Guyana Times - Wednesday, November 16, 2022

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Wednesday, Nov 16 – 11:30 –13:00h and 22:30 – 00:30h and Thursday, Nov 17 – 13:00 – 14:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, Nov 16 – 10:50h – 12:20h and Thursday, Nov 17 – 11:55h – 13:25h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

There will be light cloud and light rain showers during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 09:55h and 22:18h reaching maximum heights of 2.03 metres and 2.08 metres.

Low Tide: 15:47h reaching a minimum height of 1.23 metre.

Church fundamental to development, advancement of Guyana – Pres Ali to Christian leaders

President Dr Irfaan Ali has reminded the church of the import ant role it has to play as the Government’s partner in achieving ‘One Guyana’, while at the same time pledging to do his part to dismantle racism and dis crimination.

The meeting with the President, which took place on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), saw dozens of Christian leaders – both lo cally based and members of the diaspora – in atten dance.

President Ali used the opportunity to remind the church of the interconnect ing role state and church have to play in Guyana’s de velopment. He noted that under the banner of ‘One Guyana’, the country can truly be transformed.

“There is a great opportu nity for us to fuse ourselves together. I see the church as fundamental to the devel opment and advancement of our country. Today, I am very pleased to be here and to say to you that this should be the beginning of a system of interaction and communi cation to create a pathway,” he said.

According to President Ali, the ‘One Guyana’ ini tiative extends beyond heal ing and unity, to ensuring that the well-being of ev ery single individual is tak en care of. This, according to the President, will allow all Guyanese to lead meaning ful lives.

The President also point ed out to the church that Guyanese are desirous of living in harmony and in peace, adding that in every single community across the country, there is a desire to achieve national unity.

Meanwhile, Pastor Ejaz Nabie explained that the meeting was aimed at dis cussing the President’s vi sion for ‘One Guyana’ and unity with a specific focus on the role of the church in ad dressing racism, reconcilia tion and nation building.

Following the discussion, the religious leaders com mended President Ali’s vi sion of the ‘One Guyana’ ini tiative and acknowledged the importance of the dia logue. They also pledged col lectively to do their part in promoting unity.

The President was ac companied by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill; and Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, at the meeting.

One critical area in which religious leaders have been engaged or will be engaged by the Government, is the school system. After two in cidents of violence in schools over the course of just two days, Education Minister Priya Manickchand had an nounced that the Ministry will be taking a holistic ap proach to address the situa

tion on a long-term basis.

The approach will see the involvement of the Guyana Police Force, including the Community Policing Group, as well as religious leaders in the respective communi ties. Minister Manickchand had related that while stu dents need to be educated, any unruly behaviour which affects teachers and other students will not be accept

ed.

Religious leaders have also been engaged on crime issues by the Police. Only a few months ago, Regional Commander Simon McBean met with several pastors from various denomina tions at the Love and Faith Ministry in Sophia.

During the meeting, it was pointed out that tradi tional policing – the law en

forcement approach that fo cuses on arrests – while a popular policing tactic to help fight crime around the world, will not be an effec tive tool in fighting crime in their community.

Instead, the religious leaders suggested that so cial cohesion is needed to mitigate crime in the com munity of Sophia and not “traditional policing”. (G3)

President Dr Irfaan Ali (front, centre), flanked by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill (left) and Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, with the church leaders

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Order on Guyana’s roadways

Now operational, the e-ticketing system would help bring some order on Guyana’s roadways, particularly those on the East Bank of Demerara.

With this system, any traffic offender would be automatically flagged and issued a traffic ticket.

This system, which is being monitored by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), will certainly lead to improved behaviours by reckless drivers.

Already, in its testing phase, this piece of modern technology has caught some 1500 defaulting drivers committing traffic violations.

The ‘culture’ of many local drivers and public transportation operators is one of disrespect for designated major roads. They refuse to adhere to what is mandatory. As a result, a number of accidents occur frequently at some of these points. Similarly, the practice of running red lights and the green signal that allows pedestrians to cross continues unabated, predominantly by minibus drivers. The danger this practice poses needs no explanation.

There is no doubt that there is always an element of risk whenever someone uses the roadways, be they a motorist, passenger, cyclist or pedestrian. The risks may manifest in various forms, such as a lack of street lighting while driving at nights; potholes, which when swerved from could place a vehicle in the direct path of another; absence or non-functioning of traffic lights, which can create uncertainty among drivers; roaming animals; speeding; drinking and driving; narrow streets, and lack of traffic signage. In addition, disregard of basic traffic etiquette and other rules exacerbates the risks. While a plethora of traffic violations are committed on a daily basis, some appear more prominent. Undertaking and cutting in front of a vehicle, and the sticking out of a minibus conductor’s arm to do likewise from the other side, seem to be the new norm of driving. Aside from the obvious danger, especially to young and inexperienced drivers, and apart from being an irritant, it is blatant bullyism, and is a potent source for road rage.

It appears that those who engage in such practices do not see themselves as being errant, or what they do as a traffic violation. Lanes that allow for turning-on-red are abused and used as if they are the right-of-way. In the city, many roads other than what are authorised for minibus routes are used as thoroughfares. Speeding is foremost, causing areas that are supposed to be free of minibuses to become dangerous.

In addition, some drivers seemingly take pride in having an alcoholic beverage in their possession while transporting passengers. Adding to their woes, those who abide by traffic rules are verbally abused when trying to stave off a potential transgressor.

What is desperately needed is a sustained campaign to reduce traffic violations, and let the law take its course on the errant ones, regardless of who they are. The carelessness exhibited puts all road users at risk. It must be noted that drivers are not the only violators of traffic rules, for some pedestrians are equally guilty. Aside from the common jaywalking, they cross busy intersections when not authorised, and refuse to use the overhead pedestrian walkways, thereby bringing danger to themselves and others. Like errant drivers, they seem empowered to not observe basic traffic rules. This will change only when there is a constant stream of violators up the stairs of the courts across the country.

With this new technology – E-ticketing – it is hoped that it would improve coordination and collaboration among agencies involved in traffic ticket processing.

Additionally, this would tremendously assist the Guyana Police Force in monitoring the traffic, thus there will be no need for Police Officers to write and process tickets for traffic violations.

This 24-hour daily monitoring will certainly aid in errant drivers reforming themselves, thus contributing to the reduction of accidents.

The system, which has been in development for several months, uses cameras and other technology to accurately monitor traffic, check speeds, and read licence plates for Guyanese vehicles.

It is hoped that this system can be replicated countrywide.

Why women’s rights matter in COP27

By Sophie Rigg

This has been a year of climate catastro phes for every corner of the globe. From floods in Pakistan and Nigeria to the worst droughts on record across the Horn of Africa, no one on the planet is in sulated against our rapidly worsening climate. Among the most disproportionate ly affected are women and girls. Yet their story is all too often just a footnote in the news.

We know about the gendered impact of cli mate change from our work across the world. We have seen, time and time again, how women and girls are pushed to drop out of school, or marry early to help manage the financial stress that families face during droughts or floods. New ActionAid research in Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and Nigeria has found that climate change is also in creasing gender-based vio lence and damaging wom en’s mental health.

As a warming planet leads to a rise in humani tarian emergencies and dis placement, women and girls must not be left to pay the steepest price.

In northern Kenya, Rosemary — a former farm er whom ActionAid works with — now needs to walk several miles farther than before to find water. Her community is facing ex

treme drought after consec utive failed rains, with 90 percent of all open water sources in their area now dry. This increased burden and the distances she has to go put her at greater risk of violence, as she needs to travel often outside day light hours to areas where she has no protection.

Meanwhile, the drought and the invasion of a crop-eating worm pest have already destroyed her farm, once her main source of income. This has forced Rosemary into animal hus bandry, but she faces the challenges of an unpre dictable climate here too. Unable to access water and grassland, two of her cows recently died, pushing her further into financial pre carity.

Farmer incomes have dropped sharply in Rosemary’s community be cause of the failed rains. This is leading to girls being taken out of school — and in some cases married off — to ease family expenditure and help to bring in income. In precarious times of cli mate stress like this, girls are 20 percent more like ly to be married early than in times of stability, putting women’s rights to education and liberty at risk.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Women and girls on the front line of the cli mate crisis, like Rosemary, know what actions are needed, and are important

agents of change. Rosemary leads a local activist net work that tackles violence against women and girls and provides guidance to young women on their hu man rights. This support is key for women and girls navigating the knock-on im pacts of climate change and drought.

Women like Rosemary are capable of building com munities that are resilient to the challenges of climate change. But they need sup port to scale up their work and the opportunity to help decide how international, national and local climate finance is spent.

Yet, sadly, we know that the voices of the women on the front lines are not suf ficiently heard in the grand halls and behind the closed doors where the big deci sions are made, including at the ongoing COP27 cli mate change conference. This is particularly worry ing in 2022 as the impacts of climate change escalate while international support for women like Rosemary remains scarce.

Industrialised nations that have contributed the most to the climate crisis are yet to deliver on their promised — yet inadequate — funding to help mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change in the fu ture. These failed promis es, combined with the lack of finance to support cli mate impacts now — known

as loss and damage finance — means that the odds are loaded against a funding paradigm that accounts for the additional risks and consequences women and girls face. This is unaccept able. Climate finance needs to cover reparations for the lost years of girls’ educa tion, address women’s lost security, and compensate for their failed crop yields. We need progress on these issues at COP27, not yet another year of kicking the can down the road.

World leaders need to pay attention to stories like Rosemary’s. We need less rhetoric, and a greater fo cus on women’s rights and actions to help them thrive and bring their communi ties out of poverty. Without this, the gendered injustice of climate change and the silent crisis for women and girls will only get worse. (Al Jazeera)

(Sophie Rigg is ActionAid UK’s Senior Climate and Resilience Adviser, and leads their climate policy and research work focusing on the intersection of gender justice and climate justice. She specialises in locallyled and gender-just climate adaptation, climate resil ience, and loss and damage. She is a board member of the Global Network for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) and is on the Steering Committee of CAN-UK. Sophie is also an observer on the Climate Investment Funds.)

Balloons are released at the Independence Monument during a ceremony marking Cambodia’s 69th Independence Day celebrations in Phnom Penh (AFP)

UK recognises robust verification of voters here

Dear Editor, When experienced for eign diplomats address matters that are consid ered “internal affairs” of the countries where they are posted, they are very guarded, and their utter ings reflect the position(s) of their bosses at home.

A few days ago, it was reported that the United Kingdom High Commissioner Jane Miller made some remarks relat ing to the upcoming Local Government Elections. Instantly, there were swift critical responses from some notable friends of the political Opposition here. In their mad rush to con demn her, they missed the essence of the diplomat’s message… quite conve

niently.

Lincoln Lewis, (Trade Unionist?) in a letter to the press, suggested that the British diplomat violated “diplomatic expectations”. Lewis has never been known to be “diplomatic”, so can someone familiar with diplomacy please ex plain what this means?

Vincent Alexander, PNC seated GECOM Commissioner, for his part, used more sharp ened language and out rightly accused the High Commissioner of “interfer ing into the internal affairs of Guyana”.

GHK Lall, in his usual obtuse manner of writing, suggested something like the President of Guyana should get involved, consid

er the diplomat’s action as a declaration of war, and send her packing.

Just a reminder: Vincent Alexander, Lincoln Lewis and GHK Lall are all apol ogists for the PNC, and are regular critics of the PPP/C Government. A storm in a teacup? Just what did the High Commissioner say that occasioned such harsh responses?

Here are her words, as reported: “From what I have heard, I think the list is good enough, and I think we just need to make sure that there are those mech anisms in place to make sure it is regularly updat ed and verified”. So where is the mischief? There in none! Her Excellency is just repeating what most

Guyanese already know: this list is good enough be cause it was used in the re cent past by the GECOM to stage the 2015 General and Regional Elections (which the APNU+AFC won), and once again in 2020 (when it lost). Apart from the base less complaints by the now Opposition, all and sundry declared the voting to be free and fair.

The most important aspect of what the High Commissioner said is being downplayed by her detrac tors, who just zeroed in on the list being “good enough”. She emphasised the need for verification mechanisms to be in place. She again fortified this point by stat ing that “Anywhere in the world, you got to make sure

your voters list is regularly updated, and that is what’s happening here; so, al ways, the people who have died and people who moved out the country or whatev er, you need to make sure it’s regularly updated, and that’s the most important thing”. She added, “There are mechanisms in place on the day of voting to make sure that people are turn ing up only once, and that they have identification that is on that list.”

The envoy expressed some concerns about a new house-to-house registra tion at this time. “It makes it very complicated. So, go ing back doing door-to-door, you would miss out the peo ple that have moved over seas maybe just for a few

months, maybe a few weeks, maybe they have gone for a year. They are still eligible voters, so that worries me.”

Vincent Alexander, a GECOM Commissioner, must feel proud that the British Government rec ognises that Guyana has in place robust verifica tion systems in its electoral practices to make it impos sible for malpractices. This is a far cry from the bla tant electoral rigging in the past, for which this country had become notorious.

It would not be surpris ing if, in the coming days, other major western pow ers (ABC) express similar views.

Yours truly, Anson Paul

Opposition Leader wants overseas Guyanese right-to-vote stripped

Dear Editor,

Anil Nandlall, in his Tuesday letter to the editor supporting bloated-list de nialism, showed that he has not been closely following the debate on the issue. He conveyed the false impres sion that the APNU+AFC Opposition only last week conveyed its readiness to engage in implementing the necessary constitutional and statutory amendments following Chief Justice Roxane George’s ruling on residency.

