Guyana Times - Tuesday August 3, 2021

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4728

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

President Ali addresses nation as PPP/C marks 1 year in Government

Never again! – President Ali on attempts to steal election, undermine democracy

… Public Servants to get retroactive salary increase by year end See stories on pages … Recommits support to host LGE 3, 7, 8, 9, 11 & 14 … Appointment of top judicial posts rests on Harmon’s recognition of Govt … Guyana to introduce vaccine requirements for arriving passengers … Regional Joint Support Team being equipped to combat crime … Petroleum Commission will be operationalised by year end

Cop, 2 others killed 30-year-old woman is latest COVID victim in Essequibo, …84,800 doses AstraZeneca Berbice accidents vaccine arrive from UK Page 2

Page 12

Dead cop: Ramesh Das

Dead: Zameer Ali

Dead: Joshua Butts

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P 23-year-old 11 man drowns during outing with friends

3 convicted drug mules P10 wanted by CANU

Hairdresser, make-up artist allegedly rob several during wedding P10 ceremony Another child rapist appeals life sentence P13

Flood assistance will help rice farmers out of disaster – RPA President P16 ...50,000 acres of rice lands affected by floods

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fmr national footballer dies Cop, pillion rider killed after car plunges into trench in Essequibo accident

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former national footballer was in the wee hours of Monday killed after he reportedly lost control of the car he was driving at Warren Public Road, East Coast Berbice.

The dead man has been identified as 21-year-old Joshua Butts of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam.

Based on reports received, at about 03:30h on Monday, Butts was driving motor car bearing registration number PTT 7891 along the public road when he reportedly lost control and ended up in a nearby trench.

He was pulled from the wreckage by public-spirited citizens and taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he was admitted but later succumbed to his injuries.

Guyana Times understands that Butts and others had attended an Emancipation Day function on the Corentyne and were

The motorcycle that the two men were riding at the time of the accident

Dead: Joshua Butts

heading back home when the accident occurred. It is unclear if anyone else was in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Back in 2013, Butts was selected to be a part of the

The car that Butts was driving at the time of the accident

National Under-16 Football squad.

Three years later, the former Tutorial Academy Secondary School student was kicked off the team

shortly before departure for an overseas engagement after a teammate’s phone went missing. The phone was subsequently found in his possession.

Dead: Zameer Ali

Dead cop: Ramesh Das

n accident that occurred at Airy Hall Public Road, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Sunday night left a policeman and another man dead.

The dead men have been identified as Ramesh Das, who was attached to the Court Superintendent’s Office in Police Regional Division Two, and 23-yearold Zameer Ali. They both resided at Anna Regina Housing Scheme.

At the time of the accident, Das was riding the motorcycle with Ali as his pillion rider. However, as they were heading along the Airy Hall Public Road, the motorcycle collided with a motor car, PYY 7890.

The driver of the car, Mahendra Raj, told traffic investigators that the motorcycle ended up in his path, thus causing a headon collision. As a result of the collision, both men sustained injuries about their bodies. They were subse-

quently picked up and taken to the Suddie Hospital where Das was pronounced dead on arrival while Ali was admitted a patient. He succumbed a few hours later.

Meanwhile, according to Ali’s bother, he was informed that his brother was involved in an accident at around 22:00h on Sunday evening.

Upon hearing the news, he rushed to the Suddie Hospital where he was informed of his brother’s critical condition.

“Me nah went pon de scene when it happened, me went to de hospital…we heard that them went coming on the left-hand side and the car was going pon deh right and them come over pon deh car side…” the aggrieved brother explained.

He could not say where his brother was heading at the time of the collision. The driver of the motor car was arrested and he is assisting with investigations.

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Tuesday, Aug 3 – 01:00h – 02:30h and 13:00h – 14:30h and Wednesday, Aug 4 – 01:30h – 03:00h and 13:30h – 15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Public servants to get retroactive salary increase by year end – President Ali − urges public to trust Government

Tuesday, Aug 3 – 13:10h – 14:40h and Wednesday, Aug 4 – 14:05h – 15:35h.

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be light cloud and thundery showers during the day. Expect light rain at night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-Westerly to Westerly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 12:35h reaching a maximum height of 2.12 metres.

Low Tide: 06:02h and 18:26h reaching minimum heights of 1.03 metre and 1.11 metre.

SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2021

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President Irfaan Ali

Teachers attending a GTU meeting

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has assured public servants that they will receive a retroactive salary increase by year end, even as the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government focuses on the holistic improvement of the lives of all citizens.

He made this announcement during a press conference on Monday, in response to questions from the media.

However, President Ali posited that his Government’s vision for public servants is not just about pay hikes. He said they want to empower public servants and ensure that they become homeowners, among other things.

“Let me assure you that the public servants will receive salary increases before the end of the year. And it will be retroactive. But I’m not only looking at salary increases. We’re looking at the mechanism that will allow every public servant to own their own home. They also benefit from the COVID cash grant.”

“But we want to empower public servants so that their children too can benefit from the scholarship programme.

The public servants themselves are benefiting. And we are happy about this. So

let us not limit the discourse only to the tax waivers and breaks and reversals. All of us benefit, including the public servants. So, it’s a holistic approach,” he said.

When it comes to the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the President urged teachers and other public servants not to fall for the political gimmicks of Union leaders, including those from the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) whose General Secretary, Coretta McDonald, is a Member of Parliament (MP) for the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC).

“In terms of the GPSU threatening strike action because of salary increases, I’ve already made it clear.

There will be salary increases before year end that will

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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be retroactive. But we have to be careful. And my appeal to public servants, to teachers, is a very simple appeal.

Trust the Government. By the end of these five years, you will all be better off. Do not be played politically. I see some ridiculous remarks sometimes from the head of the Teachers’ Union.”

“And I will not repeat them or engage in a discussion surrounding them. But I will engage directly in a discussion with the teachers. I will engage with you in a discussion so you understand where our country is heading. You’ll understand the opportunities of the future. And of course, you will be integrated in this new Guyana,” President Ali said.

In the 2021 Budget, some $10 billion was budgeted in the estimates un-

der the heading, “Revision of Wages and Salaries” – a huge part of which the Government had said was for salary increases for public sector workers.

Despite this, the GPSU had announced back in April that it had written to President Ali on the issue of negotiations on wages, salaries, and allowances for public servants, which they had said was overdue.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Budget in 2020 provided for $7 billion in COVID-19 relief cash grants to households across Guyana, $2 billion of oneoff grants to the more than 60,000 public sector employees, and $1.1 billion in year-end bonuses to some 19,000 front-line workers in the health sector and the Disciplined Services.

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 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

Transforming Guyana

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year ago, on August 2, 2020, a five-month-long democratic battle ended after Guyanese stood up with the support of many nations around the world to stop an attempt to derail the correct result of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

This led to the swearing-in of Guyana’s second-youngest President. Since taking office, President Dr Irfaan Ali has, on many occasions, underlined the need for peace and harmony in Guyana, and has pledged that he is committed to working with all stakeholders to achieve this objective. Thus, he launched the “One Guyana” concept, which he has repeatedly said is aimed at equity and opportunity for all Guyanese.

On the first anniversary of his presidency on Monday, recommitting to this, Ali said: “I renew that pledge with the strength of my belief, the courage of my commitment, and the fidelity of my heart and soul.”

Over the past year, on many of his visits to communities across Guyana, he has been consistent with this call. He has also assured that he would act in the best interest of all Guyanese, whether or not they supported his party. This approach is very encouraging, and could only mean well for Guyana.

The President has taken a very proactive approach in managing the affairs of the State and has been consistent in his discussions no matter which communities he visited.

For example, over the past year during his outreaches in Berbice and Essequibo – as well as Sophia in Georgetown – where, in addition to plans for development, he communicated the need for social harmony. “I want to bring the country together.

You have a President who is willing to work with everyone,” he was quoted in the media as saying. Also, during his visit to Sophia, he told a gathering that he wanted to personally hear about their problems, saying that he has to “lead by example too”.

Likewise, the same consistency was kept when he visited residents of Port Mourant: that his objective is to help develop all of Guyana.

He also shared similar sentiments during visits to the other administrative regions of Guyana.

The past year, Dr Ali showed experience as someone who has served in the Cabinet and the public service prior to his ascension to the presidency, and he was exposed to a range of challenges, and he has shown a full grasp of the kind of leadership that is needed.

On Monday again, he renewed his commitment to the completion of a range of policies and programmes upon which his Government would embark to bring “a rapid expansion of Guyana’s physical infrastructure”. Most of these – for example, the Lethem-to-Linden Road, the bridge across the Corentyne River, the new bridge across the Demerara River – have already gotten off the ground.

We support the President when he said on Monday that with Guyana’s abundant natural resources, it can anchor the energy security and prosperity of the Caribbean Community.

To quote him: “With our vast agricultural capacity, we can realise the long-standing promise of being the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

“And, given our geo-strategic location, we can turn our gaze south, to be a bridge between the Caribbean and Latin America.

In all this, we will continue to tap into the huge reservoir of skills and other resources in our dynamic Diaspora, and work with our regional and international partners and investors, to pursue the objectives of the plan. Moreover, we will do so, never losing sight of the paramount imperative of maintaining our sovereignty and securing our territorial integrity.”

It is clear that Guyana is on a democratic path and we have another glorious opportunity to fashion a society that is modern, inclusive, progressive, and one in which all citizens could be proud.

Our political leaders have a crucial role to play in the building of and development of Guyana. The President is certainly leading by example, and we are very pleased to see this happening. We expect all the others to follow suit, and put the country first above partisan interests. The elections have long gone, and it is time to start focusing on improving the lives of all citizens.

“No Guyanese will be left out, none will be overlooked, and none will be abandoned” – President Ali.

A Japanese basketball robot shoots the ball during halftime of the women’s game between Belgium and Puerto Rico during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at Saitama Super Arena, in Saitama, Japan (Reuters)

PPP/C Government never failed this nation Dear Editor, August 2, 2021, will mark the end of one year of the PPP/C in Government and to say that the achievements are outstanding is a gross understatement. No one had expected that the PPP/C Government would start its delivery immediately. This Government has to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the rigging “epidemic” of the PNC, the worst flooding ever and the Herculean task of reversing the socio-economic devastation and havoc which the coalition wreaked on this nation for 5 long and arduous years. But it reversed the effects of all these in just one year.

Of course, the PPP/C Government never failed this nation. Immediately upon assuming office, they took to the task at hand and began to accelerate the plan which was in place long before they assumed office on August 2020 and was outlined in their manifesto, unlike the coalition whose manifesto was not their “plan” but just a campaign gimmick to fool the people.

Unlike the coalition, this Government has embarked on economic and social programmes which benefited every region and community. There is no differentiation between who voted for you or not for you and no one can claim discrimination on any ground, be it race or religion. The President has kept the vow at his inauguration that he will govern

for all Guyanese.

Indeed, it will take a rather long dissertation to capture each and every achievement so I will confine to a few. The Government knew that to stimulate the economy there must be an immediate measure to put money in the hands of the people and therefore not only did it cut taxes and remove VAT from essential items but also gave a cash stimulus in the form of the COVID grant. This resulted in billions being spent in the economy which when the multiplier effect is considered will create a ripple effect.

The Ministry of Local Government must be lauded for this great initiative and its distribution to every household.

In addition to each household, GuySuCo workers, medical professionals, and Joint Services benefited twice from the cash grant - a total of 60,000 persons. In total $20 billion dollars was placed into the pockets of the people and this created an instant stimulus to a dying economy. We should recall that all the coalition did at the inception was to give themselves humongous salary increases ranging from 50 to 100 per cent as an incentive not to steal. But thief they did, on a grand and unprecedented scale.

The education sector saw the rolling out of the $3.2 billion “Because We Care” cash grant which again put monies into the

hands of parents to assist in their children’s education. The multiplier effect will again boost the economy manifold and happiness was seen on all the parents’ faces. On the other hand, Granger’s Bs had only benefited the coalition support base. The BWC benefitted each and every child in Guyana who attends school. This will increase each year to $50,000 per child by 2025. In addition, the Guyana Online Scholarship programme is already set on course to deliver the 20,000 online scholarships as promised.

This is addition to increasing Technical and vocational training and apprenticeship schemes.

The Ministry of Public Works has invested heavily in infrastructures and the landscape which had deteriorated under the coalition across the country is progressing at a rapid pace. This Ministry had suffered massive corruption under the previous Administration.

Imagine an ailing entity giving a $500,000 gold bracelet birthday present to a former Minister!

The Ministry of Housing has also been moving rapidly in making to 50,000 house lots available to Guyanese as housing schemes are being opened across the various regions. How many house lots did the coalition give in its 5 year term?

They gave 360 house lots!

This Government gave 400

in Linden in one day and in less than a year had distributed nearly 5000.

Getting a house lot is not a nightmare anymore.

The Ministry of Heath must be congratulated for the manner in which it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. It has completed the infectious disease facility at Liliendaal in just a few months and has embarked on a massive vaccination drive to achieve “herd immunity”. It must be recalled that the coalition stole hundreds of million from the Liliendaal facility whilst Guyanese were dying from the disease. They had only one focus and that was to rig the 2020 Elections and stay in power to continue its thieving and squander mania.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has seen massive improvements with oil leading the sector. In fact, crude oil production increased by 82.4 per cent and has now earned nearly US$500 million. All the sub-sectors which were dying under the coalition are now improving rapidly.

Under the coalition it was a mystery to know what had happened to the US$18 million signing bonus. It makes us wonder what would have happened to the US millions now being earned. The gas-to-shore project will ensure that our economy continues to benefit from oil and gas.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 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

People of African descent - modern leaders across the world Dear Editor, The abolition of slavery is one of the greatest most significant events in the history of our country and the West Indies. The desire of finally being free became a reality, allowing our brothers and sisters of the African heritage to grow to their full potential, to help others, and serve as role models for future generations.

As we learn more about the events and individuals that led to the emancipation of our brothers and sisters of African descent; who they truly were and where they came from, we discover a people and nation of unsurpassed beauty and technical genius, to say the least.

