Guyana Times - Wednesday, October 19, 2022

requirement

of traffic laws by minibuses must end – Edghill

Ruimveldt resident busted with $21M in ganja

Former Guyanese Chancellor sworn in as

Judge in

7% increase in road fatalities for 2022

persons died in 79 accidents so far for 2022 …safety campaign launched

As the year winds down, 85 persons have been killed from 79 road accidents across the country. When compared to 79 fatalities from 73 acci dents in 2021, this is a sev en per cent increase.

The Public Works Ministry and the InterAmerican Development Bank on Tuesday launched their joint highway safe ty video campaign at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School, targeting vulnera ble road users amid the in creased number of vehicles on the road and developing infrastructure.

Highlighting these fig ures was the Road Safety Manager, who noted that for this year thus far, there has been a startling 66 per cent increase in deaths among children involved in road accidents. However, this is just a jump from three to five persons.

“We would have seen a 66 per cent increase in chil dren being killed. This in crease is significant but if you look at actual numbers, it is three last year com pared to five as we speak for this year,” he shared.

Hinds underscored that investments have been made for awareness and to reduce severity of such inci dents.

“It is important that we put measures in place that will address countering the loss of lives and serious in juries for the various cate gories of road uses, and the most vulnerable. What we are currently experiencing in Guyana… In order to ad dress safety on our roads, it is important that measures that are cost-effective and also effective in addressing the issues that exists are implemented.”

Among the myriad of safety measures around

schools are pedestrian side walks, traffic lights, pedes trian crossings, road mark ings and traffic signs.

He shared that exces sive speeding, recklessness, driving under the influence and using devices while driving are some of the main causes of accidents. Derelict vehicles and stalls on the roads are also con tributing factors.

The road safety offi cial pointed out that great er penalties, emergen cy response, engineering and education are some of the mechanisms targeted to bring down stats and safer roadways.

In his address, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill underscored that while Govt is working on building connectivity, the safety of road users takes importance. He said it can be unfortunate if people are not properly educated.

This initiative was cre ated owing to several acci dents occurring on the new ly built highways, which he opined could have been avoided. This has especial ly been the case for the new Sheriff Street to Mandela four-lane road.

“No one should lose their lives on the road. Road safe ty is important. This road [Sheriff Street to Mandela],

if not properly used, prop erly regulated and if people are not educated, it could prove a danger to lives. It is no secret that we had a couple accidents already; accidents that should not have happened had people obeyed the laws of usage of the roads,” the Minister ex pressed.

A new feature was demonstrated at the traffic

light on Mandela Avenue, where pedestrians can press a button and request to cross the road, as opposed to waiting for the vehicles to halt systematically.

Meanwhile, the videos which demonstrate how to use the roadway and struc tures like the roundabouts properly will be shared in an effort to positively influ ence road users. (G12)

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill joined stakeholders in the road safety campaign

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, Oct 19 – 13:30h – 15:00h and Thursday, Oct 20 – 01:00h – 02:30h.

UK lifts visa requirement for Guyanese …decision demonstrates Britain’s confidence in Guyana – Pres Ali

By Jarryl Bryan

Wednesday, Oct 19 – 12:45h – 14:15h and Thursday, Oct 20 – 13:35h – 15:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily

WEATHER TODAY

There will be sunshine during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South-Westerly to North-Westerly between 1.34 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 12:07h reaching a maximum height of 1.99 metres.

Low Tide: 18:01h reaching a minimum height of 1.21 metres.

Holders of a valid Guyanese passport will no longer need to have a visa to enter the United Kingdom (UK) after November 9, following a de cision by the UK to remove visitor visa requirements for Guyanese to travel to their country, for up to six months.

The decision to remove visitor visa restrictions for travel to the UK was an nounced on Tuesday during a press conference host ed by the British High Commission. According to British High Commissioner to Guyana Jane Miller, OBE, the removal of visa re quirements is for an indefi nite period.

President Dr Irfaan Ali, who was present at the press conference, described the decision as a demonstra tion of British confidence in Guyana. While he urged Guyanese to take up the vi sa-free opportunity for trav el, he also cautioned them to be conscientious and not abuse the visa waiver.

“What the UK Government has done for us, is demonstrate confi dence in us as a people and a country. And I think we should applaud the UK. Demonstrating that trust would go no small way in pushing others, because the UK is part of the developed world. And you can’t tell us you have security concerns beyond a certain level, that the UK doesn’t have.”

“There’s no differen tiating treatment, but Guyanese must exercise responsibility. And that is what is critical for me. Because you know it takes a long time to get to these de cisions. And we have raised it at the highest level, we have moved expeditiously on this. And all of us must take responsibility to en sure that the system is nev er abused,” President Ali said.

Meanwhile, High Commissioner Miller ex pressed the hope that the lifting of visa restrictions would also lead to more business opportunities. She noted that British Airways would also be providing di rect flights between the two countries from next year.

“Since the day I arrived 15 months ago, people have spoken to me about issues regarding visas. President Ali, when he was in the UK earlier this year, raised this with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The people in the private sector, civil soci ety, the media, many of you have talked to me about those visas.”

“So, it’s a real pleasure to deliver this news today. And this visa lift is a sign of the confidence that the UK has in the growth of our relationship. And together with the direct flight that will be happening at the end of March with British Airways, we believe this change is going to be trans

formative to our already strong relationship,” the diplomat further said.

President Ali meanwhile noted during the press con ference that while the UK, having exited the European Union (EU), can no longer sponsor Guyana for visa-free European travel, this is be ing pursued aggressively by the Government.

“We have to work now on a strong bilateral with in the EU, who will be the sponsoring country to push that agenda. And I can as sure you that that work would have started, and started very aggressively,” he said.

Welcomed

Both the Guyana Government and the Private Sector have been pushing for the removal of visa re strictions for Guyanese to travel to the UK for some time. The matter has been raised at diplomatic levels, during trade missions and when President Ali visited the UK earlier this year.

In a statement following the news, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) lauded the persons who were in volved in this outcome, in cluding the President and High Commissioner Miller. They called it a demonstra tion of Guyana’s economic rise.

“This decision demon strates the strength of our economy, signals the ease of travel, deepening of cooper ation and collaboration be tween the UK and Guyana, and will bring great value to our growing private sector,” the PSC said.

Meanwhile, in a state ment of its own, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) praised the devel opment and referenced to their own efforts in lobby ing for the lifting of visa re strictions.

“Since 2019, the GCCI made formal representation to the Government of the UK to remove its require ment for Guyanese nation als to obtain a visa to enter

the country. Since the onset of his time at the Chamber, GCCI’s President, Mr. Timothy Tucker, has lob bied consistently for the re moval of visa restrictions and today the Chamber is proud to see this initiative come to fruition.”

“The Chamber is confi dent now more than ever that visa-free travel will fos ter deepened economic rela tions and promote Private Sector development for both countries. The GCCI contin ues to be a national partner in economic growth by way of Private Sector develop ment,” GCCI said.

The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) meanwhile said in a state ment that this develop ment bodes well not only for the bilateral relation ship between Guyana and the UK, but also trade and free movement of Guyanese to the UK.

During his press con ference, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton welcomed the development.

From left: Deputy British High Commissioner to Guyana, Judy Kpogho; British High Commissioner Jane Miller; President Dr Irfaan Ali and Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Elisabeth Harper

Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761

Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707

Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

New road safety campaign

Statics have shown that 85 persons have this year been killed from 79 accidents countrywide. This is an increase from 2021, when, during the same period, there were 79 fatalities from 73 accidents. This increase reflects a 66 per cent increase of road deaths among children.

The statistics have revealed that 2022, which still has over two months remaining, has a high road fatality rate.

These statistics come at a time when Guyanese continue to express concerns over the number of accidents that have occurred on the country’s roadways.

A common theme appears to be the unnecessary taking of risks and speed, factors often lamented as causes.

The shock, concern and caution that historically follow a fatal accident seem to be fleeting, and the major contributory factors are seemingly swiftly resumed, despite public outcry. However, given that those accidents are occurring on our roadways, and judging from sentiments expressed on social media, it seems that a large number of Guyanese are outraged, and are calling for drivers to slow down.

While that is encouraging, only time will tell if public pressure would indeed make a positive impact. Social media wields tremendous influence, and traffic violations by some irresponsible drivers have been captured, and have attracted the attention of the Police.

There were instances when some drivers imbibed alcoholic beverages while in the process of transporting members of the public. The conductors randomly stick their hands out to demand that the bus be allowed to cut in front of vehicles, without considering the risk involved.

The said drivers literally drive on the parapets at times to illegally undertake, just to avoid staying in lanes and to reach their destinations within the shortest possible time. They also blatantly block turning lanes while ignoring the pleading horns.

The end result is that those who respect the traffic laws are made to spend a much longer time commuting, and are left at the mercy of those inconsiderate drivers. This in no way suggests that all minibus drivers are reckless; however, many are noticeable offenders across the country. Sadly, their unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to continue, seemingly encouraged by both the travelling public and the Police, to an extent.

While some passengers have objected to the overall despicable behaviour of minibus operators, and were in the process abused, there is an urgent needed for a collective and robust approach to denounce what has unfortunately become a culture of disrespect of both passengers and traffic laws.

There are times when the Police intervene, and commendations must be given; however, there is a lack of much-needed consistency, not just for the minibus drivers in question, but for all others.

The situation has worsened, and will further decline if no meaningful and sustained intervention is made.

It is in this vein that the joint highway safety video campaign, which was launched on Tuesday by the Public Works Ministry and the Inter-American Development Bank, is most welcome, as it targets vulnerable road users.

There is no doubt that investments - including pedestrian sidewalks, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, road markings and traffic signs – have been made to aid vulnerable road users, but excessive speeding and recklessness on our roadways continue unabated.

We support Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who on Tuesday said: “No one should lose their lives on the road. Road safety is important”, and we support the new road safety campaign.

Ban on lewd music late but necessary

By Shortwood teacherS’ college writer’S guild

The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica released an advisory on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 banning the playing of lewd music, which endorses illicit drugs and scamming on tra ditional media platforms — mainly the radio.

While this news is wel coming, it is excessively late, as the horse has already gone through the gate. It is some what similar to the demolition exercise at Clifton in Bernard Lodge, where the relevant au thorities dragged their feet in addressing the hotly debat ed squatting situation in the St Catherine community and Jamaica at large. As seen in the media, several of these structures were advanced in the building stage. One won ders how these citizens man aged to erect these build ings uninterruptedly. Then, again, according to recent developments, it is alleged that criminals drove fear into Government authorities, pre venting them from taking the necessary actions.

For many years, there have been numerous calls for immoral songs to be banned; however, many peo ple, including artistes them selves, argued that they were not responsible for parent ing other people's children. Unsurprisingly, dancehall ar tiste Tanya Stephenson re acted in a letter to the edi tor in the Jamaica Observer on October 12, stating that, "Every single time there is a great pressure to curb crime or antisocial behaviour, some of these very same unchang ing heads meet again and roll out the same archaic ban as a 'measure'.” However, these artistes should concede that they contribute to the situa tion at hand, albeit not entire ly.

We will recall the infamous incarcerated Vybz Kartel, who

spoke passionately about his lyrics not influencing young people negatively. But we have seen repeatedly where some of these artistes and their songs have immense ly impacted young people through dressing, speaking, and their general attitude.