In fact, the Opposition Leader announced that po sition since August, and several times since. At a press conference in August, Mr Norton stated: “Recent pronouncements by both the GECOM Chairperson and 2nd VP Bharrat Jagdeo gave the deliberate false impression that the elec tion laws of the country are cast in stone and are forev er unchangeable. Guyanese know better. Many would recall that in 1990, then President Desmond Hoyte agreed to postpone elections

to facilitate constitution al and other amendments which saw, for instance, the enactment of the Carter for mula (as Article 161 of the Constitution) and, for the first time, counting at the place of poll.”

Mr Norton then contin ued: “APNU+AFC hereby goes on record that we stand ready to discuss and support the necessary constitutional and other amendments to ensure a clean voters’ list as a necessary condition to en sure that the next elections are free, fair, and credible.”

That settled, the fact of the matter is that the Preliminary Voters’ List contains 684,354 names. This is over 90% of the to tal population! It follows that the National Register of Registrants (populated by those Guyanese 14 years and older, and from which the voters’ list is extracted) must be greater than our total population. This is an absurdity we must correct.

Gail Teixeira, Nandlall’s fellow bloated-list de nier, recognising the farce

these numbers expose, re cently tried to dilute mat ters by claiming the total population has increased. Regardless, if there are 200,000 ineligibles on a list, that number remains 200,000 whatever the size of the population. Not surpris ingly, therefore, since 2020, the international elections observers have all called for new registration and a new list.

In his letter, Mr Nandlall finally settled on a bet ter point. Referring to per sons who have migrated, he asked: “Should they be de nied that crucial democratic right to vote, in the land of

their birth?” Mr Nandlall’s legal reasoning on consti tutional rights often expos es a simplistic absoluteness as opposed to a framework that balances competing rights and requirements.

Yes, as he stated, the right to vote is sacred; but so too are free, fair, and credi ble elections. To achieve bal ance, your sacred right to vote is constrained by cer tain restrictions and obliga tions (for example: you must register to vote) to ensure the elections’ results truly reflect the will of the people.

To throw more sand in our eyes, the AG claimed that the widespread de

mand for a clean list would disenfranchise persons who are overseas for medical, business, or other tempo rary reasons. Mr Nandlall knows better. He knows that registration is kept open for as long as possible before an election, so that those persons can get regis tered when they come home.

Lastly, it may be good to quote GECOM’s 2008 press release on the start of the country’s last H2H exer cise—which the PPP signed on to. The Commission stated the primary objec tive is “to establish an ac curate, complete and cur rent National Register

of Registrants’ Database (NRRDB).” GECOM went on to declare that “The im perative to conduct Houseto-House Registration was born out of the need for the creation of an indisputable NRRDB which could be used as the basis for the prepara tion of Electoral Lists that would be commonly accept able by all stakeholders as being unblemished.”

In 2015, seven years lat er, the PPP announced it still supported these objec tives. Why the change of mind?

Sincerely, Sherwood Lowe

Dry Erase

Materials:

A glass plate, bowl, or picture frame Dry erase marker Water

Instructions:

Draw a simple picture on the glass. A stick figure is a good one to start with.

Pour water onto the plate or into the bowl slowly to lift up the draw ing.

Swirl the water around to make the picture dance and move.

How does it work?

The marker leaves behind mixture of pigments and a type of alcohol mixed together. The alcohol dis solves and the pigments are left be hind as a solid. Glass is so smooth that the solid slides right off when it gets wet!

The mouse, the bird and the sausage

By The BroThers Grimm

Police Force to deploy drones, plainclothes cops in security plan for Christmas

urged to avoid wearing ex pensive jewellery and elec tronics during this time.

Meanwhile, Traffic Chief Dennis Stephens said the intention is to ensure a free flow of traffic and minimise congestion and accidents.

“Our method is a mobile patrol on a 24-hour basis… we will have a 12-hour shift system with foot patrols…”, he said.

The Traffic Chief also proposed that contain er trucks only operate be

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has be gun implementing its grand Christmas plan, aimed at keeping communi ties across the country safe this holiday season.

In addition to increas ing the presence of cops, the GPF plans to use drone technology as well as deploy plainclothes ranks to help ward off criminals.

During the launch of

Christmas period, there is usually an increase in eco nomic activity, and as usual, he admitted that Police pres ence needs to be heightened.

“During this season, ac tivities will heighten and we are heightening our pres ence also … there will be increased traffic patrol… Georgetown is synonymous with congestion and traffic issues, hence, our increased traffic patrols.”

increased crime, traffic acci dents, and congestion. Also, there is a likelihood of pick eting activities due to the present political and indus trial environment.”

To achieve their inten tions, the Commander said Region Four will be divided into 15 sectors. Each sector, he said, will be command ed by an officer or inspector and will also include several Police booths.

tween 07:00h to 21:00h dai ly. Business owners are also advised to offload containers at terminals and then trans port the goods using lorries and canters to their busi ness entities.

Region 2 policing plan

Additionally, Regional Division Two (PomeroonSupenaam) Police ranks are set to increase their pres ence during the Christmas season with Police patrol 24/7.

Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran noted that the main aim of the security plan is to minimise criminal activities, and traffic con gestion and to make Region Two safer for visitors, citi zens, and shoppers during the Christmas season.

mercial activities around the region and the inevita ble increase in traffic con gestion.

the Guyana Police Force Christmas Policing Plan on Tuesday, it was revealed that Police patrol on foot, bi cycles, motorcycles, and oth er motor vehicles will be on duty across Georgetown.

For the first time, mem bers of the public will be able to spot drones in the skies, providing added sur veillance.

According to Regional Commander for Region 4A Simon McBean, during the

“…we will work in close collaboration with the City Constabulary, security agencies, business commu nities, and our CPG groups,” he said.

Commander McBean said that robberies and sim ple larceny are most preva lent during this period. He noted that persons doing their Christmas shopping and businesses are the usu al targets for these crimes.

“There is a likelihood of

The main sector in Georgetown will be Robb Street to the north, Hadfield Street to the south, Camp Street to the east, and the Demerara River to the west.

He also stated that for this period, there will also be heightened intelligence-led operations, and more focus on noise nuisance.

Shoppers are being urged to be careful when go ing about their businesses at this time. They are also

Speaking at a pre sentation on Monday, in the Regional Democratic Council’s Boardroom, Regional Commander

He said that his ranks will be increasing patrols using motor vehicles and bikes, along with strategi cally-placed Police huts in areas of Charity and Anna Regina, and conducting se curity operations as part of security measures.

Commander Shivbaran noted that the Police patrol will target increased com

He pointed out that Police ranks will patrol ev ery village within Pomeroon to Supenaam, especially ar eas that comprise primarily business places where visi tors and shoppers will go, so as to prevent crimes.

Additionally, Shivbaran further stated that Police will mainly dispatch to Anna Regina, Supenaam Water Front, and Charity. These areas will be covered by vehicle patrols as well as ranks on cycles and foot.

Persons at the presentation

Regional Commander for Region 4A, Simon McBean

Traffic Chief Dennis Stephens

Commander Khemraj Shivbaran speaking at the presentation on Tuesday

Fire destroys ECD house, arson suspected, 4 homeless

Upon arrival, firefighters ob served one building engulfed in flames,” the Fire Service said.

The structure involved was a one-storey wooden and concrete building, which was owned by Davanand Ramlall and occupied by himself and his family of three.

As a result of the fire,

the building and its contents were destroyed, leaving four people homeless.

“Two jets working from Water Tender #106 and Water Carrier #14 were used to extinguish the blaze. The purported cause of the fire is a malicious setting by person(s) unknown.”

An investigation was launched. (G9)

Police Force to...

Patrol in Essequibo areas

FROM PAGE 7

The fire that destroyed the home at Paradise, ECD

Afire that the Guyana Fire Service suspects to be arson, destroyed a Paradise, East Coast Demerara (ECD) house on Monday evening.

The fire occurred at about 18:32h. In a release,

the Guyana Fire Service said they received a call and were informed of a fire at Lot 22 Paradise, ECD.

“Water tenders from the Melanie and Mahaica Fire Stations were immediately dispatched to the location.

It was also announced that arrangements have al ready been made to conduct special operations around the banks, hotels and night spots, post offices, and busi ness entities around the region by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Intelligence Section in the region.

The patrols will con centrate on Anna Regina,

Charity, and Supenaam with a special interest in hotspot areas.

“This exercise will be conducted so as to make the people of Region Two, vis itors, shoppers, and busi ness places safe. Everyone must be able to enjoy their holiday in a safe manner,” Commander Shivbaran said.

The plan will conclude on January 15, 2023.

Parley...

…on the big stage

Your Eyewitness knows that to “parley” means to discuss or bargain about ending a dispute between two groups. But in the “Pirates of the Caribbean”, he was struck by the explication of Captain Barbossa, that the parley wasn’t a rule, as Elizabeth, the leading lady, thought, but merely a "guideline" adhered to by pirates. They were all thieves, after all, and a bit of flexibility on how they “parleyed” was expected. Nobody exemplified the spirit of “parley” more than the rakish Captain Jack Sparrow – as played by the inimitable Johnny Depp!!

Anyhow, your Eyewitness always saw these conclaves of world leaders, like G7 and G20, as “parleys” more than anything!! After all, who’re bigger pirates than today’s world leaders – excepting perchance the corporate interests they represent in their home countries?!! The question he had on this G20 meet in Bali was: who’d play Captain Jack Sparrow’s role now that Russia’s Putin wasn’t attending?!! Can you think of a more rakish world leader than Putin, who rides horses bareback and bare chested, not to mention wrestling bears!!

Your Eyewitness had to settle for USA’s bleary-eyed Biden huddling with China’s newly self-appointed Presidentfor-life, Xi Jinping. Maybe their enablers suspected they’d raise the ennui level to sleep-inducing proportions, so they’d built up the meet as possibly triggering a “New Cold War”. Well, excuse your Eyewitness for asking, but how do you trigger a “Cold War”?? Hard stares between leaders? No “shaking of “hands” - like we saw one leader in Guyana practice?? Calling each other names, like “Doddering Joe” or “Wannbe Mao”??

Can’t be the economic war. That’s been going on for decades - during which America committed hara-kiri by building up China as the ‘factory of the world’, while allowing its own factories and infrastructure to fall apart!! And China has won that hands down, since it’s not only gonna pass the US in the size-of-economy contest – “let’s see whose GDP’s bigger!!” – in a decade or two. Biden’s “export controls” (read ban!) on chip technology ain’t gonna matter much, save to make the Chinese more self-reliant!! Just as Russia’s becoming more self-reliant after the Western sanctions –while the West are hurting!!

Anyhow, the two “big boys” did meet on the sidelinesas they say - and it’s NOT like our sidelines, which are dams!! Their “sidelines” was some posh presidential suite in some luxury hotel!! Predictably, it was a damp squib – certainly NO fireworks!! No mention of China squelching Xiguirs’ human rights and supporting Russia in Ukraine. Just a tepid, “We’re going to compete vigorously, but I’m not looking for conflict,” from Biden and “Taiwan’s the first red line that must not be crossed in U.S.-China relations,” from Xi!!

This ain’t even a parley!!

…among US Republicans

Well, if you thought that the Republican’s less-thanstellar performance in their midterms meant they’ll be slinking into some corner to sulk – think again!! As your Eyewitness writes this, Trump’s expected to announce he’ll be running for the presidency in 2024! And from where he sits - in dear old mudland - your Eyewitness thinks there’s no way Trump’s gonna retire to Mar-a-Lago!! This fella lives for the world stage!! And he’s discovered that what everyone thought was just an outrageous schtick is now the gold standard for “presidential” behaviour!! So how do you keep him down on the golf course, when he’s EXPERIENCED all those bright lights!!

Have you seen him ripping into Republican de Santis for winning Florida’s governorship so massively?? HE certainly hasn’t seen all those whom he endorsed sinking like lead weights in the bottom of the lagoon!! Trump, let’s remember, creates “alternative facts” - in the unforgettable phrase of his erstwhile press secretary, Kellyanne Conway!! Grab your popcorn for an unbelievable next two years!!

…on Venezuelan migrants

There’s been a high-level meeting on the Venezuelan migrants who keep pouring into or troubled land. As a people whom Burnham pushed as migrants into every country on Planet Earth, let’s welcome them.

Majority of illegal guns in Guyana smuggled from US, Brazil – GPF

Serious crimes in Guyana are be coming more weap onised with the prolifera tion of guns manufactured in Brazil and brought into Guyana through the com munity of Lethem. As such, the Guyana Police Force has said, it is working to stem the flow of these guns across the Brazil-Guyana border.

According to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, for this year, the Police Force man aged to take 68 illegal guns off the streets, and they found that most of those weapons were manufac tured in Brazil.

“We have taken out of circulation 68 illegal fire arms. Region Four ‘A’ has the highest rate of illegal firearms seized. Revolvers accounted for the highest type of illegal firearms tak en out of circulation… fol lowed by shotguns. The main origin of illegal fire arms is the United States

of America, followed by our neighbour Brazil,” Blanhum has said.

Regarding Brazil, he said the Taurus pistol represents a significant amount of the illegal firearms coming from that country.

“The Taurus weapons are produced in Brazil. Our investigations have so far revealed that Lethem is the main transit point for these

weapons, which go largely towards principal destina tions in Region Four ‘A’ and other distribution networks across the country.

The issue of illegal fire arms has been a longstand ing concern, but from all in dications, more and more of these weapons are end ing up in the hands of crim inals.”

In 2014, former Crime

Chief Leslie James had re vealed that, from 2011 to 2014, the Guyana Police Force had seized illegal weapons that had been made in neighbouring Brazil. He had said that based on Police records, Brazilian-type weapons are the choice of criminals. Brazilians travelling to Guyana illegally for mining purposes bring these weap ons with them, but they are usually confiscated by the Police during raids and oth er operations.