Africa is the birthplace of the world’s most ancient civilisations. Additionally, the roots of every family tree may be traced back to Africa, as can the history of civilisation.

This is not only captivating to me but also extremely empowering!

People of African descent are descended from ancient, rich, and sophisticated cultures that developed a plethora of technologies and innovations in a variety of fields.

From the simple items like the Iron Wood Axe to the complex ones such as the steam

engine, to electricity and computers, the engineering and architectural feats of the Egyptians: the interestingly raised obelisks and the hundreds of pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, the impressive cities in Mali, including Timbuktu with grand palaces, universities, and mosques, etc are all works of contemporary wonder. Today, we marvel at these inventions as well as the thousands of years of these breath-taking architectures and accomplishments. Amazingly, even to this day, we still are in awe of how these phenomenal masterpieces of architecture were constructed. This is the brilliance of the people of African heritage!

Before the Europeans arrived and seized control of Africa, there were massive and unparalleled achievements in the various regions and their cities. In the kingdom of Aksum, in present-day Northern Ethiopia, they developed a trade route.

In Abyssinia, now Ethiopia, the king, Negus or AlNajashi, was a person known for fairness and whose nation treasured human rights, so much so that he rescued Islam during the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

For Muslims, this country is enshrined in our Holy Scriptures and history to represent freedom from persecution and liberation from fear.

The kingdom of Ghana has the characteristics of great nations of the present era.

In the city of Timbuktu, they had great morals and developed the centre of Islamic Art. Because of commerce, the kingdom of Ghana in Western Africa became one of the richest civilisations.

It is even said that the emperor of the great Zimbabwe ate from porcelain plates that came from China. The Red Sea served as a thoroughfare. The Nile was a thoroughfare. The Sahara Desert was a highway, as was the Indian Ocean. However, the subsequent slave trade not only damaged the continent’s economic growth, but it also altered ideas of the African continent’s history and importance. We witnessed, in particular, Belgium’s King Leopold II, who converted a large portion of Africa into his estate, enslaved its inhabitants, and left a legacy of misery that lingers to this day.

We witnessed some of the then famous generals

who fought to the bitter end to keep slavery alive, even though they lost their battles, and who have had statues erected in their honour, particularly in the United States of America.

Thankfully, we are seeing a revolution whereby persons are fighting against those statues because they are a disgrace, a shame to the democratic norms that the United States of America upholds. Unfortunately, all of these injustices were perpetrated against people of African ancestry by those seeking to legitimise an economic system based on the exploitation of people of African descent and Africa.

As a result, an entire nation’s history was stolen from them.

Nonetheless, despite suffering under the atrocious system of slavery, individuals of African descent made enormous contributions to the development of our civilisations. Their innate intelligence provided a depth of knowledge that would have been hard for any other society to achieve. While we know that slavery had a negative influence on education, some Africans were educated on their own and began to teach others.

Because they were slaves, it was difficult for them to obtain the necessary materials, yet despite this, they contributed to the enrichment of the world. In reality, we observed that slavery did not hinder people from completing their jobs, even though it took away many of their liberties and destroyed their identities. But we also saw how determined they were and their unwavering resilience to overcome all obstacles, as we saw with Mr Toussaint L’Ouverture, who led Haiti’s liberation, and Mr Cuffy, who led the slave liberation in Berbice by fighting a revolution against the Dutch in the Berbice enclave of the Magdalen Enberg protesting harsh and inhumane treatment, which subsequently overthrew the Dutch.

One thing is certain: we must honour the Africans who were subjected to slavery since they made significant contributions to the development of our society.

Furthermore, we must continue to learn from them in order to make the greatest use of their knowledge, for they have demonstrated their genius throughout history. Consider writing,

which started in African civilisations before spreading to many other regions of the world. Long before it was adopted elsewhere, the Egyptians employed hieroglyphics for writing.

We must correct this misconception that Africa is limited, and we as people of the world must help to contribute to preserving the rich heritage of the people of African descent and propel them to their rightful role as modern leaders across the world.

All Caribbean countries, including Guyana, have had Presidents, Prime Ministers, and other leaders of African descent.

At this juncture, we commemorate and celebrate all of the courageous men and women of African descent who struggled to make this day possible. We owe so much to our forefathers who gave their lives for us, and we owe it to them to carry on their work and legacy. As we honour these freedom fighters, let us express our deep thanks for all they have done for us.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan Sr

We as Guyanese have endured so PPP/C Government much outside of the pandemic never failed...

FROM PAGE 4

The Ministry of Agriculture has ensured and guaranteed that Guyana does not become victim to the oil curse.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, this sector has continued to grow as a rapid pace. In March, despite adverse weather conditions rice output increased by 79.9 per cent, fish and shrimp by 9.2 per cent and even sugar which was actually destroyed by the coalition has shown a growth of 0.5 per cent. The Government has delivered on its promise to reopen the closed estates and the Rose Hall Estate has already employed nearly 700 persons and will be grinding in the second crop next year. The entire Canje and the surrounding areas are once again coming to life economically. The other estates are already embarking on the reopening process. This, again, is a promise delivered.

This sector faced the worst challenge. The flooding was deemed a National Disaster and crops were completely wiped out throughout the country as thousands of hectares of agricultural lands and entire communities became inundated. But this disaster only brought out the best of this Government and its Ministers.

Moreover, the Minister of Agriculture toiled endless-

ly and without any respite to ensure that the crisis is brought under control.

Again, the Government has made a cash compensation commitment of more than $7 billion to everyone affected by the flood in addition to $10 billion supplemental budget to repair the fallouts from the flood. It’s anyone’s guess what the coalition would have done. It would have been just another avenue to steal and squander.

There are so many achievements that it is impossible to mention them here. Congratulation to this Government! No doubt the President, the Vice President and his team have done wonders at this juncture when our country has been so hard hit by not only the flood and the pandemic but by an Opposition which continues to lie and deceive top fool the people.

We must beware of what happened in 2015 when the Goebbels strategy was used to perfection.

The chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, Joseph Goebbels had said that, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”.

What if the coalition had successfully rigged the 2020 Elections?

Yours sincerely, H Yusuf

Dear Editor, Today I write to you to reflect on the year 2020 to 2021. We as Guyanese have endured so much outside of the pandemic. We have faced challenge after challenge but we are still standing. That in itself shows how strong we are as a people. August 2 makes it one full year since the PPP/C was sworn into office. I am sure that thousands of my fellow Guyanese would join me when I say that the Government has done a lot which deserves recognition and applause. It is time we give just that unto them.

However, we cannot simply forget the journey we took to get to this point. In March 2020, we had our elections. We can all agree that that election period was tense and the five months that followed were just stressful to say the least. That entire period along with the 5 years that preceded it allowed us to distinguish between what a Government for the people looks like, and what a government for themselves looks like.

One thing was revealed throughout that period; the APNU/AFC coalition has no regard for anyone but themselves, not even their supporters. They kept on lying and deceiving their supporters saying that they won the elections even when the recount showed that the PPP/C won. To date, they continue to spew lies and propaganda to score cheap

political points with their supporters, holding out that they won the elections last year. We all know that they did not win but what they did was try to rig the elections more than once.

I recall clearly that the coalition tried to get Mr Mingo, the Returning Officer of Region 4, to declare that they won. No one that was present could corroborate the figures Mr Mingo presented and not even the Statement of Polls could reflect what he was saying. The PPP/C released their Statements of Poll, but the coalition kept theirs hidden only because they knew it would reveal that they lost the elections.

We had a whole debacle with the declaration of the results that led to the courts many times. It even got to the point where the coalition got their supporters to file injunctions to stop GECOM from declaring the results.

It was protest after protest, it was chaos day and night, and even up to now with all the courts declaring that the votes were valid and the recount figures are correct, the coalition continues to be petty and refuses to recognise the PPP/C Government as legitimate.

Nonetheless, despite the propaganda and misinformation that are being peddled daily, the PPP/C has remained steadfast in their approach to good governance. This past year has been a good one for the PPP/C as their accomplish-

ments are seen in every part of the country. There are infrastructural works ongoing, there are projects being undertaken regularly, education is being prioritised, healthcare and COVID-19 is being focused on heavily.

Indigenous peoples are being recognised and vulner-

able and minority groups are being provided with initiatives to help themselves.

I applaud the Government for how they handled the first year and I look forward to their second year in office.

Respectfully, Brian Azore

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Foundation

….Dr Susan Biali looks at how to achieve exam success the night before you begin, with suggestions of what to do and what to avoid.

fter five years of undergraduate university studies, a four-year medical degree and two years of medical residency training, I think it’s fair to say that I’m an expert on taking exams. Your strategy for the night before, and the day of, an important exam, will determine your success.

Here are my best pre-exam tips, which are scientifically proven to increase your performance:

4) Take frequent breaks from your desk

In the final hours when you’re trying to cram in all you can, set a timer to remind you to get up every 20 minutes and walk around briefly. Prolonged sitting decreases blood flow and oxygenation of the brain, and can impair cognitive performance.

Studies show that regularly sitting for too long without breaks also increases rates of depression and insomnia.

5) Drink enough water

When you’re stressed, it’s easy to forget to drink water (especially if you’re drinking a lot of coffee).

Dehydration decreases alertness and impairs concentration. Keep a water bottle at your desk, to remind you to drink from it regularly. Taper this off as you get close to bedtime to decrease the likelihood of having to get up in the middle of the night.

1) Don’t pull an all-nighter – ever

If you do just one thing, this is it: get enough sleep the night before your exam.

Sleep, particularly deep sleep, is critical for memory formation. New connections between brain cells form while you are sleeping, creating memories from your day. In order to reach the optimal number of cycles of memory-promoting deep sleep, aim to get a full eight hours before the big day.

Make it a practice to get a good night’s rest after any intense day of learning and studying, as that will help your brain to retain as much information as possible.

2) Avoid caffeine before your exam

Caffeine early in the day can improve focus and productivity if you’re used to it (the day of an exam is not the time to experiment, as it may make you nervous and jittery). Just one cup of coffee in the evening can make it harder for you to fall asleep, reduce the total time spent sleeping, and affect your ability to reach deep stages of sleep (see my first tip).

3) Get in a quick workout before 7pm

Aerobic exercise that gets your blood circulating is stimulating to the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory and learning. Consider taking some kind of moderately strenuous exercise, such as a brisk walk, in the days leading up to your exam (and even all term), as regular exercise can actually increase the size of the hippocampus.

Exercise also decreases pre-exam stress and anxiety, and improves quality of sleep. Just don’t do it too late in the evening, or it may keep you up.

6) Eat a ‘power breakfast’

Write an email to your aunt in New York telling her all about your readiness for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA)

Breakfast is the meal we’re most likely to skip, yet it’s the most important. Research shows that students who eat breakfast do significantly better in exams than those who don’t. A high-performance breakfast has a good source of protein for alertness (think eggs), whole grain carbohydrates for sustained mental energy (porridge is great), as well as fruit or vegetables for maximum brain power..

When you’re well rested and well fed, you’ll be ready.

Good luck in your exam! (dreams.co.uk)

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Never again! – President Ali on attempts to steal election, undermine democracy

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onday, August 2, 2021, marks one year since the end of the five-month tumultuous period following the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections and according to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, those assaults on Guyana will never be repeated.

In an Address to the Nation to commemorate one year since he was sworn in as Guyana’s 10th Executive President and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) into Government, Dr Ali saluted all stakeholders both here and abroad who stood firm to defend the Guyanese institutions and its Constitution.

“Never again shall we countenance, in our country, any attempt to deny the popular will of the people… I hope and pray that never again will our people have to endure the agonising and fearful ordeal that we suffered for five months from March 2 to August 2, 2020. Never again should the air of freedom that we breathe be poisoned by the

noxious fumes of electoral malpractice, and fraud.

Never again should our integrity as a nation be threatened by the base motives and the nefarious intrigues of those who will defy the will of the people, and subvert our democracy, and their lust for personal power.”

He said the post-March 2020 events were a historic time as citizens took a stance that the rigging of elections would not be tolerated then or in the future.

“We established with resolve that Guyana and the Guyanese people are committed to democracy and democratic principles including respect for the majority.”

“That victory was ours, ours as a people longing for peace, progress and prosperity. It was a triumph for rule of law, and democracy and ‘One Guyana’.”

The Head of State further stated that even after being unmasked for their actions to steal the elections during those five months when the country

President Irfaan Ali

was locked in an impasse and at risk of international sanctions, the culprits are still masquerading as “paragons of virtue”. “[They continue] to try to deceive and mislead the people whose hopes they dashed and whose beliefs they destroyed. They remain trapped in the failed politics of race and in the flawed policies of division, offering no new ideas, no novel vision, and no creative pathways for Guyana’s future. They have become yesterday’s shadows.”

“By contrast, over the past year, I’ve made clear by words, and by deeds, my deep and swerving commitment to One Guyana: One People, One Nation, in which all races and all persons are equal, with common rights, common entitlements and shared benefits. From the first day of my presidency, I’ve insisted on and demonstrated a firm commitment to good governance and transparency, to upholding fundamental human rights and to advancing equitable development for all.”

On March 2, the original counting of the ballots cast had proceeded smoothly and had been completed in nine (9) regions with the PPP/C in a commanding lead.

However, the tabulation of Statements of Poll (SoPs) was interrupted in District Four (DemeraraMahaica) after Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo switched from the legal procedure – which ensures transparency – whereby each SoP had to be exhibited to the stakeholders pres-

ent to enable comparison to their copies. However, Mingo diverted to a procedure where the purported numbers from the SoPs were incorporated into a consolidated spreadsheet.

This led to immediate calls for transparency from both local and international observers.

After recourse to the High Court, all the parties except APNU/AFC protested the sleight of hand that facilitated an inflation of the votes for that party.

Following a High Court’s decision, Mingo was ordered to revert to the prescribed procedure but he repeated his subterfuge in another guise and submitted totals that varied substantially from those of other parties and had the APNU/AFC ahead rather than the PPP/C. The Chairwoman of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh agreed to a recount of the all votes, which had been proposed by caretaker President David Granger and agreed to by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo after an

intervention by several Caricom leaders.

Both leaders had recommitted to accepting the results of the recount.

