Guyana Times -Friday, October 6, 2023.pdf

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, October 6 –22:00h-23:30h and Saturday, October 7 –23:30h-01:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, October 6 –09:45h-11:15h and Saturday, October 7 –11:25h-12:55h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day, interrupted by mid-morning to late-afternoon thundery showers. Clear skies are expected at night. Temperatures should range between 25 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 09:01h and 21:15h reaching a maximum height of 2.1 metres.

Low Tide: 14:44h reaching a minimum height of 1.2 metres.

Mahdia deadly fire CoI

started screaming” - dorm mother recalls horror on fateful night

door flung open and although he armed himself with the fire extinguisher, it was useless.

After calling to the girls; about 16 of them ran out from the same door he had broken, along with the dorm mother.

At that point, the dorm mother handed over the keys and he forcibly opened another door on the opposite end of the building. He fell to the ground when the door flung open, and more girls ran out of the building.

LOTTERY NUMBERS

As the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly Mahdia Secondary School fire continued on Thursday, Carlet Williams, the dorm's mother recalled the harrowing experience – one that is still fresh in her mind and more so, one that will take to her death.

Apart from the 19 female students, Williams also lost her five-year-old son in the devastating fire that erupted on the evening of May 21, 2023.

During her testimony on Thursday, she recalled being awakened by the loud scream of the girls. As she got up and opened her bedroom door, some of the girls ran in.

“They started screaming, ‘Miss, fire, fire in the building.’ So, I decided to grab the key because I know, they were there coming for me to open the door. So, I brought the key and I decided to push way to see where is the fire. I pushed my way, and when I look down the building, the fire was up in the ceiling, heading from the bathroom area.”

At that point, finding to key to open one of the main doors of the building was a

struggle.

“I got so scared that I tried to find the key to open the door, and I just couldn’t find the keys. Every time I put my hands on a key, it is not the key. I had to look for the hole on the lock to open and I keep trying from one key to the next,” she recalled.

Amid the confusion and chaos, the bunch of keys fell onto the floor but with the assistance of the girls, the bunch was found. Despite being in possession of the keys, again, she was unable to open the door due to panic and loud screams echoing in her head.

However, for a second time, the bunch of keys fell from her hand and it was then, that she realized that she couldn’t help the girls because the entire building was covered in thick smoke and flames in some sections.

“That didn’t stop me from trying…“I thought to myself, I have to go and kick open the middle door because we have to come out, and I was also wondering, why nobody hearing me from outside, since our building is on fire, and nobody is coming to rescue us.”

Nevertheless, before venturing to the middle section of

the building, she went back to her room to get her son but he was not there.

“I couldn’t find him, because the room was full of girls. They were all jumping, and screaming and running. Some of them was on the ground. They were lying there, I couldn’t see, but while walking in the room, trying to find my son, feeling around, I know I stepped on some of them.”

Soon after, her husband who was at the male dormitory, she recalled kicked open a door which allowed them to escape the inferno. It was until after she made it out of the building, she realized that her son did not make it.

Her husband, Steve Jerome who previously testified has stated that he heard noises emanating from the female quarters, like a “loud trample” and screams.

Upon checking, a blaze was bellowing from the bathroom door, and without hesitation, he grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed over. At the time, the house mother was trying to open the door from the inside.

He stated that he had kicked the door twice and the

As he tried to assist others, he heard his daughter calling and crawling out of the building. He also managed to pull her to safety.

However, his mind was affixed that his little son was still somewhere in the building, which was engulfed in flames. Little Adonijah was never seen nor heard.

“I was listening for my son’s voice and I didn’t hear anything. At that point, there was no sound or anything from my son,” he had told the CoI.

Those who died were Eulander Carter, Martha D’Andrade, Mary D’Andrade and Omefia Edwin of Chenapau; Belnisa Evans, Loreen Evans, Rita Bibi Jeffrey and Sabrina John of Karisparu; Natalie Bellarmine, Shorlin Bellarmine, Sherena Daniels, Arianna Edwards, Delicia Edwards, Adonijah Jerome, Andrea Roberts, Lisa Roberts, Nickoleen Robinson, Cleoma Simon, Tracil Thomas and Lorita Williams of Micobie.

Fourteen of them died at the scene of the fire, while six died at Mahdia District Hospital and one while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital. (G10)

“They

Dorm mother Carlet Williams on Thursday before the CoI

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Close the care gap

Each year, October is designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, numerous activities are organised to raise awareness of this complex disease.

Just being a woman is the biggest risk factor for developing breast cancer, but every woman wants to know what she can do to lower her risk of breast cancer. This year's theme marks the second year of the campaign “close the care gap”, which –according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) – is about understanding the inequities in cancer care and taking actions to make the necessary progress to address them.

According to the WHO, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.

The WHO has pointed out that the cancer burden continues to grow globally, exerting tremendous physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, families, communities and health systems. Many health systems in low- and middle-income countries are least prepared to manage this burden, and large numbers of cancer patients globally do not have access to timely quality diagnosis and treatment. However, according to WHO, in countries where health systems are strong, survival rates of many types of cancer are improving thanks to accessible early detection, quality treatment, and survivorship care.

What is very worrying is the fact that the number of cancer deaths could increase by over 50 per cent by 2030, especially in the low- and middle-income countries where most of the deaths are likely to occur. The statistics regarding cancer and its impact on individuals and society tell a sad tale. However, it should motivate us to work harder for better results.

It should be noted that between 30 and 40 per cent of cancer cases could be prevented and one third of cancer cases could be cured through early diagnosis and treatment.

In Guyana, cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and we, as guardians of our own destiny, should continue to make arduous efforts in our campaign to reduce the number of persons dying from the disease. For example, individuals could assist in the prevention of cancer by doing simple things such as; making sure they eat a healthy diet, engage in regular adequate physical activity and the overall maintenance of good health. Research has shown that physical inactivity is linked to breast and colon cancers. WHO’s Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health details how differing amounts and intensities of physical activity for all age groups can help reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including some cancers. It is also worthy to note that the World Cancer Research Fund/ American Institute for Cancer Research has advised that cancer could be prevented if persons could be as lean as possible without becoming underweight; be physically active for at least thirty minutes each day, and avoid sugary drinks among other things.