Remember the era when there was a rift between Gully (Mavado) and Gaza (Vybz Cartel)? The feud was per petuated in schools, where classrooms, in some instanc es, were divided into Gully and Gaza, and students ri valled each other in this very vein. It is known that many people repeatedly listen to the lyrics of the artistes they re spect, and practise what they say. Whether we know it or not, there are impressionable minds, especially (those of) our young people, who will be influenced by these lyrics.

It was as recently as June that Guyana's Minister of Home Affairs banned Jamaican dancehall artiste Skeng from performing at public events in his country. This followed a shooting inci dent at the Baderation event in May, where Skeng was per forming. Minister Brindley Robeson Benn said: "If they want, they can go into a pri vate club and behave as badly as they want. But we will not sign off on any such artiste or any artiste who has a record of promoting vulgar and lawless behaviour, including the firing of gunshots in public places. We reject it completely."

This would not be the first incident in which Jamaican artistes have been banned from performing in other countries due to the content of their lyrics, yet they strive in Jamaica.

The position taken by the Broadcasting Commission is not new. However, they should have been more rig id in enforcing such a policy when the musical arena start ed getting out of control. Had

that been the case, children would not have been this ex posed and supportive of such degrading music. If we say that only parents are respon sible for raising and cultivat ing their children, then this ban would not have any ef fect; however, if we were to say that the society as a whole should participate in raising and guiding children, then we can see how it is that this ban would be of effect. What about the adage "It takes a village to raise a child"?

Should we be moving to developing laws to curb the promotion of illegal activi ties in the content of songs? It stands to reason that if the ac tions being glorified in these songs are illegal, then the con tent would contradict the very law of the country. If we allow these lyrics to permeate the airwaves, we send mixed mes sages to our people. What will be the consequence for those who continue to play these songs on the airwaves? How do we hold these artistes re sponsible for what they pro duce? It seems counterpro ductive to try to stem the issue of lewd lyrics after they have been produced. If we had clear guidelines in place, then it would guide the artistes as they produce their lyrics. We certainly would not want to interfere with creativity; how ever, the content of the songs needs to be censored.

But what then of freedom of expression? How do we get citizens to act responsibly for the collective good of the soci ety?

The move by the Broadcasting Commission to ban vulgar music shows that Jamaica is taking the right step towards a safer society for everyone; however, the question that is on everyone's mind is: Will this change any thing? With the world experi encing its Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the inter net and technology play im

portant roles in our everyday lives, even if lewd music is banned on radio and televi sion, to what extent would this prevent schoolchildren from accessing this content? Will the social media platforms be censored as well? What about the movies that they watch? Do they not promote certain lifestyles as well?

There is therefore a call for Jamaicans to consid er the psychological and be havioural impacts of second ary agents of socialisation on children and young adults.

Some people may argue that there are other factors respon sible for the proliferation of crime and violence in our so ciety; and, quite recently, the resurgence of school violence, the uptick in scamming, and the exponential consumption of illicit drugs, such as molly.

Undeniably, there are numer ous factors that contribute to these unlawful acts in society, but the impact of lyrics glori fying these activities must not be denied as a factor.

We all have a choice as to what we listen to and de cide what we will allow to in fluence us; however, let us remember that we are also creating a culture for our children. Many Jamaicans speak of the former era when some things were forbidden and would not be tolerated.

What we do today affects the Jamaica that is created to morrow. Quite frankly, our youth are at a stage in their development when many are struggling with their identity, and they look to others as role models, including dancehall artistes. Whether the artistes admit it or not, they have a fan base who follows them, listens to, and sometimes acts out what they say. This is the re ality we have before us; there fore, we need a new approach to stemming the issue, so that we can save future Jamaica — if there is any potential left. (Jamaica Observer)

Education Minister Priya Manickchand having breakfast with students of the Windsor Forest Primary School, West Coast Demerara during the launch of the Ministry’s Edutrition: Breakfast for Success programme, in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara)

Former Guyanese Chancellor sworn in as COA Judge in Seychelles

Former Chancellor(ag) of the Guyana Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh, has recently been sworn-in as a temporary Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Seychelles. This was done by President Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles.

Justice Carl Singh, who will be part of a three-member Bench of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Seychelles,

was specially recommend ed for appointment by the Constitutional Appointments Authority of the Republic of Seychelles to hear a partic ular civil appeal before that Court.

The other members of that specially appointed Bench of Judges are Justice Winston Anderson of the Caribbean Court of Justice and Sir William Young of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. Justice Carl Singh taking the Oath of Office before President Ramkalawan

4 cops under close arrest for butchering cow involved in accident

The Guyana Police Force is probing an incident involving four of its ranks and a Force motor vehicle that occurred in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), on Monday evening.

The incident occurred between 00:30 and 01:30h at Number 19 Public Road in Corentyne, Berbice. The ranks in the vehicle at the time were a Corporal and three Constables.

It was reported that the

ranks were on anti-crime patrol with Force vehicle PAB 3148, and were re sponding to a report of an accident involving minibus PSS 9208, and a cow.

The minibus was driv en by a 67-year-old pen sioner of Kilcoy, Chesney, Berbice. A traffic rank ar rived on the scene, advised the man how to handle the situation, and left.

According to the man, he was advised by the traffic rank to cut off the

skin of the cow where the “Brand” was, and to report to Central Police Station in New Amsterdam to give a statement, after which he left.

However, when the pa trol arrived at the scene, several persons also ar rived at the scene and started to “cut up” the cow. The minibus driver said he observed one of the Police ranks with a cutlass cut ting meat and the other ranks were in the Police

vehicle.

The rank's action was captured on video.

The driver said that he then proceeded to the Central Police Station with the piece of skin with the brand as instructed by the traffic rank.

When the driver was finished at the station, he returned to the scene with relatives and observed that only the intestine of the cow was on the parapet, and no one was around.

Just around that time Commander of the Region, Shivpersaud Bacchus and other ranks were passing when they observed the minibus driver on the road at the accident scene and stopped.

After learning of the accident and the ranks' action, the Commander called for the ranks to re port immediately to the lo cation.

However, on their way back to the scene, the

ranks crashed into a cow but nonetheless proceed ed. On arrival, the ranks were found in possession of a piece of carcass with skin in the vehicle tray.

When questioned, the Corporal stated that he was taking the carcass to lodge as an exhibit of the earlier accident.

The ranks were all placed under close arrest at Central Police Station. Investigations are continu ing. (G9)

Please stop the indiscriminate and illegal use of fireworks

Dear Editor, Permit me a space to reshare this letter about the in discriminate and illegal use of fireworks to celebrate the auspicious Festival of Light, Diwali, a celebration of good over evil, a celebration of light over darkness. With this mis sive, I am attempting to dis suade my countrymen from using fireworks to celebrate, much to the discomfort of the multitudes.

Editor, the science is clear: animals have hearing capac ities that are far advanced to that of humans. Humans can hear sounds that fall between the range of 20Hz and 20KHz, while the hearing capacity of a dog is somewhat between 40Hz and 60 kHz. The hear ing range of a cat extends from 48Hz to 85kHz, giving it one of the broadest hearing ranges among mammals. Bats’ sound sensitivity ranges from less than 100Hz to 200KHz. What this simply translates to is that, as humans, we have one of the lowest hearing rang es on the sound spectrum, and last night’s explosion was loud to us. We can only imag ine what those scared animals were hearing.

Editor, what transpired on Dewali Night last year is nothing short of a national tragedy. Imagine, as humans, we were forced to endure hours of loud, war-like explo sions emanating from these “bombs”. Animals, with their more advanced hearing capac ities, were thrown into a state of panic. Many attempted to flee the explosions and ended

up on the road, with the out come being tragic. Many more tried to hide in their homes, panicking, their respiration and heartbeat elevated even as they trembled and were in consolable. Some, in their at tempt to escape the barrage of explosions, attempted to scale fences and jump out of win dows, only to end up being in jured or dead. Some even died of heart failure, due to panic attacks.

Wild animals were not spared this horrendous or deal. Birds and bats met trag ic ends in their respective bids to seek shelter from this apoc alyptic bombing, carried out in the name of celebration.

Humans also had to en dure the effects of these explo sions. The elderly, sick, babies and persons suffering from post-traumatic syndromes suffered, while a few had their “fun”.

Historically, Diwali is in tended to celebrate light over darkness. Many Hindus con sider Diwali to be a fresh start similar to the Lunar New Year in January. Many people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes in anticipation of blessing from the Devine Mother Lakshmi. Diwali is also a time to settle debts and make peace with family mem bers, friends and neighbours.

Editor, the laws of Guyana are clear in relation to the im portation, sale, possession and use of pyrotechnics. They are banned products, yet we continue to see the wanton sale; possession, and use of same, not only at Diwali, but

around the festive season of Christmas also. Editor, there are no known benefits to be de rived from the use of fireworks to celebrate. On the contrary, there are multitudes of disad vantages in using them.

Let me highlight a few:

- Illegal use of fireworks can be dangerous to you and to others, and is a public nui sance.

- People who use fireworks carelessly, or without know ing what they’re doing, can be killed or maimed. They can also kill or maim others.

- Fireworks can burn down houses, cause fires, frighten children and adults, and terri fy pets and wildlife.

- Noise from fireworks can cause distress, especially as fireworks can sound like gun fire. The noise can also cause

tinnitus and deafness, or ag gravate a nervous condition.

- People who suffer from asthma can experience dis comfort, and epileptics can experience seizures following fireworks’ displays.

- Money spent on purchas ing fireworks can be more meaningfully used to pur chase a household item, feed the a homeless or strays, or be saved for some other use.

Christmas is around the corner, and I can only imag ine what awaits us if this as ininity is allowed to go on unchecked. I am hereby mak ing a desperate appeal to all right-thinking Guyanese to immediately stop the use of loud explosives as a form of celebration. Parents, do not encourage your children to use fireworks. Religious lead

ers, use your authority to en courage your followers to be considerate of all things liv ing during their celebrations.

Police officials, I know your hands are filled, but I beg you not to turn a blind eye to this scourge.

As a nation, we are judged

by the way we treat animals, the elderly, the homeless and children.

Yours respectfully, Anurama Ramgobin Tails of Hope - Animal Rescue

Justice Carl Singh

Statistics is a branch of Mathematics that studies data expressed in num bers. In the data, the numbers answer questions like: How many? How long? How far? How big?

Let’s say you have this set of numbers: 22, 11, 19, 11, 15, 8, 11, 15

Begin by arranging them in order: 8, 11, 11, 11, 15, 15, 19, 22

The range is the greatest number minus the smallest number: 22-8: 14

The mean (sometimes called the average) is the total of the whole collec tion divided by the number of addends: 112 ÷ 8 = 14.

The median is the number in the middle. If your collection of numbers has an even number of addends, the median is the average of the two middle numbers: (11 + 15 ) ÷ 2 = 26 ÷ 2 = 13

The mode is the number that appears most often in the collection of num bers: 11

EXAMPLE: Remember

Exercises: Calculate

What happens to different types of soil in water? How long does it take for the sediments to fall to the bottom?

What you need Small bucket Hand shovel Jar, clear glass or plastic Ruler Water

What you do

Discuss the basics of soil.

All soil is composed of sand, silt, and clay. These distinctions are made by particle size only, with sand being the largest and clay the smallest.

Each type of plant has its own needs. Different plants need different soil because they need more or less water, air and minerals.

When you are planning your garden, it is helpful to identify your soil types. This activity is a fun way to study it.

Go to a place where you’d like to study the soil composition.

It might be somewhere you’d like to plant a garden. Or you might just want to compare

the soil in a wet area to the soil in a dry area.