Meanwhile, in 2016, a report that was conduct ed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had stated that with the guns being smuggled through Lethem, there is very lit tle the Lethem Police have been able to do about the situation. According to that international body, “The Police need to be better re sourced to deal with crime

in the interior, and the unique challenges of law en forcement in border areas.”

The report had also not ed that the lack of proper border security allowed for

illicit drugs to be trafficked into the country. Moreover, Brazilians enter Guyana, commit crimes in Lethem, and then return to Brazil. (G9)

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum

APNU will not allow PPP/C to ‘take over’ strongholds – Norton

APartnership for National Unity (APNU) is yet to confirm if they will partic ipate in next year’s Local Government Elections (LGE). At the same time, however, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton insists that the party will not allow the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to take over its strong holds.

During a press con ference on Tuesday, the Opposition Leader was in sistent that the party will not allow its strongholds to fall into the PPP/C’s hands. At the time, he was asked if APNU will follow its co alition partner Alliance For Change (AFC) and not contest LGE which are due next year.

According to Norton, however, APNU is in a dif ferent position from the smaller party and has to pro tect its strongholds. Norton mentioned Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Linden as electoral areas

confirmation on whether party will participate in LGE

that APNU does not want to lose to the PPP/C.

“The AFC is a political party that has a right to de cide if it wants to go, if it wants to go in coalition or it doesn’t want to go at all. That is their right and they have exercised that right. In terms of the APNU, we are in a different position. We will engage and then we will determine what is in the best interest of our peo ple.”

“For instance, we have strongholds in Linden. We have strongholds in New Amsterdam. In Bartica. In Mahdia. And in the last election, we beat the PPP in Rose Hall. Now, what is the PPP hope? They hope no one will go and they get all the seats and dominate and control this entire society. We will protect our strong holds. How we do it, we will disclose once we complete all our analysis.”

With March 13, 2023 set as the date for Local Government Elections, the

PPP/C is the only major po litical party that has sig nalled an intention to par ticipate. On Sunday, the AFC announced that it would not be participating in the elections, if the list remains as is.

The party claimed that the list of electors is ‘bloat ed’, an often-repeated claim of its coalition part ner, APNU. The party also

echoed concerns of its part ner, which is yet to confirm if it will participate in LGE, that the list contains the names of Guyanese who mi grated.

According to the Constitution of Guyana and previous court cases, however, Guyanese who have migrated cannot be removed from the list of electors since residency of

Guyanese citizens is not a requirement to vote.

This was demonstrat ed since 2019, when Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George ruled that the removal of the names of persons from the list of registrants, who were not resident in Guyana and could not participate in the House-to-House Registration exercise, would be unconstitutional. Her de cision was subsequently up held in the Court of Appeal.

The requirements for a person to vote, as set out in Articles 59 and 159 of the Constitution, are that that person must be 18 years or older, and must be a Guyanese citizen or a Commonwealth citizen resident and domiciled in Guyana.

The AFC also said in their statement that the electoral system is not per fect and that they were not willing to “perpetuate a de ception”. They further said that they would support postponing LGE until their

definition of a “clean” vot ers’ list is arrived at.

AFC’s pull-out from con testing LGE comes at a time when the smaller party is al ready receiving diminished returns whenever it goes to the polls. Such was the case in 2018, when the par ty, then part of the APNU/ AFC coalition Government, was forced to contest LGE on its own. It ended up se curing just four per cent of the total votes cast.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has already designated December 12, 2022, as nom ination day for the upcom ing LGE, which are set to be held next year March.

On nomination day, parties make their way to a desig nated location, where their representatives are usually required to submit their list of candidates to the Chief Election Officer, as well as sign on to the required doc uments, such as a code of conduct, to contest the elec tions. (G3)

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

Health authorities, experts mobilise to remove Guyana from Top 10 suicide ranking …as

The Guyana Mental Health and WellBeing Conference opened on Tuesday with heightened commitment and action plans geared at removing Guyana from the Top 10 ranking for its sui cide rate in the world.

At the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), an overview of Guyana Well-Being Studies by Professor Christina Hoven showed that suicide rates have been increasing most ly among youths.

Statistics place Guyana at second in the world for the highest suicide rate with 40.3 for every 100,000 persons. In 2020, a gen der breakdown of suicides pointed to 19 per cent for males and 81 per cent for fe males.

“Suicide and young peo ple is a problem throughout the world. We have to figure out what to do…The num bers will go up before they go down because as we do this work, we will find more people who are misclassi fied.”

She revealed that due to the stigma attached to men tal health, persons do not want to access services close to them. This resulted in a directory published with fa cilities where these services can be accessed.

Within 2021-2022, she noted that significant achievements were made. This included appointments for the Director of NonCommunicable Diseases, Head of the Mental

Health Unit and National Coordinator for Suicide Prevention.

This was coupled with the Guyana Wellbeing Study, using a multipronged research design such as clinical attempted samples, physiological au topsy samples, and explor ing key risk factors.

A longitudinal case con trol study of youth 10 to 24 years was embarked through the past year. She noted that car accidents, and other such occurrences may be related to suicides, requiring intervention and alertness beyond the tradi tional methods.

Profession Hoven also pointed to increased col laboration across organi sations and all sections of society and the need for bet ter salaries. Some persons were trained in the country

in this field but after a few months, they were working across the Caribbean.

“You can’t sustain the people without sustaining the workers. The salaries are not sustainable. So we can whistle in the dark all

we want, but we need to do something. The Government needs to do something,” she asserted.

Targeted for collabora tion are the Social Services Ministry, Education Ministry; Culture, Youth

and Sports Ministry, and the National Road Safety Council.

Better mental health services Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared that studies have paved the way for better mental health ser vices in the wider region.

He highlighted that ap proximately 10 to 15 per cent of Guyanese have a mental health disorder, according to the Guyana National Mental Health Action Plan, painting the need for intervention and data collection. Challenges such as COVID would also have to be included in the action plan, since many pa tients developed depression and anxiety during treat ment and after discharge.

“That would mean that between 78,000 to 114,500 persons have a mental health disorder. Of this set of people, about three to five

per cent suffer from chronic mental health illness…and approximately 20,000 per sons have a severe mental health illness. These esti mates demonstrate the need for us to have better care. Once we start putting sys tems to collect better data, one of the things we will find is that our current data might perhaps be an under estimate,” the Minister out lined.

He added that the new Mental Health Protection and Promotion Act also protects persons from stig ma. Along with the Mental Health Bill, the Suicide Prevention Bill was also laid in Parliament.

Nevertheless, Dr Anthony said there are still areas where data is lacking, such as substance abuse. As data is being collected and analysed, it will be used to influence programmes and policies for the country. (G12)

A glimpse of the opening of the Guyana Mental Health and Well-Being Conference

suicide among young persons remains high

Court orders release of ship which crashed into Harbour Bridge

to be guaranteed

The High Court has or dered that the MT Tradewind Passion, the ship that crashed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge last month causing extensive damage, be re leased to its owners subject to conditions. It also grant ed an order for limited liabil ity of GY$245.5 million to be underwritten.

Making this order was Justice Fidela CorbinLincoln. Attorneys-atLaw Sanjeev Datadin and Donovan Rangiah represent ed the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) as the claimant, while the owners of the ship, the de fendants, were represented by Attorney-at-Law Kamal Ramkarran.

Justice Corbin-Lincoln ordered that permission be granted for the defendant and Canama Trading, a Panamanian company that owns the ship, to argue lim ited liability as a defence

against the property dam age claims.

It was also ordered that a limitation fund be creat ed through a letter of under taking, in the sum of $245.5 million. The order states that once a copy of the let ter of undertaking from the ship’s underwriters is re ceived and a notice of re ceipt issued by the Court Registrar, the ship will be released into their custo dy. The original letter of undertaking by Steamship Mutual Underwriting must be lodged by November 25, 2022.

“The claimant, its ser vants and agents are here by directed to allow and facilitate the defendant ves sel to return to service and leave Guyana forthwith upon receipt of notice of the Constitution of the limita tion fund as ordered,” the order states, going on to threaten that failure to com ply with the directives will

result in the party being held in contempt of court.

A letter of undertaking from Steamship Mutual and a Notice of Receipt from the Court Registrar, both dat ed November 11, 2022, were seen by this publication.

The October 8 collision rendered the ageing DHB structure inoperable for sev eral days and resulted in bil lions of dollars in damages.

It also resulted in inju ries to Shift Supervisor Andy Duke, who had to jump from the lookout tower… an act that resulted in him fractur ing his leg and being hospi talised. The other men who were working at the bot tom of the bridge, including Mechanical Maintenance Engineer Ahmad Khan, had to run for their lives.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had said that repairs to the Demerara Harbour Bridge following Tradewind Passion’s colli sion, had racked up a bill

of over $1 billion, which the owners of the vessel will be liable for.

A Board of Inquiry (BoI) had meanwhile recommend ed, among other things, that the vessel’s pilot be suspended for 24 months and the implementation of International Collision Regulations/Conventions to which Guyana is a signato ry.

According to the BoI, the probable cause of the colli sion of the vessel with the DHB was as a result of the bridge teams’ exclusive reli ance on the contract pilot’s incorrect navigational di rection, and their total reli ance on looking at the bridge and disregarding alarms of the electronic system on the

vessel as it approached the bridge.

The BoI found that the captain failed to assume command of the vessel in a timely manner and manoeu vre it safely into the channel and through the transit, that the passage plan provided adequate information for safe navigation of the bridge zone but was not proper ly executed and monitored, that at the time of the col lision MARAD had no over sight of river pilots; hence the safety of vessels’ oper ations beyond the southern limits were not guaranteed.

It was also found that there was no clear path of communication on the ves sel’s bridge as the inquiry found several persons were

giving commands at the same time, thereby contrib uting to chaos on the bridge and that the vessel was not equipped with a bow thrust er which could have en hanced its manoeuvrabili ty, thereby steering it away from the DHB or alterna tively reducing the impact of the collision.

The seven-member BoI further found that the con tract pilot was known to have an arrogant disposition and was oftentimes very dif ficult to communicate with.

“This is similarly report ed as being the general dis position of the Master of Tradewind Passion, yet no reports nor warnings, disci plinary actions were taken against either party.” (G3)

The MT Tradewind Passion

Damages to the Demerara Harbour Bridge caused by the ship

$10M up for grabs in Digicel’s ‘Pick and Win’ holiday promotion

the PICK AND WIN pro

Digicel has launched its ‘Pick and Win’ promo tion for the Christmas holiday season, bringing mil lions up for grabs and putting smiles on the faces of its cus tomers.

The promotion, launched on Tuesday at the Pegasus Suites, promises that priz es would be won through en gaging digital interactions with its customers and a final grand draw. To enter, prepaid customers activating any Prime Bundle would earn an instant chance to PICK AND WIN a prize on the day of ac tivation. Using the MyDigicel app, customers can then se lect one of three boxes for a chance to win digital priz es such as credit, data, or a discount on their next Prime Bundle purchase.

On Wednesdays, pre paid and postpaid customers on any Prime Bundle would be guaranteed a digital or non-digital prize once they

participate in the Pick and Win offer in the MyDigicel app. The range of non-digi tal prizes includes laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cash prizes of $10,000 and $20,000.

Prepaid customers ac tivating a Prime Bundle or postpaid customers pay ing their bills in full and on time would be entered into a grand prize drawing to win one of three prizes. For pre paid customers, every day on a Prime Bundle earns an en try into the grand prize draw. Postpaid customers, once their bills are paid on time and in full, would earn 30 entries into the grand prize draw. Customers can keep track of their entries by dial ing *122*4#.

In the grand draw, the prizes are $500,000 to the first-place winner, $300,000 to the second-place winner, and $200,000 to the thirdplace winner. The grand

prize drawing will be held on January 5th, 2023.

In addition, Digicel is offering up to 50 per cent off on selected hand sets for the Christmas sea son. Customers can choose from Samsung A037 for only $31,000 and Logic L63 for just $15,000.

“These affordable hand sets will allow customers to give that perfect gift to loved ones, and keep connect ed during the holiday sea son. And that’s not all; with the purchase of one of these handsets, you will receive a free monthly prime bundle that gives you 30 entries into the grand prize draw… This Christmas, Digicel is defi nitely giving MORE to its customers! Digicel would like to thank its customers for their support throughout the year, and wishes its family and loved ones a happy hol iday,” the company has an nounced.

Communications Manager Vidya Sanichara informed that all information and specifications on hand

sets are available on Digicel’s website. The handset sale starts on November 16 and ends on December 31, while

motion starts on November 16, 2022 and concludes on January 4, 2023. (G12)

The Digicel boxes were ready with prizes as the promotion was kickstarted on Tuesday

Education Ministry exploring ways to attract teachers to hinterland

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has announced that several avenues are being

examined to attract teachers into hinterland communities amid the prolonged issue of human resource shortages

in such areas.

Due to the fact that many of these communities are far-flung or imbedded in

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

the heart of the hinterland, there are many instanc es where educators from the coastland are required to fill vacancies. However, Manickchand shared that incentives apart from salary is being looked at.

“We’re looking at various ways we can attract teach ers into the hinterland. That is over and above just salary also. It is percentage points for promotion and some oth er types of incentives. Right now, we do not have those written down on paper but it is something we’re currently looking at aggressively,” she announced.

The Minister highlighted that until persons from the

community are eligible to at tend the Cyril Potter College of Education and can take up these roles, the weight will fall on the Ministry to source teachers elsewhere. In the same light, housing quarters for teachers are be ing established in new and existing schools to provide accommodation.

“If we haven’t been grad uating children in those communities that can have the eligibility criteria to en ter the college, then until we can, we need to put trained teachers in the community. The only way we can do that is import from various com munities and we would have to provide housing.”