The three main cancers in Guyana are breast cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer. While cervical cancer is a slow-growing cancer that is easily prevented through regular screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, far too many women ignore the pre-testing option and seek medical advice and treatment only when they begin to develop signs of illness. In many cases, indications of physical illness or signs of discomfort often suggest that the cancer is at an advanced stage. Persons should, therefore, be encouraged to have regular tests done since pre-symptoms are not that visible.

The Ministry of Health, along with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as the Cancer Society, and leading Private Sector bodies such as GTT must be commended for the work they are doing in spreading awareness and encouraging persons to get screened. These efforts must be stepped up with involvement and funding from more stakeholders so that the impact could be more far-reaching.

We can never overstate the importance of having more education campaigns about the disease with the aim of changing lifestyles and getting persons to do regular testing so that treatment could be administered before the disease becomes life-threatening.

On October 3, 2013, one of the Mediterranean’s worst shipwrecks occurred off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The vessel carrying almost 500 people, sank, resulting in the loss of at least 368 lives.

I was working in the humanitarian field in Rome at the time and was horrified to have something so tragic happen so close to home. I heard stories from colleagues about divers who were pulling victims out – body by body, day by day – lining them up on the harbour. I was heartbroken to see the photos of neatly arranged caskets in a warehouse; a few small white ones carrying the bodies of children were pulled up in the front.

It has been 10 years since this tragedy and the horrible memories of it still haunt Lampedusa. Unfortunately, not enough has been done to prevent such deadly incidents from happening again. More than 28,000 people have been reported dead or missing since 2014 in the Mediterranean Sea, more than 1,100 of them children.

A few weeks ahead of the anniversary, I found myself in Lampedusa. The island again was going through a difficult time. In a single week, it had seen the arrival of an estimated 10,000 people, a number which is nearly double its permanent population.

In all my years working for humanitarian organisations, I had never seen the island like this. The facilities set up to accommodate new arrivals were overwhelmed by lines of men, women and children, some of whom were forced to sleep outside in the streets. People wandered into town in search of food and water after spending days without eating.

Each individual arriving had a story marked by sacrifice and resilience. Many came with nothing, often carrying only a plastic bag with an object from a loved one or soil from their homeland. There were children who had experienced gender-based violence and mothers who had survived rape. There were people who had lost loved ones on the way.

Amid the pain and suffering of the people arriving by boat, one story of humanity stood out for me. An 18-year-old young man from West Africa had just arrived with a three-yearold child. They weren’t relatives; he had discovered the child alone in the desert and protected him throughout their perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

The child is receiving appropriate care, but his name, nationality and exact age remain unknown. Tragically, he is among a growing number of young children arriving alone. Throughout Italy, we have seen the arrival of over 133,000 migrants this year, including more

than 11,600 unaccompanied minors, according to the Italian Ministry of Interior. Alarmingly, children aged between zero and six years, alone, without family, represent over 2 percent of these arrivals – a tenfold increase from previous years.

At the same time, children continue to lose their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean. Since the start of the year, more than 4,500 people, including many children, have died, or gone missing while attempting the dangerous journey by sea to Europe.

At Lampedusa, I met two mothers who told me they had just lost their small children, a newborn and a five-month-old, at sea. Their heartbreaking testimonies reminded me of another story that has stuck with me for more than seven years now: A child, who survived a shipwreck because his mother handed him over to a man, shortly before drowning –a final act of love and desperation to save her son’s life.

But in my work, I have also heard stories of hope that keep me going. In June, I met a 14-year-old boy from Gambia in Sicily, whose only dream was to study. Today, he is in an Italian school, immensely grateful for the opportunity to continue his education.

Every child must be protected and receive proper care and education. Anyone fleeing adversity must be able to find refuge

EU

and hope. A decade after the Lampedusa tragedy, we are yet to see substantial reform and proactive measures within the European Union that can ensure this. We still need a coordinated European search and rescue mechanism and safe and regular routes allowing people fleeing poverty, conflict and climate change-related disasters to reach Europe.

The time for solidarity and coordinated action is now. The responsibility to protect and receive people seeking safe haven is a collective one, and we must all push for unified action to ensure their safety and well-being.

Migration is not an emergency, but a human phenomenon which needs to be addressed and properly managed. Mass death in the Mediterranean is fully preventable and must be prevented.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of the piece had 2,500 as the number of people who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2023. The figure has been updated to 4,500 per Missing Migration Project data. (Al Jazeera)

(Giovanna Di Benedetto has been travelling to Lampedusa since joining Save the Children Italy in 2014, as a media officer. She spent several years working as a newspaper and television journalist in Sicily, before obtaining a master's for correspondents working in crisis areas.)

Prime Minister Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips and his wife, Mrs Mignon Bowen-Phillips, enjoying a medley of tunes played by the Guyana Police Force Band at their Main Street residence, on Thursday morning, to celebrate the Prime Minister's 62nd birthday

B y G iovanna D i B ene D etto

Lampedusa’s tragedies remind us we need urgent action from the

Discrepancies in oil audit

Disciplinary action to be taken against Govt’s Senior Petroleum Coordinator – Vickram Bharrat …says official acted without authorisation to engage EEPGL

Please see full statement issued by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

Iwish to bring full clarity on the issue surrounding EEPGL Stabroek Block Cost Recovery Audit for 19992017 period. From the inception, the Government of Guyana’s position has always been that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is the sole and final authority to determine the final outcome in relation to the audit.

The Ministry of Natural

Resources’ role was to oversee the process of conducting the audit as per the PSA, as well as to facilitate the exchange of infor-

mation and documentation among the relevant parties, including the GRA.

However, based on advice from Mr Gopnauth Gossai that the initial claim of US$214,911,994 was reduced to US$3,414,853.68, I wrote the Guyana Revenue Authority on 28th November 2022 to confirm this figure by seeking a “No Objection”.

As recent as July 2023, Mr Gossai in a meeting with the Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo and I, reported that the initial sum was reduced to US$11,497,140 then further down to

US$3,414,853.68. Given that I had written the GRA since November 2022 and it was established that the

US should take Cuba off terrorist list & end the blockade

Dear Editor,

Forty-seven years ago, on October 6th, 1976, one of the worse terrorist attacks in our region took place just off the island of Barbados, when seventy-three young and unsuspecting persons were destroyed by a bomb that downed the Cubana Airlines Flight 455.