The recount showed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the March 2 General Elections with 233,336 votes cast in its favour. The APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes.

For the new parties, the numbers are as follows: A New and United Guyana – 2313; Change Guyana -1953; Liberty and Justice Party – 2657; People’s Republic Party – 889; The Citizenship Initiative – 680; The New Movement – 244; and the United Republican Party – 360.

In the Regional Elections, the PPP/C also won with 233,661 votes, while APNU/AFC secured 217,055 votes. Change Guyana -2607; FedUp Party – 153, Liberty and Justice Party -2935; Organisation for the Victory of the People – 448; People’s Republic Party – 927; and the United Republican Party – 1369.

President Ali recommits Govt’s support to host LGE − but says GECOM still to remove persons intricately involved in rigging attempts

GECOM Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday related that Local Government Elections (LGE) which was last held in 2018, is still on the Government’s agenda while noting that it is up to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to advise on its readiness.

The Head of State reminded that the Government had included funds for GECOM to hold LGE in the most recent budget. Indeed, a sum of $1.1 billion was allocated in the 2021 budget for the LGE, with $237.7 million set aside for printing 500,000 ballots.

“Let me be very clear that the PPP/C Government welcomes Local Government Elections. We have made the necessary budgetary provisions in the budget to facilitate Local Government Elections. However, it is the role of the Guyana Elections Commission to be in a position to run these elections,”

he said.

“It is the Guyana Elections Commission that must advise on its readiness. And as you are aware, the Commission is still dealing with a motion to remove persons who were intricately involved and part of what took place in the last National and Regional Elections,” the President also said.

At present, motions for the removal of GECOM Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, his Deputy Roxanne Myers and Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo are on the table at the Commission, waiting to be debated.

The GECOM trio was before the court for a variety of electoral fraud charges when GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj and fellow Government Commissioners Manoj Narayan and Bibi Shadick brought motions for their dismissal from

GECOM. However, Lowenfield had subsequently countered with a court case seeking to block Gunraj and Shadick from exercising their constitutional power in the motion. In his court documents, Lowenfield sought “an order restraining Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Bibi Shadick from participating as adjudicators in the hearing of the Motion for dismissal of the Applicant brought by the said Sase Ganraj and Bibi Shadick.”

He is also seeking “a declaration that the complainants, Sase Gunraj and Bibi Shadick in the Motion for Dismissal of the Applicant cannot properly participate, hear and determine their own complaint against the Applicant.”

A ruling on Lowenfield’s court case will be delivered on August 9, while an injunction granted by the High Court barring the Commission from discuss-

ing the motion is in place until then. According to Ali, it is important that GECOM has professionals in place to ensure the elections are held without a hitch.

“So be assured, we are ready. We are supportive of Local Government Elections with a transparent election machinery, with professionals in place to conduct those elections. So that we don’t experience what we did over a year ago,” Ali related.

At the last Local Government Elections in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Opposition secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs).

This followed the holding of LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs. After the 2018 LGE, GECOM spent over a year trying to get ready for snap elections that should have been held within three months

The Guyana Elections Commission

of the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government falling to a No-Confidence Motion in December 2018.

GECOM finally held General and Regional Elections on March 2, 2020.

But as if the previous delay were not enough, Guyanese were forced to wait another five months before the results could finally be declared by GECOM on

August 2, 2020, after local and international pressure.

In the aftermath of the controversial five-monthlong elections, a number of high ranking GECOM officials have been investigated by the Police and charged for misconduct in public office and forgery. Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo are among the top GECOM officials currently before the courts on electoral fraud charges.

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Appointment of top judicial posts rests on Harmon’s recognition of Govt – President Ali

Getting together…

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President Irfaan Ali

he appointment of a substantive Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice rests on Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon’s public recognition of the PPP/C Government, said President Irfaan Ali who has expressed his willingness in moving forward with the process.

The Head of State was on Monday addressing the nation on the anniversary of his Government’s first year in office.

The procedure for the appointment of Chancellor and Chief Justice are outlined in Article 127 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of Guyana.

Article 127 (1) states: “The Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition”.

Article 127 (2) states: “If the office of Chancellor or Chief Justice is vacant, or if the person holding the office of Chancellor is performing the functions of the office of President or is for any other reason unable to perform the functions of his or her office, or if the person holding the office of Chief Justice is for any reason unable to perform the functions of his or her office, then, until such a person has been appointed to and assumed the functions of such office or until the person holding such office has assumed those functions, as the case may be, those functions shall be performed by such other of the Judges as shall be appointed by the President after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition.”

Given these constitutional provisions, President Ali said, “The appointment of Chancellor and Chief Justice is a parliamentary process.

In the case of the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice, there have to be consultations directly between the President and the Leader of the Opposition.”

President Ali further stated that he knows definitively who is the Leader

Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC

of the Opposition and who is the President of Guyana and that he is sure Harmon is also aware of this. “So, the ball is in his [Harmon’s] court to do the right thing.

I am a very positive person, and I am hoping that very soon he will stop his reckless statements about the Government and do what is right in the interest of the people of Guyana.”

But Harmon and the rest of the APNU/AFC coalition continue to claim to the Government is illegitimate, and has refused to engage with it on matters of national interest. Both of the coalition’s two election petitions in which it was seeking to invalidate the results of the March 2, 2020 National Elections have been dismissed. The petitioners have now moved to the Court of Appeal in their bid to reinstate them.

“The Leader of the Opposition has still not issued any statement recognising the legitimacy of the Government, so I don’t know who I am consulting with, I know he is the Leader of the Opposition but I am not sure he knows who he is consulting with,” the Head of State pointed out.

Over the last 16 years, Guyana has failed to appoint a substantive office holder to the position of Chancellor of the Judiciary. The position of Chancellor of the Judiciary has not had a substantive office holder since 2005 - retired Judge Desiree Bernard served from 20012005 when she left to serve as a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

After then, several other Judges were appointed to act in the position including the current Chancellor, Justice Cummings-Edwards, who was sworn in by President David Granger on March 27, 2018, following the retirement of Justice Carl Singh, who was also never confirmed even after acting for a decade.

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

Justice CummingEdwards also served as acting Chief Justice from 2015-2017. After she was appointed to the helm of the Judiciary, Justice Roxane George, SC, was appointed acting Chief Justice in March 2018. Justice Ian Chang, SC, served as Guyana’s acting Chief Justice for over a decade before retiring in 2015.

The country’s inability to appoint a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice has been a cause for concern for regional bodies like the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO).

In fact, in 2018, President of the CCJ Justice Adrian Saunders had called out Guyana for the long-overdue appointments to the top judicial posts. Justice Saunders expressed that the country’s failure to make substantive judicial appointments for so long is a significant strain on the rule of law and had urged political leaders to resolve the impasse as soon as possible.

At the time, the local legal fraternity, including the Guyana Bar Association (GBA), was calling for the substantive appointments of both Justice CummingsEdwards and Justice George.

In January 2017 a panel of distinguished jurists - retired Justices Claudette Singh,

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

James Patterson, and Law Professor Harold Lutchman - had by October of that year recommended Justice Kenneth Benjamin, a Guyanese by birth, to serve as Guyana’s Chancellor.

At that time, Justice Benjamin was serving as Belize’s Chief Justice; he has since retired.

However, then-President David Granger and then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo could not agree on the appointments.

The President’s choice for Chancellor was Justice Benjamin, while his nominee for Chief Justice was Justice Cummings-Edwards. These nominees were not favourable to Jagdeo, so President Granger went ahead with the acting appointments.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, during an interview back in December 2020, said that, regrettably, some 20 years after Guyana’s Constitution was amended to facilitate the appointments of top judicial officers by the President with the agreement of the Opposition Leader, there is yet to be a substantive appointment of a Chancellor and Chief Justice.

And with consultations between Presidents and Opposition Leaders being unsuccessful over recent years, Nandlall signalled there may need to be constitutional amendments. “When we are going to consider constitutional reforms, we should consider whether we should change it again because Guyana is the only country in the Commonwealth that has this provision and we have great difficulty filling it.”

The Attorney General, nevertheless, hopes that Harmon will recognise the legitimacy of the PPP/C Government and sit with President Ali to begin constructive engagements that can see the positions being filled by confirmed appointments.

…but not singing Kumbaya his Emancipation Day, because of COVID-19, “Emancipation Day” was understandably restricted.

There were still several gatherings – notably the one sponsored by the Ministry of Culture at the 1823 Monument.

There, Prime Minister Phillips gave an impassioned address on the significance and normative implications of the Day. In a word, Descendants of Enslaved Africans must reflect – yes! – but they should also work to ensure they are truly liberated.

But once again it was clear that, as with “Indian Arrival Day” – even disguised as “Arrival Day” – the Emancipation goings-on overwhelmingly attracted only the demographic who were descended from the origin group. And this notwithstanding determined efforts by officialdom for all our “six peoples” coming out. So, it seems folks, by and large, dismiss such exhortations for togetherness as just another “Kumbaya Moment”.

And this in itself is an interesting expression that recalls an early experience with this “togetherness sentiment” that petered out. It all started back in the lowlands of coastal South Carolina and Georgia where an extraordinary set of people live. They’re descendants of West African slaves – now called “Gullahs” - -who might’ve had contact with their cohorts with the West Indies, but in any case, developed a Creole English very similar to ours. They were fairly isolated and allowed to retain much of their W African heritage because the whites left them to deal with the malaria infestation.

Be as it may, one of their spirituals had the refrain “Kumbaya”: “Somebady singin’, Lord, kumbaya… Somebady cryin’, Lord, kumbaya…Somebady prayin’, Lord, kumbaya.

The “kumbaya” was actually “kom by ya” – which, as you would know from our own Creole, means “come by here”!!

The Gullahs were pleading with the Lord to come witness their plight!! The song was sung after slavery and during the Jim Crow era. It was “cleaned up” into standard English -“Someone's crying, Lord, Kumbaya!” – picked up by Boys Scouts, continued into the Civil Rights struggle where it was picked up by White “folk singers” and became the anthem for racial justice by Americans from all backgrounds.

By the 1990s, however, with the lack of real progress in race relations and racism after all the holding of hands, singing and swaying, Kumbaya became derided. It was sneered at as a sign of naïveté and blissful unawareness of the fundamental nature of the divisions and their consequences for race relations. As one observer remarked, Kumbaya “hadn’t changed, but America had – it’s now more aware about what it’ll take to resolve real, substantive, social disagreements”.

And this brings us back to us in Guyana. Merely calling for “all Guyanese” to celebrate Emancipation Day or “Arrival Day” – much less “Indian Arrival Day” – ain’t resolving nothing!!

It’s just a Kumbaya Moment!! …after a day’s hard work In Guyana, we experienced an even more cynical attempt back in the day by the PNC to create our Kumbaya moment. This was “Mashramani” – the name given in 1970 by partisans of the PNC to the Carnival-like celebrations that developed after Independence on “Republic Day”, February 23, 1970. They concocted the name, but claimed it was an “Amerindian word” meaning “celebrating after a day’s hard work”! It was supposed to signify the Amerindian practice of “cooperativism”!! Not that Amerindians never cooperated – all tribal peoples do when they don’t have specific institutions to perform certain tasks.

Burnham, of course, had already proclaimed unilaterally: “all Guyanese” practised “co-operativism”!

Never mind Portuguese were all individual businessmen.

Never mind that in the one Chinese venture that resembled a cooperative venture – Hopetown at Kamuni Creek – the coal was produced by individual families!! Indian indentured servants saved and bought estates or plots of land individually!!

And even the co-ops Burnham funded in his constituency all failed.

Yet Kumbaya survives! …on fighting COVID-19 If there’s one activity your Eyewitness thought we’d have a sincere Kumbaya Moment was to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sadly, even here the Opposition’s been lukewarm at best – and hostile at worse.

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

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Regional Joint Support Team being equipped to combat crime − only criminals have anything to fear from team – Ali

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The Regional Joint Support Team is being equipped

he Regional Joint Support Team that was budgeted for in supplemental provisions in June, is currently being outfitted. In fact, one unit from the team has even gone active and according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, only the criminals have anything to fear from the establishment of this team.

The President made this pronouncement during a press conference on Monday. He made it clear that these regional support units are a critical part of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government’s efforts to strengthen its regional approach to crime.

The parliamentary Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) has been vocal in its criticism of the setting up of the Regional Joint Support Team. But according to Ali, all the political parties

promised on the campaign trail to regionalise crime fighting. The setting up of the Joint Support Team happens to be in line with the PPP/C’s own promises.

“Like all the political parties promised, regionalisation of crime fighting is important. And the nature of crime itself is changing.

And as the country grows and becomes richer and more sophisticated, the type of crimes will also become more sophisticated. That is why we have these regional integrated crime fighting units, that are fused together with officers from varied agencies with different skillsets,” President Ali explained.

“So that you can have a combined approach with intelligence sharing, crime fighting and rapid response.

In any situation. Now who would not want this? The only people who would reject this are persons who

want to facilitate those crimes. The only people who would reject a stronger, more integrated approach to crime fighting, are persons who find some amount of romance with crime.”

Back in June, the Government was granted approval for $700 million for the Joint Support Team under the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) as part of the over $23 billion in supplemental funds it had gone to the National Assembly for.

Ali said that these monies are currently being spent operationalising the units.

“The units, as you are aware, are presently being outfitted. We have budgeted resources to bring them into operation. So, the operation of the unit, I know for example in Region Four, one of the units has already been part of the support mechanism with the Guyana Police Force. So, the operationalising of the unit will come sequentially as we are in the process of outfitting and equipping the units.”

The President also sought to assuage concern that the Regional Joint Support Teams might end up becoming parallel to or rivalling the functions of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). He noted that the Police Force is actively involved in this Regional Support Team.

“The Regional Joint Support Team cannot and will never be parallel to the Guyana Police Force.

The difference is that now you have a broadened in-

ter agency unit that will assist in crime fighting. It is not parallel; it is not separate. It is part of. The agency has officers from intelligence agencies, from drug

enforcement, from Police, from Joint Services.”

“It is an integrated approach. It brings varied skillsets, together. The unit is and will be highly

trained, to respond to various security challenges.