The International Centre of Excellence in Educator Innovation, Learning and Development (ICEEILD) programme, was launched in June at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus, to ensure hinter land teachers have equal ac cess to higher education.

This occurred amid trends which showed that opportunities for teachers in far-flung villages were ex tremely limited due to their remote location. While some would leave their home and travel to Georgetown to at tend the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and UG, many are still not able to do so owing to social and economic constraints.

In April 2021, measures by the Education Ministry for teachers to access online education at the CPCE were implemented due to closures of public buildings related the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goal Four of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) speaks to achieving inclusive and equitable quality edu cation by 2030. A UNICEF study in 2017 found that for every 100 Indigenous boys and girls enrolled in second ary school, only 53 would complete. Indigenous chil dren would drop out when they are about to enter sec ondary school, or during their early secondary educa tion stage. (G12)

Ramsammy’s Ruminations

The AFC embraces its total loss of relevance – voters’ list excuse is pathetic

Local Government Elections (LGE) are set for March 13, 2023. December 12, a few weeks from now, is Nomination Day. The AFC will not be present on Nomination Day. Last Sunday, quietly, the AFC issued a statement affirming what we all knew already – they will not be participating in LGE 2023. Not a single soul in our country is shocked. We all would have been shocked had they announced their participation. The fact is that the AFC are mortally afraid of LGE 2023. They are afraid that participation in LGE 2023 would be the funeral that Khemraj Ramjattan, their hapless leader, prophesied just before Valentine’s Day 2015, when he warned that should the AFC join with the PNC, they would become “dead meat”. The fact is they have had a Guinness Book of World Records’ longest-ever “wake”.

The AFC knows they would not win even a top-up seat, they would be decimated in every NDC and municipality in LGE 2023, if they ran. Their non-relevance would have been underlined in bold letters by the Guyanese citizens. This is the real reason the AFC has humiliatingly backed-off from LGE 2023. Residing in the AFC today is a group of persons who are so reviled by citizens that they cannot dare try holding even a community meeting. Their role in the disastrous APNU/AFC Government of 2015 to 2020 is bad enough. Their role in trying to rig the March 2, 2020 elections is even more reprehensible. Now their role in Parliament makes citizens scream out “lol”, and shake their heads in amazement and disgust. The fact is simple: the AFC have lost their relevance in the Guyanese political landscape, and have become a joke.

There have been many opportunities for the AFC to regain some dignity and rehabilitate themselves. Instead, with every action they take, with every crazy excuse they make, they further consolidate their non-relevance. They walked out of Parliament on a day when they could have contributed to moving the constitutional reform process. Two Mondays ago, the Attorney General introduced the Constitutional Reform Bill for its second reading. The AFC, like their other colleagues in the PNC, walked out of Parliament, and did not participate in the debate. The country is in an aggressive clean-up campaign that was initiated by President Irfaan Ali several months ago. Many citizens from all walks of life, including many who voted for APNU+AFC, have embraced this national mission. The AFC could have come out in their colours and, with their few supporters, the very few that remain, joined the national effort. This is not politics, but it is an avenue to demonstrate that your party is truly committed to national development. In the most important things happening in our country today, the AFC have chosen, stupidly and recklessly, to be missing in action - MIA.

For sure, the AFC executives face a mountain of a dilemma: decimation at the polls would merely confirm their “dead meat” status; not participating in the LGE makes them irrelevant. Neither choice is easy to stomach for any of their leaders, but there is no option for them at this time. Anyone familiar with Guyana’s politics knows that the PNC and the AFC have used the Voters’ List as their bogeyman. This is the same list that they contested with in 2011, 2015, and 2020. As long as they knew that they could have rigged the results in March 2020, they never once questioned the Voters’ List. The list became a false excuse only when they recognised that their rigging plan was too transparent, and that the whole world was watching them in total amazement. Once they realised they could not rig the results, they had to desperately find something to use as a rouse to stay in Government. An earlier excuse that Russians had come into the country to manipulate the elections’ results had been loudly laughed off by their own supporters. Incidentally, like their missing SoPs, the Russians are still nowhere in sight.

The AFC are not the only party that will not participate. All of the one-man or one-woman parties will find some weird reason to stay on the sidelines. The party with the biggest dilemma is Aubrey Norton’s PNC. Norton is the one most mortally afraid of LGE 2023. Staunch supporters of the PNC have conceded that the PPP would gain ground in the PNC traditional strongholds. Norton’s dilemma is “double-whammy”. He is mortally afraid that the PNC will take such an electoral “licking” that he personally would be the collateral loser. Norton is mortally afraid that LGE 2023 would confirm to the PNC membership that he is not the candidate that should lead them to the 2025 General and Regional Elections. On that basis, his decision is easy – no participation. But no participation means the PNC loses the few NDCs and the municipalities they now control. He is afraid that given a chance to take control of these NDCs and municipalities would further help people to see that the PPP is always the better choice for Guyana. Non-participation would mean the PNC become a small party. Participation means Norton loses leadership. He is between a rock and a hard place. Ramjattan’s prophesied “dead meat” status for the AFC now awaits PNC.

Crime Chief bemoans lack of capacity for DNA testing locally

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has vented its frustra tion at the lack of capacity to conduct DNA testing lo cally.

This frustration was ex pressed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum during a press conference organised by the GPF.

“The lack of capacity to conduct DNA testing in deed is affecting us, be cause many of the cases are before the court, and there is a huge backlog. It is quite expensive to send these samples overseas. We were able to get some to a lab in Miami recently, but we still have a backlog, and we’re hoping that that situation can be resolved as early as possible,” he said.

He said the criminal jus tice system is currently see ing a backlog of more than 20 cases due to the coun try’s incapability to conduct such testing. While he could not state how long there has been a backlog, the Crime Chief said that has been on going for some time now.

Having this type of test ing, he explained, would help to eliminate backlogs, strengthen crime laborato ry capacity, and stimulate research and development.

Among the cases that are being backlogged is the case of Suraj Dhaneshwar, a fish erman who went missing af ter his boat had capsized in March. On April 12, a bad ly decomposed body was washed up at the foreshore at Dantzig, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, and

it is suspected to be that of Dhaneshwar, but only the DNA test can confirm this suspicion.

In May of this year, it was announced that Guyana’s DNA testing ca pabilities are set for a massive upgrade with the procurement of new equip ment costing the state some US$300,000. The equip ment is expected to arrive in the country soon, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had told the media.

It has been report ed that even though the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory can perform DNA testing, there are challenges when those tests are to be conducted on badly decomposed bodies, and in other circumstances where sampling is poor. Currently, the forensic lab can conduct DNA testing for compari son or matching evidence to suspects, paternity testing, and family mapping. (G9)

Dr Leslie Ramsammy

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

Venezuelan kills Guyanese miner in dispute over fiancée

AVenezuelan man has killed a Guyanese miner during a dis pute over the man’s fiancée.

Dead is 37-year-old Ravindra Alfred, a miner who resided at First Street Kaneville Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara.

The incident occurred at Sand Hill Backdam, Cuyuni River (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), after the Venezuelan alleged that Alfred was having an affair with his fiancée.

Police said Alfred and the suspect were associates and worked in close proxim ity at Sand Hill Backdam.

It is alleged that Alfred had an intimate relationship

with the suspect’s fiancée, a Venezuelan national, for some time.

Alfred’s mother, 61-yearold Indra Singh, reported to the Police that on November 13 at about 09:00h, she and her son were in their mining camp at Sand Hill Landing when the suspect’s fiancée arrived and had breakfast with them.

The woman said that the suspect’s fiancée and Alfred left the camp, en route to the Backdam.

Singh said that on

Monday at about 09:00h, she went in search of her son, who had not returned from the backdam. The woman said that she was then in formed by several workers that her son’s motionless body was found at Sand Hill Backdam with injuries.

As a result, she called the Bartica Police Station and reported the matter.

Police in a statement said that they arrived at the scene and the motion less body was seen, clad in a white T-shirt, brown

three-quarter pants and barefooted.

The body was examined and a laceration to the left hand, gaping wounds to the left side of the head above the ear, the face extending from the top lip to the right eye, and the right-side cheek were seen.

Alfred’s body was trans ported to the Bartica Regional Hospital. Police said that neither the suspect nor his fiancée have since appeared. An investigation has been launched.

Poland says Russian rocket hit its territory as NATO weighs response

NATO member Poland said on Wednesday that a Russianmade rocket killed two peo ple in eastern Poland near Ukraine, and it summoned Russia's ambassa dor to Warsaw for an explanation af ter Moscow denied it was responsi ble.

The Polish foreign ministry said the rocket fell on Tuesday afternoon on Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland about 6 kilometres (3-1/2 miles) from the border with Ukraine, killing two. Media reports said the strike hit a grain-drying facility.

The statement was Poland's most detailed comment thus far on the ex plosion, which struck at 3:40 p.m. The United States and Western al lies had said they were investigating but could not confirm a report that stray Russian missiles hit the vil lage.

Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are committed to collective defence, so a Russian strike on Poland could risk widening the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began with Moscow's invasion in February.

A NATO official said the alliance was looking into the report and close ly coordinating with Poland.

Poland was increasing the read

iness of some military units and de termining whether to request con sultations with allies under Article 4 of the NATO treaty, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieck said.

US President Joe Biden told Polish President Andrzej Duda in a call that Washington has an "iron clad commitment to NATO" and will

support Poland's investigation, the White House said.

The Associated Press earlier cited a senior U.S. intelligence official as saying the blast was due to Russian missiles having crossed into Poland.

But in Washington, the Pentagon, White House and U.S. State Department said they could not cor

roborate the report and were work ing with the Polish government to gather more information. The State Department said the report was "in credibly concerning."

Germany and Canada said they were monitoring the situa tion, and the European Union, the Netherlands and Norway said they were seeking more details. French President Emmanuel Macron or dered a verification effort, while Britain was "urgently" looking into the report.

Russian denial Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian missiles hit Poland in a "significant escalation" of the conflict. He did not provide evi dence.

Russia's defence ministry denied that Russian missiles hit Polish ter ritory, describing reports as "a delib erate provocation aimed at escalat ing the situation".

It added in a statement: "No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian means of destruc tion."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no information on an explosion in Poland.

Russia was pounding cities across Ukraine with missiles on Tuesday, in attacks that Kyiv said were the heaviest wave of missile strikes in nearly nine months of war. Some hit Lviv, which is less than 80 km (50 miles) from the border with Poland.

Fabrice Pothier, former head of policy planning in the NATO sec retary-general's office, told Sky TV that the events were enough to trig ger NATO's Article 4. That would en tail Poland calling a NATO meeting "to consult each other, to assess the threat and to take concrete action," Pothier said. NATO ambassadors were due to hold a regular weekly meeting on Wednesday.

Latvian Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks said the situation was "unacceptable" and it could lead to NATO providing more anti-aircraft defences to Poland and Ukraine, a view Pothier endorsed.

"Every inch of #NATO territo ry must be defended!," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Twitter.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said, according to BNS newswire: "We are discussing with our allies how to respond to what happened jointly and decisive ly." (Reuters)

A view shows damages after an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine. This image, obtained from social media by Reuters, was released on November 15, 2022 (Reuters)

New ferry for North West route to arrive from India in January

vessel, MV Ma Lisha.

The vessel is being built by Indian Defense Public Sector Enterprise Garden Reach Ship Builders Ltd under a Government of India-funded US$12.77 mil

(Electrical), Collis Bethune. Meanwhile, two repre sentatives of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd are current ly in Guyana coordinating final preparatory work for

lion Grant/Line of Credit line.

The 10 persons will be in India from December 3-7, 2022.

During a courtesy call on High Commissioner of India, Dr KJ Srinivasa, discussions were held on the progress of the project, and training/ inspection for which the team was visiting India.

The persons who will be travelling are: Chief Mechanical Engineer Victor Reid; Captain Cleroy Haywood; Mates Orson Lindie and Matthew Burke; Chief Engineer Paul Brotherson; Second Engineer Garfield Karl; Ordinary Seamen Courtney Melville and Randy October; Surveyor of Ships, Courtney McDonald; Technician

the arrival of the ferry and maintenance after arrival, expected at end of January 2023.

During a meeting with Dr KJ Srinivasa, the rep resentatives briefed the High Commissioner on the progress of the vessel proj ect and the cooperation be ing coordinated with the Guyanese authorities.

The ferry was launched in the water in June, 2022 by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill. The MV Ma Lisha ocean-going ferry will cater to the transpor tation needs of passengers and cargoes along the riv erine and coastal routes of the Northwestern dis trict of Guyana, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the region.

Ten employees, in cluding engineers, surveyors, techni

cians and a crew from the Government of Guyana’s Transport and Harbours

Department, will be trav elling to Kolkata, India for training on the new ferry

A miniature replica of the vessel

High Commissioner of India, Dr KJ Srinivasa, with employees of Guyana’s Transport and Harbours Department

MV Ma Lisha

Demerara Fire & General Insurance Limited celebrates 30 years

rapid development due to the burgeoning oil and gas sector, the CEO challenged the staff and team members to renew their pledge to fur ther strengthen the position of the company. She said, “We at Demerara Fire and General are ready to meet these challenges and go the extra mile.”

Demerara Fire and General Insurance was birthed from Guyana’s first life insurance compa ny – the Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd. which celebrated its 131st anniversary earlier this year.

Demerara Fire and General Insurance Limited marked its 30th anniversary with a celebration at the Mariott Hotel Georgetown.

The company, which pro vides motor and fire insur ance policies, was incorpo rated on November 24, 1992, and opened its doors to the public on July 1, 1993.

