Guyana Times - Tuesday, September 28, 2021

COVID-19 response bolstered with $205M Japanese grant P 11

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

Issue No. 4784

THE BEACON OF TRUTH TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

PRICE

Exxon’s Chinese partner CNOOC raising US$5.1B for projects in Stabroek Block

See story on page 7

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: Legal challenge to halt oil production

High Court P12 grants Esso’s request to join case despite opposition by applicants

World Tourism Day

Tourism sector lost an estimated $33.6B in 2020 – Walrond See story on page 3

…President pledges continued support for growth of sector

Knife-wielding man who P8 robbed cop released on bail

“Our future is agriculture and food sustainability” – President Ali Page 13

Guyana poised to be regional oil & gas hub – Exxon’s P2 Production Manager

…says Govt will fully support soya bean and corn projects President Dr Irfaan Ali, along with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, was given a tour of the 115-acre soya bean and five-acre corn pilot projects at Ebini, Upper Berbice River. The pilot projects are being run through a consortium of businesses, including Bounty Farm, Royal Chicken, Guyana Stockfeeds and Edun’s Farms among others (Office of the President photo)

Ex-cops found guilty of 2018 rape of woman at Police Station “I holler and I holler” 7 unvaccinated – Berbice persons among woman 10 new COVID recalls robbery deaths …88 new cases Page 8

Page 10

See story on page 9

…as bandit threatened to sever husband’s neck

Fire destroys Berbice house P16

Motorcyclist killed in headon collision with hire car P14

Man beaten to death with bat during row over wife P16

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana poised to be regional oil & gas hub – Exxon’s Production Manager …once long-term strategic capacity-building continues

G

uyana is poised to be a regional oil and gas hub that will be a source for expertise and support in the industry if it continues its tangible advancements and efforts to build capacity and local content.

This was the view of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) Production Manager Mike Ryan. During the recent commissioning of ChampionX Storage Facility, he praised the tangible improvements being made in Guyana which

have seen more and more supply-chain services moving from Trinidad to Guyana.

“With continued progress and a focused long-term strategic and collaborative approach, Guyana can become a regional source for expertise and support in the oil and gas industry,” Ryan informed the attendees.

“This is a significant step in our bid to advance local content development by ensuring that the people of Guyana are integrally involved as we continue to de-

velop the country’s resources,” he said.

Ryan noted that the training and capacity building conducted by ExxonMobil’s primary contractors, of which ChampionX is one, is having a transformational impact on Guyana’s local content.

“I am confident as the ChampionX team grows with the local workforce, more Guyanese will see the benefits of the growing industry on both an economic and personal level. The ripple effect of this base being here will

extend to utilising more local services and more local hires.

“With most of the major international companies contracted by ExxonMobil Guyana already having a presence in-country, the steady move of activities and services here forms part of our long-term development plans for oil and gas and local content,” Ryan said.

ChampionX is headquartered in Texas, USA. The company has over 6000 employees and specialises in chemical technologies, artifi-

Exxon Production Manager Mike Ryan

cial lift technologies, drilling technologies and automation and optimisation.

ExxonMobil, which has largely sourced services from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago for its operations in Guyana since it started exploration activities here, has said that with the strides Guyana has made to build capacity, virtually all of these services were likely to be sourced locally by 2022 as more and more prime contractors set up shop in Guyana.

Among these prime contractors are Halliburton – a US-based oilfield contractor that has been providing a range of drilling services to Exxon; Saipem – which has been providing installation services for Exxon’s Liza Phase 2 and TechnipFMC, which is in charge of installing the subsea system for the Payara oil field – Exxon’s third development in Guyana’s waters.

EEPGL is Exxon’s local subsidiary. It is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block, while Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana

Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest.

Over in the Kaieteur Block, Exxon is the operator with a 35 per cent stake while Ratio owns 25 per cent.

Cataleya Energy and Hess each also own a 20 per cent stake in the Kaieteur Block, while Westmount Energy owns stakes in Ratio (0.7 per cent) and Cataleya (5.4 per cent).

Meanwhile, Exxon also holds a 35 per cent stake in the Canje Block, where it is also the operator. The oil giant’s co-venturers in the Canje Block are Total, JHI Associates Incorporated, and Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas. ExxonMobil has said it anticipated that at least six projects offshore Guyana would be online by 2027. A fourth project, Yellowtail, has been identified within the Block with anticipated start-up in late 2025 pending Government approvals and project sanctioning.

This project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30 kilometres) southeast of the Liza developments.

The start-up of Liza Phase 2 remains on target for 2022, as the Liza Unity FPSO prepares to sail from Singapore to Guyana later this year. The Unity FPSO has a production capacity of 220,000 barrels of oil per day at peak rates. The hull for the Prosperity FPSO vessel, the third project at the Payara Field, is complete, and topsides construction activities have commenced in Singapore with a start-up target of 2024. (G3)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Tuesday, September 28 – 10:00h-11:30h and Wednesday, September 29-11:00h-12:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, September 28 – 08:55h-10:25h and Wednesday, September 29-10:40h-12:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny conditions are expected during the day, interrupted by thundery showers in the midmorning; partly-cloudy to clear skies at night.

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

Winds: North-Easterly to Southerly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 08:47h and 21:01h reaching maximum heights of 2.17 metres and 2.19 metres.

Low Tide: 14:33h reaching a minimum height of 1.11 metres.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS O

01 05 10 13 25 28

FREE TICKET

19 Bonus Ball

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

DAILY MILLIONS

11 14 15 23 26 LUCKY 3

1

4

2

5

Afternoon Draw

0

8

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

02 05 06 10 11 12 15 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

07 09 10 11 17 13

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$79.53/barrel

+1.81

Rough Rice

$251.694 /ton $502.40/ton

-0.05 -0.38

London Sugar

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USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1752.70

$1753.70

Low/High Change

$1744.40 +3.00

$1761.50 +0.17%

World Tourism Day

Tourism sector lost an estimated $33.6B in 2020 – Walrond …President pledges continued support for growth of sector

T

he novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had devastating effects on all sectors since its discovery at the end of 2019, and with the mode of transmission, it has virtually brought a halt to many of those sectors.

In Guyana, the tourism sector is among those affected, with losses estimated to be in the vicinity of $33.6 billion, according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond.

She made the disclosure during a statement to commemorate World Tourism Day. World Tourism Day is observed on September 27 each year, and is this year being observed under the theme “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.

“This observance comes at an important juncture, when Guyana’s tourism is poised for recovery. Tourism was one of the hardest-hit sectors in Guyana at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the visitor arrivals’ statistics, it is estimated that the total loss in export earnings was Gy$33.6 billion in 2020,” the Minister said in her statement.

Walrond explained that the Tourism Ministry is working in close collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) to implement a stringent yet integrated and coordinated recovery process that has yielded positive results.

With collaboration between the Ministry and the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), a plan has been crafted to ensure the sector is back to some function, with the introduction of vaccinations to control the spread of the virus.

In accordance with Section 6 (6) of No 19 gazetted COVID-19 Safety Measures, the GTA, with no objection from the Health Ministry and the National COVID-19 Task Force, has granted a conditional approval for the reopening of these establishments, permitting hosting of guests for day tours and overnight stays, indoor/outdoor dining at the restaurants and bars of hotels at 60 per cent capacity; hosting of meetings, workshops, conferences and other small events in dining meeting facilities at 60 per cent capacity; and recreational activities on beaches and in rivers and creeks such as kayaking, jet skiing, and swimming, among other things.

The GTA continues to provide training and technical support to tourism establishments to help them attain the conditional approval to operate safely under the national emergency measures.

Walrond explained that, with training and capacity building opportunities, coupled with the review of standard operating procedures, conditional approval was

President Dr Irfaan Ali

granted to some tourism operators. To date, 41 tourism businesses, representing 63 per cent of interior lodges and resorts and 43 per cent of tour operators, have been granted conditional approval for reopening.

She explained that the Government takes the recovery of the tourism sector seriously, since it understands the social and economic benefits and the positive impact the recovery would have on the most vulnerable groups and families across Guyana.

Pointing out that World Tourism Day offers an opportunity for Government to renew its commitment to furthering the development of local tourism, Walrond said there are intentions to further advance the policy. She added

that there is a renewed commitment towards economic development through sustainable tourism that will create jobs in all regions of Guyana and promote local culture and products to travellers.

“With the advent of new COVID-19 variants, vaccination campaigns have taken centre stage in global efforts to regain some semblance of normality. Health, hygiene and sanitation must however also remain at the forefront of our minds as we adjust to this new norm. The Government of Guyana has taken a multifaceted, strategic approach to ensuring our collective safety, part of which is ensuring that Guyana achieves its 80-85 per cent herd immunity target.

“The tourism sector will benefit immensely from these measures, and I therefore encourage all Guyanese, including those in the tourism sector, to be vaccinated.

Vaccination, along with strict adherence to safety protocols, will provide a conducive environment for safer travel and full reopening,” the Tourism Minister urged.

Appealing to travellers, Walrond said Guyana is doing everything necessary to ensure they remain safe when visiting the country.

Support for continued growth

President Dr Irfaan Ali, in his message, renewed his Government’s commitment

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond

to the continued growth of the sector. He said this year’s theme recognises the important role which tourism can play in bringing people together; fostering greater understanding; bridging cultural, ethnic and religious differences, and promoting unity and peace within and between countries.

“Government stands ready to support and work with the stakeholders to ensure that local tourism is revitalised and becomes a pillar of inclusive growth,” Ali said.

He said that tourism aids in the fulfilment of people’s desire to have new experiences and learn about different cultures in various places.

TURN TO PAGE 10

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 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

Young people and smoking

M

ore than 40 million young people aged 13-15 have already started to use tobacco, the World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined. This, by any measure, is quite alarming, and one can only imagine the kind of impact this would have on our young people if urgent action is not taken to discourage such actions.

The WHO, for some time now, has embarked on a global campaign to highlight the “strategic, aggressive and wellresourced tactics” employed by the tobacco industry to target youths, and to debunk the myths they create.

The campaign seeks to provide young people with the knowledge required to easily detect industry manipulation – from product design to marketing campaigns – and equip them with the tools to rebuff such tactics, thereby empowering young people to stand up against them. The WHO described this effort as a counter-marketing campaign, as it would reinforce work in assisting countries to implement effective policy interventions to reduce the demand for tobacco.

Guyana’s Chronic Diseases Coordinator Dr Kavita Singh had, in the past, lamented the fact that the tobacco industry is capitalising on new trends in targeting young persons.

She noted that it was during this point in time that ‘big tobacco’ was using strategic marketing techniques to try to get young people to experiment with the new and emerging novel products, like the e-cigarettes and the heated tobacco products.

While there is a myth that these products are safe, they are equally as harmful as the smoke of an actual cigarette.

According to WHO, smoking e-cigarettes and hookah pipes – marketed as “safer” alternatives to conventional cigarettes – is harmful, addictive, and increases the risk of developing heart and lung diseases.

Of note is that these products have the same tobacco, which has cancer-causing agents among other deadly emissions. The WHO notes that most of the countless flavours on offer – such as bubble-gum and candy – are there to attract youngsters, who at least double their chances of smoking cigarettes later in life.

It should be stated that tobacco is responsible for over seven million deaths per year worldwide. This includes approximately 900,000 persons who die from diseases related to exposure to tobacco smoke. Over 40 per cent of all tobaccorelated deaths are from lung diseases like cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and tuberculosis.

Guyana’s tobacco control law, enacted in 2017, follows several of the Articles of the WHO Convention, and mandates the adoption and implementation of a series of tobacco control policies that make it one of the most complete tobacco control laws. These include: 100 per cent smoke-free environments in all indoor public spaces, indoor work spaces, public transportation, and specified outdoor spaces to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke; a ban on all forms of advertising and promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products; health warnings featured on 60 per cent of tobacco product packaging, including images. It also includes a ban on the sale of tobacco products to and by minors, prohibition on vending machines’ sales, and a ban on the manufacture and sale of toys and candies, and any other goods in the form of tobacco products.

However, there is still much work to be done to win the battle against tobacco, as 78 per cent of all deaths here are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), some of which we all know are strongly related to tobacco use.

Having the necessary legislation in place is a good starting point, but there are many other challenges which health authorities here must address if Guyana is to really reduce the number of persons dying or becoming ill due to tobacco use or exposure. These challenges relate to monitoring and compliance, stricter enforcement of the legislation to ensure that the population is protected from the dangers of tobacco use; and, more recently, tackling the newer forms of cigarette substitutes, which are proving to be very attractive to youths.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo; Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname, Keith George and staff of the Guyana Embassy in Suriname share a photo (Office of the Vice President photo)

The message from Israel is clear: COVID booster shots should be standard

By David O’Connor

I

n the summer, Israel began offering third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to the over-60s. It was the first country to start administering “booster shots”, to people vaccinated at least five months previously. The prime minister, Naftali Bennett, announced the decision after a study by Leumit Health Services, an Israeli healthcare provider, showed that those over the age of 60 who had been vaccinated more than five months previously were three times more likely to be infected than those vaccinated more recently. As of 29 August, Israel began offering a third dose to everyone aged 12 and older, who had waited this period of time. The question for other countries is now whether to follow Israel’s lead.

The first data evaluating the early impact of the third dose programme were published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). It showed that two weeks after more than 1.1 million over-60s had received their third dose, they were 11.3 times less likely to become infected with the exceptionally contagious Delta variant that currently predominates in Israel and across the world.

In other words, third doses are highly effective at preventing people from becoming infected with Delta, among those who are willing to be vaccinated. When third doses dramatically reduce a person’s susceptibility to infection, it creates a barrier to the onward transmission and spread of the virus. This is important because growing numbers of people are getting infected despite being vaccinated (though the risks of infection, spread and severe illness remain greatest among those who are unvaccinated). And they have similar peak levels of virus in their noses to those who are

unvaccinated, contributing to the unrelenting spread of the virus.

Third doses stimulate the production of neutralising antibodies that are both higher in magnitude and have greater breadth against viral variants than those elicited by a second dose. Taken together, booster jabs aren’t just an immune refresher – they are an immunological upgrade.

These superior neutralising antibody responses create an immunological buffer that is effective even against the Sars-CoV-2 Delta variant, explaining the dramatic reduction in risk of infection following third doses in Israel. The same buffer would be expected to reduce the need for frequent “boosting” in the future, as higher levels of neutralising antibodies are predicted to confer longer-lasting immunity.

Other countries have watched the Israeli data closely but have been reluctant to embrace universal third doses for younger people for two main reasons. First, current vaccine programmes outside Israel continue to protect from severe disease, hospitalisation and death. This is a reasonable standard for evaluating vaccine protection, but it is not the only one. The crippling impact of Delta variant infections on hospitalisations in many locations in the US, despite widely available vaccinations, exposes the limits of using this as the sole benchmark.

An alternative reasonable standard for assessing vaccine impact is the prevention of even clinically mild infections in order to minimise transmission within communities. The status quo of vaccinated individuals who are not optimally protected from infection and transmission, sizeable populations (eg, young children) who are not allowed to be vaccinated, and large numbers of unvaccinated individuals have

allowed Delta infections to rage.