We have to build our capacity and that is what is being done here,” President Ali said.

10 NEWS 3 convicted drug mules wanted by CANU TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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Wanted: Marsha De Caires, Jason Dhanpat and Kevin Gordon

he Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) is seeking the public’s assistance in locating three persons - two men and a woman who were jailed in absentia for drug trafficking.

Commitment warrants have since been issued for Jason Dhanpat of Theatre Alley, New Amsterdam, Berbice; Kevin Gordon of Jib Housing Scheme, Charity, Essequibo Coast, and Marsha De Caires, 29, of Happy Acres, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

On July 22, Magistrate Peter Hugh found Dhanpat

guilty of trafficking 255 pounds of marijuana following a trial at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court.

Dhanpat was sentenced to two years and seven months’ imprisonment in his absence.

Dhanpat was among four men who were arrested by Police following the discovery of the illicit substance in bags in a wooden vessel and taxi at Hope/ Nooten Zuil, Lowland, ECD, on July 28, 2018.

Meanwhile, Gordon and another man were held over the discovery of 210 pounds of cocaine on a boat in the

Pomeroon River, Essequibo, on July 17, 2017. CANU in a statement had said Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guards were on patrol when they intercepted the vessel offshore.

After a trial on June 22, 2020, at the Charity Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Esther Sam found Gordon guilty of the offence. She sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment, along with a fine of $99,701,700, in his absence.

Finally, 29-year-old De Caires, who was charged with trafficking 3.770 kilograms of cocaine was found

guilty of the offence on July 6, 2017. She was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in her absence and fined $10.7 million by Magistrate Alisha George presiding at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts.

It was reported that De Caires met with someone who linked her with a male associate. They arranged for her to traffic the cocaine to Barbados for some US$2000.

On March 26, 2015, she was arrested while boarding a LIAT plane to Barbados at the Eugene F Correia Airport, when a CANU officer found four packets containing the illegal substance in her luggage.

Meanwhile, anyone with information about the whereabouts of the three convicted drug traffickers is being asked to contact CANU headquarters on 227-3507/226-0431 or the nearest Police station. All information will be treated with the strictest of confidence.

Hairdresser, make-up artist allegedly rob several during wedding ceremony

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make-up artist, a hair dresser and a taxi driver were arrested on Sunday evening after they reportedly robbed several persons at a wedding at La Union, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

The victims are a 49-yearold painter of La Union, WCD, a 29-year-old carpenter of Linden, a 28-year-old Barbadian national, a 24-yearold male of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, a 53-yearold businessman, of La Union, WCD, and a 30-year-old USbased female.

Police stated that on the day in question between 15:00h and 18:00h at La Union, WCD, the victims were robbed by the three individuals.

The victims were robbed of two Samsung A52 cellular phones, two Samsung S8 cellular phones, one G Shock watch, one gold chain, one silver chain, BAR $600, one Apple Watch, one Samsung S9 cell phone and US$275.

Investigations revealed that the victims who are all relatives were staying at the same address with their personal belongings in different rooms. At the time of the incident, they were attending a wedding ceremony of another relative.

During the celebrations at about 15:00h, the victims and other family members went to the groom’s residence at Stewartville, WCD, and returned home at about 16:20h.

However, about 20 minutes later, the hairdresser and make-up artist left the home.

At about 18:00h, the victims went to their rooms where they observed the articles missing.

Soon after realising that they were robbed, the two suspects along with their taxi driver were invited back to the home where they were arrested.

They were taken to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station where they were interrogated as investigations continue.

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Guyana to introduce vaccine requirements for arriving passengers

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ountries around the world have taken a stance to introduce COVID-19 vaccine requirements in order for foreigners to gain entry, and Guyana will soon follow suit.

During his presidential briefing to the nation on Monday, President Irfaan Ali shared that the pandemic has proven to be a fierce battle for Governments globally – all of whom are grappling to protect their population.

Recently, a decision was also taken at the level of the Caricom Heads of Government meeting, where persons within the region are allowed to travel freely regardless of which vaccine they are adminis-

tered with. Only Trinidad and Tobago had opposed this position. But Ali said a holistic decision is in the pipeline for international travel.

“This is not an easy battle and any decision you make in this battle has elements of risk. You just have to measure those elements of risk and make the best possible decision in the holistic interest of the country. Yes, vaccination requirement will be put in place like many other countries for persons arriving in Guyana. For a matter of fact, Caricom at the last Heads of Government meeting took a united position on this that for Caricom nationals – Trinidad and

23-year-old man drowns during outing with friends

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wenty-three-yearold Stephen Wayne Major of Self-Help Scheme, Amelia’s Ward, Linden, was pronounced dead moments after he was pulled from the water at Buck Town Christianburg, Wismar. The now dead man had gone to the location on an outing with friends on Monday.

Police stated that on the

day in question at about 13:00h, the victim and his friends went to Buck Town to hangout and swim.

“Upon arrival, they began consuming alcohol, after which they went into the water, whilst the deceased went around the koker area in the water and it appeared that he was doing stunts in the water by throwing himself in the wa-

ter and coming back up as though he was plunging down in the water and was raising up back,” the Police stated.

However, according to an eyewitness, Major went under the water for about two minutes and resurfaced a short distance away from the koker front. As such, one of the men attempted to rescue him but failed due to the strong water current.

Five other men who were present went into the water and managed to pull him to shore in an unconscious state. CPR was conducted on him but he failed to regain consciousness.

Major was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body is at the mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Tobago did not agree with this component of it – but Caricom leaders said that any regional national will be allowed into any country in the region regardless of which vaccines they took,” said Ali. Just last week, Government made a decision that non-Guyanese passengers travelling from Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana, with the exception of children, should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be allowed entry into the country. The gazetted document, published as of July 23, 2021, was signed by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill.

However, generally, Guyana accepts a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within 72

hours prior to arrival.

The Head of State’s announcement comes as authorities advance efforts to raise local vaccination numbers in order to reach herd immunity. Addressing immunisation numbers, he reiterated that an unvaccinated population creates risks for the country and moreover, the economy.

“For me, nothing can be excellent if one life is lost.

That is why I’m so impatient when it comes to the vaccination programme because I am aware of the impact of COVID on the economy and country if people are not vaccinated. That is what worries me. In the context of what is happening around us and the development of this virus and the modelling of the virus…

we have done the best we could under the circumstances.”

As it pertains to immunising children, he said that Government is still trying to secure Pfizer shots. On that same note, Ali asserted that children cannot be exposed to unvaccinated teachers.

He expressed, “I think teachers have the greatest responsibility to lead and I’m hoping they provide that leadership and that they get vaccinated. We surely cannot expose the children to unvaccinated teachers.”

Reflecting on the past year and managing the pandemic in Guyana, it was pointed out that the PPP/C Administration has invested billions of dollars and other resources to detect, treat, monitor and prevent a surge in infections. This is despite inheriting the sector when little was done to manage COVID-19.

“When we came into Government, we did not have a COVID facility. We had to invest resources in bringing the Ocean View facility into operation. We pursued the vaccination; we pursued a strategy from the management for COVID. Now look at what our position is compared to many others. I am not going to name any country. I am not going to name any region. Many healthcare professionals regionally and internationally have said to us that we have done, in their own words, an excellent job.”

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30-year-old woman is latest COVID victim …84,800 doses AstraZeneca vaccines arrive from UK

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he Health Ministry on Monday announced that a 30-year-old woman from Region Four is Guyana’s most recent COVID-19 victim.

She reportedly died on August 1 while receiving medical attention at one of the healthcare facilities.

With her death, the country’s death toll has reached 547. On Sunday, the Ministry announced that five more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have died. They all passed away in the latter part of July.

However, along with the one death on Monday, 22 new

cases were recorded thus taking the confirmed positive cases to 22,619.

New statistics showed that 12 patients remain in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 90 in institutional isolation, 749 in home isolation and two in institutional quarantine.

In total, 21,221 persons have recovered completely while 227,672 individuals were tested – of which 11,016 males and 11,603 females were positive.

An analysis showed two new cases in Region One (Barima-Waini); five in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); 12

High Commissioner Jane Miller and Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony with other representatives as the vaccines arrived The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines donated by the UK Government

in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); one in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and two in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

Cases in Regions Two ( Pomer o on- Supenaa m), Five (Demerara-Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) did not increase.

Vaccine arrival

Meanwhile, the 84,800 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, which were promised by the United Kingdom Government landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Monday.

British High Commissioner Jane Miller and Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony were present with other officials to receive the donation which will aid in the continuation of Guyana’s

vaccination administration nationwide.

These jabs were manufactured by Oxford Biomedica in Oxford and packaged in Wrexham, North Wales.

Last Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had announced that the doses reserved for Guyana are from the first batch of 100 million which the UK pledged in order to vaccinate poorer parts of the world urgently.

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Another child rapist appeals life sentence

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n appeal filed by convicted child rapist Mark Campbell is among the cases that will be heard by the Court of Appeal this month. Campbell, who is currently serving two life sentences for raping underage boys, has now moved to the appellate court to have his conviction and sentence overturned.

In 2018, he pleaded guilty to raping a five-year-old boy and was sentenced to life. His eligibility for parole was set at 30 years. The offence was committed on April 16, 2013, in a community in Demerara. The young boy’s mother had left him in the care of Campbell.

Meanwhile, in October

2017, Campbell was handed a similar sentence after he was convicted by a jury of raping one of his underage male family members. The boy was seven and eight when he was violated, in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

He was previously acquitted on one count of sexual activity with a child family member. On another count of the same charge, the jury was unable to arrive at a verdict, and as such a mistrial was declared.

The incidents allegedly occurred in the county of Demerara during September 2011 and July 2013 when the child was three and five years old, respectively.

Child rapist: Mark Campbell

30-year-old woman is...

FROM PAGE 12

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD AUGUST 3 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

22

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

90

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

749 12

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

2

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

11,603

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

11,016

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

22,619

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

21,221

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

246,716

FULLY IMMUNISED

130,429

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

547

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1304

REGION 2

639

REGION 3

2567

REGION 4

10,144

REGION 5

764

REGION 6

1900

REGION 7

1280

REGION 8

380

REGION 9

2095

REGION 10

1546

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

The UK Government said on its website that at least 80 million of the 100 million doses will go to COVAX, with the rest going to countries directly.

“The donations will help meet the pledge that G7 leaders made to vaccinate the world and end the pandemic in 2022. This week’s deployment will help meet the urgent need for vaccines from countries around the world, including in Africa, South East Asia and the Caribbean. These regions are experiencing high levels of COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths.”

Apart from Guyana, agreements were signed with Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Cambodia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand and Vietnam – amounting to some four million doses.

Foreign Secretary Raab was quoted as saying, “The

UK is sending nine million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, the first batch of the 100 million doses we’ve pledged, to get the most vulnerable parts of the world vaccinated as a matter of urgency…We’re doing this to help the most vulnerable, but also because we know we won’t be safe until everyone is safe.”

In the local vaccination campaign, Guyana is using the AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sputnik V jabs to inoculate people. Some 62,400 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccines have already been delivered through COVAX, with more to arrive in the near future until 20 per cent of the population is covered.

This month, a shipment of Johnson and Johnson vaccines is expected to arrive – a State purchase of 150,000 single-dose vaccines through a partnership agreement between the African Union and the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

From the 400,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines purchased

by Government from Dubai, over 300,000 doses have arrived. Second doses have been arriving in smaller batches owing the rise of variants and surging cases in other parts of the world. The Health Minister had recently said that efforts are in place to secure more second doses soon.

To ensure sufficient supplies, Government has held bilateral discussions with countries, namely India, China, Russia, the US, the EU, Kuwait and the UAE. In addition, Guyana had bilateral talks with manufacturers AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, Sinopharm, Covaxin, Russian Direct Investment Fund. There were discussions with several multilateral organisations, including the Organisation of the Islamic States, the African Union/Caricom initiative and COVAX.

14 NEWS Petroleum Commission will be operationalised by year end TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

− Govt in final stages of laying local content legislation in Parliament

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he Petroleum Commission, an important component of managing Guyana’s oil and gas sector, is yet to be operationalised despite oil being discovered since 2015.

But the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government is aiming to change this by year end.

This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, who noted that the Government would have liked to have been able to operationalise the Commission before Parliament goes into recess.

Parliament usually goes into recess from August 10 for one month during which no sittings are held unless there is a special reason for doing so. However, the President assured that the

Petroleum Commission will be established by year end.

“In terms of the Petroleum Commission… I would have liked to complete this task before Parliament went into recess. But as you are aware we are in the final stages of having the local content legislation laid in Parliament. And the Local Content Policy itself, which is important. By the end of this year, our plan is to have the Petroleum Commission established,” he reiterated.

Last month, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat had said that amendments are still being made to the Petroleum Commission Bill, and that the greenlight will soon be given for this document to be re-tabled in the National

Assembly.

He had further explained that several faulty sections of the bill are being amended which will also remove the overarching power which the Minister with responsibility for petroleum was given to cause disruption at any time.

“At that time, our objection to the Petroleum Commission Bill was that it gives the Minister with responsibility for petroleum too much power. The Minister could possibly usurp the authority of the Commission at any point in time. That is when we were in Opposition.”

“Now we’re in Government, we don’t want to be hypocritical. Our position remains the same. The

Minister with responsibility for petroleum should not have that kind of power…

The AG chamber has been working on this to ensure that we have those amendments made and hopefully, we’ll re-table it sometime soon,” he had said.

The Petroleum Commission Bill was initially tabled back in 2017 by then Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman during the 11th Parliament.

It was to be taken to a Special Select Committee at a later sitting after its second reading. However, it was yet to be passed when the current Government took office last year.

After taking office in August 2020, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had indicated that several moves were being made immediately to ensure that the oil and gas sector is effectively managed; and this includes putting skilled persons at the helm of the Commission.

When it comes to the Local Content Policy, the Natural Resources Ministry had concluded a series of strategic engagements with various stakeholders on the revised draft Local Content

Almost two years after Guyana first began producing oil, the country is still without a Petroleum Commission

Policy back in April. Much attention has been paid to the Local Content Policy, since this policy initiative would provide for Guyanese to play a greater role in the advancement of the petroleum sector.