Speaking at the event, the Manager of Demerara Fire and General, Asha Ojha, stated that over the past thirty years, the com pany has become a shining example of fair dealings and integrity within the insur ance industry.

She said, “Through our vision to develop, promote and sustain a customer-fo cused organization, DemFire has provided our valued pol icyholders with the peace of mind that theirs is a compa ny that keeps their best in terest close at heart. We sell insurance through the as surance that we will deliver every time. This is reflected in our proven track record of fast, efficient, and fair claim settlements.”

During her remarks to the gathering, the Chief Executive Officer of Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society, Melissa DeSantos, reflected on her 10-year journey with the company. She also rec ognised several individu als that have been with the company for extended peri ods. One of these individuals identified was the Company

Secretary, James Morgan, who has 45 years of service with the company.

While extolling the long-serving employees and excellent culture of the or ganisation, the CEO added, “This event is not just about us - this is about celebrating the partnerships with you, our regulators, brokers, and policyholders - who contin ue to put your trust in us to provide the best service with quality insurance cover. We could not have gotten here without you and, of course, our staff who continue to give their best to ensure the smooth functioning of the company.”

Highlighting Guyana’s

Second from left: DFG Manager Asha Ojha with staff and sales agents

Sales and Marketing Manager Sharmela Ramsammy; DM Chairman Ronald Burch-Smith and CEO Melissa DeSantos

Education Ministry hosts inaugural National Blind Education Conference

The Education Ministry’s Unit for the Blind and Visually Impaired host ed the inaugural National Blind Education Conference on Tuesday, November 15, at the National Library in Georgetown.

The conference focused on the current approach to blind education and devel oping new directions for the future.

Delivering the keynote address, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Dr Marcel Hutson said the Ministry has developed a Special Needs Policy which ties into the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2021-2025-Vision

2030 and addresses the needs of the blind and visu ally-impaired.

The policy, he noted, was developed in recognition of the specific educational needs of persons living with disabilities, including the blind and visually-impaired.

The CEO noted that, re gardless of location and oth er factors, resources will be made available for persons to access education.

“Every person is born gifted, and I believe that every person, regardless of your circumstances, regard less of what impediment might be in your way, re gardless of whatever, does not negate the fact that, as

a human being, you’re born gifted,” he declared.

He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Four, which speaks to inclusive and equitable quality edu cation and the promotion of lifelong learning opportuni ties for all.

The CEO also made ref erence to the establishment of the various schools which cater for persons living with disabilities, while noting the need for a collective ap proach to tackling challeng es those persons encounter.

“Collectively, we could be impactful, and so we look forward, as a Ministry, for

the reports that will come out of the conference…those reports might be able to sub sume into our strategic plan so that it may add value to what we do as we go for ward,” he said.

Further, “The Government of Guyana will be, in 2023, screening ev ery child in our school sys tem - nursery, primary, and secondary -for visual prob lems… The eyes of the chil dren will be tested, and they will receive tested lens,” Dr Hutson disclosed.

The report will then be provided to the parents or guardians.

Meanwhile, National Special Education Needs

Officer Savvie HopkinsonHamilton noted that chil dren living with disabilities, whether it is visual impair ment or blindness, need to be nurtured through in struction to develop their in tellectual capabilities.

She pointed out that edu cating the visually-impaired or blind is filled with chal lenges, which include archi tectural barriers, negative public attitudes, inadequate materials and equipment, and the cost of education, which must be met to allow for the students to acquire quality education.

Hopkinson-Hamilton has said she believes that visu ally-impaired and blind stu dents need a sense of in tegration in the education system, and to be provided with the materials to enable them to cope with academic activities.

Participant Julie Lewis, MS, was awarded for be ing the first blind student in Guyana to attain ter tiary qualification, while Ingrid Peters was awarded for being the longest serving blind educator in Guyana. Tuesday also marked 52 years of blind education in Guyana.

Country Director, International Foundation for Electoral System, Meredith Applegate; Programme Manager of Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), Ganesh Singh; Chairperson of the National Commission on Disability, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon; Head of the Ministry of Education’s Unit for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Haslyn Richards; and special edu cation needs officers also at tended the conference.

A section of the conference

Chief Education Officer Dr Marcel Hutson presenting an award to Ingrid Peters Programme Manager of GCOPD, Ganesh Singh, presenting an award to Julie Lewis, MS

Oil revenues modest, considering Guyana’s development needs – Finance Minister

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has said the revenues being accrued from the oil and gas sector are still relatively modest, particularly consid ering the country’s develop mental needs.

Speaking during the pro gramme ‘The Narrative’, Singh said while the petro leum sector continues to grow and generate econom ic opportunities, the non-oil sectors must be developed to create a sustainable source of wealth.

“We have seen many ex amples around the world of countries that were entire ly dependent on oil, and if the oil price dips or if the oil production dips for one rea son or another, the country finds itself in trouble. We don’t want to be in that sit uation.”

Already, the Minister stated, Government is fo cusing heavily on devel oping the transport infra structure - roads, bridges, drainage; and improving connectivity, particularly in the hinterland.

Major infrastructure projects being undertak en include the Mandela-toEccles Highway, East Coastto-East Bank Demerara

Road link, the Linden-toMabura road construction, and the New Demerara River Bridge, among others.

“Access to our neighbours like Brazil and Suriname is still a challenge. We don’t have a bridge across the riv er to Suriname, we don’t have an all-weather road to Brazil, and that, of course you know, some of those in frastructural impediments still weigh very heavily on Guyana’s ability to realise

its economic potential,” Dr Singh said.

Currently, Guyana has around 11 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, and is producing about 350,000 barrels of oil per day. By the end of the decade, Guyana’s oil production capacity is ex pected to be more than one million barrels per day.

The Minister said the commencement of oil pro duction presents the oppor tunity to remove the histor

ic impediments to Guyana’s competitiveness and sus tainable growth in the long term.

“So, we are using this period to address precise ly those impediments to en sure we lay the foundation for long-term growth and broad-based growth far be yond oil and gas. We want to make sure that every region of Guyana has good connec tivity, good roads, so that they are not constrained by the impact of being isolated geographically from the cap ital city and major market ing centres,” he explained.

Another area being ad dressed is electricity cost, which historically has been a major issue in Guyana, and continues to be a con straint to the emergence of the manufacturing sector.

In addition, emphasis is being placed on developing a competitive agriculture sector as well as developing the health, education, hous ing and water, and social services’ sectors.

In the immediate term,

Singh said, the Government is concentrating on ensur ing Guyanese can partici pate in the oil and gas sector and in the transformation of the other sectors.

“We want to make sure that everybody is ICTliterate, that they’re able to participate in, like I said, the modern economy; and we are already seeing re turns to this. We already have, in the oil and gas sec

tor, literally thousands of persons drawn from across the country, drawn not only from Georgetown, not only from Linden, not only from Berbice, but also Essequibo, working in oil and gas, di rectly in the oil and gas sec tor,” he expounded.

The overall aim, the Minister said, is to leverage the country’s oil and gas re sources to bring economic prosperity to all Guyanese.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh

Importance of dental health highlighted at launch of Oral Health Month

The Health Ministry on Monday launched Oral Health Month at the Regional Health Services Office in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Oral Health Month is be ing observed under the glob al theme “Be Proud of Your Mouth for Your Happiness and Well-being”. Addressing the launch, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony re-em phasised the need for con tinuous education, as well as preventative care.

“It is very important that people maintain a healthy mouth, because the mouth

is a gateway into the body [in which] many things, in cluding viruses, bacteria and funguses can enter the

body. If we can maintain a healthy mouth, we can pre vent the rest of the body from being infected,” he ex

plained.

“I do not think that it is clearly understood some times between what goes on

in the mouth and [how that has an effect] on other parts of the body. One good exam ple of that is that if you have a bacterial infection in the mouth, that can then cause a heart problem such as Endocarditis [a life-threat ening inflammation of the inner lining of the heart’s chambers and valves],” the Health Minister explained.

Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer of Region Six, Dr Vishalya Sharma, said the region is committed to working with all stakehold ers to raise awareness of dental hygiene and preven tative care, in line with the

Ministry’s objectives.

The Ministry aims to re duce the cost of dental care and has committed to open ing more dental care facili ties across the country, as well as increasing the num ber of dental technicians in the system.

This will be done in part nership with the Private Sector.

Region Six Chairman David Armogan, Principal Dental Surgeon Dr Marvin Monize, Manager of the Cheddi Jagan Dental Centre, Vishall Rambharose, and other medical officials were present at Monday’s launch.

Pakuri residents concerned about sale of alcohol to children

Residents of the Amerindian Mission of Pakuri, including members of the Guyana Police Force, are calling on the relevant authorities to enforce the law against shop owners who wanton ly sell alcohol to underage children in the community.

Former Republican President Donald Trump says he’s launching another White House bid

Former President Donald Trump, aiming to become only the sec ond commander-in-chief ever elected to two nonconsecutive terms, announced Tuesday night that he will seek the Republican presidential nom ination in 2024.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my can didacy for president of the United States,” Trump said.

Trump’s long-awaited campaign comes as the for mer president tries to reclaim the spotlight following the GOP’s underwhelming mid term elections performance – including the losses of sev eral Trump-endorsed elec tion deniers – and the subse quent blame game that has unfolded since Election Day. Republicans failed to gain a Senate majority, came up short in their efforts to fill several statewide seats, and have yet to secure a House majority, with only 215 rac es called in their favor so far out of the 218 needed, de velopments that have forced Trump and other party lead ers into a defensive posture as they face reproval from within their ranks.

Trump’s paperwork estab lishing his candidacy land ed with the Federal Election Committee shortly before he delivered his announcement

at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida waterfront estate.

But Trump is also bet ting that his first-out-of-the gate strategy will fend off po tential primary rivals and give him an early advan tage with deep-pocketed do nors, aides say. He is widely expected to be challenged by both conservative and mod erate Republicans, though the calculus of some presi dential hopefuls could change now that he is running. Others – like his former Vice President, Mike Pence – may proceed anyway.

Trump’s third presiden tial bid also coincides with a period of heightened legal peril as Justice Department officials investigating him and his associates revisit the prospect of indictments in their Trump-related probes. The former president is cur rently being investigated for his activities before and during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and his retention of classified doc uments at his Mar-a-Lago es tate after he left office. While Trump is counting on an easy path to the GOP nomina tion with his sustained sup port among the party’s base, his announcement is like ly to dash the hopes of party leaders who have longed for fresh talent. In particular, top Republicans have been pay

ing close attention to the next moves of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won his reelec tion contest with a 19-point margin of victory and con siderable support from mi nority and independent vot ers. Some Republican leaders may try to scuttle Trump’s campaign by elevating or en couraging alternative candi dates, including DeSantis, who has been quietly laying the groundwork for a possible White House bid of his own.

Of course, any counteref fort to inhibit Trump’s path to the nomination is likely to prove difficult. Despite his myriad legal entanglements and the stain of January 6, the twice-impeached 45th president remains immense ly popular among most Republican voters and boasts a deep connection with his core backers that could prove difficult for other GOP hope fuls to replicate or weaken. Even leading conservatives who disliked Trump’s pug nacious politics and hetero dox policies stuck with him as president because he helped solidify the rightward shift of the US Supreme Court with his nominations – one of the most far-reaching aspects of his legacy, which result ed in the conservative court majority’s deeply polarizing June decision to end federal abortion rights. In fact, while

In a collaborative outreach between the Chamber of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Women and Gender Equality Commission on Saturday, residents com plained bitterly about the sale and consumption of al coholic beverages by chil

dren.

Concerned residents and members of the Police Force have said that alco hol is being sold at free will to youngsters even when the young people are al ready intoxicated. “The GRA will do good to come in here and see what is hap pening, because the shops are not licensed, they are selling alcohol without the necessary licence,” it has been declared.

To a lesser extent, it was disclosed that domes tic violence and incest are occurring, especially when fathers and husbands are drunk.

Trump ended his first term with the lowest approval rat ing of any president, about 8 in 10. (CNN)

Regional

Jamaica declares regional states of emergency due to gang violence

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday declared a state of public emergency in parts of the capital Kingston and in some central and western parishes in an attempt to control rising crime linked to gang violence.

States of emergency give authorities increased pow ers, including the ability to search buildings and car ry out arrests without war rants. Tuesday’s measures apply to areas that include popular tourist destinations such as Montego Bay.

“We have seen an in crease in criminal activities in these areas and a threat to property and in some in stances public disorder,” Holness said in a televised address.

“What we are seeing with gang activities in these areas is cause for grave con cern,” he added.

Holness predicted an in crease in murders over the next several weeks with the onset of the holiday season, when violent crime typical ly spikes.

Commissioner of Police Antony Anderson on Tuesday said 1360 murders were registered in Jamaica between Jan 1 and Nov 13, an increase of 6.8 per cent over the same period in 2021.

Gang violence was the reason for 71 per cent of those murders, he said.

Rights groups have chal lenged detentions carried out during states of emer gency.

Workers of Chile’s Escondida mine, the world’s larg est copper mine, decided to go on strike on Nov 21 and 23 due to labour demands, their union said on Tuesday.

Members of the union, Sindicato 1, had threatened to strike in early September as they expressed concerns over security in the mine, which led to inspections by Government authorities.

Jamaica’s Supreme Court this year said author ities violated the rights of a man who said he was ar bitrarily arrested and de tained for months without trial during a state of emer gency.

Jamaica, which has one of the region’s high est homicide rates, is seek ing to crack down on gangs through laws that target or ganised crime and illegal guns (Reuters)

Guatemala arrests 2 in car full of Maya artefacts

Police in Guatemala have arrested a man and a woman from the United States who were transporting more than 150 Maya artefacts in their car.

An archaeologist said more than 90 per cent of the items were authentic and dated from pre-His panic times.