Get about a one cup sample.

Fill a jar with water.

Remove any leaves, stones or anything from your sample except the basic soil structure. Squish out any clumps. Scoop it into the water-filled jar.

Observe the jar over time. Shake the jar vigorously until the soil is suspended.

After one minute measure the amount of soil that has settled with a ruler, this is the sand content.

After one hour measure the amount of soil that has settled, subtract the amount of sand. This is the silt content.

A day later, measure the total amount of soil settled, subtract the amount of sand and silt. This is the clay content of the soil.

Divide the depth of each layer by the total depth of the soil, and then multiply by 100 to get percentages of soil components.

Another way to study soil components is the Squeeze Test.

Grab a small handful of soil. Make a fist and release.

Sand: If the soil falls apart

and feels gritty, it is sand. Sandy soil has quick drainage and low nutrient levels, requiring frequent watering and fertilization.

Silt: If the soil has a slippery texture and slides apart, it has a high percentage of silt. Silty soil has poor drainage and moderate ability to retain nutrients.

Clay: If the soil retains its shape after it is squeezed and is sticky when wet it is mostly clay. Clay is rock-hard when dry; it can store nutrients, but roots and water have difficulty penetrating it.

Loam: Loam is a mixture of all three of these particles. It has a crumbly texture with some grittiness and some stickiness. (rangerrick.org)

By The BroThers Grimm

CANU seized $311M worth of narcotics in September

12 cases made out against traffickers, with 7 convictions secured

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) has seized a whopping $311 million worth of narcotics for the month of September, ac cording to information re leased by that drug enforce ment unit. This comprises $294 million, or approxi mately US$1.4 million, in ganja, and $17 million, or US$82,000, in cocaine.

Most of the narcotics were intercepted in Regions Six, Four, and Three, the amounts intercepted there in being 327.50kg of canna bis and 11.23kg of cocaine. Cannabis continues to be the narcotic most commonly seized by CANU, account ing for 97 per cent of all sei zures.

However, in addition to the discovery and seizure

of cannabis and cocaine, a quantity of Lidocaine, a lo cal anaesthetic commonly used for the adulteration of cocaine, and one shotgun

to illicit drugs, discoveries of attempts to ship items by prohibited means, and those discoveries were re ferred to the relevant au thorities for further pro

port, 44 per cent of the total quantity of narcotics seized was seized on the roadways; 33 per cent of the total amount of narcotics seized was done in riverine areas;

counted for 3 per cent of the total seizure, with cocaine topping the list there.

Also, 22 persons were arrested in relation to nar cotics’ possession for the month of September. Six

possession of 327.4978kg of cannabis.

The males arrested were between the ages of 18 and 58 years old, and the fe males were between the ages of 18 and 59 years old.

Of those arrested, 13 in dividuals were charged sep arately for the possession of narcotics. CANU made out 12 cases for possession of narcotics, consisting of both cocaine and cannabis possession; seven convic tions, consisting of one for the possession of cocaine and six for the possession of cannabis, were made out, and 96 cases are pending.

with 16 live cartridges were confiscated.

There were, in addition

cessing and prosecution. These included six finches concealed in hair rollers.

According to the re

and 16 per cent of the total amount of narcotics seized was done in residential ar eas. Airport seizures ac

males and two females were arrested for possession of 11.2306kg of cocaine, while 14 males were arrested for

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) con tinues to make significant efforts to maintain its man date of stemming the flow of narcotics in Guyana.

On

CANU officers conducted an operation at Beterverwagting (Railway Embankment/Line Top), East Coast Demerara,

On September 14, 2022, CANU officers conducted an operation at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, during which it unearthed 11.188kg of cocaine

UK trade with Guyana increased by 17% in past year – Ali

…says transformational projects can be catalyst for further trade

Guyana’s trade with the United Kingdom (UK) continues to rise, increasing by over 17 per cent in the last four quarters, particularly as more and more goods from Guyana continue to be ex ported to the UK.

During a press confer ence on Tuesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali gave updat ed statistics on increases in Guyana’s trade with the United Kingdom. At a time when the UK has removed visitor visa restrictions for Guyanese, trade has in creased by over 17 per cent.

“The UK’s import from and export to Guyana, for the previous four quarters, increased by 17.2 per cent. That is the UK imports in creased by 7.2 per cent and the exports, 2.7 per cent. Now this can increase great ly, with just one transac tion.”

“One of our transforma tional projects. And we’re hoping, for example you would have seen us adver tising now for a 30,000-bar rel refinery. Now those are projects that can immedi ately change the trade sce nario, depending on where investment comes from,” the President also said.

The UK has previous ly described Guyana as its largest regional trading partner, with £560 million

in goods and services traded last year. This represented 21.6 per cent of trade facili tated between the Caribbean Region, making Guyana the largest trade partner in the Region.

There also continues to be an exchange of trade mis sions between the two coun tries. A UK trading mission scoping investment opportu nity visited Guyana earlier this year, with another one expected next month.

During the press confer ence, President Ali noted the importance of the oil and gas sector in their relations with the UK. When it comes to the oil refinery, he point ed out that even after the fa cility is built, trade will be needed.

The Government is cur rently moving ahead with

the establishment of an oil refinery in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and will soon be inviting potential in vestors to submit their pro posals for the construction of a 30,000-barrel facility.

“It’s not only the capital cost of building the facility. It is the trade after that. So, I would say that the oil and gas sector would definitely be part of that Governmentto-Government relationship. And the specific discussion I had with Prime Minister Boris, is in relation to ener gy security for the UK,” he said.

With Guyana emerging as the United Kingdom’s largest trade partner in the Caribbean Region, this has attracted interest in the es tablishment of a British Chamber of Commerce lo

cally. Already, there is an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Guyana) and a CanadaGuyana Chamber of Commerce here.

Back in 2011, the ex change of goods with Guyana was pegged at £94 million. It means that trade has ex panded six times since then. For her platinum jubilee achievement and 96th birth day celebration, a recep tion was hosted for the late Queen Elizabeth II back in June at the residence of the British High Commissioner to Guyana.

During the reception, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, OBE, had alluded to the new linkages between the United Kingdom and Guyanese businesses in propelling trade relations.

The trade mission that had visited Guyana earli er this year had comprised of nine British companies ranging from education, manufacturing, and in frastructure. The visit ing companies had includ ed Concrete Canvas; DAR; Grove Group; One True Maverick Vodka; Nectar Group; Signature LLP and Woollard and Henry.

Concrete Canvas prod ucts are part of a revolu tionary class of new, in novative materials called Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mats (GCCMs). DAR is an international firm of design consultants, origi nally from Beirut, which has a 1500-person headcount in the UK. Grove is a Google Cloud and Education part ner, a premier Darktrace, Kenna Security and elite Mimecast partner as well as a Proofpoint distributor.

One True Maverick Vodka is a tri-blend vod ka made differently with a unique taste, process and ingredients. Nectar Group operates and manages a number of bulk terminals around the globe and of fers a range of value-added solutions for handling bulk cargoes. Signature LLP is a London-based law firm with offices in Paris and Gibraltar, specialising in commercial litigation and arbitration. Woollard and Henry is an international supplier of quality equip ment and solutions across multiple sectors. (G3)

Flogging...

…a dead donkey

The PNC/APNU Opposition – such as it is – has once again jumped on the “shared governance” limb. Now, since the (wise) old people say “monkey know which limb to jump on”, that just proves without any fear of contradiction that they ain’t no monkeys!! Now, there may be THEORETICAL reasons why “shared governance” may be good for some divided countries – just as there may’ve been theoretical reasons for arguing about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin!! -- But does it really matter if experience shows that neither has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever happening??

Let’s face it: this notion -- that if only the PPP and PNC could get together and form a government, all will be hunky dory and we’ll all live happily ever after -- has been around since the beginning of politics in the sixties!! Not surprising, since we’re all weaned on the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales!! But shouldn’t the FACT that such a dream never became real tell us something: that may be all dreams don’t come true, because they’re…erm…just DREAMS?? So, let’s look as to why coalitions – the foundations of shared Governments - haven’t worked here, and then ask if anything’s changed!!

Back in 1964, shared governance was kicked off with the PNC-UF coalition that ousted the PPP. But the cynicism behind that arrangement only convinced Burnham that the wonderful rhetoric of “democracy” being spouted was just that – rhetoric!! Now, that confirmed his Machiavellian view of politics, and he promptly kicked out his “shared governance” partner, and rigged elections to rule on his lonesome!! And shared governance in Guyana was read its death rites then and there!!

Even though the PPP then came up with all kinds of permutations and combinations of how they and the PNC could divvy up the governance spoils, it all came to naught!! For the simple (cynical) reason: why share when you can have it all? – even when one’s hold on “all” is as tenuous as you can get!! They say that, in 1985, Forbes and Cheddi were on the verge of signing off on a “shared governance”, but Forbes then went and croaked!! But your Eyewitness still believes Forbes was yanking Cheddi’s chain!!

And when, at long last, Cheddi came back into office in 1992, hadn’t he also promised “shared governance” – but then gave us the CIVIC??!! But hope beats eternal, doesn’t it?? And so, Ramjattan took his AFC into a coalition with the PNC and ousted - and was surprised when Granger kicked him to the kerb.

What did Santayana say about those who forget the lessons of history?? So, who’s silly enough to go that route again?? If the PPP believe in the tooth fairy, they should believe Aubrey!!

…liberalism

Those Scandinavian countries way up north have long been the exemplars of good governance, and high standards of living that the rest of the world struggle for. Was it those Northern Lights that only they get to see?? Or was it those old Norse Gods like Odin and Thor watching over them?? Or was it the more mundane reason that, for the longest while, they’re all from the same Nordic Stock – blonde and blueeyed – like the Targaryens?? Your Eyewitness doesn’t know about the incest part!!

Well, whatever it was, looks like somebody bit into that apple and their Valhalla’s about to be tested. After being ultraliberal and woke for centuries - for instance, accepting hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern refugees -Sweden just elected a centre-right Government!! Now, if that sounds innocuous, it’s supported by a neo-Nazi party that was formed only in 1988 - and has now become the second-largest party in the country!!

So, now that they’re faced with diversity challenges, they’ve joined Trump!!

…noms de plume??

Just saw another letter from Hamilton Green. He signed as “Former Head of Clerical Section, Transport & General Workers’ Union; Former GS, PNC; Former Prime Minister and Ex-Mayor, City of Georgetown. So, he’s no longer an “Elder”??

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

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

The British trade mission that visited Guyana earlier this year

“Conditions are less oppressive” – President on Suriname fishing licence impasse

Following years of de lay and recent con troversy when it comes to Suriname issu ing fishing licences for Guyanese to fish in their waters, President Dr Irfaan Ali said that some amount of progress has been made

on the issue.

On the sidelines of a press conference on Tuesday, President Ali was asked about the fishing li cence impasse and whether a meeting is scheduled for this month. Despite pre vious promises, Suriname

has failed to issue to Guyanese fishermen licenc es to operate in Surinamese waters.

According to the President, there has been some amount of progress on the issue. Asked if he was optimistic that the fishing

GBTI to be fully closed for upgrades from Oct 28-31

licences would be granted, the President would only say that the conditions are changing.

“I don’t know if there is a meeting scheduled. I know that we’ve put our con cerns on the table. There’s a lot of discussions going on around our concerns. There’s some amount of progress being made. But we’ll continue to champion this issue.”

“Let me put it this way. I am of the view that the conditions are less oppres sive to our Guyanese fish ermen,” the President also said.