The revised policy document seeks to put into con-

text the current and evolving state of Guyana’s oil and gas sector, and to enable an improved level of local business participation therein through addition of value, access to opportunities, and capacity building for Guyanese within the energy sector.

Schlumberger seeking EoIs to extend integrated lab facility in Guyana

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il field services company Schlumberger plans to upgrade its Fluids Laboratory in Guyana to improve overall efficiency and service delivery.

This is according to an advertisement placed in the local press requesting the submission of Expressions of Interest (EoIs). The facility is located at the Houston Port on the East Bank of Demerara, on the outskirts of Georgetown.

The successful contractor will be required to modify Level 1 of an existing three-storey building and provide construction services, and technical support associated with the construction of the laboratory

according to the provided guidelines.

Managing Director of Schlumberger’s Guyana, Trinidad & Caribbean GeoUnit (GTC), Ernesto Cuadros told OilNOW that currently, the Drilling Fluids and Cementing Laboratories are containerised, each having a standalone setup and operating at maximum capacity. And with the existing setup, it is extremely difficult to introduce additional personnel or equipment into the laboratories without impacting safety, efficiency and workflow.

Cuadros explained that to prepare for anticipated growth in the region, the company has decided to in-

tegrate the two separate labs into a single, shared space. He said this would facilitate the sharing of assets such as equipment, personnel, and workspace, to improve efficiency and service delivery.

A d d i t i o n a l l y , Schlumberger continues to pursue an aggressive local content development plan to identify and utilise local talent in its value chain. In this regard, Cuadros told OilNOW that the company is looking to source local Guyanese contractors to provide the general construction services for the project.

In this regard, he revealed that approximately 15 to 20 local contractors would be hired to complete the scope of works.

This would include “sourcing materials, electrical, plumbing, HVAC installation, as well as support in installation of laboratory equipment as per equipment manufacturer guidelines.”

Further, Cuadros stated that the project is budgeted to return approximately US$500,000 – US$750,000 into the local economy.

Schlumberger describes itself as the world’s leading provider of technology for reservoir characterisation, drilling, production, and processing to the oil and gas industry.

It is present in more than 85 countries and employs approximately 100,000 people who represent over 140 nationalities. (OilNOW)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Flood relief distribution to commence this week – President Ali ministration regions.

Approximately 52,000 households were affected in categories of homestead farmers, kitchen gardens, and households exclusive of farms/gardens.

In these categories, the Head of State noted, farmers within the context of a homestead would receive $100,000 each, those with kitchen gardens will receive $50,000 each and households excluding homestead and kitchen garden will receive 50,000 each.

The President explained

President Ali visiting a flooded section of Region Five back in June

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ays after his Government announced a comprehensive relief package to flood-affected Guyanese, President Dr Irfaan Ali said disbursement will commence this week and run until every affected person receives assistance.

“Saturday, I made this announcement. The machinery is already in place.

As you’re aware, there was a very comprehensive field exercise across the country that recorded those who are affected. So, the database is there with the CDC, the Ministry of Agriculture other sectors, the authorities on the ground and that help will be rolled out in the coming week and beyond,” the President said.

President Ali made the statement at a press conference to commemorate his Government’s first year in office.

Since taking office, the Ali Administration has

been faced with a number of challenges along with battling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the heavier than normal rainfall that resulted in the flooding is a clear sign of the disastrous effects of climate change.

“All of this has threatened the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of our people and placed an enormous strain on our economy. We did not create these challenges, but we confronted them. We did all this while reengineering broken systems and introduce new innovative approaches.

This is a style and manner, not to wring our hands in lamentation, not to be paralysed in an action, or the tackle problems vigorously by finding the best solutions, and implementing them strictly and comprehensively,” President Ali related.

Between May and June this year, heavy rains re-

sulted in widespread flooding across the country, affecting thousands of households. The devastation includes submerged buildings and vehicles with adverse effects on crops, livestock and health.

It has been noted that the rainfall experienced in May alone was recorded as the second highest level of rainfall across the country in the last 40 years. All 10 administrative regions in Guyana experienced varied levels of flooding, prompting Government to roll out immediate responses such as evacuation of those most at risk and flood assistance.

On Saturday, following intense fieldwork, the President said 52,000 households were affected by the torrential rains and flooding that beset Guyana earlier this year and announced several billion dollars in relief assistance for citizens and farmers who were affected in all 10 ad-

that the combined assistance to homestead farmers, kitchen gardens and households for these categories will be in excess of $3.5 billion. He acknowledged that whilst some largescale farmers were severely affected, especially in the rice and poultry sectors, the ceiling of assistance will not exceed $10 million for individual farmers.

With regards to the rice sector, where 50,000 acres of farmlands and 2000 farmers were directly affected, Ali announced that farm-

ers with harvest ready rice that were destroyed will receive $80,000 per acre and rice sowed and lost in the autumn crop, these farmers will receive $65,000 per acre.

For land that was completely prepared but was not sowed, $45,000 per acre would be given to these farmers. In addition, to this support, 60,000 bags of seed paddy would be made available. The combined assistance in these four categories would be in excess of $3.2 billion.

16 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CIOG congratulates Govt Flood assistance will help rice farmers out of on 1st year achievements disaster – RPA President − 50,000 acres of rice lands affected by floods

RPA President Leakha Rambrich

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he recently announced financial assistance and other support for farmers, especially those in the rice sector will go a long way in helping revive these individuals from the devastating losses that they incurred from the recent floods.

This is according to President of the Rice Producers Association (RPA) Leakha Rambrich, who lauded the Government’s multibillion-dollar relief package for flood-affected farmers across Guyana. On Saturday, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced more than $7 billion in financial assistance to various categories of workers with a large chunk of the monies going towards the rice industry along with other support measures such as paddy seeds for planting new crops and drainage and irrigation works.

In reaction to this, the RPA President said these reliefs are welcomed and will benefit in excess of 2000 rice farmers across the country who have suffered losses due to the unprecedented floods that affected an approximate 50,000 acres of farmlands in all 10 regions in Guyana.

“I think this is a significant help to farmers, which will help rice farmers in a long way to sustain themselves and their families until they are able to go back into the next crop,” he stated.

According to Rambrich, that process will be greatly assisted with the 60,000 bags of paddy seeds that will be distributed ahead of the next crop to enable farmers to go back into the fields.

“We are hoping that [with] this assistance, farmers will make much out of it. And I want to, on behalf of the RPA, thank the Government and the President for this great initiative. The step that they have taken is indeed a great move to help and to bring farmers out of this di-

saster that they have faced.

As you all have known that flood has had a severe impact on the lives of all the farmers throughout this country,” the RPA Head noted.

Rambrich went on to outline that while almost all of the various economic sectors in Guyana were impacted by the floods, the agriculture sector was the most impacted with most if not all crops destroyed and livestock lost.

The PRA President disclosed that throughout the country, only 56 per cent of the lands were cultivated, while in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) farmers were only able to cultivate 60 per cent of the lands.

cent of the available acres in the country then approximately 232,000 bags of paddy seeds would be needed. The 60,000 bags that the Government will be distributing across the country only accounts for about 20 per cent of this.

Meanwhile, for the 65,000 acres in the East Berbice-Corentyne region, a corresponding 65,000 bags of paddy seeds would be needed. Similarly, some 110,000 bags of paddy seeds would be needed to fully cultivate the 110,000 acres of farmlands in the Mahaica-Berbice region.

Only Monday, President Ali disclosed during a press conference to mark his oneyear anniversary in of-

Members of Cabinet

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he Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana has commended the Ali-led Administration for the range of measures aimed at mitigating the devastation caused by the recent flooding across Guyana.

Full statement below:

Region Five farmer Dhanraj Persaud lost 220 acres of harvestready rice to the devastating floods

He added that Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica) were not heavily impacted by the floods.

As such, majority of the assistance especially for rice farmers would go towards farmers in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice Corentyne).

“The 20 per cent seed paddy that Government will be giving to farmers is a significant contribution to the industry. I feel that with that 20 per cent intervention and with the acreage that has been cultivated... the seed paddy that will be given will target the farmers who suffered losses… But Region Five and Region Six are the two regions that are highly affected. So that paddy will actually be coming to areas where it is more needed,” the PRA President pointed out.

However, one bag of seed paddy is needed to cultivate one acre of rice.

With this in mind, Rambrich explained that in order to cultivate 100 per

fice that the distribution of the flood relief would commence later this week.

The financial assistance announced Saturday will see more than $3.2 billion going to rice farmers alone.

Farmers will get $80,000 per acre for rice that was ready to harvest but was lost in the floods; $65,000 per acre for rice sowed and lost in the autumn crops; and $45,000 per acre for land that was completely prepared but was not sowed.

Combined assistance for homestead farmers, kitchen gardens and households totalled $3.5 billion, while another $600 million will be directed towards the livestock industry benefitting subsistence, small, medium and large-scale farmers.

In addition, $500 million was earmarked for a series of works and services to be done by the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority.

However, it was announced that whilst some large rice and poultry farmers were affected by the floods, the assistance to individual farmers would not exceed $10 million.

It is well known that real leaders are those that are forged in crisis. As Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School Nancy Koehn asserts “real leaders are not born; the ability to help others triumph over adversity is not written into their genetic code. They are, instead, made.

On this day, one year since His Excellency’s formal ascension to office it is critical to contextualize what was endured during this period making him the leader he is today. By March 3rd, 2020, it was known and verified locally and internationally that Dr Irfaan Ali was Guyana’s new President.

What followed is testimony of the faith, fortitude and pa-

tience of the man.

Thereafter Dr Ali endured the derailing of the electoral machinery and the obliterating of the country’s democratic credentials. These issues were complimented by his personal trials. Nevertheless, His Excellency, forged in crisis, stayed the course.

Immediately, upon ascending Office in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the greatest global crisis challenge of our time, relief measures were announced, thousands of scholarships were made available for Guyanese, cash grants for students were announced and a couple of days ago flood relief measures have been announced. The benefits to the economy with these kinds of economic stimulants are well known and documented, what is often lost in the discourse is the real and tangible benefits that reach the ordinary people.

As one who has never been enamoured with the trappings of office, His Excellency Dr Ali has a clear apprecia-

tion for a people-oriented approach to governance which has been demonstrated in his interactions with leaders and ordinary folk alike.

This style of leadership has transcended to the Ministers of Government where their interactions and approach to citizens suggests that we are well on the way in realising and fulfilling our motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”

In announcing the flood relief measures that will benefit many households across Guyana, CIOG sees in His Excellency a style of leadership that is determined by his blend of personal humility and unparalleled will to lead others in service of a cause bigger than himself. This is leadership with Ihsaan - excellence.

The CIOG reiterates its support for His Excellency the President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his Administration, and we pray for your every success as you fulfil your duty to serve, guide, and protect all the people of Guyana.

Man dies 1 week after being chopped, stabbed

Murder suspect: Rochine Maison

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ne week after he was chopped to his head and arm after he intervened in an argument between a woman

and another man, 36-yearold Keno Griffith of Old Kara Kara, Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), has succumbed to his injuries.

He reportedly died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital in the wee hours of Monday.

It was reported that the suspect, 26-year-old Rochine Maison, and a female resident had a misunderstanding during which the man allegedly squeezed her breast. In retaliation, the woman spat on the suspect and as such, he got angry and threw a bucket of water on her.

Upon seeing the commotion, Griffith went to the woman’s assistance, thus leading to a heated argu-

ment between the now dead man and Maison. The argument, however, turned physical and it was at that time, the suspect armed himself with a cutlass and dealt Griffith one chop to his arm and one to his head.

He was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was examined, treated and admitted a patient in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, after committing the act, the suspect turned up at the Linden Police Station to report the matter and instead, he was arrested.

Maison was later slapped with an attempted murder charge. Now that Griffith has passed, the case file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Russia says US asked 24 of its US leaders, health officials urge COVID jabs diplomats to leave by Sept 3 R amid surge in cases

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ith COVID-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths rising across the United States over the past week – spurred largely by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant – leaders in several states are renewing their efforts to encourage residents to get jabs.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday urged businesses to turn away unvaccinated customers. “If you are unvaccinated, the Delta variant should be a major concern to you and you should be worried about it,” Cuomo said during a briefing.

Transport workers in New York and hospital, nursing home, and jail employees in New Jersey will be required to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing, Governors in those states also have announced.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Denver, Colorado, said inoculations would be mandatory for the city’s 11,000 employees, while Louisiana will require masks indoors across the state starting on August 4.

A recent increase in coronavirus infections in the US, particularly in states with low vaccina-

A 10-year-old child gets a swab test from a healthcare worker at a COVID-19 mobile testing site in Florida, one of several low vaccination states where the Delta variant is surging in the United States [Octavio Jones/Reuters]

tion rates, has prompted warnings from public health experts and calls for more Americans to get jabs, which are widely available in the country.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr Rochelle Walensky told reporters that as of July 31 there were 72,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in the US. That is up from an average of 57,000 daily infections the prior week.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, warned on Sunday that the country was looking at “some pain and suf-

fering in the future because we’re seeing the cases go up”, adding that “the solution to this is get vaccinated”.

Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, has flu-like symptoms and will be self-quarantining for 10 days.

“I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse,” Graham, 66, wrote on Twitter. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

UK and Iran summon diplomats after tanker attack

The Mercer Street was attacked off the coast of Oman, and two on board were killed

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he United Kingdom and Iran have summoned each other’s diplomats in a row over last week’s deadly attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman.

The UK, US and Israel blame Iran for the attack, in which two crew members – a Briton and a Romanian – were killed.

Tensions are high between Israel and Iran and each has regularly accused the other of targeting shipping in the region.

Iran dismissed accusations it was behind the latest attack as baseless.

On Monday, the UK summoned Iran’s Ambassador over what the British Government called the “un-

lawful attack”.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Iran should “face up to the consequences of what they’ve done”, calling the incident an “an unacceptable and outrageous attack on commercial shipping”.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was consulting with the UK, Israel and Romania and there would be a “collective response”.

