Guyana Times - Tuesday, January 19, 2021

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Issue No. 4533

THE BEACON OF TRUTH TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

APNU/AFC’s 2nd election petition thrown out …as Court orders GECOM to hand over SoPs, SoRs to Registrar for “safekeeping” Page 3

Pensioner dies in Cummings Lodge fire Page 12

Agriculture has key role James Bond blasts in Govt’s diversification PNCR leaders plan – Finance Minister for botching election petition Page 14

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

OP PS admits to not returning money to P9 Consolidated Fund 2016

Rum shop brawl

Life sentence for killer reduced to P10 12 years

Police, robbery P12 accused exchange gunfire Boat Captain drowns after colliding with P13 wharf

Construction worker shot in P12 both legs Page 7

…calls for their resignation

Persons will be held accountable for jewellery spending spree – Edghill

Page 2

…says major shake-up imminent at DHBC

Preparations for COVID-19 vaccine administration underway – Dr P10 Anthony …23 new cases recorded

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Persons will be held accountable for jewellery spending spree – Edghill …says major shake-up imminent at DHBC

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

DHB General Manager Rawlston Adams

Former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had claimed that he does not wear jewellery, but in this 2018 photo he is seen wearing a gold band on his right hand

P

ublic Works Minister Juan Edghill has made it clear that

persons will be held accountable for the jewellery-buying spree that the

Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) has been engaged in with taxpayers’ money and that a shake-up is imminent.

During an interview with the media on Monday, Edghill noted that both the DHBC and the Asphalt Plant, which it manages, must be reviewed and even under new management, those who facilitated the purchase of jewellery for individuals including the former subject Minister must be dealt with.

“There will be a major shake-up in both the Asphalt Plant and the Demerara Harbour Bridge. My position is any party who played a role in facilitating what took place, should not be allowed to spread that cancer continually, even under new management,” Edghill said.

It was revealed over the weekend that the Asphalt Plant audit uncovered records showing that $424,700 of taxpayers’ money was spent to purchase a hand band for former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, who is Edghill’s predecessor.

Additionally, a sum of

$76,300 was spent to purchase a tie pin for the former Minister. Based on the records, the gifts were purchased for Patterson’s birthday celebration in 2017, although it is unclear whether Patterson ever received the gifts in his possession.

Efforts to solicit a comment from Patterson on the sidelines of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting he chaired on Monday were futile as he walked away when this publication approached him for a comment. However, former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had claimed in sections of the media that he does not wear jewellery.

Generous gifts

But Patterson is not the only public official for whom generous gifts were purchased using monies from the asphalt fund. The investigation into the operations of the Asphalt Plant had also revealed that the General Manager of the bridge company, Rawlston Adams, had spent in excess of $800,000 to purchase a bracelet for himself.

This was disclosed by Chartered Accountant Chateram Ramdihal during the handover of the report last month. Ramdihal had led a high-level team to conduct a probe into reports of an alleged racket at the Asphalt Plant and presented the report to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill.

“The Asphalt Plant, along with the Demerara Harbour Bridge, purchased in November 2019, a bracelet for the General Manager at the approval of the General Manager to the value of eight hundred and ninety-seven thousand Guyana Dollars ($897,000) as a gift for International Men’s Day,” the report detailed.

It further noted that gifts were also given to all other men within the Corporation, to an approximate value of $10,000 each, to mark the occasion of International Men’s Day. However, the investigators pointed out in the report that the DHB Board of Directors, at a meeting held in August 2016, had made a policy that gifts, donations and staff incentives must be approved by the Board. But in this instance, the General

Manager approved the purchase of the bracelet himself.

According to Ramdihal, “Normally, approval for those limits should have been done by the Board and if there is no Board at the time, the expectation is that it is escalated to the subject Minister at the time.”

Meanwhile, the report further detailed that in addition to not obtaining the relevant approval for the purchase, the lack of an independent approval system can deem such a purchase to be a “misuse of the Plant funds for personal gain”.

In response to the investigators’ findings, the DHB management said: “Gifts were given to all men within the organisation. This is the standard practice in the organisation.”

Copies of the bills and receipts were also provided.

Nevertheless, the investigators recommended that management should ensure that the policies of the Plant are adhered to at all times.

A recommendation was also made for management to ensure that gifts to employees are done in accordance with generally-accepted principles and at arm’s length. (G3)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, January 19 – 09:00h – 10:30h and Wednesday, January 20 – 09:30h – 11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, January 19 – 08:00h – 09:30h and Wednesday, January 20 – 08:40h – 10:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunshine will prevail during the day. There will be clear skies during the night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 08:39h and 21:01h reaching maximum heights of 2.34 metres and 2.32 metres.

Low Tide: 14:33h reaching a minimum height of 0.89 metre.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

05 08 11

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FREE TICKET

21 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

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Afternoon Draw

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DRAW DE LINE

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PAY DAY

SUPER PAY DAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020

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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 Crude Oil Rough Rice London Sugar

…as court orders GECOM to hand over SoPs, SoRs to Registrar for “safekeeping”

C

iting the importance of the statutory timelines when it comes to election matters, Chief Justice Roxane George delivered the fatal blow on the second A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) election petition when she dismissed it owing to improper service.

Petition 99 of 2020, filed on September 15, 2020, by APNU/AFC agents Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse was asking the court to order the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, to declare David Granger as the “duly elected President of Guyana.”

The declaration would be keeping in accordance with Article 177 of the Constitution.

Lawyers for the petitioners contended that GECOM unlawfully conducted the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections and that the outcome of those elections might have been affected owing to unlawful acts or omissions. It alluded to some of the findings of the 33-day long National Recount of the ballots and claimed that numerous discrepancies and irregularities were uncovered and as a result, the integrity of the entire electoral process was compromised.

Thomas and Nurse also claimed that GECOM failed in the execution of its mandate to supervise the registration of electors and the administrative conduct of the elections. In essence, the APNU/AFC duo wanted to vitiate the results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections and have Granger installed.

Not properly served

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021

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APNU/AFC’s 2nd election petition thrown out

US$ $55.10/barrel $236.57/ton $467.50/ton

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$1840.60

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Low/High Change

$1827.30 +3.20

$1844.90 +0.17%

Chief Justice George found that the case was not properly served to former President David Granger, who is also the leader of APNU/AFC’s List of Candidates and named as the second respondent, according to the rules outlined in the National Assembly Validity of Elections Act. “As [a] consequence, the late service of Petition 99 of 2020 on the second respondent amount to non-service on him. This would lead to nullification of petition 99p2020 ab initio, more so as the court has to consider this status quo at the time of service and not the proceedings or position of a party or parties adopted thereafter. This is to say from the time petition 99p2020 was served out of time on the second respondent as a necessary party, it was a non-starter,” the CJ posited.

Thomas and Nurse named Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, David Granger – APNU/AFC, Horatio Edmonson – Federal United Party, Bharrat Jagdeo – People’s Progressive Party/Civic, John Flores –

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George

Liberty and Justice Party, Asha Kissoon – The New Movement, Vishnu Bandhu – United Republican Party, Adebin Kindi Ali – Change Guyana, Patrick Bourne – People’s Republic Party, Jonathan Yearwood – A New and United Guyana, Shazam Ally – The Citizenship Initiative, and Gerald Perreira of Organisation for the Victory of the People as respondents.

The Attorney General Chambers also joined the proceedings.

During the last hearing on November 30, 2020, Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes (representing the interest of Vice President Jagdeo and the PPP/C) argued that the late service of the petition to Granger – the second named respondent – serves as a ground for dismissal.

Based on the acknowledgement of service, former

President David Granger, who is the second named respondent, was served on September 25, 10 days after petition 99 of 2020 was filed on September 15 and five days outside of the timeframe mandated by the National Assembly Validity of Elections Act. However, lawyers for the petitioners had asked the court to overlook the deficiencies in the service of the petition on Granger, who is the second respondent and Head

of the APNU/AFC’s List of Candidates, hence, spare their petition from being tossed out. They insisted that he was served on September 18 – in keeping with the statutory requirements.

“I have difficulties accepting the narrative of events as deposed to by the second petitioner and those who accompanied her to effect service on the second respondent. Even accepting an error in deposing to an event that was yet to occur, how is it that despite returning on September 24, the acknowledgement of service is not endorsed with this date, albeit September 24 would be outside the period permitted for service. If service was indeed effected on September 18, on their return to Mr Granger, great care should have been taken to ensure that this was correctly noted on acknowledgement of service given the importance attached to service of election petitions…it is also passing strange that either being served on September 18 or 24 that the second respondent would acknowledge service with a date of September 25,” CJ George said during Monday’s ruling.

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 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

No room for ignoring COVID-19 health guidelines

F

or the past week, in spite of COVID-19 cases going up daily, persons are still not taking the health guidelines issued by the authorities seriously. In some cases, persons just go about their daily routine as if they are not bothered at all.

We had and continue to support the move by the Government to make it mandatory for persons to wear masks while out in public which was done since August 2020.

Authorities had made it clear that it is not the Government’s intention to have persons locked up or fined for not wearing a mask while out in public.

Of note too is that even in cases where persons chose to wear a mask, they do not do so properly. Face masks should cover the nose, mouth, and chin. When not in use, the mask should be safely stowed away or discarded and not be placed on any other part of the face or neck.

Mandatory mask-wearing along with the other preventative measures; handwashing/sanitising and social distancing are the key measures to halting the severe impact of COVID-19. With COVID-19 in Guyana, the Government, along with the various health partners, has wasted no time in stepping up the national response to contain the spread of the virus. However, citizens also have a role to play and they must take that role seriously or else the country would not be able to win the battle to control the virus.

The fact is, once the health guidelines to contain the spread of the virus are not taken seriously by citizens, the infection rates will continue to climb and the country will take even longer before it could be fully reopened. This we know would have severe economic and social impacts on the country.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), masks are recommended as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from travelling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. The CDC explains that this is called source control.

“This recommendation is based on what we know about the role respiratory droplets play in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, paired with emerging evidence from clinical and laboratory studies that shows masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth,” the CDC explains.

The CDC notes that COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet), so the use of masks is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain.

The CDC has recommended that all persons, two years of age and older, wear a mask in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

It must be noted too that COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected. For this reason, it is important that everyone wears a mask in public settings and practise social distancing.

However, while masks are strongly encouraged to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recognises there are specific instances when wearing a mask may not be feasible. In these instances, adaptations and alternatives should be considered whenever possible.

Everyone wants the virus to be contained so that they can get on with their daily lives, but this would not be possible if citizens are complacent or continue to ignore the health guidelines.

A general view of preparations prior to a dress rehearsal for US president-elect Joe Biden’s Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol, in Washington, DC (Reuters)

Good to know that sanity, stability can return to GECOM

Dear Editor, Recently, the APNU/ AFC coalition summoned a meeting with GECOM Chairwoman with which she refused and in quick succession, she issued a follow-up statement that the coalition meet with the entire Commission and not a single individual of the Commission. This was a quick, decisive and aboveboard response to a party that is known for its underhand, backdoor approach to certain statutory bodies, the Chairwoman was telling that party that no more would she entertain any private meetings between herself and any political entity.

The message was in pellucid language as clear as the noonday sun, meaning that everything from henceforth would have to be transparent and open for scrutiny by all of us. It also meant that sanity could have returned to GECOM after that near disgraceful conclusion to the March 2, 2020 Election. It is good to know that some dig-

nity could be brought back into the halls of the electoral machinery of Guyana.

In essence, the Chairwoman was saying to all and sundry, for the halls of electoral justice to function properly all political interference must be kept out of the Commission.

Now that kind of language quite naturally spells doom for the PNC party that has a history of tampering with the Commission. In this regard, the Oppositionappointed gang of three boycotted the last meeting of the Commission. Well, these guys would certainly have a lot of walking out to do, as the new normal of things quickly kicks in.

The point is, the PNC has to come to the realisation that no more can they use GECOM for their own narrow political ends that stomping ground phenomenon of theirs is no more. The sum total of it all is the Guyana Elections Commission has to be a place where sanity, stability

and fairness exists.

But all of this did not come easily when you take a look into the short history of the Commission affairs, it was quite a torrid way up to this point. Claudette Singh was the 19th name submitted to Granger which he readily accepted, which tells you that there was a sinister motive behind his readied acceptance of her. That motive was for her to carry out his biddings in rigging the elections.

As the story goes, she was appointed there to be the rubber stamp of APNU party with the three Commissioners leading the assault. However, when Singh realised that the rest of the political parties would not accept it nor would the international community countenance it, she quickly backpedalled into a more rational and legal approach to things. She could not savour the idea that by this time she would have been cooling off in a common jail with her rigging associates

smiling on the outside in perfect freedom that they would have caught a stupid Chairwoman who was dumb enough to fulfil their illegal plan. This was too much for her to bear!

So, she made a clean 180-degree turnaround and put that rigging cabal into its place, no more closeddoor private meetings, no more would she be held hostage and be near goaded into an illegal deal to get her signature on to some rigged SoPs, no more compromise, this nonsense must stop now. No wonder she is the most hated woman in APNU's book!

Guyana must measure up to the standards of an Elections Commission with all the international trappings afforded it, down with rigging, down with illegal backdoor deals. Guyana must enter into the democratic circle of countries and that decision is now!

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Enforcing COVID-19 rules Dear Editor, I read a report of a COVID-19 taskforce raid at Sleepin Hotel bar on Sunday evening, January 17. Firstly, I welcome the enforcement of rules relating to COVID-19; it protects my health. But enforcement is not consistent across the nation as I observed in my travels from coast to coast.

I was told that the curfew for COVID-19 at public restaurants and bars is 10:30, not 06:30 pm. Thus, I am shocked to read that a raid occurred at 18:00h (06:30 pm) at Sleepin. If it was to enforce social distancing, mask-wearing, and size of the crowd, it is welcomed. PS: I passed at the

sea wall around 18:00 (06:00 pm) on Sunday night. There were hundreds of people close to one another “partying” with many not wearing masks and very close to one another. There was no anti-COVID-19 raid there.

I frequented the Sleepin bar almost daily over the last week, meeting guests and or entertaining friends.

I did not notice violations of the COVID-19 rules on social distancing and mask-wearing. Everyone I saw had a mask. Because of the nature of a bar, it is expected that not all the time people would observe social distancing of six feet.

Drinks and/or snacks have to be served. Everyone had

a mask except when sipping a drink or eating something.

Sleepin is a hotel. The proprietor is expected to serve drinks and meals to guests. The public is discouraged from patronising indoor public restaurants and bars. Guests have to eat and drink. The Sleepin bar and restaurant is outdoor; outdoor dining is not “outlawed” although there are restrictions. It is not enclosed. The tables are spaced out as per requirements of social distancing.

The risk of infection is minimised under such conditions.

No doubt the owner of Sleepin must have rec-

ognised the serious threat to health posed by COVID-19.

