innings thereafter went like a pricked balloon: Chahar, Bhuvneshwar and Siraj conceded just 14 off the last 16 balls of the innings, as the new batters struggled for timing against slower balls and cutters bowled into the pitch.

No one knew it then, but it was a portent. (ESPNcricinfo)

21

Rishabh Pant slamming the ball away for the winning hit

SCOREBOARD NEW ZEALAND INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Martin Guptill c SS Iyer b Chahar 70 Daryl Mitchell b Kumar 0 Mark Chapman b Ashwin 63 Glenn Phillips lbw b Ashwin 0 Tim Seifert †c Yadav b Kumar 12 Rachin Ravindra b Mohammed Siraj 7 Mitchell Santner not out 4 Tim Southee (c) not out 0 Extras (b 2, lb 3, w 3) 8 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.19) 164/6 Did not bat: Todd Astle, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Daryl Mitchell, 0.3 ov), 2-110 (Mark Chapman, 13.2 ov), 3-110 (Glenn Phillips, 13.5 ov), 4-150 (Martin Guptill, 17.2 ov), 5-153 (Tim Seifert, 18.2 ov), 6-162 (Rachin Ravindra, 19.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-0-24-2 Deepak Chahar 4-0-42-1 Mohammed Siraj 4-0-39-1 Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-23-2 Axar Patel 4-0-31-0

INDIA INNINGS (TARGET: 165 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) KL Rahul c Chapman b Santner 15 Rohit Sharma (c)c Ravindra b Boult 48 Suryakumar Yadav b Boult 62 Rishabh Pant † not out 17 Shreyas Iyer c Boult b Southee 5 Venkatesh Iyer c Ravindra b Mitchell 4 Axar Patel not out 1 Extras (lb 7, w 7) 14 TOTAL (19.4 Ov, RR: 8.44) 166/5 Did not bat: Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj Fall of wickets: 1-50 (KL Rahul, 5.1 ov), 2-109 (Rohit Sharma, 13.2 ov), 3-144 (Suryakumar Yadav, 16.4 ov), 4-155 (Shreyas Iyer, 18.6 ov), 5-160 (Venkatesh Iyer, 19.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Tim Southee 4-0-40-1 Trent Boult 4-0-31-2 Lockie Ferguson 4-0-24-0 Mitchell Santner 4-0-19-1 Todd Astle 3-0-34-0 Daryl Mitchell 0.4-0-11-1

Mercedes review of Verstappen manoeuvre at Sao Paulo Grand Prix to take place today

M

ercedes will make their case for a review of the decision not to penalise Max Verstappen at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to officials on Thursday.

The Red Bull driver was not punished for forcing Lewis Hamilton off the track as the seven-time champion tried to overtake.

The hearing is to establish whether the criteria for a review of the decision have been met. It will take place on Thursday at 14:00 GMT. Mercedes must demonstrate there is “a significant and relevant new element” unavailable at the time of the decision. The new evidence is believed to include on-board camera footage of the incident from both cars. This was not released until Tuesday, nearly 48 hours after the incident took place.

Representatives from Red Bull have also been summoned to the meeting. If stewards decide that there is significant new evidence, a second hearing will take

place to rerevisit

view it, and whether

Verstappen should have been penalised.

In that case, a range of potential penalties are available.

Verstappen leads Hamilton in the championship by 14

points with three races remaining, starting in Qatar this weekend.

Race Director Michael Masi discussed the incident with stewards during the race on Sunday, but they decided it did not merit an investigation.

After the race, Masi was asked why this decision was made, given that it seemed to be inconsistent with other similar situations earlier in the season.

Among these was the decision to give McLaren’s L a n d o Norris a five-second penalty for p u s h ing Red Bull’s Sergio P e r e z wide as they battled at

the Austrian Grand Prix.

Masi said: “I disagree that it’s inconsistent. You judge each incident on its merits. Let’s not forget we have the overall ‘let them race’ principles. That philosophy was adopted. The proximity of the cars, where it is, the nature of the corner, the fact both cars went off, neither car lost position, was the general view of it.”

Pressed on the point that there was no argument that Hamilton had been forced off the track, Masi said: “If you keep going a little bit further, the (acceptance that there should be) give or take (when they are) side on side (is relevant).”