Despite promises by Suriname at the bilater al level to issue licenc es to Guyanese fishermen to operate in their waters, this is yet to materialise. In fact, licences were sup posed to have been issued since 2021. Suriname, for its part, has urged Guyana to await the diplomatic channels, despite the pre vious lack of progress.

and Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the two leaders had issued a joint press statement indicating that the age-old issue of licences for Guyanese fisherfolk to operate in Suriname’s ter ritorial waters would be ad dressed.

ployed in providing ser vices which include trans portation, fish vending and repairs to machinery and equipment.

Afour-day closure for all Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) branch es countrywide is among a number of planned disrup tions to the bank’s services as it embarks on major up grades to its systems.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer Shawn Gurcharran said the upgrades will re sult in a new and better online banking platform, faster in-house processes, and improved user inter face at the automated tell

er machines (ATMs).

Leading up to the dis ruptions, customers will benefit from an increase in their ATM daily limits and waived charges.

Meanwhile, Gurcharran emphasised that while these disrup tions will be an inconve nience to its customers, the end result will bring many positives.

The disruptions begin on October 25 where all branches will be opened until 2:30pm.

On October 26, the Diamond and Parika branches, which are tra ditionally closed on Wednesdays, will operate.

Then on October 27, all branches will be closed at midday. From October 28 to 31, all GBTI branch es countrywide will be closed.

Also on October 27, direct banking services, ATMs, and Kaieteur Classic Card usage will be unavailable from 14:00h (2pm).

The matter of Suriname’s harassment of Guyanese fishermen and the Dutch-speaking repub lic’s continued refusal to grant licences to them, has been a topical issue in re cent times that even esca lated to the point where Guyana’s then Ambassador in Suriname, Keith George, was summoned last month to a meet ing with the Surinamese Foreign Minister, Krishna Mathoera, on this very is sue.

Following the high-level meeting in Guyana during August 2021 between President Dr Irfaan Ali

These fishermen oper ate from the Corentyne coast and have to use the Corentyne to get access to the Atlantic where they get most of their catch. The Corentyne River is consid ered Surinamese territo ry. Currently, the licences are issued to Surinamese businessmen at US$100 per year and rented to the Guyanese fisherfolk at US$3000 annually.

About 150 boats oper ate from the Number 66 Fisherman’s Co-op Society, thus providing direct em ployment for about 800 fishermen. Additionally, some 200 persons are em

Guyana has previous ly said it will be bring ing this matter before the Caribbean Community (Caricom), since Suriname is also a member state. Moreover, Attorney General Anil Nandlall has also said that legal mea sures could be taken, if nec essary, to get compensation for the fishing boats and equipment that Suriname had seized and subsequent ly sold.

And comments by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo that Surinamese busi nesses could be met with reciprocal treatment in Guyana, were met by the Surinamese Government pleading in a statement for all parties to await a diplo matic resolution of the is sue. (G3)

GBTI Head Office in Kingston, Georgetown

President Dr Irfaan Ali

Flouting of traffic laws by minibuses must end – Edghill

…greater enforcement, clamping down to begin

The culture of mini buses flouting traffic laws while operating on Guyana’s roadways must come to an end, and author ities have signalled their in tention to clamp down on such practices.

This is according to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who on Tuesday ex pressed that while the laws governing traffic manage ment exist to ensure safe op eration of vehicles, they are not being properly enforced.

“We have to work with the minibuses. Along the road, we have designated bus stops; we have to start enforcing it. Guyana is not a country that lacks laws, our problem is in the enforce ment of those laws… We have to stop the culture of

people wanting to stop right in front of their houses.

Minibuses must only stop at designated bus stops,” Edghill voiced.

According to the Minister, designated bus stops are functioning in spe

cific locations to safely trans port passengers, and those facilities must be used.

“When we mark the roads and we put stops for bus stops, it is because the engineers and the design team specially designated

areas where it would be safe for buses to stop for people to embark and disembark, and get to their location safely,” the Minister explained.

Motorcyclists have also come under fire for reckless use of the roadways and, in

some cases, putting the lives of pillion riders in danger.

Edghill said, “Motorcyclists are using anything as a road. They’re dodging between cars. They’re dodging with two and three pillion riders in the morning. We have to use the road safely.”

In a bid to ensure saf er roadways, draft amend ments to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, as well as the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing (Amendment) Bill were approved by the Cabinet in March of this year, with a view to tough ening up the penalties for drunk drivers – and the bars that serve them.

For the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, this sought to amend the

Principal Act and put in place a new Section, 35A. This new Section makes causing the death of someone through drunk driving a case of ve hicular manslaughter.

The draft Bill also amends Section 39A of the Principal Act – the penal ty for driving while over the alcohol limit – replacing the $7500 fine with $200,000, and the sentence of 12 months with 24 months.

It has also been proposed in March that the penal ty for driving under the in fluence and losing control of your vehicle be increased from its current $30,000 to $60,000 fine/imprisonment for 12 months to $200,000 for first-time offenders and $300,000 for second-time of fenders. (G12)

RESOLV software to provide real-time traffic updates, ease congestion

Roadusers in Guyana will now be updat ed instantaneous ly on traffic-related disrup tions and important notices with the launch of an arti ficial intelligence software, RESOLV.

This digital notifica tion tool was introduced by the Public Works Ministry on Tuesday through input from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as part of contingency plans for the East Bank Road Improvement Project.

Resident Representative of the IDB, Lorena Solorzano-Salazar told stakeholders that com muters can now plan their schedule based on these up dates, curbing traffic conges tions.

“With a simple subscrip tion process, users engage RESOLV, the artificial in telligence solution, through WhatsApp to receive im portant messages of road closure, traffic disruptions or emergency-related up dates. Implementation of

the RESOLV tool can lead to reducing traffic conges tions, since the information relayed in real-time enables

Edghill that as the country undergoes major transfor mation, it be modernised. Now, vehicles can keep mov ing by being updated with the relevant traffic notifica tions.

“This app and notifi cations will come to your phone. Every Guyanese will be able to get notifications in real-time what is happening on the thoroughfare. They will be able to make adjust ments, alternative arrange ments. Notifications will come at a certain time ahead when construction will be taking place in this partic ular order, if there is a di version. It will tell you how to keep moving,” Edghill de tailed.

As development pans out across the EBD corridor, he said such mechanisms were required. He underscored that development will be ac companied by inconvenienc es for a period but this ap plication makes it easier to manage and navigate with out major discomforts.

“This app and tool will be

readily used as we seek to develop the East Bank corri dor from Grove to Timehri. That project is before the IDB for approval and that should be within another week. And we’ve been do ing everything possible to ensure we satisfy all of the conditions to get approval.”

The Public Works Minister added, “We want to be able to take this as a learning curve and intro duce it for projects country wide. We will be developing the Moleson Creek-Palmyra road. Similar situations will occur there. We just had the approval for the SoesdykeLinden Highway upgrade... This would be helpful even

for community roads.”

Persons can subscribe for updates, via WhatsAppcompatible QR codes or by messaging “subscribe me” directly to the RESOLV WhatsApp number (+1 (786)-244-6125).

Some $2.1 billion was set aside in Budget 2022 for the widening and paving of the East Bank Highway from Grove to Timehri. This proj ect ties in with the over all work being done to con nect the East Bank and the East Coast of Demerara through the Ogle-Diamond bypass road and the Ecclesto-Mandela Road, which has already been completed. (G12)

road users to plan ahead,” Salazar outlined.

It was noted by Public Works Minister Juan

Ramsammy’s Ruminations

Transformative development is here, there, everywhere in Guyana

Transformative development is occurring at a dizzying pace everywhere in Guyana. Many of the transformative projects are human resource projects. These projects offer education and training that have the potential to change lives for young people and their families. For example, this week, President Irfaan Ali announced that through an agreement with the UAE, 150,000 Guyanese will be trained as coders.

Coders need less expertise than others, and are not as highly skilled as programmers. In a way, coders are the construction workers of the digital world. It is the coders who put together the building blocks to create websites, apps, or any other type of computer software.

Young Guyanese lives are being transformed daily in this country. With this programme alone, Guyana will become the epicentre of coding for Caricom. This is just one example of how the Irfaan Ali-led Government is changing lives in our country; transforming lives all across Guyana.

A second example is the announcement of a US$120M (G$24B) Technical Training College in Port Mourant, in collaboration with EXXON, to train technical workers for the OIL and GAS industry and other industries, and for the hospitality industry. The Institute will include modern facilities and dormitories for young people coming from all across Guyana to be trained. Together with the GOAL programme and the promise to make UG a free-of-charge university, young Guyanese are being given unimaginable opportunities to advance themselves and their families. Never has such an expansive vision for youth development been articulated in any country in Caricom before. For generations of young people in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the opportunities for young Guyanese today are things those generations could not have imagined.

Outside of education and training opportunities for young people, significant infrastructural and industrial developments are already transforming Guyana. The invitation for expression of interest in the construction of a 30,000-barrel-a-day oil refinery, to be constructed on Crab Island, on the eastern bank of the Berbice River, is a major transformative project for our country. Guyana will be able to meet its own domestic need for refined oil. The largest importation bill will be eliminated for Guyana. Cost will also be reduced for gasoline and other refined oil products. Hundreds of technical and highly-paid jobs will be created.

The economy will be further stimulated with the refinery driving demand for other locally-produced items. Shore-based companies have already visibly transformed the Demerara River, on both banks. Even though it is early days, the transformation is already evident on the banks of the Demerara River. This same dramatic transformation is now going to happen on both banks of the Berbice River, bringing enormous opportunities for local communities in Regions 5 and 6. Already, a company has announced a shore-based business on the Berbice River. Together with a deep-water harbour at the mouth of the Berbice River, this will transform Crab Island, Regions 5 and 6, and Guyana as a whole.

The Berbice Highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek is being transformed into a four-lane highway. With a new-promised high-span bridge similar to the new one being constructed over the Demerara River, the Berbice landscape will forever be transformed.

The four-lane highway will connect the Berbice River Bridge to the Corentyne River Bridge, a new bridge that will connect Guyana to Suriname.

At the same time as he was making these exciting announcements, President Ali was commissioning the 6.5km #58 Road, the first phase of a road that will shortly be expanded by 16km to the Canje River. Once a new bridge, the second one on the Canje River, is completed, the road will make its way to the Berbice River, connecting to Kwakwani. This means that, outside of a road connecting Brazil through Linden to the Berbice River Bridge and the deep-water harbour, the potential for a diversion through the #58 Road to the Corentyne River Bridge and to Suriname will create a link by road, and bridges between Guyana, Brazil and Suriname. Previous generations would have thought of this scenario only as fiction.

The #58 Road immediately makes available another 50,000 acres of agricultural land. But, as the road eventually reaches the Berbice River, more than 200,000 acres of new agricultural land, new housing and new industrial lands will become available. Even as the new possibilities arise, a new shopping centre and office complex are being constructed in Palmyra. A new international-standard stadium, capable of hosting ICC cricket such as World Cup cricket and CPL cricket, will be available. New hotels are slated to be constructed at this venue.

Not so long ago, Guyanese flocked into Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, other Caribbean islands, to America, Canada, the UK. We wanted to find some place, anyplace to go to escape the hopelessness of Guyana. Our people found new lives, comfort and succor in other people’s lands.