Iran summoned the British Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran as well as Romania’s top envoy to protest against the accusations made against Iran.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, warned that

Iran would not hesitate in defending its national interests and would respond to any “possible adventurism”.

He said allegations that Iran was responsible “were contradictory, false and provocative”.

Both the US and UK said a drone was used in the attack on the <<<MT Mercer Street>>>, which is managed by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime.

The tanker had been travelling in the northern Indian Ocean to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Although there have been a spate of attacks on both Israeli- and Iranianoperated vessels, casualties are rare.

Analysts see the attack as typical of the ongoing “shadow war” between the two fierce rivals. Earlier in the year, Iran accused Israel of an attack on a key nuclear site.

British Police have opened an enquiry into the death of the British man killed. He has not yet been identified, but was working as a security guard on board. (Excerpt from BBC News)

ussia’s Ambassador to the United States said Washington had asked 24 Russian diplomats to leave the country by September 3 after their visas expire, heightening tensions between the two countries.

In an interview with the National Interest magazine published on Sunday, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov did not say whether the US action was prompted by a particular dispute. He said nearly all would be leaving without replacements “because Washington has abruptly tightened visa issuing procedures”.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price,

responding to the comments, said on Monday that Washington was not using Russian diplomats’ visas to retaliate against Moscow.

He said the Ambassador’s characterisation was “not accurate”.

Price did not dispute the fact the Russian diplomats would have to leave the United States and said it was “nothing new” that Russians have to apply for an extension to their visas after three years. Those applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Moscow and Washington have long differed over a range of issues, and ties slumped further after US President Joe Biden said he believed Russian President

Vladimir Putin was a killer.

Tensions somewhat eased after Biden met Putin for talks on June 16, which even led to the return of some foreign investors’ money into Russian Government bonds.

But Russia from this month banned the US Embassy in Moscow from retaining, hiring or contracting Russian or third-country staff, except for guards, forcing the mission to let go 182 employees and dozens of contractors, the State Department said on Friday.

“We reserve the right to take appropriate response measures to Russia’s actions,” Price said during a regular briefing on Monday.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

8 more people lost to COVID-19, 109 new cases in T&T

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rinidad and Tobago has lost another eight lives to COVID-19, according to the latest update from the Health Ministry on Monday.

The Ministry also notes that these latest deaths have pushed up the national death toll to 1092 lives lost.

And another 109 people have tested positive for the disease, based on samples taken between July 29 and August 1, 2021. The Ministry also confirms that there are 5818 active cases of COVID-19 in the country.

Meanwhile, the national vaccination drive continues apace, as currently, some 195,086 people in the country are fully vaccinated, having received two doses of

a COVID-19 vaccine—either Sinopharm or AstraZeneca – inching closer to the 200,000 mark.

In addition, some 395,743 people have received their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, as of Sunday, the Ministry’s update reports.

The Health Ministry also notes in its update: 314 persons are still hospitalised

for COVID-19; no change from Sunday; 5306 persons are in home self-isolation; down from 5390 patients on Sunday; 165 persons are in State quarantine facilities; down from 172 patients on Sunday and 89 patients are now recovering in step-down facilities; up from 82 patients on Sunday. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Head of Belarusian group missing in Kyiv

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he head of an organisation helping Belarusians fleeing abroad has gone missing in Ukraine.

Vitaly Shishov, head of the Kyiv-based Belarusian House in Ukraine, was reported missing by his partner after failing to return from a jog, Reuters news agency quoted police as saying.

His organisation said a search of the area in which Shishov normally ran had failed to find any sign of him.

Many Belarusians have left the country after a violent crackdown last year.

Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania in particular have become favoured destinations for those fleeing persecution following a disputed presidential election in Belarus in August 2020.

Friends of Shishov reported that he had been followed recently, Belarusian

Vitaly Shishov went missing in the Ukranian capital Kyiv

Journalist Tadeusz Gizcan said in a tweet on Monday.

He added that Ukranian border forces had been made aware of the case.

The Belarusian House in Ukraine provides support to new arrivals in finding accommodation, jobs and legal advice, its website says.

The news comes the same day as a Belarusian athlete competing in the Tokyo Olympics was granted a humanitarian visa from Poland after refusing her team’s order to fly home

early.

Sprinter Krystina Timanovskaya, 24, said she had forcibly taken to the airport for criticising coaches, and voiced fears for her safety.

Earlier this year, there was an international outcry over the detention of opposition Belarusian Journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend, after the Ryanair plane they were travelling on was forced to land in the country. (Excerpt from BBC News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

Regional

EU sanctions 8 Nicaraguan officials Latin America’s resurgent left and amid wide-reaching crackdown Caribbean spurn US policy on Cuba

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he European Union has imposed sanctions on eight Nicaraguan officials, including Rosario Murillo, the country’s Vice President and wife of President Daniel Ortega, amid a crackdown on Opposition Leaders and presidential hopefuls in the Central American nation.

The Council of the EU said Monday’s sanctions bring to 14 the number of Nicaraguans now blacklisted by the bloc, held “responsible for serious human rights violations in Nicaragua and/or whose actions undermined democracy or the rule of law”.

The curbs prohibit travel and transit in the EU for those targeted, a freeze on any EU-based assets and a ban on EU businesses or citizens from doing business with them. One of Ortega’s sons was also sanctioned.

“The political situation in Nicaragua has further deteriorated in recent months,” the council said in a state-

Rosario Murillo (left), the country’s vice president and wife of President Daniel Ortega (right), is among eight Nicaraguan officials sanctioned by the European Union on August 2 [File: Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters]

ment.

“The political use of the judicial system, the exclusion of candidates from the elections and the arbitrary delisting of Opposition parties are contrary to basic democratic principles and constitute a serious violation of the rights of the Nicaraguan people.”

Since early June, Ortega’s Government has overseen a wave of arrests of

Opposition figures and presidential hopefuls ahead of elections in November.

The longtime leader’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party confirmed on Monday afternoon that the 75-yearold would seek a fourth consecutive presidential term in the November 7 contest, with Murillo again his running mate. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mexico’s referendum on trying former Presidents falls short

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referendum backed

by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on whether to investigate Mexico’s former political leaders has fallen short of the required turnout though it had overwhelming backing from those who voted, initial results showed on Monday.

Mexico’s National Electoral Institute said that, according to a preliminary count of nearly 99 per cent of ballots, 97.7 per cent of participants supported the proposal of putting the decisions of previous political leaders under investigation.

Still, turnout for the referendum was just over seven per cent, far below the 40 per cent threshold set to

make it binding.

Speaking at his regular news conference, Lopez Obrador said he was pleased with the outcome, arguing it marked the start of a practice that would become a “habit” for Mexican voters.

He added that he would press ahead with plans to hold a referendum in March on whether he should stay in office until the end of his term, which is due to conclude on September 30, 2024.

Al Jazeera correspondent John Holman, reporting from Mexico City, said it was difficult to determine exactly what Lopez Obrador wanted out of the referendum.

“This huge referen-

dum, possibly five ex-Presidents that could be investigated and then prosecuted, and then [it] turned out to be a bit of a damp squib,” Holman said.

Lopez Obrador has used plebiscites to overturn decisions by past governments, including major infrastructure investments such as a partly-built new Mexico City airport.

The leftist leader has blamed former Presidents Carlos Salinas, Ernesto Zedillo, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderon and Enrique Pena Nieto, whose Administrations extended from 1988 to 2018, for fuelling corruption, inequality, and violence in Mexico.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

he United States doubled down on its tough stance and sanctions on Cuba after historic protests in the Communist-run island last month and said it would seek to support protesters.

But many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region which is still scarred by Washington’s backing of coups during the Cold War and has shifted leftwards in recent years, are asking it to back off instead.

President Joe Biden branded Cuba a “failed state” in the wake of the July 1112 protests over an economic crisis and curbs on freedoms. His Administration imposed new sanctions on those who cracked down on protesters and promised the

politically important CubanAmerican community more actions were coming, like efforts to help Cubans circumvent “censorship”.

While the fresh sanctions are largely symbolic, they suggest a return to a period of detente under former President Barack Obama is not forthcoming.

The right-wing Governments of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras joined the United States last week in issuing a statement condemning mass arrests and calling for full restoration of disrupted internet access.

Yet only 20 Foreign Ministers worldwide joined in signing the letter, signalling how relatively isolated

Washington is on its Cuba policy, analysts said. Even US allies like Canada who have condemned the Cuban crackdown and supported protesters’ right to freedom of expression did not sign.

Meanwhile, Cuba’s leftist allies in Latin America and fellow Caribbean island nations have focused their reaction on the contribution of the US embargo to the country’s current humanitarian crisis, urging Washington to lift sanctions. Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Bolivia have sent aid.

Some countries in the region have also warned against US meddling in Cuba’s domestic matters.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil judges push back against Bolsonaro’s election fraud claims

B

razil’s electoral system is free of fraud, a group of 18 active and former Supreme Court Justices said on Monday, amid unrelenting attacks by President Jair Bolsonaro, who is pushing for changes to the voting process.

Thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters on Sunday rallied in several cities, including Rio de Janeiro and the capital Brasilia, to show support for the far-right leader’s demand that paper receipts be printed after electronic ballots are cast in next year’s presidential election.

Bolsonaro has said without providing any evidence that fraud marred the 2018 contest that he eventually won in a second round of voting.

But critics say his claims are baseless. They say the President is bracing for defeat and plans to use his fraud claims as a means of fighting back against next year’s election results, similar to former United States

Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took part in a protest calling for a printed and auditable vote, in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach on August 1 [Ricardo Moraes/Reuters]

President Donald Trump, whom Bolsonaro has emulated.

In their statement on Monday, the Judges said “Brazil has eliminated a history of election fraud”, and that since the electronic voting system was adopted in 1996, there has never been a documented fraud case in any elections.

“The electronic voting system is subject to audits before, during and after the

election,” they said.

The Judges said all the steps are monitored by political parties, Prosecutors, federal Police, universities, and the Brazilian Bar Association.

“Eleven political parties have asked for proof of fraud in the past,” Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew reported from Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, adding that there is no proof to back up Bolsonaro’s fraud claims.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Peru’s new FM aims to retain Trinidad Police seize more than central bank head, calm markets

TT$64M in drugs

T

he Trinidad and Tobago Police on Monday said they had detained three people after drugs estimated at more than TT$64 million (one TT dollar = US$0.16 cents) had been seized during an anti-crime exercise on Sunday.

In a statement, the Police said that the drugs were found when

officers of the SouthWestern Division Criminal Investigation Department and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, intercepted a motor vehicle with three occupants at the Quinam Beach Facility, on Sunday evening.

“A search of the vehicle resulted in officers finding five crocus bags containing 109 kilograms of marijuana

and 34 packets of cocaine which weighed 39 kilograms. The drugs have an estimated street value of $64,775,823.20,” the statement said.

It said the three unidentified suspects were arrested and taken into custody and that charges are expected to be laid shortly.

(Excerpt from CMC)

P

eruvian Finance Minister Pedro Francke wants to retain the Central Bank President after the two men spoke, and said he’s been given room by the new Government to implement his economic policies.

Francke, a former World Bank economist, was sworn in late Friday night amid earlier investor concern that he wouldn’t take the post following Cabinet appointments by President Pedro Castillo, including naming Guido Bellido, a lawmaker who considers the communist Government of Cuba to be a democracy, as Prime Minister. Bellido tweeted his support for Francke’s policies Friday night.

“It seemed essential to

Pedro Francke is tasked with reviving an economy battered by recession and COVID [File: Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images]

me to have full support for the economic policy that we had proposed,” Francke said Sunday in his first interview in the new post, adding that he hasn’t had much contact with Bellido before they were

sworn in. “Fortunately, that has already been resolved and it seems to me that it gives us space to develop our economic line in a completely safe way.”

For investors, Francke offered a counterbalance, and a reappointment of Julio Velarde, the Central Bank President since 2006, would help preserve a sense of continuity for markets. Peru’s stock market is the world’s worst performer this year, and the sol’s slump was more than any other currency last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The yield on dollar bonds due 2050 fell one basis point in Asia trading Monday, ending six days of increases.

(Excerpt from Bloomberg)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil falls over 3% on concerns over demand and OPEC supply boost

O

il prices fell more than 3 per cent on Monday after weak economic data from China and the United States, the world's top oil consumers, and higher crude output from OPEC producers stoked fears of weakness in oil demand and oversupply.

Brent crude oil futures settled down US$2.52, or 3.3 per cent, at US$72.89 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude ended US$2.69, or 3.6 per cent, lower at US$71.26.

"Energy futures...are still expressing concerns over slowed production consumption as coronavirus cases are back on the rise in several regions of the US as well as several countries overseas," said Jim Ritterbusch, President of Ritterbusch and Associates LLC in Galena, Illinois.

China's factory activity growth slipped sharply in July as demand contracted for the first time in more than a year, a survey showed on Monday.

The weaker results in the private survey, mostly covering export-oriented and small manufacturers, broadly aligned with those in an official survey released on Saturday.

"China has been leading economic recovery in Asia and if the pullback deepens, concerns will grow that the global outlook will see a significant decline," said Edward Moya, senior analyst at OANDA. US manufacturing activity also showed signs of slowing.

The pace of growth slowed for the second straight month as spending rotates back to services from goods and shortages of raw materials persist, according to data from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

The ISM's index of national factory activity fell to 59.5 last month, the lowest reading since January, from 60.6 in June.

Also weighing on prices, a Reuters survey found that oil output from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose in July to its highest since April 2020.

The United States will not lock down again to curb COVID-19, but "things are going to get worse" as the Delta variant fuels a surge in cases, mostly among the unvaccinated, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Sunday.

The United States and Britain on Sunday said they believed that Iran carried out Thursday's attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker, which killed a Briton and a Romanian, and pledged to work with partners to respond.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Delta spreads “like wildfire” as doctors study whether it makes patients sicker

W

ith a new wave of COVID-19 infections fuelled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people - mainly the unvaccinated - sicker than before.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Delta, first identified in India and now dominant worldwide, is "likely more severe" than earlier versions of the virus, according to an internal report made public on Friday.

