Guyana Times - Thursday, September 23, 2021

$120M allocated for skills-based P13 training of persons with disabilities …Minister calls for end to prejudice, barriers against deaf community Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4779

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Bilateral discussions allowed Guyana to push its development agenda – Pres Ali …meets Colombian, Brazilian Presidents …discussions also held with OAS SG, Kosovo President on border case See story on page 3

Welfare and Benefit Programme

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WHAT'S INSIDE: Ahead of COP26

P2

Guyana urges renewed global effort to tackle climate change

GAWU new union for P9 Guyana Gold Board workers Chinese national's murder

970 teachers benefit in Region 2

1 freed after P16 records show he was in prison at time of killing

See story on page 12

President Ali declares Guyana’s support for reparations at UN

PRICE

…jury to give verdict on fate of another accused

Differently-abled persons to be trained in Govt's block-making initiative P13

See story on page 7

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday met with the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York (Office of the President photo)

…says reparative justice must not only be an apology

Police probing more No total border closures cases of vaccination – Health Minister ...2 more deaths, 362 new cases, 36 in ICU booklets' theft Delta surge

See stories on pages 10 & 12

Page 14

Only 270 of 1800 GPF applicants can be accepted every 6 months – Training Officer P15

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ahead of COP26

Guyana urges renewed global effort to tackle climate change …small States still vulnerable, even with upper middle-income rankings

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday called for a renewed global effort in the fight against climate change, to meet the goal of the Paris Agreement and for renewed support for small states, which are still vulnerable even when global institutions categorise them as upper middle-income economies.

The Head of State made these remarks during the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Leaders’ Summit on the margins of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

He reiterated Guyana’s support for the declaration that was adopted by the

meeting, and stressed that Guyana would continue to constructively support the efforts of the AOSIS in promoting solutions ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP) 26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held late next month.

The President urged that

“the world must work together to scale-up efforts to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change, to meet the goal of the Paris Agreement in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius”.

The President also said the world must continue to call on “big emitters” to commit deeper cuts in their

emissions than what exists in their current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

He added that an urgent response must be made to provide financing for mitigation and adaptation, and to align financial flows with low greenhouse gas emissions pathways, climate-resilient development, and efforts to decarbonise economies.

“We believe that a coordinated and nuanced approach at the international level is necessary in considering forms of financing such as grants, based on a country’s vulnerabilities,” the President said.

President Ali noted that there is a need for developed countries to honour their pledge of US$100B annually under the Paris Agreement, and to commit to unlocking simplified and direct access to concessional finance for climate-vulnerable economies through the use of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI).

Financing SIDS

He also urged that COP26 initiate a road map for a new collective global finance goal using US$100B as a baseline, and enact comprehensive strategies to increase financial resources for disaster risk reduction while making necessary investments to reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to disasters.

“In this regard, my delegation supports the Declaration being adopted at this meeting. This document establishes clear directions for the continuity in the work of the ‘Alliance’.

Let us strengthen our advocacy on traditional as well as emerging areas of interest, including accelerating the implementation of international frameworks and instruments targeted to our specific needs and vulnerabilities,” President Ali said.

President Ali remind-

ed that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Low-Lying Coastal Developing States remain the most vulnerable groups due to their small size, limited resources, exposure to external economic shocks, ecological fragility, and susceptibility to natural hazards.

Notwithstanding the progress that has been made, the President said, the affected nations continue to face challenges in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework among other frameworks. He explained that insufficient attention is being paid to the vulnerabilities of these affected nations, possibly due to false preconceptions of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The Alliance of Small Island States is familiar with the limitations of the use of GDP per capita to govern development financing decisions, especially in relation to SIDS, which are now classified as upper-middle-income countries, even though they have not yet developed levels of resilience that would negate their vulnerabilities.”

The Guyanese President also used the opportunity to thank the Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, His Excellency Gaston Browne, for convening the Leaders’ Summit “at this pivotal moment in the Decade of Action” to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as COP26 approaches.

“We applaud your steadfast leadership in promoting the interests of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic response and in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era,” he said. (G3)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Thursday, September 23 – 04:00h-05:30h and Friday, September 24 – 04:00h-05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, September 23 – 05:35h-07:05h and Friday, September 24 – 06:10h-07:40h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny conditions interspersed with thundery showers are expected during the day. Partly cloudy to clear skies are expected at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

Bilateral discussions allowed Guyana to push its development agenda – Pres Ali

…meets Colombian, Brazilian Presidents …discussions also held with OAS SG, Kosovo President on border case

T

he bilateral discussions that President Dr Irfaan Ali held with various developmental partners on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York over the past few days have all served the important function of allowing Guyana to promote its developmental agenda.

According to President Ali, his meetings with entities such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Inter-American

President Dr Irfaan Ali and Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez sit down with their respective delegations for a bilateral discussion at the UN

High Tide: 17:53h reaching a maximum height of 2.71 metres.

Low Tide: 11:31h and 23:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.55 metre and 0.48 metre.

President Ali and UN Secretary General António Guterres

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS M

06 11 22 23 27 28

FREE TICKET

24 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

01 09 16 24 25 LUCKY 3

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Afternoon Draw

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DRAW DE LINE

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PAY DAY

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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

$76.19/barrel

+1.83

Rough Rice

$248.31 /ton $501.20/ton

-0.61 +0.66

London Sugar

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1762.60

$1763.60

Low/High Change

$1760.20 -5.30

$1788.30 -0.30%

Development Bank (IDB) were of critical importance when it comes to developmental projects.

He noted that those meetings allowed him and team to promote Guyana’s long-term developmental agenda, particularly as it relates to financing from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the IDB. “We had a great opportunity to look at areas in which we can further collaborate to see where opportunities are, in terms of meeting our medium- and long-term development goals and objectives, reviewing our Islamic Development Bank portfolio and looking at other opportunities in building our relationship with other countries in the OIC. “I was pleased also to have bilateral meetings with the President of the IDB, (Mauricio Claver-Carone).

That meeting was a great meeting. We examined the existing portfolio. We spoke about priorities moving forward, and the bank playing a proactive role in reducing bureaucracy and ensuring that we provide the impetus for the various development projects we are engaged in.”

According to President Ali, coming out of the discussions, the IDB remains fully committed to providing funding for Guyana.

President Ali said he also held discussions with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, during which climate change and climate

vulnerability as well as debt financing were discussed.

Discussions regarding the construction of a maternity and children hos-

President Ali with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (left)

pital locally were also held with Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen.

There were also discussions about a partnership be-

tween the respective Private Sectors from the two countries, as well as developmental financing.

TURN TO PAGE 9

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 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

Investing in mental health T

here has been much discussion locally about the mental health of citizens. While the topic was categorised as ‘taboo’ in many cultures, it came to the fore as the COVID-19 pandemic took centre stage. It is well known that the pandemic has taken a severe toll on the mental wellbeing of persons all over the world.

For example, the initial challenge of dealing with the lockdown measures, or the fear of being infected with the virus, or having to deal with the death of a loved one has caused tremendous stress and anxiety on many. All of this is added to the economic pressures that are brought on due to persons not being able to go out and work to support themselves and families.

Due to the lack of resources, many countries are unable to mount the kind of response that is needed to address the mental health challenges of their populations, or many are forced to scale back the level of response needed due to other areas competing for scarce resources.

According to a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) survey, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93 per cent of countries worldwide, while the demand for mental health services is increasing.

A survey of 130 countries provides the first global data showing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health services, and underscores the urgent need for increased funding.

The survey was published ahead of WHO’s Big Event for Mental Health, a global online advocacy event on October 10 that will bring together world leaders, celebrities, and advocates to call for increased mental health investments in the wake of COVID-19.

According to WHO, the survey was conducted from June to August 2020 among 130 countries across WHO’s six regions. It evaluates how the provision of mental, neurological and substance use services has changed due to COVID-19, the types of services that have been disrupted, and how countries are adapting to overcome these challenges.

It was reported that over 60 per cent of countries reported disruptions to mental health services for vulnerable people, including children and adolescents (72 per cent); older adults (70 per cent), and women requiring antenatal or postnatal services (61 per cent).

More than a third (35 per cent) reported disruptions to emergency interventions, including those for people experiencing prolonged seizures; severe substance use withdrawal syndromes; and delirium, often a sign of a serious underlying medical condition.

Additionally, 30 per cent reported disruptions to access for medications for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders.

Around three-quarters reported at least partial disruptions to school and workplace mental health services (78 per cent and 75 per cent respectively).

WHO had previously highlighted the chronic underfunding of mental health. The Organization had pointed out that, prior to the pandemic, countries were spending less than two per cent of their national health budgets on mental health, and were struggling to meet their populations’ needs.

The pandemic is increasing demand for mental health services; for example, bereavement, isolation, loss of income, and fear are triggering mental health conditions, or exacerbating existing ones.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke. People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance-use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. They may stand a higher risk of severe outcomes, and even death.

WHO has issued guidance to countries on how to maintain essential services, including mental health services, during COVID-19, and recommends that countries allocate resources to mental health as an integral component of their response and recovery plans?

The Organization has also urged countries to monitor changes and disruptions in services, so that they can address them as required.

It should be pointed out that although 89 per cent of countries reported in the survey that mental health and psychosocial support are part of their national COVID-19 response plans, only 17 per cent of those countries have full additional funding for covering these activities. This all highlights the need for more money for mental health. Spending two per cent of national health budgets on mental health is not enough, according to WHO. As stated by WHO, those who do invest in mental health would reap rewards. Pre-COVID-19 estimates reveal that nearly US$1 trillion in economic productivity is lost annually from depression and anxiety alone. However, studies show that every US$1 spent on evidence-based care for depression and anxiety returns US$5.

A young girl from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) sings during the launch of the Menstrual Hygiene Initiative in the region by First Lady Arya Ali (Office of the First Lady photo)

Retire ERC, replace with a Diversity Implementation Commission Dear Editor, I have noticed an article, “ERC produces evidence of work done, but Speaker disappointed by lateness.” Yippee, now President Ali has a blueprint for “One Guyana,” thanks to the hard work of the ERC, which has received over a billion dollars since its inception!

The ERC must be the poster child for a failed Guyana constitutional commission. You can’t do any worse. This year, they received $221 million to do what? What can they show for it? Guyana is most divided as ever. Would it not have been better to pave the 20 streets in my Whim Village, which voted overwhelmingly for the PPP? That would have been money well spent, and you would have something to show for it.

The failure of this Commission is not just the Chairman; it is a collective failure of the whole group. None of these people should be in any future Commission, including the two members writing letters to the editor pretending as if they were the conscience of the group before this Commission expired. I would say the new Government messed up

when one of its first acts was to approve money for this totally useless outfit. Somebody, please put a sign on the door that says, “Dead, do not resuscitate.” I will not forgive this Government if it allows this Commission to continue.

To this group, St. Peter at the Pearly Gates would say, “Skip purgatory, go straight to hell.” Speaker Nadir said, “Had I been a sitting elected member and I don’t see a report for the year prior, I would have been objecting to the budget for the next year.”

What Guyana needs is to replace the ERC with a “One Guyana Diversity/ Affirmative Action Implementation Commission.”

The PNC should have no problem with that. Such a Commission must set specific annual targets and initiatives for ongoing diversification of state agencies, including the Police, military, teaching, nursing, educational opportunities, etc.

What is their record?

Apart from awarding themselves six-figure Christmas bonuses and other perks, in things that matter, the ERC has been missing in action. ERC fiddled while West Berbice burned.

For an organisation that should model diversity, the Secretariat staff is 75% of one ethnicity. ERC was silent when Ms. Volda uttered the worst statements anyone can make, and which I think was the lowest point of the PNC’s reign - the “New Declaration of Sophia” – “The only friends I got is PNC, so the only people I could give work to is PNC. And, right now, I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese, and ah want one that is PNC.” I may have missed it, but do not recall the ERC denouncing this. And how about GECOM refusing to give details about their hiring practices and the ERC did nothing? During the 5 months of attempted PNC rigging, ERC was silent.

The Chair must explain why, just after the first fraudulent election results were announced and we were dealing with the rigging in court, the Ministry of the Presidency released several pictures of the Chair ushering in Mr. Granger to the Chair’s birthday party at the Ramada. What message was being sent?

ERC Commissioner Khan said, “I would like a serious Government

audit”, and if possible, a direct audit from the Auditor General’s Office…

In its current state, I am of the opinion, like most Guyanese, that the ERC has been a total letdown to the Guyanese nation and is not deserving of the funds they receive. In my opinion, they have accomplished very little. I believe what was done was insignificant and extremely limited to what could have been achieved.”

Blogger “Letel Prek” said, “Total bogus nonsense. The ERC is a hypocritical group of individuals who have selectively decided which cases of ethnic discrimination lack merit or are meritorious based on political clouds and party affiliation. Hope the door don’t hit them on their way out.” Jaikarran Singh said, “Stop fooling Guyanese with rubbish, just living off taxpayers who is suffering.” “Rasta Man” said, “Definitely there is urgent need for an entirely new nonpolitical ERC with a chairman who is bold and impartial, outspoken, courageous, and fully conscious of his portfolio.”