Dramatically lowering the number of infections among people who have been vaccinated three times, one of the key outcomes of the NEJM paper, quickly reduces the number of susceptible individuals who are able to sustain the virus’s continued spread.

Israel is already providing a real-world test of this concept, and the recent decline in its new cases is encouraging.

Of course, such programmes need to exist alongside efforts to immunise those unvaccinated who are at the highest risk. Persuading unvaccinated people has been difficult, even with financial incentives and other creative strategies.

Meanwhile, there is a sizeable segment of the population who would enthusiastically clamour for third doses as soon as they become available. Implementing third-dose programmes would provide an immediate benefit directly to this highly motivated group and the communities in which they live, while programmes aimed to encourage unvaccinated people to be immunised continue.

Second, there is an understandable worry that programmes such as Israel’s perpetuate inequality. More vaccines are undoubtedly needed for more people in more places. This alone should not preclude consideration of third-dose programmes in vaccine-experienced countries struggling with Delta outbreaks. While the breathtaking short-term protection observed in clinical trials initially supported a two-dose vaccine series, the newer data suggests that a primary immunisation series followed by an additional dose months later should be the new standard protocol. This is already the schedule for other viral vaccines, such as the hepatitis B vaccine.

This does not mean that

the needs of the rest of the world should be ignored.

Indeed, the potential need for three vaccine doses to minimise the threat of COVID-19 globally should be a clarion call to invest immediately in sustainable immunisation programmes worldwide.

Creating and maintaining the infrastructure for sustainable programmes would likely have the side-effect of improving access to other critical vaccines that are also not yet universally available. For example, less than 75% of infants in Africa receive all three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine. There is precedent for such massive, transformational infrastructure investments that benefit public health: UNAids estimates that more than 70% of those with HIV now have sustainable access to antiretroviral drugs.

Facing a potentially difficult winter, countries with an existing vaccine supply are at a crossroads. There is a tendency to look askance at data that was collected in other countries whose demographics and COVID-19 epidemics are subtly different.

The Israeli experience is not perfectly aligned with other countries that use multiple different vaccine types, with different timing of vaccination, have varying population demographics, socioeconomic conditions, and COVID-19 burdens. The biology of SarsCoV-2 immunity, however, is the same whether you’re in Tel Aviv, Tokyo or Toronto.

The pioneering Israeli work of making third doses the standard provides an instructive template for other countries to follow as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that this becomes the global standard of vaccination for everyone, no matter where they live. (The Guardian) David O’Connor is professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Wisconsin

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

5

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

We are just putting an entire nation at risk

Dear Editor, Let me begin by commending the Government of Guyana and the Minister of Health for their efforts thus far in managing the COVID-19 situation in Guyana. The Government has made available to all a variety of COVID vaccines, and has managed to operationalise the Infectious Disease Hospital in a short space of time to assist in the fight against this pandemic.

Further, I would also like to commend the Government for the COVID Cash Grant. In these trying times, it’s refreshing to know you have a Government that cares.

With that said, I move on to the National COVID Task Force, the body which was given the power by the President to craft the policies and restrictions for us to follow during the time

of this pandemic, and to plead my case with them.

I noticed that Private Sector Commission (PSC) and several businessmen and women, particularly those who operate bars, were the ones who petitioned the Task Force to allow for the reopening of businesses. Further, these bars owners even petitioned for the curfew to be moved from 6:00pm to 10:30pm. I was in support of this, since these businesspeople had made a compelling argument that they would follow all protocols, and even made some suggestions of their own. Also, the loss of income was starting to impact communities and families.

However, this needs to be reassessed now.

Over the weekend, bars across Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank and in

A bizarre decision

Dear Editor, It is incomprehensible that, with live video evidence available of the robbery of the off-duty Police officer, and despite the haversack allegedly being found in his possession, the suspect was released

on bail.

This is just bizarre, as it seems the video evidence was not taken into consideration in arriving at the decision to grant bail.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

PNC’s age-old trick of playing the race card Dear Editor, The PNC, without anything substantial to add to the good governance of this country, have resigned themselves into the position where they are churning out voluminous statements of negatives, hoping to gain the attention of a local audience.

But, sadly, even the unintelligent among them have managed to get a glimpse of the truth, and are shunning them. Their supporters can now judge the facts for themselves, and are leaving their ranks one by one. This is a very humiliating place for the party, and in their haste to regain some relevance, they have embarked on the ageold trick of playing the race card.

Like a broken record, they keep harping on and on about the race issue. One such racist rant came when the party attacked portions of the President’s address at The UN General Assembly, in which he spoke up for the Afro-Caribbean race. Dr Ali made that clarion call that there should be reparations to descendants of Africans living here in the Caribbean, and the time for such compensation is long

overdue.

This is a commendable feat by any stretch of the imagination. Dr Ali was lending a heartfelt solidarity with his Afro-Caribbean brothers and sisters.

Everyone is in agreement with the President, except for the PNC. they are of the opinion that the President has no right to make mention of, nor meddle in the affairs of, Black People.

Well, let me educate that party: This is not a “Black People thing”, as they would want it to be categorized; rather, it is a human rights issue, as, one people, one nation and one destiny, we are all in this together.

Slavery, as we now know it, is an inhumane issue wherein one racial group of persons enriched themselves on the backs of others, hence this matter is everybody’s business.

Could the PNC tell us what became of the funds given to the party for The UN Decade for People of Colour? People of Colour are making enquiries about that grant, and are coming up empty-handed.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Region 3 (E/bo Islands/W Demerara) were packed to capacity, and no one therein was wearing a mask.

Some places do not even require persons to produce proof of vaccination, all in breach of the COVID-19 Guidelines which were gazetted for the month of September.

What is very important to note is that these bar owners/operators and promoters/party organisers go unpunished, and, in my view, directly contribute to the rise and spread of COVID, since most of them

close their bars at 9:30pm.

For a few quick examples: one of the bars in Sandy Babb Street, Kitty was overflowing with patrons, and there was not a soul with a mask on. They got away with it because they closed at 9:30pm.

Similarly, an event was hosted at a ground on Carifesta Avenue, and the same situation obtained. As another example, an event was hosted at Woolford Avenue, and reports are that at least 40% of the attendees have now contracted COVID-19.

Since June or July 2021, cases and number of deaths continue to rise daily. As I was writing this letter, the number of deaths stood at 762, while the number of active cases was over 4,000, from about one-third of the population tested. This should be of concern to any persons, yet everyone in Guyana is so relaxed as if we have beaten COVID. Every day in the newspapers, the Minister of Health is pleading with persons to take the vaccine and to observe the

COVID-19 Guidelines.

As a result, I believe the COVID Task Force should reimplement the closure of bars and all parties and such activities until we have achieved desirable vaccination numbers and it is safe. In the current state, we are just putting an entire nation at risk by allowing these bars and clubs to be open, without any monitoring to ensure they are following the protocols outlined.

Yours truly, Rawle Nichols

Opposition should engage in meaningful debate, foster development Dear Editor, The neo-Goebbelism tactics of the PNC and the AFC are once again surfacing with cries of racial discrimination, marginalisation of Afro-Guyanese, and extra judicial killings.

Guyanese are plain tired of listening to the same old lies being rehashed with the creation of imaginary political links to the PPP. All of these lies were sold to the public pre-2015, but these Coalition ‘salesmen’ are just relentless in their villainous pursuits to gain power at any and all costs.

Guyana is never first!

The Coalition needs to come to terms with the hard, cold fact that a Government is elected by the majority, based on sound economic and social policies which foster a better standard of living for its people, among other things.

The achievement must speak for itself.

Every Guyanese knows that the Coalition would never be re-elected for a second term because of its track record. Their ‘achievements’ are well-documented in the Auditor General’s Report and the Bank of Guyana Report each year from 2015 until the end of its term.

The Coalition knows that its re-election would never take place, hence the many steps taken to rig the 2020 Elections.

There is no racial discrimination, and this is clearly manifested when one looks at the distribution of the various cash grants, employment opportunities, developmental works in the various communities, and the equitable allocation of resources. The re-opening of the closed estates provides equal employment opportunities for all, regardless of race or political affiliation. I would like the Coalition to dis-

prove this.

Further, at the last RDC Capital Budget proposal in Region 6, the Fyrish NDC, a PNC-controlled NDC, was allocated over $200 million, while Port Mourant and Kilcoy/Hampshire were allocated far less. Res ipsa loquitur - The facts speak for themselves. At the meeting to approve this Budget, the Coalition’s Councillors fully endorsed it, since each NDC received a fair share.

No one spoke about discrimination.

This undeniable fact is mirrored in the National Budgets which ensure that each and every Guyanese and every community is treated fairly, and the resources are equitably distributed. Let the Coalition prove otherwise.

Further, if any person feels marginalised, then that is based solely on his/ her choice not to work or to be engaged in gainful employment. Marginalisation in Guyana is more of a myth propagated by the Coalition than a reality. A man cannot want to party every night and want his life to be better. Those who are unwilling to make sacrifices do suffer. Achievements are born out of sacrifice.

During the Coalition’s misrule, inequitable distribution was the order of the day, as they ensured that their support base received the lion’s share of the resources.

The Coalition is once again propagating its ‘theory’ that extra-judicial killing is linked to the PPP/C. During its 5-year term in Government, the Coalition’s officers had all the opportunities available to them to prove this ‘theory’ correct, but they could not have done that.

PNC members provided the worst excuse for this. They claimed people fear giving evidence against death

squad members. One was quoted as saying, “You are not going to get people that easily to go and give evidence, out of fear. Don’t forget that a lot of people are afraid. You have to do thorough investigations and, hopefully, with improved investigative capacity etc, we would be able to deal with those matters and many of them which still exist”.

Why is it that the Coalition Government never used resources available to them to “improve the investigative capacity of the GPF”? The answer is simple; there was no link to the PPP, hence there was no need to investigate further. Does anyone think that the Coalition would have squandered an opportunity to prove this link?

Absolutely NOT! I fully endorse His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali’s statement of finality when he said, “The propaganda that was used in the past about extra-judicial killing was dismantled.” It is time for the Coalition to sing a new tune.

The Leader of the Opposition and his team should engage their time and effort in meaningful debate, and give support to policies which foster the socio-economic development of our country. The Opposition should not squander this opportunity to prove to the people that Guyana is first, and desist from creating racial schisms.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Page

Foundation

Testing the bath bombs

In your lab notebook, make a data table like Table 2, below. You will be recording your data and observations in this data table.

1. Fill a bowl with hot water (at least as deep as the height of the bath bombs).

How does the reaction between these bath bombs and the water compare to the reaction you saw with the normal bath bombs and the water?

Again, make sure the temperature of the water is within about 0.5°C (or 1°F) (plus or minus) of your previous trials.

Be sure to record all of your results in your lab notebook.

Use a metric measuring cup so that you can record exactly how much water you added to the bowl in your lab notebook.

Add the same amount each time you fill the bowl.

2. Using a thermometer, measure the temperature of the water. To simulate a bath, you will want the water to be hot, somewhere between 32°Celsius (C) and 43°C (or 90°F and 110°F). Record the exact temperature of the water in the data table in your lab notebook. a. If the temperature of the water is too cold to be within the temperature range, empty the bowl and repeat steps 2-3 with hotter water. b. Tip: To get the water at the temperature you want it to be, try filling the bowl with really hot water and then measure the temperature as it cools down until it is within the range you want it to be for your test.

4.Get a stopwatch or timer ready, and if you have a helper, have him or her get ready to time the reaction (ie, how long it takes a bath bomb to dissolve in the hot water).

5. Drop one of the normal bath bombs into the bowl of water and start the stopwatch right when the bath

bomb touches the water. How does the bath bomb react with the water?

Observe how the bath bomb dissolves in the water. Record the time (in seconds [sec]) until it has completely dissolved in the data table in your lab notebook as trial 1 using the normal recipe. a. It can be tricky to tell exactly when the bath bomb has completely dissolved because the water may become cloudy and the bath bomb may sink. When the bath bomb stops bubbling, check with your fingers, if you can still feel undissolved parts of the bath bomb under the water. Once you do not feel any solid bath bomb pieces anymore, stop the stopwatch. b. Record any other observations you make in the data table in your lab notebook.

6.Repeat steps 2-5 using the other two normal bath bombs, one at a time.

Use the same amount of water in the bowl each time and make sure the water is within about 0.5°C (or 1°F) (plus or minus) of the original temperature you used. Be sure to record your results in the data table in your lab notebook.

7.Repeat steps 2-6 using the bath bombs made using the extra cornstarch recipe, testing one bath bomb at a time.

Analysing your results

Calculate the average time to dissolve (in seconds) for each recipe.

Record your results in your lab notebook.

For example, if the bath bombs in the three trials using your normal recipe dissolved after 95 sec, 80 sec, and 100 sec, the average time to dissolve would be 92 sec for the normal recipe (since 95 sec + 80 sec + 100 sec = 275 sec, and 275 sec ÷ 3 = 92 sec).

Make a bar graph of your results.

Put the average time to dissolve (in seconds) on the y-axis (the vertical axis) and the two different recipes on the x-axis (the horizontal axis), making a bar for each recipe.

Based on your graph and observations, try to answer the following questions: Which bath bombs dissolved faster?

What does this have to do with their reaction rate?

Which recipe made the most impressive bath bombs?

How does having more or less filler (ie, cornstarch) affect the fizziness of the bath bombs?

Why do you think you got the results that you did? (Excerpt from Science Buddies)

By Mother Goose

Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot Nine days old.

Source: The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes (2000)

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Exxon’s Chinese partner CNOOC raising US$5.1B for projects in Stabroek Block …to issue up to 2.6B shares on stock exchange

The Stabroek Block

C

hinese State-owned company CNOOC Limited, which is a partner in the Stabroek Block, says it plans to raise $35 billion yuan (US$5.41 billion) for oil exploration and production offshore Guyana According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Chinese company plans to issue shares on

the Shanghai Stock Exchange that will go towards funding its oil and gas projects. It was reported that the company will issue no more than 2.6 billion shares.

The amount of shares that will be issued amounts to 5.82 per cent of the company’s share capital.

Among the key projects the funds will finance is the Payara oilfield,

which is oil giant ExxonMobil’s third development in the Stabroek Block.

The US$9 billion Payara development project, which was approved last year, has been hailed as the single largest investment ever made in the country. Payara will target an estimated resource base of about 600 million oil-equivalent barrels.

The project in the Stabroek Block is expected to produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day after startup in 2024, using the Prosperity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Payara is the third Field Development Plan (FDP) from Exxon to gain approval. The first FDP that the Guyana Government approved was for Liza Phase One, while Liza Phase Two is expected to start up in 2022.

A fourth project, Yellowtail, has been identified within the block with anticipated start-up in late 2025 pending Government approvals and project sanctioning. This project will develop the Yellowtail and Redtail fields, which are located about 19 miles (30 kilometres) southeast of the Liza developments.

The Prosperity FPSO vessel will be designed to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day, will have associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. It was explained

that the FPSO will be moored in water about 1900 metres deep and will be able to store around two million barrels of crude oil.

The construction of Prosperity’s hull started in January 2019.

Prosperity will be Guyana’s third FPSO. It is expected to be deployed in ExxonMobil’s Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, as part of the Payara oil field development.