The F1 rules say: “Manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as deliberate crowding of a car beyond the edge of the track, or any other abnormal change of direction, are strictly prohibited. Any driver who appears guilty of any of the above offences will be reported to the stewards.” (BBC Sport)

22

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Shepherd, Hetmyer continue commitment to Berbice cricket with sponsorships N

ot forgetting the proverbial bridge they had to cross in their journey to fame and fortune, West Indies players Romario Shepherd and Shimron Hetmyer continue to support cricket in Berbice.

Shepherd, who plays locally for Tucber Park in New Amsterdam, has recently reconfirmed his sponsorship of a Berbice under-13 tournament, while Hetmyer, who plays for the Young Warriors of East Canje, will as-

sist the charity project of Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) for Christmas 2021.

In a statement from the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), it was disclosed that Shepherd made contact with BCB President Hilbert Foster to reconfirm his sponsorship of the under-13 tournament.

“The BCB is delighted to inform the general public that West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd today (Tuesday) contacted our President

BCB President Hilbert Foster

Hilbert Foster to reconfirm his sponsorship of a countywide under-13

tournament. The talented all-rounder had earlier this year committed to sponsoring the tournament before the rise of COVID-19 cases forced the matches to be called off,” the BCB said.

Among the clubs that have registered to date for this Under-13 tournament are: Albion, Rose Hall Town Poonai Pharmacy, Port Mourant, Achievers, Rose Hall Canje, Mount Sinai, Guymine and Edinburgh.

The eight teams would be divided

into two zones, with two teams from each zone advancing to the semifinals.

The tournament is expected to start shortly, and persons born no earlier than January 1, 2008 are eligible to participate.

Hetmyer, who is currently at home in Berbice, met with Foster for an hour, during which a wide range of topics, including ideas for the development of the game in Guyana and Berbice, were discussed.

Hetmyer also committed to assisting the

RHTYSC’s m a s s i v e charity project for Christmas 2021. He and his wife Nirvani would hand over the donation to Foster today (Thursday, November 18). The donation would enable the distribution of 1000 food hampers to less fortunate families across the ancient county.

The RHTY&SC would also be sharing out thousands of toys to children of single- parent households.

East Bank Essequibo Cricket Committee has new Executive

S

helly-Ann Fraser Pryce has been the toast of South Florida at the Miramar Cultural Centre in South Florida on Tuesday night, at a red-carpet event that also served as an auction and fundraiser for her Pocket Rocket Foundation.

At the event, dubbed ‘An Evening with an Olympian’, the four-time Olympian raised thousands of US dollars auctioning a pair of her running spikes, competition gear, a wig, a painting of mother and son by Mark Cameron, and a weekend stay at the Altamont West Hotel.

However, the high points of the evening were the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to the four-time 100m World Champion by Consul General Oliver Mair, the keys to the city of Miramar and Broward County, as well as having Alexandra Davis, a City Commissioner for Miramar, declare November 16 ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce Day. Consul General Mair told Sportsmax.TV that it was an evening when everything went according to plan, and that Fraser-Pryce made it worth the while for all who turned out. She engaged the guests in conversation, and took pictures with all who had requested.

“We have many icons that have made Jamaica proud: Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Miss Lou, Usain Bolt, Elaine Thompson-Herah.

ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce is among the most decorated athletes of all time, and she has done it in a most respectable and humble manner,” said Consul General Mair, who presented Fraser-Pryce with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Her focus is always looking to empower others. Even in her book, ‘The Promise’, she seeks to empower young people. Her foundation was also set up to support others.

“She has been doing this since 2008 in the sport, a woman who has put Jamaica on the world map following in the footsteps of Merlene Ottey and Veronica

The new Executive of the EBE Cricket Committee

I Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Campbell-Brown.”

For her part, FraserPryce said she was thankful for the turnout, and support she received for her foundation.

“Thank you to those in attendance, especially the individuals that supported the auction,” she said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

“I cannot forget those persons that donated despite not being able to attend. As more is poured into me, the more I will continue to pour out to others. This is how we create lasting change for generations to come.”

Since 2008, when she became the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic 100m title, Fraser-Pryce has gone on to create a legacy as arguably the greatest female sprinter in history. She won the Olympic 100m title in Beijing in 2008, and again in London in 2012, and is one of only four women to do the same – Wyoma Tyus (1964, ’68), Gail Devers (1992, ’96) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (2016, ’21).