Sincerely, Dr Jerry Jailall

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

5

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

Critical importance of teachers Dear Editor, As a lifelong teacher, who has taught both in Guyana and the US, I applaud the measures announced recently by the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand; to wit, low-cost health and life insurance coverage, a revolving mortgage fund for teachers to access up to $12 million in financing, discounts at over 150 businesses, and the establishment of a Teacher Benevolence Fund.

As well, the reinstatement of the annual National Teachers’ Award

with increased prizes and an inaugural teachers’ conference geared at capacity building and networking are welcome signs. If not yet considered, may I also suggest that ongoing professional development (PD) and psychosocial care be built into this new approach going forward?

At a minimum, all teachers should be trained in differentiated instructions, classroom management without corporal punishment, cultivating emotive connections, emphatic communication, conflict resolution, and

mandatory reporting of all forms of abuse and violence relating to students.

The offer by The Caribbean Voice, made several years ago, to provide “train the trainer” training with respect to some or all of these issues, is still on the table.

Perhaps also schools should be mandated to have at least one professional development session each month. And a mechanism should be in place to facilitate the development of master teachers, whose pedagogical training, enhanced by periodic training organised by the Ministry

of Education, would enable them to lead the PD sessions at their schools. In this respect also, consideration should be given to a one-year mentorship for each entry level teacher, for which a cadre of retired teachers can be co-opted.

As well, teachers’ selfcare, self-esteem, coping skills and stress management must be focused on via an ongoing schema.

I recall some years ago, when The Caribbean Voice had invested in psychosocial workshops in collaboration with the Guyana Teachers Union, teachers

COVID-19 has reinforced need for resilient national occupational safety Dear Editor, Going to work in a controlled and safe environment is not an unreasonable expectation for any worker. In many occupations, a level of danger is expected because it is inherent to the job, but this is only more reason for companies to take employee safety seriously.

The best organisations are those that understand that a safe workplace is not only the right thing to do for their employees, but also the right thing for their bottom line.

In recent decades, power plants and the power industry as a whole have made great strides in improving their employee safety records. This positive trend can be attributed partially to increased oversight and government regulation, but what is required to be in compliance with regulators and oversight committees is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is necessary to be an industry leader in safety.

The top performers in the power industry realise that implementing a safety programme that becomes

imbedded in the culture of the organisation would not only benefit their workers, but also would help them become more competitive in the marketplace. These organisations realise that the monetary cost associated with implementing an effective safety programme is far less than the indirect costs associated with a high frequency of injuries. The industry leaders in safety have identified the most common hazards, developed safety programmes, successfully assessed these programmes, and understand the correlation between employee safety and profitability.

In any occupation, a level of risk can always be expected while on the job.

Some occupations are obviously more dangerous than others, and, for many years, the power industry had a reputation of being one of the most hazardous workplace environments.

The industry has worked hard to eliminate this reputation, and today it is a much safer work environment than in the past.

However, there has been a consistent downward trend in the number

of annual fatalities and recordable injuries.

Power companies typically have two sets of safety exposures: those that exist in the plant, and those that exist in the field. Field workers are widely recognised as having the more hazardous occupation, but plant employees also sometimes work under dangerous conditions. Three hazards account for a large majority of the injuries: direct contact with electricity, fires and explosions of hot equipment, and contact with hazardous chemicals.

COVID-19 has reinforced the need for resilient national occupational safety and health systems to be in place. Organisational focus on employee safety can provide for higher morale and productivity in the workplace. This is due to the perception that the company truly cares about the health and well-being of its employees, thus creating a sense of pride for the companies and organisations.

Increased productivity as it correlates to safe-

ty and morale is a difficult metric to measure, but forward-thinking organisations must realise that it does exist, and can therefore justify the costs of their safety programmes as compared to the productivity benefits that they provide.

Companies and organisations should start by updating their risk assessment to manage the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) in their businesses. This would help them to understand what you should do to work safely, and protect your employees.

Talk to workers and provide information.

Consult and involve employees in the steps management is taking to manage the risk of coronavirus in the workplace, explaining the changes that you’re planning to work safely with, make sure changes would work, and hear their ideas as managers continue to operate businesses safely.

Sincerely, David Adams

were ecstatic that their psychosocial needs were finally been addressed.

Perhaps a similar collaboration can be put in place involving the GTU, the Ministry and the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health, along with local NGOs with the requisite capacity and scope.

In this process, students must not be left out.

The much-lamented lack of counsellors in every school requires urgent attention, even if one counsellor serves more than one school initially. Unlike when The Caribbean Voice started lobbying for this in 2014, today there are enough individuals with at least a bachelor in psychology degree. Perhaps the Ministry can work with UG to finally launch the master’s in psychology, which was announced since 2017, and for which Dr Katija Khan of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago, was the consultant. With this in place, counsellors with a first degree can then be facilitated to obtain their masters perhaps via weekend and holiday classes.

This process of healthy minds in health bodies will be incomplete without the involvement of parents.

Recently, the Ministry’s Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) launched the “Every Child Safe Campaign”, which was crafted with the intention of engaging communities in efforts to create safe environments for children.

One component of this ef-

fort could be the harnessing of Parent-Teachers Associations to organise regular parenting sessions that would not only address child abuse, but also the broader issue of parenting overall, as well as relationship dysfunction, including lack of emphatic communication. Providing parents with the requisite knowledge and the skill sets would empower them to aspire towards zero violence homes and communities, and for healthy, functional relationships within homes, both between parents and with their children.

This is also where teachers’ conflict resolution and mandatory reporting of all forms of abuse and violence relating to students assume critical importance. Such training would enable teachers to diffuse conflicts among students at schools as well as become part of the system to identify child abuse and report them to requisite authorities. And perhaps, since the goal is not to punish parents willy-nilly nor arbitrarily remove children from their homes, school counsellors can play a part in dealing with identified abuse, at least on the entry point on a ladder of intervention. Also, in respect to conflict resolution, consideration could be given to peer mediation in schools, as often children respond well to intervention by their peers.

Sincerely, Annan Boodram

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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C

Introduction

omets are large balls of ice, frozen gas, and dust, sort of like outer space snowballs! They travel in long, elliptical orbits around the Sun — it can take hundreds of years to complete one orbit. When a comet gets close to the Sun, the ice turns to gas and together with the dust it streams out to create two long tails.

If the comet passes closes to Earth, we can see the tails as bright streaks in the

night sky. Comet dust tails can be 6 million miles long and can some- times stretch almost 100 million miles!

Supplies

• Chopsticks, popsicle sticks, wooden skewers, or glow sticks (one per child) • Aluminum foil (12-inch wide) • Metallic ribbon, mylar strips, or regular ribbon — 3-6 ft per child • Ruler • Scissors • Hairdryer (optional)

Foundation

Comet

On on a Stick Virtue

By Phillis Wheatley

Get kids thinking

Watch: Comets and Astriods (SciShow Kids): https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=02wrLS-ue1Q Comets have four parts: (1) the solid nucleus made of rock, dust, gas, and ice; (2) the coma, a fuzzy cover of ice and dust; (3) a gas tail; and (4) a dust tail.

Ask kids: Have you ever seen a comet in the night sky? What did it look like?

Let's get started!

In this challenge, kids will make a simple model of a comet and then observe what happens when their comet gets close to the Sun.

Making the comets

• Preparation: Cut five pieces of ribbon: two long pieces, two medium pieces, and one short piece for each child. If you want an extra long tail, make the long pieces about three feet in length.

For each child, cut three pieces of aluminum foil so

they’re roughly 6” x 6”.

• Show kids how to tie the ribbons around the end of the chopstick, popsicle stick, skewer, or glow stick. To make the ribbon to be as long as possible, tie the knot close to the edge of the ribbon. The ribbons are your comet tails.

• Tell kids to hold the ribbon pieces off to one side and gather the tin foil around the end of the stick with the knot of ribbons.

The aluminum foil creates the nucleus and coma.

• Have kids repeat with two more sheets of foil.

Gather it around and form it into a ball. If you want a bigger comet, add more aluminum foil!

Now your comet is ready to fly! Tell kids to hold the stick of their comets and run around the room with

enough speed so that the ribbon "tails" are flying behind them.

Demonstrating the solar wind

The solar wind is a stream of electrically charged particles that are constantly shooting out of the Sun. Astronauts and spaceships need to steer clear!

The solar wind causes the coma to flow back behind the nucleus, forming the two tails of the comet.

Because it is blown by the solar wind, the comet's tail always points directly away from the Sun. Use a hairdryer to demonstrate the solar wind — the Sun's energy as it meets the comet. Have one child be the Sun and stand in place with the hairdryer turned onto high speed. Have the kids approach the hairdryer, one at a time. Ask kids: what happens to your comet as you get closer to the Sun? (startwithabook.org)

O thou bright jewel in my aim I strive To comprehend thee. Thine own words declare Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach.

I cease to wonder, and no more attempt Thine height t’explore, or fathom thy profound.

But, O my soul, sink not into despair, Virtue is near thee, and with gentle hand Would now embrace thee, hovers o’er thine head.

Fain would the heaven-born soul with her converse, Then seek, then court her for her promised bliss.

Auspicious queen, thine heavenly pinions spread, And lead celestial Chastity along; Lo! now her sacred retinue descends, Arrayed in glory from the orbs above.

Attend me, Virtue, thro’ my youthful years!

O leave me not to the false joys of time!

But guide my steps to endless life and bliss.

Greatness, or Goodness, say what I shall call thee, To give an higher appellation still, Teach me a better strain, a nobler lay, O Thou, enthroned with Cherubs in the realms of day!

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

President Ali declares Guyana’s support for reparations at UN …says reparative justice must not only be an apology

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday used the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action in New York to register Guyana’s support for global reparations and restorative justice.

In his address during the high-level meeting, President Ali linked the theme of reparations and racial justice with the attainment of the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs).

He noted that equality is a fundamental principle not only of international human rights, but political, social and economic development.

President Ali also assured the UN that his government would work assiduously towards the goal of eliminating racism.

“As we collectively strive to achieve the SDGs, we must be conscious that the overarching objectives of poverty eradication, protecting our planet, and building a peaceful world cannot be achieved without addressing all forms of inequality.

Despite advances made over decades of struggle, racism and racial discrimination continue to be sources of conflict in all regions of the world.

“I am proud to belong to a country that honours and celebrates its ethnic diversity. Our people seamlessly

President Dr Irfaan Ali during the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Among the Guyanese delegation were Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, and Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

participate in each other’s religious and cultural festivals and traditions. In many ways, we can be a wonderful example to the world…

“The Government of Guyana will continue to work assiduously to eradicate all forms of racism and racial discrimination, and to ensure inclusive development with equal access and sharing in Guyana’s wealth,” he said.

On the global stage, the President expressed support for reparations and restorative justice for those

of African descent. He noted that reparative justice should include apologies from those responsible for, and those who benefited from, the slave trade. But also, the President threw Guyana’s support behind the convening of an international summit to demand reparative justice.

“Guyana welcomes the inclusion of reparations in the theme of today’s meeting. Every year, on Emancipation Day, we recall the heroic courage and sacrifices of our African an-

cestors in their struggle for freedom and human dignity.

Freedom, however, was not accompanied by recompense for the atrocities committed against those enslaved,” President Ali said.

“Reparative justice must not only include a full, unconditional apology from those who are responsible or

benefited from the trans-Atlantic trade. In this regard, Guyana will continue to support the efforts being made within the Caribbean community to press for the convening of an international summit to demand reparative justice for the victims of the trans-Atlantic trade.”

The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action stems from a world conference against racism that was held in Durban, South Africa in 2001. During the conference, member states adopted a landmark document for combating the scourge of racism: the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

The Declaration embodies the commitments of the international community to address the legacy of the past, as well as contemporary forms and manifestations of racism and racial discrimination, including the acknowledgement that slavery and the slave trade are a crime against humanity and should have always been so.

The Programme of Action includes a comprehensive roadmap recommending how member states and other stakehold-

ers should implement these commitments. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action emphasises the plight of victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including Africans and people of African descent, Asians and people of Asian descent, Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, displaced persons, victims of human trafficking, and persons belonging to various minorities.

The General Assembly also decided to adopt a political declaration aimed at mobilising political will at the national, regional and international levels for the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and its follow-up processes at the opening plenary meeting.

In the high-level meeting, attendees will discuss progress made, challenges encountered, and lessons learned in efforts to eliminate racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance 20 years after the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. (G3)

8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Defending…

P

…Guyana at UN resident Irfaan Ali has launched an international offensive to counter the bellicosity of Venezuelans again directed against us with their risible claim to our Essequibo. We’ve been blindsided by Norway, which is trying to broker a peace deal between Maduro’s regime and the Venezuelan Opposition forces by offering Essequibo as a “low hanging fruit” - as one analyst put it - to get them to agree on something. Imagine the chutzpah!! The Norwegians must cynically believe that such a transactional quid pro quo approach is justified to break a logjam that’s seen 5 million Venezuelans flee their country and the economy imploding like a dying Death Star.