And I am sure the proprietor took the above measures to mitigate the threat to staff and guests. The hotel must address the needs and demands of guests in order to retain their business or else they would go somewhere else. As best as I know, no one’s health has not been threatened at Sleepin. It is hoped that the hotel was not targeted. Have other hotels been raided? It is the same hospitality business; they must address the demands of guests without posing a threat to public safety.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

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

An impoverished and isolated Venezuela: Still an existential threat

Dear Editor, Impoverished and isolated nations should have a more cooperative spirit and exhibit a more temperate attitude in their relations with other nations. No country, especially those mired in economic and social turmoil, can exist in isolation without exasperating the economic woes of its citizens. Because countries are so dependent on each other, they ought to take measures to assure other nations that they are responsible and law-abiding global actors. They must not pursue expansionist ambitions, especially territorial ambitions that have no legitimate foundation. If there is a conviction of legitimacy, then arguments to that effect must be heard by an international legal institution with the authority to settle disputes between nations. The only legal body with such jurisdiction is the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Both Guyana and Venezuela are signatories to the ICJ statute.

Established in 1945 under the charter of the United Nations with both general and universal jurisdiction,

the ICJ today is the highest court in the world whose authority theoretically covers “all international disputes”.

In issuing its recent ruling that is has jurisdiction to adjudicate on the 1899 award regarding the GuyanaVenezuela territorial dispute, the ICJ carried out one of its core mandates: to agree to adjudicate between states when “states submit legal disputes that arise between them and other states.” In trying to resolve its dispute with Venezuela, Guyana had taken the matter to the ICJ for a ruling and was understandably highly pleased when the ICJ came back and affirmed that it would adjudicate on the case.

Notwithstanding the fact that Venezuela is a party to the ICJ statute, it has boldly and explicitly stated that it would not abide with the ICJ ruling, citing lack of jurisdiction on the part of the ICJ in the matter. In fact, Venezuela’s action is not simply a rejection of the ICJ ruling; it borders on contempt for this international legal institution.

Shortly after the ICJ ruling, Venezuela issued its intent

Should recuse self from Parliamentary Committee Dear Editor, How can one be the Chairman of a Parliamentary Oversight Committee and be embroiled in an alleged halfa-million scandal? It would

behove that person to recuse themself from the Committee until the matter and name are cleared.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

D

ivinity is present in everyone in an unmanifested form. Every man is the embodiment of the Divine Sat-ChitAnanda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). This has been described categorically in the Bhagavad Gita. As God is the embodiment of love, man is also an embodiment of love.

But man today does not manifest it fully and properly because of his selfishness and self-centredness.

Though humanity has advanced considerably in the material and scientific spheres, it has gone down grievously morally and spiritually.

Selfishness is predominant in every action. Behind every thought and every word, self-interest is prominent. It is only when this selfishness is eradicated can Divinity reveal itself. In rendering Seva (service), there should be a recognition of the omnipresence of the Divine in all human beings. Men have not developed the spirit of Tyaga (sacrifice) or aversion to Bhoga (sensual pleasures).

True service calls for a spirit of sacrifice. Sacrifice has been declared to be the only means to achieve immortality. (Divine Discourse, Mar 23, 1989)

Shri Sathya Sai Baba Organisation

to “reconquer” Essequibo” two-thirds of Guyana. It was an act of contempt and defiance, and it underscored the need for Guyana to bolster its position by not only by taking recourse to the court but by also engaging with its regional and international partners, many, if not all, of whom have already reaffirmed their unwavering support for Guyana.

In threatening to “reconquer Essequibo” on the premise that the 1899 award is not valid and therefore unbinding, and in refusing to recognise the ICJ as the sole authority to settle its dispute with Guyana, Venezuela, under dictator Nicolás Maduro, confirmed that it is indeed one of the worst actors on the international stage, a rogue nation with an uncontrollable impulse to destroy and bring about instability both within and outside its territory. It is a country without any discernible respect and concern for its own people, much less its neighbours. With Maduro having such a disposition, no one is really surprised at his adventurism and his attempt to intimidate Guyana.

His apocalyptic statement regarding the border dispute shows just how judicious was Guyana’s decision to submit its case to the ICJ. Equally important was Guyana’s rejection of the ludicrous proposal by Venezuela to have bilateral talks on the issue.

Within the framework of bilateralism, Venezuela hopes that it can dictate certain terms and conditions that will be favourable to its position - given the asymmetries between its military forces and that of Guyana’s. This is in addition to its relatively large population, which is approximately thirty times the population of Guyana. Through the strategy of bilateralism, Venezuela intends to prolong the border conflict indefinitely until it has the absolute confidence that it can “reconquer Essequibo” without serious repercussions on its part. Its insistence on a bilateral framework undergirds the absurdity of its claim, which is why it has bluntly refused to accept the ICJ’s ruling that it has jurisdiction to hear and resolve the dispute.

Venezuela must under-

stand that this harebrained approach will lead to the complete erosion of any goodwill the international community may have for it. It is already an isolated nation, and its unabashed threat to reclaim Essequibo can only have the effect of it being further shunned by other nations. The Organisation of American States (OAS) has expectedly thrown its support behind Guyana. So has Caricom. Despite knowing this, however, Venezuela seems to delude itself that its “reconquer Essequibo” posture will triumph over the “not a blade of grass” determination of the Guyanese people.

The delusional Nicolás Maduro is not likely to be the Head of State when the ICJ gives its verdict. Whoever succeeds him

would come to the rude awakening that Venezuela was wrong and irresponsible all along.

But for now, Venezuela must be seen for what it is: an existential threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity. Its current state of impoverishment and isolation makes no difference. Its current leaders are delusional and are determined not to break the continuity of the narrative that Essequibo belongs to them. This narrative has been firmly implanted in the psyche of all Venezuelans, which makes the threat of Maduro not something to dismiss. The citizens of Guyana must be prepared to meet any threat.

Sincerely, Sheik M Ayube

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

Foundation ◄

Page

FOR CHILDREN

Module test 2 Complete the following test items

1) Robby bought a scale that records weight digitally. His small luggage bag weighs 10.49 kilograms, his laptop bag (laptop included) weighs 5 kilograms and his suitcase weighs 35.554 kilograms. What is the total weight of his items, in grams? If a passenger is only allowed to carry 55 kilograms of luggage onto a flight, will Robby’s luggage exceed the limit?

Æsop’s Fables

3) Which pastry is most popular? On which day was the most pastries sold?

2) Which city is wetter? On which day is the difference in precipitation greatest?

4) Paul is looking at a solid figure that has no faces, no vertices, and no edges. What solid figure is he looking at?

5) Julie puts 6 $5 coins, 13 $10 coins and 4 $20 bills in a hat. If you were to reach into the hat, what is the probability that you pick

a) $5 coin?

b)$10 coin?

c) $20 bill?

Monday’s answers 1) 500, 354

c) 83 x 92 = 7636

2) The exact answer is 95, so 4) 5/4 rounding to the nearest ten gives you 90 or 100.

5) Calculate a) $13.50 + $10.00 + $23.25 3) Calculate = $46.75 a) 25 x 15 = 780 b) $1090.00 – $735.25 b) 9 x 56 = 504 = $354.75

C

c) $7.07 + $2.93 = $10.00 6) 38.10mm

9) Calculate 20% of (150 ÷ 5) = 6 50% of 4/5 = 0.4 or 2/5

7) Calculate a) 79 ÷ 55 = 1.437 b) 35 ÷ 70 = 0.5 c) 630 ÷ 8 = 78.75

10) 70%, or 12.075 metres, of the rope has not been painted?

Comet on a Stick

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 close to Earth, we can see the tails as bright streaks in the night sky. Comet dust tails can be six million miles long and can sometimes stretch almost 100 million miles!

Supplies •Chopsticks, popsicle sticks, wooden skewers, or glow sticks (one is all that is needed) • Aluminium foil (12-inch wide) • Metallic ribbon, mylar strips, or regular ribbon — 3-6 ft • Ruler • Scissors

Making the comets • Preparation: Cut five pieces of ribbon: two long pieces, two medium pieces, and one short piece. If you want an extra-long tail, make the long pieces about three feet in length. Cut three pieces of aluminium foil so they’re roughly 6 inches x 6 inches.

• Tie the ribbons around the end

8) Half pint of blue paint.

Blue + red = purple.

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.

• 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 aluminium foil creates the nucleus and coma (freely escaping atmosphere around the nucleus that forms when the comet comes close to the Sun and the volatile ices sublimate).

• Repeat with two more sheets of foil.

Gather it around and form it into a ball.

If you want a bigger comet, add more aluminium foil!

Now your comet is ready to fly! Hold the stick of your comet and run around the room with enough speed so that the ribbon "tails" are flying behind you.

(Adapted from startwithabook.org)

O

nce there were two cocks living in the same farmyard who could not bear the sight of each other. At last, one day they flew up to fight it out, beak and claw. They fought until one of them was beaten and crawled off to a corner to hide.

The cock that had won the battle flew to the top of the hen-house, and, proudly flapping his wings, crowed with all his might to tell the world about his victory. But an eagle, circling overhead, heard the boasting chanticleer and, swooping down, carried him off to his nest.

His rival saw the deed, and coming out of his corner, took his place as master of the farmyard.

WORD SEARCH

7 Agriculture has key role in Govt’s diversification plan NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

F

inance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh has said that Government is transforming Guyana into a highly-diversified economy, and agriculture is one of the key areas of focus in meeting this goal.

During a recent interview with DPI, the Finance Minister said many investors have signalled their interest in doing business here and he is confident that some of these ventures will benefit farmers. He cited the establishment of hotels, which would need fresh meats and produce, supplied on a large scale.

“Here again you have this vast amount of economic activity that is multiplying itself over and over in the economy. So, it’s not

just that you are building a hotel and a thousand people staying there, you are literally creating jobs for the Guyanese people and by doing this, they are going to be spending that money, the visitors themselves will be spending money in the economy,” Dr Singh said.

He added that it is important to look at the wider, longer-term benefits from investments like hotels as they create employment across several sectors.

“Do not make the mistake to think the construction of a hotel only means job in tourism. These people have to eat, the food comes from the farmers and so the more international visitors we have in Guyana, the better our market vendors

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

will do, the better our agricultural wholesalers will do, the better the transport sector will do, the people who load up the trucks

APNU/AFC’s 2nd election...

“The second respondent has not sought to clarify what occurred, given what appeared to be his signature acknowledging service, which is dated September 25, 2020. And I must state categorically that the document exhibited as the acknowledgement of service

by Mr Granger is part and parcel of the evidence and cannot be treated as mere surplusage,” she added.

The CJ added that the presumption of regularity cannot be applied to this case since there are a number of irregularities that arise with the acknowledgement of service by Granger and the deposition of the persons serving the documents.

“Having been pointed out by the court on October 22, 2020, that service was out of time, the petitioners have sought to correct this error and have failed miserably. The evidence produced is manifestly unreliable and cannot be acted on to prove that the second respondent was served on September 18, 2020. The presumption of regularity which the petitioners seek rely on in relation to service on the second respondent has been rebutted by the very evidence they have produced...I have therefore concluded that the second respondent was not served within the 5-day period required by the rules for doing so,” the Chief Justice found.

Necessary party

One of the arguments proffered by lawyers for the petitioners is that Granger is not a necessary party to the proceedings and that late service cannot be a

ground for dismissing the petition.

However, Granger gave notice of intentions not to oppose the petition on November 26. The notice read: “take note that I the undersigned respondent do not intend to oppose the above petition pursuant to the provisions of Section 27(1) (a) and (2) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act Cap 1:04 and rule 25 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules Cap 1:04.”

Nandlall argued that by virtue of the notice, Granger effectively considered himself as a necessary party and one that is properly named.

The CJ found that Granger was properly named and a necessary party since he not only represents himself but also everyone on the list he heads.

She added that by filing the notice of no contention, though done prematurely, Granger accepted himself as a proper party but also pointed out that while respondents may conclude they are proper parties, the court can disagree.

“The contentions regarding the validity and application or implementation of Order 60 of 2020 by GECOM and the invalidity of votes cast and or counted and recounted could result in a reduction rather than in an increase in the votes and allocation of seats to the APNU/AFC in a trial of a petition. As [the] situation definitely in conflict with the interest of the list that the second respondent represents.

“I have perused elections

cost of energy and so you would have been hearing about the gas-to-shore project which is being aggressively pursued. Once the gas-to-shore project happens, you are going to see, first of all, our capacity to generate electricity more affordably significantly ramped up; we will be investing heavily in electricity generation as well to ensure that current and future demand of the country will be met through an affordable source.”

Once this is achieved, the Finance Minister said, the agro-processing sector will take off as it will become more affordable, profitable and competitive internationally.

and are expected to be served on GECOM and the CEO shortly.

The APNU/AFC’s first petition, filed on August 31, 2020, by Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick will go ahead. The petition seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the elections which resulted in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s Presidential Candidate Dr Irfaan Ali be-

ing sworn in as President.

The Chief Justice gave lawyers for the petitioners until February 12 for written submissions while the respondents have until March 5 to present their submissions. Additionally, the petitioners’ legal team have until March 19 to file rebuttals.

The case will be called again on April 7 at 09:15h. (G2)

FROM PAGE 3

petitions cases that have been filed over the years in Guyana, in all of them the parties that secured seats in the National Assembly were always considered necessary parties through their representatives in elections petitions. The situation is no different in this case, therefore, the submission that none of the parties who secured seats should be considered a necessary party is preposterous, to say the least. Similarly, the seemingly opposite position advanced is equally absurd,” the CJ found.

“Safekeeping”

to sell their fruits and vegetables. The more demand there is for foods in restaurants the more these people do business.”

Further, the Minister pointed out that Government has found that the cost of energy is the single biggest hurdle to competitive agro-processing and the manufacturing sector. As such, it would continue to take steps to expand and transform the energy grid to provide cheap and reliable electricity. He noted that prior to 2015, the then PPP/C Government had taken a robust approach to this matter and it had taken steps to start harnessing hydroelectricity through the Amaila Falls. However, the coalition Government blocked this project, stymieing development.

“We intend to move swiftly to bring down the

Chief Justice George also ordered that the Chief Elections Officer Lowenfield and by extension the Guyana Elections Commission hand over all Statements of Poll (SOPs) and Statements of Recount (SoRs) to the Registrar of the Supreme Court for safekeeping.

The order was made after Attorney Mendes reminded the court that the Representation of the People Act allows the CEO to destroy all elections documents after a 12-month period has elapsed. That 12-month period would be up on March 2, 2021.

Noting that the trial of the APNU/AFC’s one surviving election petition would fall after that time has elapsed, Mendes asked the court to have the documents placed in the custody of the Registrar to preserve its integrity.

However, citing the voluminous nature of the documents and the fact that the court does not have the storage capacity to accom-

modate such, CJ George instead ordered that the integrity of the documents be preserved and that the CEO not destroy them.

Additionally, Attorney Kashir Khan asked that the contentious SoPs and SoRs – which amount to just over 5000 pages – be placed in the custody of the Registrar as a guaranteed safe place.