Look how far we have come as a country that, before our very eyes - not slowly, not gradually, but at a dizzying pace - our transformation is such that we already have a labour problem! Our country now is in desperate need of job-seekers. President Cheddi Jagan once cautioned that we must not modernise too rapidly into mechanisation to replace jobs. President Bharrat Jagdeo promised a modernised country wherein manual labour would be replaced by mechanisation and industrialisation. Many of our people thought it was a pipe dream. President Ali is ensuring that, far from a pipe dream, our country is in the midst of this transformation.

West Ruimveldt resident busted with $21M in ganja – cocaine, ganja found in Lethem

when weighed amounted to 22.8 kilograms, which has a street value of approximate ly $21 million (US$102,000).

Wharton remains in custo dy, pending charges.

And during another CANU operation on Monday at Central Tabatinga, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), several small parcels of cannabis and cocaine were found in the compound of a grocery shop.

The narcotics, when weighed, amounted to 44

Fifty-nine-year-old Bryan Wharton of Hibiscus Street, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown was on Monday busted with 21 million dollars’ worth of gan ja during a Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) op eration.

Based on reports re ceived, last Monday, CANU officers conducted an opera tion at Hibiscus Street, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, during which 11 parcels of ganja were unearthed. Wharton was, as such, ar rested and escorted to CANU Headquarters along with the narcotics, which

grams, while the cocaine weighed 22 grams. No arrest

has been made, as investiga tions continue.

CANU seized $311M worth of...

The unit continues to en gage the Ministries and oth er law enforcement agen cies in order to stop the flow of illicit drugs and ensure a safer Guyana, and contin ues to promote institution al strengthening through collaborative efforts and the sharing of data and in telligence among various ministries, agencies, and non-governmental organi sations which are working together to reduce the sup ply of, and demand for, illic it and non-illicit drugs; as well as developing account able measures and best practices for precursor and hazardous chemicals’ im portation and disposal.

In addition, exchange

programs with other coun tries as well as lots of joint operations that resulted in seizures and arrests in oth er territories.

CANU continues to place major emphasis on developing the capacity of its staff members. For the

month of September, sever al officers attended training geared towards strengthen ing their capacity to execute their duties professionally.

Some of these profession al training programmes in clude the Trafficking in Persons seminar; Change

7

Management; Cicad’s Group of Experts on Maritime Narco-Trafficking; 1st Study Tour on Alternative Development in the Framework of Copolad III, and the National Ballistics Intelligence Management Course.

Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Bryan Wharton

The ganja found in West Ruimveldt

The cannabis and cocaine found in Lethem

Digicel throws support behind MoE’s TVET programme

Digicel Guyana on Tuesday pledged $350,000 in support of the Education Ministry’s Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET).

Digicel has, over the years, supported youth de velopment, and has been a longstanding partner of the Government and oth er organisations that are promoting social develop ment across communities in Guyana.

This new TVET pro gramme aims to equip sec ondary school students with the relevant skills and knowledge for employment, enabling them to transition easily into the working en vironment after completing training.

“The Ministry of Education is mandated to ensure that Guyanese chil dren are offered secondary education that will make them academically and eco

nomically viable. No child must be at risk of complet ing the secondary school cy cle and not being gainfully

employed or able to advance their studies”. This was ar ticulated by Chief Education Officer Dr. Marcel Hutson.

He further explained that “TVET is a crucial factor for lifelong learning. Economies will advance when the role

and positioning of TVET are well integrated within the education system.”

Digicel’s Chief Commercial Officer, Simone Pierre, has said, “It’s an honour for Digicel to part ner with the Ministry of Education through this TVET programme, as we believe in empowerment through education. Digicel has, over the years, been cre ating long-lasting initiatives in Guyana and across the region similar to the TVET programme in areas of ed ucation, special needs, and community development.”

And Assistant Chief Education Officer –Technical, Marcia Paddy, expressed her sincere grati tude to the team at Digicel for always coming on board whenever the Ministry calls for the total communications provider’s continued sup port.

Digicel’s Chief Commercial Officer Simone Pierre handing over the cheque to officials of the Ministry of Education

Ramps Logistics wants court to order Govt to register it as local company

Ramps

Logistics

(Guyana), has filed a lawsuit against Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, the Local Content Secretariat, Secretariat Director Martin Pertab and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC.

In its lawsuit, Ramps con tends that the Government’s decision to refuse his ap plication to be entered on the Local Content Register and to be issued with a Certificate of Local Content Registration, is “unlawful, unreasonable and arbitrary.”

The company claims it satisfied all the necessary preconditions to be reg istered and is seeking a court order compelling the Government to issue the cer tificate and register it in the Local Content Secretariat.

According to them, they were severely affected by these de cisions and are therefore en titled to damages against the

respondents.

They are also seek ing a declaration that the Government’s decision to re fuse to grant it the certificate was unlawful, as well as an order quashing that decision or, alternatively, an order to

compel the Government to reconsider their application. They are also seeking dam ages and costs, to be assessed by the court.

Ramps also included an Affidavit of Support for their claims to have satis fied the requirements for a local company, under the Local Content Act, as well as to have satisfied all require ments for the submission of documents.

In October, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) had instituted 10 charges against Ramps Logistics (Guyana) Inc over alleged false declarations made.

According to the GRA, these charges, which are in ac cordance with the provi sions of the Customs Act

Chapter 82:01, stemmed from a recently completed investigation carried out by its Law Enforcement and Investigations Division.

Ramps Logistics Guyana

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

has claimed that it followed all the requisite guidelines, but the Government had denied its Local Content Certificate, via an “automat ed” email, without any expla nation.

At a press conference,

New GuySuCo Board of Directors appointed

it is important for a direct line of communication be tween the Board of Directors and the estates’ manage ment to be established. This, he added, is vital for the ef fective functioning and oper ation of the various estates.

He also encouraged the members to work as a collec tive and maintain effective cooperation and profession alism, as the ultimate goal of the Board is to ensure the in dustry regains viability.

Ramps Logistics Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaun Rampersad had re lated that the compa ny divested 51 per cent ownership of its Guyana op erations to Trinidad-based investor Deepak Lall, who has Guyanese parentage, to bring its operations in compliance with the Local Content Laws.

Guyana’s Local Content Act defines a local compa ny as one incorporated un der the Companies Act, and is beneficially owned by Guyanese nationals. Beneficial ownership is de fined as owning 51 per cent of the company. Additionally, a local company is expected to have Guyanese in at least 75 per cent of executive and senior management posi tions, and at least 90 per cent in non-managerial and other positions.

Lall’s grandfather and fa ther are both Guyana-born, but migrated in 1961, and the family now operates one of the largest oil and gas companies in the Caribbean out of Trinidad. In fact, Lall’s grandfather was in the petroleum business in Guyana, operating a gas sta tion – Lall’s Esso Station in Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara, during the 1950s.

According to the CEO, Lall bought 51 per cent shares for $210 million, and the monies were earmarked for two major projects for the company – a new car

The new members of the Board of Directors for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) met with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha follow ing Cabinet’s no objection to their appointment.

During a brief meeting, Minister Mustapha told the

new Board Members that the revitalisation and moderni sation of Guyana’s sugar in dustry remain of utmost im portance to the Government and the people of Guyana.

While reminding them of the difficulties faced when several estates were closed by the APNU/AFC

Administration, Mustapha said that the Government re mains steadfast in its efforts to restore the sector and that it is the responsibility of the Board to implement the poli cies of the Government as it relates to the development of the industry.

Mustapha also said that

The new members of the GuySuCo Board of Directors are Madanlall Ramraj; Jairam Petam; Mohamed Raffik; Roy Hanoman Singh; Shaleeza Shaw; Tarachand Balgobin; Shameera Evans; Desmond Sears; Vishnu Panday; Paul Cheong; Ramnarayan Rupan, and Aslim Singh.

APNU still tight-lipped on LGE participation …AFC yet to communicate participation as coalition

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) remains tight-lipped on its partic ipation for the upcoming Local Government Elections and their minority coalition partner, the Alliance For Change, is yet to communi cate their joint contest at the polls.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton was ques tioned about the APNU’s participation at the LGEs, as the Guyana Elections Commission continues its preparation for the hosting of the polls.

However, he maintained that the party will not di vulge their participation or lack thereof, as he explained, “The question of elections has to do with strategy and tactic, and we think strategi

cally we don’t need to say it at this time. We know what we need to say at our mem bership. We know we have to do our preparation. We will do that. But we will de cide at the right time what we say in terms of participa tion or non-participation.”

When asked about their coalition partner, the AFC, and whether they are con testing the polls together, Norton shared that the par ty is yet to communicate its status.

“The AFC walked it alone and we’ve seen the results of that…The AFC has not said to us that they will go it alone and as a coalition, we are open to discussion. If we agree, we go together. If we don’t agree, then the AFC will go it alone,” Norton told media operatives.

Meanwhile, Norton

opined that the winning of NDCs is a not a measure of a political party’s popularity.

LGE, which are usual ly due every two years, was

last held in 2018. At the last LGE in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the ma jority of the LAAs.

GECOM had been working on holding Local Government Elections (LGE) by this year end. However, there is a work plan being examined by the Commission, that proposes holding it early next year. In August, the elections body also commenced the process of Claims and Objections, where persons could have claimed for inclusion on the Official List of Electors or make an objection to some one on the voters’ list. (G12)

Ramps Logistics Chief Executive Officer Shaun Rampersad

go airline for additional air lift into and out of Guyana, and a new shipping line to move cargo among Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname.

The 10 charges are not the first run-in Ramps Logistics, a Trinidad-based company, has had with the Revenue Authority. It was revealed in June this year that the company was fined $20 million by GRA for vio lating local customs laws.

Ramps acts as the agent of motor vessel <<<Seacor Mixteca>>>, and according to GRA, had failed to report the vessel departing Guyana, which is in violation of the Customs Act, hence the fine was paid in lieu of court pro ceedings being instituted against the company by the GRA. (G3)

Fisherman accused of killing brother remanded

Sunil

Cook, called “Tall Man”, a 21-yearold fisherman, was slapped with a murder charge on Tuesday and ap peared before Magistrate Zamilla Alli-Seepaul at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court.

The indictable charge was read to him and he was remanded to prison.

It was reported that Sunil stabbed his 20-yearold brother, Dave Cook, a fisherman from the Vergenoegen Squatting Area on the East Bank of Essequibo, on October 14 at about 22:50h.

According to a 38-year-old housewife in the Vergenoegen Squatting Area, she was amongst the victim and the suspect on the seawall at Vergenoegen, where, in her presence, the victim allegedly told the accused that he saw his girlfriend with another man in Parika.

The suspect became an noyed, and an argument en sued between the brothers.

The woman further stat ed that she saw the sus pect take a swing at the vic tim’s lower abdomen, which caused the victim to fall to the ground. It was then she

observed the suspect was holding a knife in his hand.

She then observed the victim bleeding profusely from his lower abdomen.

The suspect allegedly fled the area. An alarm was raised and the Police were summoned.

The victim was escorted to Leonora Cottage Hospital and later transferred to West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was ad mitted as a patient in criti cal condition. He succumbed to his injures on October 15.

The case will continue on December 1.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha along with the newly-appointed members of the GuySuCo Board of Directors

Remanded: Sunil Cook

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

Regional

US to begin accepting Venezuelanclaims under new migration plan

Mexican President backs Defence Ministry's refusal to account for massive data leak

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has shaken off criticism against the country's Defence Ministry for refusing to ap pear before legislators to explain a major cyber hack, resulting in a massive data breach.

Lopez Obrador asked the Opposition to calm down, during a regular news con ference on Tuesday, de scribing the criticism as po litically motivated.