Tomorrow, Norway resumes the meeting between the Venezuelans, and God knows what they’ll offer this time to “sweeten the deal”. The Exxon oil rigs and FPSO? Because that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The Venezuelans kicked out Exxon when they were one of the largest oil producers in OPEC and the world. Like Burnham, they thought they could nationalise their resource extraction and make a killing. They forgot that their people didn’t have the experience to run squat. So everything crashed like Humpty Dumpty, and they just can’t put it together again. Imagine, having the largest oil reserves in the world and citizens can’t get bread in the stores!!

But Pres Ali bearded the leftist “pink” allies of Venezuela at the CELAC meeting on his way to the UN. While we didn’t see anything in the press, we should know these matters are best broached off-stage. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. Pres. Ali continued his offensive at the UN General Assembly meet, where - even with the COVID pandemic - more than half of the 193 world leaders showed up. The most important meeting by Pres Ali was with the OAS leadership - which CELAC is trying to oust as the authoritative voice for the hemisphere. That’ll take some doing, since the OAS has the three most powerful hemispheric countries - the US and Canada plus BRAZIL as members, and CELAC doesn’t!

Pres Ali made the most powerful argument possible in the UN Forum. To wit, that Venezuela refuses to accept a process proposed by the UN SECRETARY GENERAL to resolve the controversy Venezuela raised since 1962 - to stymie our drive to rise out of poverty. How dare Venezuela impugn the integrity of the ICJ/World Court to impartially rule on the matter?? The President was joined by our most experienced VP in this full-court-press of world leaders and institutions like the IDB. Fact of the matter, Guyana isn’t the HIPC that the PNC left in 1992.

It’s the hemisphere’s highest-growth economy, and might just pull the region out of its slump. People now listen!!

…civil public discourse One of the prerequisites of maintaining a democratic order is that the necessary public discourse on contentious maters must be conducted in a civil manner. A civil discourse has been defined as a “robust, honest, frank and constructive dialogue and deliberation that seeks to advance the public interest." Sadly, this notion has clearly “gone for channa” in Guyana, and this doesn’t bode well for “we, the people”.

Your Eyewitness doesn’t have to illustrate his claim, does he? Never in his wildest dream would he’ve believed that an “Honourable” Member of Parliament would have publicly called a colleague member of Parliament, who happens to be a Minister, a “wild boar”. Of course, political opponents will needle each other…but where’s the wit that used to characterise our political “picong”?

The golden rule is to show respect: “Respect is like air, if you take it away, it’s all people can think about. Others will not engage with you if they don’t feel you respect them.”

Hear that, PNCites?

…citizens There used to be talk about renaming the “Guyana Police Force” as the “Guyana Police Service”, to remind our cops that they’re here to “Protect and Serve” the PEOPLE! What happened?

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

NEWS

9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GAWU new union for Guyana Gold Board workers T he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) was on Wednesday named the new representative of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) workers.

This comes after a poll between the Union and the General Workers Union (GWU) concluded.

Results from polling stations set up at the GGB offices in Georgetown, Region One, Port Kaituma (Barima-Waini) and Region Seven, Bartica (CuyuniMazaruni) saw the GAWU secur-

ing the greater portion of votes among the two unions.

In a statement from the GAWU, the Union said it was approached by the workers of the GGB after they felt the representation from the GWU was lacking.

Workers subsequently completed GAWU application forms, and the Union submitted its application to the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board (TURCB).

Following the TURCB’s consideration of the GAWU application, a poll was ordered to determine

which Union enjoyed the majority support of the workers.

The GAWU has said it welcomes the workers of the GGB to

Bilateral discussions allowed...

Border controversy

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro (left) and President Dr Irfaan Ali share a light moment

Among the other Heads of State President Ali met on the sidelines were Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. In the case of President Marquez, President Ali said the two countries were able to make a commitment to strengthen bilateral ties.

At the productive meeting, the Presidents discussed matters relating to climate change and the environment, the strengthening of strategic cooperation in the area of defense and security, and COVID-19 vaccines. It was also decided that President Márquez would make an official visit to Guyana sometime in the near future.

Meanwhile, President Ali noted that his discussions with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani garnered Guyana Kosovo’s support in the border challenges with Venezuela, which are currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

According to him, there was a mutual expression of support between the two countries for their respective sovereignty issues with their belligerent neighbours. Additionally, he said Ambassador and Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, will follow up with Kosovo on areas of mutual interest.

“The President of Kosovo and I met also, and at that bilateral meeting, we had a great opportunity to reinforce our commitment to Kosovo and ensuring that is-

its fold, as it works to improve the benefits of the workers and other conditions of work.

Established in 1961, the Union is the largest trade union in Guyana, representing almost 20,000 workers, including the overwhelming majority of sugar workers who are employed in the country’s largest industry. GAWU also represents workers in fish processing, forestry, rice processing, distilleries, services, offices and some other places.

FROM PAGE 3

sues of democracy, the freedom of people, and the respect for their sovereignty, we assured them of our support,” the President said, a reference to Kosovo’s own problems with Serbia, of which it was once part.

“Of course, the President would have also opened up discussions on other areas for bilateral cooperation. The Permanent Representative, Ambassador Rodrigues, will be following up on those areas for further collaboration.

And, of course, they reassured us of their support in the Guyana/Venezuela controversy that is before the ICJ,” President Ali also said.

President Ali and several members of his Government also held a productive meeting with the Secretary-

General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Mr Luis Almagro. A number of matters were highlighted by the Guyanese officials in the meeting held at the Office of the Permanent Mission to Guyana in New York.

Among them were the strengthening of democracy in Guyana through electoral reform, support for Guyana’s position on the border controversy with Venezuela, and Guyana’s position following the Venezuelan GovernmentOpposition accord made earlier this month.

On the settlement of Venezuela’s internal political differences, President Ali reaffirmed that while his Government welcomes ef-

forts to bring about domestic harmony within Venezuela, agreements that defy international law and processes can form no basis for mediating such harmony.

He said Guyana does not promote the use of violence or threats to settle disputes, but would look towards the court and the rule of law.

President Ali also met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, where he discussed climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as using the opportunity, on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, to convey appreciation to the UN SecretaryGeneral for his role in the Guyana-Venezuela border issue as per the Geneva Agreement. (G3)

10 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 more COVID-19 deaths, 362 new cases, 36 in ICU …appeal made for persons to return for 2nd dose of vaccine

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD

G

uyana’s COVID-19 death toll has climbed to 740 with the deaths of two women, aged 58 and 70, on Tuesday.

The Health Ministry reported that the 58-year-old woman, from Region One (Barima-Waini), was unvaccinated, while the vaccination status of the 70-year-old, from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), is unknown.

So far, for September, 115 deaths have been re-

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 UPDATE

corded - the highest number of deaths recorded in a single month since Guyana recorded its first Coronavirus case last year March.

On Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported that there were 362 new cases recorded in 24 hours from 1,988 tests. According to the Health Ministry, there are 36 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 163 in institutional isolation, and 3,545 in home iso-

lation.

A breakdown of the new cases follows: three in Region One (Barima-Waini); 16 in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); 111 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 167 in Region Four (MahaicaBerbice); 21 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); eight in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); 24 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); one in Region Eight (Potaro-

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

362

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

163

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

3545 36

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

4

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

15,789

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

14,397

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

30,186

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

25,702

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

350,182

FULLY IMMUNISED

180,922

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

740

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1442

REGION 2

1063

REGION 3

3902

REGION 4

14,382

REGION 5

1054

REGION 6

2243

REGION 7

1575

REGION 8

487

REGION 9

2305

REGION 10

1733

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.

Siparuni) and 11 in Region Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

Meanwhile, the country has recorded a total 30,186 positive cases since March 2020. However, of this amount 25,702 persons have recovered.

The 30,186 confirmed cases recorded since March 2020 are as follows - Region One: 1442, Region Two: 1063, Region Three: 3902, Region Four: 14,382, Region Five: 1054, Region Six: 2243, Region Seven: 1575, Region Eight: 487, Region Nine: 2305, and Region 10: 1733.

As at Tuesday, there were 4,070 active COVID-19 cases. The cases are distributed as follows - Region One: 72, Region Two: 188, Region Three: 1035, Region Four: 2198, Region Five: 106, Region Six: 106, Region Seven: 160, Region Eight: 70, Region Nine: 47, and Region 10: 88.

Thus far, 350,182 persons, or 68.3 percent of the adult population, have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Moreover, 180,922 persons, or 35.3 per cent of the adult population, are fully vaccinated. Some 21,299 persons, or 29.2 percent of persons between the ages of 12 and 18, have received a first or second dose.

Return for 2nd dose

During Wednesday’s COVID-19 update, Health

Minister Dr. Frank Anthony appealed to persons to return for their second dose of the Coronavirus vaccine.

“If you are vaccinated, it makes a big difference. Once you are fully vaccinated, your risk of getting infected is lower, your risk of being hospitalised is lower, your risk of dying from COVID is very, very low. But you have to be fully vaccinated,” he stressed.

During the update, Dr. Anthony was questioned whether any of the persons who died this month were awaiting their second dose of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine. He responded, “It has nothing to do with that.”

Some 80,000 persons are awaiting their second jab, as there is a worldwide shortage.

“If you look at how many received their first dose and how many received their second dose, you would see a big gap. We have about 80,000 persons awaiting their Sputnik second dose.

But not all of them are due, because you have a threemonth waiting period,” the Health Minister explained.

According to him, the Russian Direct Investment Fund has been quoted in a Reuters article as saying that persons could go up to 180 days before they take the second dose of the Sputnik V vaccine.

He added, “But what we have seen, there are oth-

er persons who would have taken AstraZeneca and they need to come back for their second dose. Those doses are available, but they did not come back for their second dose; similarly with the Sinophram vaccine.

“We need to get a message to people that, ‘If you get your first dose, you need to complete the process by getting both doses’. This is something I have been repeating for the past couple of weeks, because it is not just with Sputnik. It is all the two-dose vaccines where people are not coming back for their second dose.”

In appealing to persons to return for their second jab, Dr. Anthony said, “You are not completing the process. You would not get the full benefits of vaccination if you don’t have both doses.

And even when you get both doses, you have to wait 14 days before you are considered to be fully immunised.”

He disclosed that the Government is working assiduously to source the second dose. He related that Guyana is not in a “unique position” in relation to the vaccine shortage, since 77 other countries are facing the same problem.

“We are working on getting the second dose of Sputnik. There is a global shortage and we are trying our best to get those doses in as fast as we can,” he assured. (G1)

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Delta surge

No total border closures – Health Minister S

eptember 2021 has emerged as the deadliest month for the COVID-19 pandemic since the first case and death was reported in March 2020. This is according to statistics released by the Health Ministry. Some 115 COVID-19 deaths and over 4000 positive cases have so far been recorded for this month.

However, despite the sharp rise in cases and deaths, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has said, Guyana is not considering closing its borders.

In a notice updated on September 20, the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised against travel to Guyana, and in so doing, has warned that even fully vaccinated travellers are at risk of contracting and spreading the COVID-19 variants. In fact, the CDC has placed Guyana on the highest COVID-19 travel health notice - Level Four - as it believes travel to the country should be avoided, considering the rise in infections.

Asked specifically whether he is considering the closure of Guyana’s borders, given the CDC’s notice and the surge in the Delta variant, Dr Anthony replied, “No”, during Wednesday’s COVID-19 update.

The Health Minister then went on to clarify that the CDC’s notice is not only in relation to Guyana, adding that many countries in the Caribbean are being moved up to Level Four, and this is because there has been a surge in the Delta variant across the region.

He explained that the CDC would periodically do these reviews, which are based on how many positive cases a country has recorded over the last week.

“It is no secret we have had increases in cases,” Anthony pointed out. “So, we have to continue to monitor, test, and once we find people who are positive [we have to] isolate [them], and those who have moderate or severe COVID-19 that warrants hospitalisation, that we are able to hospitalise and treat them properly.”

Guyana-Brazil border

Guyana’s border with Brazil, the country where there has been a surge in the Delta variant, has been closed for about a year now. And according to Dr Anthony, this will continue until there is a significant reduction in cases. He said the border is currently operating under a strict regulation by which trucks from Brazil are allowed to come across on Thursdays to facilitate the exchange of goods and ser-

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

vices.

He also said Guyana’s border with Suriname is “in a way closed”. “We have very regulated traffic that comes over, and there are requirements for you to travel to Guyana from these land borders. It includes that you must produce a PCR [test] within three days, and proof of vaccination.”

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Eugene F Correia International Airport remain open. Persons who arrive via these ports must produce a negative PCR test.