Among the persons who perished on that day were eleven Guyanese, fifty-seven Cuban nationals, and five from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The target of that attack was the Cuban state. This was not the first time that Cuba was subjected to terrorist attacks. Almost from its inception, the Cuban state and the Cuban people were victims of terrorism from Cuban groups in the US, hosted and financed by the US Government, and from state terrorism mainly emanating from one of the most powerful covert organizations in the world, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

These acts were conducted against a small state

whose peoples sought only to improve their lives and to assist others to do the same. All they want, and wanted, was to develop their country as they wish.

The Cuban nation has made a monumental contribution to our region in education (they have educated thousands of people from Asia, Africa and Latin America). The Cuban state has sent doctors to all parts of the world wherever natural disasters occur, and into countries that have insufficient medical personnel to serve their people.

Most developing countries have been victims of a terrible brain drain. Consider this one piece of information: there are more Ethiopian doctors in Chicago than in all Ethiopia.

We, in Guyana, have benefitted, and are benefitting, from Cuba in many areas, particularly in health. Cuban teachers have helped to educate thousands of others outside of Cuba. Cuba’s solidarity is legendary. It played an important role in ending the apartheid regime in South

Africa, and in protecting the independence of Angola.

It is this country that has done so much to save lives, eradicate ignorance, and enhance peoples’ health that is being subjected to such great terrorism. More than that, the Cuban state and people have been subjected to an economic blockade for more than sixty years. The blockade has cost that nation billions of dollars in trade, and has created huge problems and suffering for the Cuban people.

To now compound the illegal attacks, the United States has placed Cuba on a list, accusing it of being sponsors of terrorism. This has given the USA the excuse to impose more hardships on Cuba. How ironic, how immoral, is this! Cuba has done more than most to bring relief to other peoples. Even up to recently, the Cuban people, in very adverse conditions, developed vaccines to fight the COVID-19 virus, and shared it with others. What generosity! What selflessness!

The time has come to take

Cuba off the US terrorist list, and to lift the economic blockade from that island. The time has come to end the suffering of the Cuban people! Following up on the Nov 3, 2022 vote by 185 nations of the UN, calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba, the UN Secretary General, on Sept 19, repeated the call.

The people of our region must call on the U.S. to take Cuba off of its terrorist list, and abandon the oppressive blockade. Cuba has done a lot to fight terrorism, why continue to punish its people? Justice demands that it be taken off the terrorist list. It is humanitarian to demand that Cuba be taken off the terrorist list. (Those who perished in the Cubana disaster cry out for this). Allow Cuba to breathe and develop to its full potential in its own chosen path.

Sincerely,

Donald Ramotar, Former President of Guyana

Jagdeo scolds Burke for disgracing Guyana

Dear Editor, PPP General Secretary

Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has scolded CGID operative Rickford Burke for embarrassing Guyana last week in Washington, DC.

Jagdeo, who is also Vice President, noted that David Granger would never have gone to an event conceived and orchestrated by an extremist who is wanted by law enforcement officials in Guyana.

During his scheduled press conference at Freedom House on Robb Street, the PPP General Secretary said it would have been better had the APNU-AFC sent in their complaints, rather than put themselves in the disgraceful situation they found them-

selves in at the National Press Club, where not a single member from Congress showed up.

Dr. Jagdeo was adamant that Mr. Burke organized the event for reasons other than advertised. In one instance, for example, he pointed out that a Haitian businessman showed up in Washington, hoping to discuss business opportunities in Guyana. The businessman was sadly disappointed, because all he found was a highly disorganized situation with no leadership, and certainly no one with whom to examine investment possibilities.

The PPP General Secretary paid particular attention to the incompetence of the likes of Members of Parliament Amanza Walton-

Desir, David Patterson, and Cathy Hughes. Jagdeo, who has good ground knowledge of the Washington, DC space, rightfully noted that official looking images distributed by the APNU-AFC team had no official bearing at all. Further, the so-called ‘declaration’ from the step of the Capitol is something anyone can do.

This writer, who visited the White House more than once, and who has years of hands-on experience of the Capitol and its surroundings, can now confirm that many of the pictures sent by APNUAFC are no different from what the generic tourist in that area can ‘shoot’, and assemble and distribute.

By all accounts, includ-

GRA’s involvement is necessary to finalise the audit, I was under the impression that the reduced figure was done in collaboration with the GRA. I subsequently learnt that the GRA did not agree with the position and the initial claim of US$214,911,994 remains the same.

I wish to restate that the position of the Government of Guyana today remains consistent with its original position that the only authority to make a final determination is the Guyana Revenue Authority.

Therefore, after examining all the facts it is clear that Mr Gossai acted without the requisite authorisation to engage EEPGL and provided inadequate advice and as such, I have asked the Permanent Secretary to take the necessary disciplinary measures.

Further, systems will be established to ensure no repetition of this lapse in the future. Also, staff members will be advised to make full disclosure with all contacts and sharing of information with stakeholders in the sector.

Dear Editor,

Our country must take the prize for supreme political irony, except for the fact that it is so sad.

The leading lights of our political opposition, the majority of whom, not so long ago, were indulged in attempting to steal our elections and impose an unelected government on our country, flew off to Washington to join a recognized abject racist to genuflect before members of the US Congress, with a racist rant, in the name of democracy. A Congress who, incidentally, are, themselves, in a state of political chaos.

It appears that these politicians know not their own party history nor respect it. I recall that the Founder Leader of their party, who, in stark contrast, once, nonchalantly, told Henry Kissinger, then Secretary of State of the US government., who attempted to interfere in the affairs of Guyana, that he can take his advice and put it where the monkey puts his nuts. They should all truly hang their heads in shame and apologise to the people who elected them as their representatives.

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

ing from sources sympathetic to the APNU-AFC, the CGID conference in Washington, DC was an unmitigated disaster. Attendees were crushed by the dismissiveness with which they were treated. In the end, Mr. Burke took to the microphone to unfairly attack senior Biden Administration officials for not attending the event. In a moment of magnanimity at the Freedom House press conference, Jagdeo expressed his regret that Guyanese people world-wide had to watch the APNU and AFC being subjected to such public discomfiture in a foreign country.

Sincerely,

Dr Randolph Persaud

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023

Gopnauth Gossai

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

In this fun and easy force and motion science experiment for kids, we’re going to explore inertia by creating a magic napkin.