United States im migration officials are set to begin ac cepting applications for a new parole programme for Venezuelan asylum seek ers, in a plan that will see most Venezuelans trying to enter the US through its southern border expelled back to Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday published a Federal Register notice announcing the official start of the programme, which was announced last week, that will allow 24,000 to come into the US by air.

The plan, which is aimed at addressing the grow ing number of Venezuelans who have been arriving at the US-Mexico border seek ing asylum, also includes

the expansion of a border expulsion policy known as Title 42.

Up until now, the pan demic-era rule – which allows US authorities to quickly send most mi grants back to Mexico without a chance to file a petition – had large ly been applied to asylum seekers from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Owing to strained rela tions with the Venezuelan Government, the US had been unable to expel the country’s citizens. It has instead been allowing them to file for asylum and enter the US to pursue their cases.

But now, under the new agreement, Mexico has agreed to take in Venezuelans. Hundreds have already been expelled

to Mexico, according to lo cal media reports.

The development comes as the Administration of US President Joe Biden has struggled to address the record-high numbers of migrants and asylum seek ers arriving at its southern border with Mexico.

US and internation al rights groups have slammed the new bor der policy for nationals of Venezuela, where an eco nomic and political crisis has been exacerbated by recent flooding in parts of the country, which has killed scores. On Monday, flooding in Venezuela's central Aragua state killed at least three people, add ing to the death toll from weeks of intense rains, authorities said . (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

"It's politics, don't give importance to that, it's not news," Lopez Obrador said when asked about whether General Luis Sandoval, who heads the Defence Ministry, enjoys privileges.

The National Defence Commission of the Chamber of Deputies sum moned General Sandoval to Congress a couple of weeks ago, but he never appeared.

Lawmakers summoned Sandoval to explain what measures the armed forces

were taking after a massive hack leaked classified infor mation in September.

The leak brought to light details of Lopez Obrador's health, sensi tive data on military oper ations, military monitoring of Journalists and activ ists, and the armed forces' knowledge of acts of cor ruption between authorities and criminal groups.

Although secretaries of state are not obliged to ac cept legislators' invitations,

these appearances – some times occurring behind closed doors – are seen as a tool for accountability.

Since taking office in 2018, Lopez Obrador has strengthened the armed forces' role in public secu rity functions, such as cus toms activities.

Mexico's Congress last week approved extending the role of the armed forc es in public security tasks until 2028. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Colombian drug kingpin sentenced to 35 years

posing strict discipline on his men, were key players in the AUC.

As part of that paramil itary group, they led thou sands of fighters who at tacked and killed anyone they deemed a sympathiser of Colombia's left-wing reb el groups.

More than 100 Haitian mi grants have been found on an uninhabit ed island near Puerto Rico, US Customs and Border Protection said on Tuesday, as a gang block ade of a fuel terminal has caused a humanitarian cri sis in Haiti.

The group of migrants includes 63 females, three of whom are pregnant, and 41 males, who were found on Mona Isla by park rangers working for the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources, US Customs and Border Protection

spokesman Jeffrey Quinones said on Tuesday.

"What we know prelim inarily is that they were transported in just one vessel," Quinones said in a telephone interview.

Smugglers frequent ly use Mona island as a drop-off point for vessels leaving the Dominican Republic, and often tell migrants that they've reached Puerto Rico even though Mona island is un inhabited and inhospita ble, he said.

Haiti has requested in ternational military as sistance to confront gangs that are blocking the

Varreux fuel terminal, triggering shortages of food, fuel, and diesel.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this month suggested sending in a "rapid-action force", according to a letter seen by Reuters, without de scribing where the troops would come from.

A proposal presented by the United States and Mexico in the UN Security Council on Monday called for a force that would be led by a "partner nation", without identifying the country. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Acourt in New York has sentenced an in famous Colombian paramilitary leader and drug kingpin to 35 years in jail.

Daniel Rendón Herrera, better known as Don Mario, led the right-wing paramil itary group United SelfDefence Forces (AUC).

The group, originally formed to combat left-wing guerrillas, engaged in kid nappings, killings, and ex

tortion.

Don Mario, 57, was cap tured in a rural hideaway in 2009. At the time, he was the most wanted kingpin in Colombia.

He was extradited to the United States in 2018 and last year pleaded guilty to trafficking more than 80 tonnes of cocaine to the US.

Daniel Rendón Herrera and his brother Freddy, known as El Alemán (The German) for his love of im

In order to finance itself, the AUC imposed taxes on cocaine smuggled through territories it controlled and also engaged in drug traf ficking.

AUC members were be hind some of Colombia's most gruesome massa cres. Tens of thousands of Colombians were displaced by the group's violence.

Many of the group's members, including Freddy Rendón Herrera, demobil ised under a 2003 peace deal.

But unlike his brother, Don Mario refused to lay down arms and instead co-founded the Gulf Clan criminal gang. (Excerpt from BBC News)

4-year-old girl killed in St Mary arson attackUS approves Delta, United bids to delay restart of Havana flights

T he US Transportation Department (USDOT) on Tuesday said it would al low Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to tem porarily delay resuming

flights to Cuba.

United last month said it has been working for months to relaunch Havana service, but faces hurdles, while Delta also said it was facing issues in

re-establishing service.

USDOT said it would require United to re sume service no later than December 1 and Delta no later than late March. (Reuters)

Afour-year-old girl has died following an arson attack on a family home at Dean Penn, Highgate, in St Mary, Jamaica on Tuesday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Sariah Kohen of the same community.

Reports are that some

time after 03:30h, Sariah was at home with her fami ly when their house was set ablaze. The occupants upon realising there was a fire ex ited the house and unknow ingly left the child inside.

Efforts were then made by family members to re trieve her, but they were un

successful.

Sariah’s mother, 38-yearold Rose Beacher, was also severely burnt during the process. She was later taken to the Port Maria Hospital for treatment.

Investigations are on going, the Police said. (Jamaica Observer)

More than 100 Haitian migrants found on island near Puerto Rico

Migrants waiting at a new Mobile En-Route Processing Unit (MERC), which is used to rapidly process asylum seekers on the border in downtown El Paso, Texas, US [Paul Ratje/Reuters]

Daniel Rendón Herrera, alias Don Mario, was Colombia's most wanted drugs kingpin at the time of his capture

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

OIL NEWS

Oil prices settle lower on US supply, lower China demand

Oil prices settled lower on Tuesday on fears of higher US supply combined with an economic slowdown and lower Chinese fuel demand.

Brent crude futures settled down US$1.59, or 1.7 per cent, to US$90.03 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled down US$2.64, or 3.1 per cent, to US$82.82 per barrel.

China, the world's top crude oil importer, indefinitely delayed release of economic indicators originally scheduled to be published on Tuesday, indicating to the market that fuel demand is significantly depressed in the region.

"It's not a good sign when China decides not to publish economic figures," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

China's adherence to its zero-COVID policy has continued to increase uncertainties about the country's economic growth, CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said.

Oil prices were also pressured by reports that the US Government would continue releasing crude oil from reserves.

The Biden Administration plans to sell oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to cool fuel prices before next month's congressional elections, sources told Reuters on Monday.

In addition, US crude oil stocks were expected to have risen for a second consecutive week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.

Output in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, the biggest US shale oil basin, is forecast to rise by about 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a record 5.453 million bpd this month, the Energy Information Administration said.

Investors had been increasing long positions in futures after OPEC+ agreed to lower output by 2 million barrels per day, ANZ Research analysts said in a note.

Several members of the oil producer group have endorsed the cut after the White House accused Saudi Arabia of coercing some nations into supporting the move, a charge Riyadh denies. (Reuters)

Congolese NGOs decry mining in main refuge of 'Africa's unicorn'

Illegal gold-mining is de stroying tracts of pris tine rainforest in Congo's Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site meant to be a haven for the endangered mammal nicknamed Africa's unicorn, environmental organisations warned on Tuesday.

Industrial activities are supposed to be banned in the 13,000 square kilome tres of the reserve in north east Democratic Republic of Congo. Aerial photo ev idence shows mining has persisted, the civil society groups said at a joint news conference to mark the in ternational day of the okapi.

The Council for Environmental Defence through Legality and Traceability (CODELT) said the ongoing destruction was at odds with the authorities' bid to promote Congo as a major player in the global fight to curb climate change thanks to its majority share of the Congo basin rainfor

est - the second-largest in the world.

CODELT and region al environmental group ACEDH shared photos they said were proof that miners were gouging out swathes of jungle along the Ituri riv er, which loops through the southern part of the reserve that is also home to endan gered forest elephants and chimpanzees

"It's incomprehensi ble to see this in a country where the (the Government) ... presents the country in ternationally as a 'solution country'," said CODELT's Principal Technical Advisor Augustin Mpoyi.

The NGOs blamed a Chinese company called Kimia Mining, which has previously been accused of flouting a ban on riv er-dredging in Ituri prov ince and other mining reg ulations, according to a 2016 report by a UN Group of Experts. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Around the World

Somalia faces worst famine in half a century, UN warns

Somalia faces famine on a scale last seen half a century ago, the United Nations has said as it set a new target of more than US$2bn in funding needs.

“Things are bad and ev ery sign indicates that they are going to get worse,” James Elder, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday via video link from the drought-stricken Horn of Africa nation.

“Without greater action and investment, we are fac ing the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century,” Elder said.

In August, 44,000 chil dren were admitted to health establishments with severe acute malnu

trition, a condition that means a child is up to 11 times likelier to die from di arrhoea and measles than a well-fed counterpart, Elder said.

Ukraine war: Blackouts in 1162 towns and villages after Russia strikes

“That is a child per min ute,” said Elder. “A child whose mother has walked days to get her child to help. A child whose body is fighting to survive. A child

whose life hangs in the bal ance.”

Somalia has suffered four successive failures in its rainy seasons since the end of 2020, and there are fears that a fifth failure is now under way.

An estimated 7.8 mil lion people – roughly half of the population – are now af fected by drought, of whom 213,000 are at high risk of famine, according to the UN.

A spokesman for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva said es timates of the needs for fighting hunger in Somalia had soared since the start of the year, from $1.46bn to $2.26bn, of which 80 per cent was required to fight the impact of drought. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Triple lock: Liz Truss ditches pledge to raise pensions with inflation

LizTruss has aban doned a key election pledge to raise State pensions in line with surg ing inflation, as she asks Ministers to look for spend ing cuts.

The PM said two weeks ago she was "committed" to the triple lock, so payments rise by whatever is higher: prices, average earnings or

of raising defence spending to 3 per cent of national in come by 2030.

The triple lock has been in place ever since it was introduced under the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, apart from a one-year suspension due to COVID.

The government moved to suspend the commit

More than a thousand towns and villag es across Ukraine remain without power after massive Russian attacks in recent days, Ukrainian offi cials have said.

Emergency services spokesman Oleksandr Khorunzhyi said more than 70 people had been killed in the rocket and drone strikes since October 7.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 30 per cent of Ukraine's power sta tions had been destroyed in the past eight days.

Parts of the capital Kyiv have no power and water af ter new strikes on Tuesday.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said that all three victims of the latest Russian strikes were employees of "critical infrastructure", adding that two facilities in the capital had been hit.

Power and water were cut in Zhytomyr, west of the capital, and one energy facil ity was hit in the south-east ern city of Dnipro.

At Tuesday's briefing in Kyiv, Khorunzhyi said: "In the period from October 7 to

18, as a result of shelling of energy facilities, about 4000 settlements in 11 regions [of Ukraine] were cut off.