Preparing for a surge

Meanwhile, the Health Minister disclosed that preparations are already in place should there be a fur-

ther surge in cases and more persons require hospitalisation. The Infectious Disease Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown can accommodate 204 patients.

He said there are currently 151 patients hospitalised, of which 97 are at the Infectious Disease Hospital and 36 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“We haven’t gotten to full capacity as yet. We are hoping that we don’t have to be there. Nevertheless, we have been making some additional preparations if we have to go to that full capacity,” he noted.

According to Dr Anthony, a pipe for oxygen is being installed on the second floor of the Liliendaal hospital.

“Before, on that floor, we

used to use these 1000-pound cylinders of oxygen. We are changing that, and now we have pipe of oxygen. That work is going to be completed this week. So, we are preparing for if we have a surge in more cases, or more people needing hospitalisation…”

Importantly, the Minister lamented that if this trend in rising cases continues, the field hospital will be set up.

He said, “We have started those preparations to put the field hospital in place. With that, we will have an additional capacity of about 60 persons.”

COVID-19 patients are being treated at each of the regional hospitals, and the Health Ministry has announced plans to increase the capacity at all of these facilities.

Inspections, Dr Anthony added, have been done at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, “and we know that we can increase it from its current state to manage close to 40 patients.”

He related, “Similarly, we are looking at Suddie, Region 10, the Mahaicony Hospital, Region Six. More recently, we have looked at Region Nine; we have added an ICU component. In Mabaruma, we are looking at how we can complete it as quickly as possible, because that hospital is undergoing some repairs. At Port Kaituma, we have both

an isolation and in-patient facility.

Currently, we have about twenty-something people in that hospital. I think six of them needed hospitalisation, the rest of them (are) in isolation.”

Reprioritised

Earlier this week, Dr Anthony said health care facilities across the country will be “reprioritised” to facilitate the rising number of hospitalisations for COVID-19.

He noted, too, that with the increase in hospitalisation, non-essential services may be closed, so that health workers could be deployed to assist in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

“So, indeed, we are seeing cases, and with an increase in cases, we expect that we will get more people being hospitalised. Well, obviously, we’ll have to reprioritise, because the more people get sick with COVID, and the more people that are coming down with the more severe form of the disease, we’ll have to reprioritize, and maybe non-essential kinds of services we’ll have to close those and redeploy staff and resources to treat with the severe cases.

“So, we have a number of contingencies in place, and we’ll activate them as is necessary,” Minister Anthony had noted. (G1)

Welfare and Benefit Programme

970 teachers benefit in Region 2

Headteachers and other officials at the launching of the Teachers’ Welfare and Benefits Programme in Region Two

W

ith its mission being to make teachers’ wellbeing and lives more manageable, the Education Ministry launched its Welfare and Support Programme on the Essequibo Coast on Wednesday at the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School (ARMS) in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

In brief remarks during launch of the programme, Education Specialist Dr Olato Sam said the initiative encompasses a comprehensive approach towards improving the overall circumstances in which teachers practise this profession.

According to Sam, teachers will be provided with discounts in various services

from the different sectors, such as electronics, telecommunications, retail goods, air transportation, household furniture, and appliances.

Some of the benefits teachers will have in regard to transportation are that those travelling to Georgetown from outlying Regions would be able to access discounts on airfares, as well as those utilising the bus services.

The Education Specialist noted that the healthcare packages offered to teachers would not only be beneficial to them, but to their spouses and dependents as well.

“The discount initiative will benefit all teachers in this region from a wide range of services across the

Education Specialist Dr Olato Sam

entire country…These services run from electronic, health care, transportation, I just name a few. You are all important to children’s lives, and to all teachers, ‘We will work with you’.” Dr Sam said.

It was revealed during the launch that teachers who are first-time owners can access from two million to 12 million dollars towards their mortgages. As teachers welcome this wide range of services, the Ministry, sometime last week, launched a “Teachers’ Benevolence Fund.”

According to Sam, “with this fund, we will provide financial support to teachers in specified hardship situations.” Among the list of services offered to teachers, the Ministry will be resuscitat-

ing its national Teachers’ Award Programme, which is aimed at recognising dedicated and committed educators. The award, which is slated for next year July, will be in partnership with Metro Office and Computer Supplies.

The Education Specialist, in welcoming this initiative, told teachers that the Education Ministry is committed to working with them and any stakeholders who want to see the education sector progress. He added that this initiative is “a genuine interest, a genuine interest in checking to see what we can do for you, so that you can do your work when you get into the classroom; and you will see much, much more of that.”

Meanwhile, Region Two Regional Education Officer Nichola Matthews expressed gratitude to the Ministry for the initiative. She re-emphasised that the initiative would benefit some 970 teachers in the region, and would provide a wide range of discounts on various services not only in Essequibo, but also in the entire country.

Headteachers of the various educational institutions ranging from nursery to secondary level also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Education for such an initiative. (G14)

13 Differently-abled persons to be trained in Govt’s block-making initiative T NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

hrough a collaborative effort between the Guyana Society for the Blind; the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA); the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry, and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), differently-abled persons are to benefit from training sessions for block-makers.

Under the Communitybased Employment Stimulation Programme (CESP), the initiative was launched on Wednesday at the Guyana Society for the Blind Headquarters at High Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.

Speaking at the launch, Housing Minister Collin Croal said the training would provide a number of economic opportunities, and mitigate unemployment levels even as the COVID-19 pandemic has created more challenges for persons living with disabilities.

“It has exacerbated the inequalities within communities, and its impact is devastating to persons with disabilities, those who are unemployed, women and children, the elderly, Indigenous and other minorities,” Croal said.

He also highlighted a

Ministers Collin Croal, Oneidge Walrond and Susan Rodrigues, along with GCOPD Programme Coordinator Ganesh Singh, CH&PA CEO Sherwyn Greaves and members of GCOPD at the commissioning of the block-making shed donated by CH&PA along with a quantity of equipment, including wheelbarrows and spades

number of other Government initiatives, including scholarships under the Guyana Learning Academy.

CESP, the brainchild of President Dr Irfaan Ali, was officially launched in May 2021 to provide economic opportunities for persons living in vulnerable communities.

Croal explained that the startup material and tools would be provided by the Government.

“You will be provided start up material like sand, cement, tools, protective

gears, as well as support for your marketing; and so, with GNBS (Guyana National Bureau of Standards) on board, your certification will ensure that the blocks are made to the standards of the contractors.”

The Minister said the project would be significant in the Government’s housing drive.

“Over the next two days, we have 12 persons here, different-abled, who will be trained in block-making as well as the benefit of money management, life skills

and job readiness training.

All are critical to reduce unemployment; so, once the standards that are set by GNBS are met, you will be supplying blocks…for our project at Little and Great Diamond, where we’re constructing 900 houses.”

Meanwhile, Minister Oneidge Walrond said she is pleased to be collaborating on any project that provides employment for small and micro-businesses/ organisations, and expressed her optimism at GCOPD’s competence and ability to meet

quality standards.

She also stated that the annual certification fees for blocks will be waived.

Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, noted that persons living with disabilities have a unique set of talent and skills to contribute towards the development of Guyana and towards their own personal upliftment. “…and we want to be able to help them and to provide as many opportunities as possible,” Rodrigues said.

She added that several other interventions have seen a number of differently-abled persons receiving house lots over the past year, and the provision of a plot of land for the construction of a new office for GCOPD. The Ministers also commissioned the $875,000 block-making shed donated by CH&PA, along with a quantity of equipment handed over, which included wheelbarrows and spades.

For the next two days, twelve differently-abled persons will be trained for three hours to build blocks. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards will be testing the blocks to ensure that they meet the necessary specifications and quality.

To date, ten contractors have agreed to purchase blocks from the project to aid in the construction of 290 homes being built

by CH&PA in Prospect, East Bank Demerara, and at Cummings Lodge in Georgetown.

Meanwhile, Ganesh Singh, Programme Coordinator of the Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, expressed his gratitude to the Government for taking this step to offer this opportunity to persons with disabilities.

“I must say that we are very pleased that this is one component of the Government’s quest to ensure persons with disabilities can be financially independent. Only two weeks ago, we would’ve had a meeting with His Excellency, and he would’ve reiterated his Government’s pledge to ensure that people with disabilities can be financially independent to small business development and employment,” he added.

The ceremony was also attended by Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves.

$120M allocated for skills-based training of persons with disabilities …Minister calls for end to prejudice, barriers against deaf community

T

oday being the International Day of Sign Language, observed annually on September 23, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry will be rolling out a series of skills-based training that targets persons with disabilities, so that they can become empowered and qualified to gain meaningful employment.

This year’s theme for the International Day of Sign Language is, “We Sign for Human Rights”.

In the 2021 national budget, $120M was allocated for training and empowerment activities for persons living with disabilities. This training will be free to participants, and is expected to benefit hundreds of persons living with disabilities across Guyana.

The Ministry has chosen to promote sign language learning as an effective way of communication, with the hope that prejudice and other barriers affecting the deaf and hearing-impaired would see a reduction.

The Ministry has partnered with the Deaf Association of Guyana through Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to generate greater awareness about the capabilities of persons who are deaf, to promote their inclusion and end discrimination.

To this end, the Ministry has sponsored the printing of

Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud

sign language booklets.

Additionally, the Government will be constructing in Mahaica a disability complex that would offer relevant and practical training.

There are over 72 million deaf persons around the world, and 80 percent of this number comes from developing countries, such as Guyana. Locally, there are over 2,000 persons with hearing impairment, they are predominantly from Regions Three, Four, Six and Ten. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were approximately 54 deaf students in special needs schools.

Guyana is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Ministry has been engaging the Deaf Association of Guyana in several ways.

Persons from the deaf com-

munity participated in its cottage industry initiative last year, which allowed for a number of persons to earn by sewing face masks that were distributed to various agencies across Guyana.

The Ministry firmly be-

lieves that a more equitable and inclusive society must be created, wherein individuals who are deaf can feel valued and fully integrated into mainstream society, with the guarantee that their basic human rights are secured.

14 NEWS Police probing more cases of vaccination booklets' theft THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Charged: Mark Samuels

T

he Guyana Police Force is currently investigating several other cases of theft of COVID-19 vaccination booklets, according to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony.

Last month, two drivers attached to the Health Ministry were charged and remanded to prison for stealing the immunisation cards.

During Wednesday’s COVID-19 update, Dr Anthony said, “I am aware that there are eight or 10 other cases that the Police have been investigating. I’m sure, once those investigations are completed, those persons will be placed before the courts. We do get reports from people who would tell us that at this particular site, that people are forging or selling vaccination cards. When we do get those reports, we treat them very seriously and we ask the Police to investigate.”

The Minister has said he hopes members of the public would continue to help the Ministry unearth these wrongdoings. He went on to say that persons in possession of forged/stolen vaccination cards can put their health at risk, should they contract the deadly virus.

“One of the big challenges that we can potentially have is somebody who obtained a fake card, if they get sick with COVID-19 and they end up in the hospital.

It can give us a false sense that this person was probably vaccinated when they never had a vaccine, to begin with. That can skew the results that we are getting, because we expect that persons who are vaccinated should be doing much better.”

Charged

Mark Samuels of Lot 276 South Ruimveldt, Georgetown was the last known person charged with stealing vaccination cards. The 31-year-old driver attached to the Health Ministry appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on August 30 and pleaded not guilty to the charge. It is alleged that between August 22 and August 23, at Brickdam, Georgetown, he broke into the vaccination centre of the Ministry of Health and stole 66 COVID-19 vaccination cards, valued at $1014.

Samuels was remanded to prison for the offence.

It is alleged that during

the period mentioned in the charge, a female nurse discovered that the lock on the cupboard in which the vaccination cards were stored was broken. Upon checking, the nurse noticed that the vaccination cards were missing, and immediately notified her supervisor, and the supervisor reported the matter to the Police.

Samuels was reportedly caught on CCTV footage entering the vaccination centre.

Earlier in August, 27-year-old Avinash Rameshwar, a driver attached to the West Demerara

Regional Hospital, was also remanded to prison for allegedly stealing one dozen vaccination cards. The Lot 50 Goed Intent, West Bank Demerara resident was charged with simple larceny and forging an official document.

He was among the three men arrested by Police after they were caught with 12 blank and unstamped COVID-19 vaccine books, 17 stamped sick leave forms, and several pieces of medical equipment, including a stethoscope, sugar testing kit, and pressure testing kit.

Initially, the men were caught with four blank and unstamped COVID-19 vaccine booklets, but based on investigations, Police ranks went to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where a request was made to conduct a search on minibus PWW 3747, which is usually driven by Rameshwar.

During the search, ranks found seven blue blank COVID-19 booklets in a compartment between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. This was brought to their attention, but they bowed their heads and remained silent. The trio was arrested after two of them visited the Vreed-en-Hoop Health Centre, West Coast Demerara, and requested a female nurse to stamp the booklets.

The nurse checked the booklets and observed that they were all blank, and knowing that the men were not supposed to be in possession of them, she immediately brought the issue to the attention of her supervisor, who subsequently reported the matter to the Vreed-enHoop Police Station.

