Guyana Times - Wednesday, September 8, 2021

COP26 Summit

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VP’s Suriname visit to craft common approach on climate change – President

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Issue No. 4764

THE BEACON OF TRUTH WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

PRICE

Inaugural Africa-Caricom Summit

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Urgent action needed to recover from COVID-19 – Pres Ali

MARAD changes water taxis’ operating P9 time

See story on page 3

…says revocation of licence for defaulting operators

…calls for greater financial flow to help adapt to impacts of climate emergency

EPA green-lights construction of US$600M shore base at Vreed-en-Hoop ExxonMobil plans to start 12well Canje drilling campaign See story on page 7

Teen on run after injuring another P9 during argument Taxi driver fights off bandit who attempts to rob him of P13 jewellery

Page 15

…project exempted from Environmental Impact Assessment Wakenaam murder

“Me chop he cuz he de troubling me” – son confesses to killing father

13 pregnant women test positive for COVID-19, hospitalised Page 12

Page 8

…7 more deaths, 161 new cases

GTU's call for teachers to strike uncaring, unconscionable, irresponsible – Education Ministry Page 18

Duo injured after ATV P14 turns turtle

Over $285M in contracts inked for P16 Annai-Lethem, Black Bush Polder roads

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Wednesday, Sept 8 – 04:00h – 05:30h and 13:00h – 14:00h and Thursday, Sept 9 – 04:00h – 05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, Sept 8 – 05:00h – 06:30h and Thursday, Sept 9 – 05:30h – 07:00h.

Inaugural Africa-Caricom Summit

Urgent action needed to recover from COVID-19 – Pres Ali

…calls for greater financial flow to help adapt to impacts of climate emergency tivities. Ali noted that they therefore carry a greater responsibility in this respect.

President Ali noted other issues that must be addressed including food security and the rising cost of commodities. The vulnerability of African and Caribbean states, he pointed out, were particularly exposed by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, these challenges have all presented hurdles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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

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

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 17:38h reaching a maximum height of 2.81 metres.

Low Tide: 11:14h and 23:32h reaching minimum heights of 0.41 metre and 0.37 metre.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS M

07 09 14 15 25 27

FREE TICKET

28 Bonus Ball

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

DAILY MILLIONS

02 09 11 15 26 LUCKY 3

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7

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DRAW DE LINE

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$71.69/barrel

-1.28

Rough Rice

$240.57 /ton $486.70/ton

+0.09 +0.33

London Sugar

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1796.60

$1797.70

Low/High Change

$1791.90 +2.50

$1823.80 +0.14%

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Common theme

President Irfaan Ali

he inaugural AfricaCaricom Summit got underway virtually on Tuesday, with President Dr Irfaan Ali warning leaders of the need to use upcoming international summits to advance the cause of their small states, particularly to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his address to the summit, President Ali spoke of the need for African and Caribbean Community (Caricom) states to come up with a common strategy for advocacy. This is especially important ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26.

“For us the global pandemic awakens the harsh reality of the differentiating treatment between the developed and the developing world. It also reemphasises that fundamentally, it is the developing world that suffers the most under these circumstances,” President Ali said.

“I am therefore of the view that this forged collaboration must address the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Climate change, mitigation, and adaptation measures. Food security; and cost of commodities and transportation,” the President also said.

According to the President, the group needs to have a forceful message when it comes to common issues like rescheduling loans, debt financing and access to capital in the region’s rebuilding efforts.

Additionally, there must be an evaluation of the global vaccination system, as well as its failure to respond to the most vulnerable in the world.

He also spoke about the seriousness of climate change. According to Ali, the African-Caribbean states face the greatest challenges from climate change, despite not being responsible for the conditions that have escalated the phenomenon.

“Developing countries like Guyana and our sister states in the Caribbean

and Africa are facing great difficulties. We have not been historically responsible, but we suffer the greatest and are least equipped to respond. Our countries are bearing the brunt of increasing and more intense climate-related events.”

“We must, therefore, collectively advocate for greater financial flows to help us adapt to the impacts of the climate emergency, including through the establishment of a Global Vulnerability Fund,” President Ali said.

According to him, the largest polluters in the developed countries have already achieved economic diversification by transforming much of their natural assets into commercial ac-

“We must therefore address these issues through a common theme as we, the developing economies would find it even more difficult to cope with and rebuild postCOVID. Having regards for all of the above, achieving the SDGs as outlined in agenda 2030 is severely threatened and we must all point this out to the global community,” the President said.

The Africa-Caricom Summit, which was attended by Heads of State from Caricom and Africa, and members from regional and international organisations, is a historic initiative that is geared at increasing collaboration between the two regions.

The summit was chaired by the President of the

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta chaired the historic summit

Republic of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and was held under the theme “Unity Across Continents and Oceans; Opportunities for Deepening Integration”.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd and Director of Projects in the Office of the President Marcia Nadir-Sharma were also at the summit as part of the Guyanese delegation.

There had been previous plans for Kenya to host the Caricom and Africa Summit in 2020. These, however, had to be put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The summit follows on the Declaration by the African Union of the Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Childhood development

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ccording to findings from ‘The Lancet’s Series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale’ an estimated 43 per cent—249 million—of children under five in low-and middle-income countries are at an elevated risk of poor development due to extreme poverty and stunting.

The Caribbean regional launch of the series took place some years ago immediately following the 32 Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on Education, and was hosted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

The Series had again made a strong case for Governments and other stakeholders to work towards designing and implementing effective policies and programmes and allocate the necessary resources to ensure early childhood development.

According to the authors of the Series, early childhood development interventions that promote nurturing care—health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and early learning—may cost very little, when combined with existing services such as health.

The representative of UNICEF - Guyana and Suriname, at the time was quoted by Caricom as saying: “The science and economics are clearly on the side of investing in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The cost of not doing so is higher. Children fall behind long before they set foot in school.”

There is therefore need for increased global commitment to early childhood development. The consequences of inaction impact not only present but future generations. In the region, there is less public provisioning for early childhood education, especially for the 0-2 year age group, as opposed to the pre-school years. For example, it was explained that the uneven funding distribution across sectors is striking; expenditure on pre-primary as share of government expenditure on education is only 2.9% compared to primary at 34.9% and 40.3% for secondary education.

One of the authors of the Lancet Series, Rafael PérezEscamilla, Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, Director of the Office of Public Health Practice, and Director of the Global Health Concentration at the Yale School of Public Health, presented the research findings and recommendations.

The Series authors propose several ways the global community can scale-up support for early childhood development services; these include by; encouraging the adoption and implementation of policies to create supportive environments for families to provide nurturing care for young children, building capacity and strengthening coordination to promote early childhood development through existing health, nutrition, education, social, and child protection services, strengthening measurement and ensuring accountability for early childhood development services, increasing research, and fostering global and regional leadership and action and expanding political will and funding through advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Guyana must be commended for placing the issue of early childhood development high on its national development agenda over the years. Guyana’s Early Childhood Development Project, which came as a result of intense discussions between early childhood educators and other relevant officials, is aimed at improving the emergent literacy and numeracy outcomes for children at the nursery level and primary Grade one in hinterland regions.

The first component of the project caters for capacity building for nursery and Grade one teachers and is aimed at improving the quality of instruction and learning at the nursery and Grade 1 levels by strengthening teachers’ knowledge, particularly with regard to the implementation of new strategies for the development of emergent literacy and numeracy skills, through an in-service teacher training programme. The second component of the project targets improved supply of teaching and learning materials.

The issue of early childhood development, despite Covid-19, must be taken seriously by all stakeholders as research has shown that a child’s brain develops faster in the first 2-3 years than at any other time in life.

First Lady Arya Ali along with Education Minister, Priya Manickchand launched the Menstrual Hygiene program in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) where every high school girl will get one year’s supply of sanitary napkins. (Education Ministry photo)

Education in Haiti: Give to Caesar what is due to him

By Itazienne Eugène

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he strength and resilience of the Haitian people have been tested time and again. Since the country’s Independence in 1804, Haitians have had to fight and overcome not only natural disasters, but also recurrent periods of political instability, often marked by foreign intervention.

The current constitution dates from 1987 but it has been put to the test on several occasions, especially by two coups d’état – 1991 and 2004 – as well as the indifference of leaders who, by their actions, have shown their disinterest in the citizenry.

The last few years have been particularly difficult in the country due to social movements and the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is important to recall that, since 2018 there has existed in Haiti the Peyi lòk social movement, which took centre stage after an announcement by President Jovenel Moïse that there would be an increase in the price of benzine, diesel, and kerosene.

In response, citizens took to the streets to demonstrate against this measure. In September 2019 the Peyi lòk returned with force, calling for the president’s resignation, but he refused and remained in power.

Currently, the country is again going through a strong crisis due to the assassination of President Moïse on July 7, 2021 and the earthquake that hit the southern part of the country on August 17 of the same year. Under these circumstances: To what extent can education be a priority for the State? How does the socio-political, environmental, and economic context concretely affect development of a strong education system? What are the most urgent challenges for Haitian education today?

The Haitian education system is divided into two

main groups – public and private. Private establishments include denominational, community, and other schools. The proliferation of schools that do not adhere to the operating rules of the Ministry of Education has hindered the work of professionals who, since the end of the last century, have been struggling to provide young people with a comprehensive education.

It is important to note that in Haiti, which is characterised by a high illiteracy rate, there is a glaring disparity between schools that cater to the children of the elites and those that cater to children from other social categories. Unlike the former, the latter are generally housed in buildings that do not have the necessary infrastructure to ensure their full development. Thus, in some regions, classes are held in churches, houses, and even in the open air.

The level of enrollment in private schools is one of the highest in the region.

In 2015 to 2016, of the total number of students enrolled in school, 78 per cent belonged to the private sector (MENFP [Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training], 2018).

Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) researchers Rebecca Stone and Naomi Ziegler (2021) state that, in addition to high privatisation, the most current hindrances to education are related to the lack of resources and infrastructure, weaknesses in the professional development of teachers, and linguistic conflict (creole v French) among others. Bayard Lapommeray, director of the studies and programming unit of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, confirms what the researchers say when discussing the main conclusions of the study on edu-

cational challenges in Haiti (SUMMA–KIX LAC project, 2021). Lapommeray shares the perspective that teacher training, infrastructure, and pedagogical support are important axes to improve and develop, but argues that beyond these factors there is a problem of the environment – political, economic, and social. Thus, he states that it is essential to improve these socio-political factors in order to have an educational system that can meet the needs of the country.

It should be noted that social, political, environmental, and economic instability affect students on a daily basis as frequent periods of unrest result in younger children staying home from school, while during periods of calm, students are unable to participate in activities outside of school hours.

The situation is the same for higher education students, who not only have difficulty accessing classrooms but also find it impossible to go to research centres and libraries. As a result, the duration of training sessions is reduced; the length of the course, in general, is lengthened; and some activities, including study trips, are put on hold until further notice.

When thinking about how education can be a priority for the State in a country that is going through various social, political, and environmental crises, we postulate that precisely for this reason education should be at the forefront of the State’s political agenda.

The competent authorities should provide the Ministry of Education with the necessary human and material resources for its operation. In return, those in charge of the ministry should ensure optimal use of the resources allocated to them and obtain the results expected by Haitian society.

Likewise, in order to fulfil Haiti’s current education-

al needs, it is essential to strengthen the public education system and invest in school infrastructure, especially the renovation of existing buildings; teacher training; and the creation of dynamic and innovative structures capable of regulating the educational system.

Similarly, the current education system must improve its concrete and shortterm evaluation and project monitoring systems in order to be able to understand the effectiveness or failure of its programmes. It is important to mention that previous projects designed to improve the system since the end of the François Duvalier dictatorship (1957-1971) have not always had the desired results. To change this reality, it is necessary to consider the evolution of the socio-political conditions of the time but above all, it is necessary to analyse the causes of the failure of the previous programmes, as well as evaluate the implementation structures of these projects and the nature of the resources available in the education sector.

It is essential to take into account and understand the structural problems of the education system. The competent authorities must work hard to strengthen and improve its foundations with the understanding that they are to provide the population with an integrated and complete education, giving unto Caesar that which belongs to him – a democratic public education system with material and intellectual resources that are adapted to suit the realities of the country.

(Jamaica Observer) (Itazienne Eugène is a professor at the University of Haiti and Maciel Morales Aceitón is a researcher for the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).)

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

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

Losing battle by APNU/AFC coalition Dear Editor, I am an avid reader and listener of all things which are considered news or public information. Also, I am very politically savvy, if I might say so freely.

Recently, it seemed as though the Government came out swinging with the additional amendment to their vaccination poli-

cy. Added to that, there is now a remarkable level of acceptance that the only form of protection that is effective in the prevention of the COVID-19 virus is through vaccination. That message was supported recently by Dr. Karen Cummings, who is a medical doctor and an Opposition politician.

I also noticed the way the Government handled the wave of protests to the new Vaccination Policy.

The PPP Government showed experience and calm in handling the potential threats associated with the protest against the COVID-19 vaccination rules. They did not play into the hands of the poli-

ticians which were eagerly awaiting some step or misfortune to occur. Also, the Opposition politicians did not have the opportunity to use some small argument to accuse the Government of racial discrimination.

Today, everything is back to normal. There is business as usual. The APNU+AFC politicians

Trust in vaccines is vital Dear Editor, While the rapid development of vaccines against COVID-19 is an extraordinary achievement, successfully vaccinating Guyana’s population presents many challenges, from a deceitful, selfish, distrustful and self-serving Opposition in Region #10, and most importantly acceptance by political leaders who continue to lead some of their supporters along the wrong path.