Materials: Napkin

Foundation

Test Questions

Thursday’s answers

1a) Jai bought 4 different items, including two with the same price, ie, the eraser and sharpener

Total cost of items = $200 – $23.60 = $176.4

Cost of unknown items = total cost – cost of known items (the eraser and sharpener)

= $176.4 – ($19.80 x2)

= $176.4 – ($39.6)

= $136.8

So, which two items add up to $136.8: the notebook and the pen ($136.8 -$72.00 = $64.80)

Therefore, Jai bought the eraser, sharpener, notebook and pen.

1bi) Mia spent of her pocket money on food and of the remaining amount on stationery. She saved the rest of the money.

The remaining amount = the whole – = The fraction spent on stationery = of =

1bii) $28.00 = of = = $28.00 =

So Mia received $1000

The Bridge

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

CONTINUES FROM YESTERDAY

For my heart was hot and restless, And my life was full of care, And the burden laid upon me Seemed greater than I could bear.

But now it has fallen from me, It is buried in the sea; And only the sorrow of others Throws its shadow over me.

Yet whenever I cross the river

On its bridge with wooden piers, Like the odor of brine from the ocean Comes the thought of other years.

And I think how many thousands Of care-encumbered men, Each bearing his burden of sorrow, Have crossed the bridge since then.

Plastic cup full of water

Instructions: Drape the napkin over the edge of a table. Place the plastic cup of water on the napkin and about one inch from

the edge of the table. Quickly jerk the napkin out from under the plastic cup of water.

How it works:

Inertia explains that an object at rest will tend to stay at rest. Although

we yanked the napkin out from under the cup of water, the cup wanted to stay at rest and did not move. Make this a science project: Try different sized items. Try different weights of items. (sciencefun.org)

I see the long procession Still passing to and fro, The young heart hot and restless, And the old subdued and slow! And forever and forever, As long as the river flows, As long as the heart has passions, As long as life has woes; The moon and its broken reflection And its shadows shall appear, As the symbol of love in heaven, And its wavering image here.

WORD SEARCH

High-consumption GPL consumers being disconnected from grid during peak hours

and 20 self-generating entities

– VP

privately generating power have decided to switch to GPL…It made sense for a lot of people who are self-generating to turn off their generators and come on to the GPL grid, including the big users. They have flooded over to the grid because they are getting subsidised electricity from the grid. That has pushed up the demand,” Jagdeo outlined.

Large consumers of electricity, who each have a power-generating capacity, are daily being removed from the Guyana Power and Light grid during the period 18:00h to 22:00h in order to prevent widespread service disruption for the population.

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has taken this move after recording an unprecedented peak demand of approximately 182 megawatts, which has presented a challenge in light of current generation capacity.

Initially, large industrial customers with self-generating capacities were asked to produce their own power during peak demand hours. However, only a small percentage responded positively.

“This is a temporary but necessary measure for the company, to prevent service disruptions,” GPL shared.

On Thursday, Vice President Dr Bharrat

explained during his press conference that, at this point in time, the demand exceeds the capacity to supply. This increase came about due to expansion of businesses, increased housing development, and more recently the heatwave, which has prompted consumers to use air conditioners and other cooling devices.

‘Biggest worry’

However, the ‘biggest worry’ is large consumers flooding the grid. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Government had moved the excise tax on fuel from 50 percent down to zero percent in a bid to combat increasing global prices for oil and the impact those increases were having on the local economy. As such, self-generation became more expensive, and many companies opted to use the GPL supply to capitalise on the subsidised costs.

“A lot of people who were

The VP added that, upon examination, it would inconvenience some 28,000 to 30,000 people in order to keep these establishments on the grid at peak hours. It made more sense, he added, for the self-generating establishments to utilise their generators instead.

“A lot of them didn’t want to come off…We said we will add a premium tariff so it forces you off, since you would have to pay more. But we heard that some of them are still not coming off because they are passing the cost off to their consumers. So, GPL has decided to take them off. The alternative is that, should we discomfort 15 or 20 businesses who are using large amounts of power and can self-generate…or should we discomfort 30,000 people?”

Additional megawatts

The Vice President has stated that these businesses are still benefitting from the system, through subsidised electricity costs for 20 hours per day. Government will be buying an additional 30 megawatts of electricity, which will be added to the grid by December.

“That will be able to supply everyone back. You

don’t have to come off in the peak hours, and we said that once the gas-to-energy project comes on stream, that is 300 megawatts,” Jagdeo reasoned.

By 2025, with 300MW of new baseload capacity provided by natural gas, the reliability of the DemeraraBerbice Interconnected System (DBIS) grid would be increased, while greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with electricity generation would be reduced by half.

The plant aims to reduce the cost of energy by at least 50 per cent through an energy mix, thereby potentially

saving Guyana US$150 million on power generation annually. Through the turbines used at the plant, 300MW of energy would be generated, which is double the amount that GPL currently provides.

In June, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had announced that there was active interest from Brazil to bring the Amaila Falls project to life, after it was hindered when the China Railway First Group (CRFG), the company that won the contract, had informed the Government of its difficulties in meeting the contractual obligations.

This project will be based

on a Build-Own-OperateTransfer (BOOT) model, wherein the company would supply electricity to GPL Inc at a cost not exceeding US$0.07737 per kWh, and wherein the company would provide the entire equity required for the project and undertake all the risks associated with the project.

Meanwhile, the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) had approved the use of US$83.8 million, earned from Norway to keep Guyana’s rainforests intact, for the construction of eight solar farms that aim to add renewable energy sources to Guyana’s grid. (G12)

Jagdeo

…Govt had to choose between 30,000 households

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Despite finding that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) decision to grant ExxonMobil (Guyana) a permit for the multi-billion-dollar Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project was “contrary to law and improper”, a Judge has dismissed the case filed by two citizens seeking to have the licence revoked.

In a 24-page written judgement, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry outlined her reasons for dismissing the application for judicial review filed by Vanda Radzik and Elizabeth Deane-Hughes (the applicants) against the EPA, ExxonMobil (Guyana), and the Attorney General. The latter two were added respondents.