As a result, the men were contacted and arrested.

During questioning, Police searched the motorcar belonging to one of the men and found a black and gold stethoscope, 17 blank sick leave forms which were all stamped with the West Demerara Regional Hospital stamp, and a COVID-19 booklet which was not stamped.

Police then went to the home of the man and conducted further searches, which unearthed one machine for testing pressure and a machine for sugar testing in his bedroom. He was questioned about the items, during which he claimed he had purchased them in Georgetown. However, he could not produce any receipt for them. Police said these items were immediately seized.

Police Headquarters, in a subsequent statement, said Rameshwar admitted that he would sometimes uplift the COVID-19 vaccination cards from the Health

Charged: Avinash Rameshwar

Ministry in Georgetown and take them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, during which he stashed 12 of the booklets.

Full brunt of the law

Meanwhile, in light of reports of persons selling and forging COVID-19 vaccination cards, the Health Minister previously issued a stern warning that such persons would face the full brunt of the law. In doing so, he reminded that under Section 240 of the Criminal Offences Act, Chapter 8:01, forgery is an offence. “…you can be prosecuted for forgery, and the fine, if you’re found guilty of forgery, would be up to three years’ imprisonment. And if you forge a vaccination card, you will be liable to this type of punishment if caught. So, I want to encourage people: desist from such practices, because when we catch you, you are going to feel the full brunt of the law,” the Health Minister declared.

He had gone on to say that the punishment, “… goes to the people who have access to the vaccination card, and the people who are buying the vaccination card.” (G1)

WCB man collapses, dies on roadway

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olice have launched an investigation into the death of a 67-yearold Britannia, West Coast Berbice (WCB) man who collapsed and died shortly after feeling unwell.

Dead is Ramchan Rampersaud.

According to Police about 14:25h, ranks at the Regional Division Five received information from an anonymous caller that a man had fallen and seemed to have died on the roadway.

However, by the time Police arrived at the scene the man had been picked up and taken to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police on Wednesday said

that the man’s nephew, who picked him up and took him to the hospital, said that he and his uncle were working in the backdam about 13:30h when he complained of feeling unwell and left for home.

The nephew told Police that he followed behind and found his uncle lying motionless on the public road, so he rushed him to the hospital.

A post-mortem examination is expected soon.

Only on Wednesday, Guyana Times reported that a security officer attached to the MMC Security Service, who was stationed at Happy Acres, East Coast Demerara (ECD), reportedly collapsed and died on Tuesday morning.

Dead is 65-year-old

Yvette Wilson of Paradise, ECD. Police stated that the now dead woman was performing a 12-hour shift at a business place and about 05:00h on Tuesday, she was discovered motionless in the guard hut by a supervisor who was making checks.

It is alleged that the deceased had reportedly complained of feeling unwell on Saturday last. Following the discovery, her body was examined but there were no marks of violence.

She was later transported by an ambulance to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where doctors confirmed her death. Her was taken to Sandy’s Funeral Home to await a post-mortem.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Only 270 of 1800 GPF applicants can be accepted every 6 months – Training Officer

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espite the need for additional Police ranks in particular areas throughout the length and breadth of Guyana to help fight crime, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has regrettably revealed that only a total of 270 applications can be accepted within a six-month period.

This was disclosed by the GPF’s training officer Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus during the Force’s weekly radio programme “Police & You” on Tuesday evening.

“For a year we may have 270 persons trained for the six months’ period,” Superintendent Bacchus informed.

“When we looked at an analysis, [it] would’ve shown us that through the walk-in process, we’re having about 10 or 15 persons per day. And when we multiply – let’s say the 15 by five, you have 75 persons

weekly. And that weekly we multiply that and we’d have it as a 300 [per month]. So that 300 would multiply for six months, and when you multiply that 300 by six, we have 1800. And remember for a period of six months, we can only train 270, hence you have a bit of back-logging there and persons on a waiting list so to speak or delay,” he said.

Owing to this, the Superintendent noted that persons who would have applied in the past two years would subsequently be on said waiting list since applications from as far back as 2015 would gain first preference given the time lapse.

However, when asked about the resumption of physical training, he stated that the Force was eagerly awaiting the go-ahead to proceed, and when that is given, information in regard to such would be advertised to the general public.

may threaten them – if you don’t do this in the right way, you would be seeking to leave the organisation by way of dismissal or letter,” he revealed.

Training ranks

GPF’s Training Officer, Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus

Concerning a question posed by a caller as to why the Force had a large number of applications, the Superintendent noted that job security was the main reason for this.

“Many of the applicants, they came and when you interview them, they are of

the belief that they are here for… job security reasons.

‘Cause when you ask them where you were previously employed and so forth, the private organisation… they are telling us straight that as it relates to job security – any time their boss or person who employed them

Superintendent Bacchus shared that they were building capacity within the organisation while stating that training in the GPF was inevitable and did not end at the completion of the six months stipulated for ranks to complete upon entry into the Force.

On this note, he revealed that the GPF was engaged in several overseas scholarship programmes in countries such as India and Russia.

In addition to this, there are also local Government scholarships to the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE), which members of the Police Force were entitled to, once they

met the necessary criteria.

Also, it was noted that the Force has been in engagements with the University of Guyana and Nations University with regard to programmes dealing with prosecution.

Moreover, with the pandemic still rampant, the Force has seen several virtual programmes being rolled out through the Learning Management System (LMS) platform to accommodate ranks, especially those in far-flung regions such as Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten. “A lot of our regions, we have dedicated bandwidth where they [ranks] can log on to their mobile device or any other electronic device and receive these trainings virtually…it’s not a limitation, we don’t do gender bias, we see all members as equal,” Bacchus expressed.

Region 5 proposes a $6B budget for 2022

A roadway at Number 4 Village was recently resurfaced under the 2021 work programme

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egion Five (MahaicaBerbice) is proposing to spend $6 billion in 2022 to improve the lives of citizens in the region.

Last year the Region had made a similar proposal for projects to be executed this year, and was granted just under $4B from the National Budget for its capital works programme.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Five, Geneveive Blackman, has said she is hoping the entire sum would be approved and given to the region come 2022.

“We want development, but there are nine other regions also competing for projects,” the REO said as she detailed the proposed work programme during a press conference on Tuesday.

The regional administration believes the extra two billion would be wisely

spent, as some 75 per cent of the work programme for this year has already been completed.

“The major focus will be on education, health programme, as well as the development of basic infrastructure across the region. In 2022, you will see proposed a number of upgrades for farm-to-market access roads, so farmers are expected to benefit tremendously from these proposed upgrades. Similarly, there are at least a minimum of three road improvement projects in each Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC),” Regional Engineer Dhanpall Sukha said.

“There would have been several proposals for extensions to schools, upgrading of tarmac areas and playing areas, and external facilities so as to ensure that schools are properly ventilated and

have enough to facilitate learning in the COVID environment. Similarly, in the health sector, there has been sufficient consultation and proposals in order to transform the health sector in Region Five.”

According to the REO, there was massive consultation with residents before putting forward the 2022 budget proposal.

“Basically, asking residents what they would like to see transformed in (their) community, they would have given us feedback, and that is how we formed the basis for our 2022 budget.”

Meanwhile, as it relates to the 2021 work programme, the public works programme is about 75 per cent completed, while the Civil Works programme is expected to be completed within the next month.

According to Regional Vice-Chairman Rion

Road work at Number 7 Village recently completed

Pieters, who is also the head of the Regional Works Committee, work is taking place in all ten Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.

However, he told reporters that much more has to be done as it relates to the administration’s 2020 budget proposal.

He is optimistic that there will be change within the Region by 2022. He said the administration is satisfied at the pace at which development is taking place, as it continues to monitor ensuring value for money.

“Our infrastructural development is critical to the development of our people, because once we have the proper infrastructure in place, the foundation for development in all aspects of one’s life (is laid). We are not just about undertaking projects, but also ensuring that in every project we

have value for money, and we will continue to engage our residents in monitoring these projects,” Pieters said.

According to the ViceChairman, work is taking place in all ten NDCs. He said the administration is satisfied with the pace at which development is taking place, as it continues to monitor ensuring value for money.

“We are not just about undertaking projects, but also ensuring that in every project we have value for money, and we will continue to engage our residents in monitoring these projects.”

However, Pieters pointed out that the Region’s economic base is agriculture, and as such, the improvement of farm-to-market roads is critical for the Region’s development.

“This programme has been ongoing for a few years significantly pre-2015, so

the number of roads to be developed is not new, because we understand that if we want to have a positive impact on development in our agricultural sector, we first need to ensure that we reduce the hassle of our farmers to get to and from their fields.”

He said the project had been started sometime back, but is being reintroduced.

“I say reintroduced because we would have seen a reduction in the number of farm-to-market roads being upgraded during the period 2015 to 2020. So, in this year’s budget, we would have done a number of remedial works and also capital works on farm-to-market roads. This is something we will continue to do, and also during the last flood that we would have experienced, a number of our roads were affected,” Pieters pointed out. (G4)

16 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Chinese national’s murder

1 freed after records show he was in prison at time of killing …jury to give verdict on fate of another accused

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ustice Brassington Reynolds on Wednesday upheld a no-case submission by the defense and freed one of two persons accused of killing a Chinese national back in 2016 at Number 57 Village Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

On trial for the February 7, 2016 murder of Xiu Di Yang was Cordel Small, aka “Mad Dog”, 41, of Dukestown, Corriverton.

He was jointly indited with Premchand Kallicharran, called “Boysie”, 34, of Grant 1780 Crabwood Creek.

Defense Attorney Chandra Sohan, who represented Small, in a nocase submission, argued that Small was incarcerated during the time of the alleged field robbery/murder.

A prison officer at New

Freed: Cordel Small

Amsterdam Prison testified that Small was incarcerated between December 28, 2015 and March 31, 2016.

Initially, three persons were charged for killing the Chinese national. The third person, Delroy Park, called ‘Sicky’ 36, of Cromarty Farm,

Corentyne, was freed at the magistrate’s court level after the preliminary inquiry also found that he, too, was incarcerated during the time of the murder.

The prosecution called 15 witnesses during the twomonth trial at the Berbice Assizes.

The prosecution’s case is that the trio had gone to Number 57 Village to commit a robbery, one being armed with a cutlass and another with a firearm. At the time, Yang, her husband and child were at home. It is alleged that the woman was shot after screaming before she was robbed. The bandits then fled empty-handed.

An autopsy done on the body by Government Pathologist Dr Vevikakand Bridgemohan gave the cause of death as being caused by

Prem Chand Kallicharran to know his fate today

a gunshot to the upper nose, which also damaged brain tissue.

However, during the trial, the prosecution presented a caution statement from Kallicharran, in which he

said that along with Small and another man, he went to rob the Chinese nationals on February 7, 2016. The caution statement claims that the other man panicked after the woman raised an alarm, and shot her. The person that he claimed was with him was not charged, as he, too, was serving a sentence in prison.

In his address to the jury, Kallicharran said he never gave the Police a statement.

Meanwhile, during the trial, the prosecution also submitted a statement by the dead woman’s husband Xu Hua So, which is dated after the man and his son would have left Guyana, according to an immigration officer who testified during the lengthy trial.

The statement was dated July 27, 2016, but immigra-

Dead: Xiu Di Yang

tion records indicate that So departed Guyana on April 9, 2016, and has not returned.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , Kallicharran is expected to know his fate after the mixed jury takes advice from the trial judge today. (G4)

Melbourne magnitude 6.0 earthquake: Tremor rattles southeast Australia

A person walks past damage to the exterior of a restaurant following an earthquake in the Windsor suburb of Melbourne, Australia, September 22, 2021 (AAP Image/James Ross)

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magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the

country’s biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country’s second-largest city and sending tremors throughout

neighbouring states.

The quake’s epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in the state of Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, and was at a depth of 10 km (six miles).

An aftershock was rated 4.0.

Images and video footage circulating on social media showed rubble blocking one of Melbourne’s main streets, while people in northern parts of the city said on social media they had lost power and others said they were evacuated from buildings.

The quake was felt as far away as the city of Adelaide, 800 km (500 miles) to the

west in the state of South Australia, and Sydney, 900 km (600 miles) to the north in New South Wales state, although there were no reports of damage outside Melbourne and no reports of injuries.

More than half of Australia’s 25 million population lives in the southeast of the country from Adelaide to Melbourne to Sydney.

“We have had no reports of serious injuries, or worse, and that is very good news and we hope that good news will continue,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Washington.

“It can be a very disturbing event, an earthquake of this nature. They are very rare events in Australia and as a result, I am sure people would have been quite distressed and disturbed.”

Quakes are relatively unusual in Australia’s populated east due to its position in the middle of the Indo-Australian Tectonic Plate, according to Geoscience Australia. The quake on Wednesday measured higher than the country’s deadliest tremor, a 5.6 in Newcastle in 1989, which resulted in 13 deaths.