It is time that we open our eyes and think for ourselves, that the Opposition don’t care if we live or die, once their selfish political ambitions are met.

We must never forget Harmon’s “shamefully reckless, selfish, move after he had taken both doses of the vaccine against the interest of Guyana and Guyanese, I call on Region #10 residents and hesitant Guyanese to heed the calls of the Ministry of Health and the call of scientists and doctors and get vaccinated.

However, it is true that trust in the vaccines is vital, and is critically dependent on the ability of our Government, community leaders and stakeholders to communicate the benefits of the vaccine and vaccination while delivering the vaccines safely and effectively.

This brief addresses the role of our PPP/C Government’s commitment in promoting confidence in the effectiveness and safety through effective communication, as well as trust in their ability to procure and distribute them efficiently and equitably. Only a small minority of the population holds strong anti-vaccination views, hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination, which is evident in some regions.

As social media is rife with posts disparaging the vaccine hesitancy, these reactions to a complex and nuanced issue are doing more harm than good. There should be no doubt about it: COVID-19 vaccines are saving lives.

Consider some recent statistics from the UK. In

a study tracking more than 200,000 people, nearly every single participant had developed antibodies against the virus within two weeks of their second dose. And despite initial worries that the current vaccines may be less effective against the Delta variant, analyses suggest that both the AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech jabs reduce hospitalisation rates by 92-96%.

As many health practitioners have repeated, the risks of severe side effects from a vaccine are tiny in comparison to the risk of contracting the disease itself.

Yet, a sizeable number of people in Region 10 are still reluctant to get their shots.

The result is becoming something of a culture war on social media, with many online commentators claiming that the vaccine-hesitant persons are simply ignorant or selfish. But psychologists who specialise in medical decision-making argue these choices are often the result of many complicated factors, which need to be addressed sensitively if we are to have any hope of reaching population-level immunity.

First, some distinctions.

While it is tempting to assume that anyone who refuses a vaccine holds the same beliefs, the fears of most vaccine-hesitant people should not be confused with the bizarre theories of staunch anti-vaxxers.

They’re very vocal, and they have a strong presence offline and online. But they’re a very small minority.

However, the vast majority of vaccine-hesitant people do have a political agenda, and are committed to an anti-scientific cause while they are simply undecided about their choice to take the injection.

The good news is that many people who were initially hesitant are changing their minds. But even a delay is considered a threat to health, because viral infections spread very quickly.

This would have been problematic if we were still deal-

ing with the older variants of the virus, but the higher transmissibility of the new Delta variant has increased the urgency to reach as many people as quickly as possible.

It is time for us considers the following psychological factors: Confidence: the person’s trust in the vaccines’ efficacy and safety.

Complacency: whether or not the persons in the region consider the disease itself to be a serious risk to their health.

Collective responsibility: the willingness to protect others from infection through one’s own vaccination Our Government must establish a targeted approach in Region 10. The Opposition leaders will never change. I would urge my Government to stop thinking they can reach the mass of niches out there with one mass-market vaccine message, and work more creatively with many effective communication partners.

This might involve closer collaboration with the influencer role models within each community, who can provide consistent and accurate information about the vaccines’ risks and benefits.

However, as we choose to deliver the information, health services need to make it clear that they are engaging in an open dialogue, rather than simply dismissing them out of hand.

We have to listen to people’s concerns, acknowledge them, and give them information so they can make an informed decision. it’s essential to engage in a two-way conversation – and that’s something that we could all learn as we discuss these issues with our friends and families.

Being respectful and recognising other people’s concerns I think could actually be more important than just spitting out the facts or statistics. A lot of the time it’s more about the personal connection than it is about the actual information that you provide.

Recognising that vaccination campaigns of the magnitude needed are unprecedented, our Government’s actions to garner trust will be essential to success and to the emergence of a more resilient society after the crisis Our Government needs to give priority to addressing issues of trust – trust both in vaccines, and in the institutions responsible for the vaccination endeavour.

We need to promote confidence among the public in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines, as well as in the capacity of Government to manage the logistical challenges competently.

More broadly, the pandemic has triggered widespread disinformation, which has undermined both understanding and acceptance of science and public policy, and this extends to the issue of vaccine acceptance. Despite widespread recognition that COVID-19 is a critical issue to people all around Guyana, some remain unwilling to be vaccinated.

Overall, the success of vaccination campaigns will largely be influenced by the extent to which people trust the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines, the competence and reliability of the institutions that deliver them, and the principles that guide our Government’s decisions and actions.

There is no doubt that the PPP/C Government’s priority is to strengthen public trust as the COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out in the various regions, and the desire is to provide examples of good practices that others countries have implemented which can enhance people’s confidence in vaccination campaigns and the relevance of our Government’s competence in building trust in vaccines, with the subsequent sections discussing integrity, openness and fairness in this context.

Sincerely, David Adams

are still intertwining the politics in the anti-vaccination campaign, but they have been rebuffed both at the level of the Parliament and the people.

People are smarter.

They are realising who is really on their side as far as creating a healthy society is concerned. I can tell you they know it is the

Government. The APNU/ AFC Coalition is losing the battle to get people on their side.

More so, everyone will fall in line with time. So, the Government must keep the same energy all the time.

Yours truly, Attiya Baksh

Mandatory that Govt ensures nation remains safe Dear Editor, The health of the nation is the highest law.

This is the reason why Governments have ensured that helpless babes who are entitled to a healthy life are inoculated without sound or fury, and the process continues that, on these little children entering nursery school, they must produce their record of inoculation against certain known diseases.

Equally, in a global pandemic of this kind, the COVID-19 virus, it is the bounden duty of the State to ensure and guarantee the health of the citizens through lawful medical means. In this case, the vaccination that has been approved by Governments globally.

Constitutional human rights are guaranteed in ordinary prevailing circumstances in a State.

However, when a nation is threatened by war, plague or pandemic, certain fundamental rights, especially the right to safety, good health, and peaceful living, must su-

persede or suspend those guaranteed fundamental rights for the safety of the entire nation.

In the prevailing circumstances of this pandemic, it is mandatory that the Government ensure that the nation remains safe, secure and healthy, thereby vaccinating the entire nation in accord with the law, which ought to be made.

If someone believes there is no COVID-19 and becomes so infected, does the State have the right to exclude him or her from a medical institution?

It is sad that those who persuade their constituency from taking this vaccine whilst they themselves do not want to die of Coronavirus-19 inoculated themselves, while certain leaders must prevail upon us to refuse and obey as motley fools. It is said that the most abundant reality in our lives is ignorance.

Sincerely, J T Kissoon

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

Page

Foundation

Design Challenge: Making a Bottle Rocket In this design challenge, your child will be asked to create a bottle rocket using typical household items. The list of materials includes everything they will need to create and launch a rocket, and we have listed a variety of ingredients your child can use to make “fuel.” Not all of the listed ingredients will necessarily be successful in launching the bottle--the goal is to allow your child to experiment with In this design challenge, your child will be asked to works. create a different mixtures until they find a combination that bottleyour rocket using typicaltohousehold How child chooses launch theitems. bottle The is uplist to of them, materials includes everything they will to need createthem and but we have given instructions for you helptoguide launchthe a rocket, we have listedMake a variety along design and thinking process. sureof toingredients supervise as your child child blasts can use make Notexperiment all of the listed your offtointo this“fuel.” science of fun! ingredients will necessarily be successful in launching the bottle--the goal is to allow your child to experiment with What You Need: different mixtures until they find a combination that works.

How your child chooses to launch the bottle is up to them, Disposable water bottles but we4 have given instructions for you to help guide them pencils to act as stabilizers alongDuct the design thinking process.

Make sure to supervise as tape your child blasts off into this science experiment Open outdoor space to launch your rocket of fun!

Design Challenge: Making a Bottle Rocket

Pen and paper for note-taking

WhatFuel You Need: mixture ingredients for your child to experiment with (Not all of these will necessarily be successful.): Baking soda, salt, Mentos, vinegar, lemon juice, soda (such as Diet Coke), sugar Disposable water bottles 4 pencils to act as stabilizers Duct tape WhatOpen Yououtdoor Do: space to launch your rocket Pen and paper for note-taking Fuel mixture for your to experiment (Not all of these will necessarily successful.): Baking salt,a 1. First, explain ingredients the task to your childchild so that they have awith clear understanding of the prompt. be Reiterate that they needsoda, to create Mentos, vinegar, soda as DietinCoke), bottle rocket and alemon “fuel”juice, mixture that(such will launch the air.sugar Tell them that the materials you have given them will be useful, but it’s up to them to decide if they will use all of them, specifically the fuel mixture ingredients.

2. Ask your child to define a bottle rocket and its characteristics. It’s important for your child to have a clear understanding of what a bottle rocket is before they decide how to make their own. Feel free to look up pictures of bottle rockets online as an example, Whatbut You Do: leave some ambiguity so that your child can be creative in the design process. Some questions you can ask your child: a. What does a bottle rocket look like?

1. First, explain the task important to your child soof that they have a clear understanding of the prompt. Reiterate that they need to create a b. What are some parts a rocket? bottle rocketare and a “fuel” mixture that will launch in the air. Tell them that the materials you have given them will be useful, but it’s c. What stabilizers? up to them to decide if they will all of them,of specifically the fuel mixture 3. Once your child understands theuse requirements this challenge, allow themingredients. toideate. Ask them to brainstorm different ways to 2. construct Ask your child to define a bottle rocket and its characteristics.

It’s important for your childtotocreate have a“fuel.” clearEncourage understanding what the bottle rocket, as well as different combinations of ingredients they can use yourofchild toa bottlenote rocket is before decide how to make their Feel to look up pictures of bottle rockets online as an example, take of their ideasthey by drawing or writing them onown. a piece offree paper. but leave ambiguity so that your ask childthem can to bechoose creativethe in the design ask your child: 4. After your some child is done brainstorming, design theyprocess. think willSome work questions best. This you is ancan important step in the a.

What does a bottle rocket look like? design thinking process because it teaches your child to prioritize the functionality of their design over personal preferences. This b. prevents What areyour some important parts too of aemotionally rocket? also child from getting attached to their ideas. c. it’s What aretostabilizers?

5. Now, time begin prototyping (building)! Give your child all the materials and allow them to begin making the design they 3. chose Once your understands the requirements of first this create challenge, allow them ideate.

Askthen themfocus to brainstorm ways to torocket, ideate. and in thechild previous step. We suggest that they the actual bottleto on makingdifferent the “fuel” in an constructspace. the bottle rocket, as well as different combinations of ingredients they can use to create “fuel.” Encourage your child to outdoor take of your their child ideasisby drawing or different writing them on a piecefor of the paper. a. note When ready to test combinations rocket’s “fuel,” supervise them in an outdoor space to ensure 4. After your is We done brainstorming, askthe them to choose designbowl theybefore think will workthem best.inThis an important step the their child safety. recommend testing mixtures in a the separate putting the is rocket.

This way, youinwon’t design thinking process because it teaches your child prioritize functionality of their design over personal preferences. This need to clean out the bottle rocket each time yourtochild teststhe a different mixture. also prevents your child building, from getting too emotionally their ideas.

6. Once your child is done it’s time to test their attached prototypeto(design)!

Go into an open, outdoor space before attempting to 5. launch.

Now, it’sAsk time to begin Give your child the materials and allow them to begin making the design they your child prototyping the following (building)! questions as they test theirallrocket: chose in thethe previous We suggest that first create the actual bottle rocket, and then focus on making the “fuel” in an a. Does rocket step. successfully launch in they the air? outdoor space. b. Does the rocket hold its structure? a. When child readytotolaunch test different for the rocket’s supervise them in an outdoor ensure 7. If your child’syour rocket is is unable and/or combinations keep its structure, make sure“fuel,” that they aren’t discouraged.

Framespace this astoan their safety.

We recommend testing the mixtures in atheir separate bowl before putting themrepeating in the rocket.

This way, opportunity to try again, and help your child identify where design went wrong.

Continue the process of you won’t need to clean out the and bottle rocketuntil each time your child tests a different mixture. brainstorming, prototyping, testing your child creates a bottle rocket that they are proud of!

6. Once your child is done building, it’s time to test their prototype (design)! Go into an open, outdoor space before attempting to launch. Ask your child the following questions as they test their rocket: a. Does the rocket successfully launch in the air? b. Does the rocket hold its structure?

7. If your child’s rocket is unable to launch and/or keep its structure, make sure that they aren’t discouraged. Frame this as an opportunity to try again, and help your child identify where their design went wrong. Continue repeating the process of brainstorming, prototyping, and testing until your child creates a bottle rocket that they are proud of!

Author: Hanna Zarrinnegar Copyright © 2021 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved

Author: Hanna Zarrinnegar Copyright © 2021 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved

By Mother Goose Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep, And can’t tell where to find them; Leave them alone, and they’ll come home, Bringing their tails behind them.

Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep, And dreamt she heard them bleating; But when she awoke, she found it a joke, For they were still all fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook, Determined for to find them; She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed, For they’d left their tails behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo-Peep did stray Into a meadow hard by, There she espied their tails, side by side, All hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye, And over the hillocks she raced; And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should, That each tail be properly placed.

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

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

EPA green-lights construction of US$600M shore base at Vreed-en-Hoop

A conceptual design of the proposed facility

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he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday granted an environmental permit to NRG Holdings Inc, paving the way for the commencement a multimillion US dollars shore base and terminal at Foreshore Plantation Best on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

The US$600 million investment will be done by a 100 per cent Guyaneseowned consortium comprising National Hardware Limited, Hadi’s World Inc and ZRN Investments Incorporated.