The orders were made

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man dies after falling from punt P

olice are investigating the circumstances that led to the death of a 33-year-old man who was a passenger on board a punt in the Canje Creek, East Berbice.

Dead is Jiachim Perez Peters of Friendship, East Coast Demerara.

According to information, Peters was a passenger on the punt along with five other men – who are employed by a Sheet Anchor, East Berbice sawmill – and at about 18:00h on Friday he was observed floating in the water.

Police in a statement related that one of the men reported the incident on

Jiachim Perez Peters

Saturday. He told investigators that the punt measured

30ft x 8ft and had a shed. It was steered by a 17ft boat

with a 40HP outboard engine.

The man related that at about 18:00h on Saturday evening, the captain related that he was about to take a turn in the Canje River and while checking to see if his path was clear, he noticed the body of a male floating in the water.

He called out to the other occupants of the vessel and two of them plunged into the water to render assistance.

However, the water was extremely rough and they were unable to save him.

They later reported the incident to the Police and an investigation was launched.

Another day...

T

...another PNC (looting) scandal he word “loot” entered the English language directly from a Hindi dialect of India after the British East India Company’s conquest was followed by such pillage that it was as if a swarm of locusts had descended on the land. Their looting in their other colonies – such as Guyana – was more exploitation than anything. But that’s just because they didn’t find much to loot when they took over from the Dutch in 1814! But boy did they exploit our blood, sweat and tears during slavery, indentureship, and their aftermath.

In Guyana, it would seem that the PNC is determined to pick up from where the British left off when they departed at independence. We don’t have to recap their depredations between 1964 and 1992, do we? Suffice it to say that not only were we left as if we’d been hit by several hurricanes that levelled everything to the ground. But with one of the highest per capita debt burdens in the world, we were left in a deep hole way below ground level! During that time, the PNC and their cronies lived high off the hog!

When they slid back into Government in 2015, they picked up right where they’d left off in 1992. It was clear that Granger – who swore to fulfil the “legacy” of Burnham – wasn’t just speaking figuratively. We all know of the major swindles like the Jubilee Park scam, the bottomhouse warehouse scam, the Ansa drug scam, etc. But the excavation by the new PPP Govt of their depredations in just one unit – the Asphalt Plant at the ironically named Garden of Eden location – offers an insight into the enormity of the looting.

The Plant – run by the DHB – fell under the bailiwick of the Public Infrastructure Ministry. It was supposed to facilitate the road rehabilitation/building programme, even though there were several private asphalt plants. We now know it was just a graft to fill the pockets of those who ran the Ministry. Reports surfaced that the Ministry would order a certain quantity of asphalt, but only have a portion picked up. The remainder was sold at bargain basement prices! An Inquiry was conducted which confirmed the scam where the contractors in the deal had to be paying kickbacks!!

The Inquiry didn’t just confirm that scam, but revealed it was long in the making. Even before the plant was set up, some $9.8 million was paid to a fictitious Trini company for cold mix! Then came the revelation that the DHB manager ordered a $897,000 bracelet for himself as a gift!!

And now another bombshell that Minister Patterson snagged a $504,000 bracelet!

In the meantime, the plant was determined to be nonfunctional!

...another crime to solve Coming just a month after the PNC’s five-month long war of attrition following their (failed) attempted heist of the elections – the unfortunate gruesome murders of the Henry cousins acted like Rorschach Test on the body politic.

Granger and Harmon made sure of that! While the entire country insisted they wanted the murders solved and justice served, the PNC partisans’ narrative was that it was “political” and the PPP was involved!

It is interesting that PPP partisans never tried to pin the murders on the PNC – even though the latter had exploited it politically. With the Police obtaining what appears to be a freely-granted confession, PNC partisans are contorting themselves into pretzels to show that the confession isn’t kosher. In the meantime, while insisting that the Police must also have forensic evidence to back up the confession, PPP partisans have now moved on to demanding that the Police crack the Haresh Singh murder.

Some, however, are claiming that it does look like this murder was retaliatory. ...another COVID-19 wakeup call That we’ve been averaging over 50 new COVID-19 cases daily for the past week should remind us that we must remain vigilant.

The rule is: treat every person you encounter as if they’re infected.

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

NEWS

9

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lawyers ask court to throw out OP PS admits to not DUI charge against Gary Best returning money to Consolidated Fund in 2016

Office of the President PS Abena Moore

M

onday’s session of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) got underway with public officers being grilled over breaches of the law when it comes to unspent monies intended for the construction of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) building being kept by the agency at year-end.

During the questioning, current Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President Abena Moore admitted that permission was sought from the Finance Secretary to allow them to retain funds at 2016 year end, in breach of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMA).

Section 43 of the FMA Act states, “Except as otherwise provided in this Act or in any other law, at the end of each fiscal year, any unexpended balance of public moneys issued out of the Consolidated Fund shall be returned and surrendered to the Consolidated Fund.”

According to Moore, permission was sought and granted all on the same day – December 31, 2016 – to retain $33.275 million. It was explained that permission was sought and granted for the monies to be kept because the construction of the building was a multi-year

project.

However, Accountant General Jennifer Chapman explained that as per the FMA, the amounts should have been refunded and re-budgeted, even if it was earmarked for a multi-year project. It was explained that the Financial Secretary can approve the rollover of funds, but not the retention of funds.

“Section 55 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act speaks about multi-year contract.

It says an official can enter into a multi-year contract or arrangement for the supply of goods and services, without prior written authorisation of the Minister,” Chapman explained to the Committee.

“It also says it shall be the expressed provision of any multi-year contract that any payment falling due under the contract is subject to their being an appropriation for that payment for that fiscal year in which the payment falls. Therefore, the amount should have been re-budgeted in the next fiscal year and the amount in the past fiscal year refunded to the Consolidated Fund.”

While PAC member Ganesh Mahipaul noted that the Finance Secretary was within his rights to ap-

prove the rollover, he questioned whether it was not Moore’s responsibility to ensure unspent monies are returned to the Consolidated Fund, to which she agreed.

“And Ms Moore, you would agree with me that it is your responsibility as the accounting officer, to return unspent dollars to the Consolidated Fund?” Mahipaul pressed, at which point Moore said: “yes Mr Chair.”

The project in question included design and construction of a building to be used by the EPA, as well as the purchase of global positioning systems, noise meter, radiation monitoring system and environmental monitor.

The retention of the money was flagged in the Audit Office’s 2016 report, currently being examined at the PAC. But there were also issues relating to the project being delayed. The project, which was supposed to be constructed from 2017 to 2019, was only completed in June 2020.

EPA Administrative Officer Joshua Muridall explained the challenges associated with the construction of the building.

“The contractor delayed in terms of their schedules, in terms of fixing their deadlines to meet the estimation of work. There were other parts of the contract that allowed for the provision of additional services, such as insulation of elevator systems, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical.”

“Those were not met with the timelines of the contract spelt out by the contractor and the EPA. So basically, it was a prolonged process and the project ran out of its duration time because of those delays,” Muridall said, noting that many of these delays were further compounded by the sub-contractors. (G3)

Former GDF Chief of Staff Gary Best

L

awyers for former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Rear Admiral, Gary Best are now asking the court to dismiss a charge for driving under the influence (DUI) against him. His legal team led by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes has laid over a submission of no-case to answer in which it is being contended that the prosecution has failed to establish the elements of the offence.

The prosecution will reply to the submissions tomorrow, Wednesday, January 20, 2021. On December 3, 2020, Magistrate Rondel Weever dismissed a causing death by dangerous driving charge against Best.

It had been alleged that on February 8, 2020, at Georgetown, he drove Land Cruiser PRR 8182 in a manner dangerous to the public, causing the death of former national cyclist, Jude Bentley.

In throwing out the case,

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC

Magistrate Weever held that the prosecution’s case contained many gaps that the court could fill, and to do so would be inviting the court to speculate. According to the Magistrate, a crucial element in the prosecution’s case was not established, that is, whether Best was driving dangerously.

Reacting to the dismissal, Best had expressed that he is happy that the matter has now come to an end. He had said, “I just hope that both families can move on – my family and his family – and I hope that we can now move on. We have gone through a lot, and I am happy about the court’s decision.”

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, has since filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal expressing her dissatisfaction with the Magistrate’s decision which she is asking the court to set aside.

According to reports, Bentley, 41, was struck down and run over by the vehicle driven by Best on Clive Lloyd Drive near the Russian Embassy turn in Georgetown. The accident occurred at around 04:00h.

Reports are that both Best and Bentley were travelling in an easterly direction.

It was alleged that Bentley, who was at the time cycling along Clive Lloyd Drive in Georgetown to meet a group of cyclists, suddenly appeared in front of Best’s vehicle. Best had claimed that he applied brakes but the right side of the front of his vehicle collided with Bentley, who was knocked onto the roadway.

Police reported that Best was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Best is an executive member of the PNCR and a former presidential advisor under the previous APNU/ AFC Government. (G1)

10 NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Preparations for COVID-19 vaccine administration underway – Dr Anthony …23 new cases recorded

O

ut of 262 COVID-19 swabs that were sent to the Health Ministry on Monday, 23 returned with a positive result.

The new statistics were provided in the Health Ministry’s dashboard showing that deaths remained at 170.

According to the daily dashboard, four patients are in the Intensive Care Unit, 33 in institutional isolation and 19 in institutional quarantine. There are 551 persons in home isolation. Some 6173 of the 3551 males and 3380 females have recovered completely.

To date, Guyana has tested 44,500 individuals.

Meanwhile, an analysis of new cases showed that one was confirmed in Region One (Barima-Waini), two in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 10 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), nine in Region

Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and one in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The cases in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) remained constant at 219, 569, 228, 404 respectively.

Vaccine preparation

There are a number of factors which need to be considered, in order to effectively provide vaccine administration against the COVID-19 virus.

Given that, with the newly-introduced programme, the Health Ministry had to embark on a plan to ensure that all regional facilities are equipped with adequate space and machines for storage. Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony provided a detailed update of their efforts, bolstering the phys-

ical and human capacity across the country.

He informed during the COVID-19 update, “The Ministry currently has a network of facilities. So, in every region, we have a facility for cold chain and that’s where we have been storing our vaccines for regular vaccination programme. What we are doing currently is expanding the space that we have at these centres. By expanding it and adding new freezers, we’ll add capacity. This will be a new programme where we start the immunisation for COVID-19 so we need more space and capacity to store the doses.”

He shared that the vaccines received from COVAX could require storage at varying temperatures, cementing the need for proper storage facilities. Apart from expanding the physical space, freezers have to be procured. These orders

were submitted since last year.

“We still have not received a firm commitment from COVAX about the types of vaccines that we will be getting but by a large, COVAX has been talking to all the countries and they have been saying by a large that probably we’ll get a mix of vaccine.”

Another aspect of the plans for vaccination is the national preparedness plan, under the guidance of the World Health Organisation.

“We have completed that document which talks about every single aspect of rolling out vaccines in Guyana.

That has been the blueprint that we’ve been working with. Among the things that we have to do is training. We have completed training manuals, started training the trainers. Now the trainers would be going out to the different regions,” he shared. (G12)

Rum shop brawl

Life sentence for killer reduced to 12 years T he Guyana Court of Appeal on Monday shortened a life sentence imposed on a 23-yearold man, who was convicted of manslaughter by a jury.

Noting that trial Judge Navindra Singh erred when he imposed an indeterminate sentence on Deosarran Bisnauth, who was just 16 when he committed the offence, the Appeal Court agreed that a sentence of 12 years was appropriate in the circumstances.

Initially indicted for murder, Bisnauth was found guilty on the lesser count of manslaughter for the unlawful killing of 37-year-old Robert Mangal called “Trevor”. The killing occurred on July 6, 2013, at a liquor restaurant at Enmore, East Coast Demerara. Facts of the case are that on July 6, 2013, Bisnauth went to the liquor shop inquiring about a man who had owed him money.

A quarrel ensued be-

tween him and the man.

Mangal, who was present at the shop, armed himself with a bottle and confronted Bisnauth. In retaliation, Bisnauth picked up a piece of wood and dealt the now dead man several lashes to the head, causing him to collapse to the ground. The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh had given his cause of death as cerebral haemorrhage due to blunt perineal trauma to the head. Another doctor had testified that the injuries Mangal sustained were life-threatening.

“Picking up fire rage”

For his part, Bisnauth had testified that he acted in self-defence after Mangal charged at him with a “rum bottle.” In a caution statement, he had told the Police that he went to the shop and

In examining the facts of the case, the Chancellor said it would appear that the now dead man was “picking up fire rage” or going to Bisnauth to “instil discipline.” But given that he approached the teenager with a bottle, she noted that the latter seems not to be the case.

The Judge reminded that Bisnauth said that he was afraid of Mangal given his age.

“This is not a case of a conviction for murder. We are dealing with a young person [Bisnauth], a juvenile, and consideration must be given to that because that is considered as a mitigating factor; the offender’s youth,” the Chancellor of the Judiciary pointed out.

Convicted: Deosarran Bisnauth

he and one “Richmond” had a fight because he asked him for his money.

He had told detectives that “Trevor” walked up to him with a bottle and he picked up a piece of wood and dealt a lash at him and he fell. The convict said that he went away.

In the appeal against conviction and sentence, Bisnauth’s lawyer, Stanley Moore, SC, proffered several grounds in his bid to have them overturned.

Delivering the court’s ruling was Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards.

Among other things, Moore contended that parts of the trial judge’s direction to the jury amounted to a “misdirection” which resulted in his client having an unfair trial.

The court, however, noted that this ground

had no merit. In doing so, Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards held that the trial Judge provided the jury with ample directions on the law, facts, and their role. Further, the court held that the evidence was sufficient for the jurors to arrive at the verdict - which they did.

According to Justice Cummings-Edwards, one complaint that had merit is the issue of provocation, especially given the contents of Bisnauth’s caution statement. The Appeal Court said that while the trial Judge did not go to lengths to explain the defence of manslaughter to the jurors, they did conclude that Bisnauth acted under distress from provocation.

Turning its attention to the ground of appeal on sentence, the appellate court settled that “it had merit”.

Not justifiable

“We are of the view that the sentence should not have been life imprisonment given the circumstances. It was not a case of the worse of the worst; this is not a worst-case scenario and should have allowed for a determinate period of imprisonment with an opportunity for review. Such a sentence is not justifiable…,” the Court of Appeal held.

In passing sentence, the court pointed out that the trial Judge should have considered the following mitigating factors in favour of Bisnauth. They include the fact that he was a first-time offender, his age, he cooperated with Police investigation, there was no degree of premeditation. “It would seem that it was spontaneous,” the court said.

Further, the court added that consideration ought

to have been given to the weapon used to inflict the injuries, and the fact that the crime was not gang-related. According to the court, the principles of sentencing, especially retribution, deterrence, and particularly the opportunity for rehabilitation for integration into society should be considered when passing a sentence.