"Currently, according to the energy ministry, 1162 settlements remain without power," the emergencies ser vices spokesman said.

After suffering a series of painful defeats on the bat tlefield, Russia has stepped up attacks in recent weeks on electricity infrastructure in cities away from the front lines.

Ukrainian emergency of ficials have rushed to repair the damage, but the strikes, ahead of winter, have raised concerns about how the sys tem will respond.

Ukrainian are being urged not use electric appli ances between 07:00 - 09:00 local time (04:00 - 06:00 GMT) and 17:00 - 22:00 on a daily basis.

The latest attacks came 24 hours after "kamikaze" drones - believed to have been supplied by Irankilled at least nine people in Kyiv and Sumy, in the north-east. (Excerpt from BBC News)

2.5 per cent.

But her spokesman has now said she was "not mak ing any commitments" on Government spending.

It comes after ditching flagship tax cuts announced in the mini-budget.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's move to tear up most of last month's mini-bud get announcements has re assured investors, but left Truss battling to salvage her authority.

A decision on what to do with pensions from next April has not yet been made, and would normally be ex pected this autumn.

However, the PM's spokesman said she was still committed to her pledge

ment in 2021 after an un usually large rise in the av erage earnings figure during the pandemic.

Both the Conservatives and Labour promised to maintain the triple lock in their 2019 general election manifestos.

The PM's spokesman said she was aware of "how many vulnerable pensioners there are," and protecting the vul nerable was a "priority".

The spokesman said moving away from the previ ous triple lock commitment was a "mutual decision" by the PM and the chancellor, and it was their "agreed po sition" to prioritise economic stability. (Excerpt from BBC News)

An estimated 7.8 million people - roughly half of the populationare now affected by drought, of whom 213,000 are at high risk of famine, according to the UN [Feisal Omar/Reuters]

Liz Truss sat in the Commons on Monday as Hunt outlined the tax U-turns to MPs

Ukrainian firefighters tackled two big fires in the capital Kyiv on Tuesday

DAILY

HOROSCOPES

Apply energy where it counts, and you’ll surpass your expectations. Mix business with pleasure and win favors that help you reach your goal. Lending a helping hand will pay off.

DILBERT

(March 21-April 19)

If you want to change, get moving. Getting embroiled in emotional may hem will slow you down and cause you to miss out on something special. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Tread carefully.

(April 20-May 20)

You’ll feel passionate about making a difference. Step into the spotlight and of fer suggestions that benefit your commu nity, family or work environment. Make honesty a priority.

(May 21-June 20)

Be part of the solution. Seize the mo ment and immerse yourself in what’s trending, who’s doing what and how you can take advantage of the situations unfolding around you. Avoid impulsive spending.

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You’ve got more leverage than you realize. Voice your opinion and act. Committed action will make your opin ions difficult for others to deny. Look for an opportunity and you will find a path forward.

A disciplined attitude will bring the highest return. Refuse to let anyone in terfere in your progress. Keep your eye on the ball and push for the changes that will make your life easier.

Put your energy where it counts and help a person or cause. An honest assess ment of a situation will result in ideas or solutions that are easy to implement and difficult for others to reject.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Expect others to make demands of you. Be prepared to counter any situa tion you face with a better plan. Staying one step ahead of the crowd will give you the edge to succeed. Be secretive.

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

Taking a short trip or attending a meeting or conference will help you un derstand where you can make the most significant leap forward. Ask an estab lished friend or relative for input.

Tread carefully. You’ll meet with op position if you are too vocal or aggressive in your search for answers. Do your due diligence and get the facts before you take on a controversial issue.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Put on your thinking cap and you’ll find a way to overcome any obstacle. A moneymaking opportunity will lead to prosperity if you take the initiative and invest in your future.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Pitch in and help, but don’t lecture, complain or criticize others. Kind and empathetic behavior will lead to a better outcome and no hard feelings. Home im provement is encouraged.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Videsh and Patanjilee Persaud capture Atlantic JZ Energy Inc. title

AtlanticJZ Energy Inc., serving the oil and gas sector for over 20 years, could not have asked for a better afternoon of golf that so fittingly reflected the company’s motto, “The ex perts in pressure control”.

Sunday’s brilliant sun shine was an incentive to competitors to play spectac ular golf, and it started with team Avinash Persaud and Paton George combining to post a superb second-place score of 65 gross, net 62. This was the leading score posted with just one team left to play their final hole.

500 yards of golf re mained as Team Videsh and Patanjilee Persaud stood ready to play their 18th hole, a challenging long par5. They needed to play the hole in 5 strokes to pass team Avinash and George, but re markable did two better, and were able to pull off the rare feat of taking only 3 shots to get the ball in the hole on the long 16th hole.

Patanjilee Pur Persaud teed off with a solid drive of 280 yards, placing his partner in a good position in the mid dle of the fairway. His team mate Videsh did the rest, hit ting his approach shot from 200 yards out to within 3 feet of the flag. Then Pur went on to drain the 3-foot putt for ea gle, and finished 3 shots clear of the second-place team.

Patanjilee and Videsh’s

winning net combined score of 59 is a very special feat in two-man team golf. The win ning team was able to ac complish this feat in dramat ic fashion. What they did was the equiv alent of needing 20 runs in the final over to win, and doing it by hitting the first 4 balls for six.

The day was full of excitement, with sever al teams scoring in the 60s, including the over all gross-winning team of Jessel Mohammed and Avinda Kishore. This team was one of few teams to record an eagle an eagle on their score card. Posting an im pressive combined score of 62-gross, but playing off a rare +2 handicap, they end ed with a net-score of 64, to earn the 4th overall position.

A. Subhan and K. Khan rounded off the winners’ cir cle with a 3rd place score of 63.

Full List of Winners:

1st Team: Patanjilee and Videsh Persaud: Gross 67, Net-59

2nd Team: Avinash Persaud and Paton George: Gross 65, Net 62

3rd Team: Kassim Khan and Ayube Subhan: Gross 67, Net 63

Low Gross: Team Jessel Mohammad and Avinda

Closest to the flag: Patanjilee Persaud

At conclusion of this team competition, the strong contenders for the monthend GTT Guyana Open be gan to emerge. If Jessel Mohammad is available, he would be one to watch for the GTT Guyana Open men’s ti tle. Jessel is a former USA collegiate and professional

golfer who has competed for years in Trinidad and else where against

Hackett, are emerging as fa vourites.

lose in an intense match in the 2021 GTT Guyana Open. Ms. Sukraam will be looking to regain her spot as the best female golfer in Guyana - a position she held for sever al years, and she is still the winningest female golfer at Lusignan Golf Club.

LGC Vice President Paton George has thanked the sponsor, Atlantic JZ Energy Inc., for stepping up and sponsoring this important event. He also thanked Jessel Mohammad for his com mitment to helping to grow the game of golf in Guyana.

“Jessel’s contribution as a sponsor/ player/promot er of the game of golf, being a former professional golf er, is significant to golf in Guyana,” George has said.

Guyana’s two best male golf ers, defending Guyana Open champion Avinda Kishore and 10-time Guyana Open Champion Avinash Persaud.

In the middle flight, LGC President Pur Persaud, club captain Videsh Persaud, and former VP of LGC, Brian

India won't travel to Pakistan for

India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in 2023, raising questions as to where the tournament might now be held.

This development oc curred on the day of the BCCI's annual general meet ing in Mumbai, where BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, who is also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President, suggest ed that next year's Asia Cup would have to be played at a different venue.

"The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral ven ue," Shah told media after the BCCI's AGM. "I am say ing this as ACC President. We [India] can't go there [to Pakistan], they can't come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neu tral venue."

The new set of BCCI of fice- bearers -- President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Treasurer Ashish Shelar -- who were re-elected as board, were present when Shah spoke to the media.

The Asia Cup Committee (ACC) has not yet met to dis

cuss the matter, let alone to take an official decision on the matter. That has raised questions within the PCB re garding the capacity in which Shah was speaking, and why he chose to do so at a BCCI AGM. A PCB spokesperson has said the board would not be commenting on the matter at this stage, but a robust re sponse is not out of the ques tion. There is, for instance, al ready talk within the board of leaving the ACC.

The PCB is expected to write the ACC about the com ments.

Shah's comments could also hold some implication for ICC events, two of which are to be held in India and Pakistan over the next couple of years. India are set to host the 2023 ODI World Cup soon after the Asia Cup, and then Pakistan are scheduled to host the 2025 Champions Trophy. If India can not play in Pakistan and Pakistan can not play in India, it remains to be seen

what impact it has on those tournaments. At the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, Pakistan required their Government's approval to travel to India, and got it only at the last minute. The ICC is unlikely to comment on the issue at the moment.

India's last trip to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup, while Pakistan's last visit to India was for that 2016 ICC event. Due to

cricket since Pakistan toured India for a white-ball-only se ries in 2012-13.

India and Pakistan last played each other at the 2022 Asia Cup in UAE in AugustSeptember this year, and are due to face off in the T20 World Cup in Melbourne on October 23. The atmosphere leading into that game will no doubt be a little more tense now. Within the PCB, at least, there is un

The tournament on the women’s side is also very in triguing, because the pres sure would be on defending champion Shanella London to fend off Christine Sukraam, who was ahead of Ms. London but played a bad final hole to

Asia Cup

over as board secretary, hav ing effectively bypassed the ACC as a body.

Such a decision, an of ficial said, cannot be made without it being discussed at ACC board level. Indeed, af ter a meeting in March this year - under Shah's ACC presidency - it was confirmed that Pakistan would be host ing the Asia Cup. But there is enough unhappiness with in the board to contemplate pulling out of the ACC alto gether as a member, a body that was set up in the mid80s ironically to ensure pro ductive relations between Asian members.

It hasn't quite worked out that way. Both India and Pakistan have in the past pulled out of previous editions of the Asia Cup, and the tourna ment itself has been cancelled on occasion because of poor ties be tween India and Pakistan. The last two editions

In his closing re marks, President of Atlantic JZ Energy, Jessel Mohammad, thanked ev eryone for their partic ipation, and has commit ted to partnering with the Lusignan Golf Club to help get the sport of golf to be accessible to anyone. He is in sinc with the club’s goal of putting a golf club in the hands of any child interested in learning to play this hon ourable sport.

One of the most profound lessons golf teaches is the value of fair play, a life lesson everyone could benefit from,

in the UAE, which has host ed the tournament four times altogether.

The topic of travelling to Pakistan for Asia Cup came up for discussion at the BCCI AGM, where members were told that a decision would be taken based on permission from the Indian Government. That point was reiterated by new BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla during an infor mal chat with the media af terwards. It was at this point that Shah said that India would not be travelling to Pakistan.

The BCCI did not hold a formal media briefing, as has been the way in the past. On Tuesday, journalists were told that the office-bearers would have an informal chat with the media. Before the chat, members of the media were asked to submit their phones, and were instead giv en notepads. (ESPNCricinfo)

Kishore: Gross 62 Longest Drive: Kassim Khan

Closing with Eagle Team…

On the left: LGC VP Paton George handing the winner’s trophy to Videsh Persaud; and on the right, President Jessel Mohammad (far right) of Atlantic JZ Energy handing the prize to Pur Persaud

The Indian men's team has not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup

ICC T20 World Cup in Australia…

"We have what it takes"

“There’s no doubt that we have what it takes”, was the message from West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder ahead of his team’s must-win game against Zimbabwe at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia on Wednesday.