Some of the features of the facility will include an offshore terminal; dry dock facility; a fabrication yard; offshore components; umbilical preparation and spooling yard; administrative buildings to house offices and modernised logistics centres; warehousing; area for a helipad; a wharf, berths, and a dry dock.

The port facility is expected to generate massive employment and revenue opportunities for Guyanese.

Located at Vreed-en-Hoop, Region Three, it will occupy some 400 hectares of coastal land.

When it comes to employment, approximately 150 to 200 persons will be employed during construction and 50 to 100 persons will be employed for the basic operation and maintenance of the base port facilities.

Phase one of the project will see the deepening, widening and dredging of the access channel, as well as land reclamation. It also includes an offshore terminal, dry dock facility and fabrication yard spanning 65 hectares. Meanwhile, phase two involves deepening the dredging of the access canal and expanded reclamation.

According to the investors, the facility will also see services previously provided out of Trinidad now being carried out in Guyana, with the local economy benefitting from employment, duties and taxes, ancillary goods and services and capacity-building.

Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer, one of the partners within the consortium stated that the project will not service the oil and gas industry only but will also cater to all sectors that require a port facility. “We aim for this project to be transformative, not only for the oil and gas sector, but also for the ordi-

nary person on the street as we seek to reduce shipping costs with this new container terminal.”

Meanwhile, Azruddin Mohamed of Hadi’s World Incorporated – another partner in the consortium – expressed appreciation that the Government is creating an enabling business environment, allowing for the project to create employment for thousands of Guyanese.

With the issuance of the environmental permit, NRG Holdings Inc will now have to submit an Environmental and Social Management Plan to the EPA within four months.

The plan will outline the mitigation measures for any impact that the project will have within the proposed area and surrounding communities.

The permit also guides the hours of construction as well as the authorisation protocol for use of the land.

Secretary of the consortium, Andron Alphonso noted, “NRG Holdings Inc is committed to pursuing this development in a manner that is beneficial to all stakeholders. We want to ensure that as we contribute to local content development

Hadi’s World Inc Director Azruddin Mohamed

National Hardware Director Nicholas Boyer

Secretary of the consortium, Andron Alphonso

and provide opportunities for Guyanese in the oil and gas sector, we also do so in a way that is also responsible and sustainable. At the end of it, it must be wholly beneficial not just to us as the investors but to the citizens

in the surrounding communities and other stakeholders as well.”

The project is a direct result of opportunities that are arising from the development of the oil and gas sector and its demands. It

takes into account the untapped opportunities in terms of services that are required by the sector, but are being provided outside of Guyana’s territory, leading to revenue leaks for the country.

8 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Wakenaam murder

“Me chop he cuz he de troubling me” – son confesses to killing father A 26-year-old man has been arrested after he confessed to chopping his father to death on Monday at Great Troolie Island, Essequibo River, during an argument.

The dead man has been identified as 59-year-old Archaelus Anthony Miguel of Onderneeming Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Initial reports stated that Miguel and the suspect left for the backdam, but after some time, the son returned and claimed that he was unwell. He also claimed that his father was in the backdam, but upon making checks for the man, only his pants and a cell phone were found.

The suspect reportedly travelled to Troolie Island, where villagers further questioned him, and it was then he related, “I chop he up, caz he de troubling me”.

He was arrested, and subsequently took ranks to the scene. On arrival, he pointed to the area where he allegedly chopped his father, thence to the area

Murder suspect: Anthony Miguel

where he had dragged the body and hid it under some branches.

The body bore multiple chop wounds on all parts, including the face.

Guyana Times understands that

the now dead man and his son Anthony would work all day until 16:00h but on the day in question, his son requested to leave at about 15:00h.

His employer thought something was amiss since he was acting in a strange manner. As such, the owner of the farm reportedly instructed him to wait until his father returned then leave. After some time had elapsed and the man did not return, the owner summoned several relatives to assist in searching for the man but it proved futile.

Instead, the employer told Guyana Times that the man’s cell phone, some of his tools along with his pants were found on the ground. At that time, the woman informed relatives and residents that Anthony was missing.

Upon questioning the man’s son, he confessed to the heinous crime.

The suspect along with the body were taken to the Parika Stelling. He was taken into custody while his father’s body was taken to the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.

Prisoner admitted to hospital after allegedly consuming poison

A

man who was arrested and is being investigated on a rape allegation was on Tuesday

rushed to the Skeldon Hospital after he reportedly ingested a poisonous substance.

Police stated that the man was arrested on Monday and was being held at the Springlands Police

Station.

In addition, the Police stated that while checking in on the prisoners in the lock-ups at 01:00h on the day in question, the man complained of stomach pains. It was then he told ranks that he had ingested the poisonous substance earlier in the day.

He remains under guard at the said medical institution.

Back in August, 25-yearold Allen Thomas of Shea village, South Rupununi, was discovered dead in a sitting position, with an underwear around his neck tied to the inside door handle of the cell. He was being held at the Lethem Police Station.

He was taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Allen Thomas was charged for assault causing actual bodily harm and was sentenced to twelve (12) months’ imprisonment.

Also, in January, 44-year-old Roger Samuels who was on remand at the Lusignan Prison, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on a larceny charge was found dead in his cell.

It was reported that on the day in question, the duty officer was in the process of unlocking the prisoners to wash up when he observed Samuels lying in a motionless state on his bed.

In light of this, a doctor attached to the penitentiary, Dr Britton, examined Samuels and pronounced him dead.

Being schooled...

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…by the superstitious? ell, as the old people say, “school bell ring” on Monday for primary and nursery students, and folks were waiting anxiously to see what was going to play out. Guyanese do like to see “fair play” but they like to see a good “bradaar” even more!! And the Opposition elements - especially the Teachers Union - had promised a real “bradaar” if teachers weren’t allowed into schools - even if they weren’t vaccinated or had a PCR test to prove they were COVID-free!

But from the reports seen by your Eyewitness, it looked like good sense prevailed all around, ‘cause there were no reports of any confrontation in any school across our fair land. He hopes this will continue, because teachers don’t only teach what’s on the curriculum - they’re supposed to be role models for their young charges. And that’s so, even though it has to be acknowledged that teachers nowadays certainly don’t have the respect as during the days of yore.

And that’s because of how they handled themselves in previous junctures of our history. Too often they stopped looking at their job as a vocation, and not even a fall-back position to keep food in the pot. While everybody gotta eat, certain professions demand that their members be…well …

PROFESSIONAL! And teachers have to decide whether they are professionals or not. As teachers, historically, they were the most educated coming out of the colonial era, and from that platform went on to educate themselves further to serve themselves and the society with distinction.

Unfortunately, leading to independence, teachers, like Civil Servants, allowed themselves to become pawns of the PNC. They lost a lot of respect when they supported the latter’s “80-day Strike” to force the PPP out of Government in 1963. They staged “sit ins” by refusing to allow students entry into the schools, and some kids had to step over them!!

Teachers never recovered the respect their older peers had earned. Over the years, they maintained this stance.

So, if the present teacher cohorts come out and refuse to teach - even without giving the Ministry or their favourite target Minister Manickchand # a good “buse down” - they’d certainly be doing a further disservice to the profession - maybe even a fatal blow. After all, how will they explain the basis of their refusal to take the vaccines??

Are they going to use the science that they teach in the classrooms, or the rumours and superstitions they pick up in the streets? Maybe students should hang out on street corners?

Guyana’s poised to finally get to a position to compensate professionals. Especially teachers, who have a critical role to play.

They might lose corn and husk is they don’t act professionally!

…to protest Opposition opportunists are cynically using the COVID hesitancy in their constituents to mobilise against the Government in other areas, where they’re claiming “discrimination”! But it doesn’t look like it’s taking root.

It looks more like they’re suffering from the Chicken Little syndrome: they cried “The Sky is falling! The Sky is falling!” so many times in the last year and a half, even the faithful have tuned them out. One wannabe leader who got carried away with his Facebook viewers turned up to protest in front of the Ministry of Education, but on looking around, found he was in his lonesome!! Poor fella almost had a breakdown!!

What it shows is that the lived reality of the masses of people is telling them that the violent rhetoric of the Facebook warriors is just meant to fire them up to put their bodies on a line for the former’s self aggrandisement.

They wanna show a “following” to raise their stocks in the coming struggle to take over the PNC.

…in use of power So, what’s a lesson for us after the 20-year Afghanistan War to “promote democracy”? That if a group doesn’t accept the fundamental premise that each citizen’s vote is worth the same, then it’s a lost cause.

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

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MARAD changes water taxis’ operating time

Teen on run after injuring another during argument

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17-year-old lad has gone into hiding after he reportedly injured another teen during an altercation along Brother’s Dam, Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on Monday evening.

The Police have said that a 46-year-old driver of Tuschen, EBE reported that he was driving his canter along Brother’s Dam in Zeelugt at about 17:30h on Monday when he saw a crowd gathered.

As such, he stopped the vehicle and exited, and observed a male lying on the roadway in a pool of blood, with injuries to his right-side face and the back of his head.

The injured young man was placed in the tray of his canter and taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where he was treated and transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital for further medical attention.

However, based on information received, the Police have said that prior to the discovery, the now injured man and a teenager were involved in a heated argument, which quickly escalated into an altercation, during which a teenager armed himself with an object and dealt several blows to the young man’s head and face. With this information at their disposal, the Police went to the home of the suspect, but he was not located. Investigations are ongoing.

…says revocation of licence for defaulting operators he Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has announced that the operation time for water taxis operating from Parika, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) to Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Parika to Leguan and Parika to Wakenaam and Supenaam, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), from today will be from 05:30h to 17:30h.

Water taxis that ferry passengers on the Demerara River between Vreed-en-Hoop and Georgetown will be permitted to operate from 06:00h to 20:00h, MARAD said.

It warned that failure by operators to comply with the operation times will result in immediate revocation of their operating licence.

When contacted on Tuesday, Director General of MARAD, Stephen Thomas stated that water taxis from Parika to Bartica, Parika to Leguan and Parika to Wakenaam-

File photo: Boat operators at Georgetown Ferry Stelling

Supenaam are strictly allowed to operate during daylight.

Further, he explained that during this ending period of the year it tends to get darker faster and as such these changes were made. He noted that these changes are made every year.

In August, MARAD had advised that unvaccinated speedboat operators may lose their licences or have it suspended if they are caught transporting

passengers.

In a notice to all water taxi (speedboat) operators, MARAD said that effective August 1, 2021, all captains, bowmen and monitors are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

“Operators are also required to have their vaccination cards along with official identification in their possession, and produce same when requested to do so by a Police Officer, MARAD officer, or any person authorised by the Ministry of Health,” the notice said.

It added that in keeping with paragraph 15 of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No 20), “no unvaccinated person shall be permitted to operate within the speedboat service, in any part of Guyana.” Except where otherwise provided, MARAD also reminded operators that face masks must be worn by all operators, and passengers.

A

10 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COP26 Summit

VP’s Suriname visit to craft common approach on climate change – President …manufacturing, energy, industries to be discussed

President Irfaan Ali (left) and Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali has said that preparations are ongoing ahead of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s visit to Suriname, which will precede the COP26 summit where the two nations are aiming to have a common strategy on environmental issues.

During a recent interview with the media on the side lines of an event, President Ali was asked about preparations for the Guyana, Suriname and Brazil summit. Leaders from the countries will be meeting in

Suriname to discuss a joint strategy for the UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. He noted, however, that much must be done before the summit.

“There are a lot of things that have to be done bilaterally before the summit. I know that engagements are ongoing. Earlier this year, we had some engagements with Brazil. But the Vice President, part of what we agreed was that he would lead a delegation to Suriname to look at that joint gas strategy and discuss the

commonalities of our strategy in addressing COP26 and the environment and climate change issues.”

“Before that meeting, that summit, we have to have a great understanding of the plan. The joint development plan on the frontier.

Because that is what is going to form the basis for that discussion. It is a discussion that I know is creating a lot of excitement. And I’m very convinced that Brazil want to play a key part in this discussion and development,” the President explained.

President Ali also explained the various issues that will be on the agenda, including but not limited to the gas-to-shore project. He noted that when the teams meet, they will be taking a holistic look at economic development in the Guiana Shield.

“So it has to do with not only the gas project, it has to do with energy for the Guiana Shield corridor. It also has to do with the bauxite sector, the development of logistics and the offshoot of the gas sector and cheaper energy, which is industrial development and manufacturing. That is the downstream and upstream industries,” he said.

Expert mission

Last month, Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi visited Guyana, during which his team held discussions with Guyanese.

One of the commitments was that Vice President Jagdeo would lead an expert mission to Suriname for bilateral discussions.

It is expected that the two countries will work together to develop a common strategy to deal with issues of climate change and the en-

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

vironment. This visit is expected to be conducted before the COP26 Summit which is billed for November 1 to November 12 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

President Dr Ali had told reporters during a joint press conference with his Surinamese counterpart that “both Guyana and Suriname recognise that we have a valuable asset in Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in this field of environment.”

As such, the Head of State announced that Jagdeo will soon “lead a delegation to Suriname before COP26 to look at the coordination of our strategies, and also to work with our counterparts

in Suriname in coming up with a common strategy in dealing with climate change and the environment.”

According to a joint communique subsequently issued by the two Presidents, a working group will be established within two weeks which will seek to come up with concrete proposals for a joint gas strategy. This will include the gas-to-shore infrastructure and a gas plant.