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

More than 2300 Guyanese are now supporting project activities on and offshore, which reflects a morethan-20 per cent increase since the end of 2019. ExxonMobil and its key contractors have spent approximately US$388 million with more than 800 local companies since 2015.

ExxonMobil recently announced that it found 220 feet (67 metres) of high-quality oil in the

Pinktail well offshore Guyana. It was explained that the Pinktail well, which was drilled by the Noble Sam Croft drill ship, is 21.7 miles southeast of the Liza Phase 1 project.

Additionally, Exxon was able to successfully appraise the Turbot-1 and 2 wells, where oil was previously found. In the case of the Turbot-2 well, drilling encountered 43 feet (13 metres) of net pay, separate from the oil previously encountered in the Turbot-1 well.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). ExxonMobil is the operator and holds 45 per cent interest in the Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds the remaining 25 per cent interest. (G3)

8 NEWS Ex-cops found guilty of 2018 rape of woman at Police Station T TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

wo ex-Police constables attached to the Turkeyen Police Station have been found guilty of raping a woman on New Year’s Day 2018 at the said station.

Delon Chapman and Leon Ashby, who were on trial for the offence before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury at the Demerara High Court, had initially denied the joint charge which alleged that, on January 1, 2018, in the county of Demerara, they engaged in sexual penetration of the woman without her consent.

Following deliberations, the jury on Monday returned unanimous guilty verdicts in relation to both men. As such, they have been remanded to prison until October 14, when they will be sentenced.

Also, on that day, a victim impact statement and probation reports on the now-convicted men will be presented to the court.

Chapman and Ashby were represented by Attorney-atlaw Ravindra Mohabir, while State Counsel Nafeeza Baig

Former Police Constables Leon Ashby and Delon Chapman (sitting behind) with their counsel, Ravindra Mohabir

presented the case for the prosecution.

The jury was told that on January 1, 2018, at about 01:13h, the victim left her Sophia, Greater Georgetown home and went to the Police station to make a report against a man who had thrown a squib at her son’s face.

After lodging the report, the woman requested to use the washroom, and was guid-

ed to the upper flat of the building.

Chapman, the jury heard, took the woman upstairs and pointed her to a hallway, where she did not see a toilet, but instead two bathrooms that were under construction. After the woman had used the bathroom, Chapman followed her up the stairs and grabbed her by the neck. The jury was told that he “viced” the wom-

an from behind and told her, “You gotto get f***.”

The victim said Ashby, who was there, fetched her into a room and placed her on a mattress on a spring bed. She said she was placed to lie on her belly. She recounted that Ashby then pulled down her underwear and raped her. The ordeal lasted for about 20 minutes. According to the victim, Ashby then grabbed her neck, while Chapman mounted her and raped her for about 10 minutes.

Chapman and Ashby were charged with the crime after the Guyana Police Force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had conducted an investigation into the matter. When they were brought before a Magistrate in February 2018, they were each placed on $80,000 bail.

After a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) had been done, the Magistrate ruled that a prima facie case was made out against them, and committed them to stand trial for the offence of rape at the Demerara Criminal Assizes.

(G1)

Knife-wielding man who robbed cop released on bail

Robbery accused Shamar Davis

S

hamar Davis, the man who allegedly robbed a Police rank in broad daylight on Water Street, Georgetown, was placed on $300,000 bail when he appeared before City Magistrate Dylon Bess on Monday.

The 21-year-old Davis, of Guyhoc Squatting Area, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the first charge, which alleged that on September 24, at Water Street, Georgetown, while armed with a knife, he robbed Policeman Rohan Persaud of a haversack valued at $8000 and a phone valued at $50,000.

He also denied the other charge, which alleged that on May 10, at Croal Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Stephan Muniram of a cellphone valued at $125,000.

The Police prosecutor informed the court that Davis was previously charged and convicted for a similar offence.

In the end, Magistrate Bess granted the robbery accused his pre-trial liberty, and set the case for continuation on October 4 at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Reports are that Davis was caught on CCTV using a knife to rob the Police rank in front of Muneshwer’s Limited at Water Street, Georgetown.

It was reported that, on Friday last, the 38-year-old Policeman was proceeding on the eastern side of Water Street, Georgetown when he was approached from behind by a man who was carrying a knife.

Clad in a white t-shirt, black shorts and damaged jeans, the man was seen on CCTV camera running behind the cop as walked on the pavement. He then cornered the cop, whipped out a knife, and held on to the officer’s pocket while threatening to stab him.

The two began to scuffle before falling to the ground, and after battling with the officer for some time, the man then used the knife to cut the cop’s bag off of his back, relieving him of his haversack containing the items mentioned in the charge before making good his escape, leaving the cop lying on the ground.

Shortly after the robbery, another video footage seen by this publication showed three Police officers corner-

The Police Officer being robbed in front of Muneshwer’s Limited on Water Street, Georgetown

ing the suspect, who was at the time on a bicycle, at the side of Demico House.

Based on reports, ranks who were at the time patrolling on motorcycles spotted the man in the vicinity of High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown and attempted to arrest him. In a bid to escape, he ran towards the Stabroek Market area, but was eventually cornered

by Policemen. As Police attempted to handcuff him, he resisted, forcing them to brace him against a wall.

Rather than surrendering, the man then proceeded to spit in one officer’s face, which forced the officers to retaliate. They eventually overpowered him and took him to the Stabroek Market

Police Outpost.

Earlier this year, Davis was charged with robbery-under-arms.

The Magistrate who presided over his trial, Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, had remanded him to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Davis had denied the charge, which alleged that on May 1 at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, while in the company of others and while armed with a gun, he robbed David Wilson of $600,000 in cash.

The Police prosecutor had told the court that the victim had positively identified Davis, since there was a confrontation between them during the robbery. (G1)

What’s it to be…

B

…for the youths? efore he died in 1961, Franz Fanon made some of the most amazing insights on the condition of the colonised. And if you were to read any of his books, “The Wretched of the Earth” or “Black Skin White Masks”, from the jolts of recognition you’ll get sixty years later, you’d think he was a prophet. And maybe he was…a prophet for the world to come out of the bowels of the fight for liberation.

One of the things he said that your Eyewitness remembers is, “Every generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” It was from The Wretched of the Earth. So, the question he poses to the youths of today is, “What’s it to be? What’s your mission? Have you discovered it? Are you even searching for it?”

At every election cycle, we hear that almost two-thirds of Guyana are “youths”. And this isn’t stretching things any - these include just those up to thirty years old.

Franz Fanon wrote Black Skin White Masks when he was just 27, and had his mission (during the Algerian War of Independence against the French in the 50s). Here, we had Jagan returning to Guyana from the US at the age of 25, ready to launch an independence moment against the British! The PAC - which would become the PPP - was launched just three years later. Burnham was 27 when he was made Chairman of the PPP in 1950. And so it was with most of those early leaders…they were practically all youths. Out of relative obscurity, they discovered their mission, and it’s up to us to decide whether they fulfilled or betrayed it.

So, when we wring our hands about what are the youths doing about changing our toxic political culture, we’re not being unfair. This should be their mission. They have the benefit of hindsight - and we’re assured that’s 20/20!! They can look back at what got us into our mess and just try something different…for a future they can see from their perspective that’s not too clouded with betrayal and ambushes.

How come we don’t have a political party launched by youths? Can’t they put together a Manifesto? They should certainly have the energy to go up and down the country to rally the people to their banner. And, of course, they are much more au fait with this social media business Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TicToc etc - that gives them the ability to reach the world without even leaving their beds!!

With no such movement on the horizon, your Eyewitness has to sadly conclude that this generation has decided to betray its mission.

So they have to “tek wha’ deh get!” …on local elections?

We’ve been hearing for over a year that local government elections (LGE) are due this year. But here we are, with October nigh upon us and we don’t even have the GECOM Secretariat sanitised to conduct the elections!!

Now, what’ll most likely happen is the Government will have to postpone the elections. And that’s gonna bring down another big political drama.

The PPP will need the Opposition to go along, or else they’ll be dragged over the coals for “killing democracy”!!

And you know the PNC ain't going to go along! In addition, they’ve been demanding a new elections list, knowing full well that’ll take at least six months. So, even if the PPP restaff the GECOM Secretariat, the PNC will be kicking up a storm.

One way to handle the conundrum would be to announce here and now that, because of the COVID spike, LGEs will have to be postponed!!

Let the PNC fight that while insisting the PPP aren’t firm on lockdowns! …for GuySuCo field workers Back in the days of slavery, there were field slaves and house slaves. The house slaves insisted they were better that the field slaves - they were near Massa!

Seems that, on granting gratuities, GuySuCo’s reviving the distinction.

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

NEWS

9

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

7 unvaccinated persons among 10 new COVID deaths …88 new cases

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

88

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

S

eptember 2021 has thus far recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths reported in Guyana for any month – 147 fatalities.

On Monday, 10 other persons succumbed to the virus, and that has taken the country’s total deaths to a whopping 772. Seven of these patients were unvaccinated, one was fully vaccinated, one was partially vaccinated, and the status of the last was unknown.

Fatalities included a 65-year-old female and a 48-year-old male who died on September 20. A 56-year-old male also died on September 23, followed by a 79-year-old male who died on September 25. All four persons hailed from Region Three.

Five persons died on September 26; they included a 65-year-old man from

Region Five, a 56-year-old woman from Region Six, a 55-year-old woman from Region Four, a 75-yearold man from Region Five, and a 36-year-old man from Region Four.

The latest death was recorded on September 27 – a 49-year-old male from Region Seven.

In one day, a total of 88 new positives emerged, taking the confirmed cases in Guyana to 31,236.

There are 30 persons seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, 134 in institutional isolation, 3743 in home isolation, and six in institutional quarantine. In total, 26,557 persons have completely recovered from the disease. To date, 312,358 individuals have been tested for the virus.

From a breakdown, two positives emerged from

Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 17 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), 48 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), five in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), 13 in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) and three in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

There has been no increase in Region One (Barima-Waini), Region Five (Demerara-Mahaica), Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

At the hospitals, 131 persons are being monitored after having tested positive for the virus. Some 83 of them are at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, inclusive of 30 in the ICU. the others are being treated at other regional facilities across the country

134

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

3743

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

30

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

6

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

16,376

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

14,860

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

31,236

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

26,557

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

354,676

FULLY IMMUNISED

184,072

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

772

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1474

REGION 2

1118

REGION 3

4094

REGION 4

14,945

REGION 5

1108

REGION 6

2265

REGION 7

1600

REGION 8

494

REGION 9

2339

REGION 10

1799

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.

- at Port Kaituma, Suddie, West Demerara, Mahaicony, Skeldon, Bartica, Mahdia

and Wismar.

There are five maternal cases at Ocean View, and

10 at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

TURN TO PAGE 12

10 NEWS “I holler and I holler” – Berbice woman recalls robbery TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as bandit threatened to sever husband’s neck

A

family of Warren village, East Coast Berbice (Region Six, East Berbice-Corentyne) was on Sunday evening beaten and robbed by two armed bandits. The incident occurred at about 18:30h.

Police have said the suspects, masked and armed with a shotgun and cutlass, are still at large. One of the victims reportedly held on to the cutlass with all his might in an effort to save his life.

At the time of the incident, 58-year-old ranger Frankie Baker and his 68-year-old wife Liloutie were at home.

According to Liloutie, she was relaxing in a chair under their house listening to music when her husband gave her his cellular phone and went to the gate.

“He said he was going to see if the watchman came for the Hymac. The man (bandit) was by the gate, and raise up the cutlass to chop him and punch him back into the yard.”

A young family member who was on his way from the bath, was approached and questioned about the location of the ‘gold and money’.

“He said he don’t know anything about that,” Liloutie related.

“He (bandit) keep asking me for money, and I told them that I don’t have any.”

Meanwhile, Frankie, in giving his account of the ordeal, which he said lasted for about twenty minutes, said he continued to hold on to the cutlass even though it was cutting his hand.

Frankie and Liloutie Baker

As Frankie was being pushed back towards his wife, a second intruder carrying a gun appeared at the gateway.

“He come to me and tell me, ‘Don’t make no noise’, but the one with the cutlass tell Frankie if he make any noise he gon chop out his neck, and Frankie start to holla and he raise the cutlass to chop him and Frankie

hold on to the cutlass for life, and he keep hollering.”

According to Liloutie, the bandit alongside her told her to take off the gold bangles and earrings she was wearing, and she complied.

In the process, she passed out. When she regained consciousness, she was lying on the floor and her husband was still holding on to the cutlass and screaming.

“I holler and I holler and my brother come out and take a cutlass and lash it three times on the canter [enclosed lorry].”

This, baker explained, was done in an effort to scare the bandits.

“While me and the one fighting, the other one keep going and peeping at the gate to see if anybody coming from the back.”

He said he was also cuffed several times.

The bandits escaped with two cellular phones valued at $90,000 and $100,000

worth in gold jewellery. In leaving, the men reportedly fled into the backlands.

Police responded swiftly but had some difficulty locating the building.

Both victims were escorted to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where they were seen, treated and sent away.

The couple have been living there for 24 years, and say it was their first experience of such an incident.

A manhunt has been launched for the bandits.

(G4)

Tourism sector lost an...

“Tourism will be important to the world’s economic recovery. The sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am confident that when we exit this pandemic, the tourism sector will rebound and will continue to contribute to national, regional and global economic development. Guyana is set to become a major tourism destination. Despite the challenges affecting travel, Guyana is preparing to boost its tourism product, which includes adventure, eco, heritage, sport and family-based tourism,” he said.

He urged that time be used to prepare for a stronger and more vibrant tourism sector, since Guyana

has wonderful natural attractions, varied ecosystems, rich biodiversity, diverse cultures, and warm and friendly people.

On September 02, Adel’s Resort at Anna Regina, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); Aracari Hotel Inc, West Bank Demerara (WBD), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Castle Royale Hotel, Tuschen, Region Three; Splashmin’s Fun Park, Linden-Soesdyke Highway, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Surama Eco-Lodge, North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) were all granted conditional approval to recommence operations.

FROM PAGE 3

In the latter part of 2020, 12 other tourism business entities, namely Rewa Eco-Lodge, Wanderlust Adventures, Baganara Island Resort, Hurakabra River Resort, Rock View Lodge, Waikin Ranch, Elite Kayaking & Nature Tours, Atta Rainforest Lodge, Iwokrama River Lodge, Sloth Island Nature Resort and Arrowpoint Nature Resort, were given the greenlight by the GTA to resume operations also under strict COVID guidelines and measures.

In 2019, Guyana’s tourism sector contributed $69.9 billion to Guyana’s economy, while it earned some $62.6 billion the previous year.

(G2)

NEWS

11

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Skeldon workers protest exclusion from gratuity payments by GuySuCo

W

orkers attached to the Skeldon Sugar Estate on Monday morning staged a picketing exercise outside of the factory, calling on the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to end what workers described as “discriminatory” benefits’ practices.

Supported by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), the sugar workers were protesting a decision by the sugar company to pay gratuity to employees at the managerial, supervisory, and clerical levels while denying similar payments to workers employed in the field, factory, and allied areas.