On June 24, 2021, ExxonMobil filed an application with the EPA, seeking leave to be granted an environmental permit facility. The permit was granted on November 25, 2022, and in unornamented terms, the oil company was allowed to develop a Gas-toEnergy Project pipeline from Nouvelle Flanders, West Coast Demerara (WCD) to Wales Estate, West Bank Demerara (WBD). That pipeline is intended to produce a reliable source of electricity for the people of Guyana.

The project involves significant public expenditure.

Deane-Hughes and Radzik, both citizens of Guyana, sought to have the decision by the EPA: to grant the environmental permit to ExxonMobil, judicially reviewed on the basis that the company’s application failed to conform with the requirements set out in Regulation 17(2)(c)(ii) of the Environmental Protection (Authorisations) Regulations (EPAR).

Regulation 17(2)(c)(ii) of the EPAR provides that an application for an environmental authorisation must contain: “proof that the applicant either owns the facility, or has a lease or other agreement with the landowner or occupier to enable the applicant to conduct the activity on the facility, or has the legal right or ability to conduct the activity without the consent of the landowner or occupier.”

Gas-to-energy project’s legal challenge

granting relief sought by applicants – Judge

had also testified that all the lands associated with the project had been acquired by the Government.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, who appeared in person, had advanced that the applicants are neither landowners, occupiers, nor possessors of any legal title or equitable interest in respect of any of the relevant lands; and further, that they are meddlesome busybodies in the vein of “obstructionists” to a project of high national import.

…coffee

Pres Ali’s always on the lookout for opportunities to develop our old Mudland. Remember him in Qatar – of all places –visiting a cattle farm that’s totally automated?? Your Eyewitness hopes his aides were taking notes!! If they could produce milk and beef in the desert, how much better can we do the same here!? As it was, he’d gone across to Costa Rica to receive an award for the role he’s playing in expanding the agricultural potential of the region - and then, voila!! - we see him taking a tour of a coffee plantation with an eye towards expanding our local production.

In upholding the respondents' submissions, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry, in a nutshell, refused all reliefs and orders claimed, concluding that no public good can come from granting them.

“Contrary to law, and improper”

In her decision, however, she highlighted that orders relating to the proposed gas pipeline route clearly established that as at January 23, the lands described therein were privately owned, hence the need to compulsory acquire them.

“It therefore cannot be said that at the time of the grant of the permit, on November 25, 2022, [ExxonMobil (Guyana)] had submitted all the relevant documents which could potentially evince a legal right or ability to conduct the proposed project without the consent of the landowner or occupier. It can be concluded therefore that the decision by the EPA to grant the permit to [ExxonMobil (Guyana)] was contrary to law and improper,” added the Judge. Despite this determination, Justice SewnarineBeharry remarked that there is no proof that the applicants were personally wronged by the EPA's choice to grant the permit.

This application, she added, took issue with compliance with the law, and sought in essence vindication through various orders and declarations that would bring the project to a halt. On this note, she made it clear that judicial review is not concerned with vindication in the public sphere, and added, “The origins of the prerogative writs envisioned a discretionary remedy for real injustices. It was never intended to be a sword for satisfaction, but rather a shield against the excesses of public functionaries.”

Significant fiscal expenditure

Among other things, the Judge held that the applicants have not cogently articulated what real or substantial public wrong occurred to them or the wider Guyanese populace upon the grant of the environmental permit facility, which would justify quashing the decision of the EPA.

According to her, cognisance must be paid to the fact that significant fiscal expenditure has been injected into the Gas-to-Energy pipeline. She thus held, “A quashing order would disproportionately disadvantage [ExxonMobil] and the State by halting significant project development already underway. Moreover, it may also have an unintended consequence of impacting innocent third parties to the project development.”

The High Court Judge has ruled that stopping the project may also have an unintended consequence of impacting innocent third parties to the project development, all while proving to be a “brutum fulmen” in the way of substantive relief for the applicants. No order has been made as to costs.

Attorneys-at-Law Abiola Wong-Innis and Melinda Janki appeared for the applicants, while Attorney Francis Carryl appeared for the EPA. Andrew Pollard, SC, and Edward Luckhoo, SC, represented ExxonMobil (Guyana).

Submissions

During the trial, ExxonMobil had argued that the applicants’ interpretation of Regulation 17(2)(c) (ii) of the Environmental Protection (Authorisations) Regulations ignores its clear language. The oil giant averred that as part of its application process for the environmental permit, it was enjoined to provide proof to the EPA that it has the legal right or ability to conduct the activity without the consent of the landowner or occupier, which it did.

The company submitted that, on June 24, 2021, it submitted an updated application to EPA which, inter alia, indicated that the Government would be acquiring the lands necessary for the project.

Head of the Gas-toEnergy Task Force, Winston Brassington, has asserted that landowners of the compulsorily acquired lands for the project were informed of the project and the requirements associated with it during every phase of the project’s development. He

He had also submitted that the proceedings placed the public’s interest in jeopardy, as the project is intended to produce a reliable source of electricity, and involves significant public expenditure.

Description

The scope of Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy project consists of the construction of 225 kilometres of pipeline from the Liza field in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where ExxonMobil and its partners are currently producing oil.

It features approximately 200 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore that would run from Liza Destiny and Liza Unity FPSO vessels in the Stabroek Block to the shore. Upon landing on the West Coast Demerara shore, the pipeline would continue for approximately 25 kilometres to the Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant at Wales.

The pipeline would be 12 inches wide, and is expected to transport per day some 50 million standard cubic feet (mscfpd) of dry gas to the NGL plant, but it can push as much as 120 mscfpd.

The pipeline’s route onshore would follow the same path as the fibre-optic cables, and would terminate at Hermitage, part of the Wales Development Zone (WDZ) which would house the gasto-shore project.

In Budget 2023, the gas-to-energy project received a $43.3 billion allocation, which is in addition to the $24.6 billion injected into the start-up of the transformational project, which includes the construction of an integrated NGL plant and the 300-megawatt (MW) Combined Cycle Power Plant at Wales.

The NGL and 300MW power plant components of the gas-to-shore project are meanwhile expected to cost US$759.8 million, and would be financed through sources that include budgets and loan financing.

Investment in this project is in the vicinity of US$1,700,000,000 and includes all associated project costs incurred under respective contracts by the Government, its contractors, operators, and coventurers, according to the Attorney General.