Police said it was the second time the woman, who resides in Guatemala, had been detained in pos session of pre-Hispanic treasures.

She had been stopped just days earlier at Guatemala City airport.

Customs officials found two Maya stone carvings in her bags. The woman said she had bought them at a market in the city of Antigua.

The 49-year-old was charged with “smuggling national treasures” and released on bail on con dition that she not leave Guatemala.

She was detained for a second time three days lat er 45km (28 miles) south-

west of Antigua.

The car she and a 62-year-old fellow American were travelling in contained 166 items, most of which are thought to date back to the time of the Maya.

The Maya civilisation had its heyday from 250BC to AD900, when it spanned much of the region now taken up by south-east ern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, and parts of

Honduras and El Salvador. The Governments of Mexico and Central American nations are try ing to crack down on the sale of their country’s pre-Hispanic treasures.

They are increasing checks on travellers carry ing suspicious items and also demanding that auc tion houses abroad do more to determine the prove nance of items they sell.

(BBC News)

Union members will stop operations in all their shifts during the strike but will provide minimum ser vices, Sindicato 1, which represents more than 2000 workers, said in a state

ment.

Infractions by Minera Escondida, which manages the mine and is controlled by BHP Group, have con tinued, with the company failing to adopt preventive

measures despite securi ty incidents, like fires, the union said in the statement.

The union said it notified the company of the strike.

Minera Escondida has denied the union’s accusa

tions.

The mining company and the union have faced off before, including in 2017, when workers went on strike for more than 40 days. (Reuters)

Ponzi type schemes now illegal in T&T

The United Nations and authorities in Haiti have called for international assistance to respond to a deadly out break of cholera that the World Health Organisation has warned puts hundreds of thousands of people across the Caribbean na tion at risk.

In a statement on Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) appealed for US$145.6 million to help Haiti contain the out break, which began in ear ly October, and provide much-needed assistance to its citizens.

More than 7200 peo ple have been hospitalised with cholera in Haiti and at least 155 have died as of Saturday, according to the latest figures (PDF) from the Haitian public health department. But the real figures are believed to be higher due to under-report ing.

“Cholera is a prevent able and treatable dis ease, and based on their

experience and exper tise, national institutions quickly put together a re sponse strategy with the determined support of the entire local and interna tional humanitarian com munity,” UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, said in Tuesday’s statement.

“However, the surge in cases in recent weeks and the rapid spread of cholera in the country is worrying,” Richardson said.

Haiti’s response to the cholera outbreak has been complicated by increased gang violence and instabil ity, which skyrocketed in the aftermath of President Jovenel Moise’s assassina tion in Port-au-Prince last year.

A weeks-long gang block ade on a petrol terminal in the capital that began in September led to water and electricity shortages, crip pling the Haitian health care network and prompt ing experts to warn that the country faced a “time bomb for cholera”. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Agospel singer turned politician has been sentenced for order ing her children to kill her pastor husband in a case which has shocked Brazil.

A court sentenced ex-Congresswoman Flordelis dos Santos de Souza to 50 years in jail for the murder of her husband, pastor Anderson do Carmo.

She planned the shoot ing after attempts to poi son him had failed, prose cutors said.

Her lawyer said she would appeal against the conviction.

The court said that the length of the sen tence reflected the “ha tred, cold-bloodedness and disrespect for human life” de Souza had demonstrat ed by having her husband shot dead at the home the two shared with the dozens of street children they had adopted.

Two of de Souza’s sons are already serving time for the pastor’s murder and a daughter was also found guilty on Sunday.

Flordelis dos Santos de

Souza was 32 when she met the teenage Anderson do Carmo in 1993.

According to one of her adoptive sons who gave testimony at the trial, do Carmo, who was still un derage, moved in with the family as another adoptive son.

However, his adoption was never made official and in 1998, the 21-year-old do Carmo married de Souza.

The couple continued taking in street children and in total looked after 55 children over the years.

Do Carmo became a charismatic church lead er and de Souza’s career as a gospel singer prospered after her first album was launched in 2010.

Together, they found ed an evangelical church named Flordelis Evangelical Ministry which drew thousands of faithful to its services.

In 2018, de Souza ran for Congress and won a seat in the lower house, further enhancing her ce lebrity status. (Excerpt from BBC News)

It is now illegal to es tablish, operate, ad vertise or participate in Ponzi and pyramid-type schemes. If a person is convicted, they can be fined $10,000,000.00 or up to 10 years’ impris onment. According to a press release from the Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission, amendments to the Securities Act crim inalises any ‘prohibited schemes.’

The following is a press release from the Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission:

Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission advises the public of certain amend ments to the Securities Act Chapter 83:02 (“the Act”) of the Laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

A new Section 165A has been inserted after the existing Section 165 of the Act to provide for the criminalising of any ‘pro

hibited schemes’, namely Ponzi and pyramid-type schemes.

Under the amended Act, it is now a criminal of fence to establish, operate, advertise or participate in these prohibited schemes.

It is now also an offence to invite persons to join a prohibited scheme.

The Act further pro vides that a person who establishes or operates a prohibited scheme is lia ble, if convicted, to pay a fine of $10,000,000.00 or to imprisonment for 10 years.

It also states that a per son who knowingly par ticipates in a prohibited scheme is liable, if convict ed, to pay $5,000,000.00 or to imprisonment for 5 years.

For knowingly ad vertising or inviting an other person to join a prohibited scheme a per son is liable, if convict ed, to pay $2,000,000.00 or to imprisonment for 3 years. (Trinidad Guardian)

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) at the State Department in Washington, US, April 1, 2022

Police found 166 items in the car, most of which are thought to be authentic pre-Hispanic artefacts

Haiti, UN appeal for help as fears grow over cholera’s spread

Chile’s Escondida mine workers announce strike amid labour demands

Flordelis de Souza: The lawmaker who had her husband killed

Around the World

OIL NEWS

Russian oil output to fall 1.4 mln bpd next year as EU ban takes effect – IEA

Russian oil output is set to fall 1.4 million barrels per day(bpd) next year after a European Union ban on seaborne exports of Russian crude comes into effect, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.

The move to deprive Moscow of revenue will create more uncertainty for oil markets and add to pressure on prices, including diesel, the Paris-based energy agency said in its monthly oil report.

"The approaching EU embargoes on Russian crude and oil product imports and a ban on maritime services will add further pressure on global oil balances, and, in particular, on already exceptionally tight diesel markets," the IEA said.

"A proposed oil price cap may help alleviate tensions, yet a myriad of uncertainties and logistical challenges remain ... the range of uncertainty has never been so large."

The EU will ban Russian crude imports from Dec. 5 and Russian oil products from Feb. 5, depriving Russia of oil revenues and forcing one of the world's top oil producers and exporters to seek alternative markets.

In addition, a G7 plan, intended as an add-on to the EU embargo, will allow shipping services providers to help to export Russian oil, but only at enforced low prices. This is also set to take effect on Dec 5.

This means the EU will need to replace 1 million bpd of crude and 1.1 million bpd of oil products, with diesel especially scarce and expensive with prices 70 per cent higher than this time last year helping to fuel global inflation, the IEA said.

The agency said a rerouting of global trade flows as Russia seeks to export more oil to non-EU markets and as the EU buys from elsewhere could ease this pressure on oil and products supply, but strong demand for scarce oil tankers could pose challenges.

"The competition for non-Russian diesel barrels will be fierce, with EU countries having to bid cargoes from the US, Middle East and India away from their traditional buyers," the IEA said.

The IEA forecast that a gloomy economic outlook will put global oil use on track to contract by nearly a quarter million bpd in the fourth quarter of 2022 year on year, with demand growth slowing to 1.6 million bpd in 2023 from 2.1 million bpd this year.

The weak Chinese economy, an energy crunch in Europe and a strong dollar were all weighing on consumption, the IEA said. But the agency did increase slightly its forecast for Chinese demand growth for next year by 100,000 bpd to 15.7 million bpd. (Reuters)

Russia pounds Ukraine in heaviest missile strikes of war

Russia pounded cit ies and energy facil ities across Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least one person and causing widespread power outag es in what Kyiv said was the heaviest wave of mis sile strikes in nearly nine months of war.

Missiles rained down on cities including the cap ital Kyiv, Lviv and Rivne in the west, Kharkiv in the northeast, Kryvyi Rih and Poltava in the centre, Odesa and Mikolaiv in the south and Zhytomyr in the north.

A body was pulled out of a residential building that was hit and set ablaze in central Kyiv, and a senior presidential official said the power situation was "criti cal" after heavy damage to

energy infrastructure.

In a video posted on line, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians that more mis sile strikes were possible but added: "We are working, we will restore everything, we will survive."

Power was knocked out in areas of several cities including Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv, and the nation al grid operator announced emergency electricity outag es in northern and central regions, and in Kyiv.

Kyiv's mayor said half

of the capital was with out electricity. The mayor of Lviv said 80 per cent of the city had no electricity so lighting, water and heat ing supplies were off. City authorities in Vinnytsia in west-central Ukraine were told to stock up on water fol lowing damage to a pumping station.

Air force spokesperson Yuiy Ihnat said more than 100 missiles had been fired at Ukraine, surpassing the 84 fired by Russia on Oct 10 in what was previously the heaviest air strikes.

The country's biggest mo bile phone provider warned of possible signal outages, and the transport system suffered disruptions in sev eral areas. (Excerpt from Reuters)

China zero COVID: Violent protests in Guangzhou put curbs under strain

Crowds of residents in southern China's in dustrial metropolis Guangzhou have escaped a compulsory lockdown and clashed with Police, as anger at strict coronavirus curbs boiled over.

Dramatic footage shows some overturning a Police vehicle and tearing down COVID control barriers. Riot teams have now been de ployed in the area.

It follows Guangzhou's worst COVID outbreak since the pandemic began.

Amid bad economic fig ures, China's zero COVID policy is under enormous strain.

Tensions had been build ing in the city's Haizhu District, which is under stayat-home orders.

The area is home to many poorer itinerant labourers. They have complained of not being paid if they are unable

to turn up for work, and of food shortages and skyrock eting prices while living un der COVID control mea sures.

For several nights, they'd been tussling with the whiteclad COVID prevention en forcement officials, and then overnight on Monday the an ger suddenly exploded onto the streets of Guangzhou with a mass act of defiance.

Again, unsubstantiated rumours have played a role. Stories have spread that the testing companies are fak ing PCR results to artificial ly boost the number of infec tions in order to make more money.

In the north of the coun try, the coronavirus rumour mill is also building pres sure.

Officials in Hebei Province announced that the city of Shijiazhuang would halt mass testing. But this

Zakhiku: The ancient city in Iraq revealed by severe drought

Around 3800 years ago, traders in the ancient city of Zakhiku would wait for wooden beams, cut down from the forests in the mountains in the north and east of Mesopotamia – span ning what is today Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Turkey, Iran and Syria – to float down the Tigris River. Once the logs reached Zakhiku, they were collected and tak en to storehouses.

From the same moun tainous regions in what is present-day Turkey and Iran, merchants transport ing metals and minerals such as gold, silver, tin and copper would travel by don key or camel to Zakhiku. To protect against bandits, they would make the dif ficult journey as caravans

of travellers. After selling their wares in Zakhiku, the merchants would cross the Tigris before continuing on to the borderlands.

The trading post grew into an important commer cial city in the region for about 600 years before it was hit by an earthquake and later abandoned.

Zakhiku disappeared al together in the 1980s, when – as part of the Mosul Dam project, built under the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein – it was flooded and submerged. Previously known as Saddam Dam, it is Iraq’s largest and most im portant water reservoir used for downstream irrigation.

Iraq is one of the coun tries most vulnerable to cli mate change, and its south

Zakhiku was initially founded for its location on a flourishing trade route plied by caravans of merchants [Courtesy of the University of Tübingen]

ern governorates, where temperatures surpass 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in the summer, have faced severe drought since 2019, forcing farm ers to abandon their dying crops. Last December, water was released from the dam to irrigate farmland.

As the water levels fell,

Zakhiku emerged earlier this year in the Kurdish re gion of Iraq. A team of lo cal and German archaeol ogists sprang into action to excavate the site, uncover ing new details about the city following a brief initial excavation in 2018 that re vealed a palace. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

led to speculation that the population was going to be used, guinea-pig-style, to monitor what would happen if the virus was allowed to spread unchecked. A similar viral rumour

led to the mass breakout of workers at the Foxconn complex in the central city of Zhengzhou two weeks ago, which has hit the glob al supply of Apple iPhones. (Excerpt from BBC News)

World population hits 8 billion

Theworld’s population has reached eight bil lion people, the United Nations has said, warning of more hardship in store for regions already facing re source scarcity because of climate change.

Reaching eight billion people is “a sign of human success, but it’s also a great risk for our future,” said John Wilmoth, the director of the UN’s population divi sion on Tuesday.

Middle-income countries, mainly in Asia, account ed for most of that growth, gaining some 700 million people since 2011.

India added about 180 million people and is set to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation next year.

Births have been steadi ly declining in the United States, Europe, and Japan. China, too, has struggled with the legacy of its One Child Policy programme and last year urged families to have a second and even third child as it also limited

access to non-medical abor tions.

But some of the world’s poorest countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, witnessed spikes in population as a result of higher fertility rates, put ting their development goals at risk.

“The milestone is an oc casion to celebrate diversi ty and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

The global population has increased eight-fold since 1800, from an estimat ed one billion to eight billion, largely due to the develop ment of modern medicine and the industrialisation of agriculture, which boosted global food supplies.