“The workers are at a loss for the Corporation’s decision for their exclusion. They charged that they, like the other benefiting groups, were offered fixed-term contracts, and therefore see no reason for them not to benefit from the payments awarded to

Act, such call is not unfair or imprudent,” the representative body pointed out.

Strike actions

Placards hoisted by Skeldon sugar workers as they picket for their inclusion for gratuity payments from GuySuCo

the other workers,” said the Union in a subsequent statement.

GAWU, having learnt of the situation, addressed the matter with the GuySuCo Head Office. Despite several rational arguments advanced, the sugar company, by letter of September 23, 2021, has said it could not agree to offer similar benefits to the work-

ers.

GAWU relayed, “no reason or explanation was provided by the Corporation for its decision. The workers, having learnt of the Corporation’s adamancy on the matter, became deeply upset and felt cheated. They indicated to the GAWU they felt lesser to their colleagues at the other levels of the estate.”

In the meantime, GAWU said, it is advancing its representation, and will seek the involvement of the Labour Ministry through conciliation.

The Union and the workers also urge the GuySuCo to soberly review its position and to treat all workers equally.

“Indeed we believe, given the relevant sections of the Prevention of Discrimination

These actions come just after the company and union reached an agreement to ensure the workers are compensated for the difference between their usual productivity per punt and the actual canes cut and loaded – a resolution to strike actions at the Albion Estate.

Scores of cane harvesters attached to the Albion Sugar Estate downed tools last week to protest over what they claimed were poor working conditions in the fields.

Moreover, the workers raised concerns over the recorded weight of the cane on the scales, contending that the figures are considerably lower than what they thought was harvested.

The workers staged their protest at Adelphi, East Canje. These workers are

from the Rose Hall Sugar Estate, but were not sent home when that estate was closed because they were transferred to the Albion Estate.

On Saturday, the protest escalated to the point where they blocked a major roadway. Police in Region Six, however, managed to engage the workers and persuade them to clear the roadway, thus allowing a smooth flow of traffic.

Additionally, the Police arranged a meeting between the disgruntled sugar workers and the manager of the estate.

One of the issues discussed was the impact rain and floods had on the industry, which resulted in the canes having reduced rate. Cane cutters are paid based on the tonnes of cane harvested, and Narine explained during the meeting that workers were completing their daily tasks but being paid less than usual. (G12)

COVID-19 response bolstered with $205M Japanese grant

W

ith a grant of just over $205 million from the Japanese Government, Guyana has been able to source additional equipment and resources to strengthen its response to COVID-19 treatment and diagnosis.

Speaking during the daily coronavirus briefing on Monday, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony informed that this additional funding would support purchasing of various machines as well as four new ambulances. These articles are expected to be delivered to Guyana

by November.

“That grant was used to buy various needed equipment for the health sector that would assist us with COVID. Some of the things that we’ll be getting through that grant include imag-

ing equipment that we can use to help with the diagnosis of COVID. We’re getting at least four different ultrasound machines. We’re also getting some sterilizers, ECG machines. We’ll get some pulse oximeters and so forth,” said the Minister.

He added that authorities had been working over the course of six months to get the grant approved.

The additional resources come at a time when there have been startling increases in hospitalisation, new positives and deaths. In fact, September 2021 is now the deadliest month since the pandemic started, having claimed some 137 lives as at Sunday. In preparation for this surge, authorities had made provision for the expansion of bed capacity at the Infectious Diseases

Hospital, to accommodate more patients in the intensive care and general wards.

This spike, he outlined, is expected to continue for a few weeks, but can be curtailed if people get vaccinated and observe the guidelines properly.

“We are going to see this trend of increase in cases.

We’ll see that for the next couple of weeks I’d imagine, but if people start taking precautions, I think we’ll start seeing a decrease in the numbers. Those precautions are all standard things that we’re all acquainted with.”

Government has expended billions of dollars to ensure there is proper management of infections in the country, as well as resources to support the current vaccination campaign countrywide.

Last June, the Ministry

asked the National Assembly for a supplementary provision to the tune of $1.9 billion, to be directed for the purchasing of COVID-19 vaccines. The sum of $1.2 billion was requested to facilitate payment for vaccine supplies and the immunisation campaign as part of efforts from the Ministry’s end to mitigate a further spread.

Another $619 million is for additional resources to purchase vaccines.

In Guyana, first dose uptake stands at 354,676 persons or 69.1 per cent, while second dose uptake stands at 184,072 persons or 35.9 per cent. Some 22,624 adoles-

cents have also taken their first doses.

Regional first dose statistics show a 75.5 per cent immunisation in Region One, 56.7 per cent in Region Two, 65.5 per cent in Region Three, 77.4 per cent in Region Four, 67.6 per cent in Region Five, 70.6 per cent in Region Six, 68.6 per cent in Region Seven, 43.5 per cent in Region Eight, 71.3 per cent in Region Nine and 28.9 per cent in Region 10.

For second doses, the figures are: 33.8 per cent in Region One, 32.7 per cent in Region Two, 32 per cent in Region Three, 40.8 per cent in Region Four, 37.1 per cent

in Region Five, 36.2 per cent in Region Six, 32.9 per cent in Region Seven, 28.8 per cent in Region Eight, 38.1 per cent in Region Nine and 12.6 per cent in Region 10.

“What you can observe from these numbers is that there are lots of people who took their first dose, but they haven’t returned as yet for their second dose. We want to encourage those persons to come out. It’s not the Sputnik second dose that they’re waiting on. There are lots of people who took AstraZeneca and the Sinopharm vaccine and they have not come back for their second dose,” said Dr Anthony. (G12)

12 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Legal challenge to halt oil production

High Court grants Esso’s request to join case despite opposition by applicants

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

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case filed by University of Guyana (UG) lecturer Dr Troy Thomas and Quadad De Freitas to halt ExxonMobil’s emission of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases in its offshore operations here continued on Monday before Justice Franklin Holder at the Demerara High Court. The case was filed in May. Esso Exploration and Production (Guyana) Limited (Esso), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, which has a very substantial interest in the subject of the proceedings and its outcome, applied to be added to the litigation as a party to oppose the making of the orders requested by Dr Thomas and De Freitas (the applicants).

The applicants, through their Counsel Ronald BurchSmith and Melinda Janki, had opposed Esso’s application on the basis that its presence before the Court was not necessary, but conceded that if the company was to participate in a limited scope, the Court has the discretion to allow it.

Following brief arguments, Justice Holder ruled that Esso ought properly to be added, as it had a material interest in the proceeding and its outcome. The Justice then fixed timelines for the respective parties to file submissions in support of their case. The matter has been adjourned to June 2022 for case management.

Appearing on behalf of the State was Attorney General Anil Nandall, SC and State Counsel Chevy Devonish. Andrew Pollard, SC, Edward Luckhoo, SC, and Eleanor Luckhoo appeared for Esso.

Thomas and De Freitas, two Guyanese, have moved to the High Court over what they claim is the State’s failure to curb climate change.

They are alleging that their constitutional rights to a safe and healthy environ-

ment have been contravened by the Government entering into several petroleum agreements with Esso and its parent company.

In the proceedings brought against the Government, represented by its Attorney General, Dr Thomas, the Dean of UG’s Faculty of Natural Sciences, and De Freitas are seeking redress under Article 153 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Together, they have accused the State of violating their constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their well-being, as guaranteed by Article 149(J) of the Constitution.

They have taken issue with ExxonMobil’s emission of 22,030,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases in the Liza Phase 1 Development Project and 34,545,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases in the Liza 2 Development Project offshore Guyana.

According to them, ExxonMobil is producing oil in the Liza Phase 1 Development Project approximately 120 miles offshore in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The Development Projects, they added, are

Applicant Dr Troy Thomas

emitting greenhouse gases that would not otherwise have been emitted, and the country’s petroleum reserves will emit billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases in the future if those petroleum resources are extract-

According to them, “Where the State directly or indirectly interferes with the right under Article 149 J (1), this will entail a violation of its obligation to respect the environment. The State will violate Article 149 J (2) when it fails to take action required by law or where it has failed to take reasonable measures to prevent harm to the environment.”

Dr. Thomas deposes that he and his family have observed and have been affected by increased flooding in Wakenaam and Georgetown. De Freitas, on the other hand, said his family members are ranchers, ecotourism operators, and conservationists who depend on the environment for their livelihoods.

Moreover, they stated that climate change, rising sea level, and ocean acidification threaten Guyana’s environment, agriculture,

Applicant’s Attorney Melinda Janki

ders the court deems just.

Among them is a declaration that the direct emission of 22,030,000 tonnes and 34,545,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from petroleum operations offshore would make the environment more

7 unvaccinated persons...

FROM PAGE 9

While pregnant women are exempted from vaccination upon showing proof, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony shared on Monday, “We need women who are pregnant to make sure that they get the COVID-19 vaccine. It is safe and would reduce your chances of getting COVID during pregnancy.

It is also protective for your baby once you deliver that

baby, because these vaccines, you can pass the antibodies through the breastmilk to the baby.”

Data released by the United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that none of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus which would make pregnant women or their babies sick.

The CDC has said, too,

that women with COVID-19 are at an increased risk of pre-term birth or adverse pregnancy outcomes, with an increased risk of experiencing severe illness from the Coronavirus. This includes sickness that requires hospitalisation, intensive care, need for ventilators or breathing equipment, and even death.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline: 231-1166, 2267480, or 624-6674 immediately, or visit us at www. health.gov.gy All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures, which emphasise: the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand-hygiene. (G1)

ed and burned for energy.

Considering this, the applicants submit, “By authorising, allowing, permitting, and enabling the production of petroleum from projects in the EEZ, the State is facilitating the emission of substantial quantities of greenhouse gases, thereby significantly exacerbating and/or contributing to climate change, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels, and making the environment more harmful to health and wellbeing.”

Pursuant to Article 149(J) (1) and Article 149(J)(2)(a) and (b) of the Constitution, Dr. Thomas and De Freitas contend that the State is obligated to respect the environment, which requires it to refrain from interfering with, or causing damage to, the environment. They contend, too, that the State also has an obligation to protect or guarantee the health of the environment.

and fisheries, increase the risk of transmission of diseases such as malaria and dengue, and put at risk the capital city and coastal areas. On this note, they submitted that climate change and ocean acidification are harmful to human health and wellbeing, and that existing emissions have longterm impacts that will affect children and future generations disproportionately.

Having regard to the foregoing, they argue that the “State’s acts in facilitating the direct emissions from the projects individually and cumulatively are contrary to the State’s NDC and the Pans Agreement, and make the environment more harmful to human health and/or well-being and violate Article 149(1).”

In the circumstances, Dr. Thomas and De Freitas have moved to the High Court seeking several declarations against ExxonMobil, costs, and any such or further or-

harmful to the health and wellbeing of citizens and future generations by significantly exacerbating and/ or contributing to climate change, ocean acidification, and rising sea-levels, and as such would amount to a violation of Article 149 J (1) of the Constitution.

They are also asking the court to declare that the State’s duty under Article 149 J (2) to take reasonable measures to protect the environment for present and future generations require the State to take into account the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions to be emitted by a proposed project before approving, licensing or permitting any proposed project that may have a significant effect on the environment.

Dr Thomas and De Freitas have said they filed the application on their own behalf and in the public interest. (G1)

13 “Our future is agriculture and food sustainability” — President Ali NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…says Govt will fully support soya bean and corn projects

Businessman David Fernandes discussing the project with President Dr Irfaan Ali

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday said sustainable food and agriculture is the country’s future, and the Government would fully support the soya bean and corn projects in Ebini, which will help produce much-needed feed for the poultry industry.

“As I have said before, this is our future, agriculture; food security and our ability to service the regional market is our sustainable future, and all of our efforts will be to ensure we transfer enough resources to this sector to make it viable and resilient,” he was quoted by the Press and Publicity Unit within the Office of the President as saying.

The Head of State took an on-the-ground tour of the 115-acre soya bean and fiveacre corn pilot projects in Ebini, Upper Berbice River, where he was able to closely inspect the crops and evaluate their growth.

He was also given a progress report on the project and the plans for its expansion by David Fernandes of Bounty Farm, Alex Mendez of Dubulay Ranch, and Shameer Mohammed of Royal Chicken.

The Head of State said the existential crisis of climate change makes it more important for the agriculture sector to be resilient and to be guided by scientific and technical standards.

The President said that after having a tour of the project, and being able to do a hands-on inspection, he is “very confident that this project will be a success”.

He said he wanted to thank the members of the

group, which include Guyana Stock Feeds Limited, Royal Chicken, Edun’s Poultry Farms and Hatchery, SBM Wood, Dubulay Ranch, Bounty Farm Limited and a Brazilian investor, for the labour, capital and effort they have personally put into the initial phase.

“From all the plans that I’ve heard and the work that I have seen, I am confident that they are on a journey to ensure that we are self-sufficient and that we can have import substitution for both the soya and the corn to meet our local livestock feed requirements.”

The President also commended the commitment and dedication of the group, and challenged them to aim higher.

“What I have seen today is most pleasing, it is most remarkable. I want to commend the guys, but this is just the start. We have to now replicate this ten-fold in the next crop, and then, of course, after that we move to increase incrementally until we get up to the full production.”

Consolidation of land

President Ali noted that given the success of the pilot projects so far, it must be replicated on a larger scale.

He said that part of doing this will be consolidating and making lands available.

The Head of State pointed out that, over the years, many leases given out across the country for agricultural purposes were not being used efficiently or at all, up to this day. As a result, he said, an assessment of those leases will be done.

“We have to get up to 75,000 acres for us to move to full production locally in this area. So, in the coming weeks, we will be looking at how we can find that land that meets the soil requirements and the scientific requirements to achieve the target.”

Diversification of GuySuCo

President Ali also pointed out that the project would give the Government the chance to diversify the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

“We are already discussing how we can expand this partnership, and one of the things that we have always talked about in GuySuCo is to have diversification; and we are now discussing with the group how we can use one field in the next phase of the trial to do the same thing that we have done here; replicate the same thing, and then to see the cost efficiency, the operation efficiency, and the profitability; because this is not done for the love of it alone, it has to be profitable, it has to make financial and economic sense.”

The President said lands in the various estates would be examined and tested to see which can be viable to replicate the project and further diversify the sugar company.

Unprecedented support

Spokesperson for the group, and one of its main contributors, David Fernandes, also heaped praise on President Ali for birthing the idea, and on the

Government for its continuous support.

Fernandes related that in his years in the Private Sector, he has never experienced such consistent Government support in a project.

“It’s for the first time in the Private Sector I found that we have actually had the Government actually initiate something that we are part of in terms of agriculture. Where they are actually pushing us along the road of developing this, and we hope not only to provide

for the local market, but in the very near future our sister CARICOM territories; which I don’t think is too difficult for us to do.”

He further explained that the group would not have thought of the idea, especially for the poultry sector, if it wasn’t for the push from President Ali. Fernandes also explained that the results so far from the trial have the group “quite excited”.

“We are not very far away from reaping. We could probably start reaping

this in about three weeks, and then we will know exactly what the productivity looks like. We already know what the costs are up to this point, so it is interesting, and I think that with the push the Government has given us, we will go on to the next stage of doing 2500 acres and then beyond that.

It will be a level of acceleration that will probably be interesting to see.”