The COP26 summit, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. (G3)

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

13 pregnant women test positive for COVID-19, hospitalised

…7 more deaths, 161 new cases

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD SEPTEMBER 7 UPDATE

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OVID-19 infections among pregnant women are increasing locally, and as of Tuesday, 13 of these persons were hospitalised with complications.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony made this disclosure during

the COVID-19 update, where he pointed out that they are being treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Maternity Unit.

Obstetric patients are now required to test for the virus.

“These 13 women, they

all tested positive. That is a requirement now when you come in to determine your COVID status. We have to make special arrangements for their delivery…It is challenging with so many very sick people coming into the hospital and of course, the

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

161

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

136

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

2249

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

37

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

8

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

13,879

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

12,893

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

26,772

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

23,696

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

322,586

FULLY IMMUNISED

169,209

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

654

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1378

REGION 2

871

REGION 3

3265

REGION 4

12,550

REGION 5

887

REGION 6

2104

REGION 7

1407

REGION 8

408

REGION 9

2254

REGION 10

1648

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

persons that need extra attention, we have to put them in the ICU,” Dr Anthony noted.

In recent time, he stated that coronavirus infections among pregnant women have been rising.

“We have been seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections among pregnant women. The day before, we only had seven but today (Tuesday), we have 13 women who are positive…As we had predicted, because of the Delta surge, we are going to see more cases. We are going to be able to diagnose more

cases because more people are going to be affected.”

Some 129 of the 2430 active cases of the coronavirus in Guyana are hospitalised and of this amount 105 are being treated either at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Liliendaal, or at GPHC. In the Intensive Care Unit, there are 37 patients.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), pregnant women can be vaccinated against COVID-19, in consultation with their healthcare pro-

vider.

“Based on what we know about the kinds of vaccines being used, there is no specific reason for concern.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines authorised to date use live viruses, which are more likely to pose risks during pregnancy. Before getting vaccinated, pregnant women should discuss with their healthcare provider whether the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks,” the agency has published.

TURN TO PAGE 14

NEWS

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Taxi driver fights off bandit who attempts to rob him of jewellery

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The gun that was wrested from the perpetrator

he Police are on the hunt for a man who attempted to rob a taxi driver at Mora Camp, Potaro Road, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on Monday evening.

Based on reports received, at about 18:50h, the taxi driver received a phone call requesting to pick up a passenger in front of the Bartica Hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, a male sporting plait hair and wearing a tope and mask joined the taxi as the front seat passenger. He requested to be taken to Mora Camp.

However, upon arrival at his destination, the suspect whipped out a black handgun and attempted to relieve the driver of the gold chains that he was wearing at the time. The driver, however, put up a resistance and wrestled the fireman from the perpetrator. After doing so, he hit the suspect twice to his head with the firearm, during which a round was discharged.

The suspect exited the car and made good his escape. The taxi driver reportedly took the firearm to the

Bartica Police Station and explained what had happened.

The gun, a .32 Taurus pistol with the serial number filed off, has been lodged as Police launch an investigation into the matter.

The area was searched but the suspect was not seen, but a black tope was discovered at the scene.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

14 NEWS Duo injured after ATV turns turtle A WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

teenager and another young man were airdashed to Georgetown on Monday after the AllTerrain Vehicle (ATV) on

which they were travelling reportedly crashed at Five Star Backdam Trail, North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima Waini).

Injured are Tony Calistro, 20, of Arucamai Village, NWD and 16-year-old Esau Daniels of Citrus Grove, Port Kaituma, NWD.

Based on reports received, on the day in question, at about 2:00h, the ATV bearing registration number CF6803 was transporting fuel from Five Star Landing to the backdam.

It is alleged that while the driver, a 46-year-old male of 4 Miles, Port Kaituma, was descending a hill, he lost con-

trol of the vehicle and it thus flipped several times, causing the two teenagers to be flung into some nearby bushes.

As a result of the incident, both Daniels and Calistro sustained injuries to their bodies. They were picked up in a conscious state and transported to Port Kaituma

District Hospital, where they were treated and admitted as patients.

The two were later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they are receiving further medical attention. The driver of the ATV was arrested and is assisting with the investigations.

13 pregnant women...

The Humanitarian Mission-Guyana Inc, through the Waheeda Kidney Foundation, recently donated $100,000 to 25-year-old Christopher Sukhu to assist with his weekly dialysis treatment at Dr Doobay Medical & Research Centre. In photo: President/CEO of the HMG Inc, Dr Shailendra Sugrim; dialysis patient Christopher Sukhu and Nurse Benn along with other representatives of Humanitarian Mission-Guyana Inc

It went on to say that the benefits may be greatest for pregnant women at highest risk from COVID-19, such as frontline health workers, people living in areas of high transmission, and those with health conditions like hypertension and diabetes that add to their risk of severe disease.

“Pregnant women who are older, overweight, or have pre-existing medical conditions are at particular risk of serious outcomes of COVID-19.”

New deaths, cases

With seven new COVID-19 deaths as of Tuesday, Guyana is now facing a death toll of 654. For the first week in September, 29 persons have died.

All seven persons were from Region Four and include an 84-year-old female, a 73-year-old female, a 62-year-old male, a 31-yearold female and a 43-year-old female – all of whom died on Monday. On Tuesday, two females: an 87-year-old and an 88-year-old also succumbed.

Meanwhile, the daily dashboard showed an increase of 161 cases, resulting in a total 26,772 cases.

Some 12,893 males contracted the virus as opposed to 13,879 females.

There are 37 persons in the specialised Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 136 in institutional isolation, 2249

in home isolation and eight in institutional quarantine.

The number of recoveries now stands at 23,696.

Regionally, there was one new case in Region One (Barima-Waini), 19 in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 56 in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), 144 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), 20 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), six in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), four in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), three in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), two in Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) and seven in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures which emphasise the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene.

Banking institutions

The Guyana Association

FROM PAGE 12

of Bankers on Tuesday said that the financial institutions will soon be complying with the new COVID-19 measure, which stipulates that all persons must show proof of vaccination to gain entry into all public buildings along with compliance to other measures such as using face masks and sanitisation. Unvaccinated persons will be required to make appointments and produce a negative molecular biological PCR test result obtained as recent as seven days before the appointment.

The requirement previously applied to only Government buildings or agencies. However, the updated protocol extended public buildings to refer to any building to which the public has lawful access including both publicly and privately-owned buildings such as institutions of learning.

Several financial institutions have already issued notices to their customers informing of the new requirements.

The Emergency Measures (No 22) run until September 30, 2021, and could be extended further.

The negative PCR test requirement, which can only be obtained from laboratories approved by the Health Ministry, also applies to unvaccinated workers of any such public building.

15 Ramsammy’s Ruminations ExxonMobil plans to start 12Heritage Month provides for well Canje drilling campaign NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

reflection on political parties’ attitude to Amerindians

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hile President Irfaan Ali was outlining ambitious plans to lift Amerindian communities across Guyana to new heights, a veteran PNC politician, one who was among the leaders in the dictatorship between 1964 and 1992, Hamilton Green, decided to castigate Amerindian leaders and others in Guyana who, on one hand, praise the PPP Government for pushing Amerindian development, and, on the other hand, condemn the PNC for always abandoning the Amerindian people. Greene seemed peeved people see the PNC as a political party that worked assiduously to leave the Amerindian people behind.

In a letter published in the media, Green spoke about things the PNC did for the Amerindian people. In his missive, he was able to name only one thing he considered as something worthy of a Government or a political party with more than 30 years of being in government (1964 1992 and 2015 - 2020).

He referred to the Burnham Dr Leslie Ramsammy Government’s change in the name of the Atkinson International Airport to Timehri International Airport after Independence. He took pains to remind people that, after 1997, the PPP removed the Amerindian name of Timehri, renaming the airport the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri. He left out the last two words.

If, after serving more than three decades in Government, one of the leaders in that Government, who served as Prime Minister for almost a decade, can name only one accomplishment, and that accomplishment is a name change for an airport, that in itself is a terrible indictment. The facts speak for themselves. The PNC, in control of governments between 1964 and 1992 and again between 2015 and 2020, abandoned the Amerindian people, and for the vast majority of the Amerindian people, they know it, feel it, see it.

But Green’s letter claiming how the PNC transformed the lives of Amerindians by naming the airport in tribute to Amerindian culture appeared in the papers in September, and it did not dawn on him that September is Heritage Month, with Guyana embracing and paying tribute to our Amerindian sisters and brothers, and using this month not only to underline the legacy of Amerindians in the history of Guyana, but to outline how we continue to transform the lives of our First People.

It was President Cheddi Jagan who took the initiative under a PPP Government to name September as Amerindian Heritage Month, and September 10 as a day when the nation, not just the Amerindian people, recognise the contributions of Stephen Campbell, a former MP under the United Force.

As part of Guyana’s Independence, one of the conditions enshrined in the agreement for Britain granting Independence to Guyana was that the sovereign Government would legislate rights for the Amerindian people, including titles to their lands. Green never mentioned that the PNC Government took more than 10 years before enacting that legislation in 1976.

The legislation did, in fact, include provision for titling of Amerindian lands, but by 1992, titling of Amerindian lands was still in the dustbin. It was the PPP Government that expanded the rights of Amerindian people and provided for greater national input by the Amerindian people with a new Amerindian Act. In that new Amerindian Act, land titling was clearly identified as a priority, and under several projects, including the Norway Carbon Credit Program under the Low Carbon Development. By 2015, the PPP Government had titled dozens of Amerindian villages.

Green needs to inform people why his party virtually terminated the titling of Amerindian lands in 2015, and why no titling was done between 2015 and 2020.

Greene must explain why, in 2016, President Granger justified the deferral of Amerindian land titling because he established a land commission to look into the claims by other groups, which, among other things, claimed ancestral land rights and, incredibly, questioned whether Amerindians were the First People, and one PNC MP deemed the Amerindian people greedy.

But it is not only land titling rights that were taken away from Amerindian communities, the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) came to a virtual end under the PNC-led coalition. Under the LCDS, billions were allocated by the PPP Government for the ADF. This was ended by the PNC-led coalition Government.

As part of the collateral damage, almost 2,000 young Amerindians employed as Community Liaison Officers were fired by the Grangerled Government. The PPP Government has begun to re-employ young Amerindians in a resuscitated Community Service Officers Programme. In addition, the ADF Fund has been resuscitated.

New roads, upgraded airstrips, new economic opportunities, better health and education have been brought to Amerindian communities by the PPP Government before 2015, and since August 2020. There are now hundreds of Amerindian teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers and other professionals, and virtually all of them came from programmes developed and implemented by the PPP Government.

New secondary schools, new hospitals, new housing and even industrial estates dot Amerindian communities. Potable water, better transportation, internet and data services are reaching more people. The PPP has reached into every Amerindian community, every Amerindian home, and brought a better living standard for Indigenous sisters and brothers. It is the reason why, by far, the PPP is the most popular and largest political party among Amerindians.

…project exempted from Environmental Impact Assessment

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il giant ExxonMobil had a prolific drilling campaign in 2021, but based on the project summary it has submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the oil company is planning to start a 12well exploration and appraisal campaign next year in the Canje Block.

According to the project summary submitted by ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), drilling once approved will begin early next year and continue until 2025.

“The same or similar support vessels that are being used to support current exploration and development drilling activities in the Stabroek Block will be used to support the drilling of the additional 12 exploration wells in the Canje Block,” the project summary stated.

“The Project is planned to begin by 1Q2022. If a discovery is made, a well test may be performed. Conclusion of the proposed drilling project is expected by 1Q2025. Operations and activities in the Canje block will continue to be performed under the terms of the Petroleum Agreements, Licenses and relevant permits,” it added.

Exxon, the summary noted, currently has six drill ships operating offshore; the Stena Carron and DrillMAX, the Noble Bob Douglas, Tom Madden, Don Taylor and the Noble Sam Croft. The summary noted that the wells could be drilled by any of these drill ships which are fully equipped for such drilling operations.

“Once exploration drilling activity is completed, each well will be plugged and abandoned. Cement will be used to secure the well casing and isolate the wellbore from the formation. A cement plug will also be set near the surface to cap the well.”

“Notice of the intent to abandon each well and the specific techniques to be used will be provided to the EPA and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) initially in the presentation of the ITD, receipt of prior consent in the form of no-objection and then in greater detail in the Well Specific Drilling Program (WSDP) for each exploration well,” the summary stated.

No objection

Meanwhile, the EPA has since announced its determination that the project would not significantly impact the environment and as such, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not necessary.

“In accordance with Section 11(2) of the Environmental Protection Act, Cap 20:05, Laws of Guyana, the application for the project listed above has been screened by the Agency.

The Agency determined that

The Canje Block

the project will not significantly affect the environment and is therefore, exempt from the requirement of an EIA, in accordance with Section 11(2) of the Environmental Protection Act, Cap 20:05.”

“This decision is in no way an indication of approval of the project. Notwithstanding this decision, in the interest of sound environmental management, the Agency will require the preparation and submission of an Environmental Assessment and Management Plan (EAMP) for the project.”

According to the EPA, the EAMP will assess specific issues and impacts identified during screening.

Additionally, EPA said that specific mitigation measures

to ensure that the proposed project can be implemented in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner will be addressed.

Based on information put out by Westmount Energy, an indirect partner in the block, the Canje Block could hold as much as 10 billion barrels of oil in total. ExxonMobil, the operator, had previously drilled the Jabillo-1 well in the Canje Block offshore Guyana almost simultaneously with its other wells.