The mayor of Mansfield, Mark Holcombe, said he was in his home office on his farm when the quake struck and ran outside for safety.

“I have been in earthquakes overseas before and it seemed to go on longer than I have experienced before,” Holcombe told the

Debris is seen on a road in Prahran, after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, September 22, 2021, in this still image from video obtained via social media

ABC. “The other thing that surprised me was how noisy it was. It was a real rumbling like a big truck going past.”

He knew of no serious damage near the quake epicentre, although some residents reported problems with telecommunications.

No tsunami threat was issued to the Australian mainland, islands or territo-

ries, the country’s Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement.

The quake presented a potential disruption for anti-lockdown protests expected in Melbourne on Wednesday, which would be the third day of unrest that has reached increasing levels of violence and police response. (Reuters)

NEWS

17

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

gives NYC green light to proceed with ECD man Judge vaccine mandate for teachers, school staff chopped A to death

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olice have launched an investigation into the death of a 33-year-old Pradesh Ramgobin, called Avinash, of Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara.

Reports are that he died at sometime between 17:00h on Tuesday and 09:00h on Wednesday. According to Police, enquiries disclosed that Ramgobin was in the habit of consuming alcohol with friends daily, and on Tuesday, he left his mother’s home to hang out with friends and never returned.

However, at about 08:30h on Wednesday, the suspect went to Ramgobin’s mother and told her that her

son was chopped on his hand and head, which caused him to die.

The Police were immediately informed, and found Ramgobin lying clad in blue underwear on a bed surrounded by blood.

As a result, the body was examined and two wounds were seen among other injuries to the body.

According to Police, the body was escorted to the CC Nicholson Hospital, and was examined by a doctor on duty, who pronounced him dead on arrival.

One person has been taken into custody as investigations continue.

Manhattan judge Wednesday lifted a temporary restraining order on New York City’s mandate that public school staffers get vaccinated, clearing the way for the requirement to take effect on Monday.

In a ruling handed down Wednesday afternoon, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Laurence Love said the city had satisfied his main concern by providing a route for staffers to apply for exemptions to the requirement and that the legality of vaccine mandates is well-established in case law.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit from the city’s labor unions challenging the legality of the mandate.

Love’s decision is not a final determination on the legality of the mandate, but it signals that he is unlikely to strike down the city’s order.

The Municipal Labor Committee, the coalition of public-sector unions that filed the lawsuit, “will be unable to establish a likelihood of ultimate success on the merits” of their case, Love wrote.

A lawyer for the labor unions argued in the hearing that threatening to place staffers who refuse a vaccine on a year of unpaid leave amounts to a violation of due process rights and “bodily integrity.”

Love was unconvinced by that argument, writing “state and federal courts have consistently held that a mandatory vaccine requirement does not violate substantive due process rights and properly fall within the state’s police power.” Education Department spokeswoman Danielle Filson said “this is a big win for New York City children and Department of Education employees.

Their health and safety is at the very

core of this vaccine mandate, and we are pleased the court recognized the city’s legal authority to implement the health commissioner’s order beginning Sept. 27.” Municipal Labor Committee Chairman Harry Nespoli said the suit had “already led to progress” by prompting the city to “admit that there can be exceptions to the vaccine mandate,” and said the unions “are preparing additional material to support our case.” Henry Garrido, the president of DC37, which represents school cleaners and cafeteria workers, said he’s “disappointed” and that “for those still making up their minds [about the vaccine], force is not the answer.”

The mandate will cover 148,000 Education Department employees, along with 24,000 contracted childcare and after-school workers. Staffers will

be required to show proof of at least one dose by Monday. Filson said that 87% of teachers and 80% of all Education Department staff were vaccinated as of Wednesday — leaving big questions about what will happen with the thousands of remaining unvaccinated workers. One sticking point in the negotiations over the mandate has been if, and how, to accommodate those who can’t take the vaccine for medical or religious reasons — a group city and health officials have said is very small.

An independent arbitrator issued a ruling earlier this month outlining how the process will work for members of the city teachers union. That ruling is expected to serve as a model for how exemptions will be granted to members of other unions covered by the mandate. (NY Daily News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Regional

Conditions worsen for Haitian Brazil’s Bolsonaro in COVID migrants on US-Mexico border isolation after trip to UN

Some Haitian migrants have decided to stay in Ciudad Acuna, on the Mexico side of the border with the US, due to shortages of food and poor conditions in the Texas camp [Fernando Llano/ AP Photo]

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onditions are deteriorating in a camp on the banks of the Rio Grande where thousands of mostly Haitian asylum seekers have gathered in hopes of getting asylum in the United States, as pressure mounts on President Joe Biden to halt expulsion flights to Haiti.

Images from the Reuters news agency showed people

with small babies and toddlers under makeshift shelters made out of reeds in Del Rio, Texas, just across the river from Mexico.

Clothing was hung out to dry and rubbish was strewn on the ground, while parents washed their children using jugs of river water and tried to find patches of shade in the punishing heat. Migrants

and asylum seekers said food remained scarce and there were not enough portable toilets.

The situation at the USMexico border has drawn widespread condemnation in recent days, especially after images emerged showing US border officials on horseback using whip-like cords to intimidate Haitian migrants and asylum seekers trying to cross the river.

At its peak, there were as many as 14,000 people camped out under the international bridge in Del Rio, but US authorities have moved thousands away for immigration processing and deported more than 500 Haitians since Sunday.

Mexico and the United States on Wednesday were preparing to fly more Haitian migrants and asylum seekers away from the camp, and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the deportation flights would continue. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Antigua & Barbuda PM participates in COVID-19 summit

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ntigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne was scheduled to late Wednesday highlight Caribbean Community (Caricom) efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic when he participated in the global COVID-19 summit hosted by US President Joe Biden.

A Government statement said Browne, who is also the Caricom Chairman, would participate in the summit that is being held under the theme, “Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better to Prepare for the Next”.

Browne was to deliver a presentation focusing Caricom’s commitment to work for better global planning and preparation for future pandemics.

He was expected to highlight the work of the Trinidadbased Caribbean Public

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister and Caricom Chairman Gaston Browne

Health Agency (CARPHA) in tackling COVID-19 across the Region, the statement said.

The high-level summit was scheduled to also feature presentations from Biden; United Nations Secretary

General António Guterres; World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus; South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson; World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

According to the statement, the meeting was about “expanding and enhancing shared efforts to defeat COVID-19, building out from previous gatherings of world leaders and Ministers in fora like the G7, G20, and Act Accelerator to rally civil society, NGOs, philanthropists, and industry along with world leaders and align on a common vision for defeating COVID-19 together”. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Tobago wants TT$1B more than what it usually gets

T

obago should get at least another billion dollars in the upcoming budget to be used as a stimulus.

This is according to the deputy political leader of the island’s second major political party and the man vying to be its next Chief Secretary, Farley Augustine.

In an interview with the Business Guardian, Augustine said the call for an additional billion dollars was based on the upper limit of the recommendation of the

dispute resolution commission that Tobago get between 4.03 per cent and 6.9 per cent of the national budget.

He said in the past, successive Governments have kept to the lower limit of the recommendation and with the elections due shortly for a new Tobago House of Assembly (THA) he expected the Central Government to give the island more funds.

“Firstly, I can tell you that I am hoping and expecting, that, at least they will attempt to bribe Tobago by

giving us closer to the higher percentage of the dispute resolution commission requirements.... And the truth is if Tobago is to meet significant recovery from what has happened in COVID, then we need to get more towards a higher percentage, not so that it could be used in the way Tracy and those guys have been using it, but to use in a manner that will allow for the stimulating of the economy of Tobago,” Farley told the Business Guardian. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

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resident Jair Bolsonaro, just back from the United Nations, isolated himself at home on Wednesday and cancelled a trip after his Health Minister tested positive for COVID-19 and had to stay in quarantine in New York.

Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa recommended that the entire presidential delegation to the UN General Assembly remain in isolation and undergo more tests.

Bolsonaro’s only appointment on Wednesday was changed to a remote meeting.

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tested positive hours after accompanying Bolsonaro to give the first speech from a Head of State

at the annual assembly on Tuesday, the Government said. It added that the other delegation members all tested negative.

Bolsonaro, a vaccine sceptic who has bragged about not being vaccinated, defied UN rules that asked all those attending the assembly be inoculated against the coronavirus.

Queiroga accompanied Bolsonaro to a meeting on Tuesday morning at the UN building with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Health Minister was seen wearing a mask, although the two leaders went without.

Brazil’s Government has told the UN that its complete delegation has decided to self-quarantine for 14 days, UN spokesman

Stephane Dujarric said.

“Here at the UN, we have looked into the potential exposure to UN staff who had been present in the General Assembly Hall and contact tracing is being finalised,” Dujarric said.

He said Queiroga did not meet with Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

“At present, no close contacts amongst UN staff have been identified,” he told reporters.

Bolsonaro was the only member of his entourage in New York that has not been vaccinated. Before travelling to the United States he said he believed his antibody count from a bout with COVID-19 protected him better than a vaccine.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

T&T Opposition Leader asks President why CoP candidates list was not given to Parliament

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rinidadian Opposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar has called on President Paula-Mae Weekes to explain why she did not provide the merit list of Commissioner of Police (CoP) candidates to Parliament.

Persad-Bissessar produced a copy of a letter that said that since August 12 the Police Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Bliss Seepersad submitted a list of suitably-qualified nominees to act in the office of Commissioner of Police.

The letter, dated September 7, was signed by the Director of Legal Services at the Office of the President and stated that “by letter dated August 13, 2021, Her Excellency replied to the Chairman”.

“No notification was sent to Parliament by Her Excellency for the granting of an acting appointment in the

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Office of the Commissioner of Police as no such procedure is mandated or provided for in law,” the letter said, But Persad-Bissessar Tuesday said she was of a different opinion.

Persad-Bissessar said the Commission must say

whether the list of persons qualified to act as Police Commissioner was sent to the President as required by law.

“The Commission continues to remain silent on this; however, we understand that the President has acknowledged receiving a list of suitably-qualified persons as nominees to act in the Office of Commissioner of Police,” she said and provided a copy of that letter of acknowledgement.

“However, the question remains as to why no notification of the merit list was sent for the approval of the Parliament in accordance with Section 123 of the Constitution,” PersadBissessar said.

On Monday night, Persad-Bissessar called for the dissolution of the board and said the issue was now a constitutional crisis. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Caribbean children fed minimal diverse diet – UNICEF report

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he United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said Monday that a significant number of children in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are fed a minimal diverse diet, noting that there has been little sign of improvement in the diets of the world’s youngest children over the last 10 years.

In a new report titled “Fed to Fail?” released ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit?this week, it found that rising poverty, inequality, conflict, climate-related disasters, and health emergencies are all contributing to the nutri-

tion crisis.

“In fact, the ongoing COVID-19 disruptions could make the situation much worse,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

In an analysis of 91 countries, the report found that only half of children aged six to 23 months, are being fed the minimum recommended number of meals a day, while just a third consume the minimum number of food groups they need to thrive.

Children living in rural areas or from poorer households are also significantly more likely to be fed poor di-

ets, compared to their urban or wealthier peers. Further analysis of 50 countries revealed these poor feeding patterns have persisted throughout the last decade.

UNICEF has estimated that globally, more than half of children under the age of five with wasting are younger than two years of age, adding that this amounts to around 23 million children. It said the prevalence of stunting increases rapidly between six months and two years, as children’s diets fail to keep pace with their growing nutritional needs. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices settle up on US stocks draw, rising fuel demand

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il prices settled higher on Wednesday after US crude stocks fell to their lowest levels in three years as refining activity recovered from recent storms.

Despite recent wobbles from US economic figures, overall demand for fuel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

Product supplied over the last four weeks has come in at nearly 21 million barrels per day (bpd), not far from 2019’s peak.

US crude inventories last week fell by 3.5 million barrels to 414 million barrels, the lowest since October 2018, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.

“Crude oil prices remain supported as demand recovers around the world and inventories continue to draw,” said Andrew Lipow, President of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose US$1.74, or 2.5 per cent, to US$72.23, while Brent crude futures settled up US$1.83, or 2.5 per cent, to US$76.19 a barrel.

Oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico continue to return to production, with weekly output rising 500,000 bpd in the most recent week to 10.6 million bpd, the EIA said. BP on Wednesday said all four of its offshore facilities in the region have resumed operations after Hurricane Ida, brought back online and producing as of September 12.

Also supporting prices has been difficulties by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members struggling to raise output. Rising prices in other markets like natural gas have also supported oil, with energy market shortages causing a supply crunch in Europe and Asia.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

President Biden pledges 500 million more vaccine doses to developing world

T

he US is to donate 500 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine to developing nations from next year.

President Joe Biden made the pledge at a virtual COVID-19 summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, promising an “arsenal of vaccines”.

The additional jabs will see the total US commitment on vaccine sharing exceed one billion jabs.