The development of vac cines was key, especial ly the smallpox jab which helped to eradicate one of the world’s biggest killer diseases. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Firefighters working to put out a fire in a residential building hit by a Russian strike amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 15, 2022

Guangzhou has been under lockdown after a recent spurt in COVID cases

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Don’t stop until you feel good about what you’ve accomplished. Set high standards and do the work yourself to ensure you get things done your way. Self-improvement projects will turn out well.

(March 21-April 19)

(April 20-May 20)

You may crave change, but you’ll face opposition if you push others to partici pate. Use a gentler strategy if you want to get others to tag along. Provide an in centive for best results.

Get your facts straight before voicing your opinion. Someone will be eager to see you head down the wrong path. Say no to temptation and anyone trying to talk you into doing something risky.

(May 21-June 20)

(June 21-July 22) (July 23-Aug. 22)

Pay attention to detail, and ensure your documents are in order before you begin something new. Don’t leave any thing important in someone else’s hands. A last-minute change will work well.

Push forward and don’t stop until you are happy with the results. Look at every angle of a situation before you de cide to make a move. Take the path that interests you, not the one of least resis tance.

Don’t take on too much. Look at the logistics of what you want to do, and you’ll find a way to cut corners and make your plans feasible. Don’t waste time ar guing.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Try your hand at something new and get involved in a cause you care about. Change what is no longer working for you. Stop dreaming; start turning your thoughts into reality.

Start a project and learn as you go. Use your attributes to stand out. Refuse to let your emotions stop you from do ing what’s right. Someone’s lack of confi dence or uncertainty will worry you.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Look and you shall find. Learn from the experts, and try your hand at some thing that fascinates you. Take the road that whispers your name, and don’t look back. You can make things happen!

Concentrate on how you earn your living. Be smart, don’t follow the crowd and trust in yourself, not in a sales pitch. Now’s not the time for big investments and financial risks.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Opportunity knocks. Keep mov ing, regardless of what others do or say. Know your course of action and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Be prompt and precise in your efforts.

Think matters through, then pro ceed. Look for a way to make your mon ey stretch. Share your opinions, and you will attract someone willing to support your actions. Love is in the stars.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

DILBERT

WI Test tour to Australia 2022…

Brathwaite expects to “do good things together” with Tagenarine Chanderpaul

"We're going to take ev ery day as serious as pos sible," WI Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite has said of the seven days of warmup cricket his team has in Australia.

West Indies last won a Test match on Australian soil in February 1997. They have beaten Australia in Australia in any format only once since, in a T20I in February 2013. It is not a happy destination for West Indies then, even if it's true that West Indies have played just 14 Tests in the country since 2000, and none since 2016.

It's still 12 losses and just two draws since the last win. It's been so long that Shivnarine Chanderpaul was three years into his Test career then, and his 26-year-old son Tagenarine is West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite's likely opening partner now.

"As a team, it's not (about) focusing on any re sults. Obviously, past his tory shows it's a long time since getting wins in Australia and stuff, but we are focusing on our own goals, and obviously going through the preparation, which is important for any Test match," Brathwaite said in a press interaction on Tuesday in Canberra, where West Indies play two tour games - a three-day er and a four-dayerprior to the first Test in Perth, starting on November 30.

big focus is that we have ten days of Test cricket, and we want to be playing good, solid ten days of Test cricket," he has said.

a touring team gets to play seven days' worth of warm-up cricket ahead of a two-Test series these days, and it's an opportu nity Brathwaite is grate ful for, and wants to make the most of.

that we know the Australia team has obviously been se lected; we know the bowlers we're going to play against, we know the batsmen," Brathwaite said. "The only thing is, from now, just to create our plan, in terms of the mindset - how we want to go about playing against these guys? So, we use these two games to do just that.

"Tage is obviously a guy that could spend a lot of time (in the middle). I've seen him play first-class for a little while, and he's al ways impressed (in what ever) time he has spent (batting). And I really look forward to seeing us do good things together,"

Kraigg Brathwaite has said about Tagenarine Chanderpaul.

"For us as a team, (the fo cus is) to get out in these con ditions and getting match practice, which I think is al ways important before Test series. So, as a group, we're going to take every day as serious as possible, gearing towards the Test series," the captain has said.

Not to forget, this is the first time West Indians would be on view for the wider world after their firstround exit at the men's T20 World Cup. Added pressure?

"No pressure," Brathwaite has said with a hint of a smile. "This is a completely different for mat. We've had a good year thus far, (1-0 series win over England and 2-0 over Bangladesh, all at home) playing Test cricket, and we focus our energies on playing good Test cricket. So, for me, no pressure. We just want to make people

in the Caribbean proud. We know what we have to do in terms of preparation, and that's what we are focusing our energies on."

And when the action moves to Test cricket, the onus will be on the fast-bowl ing pack to set up games for West Indies. Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip are the main men there, and Brathwaite has said he expects them to bowl "consistency mixed with aggression" and "staying disciplined".

The last time Brathwaite

olation, and the new man for the job is Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who comes with a fair bit of pedigree, but a modest average of 34.21 from 50 first-class matches, and a reputation of being a stodgy customer.

Does the responsibility for moving things forward fall on Brathwaite then? "I think the partnership will work extremely well, to be honest," he said. "Tage is obviously a guy that could spend a lot of time (in the middle). For me, my game, there's nothing that's go ing to change, just focusing on being in the right posi tions for each ball, and…I look forward to the partner ship. I've seen him play firstclass for a little while, and he's always impressed (in whatever) time he has spent (batting). And I really look forward to seeing us do good things together."

One way or other,

Brathwaite will be crucial to West Indies' fortunes, as he has been for a while now. This year, in those five Tests, he has four half-cen turies, one of them a 94, and a century in a Test in which he aggregated 216 runs against England in Bridgetown.

"For me, it's just bal ance. I've been working on my balance for a long time," Brathwaite said. "I think I am at a stage now where I understand my game to (an) even better level, and getting my balance in or der really helped me to find the gaps even better, get ting into good positions for good balls. You're going to get a lot of good balls in Test cricket, and it's just (about) how you keep them out. Getting into those good posi tions really helped me nav igate those good balls and placing a lot of balls in the gaps." (Cricinfo)

Kieron Pollard announces retirement from IPL

West Indies great Kieron Pollard has an nounced his retirement from the Indian Premier League, after 13 years and five titles with the Mumbai Indians.

In a statement he post ed on Instagram on Tuesday, Pollard said he made the de cision after failing to see him self in the MI's scheme of things going forward, as the franchise enters a transition phase. The all-rounder add ed that his loyalty to the fran chise is such that he cannot envision himself representing any other team in the IPL.

With that said, it is not the end of the road for Pollard with the Mumbai Indians, as the former West Indies cap tain has agreed to take over as the team's batting coach.

Only a handful of players in IPL have featured in 100 or more games for a single fran chise. Pollard stands second on the list of most appearanc es for a single club, having featured in 189 IPL match es for Mumbai Indians. Virat Kohli sits atop with his record tally for Royal Challengers Bangalore, while others on the list feature Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011), Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians from 2013) and Lasith Malinga (who had two stints at Mumbai).

In those 189 games, Pollard has scored 3,412 runs, laced with 16 fifties, and picked up 69 wickets, be coming one of the most prolif ic all-rounders the league has ever witnessed.

Pollard’s full statement disclosed: “It hasn't been the

easiest decision to make, as I intend to keep playing for a few more years, but follow ing discussions with Mumbai Indians, I have decided to call time on my IPL career. I un derstand that this incredible franchise, which has achieved so much, needs to transition, and if I'm no longer to play for MI, then I cannot see myself playing against MI either. 'Once an MI always an MI'.

“This is not an emotion al goodbye to MI however, as I have agreed to take up the role of batting coach in the IPL, as well as play with MI Emirates. This next chapter of my career is genuinely ex citing and allows me to tran sition myself too from playing to coaching.

“I am immensely proud,

honoured and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons. It was always an aspiration to play for this fantastic team, and although I will miss the buzz of the IPL you get as a player, I take comfort in knowing that I have been for tunate enough to have played with some of the best players in the world in front of our passionate fans.

“I have always felt and ap preciated their uncondition al support both on and off the field. Together, we won the Champions League in 2011 and 2013, and the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

“I must give big thanks to the Coaches, Managers

and other backroom support staff we have had at Mumbai Indians, and who I now join. We would not have achieved the success over the years without their continuing hard work, dedication, and com mitment to creating the best environment, and I look for ward to emulating their suc cessful approach.

“In particular, I would like to pay special tribute to my good friend Robin Singh, for his sound advice and guidance over the years, and whose very shoes I now fill.

Most sincerely, I ex press my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita and Akash Ambani for their tremendous love, support and respect I have always felt, and for the confidence they placed in me.

“I recall our first encoun ter, when they welcomed me with open arms saying, ‘We are family’. Those were not just mere words, but demon strated by their every action throughout my time with Mumbai Indians.

“Lastly, I would like to say a special thank you to my friends and family, especially my wife Jenna and my three beautiful children, for all the love, support and the many sacrifices they have made over the years, and will con tinue to make to allow me to fulfil my childhood dream of playing cricket at the highest levels for such a long time.

“Today, I make this step with hope and excitement to wards the future, knowing that I will be playing a role in an institution whose values align so closely to mine, where ‘We are family’. (Sportsmax)

West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

played Test cricket - against Bangladesh in Gros Islet in June this year - John

Campbell was his opening partner. Campbell has since been banned for a doping vi

- takes up role as Mumbai Indians’ batting coach

GSCL President Ian John elated at success of tourney

President of the Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Inc, Ian John, has expressed elation at the successful stag ing of the Prime Minister’s Softball Cup three-day ex travaganza, which culminat ed on Sunday night at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, EBD.

“I [am] definitely elat ed with this year’s tourna ment. It was a great success, and we at the GSCL Inc are also happy,” John has said. “I must express my sincerest gratitude to all the partici pating teams; the support,

again, was overwhelming, and my congratulations to all the victorious sides as well,” John mentioned.

John has said the tour nament was beset with a great number of challenges due to the inclement weath er, which had affected some matches, but he praised the effort that all grounds men had invested in working collaboratively to have the matches played despite the grounds not being in the best condition.

“Yes, it was very chal lenging to get some of the venues in good shape, be

cause of the rain, but I must be thankful to all the teams to understand and work with us. The venues’ authorities, thank you as well for the commendable effort,” John commented.

He also specially thanked all the sponsors for coming on board for the sixth annu al edition of this tournament.

“We are very grateful for the support from the busi ness community towards the tournament. Without them, it would not have been pos sible to host the tournament and having teams from over seas participated, so they

have my profound apprecia tion,” John has declared.

The tournament had at tracted 26 male teams in its various categories, among which were the Legends (Over-50), Masters (Over-40) and Open; while there was a four-team female catego ry. In the Legends category, Regal continued to take pos session of the trophy, beating New York Softball Cricket League by an absorbing 2-wicket win; while Regal Masters claimed the Over40 trophy, having got the better of Ariel by a compre hensive 9-wicket margin. In

the process, Regal dethroned Fisherman Masters.

Guyana Knight Riders Ariel also retained the Opening category trophy. The victorious teams both re ceived $600,000 along with a trophy.

There were a number of other prizes given for out standing individual perfor mances. For the ladies, 4R Lioness captured the title, and they walked away with $200,000 and a trophy after they humbled Trophy Stall Angels by nine wickets in their 12-over encounter.

The event was held in as

sociation with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Honourable Prime Minister Brigadier (retd) Mark Phillips was on hand to witness some of the exciting action, and John in formed that he was thrilled to have the Prime Minister attend the finals and also the opening.

John also thanked Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr. for his assistance, and took the opportunity to thank the media for keeping the gener al public informed during the competition.

Hooper is Assistant Coach of Adelaide Strikers

box of red cricket balls each, while RHCCCC received two boxes, fifteen white cricket shirts, one pair of junior bat ting pads, one pair of wick et-keeping gloves and a set of stumps and bails.

The Essequibo Cricket Board and the Town of Lethem also benefitted.

Project “cricket gear for young and prom ising cricketers in Guyana” has received a boost of $50,000 worth of crick et gear, compliments of Raj Bharrat, former resident of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne Berbice, who now lives in Florida, USA.

The gear will be pur chased from another gen erous donor to this proj ect, Ravi Etwaroo of Cricket Zone, Bronx, USA. Currently in Guyana, Bharrat and Etwaroo have presented a few items in the interim: two pairs of batting gloves and one pair of batting pads.

Both these sons of Guyana have expressed satisfaction with the work of this noble initiative, and have pledged to continue supporting it. Bharrat is a major player in the Florida-Guyana Hope Foundation, a charitable or ganization that has contrib uted significantly towards many charities in Guyana.

“It’s a pleasure to give back to the youths through cricket in the country of my birth,” Bharrat commented at a simple ceremony held re cently. “I am a keen follower of this gesture, and I am im pressed with its reach across Guyana,” he continued.

‘Project cricket gear’ is a joint initiative by Kishan Das of USA and Anil Beharry, Executive Member of the Guyana Cricket Board.

Total cricket-related items collected so far are: $270,000 in cash, two tro phies, twelve cricket boots, twenty pairs of batting pads, twenty-five bats, seventeen pairs of batting gloves, twen ty thigh pads, one pair of wicket-keeping pads, three arm guards, two boxes, six cricket bags and three hel mets. In addition to the above, $600,000 worth in gear was donated by Sheik Mohamed, former national wicketkeeper/ batsman.

To date, forty-three young players from all three coun ties of Guyana have benefit ted from receipt of three ju nior gear bags, two trophies, three arm guards, seventeen bats, two boxes, three hel mets, twelve pairs of crick et shoes, ten pairs of batting pads, one thigh pad, one bat rubber and twelve pairs of batting gloves.