But in July it was announced that no evidence was found of oil in commercial quantities. It was announced that the Jabillo-1 well, which was drilled to a depth of 6475 metres, was found not to

have commercially viable oil.

As a consequence, it was announced that the well would be plugged and abandoned.

It had been reported in March that Exxon was engaged in drilling the Jabillo-1, using the Stena Carron drill ship, between March 10 and March 27. The Stena Carron, after drilling the Jabillo-1 well and maintenance activities, was scheduled to resume drilling on the Koebi-1 well.

The Jabillo-1 well happens to be the second of three exploration wells Exxon had scheduled for drilling in the Canje Block in 2021. The other two are the Bulletwood-1 well and the Sapote-1 well. Like Jabillo, Bulletwood-1 had also come up dry. (G3)

16 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Over $285M in contracts inked for AnnaiLethem, Black Bush Polder roads

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he Public Works Ministry on Tuesday signed several contracts for maintenance works on the Annai-Lethem Road in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), along with two lots of the Black Bush Polder main access road in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The Annai-Lethem Road will be constructed to a tune of $89.9 million while the two lots for the Black Bush Polder main access road will be constructed to a tune of $195.5 million.

The 160-kilometre AnnaiLethem Road in Region Nine was awarded to JR Ranch Inc, while the Black Bush Polder main access, Mibicuri and Johana roads were awarded to SAWA Investments and CASCON Engineering, respectively, with the duration for completion of these contracts being three and seven months, respectively.

During a simple signing ceremony at the boardroom of the Public Works Ministry, Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar stated that a new building approach will be taken since the maintenance structure of the road previously is no longer sustainable.

“The contract for the maintenance of this particular stretch was a grade and shape arrangement. So, after you grade and you shape there’s nothing (left) to grade anymore, so you end up on the base of the road…that was not a sustainable way of doing that particular stretch of road.”

The Minister stated that

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat along with Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar and contractors share a photo following the signing on Tuesday

some 39,000 cubic metres of laterite will be used to rebuild the subsurface of the road.

Indar also spoke on the Linden to Mabura section of the road, saying that the pre-qualification for the bidders is at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for no objection and by the end of this year they should be able to sign that contract.

Additionally, a committee led by the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Nine, Karl Singh, will be put in place to monitor the works being done.

The committee to monitor the works was decided on during a visit made to the region by President Dr Irfaan Ali, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and several other Cabinet members last Saturday, who met with members of the business community. These members highlighted that they

would like to see a system in place that would allow for the monitoring of works that would have been contracted, not just for the Annai-Lethem Road, but also future contractual works to come.

This committee will comprise of a representative from the Public Works Ministry, a representative from the Mayor’s office in Lethem, and a representative from the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This team will be tasked with monitoring works done in the region.

Linking Guyana to Brazil

Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat in his remarks stated that there are three important sections of the road that will be linking Guyana to Brazil. These three sections are Linden-Mabura, MaburaAnnai, and Annai-Lethem.

The Minister shared that maintenance works for the Mabura-Annai stretch is being done by the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) through the Natural Resources Ministry.

“Our Government is pursuing a highway – continuation of a highway from the Linden-Mabura section. I think we are a far way ahead with that process and which may be concluded sometime soon and we may start work sometime next year,” Minister Bharrat stated.

“Early next year we will see that section of the road being converted into a highway. That is in keeping with our promise that we intend

to link Guyana to Brazil so that it can boost economic activities not only along that corridor but between the two countries.”

The Minister noted that Brazil can be easily serviced

by Guyana as long as there is proper infrastructure or a good road network.

Only in July, President Ali during the Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR (officially translated to mean Southern Common Market) through a virtual meeting spoke of cooperation on infrastructural projects between Guyana and Brazil, which included the Guyana to Brazil road link that is set to start construction next year.

APNU/AFC MP throws support behind COVID-19 vaccination programme …says vaccines are a “powerful and protective health tool”

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a r l i a m e n t a ry Opposition, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition has supported the move to use COVID-19 vaccines, regarding them as the most effective tool to exit this deadly pandemic.

Shadow Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings in a statement said that the vaccines are effective in preventing serious infections and deaths.

This is even more important with the rise of deadlier

variants, and she expressed that it is Government’s responsibility to make these shots available.

“We in the APNU/AFC coalition continue to reiterate that vaccines provide a powerful and effective public health tool to prevent serious infections, hospitalisations and deaths. We restate that the PPP regime must ensure that vaccines are accessible to every Guyanese…

This Delta variant seems to be the predominant variant of concern owing to how easily it is transmitted,” said

Shadow Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings

Cummings.

Guyana currently has enough vaccines for the adult and adolescent population and the Health Ministry has been encouraging persons to visit the various vaccine sites to get immunised.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

17 BCCI workers protest for better working conditions, salaries NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…management to address matters shortly

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orkers attached to the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BCCI) operators of the Berbice River Bridge staged a protest on Tuesday calling for better working conditions, improved salary scale and the removal of the company’s General Manager.

However, the protest did not affect operations of the bridge as the workers said the intention was not to disrupt the service but to get management to address their concerns.

The workers told the media on Tuesday that the issue of salaries has been on the table for more than one year as some work-

ers are paid at a rate of $55,000 monthly, which is below the minimum wage.

The workers are being backed by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and according to their representative, Parmanand Mattoo, the decision to protest was taken on Monday after the Union and management could not reach an agreement as it relates to the issuance of protective gear in a timely manner.

“There was an incident where one of the guys from maintenance, his safety boots got a hole while he was on the bridge work and the boots start to take in water and his socks and the

whole boot got soaked inside.”

Mattoo said they were informed by management that the worker had already been issued one pair of boots for the year and would not be issued with another one.

Asked whether this had always been the practice, the workers’ representative told the media that it was the first time that this information was passed to workers.

In fact, he said over the past three years he has been working with the company, workers had their boots replaced as soon as there is a need. He explained that the only delay would be if the

APNU/AFC MP throws support...

FROM PAGE 16

The Opposition has been giving mixed signals since the start of the Government’s vaccination campaign, and only recently, an APNU/ AFC Member of Parliament told a conference that herbal remedy is the way to go in protecting against COVID-19.

Other members of the Opposition are spearheading several protests against the vaccination campaign, particularly in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

However, a majority of its senior members have taken the vaccine.

“Political mischief”

In response, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has labelled these actions as “political mischief”, aimed at tarnishing the work of the Ministry and Government.

“They are just a bunch of people who are trying to make political mischief. You have some anti-vaxxers in Region 10 that are clutching at anything that they can do to just tarnish the work that the staff is doing, in terms of vaccination and managing COVID-19. Unfortunately, this type of political mischief would create a lot of hesitancy in people’s mind and if they don’t get vaccinated, they would be at a higher risk of getting infection, getting sick and some persons will die,” said Dr Anthony on Monday.

He went on to add that the current pandemic requires collaborative effort between stakeholders, if the common intention is to keep people safe.

“It’s unfortunate that an issue where we should all have a common purpose in

keeping people safe, keeping people protected, that this is now being used as an occasion to have and to spread political mischief. I would urge persons who are doing so to desist from doing that.”

Over the last week, 10 persons were hospitalised in Region 10 – which continues to lag behind in the vaccine campaign. The Minister said there is adequate resources at the regional hospital complex to handle infections.

“They have now been discharged because they’re feeling much better. We have adequate medication, equipment, oxygen and all those things to manage those patients. If they become more critical, then we move them from that hospital across to the Ocean View facility and that’s what we have been doing.” (G12)

The workers protesting without disrupting the free flow of traffic at the bridge

stores do not have the required size.

The workers said that all of their personal protective equipment (PPE) including footwear remain at the work site when they leave for home.

Meanwhile, in a release GAWU said the picketing exercise outside of the company was calling on the management to respect the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. The workers are peeved over the management’s refusal to replace personal protective equipment (PPE) damaged during the course of their work. Attempts by the GAWU and the workers to have the BBCI replace damaged PPE have been refused bluntly by the management, the Union said.

Meanwhile, as it relates

to the salary issue, GAWU was officially told that management asked the Board to address the salary scale.

In fact, a letter which was seen by this publication and dated August 31, 2021, addressed to GAWU’s New Amsterdam office and signed by BCCI Company Secretary, referred to a meeting held on August 26, which focused on adjusting the pay scale for the period 2010 to 2020.

The letter also stated that the Board of Directors was addressing the issue.

One of the Board members, Fizal Jaffarally, told the media, “After listening to the workers, I am satisfied that some of the concerns are really genuine.”

Jaffarally said after discussion with the workers, it was agreed that they will

all return to work. It was requested that they document all of their issues and present same to him by Thursday.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Public Affairs Consultant Kit Nascimento said the reasons for the strike were not brought to management. He referred to the strike as illegal.

Nascimento said the Union had not approached management on any of the issues raised by workers.

“There was no formal or informal approach by GAWU to the company,” he said, adding that the workers have not provided management with a list of grievances. Nevertheless, management has undertaken to have all of their concerns addressed within the shortest possible time. (G4)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

News

GTU’s call for teachers to strike uncaring, unconscionable, irresponsible – Education Ministry

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he Education Ministry on Tuesday evening has described the call by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) for teachers to strike as uncaring and unconscionable, and has condemned the action as irresponsible “and not reflective of the realities of the present state of the COVID-19 pandemic nor the needs of the nation’s children” ,=.

On Tuesday, the GTU issued a notice to teachers entitled “Boots on de ground”, calling for them to protest

in front of the Education Ministry’s Brickdam office on September 8, 9, and 10.

In a statement following the notice, the Education Ministry said that children have been home from school for over 17 months and despite the world’s best efforts, there has been a well-chronicled resultant loss of learning and school-leaving.

“Here in Guyana, we have evidence of significant learning loss and drop-outs at every level, with more than 600 drop-outs recorded at

the primary level alone. We are working assiduously to arrest this situation and reverse this reality for our children who have already fallen victim to these phenomena.

We want all of our children engaged and in school and are working towards achieving this safely. There is no mandatory requirement for children to be vaccinated to return to classrooms,” the Ministry said.

It noted that teachers have been accorded the status of a most valuable re-

source, and teachers were paid their full salary and benefits throughout the 17 months.

According to the Education Ministry, there were no salary cuts nor layoffs as in so many other countries.

“Vaccination of teachers is not mandatory and there are clear guidelines issued for those who do not want to be inoculated – all of this to keep teachers, their families, and our children safe.

The Government of Guyana

has spared no effort to make vaccines available to every member of the public and return the country to a state of normalcy. Multiple types and brands of vaccines are still available and easily accessible to all Guyanese,” the Ministry said.

It added that it was adamant that there was no grievance/basis for strike action and urged all teachers, parents, and administrators not to fall prey to the “political machinations of Coretta McDonald and the small ca-

bal of self-serving individuals who have hijacked the Guyana Teachers Union.

The Ministry reminds all that teachers who do not work do not get paid.”

The Ministry also called upon the teachers to reject the “unconscionable call of the GTU, Coretta McDonald, and her political cohorts in favour of serving the children of our nation and advancing their education and socialisation as we exit this pandemic and reclaim our lives.”

Brazil on edge as Bolsonaro Mexico decriminalises supporters march on Congress abortion in landmark ruling

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olice were out in force in Brazil’s capital Brasilia on Tuesday, after supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro answered his calls to rally.

Extra officers were deployed to guard the Supreme Court, following warnings that Bolsonaro’s supporters might try to storm the building, leading to scenes similar to those that played out on January 6 in Washington DC, when supporters of President Donald Trump surged past barricades into the US Capitol .

It comes after the President accused the Supreme Court and Congress of blocking his reforms.

Critics say he wants to put on a show of strength amid plummeting ratings.

One recent opinion poll gave former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a nine-percentage point lead over Bolsonaro in the first round of voting.

While elections are not due to be held until October 2022, Bolsonaro’s approval ratings have also dropped to an all-time low.

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Police have erected a cordon around key institutions in Brasilia

A poll by the Atlas Institute suggested that 61 per cent of Brazilians described his Government’s performance as bad or very bad, up from 23 per cent when he first took office in January 2019.

Bolsonaro has responded by lashing out at the Supreme Court Justices.

He tried to have one of them impeached after the Justice launched two investigations against him.

He has also tried to blame the Supreme Court for his Government’s slow response to the Covid pan-

demic, falsely alleging that the court prevented him from taking quick action to curb the spread of the virus.

Tens of thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters responded to his call to rally in Brasilia on the country’s independence day on Tuesday.

In the early hours, some broke through a police cordon protecting the Supreme Court, but they failed to surround the building as they had apparently planned. (Excerpt from BBC News)

T&T: Thousands without water after Point Lisas plant shutdown

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housands were left without water, or low water pressure as the Point Lisas desalination plant had to be shut down after experiencing “raw water quality issues” on Tuesday.

The plant owned and run by the Desalination Company of TT (Desalcott) supplies WASA with 40 million gallons of water a day.

Customers in parts of central, south and west Trinidad have been affected.

In a release sent to the media on Tuesday, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) said a

limited truckborne water service will be available, with priority given to special homes, health care and Government institutions.

The release said, “Desalcott has indicated that they are currently experiencing poor raw water quality issues, causing operations at the facility to be stopped…The authority is in constant communication with the company and will provide a further update on when the plant will return to service, as soon as this information becomes available.”

Desalcott couldn’t say exactly when the plant

would return to full operation, and could only confirm that it may take up to 48 hours for the water supply to normalise after the plant has been restored.