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha also accompanied President Ali on the visit.

14 NEWS Motorcyclist killed in head-on collision with hire car TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

The body of Abdool Laceman covered on the roadway with his damaged motorcycle nearby

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69-year-old man died after the motorcycle he was riding collided head-on with a car travelling in the opposite direction at Palmyra, East Canje, Berbice.

Dead is Abdool Laceman of Lot 102 Woodley Park, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five (MahaicaBerbice).

He died on the spot, and this was confirmed during an examination by the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and the body then taken away by undertakers.

The accident, Police said, involved HC 8500, owned and driven by a 52-year-old man of Manchester Village, Corentyne and motorcycle CF 4743 ridden by Laceman.

The Police said Laceman was proceeding south along the eastern drive lane ahead of the hire car when it proceed-

ed to overtake him. While in the process of overtaking, the hire car’s left-side front collided with the right side of the motorcycle, causing a collision, the Police said.

Laceman fell on the car’s window screen and then to the road surface which caused him to receive injuries to his head and body.

An eyewitness said when she heard the impact, she saw the motorcyclist cartwheeling through the air and he landed a short distance from his motorcycle and remained motionless.

The eyewitness said it appeared that the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions and the motorcyclist was attempting to overtake a lorry while motor car HC 8500 was proceeding in the opposite direction and also overtaking when the two collided head-on.

Other reports are that the hire car was travelling at a fast pace and by the time the passengers and driver got out of the car to render assistance, the motorcyclist appeared to be dead.

Meanwhile, Police say a breathalyser test conducted on the driver of the hire car gave a reading of 0.00 per cent BAC. Nevertheless, he was told of the offence (causing death by dangerous driving), and then arrested and placed in custody.

(G4)

The car that was involved in the accident

Young British explorer embarks on Guyana Kanuku Mountains adventure

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xplorer and adventurer Lucy Shepherd takes on the entire width (and more) of the Kanuku Mountains, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Shepherd, who became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society at 23 and is the youngest council member of the Scientific Exploration Society, will join Amerindian guides to trek east to west across the Kanukus, Guyana, one of the last remaining unexplored wildernesses on earth for non-Indigenous people. Anders Andersen, who has spent many years living in Guyana, is the Operations Manager for this expedition. Andersen has been looking after in-country coordination and contingency plans.

Considered to be one of the most remarkable journeys through jungle territory in recent years, the expedition, endorsed by the Scientific Exploration Society, will follow the Kanuku Mountains over 200 kilometres as the crow flies from east to west through dense jungle, beginning at the Essequibo River and finishing at the most westerly point of the Kanuku mountains, close to the border of Brazil.

Completed entirely on foot, Shepherd will be joined by Indigenous brothers from multiple Amerindian communities on a journey that is believed to have never been attempted before.

The team consists of Lionel James from Surama village, Arron Bernadine from Sand Creek Village and Vivian Smith from Rewa Village. There will also be two rangers to be named by the Protected Areas Commission. The team will have to overcome mountain ranges as high as 1300 metres and navigate dense forest floor, all while staying vigilant to threats from jaguars and Bushmaster

Lucy Shepherd and British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller

snakes on a journey as diverse as it is dangerous.

In a press release, Shepherd commented “I’ve spent the last year preparing and planning for this expedition and the physical and mental challenge cannot be underestimated and will require every ounce of my resilience. But to know

have been a protected wilderness since 2011, and this expedition is highlighting and celebrating what great things can be done when our natural wildernesses are protected.

Having successfully completed a south-to-north trip across the Kanukus in early 2020, it became obvious to

I’ll be seeing such remote jungle is an honour and I can’t wait to share what I discover.”

Known locally as The Mountains of Life, on account of the sheer diversity of flora and fauna in the mountains, the Kanukus

Shepherd that this diverse area within the Guiana Shield and the Amazon biome was something that Guyana should be incredibly proud of and Shepherd is humbled to have the opportunity to once again explore its beauty with such

a great team alongside her.

Shepherd and Andersen wish to convey their thanks to the Government of Guyana and the several agencies and individuals who facilitated the permitting process, in order for the expedition to commence on schedule and in accordance with the relevant local regulations. Their particular appreciation is extended for the cooperation being given by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA); the Protected Areas Commission (PAC); the Guyana Police Force (GPF); the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, as well as the advice received from Romel Richmond of the GTA and Major General (ret’d) Joseph Singh, himself a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Representative in Guyana of the UK Scientific Exploration Society.

On Monday, Shepherd met with the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller before embarking on her journey.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

More than 40% of Region 4 adults fully vaccinated I n excess of 40 per cent of the adult population in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) have been fully vaccinated.

This is according to Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, who said in his COVID-19 update on Monday that 77.3 per cent of the adult population have taken their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 40.8 per cent of them are fully inoculated.

The Minister said over the weekend a number of persons took the opportunity to get immunised at the vac-

cination drive-through hosted at the National Stadium, Providence.

“We were able to see a number of persons who came out, and it wasn’t only the children, but adults as well were able to get the vaccines,” the Minister said.

Dr Anthony said vaccination outreaches have been taking place in other regions; however, the ones in Region Four are more fruitful.

“We have been doing them in other regions, but the most successful ones have really happened in

Region Four. Our attempts to do them in Regions Three and Ten…we had one in

Region Six have not been as successful,” he said.

While the Minister said

a number of persons have been coming out to take their jabs, he noted that more could be done to improve the uptake.

“So far, we have been getting a number of persons coming out, I still believe that a lot more can be done to improve these numbers and summary journals definitely are lagging behind.”

The overall numbers, as of yesterday, show that 354,676 persons have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which represents 69.1 per cent of the adult population. Some

184,072 persons have received their second dose, which is equivalent to 35.9 per cent of the country’s adult population.

Some 22,634 adolescents have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which is approximately 31 per cent of the population within the 12 to 17 age category.

He also noted that the number of adolescents coming to take their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine will continue to be monitored as the immunisation process for this age category recently began.

GMSA’s business luncheon

Agri Minister unveils emerging opportunities for sector

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he Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) had its first Business Luncheon this year with some 70 participants, which included the GMSA membership and other specially invited guests.

At the event, which was hosted on Friday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the Government and the Agriculture Ministry have recognised that “emerging opportunities in agriculture for the Private Sector in Guyana’s oil and gas economy” are immensely important. He noted that agriculture and manufacturing will prove to be critical in counteracting any adverse effects associated with the exploitation and capitalisation of natural resources.

According to the Minister, there is a projection of growth in national income as the new oil and gas sector will serve to unlock opportunities in traditional sectors, principally agriculture and manufacturing.

Secondly, he emphasised that Guyana is experiencing an influx of expatriates to serve the oil and gas and auxiliary sectors, which inevitably increases the demand for high quality processed foods with greater domestic value-added. This influx, he said, also ultimately implies a large and potentially explosive future growth in the downstream components of the food value chain, particularly farming, processing, wholesaling, retailing and logistics.

In this regard, the Minister stated, the Government is committed to directing substantial resources towards the alleviation of chronic underinvestment in public goods. The programmes initiated include adequate stable power and water supply; credible

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha addressing the GMSA business luncheo

quality and safety standards, with efficient testing and enforcement to enhance agriculture, health and food safety; and traceability services, all of which will provide an entry point for the demanding export markets as well as high-end local markets.

Alluding to the importance of the MoA partnering with the Private Sector, the Minister said the Ministry has facilitated and created an environment which supports investment opportunities and recovery efforts in priority areas such as agro-processing, coconut, corn and soyabean, niche vegetables, beef, dairy, poultry and aquaculture development.

He further shared with attendees the Government’s proactive role in the development of the local processing sector through a programme that aims to improve the quality of existing agro-processing products, develop incubation centres in strategic locations. With the injection of Gy$262.0M, the Ministry will be establishing certified processing facilities in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and 10, which will be utilised for commercial production and product development

to assist small and medium agro-processors.

GMC supporting role

He explained the integral role of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) in supporting Local Content, and added that the GMC would be focusing on subsidising raw materials for agro-processors, to aid in reducing their production costs. The Minister stated that GMC has some 2,100 locally produced items that are also available on supermarket shelves. He called on the Private Sector to buy local and reduce the imports of similar products and commodities that are produced locally.

Livestock was brought to the fore of the presentation as the Minister expressed his concern over dairy imports, since dairy as a percentage of total value of food imports has increased from 4.3% to 8.7% during the periods 2018 and 2019, with an average import bill of US$27M. He was pleased to note that recent investment in the establishment of dairy processing facilities by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and Amaya Milk Company will address the large dairy import bill and

give a clear indication of foreign interest in boosting Guyana’s economy. Minister Zulfikar mentioned some of the Government’s incentive for investment in the livestock sector, including VATfree concession and waivers on import duty for machinery, equipment, tools and supplies for agro-processing; technical/extension/R&D support by Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA); concession on large scale livestock farming; zoning for livestock and crop farmers, and tax concession on investment in agro-processing facilities.

Another investment for livestock includes the establishment of abattoirs that meet international Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards.

This initiative will open new markets and will see the construction of a cattle abattoir in Region Five and a swine abattoir in Region Four.

The GLDA is also in the process of introducing its Livestock Information System to improve the availability, reliability and accuracy of livestock data for decision making and reporting, and to enhance animal traceability and surveillance capacity.

Minister Mustapha reiterated that the agriculture sector remains integral for future development of the nation. As such, he assured that oil and gas resources would be used to develop Guyana’s food systems and create an environment wherein the Private Sector can flourish.

One of the main concerns is the cost of energy, and it has remained the most difficult hurdle to overcome for competitiveness in agro-processing and manufacturing sectors. With the gasto-shore project expected by 2024, the Minister affirmed

GMSA President Rafeek Khan

that the project will not only benefit the agriculture sector immensely, as the cost of energy can be reduced by as much as 50%, but also allow the country to conserve on foreign exchange, which is lost through the importation of fuel.

Opening arable lands

The Minister mentioned the opening up of arable lands in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six, which are slated for development to expand cultivation of rice and other crops. On matters of drainage and irrigation, he said the Ministry is striving to upgrade the infrastructure to improve the performance of the system in response to impacts of climate change. He explained that the construction of farm-tomarket access roads is a national policy that supports the agriculture sector, thus the Government through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority will focus on the construction of at least 65km of roads for 2021-2022 period in Regions Three, Five, Six and 10.

Meanwhile, GMSA President Rafeek Khan, in his opening remarks, lauded the ambitious foresight of Guyana becoming the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

However, he posed a challenge to all stakeholders to start this initiative by first becoming a self-sufficient state. Khan stated, “Guyana has been an important supplier of fresh farm produce and processed farm products to the Caribbean. While we have the potential to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean, I would like to challenge our dear country of Guyana to realise this ambitious desire locally first”.

He indicated that in previous years, imports of agricultural products far exceeded those of exports, and there needs to be a strategy to reverse this continuous trend. “For this to happen, we need more export-oriented domestic production and manufacturing of agro-products,” stated Khan.

Khan urged everyone to collectively pay attention to household food security and nutrition by putting measures in place to mitigate adverse effects of seasonal food production and price volatilities. He encouraged everyone to get involved in home-gardening, as home gardens are an integral part of local food systems, and the agricultural landscape of developing countries such as Guyana.

16 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fire destroys Berbice house

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man is now homeless after a fire destroyed his home at Warren village, East Coast Berbice on Sunday morning.

Reports are that the fire started at about 03:00h but he, as caretaker of the building, was not at home at the time.

Ashrod Khan, a 54-year-old driver, has said that he had left his Warren Village home since Friday, and was staying at a friend’s home at Don Robin, the neighbouring village.

According to the New Amsterdam Fire Service, someone passing in a car saw the building on fire and contacted the fire department.

Khan told this publication that when he arrived on the scene, firefighters were already there, and the

Ashrod Khan standing in the rubble of the building in which he once lived

entire building was engulfed.

He said his friend whom he was

visiting had received a phone call notifying him of the fire.

The building was owned by an overseas-based Guyanese who was

attempting to sell the edifice for $1M and have a new building constructed on the site.

Khan said everything which he owned was lost to the fire.

“I had my ID card and my driver’s licence on me,” he said.

He believes that the burning of the three-bedroom building was an act of arson. He explained that neighbours reported to him that someone was at his home during his absence.

“But like they know that I was not home, and they go in the place. I don’t know if they went to smoke or drink, but I would go away for days, and sometimes a whole month, and nothing like this ever happen.”

The Fire Service is still investigating the cause of the fire. (G4)

Man beaten to death with Advocacy group for Guyanesebat during row over wife American citizens formed

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30-year-old man is now in Police custody after he allegedly beat a man to death during an argument on Sunday night.

The dead man has been identified as 29-year-old Lakeram ‘Videsh’ Dhurup of Lot 95 Number 72 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Police say the incident occurred at about 23:00h while the suspect and Dhurup were arguing over his wife.

Based on information received, the two men, who

lived in the same yard, were arguing; and after the argument, both men went into the yard, where the deceased allegedly continued to hurl expletives at the suspect. Dhurup went on to choke the suspect, which caused him to get angry.

The incensed man then picked up a wooden bat and dealt the deceased three lashes to his right hand, forehead and back. After being dealt the lashes, the deceased fell on the concrete surface, where he hit his face and forehead and be-

came unconscious.

Dhurup was then picked up by the suspect, who took him into the house and applied Limacol and water to his head in an effort to revive him. The effort failed, and an alarm was raised.

Dhurup was transported to the Skeldon Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

His body is presently at the Skeldon Public Hospital's mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination.

Investigations into this matter are ongoing. (G2)

…says will be focused on policy issues originating in USA

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emocrats Abroad Guyana, an advocacy group that will represent the interest of Guyanese-American citizens of Democratic affiliation at home and abroad, has officially launched itself into existence at the Herdmanston Hotel on Tuesday, where it announced its objectives during a press conference.

The group founders were at pains to emphasise that they have no interest in politics in Guyana. According to Chairperson Dr Dawn Stewart, their advocacy has a US Democratic perspective.

“We’re not pushing local policies. All the issues that we will be addressing are issues that directly impact American citizens living abroad in relation to policies made in the United States of America,” she said.

Group Secretary Mark Archer meanwhile noted that their advocacy may have an indirect effect on Guyanese. He gave the example of vaccine restrictions in the wake of the US decision that persons vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine will not be allowed unconditional entry into the USA. “Some of the issues that we will be addressing, like immigration, social security and several other issues, they’re not Guyanese political issues, but some of them may have direct relation to what is happening in Guyana and around the world.

Chairperson of the group, Dr Dawn Stewart

“When the US Congress passes laws dealing with immigration, it will affect Guyanese. When the US Congress passes laws stating what are the visa requirements for entry into the United States, it will affect Guyanese. So, some of the things we’re doing will have an indirect effect on Guyanese who are not American citizens,” Archer said.

Press conference moderator Bobby Vieira meanwhile laid out the stipulations for persons to become members of the group.

According to him, persons desirous of joining the group must be US citizens and must be members of the Democratic Party.

Among the recent US based policies that have direct ramifications on Guyana was the recent announcement that interna-

tional travellers must be fully vaccinated before they are allowed into the country. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- approved Jassen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are currently being administered to persons in the US. Last week, it was reported that 80,000 persons were waiting to be inoculated with the second dose of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. This data was released by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony during the coronavirus briefing.