The irony of those who may’ve raised an eyebrow at the President thinking about coffee production, it would surprise them to learn that we were one of the earliest producers of this second most popular drink in the world!! Yes, surely, you guessed that tea is number one – if only because there’s more Chinese and Indians in the world than anyone else!! And the Brits enjoy their “cuppa” just because they ruled India!!

Anyhow, believe it or not, when the Dutch started their settlements in Berbice and Essequibo in the 17th century, they brought coffee plants from Yemen to launch one of the major crops to export to Europe.

Yep, Yemen!! Cause coffee was first used as drink over in nearby Ethiopia, and with the Turks and the Ottoman Empire getting hooked, Yemen supplied the fix!! And so, a couple of centuries later, the Dutch launched the coffee craze in European countries like Germany, that soon got addicted to the wonder bean.

You wonder why sugar production rose in importance at the same time?? Gotta have that sugar to make coffee go down, don’t you??

So, it’s a bit ironic there was such a fuss about us having our first Starbucks, when the coffee from Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo once supplied the coffee shops of Europe - where the intelligentsia met to plot their rebellions!! Did you ever wonder what crops were grown in those plantations in Berbice where Cuffy launched his 1763 rebellion?? More than likely it was coffee, rather than sugar!!

Nowadays, we know that one brave entrepreneur has relaunched Pomeroon as a coffee-growing locale – and there’s no reason why this effort can’t be replicated in other areas where coffee once ruled – like Victoria. Take the Canals Polders – all three of them. Coffee was not too long ago a very common produce, and the knowhow’s still there. Our varieties of coffee have a unique heritage – and flavour. And if Pres Ali can get behind the crop, surely, we can replace all the coffee imported into the region to give those tourists their morning.

In addition to supplying our local Starbucks!!

…sugar

So Rose Hall’s having teething problems. Why does that surprise anyone?? Do folks think manufacturing sugar is like it was during the 7th century under the Dutch?? When we had oxen going around in circles to turn wheels that crushed cane and the juice was drained into metal “coppers” – like giant karahees – to be boiled until it thickened, and then stored in large barrels with a hole at the bottom for the molasses to drain out??

No siree Bob!! Sugar’s a high-tech product that demands a slew of machinery operating in tandem and with precision!! When the PNC shuttered Rose Hall, they allowed all the machinery in the factory to collapse into mounds of rust. Does anyone think someone’s gonna wave a wand and sugar will appear from cane?? Just as an example, heat from boilers produce steam under pressure that drives the machinery that makes the production line flow.

So, what happens when you start up the factory, develop a head of steam, and then discover a leak??

…Haiti

It’s good that our Government decided to send some Policemen to help bring some kind of stability to our fellow Caricom member Haiti. Ultimately, the Haitians will have to deal with their challenges; but first there’s gotta be order!

Applicants failed to show what real or substantial public wrong occurred …no public good can come from

Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry Vanda Radzik

Elizabeth Deane-Hughes

Canada, Caricom have built an enduring partnership – Trudeau

…says upcoming summit to strengthen bilateral partnership in trade, climate change

group co-Chair, Trudeau will also promote the SDGs as the pathway for the world to build a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean leaders will also be presented with the platform to engage with Canadian business heads and investors to advance commercial opportunities in the Region.

Notably, Canada’s twoway merchandise trade with Caricom countries reached $1.8 billion in 2022, while bilateral trade in services reached $3.9 billion in 2021.

The Summit builds on Canada-Caricom’s long-standing partnership, furthering conversations held in February when Trudeau visited Nassau,

The Bahamas for the 44th Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom.

Guyana-Canada

Guyana is one of Canada’s largest merchandise trading partners in Caricom. In 2022, the value of the bilateral merchandise trade totalled $294.1 million, with imports valued at $241.4 million and exports valued at $52.7 million.

Over the years, the countries have made significant efforts to strengthen their ties.

Most recently, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maninder Sidhu, who attended the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom in Trinidad and Tobago, had also visited Guyana in July.

Among his engagements here, Sidhu met with Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd to further discussions on energy transition and food security. He also met key political and commercial stakeholders to get a better understanding of Guyana’s economic situation and its opportunities for Canadian companies.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will host the first Canada-Caricom Summit in Ottawa from October 17-19, providing an opportunity for leaders to continue to strengthen cooperation and chart a better future for people in both regions.

“I look forward to welcoming leaders from the Caribbean Community to Ottawa this month. Canada and the Caribbean Community have built an enduring partnership over the last 50 years, based on ties between our people and our shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights,” Trudeau said, according to a press release.

“At this Summit and beyond, we will keep working together to take climate action, build strong economies and keep people safe, now and into the future,” Trudeau added.

Themed “Strategic Partners for a Resilient Future”, the Summit will thereby allow Prime

Minister Trudeau and Caricom leaders, headed by the bloc’s Chair, Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, to advance shared priorities.

These include building inclusive and sustainable economies, increasing trade and investment, and promoting multilateral collaboration.

Focus will also be placed on collective efforts to fight climate change and address its impacts in the Caribbean, including by exploring ways to improve access to finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Region.

Prime Minister Trudeau will also seek to highlight the importance of reinforcing democratic values, promoting human rights and the rules-based international order, and strengthening coordination on regional security, including responding to the ongoing security, political and humanitarian crises in Haiti.

As the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Advocates

File photo: President Dr Irfaan Ali and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following the 2022 Commonwealth Business Forum for Heads of Government and Business Leaders Roundtable in Kigali, Rwanda

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“We lost everything” –Charlestown fire victims

Odessa Alves had just brought her children home from lessons on Wednesday evening when calamity struck in the form of a fire that erupted at the Charlestown, Georgetown

house she shared with 14 other relatives.

On Thursday morning, when all that remained of the three-storey wooden-and-concrete structure at Lot 33 Lyng and Howes

Street, Charlestown was rubble, Alves shared with Guyana Times that, in a matter of minutes, the entire edifice was engulfed in thick smoke. The woman said she

was standing at the door speaking with a friend at about 18:00h on that fateful Wednesday when her son first drew her attention to fire emanating from the top storey of the house. The mother of four said she sprinted up the stairs with two buckets of water, but those proved futile in dousing the flames.

Realising that the fire was spreading rapidly, persons called on her to abandon the building and rush to safety. And she made one final attempt to throw some

valuables out the window, but even this was pointless.