WASA Chairman Ravindra Nanga told Newsday everything possible was being done to mitigate all issues arising from the shutdown.

He said, “(We are) increasing our supply at the different water treatment plants as well as putting truckborne water supply into effect in order to lessen the impact of the shutdown of the plant.”

(Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

exico’s Supreme Court has ruled that criminal penalties for terminating pregnancies are unconstitutional.

The ruling, for the northern state of Coahuila, prevents women from being prosecuted for getting an abortion.

Abortion is currently severely restricted in all but four of the country’s states.

Supreme Court Justice Luis Maria Aguilar described the move as a “historic step for the rights of women”.

On Tuesday, the court ordered the state of Coahuila to remove sanctions for abortion from its criminal code.

The decision could pave the way for the decriminalisation of abortions across the country.

Currently, abortion is only legal in a handful of states, except in cases of rape or where the mother’s life is in danger.

A judicial source said the ruling will affect the whole of Mexico, allowing women in states where abortion is criminalised to undergo the procedure with a judge’s order.

The Information Group on Reproductive Choice (GIRE), which campaigns for abortion rights, described the decision as “historic”.

“We hope that throughout the country women and people with the abili-

ty to carry a child have the conditions and freedom to determine their reproductive destiny,” it said.

Coahuila borders the US state of Texas, where the Supreme Court allowed a state law banning all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The ruling could open up avenues for people from Texas seeking legal abortions.

The decision to decriminalise abortion in what is Latin America’s second largest Catholic nation might appear surprising.

However, the debate in Mexico has been gradually moving towards removing the illegality for some time. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Mottley calls for change to concessionary finance rules

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arbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley reiterated a call for a new paradigm to deal with the changing global situation as the developing countries continue to fight the battle for access to concessionary financing “that is affordable and is capable of being the platform for our development”.

She was speaking on Tuesday morning during the first-ever virtual AfricaCaribbean Community (Caricom) summit.

“Because at the end of the day when a country like Ghana and a country like Greece go to the international capital market, how do we explain them having the same international credit ratings, but Ghana having to borrow at multiple times more than the costs at which Greece borrows at.

“Simply because Greece belongs to the European Union and the international financial community val-

ues the definition of safe passage which are within the European Union in a way that Africa and the Caribbean do not have access to these same assets.

I hope we will continue to work together to reverse these fortunes”.

Mottley said that she was also comforted by recent meetings with Finance Ministers from Africa “who like us recognise that we have to spend time to do the heavy lifting and to create the definitions that will allow for a level playing field with respect to the cost of borrowing in our region”.

The Prime Minister also said that it was important for both Africa and the Caribbean to be fully represented at the upcoming United Nations conference marking the 20th anniversary of 2001 UN World Conference against racism.

She said at that conference held in Durban, all the countries of the world

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley

“with the exception of a handful of Western countries agreed that the time had come for us to start to discuss reparation.

The summit ended with an acknowledgement of the need for closer socio-economic relations as well as establishing the infrastructure that would allow for the greater movement of people from the two regions towards each other.

(Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

19

Around the world Taliban announces new OIL NEWS OILNEWS Government in Afghanistan

US oil losses from Hurricane Ida rank among worst in 16 years

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urricane Ida’s damage to US offshore energy production makes it one of the most costly since backto-back storms in 2005 cut output for months, according to the latest data and historical records.

Ida’s 150 mile-per-hour (240 kph) winds cut most offshore oil and gas production for more than a week and damaged platforms and onshore support facilities. About 79 per cent of the region’s offshore oil production remains shut and 79 production platforms are unoccupied after the storm made landfall on Aug 29.

Some 17.5 million barrels of oil have been lost to the market to date, with shutdowns expected to continue for weeks. Ida could reduce total US production by as much as 30 million barrels this year, according to energy analysts.

Offshore US Gulf of Mexico wells produce about 1.8 million barrels of oil per day, 16 per cent of the daily US total.

“There could be volumes that are offline for a considerable amount of time,” said Facts Global Energy (FGE) consultant Krista Kuhl. “It’s just too early to tell.”

The losses are reducing US exports at a time when oil prices are trading at about US$70 a barrel because of continued curbs by producing-nations group OPEC and market expectations for demand.

At least 78 per cent of Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas were offline on Tuesday, nine days after Ida hit the Gulf Coast, causing wind and water damages to platforms and refineries, Government data showed.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 remain the worst hit to Gulf Coast energy facilities. The back-toback storms caused production losses that continued for months, removing about 162 million barrels of oil over three months, FGE said.

Production in the US Gulf of Mexico that year dropped 12.6 per cent, to 1.28 million barrels per day (bpd), from the prior year, according to data for the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Total US oil production fell 4.7 per cent, EIA data showed.

Restoring output after Ida will hinge on the time needed to repair a key offshore oil and gas transfer facility.

Royal Dutch Shell on Monday said it continued to assess damage to its West Delta-143 offshore platform, which transfers about 200,000 barrels of oil and gas per day from three offshore oil fields.

A group of thunderstorms in the south-central Gulf of Mexico was expected to move northeast. The storms have a 30 per cent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next two days, the National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday. (Excerpt from Reuters)

17 people, most with COVID-19, die in flooding of Mexican hospital

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evere flooding led to the deaths of 17 people, most of whom had COVID-19, at a hospital in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo after torrential rains caused the River Tula to burst its banks, authorities said on Tuesday.

More than 40 other patients in the public hospital in the town of Tula were evacuated by emergency service workers, and an initial assessment showed about 2000 houses had flood damage, the Mexican Government said in a statement.

Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayad told local media that 15 or 16 out of the 17 fatalities were COVID-19 patients. The media said

the deaths occurred when flooding caused by days of rain knocked out electricity at the hospital.

In pictures shared by Fayad on social media, desperate nurses were pushing beds out of the hospital to try to bring patients to safety. Some nurses were up to their knees in water.

Video footage also showed how patients, some of them intubated, were moved out into speedboats.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Twitter urged residents at risk to seek out shelters, areas of higher ground or to go to friends or relatives.

“A lot of rain has fallen in the Valley of Mexico and it will keep raining,” he said.

(Reuters)

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he Taliban has appointed Mohammad Hasan Akhund, a close aide to the group’s late founder Mullah Omar, as head of Afghanistan’s new caretaker Government, weeks after it took control of the country in a rapid offensive.

The list of Cabinet members announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday was dominated by members of the group’s old guard, with no women included.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban’s political office, will be the deputy leader while Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the founder of the Haqqani Network, has been named as Interior Minister.

Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of Mullah Omar, has been named as Defence Minister.

Mohammad Hasan Akhund has been announced as the leader of the new acting Government in Afghanistan on September 7, 2021

Hedayatullah Badri will be the acting Minister of Finance, while Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban negotiator in Doha, was named Foreign Minister.

“The Islamic Emirate decided to appoint and announce a caretaker Cabinet to carry out the neces-

sary Government works,” said Mujahid, who named 33 members of “the new Islamic Government” and said the remaining posts will be announced after careful deliberation.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital, Doha, Mujahid stressed the

Cabinet was an “acting” Government and that the group will “try to take people from other parts of the country”.

Akhund, the acting Prime Minister, is on a United Nations sanctions list.

Hailing from Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, Akhund was previously the Foreign Minister and then Deputy Prime Minister during the group’s last stint in power from 1996 to 2001.

He is the long-time chief of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body Rehbari Shura, or leadership council.

Haqqani, the new Interior Minister, is the son of the founder of the Haqqani network, designated as a “terrorist” organisation by the United States. He is one of the FBI’s most wanted men.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

UK PM Johnson raises taxes to Guinea coup makers name army tackle health and social care crisis governors, promise “unity” Govt

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ritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out plans on Tuesday to raise taxes on workers, employers and some investors to try to fix a health and social care funding crisis, angering some in his governing party by breaking election promises.

After spending huge amounts of money to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson is returning to an election pledge to address Britain’s creaking social care system, where costs are projected to double as the population ages over the next two decades.

He also moved to try to tackle a backlog in Britain’s health system, which has seen millions waiting months for treatment from the state-run National Health Service, after resources were refocused to deal with COVID-19.

“It would be wrong for me to say that we can pay for this recovery without taking the difficult but responsible decisions about how we finance it,” Johnson told Parliament.

“It would be irresponsible to meet the costs from higher borrowing and higher debt,” he said, outlining increases that broke a promise made in his Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto not to raise such levies to fund social care.

British politicians have tried for years to find a way to pay for social care, though successive Conservative and Labour Prime Ministers have ducked the issue because they feared it would anger voters and their own parties.

Ignoring disquiet in his party, Johnson outlined what he described as a new health and social care levy that will see the rate of National Insurance payroll taxes paid by both workers and employers rise by 1.25 percentage points, with the same increase also applied to the tax on shareholder dividends.

He said the increases would raise 36 billion pounds ($50 billion) over three years. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T

he soldiers who seized power in Guinea during the weekend have consolidated their takeover with the installation of army officers at the top of Guinea’s eight regions and various administrative districts.

West African countries have threatened sanctions following the overthrow of President Alpha Conde, who was serving a third term after altering the Constitution to permit it, which his opponents said was illegal.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc will hold a virtual extraordinary summit to discuss the situation today.

Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former officer in the French Foreign Legion, has promised a “new era for governance and economic development”. But he has not yet explained exactly what this will entail, or given a timeframe.

“The Government to be installed will be that of national unity and will ensure this political transition,” he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

In an announcement on Monday evening, the military called on the Justice Ministry to do what it can to release “political detainees” as soon as possible. Late on Tuesday, about 20 political opponents of Conde were released from detention, AFP news agency reported.

Public discontent in Guinea had been brewing for months over a flatlining COVID-hit economy and the leadership of Conde, who became the first democratically elected President in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

Doumbouya, hours after taking power, appeared on television and accused the Government of “endemic corruption” and of “trampling on citizens’ rights”. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Texas enacts controversial voting right's overhaul

T

exas Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law an overhaul on voting rights that introduces sweeping changes to ways Texans can cast ballots.

The enactment of the Republican bill marks a bitter defeat for Democrats, who had fled the state in July in an effort to prevent it from passing.

The law includes a ban on drive-through and 24-hour polling places, and adds ID requirements to vote by

mail.

It comes amid a wave of proposed voting overhauls in Republican-led states.

At least 18 states have enacted new voting laws since the November 2020 presidential election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Republicans in Texas argue the measures are essential for election security.

There were no substantial allegations of voting fraud during elections last year in

Texas. Democrats and civil rights groups say the bill disproportionately burdens or discourages voters from ethnic minorities, as well as the elderly and disabled.

The newly banned drivethrough voting was credited with encouraging record voter turnout in the city of Houston - a region that voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 election by 13 points.

Republicans have maintained a grip on all state-

wide offices there for three decades, and Texas had some of the most restrictive voting measures in the US even before this bill.

Three federal lawsuits have already been filed in an effort to block the bill from taking effect. Minority rights groups and disability advocates argue that the Texas law violates the federal Voting Rights Act by intentionally discriminating against minority voters.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Make plans that will allow more time to work alongside people who value what you have to offer. A commitment will help stabilize your life. Romance is encouraged.

Focus on what interests you and how best to use your skills to accommodate your dreams. Refuse to let stubbornness or challenges stand between you and what you want to achieve.

Learn from experience, and don’t reveal your intentions.

Network and attend seminars that will give you a platform to show off what you know and can do, and you will outshine anyone who challenges you.

Ignore negativity, take charge of your happiness and distance yourself from anyone who says or does something to disrupt your life. Make personal growth and physical improvement your priorities.

Study the economic changes taking place, and adjust the way you handle your financial affairs. Keep up with the trends, and position yourself to step in as others become dinosaurs.

Choose intelligence, and you’ll maintain a dependable reputation. Ensure the work you do represents what you are trying to accomplish and you’ll get the results you want.

A trip down memory lane will confirm your thoughts regarding home, lifestyle, health and happiness. Take action to ensure that you do what you can to uncover every option available to you.

Stand up for your rights, and make your voice heard.

Participate in events that offer insight into what’s possible. Make the most of your time and effort.

SAGITTARIUS Dissect what others do (Nov. 23and say, and you’ll realize Dec. 21) you have just as much to offer. Focus on getting ahead, outmaneuvering the competition and doing your best.

Romance is favored.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

You’ll face opposition that will be difficult to beat if you haven’t done your homework. Don’t share too much. Home improvements and financial maneuvers are in your best interest.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Move forward in secrecy until you feel fully prepared to disclose your intentions.

A financial gain looks promising. Handle loved ones with care and compassion.

Romance is encouraged.

PISCES

Look at logistics, then make a smart move. Keep your expenses down, and pay attention to what’s important to you. A change in direction will give you the boost you need.

(Feb. 20March 20)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

21

Fearless Tim David making a mark, with IPL his next stop

and power-hitting ability will stand him in good stead if an opportunity comes his way.

In 2021 D a v i d p l a y e d s t a n d out hands for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, before heading to Surrey, where he dominated the Royal London Cup, culminating in a call-up to Southern Brave in The Hundred. A crucial cameo of 15 off 6 balls and a brilliant direct hit from the boundary to run out Liam Livingstone helped Brave take the title.

And he is now taking the CPL by storm for St Lucia Kings, just weeks after securing his first IPL deal as a replacement player at RCB. Griffith believes David is a rare talent that will only get better being in the RCB environment.