Moreover, the Court of Appeal underscored that a different policy must be taken to the life sentence and whether it is applied to children and young persons as opposed to adults.

Quoting from a dissertation made in a ruling by the Privy Council, the Chancellor said: “Protection and welfare lay at the heart of the statutory provisions that remain under the Children Act.” “The convention on the Rights of a Child advises us that we must bear in mind that a child by the reason of his physical and mental immaturity needs safeguard and appropriate legal protection.”

Having regards to the circumstances, the Court of Appeal set aside the life sentence and imposed a sentence of 12 years on Bisnauth.

The court ordered that the prison authorities are to deduct the time he spent in pre-trial custody.

It was also ordered that if any time remains after the deduction is made, it is subject to revision by the Chief Justice or trial Judge.

The other Judges deliberating on this matter were Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory-Barnes and Rishi Persaud. (G1)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Border controversy

Oil exploration main basis for Venezuela’s claims to Essequibo – AG E xploration for oil and natural gas off the coast of Guyana is the main attraction for Venezuela’s claims to the Essequibo region.

This was the position shared by Attorney General Anil Nandlall in conversation with TV6 in Trinidad and Tobago, in light of the Nicolás Maduro-led Government’s renewed claims to Guyana’s maritime border located west of the Essequibo Coast.

Outlining that this is a serious abrogation of international laws, the Legal Affairs Minister pointed out that these claims are bound to surface when economic activities are ongoing in the disputed area. However, he reminded that possession of the Essequibo county has never left Guyana’s hands.

“All the maps show that the Essequibo belongs to Guyana. It forms part of our territory. Every time there is economic activity in Guyana, in relation to petroleum exploration and

petroleum production, we see this ugly allegation, baseless as it is, being raised by Venezuela… I believe that was the initial trigger and continues to be the underlying reason that is driving this action on the part of Venezuela,” Nandlall illustrated.

A significant portion of the oil blocks is located offshore the area in question, driving these attempts to take control.

In 2014, when the blocks were being mapped out, Venezuela endeavoured to prove that the Essequibo belonged to them.

He reiterated that while the Venezuelan counterpart has violated international practices, Guyana has always taken a path of diplomacy and accordance with universal laws. As such, Government has confidence in its allies and international entities, for continued support in the border controversy case. It is expected that other bodies will also join in solidarity.

“We sought and solicited

solidarity and support from the region and we got that in the form of a statement from Caricom, the United States Government and I have no doubt that in due course, other international organisations like the Commonwealth, the OAS, the UK Government, the Canadian Government, will also issue similar statements. We consider this a grave act of aggression against our territory and we’re taking this as seriously as we possibly can.”

As Trinidad and other countries continue economic trade with Venezuela, Nandlall said Caricom will have to make an important decision of whether it will stand “with one of its own in a matter of fundamental national importance and territorial sovereignty or whether it will bend and bow to commercial interests”. In such a situation, he said it is expected that the first position would be taken as opposed to the latter.

In light of recent threats,

Attorney General Anil Nandlall appearing on TV6 for an interview on the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy

the Minister contended that Guyana has resources to detect any form of incursion from the Spanish-speaking neighbour.

The Senior Counsel added, “I think we have the requisite resources to detect any incursion. Our army is fully briefed. The President is leading from the front as the Commander-inChief and is viewing this matter closely, receiving reports. Army personnel are strategically placed in the appropriate locations.”

GO-Invest, AmCham ink agreement to promote local content, int’l trade

T

he Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest) and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) have forged a new partnership, in establishing mutual grounds to benefit from trade and economic activity in the country, while also looking at local content.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed

by AmCham President, Zulfikar Ally and Chief Executive Officer of GOInvest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop.

It seeks to promote mutually beneficial international trade, local content development, Indigenous-international business partnerships, investment conferences and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

“Both AmCham and GOInvest remain committed to shared prosperity and the development of Guyana through mutual beneficial cooperation,” a joint statement indicated.

Within the past few months, GO-Invest has signed onto varying partnerships with the Private Sector community, enabling local investments to flourish. Just over one week ago, a similar MoU was signed with the Private Sector Commission (PSC), aimed at better positioning local businesses to capitalise on investment opportunities that will emerge in the petroleum economy.

“Our agenda is to work very closely with the local entities in Guyana to

GO-Invest CEO Peter Ramsaroop with AmCham President Zulfikar Ally at the signing ceremony

promote investments. With that, we have discussed and partnered with the Private Sector to ensure that our local companies know about what incentives Government can give to the Private Sector; how we can bring them together for the international foreign direct investors coming in; how we can promote joint ventures, how we can promote different activities within the Private Sector,” Ramsaroop was quoted as saying.

In December, another was formed between the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association

(GMSA) as a mechanism of cooperation to facilitate business development support including timely access to incentives for the manufacturing and services sectors, promoting joint ventures and partnerships between local and foreign investors, and undertaking joint activities aimed at investment promotion.

GMSA President, Shyam Nokta had indicated then that these partnerships are timely, considering the imminent expansion of Guyana’s economy and the opening up of the country to investments, both local and foreign. In the past, he

noted local businesses have experienced frustration in accessing support and incentives.

“Considering the focus being placed on local content, we are keen to work with GO-Invest to ensure there is partnering of foreign investors with local businesses.

Importantly too is the need to address the uneven playing field in the oil and gas sector where Guyanese businesses have not been able to fully benefit from the concessions and incentives that foreign companies are able to benefit from,” Nokta said, adding that this is a major area of concern the GMSA will be taking up with GO-Invest so as to allow Guyanese businesses to compete in oil and gas and not be displaced in other sectors.

With Guyana on the cusp of unprecedented economic growth, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government is pushing to diversify the economy. Against this backdrop, President Dr Irfaan Ali had announced that his Government will give more incentives to push Private Sector investments in the health tourism sector.

It was at the CanadaGuyana Chamber of Commerce launch that he urged foreign investors to explore opportunities outside the oil and gas sector for investments. He posited that his Administration will create “new types of businesses”. (G12)

It was highlighted that Venezuela has taken a stride that they are not prepared to abide by democratic principles or the rule of law. Because of this, he said they must have concerns.

The World Court has already ruled that it has jurisdiction to entertain the case filed by Guyana.

The case management conference before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been postponed for January 25.

Guyana approached the World Court seeking a final and binding judgement to reinforce that the 1899 Arbitral Award remains valid and binding on all parties, and legal affirmation that Guyana’s Essequibo region, which contains much of Guyana’s natural resources, belongs to Guyana and not Venezuela.

Guyana’s March 2018 application to the ICJ was filed based on the recommendation of the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, following a failed good offices process between the neighbouring states.

In a majority decision on December 18, 2020, the ICJ ruled that it has jurisdiction to adjudicate over the border controversy case. This was after Venezuela, which has refused to participate in the legal proceedings, wrote the court to say that the UN SG exceeded his authority under the 1966 Geneva Agreement when he referred the case to the ICJ, and therefore the court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter.

The ICJ found that both Guyana and Venezuela consented to judicial settlement when they signed the Geneva Agreement since the judicial process via the ICJ is one of the means available to the Secretary General in determining the controversy. Hence, the Court’s decision is binding on both parties.

However, last week, the Maduro regime issued a decree claiming for Venezuela, sovereignty and exclusive sovereign rights in the waters and seabed adjacent to Guyana’s coast, west of the Essequibo River – a move which President Dr Irfaan Ali has staunchly rejected.

The Guyanese leader declared last Saturday that Venezuela’s maritime border claim is a “legal nullity” that will not be recognised by Guyana or any other State in the world. He added that while this latest move by the Spanish-speaking nation is “deeply disturbing,” it will not deter Guyana’s resolve to seek a final and binding resolution at the ICJ. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s action has also been widely rejected here by the parliamentary Opposition, other political parties, civil society bodies and bilateral partners as well.

In fact, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon on Friday reiterated the APNU/AFC Coalition’s condemnation of the recent decree, adding that it is illegal and can only serve to ferment tension in a territorial controversy that is being peaceably resolved at the World Court. (G12)

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Police, robbery accused Construction worker shot in both legs exchange gunfire A P 38-year-old construction worker, Mosai Edwards of Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), is now a patient at the Georgetown Hospital following an alleged shooting on Sunday.

olice officers and a robbery suspect opened fire at each other during a confrontation at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on Monday.

The Guyana Police Force said that acting on information received, ranks inter-

cepted a motor car at Church Road, Bachelor’s Adventure, ECD, when the 24-year-old robbery suspect opened fire on them.

“The ranks were on mobile patrol duties when they received information that the suspect, who is wanted in connection with several robberies committed between Mahaica, and Vigilance, ECD, was in a motor car along with several other males, all suspected to be armed,” the GPF explained.

The cops said that upon identifying the motor car, they signalled the driver to stop, but he attempted to drive away, and in the process, he crashed into the Police vehicle.

The robbery suspect subsequently discharged a

round in the direction of the ranks, who then returned fire. He then exited the vehicle and discharged another round whilst trying to escape and again, ranks returned fire. The suspected criminal then ran into an unoccupied yard where he escaped into the dense vegetation at the back of the yard.

The premises were searched and a red haversack with suspected blood stains was discovered in the yard.

“Checks were made in the vicinity and surrounding area for the suspect but were unsuccessful,” the GPF said.

The motor car was lodged for analysis at the Cove and John Police Station.

Investigations are ongoing.

Reports are that the incident occurred at about 23:30h at Well Road Ogle, ECD. Based on information received, the victim was approached by two men, who shot him in both of his feet.

The Police were subsequently summoned and the victim was taken to the Georgetown Hospital where he underwent surgery and is said to be in a stable condition.

Investigations are ongoing.

locked.

Having made this observation, she raised an alarm and neighbours formed a bucket brigade in efforts to extinguish the fire.

Shortly after, a fire tender from the Campbellville Fire Station arrived at the scene, and went into action

to douse the flames.

An investigation conducted afterwards discovered the badly-burnt body of the pensioner in the kitchen.

Kyte is the third person in less than two weeks to have perished in a fire which started at their homes.

Pensioner dies in Cummings Lodge fire

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68-year-old man perished in a fire on Monday at his Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown home.

He has been identified as Lionel Kyte.

According to a statement from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the blaze – which erupted around 16:20h – completely destroyed the wooden house, which was being rented by the pensioner.

The elderly man, who was said to be ill, lived alone at the house.

The landlord told investigators that she observed smoke emanating from the house and on further inspection, discovered the main door to the building was

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Boat Captain drowns after colliding with wharf

Dead: James Bender of Sand Hills, Berbice River

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boat captain is now dead after the boat he was operating collided with a wharf in the Berbice River.

Dead is 49-year-old James Bender of Sand Hills, Berbice River.

The accident occurred at about 01:00h on Saturday morning at Kimbia, Berbice River, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), how-

ever, Bender’s body was found at about 02:00h on Monday.

At the time of the accident, there was another man in the boat, who went to Deputy Toshao of Kimbia, Rawle Walker and reported the mishap.

However, a resident of Kimbia, Debra Jones, discovered the body floating in the wee hours of the morning.

“We saw the body floating, from the tummy was out of the water and it is just swollen. I took it in the corner and I tied the body,” Jones said, adding “when somebody drowned you have to keep looking for them before they raise, float and gone…”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Toshao, Walker, noted that a villager was in the vicinity of Kimbia when he requested to operate the boat since Bender was under the influence of alcohol. The villager related that Bender refused, saying that he did not allow anyone to operate his boat.

“He told me they end up driving and they crashed into a wharf and Bender fell out of the boat. That is the report he brought to me that

Undertakers removing James Bender’s body from the boat

James fall out of the boat and he went to drive the boat and when he turned it around to check for Bender, he was nowhere around.

The rain was falling and the place was dark when he came to me at around 1 o’clock (01:00h),” the Deputy Toshao related.

He added that he immediately made arrangements for a message to be sent to relatives of the missing man.

“We tried to use the internet to get on to his relatives at Sand Hills but the internet was not working because of the rain, so I told him to take the boat and go to Sand Hills and tell them.”

After the body was found it was taken to New Amsterdam.

However, relatives have since requested that the body be removed from the funeral parlour where the Police took it as a result of a previous unpleasant experience.

The man’s sister-in-law, Simone DeCouna, said that in April 2020, her brother, Julian McKenzie, who was among four persons who lost their lives in a boat mishap, was taken to the very parlour but by the time he was ready to be buried, his body was decomposing.

“They spoil a body before, not again I am pleading with them and they are still carrying the body there,” the grieving woman said.

An investigation has been launched into the drowning. (G4)

Qatar field hospital expected today Man charged for posting nude …to boost COVID-19 fight

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uyana’s COVID-19 fighting capacity is set to be boosted with the arrival of a field hospital from Qatar today.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony said the mobile hospital will be established in the compound of the West Demerara Regional Hospital at Best village, and would accommodate 60 beds.

It would also be fully equipped with the necessary equipment to treat critically ill patients.

“This hospital would

have the beds required for COVID-19 patients and will also have things like ventilators and monitors so if it’s necessary to intubate someone that will be able to do that. They will have all the necessary equipment to assist somebody who’s critically ill… this would increase our capacity to respond to spikes,” Dr Anthony is quoted by DPI as saying.

The field hospital is part of the realisation of a commitment made by Qatar to the

Guyana Government October last. President Dr Ifaan Ali and Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had held discussions on the countries’ bilateral relations.

Guyana has also benefited from COVID support from other countries including, Mexico, China, India and Kuwait. The country has received donations of several ventilators, and quantities of medication and personal protective equipment to boost its capacity.

photos of teen on WhatsApp

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33-year-old Kitty, Georgetown resident was on Monday released on $300,000 bail after he was charged with posting nude photographs of a 16-year-old girl on his WhatsApp status.

Ryan Seecharran pleaded not guilty to the charge which was read to him by Principal Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge stated that on January 10, 2021, at Kitty, he used a computer system to publish obscene/explicit photographs of the young girl to humiliate and cause her substantial emotional distress.

He will make his next court appearance

on February 15.

Based on information, Seecharran and the teenager are friends. As the friendship progressed, Seecharran asked the girl to be in an intimate relationship with him, but she declined his request. The Prosecution is contending that Seecharran then became angry, and it is alleged that he posted nude photographs of the girl on his WhatsApp status.

According to the facts of the case, the girl had sent the pictures to a female friend, who, in turn, sent them to the defendant. More charges are expected to be laid against Seecharran, according to the Prosecutor. (G1)

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James Bond blasts PNCR leaders for botching election petition …calls for their resignation

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Attorney-at-Law James Bond

n the wake of the High Court’s Monday dismissal of the People’s National Congress’s (PNC) second election petition,

party member James Bond has blasted party leaders who botched the petition and gave the court grounds for throwing it out due to its late service.

Bond, who once represented the PNC as a Member of Parliament and party executive, wasted little time in taking to social media, where he released a statement urging the party leaders who played a role in organising the election petition to resign. He labelled the errors that led to the petition being thrown out as “gross incompetence.”