Along the way, FraserPryce also won four 100m World titles (2009, 2013, 2017 and 2019) as well as a 200m title in 2013.

This past summer, Fraser-Pryce added to her already rich legacy when she

won a silver medal in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the only woman to win medals in the Olympic 100m for four consecutive Games.

She added a third Olympic gold medal to her trophy case as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team that won in a national record of 41.02, the third-fastest time ever.

Her work off the track has also been extraordinary.

Through the Pocket Rocket Foundation, she has provided scholarships to scores of student-athletes, enabling them to complete their high school education and to pursue tertiary education.

She has also hosted an annual Christmas treat for the children of Waterhouse, where for the past few years she has also staged a sixa-side football competition aimed at maintaining peace within the under-served community.

Meanwhile, Consul General Mair said he was thankful to Jamaica-born elected officials in South Florida for their support of the event, notwithstanding the short notice they had.

He explained that they have always been supportive of similar ventures that are beneficial to the diaspora.

(Sportsmax)

n keeping with the Guyana Cricket Administration Act of 2014, members of the East Bank Essequibo Cricket Committee (EBECC) have invited the Cricket Ombudsman to verify eligible clubs of the said committee, in order to facilitate the holding of long-outstanding elections for officers of the EBECC. As a consequence of this development, Cricket Ombudsman Malcolm Peters and his officers attended the activity, which commenced at 6:00pm last Friday (November 12) at the Tuschen Sports Club ground.

After the registration process had been completed, in which it was determined that seven of the eleven affiliated clubs were present, thereby establishing a quorum, the Ombudsman next carefully explained the process and its legality, and spoke of the responsibilities of those seeking election to office.

Immediately afterwards, the election of office bearers began, and the following persons were elected to serve for the next two years: Chairman – Vishal Ambedkar Vice-Chairman – Imtiaz Sadik Secretary – Shazim Nazrudeen Treasurer – Keyon Alexander Asst/Secretary Treasurer – Fazlim Bacchus Marketing Officer – Gregory George Public Relations Officer –Francis Wright Competitions Chair – Nazir Alli Selection Chairman – Deoram Rai Trustees – Shahabudeen Mohamed and Naieem Habib Auditor – Abdool Baseer Azeez Ombudsman Peters congratulated the new

Executive and wished them every success.

Photographs and other congratulations followed until the activity closed at 7:30pm.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

T

CWI President, Ricky Skerritt

he West Indies will host the 14th edition of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time ever, and the event which showcases the future stars of the game will see 16 teams travelling to the Caribbean to compete in 48 matches from January 14 to February 5 across four host countries.

The 16 teams competing will see current holders Bangladesh, England, Canada and the United Arab Emirates in Group A, with debutants Uganda placed in Group B alongside India, South Africa and Ireland. Group C comprises Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea, and Group D sees host West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka. Scotland complete the tournament line-up in Group D, after New Zealand withdrew due to the extensive mandatory quarantine restrictions for minors on their return home.

The four host countries have been confirmed as Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, with 10 venues hosting matches. The format will see the top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the Super League, while the remaining teams feature in the Plate across 23 days of competition.

The 48-match schedule will begin with hosts West Indies taking on Australia, with Sri Lanka facing Scotland in Guyana on January 14. The group stage will take place across Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago between January 14 and 22.

Trinidad and Tobago will host the Plate competition between January 25 and 31, with the Super League taking place in Antigua and Barbuda from January 26. The semi-finals will be played on February 1 across two venues: the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground on February 2.

The Final, on February 5, will also be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt said: “CWI is looking forward to hosting this important global U19 cricket event, which is just around the corner, in January. In partnership with host territorial boards, cricket clubs, and Ministries of Sports, we have been hard at work preparing for this event over the past several months. However, amid so

many COVID-related challenges, it has not been easy to finalise the venues and to work out all the related logistics.

“At the same time, our U19 Head Coach, Floyd Reifer, and his coaching staff have been busy preparing our team for competition, using innovative methods to keep them active even while they were restricted from travel. West Indies has a proud under-19 cricket history, with several bright talents blossoming into international stars over the years. We therefore expect our current team of under-19 players to do us proud in the 2022 tournament.

“I am also confident that our visitors will experience the best of our world-famous Caribbean culture and hospitality in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.”