The Windies are in a must-win situation after suffering an embarrassing 42-run defeat at the hands of Scotland on Sunday, leav ing them at the foot of Group B, needing wins in their last two games to move on to the Super 12s.

“Obviously, we had a tough start yesterday,” said the former West Indies Test and ODI skipper in a press conference on Monday. “We’re all disappointed with the performance we had, but I think the most import ant thing we have to do now is to come together and try

to find solutions. There’s no doubt that we have what it takes to turn it around, and it’s all about hitting the ground running against Zimbabwe,” he added.

The Zimbabweans will enter the game on a high, after getting a comprehen sive 31-run win over Ireland in their first game, also on Sunday.

Great learning experience for Guyanese Andre ‘Padlock’ Green

“They’re a very good cricket team. We’ve played against them quite a bit in the recent past, and they’ve been more and more com petitive. They’re on a bit of a win streak as well, so we’re expecting a highly competi tive game; one of the hard est games we’ll have in the competition,” Holder has said.

The first game saw the Caribbean team struggle with the bat, being bowled out for 118 in just 18.3 overs in pursuit of 161. Better sit uational awareness and the forming of partnerships were Holder's answers when asked about possible solutions for the team's batting struggles.

“We’ve got to be a little more situationally aware, and try to build partner ships; partnerships are key in any cricket game. The situation of the game will determine how we play. If that requires that we go for boundaries, then we’ll go for boundaries; but if it requires that we have to knock it around for a bit, we’ll make that adjustment,” he has said.

The game is scheduled to start at 3:00am Jamaica Time (4:00am ECT). (Sportsmax)

Overseas-based Guyanese supports young local boxer Kenyon Britton

Andre 'Padlock' Green

Guyanese cyclist Andre 'Padlock' Green has finished in second place in the Division Two com petition of the 2022 Tobago International Cycling Classic (TICC), which concluded on Sunday in Scarborough, Tobago.

In a comment invited by Guyana Times Sport, the Berbician has said the expe rience was great for him, as he has returned with more knowledge to improve his game. Describing conditions as different and difficult, in contrast to those in Guyana, to which he is accustomed, Green has said, "Conditions were a bit difficult for me. The roads were different from (those in) Guyana. The first and last day were hills."

Riding in Trinidad and Tobago is nothing new for Green, and having had pre vious experience in this re gard, he was confident of a win heading into the Tobago International Classic.

"I was confident on the hill stage, but the other stage, I know it would have been dif ficult, because the other cy clists have the equipment to

perform well in those stages, they had the speed for that," Green explained.

Asked about the areas he needs to improve on, Green has said: "I have to do more crit races to be better, something that I have not been doing a lot." Green also expressed de light in his sponsors for the event, Therbhuwan Jagdeo and Tevindra Jagdeo.

In the division in which Green contested, Venezuelan Josias Valasquez (Team Pharmaco) was crowned overall champion, while TT’s Kirston George (Heatwave) and Green completed the po dium in that order. Stage Three for Division Two rid ers comprised a 30km circuit which saw Velasquez winning in 1:33:18.522. Pedalling to sil ver, Green clocked 1:34:59.460, while TT junior and Raiders representative Jadien Neaves snagged bronze.

Green had won the initial stage on Friday, and placed in the top 10 in Stage Two a day later. Meanwhile, USA cyclist Jonny Brown was crowned overall winner of Division One after pedalling to victo ry in the third and final stage at Milford Road Esplanade, Scarborough.

Guyanese youth boxer Keyon Britton is be ing given the license to focus on his craft in a way that many young athletes in Guyana cannot.

Because of his undeniable talent in the ring, Britton has been able to attract a benevolent sponsor in over seas-based boxing enthusi ast Samuel Gittens, who has pledged to fund the young ster’s career in the sport.

During the 2022 Winfield Braithwaite School Boys and Juniors Tournament, Kenyon

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U17 football… Henrietta now in firm control of Essequibo/ Pomeroon league

It was a Sunday overflow ing with excitement and nail-biting moments at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground in the Cinderella County of Region Two when rivalry in the Essequibo Pomeroon Football Association (EPFA) leg of the GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 Intra Association League continued with a doubleheader.

In the clash of the un defeated teams, Henrietta United came from a goal

in the 48th minute, Brian Innis made no mistake in burying the shot that allowed them an equal share of the points; which, like their oppo nents, was their first for the league.

Fans could not have asked for a better match in the clash of the undefeated clubs, as the future stars of Cinderella and Guyana proved why they have been permanent fixtures in their respective

in the 20th min ute, and teammate Darius Pearson in the 28th minute, built on the platform as they sensed victory.

Britton’s talents attracted the attention of Samuel Gittens, and Gittens had embraced the opportunity to present the young man with a cash donation that very night. It is a gesture that Gittens has vowed to continue as long as the pugilist continues in the sport.

As recent as Monday, Gittens, through Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle and GBA Technical Director Terrence Poole M.S., contin ued his benevolence towards the Vergenoegen Boxing Gym (VBG) pugilist with another donation.

“This is continued spon sorship of young Britton by Mr. Samuel Gittens, and he intends to continue with this right through. So, Mr. Gittens has undertaken that if he has to go overseas or any thing else, he will be support ing him in that way,” GBA President Steve Ninvalle has said following the presenta tion to the youngster at his Middle Street office.

down to edge Dartmouth Determinators in a clas sic seven-goal thriller that produced end-to-end ac tion, while in the clatter of the pointless teams, both Good Hope and Queenstown United left the park with a smile as they shared the spoils equally in a 1-1 epic.

Good Hope FC signalled very early in the match that they were focused on chang ing their fortunes in the League when they drew first blood with just seven (7) min utes on the clock, thanks to an Omar Kendell strike. They held Queenstown at bay for quite some time, but the patient Queenstown lads were awaiting their oppor tunity, and when that came

teams. Prior to this match, Dartmouth enjoyed the po sition on the summit by vir tue of a better goal difference, but that was changed in mere moments, as Henrietta soon showed why they are regard ed as the favourites.

Dartmouth cantered into the lead through the first of a double from Martin Garraway in the 13th minute. This hushed the Henrietta team and their fans, but not for long as, two minutes after falling behind, Deshawn Verwayne drew his team level with a well-calcu lated shot in the 15th min ute.

Thereafter, it was all dom ination - at least goal-wisefor Henrietta, as they fired

After the break, both teams scored in the 52nd minute. Henrietta got theirs from Elisha Smith, while Dartmouth’s came off the boots of Garraway, to com plete his double. The advan tage for Henrietta was re duced to 4-2, and with the frenetic pace of the game, Dartmouth did harbour thoughts of further reducing the deficit, and even pushing for a draw.

They did succeed to some extent when Anais Glasgow scored in the 57th minute to further cut Henrietta’s advantage, to 4-3. But that is exactly how the final scorecard looked: Henrietta holding on for the win which propelled them to the top of the leaderboard with two more matches to go for the end of the first round.

Five clubs are battling for supremacy as they seek to be come the champions, the ones with the earned right to repre sent the Essequibo Pomeroon Football Association (EPFA) in the national playoffs.

Ninvalle has praised the action of Samuel Gittens, high lighting that it is a necessary component in developing the next generation of Guyana’s boxers. He explained, “It’s re ally good. As President of the Association, I really applaud that. You know, if we can have several other people taking these young boxers… because what we’ve said is that our fo cus is our junior School Boys and Youth right now, and we’re happy that Mr. Gittens could have seen it appropriate to come on board,” Ninvalle added.

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Jason Holder

Brandon Corlette

The goal-scorers of Henrietta United

GBA President Steve Ninvalle making the presentation to Keyon Britton in the presence of Terrence Poole, MS

-Holder confident ahead of WI’s must-win clash against Zimbabwe

Tobago International Cycling Classic 2022…

Winfield Braithwaite School Boys and Juniors tournament…

Berbice demolish Essequibo to win GCB Senior Inter-County title

A dominant bowling effort that was led by another Romario Shepherd four-wicket haul and an early burst from Clinton Pestano has tak en Berbice to a crushing win over Essequibo in the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB’s) Senior InterCounty final at Providence, EBD.

In this day/night fix ture, which was watched by mostly vocal Essequibians, Berbice demolished Essequibo for a total of 98 runs made in 33.5 overs, with Shepherd – in his second four-wicket haul against Essequibo this sea son -- claiming 4-26 in eight overs. Pestano, who shared the new ball, had 3-20 in six overs. Gudakesh Motie had 2-18 in his eight overs, while Veerasammy Permaul had 1-6 in 4.5 overs.

Essequibo began their innings poorly, los ing Nathan Persaud for a duck. He was bowled all ends up by the impressive Shepherd with the score at 8-1. In fact, the Essequibo top order was blown away, and had not the final pair of Antony Adams, with an unbeaten 23, and Garfield Phillips, with 12, added 41 runs for the last wicket, the Essequibo total would not have reached 98.

The in-form Kemol Savory, who unfortunately contributed six runs to the Essequibo total as he con tinued his struggles against Berbice, was bowled by Shepherd with a delivery

that seamed in; but was also dropped on zero by sub stitute fielder Eon Hooper.

Pestano, whose fitness has shown improvement, also worked wonders with the occasional short ball, by which he removed Kevon Boodie (07) and Eknauth Persaud (06), but his most important wicket was Keemo Paul, whom he took out for a duck.

Pestano delivered a ball that moved away from Paul, and Paul was caught at sec

ond slip by Kevin Sinclair.

Antony Adams, whose 23 topped the scores, dis played the kind of resis tance that was a hallmark of the Essequibo team throughout this season.

He batted for 111 minutes, faced 81 balls, and hit two fours during the 41-run stand. His partner Phillips, who was dismissed leg-be fore by Permaul, produced 12 runs after facing 51 balls

in an innings that lasted for 77 minutes. That part nership unveiled the raw courage of the Essequibo side, although they lacked the killer instincts that the Berbice side displayed.

Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” tournament…

East Coast leg returns on Friday, October 28

Following an absence of two years owing to the COVID-19 pandem ic, the East Coast Edition of the Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” tournament is pencilled to commence on Friday, October 28th, with the pivotal qualify ing round pencilled for this Saturday, October 22nd, at the Haslington Tarmac.

This was confirmed by Guinness Brand Executive Lee Baptiste, who stated, “We have already played in Linden and Berbice, so we are now returning to the East Coast. Because of the COVID-19 situation, there was uncertainty, and the usual schedule and routine (were) not adhered to. From next year, everything will return to normal.”

Baptiste has also said that additional details on the tournament, inclusive of an official launch, would be disclosed shortly.

The official tournament is slated to be staged over three days, and would feature 16

teams competing in an elim ination format. The dates are October 28th (Round of 16), 29th (Quarterfinal), and November 5th (Semi-Final and Final). All matches will be hosted at the Haslington Tarmac.

The winners of the first round, which is the Round of 16, would advance to the Quarterfinal stage. This will be followed by the SemiFinal round, and eventually the championship match.

The automatic eight teams are: Defending cham pions Melanie-B, Liliendaal Hustlers, Belfield Warriors, Paradise-A, BV-A, Victoria Church Yard, Buxton Diamond, and Uprising. The other eight teams will be confirmed following conclu sion of the qualifying round, which is slated for Saturday at the same venue.

To date, the Linden and Berbice legs have been con cluded. Swag Entertainment won the Linden section, while Showtime captured the Berbice title.

Flashback: Melanie-B receiving the 2019 championship after defeating Paradise-A on penalty kicks