“My son come at the verandah and holler, ‘Mommy! Fire! Fire!’. When I run up the back step, I run to the top (third flat) with two buckets of water. But the fire had already blazed up in the middle room upstairs. When I run and throw the first bucket of water, the smoke and the fire hit me and throw me back. I couldn’t do anything…The fire happen so fast!” she detailed.

“I meet at the window to throw stuff out the window, but I couldn’t throw nothing. A guy tell me, ‘Come out the house!’ and I run down from the back,” she recalled. The 42-year-old fire victim told this publication that, within a split second, the flames spread out of control.

It has been reported that fifteen firefighters, six EMTs, three water tenders, and three ambulances from the Central, Alberttown, and West Ruimveldt Fire Stations immediately responded to the scene. However, according to Alves, had the Fire Service had more water, the building could have been saved. She shared, “…two spray and the water finish. The next truck take another half-hour to meet.”

Another resident, Tito Gilkes, also shared his disappointment, since a fire hydrant was located just outside the property. He contended, “I passed one fire truck this way, another on Sussex Street, one on Broad Street, and nobody ain’t spraying water. Everybody just busy, and you ain’t seeing water. When it start with the bottom, a fire truck come from Howes Street and then started spraying water. We don’t know what’s the SOPs and why they didn’t have water, or what happen. But a fire hydrant was right in front. When they came, only the top was on fire; they

could have saved how much things.”

Losses

The former occupants of this building are claiming that nothing was saved; that all 15 occupants have been rendered homeless, and losses suffered are in the millions. The bottom flat of this building had housed a warehouse in which were stored party supplies for the family’s business. A vehicle has also been damaged.

“Everything we lost! Everything I lost! It was real stuff: the house was furnished, we had a bond with stuff, party service stuff, trampoline, bouncy castle, pool,” Alves added.

Owner of the property, Hazen Alves-Scott, has said she received a dreadful call when she was in Itaballi, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) that her home was devastated by fire. One day prior, they were experiencing power outages which destroyed a refrigerator. Those outages had continued into Wednesday. However, the Guyana Fire Service is yet to determine the cause of the fire.

“They said they had an on-and-off blackout…When I come, everything was gone. Nothing we don’t have,” the owner lamented. (G12)

Fire victim Odessa Alves

Aftermath of the Charlestown fire

Owner of the property, Hazen Alves-Scott

Operator crushed to death as crane topples at Peters Hall facility

A34-year-old operator attached to the Tepui Group Incorporated on Thursday met his demise when the crane he was operating at a shorebase facility at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara toppled, and in the process crushed him to death.

Dead is Shawn Anthony Joseph, also known as Shawn DeSantos, of Number 76 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (Upper CorentyneBerbice). His body was found pinned under the heavy-duty machine at Parker Street, Providence, East Bank Demerara at around 11:30h on Thursday.

Police in a statement said that ranks visited the scene at about 12:00h, and investigations have revealed that at the time of the incident, the operator

was alone in the Crane, fitted with a hammer to drive the concrete piles.

Police said the operator’s brothers: Devon DeSantos, a 43-year-old grounds man of Number 50 Village, Corentyne; and Nigel Bourne, a 34-year-old grounds man of Number

50 Village, Corentyne, and other workers were in close proximity to the scene of the accident. Investigations revealed that the Crane toppled on the wharf, which caused Shawn Joseph to jump out of the operat-

Father of 1 to know jailtime

next Wednesday for killing

Canal #1 taxi driver

Roopchan Taylor, the man who has pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing Aaron Damdar, a 66-year-old cab driver of Mes Delices, Canal No. 1, West Bank Demerara (WBD), will know his fate next Wednesday when he is sentenced for the crime.

Taylor, called “Vishal”, a 30-year-old construction worker and father of one, had been remanded to prison after initially being charged with killing the father of three in 2019. Committed to stand trial for the capital offence in September 2023, he chose to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter at his arraignment before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall at the High Court in Demerara.

The accepted facts detailed that on October 20, 2019, at Ogle Sideline Dam, East Coast Demerara (ECD), Damdar had attacked Taylor's mother after she allegedly boarded his car while intoxicated.

In responding to his mother's cries for help when he heard them, Taylor and the geriatric Damdar became embroiled in an argument, which resulted in Damdar being hit in the face and sent sprawling to the ground.

Damdar was hospitalised after the incident, but died a few days later.

Taylor was brought back to the Demerara High Court

for sentencing on Thursday, October 5, 2023. However, this has been deferred until the new week, after submissions from counsel for the defence and prosecution, and the presentation of a probation report in favour of the convict.

Taylor's mother has described him as "quiet," but the probation officer reported that family members claimed he verbally abused them, especially when he was high on marijuana and alcohol.

According to the social services officer, Taylor’s ex-reputed wife and mother of his eight-year-old son related that their relationship had been “good”, until the birth of their child.

The probation officer reported that prison officers

had told her that Taylor has displayed positive behaviour, and is enrolled in rehabilitative programmes.

In a victim impact statement, Mrs Damdar, widow of the deceased, described her late husband as hardworking, and expressed conviction that her family should be compensated for her husband’s killing.

Taylor’s lawyer, Teriq Mohammed, stated during a plea in mitigation that his client had intervened in that situation to protect his mother, and that his actions had not been planned. As such, counsel implored the court to “please have mercy and leniency” on his client.

When the Judge asked if he had anything to say, a soft-spoken Taylor responded: "I am very sorry for what happened. I was just trying to save my mother. I apologise”, and went on to beg Mrs. Damdar, who was seated in the courtroom, for forgiveness.

State Attorney Praneet Seeraj requested that the court take into account a variety of aggravating circumstances while determining the proper sentence, such as the seriousness and frequency of the offence, as well as the fact that Taylor had been intoxicated at the time of the attack.

Taylor’s sentencing hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 11. (G1)

ing area of the Crane. He fell on the wharf, but was pinned under the Crane. EMTs who arrived at the scene pronounced the operator dead.

Owner of the Tepui Group, Mikhail Rodrigues, called ‘Guyanese Critic’, told Guyana Times that the operator was driving piles on the worksite when he experienced some “problems”.

Rodrigues said that following the tragic incident, the Police and family members of the deceased were called to the scene.