“The entire leadership of APNU/AFC who had anything to do with the planning and execution of the election petition should

Former President and Leader of PNCR David Granger

resign immediately. This is gross incompetence. This is madness! This is what we slaved for.”

GOGEC approves new Board

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he Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) on Monday hosted its first official meeting for this year, to formalise new Board and regional representatives. The new executives include President, Manniram Prashad; Vice President, Luanna Persaud; Secretary, Mark Conway; and Treasurer, Kitaka Craig.

They are supported by Board members: Desmond Sears, Pat Dyal,

GOGEC President Manniram Prashad

Rudy Rampersad, Sean Hill, Kalesh Puran, Abbas Farouk, Ravindra Prashad, Anita Ramprasad and Shane Singh.

Regional representatives are Victor Fernandes for Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and Krishnanand Jaichand for Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The Chamber was set up in 2017 to ensure that there is inclusive stakeholder input in the oil and gas sector.

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

Bond noted that the botching of the election petition is symptomatic of a clique or cabal who want to “control everything.” He further told his thousands of followers on social media that when PNC party leaders “come for your vote at congress, ask them what part they played in the election petition.”

The post made by former PNC Executive James Bond But the attorney-at-law mess it up just so,” Bond missed the second elections was not done with that said, going on to lambast petition filed by the APNU/ statement. He made an- the PNC leadership as “in- AFC seeking to vitiate the other, even more person- competent.”

March 2, 2020 General and al appeal to his supporters Bond has in the past Regional Elections. and recalled the sacrifices had very harsh words for In election petition he personally made during the PNC leadership and 99p2020, Chief Justice the election campaign lead- former President David George found that Granger, ing up to the March 2, Granger, criticising their the leader of the APNU/ 2020 General and Regional leadership style and the AFC’s List of Candidates Elections. fact that the party shut out and the second named re“We deserve better lead- several party stalwarts in- spondent in the case, was ership than this. Imagine cluding Chairwoman Volda not properly served accordcampaigning for months, Lawrence from the APNU/ ing to the rules outlined close down my office, spend AFC parliamentary list for in the National Assembly my money, give of my time, the 12th Parliament.

Validity of Elections Act. sleepless nights… then CJ George also found On Monday, acting Chief (PNC/APNU+AFC) go and Justice Roxane George dis- that Granger is a necessary and proper party in the proceedings since the list he represents stands to be affected.

As a consequence of the late service, Petition 99 – filed by Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse – was declared a nullity and dismissed.

Granger was served on September 25, 2020, which is 10 days after the petition was filed on September 15.

However, lawyers for the petitioners had asked the court to overlook the deficiencies in the service of the petition on Granger, who is the second respondent and Head of the APNU/AFC’s List of Candidates, hence, spare their petition from being news@guyanatimesgy.com tossed out. (G3)

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana pushes SDGs, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines F oreign Affairs and International C o o p e r a t i o n Minister, Hugh Todd has called for equitable access

the Group of 77 and China to the Republic of Guinea.

Guyana’s Chairmanship of the Group came to an end last month, having had a

ing no region or country behind. It is pertinent that we retain a common voice as a group to negotiate for urgent support in combatting

Members of the G77 and China during the virtual meeting

to COVID-19 vaccines, as developing countries continue their battle against the pandemic.

Todd made these statements during a virtual ceremony to officially hand over the Chairmanship of

successful year.

“We must stay optimistic and do our part at the national, regional and international levels to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to ensure equitable access to vaccines, leav-

COVID -19,” the Minister is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Todd urged the Group to continue working towards the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs). He reminded the meeting to use the Decade of Action to mobilise financing and strengthen institutions to reach the Goals by the target date.

During Guyana’s tenure, the country sought to bring to the forefront and to mobilise support for developing countries battling the pandemic whilst trying to attain the SDGs. Since taking office in August, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has been advocating for access to more funding for developing countries. To this end, Guyana hosted the flagship G77 and China event themed: “Maintaining a Low Carbon Development Path towards the 2030 Agenda in the Era of COVID-19.”

Guyana led 134 developing countries in conversations on awareness, partnership building, knowledge sharing and lesson learning on climate action amid COVID, while recovering toward the 2030 Agenda.

Guyana was also able to maintain the Group’s solidarity and cooperation and

Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd

together with negotiating partners, provided a framework to address challenges facing developing countries.

“Our Chairmanship reflects His Excellency’s vision for the continued success and longevity of the Group of 77 and China, carefully aligned with the core principles that aligned the Group. Core principles of solidarity, unity and cooperation. Our role as Chair began with many objectives to be fulfilled, including the third South Summit and other UN events,” Minister Todd told members.

The Minister said

while the pandemic tested Guyana’s ability as Chair, the country was able to adapt, successfully negotiating and agreeing on multilateral outcomes that will guide economic, social and environmental development for the next few years.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres commended Guyana for its “expert guidance of the Group during 2020, an unprecedented year for the world and the organisation.”

Guinea’s candidacy was endorsed during the 44th Ministerial Meeting of the Group in November.

Major upgrades to Linden water treatment plants this year

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esidents of Linden, Region 10, can expect improved water supply this year, as the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) plans to execute major upgrades and maintenance works to the five water treatment plants in that area. GWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Shaik Baksh, said currently, the Mackenzie, West Watooka, Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc water treatment plants are functioning at reduced capacity.

“We have five water treatment plants in Linden alone and there is a problem there…because nothing has been done in Linden over the last five years to upgrade and maintain the systems,” he told the Department of Public Information in a recent interview.

The CEO said funds for those works were included in the 2021 National Budget. “We have to upgrade the water treatment plants before they collapse,” he added.

Baksh said works would also be done at water treatment plants at Covent Garden and Grove, East Bank Demerara. Those plants have not been fully functional over the last three years.

Upgrades were done to the Eccles plant during the latter part of 2020. Baksh said the residents are now receiving treated water through their taps and there have been minimal complaints from those areas.

“The plants were not operating as treatment plants;

cost this utility over four years, $1.8 billion and we are now flushing the wells and they are minimum complaints,” Baksh explained.

Works will also be done to improve water quality at the wells in the Essequibo Islands.

These projects, Baksh said, are part of GWI’s overall plan to provide 80 per cent access to treated water that is Eccles, Covent Garden and Grove. Actually, raw water was coming through those plants. Also, the water was treated by a

chemical known as Sequest and we have discontinued that because it is a huge cost. This Sequest to treat iron content in the water

by 2025, in keeping with the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard of 0.3 milligrams per litres of iron content or less.

Currently, 96 per cent of Guyana’s population has access to water; however, the treated water coverage that meets the WHO standard is only 52 per cent from a total of 27 water treatment plants.

Therefore, the Government plans to construct new water treatment facilities to meet the standard and to improve and expand the transmission and distribution network to maximise coverage from existing treatment plants.

There are also plans to install water meters to monitor, control demand and increase revenue.

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T&T doctor accused of tricking employee loses land case at Privy Council

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he privy council has dismissed the appeal of a doctor in a land matter in which he was accused of tricking his former employee and her children into signing over their family land and home to him.

In a written decision, they upheld the decision and orders made by Justice Devindra Rampersad.

“Indeed, in our view, the judgment of Rampersad J was an impressive one, perhaps all the more so because of the particular difficulties he may have faced in assessing the evidence of the claimants,” Lord Burrows said.

Dr Rohit Dass was accused by his former employee and patient, Rosemarie Marchand, and her children, of tricking them to sign a deed of conveyance, transferring their family home and land at Mission Road, Freeport, to him.

In 2007, Marchand and her children took Dass and an attorney, Victor Hosein, to court seeking to have the deed set aside. Hosein died before the matter was determined in 2012 by Rampersad.

Marchand was a clean-

er at the doctor’s office. The property which belonged to Marchand’s mother was transferred to her and her children in February 2006.

Four months later, they each signed a deed conveying the property to Dass.

He paid them a total of $307,800.

Marchand said she was offered permanent employment until retirement, an increase in salary, a life interest in the premises after the sale with a promise they will be allowed to use and occupy the upstairs portion of the building with the downstairs portion used by the doctor for his practice.

She also claimed she was offered free medical care and prescriptions, but refused the offer since her children would have no place to live.

Marchan also had a history of nervous breakdowns, was diabetic and received treatment from time to time at the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital.

The family also claimed they were told by Dass that there was a mortgage over the property, held by a bank and that in order to pay off the mortgage arrears, the bank was selling the prop-

erty.

They were taken to Hosein’s offices, where they were each given a cheque for their shares of the proceeds of the bank’s sale.

They said they signed what they thought was a receipt for the cheques, but it was instead the deed of conveyance.

Dass’s version of events was completely different.

He claimed the family wanted to sell him the property because Marchand needed money urgently to pay off a loan, she had taken to settle a case involving the alleged theft by her daughter of a gold chain.

He insisted she and the children knew that they

were signing a deed conveying the property to him and in return, she and her children were being paid the purchase price agreed.

Rampersad found the family’s version of the facts more convincing and ordered damages for the family.

In his ruling, he said the court could not overlook the fact that Dass, an educated professional, sought to purchase premises from a grieving, mentally ill, employee.

“Certainly the circumstances are questionable at best,” he said, adding that Dass also ought to have known about Marchan’s anxiety attacks, her mental illnesses and her status

as an outpatient of the St Ann’s hospital.

“In such a circumstance it might also be equitable to void the transaction on the basis that it was not only procured by undue influence but that it was unfair,” he held.

His decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

At the hearing at the Privy Council, Dass’s attorney Thomas Roe QC, argued that the claims of trickery and undue influence rested on extraordinary allegations of dishonesty against two professional men, a doctor and a lawyer, who had no apparent motive, because they were not making any financial gain from the purchase of the property, and the claims were contradicted by the contemporaneous documents.

He also asked the board to depart from the usual practice of not going against concurrent findings of fact of two lower courts, saying the case was an exceptional one because the judge had gone so wrong in his reasoning that it was an error in law.

The Privy Council disagreed.

“Despite the valiant efforts of Mr Roe, it is clear that this appeal should be dismissed and the board considered it unnecessary to call on Anand Beharrylal, QC, counsel for the claimants.”

Of Rampersad’s decision, the Privy Council said there was no reason to doubt his findings.

“His judgment was thorough and clear and involved a careful analysis of all the evidence, including the contemporaneous documentary evidence,” the Privy Council held. “…There is no reason to think that the judge did not have in mind that, very obviously, the reputations of two professional men were here being besmirched and that very serious allegations were being made of a dishonest conspiracy between them,” the Privy Council judges added.

The Marchands were represented by Anand Beharrylal QC and attorneys Zeik Ashraph, Krishendath Neebar, Haresh Ramnath, Simeon Wallis instructed locally by attorney Alvin Pariagsingh.

(T&T NewsDay)

COVID vaccine: WHO warns Man found "living in airport for of "catastrophic moral failure" 3 months" over COVID fears

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he world faces a “catastrophic moral failure” because of unequal Covid vaccine policies, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was not fair for younger, healthy people in richer nations to get injections before vulnerable people in poorer states.

He said over 39 million vaccine doses had been given in 49 richer states - but one poor nation had only 25 doses.

Meanwhile, both the WHO and China were criticised for their Covid response.

An independent panel commissioned by the WHO said the UN public health body should have declared an international emergency earlier, and also rapped

China for not taking public health measures sooner. So far, China, India, Russia, the UK and the US have all developed Covid vaccines, with others being made by multinational teams like the American-German Pfizer vaccine.

Almost all of these nations have prioritised distribution to their own populations.

Speaking at a WHO executive board session on Monday, Dr Tedros said, “I need to be blunt: the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure - and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries.”

Dr Tedros said a “mefirst” approach would be self-defeating because it would push up prices and encourage hoarding.

“Ultimately, these actions will only prolong the pandemic, the restrictions needed to contain it, and human and economic suffering,” he added.

And the WHO head called for a full commitment to the global vaccine-sharing scheme Covax, which is due to start rolling out next month.

“My challenge to all member states is to ensure that by the time World Health Day arrives on 7 April, Covid-19 vaccines are being administered in every country, as a symbol of hope for overcoming both the pandemic and the inequalities that lie at the root of so many global health challenges,” Dr Tedros said.

So far, more than 180 countries have signed up to the Covax initiative, which is supported by the WHO and a group of international vaccine advocacy groups.

Its aim is to unite countries into one bloc so they have more power to negotiate with drug companies.

Ninety-two countries - all of them low or middle-income - will have their vaccines paid for by a fund sponsored by donors.

“We have secured two billion doses from five producers, with options of more than one billion more doses, and we aim to start deliveries in February,” Dr Tedros said. (BBC)

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man too afraid to fly due to the pandemic lived undetected in a secure area of Chicago’s international airport for three months, US prosecutors say.

Aditya Singh, 36, was arrested on Saturday after airline staff asked him to produce his identification.

He pointed to a badge, but it allegedly belonged to an operations manager who reported it missing in October.

Police say Mr Singh arrived on a flight from Los Angeles to O’Hare International Airport on 19 October.

He reportedly found the staff badge in the airport and was “scared to go home due to Covid”, Assistant State Attorney Kathleen Hagerty said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

He managed to live on

handouts from other passengers, she told the judge in the case.

Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz expressed surprise at the circumstances of the case.

“So if I understand you correctly, you’re telling me that an unauthorised, non-employee individual was allegedly living within a secure part of the O’Hare airport terminal from 19 October 2020 to 16 January 2021, and was not detected?

I want to understand you correctly,” she said to the prosecutor who outlined the allegations on Sunday.

Mr Singh lives in a suburb of Los Angeles and does not have a criminal background, according to Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood. It is not clear why he was in Chicago.

He has been charged with felony criminal trespass to a restricted area of an airport and misdemeanour theft. He has been barred from entering the airport if he is able to post the $1,000 (£738) for bail.

“The court finds these facts and circumstances quite shocking for the alleged period of time that this occurred,” Judge Ortiz said.

“Based upon the need for airports to be absolutely secure so that people feel safe to travel, I do find those alleged actions do make him a danger to the community.”

The Chicago Department of Aviation, which oversees the city’s airports, said in a statement: “While this incident remains under investigation, we have been able to determine that this gentleman did not pose a security risk to the airport or to the travelling public.” (BBC)

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

UWI law valedictorian, Suraj Venezuela orders Sakal: Live life, or die trying arrest of new Citgo board member named L by opposition IVE the best life you can!

It’s a simple message but for law student Suraj Sakal it means embracing the possibility of dying at any minute now.

Some may find the 22-year-law student’s philosophy to be reckless and a bad influence on others.

You see, the valedictorian of the 2020 graduating class of the University of the West Indies’ law faculty said he skipped classes many times to lime with friends, while classmates were studying round the clock. His free-spiritedness did not stop him from attaining full class honours and he is now enrolled at Hugh Wooding Law School.

Sakal said he lives by principles adapted from a quote from late American technology innovator, Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs which made him think about life in an unconventional way.