Tim David has brought his hitting to leagues around the world

T

i m David has had a meteoric rise over the past two years. He went from a fringe player with Perth Scorchers in Western Australia to an Associate star with Singapore, and is now being snapped up

by T20 leagues around the world, which will shortly include the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

There will be a familiar face in the RCB set-up when David arrives with their assistant coach Adam Griffith being in charge of Hobart Hurricanes, where he now plays in the BBL. Griffith is confident David's fearless approach

"He's got no fear," Griffith told ESPNCricinfo.

"I was watching the Caribbean Premier League the other day. The second ball he faced in the competition he smacked someone over cover for six.

He watches the ball really hard. He doesn't lift his head when he hits it, because he knows he's got the power to do what he needs to do. I think that's a big part of his success.

“And he's starting to get a reputation, and once people start to get a reputation, bowlers start to tighten a little bit, and that's part of it as well.

"I hope he learns a lot of things. He will be able to watch AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli bat at training, and how they prepare, and all our batting group, Glenn Maxwell as well," said Griffith.

Much has been made of David's performances for Singapore, having been born there, but he is eligible to play for Australia under ICC rules.

He spent most of his life in Australia, but as Eoin Morgan and others have done, players can move

from Associate nations to represent Full Member nations without serving the three-year period required of other moves.

David grew up in Perth, and attended Scotch College, where Australia's Test allrounder Cameron Green was just three years his junior. He dominated club cricket in Perth for Claremont-Nedlands, and was briefly a contracted player with Western Australia, making a century for their 2nd XI. But opportunities did not eventuate in Australia's traditional domestic cricket pathway, and he has turned himself into a T20 gun for hire, working on his batting in more recent times with former Somerset allrounder and Claremont-Nedlands coach Jim Allenby.

David was not seriously considered for Australia's T20 World Cup squad, but he is a player the hierarchy is keeping an eye on to fill a T20 role that has long been a hole in Australia's line-up.

"I think one of the biggest things for Tim is the role that he plays in every

team he plays in," Griffith said. "He wants to bat in that middle-order role, and that finishing role. It's the age-old talk, it's been a conversation for years that all the top-order batters make all the runs, so they get picked to bat in all these roles throughout the team.

"But Tim wants to bat in the middle, he wants to bat at the end. He wants to be the guy that finishes the innings and smacks the ball out of the ground.

So, I think that's a huge part of his game. He's actually a batter as well, though. He's not just a guy that goes in and slogs. He's a batter. He can hit the ball over cover, he can hit it over point, he just hits it so hard and hit's it so clean."

Griffith hopes the experience in the IPL will only add to David's repertoire. His opportunities could be limited for RCB, given their plethora of overseas middle-order players, including de Villiers, Maxwell, and Dan Christian. But the opportunity alone to watch and speak to some of the best

finishers in the world is worth the trip.

"One of the things over here that guys like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya do, their ability when they get towards the back of an innings, not to panic, and understand how many sixes they need to hit in the remaining balls to win the game, or how many boundaries, or what's the scenario; and then they actually calm themselves because they know they've got the ability to do that," Griffith said.

"Tim has the ability to do that. So, it's probably more engaging him in his thought process around, 'How do I plan this innings? What do I have to do over the next 20 balls to win the game for my team, or set a target that helps us win the game?'

"What he'll see is a lot of players talking about how they approach it, and they all approach it completely differently; and hopefully he takes bits and pieces out that matches up with his game, that will make him better."

(ESPNCricinfo)

Lee’s unbeaten 91 hands South Africa 1st ODI in low-scoring encounter SCOREBOARD

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he first ODI in South Africa Women’s Tour of the West Indies saw South Africa take command in the first game by 8 wickets at the Coolidge cricket ground.

Batting first, the Windies women posted 153 all out in 46.3 overs. Their form in the T20 series rolled over in to the longer format, hence their poor performance. They struggled from the get go, losing both openers with the score on 11-2. Britney Cooper looked well set on 25, but she retired hurt; however, this brought the likes of Deandra Dottin (38) and Kycia Knight 39) to the crease. The pair held together their unit, but after they fell, no other player could score over the 9-run mark.

Bowling for South Africa were Dane Van Niekerk with

Lizelle Lee scored an unbeaten 91

2-10, Tumi Sekhukhune with 2-32 and Ayabonga Khaka with 2-17. Chipping in with one wicket each were Marizanne Kapp and Sune Luus.

Needing a simple target of 154 for victory, South Africa chased the total down in 39.3 overs, ending on 1572. Leading the charge for the South Africans were Lizelle Lee, who remained unbeaten on 91, and Laura Wolvaardt, with 36. The Windies women had no answer for such a dominant display of batting. Qiana Joseph took 1-26 and Anisa Mohammed took 1-31 as the only ones to make a break through.

The next ODI continues on Friday, September 10, 2021 and commences at 10:00 hrs.

WEST INDIES WOMEN INNINGS (50 OVERS MAXIMUM) Hayley Matthews c Lee b Sekhukhune 4 Kyshona Knight b Kapp 5 Britney Cooper retired hurt 25 Deandra Dottin c du Preez b Luus 38 Kycia Knight † run out (du Preez) 39 Chedean Nation lbw b van Niekerk 5 Chinelle Henry lbw b van Niekerk 4 Anisa Mohammed (c) b Khaka 1 Aaliyah Alleyne c Ismail b Sekhukhune 5 Qiana Joseph not out 6 Karishma Ramharack b Khaka 8 Extras (b 1, lb 4, nb 3, w 5) 13 TOTAL (46.4 Ov, RR: 3.27) 153 Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Kyshona Knight, 5.6 ov), 2-12 (Hayley Matthews, 9.6 ov), 3-70 (Deandra Dottin, 21.4 ov), 4-105 (Chedean Nation, 34.1 ov), 5-115 (Chinelle Henry, 36.4 ov), 6-131 (Anisa Mohammed, 40.1 ov), 7-137 (Kycia Knight, 42.3 ov), 8-139 (Aaliyah Alleyne, 43.2 ov), 9-153 (Karishma Ramharack, 46.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W

Shabnim Ismail Marizanne Kapp Ayabonga Khaka Tumi Sekhukhune Dane van Niekerk Sune Luus

4-0-14-0 7-2-22-1 7.4-3-17-2 8-1-32-2 10-1-23-2 10-0-40-1

SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN INNINGS (TARGET: 154 RUNS FROM 50 OVERS) Lizelle Lee not out 91 Laura Wolvaardt b Mohammed 36 Sune Luus lbw b Joseph 0 Dane van Niekerk (c) not out 17 Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 10) 13 TOTAL (39.3 Ov, RR: 3.97) 157/2 Did not bat: Shabnim Ismail, Mignon du Preez, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Marizanne Kapp, Lara Goodall, Trisha Chetty † Fall of wickets: 1-88 (Laura Wolvaardt, 21.4 ov), 2-89 (Sune Luus, 22.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Aaliyah Alleyne 3-0-19-0 Chinelle Henry 5-1-25-0 Hayley Matthews 8-0-19-0 Anisa Mohammed 8-1-31-1 Qiana Joseph 8-0-26-1 Deandra Dottin 2-0-12-0 Karishma Ramharack 5.3-2-22-0

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

Kieron Pollard led his side with a brilliant 39 off 18

for thumping win

…Pollard and Seifert smash 49 in the final two overs to give Knight Riders a fighting total

A

masterclass of a bowling performance saw Trinbago Knight Riders rout Jamaica Tawallahs for 92 and inflict a 75-run defeat in the process. American fast bowler Ali Khan ran the show, removing the first three batsmen while conceding just two runs in his first two overs, and finishing with figures of 4 for 6, before the spinners suffocated Tallawahs and effectively put an end to the chase before it could truly begin.

Knight Riders had put on an above-par 167 for 4 despite struggling with the bat for much of their own innings, before Tim Seifert and Kieron Pollard added 49 in the final two overs to give them momentum they would never relinquish.

Batting first, Knight Riders started cautiously, content to go along at a run a ball in

Ali Khan bagged 4-6

the powerplay without losing a wicket.

However, as the innings wore on, it became clear runs off the

spinners were hard to come by, with Imad Wasim and Veersammy Permaul allowing just 33 in their combined eight overs. They also removed Colin Munro and Leonardo Julien, while Carlos Brathwaite took care of an off-colour Lendl Simmons at the top.

The innings looked like it was stalling before Seifert came out to partner Pollard. Smashing 24 off just eight balls, Seifert helped Pollard change gear too, setting up a chase that suddenly looked extremely

stiff.

Tallawahs never really got going, mainly due to an explosive two-over spell from Ali Khan at the top. He might have been bowling in a Test match, so conventional was his line, but it kept on producing the same result.

Kennar Lewis, Haider Ali and Shamarh

rate began to rise, the batters crumbled under stifling discipline from the spinners. Sunil Narine, held back until the tenth over, took two wickets for 11 in his four, including that of Andre Russell towards the death, effectively killing the game.

Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre played their part at the top, complimenting Ali Khan by keeping things tight at the other end, while Tallawahs' belief of chasing the total down diminished rapidly. In the end, both innings illustrated the importance of tight spin bowling, but Knight Riders' ability to keep their powder dry by having wickets at the end to play with, and an Sunil Narine was impressive with 2-11

explosive final two overs with the bat, had made all the d i f fe r e n c e .

(ESPNCricinfo)

Brooks all nicked off to length balls shaping away, and as the asking

Tim Siefert supported with an unbeaten 24 off 8 balls

SCOREBOARD

TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Lendl Simmons c & b Brathwaite 42 Leonardo Julien c Brooks b Permaul 17 Colin Munro st †Lewis b Imad Wasim 14 Kieron Pollard (c) not out 39 Darren Bravo c Imad Wasim b Pretorius 14 Tim Seifert † not out 24 Extras (b 4, lb 3, nb 1, w 9) 17 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.35) 167/4 Did not bat: Sunil Narine, Khary Pierre, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Ali Khan Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Leonardo Julien, 7.4 ov), 2-84 (Lendl Simmons, 12.6 ov), 3-86 (Colin Munro, 13.6 ov), 4-105 (Darren Bravo, 17.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Migael Pretorius 4-0-55-1 Imad Wasim 4-0-13-1 Chris Green 4-0-31-0 Veerasammy Permaul 4-0-20-1 Andre Russell 2-0-25-0 Carlos Brathwaite 2-0-16-1 JAMAICA TALLAWAHS INNINGS (TARGET: 168 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Kennar Lewis † c †Seifert b Ali Khan Haider Ali c †Seifert

7

b Ali Khan 1 Jason Mohammed b Narine 10 Shamarh Brooks c † Seifert b Ali Khan 0 Imad Wasim c Ali Khan b Rampaul 11 Rovman Powell (c) c Bravo b Pierre 22 Carlos Brathwaite c Narine b Hosein 14 Andre Russell c Bravo b Narine 1 Migael Pretorius c Bravo b Rampaul 4 Chris Green c Munro b Ali Khan 9 Veerasammy Permaul not out 0 Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 10) 13 TOTAL (18.2 Ov, RR: 5.01) 92 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Haider Ali, 1.5 ov), 2-9 (Kennar Lewis, 3.3 ov), 3-9 (Shamarh Brooks, 3.6 ov), 4-21 (Imad Wasim, 5.3 ov), 5-60 (Rovman Powell, 10.6 ov), 6-63 (Jason Mohammed, 11.6 ov), 7-75 (Carlos Brathwaite, 12.5 ov), 8-77 (Andre Russell, 15.2 ov), 9-89 (Chris Green, 17.5 ov), 10-92 (Migael Pretorius, 18.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Akeal Hosein 4-0-21-1 Ali Khan 3-0-6-4 Khary Pierre 4-0-19-1 Ravi Rampaul 3.2-0-32-2 Sunil Narine 4-1-11-2

GCB President confident Pakistan pacer Mohamed Amir Guyana will host ICC 2022 takes U-turn after retirement, U-19 World Cup matches says, "I am available"

A

team of officials representing the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) visited Guyana over the past weekend to inspect venues ahead of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022.

Guyana, through Sport Minister the Honourable Charles Ramson, had submitted a bid to host the initial stage of the ICC Under-19 World Cup. The venue inspection was aimed at determining Guyana’s readiness for this major international event.

The ICC team included a number of planning experts in Ben Leaver, Joanna Taylor, Andy Atkinson, Ruchika Rana, Hamish Roberts and Roberto Almansa.

The CWI representatives were Tournament Director Fawwaz Baksh, Events Manager KJ Singh, Head Curator Kent Crafton, and representatives Krystal JeanBaptiste and Marcus Francis.

They were joined by GCB’s officials: Hon. Secretary Ronald Williams, Chief Executive Officer/Public Relations Officer Claude Raphael, Assistant Secretary Devteerth Anandjit, Technocrat on Marketing and Financing, Anil Beharry; and Territorial Development Officer

Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr

GCB President Bissoondyal Singh

Colin Stuart. Experienced Venue Manager Sabrina Panday was also present.

On September, Saturday 4, 2021, the team visited the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, the GCB’s LBI Facility, Malteenoes Sports Club, Guyana Defence Force Ground, and Enmore Community Centre. Similar inspections were conducted on Sunday September 5, 2021 at Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Everest Cricket Club and Police Sports Club.

GCB President Bissoondyal Singh has expressed his satisfaction with the visit, positing that the ICC/CWI team was very professional in

its approach. He opined that the forthcoming report on the inspection would indicate what standards were met and what measures need to be undertaken. President Singh was also pleased that the ICC and CWI representatives were able to meet with the Hon. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jnr. Further, President Singh expressed confidence that the GCB, with the invaluable support of Hon. Minister Charles Ramson and the Government of Guyana, would ensure that all venues assigned to tournament would meet the ICC standards by midNovember 2021, when another inspection is expected. (GCB Release)

P

akistan left-arm pacer Mohamed Amir has taken a U-turn and decided to roll back his decision to retire from international cricket.