Experts say some 11 bil-

lion doses are required to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the global population.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a minimum target of 40 per cent vaccine coverage in every country by the end of 2021.

But the goal is unlikely to be met.

While many high-income countries have now given at least one shot to more than half their populations,

only two per cent of people in low-income countries have had their first dose, according to data from the University of Oxford.

The White House’s COVID summit comes as research shows rich countries are still holding surpluses of vaccines, many of which could soon be thrown out.

In June, members of the G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US – pledged to donate one billion doses to

poor countries over the next year.

President Biden pledged 580 million at the time, of which the US has delivered only 160 million so far.

The donated vaccines are routed through Covax, the global scheme supported by the WHO to get doses where they’re needed most.

Covax purchases and then sells vaccines at low-cost to middle income countries and donates to poor countries.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Aukus pact: France and US seek to mend rift

F

rance and United States have made efforts to end a row which started last week with the announcement of the Aukus defence pact between the US, the UK, and Australia.

The pact cost France a deal worth US$37 billion to build submarines for Australia.

Paris said it found out only hours before the public announcement.

The American and French Presidents have now issued a joint statement saying the situation would have benefited from open consultations between allies.

As a result of Aukus, France will no longer be selling submarines to Australia

Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone for half an hour on Wednesday. They will also meet in Europe at the end of next month.

French anger was palpable – the French Defence Minister called it a “stab in

the back”.

In a rare step among allies, Macron ordered the recall of the French Ambassadors to Washington and Canberra.

However, the Ambassador to Washington will now return to his post. There was no word on whether the

Ambassador to Canberra would do the same.

President Biden reaffirmed the importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

And the statement underlined US recognition of the importance of stronger European defence to complement NATO – one of President Macron’s flagship projects.

Earlier, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Mr Macron to “donnez-moi un break” and get over his anger about Aukus.

Brokered last week, Aukus is widely seen as an effort to counter China’s influence in the contested South China Sea. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Sudan military leaders blame coup bid on politicians Ukraine left puzzled after assassination attempt on President’s top aide S udanese military leaders have accused civilian politicians of opening the door to a coup attempt by neglecting public welfare while consumed by internal squabbles.

Under an August 2019 power-sharing deal in the wake of the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar alBashir, Sudan is ruled by a joint military and civilian body known as the sovereign council that is tasked with overseeing a transition to full civilian rule.

Military authorities said on Monday they had detained 21 officers who had attempted to take power in the early hours of the day.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said there were still “no answers as to what those who were behind the coup said during the interrogations”.

However, the threat of a power grab appeared to have escalated the tensions between the military and civilian partners in Sudan’s transitional Government, whose relationship has been fractious.

Speaking at a military graduation in Omdurman, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council, and his deputy General Mohamed Hamdan

U

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said coups occurred because politicians had neglected the average citizen [File: Jok Solomun/ Reuters]

Dagalo, accused the civilian politicians of seeking personal gains and forgetting the aims of the revolution.

“Politicians are the main cause behind coups because they have neglected the average citizen … and are more concerned fighting over how they can stay in power,” Dagalo, widely known as Hemeti, was quoted as by the official news agency SUNA. “This has created disenchantment among citizens,” the feared paramilitary chief added in an address to troops at a military camp west of Khartoum.

After the coup attempt, civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had reiterated calls to restructure the

military and bring its business interests under civilian oversight, a key source of dispute. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

krainian Police are trying to work out who ordered unidentified individuals to try to murder a top aide of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after his car was sprayed with automatic gunfire on Wednesday morning in an attack that shocked the political elite.

Serhiy Shefir, the top aide and a close personal friend of Zelenskiy’s, escaped unscathed, but his driver was badly wounded and hospitalised.

The Black Audi carrying Shefir was pockmarked with at least 10 bullet holes. Irina Venediktova, Ukraine’s

Prosecutor General, said the car had been ambushed as it drove between two villages outside Kyiv, the capital.

The road is lined on both sides by forest which would have given the shooters good cover to hide and get away.

Police said in a statement they had opened a criminal case on suspicion of attempted murder and saw three possible motives and versions: an effort to pressure the country’s leadership, an attempt to destabilise the political situation, or an attack engineered by a foreign intelligence service.

“The purpose of this crime was not to scare, but to kill,”

Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky said.

Some of Zelenskiy’s advisers suggested the attack may have been orchestrated by a disgruntled oligarch or oligarchs fed up with a presidential drive to dilute their influence. Other advisers raised the possibility that Russia may have been behind the shooting, something the Kremlin denied.

Zelenskiy, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly, said he did not know who was responsible for the attack, but pledged “a strong response”.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Sunni scholars who left Afghanistan hope Islam’s tolerant message survives Taliban

C

lerics from Egypt’s ancient seat of Sunni study Al-Azhar, who spent years teaching in Afghanistan and were planning to open an education centre for girls, hope their tolerant message of Islam will survive the return of the Taliban.

The 1000 year-old institution had opened a mission in Kabul in 2007, promoting what its clerics describe as Islam’s peaceful tradition in a country where guerrillas have used religion as a justification for fighting for decades.

The 23-person mission was repatri-

ated to Egypt after being briefly stranded in Kabul when the Taliban swept into the Afghan capital last month.

“There must be a presence for Al-Azhar in the country of Afghanistan, in order for us to communicate with the Afghan people and youth, to spread Islam’s tolerant message,” Shawki Abuzeid, the 58-year-old Shawki Abuzeid, Egyptian cleric and head of Al- head of the mission said in an inAzhar’s mission to Afghanistan, speaks during an terview in Cairo. (Excerpt from interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt, August 29, Reuters) 2021

20

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

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)

Consider how best to deal with partnerships. Be blunt about what you expect and what you are willing to contribute. A problem regarding responsibilities will surface if you or someone else feels shortchanged.

When doubt sets in, stand still and rethink your next move. Too much or too little of anything will stifle your plans. Aim for balance, integrity and innovative solutions.

Concentrate on what you are trying to accomplish, not on what others are doing.

Your strength comes from your ability to stay focused and deliver what you promise. Learn from experience.

Keep your life simple, practice moderation and focus on self-improvement. Look inward and revisit issues under your control instead of wasting time trying to convince others to see things your way.

Don’t labor over something you cannot change. Dive into territory that requires your experience, intelligence and strength. Maximize your time to stay ahead of any competition you encounter.

Keep busy; being idle will lead to anxiety. Dedicate your time to something that makes you feel passionate; you will make headway. A change may be necessary if you want to make a difference.

Stop pondering over what passed you by and start heading in an exciting direction. Test your skills and update how you approach life and love. Establish the happiness you desire and let go of the past.

You may crave change, but you must be realistic.

Don’t let your emotions lead you into something that will limit you down the road.

Settling for less than what you want or cutting corners will only set you back.

Put everything in its SAGITTARIUS place. Organize your sur(Nov. 23roundings and be clear reDec. 21) garding what you want.

Leave nothing to chance.

Embrace the future with a clear conscience and a spirited attitude.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

You are in a better position than you realize. Think outside the box, and you’ll outmaneuver anyone who gets in your way. A change of environment will spark your imagination.

Be open about what you want and are trying to accomplish, and you will get the assistance you require.

Don’t let a change someone makes alter your plans.

Think big, but move slowly.

You have more going for you than you realize, and (Feb. 20with a bit of effort, you will March 20) outdo any competition you encounter. Step out of your comfort zone and try something new and exciting.

PISCES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Bassarath not in agreement with Windies World Cup selections

21

TTCB President Azim Bassarath

…says Shepherd and Rutherford should have been on flight to World Cup

T

&T Cricket Board (TTCB) President Azim Bassarath has added his voice to what is a growing Caribbean chorus seeking an explanation about how the Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel arrived at its 19-member T20 World Cup squad.

That chorus includes the voices of fellow board members; Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley; and President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali. Speaking to Guardian Media Sports on Monday, Bassarath said, “What I want to say is that there are some people on the team, in my humble opinion, who are very fortunate indeed to be on that plane to go to the Cricket World Cup; and also there are some, for example, I want to call two names, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd, both from Guyana, who I think should have been on that flight to the World Cup.” His comments came after both men dominated the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Rutherford scored 262 runs in 10 innings, finishing with an average of 37.42. He was the eighth highest run-scorer in the tournament, five of whom were West Indians. Shepherd, on the other hand, was the second-highest wicket-taker in the competition, behind Ravi Rampaul. In nine matches, the Guyanese took 18 wickets.

Chairman of Selectors, Roger Harper, has since had to justify some selections while disqualifying others, telling the Mason and Guest radio programme a week ago: “Sherfane should know what is required of him”, pointing to the fitness of the player.

Harper also directed the hosts to the CWI Medical Panel whom he says gave medical exemptions to two players on the squad.

Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford

Harper chairs the Selection Panel, which includes head coach Phil Simmons and Miles Bascombe who played one T20I for the regional side.

The TTCB head added, “Things are coming out from the Chairman of Selectors in a manner as if it is coming out piece by piece.

I am hoping that at the next directors’ meeting of CWI that the management, and of course the president and the vice-president, can clear up the concerns that have been expressed by the cricketing public of the Caribbean.”

The board is scheduled to meet on September 30, when Bassarath expects Harper along with his selection panel’s role

will be discussed, but until they are given the chance to properly explain their decision-making, Bassarath won’t entertain any conversation of them facing the axe.

He said, “We must get the answers that are being asked from the Chairman of Selectors, and we take it from there. We will make a decision - as a matter of fact, maybe at the next board meeting - in respect of the continuation of the selectors who are in the chair right now.”

Bassarath was responding to a question of whether the panel should resign if the West Indies fail to get out of the group stage of the World Cup. The regional side is in Group One, along with England, Australia

and South Africa. Another two qualifying teams will be added to the group after the first stage of the tournament.

Last Thursday, President Ali of Guyana called for CWI to publish the criteria for selection, while mere days before that, Barbados Prime Minister Mottley said: “It defies all understanding how Jason [Holder] had now been only able to make a reserve player on the West Indies T20 World Cup team.”

The former West Indies captain has been named as a reserve, along with Darren Bravo, Akeal Hosein and Sheldon Cottrell.

However, Bassarath drew the line at politicians openly questioning the selectors.

“I don’t like it. I think we have to leave it up to the people who are placed in the job to do the selection, and we take it from there.

None of us will agree at every given time when a team is selected,” he said.

The West Indies will bowl off their T20 World Cup campaign against England on October 23, before facing South Africa three days later. The tournament will be hosted in the United Arab Emirates between October 17 and November 14. The top two teams from each group will move on to the semi-finals.

West Indies T20 World Cup squad: Kieron Pollard (capt), Nicholas Pooran (vice-capt & wk), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher (wk), Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr Reserves: Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Sheldon Cottrell, Darren Bravo (TT Guardian)

Marlon Samuels charged under ICC’s anti-corruption code …Charges relate to the T10 tournament in the UAE

M

arlon Samuels, the architect of West Indies’ twin T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016, has been charged by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit on four counts of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code.

In a media statement on Wednesday, the ICC said the charges relate to the T10 tournament conducted by the ECB.

Samuels has been charged for the following breaches: Article 2.4.2 - Failing to disclose to the designated anticorruption official the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.

Article 2.4.3 - Failing to disclose to the designated anticorruption official receipt of hospitality with a value of US$750 or more.

Article 2.4.6 - Failing to cooperate with the designated anticorruption official’s investigation.

Article 2.4.7 - Obstructing or delaying the designated anticorruption official’s investigation by concealing information that may have been relevant to the investigation.

He has 14 days from September 21 to respond to the charges.

The investigation concerns the 2019 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10, wherein Samuels was picked by Karnataka Tuskers, but did not get to play a single game.

CWI responded to the charges against Samuels by stating it was “firm in denouncing any such activities within

the sport”.

“Cricket West Indies (CWI) has been made aware of the charges which have been laid by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, involving former West Indies player Marlon Samuels,” the statement said. “Formal charges have been laid with breaching four counts of the Emirates Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption Code for participants of the T10 League in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

“While CWI has yet to receive detailed information relating to this ICC investigation, CWI remains firm in denouncing any such activities within the sport, and fully supports the ICC AntiCorruption Unit in their efforts to rid the sport of all corruption.”

Samuels, 40, announced his retirement last year after a career in which he played 71 Tests, 207 ODIs and 67 T20Is since his West Indies debut in 2000, and score over 11,000 international runs and 17 centuries.

While his record suggested he never made the most of his sumptuous talent, his highs were spectacular, most notably when he top-scored in the T20 World Cup finals of 2012 and 2016.

He was no stranger to controversy during his career, the lowest point of which was his two-year ban after being found guilty, in May 2008, of “receiving money, or benefit or oth-

er reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute”.

Last month, Samuels became one of 19 Jamaican crick-

eters to feature on a mural unveiled at Sabina Park as part of a larger art project that aims to turn Kingston into a “destination city”. (ESPNcricinfo)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Nortje & Co help Delhi Capitals reclaim top spot

T

he South African pace duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada were too hot for Sunrisers Hyderabad to handle on Wednesday evening in Dubai.