His thinking is if he were to die at any time, he wants to know he lived doing what he wanted, so if that meant not attending a class, then so be it. But Sakal warns that this mantra must be matched with a clear goal.

“This is a reckless disregard for rules. Most people are seeking happiness, enjoy the moment. I say I go with the greater want, if I want to lime more than I want to be in class then I won’t be in class.”

He spoke frankly in an interview at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, near where he rents an apartment.

Sakal said he knows what he wants out of life but

UWI law valedictorian, Suraj Sakal

isn’t sharing what his goal is, except that, in ten years, he may not be a practising attorney.

So why study law?

“At this point in my life I want to do law. I don’t know if ten years down the road, I want to do something else. I love to learn, so I am a student of life. I believe that while living in the moment, I must also think about the future and that is what motivates me. I always do what is the greater want, so I am always living my best life.”

From his dress style, Sakal said people may feel he belongs in a rock band.

But based his conversation, he comes across as someone who belongs in a classroom, teaching others to discover who they are and to live their best life.

“I missed some of my tutorial and missed classes and did not really study but that is not for everybody. I am not telling people don’t study, I am saying don’t forget to live your life,” he said

in between removing his mask to laugh and light a Dunhill cigarette around the windy savannah.

Sakal shared his views on life in his speech in last Tuesday’s virtual graduation, stressing that he lives to do his best, if that means winning every all-fours game in the halls of UWI, or drinking with friends the night before an exam, or writing an exam paper – each act receives his best effort.

He does not want to be confined to accepted norms – his neck and arm tattoos or piercings are not who he is, and anyone who judges him for it, he hopes that they are judging him to the best of their ability and are happy.

Sakal recalled on one occasion being awake for three days straight doing whatever he wanted. He laughed as he paraphrased an answer from US rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) who once said sleep is for broke people.

“There is no map to success. I don’t have the formula. You have to know yourself. There are two things you have to accept; sacrifices must be made and there are consequences. If you can live with the consequence of missing a class or something then do what you want.”

For Sakal, each moment is truly his last. He said on his way walking to the interview he was contended that should he die while crossing the road he was dying happily, knowing that he did what he wanted, without fear.

“Yes, it is selfish,” he quipped when asked if he found his view a bit conceited. “I am satisfied with who I am. I raise my personal standard. Do what you want.

If you are miserable doing something then why are you doing it? I am not saying to have a reckless disregard for other. Everything I do, I think about others far more than they think about me.”

He said the current school system needs to change in order to allow children to reshape their mentality and, more so, their mindset that there is one beaten path to success.

The eldest of two boys, Sakal said his parents accept his seemingly vie-kivie attitude but they do caution him, from time to time, which he accepts.

He stands by what he believes, however.

“Live the best life you could live. Enjoy every single moment. Fear nothing. Go after your dreams.

Always be mindful of the future, where you might end up and the people around you.” (T&T Newsday)

Venezuela’s Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab gestures to the media during a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela, May 11, 2018.

REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo

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enezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for a new member of the board of directors of U.S.-based refining firm Citgo Petroleum Corp named by the opposition this month, chief prosecutor Tarek Saab said on Monday.

Saab said Jose Ramón Pocaterra was “illegally designated” to the board of Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, and announced charges against him for alleged crimes including conspiracy, usurpation of public functions, and obstruction of justice.

The opposition took control of Citgo in 2019 after the United States, along with dozens of other countries, recognized Juan

T&T dad killed after buying items for Sunday lunch

Evans Ryan washes the blood off the road after Trevor Hospedales was shot dead on Sunday along the SS Erin Road, Santa Flora, Trinidad (T&T Guardian photo)

“I

ain’t do nothing boy,” Trevor Hospedales cried out as he cowered under the gun of his killer on Sunday.

Hospedales, 47, was walking along the busy SS Erin Road in Santa Flora after buying fresh pro-

duce from a vendor when the gunman attacked. In a matter of seconds, he was lying facedown on the hot asphalt with blood oozing from his head.

Residents said around 11 am, a man wearing a hoodie and mask

got out of a car in Jacob Settlement.

He saw Hospedales’ sons and approached them, asking for their father. When the sons told the man that Hospedales went down the road, he waited on the roadside.

As Hospedales walked toward a

track leading to his home, the gunman opened fire on him.

Hospedales’ neighbour Evans Ryan said he was at the back of his home working when he heard 12 rapid gunshots. When he came out, he said he saw Hospedales lying on the road.

Describing it as a sad situation, Ryan said Hospedales left home to purchase items to cook Sunday lunch. He said although the gunman approached Hospedales’ sons wearing a hoodie and face mask, it seemed normal. Even after the incident, the boys did not know their father had been killed until he told them.

“It is kind of sad but I have been telling my neighbours that Morvant and Laventille is no longer a place, it is a situation. These are things that we know happen in Morvant and Laventille. Now it is happening all over the country. It is kind of sad, but ...” Ryan said.

The murder happened a short distance away from the Santa Flora Police Station. Officers responded quickly but up to late yesterday, there was no suspect in custody.

(T&T Guardian)

Guaidó - the speaker of the opposition-held National Assembly - as Venezuela’s rightful leader. They argued that President Nicolas Maduro had rigged his 2018 re-election.

Maduro remains in power, and his government controls PDVSA’s operations within Venezuela. His allies frequently accuse Guaidó of trying to “steal” Citgo, which is headquartered in Houston.

“These are just excuses to continue the theft they have been undertaking,” Saab said during a state television appearance.

Neither Pocaterra, a financial specialist, nor Citgo immediately replied to requests for comment. Pocaterra is living in Madrid, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The opposition has sought to protect Citgo from creditors and others attempting to seize control of the company to collect on unpaid debts and arbitral awards from Venezuela.

Saab criticized the decision in U.S. courts allowing Guaidó allies to represent Venezuela in those cases, arguing the government was denied the right to adequate defense.

Saab also announced charges against Andres Yrigoyen, who he said had been named chair of Citgo’s board. Citgo has not announced that designation, and Yrigoyen told Reuters he had not accepted the role.

Citgo announced last September that board chair Luisa Palacios would step down, the first in a string of high-level departures.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

Regional

Sir Hilary honoured in US with Martin T&T CoP: Police did not negotiate with Luther King Jr Global Award “persons of interest” F T or his work in uplifting his brothers and sisters within the African Diaspora, the United States-based National Action Network (NAN) has awarded the University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles with the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Global Award for 2021.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day was celebrated on Sunday. It is a holiday in the US to commemorate the birthday of the renowned civil rights activist. Every year, NAN’s Washington DC Bureau celebrates with breakfast in King’s honour. But with COVID-19 restricting mass gatherings and travel, the Bureau bestowed the awards virtual-

ly.

Beckles, a Barbadian, was among other honourees, including Black Voters Matter founder Latosha Brown; Cool and Dope founder Cavanaugh Bell and New York Times bestselling author and political leader Stacey Abrams.

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton explained that every year, NAN looks for someone whose life and work personify the global fight for human rights and dignity, particularly in the African Diaspora. Sharpton said there was no doubt Beckles was that person. He said among the activists in the African Diaspora, Beckles was unmatched.

“Anyone familiar with

Sir Hilary Beckles

academia. Anyone who is a serious student of activism in the academic world and the global struggle. Anyone

who has a serious tendency to study the struggles, and the interconnecting of the struggles around the world, knows of Sir Beckles and his work.

“Anyone who knows anything about cricket knows about him too. He covers many areas, and it is our honour that he would accept this award this year and allow us to honour him and through him, honour the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and what he meant to the world,” Sharpton said.

In accepting the award, Sir Hilary hailed King for the legacy he left so that others could continue to fight for upliftment.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Police find 12 bodies dumped on Nominations open for young road in Mexico’s Veracruz state people to join Commonwealth Youth Council T welve people believed to be members of a self-defence group were killed in the western Gulf Coast state of Veracruz and their bodies dumped on a dirt road, local authorities said on Monday.

The bodies were found with their feet and hands bound, according to local media citing a Police report on the incident in the volatile Las Choapas municipality.

The area is about 363 kilometres (225.5 miles) south of the port city of Veracruz, the state capital.

The Veracruz Security Ministry said in a statement the victims were “executed” and early reporting indicated they were members of “self-defence groups”, which have sprung up in Mexican regions riddled with drug cartel violence.

Cuitlahuac Garcia, the Governor of Veracruz, said initial reports indicate a split in one such self-defence group led to the

violence.

“The abuses and threats between them caused a confrontation between them and had this unfortunate outcome,” Garcia said.

Self-defence groups are common in some parts of Mexico, where authorities have struggled to bring about law and order amid internecine cartel violence.

These vigilante forces have helped contain violence in some crime-stricken areas or shielded the local population. But some of them have also struck alliances with criminal gangs in exchange for weapons and protection, analysts say.

Authorities often accuse self-defence groups of being criminal organisations, or having deep ties with certain cartels.

In the first 11 months of last year, Veracruz was the eighth most violent state in Mexico, with 1320 homicides recorded, according to federal authorities.

(Reuters)

N

ominations are now open for young leaders to apply to stand for positions on the Commonwealth Youth Council, the body which represents 1.4 billion young people in the Commonwealth.

The Council is seeking candidates for its nine executive positions to serve from 2021 to 2023.

The Commonwealth said the elected candidates will develop and run the council, organise workshops and advisory panels, give recommendations for youth development, and attend high-level, policy-shaping forums across the world.

Speaking ahead of the announcement, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland said, “At a time of unprecedented crises rooted in disease, discrimination and disaster, young people are at a greater risk of challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and learning losses than other age groups. However, they remain positive, engaged and vocal on the challenges and opportunities.”

“Now more than ever, we must harness their exceptional vitality, impressive talent, and unique perspective in our recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“The Commonwealth Youth Council is one such platform, which gives young leaders, who best understand the challenges of their peers, a seat at tables to influence decisions affecting their lives and future,” Scotland continued.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Brazil begins COVID-19 vaccinations amid delay of ingredient imports

B

razil has kicked off a nationwide COVID-19 immunisation programme by distributing doses of a vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech following an emergency-use authorisation, although the pace of vaccination will depend on delayed imports.

After weeks of setbacks, many Brazilians cheered the first wave of inoculations, from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, the hardest-hit state in the country.

The Health Ministry gave states the green light to start immunising at 17:00h on Monday, although some officials lost no time in starting the vaccinations.

Minutes after federal health agency Anvisa approved the Sinovac vaccine on Sunday, Monica Calazans,

A healthcare worker prepares the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine at the Hospital das Clinicas in São Paulo, Brazil [Amanda Perobelli/ Reuters]

a 54-year-old nurse in São Paulo, became the first person to be inoculated in the country, as São Paulo Governor Joao Doria looked on.

“After hearing from the

Governors, we came to the conclusion that today we will distribute the vaccines to the states,” and they “can begin to vaccinate” immediately, Health Minister Eduardo

Pazuello said Monday.

He made the announcement after meeting state leaders at Guarulhos airport in São Paulo, from where 4.5 million doses of China’s CoronaVac vaccine will be sent nationwide.

Health workers, people older than 75, residents of old age homes, and Indigenous populations will be the first to be vaccinated. Both the CoronaVac and the Covishield require two doses.

Northern Amazonas state, which has been battling record deaths and burials as hospitals run out of beds and life-saving oxygen, should receive its first batch of vaccines late on Monday and will start inoculating people this morning, the Government said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

here was no negotiation or bargaining at last Friday’s meeting between the Police and several reputed gang members, said Trinidad and Tobago Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith.

Last week, a message was circulated on WhatsApp which purported that warring gangs in east Port of Spain and Laventille were preparing for an all-out conflict.

A video was also circulated of a man threatening a reputed gang leader in Laventille, saying he had weapons to “deal with” the man.

The video and the message prompted the Police to hold a meeting with several people they described as “persons of interest” at a Police Station on Friday night.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday, Griffith said the purpose of the meeting was to make it clear to criminal

gangs that any violent activity would not be tolerated, and it did not resemble previous interactions between the authorities and suspected gang leaders.

“Unlike what you would have seen in the past where Prime Ministers, senior officers would have pulled in people to communicate, plead with them, sometimes even offer them incentives, this was the opposite.”

In September 2006, Prime Minister Patrick Manning met with at least 21 reputed gang leaders, described as “community leaders,” at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port of Spain.

In 2012, former National Security Minister Jack Warner reportedly met with two gang leaders along with former Port of Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing. Warner later claimed he was duped into attending the meeting and did not know the two men would be present. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Migrant caravan: Guatemala blocks thousands bound for US

The migrants are fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries

A

group of US-bound Central American migrants has been met with truncheons and tear gas in Guatemala, where security forces blocked their path.

Thousands of people were intercepted on a road near the border with Honduras on Sunday. The Government said it would not accept “illegal mass movements”.

An estimated 7000 migrants, mostly from Honduras, have entered in recent days, fleeing poverty and violence.

They hope to travel on to Mexico, and then the US border.

Every year, tens of thousands of Central American migrants attempt this perilous journey to try and reach the US, often on foot, in groups known as “caravans”.

US President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has vowed to end the strict immigration policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump, a Republican.

But the Biden Administration, which will take office on Wednesday, has warned migrants not to make the journey, as immigration policies will not change overnight.

As the migrants trekked

across Guatemala towards its border with Mexico, they were slowed down by security forces near the south-eastern village of Vado Hondo.

A group of soldiers and Police Officers blockaded a road, stopping many of them from advancing. Some people still attempted to force their way through, prompting security forces to push them back.

Several people were injured.

Many migrants retreated, with some waiting nearby to make a new attempt later.

Others fled into nearby mountains.

“Fortunately the security forces established a contingency plan... and contained this battle,” said Guillermo Díaz, head of Guatemala’s migration agency.

A statement from the Guatemalan President’s office said: “Guatemala’s message is loud and clear: These types of illegal mass movements will not be accepted, that’s why we are working together with the neighbouring nations to address this as a regional issue.”

The Government later said 21 migrants who had sought medical assistance tested positive for COVID-19. (Excerpt from BBC News)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil slips on coronavirus fears, strong dollar

O

il prices fell slightly on Monday as a stronger dollar, fears over soaring COVID-19 cases around the world and the slow pace of vaccination against the coronavirus outweighed a better-than-expected quarterly rebound for China’s economy.

Brent crude was down 23 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at US$54.87 per barrel at 1720 GMT, and West Texas Intermediate US crude fell 19 cents, or 0.4 per cent, to US$52.17.

“Corona-induced economic fears, a stronger U.S. dollar and more pessimistic investor sentiment are all playing their part in the fact that Brent is trading ... around $3 lower than last Wednesday,” said Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg.

The benchmarks had rallied in the past few weeks, buoyed by COVID-19 vaccine rollouts and a surprise cut in output by Saudi Arabia. But the slow pace of vaccination has raised doubts over how soon economies could recover.