The agency cited research in Canada, Singapore and Scotland showing that people infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalised than patients earlier in the pandemic.

But the experts said more work is needed to compare outcomes among larger numbers of individuals in epidemiologic studies to

Nurses wait for people to come by to receive their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a mobile pop-up vaccination clinic hosted by the Detroit Health Department with the Detroit Public Schools Community District at East English Village Preparatory Academy in Detroit, Michigan, US, July 21, 2021

sort out whether one variant causes more severe disease than another.

In addition, it is likely that the extraordinary rate of Delta transmission is also contributing to a greater number of severe cases arriving at hospitals, the experts said.

Delta is as contagious as chickenpox and far more contagious than the common

Sheikh Jarrah: Palestinians offered way out from evictions

At least 30 bodies float down river between Ethiopia’s Tigray and Sudan

A

t least 30 corpses have washed up on the Sudanese banks of a river that abuts Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray, according to two Ethiopian refugees and four Sudanese witnesses who told Reuters on Monday they had retrieved the bodies.

At a different point the river also separates Sudan from Ethiopia.

Dr Tewodros Tefera, a surgeon who escaped from the Ethiopian border town of Humera, told Reuters he buried 10 bodies over the past six days in Sudan and was told by local fishermen and refugees another 28 had been recovered, including seven on Monday.

"They were shot in their chest, abdomen, legs... and also had their hands tied," he said adding that he had been able to identify three bodies belonging to Tigrayans from Humera, with the help of refugees. Many Tigrayans from Humera fled into Sudan when the fighting began.

On Monday, an Ethiopian Government-run Twitter account said accounts of floating bodies circulating on social media were due to a fake campaign by Tigrayan “propagandists”.

But the accounts of the Ethiopian refugees were bolstered by witnesses in Sudan. Two local Sudanese officials and two Sudanese residents of the town of Wad Alhilew village, near the Setit dam in Kassala state, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said they had retrieved about 20 bodies from the Setit river: five on Monday, nine on Sunday and six on Saturday.

War erupted eight months ago between Ethiopia's Central Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that controls Tigray. Tigrayans have previously accused Amhara forces allied to the Central Government of dumping bodies there, accusations they deny. (Excerpt from Reuters)

cold or flu, according to the CDC report.

The majority of hospitalisations and deaths from coronavirus in the United States are occurring in people who have not been vaccinated. But there is evidence that the shots are less effective in people with compromised immune systems, in-

cluding the elderly.

For vaccinated, otherwise healthy individuals, the odds are that if they contract COVID-19 they will only experience asymptomatic or mild disease, said Dr Gregory Poland, infectious disease expert at the Mayo Clinic. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Afghanistan: Street fighting rages as Taliban attack key city

Afghan Government forces are battling the Taliban in three key cities

The threatened evictions became a flashpoint for violence earlier this year

I

srael's top court has proposed a plan to enable Palestinians threatened with eviction in East Jerusalem to stay, in a closely-watched and divisive case.

The Supreme Court was expected to issue a ruling to end a long legal battle but urged the sides to compromise instead.

It proposed the four families could stay in their homes in Sheikh Jarrah if they recognised the land was owned by a Jewish settlement company.

The issue has fuelled Israel-Palestinian tensions in recent months.

The threat of evictions stoked some of the worst violence between Israeli Police and Palestinians in Jerusalem in years, culmi-

nating in an 11-day conflict with Gaza after its militant Hamas rulers fired rockets at the city in what it said was partly a response to Israeli "harassment" in Sheikh Jarrah.

Under the court's plan, the Palestinians - among dozens of families threatened with eviction - would remain as "protected tenants" who cannot be evicted for the foreseeable future so long as they pay rent to the Jewish organisation which owns the land - a status quo which existed up until the 1980s.

The court gave the Palestinians seven days to present a list of qualifying residents, effectively deferring a final decision until at least then. (Excerpt from BBC News)

F

erocious fighting is taking place in a major Afghan city, amid fears it could be the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban.

Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand province is under heavy assault from the militants, despite US and Afghan air strikes.

The Taliban are said to have seized a TV station.

Thousands of people fleeing rural areas took shelter in buildings.

The UK and US say the Taliban may have committed war crimes.

Hundreds of Afghan reinforcements have been deployed to battle the militants. The Taliban have made rapid advances in recent months as US forces have withdrawn after 20 years of military operations in the country.

Helmand was the centrepiece of the US and British military campaign, and Taliban gains there would be a blow for the

Afghan Government.

If Lashkar Gah fell, it would be the first provincial capital won by the Taliban since 2016. It is one of three capitals under attack.

Attempts by the militants to capture Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, have continued after rocket strikes hit its airport on Sunday.

Seizing control of Kandahar would be a hugely symbolic victory for the Taliban, giving them a grip on the south of the country.

In a third besieged city, Herat, in the west, Government commandos are battling the insurgents after days of fierce fighting. Government forces have taken back some areas after a UN compound was attacked on Friday.

As government forces struggled to contain Taliban advances, President Ashraf Ghani blamed the sudden withdrawal of US troops for the increase in fighting.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

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Express yourself and initiate plans. Say no to (March 21- unsafe situations, health April 19) risks and emotional manipulation. Opportunities should benefit everyone involved. Protect your reputation and position.

You may not welcome TAURUS change, but it will be a wake(April 20- up call to tidy up loose ends.

May 20) A lecture from a friend or relative will encourage you to improve your lifestyle. Make health a priority.

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SUDOKU

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Refuse to let the decisions or changes others make disrupt your day.

Follow through as planned, and you'll discover how much better things turn out when you follow your heart and instincts.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

C

anada stunned world champions the United States on Monday, handing them a shock 1-0 defeat in the semi-finals of the women’s Olympic football tournament to set up a clash with Sweden in Friday’s showpiece match.

The Swedes beat Australia 1-0 thanks to a 46th-minute goal from Fridolina Rolfo to return to the final after their silver medal in Rio five years ago.

Canada celebrated their first win over the US in over 20 years after Jessie Fleming’s 75th minute penalty settled the contest.

The crucial moment, in a game which had produced little incident, came when US defender Tierna Davidson

E

challenged Deanne Rose on the edge of the penalty area.

After a video review, a spot kick was awarded.

Canada’s veteran striker Christian Sinclair initially had the ball in her hands, but Fleming took the responsibility and kept her cool to slot home.

The US, pre-Games favourites for the gold medal, went close to an equaliser when Carli Lloyd struck the bar with a header, but Canada held on for a famous victory – and their first appearance in an Olympic final.

The Americans have won the gold medal four times and have not lost to Canada for over 20 years. It is only the fourth time the Canadians have beaten their neighbours

mily Campbell became the first British female weightlifter to win an Olympic medal with +87kg silver.

The 27-year-old lifted a total of 283kg as China’s Li Wenwen won gold with a new Olympic record of 320kg.

Campbell, making her Olympic debut in Tokyo, was fourth after the snatch, but moved on to the podium with successive clean and jerk lifts of 156kg and 161kg.

American Sarah Robles won bronze with a total of 282kg.

“I am speechless, for the first time ever,” Campbell told BBC Sport.

“You know you can get in shape coming into these things, you know you want to perform your best, but to actually put it out on the stage, I’m really thrilled.”

She added: “You can achieve anything you want to achieve. I picked up a barbell five years ago for the first time and now I am an Olympic silver medallist.”

Earlier, in the competition, transgender athlete Laurel

Hubbard failed to record a successful lift.

The New Zealander became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at an Olympics in a different gender category to the one in which they

in 62 meetings.

“It has been a long time coming to beat those guys,” said Fleming. “We want to come away with gold now, but it is really special for us to put our flag on the map,” she said.

Triple substitution

The game was a dull affair until a triple substitution saw Megan Rapinoe, Lloyd and Christen Press brought on – a change which brought new life to the American attack.

The first effort on goal finally arrived in the 65th minute with a curling shot from Lloyd which was tipped over

by Stephanie Labbe, and moments later the Canada keeper did well to keep out a glancing header from Julie Ertz.

But just as the Americans

were born.

Campbell’s total set new British and Commonwealth records and was Great Britain’s first Olympic weightlifting medal since 1984.

She won European gold in April, three years after winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games.

Before the Tokyo Olympics, she told BBC Sport that a big part of her motivation was “to prove that women who look like me can have successful careers in sport”.

Since her Commonwealth bronze, Nottingham-born Campbell said she had been approached by multiple sponsors who subsequently pulled out because of her clothing size.

She is trying to make an impact in the world of women’s fashion by changing the perception around clothing sizes, and has contacted sports brands to try to get them to produce clothing for women with fuller figures. (BBC Sport)

were piling on the pressure, a Canada break led to the penalty award and the end of the road for Vlatko Andonovski’s side.

“It sucks. Obviously, you never want to lose, you never want to lose in a world championship, you never want to lose to Canada, obviously, and you never want to lose playing the way we did,” said Rapinoe.

Sweden, who lost to Germany in the Rio final, fired an early warning with a

Rolfo shot rattling the crossbar.

Australia, seeking a first Olympic final, thought they had gone ahead just before the break with a Sam Kerr effort, but the goal was ruled out for a foul.

It was the Swedes who took the lead when Matilda’s keeper Teagan Micah could only push a looping, deflected shot from Filippa Angeldal against the bar and Rolfo hooked in the loose ball.

Australia were reduced

21

to 10 players in stoppage time when Ellie Carpenter was sent off for pulling down Sweden substitute Lina Hurtig as she ran goalwards.

“It is amazing, I am so happy,” said Angeldal, “I think we learnt a lot from this game; we worked so hard as a team and we will have to bring that to the final.”

“It feels like I am in paradise. I love to play with this team; we have a great team spirit,” she added.

Kerr said she was disappointed with the ruling-out of her goal.

“Obviously, we are disappointed, because we wanted to be in the gold medal match, but at the end of the day, we have got a game against the US and the bronze medal is at stake,” she said.

The bronze medal game will be held in Kashima on Thursday, with the gold medal match at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on Friday.

The men’s semi-finals will be held today with Mexico taking on Brazil and Japan up against Spain. (Reuters)

Belarus sprinter Tsimanouskaya "safe" after refusing to fly home

T

he Belarusian sprinter who refused to board a flight home from Japan after allegedly being taken to the airport against her will is “safe” and being protected at a hotel, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed.

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, 24, was in Tokyo to contest the women’s 200 metres and 4x400m relay events, but was told to pack her things after publicly criticising her team’s organisation on social media.

She claimed a Belarusian Coach entered her for the relay despite her never racing in t h e event before, which she suggested was a result of members of the team being considered ineligible as a result of not completing enough doping tests.

The Belarus National Olympic Committee (NOC) said her withdrawal from competition was owing to her “emotional, psychological state”, but Tsimanouskaya insisted she was being forced to leave Tokyo “without my consent”.

The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation indicated Tsimanouskaya feared for her life upon returning to Minsk. The country is under the authoritarian leadership of President Alexander Lukashenko, whose son Viktor heads the NOC. Last December, IOC President Thomas Bach banned both men from attending the Games, declaring: “The IOC has come to the conclusion that it appears that the current leadership has not appropriately protected the Belarusian athletes from political discrimination within the NOC, their member federations or the sports movement.”

Tsimanouskaya managed to alert Police at the airport, and IOC spokesman Mark Adams later said at a news conference: “She assured us and has assured us that she feels safe and secure. She spent the night at an airport hotel in a safe and secure environment.

“The IOC and Tokyo 2020 will continue their conversations with her and the Japanese authorities to determine the next step in the upcoming days.”

Tsimanouskaya has already been offered a visa by Poland. (Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

Manniram Prashad is newest CWI Director

G

uyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) President and Gaming Authority Chairman Manniram Prashad has been appointed one of the newest Cricket West Indies (CWI) independent non-member Directors.

This appointment of Guyana’s former Tourism and Trade Minister has no ties to the local Board, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), since the appointment was made directly

by CWI. According to well-placed sources, Prashad’s appointment to the regional cricketing board will be similar to that of former World Cupwinning Captain, Daren Sammy, who was recently appointed as an independent

Guyana’s Manniram Prashad

director.

According to a CWI media release from last month, “Sammy is one of three (3) appointments of Independent Directors approved at last Thursday’s CWI Board of Directors’ meeting to serve for the next two years.

He joins Trinidadian

Attorney Mrs Debra CoryatPatton and Jamaican Surgeon and University Administrator, Dr Akshai Mansingh, who were both re-appointed to serve a second term.”

In June, the CWI had stated that this meant one slot remained for the fourth and final appointee.

All Directors’ appointments will expire in 2023 at the conclusion of CWI’s Annual General Meeting of that year.

West Indies and Pakistan at the mercy of weather as stop-start T20I series reaches its finale

T

he series was of significant importance for both teams in their preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup, but so far rain has ruled the headlines, ditching all the promises for the series. With two of three games washed out and one game slashed before the series began, Pakistan come into the final match against West Indies 1-0 ahead.

Pakistan’s run-scoring has revolved around Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. They have rejigged their line-up to break the two up, playing Sharjeel Khan as an opener, A section of the crowd enjoying the action but the washouts mean they haven’t 157 in the second T20I, their dangergathered enough evidence to vindious batting order failed to display the cate the tweak. The middle-order cofirepower they are synonymous with. nundrum is deeper than ever with Only Nicholas Pooran made any imMohammad Hafeez’s silent bat, mispression, scoring an unbeaten 62 runs firing Sohaib Maqsood and inexperioff 33 balls. enced Azam Khan out with an injury.

On Tuesday, Pakistan will be eyeFor a while now, Hafeez has been ing an away series win, and while in the side mainly because of his batwinning remains paramount, what ting with his bowling being used on an they would seek is batters apart as-and-when-needed basis. However, from Rizwan and Azam to raise their his four-over spell – at an economy hands. Before the series, Azam had of 1.50 – in the only completed game, promised to check the bench strength. earned him the Player-of-the-Match In that sense, this game gives both award and has been a big positive sides yet another opportunity to finefor Pakistan. More of that in the final tune their respective team combinaT20 International will give Pakistan tions. wider options for the World Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates In the spotlight (UAE), where pitches are more conduChris Gayle scored a match-wincive to spin. ning 67 against Australia, but against West Indies, under Kieron Pollard, Pakistan, has scored 7, 16 and 1*. were hoping to know most of their In the last 12 months, he is averagfirst-choice picks by the end of this ing 16.53 with a strike rate of 114.97 series, but have not learnt much eiwith just one half-century in 15 T20Is. ther. Despite restricting Pakistan to

His T20 numbers aren’t great either; this year he has played 25 innings and averaged 22.72 at a strike rate of 130.20. The last calendar year where he averaged less than 25 in T20s was in 2010. West Indies will have to see whether he’s strengthening the batting unit or weakening it.