Speaking to private media, Amir said, “I am available for team,” as quoted by Daily Pakistan.

He had earlier engaged in a clash with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management.

The statement comes as head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis part ways with Pakistan Cricket. The duo reportedly had differences with Amir.

Amir had earlier stated that he would make himself available subject to new management in place.

“I would like to clarify that, ‘Yes, I will be available for Pakistan only once this management leaves,” he tweeted.

In December 2020, pacer Mohammad Amir confirmed his retirement from international cricket to the PCB after being dropped from the Pakistan T20 squad in November. Amir had said he does not think he can work with the current PCB management, and it is best for him to leave.

“Amir confirmed to the PCB chief executive that he has no desire or intention of playing international cricket, and as such, he should not be considered for future international matches,” PCB had said in an official statement.

“This is a personal decision of Mohammad Amir, which the PCB respects, and as such will not make any further comment on this matter at this stage,” the statement further read.

The Pakistan pacer played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is. Amir went on to take 259 wickets across three formats of the game.

In 2019, Amir had announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to focus on white-ball

cricket.

The star cricketer is currently in West Indies for CPL 2021. He had earlier taken part in England’s T20 Vitality Blast. (Inside Sport)

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23

Players’ mental preparation important for return to football

W

ith competitive football being on the back burner since the Coronavirus pandemic, many stakeholders are receptive of the notion of a return to football.

One such person is Furta Conquerors’ Coach Sampson Gilbert, who has made some valuable suggestions for the sport’s resuscitation.

Several Regional member Associations (RMA) attached to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) have been in the process of rolling out their Academy Training Center (ATC) Programmes, which have been categorised as the first step in a ‘return to football’ vision. Coach Sampson Gilbert, however, is looking further ahead at the return of Senior competitive football. On this note, the Fruta Conquerors Coach shared what he thinks needs to be done to prepare play-

Coach Sampson Gilbert

ers, the greatest of which is mental preparation.

“The work is systematic. It’s obvious that we’ve been away from football for a long time, and so the physical aspect of the game is one important aspect that we need to work on, come the time when we will return to league football and they need to defend the champi-

onship. The tactical aspect is another aspect,” Gilbert shared with Guyana Times Sport.

Continuing on his point about mental health, Gilbert said, “But, even more importantly, the mental and psychological aspect is more important. How we support our players, going into that restart, even now when the pandemic is upon us and players might be wanting of some kind of mental support, some financial support, and so it is depending on how we deal with our players now.

“That mental support, that socialisation, keeping them together, counselling them, mentoring them to be prepared to return to the pitch and give a hundred percent.”

In sharing his views, Gilbert predicted that vaccination against COVID-19

Bartica successfully launches Academy Training Centre …Joseph elected VP of GFCA — Panthers topple Stars

O

Timehri Panthers were victorious over the Rising Stars

ver the course of the weekend, the Bartica Football Association saw the launching of its Academy Training Centre, election of the Vice President of the Guyana Football Coaches Association, and some football action after a hiatus because of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Under-13 * Wednesdays at 4:30pm Under-15 * Fridays at 4:30pm Under-17 * Saturdays at 9:00am Grassroots.

The academy is open to both males and females, and is part of the association's youth

Launching of the Academy Training Centre

In spite of a harsh afternoon thunderstorm, the Bartica Football Association managed to pull off the launch of its Academy Training Centre.

With short addresses by BFA President Alden Marslowe, Regional Chairman Kenneth Williams and GFF President Wayne Forde, the academy was declared open.

The following schedule of training days was announced: * Mondays at 4:30pm -

development programme, with support from the GFF's Members' Financial Assistance Programme.

A COVID-19 vaccination drive conducted by personnel from the Bartica Hospital was also part of the day's activities.

Among other news, The Guyana Football Coaches Association on Sunday held its Annual General Meeting wherein its executive committee was elected to serve for the next two years.

Vice President of the GFCA, Curtis Joseph

Information reaching the Bartica Football Association indicated that local Coach Curtis Joseph was elected VicePresident at the forum, with National Coach Sampson Gilbert elected President.

Coach Curtis Joseph serves as the Technical Director of the Bartica Football Academy Training Centre and Head Coach of the BFA. Also, to round off the weekend of action, an Under-17 encounter between Timehri Panthers FC and Rising Stars FC of Bartica ended in a nil-all draw at the Bartica Community Centre Ground.

However, an impromptu offer of one trophy to the winners by the Bartica Stelling Crew urged the match to go straight to kicks from the penalty spot, and the Timehri Panthers emerged winners by a 4-3 margin.

The match was organised as a complement to the launch of the Bartica Football Academy Training Centre which took place prior to the game. A female friendly also preceded the Under-17 match.

Among the hundred in attendance were President of the GFF, Wayne Forde; Regional Chairman Kenneth Williams; BFA President Alden Marslowe, and other local and Timehri football officials.

may play an integral role in the fraternity being given the go ahead to resume play.

“We hope that our players generally across the country, they’re equally excited for the return of football, that they would do what is necessary. The vaccine process is very important for us also, ‘cause I think that’s one of the green lights that would signal that we’re ready to go.

“We at Fruta conquerors, we’re promoting that, and we’re ready to defend our title when the time comes,”

the Coach of the Tucvillebased team declared.

When the time comes, Sampson disclosed, his club already has a return plan in place, which includes the use of tactical awareness.

“We’re really looking forward to this,” he declared.

Gilbert further commented, specifically on his team’s plan, “So how we deal with them even prior to the return to the pitch is important, we’re doing some work.

We’re obviously working on mentorship, we’re working on keeping them togeth-

er, we have the social media groups to keep communicating with those players to try and make sure they’re returned (to) the pitch. And when we get there, we have a plan that we’re working on to actually implement our tactical awareness and make sure that they’re on par physically to defend the championships,” Gilbert explained.

Fruta Conquerors are currently still the Elite league champions, with the competition last being played in 2019.

Harkishun supports “Cricket Gear for Young and Promising Cricketers in Guyana” Project

F

ormer Cumberland, East Canje Berbice resident and now resident of the USA, Ravin Harkishun, has provided cash support for the project “Cricket Gear for Young and Promising Cricketers in Guyana”.

The cash provided by Harkishun will be used to purchase one pair of batting gloves to be added to the list of cricket gear for this initiative, which is a joint effort of Kishan Das of the USA and Anil Beharry of Guyana. These have expressed their gratitude to the donor and promised to continue to serve cricket in Guyana.

Harkishun has said he is delighted to be part of this initiative, and will continue to contribute over time.

The aim of this initiative is to provide cricket gear free of cost to young and talented cricketers in Guyana. The project is seeking new and used cricket gear, which would then be distributed

Ravin Harkishun

across the length and breadth of Guyana.

Total cricket-related items collected so far are: cash for first aid kit and one pair of batting gloves, two pairs of cricket boots, twelve pairs of batting pads, twelve bats, nine pairs of batting gloves and four cricket bags.

Sixteen young players from Essequibo Coast, Pomeroon and the East Canje area have already benefited from a junior gear bag, five bats, six pairs of batting pads and four pairs of batting gloves.

Two clubs in the Pomeroon

will benefit from two used bats.

Talent spotting will be done across Guyana, along with guidance from club leaders to identify the players. Players must be in school and be disciplined.

Players above school age would also be considered.

Das and Beharry would like to thank Imran and Javed Khan of West Indian Sports Complex, Option Group, Bish Panday of P and P Insurance Brokers, Sean Devers, Travis Simon, Hilbert Foster of RHTY&SC, Ariel Tilku, Aaron Beharry, Devon Ramnauth, Sherman Austin, Teddy Singh, Leana Bachan and Imran Saccoor, Romash Munna, Ravi Etwaroo, Ravin Harkishun, Surendra Harkishun and Vishal Mahabir.

More distribution will be done as soon as gear arrives from the USA. Anyone interested in contributing can contact Anil Beharry on 623-6875 or Kishan Das on 1-718-664-0896.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

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

Team effort from Barbados Royals keeps semi-final hopes alive

I

The Barbados Royals had the remedy for the Amazon Warriors on Tuesday night

t was all hands on deck for Barbados Royals when they produced a team effort in the truest sense of the word to upend Guyana Amazon Warriors by 45 runs for just their second win of the season, but one that keeps their 2021 CPL playoff hopes alive.

Entering the match with just 13 runs in four innings, Kyle Mayers was recalled into the XI after sitting out the last two matches, and was promoted to open for the

first time this season. It paid off handsomely, with a rollicking 36 off 20 balls to set the tone, as Johnson Charles and Glenn Phillips followed his lead with 40 and 44 respectively in a total of 185 for 8 - bettering their previous season high by 24 runs - which was well out of reach in a tame Warriors’ chase.

Mayers faced all but four balls in the first four overs, scoring all but six of the first 42 runs, as he feasted on the spin offered up by

Chandrapaul Hemraj and Kevin Sinclair to belt four fours across the first three overs. Mayers laid into

After Azam Khan fell in the next over to a missed sweep against Imran Tahir, the baton was handed to Phillips, who teed off on Tahir for three sixes over

Glenn Phillips kept the Royals buoyant

Odean Smith top-scored for the Warriors with 43

Romario Shepherd in the fourth as well, heaving him over the leg side rope twice for six, before falling to a slower ball chipped to midoff to end the fourth over.

But by that stage Mayers had provided the aggressive impetus for the rest of the batting order to follow.

In near identical fashion to Mayers, Charles dominated a 46-run second-wicket partnership with Azam Khan, in which the latter scored just four runs. Charles was particularly vicious to Odean Smith on the pull, and then later Gudakesh Motie’s spin by sweeping him repeatedly through the leg side.

Another attempted sweep to Mohammad Hafeez produced a top edge for a catch.

the leg side rope in the 10th and 12th, before coasting the rest of the way to top score with 44.

In reply, Warriors lost three of the top four in the Powerplay - Brandon King edging Mohammad Amir behind, Hemraj toe-slapping a gentle return catch to Jason Holder, and Shimron Hetmyer mistiming a Raymon Reifer offcutter to midwicket - while Hafeez crawled along at just over a run a ball coming in at No. 3, to put Warriors further behind the eight ball.

By the time Hafeez was stumped off a leg-side wide to spark the mid-innings drinks break, Warriors were halfway gone with the required run rate above 10 per over. Some lusty hit-

ting late from Odean Smith brought back some respectability to the final margin, but Warriors never seriously threatened to chase

down the target before Smith was last man out at deep midwicket for 43 to cap Nyeem Young’s 3 for 24.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD BARBADOS ROYALS INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) Kyle Mayers c Smith b Shepherd 36 Johnson Charles c Shoaib Malik b Mohammad Hafeez 40 Azam Khan lbw b Imran Tahir 4 Smit Patel †c Hetmyer b Moti-Kanhai 16 Glenn Phillips b Smith 44 Jason Holder (c)c Shoaib Malik b Moti-Kanhai 22 Raymon Reifer c †Pooran b Shepherd 10 Ashley Nurse c Imran Tahir b Shepherd 1 Nyeem Young not out 1 Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 3) 11 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 9.25) 185/8 Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Kyle Mayers, 3.6 ov), 2-86 (Johnson Charles, 7.4 ov), 3-88 (Azam Khan, 8.3 ov), 4-136 (Smit Patel, 15.4 ov), 5-149 (Glenn Phillips, 17.1 ov), 6-177 (Jason Holder, 18.3 ov), 7-184 (Raymon Reifer, 19.4 ov), 8-185 (Ashley Nurse, 19.6 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Chandrapaul Hemraj 2-0-15-0 Kevin Sinclair 1-0-11-0 Romario Shepherd 4-0-31-3 Odean Smith 2-0-38-1 Imran Tahir 4-0-29-1 Gudakesh Motie 3-0-33-2 Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-20-1

GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS INNINGS (TARGET: 186 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) Brandon King c†Patel b Mohammad Amir 5 Chandrapaul Hemraj c & b Holder 12 Mohammad Hafeez st †Patel b Nurse 30 Shimron Hetmyer c Nurse b Reifer 3 Nicholas Pooran (c)†c Mayers b Lintott 14 Shoaib Malik c Holder b Young 4 Odean Smith c Phillips b Young 43 Romario Shepherd c sub (HR Walsh) b Lintott 1 Kevin Sinclair c Holder b Young 3 Gudakesh Motie b Reifer 10 Imran Tahir not out 0 Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 11) 15 TOTAL(17.2 Ov, RR: 8.07) 140 Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Brandon King, 0.4 ov), 2-24 (Chandrapaul Hemraj, 3.2 ov), 3-31 (Shimron Hetmyer, 4.4 ov), 4-59 (Nicholas Pooran, 8.1 ov), 5-70 (Mohammad Hafeez, 9.2 ov), 6-84 (Shoaib Malik, 10.6 ov), 7-93 (Romario Shepherd, 11.6 ov), 8-103 (Kevin Sinclair, 12.4 ov), 9-136 (Gudakesh Motie, 16.6 ov), 10140 (Odean Smith, 17.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Mohammad Amir 3-0-20-1 Jason Holder 4-0-28-1 Raymon Reifer 3-0-25-2 Ashley Nurse 2-0-23-1 Jake Lintott 2-0-16-2 Nyeem Young 3.2-0-24-3

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