Government had first ordered 400,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine – 200,000 first doses and 200,000 second doses. From that, Guyana has already received the 200,000 first doses as well as 61,000 of the second doses.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Jamaica union asks Govt to charge CHEC over working conditions for workers T

he Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) is calling on the Government to refer the management of China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for criminal charges to be brought against it.

This is the latest in an ongoing saga of agitation

by UCASE and at least one other entity regarding matters pertaining to working conditions and wages for workers on the Highway 2000 May Pen to Williamsfield leg project, of which CHEC is the contracted firm.

President of UCASE Vincent Morrison, in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer, made the call following what he said was the failure of CHEC to respond to a claim served on it earlier this year for bargaining rights on behalf of the workers.

In an April 2021 letter addressed to CHEC, UCASE and the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) informed the company that the workers on the project have mandat-

ed them to represent them on all matters pertaining to their wages and working conditions. The unions informed CHEC that they are seeking the company’s cooperation in recognising the unions under the Labour Relations and Industrial Dispute Act of 1975, either by consent or allowing the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to conduct a poll among the workers.

But speaking with the Observer, Morrison said that CHEC has remained non-responsive. He said the union has since August sought audience with the Ministry of Labour to settle the issue to no avail.

“We need political involvement. The Government brought them here and I don’t think the Government can fold their arms and allow the Jamaican workers to be pushed around and battered. It is not fair and that is what is happening,” Morrison said.

“One of the reasons I wanted to speak with the minister is to see how he could intervene in representing the Government of Jamaica, because in my view the laws of Jamaica are far more important

President of UCASE, Vincent Morrison

than what China Harbour is doing in Jamaica and I’m very serious about that statement and I don’t think we should allow anybody at all — whether China, United States or the United Kingdom — you should never allow your multinational companies to come into our country and break the law. And that is why I am urging the ministry to refer the thing to the Director of Public Prosecutions for criminal proceedings to be taken out against the company,’ the UCASE President said.

According to Morrison,

the ministry has legal backing to take that kind of action.

“Under the Labour Relations Industrial Disputes Act, when a claim is served on a particular company, or any company for that matter they have time frames within which to respond to the ministry.

Failure to respond to the Ministry of Labour can become a criminal offence,” he said.

“For the ministry to process the ballot, they have a ballot among the workers, they will have to get certain information from the com-

pany and the ministry has standard letters that they would write to the company asking them to submit certain information. If that information is not submitted in a timely manner, then it can be considered a breach of the Labour Relations Industrial Disputes Act which could lead to criminal offences. We have had companies in Jamaica who have breached the law and have ended up in the courts. It takes a long time, but some have reached as far as the Privy Council. So, the ball is in the court of the Ministry of Labour to decide what they are doing,” the UCASE head said.

He said while the ministry lingers, workers are suffering.

“This is a construction project. It has a life, and what the company is doing is dragging out the thing.

But by the time the matter is dealt with then maybe 50 per cent of the work would have already been done. ‘’Myriad issues are affecting the workers. For example, workers have complained about the rate of pay that they are getting.

They have complained about the lack of protective

equipment, the absence of basic necessities such as potable drinking water and the list goes on. This is a continuation of issues from the Mandela project, the Portia Simpson Miller Square project, the Hagley Park to Constant Spring Road project, it’s a continuation,” Morrison told the Observer.

“That is CHEC, that is how CHEC operates. What CHEC does is they sub-contract the work, so you go on a project, you see the sign CHEC all over, the worker tells you they are working with CHEC but the management will probably tell you no, they are working with contractor X or Y. These are interventions that I believe are needed from the political level,” he added.

Workers employed to the project have at varying times staged demonstrations complaining that the terms and conditions (wages and benefits) are less favourable than what they received when the first leg of Highway 2000 was constructed under the management of the French contractor, Bouygues. (Jamaica Observer)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Regional

At least 10 FARC dissidents Popular US YouTuber and associate arrested in killed in Colombia Jamaica on firearm charges bombing, military says

A

t least 10 members of a group of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel dissidents were killed in an armed forces bombing in Colombia’s south-eastern jungle, the head of the military said on Monday.

Though the FARC signed a peace accord in 2016 and most members demobilised, some former fighters reject the deal and continue to battle the Government, which accuses them of illegal mining, drug production, and other crimes.

The military bombing took place in a rural area of Morichal Nuevo municipality, in Guainia province, a top area for cultivation of coca, the base ingredient in cocaine.

P

Commander of the Colombian Military Forces, General Luis Fernando Navarro

“At this time, we have, partially, the death during the course of military operations of 10 bandits from this organisation and an important seizure of materiel,” General Luis Fernando Navarro, the head of the armed forces, said in a vid-

eo.

Security sources estimate dissident groups – which sometimes compete with the National Liberation Army guerrillas and crime gangs for territory – number 2500 fighters.

(Reuters)

Biden mulls US rival to China’s Belt & Road in Latin America

T

he Joe Biden Administration is considering a USled competitor for China’s Belt and Road international trade and public works programme, and a top White House official will scout Latin America next week for possible projects.

Daleep Singh, the US Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics, is travelling to Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama to talk with high-level officials, business leaders, and civic activists about infrastructure needs, according to US officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.

Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, and Panamanian Public Works Minister Rafael Sabonge are among the officials Singh plans to meet.

The White House wants to engage in projects with higher environmental and labour standards than those China is funding, with full transparency for the financial terms, the officials said.

The Belt and Road initiative has transformed from what was once regarded in the US as a series of unconnected infrastructure projects into a

centrepiece of Beijing’s foreign policy strategy, aides to President Joe Biden said. China has gained raw materials, trade links, and geopolitical leverage from the programme, they added.

Biden and other Group of Seven leaders earlier this year discussed a coordinated infrastructure initiative for developing countries to counter China’s programme. In the White House, the new project is known as Build Back Better for the World, echoing one of Biden’s key domestic legislative proposals. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

opular US YouTuber Jayda Cheaves, also known as Jayda Wayda, and Gregory Wright, a member of her entourage, were both charged

by Police in Jamaica with the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, after two guns were found before their departure.

A senior Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) source disclosed that “while preparing to depart the island, two persons were

found to have been in possession of two 9mm pistols”.

The source revealed that Cheaves, who is also Lil Baby’s baby mother, and members of her entourage had, “reportedly brought the firearms into the country on their private jet when coming into Jamaica”.

“These weapons are licenced to the persons in question in their home countries, but not in Jamaica. The two individuals are currently being in-

terviewed by the St James Police in the presence of their attorneys,” the JCF source told Observer Online.

Cheaves and her team landed in Jamaica on a private jet last week to celebrate her 24th birthday.

Cheaves and Wright are booked to appear in the Western Regional Court on Wednesday. Lil Baby and Cheaves share a son together, Loyal Armani.

(Jamaica Observer)

Chile to lift state of emergency as vaccines beat back COVID infections

C

hilean authorities announced on Monday the end of a state of emergency in force since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a sign of life returning to normal following a sharp decrease in cases in the South American nation.

The state of emergency, an extraordinary administrative measure approved by Congress early in 2020, had allowed the Government to impose night-time curfews and forced quarantines on hard-hit districts amid the worst of the outbreak.

“During the last three months...the health situation ...has evolved favourably, with a very significant reduction in infections, active cases, hospitalisations and deaths,” President Sebastian Pinera told reporters.

Chile has spearheaded one of the world’s fastest and most successful vaccination drives, with nearly three-quarters of its population fully vaccinated, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have plummeted

The Government said it would also relax restrictions on movement, liberalise limits on capacity at events and public spaces, and earlier this month re-opened its borders to tourists

as a result.

The Government said it would also relax restrictions on movement, liberalise limits on capacity at events and public spaces, and earlier this month reopened its borders to tourists.

The announcement comes the same day as the health officials began vaccinating children between 6 and 11 years old with China’s Sinovac vaccine, which received emergency

approval in September.

Neighbouring Argentina last week also unveiled plans to ease coronavirus pandemic restrictions, including loosening strict border controls, allowing more commercial activities, and getting rid of the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors.

Chile reported 640 new cases on Monday, with a positivity rate of about 1.08 per cent in the past 24 hours. (Reuters)

said one worker at the Paraguana Refining Centre (CRP), which is made up of the neighbouring Cardon and Amuay refineries. The worker, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, added that refineries are under pressure to restart equipment due to fuel shortages in the country.

PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Among those arrested were Cardon process maintenance manager Lenin Martinez, mechanical maintenance leader Juan Mukarssel, and special equipment engineer Wilmer Amaya, according to sources.

“We started asking questions until they told

us he was in the DGCIM,” Amaya’s daughter, Merlin, said in an interview, referring to the acronym for the military counterintelligence agency.

Harold Guerrero, a lawyer and human rights activist, said the workers were taken to Caracas to face terrorism charges.

Years of underinvestment and mismanagement of PDVSA’s refineries have left gasoline increasingly scarce, creating long fuel lines around the country.

The problem has grown more acute under US sanctions, which restrict PDVSA’s fuel exports and block swaps of crude oil for fuel.

Cardon and Amuay together have a refining capacity of 955,000 bpd. (Reuters)

Trinidad: Griffith to return to work on November 10 7 Venezuela oil workers arrested over refinery outage, sources say F

ormer Police Commissioner Gary Griffith will return to court on November 10, even though his Attorneys informed the High Court Monday that an agreement had been reached with the Police Service Commission (PSC) regarding his suspension less than 24 hours after he was due to have taken up a position as acting Top Cop earlier this month.

Former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, who is leading a team of lawyers representing Griffith, told Justice Nadia Kangaloo despite a settlement being reached between the parties over the last weekend, his client was not prepared to forgo one outstanding issue.

He said Griffith was

Former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith

entitled to seek a declaration from the court that his September 17 suspension was unlawful “and unless there is settlement on this issue, he is entitled to pursue his claim”.

“We were hoping today to tell the court the matter was totally resolved, but one of the terms of the settlement has not been com-

plied with,” Maharaj said, noting that Griffith will not be pursuing the application for the injunction, since he has agreed to defer his return to work until October 31 or until an investigation by retired Judge Stanley John was completed.

“We feel reasonably confident that this matter could be resolved,” Maharaj said.

Griffith, whose threeyear term as Police Commissioner came to an end last month, had argued that the PSC acted illegally when it ordered him to not return to duty until further notice.

Media reports said he had been suspended on the basis of an investigation the PSC initiated on September 1, 2021. (CMC)

S

even Venezuelan oil workers have been detained by military counterintelligence officers following an outage at a unit of State oil company PDVSA’s 310,000 barrelper-day (bpd) Cardon refinery, according to eight sources familiar with the matter.

The arrests took place last week after workers attempted to restart the 45,000-bpd reformer unit, which produces octane blending components used to create motor fuels. The failed restart damaged one of the plant’s compressors, the sources said, adding that the detainees could face terrorism charges.

“It’s the same formula they use for everyone: terrorism and sabotage,”

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil up on tight supply, Brent crude nears US$80 a barrel

O

il prices gained on Monday for a fifth straight day, with Brent at its highest since October 2018 and heading for US$80, as investors fretted about tighter supplies because of rising demand in parts of the world.

Brent crude was up US$1.44, or 1.8 per cent, to settle at US$79.53 a barrel, having posted three straight weeks of gains.

US crude futures rose US$1.47, or two per cent, to settle at US$75.45 a barrel, its highest since July, after rising for a fifth straight week.

Goldman Sachs raised by US$10 its year-end forecast for Brent crude to US$90 per barrel. Global supplies have tightened due to the fast recovery of fuel demand from the outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus and Hurricane Ida's hit to US production.

"While we have long held a bullish oil view, the current global supply-demand deficit is larger than we expected, with the recovery in global demand from the Delta impact even faster than our above-consensus forecast and with global supply remaining short of our below-consensus forecasts," Goldman said.

Caught short by the demand rebound, members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, known as OPEC+, have had difficulty raising output as underinvestment or maintenance delays persist from the pandemic.

"The rise of oil prices is continuing beyond what even most bullish traders would dream just months ago, and Brent hurtling toward the threshold of $80 per barrel is reflective of the extraordinarily tight crude market," said Louise Dickson, senior oil markets analyst at Rystad Energy.

"US supply constraints will continue to provide upside to oil prices, as Ida-related outages will still affect US supply in the first quarter of 2022." (Excerpt from Reuters)

Dozens dead after deadly attacks in Nigeria

D

ozens of people were killed in three separate attacks in different states in northern Nigeria.

In the north-western state of Kaduna, at least 34 people were killed and seven wounded after gunmen attacked a village there.

“Unidentified gunmen attacked Madamai village in Kaura … 34 residents have been confirmed dead following the attack. Seven others sustained injuries,” State Security Commissioner Samuel Aruwan said on Monday, later adding that the attack took place late Sunday.

Troops came under fire before forcing the assailants to withdraw after an intense exchange, he said.

Aruwan added that two suspects were being questioned in connection with the attack.

Also in Kaduna, gunmen attacked a church in the Kachia district on Sunday.

“A life was lost and some worshippers were seriously injured,” Aruwan said in a separate statement.

In the north-western Sokota State, 22 Nigerian security personnel were killed in an attack on a remote army base.

Aminu Gobir, a member of the state assembly, told Reuters 17 bodies were recovered on Sunday and an additional five were found on Monday. He said the dead were 14 soldiers, five Police Officers and three members of a civil defence force.

Nigeria’s military said suspected Islamic State-aligned fighters and criminals were behind the attack.

The Islamic State West Africa Province group is active in the northeast since 2016, a thousand miles away from the northwest.

Criminal gangs known locally as bandits have terrorised northwest and central Nigeria for years, but they have become more brazen in recent months and the military has renewed operations in the region.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Pledging stability, German SPD seeks 3-way alliance to succeed Merkel

G

erman Social Democrat Olaf Scholz vowed on Monday to strengthen the European Union and keep

up the transatlantic partnership in a three-way coalition government he hopes to form by Christmas to take over from Angela Merkel's

Biden gets COVID-19 booster shot as additional doses roll out

U

S President Joe Biden rolled up his shirt sleeve and received a COVID-19 vaccine booster inoculation on Monday, hoping to provide a powerful example for Americans on the need to get the extra shot even as millions go without their first.

"Boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated," he said, noting that about 23 per cent of people in the United States have not received a shot.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week backed an additional dose of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older, adults with un-

derlying medical conditions, and adults in high-risk working and institutional settings.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also received a booster shot on Monday. “All Americans should speak with their doctors and get vaccinated," he said.

Biden, 78, said his wife Jill would also get a booster shot soon.

In getting the booster, Biden dismissed criticism that the United States should distribute more vaccines worldwide before allowing boosters at home.

"We are helping. We are doing more than every other nation in the world combined," he said.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader and top candidate for Chancellor, Olaf Scholz; Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig and SPD member Franziska Giffey wave as they carry bouquets of flowers at their party leadership meeting, one day after the German General Elections, in Berlin, Germany, September 27, 2021

conservatives.

Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) came first in Sunday's national election, just ahead of the conservatives, and aim to lead a Government for the first time since 2005 in a coalition with the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

Scholz, 63, projected a sense of calm assurance when asked whether the close election result and the prospect of prolonged coalition negotiations sent a message of instability in Germany to its European partners.

"Germany always has coalition governments and it was always stable," he said in fluent English, standing beside a statue of Willy Brandt, a Cold War-era

SPD chancellor awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering dialogue between East and West.

The SPD, Germany's oldest party, won 25.7 per cent of the vote, up five percentage points from the 2017 federal election, ahead of Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative bloc on 24.1 per cent, provisional results showed.

The Greens came in with 14.8 per cent and the FDP won 11.5 per cent.

The SPD's recovery marks a tentative revival for centre-left parties in parts of Europe, following the election of Democrat Joe Biden as US President in 2020. Norway's centre-left Opposition party also won an election earlier this month.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Taliban takes on ISKP, its most serious R Kelly found guilty in foe in Afghanistan sex trafficking trial

A

Taliban members inspect the site of a blast in Jalalabad

fter taking over Afghanistan last month, the Taliban claimed that security “has been assured” and that the county was taken out of the “quagmire of war”. But a series of attacks carried out by an affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) group in recent weeks has shattered the claims of security.

In the six weeks since the Taliban came to power, there have been reports of Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), attacks and activity in the cities of Kabul, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif.

On the evening of August 26, just 11 days after the Taliban takeover of the country, ISKP claimed responsibility for a bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. That attack led to the deaths of more than 180 people and injuries to hundreds of oth-

ers.

In the last several weeks, several attacks have been reported in the city of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, and one of ISKP’s most common targets. The recent attacks, including IED explosions, killed civilians and purported Taliban fighters.

In a Telegram message, ISKP claimed to have killed up to 35 Taliban fighters in Jalalabad, a figure the Taliban denies.

Each of these instances has been met with harsh words from the Taliban, who continue to pledge to eradicate any forces loyal to the ISIL group.

Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Zabihullah Mujahid told Al Jazeera that the group is actively “hunting down those who are sowing chaos” in the country. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

U

R Kelly seen entering court in June 2019

S singer R Kelly has been found guilty of exploiting his superstar status to run a scheme to sexually abuse women and children over two decades.

Eleven accusers, nine women and two men, took the stand over the searing six-week trial to describe sexual humiliation and violence at his hands.

After two days of deliberation, the jury found Kelly guilty on all the charges he was facing.

Sentencing is due on May 4 and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The jury found Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was the ringleader of a violent and coercive scheme that lured women and children for him to sexually abuse.

The singer – most famous for the award-winning song

“I Believe I Can Fly” – was also found to have trafficked women between different US states, produced child pornography and engaged in kidnapping.

One woman who testified that Kelly imprisoned, drugged, and raped her said in a written statement after the verdict that she had "been hiding" from Kelly "due to threats made against me" since she went public with her accusations.

"I'm ready to start living my life free from fear and to start the healing process," the woman, identified in court as Sonja, added.

Legal documents also revealed the mental torment Kelly subject his victims to. They were not allowed to eat or use the bathroom without his permission, he controlled what clothes they wore, and made them call him "Daddy".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

Don’t stop until you reach your destination. Falling (March 21short will lead to criticism April 19) or an emotional scene that will leave you feeling down.

Don’t overreact.

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Get together with someone who boosts your morale and encourages you to follow your heart. A change of plans will play out in your favor by allowing you to do something you’ve been putting off.

Impulsive spending won’t make you feel better.

Use your knowledge and intelligence to help you make better decisions. Be open to suggestions, but in the end, do what works best for you.

Say little and do a lot.

Change your outlook to help overcome any adversity you face or trouble that someone causes. Anger will solve nothing, but actions will speak louder than words.

Minimize health risks.

Avoid crowded events, regardless of who is attending.

Spend more time with close friends and family who look out for your best interests.

Refuse to let a job or domestic change disrupt your plans.

Make adjustments to how you deal with friends and relatives. Be ready to compromise if necessary, but don’t give in to emotional blackmail. Try to enforce equality and fair play.

Don’t give up; see what you can do to make your dreams come true. Show passion in all that you do, and you will surpass your expectations and gain respect and support as you move forward.

Beware impulsive spending. Draw up a sound budget and stick to it. Knowing where your money is going will make you feel better about your future and eager to plan and set new goals.

Take care of all the deSAGITTARIUS tails yourself, and you will (Nov. 23not be disappointed in the Dec. 21) outcome. Speak up and position yourself for advancement. A diligent yet unique approach will pay off.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

An emotional incident will make you look bad if you are insensitive. Take a moment to put yourself in someone’s shoes before you say something you regret.

Romance is favored.

Think twice before purchasing something you don’t need. Organize your bills and reconcile your bank account. Knowing exactly where you stand financially will bring you peace of mind.

Follow your heart, do something creative and fix (Feb. 20up your space. Make yourself March 20) comfortable and set goals that encourage happiness and peace of mind. Commit to someone you love.

PISCES

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

E

ngland all-rounder Moeen Ali has announced his retirement from Test cricket, but has said he would continue to play in limited-overs internationals.

Moeen, 34, scored 2,914 runs and took 195 wickets in 64 Tests, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in 2014.

He won the 50 Over World Cup in 2019, and is in England's preliminary squad for this year's T20 World Cup. "I want to play for as long as I can, and I just want to enjoy my cricket," Moeen has said.

"I've enjoyed Test cricket, but that intensity can be too much sometimes, and I feel like I've done enough of it and I'm happy and content with how I've done."

Moeen added that Test cricket was "better than any other format by far", and "more rewarding" when he was playing well.

The left-handed batter and

off-spinner hit five centuries and took five five-wicket hauls in Tests, finishing with a batting average of 28.29 and a bowling average of 36.66.

Only 15 bowlers have taken more Test wickets for England, and Moeen is ranked third among English spinners, behind Derek Underwood (297) and Graeme Swann (255).

In 2017, Moeen became the fifth-fastest player in terms of matches played to reach 2,000 runs and 100 wickets, also taking a hat-trick against South Africa that year to seal a series win at The Oval.

He was part of the 2015 Ashes winning side, but struggled during the 2017-18 series in Australia, and took a break from cricket after being dropped during the 2019 Ashes at home.

Moeen was not recalled to the Test team until the tour of Sri Lanka in January this year, but missed the two Tests after

contracting coronavirus and spending 14 days in isolation.

He finally made his return in the second Test in India in February, taking eight wickets before travelling home as part of England's rotation policy before the final two Tests.

He played three of England's four home Tests against India this summer, before the fifth was cancelled because of COVID-19 concerns. Had the fifth Test gone ahead, Moeen could have become only the 15th player in Test history to score 3,000 runs and take 200 wickets.

Following the T20 World Cup in Oman and the United Arab Emirates in October and November, England are set to face Australia in the fiveTest Ashes series starting on 8 December.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said there will be "no special deals" for families of England cricketers

Pochettino urges patience with Messi ahead of potential return against Man City

M

auricio Pochettino wants Lionel Messi to be given time to adapt to his new surroundings at Paris Saint-Germain, who are preparing to go up against "the best coach in the world" in Pep Guardiola.

Messi has yet to score or assist in three appearances since joining PSG on a free transfer amid financial difficulties at Barcelona, but Pochettino is prepared to be patient with the iconic superstar.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has been struggling with a knee injury of late, though he may be involved when the French club host Manchester City in a titanic Champions League clash. "[Messi] is progressing very well, and I think he'll be in the squad, but I don't know if he'll start," Pochettino said in his pre-match media conference ahead of Tuesday’s meeting in the French capital. "He's the best player in the world, but he's still a human like everyone else. He also needs to adapt to this new team, new culture and new country. He was at Barcelona for 20 years; everything is new here for him.

"With time, I have no doubt that everything will go well, and we're going to have real success together."

The former Tottenham

and Southampton boss also attempted to downplay expectations as his side chase European glory, claiming that PSG are not yet the finished article - unlike their next opponents.

"We're a work in progress," Pochettino said. "It's not an opinion, it's a fact. We have to look at where we have come from and where we are today.

We're going to face Manchester City and the best coach in the world, Pep

Guardiola. They're a great team, a club that dreams of winning the Champions League, as we do. They're perhaps ahead of us, but anything can happen in a football match.

"We're going to try and cause them problems with a lot of desire, determination, and also by applying our ideas and limiting their qualities, and finding weaknesses to exploit. It's a match for the players in which they can show their potential."

Pochettino also dismissed the idea that the contest with City is their first real challenge of the season, having won all of their first eight Ligue 1 games to sit nine points clear at the top of the table.

"A first test? I don't think so. We've had a different challenge in each game. The start of the season hasn't been easy, because we have got players back gradually. Since we've had a complete squad, we've worked,” he said.

"We know the expectations on us, and we know we have to work with responsibility and rigour today, not tomorrow. We have to stand up and be counted when a game comes up."

There was also an update on the fitness of Marco Verratti who, like Messi, is set to be part of the squad, but may not be ready to start.

(Sportsmax)

to be allowed to travel, and some players are considering pulling out because of the strict COVID-19 protocols.

Moeen, who has also played 112 One-Day Internationals and 38 T20s, has two young children, and has thanked his family for their support.

"They have all been amazing on my journey. Everything I did I did for them," he said.

"My brothers and my sister, on my bad days, they've been the first to pick me up; and my wife and kids, my wife's sacrifices and the patience she has, I am really grateful for that. My parents are my number one (fan). I feel (that) without their support, there is no way I would have made it."

Moeen has also thanked former coach Peter Moores, current head coach Chris Silverwood, former captain Sir Alastair Cook, and current skipper Joe Root.

He added that he hoped his

21

Test career would inspire other British Muslims to play for England.

"I'd love one day, in 10 years' time, somebody to say 'Moeen made it easier for me'," he said.

"There have been guys before me who made it easier, so you hope to open the door for someone else."

Moeen is currently in the UAE, where he is playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian PremierLeague(IPL).

He captained Birmingham Phoenix in the inaugural men's H u n d r e d this s u m m e r , a n d is expected t o continue playing whiteball cricket domestically for Worcestershire. (BBC Sport)

W

est Indies Women’s Head Coach Courtney Walsh has been full of praise for new opening batter Rashada Williams as he reviewed the just ended CG Insurance Series against South Arica.

Williams, a 24-year-old who also keeps wicket, was selected for the last three One-Day Internationals, and grabbed the opportunities with both hands.

She recorded scores of 37, 42 and 78 not out – which helped to secure a thrilling victory.

Walsh spoke to members of the media via Zoom meeting on Thursday, and welcomed the steady and controlled batting of Williams. The West Indies fast bowling legend said: “She has done everything right. She came and she put her hand up.

WI Women’s Head Coach Courtney Walsh

outside that, if you show your talent, you can get an opportunity. I’m hoping that will encourage others. A couple other players have put their hands up, and that has been good for the squad.

“Qiana Joseph played a tremendous role with her left-arm spin in both formats.

Rashada Williams

She didn’t start the series…but got a chance in the ODIs, and in all the games she played, she was consistent; and that is what we’re trying to get from the rest of the batters.

“You could say she was probably the find of the series, really. The work we’ve been doing with her, she took it. She has gone out and played three games and had three good scores. She got a chance and showed her worth. She also gives the option of wicket-keeping.”

Walsh added: “She has showed to other youngsters

Nowadays, most teams have a left-arm spinner, and I was very keen to have a look at her, and she did well. Sheneta Grimmond came in with her offspin bowling and did well with four wickets in the last match, which helped us to win. Those are some of the positive signs we are happy with, and once we do so more consistently, we will win more matches.”

Williams’s last knock was particularly impressive, as she batted through the innings. It led to the West Indies Women’s victory in the final match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Williams has said: “I just know (that) once I applied myself and batted well, I would be good enough to get a score.

It felt really great to get a score and lead the team to victory in the final match. That was the aim - once I get a chance, to make the most of it, because in this game you have to make every opportunity count. The longer I bat, the easier it will become to get the runs.

“I’m not the power-hitter, but I can manipulate the strike and rotate the scoring, putting away the bad balls when they come my way. I’m young, and this is just the start, and the aim is to maintain the standard and get even better for the West Indies.”

Williams identified the ICC World Cup Qualifiers from November 16 to December 5 in Zimbabwe, and ultimately the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as her short-term goals, where she is aiming to carry her consistent scoring for the Maroon Warriors.

Now that the series against South Africa is finished, Williams will be back to balancing school work as she is reading for a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from MICO Teachers College in Jamaica. She will also be focusing on cricket training before departing the Caribbean for the qualifiers. (Windies Cricket)

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

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unrisers Hyderabad kept their season alive with a revamped side easing to a seven-wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals. A bowling performance that was competent in parts was complemented by a batting charge led by Jason Roy (60 off 42) and finished by Kane Williamson (51* off 41).

Royals put up a competitive 164 for 5 after choosing to bat, in an innings that captain Sanju Samson largely carried on his back while hitting 82 off 57. But while totals in the same region have been defended in the second leg of this season in the UAE, the Royals’ bowlers ran into two men who marshalled the chase expertly in contrasting styles, and they didn't have the bowling firepower to break through them.

Roy, with his trademark boundary-blasting style, enjoyed

a debut to remember for the Sunrisers. He had been brought in for David Warner - a big call in itself - but with every boundary he struck, it felt like one of the most iconic player-franchise partnerships in the IPL might have come to its end. Warner's lack of form and Roy's runs will make it difficult for the man who led Sunrisers to their only IPL title to find a place in their XI for the rest of the season.

Williamson, who has replaced Warner as captain, played a typically controlled innings to see the team through.

Roy's start meant there were no fireworks needed in the backend, and Williamson's calm steering of the chase was exactly what his team wanted.

Jaiswal's aggression up top Yashasvi Jaiswal didn't have a happy outing with the Royals

SCOREBOARD RAJASTHAN ROYALS INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Evin Lewis c Abdul Samad b Kumar 6 Yashasvi Jaiswal b Sandeep Sharma 36 Sanju Samson (c)† c Holder b Kaul 82 Liam Livingstone c Abdul Samad b Rashid Khan 4 Mahipal Lomror not out 29 Riyan Parag c Roy b Kaul 0 Rahul Tewatia not out 0 Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 3) 7 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.19) 164/5 Did not bat: Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Evin Lewis, 1.1 ov), 2-67 (Yashasvi Jaiswal, 8.4 ov), 3-77 (Liam Livingstone, 10.1 ov), 4-161 (Sanju Samson, 19.2 ov), 5-162 (Riyan Parag, 19.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Sandeep Sharma 3-0-30-1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-1-28-1 Jason Holder 4-0-27-0 Siddarth Kaul 4-0-36-2 Rashid Khan 4-0-31-1 Abhishek Sharma 1-0-8-0

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD INNINGS (TARGET: 165 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Jason Roy c †Samson b Sakariya 60 Wriddhiman Saha † st † Samson b Lomror 18 Kane Williamson (c) not out 51 Priyam Garg c & b Mustafizur Rahman 0 Abhishek Sharma not out 21 Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 9) 17 TOTAL (18.3 Ov, RR: 9.02) 167/3 Did not bat: Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Wriddhiman Saha, 5.1 ov), 2-114 (Jason Roy, 11.6 ov), 3-119 (Priyam Garg, 12.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Jaydev Unadkat 2-0-20-0 Chris Morris 3-0-27-0 Mustafizur Rahman 3.3-0-26-1 Mahipal Lomror 3-0-22-1 Rahul Tewatia 3-0-32-0 Chetan Sakariya 4-0-32-1

Sunrisers celebrating their consolation win

in IPL 2020, but returning to the UAE has seen him unlock his potential. Of the first ten balls he faced, four went to the boundary as Jaiswal made his intention clear. Royals’ gameplan clearly involved going hard from the start, and that didn't change even when Evin Lewis fell while pulling a half-tracker straight to deep square leg in the second over.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar hadn't had too much to show in the wickets’ column, but Lewis gifted the bowler one. Jaiswal, however, continued unfazed. He wasn't always in perfect control, but his approach benefited the Royals, because it didn't let the run-rate flag when Lewis was out.