A UK official said Britain’s vaccine rollout was limited by a “lumpy” manufacturing process, and Pfizer Inc said it was distributing fewer doses of its vaccine in Europe in January than originally contracted.

“Vaccination campaigns, although ongoing, are lagging the speed needed to fast-track a global recovery in the first quarter and the comeback for oil demand will be slow,” said Rystad Energy’s head of oil markets Bjornar Tonhaugen.

The US dollar strengthened for a third consecutive day on Monday to a four-week high, weighing on crude prices.

Oil is usually priced in dollars, so a stronger dollar makes crude more expensive for buyers with other currencies.

Security concerns ahead of this week’s US presidential inauguration are also dragging on investor sentiment, said PVM Oil analyst Tamas Varga.

“In addition to the coronavirus running amok, this week’s tense presidential inauguration can also cause unease amongst investors,” he said.

Oil prices clawed back some losses after Chinese data showed the economy of the world’s biggest oil importer picked up speed in its recovery from the pandemic.

Prices also found support in a drop in Libyan oil output, with Waha Oil Company reducing production by up to 200,000 barrels per day because of maintenance on the main pipeline that links the Al-Samah and Al-Dhahra oilfields to Es Sider port. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Tunisia detains hundreds in protests as Amnesty urges restraint

T

unisian Police said on Monday they had arrested about 1000 people after several nights of protests as a rights group warned against using excessive force and witnesses said demonstrators clashed with security forces in the city of Kasserine.

Police fired tear gas as young people burned tyres and threw stones, witnesses in the impoverished city said, hours after protesters gathered in the capital Tunis to demand the release of detainees.

The protests and clashes with Police follow the 10th anniversary of a revolution that brought democracy but few material gains for most Tunisians, and anger is growing at chronic joblessness and poor state services.

However, with no clear agenda, political leadership or backing from major parties, it is not clear whether the demonstra-

tions will gain momentum or die down, as many previous rounds of protests have since 2011.

London-based Amnesty International called for restraint. It cited footage showing officers beating and dragging people they had detained and said authorities should immediately release Hamza Nassri Jeridi, a rights activist arrested on Monday.

A decade after throwing off the shackles of autocratic rule, Tunisia was heading towards an economic crisis even before the global coronavirus pandemic struck last year, wrecking the tourism industry and locking down other businesses.

Protesters also gathered on Monday in Manzel Bouzaine, near the interior city of Sidi Bouzid where the self-immolation of a fruit vendor in late 2010 triggered the country’s revolution. (Excerpt from Reuters)

FBI vets troops amid fears of insider attack during inauguration

U

S law enforcement agencies are screening all 25,000 National Guard officers deployed for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, fearing a possible insider attack after it emerged that some of those involved the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol had ties to security agencies.

The comments by the four-star general come as the capital Washington, DC, remains locked down under unprecedented security in the wake of the storming of the Capitol – the seat of the US Government – by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.

The mob wanted to prevent the Congress from certifying Biden’s election following repeated false claims by

Trump that the November election was stolen.

At least five people died in the worst riot in almost two centuries, and prompted the US Congress to impeach President Trump for “incite-

ment of insurrection”.

Speaking from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi said that ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration day, the National Guard is

no longer relying on its usual vetting mechanisms to ensure that those within the service are not radicalised in some way.

“The new development that’s been reported is that the FBI is now getting involved.”

At least 21 current and ex-members of the US army and law enforcement have been identified as being at or near the Capitol riot, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The US Army has also been investigating a psychological operations officer who led a group of people from North Carolina to the rally. Captain Emily Rainey, who had said she acted within military regulations, later resigned. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Canada said in December that it expected to lift its flight ban on the jetliner in January after approving design changes to the aircraft, which was grounded in March 2019 following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people in total.

In early December, Brazil’s GOL Airlines became the first in the world to return the planes to its active fleet.

Later that month, American Airlines re-

sumed passenger flights with the 737 MAX in the US after the Federal Aviation Administration approved changes that Boeing made to an automated flight-control system implicated in crashes.

In both crashes, the system pushed the nose down repeatedly based on faulty sensor readings, and pilots were unable to regain control.

Regulators in Europe have also cleared the way for airlines to resume us-

ing the plane if they make certain changes and provide additional training for pilots.

Despite a bump in orders in December, Chicago-based Boeing still reported more cancellations than new orders for the 737 MAX. The market for new planes remains depressed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated air travel and caused airlines to reconsider aircraft purchases. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Members of the National Guard patrol outside the Capitol Building in Washington, DC

Boeing 737 MAX can return to Canadian skies this week

C

anada said on Monday that it will lift a near two-year flight ban on Boeing Co’s 737 MAX on January 20, joining other countries like the United States that have brought the aircraft back following two fatal crashes.

Regulator Transport Canada also said in a release that had it issued an airworthiness directive on Monday, along with an interim order that outlines requirements for airlines on additional crew training.

Kremlin foe Navalny held in pre-trial detention, Moscow tells West to butt out

A

Russian Judge remanded Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in pre-trial detention for 30 days on Monday for violating the terms of a suspended jail sentence, ignoring calls from Western countries to free the opposition politician immediately.

The ruling, a day after Police detained him at the airport when he returned to Russia for the first time since being poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent last August, could be the prelude to him being jailed for years.

Moscow’s prison service has applied to convert a suspended three-anda-half-year embezzlement sentence in the same case, which he said was trumped up, into real jail time early next month.

He faces three other separate crimi-

Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny speaks as he waits for a court hearing in a Police station in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia January 18, 2021, in this still image from video obtained from social media

nal cases too.

The United Nations and Western

countries told Moscow before the ruling to let Navalny go, and some countries have called for new sanctions after earlier penalties from the EU over his poisoning. Moscow told them to mind their own business.

Navalny, in a video released on Twitter after the ruling, urged Russians to protest.

“Don’t be afraid, take to the streets.

Don’t go out for me, go out for yourself and your future,” Navalny said.

Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally, wrote on Twitter that supporters would hold rallies nationwide on Saturday.

Navalny, 44, called his treatment illegal under Russian law and accused President Vladimir Putin of throwing the criminal code out of the window in fear. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Trapped Chinese miners' note sparks hopes for rescue

T

welve miners trapped underground after an explosion in a Chinese gold mine a week ago are still alive.

They sent back a note saying "don't stop trying to reach us" when rescuers seeking signs of life lowered down food rations taped to wire cable.

A telephone connection has now been set up. The fate of another 10 men missing after the blast remains unclear.

Mining accidents in China are not uncommon and are often due to poorly enforced safety regulations.

The 22 were trapped at the Hushan mine near Yantai in eastern Shandong province on January 10 after an explosion damaged the exit and the communications system of the mine, which was still under construction.

Rescuers have spent days tapping and waiting for signs of survivors - until finally, they felt pulling on ropes

they had lowered into the mine.

According to state media, rescuers managed to make contact with some of the miners through a long, thin communication shaft they had drilled from the surface.

They later sent food, medicine, paper and pencils into the hole.

According to the handwritten note, they retrieved back from the shaft, 12 people are alive in the middle section of the mine.

"There are 11 others - one is injured, and the status of the remaining 10 is unclear," said the note-writer. In it, he asks for pain killers and says they hope for a rescue, before ending with thanks to the rescue team.

Later on Monday, Chen Fei, the deputy secretary of Shandong's Yantai city, said phone contact had also now been made with the trapped miners, who he said are "currently very weak". (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Don’t let confusion take charge and ruin your day.

Do your best to take care of responsibilities, regardless of what’s going on around you. A job well done will lead to financial gain.

Someone who has something unique to offer will appeal to you. Handle partnerships carefully. Don’t let your emotions lead to bad assumptions. Be a good listener.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

You’ll have plenty to mull over. Get organized, and gather information that will help you make better decisions. A problem with a co-worker will develop if you cannot agree on strategy.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

SUDOKU

Put your time and energy to proper use. Take care of unfinished business before you start something new. Look for unique ways to use your skills and knowledge. Choose kindness over conflict

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

If you care, share.

Helping a cause or someone in need will make you feel good. Keep emotional issues and personal matters to yourself. Don’t take an unnecessary risk.

Explore the possibilities, but don’t make a move prematurely. An offer you receive will interest you, but consider the cost before you get involved. Make a romantic gesture with confidence.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Be reasonable when dealing with personal matters. Don’t jump to conclusions or make a fuss without having all the facts. Spend time sorting through clutter and taking stock.

SCORPIO

Catch up with an old friend or relative via phone or email. Rethink your situation and what you are up against. Find innovative ways to ease stress.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Make a change to how SAGITTARIUS you earn your living or han(Nov. 23dle your finances. Sticking to Dec. 21) a budget and lowering your overhead will ease tension at home and make your life better. Avoid excessive people.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Difficulty with a friend, relative or co-worker will surface if you let your emotions take control. Refuse to get dragged into someone’s dilemma. Concentrate on fitness and self-improvement.

Share your intentions, and you will resolve pending issues. Holding in your feelings will cause stress and anxiety that will affect your health and emotional well-being. Be honest.

Say what’s on your mind.

Be direct, and the response you receive will be honest and reliable. The more aware you are of the people around you and how they think, the better.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

21

West Indies ODI series v Bangladesh...

Da Silva hits 50 in warm-up, Simmons unhappy with short prep time W

Simmons & co arrived from January 14. They'll have est Indies wicketk e e p e r - b a t s m a n in Bangladesh on January five days of practice as well as Joshua Da Silva 10 for their three-ODI, two- the intra-squad game to achit 56 in the team’s one-day Test tour. They were subject climatise to conditions before the ODI seone-inning intra-squad ries starts on match.

January 20 in Rovman Powell hit Dhaka. The 49 while Sunil Ambris, series, and who opened the innings the league with Da Silva, scored points on of39 as the team postfer, is particed 258-9 in 47 overs. ularly critiAkeal Hosein claimed cal for West 2-46 in nine overs Indies who'll while Raymon Reifer want to take had 2-42. Rahkeem the less sceCornwall had 1-20 in nic route five overs. to the 2023 On the eve of the inWorld Cup. tra-squad match, West "It is nevIndies Head Coach er enough for Phil Simmons had said me (preparathe short preparation tion time)," time in the build-up to the Bangladesh series Joshua Da Silva hit a half-century in the intra-squad game S i m m o n s was inadequate, given said on the context of the One-Day to three days of hotel room Sunday. "I think that I would International (ODI) League quarantine before beginning have liked the sort of time we points on offer in the upcom- practice at the Bangladesh had in New Zealand, but this Cricket Board (BCB) academy is what we have, and we try ing three-match series.

to fit in as much as we can in that period. It is mighty important, because you have to catch up in the series.

We don't want to get into the [World Cup] playoffs anymore. We need to start well."

Simmons also remained intrigued by the composition of Bangladesh's 18-member squad, which has several seam bowlers, including Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, and Rubel Hossain as well as the uncapped Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam. Although spin is well stocked in the form of the returning Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mehedy Hasan and Mehidy Hasan, the West Indies Coach

West Indies Head Coach and co watch on

is hopeful the series will see better pitches on offer.

"They still have their four main spinners. Whether they use two or three fast bowlers is something they might try to change to. It could mean that we get much better pitches to play on, from a point of view of better batting wickets. You never know. It could be a good thing, but the four spinners

will still be there," he said.

"I am hoping that whether they play four or five spinners, it plays into our hands, and it plays a role in how we think about it. We seem to be underdogs, so I hope it lifts us rather than who they are playing."

The first ODI is set to play on Wednesday, January 20 at 04:00h local time.

Tough ask for India as Australia set them 328 on a tricky track

R

ain wiped out nearly all of the last session of day four soon after Australia had set India 328 to win the Gabba Test.

India's openers had only faced 11 balls, and still had a possible 23.1 overs left to negotiate before stumps, when rain sent the players hurrying into their dressing rooms for the second and final time on the day.

On a pitch where inconsistent bounce has grown into a frequent menace, Australia should still have enough time left, in theory, to bowl India out and wrap up a 2-1 series win, but the weather forecast for day five is not encouraging.

India will have been the happier side at stumps – not so much from the standpoint of the match situation as much as the fact that the bowling attack they cobbled together for this Test match, with each of their senior options unavailable, managed to challenge Australia again and keep them from running away with the game.

For one, they bowled Australia out. This had not seemed likely when David Warner and Marcus Harris had extended their opening partnership to 89 and left Australia effectively 122 for no loss some 40 minutes into the day's play. But India regrouped, with Shardul Thakur breaking the partnership on his way to an impressive four-wicket haul and Mohammed Siraj capping off a stellar debut series with a

Mohamed Siraj bagged his maiden fifer

maiden Test-match five-for.

Thakur had been wayward through the first innings, but showed much better control in the second, changing the mood of the game by replacing an erratic T Natarajan and testing the left-handers with his angle from over the wicket, landing the ball within the line of the stumps and forcing them to play, and drawing a series of plays-and-misses with movement off the deck.

A short ball brought the breakthrough, with Harris leaving his gloves in the way of the ball while trying to duck underneath it. Washington Sundar, Thakur's partner in crime with the bat on day three, then had Warner lbw with one that went with the arm to leave Australia 91 for 2 with two new batsmen at the crease.

Those two batsmen, Marnus Labuschagne and

Steven Smith, threatened to take the game away once more with a counterattacking stand full of daring forays down the pitch to Sundar's offspin. But having raced to 25 off 21, Labuschagne had no answer to Siraj when he got one to straighten in the channel after angling into him, and Rohit Sharma pouched a thick edge at second slip.

Three balls later, Matthew Wade was caught down the leg side off Siraj, his duck capping a miserable series that has put his place in doubt.

Either side of tea, Smith – batting with adventurous use of feet and hands – and Cameron Green – blocking stolidly with a rather mechanical-looking forward stride – added 73 in 23.2 overs, stretching the lead past the 200 mark.

On 42, Smith gave India a chance when he stepped out

and miscued a lofted hit off Sundar, but Siraj misjudged the catch at long-on and dropped it while off-balance.

But Siraj made up for the miss by getting a ball to leap at Smith from just short of a length soon after he'd moved past fifty. He made an impressive effort to survive the delivery, but could not pull his bottom hand off the handle before the ball had struck his glove, and lobbed to gully.

By the time Thakur sent Green back with an away-seamer in the corridor (it gave Sharma his fifth catch of the match), Australia's lead had passed 250. Inconsistent bounce was becoming more frequent, with the long, vertical cracks on the pitch now having widened significantly.

Natarajan had got one ball to creep through at ankle height and narrowly miss Green's off stump. Thakur got one to spit up at Tim Paine and hit his glove. Australia may have felt they already had enough for an early declaration, especially given the danger of the erratic bounce injuring one of their bowlers.

But they batted on, perhaps wary of having their bowlers – each of whom has played all four Tests, and all of whom have got through gruelling workloads in India's second innings in Sydney and their first innings here – get back on the field too soon. The runs came quickly, either side of a rain interruption that almost entirely coincided with the tea break, even as Siraj and Thakur chipped steadi-

ly away at the wickets. The bowlers survived this period largely unscathed, even though Pat Cummins suffered a smack on his right elbow from Siraj and a glancing blow to the back of his helmet from a Thakur bouncer that kept unexpectedly low.