Pakistan’s middle and lower order will be under scrutiny. In the last completed game, they were well set to go past 180, but finished with a middling 157, including just 23 runs in the last four overs despite a fairly-long batting line-up. Maqsood’s success has largely been built batting in the top order, but being sent in at number seven is reducing his effectiveness. Fakhar Zaman and Hafeez’s numbers keep fluctuating, and the pinch-hitting stocks of Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali dip when transitioning from T20s to T20Is. Can they come together to the best of their potential this time around?

Team news

With their two first-choice openers nursing injuries – Lendl Simmons was injured in the first match and Evin Lewis retired hurt in the second – Gayle could open alongside Andre Fletcher.

West Indies (probable): 1 Andre Fletcher; 2 Chris Gayle; 3 Shimron Hetmyer; 4 Nicholas Pooran (wicketkeeper); 5 Kieron Pollard (Captain); 6 Andre Russell; 7 Jason Holder; 8 Romario Shepherd; 9 Dwayne Bravo; 10 Hayden Walsh Jr and 11 Akeal Hosein.

It’s likely that Haris Rauf remains in the XI after he replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi for the washed-out third match. Azam Khan, however, could make it to the XI if he is cleared by the medical team.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper); 2 Sharjeel Khan; 3 Babar Azam (Captain); 4 Fakhar Zaman; 5 Mohammad Hafeez; 6 Sohaib Maqsood/Azam Khan; 7 Shadab Khan; 8 Hasan Ali; 9 Mohammad Wasim; 10 Usman Qadir and 11 Haris Rauf.

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Pitch and conditions

With rain predicted for the week as a whole, there is a chance that the contest may be a shortened one.

However, there is a clear window in the day, but conditions are expected to be overcast. Win toss, bowl first may be the best bet.

Stats and trivia

During the second T20I, Rizwan became the most-prolific run-getter in a single calendar year in the format.

West Indies have not lost a T20I series that was played wholly in the Caribbean since the 3-0 defeat against England in March 2019.

(ESPNcricinfo)

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

56 U-19 Rising Stars assemble in Antigua ...High Performance training to begin following required COVID quarantine period

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ricket West Indies (CWI) on Tuesday announced the players for the Rising Stars U-19 High Performance Camp in Antigua. The camp has been designed to help lift the players to the next level of physical and mental skills development, in the ongoing preparation programme for the 2022International Cricket Council (ICC) U-19 Cricket World Cup to be played in the West Indies in January and February next year. The players began arriving in Antigua over the past weekend.

Along with targeted coaching sessions, the players will also compete in warm-up matches, and more intense “trial” matches at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Coolidge Cricket Ground international venues. The final squad of 18 players will be selected for the West Indies Rising Stars U-19 Tour of England in September, where they will play six Youth One-Day Internationals.

“Given all the challenges we faced over the last 12 months, a huge amount of work has taken place across the Region to identify and start developing those players in the provisional pool for the ICC U19 World Cup,” said Graeme West, CWI’s High Performance Manager.

“We are now bringing the players together for an unprecedented trial series in Antigua that will provide them with the opportunities to showcase their talent and their readiness for centre stage. After four rounds of matches, the group will be reduced and those players retained will attend a High Performance Camp with 18 of those players traveling to the United Kingdom to play six Youth ODIs against England as part of the preparation for the World Cup. The West Indies Rising Stars U-19 Tour will reward those players that perform well in the trials and show a hunger and desire to learn and improve.”

West thanked the various Territorial Boards for helping to facilitate the unusual selection process and more customised preparation approach, which became necessary owing to the evolving and unpredictable COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. He also outlined the contribution of a few of the CWI Coaches who have played a key role in developing the Rising

Stars programme.

“The technical programmes created by Head Coach Floyd Reifer have been delivered by coaches keen to provide support to our stand-out talents. Gregory Seale has led a Strength and Conditioning Programme engaging enthusiastic and experienced local support to work with every player. The games in England will allow the support staff to begin developing team strategies and to get a greater understanding of each player and what they will bring to the team,” West said.

“Player Development Manager Ayana Cooper has developed a Personal Development programme, delivered remotely over the past 18 weeks, that featured Mental Skills, Sports Nutrition, Anti-Doping, Anti-Corruption, Financial

Management and mentoring sessions with current international players and former U-19 players.”

GCB accommodates fans for abandoned T20 match

FULL SQUAD (with home territories)

Barbados: Rivaldo Clarke, Hakeem Perryman, Tariq O’Neale, Johann Layne, Shaqkere Parris, Nimar Bolden, Giovonte Depeiza, Kwame Patton, Kamario Grant, Achilles Brown, Romario Brathwaite Guyana: Matthew Nandu, Mavindra Dindyal, Isai Thorne, Rampertab Ramnauth Jamaica: Brandon English, Steven Wedderburn, Jordan Johnson, Justin Beckford, Andel Gordon, Nicholas Lewin, Oneil Roberts, Javid Simpson, Tamari Redwood, Gavasta Edmond Leeward Islands: Jaden Carmichael, Akadianto Willett, Anderson Amurdan, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, Onaje Amory, Kelvin Pittman, Nathan Edward Trinidad and Tobago: Shiva Sankar, Matthew Gittens, Sion Hackett, Anderson Mahase, Isaiah Gomez, Vasant Singh, Aaron Bankay, Kyle Roopchand, Jeremiah Cruickshank, Nick Ramlal, Tariq Mohammed, Justin Jaggessar, Amrit Dass, Chaydon Raymond, Rajiv Ramnath, Kyle Kissoondath Windward Islands: Divonie Joseph, Udell Preville, Tyran Theodore, Ackeem Auguste, Teddy Bishop, McKenny Clarke, Tiron Charles, Keygan Arnold

A heavy downpour caused Sunday’s game between West Indies and Pakistan to be called off

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he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has moved to compensate those fans who missed out on the cricket action on Sunday, owing to the game being washed out.

The GCB on Monday issued a missive that fans who bought tickets for Sunday’s game are now eligible to enter today’s game with those tickets.

The missive reads: “The Guyana Cricket Board wishes to inform the public that tickets purchased for the cricket match on Sunday, August 1,2021, West Indies v Pakistan will be accepted for entry into the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, for the WI v Pakistan T20 match on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.

In this regard, patrons will be accommodated in the orange stand.

Fans are asked to note that cricket tickets and car passes will be sold at Guyana National Stadium, Tuesday, August 3, 2021, and at the GCB office on Regent Road, Bourda.”

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ali makes commitment that government is working on establishing 3 new multipurpose centres

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n February 7, 2021 at the launching of the Guyana Softball Cricket League (GSCL) President’s T20 Softball Cup, Head of State, Dr Irfaan Ali highlighted the need to decentralise sport from the capital city and spread it to all corners of Guyana.

Addressing the nation in his feature address on August 2, 2021, the President relayed that his Government is working on establishing three new multipurpose centres to accommodate a wide range of sporting events and President Dr Irfaan Ali during his feature address facilities in Guyana. that the Government needed to in- have already committed to es“Upgrading all public sportvest more in sports, but lamented tablishing regional centres and a ing facilities including the sports that it was not only a government high-performance training centre ground in rural and hinterland arresponsibility, owing to the fact for athletes. I am confident that we eas. Working closely with the sportthat in all countries that do well have in Guyana, athletes that are ing federations to strengthen sportin sports, the Private Sector plays capable of standing on the medal ing administration in Guyana. an integral role. Ali related that to podium, but we have to make that Improving competitiveness is also make an investment in the sport- investment.” critical in moving our country foring sector, his Government was Ali laid down the law by stating ward, your Government will ensure willing to partner with the Private that this can only be accomplished Guyana’s competitiveness as a desSector, the commissions, the feder- through talent spotting from a very tination for investment,” Ali added. ations and sporting bodies. young age. Hence, he reiterated The President further added The President also said, “We when the talent is spotted, investment in a programme must be done that will allow the athlete to pursue academic achievements while their athletic talent is developed and enhanced.

President Ali highlighted that this was the direction that he and his Government were heading in.

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aint Lucia Zouks are now Saint Lucia Kings, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise said in a media release on Monday. The team have got a new logo as well.

In 2020, the franchise was sold to KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, the consortium that owns the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Punjab Kings had also changed their name from the Kings XI Punjab before IPL 2021.

“The new name and logo are consistent with the KPH Dream Cricket brand while still capturing the essence of Saint Lucia through the name and national colours of the Saint Lucian Flag,” the release said.

“The brand name and monogram, lion in the team’s logo stand for exuberance.

While the blue epitomises the sky and the sea, specifically the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea which encircle the country, the roaring lion monogram infuses vigour and vibrancy.”

The team, coached by Andy Flower and captained by Faf du Plessis, will also feature Daren Sammy as the team’s Assistant Coach

and mentor in CPL 2021. Sammy was the captain till the last year when the team finished as the runners-up.

“I love the logo and I love the new name, and I truly hope that the name can inspire our players to play like the true Kings that we are,” Sammy said in the release.

Satish Menon, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Saint Lucia Kings, said, “Saint Lucia Kings is more in line with the positioning that the KPH Dream Cricket brand has, and we believe that the time was right for us to merge the sister brand and its inherent values with the mother brand.”

Recently, the owners of the Rajasthan Royals bought a majority stake in the Barbados Tridents, which will now be known as the Barbados Royals, making them the third team after the St Lucia Kings and the Trinbago Knight Riders to be run by IPL franchise owners.

CPL 2021 will be held between August 26 and September 15, with all 33 games to be played at Warner Park in St Kitts & Nevis.

(ESPNcricinfo)

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he Guyana National Stadium at Providence was once again graced with boisterous cheers from the country’s avid cricket fans as the game returned for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

GCB President A l t h o u g h Singh masked up and socially distanced, it was a welcomed change of scenery for many, especially the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President Bissoondyal Singh, who hailed Guyana’s Government as trailblazers in handling the pandemic.

“Welcome back to the fans.

I think Guyana is getting out of the COVID pandemic; the Government is playing a serious role, I think they’re the trailblazers for the Caribbean in opening up and I just want everybody to enjoy themselves,” Singh opined.

Upon entering the Stadium, patrons over the weekend were stopped at a medical checkpoint and had to produce their COVID-19 vaccination cards and identification.

In the stands, officials and Police Officers were present to ensure patrons were seated apart and wore their masks.

President Singh is of the opinion that the protocols instituted to ensure the safety of fans at the National Stadium during the West

Indies v Pakistan series are “nothing but perfect”.

“Nothing but perfect, Cricket West Indies, in collaboration with the Guyana Cricket Board, working closely with the Government of Guyana and all the necessary agenBissoondyal cies – we have managed; as you can see, everything is running smooth with the Guyana Defence Force, the Civil Defence Commission, the Ministry of Health and also the COVID-19 Task Force,” Singh told <<<Guyana Times Sport>>>.

He added, “Everything is going as smooth as possible.”

With the final game in the fourmatch T20 International series scheduled to bowl off at 11:00h today, the GCB President also encouraged patrons to come out, while sharing some advice about crowding.

He said, “I’ll encourage fans to go down to the GCB office, get your tickets. Tickets are moving very quickly, you can get your car pass there too and come to the National Stadium. But see how early you can do that to avoid a crowd. We need for you to be seated early.”

The series currently stands at 1-0 in Pakistan’s favour, with games one and three, in Barbados and Guyana respectively, being washed out by rainfall.

Jacob Mc Donald scores 1st win in FIDE World Cup G

uyana’s young chess playtheir skills internationally. ers finally got into some The first round of the international action over 10-round tournament produced the weekend as the International highly competitive games with Chess Federation (FIDE) Youth Zhang coming closest to a vicWorld Cup tournament got undertory, but falling short. With no way. wins for Guyana in the The FIDE Youth first round, it was time and Cadet World Cup for Jacob Mac Donald to commenced on Sunday, shine with a smart vicAugust 1, 2021, with the tory over a FIDE-rated youngest age group goopponent Calleja Urry ing into action.

Nick from the Republic of The first to do batMalta. tle was the Guyana This victory is exUnder-10 team, competpected to bring some ening in the open catego- Guyana’s Jacob Mc Donald couragement and inspiry. The team comprises ration to the team in the Aquilani Swaminadha, ensuing days of the tourJulian Mohabir, (both of School of the nament, when play continues. This diviNations); Mae’s Schools’ Nicholas Zhang, sion’s games will continue every day until and Nations’ Jacob Mc Donald.

Thursday, August 5.

The 11:00h start to the online tournaThe Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) last ment on Sunday was supervised by Team month selected a 22-member team to repreCaptain and National Champion Taffin sent Guyana in the Youth and Cadet World Khan and FIDE Arbiter John Lee, who or- Cup in five categories. Guyana’s particiganised the technical aspect of the prepara- pants will fall into the Under-10, Under-12, tion.

Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 Open Prior to the in-game action, the com- categories. petitors and officials witnessed a welcome This international tournament will be a

by FIDE Vice President Akaki Lashvili at 10-round Swiss, and could see the top playthe opening ceremony. The tournament ers gaining entry to FIDE’s Online Rapid has more than 1600 participants from over Super Final 2021 and the FIDE Online 100 Federations worldwide, ready to match Rapid Grand Prix Series 2021.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021

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

Ali makes commitment that government is working on establishing 3 new multipurpose centres Page 23

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Jacob Mc Donald scores 1st win in FIDE World Cup

Manniram Prashad is newest CWI Director

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GCB accommodates fans for abandoned T20 match Page 22

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A heavy downpour caused Sunday’s game between West Indies and Pakistan to be called off

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