Samson moves through the gears The Royals captain knew his team lacked batting depth, and that their chances of a good total depended heavily on him. That dependence became more pronounced when Liam Livingstone was out for 4, and Samson constructed his innings accordingly.

In the initial phase, he played balls more on merit, but that also meant a bad ball was ruthlessly punished to the boundary. That still meant Samson was going at just about a run a ball, on 38 off 36 after 14 overs. He then cut

loose spectacularly, as his next 21 balls produced 44 runs.

He began the assault with perhaps the most audacious shot of his innings, stepping out and lifting no less than Rashid Khan over long-off. The reputation and skill of the bowler didn't factor, Samson saw a ball he could smash, and did it.

Bhuvneshwar's control at the death Bhuvneshwar bowled the 17th and 19th overs, bringing a measure of control to the Sunrisers when Samson was cutting loose. In the 19th, he nailed his yorkers consistently, giving up a mere seven runs.

His first over had been a wicketmaiden too, and his bowling at the death meant Sunrisers were chasing less than they might have.

Saha's power play and Roy's successful debut Wriddhiman Saha has been a quietly effective batter at the top of the order, especially in the powerplay. He was quick off the blocks once again, which also gave Roy a bit of extra time to settle in. Roy soon got into the groove too, courtesy of some wayward bowling by Chris Morris, who offered him lengths full enough to smack.

Four boundaries came in

Seeram, Dhaniram star in OMSCC

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oronto Blizzards have been crowned champions of the 2021 Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) Over-50 tournament after beating Cosmos Sports Club on Saturday at Ashtonbee Park in Scarborough.

Blizzards made a respectable and formidable 182-5 from the 20 overs, while Cosmos Sports were 45-3 in 10 overs when rain intervened and halted proceedings. Due to a better net run-rate, Blizzards were declared winners.

During their time at the crease, Shiv Seeram slammed a top-score of 70, laced with five sixes and three fours.

Captain and former Guyana first-class player Sunil Dhaniram, who won the toss and opted to bat, contributed 42, which consisted of three sixes and four fours.

The left-right combination of Dhaniram and Seeram respectively paid great dividends for the team, as they posted an enterprising 97-run opening stand.

Essequibian Jaimini Singh supported with 20, as Daron Mahase captured 2-12 off two overs, while there was one

apiece for Terry Mathura, Paul and Monty Das, and Richard Driffield.

When Cosmos Sports batted, they struggled against the experienced bowling lineup, which included stalwart Bobby Parasnauth. Driffield made a fighting 19, and 18 came from Suresh Persaud. Dhaniram

proved his all-round capability by snapping up two wickets in conceding only eight runs, having sent down one over.

Singh accounted for the other one.

And in the consolation game between Dirty Dozen and Friendship Masters, the former emerged victorious by

an emphatic nine wickets also at Ashtonbee facility.

Friendship Masters only made 122 all out off 19.4 overs, while Dirty Dozen surpassed the target in the 15th over. Playerof-the-match, Canada-based Ganesh Ramraj, led the way with an unbeaten 83 for the championship side.

At the presentation function later in the day, the winning teams received trophies and medals. Seeram, a former Guyana youth cricketer who also represented Canada internationally, took home a trophy for his outstanding batting performance.

President of OMSCC, Paul Jaman, extended congratulations to the winners.

He acknowledged the support of the sponsors as well. Meanwhile, the Division One and Two finals are to be played on Sunday at the same venue. The action is slated to commence from 13:00hrs. Canadian Legends will clash with the winner of the match between Warriors Cricket Club and Hawaiian Sensations.

This game will precede the final.

And in the Division 2, United will match their skills with Seatown.

the fifth over, one of them via leg-byes, and the Sunrisers were up and running. Saha was out stumped when he charged Mahipal Lomror's left-arm spin, but with Roy going along nicely, the chase was on track. Roy blitzed Rahul Tewatia out of the attack with a six and three fours in the 11th over, bringing the equation down to a run a ball with nine overs left.

There was a bit of a wobble when Roy fell, with Sunrisers also losing Priyam Garg soon after, but the opener's big hitting meant the chase was in a place where it could absorb a quiet period.

Williamson finishes it The finish was a straight contest between what Kane

Williamson would do and how Royals' death bowling would go.

In Mustafizur Rahman, there was a terrific death bowler in operation. Moreover, the Sunrisers were not exactly brimming with confidence in their middle order. However, in Abhishek Sharma, Williamson found the perfect foil. Abhishek kept his cool in a chase that could have become tense, hitting Chetan Sakariya for a six over the bowler's head in an over that would swing the game decisively Sunrisers' way, as an equation of 22 from 18 became 6 off 12. Williamson finished things off with two boundaries to midwicket, the second of which also raised his own halfcentury while bringing up victory.

(ESPNcricinfo)

Suriname club booted from CONCACAF, owner Brunswijk suspended for 3 years

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uriname club Inter Moengotapoe has been disqualified and removed from this year’s CONCACAF League, while the club’s owner, Suriname’s Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, has been banned for three years from participating in any capacity in CONCACAF competitions.

CONCACAF made the announcement following a probe into the circumstances surrounding a video that showed Brunswijk allegedly passing out money to Olimpia players and staff in the changing room, after his team’s 6-0 home loss to the Honduran side in a CONCACAF League match on September 21.

Olimpia has also been suspended from the CONCACAF League.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the regional governing body for football said its Disciplinary Committee had “fully investigated the circumstances surrounding the integrity concerns” raised by the video, which had been circulating on social media.

“Having assessed the actions evidenced in the video and considered written statements provided by both clubs, the Committee has determined that serious breaches of integrity rules occurred after the match,” it stated.

“As a consequence of these rule breaches, both clubs have been disqualified and removed from this year’s CONCACAF League with immediate effect.

Additionally, the Committee has ruled that Mr Ronnie Brunswijk is banned for three years from participating in

any capacity in CONCACAF competitions.”

Brunswijk, 60, had played in the match against Olimpia at Franklin Essed Stadium, becoming the oldest player to play in an international club competition.

He was on the field for 54 minutes, and started in attack alongside his son Damian Brunswijk, who played for 29 minutes before being replaced.

(CMC)

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National Juniors conclude after exhilarating weekend

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arese Lloyd, Keliza Smith, Adriel Austin and Ezekiel Newton all completed doubles on the track over the weekend, as the Running Brave Athletics Club dominated the National Youth and Juniors meet.

Running Brave ended the weekend as the best performing club with 294 points, while Bladen Hall Secondary School was second with 77, and Hopetown Flames third with 74. Rounding out the top five clubs which participated at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora, were New Amsterdam United with 67 points and Mercury Fast Laners with 61.

17-year-old Karese Lloyd of the Running Brave Athletics Club (RBAC) and 16-year-old Ezekiel Newtown of Bladen Hall Secondary completed sprint doubles in the 14-17 category, while Keliza Smith (RBAC) did the same in the 18-19 division on Sunday afternoon; continuing what can be considered a successful weekend for the young athletes.

Lloyd clocked 11.97s in the

Karese Lloyd crossing the line in the Girls’ 200m

100m on Saturday and 25.21s in the 200m to complete the feat. Newton stopped the clocked at 10.88s and 22.57s in the respective races, while Keliza Smith raced to an impressive 11.60s in the 100 and 24.16s in the 200m.

In the Girls’ 14-17 200m, Police Progressive Youth Club’s (PPYC) Odessa France crossed the line in second place in 25.21s, while Shellena Semple

of New Amsterdam United (NAU) was third in 26.43s.

For the Boys’ 14-17, PPYC’s Randy Duke and Bladen Hall’s Diliza Lyken completed the podium in 23.26s and 23.38s respectively.

Coming off of a splendid performance in the 100m, Smith was untouchable, but Brianna Charles (RBAC) grabbed another silver in the 200m (18-19) in 24.69s, while

Analissa Redmond of Super Upcoming Runners was third in 26.02s.

In the male version of that race, Revon Williams of Hopetown Flames even had time to commence his celebration before crossing the line, as he finished in 22.35s for first place. Meanwhile, Osrick Pellew (Ruralites) and Joshua Lam (NAU) were second and third in 22.59s and 22.94s.

Attoya Harvey was the leading lady in the 14-17 1500m contest, clocking 5:23.90 for the win. Her Running Brave clubmate Adriel Austin was second with 5:33.37, while Upper Demerara Schools’ Hannah Joseph was third in 5:42.43.

Christianburg Wismar’s Shaqua Tyrell was the easy winner of the 18-19 category, as she clocked 5:02.85. crossing the line soon after was RBAC’s Aaliyah Headley in 5:15.34, and Mercury Fast Laners’ Jelesa Wright in 5:19.74.

and RBAC’s Odida Parkinson with a time 4:34.34.

In the next category up, Hopetown Flames’ Matthew Gordon clocked 4:14.86 for the 1500m. Crossing the line next was Running Brave’s Carlton Kingston in 4:21.90, while Kitwana Goodman of DeChallengers stopped the clock at 5:12.56 for third.

In the sand pit, Wesley

For the males, Samuel Henry (Ruralites) championed the 14-17 1500m race with a time of 4:27.92. Finishing second and third were Timothy France of Ruralites in 4:28.30

Tyndall leaped to 6.99m for a 14-17 long jump win, followed

by Trevon Hamer and David Higgins with 6.62m and 6.35m.

Stafon Roach took the 18-19 gold with a 6.95m

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he Berbice Cricket Board has fulfilled its commitment to three sub-associations and the umpires’ association in the county of Berbice. BCB President Hilbert Foster, during recent outreach visits and meetings with the clubs in the Upper Corentyne and West Berbice areas, had committed the board to making a historic financial grant to the sub-associations. Foster had also made a similar commitment to the Imran Moakan-led Berbice Cricket Umpires Association.

The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association, led by Dennis D’Andrade, and the West Berbice Cricket Association, whose President is David Black, each received one hundred thousand dollars, while the Berbice River Cricket Association would shortly visit the board’s office to uplift a contribution of fifty thousand dollars. The BCUA also collected one hundred thousand dollars, which would be used for training of umpires as the BCB strives to uplift the standard of the game across the county.

Foster has encouraged the association to double its membership as the current number of umpires available is not enough for the large number of tournaments organised by the vibrant board. The BCB President stated that his administration valves the contributions of umpires, and would work with the association to fulfill its mandate.

The BCB is also expected to hand over caps and t-shirts to the umpires shortly, with sponsorship provided by Minister of Agriculture Zulifar Mustapha.

The WBCA would use the financial grant to purchase cricket balls for the nine clubs in the area. The clubs include Blairmont, Bath, Cotton Tree, Bush Lot United, Bush Lot Rising Stars, Cotton Tree, D’ Edward and Paradise.

The BCB recently handed

jump. Melon Lowenfield and Devonte Campbell leaped to 6.92m and 6.35m for second and third.

In the same age division, Annalisa Redmond pipped Keliza Smith in a two-woman competition. Redmond leaped 5.40m while Smith took second with 5.26m.

Meanwhile in the 1417 Girls’ category, Odessa France jumped ahead of the field of competitors with a best jump of 4.99m for the victory. Amerist Hector of New Amsterdam United was second with a leap of 4.86m, and Hannah Joseph third in 4.84m.

A mixed 4x400m relay closed the weekend’s proceeding as Running Brave clinched gold in 3:46.86s.

Their team comprised Adriel Austin, Attoya Harvey, Javon Roberts and Carlton Kingston.

The Super Upcoming Runners quartet of Celine David, Malachi Austin, Simeon Adams and Analissa Redmond followed in 3:58.26s, while Stafon Roach, Jelesa Wright Trevon Hamer and Rashida Clarke teamed up to get Mercury Fast Laners across the line in 4:19.43s for third place.

Bartica benefits from GFF Members Financial Assistance Programme

BCB Secretary Angela Haniff handing over grant to Ameer Rahaman of the Umpires Association

over pitch cover to the area worth $324,000, while clubs in West Berbice have also benefited from cricket balls, catching cribs, cricket gear, stumps, water pitchers, rain coats, scorebooks, bicycles and five grass cutters.

A cricket academy for youth players would also be held shortly, as the BCB pushes ahead with a comprehensive development plan for the county. The UCCA would use its financial grant to assist in the administration of the game in the largest sub- association in the county, between Black Bush Polder to Moleson Creek. A total of twenty-eight teams make up the sub-association. They included Skeldon Titans, No 72 Cut and Load, 73 Young Warriors, Scottsburg, Dukestown, Rama Krishna, No 43 and Crab Wood Creek.

Teams in the area have received over three million dollars’ worth of items from the BCB over the last three years, including balls, scorebooks,

cricket gear, six grass cutters and catching cribs. The BCB and UCCA have also organised numerous tournaments for teams in the area at different levels - under 19, 100 balls, 20/20, 40 overs and fifty overs.

The Berbice River Cricket Association is the smallest of the sub-associations in the county with four teams. The teams are Ebini, Sand Reef, Wiruni and Kimbia.

Funds handed over would be used to provide balls for the clubs. WBCA President David Black expressed gratitude to the BCB for the financial grant and for the interest in the development of the game in the area. UCCA President Dennis D’Andrade hailed the cooperation of the Foster-led BCB as unmatched, as never previously had his subassociation benefited like it did over the last four years.

Both Presidents committed their association to working along with the BCB to develop the game even more in the future.

U

nprecedented in the history of football administration in Guyana is an initiative of the Guyana Football Federation, called the Members Financial Assistance Programme (M-FAP).

Hailed a historic initiative, the M-FAP is designed to cater to assisting Regional Member Associations of the GFF in a number of areas, including administration and operations, equipment and materials, competitions, and technical development and infrastructure.

To date, the Bartica Football Association (BFA) has benefited by receiving monthly financial assistance for administrative purposes, home-and-away uniform kits for male and female seniors and juniors, equipment for the running of its Academy Training Centre, balls and equipment for the promotion of association competitions, and financial assistance for the running of leagues in three age categories in 2019.

In the meanwhile, the association is assured of further assistance (financial and

otherwise) for its operations in the future, once the return-toplay in realised following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

The BFA has also engaged the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission with an interest to acquire lands for the establishment of an international-standard football facility within its jurisdiction, for which funding can also be provided by the GFF through the M-FAP. The M-FAP is derived from the FIFA/CONCACAF Forward Project, of which Guyana is a beneficiary.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

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

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