In addition, two clubs in the Pomeroon area have ben efitted from receipt of two used bats. Pomeroon, Leguan and Wakenaam Cricket Committees and Cotton Tree Die Hard also received one

Cricket-related items, used or new, are distrib uted free of cost to young and promising cricketers in Guyana. Skills, discipline and education are important characteristics of the recip ients. Talent spotting is be ing done across the country, and club leaders also assist to identify same. Progressive and well managed clubs will also benefit.

“We take this opportu nity to thank Javed and Imran of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group of USA, Hilbert Foster, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, Sean Devers, Trevis Simon, Årïêl J. Tïlkú, Aaron Beharry, Leanna Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Devon Ramnauth, Teddy Singh, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwaroo, Kelvin Brijlall, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harkishun, Allan Mangru, Dennis Mangru, Vishal Mahabir, Sherman Austin, Huburn Evans, Rajendra Sadeo, Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Sheik Mohamed of Star Sports Awards and Trophies and Ajay Gainda of Cricket Equipment Guyana, Gajanand Singh, Peter Ramkissoon, Rabindranath Saywack, Roshan Gaffoor, Ameer Rahaman, Chin Singh, Denesh Chandrapaul, Dr Cecil Beharry, Davo Naraine of UK, and Latch Mohabir and family, Raj Mathura and now Raj Bharrat”.

Distribution will contin ue, anyone interested in con tributing can contact Anil Beharry on 623-6875, or Kishan Das on 1-718-6640896.

Former West Indies captain Carl Hooper will add his vast crick eting knowledge and ex perience to the Adelaide Strikers as an Assistant Coach for KFC BBL|12(Big Bash League of 2022-2023).

A veteran of 329 inter national matches with the Windies, Hooper’s profes sional career spanned more than 15 years following his ODI and Test debuts in 1987. A stylish and power ful allrounder, Hooper was the first cricketer to score 5,000 runs, claim 100 wick ets, take 100 catches and play 100 matches in both formats.

The right-hander scored a maiden and unbeaten century in just his second Test match against India in Kolkata. Hooper’s highest Test total also came against India in his homeland of Guyana, where he struck an impeccable 233.

In all, Hooper scored 20 centuries and snared over 300 wickets at internation al level with his gamely offspin.

Since retirement, the 55-year-old has served in various coaching positions both abroad and locally.

He previously men tored at the West Indies High Performance Centre in

Barbados, and held coach ing roles with the Antigua Hawksbills and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League.

Hooper has said he is ea ger to begin working with the Strikers’ squad ahead of KFC BBL|12. “I’ve support ed the Strikers quite close ly since the inception of the BBL, and can see plenty of promise in the current list,” Hooper has said. “I’m look ing forward to working with Dizzy (Jason Gillespie) and put a few new ideas forward from my own experiences in the game, and to bring the best out of the players. I can’t wait to get started.”

Head Coach Jason Gillespie is confident Hooper would be a great asset for the Strikers this season.

“Carl has a wealth of expe rience from a playing and coaching perspective both here and across the globe,” Gillespie has said. “He has a fantastic ability to connect with people, and always has the players’ best interests at heart. I know he’ll be a wor thy addition to our coaching panel.”

The Strikers’ first home game of BBL|12 will be at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday December 14 against the Sydney Sixers. (adelaidestrikers.com)

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The

Carl Hooper

From left: Anil Beharry, Anthony Dhanie, Raj Bharrat and Buddy Rampersaud

Australia KFC Big Bash League 12…

MVP Sports’ Futsal…

Big names booted as semifinal fixtures decided

5th and 7th, while Hubert Pedro, Dextroy Adams and Michael Ballack followed up with one each in the 7th, 15th and 28th minutes re spectively to complete their five. Sophia’s lone reply came from Jermain Padmore in the 17th minute.

Bent Street took Campbellville to school in the following game, which they won 6-3. Deon Alfred proved to be Bent Street’s ace, net ting four goals in the 8th, 13th, 25th and 28th. Clive Nobrega and Jobe Caesar were responsible for bringing the Bent Street tally to 6 with goals in the 11th and 13th minutes. For Campbellville, Jamal Codrington (19th), Oziel Small (27th) and Anthony Abrams (16th) net ted one each, but the deficit was simply too much to close.

alongside Dennis’s spur in the final moments, were the cause of Sparta’s demise.

The infamous Back Circle was also defeated, this time by Stabroek Ballers. Dorwin George (13th, 15th, 23rd) and Dacosta Aboagye’s (12th, 27th, 28th) hat tricks were chiefly responsible for the 7-2 score. Sean Taylor contributed Stabroek’s sev enth goal with a strike

resume on Wednesday, November 23rd, when the semifinal round will be con tested at the same ven ue. The semifinal will see Fruta Conquerors and GT Panthers locking horns, while Police take on Tiger Bay for a chance in the women’s final. For the men, Stabroek Ballers will match strides with Future Stars, while Gold is Money and

GT Panthers, Tiger Bay, Fruta Conquerors and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in the women’s category, alongside Gold is Money, Bent Street, Future Stars and Stabroek Ballers from the male division, will be the teams contesting the semifi nal round of the MVP Sports’ Petra-organized Futsal tour nament.

This is as a result of an entertaining quarterfi nal round that was played last Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue. The night was filled with shocks and surprises as the likes of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) from the women’s cat

egory and Sparta Boss and Back Circle from the men’s category were booted from the competition by way of de feat.

In the female category, GT Panthers sealed their semifinal spot with a clinical victory over Avocado Ballers.

Feona Benjamin (4th, 16th) and Glendy Lewis (6th, 12th) both netted doubles for GT Panthers’ 4-0 win.

Beating Herstelling by the same 4-0 margin, Tiger Bay ensured their jump ahead of the GDF ladies on points for a spot in the semis.

Otalia Thompson (7th, 17th) and Nina John (5th, 15th) were the lucky strikers for Tiger Bay.

Adding to the soldiers’

woes, Fruta Conquerors eased past GDF in a 2-0 affair. The matchup saw Jessica Teasdale (17th) and Jalade Trim (7th) finding the back of the net for Fruta Conquerors.

Santos posed a challenge for the Police women in the final women’s game of the night, but the Police’s two early goals, off the boots of Melina Larson in the 7th and 8th minutes, were enough to secure a spot for the law en forcers. The game ended 2-1.

In the men’s tournament, there were goals and upsets galore. Gold is money had easy passage into the semi final, thumping Sophia 5-1. Darren Benjamin opened the scoring with a brace in the

Tigers throttle GFC to take GFA Championship

Itwas billed as a match that would be fought tooth and nail to determine the 2022 Senior Champions of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), but that did not materialise, as the experience of the West Ruimveldt-based Western Tigers team overshadowed the youthful exuberance of the Georgetown Football Club team on Sunday last at the GFC Ground at Bourda.

The match ended 2-1 in favour of the Tigers, both of whose goals were scored by the ever-dependable Hubert Pedro, who struck in each half. Even a last-gasp effort by the GFC team, scored in the 70th minute through Daniel Ross’s goal, could not prevent Western Tigers from romp

ing to championship glory af ter many years of being in the proverbial wilderness.

It was a welcome return to the pinnacle of the sport in the capital City for the lads from the West, and will no doubt lift

their confidence ahead of the 2022/2023 GFF season.

For much of the game, Western Tigers controlled and dictated the flow of exchang es, even as the GFC lads coun tered with runs of their own and showed they would be a force to be reckoned with in the new season.

The third-place match saw the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) defeating Santos 4-2 to emerge winners, thanks to a hat-trick from forward Benjamin Opara in the 12th, 41st, and 55th minutes. The other goal was scored by fel low forward Sherwin Caesar in the 87th minute.

Santos’s consolation goals were scored by Darron Niles in the 21st minute and Orin Yard in the 78th minute.

Future Stars stunned Sparta Boss in the penul timate game, winning 7-6. Tyrese Dennis was the lead ing man in Future Stars’ rain of goals, netting 5, which came in the 2nd, 25th, 30th, 36th and 38th. Jamal Cozier’s 3rd minute goal meant that Future Stars were up by two early in the encounter. However, Jermin Junior’s two in the 16th and 17th, coupled with Gregory Richardson’s 15th minute strike, made for a compet itive 3-2 game in Sparta’s favour. Jermin Junior had another to add in the 30th, while Daren Niles (29th) and Pernel Shultz (38th) pitched in for Sparta’s 6. But, Jaleel Hamilton’s goal in the 24th,

in the 30th, but it proved more than enough for Back Circle, whose only replies came from Simeon Moore (26th) and Jermaine Beckles (24th).

The MVP Sports’ Petraorganized tournament will

Bent Street go head-tohead.

The tournament is also supported by ANSA McAL through their Magnum and Lucozade brands, and by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. (Jemima Holmes)

DCB to host under-15 inter association tournament for early preparation of county team

TheDemerara Cricket Board (DCB) would be hosting its under-15 in ter-association tournament earlier than expected because of its planned preparation for the county teams for the 2023 season.

This tournament will commence at venues across Demerara on Friday November 18, and is expect ed to conclude on Friday November 25, 2022.

After this tournament, the DCB would be selecting a squad to commence train ing that would lead into the GCB Under-15 Inter-County Tournament for 2023.

The teams in this tourna ment are listed below:

The East Coast team reads: Mickel Sharma (Captain), Munesh Outar, Gopaul Ramcharran, Ravin Persaud, Udesh Jaikaran, Kyle Gibson (Vice-captain), Eric Phillips, Navin Narine, Ruel Dindyal, Narindra

Isurdeen, Amit Shiwadansa, Adrian Kissoon, Nicholas Simon and Devendra Ramkarran.

Reserves are Alvin Rampersaud, Deshon Stephens, Jayden Khargu and Hemant Prasad. Coach is Latchman Yadram and Manager is Richard Albert.

The East Bank Team reads: Roupie Rajaram (Captain), Dilshan Latchman, Alex Persaud, Alex Singh, Dinesh Sheumber, Navindra Singh, Ganesh Appanah, Devendra Mohamed, Keshan Singh, Tunil Suraj, Mahindra Bankay, John Springer, Jeremiah Downer and Kristan Brown.

Reserves are Jaden Benjamin and Jordan Benjamin. Coach is Daniel Barker and Manager is Fazal Ishak.

The Upper Demerara Team reads: Dishon Ashby, Jonathan Hall, Joseph Hall, Raphael Tappin, Tristan Peters, Christopher Hayman,

Tafarie Fredricks, Joshua Dash, Selwyn Smith, Keon Phillips, Carlos Clark, Corey Charles, Vikram Persaud and Shaukel Fiedtkou.

The Georgetown Team reads: Emmanuel Lewis (Captain), Darwin LaRose (Vice-captain), Reyaz Latif, Lomar Seecharran, Brandon Henry, Trilok Nanan, Ravin Singh, Julian Craig, Kadeem, Anel Haimnarine, Joshua Charles, Sameer Bhola, Samuel Barkoye and Shane Sivbarran.

Reserves are Yusuf Hack, Fazal Samad, Thierry Davis, Ravindra Singh and Vikash Roopnarine. Coach is Quasen Nedd and Manager is Shaun Massiah.

West Demerara Cricket Association Under-15 team will be announced later.

In the first-round matches, East Coast will face off with Upper Demerara while West Demerara will battle against East Bank. All matches will start at 9:00hrs daily.

Deon Alfred’s (on ball) 4 goals ensured Bent Street advance

Fruta Conquerors’ win sealed GDF women’s fate

Mickel Sharma is the East Coast captain

Emmanuel Lewis is the Georgetown captain

Roupie Rajaram will captain the East Bank Team

GFA 2022 Senior League Championships…

Hubert Pedro – the tiger of Western Tigers FC

GFF President Wayne Forde handing over the winning trophy to Western Tigers Captain Daniel Wilson in the presence of teammates and officials

-Tiger Hubert Pedro strikes twice …Army defeat Santos for third place

One Guyana President’s Cup moves to West Demerara, Georgetown on Nov 16

Players from communities in Georgetown and West Demerara will be in action on Wednesday, November 16, as the Inter-Ward fac tion of the inaugural One Guyana President’s Cup football tournament continues.

The tournament, in which a knock out format is implemented, kicked off last Sunday. It is the brainchild of President Irfaan Ali, and is being co ordinated by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).

At the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, from 18:00 hrs, South/ North Sophia will come up against the combined communities of Grove, Samatta Point and Diamond.

In the night’s second match, at 20:00 hrs, Albouystown/ West Ruimveldt are set to collide with an East Coast Demerara combined Melanie/ Golden Grove unit.

Meanwhile, only one match is scheduled for the West Demerara zone, where Bell West and Parika are down to play at 19:00hrs at the Leonora-based National Track and Field Centre. The winner of that game will play Den Amstel on Sunday.

The tournament’s opening day saw matches played in Regions 2, 5, 6 and 10.

REGION 10

In Linden, at the Wisburg Secondary School ground, Blueberry Hill became the first team to exit the tournament, thanks to Block 22, to whom they lost 3-4 on kicks from the penalty mark. The two sides had end ed regulation time at 1–1.

REGION 6

The Scots School Ground in New Amsterdam hosted an exciting dou ble-header, in which both games went beyond regular time.

Lower Corentyne needed kicks from the penalty mark to sepa rate themselves from Central New Amsterdam. With scores tied at one goal each at the end of regulation time, Lower Corentyne prevailed 5-4 when they went down to the deciding format.

North New Amsterdam and Canje had an entertaining encounter, as both teams netted four times to force a nail-biting climax. From the penal ty mark, North New Amsterdam ad vanced 4-2.

REGION 5

Rosignol and Paradise took care of business at the Rosignol Community Centre Ground to advance to the next round of competition.

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GSCL Inc President Ian John alongside Prime Minister Mark Phillips

Prime Minister’s Softball Cup 2022…