Eventually, Cummins made an unbeaten 28 – his highest score in 22 Test innings, a lean run stretching all the way to India's previous tour of the country in 201819 – as the last four wickets added 67 to Australia's total.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA 2ND INNINGS Marcus Harris c †Pant b Thakur 38 David Warner lbw b Washington Sundar 48 Marnus Labuschagne c Sharma b Mohammed Siraj 25 Steven Smith c Rahane b Mohammed Siraj 55 Matthew Wade c †Pant b Mohammed Siraj 0 Cameron Green c Sharma b Thakur 37 Tim Paine (c)† c †Pant b Thakur 27 Pat Cummins not out 28 Mitchell Starc c Saini b Mohammed Siraj 1 Nathan Lyon c Agarwal b Thakur 13 Josh Hazlewood c Thakur b Mohammed Siraj 9 Extras (b 5, lb 2, nb 4, w 2) 13 TOTAL (75.5 Ov, RR: 3.87) 294 Fall of wickets: 1-89 (Marcus Harris, 24.6 ov), 2-91 (David Warner, 25.6 ov), 3-123 (Marnus Labuschagne, 30.3 ov), 4-123 (Matthew Wade, 30.6 ov), 5-196 (Steven Smith, 54.2 ov), 6-227 (Cameron Green, 60.5 ov), 7-242

(Tim Paine, 64.6 ov), 8-247 (Mitchell Starc, 67.3 ov), 9-274 (Nathan Lyon, 72.1 ov), 10-294 (Josh Hazlewood, 75.5 ov) BOWLING Mohammed Siraj 19.5-5-73-5 T Natarajan 14-4-41-0 Washington Sundar 18-1-80-1 Shardul Thakur 19-2-61-4 Navdeep Saini 5-1-32-0 INDIA 2ND INNINGS (TARGET: 328 RUNS) Rohit Sharma c †Paine b Cummins 7 Shubman Gill not out 64 Cheteshwar Pujara 8 TOTAL (38 Ov, RR: 2.18) 83 Yet to bat: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant †, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan BOWLING Mitchell Starc Josh Hazlewood Pat Cummins Cameron Green Nathan Lyon

8-0-25-0 8-2-22-0 10-6-7-1 3-1-10-0 9-3-15-0

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

Victoria Scorpions receive UK kits CLASSIFIED ADS T

he Victoria Scorpions Football Club has benefitted from what has been described as a “much-needed” donation of football equipment.

The Club, which operates out of the oldest village on the East Coast of Demerara, is looking to get into the game when the coronavirus pandemic restrictions allow for local football competitions, and the equipment donated by two United Kingdom-based men will go a long way for the Club.

Michael Hamilton and Roger Isaacs of the AFC Wimbledon Academy (UK) in conjunction with the “2020 Project” facilitated the provision of a quantity of football clothing to the club. Isaacs was physically present at the handing-over ceremony on Saturday last.

The clothing are replica kits of the AFC Wimbledon Academy.

While Captain Ahmad Parks expressed his gratitude to the donors and pledged that the gear would be utilised fully for the de-

velopment of the Club’s players, Rex Jackson expounded on the need for the kits and the plans for the future of the Club.

“The donation is a very timely one, since the Club is in dire need of equipment, soccer gears and other things that can assist in developing this Club,” Jackson said while speaking exclusively with Guyana Times Sport during a telephone interview.

When probed about the vision for the Club, which is fairly new on the local football scene, Jackson shared that 2020 was earmarked for its ascension into competitive games under the banner of the East Coast Demerara Football Association (ECDFA).

However, those plans were halted by the ongoing pandemic.

“The vision for the Club this year – I should say that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club was hoping to embark on a tournament which was supposed to have been managed by the East Coast Football Association,

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Roger Isaacs (extreme left) and members of the Victoria Scorpions Football Club

but because of the pandemic that was not possible,” Jackson shared with this publication.

Nonetheless, Jackson is confident that the Club will be able to get in on the action once the pandemic lets

up and the restrictions are slackened.

He stated, “But as soon as the restrictions are eased so to speak, I think that would be the first call of duty.”

The AFC Wimbledon Academy is the youth team

for the professional English Association Football club AFC Wimbledon.

The Academy, which focuses on youth development, has Category Three status, with Under-23 and Under-18 squads. Michael Hamilton is the Academy Manager.

BCB “Year of Investment”...

Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, Brian Ramphal and Dr Pooran Singh renew sponsorship – Lloyd Simpson donates photocopier

O

verseas-based Guyanese continue to support the work of the Hilbert Fosterled Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).

Three long-term sponsors have renewed their sponsorship for 2021 while a former executive of the proactive Cricket Board has donated a photocopier to assist in the day-to-day operations. Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, his brother Dr Puran Singh and Brian Ramphal are the latest overseas-based Guyanese to join hands with the Board to fulfil its mandate in 2021, which has

the 2021 Cricket Academy at the combined cost of $1.4 million. The coaching programme would consist of the hosting of eight mini academies across Berbice for a total of 240 youth cricketers with eight special clinics for bowlers, batsmen, wicketkeepers, and spinners. Additionally, the BCB Coaches would also visit 20 cricket clubs in Berbice to conduct sessions with hundreds of youths.

At the end of these sessions, a total of 70 promising players would be selected to be part of the Annual Dr Singh Cricket Academy,

the county over the next five years at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels.

Barbadosbased Dr Puran Singh, for the third successive year, would be sponsoring the BCB National Players Financial Scheme.

Under this programme, junior and female players who gain selection to the national teams would receive a financial sti-

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

BCB President Hilbert Foster and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Simon Naidu pose with the photocopier

Dr Puran Singh

Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh

Brian Ramphal

been named the “Year of Investment”.

Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh, a Guyana-born medical doctor living in Texas, USA, has renewed his sponsorship of the BCB countywide coaching programme and also

which is held during the month of August. Foster, who is spearheading the massive marketing drive for Berbice cricket, stated that the objective is to have a pool of junior cricketers who would represent

pend of $10,000 each. In the event that COVID-19 forces the tournaments to be cancelled, the funds would be used to provide educational materials and cricket gear to less fortunate Under-15 cricketers.

Over the past three years, overseas-based Guyanese Brian Ramphal, who is involved in the technology business, has invested heavily in the development of Berbice cricket. His sponsorship for 2021 includes the hosting of the annual award ceremony, the Father and Mother of the Year programmes, the 20/20 Cricket Tournament, and the ‘gears for youths’ programme as well as information posters.

Foster described the Singh brothers and Ramphal as one of the main reasons Berbice cricket has been so successful since 2018 and hailed them as the county’s unsung heroes. Noting that 2020 was very successful for the BCB despite the

COVID-19 pandemic, Foster disclosed that the “Year of Investment” would be the best in the 82-year history of the BCB. Meanwhile, former BCB Committee Competition and Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) Executive Lloyd Simpson fulfilled his commitment to the Board by handing over a photocopier to the President. The BCB expends vital funds annually on office expenses, and Foster noted that the donation would assist the Board to save funds. Simpson, who lives in the USA, stated that he was delighted by the positive development taking place in the county and felt privileged to contribute.

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(Ext 55)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Good outings for Shepherd, Smith, Persaud and Sankar as Johnson's XI register win Story and photos By Brandon Corlette

Team Leon Johnson's XI

I

n the first of three practice matches for the Guyana Jaguars Super50 preparation, Leon Johnson's XI won by two wickets at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) cricket facility.

Romario Shepherd claimed 4-24, Nial Smith took 3-22 for the winning team while for Shimron Hetmyer's XI, Steven Sankar grabbed 4-39 and Akshaya Persaud scored an unbeaten half-century.

Batting first, Hetmyer’s XI made 152 all out in 33.3 overs while Johnson's XI, led by

some early-morning showers across t h e E a s t Jonathan Coast of Foo's aggressive 35 Demerara, and Tevin Imlach's Hetmyer’s solid 28, ended up XI were asked victorious on 145to bat first.

8, winning by two Chandrapaul wickets under the Hemraj hit DRS method. the first ball of the match Shepherd, Smith for four, but wreck wickets; he departPersaud, Romario ed a few Ricardo Shepherd steams b a l l s fight back A f t e r

in during his impressive spell

later. Hemraj was neatly taken at first slip by Johnson in an eventful first over, bowled by the steaming Shepherd.

For his s h o r t time at the crease, K e v l o n Anderson (07) looked solid, but he was undone by a Nial Smith special that hit the top of the off-stump and flew into the fence.

At 22-2, Hetmyer

took centre stage, but another Jaffa by Smith to make it 27-3 ensured it was not a Hetmyer show. Hetmyer looked a bit rusty before he

Akshaya Persaud scored an unbeaten half-century

Guyanese fighter shines on UFC card G

uyanese Carlston Vinicius de Harris ensured Oliveira def. Sultan the Golden Zholdoshbekov via Arrowhead flew proudunanimous decision ly on the international R i n a t stage during an Ultimate Fakhretdinov def.

Fighting Championship Eric Spicely via (UFC) encounter with KO (punch), 0:55 of Saygid Izagakhmaev.

Round 1 At the UAE Warriors Abdurakhman 15 event live at the JiuGitinovasov def.

Jitsu Arena in Abu William Starks via Dhabi, United Arab unanimous decision Emirates on Friday, the M a r t u n Berbician won by subMezhlumyan def. mission. This is his 15th Daniel Vega via win in his UFC career TKO (strikes), 3:07 with four losses. of Round 1 The 16-fight card was A v l i y o h o n co-promoted by Eagle Hamidov def. Louis Jourdain via unaniFighting Championship, an organisation in mous decision S h a m i l which UFC lightweight champion Khabib Magomedov def.

Nurmagomedov holds Jayson Margallo via ownership. The event was unanimous decision Mohamad Osseili advertised to be a tribute to Nurmagomedov’s Carlston Harris has Saygid Izagakhmaev in a chokehold during their fight def. Elijas Paknys late father, Abdulmanap via KO (spinning elon the card, facing Rinat UAE Warriors Nurmagomedov.

UFC bow), 1:35 of Round mid15/EFC 32 Results President Dana White was Fakhretdinov at 1 Bruno Azeredo def. in attendance not only to dleweight. The Russian Shakbhan Alkhasov Fakhretdinov easily hanMickael Lebout via unani- def. Vasile Suprovici via watch the fights, but apparently to also have a dled “Zebrinha” Spicely, mous decision TKO (ground and pound), winning by TKO in unShamil Zavurov def. 4:30 of Round 1 meeting with “The Eagle”.

The card was head- der a minute. Dana White Renato Gomes via unaniLeandro Gomes def. lined by a light- Contender Series veter- mous decision Mohamed Karim via TKO Jesse Arnett def. Elias (ground and pound), 4:41 weight fight between an Jesse Arnett, howevUFC veteran Mickael er, was able to eke out a Boudegzdame via split de- of Round 1 Lebout and Bruno Azeredo. split decision victory at cision Ramazan Akaev def.

Carlston Harris def. Reydemtor Nacionales via Azeredo was able to take bantamweight over Elias Saygid Izagakhmaev via submission away a convincing unan- Boudegzdame. (rear-naked The full results for submission (d’arce choke), choke), 4:35 of Round 1 imous decision over the 34-fight veteran “Ragnar” UAE Warriors 15/EFC 32 2:36 of Round 2 Imamshafi Aliev def.

Muin Gafurov def. Pim Kusters via KO Lebout. TUF 23 competi- can be found below. The tor and UFC veteran Eric event is available on Fight Walter Zamora via unani- (punch), 3:42 of Round 2 mous decision Spicely was also featured Network.

edged one to Johnson at slip, scoring only two runs.

Off-spinner Ramaal Lewis then trapped Vishal Singh at the crease for 15 at 53-4 in 13.2 overs.

The promising Persaud was joined by Kemol Savory and the duo took the score to 81-5 in 22.2 overs. Savory (09) fell for a short-ball trap to Smith.

Bhaskar Yadram fell for a duck to Gudakesh Motie at 83-5 and rain intervened at 12:43h. The match resumed at 14:30h. Persaud and Ricardo Adams added impetus to the innings with an aggressive 64-run partnership. Adams took Devendra Bishoo to the cleaners, slamming four sixes off the leg-spinner.

Adams eventually fell for a brisk 47, which was decorated with five sixes and one four. At 147-7, Adams departed and Shepherd cleaned up the tail as the final three wickets fell for five runs.

Persaud was left unbeaten on 51, which included three fours and two sixes.

The left-handNial Smith peeled off the edge of Shimron Hetmyer

ed Persaud began with a bit of luck, slashing a few off the edges, but he gradually got into his groove.

The innings ended on 152 all out. Tucber Park duo Smith and Shepherd did the demolition job with the ball. Shepherd claimed 4-24 in 5.3 overs while Smith took 3-22 in six overs.

Sankar shines

With 10 overs lost, on DRS, Johnson’s XI required 141 runs to win in 35 overs. In pursuit of that,

Assad Fudadin and Trevon Griffith began cautiously. Fudadin was first to depart at 23-1 when he was caught at the wicket off the bowling of Kevin Sinclair for four.

A poor shot led to the demise of Griffith, who attempted a reverse shot, but was trapped in front by the leggie Sankar at 34-2.

Captain Johnson slammed Keon Joseph for a six, but he was removed b y Sankar for nine with the score on 433. Christopher Barnwell was removed for a golden duck by the same Sankar Steven Sankar bowls during his four-wicket haul

after he got an inside edge and was caught.

Wickets kept tumbling for Johnson’s XI, and Anthony Bramble, after hitting a six off Sankar, was removed in quick time, with the score at 54-5 in15.3 overs. Then, Imlach dropped anchor and Foo hit attack mode. Foo damaged Sankar’s figures from 4-10 in four overs to 4-39 in seven overs.

The lad from Albion struck four sixes in his 35. At 114-6, Anthony Adams ended the 60-run partnership.

Shepherd (15) hit two sixes off Sinclair and took the score to 135-7.

Sinclair ended the eventful over with his trademark celebration. Imlach (28), who stuck around for a while, eventually gifted his wicket to Anthony Adams and Johnson's XI were 1358. Lewis (07*) and Motie (03*) ensured no further hiccups as Johnson's XI ended on 145-8 in 30 overs.

For the bowling opposition, in addition to Sankar's 4-39, Kevin Sinclair took 2-20 in seven overs while Anthony Adams claimed 2-12 in four overs.

The next practice match is slated for Wednesday, January 20 and the third and final match is on Friday, January 22 at the same LBI facility.

Both matches are scheduled for 09:00h.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021

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

Guyanese fighter shines on UFC card

West Indies ODI series v Bangladesh...

Da Silva hits 50 in warm-up, Simmons unhappy with short prep time Pg 21

Pg 23

Pg 23

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