A pair of blistering spells from the duo produced a total of five wickets. This tied down Sunrisers to set up a simple chase for Delhi

Capitals, as they prevailed by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare.

This helped Capitals move two points clear of Chennai Super Kings at the top of the table, while Sunrisers were staring at elimination, having lost seven out of their eight games so far.

Sunrisers struggled mightily after choosing to Shreyas Iyer led bat first, with no one mak- the charge with an ing it past Abdul Samad’s unbeaten 47 28 in a total of 134 for 9. By contrast, Capitals coasted across the line, thanks to a pair of half-century stands, first a 52-run partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer, then Iyer and Rishabh Pant sealed victory with an unbroken 67-run third-wicket partnership.

Nortje and Rabada blowing heat

himself on a hat-trick as he claimed a skier tracking back behind the non-striker to dismiss Manish Pandey.

That came two balls after Kane Williamson had driven Axar loosely to extra cover as Sunrisers slipped from 60 for 2 to 61 for 4.

Nortje got back into action in the 13th over to zing Kedar Jadhav in the pads with a 147 kph thunderbolt to win an lbw appeal for the fifth wicket. Samad had worked hard to prop up the Sunrisers’ innings after coming in at No. 6, but Rabada snuffed him out as he top-edged to the wicketkeeper. Two run-outs in the final over capped a sorry display by Sunrisers.

Dhawan reclaims the orange cap

After a brief hiccup in the Powerplay, when Prithvi Shaw fell to a superb catch by Williamson at mid-on, Capitals were untroubled for much of the next 90 minutes. Dhawan struck six fours and a six during his 42, and in the process achieved two milestones.

With Dhawan’s very first run of the day, he broke a deadlock with KL Rahul to move back atop the season’s run aggregate charts. Second, he passed 400 runs in a season for the eighth time in his IPL career. Only Suresh Raina has done it more, completing the feat on nine occasions.

Former and current captain of Capitals tag-team

Dhawan fell caught on the boundary trying to slog sweep Rashid Khan over square leg. It was the last misstep of the day for the Capitals as Iyer and Pant provided contrasting but equally efficient styles to take Capitals to victory.

Pant took his time initially to get set, scoring just 9 off his first 11 balls. But a pull over square leg for six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 16th finally got him unstuck.

He meted out more punishment to Khaleel Ahmed in the next over, ending the frame with a four flicked through fine leg and anoth-

Outside of a lone slower ball at 128 kph, Nortje’s Rishabh Pant scored a quickfire 35* other 23 deliveries all clocked above 140 kph. Five of those breached the 150kph mark too. David Warner was the first one to feel his wrath, dismissed for a third-ball er six blasted over the leg side. duck as a leading edge ballooned over point to Axar Patel.

Barring a brief burst of consecutive boundaries in the There was no respite at the opposite end, as Rabada 14th over off Sandeep Sharma, Iyer was content to knock too was relentless in his hostility. Digging it in short to singles around with the required run rate well under conWriddhiman Saha, the wicketkeeper-batter was late on the trol. But after Pant’s power-hitting was unleashed, Iyer pull, and skied a catch to Dhawan for the second wicket in flexed his muscle for the final victory blow, heaving Jason the Powerplay.

Holder over midwicket and into the second tier for an emRabada was then brought back in the 11th and he put phatic end to the match. (ESPNcricinfo)

Shikhar Dhawan scored 42

SCOREBOARD SUNRISERS HYDERABAD INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) David Warner c Patel b Nortje 0 Wriddhiman Saha †c Dhawan b Rabada 18 Kane Williamson (c) c Hetmyer b Patel 18 Manish Pandey c & b Rabada 17 Kedar Jadhav lbw b Nortje 3 Abdul Samad c †Pant b Rabada 28 Jason Holder c Shaw b Patel 10 Rashid Khan run out (sub [SPD Smith]/†Pant) 22 Bhuvneshwar Kumar not out 5 Sandeep Sharma run out (†Pant) 0 Extras (b 1, lb 6, nb 3, w 3) 13 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.70) 134/9 Did not bat: Khaleel Ahmed Fall of wickets: 1-0 (David Warner, 0.3 ov), 2-29 (Wriddhiman Saha, 4.6 ov), 3-60 (Kane Williamson, 9.5 ov), 4-61 (Manish Pandey, 10.1 ov), 5-74 (Kedar Jadhav, 12.6 ov), 6-90 (Jason Holder, 15.1 ov), 7-115 (Abdul Samad, 18.2 ov), 8-133 (Rashid Khan, 19.4 ov), 9-134 (Sandeep Sharma, 19.6 ov)

Y

0 21 2 0 37 3 0 8 0 0 22 0

DELHI CAPITALS INNINGS (TARGET: 135 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Prithvi Shaw c Williamson b Ahmed 11 Shikhar Dhawan c Abdul Samad b Rashid Khan 42 Shreyas Iyer not out 47 Rishabh Pant (c)† not out 35 Extras (w 4) 4 TOTAL (17.5 Ov, RR: 7.79) 139/2 Did not bat: Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Prithvi Shaw, 2.5 ov), 2-72 (Shikhar Dhawan, 10.5 ov)

BOWLING O M R W Khaleel Ahmed 4 0 33 1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3 0 21 0 BOWLING O M R W Jason Holder 3.5 0 33 0 Anrich Nortje 4 0 12 2 Rashid Khan 4 0 26 1 Avesh Khan 4 0 27 0 Sandeep Sharma 3 0 26 0

Canada-based Guyanese dominate in CPSCL oung Warriors are the 2021 Canada Premier Softball Cricket League (CPSCL) Grand Champions, after clinching an engrossing six-wicket win over Toronto Knight Riders on Saturday.

Playing at Andrew McCandless Park in Brampton, Knight Riders set up a respectable 198-5 from their allocation of 20 overs, while Young Warriors replied with 199-4 with ten balls remaining.

Experienced opening batsman Abinash Ramnarayan led the way with an unbeaten 63. He received useful support from the consis- Young Warriors celebrating their victory tent Randy Roopnarine, who made 58 before he was run For the final, Ramnarayan and Roopnarine out. Ramnarayan struck four sixes and three got assistance from Rofel Boodhu and Nishal fours, while Roopnarine slammed eight sixes and Singh with 26 and 20 respectively. Senior cama four. paigner Azeez Baksh picked up two wickets for In the process, Young Warriors lifted their 32 runs from four overs, delivering for the Riders. third trophy for this year’s season, having triEarlier, Toronto Knight Riders were invitumphed at the 10-10 competition and also the ed to bat. Their innings started off precarious100-ball tournament. ly, with them losing the first wicket at 10-1, but

Axar Patel 4 Kagiso Rabada 4 Marcus Stoinis 1.1 Ravichandran Ashwin 2.5

Canada-based Guyanese Vijaj Prashad and Baksh stabilised things quickly with a solid 107-run second-wicket stand. Prashad, a stalwart in softball cricket, hit 62.

His innings was characterised by seven sixes and a pair of boundaries, while Baksh scored 37.

Later down the innings, the momentum continued in the batting department as hard-hitting middle-order batsman Rawl Scott, a Berbician, blasted seven sixes to make an unbeaten 54.

Lindon Persaud also chipped in with 22. There was one wicket each for Satrohan Doodnauth, Joshua Singh, Reshand Badshaw and Nishal Singh.

At the post-match presentation, Ramnarayan was named the Most Valuable Player, and he took home a trophy. The winning team carted off a trophy and $1000 while the runners-up claimed a trophy and $500. The prizes were donated by AP Staffing.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Wong secures spot in ITTF Pan American Championships M iguel Wong is having a dream year, and confirmation was made on Wednesday morning that he has qualified for the 2021 International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF’s) Senior Pan American Championships.

Earlier this year, Wong had qualified for the Junior Pan American Games in November, the first of its kind for the junior group; now his qualification in the big leagues is only the icing on the cake for the 20-year-old.

Wong has been listed by the ITTF as a competitor for the Caribbean Region in the Pan am Games, which are scheduled for November 13-19, 2021.

In a comment invited by Guyana Times Sport, Wong shared that it is a major accomplishment to have qualified for both of the events within the same year.

“It’s just a very, very great feeling to be able to qualify for not one, but two Pan American Championships. One being the first ever Junior Pan Am Games and the second being the Senior Pan American Championships,” the Table tennis player stated.

When asked about his expectations, the youngster noted that he is hoping to make

Miguel Wong

Guyana proud.

Wong stated, “I’m just very elated and so

BFA boss urges everyone to get vaccinated

Some of the students at the Academy Training Centre

P

resident of the Bartica Football Association, Alden Marslowe, and Secretary of that organisation, Arita Embleton, who is also the Deputy Mayor of Bartica, joined Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall in getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and also to bring awareness to the drive.

The following is the message of the BFA President on vaccination against the deadly virus: “The COVID-19 pandemic has directly affected every nation on the earth, resulting in the loss of close to five million lives to date. It also brought international travel to a halt at some points, shut down many institutions, severely affected commerce, and absolutely devastated many economies. Football, like other sport disciplines, also shared in the worst.

“Fortunately, medical science has responded in a timely manner to stem the carnage and help to restore communities to reasonable normalcy. The Bartica Football Association shares the views of the Guyana Football Federation on the issue of vaccination against COVID-19. While we believe that the process should not be one dictated by mandate, we also strongly encourage our affiliates, fans and other members of the public to consider vaccination as the best option for returning to life as we know it. In our community, Bartica, COVID-19 has already caused too many deaths, too much pain and heartbreak. Every moment is the right time to do what is right for yourself, family and community.”

The BFA recently launched its Academy Training Centre. President of the BFA has noted that, thus far, it has a schedule of four days for grassroots, under-13, under-15, under-17 and females. He relayed that the response has been very encouraging, and numbers are being added every week.

Marslowe also reiterated that the BFA received a donation of balls and equipment from former Bartica goalkeeper and businessman Prakash Jaisari.

In terms of sponsorship, the BFA boss noted that the GFF continues to be of great support to the local association, as they are collaborating for capacity building programmes, including coaches and referees’ courses. He stated that the Association is also continuing to benefit from the federation’s M-FAP programme.

Caribbean group. Guyana’s men will be able to break into the competition on the premise of an already qualified team does not confirm its participation before a deadline. Their failure to do such would result in the reserve teams being invited to compete.

The Pan Am Championships will be hosted at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The Junior Pan Am Games are calendared for November 25- December 5 in Cali, The Guyana Committee of Services making a presentation earlier Colombia. this week Meanwhile, Wong still has plans to get in some anxious to be able to play for Guyana again on the international circuit. And hopefully, international training before he heads to I will put my best foot forward and we’ll see competition. Earlier this week, the Guyana Committee of Services became the latest enhow it goes.”

Aside from Wong’s Men’s singles’ qual- tity to get on board with Wong’s vision. The ification, Guyana has been named among charitable organisation has been in the habthe qualifiers for a team event. the wom- it of assisting athletes from various sporting en’s team has made the cut, while the men disciplines in one way or another. are listed as the first reserve team for the

Lady Jags face Puerto Rico ahead of CONCACAF World Cup

qualifiers

T

Annalisa Vincent and LaKeisha Pearson

he Guyana senior women’s national team, the Lady Jags, will travel to Puerto Rico for two friendly matches and an encampment in October as the squad accelerates its preparation for the initial round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November.

The Lady Jags squad will participate in a week-long training camp in the US island territory, arriving on October 18th and departing on October 24th, with practice matches against the hosts scheduled for October 20th and October 23rd.

Guyana has been drawn into Group F of the Concacaf W Championship qualifiers with Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Turks and Caicos, and Dominica. The winner of the group will join the five other qualification group winners and automatic qualifiers Canada and the US at the 2022 Concacaf W Championships, which act as the region’s gateway to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. “We are in a tough pool that we must win in order to get to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers,” said Lady Jags Head Coach Ivan Joseph. “There are no easy games moving forward, and every goal for and against counts.

“We are looking forward to the training camp and the exhibition games versus

Puerto Rico. The Lady Jags (have) not been together for over three years, and it will take a while for us to build our style of play and get on the same page in order to give ourselves a chance to succeed.”

Domestic-based players have been in training for several months at the Guyana Football Federation’s National Training Centre at Providence, under the guidance of domestic Head Coach Akilah Castello. The squad in Puerto Rico is expected to comprise a mix of Guyana-based talent and players based in North America and Europe.

Guyana kicks off the journey to the FIFA World Cup with a home match against Dominica and an away tie in Turks and Caicos in November. The group will conclude in April 2022.

“The build-up to the Concacaf W qualifiers is an important factor in how successful we will be,” said Paul Beresford, GFF Director of Women’s Programmes. “The friendly matches in Puerto Rico and training are a critical part of the plan, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity.

“I know that the coaching staff and the players have been looking forward to representing Guyana again on the pitch, and I am looking forward to what the team will do during the upcoming campaign,” Beresford has said.

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