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley, said: “The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is such an exciting and special tournament, bringing together the future stars of the game and giving them an unrivalled experience of competing on the global stage.

“So many of the best players have competed at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, including Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Joe Root and Shimron Hetmyer, and we are looking forward to the 2022 edition to see who emerges as the future stars.

“We are delighted that the West Indies will be hosting this event, and we wish all the teams the very best in their preparations for the tournament, and to Cricket West Indies in organising the event.”

The West Indies have won the title once in 2016, with India being crowned champions four times, Australia three times, Pakistan twice; while England, South Africa and Bangladesh have each won it once.

There will be 16 warmup matches taking place between January 9 and 12 in St Kitts and Nevis and Guyana.

CC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Groupings: Group A – Bangladesh, England, Canada, United Arab Emirates Group B – India, Ireland, South Africa, Uganda Group C – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe Group D – Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup venues: St Kitts and Nevis – Warner Park Cricket Stadium, Conaree Cricket Center, (Sandy Point -

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Windies legend Sir Curtly Ambrose showing off the U19 World Cup Trophy to the Region’s current crop of U19 players

Warm-up match venue only) Guyana – Guyana National Stadium, (Everest Cricket Club - Warm-up match venue only) Trinidad and Tobago – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queen’s Park Oval, Diego Martin Sporting Complex Antigua and Barbuda – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Coolidge Cricket Ground ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup match schedule: January 14 – West Indies v Australia, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Sri Lanka v Scotland, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana January 15 – Canada v UAE, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; India v South Africa, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Ireland v Uganda, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana; Pakistan v PNG, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago January 16 – Bangladesh v England, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago January 17 – West Indies v Scotland, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; Australia v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis January 18 – England v Canada, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; South Africa v Uganda, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago; Afghanistan v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago January 19 – Australia v Scotland, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; India v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago January 20 – England v

UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; Bangladesh v Canada, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; Pakistan v Afghanistan, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago; Zimbabwe v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago January 21 – West Indies v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; South Africa v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and

Tobago January 22 – Bangladesh v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis, India v Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago; Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago Plate and Super League fixtures to take place between January 25 and February 4 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua

and Barbuda and Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queen’s Park Oval and Diego Martin Sporting Complex in Trinidad and Tobago.

February 1 – Semifinal, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda February 2 – Semi-final, Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda February 5 – Final, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbud

“There’s no other way!”

— Forde urging vaccination as year-end tournaments approach

I

n anticipation of their packed December playing schedule, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) are encouraging players, coaches, officials and fans alike to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

As they hope to stage three tournaments within the year-end season, GFF President Wayne Forde has shared that vaccination is the only avenue for pulling off successful events.

The GFF boss made these utterances during the launch of the GFFKashif and Shanghai Futsal Tournament last Friday.

“Let’s be clear with each other, there is absolutely no other way that we can get back to any sense of normalcy unless we have a football fraternity that is fully vaccinated. Everyone wants to see football on the pitch and here in the gymnasium, but the risk of doing that without people being vaccinated is way too high,” Forde expressed on Friday last.

“The occasion would never be squandered for me to

GFF President, Wayne Forde

again remind and encourage our members to please take advantage of the facilities we’re making available to you and get vaccinated.

There’s no other way!” the impassioned GFF President urged.

Probed about the reception that the GFF’s vaccination drives have received, Forde had this to say: “The first weekend was last weekend, and things started a bit slow, but we’re anticipating that it will pick up this weekend. But we will continue this drive.”

However, the GFF President is still optimistic about the initiative, since

there were persons who took the jab prior to the GFF vaccination drive. He explained, “We were actually pleasantly surprised when we learned about the large number of our player population and our officials and executives at the Regional levels that have already been vaccinated. So that was already a pleasant surprise.”

For the year-end season, the GFF are planning to host the Men’s Super-16 Cup, Women’s Super-16 Cup and a futsal competition. While details on the first two tournaments are still sketchy, the futsal competition - a collaborative effort between the Federation and the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation - is set to commence on December 14 and conclude on January 8, 2022.

The futsal tournament will see participation from 34 teams, and will be hosted solely at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Homestretch in Georgetown.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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

Pg 23

“There’s no other way!”

Page 22

Page 23

— Forde urging vaccination as year-end tournaments approach

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