Rodrigues informed that the Tepui Group is providing all necessary support to the man’s family, and added that the Labour Ministry has been called in to conduct a thorough investigation.

Tepui Group Incorporated has been contracted to construct a US$5 million concrete production facility for Mohamed’s Enterprise. Upon completion, the facility would produce concrete pre-stressed piles with a length of up to 160 feet, and slabs for

bridges and utility poles, besides offering a wide variety of construction services with its state-ofthe-art equipment. This facility would be accessible by a wharf that is being constructed to facilitate the delivery of materials to any part of the coastland by water.

The project, which commenced earlier this year, was expected to be completed in September, but the contractor has secured a 4-month extension. (G12)

The crane that toppled and pinned the operator

Dead: Roopchan Taylor

Dead: Shawn Anthony Joseph Owner of the Tepui Group, Mikhail Rodrigues

Brawl between students at Diamond was “gang-related” – Police

…juvenile suspect interviewed

One of the victims and his schoolmate – who is one of the juvenile suspects – had a heated argument a day prior to the incident.

According to investigations so far, the victims and suspects attend the two schools mentioned above and take extra lesson classes near First Bridge, Golden Grove, EBD. They were walking along the said roadway when they were pounced on.

The 16-year-old bore the brunt of the aggression since he was punched and stabbed multiple times with an ice pick. It was initially reported that the suspects snatched his Samsung S21 smartphone valued at $85,000. Simultaneously, the 15-year-old fell victim to the

attackers, losing his iPhone 7 worth $68,000, his backpack, and $200.

The victims informed their parents and later reported the incident at the Golden Grove-Diamond Police Station.

“Efforts are being made to locate the other juveniles involved so as to get to the root cause of the problem. Investigations continue,” the GPF said.

Choking incident

Meanwhile, the GPF has also been called in to probe another incident whereby a 15-year-old student of Friendship Secondary School, EBD was 'choked' with a piece of twine. It was reported that the child was rendered unconscious

and had to be taken to the Diamond Hospital for medical attention.

Ranks from Grove Police Station visited the school where the Deputy Head Mistress was contacted, and she stated that the school's Welfare Department was investigating the matter. The Police are awaiting the school's Welfare Officer report to proceed with the investigation.

In a separate incident, Guyana Times reported that another incident unfolded on Wednesday at the Route 45 Bus Park, Stabroek whereby a student from the Richard Ishmael Secondary School fell victim to a merciless attack, enduring multiple stabbings with a pair of scissors.

(G12)

As the Guyana Police Force continues its probe into the daring attack on two students at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara, leads are pointing to a gang-related grievance between two schools and not a robbery.

The male students – aged 15 and 16 - were attacked

on Tuesday evening on Diamond Access Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), allegedly by five juveniles.

On Thursday, Police informed that one of the juvenile suspects was interviewed by Police in the presence of his father and he claimed that the incident was not a robbery but rather

“gang-related”.

According to the 15-yearold suspect, one of the two victims is allegedly a member of the TMF gang out of the Dolphin Secondary School. However, the 16-year-old victim is claiming that his attacker is a member of the ARK family gang out of the Carmel Secondary School.

As Sunday marked International Day of Older Persons, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, through the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit, launched an awareness campaign at post offices countrywide to promote elderly care.

From Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) to 10(Upper DemeraraBerbice), Ministry and Community Advocates Network (CAN) staff and volunteers facilitated awareness sessions to support seniors and distributed snacks to a number of them.

This initiative also presented an opportunity to raise awareness of the prevalent issue of elderly abuse.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about one in six persons aged 60 years and older have experienced some form of abuse in communi-

ty settings, with the rates having increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Elderly abuse is an alarming concern within our communities, encompassing physical, verbal, emotional, socio-economic abuse, neglect, and isolation. The Ministry is committed to addressing this issue headon,” the Human Services Ministry stated in a press release.

As such, seniors were educated on how to identify and report elder abuse, thereby empowering them to protect themselves and seek help when needed.

“The Ministry remains steadfast in its mission to raise awareness of elder abuse and reiterates its strong stance against all forms of Gender-Based Violence, including elderly abuse,” the statement continued.

This initiative came after the Day of Older Persons celebrations, during which

the National Commission for the Elderly reportedly educated more than 250 seniors at the Promenade Gardens about elderly abuse and reporting mechanisms.

To further support seniors and combat elder abuse, the Human Services Ministry continues to direct persons in need to its 24hour toll-free hotline 914.

The 914 hotline was launched in 2020 to respond to victims of domestic abuse at any time of the day, whereby persons are usually able to speak to a trained customer service operator who will direct the call to a social worker who seeks to provide necessary assistance while maintaining confidentiality.

“We urge everyone to reach out if they or someone they know is a victim of elder abuse. Remember, there is no excuse for abuse, and we are here to help,” the Ministry’s statement read.

Injuries about the bodies of the injured students

The Human Services Ministry raises awareness on elderly abuse

“Elderly abuse is an alarming concern within our communities”

– Human Services Ministry …educates seniors on reporting mechanisms for cases of abuse

Guyana Cancer Foundation reiterates call for low-cost radiation therapy centre

…launches activities to raise cancer awareness

Since its inception in 2016, the Guyana Cancer Foundation, led by Bibi Hassan, has been providing assistance to breast, cervical and prostate cancer patients through donations, medical outreaches, and screening opportunities.

As October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, these efforts continue with renewed energy as the Foundation seeks to mobilise community leaders and members to promote awareness of the disease, its treatment, and the need for early detection.

On Thursday, Hassan spoke with <<<Guyana Times about the Foundation’s work and the month-long roster of activities planned under its theme, “Pink Power”.

Hassan explained that the inspiration for the Foundation emerged from her experience as caregiver to her mother in 2008 as she successfully battled Stage Two breast cancer. Since

events planned for the month with a tree wrapping ceremony along Main Street, Georgetown, which – Hassan noted – received a positive response from a number of survivors and dignitaries who attended.

During the ceremony, British High Commissioner Jane Miller encouraged women to get tested regularly.

their shirt to support the women who have lost their breasts to cancer. It’s like a social media [campaign] and we ask people to hashtag #GuyanaCancer Foundation with the pictures,” Hassan said.

“The next event is National Mammography Day on October 20,” Hassan said, adding that this activity was created to urge wom-

Radiation Therapy

As Hassan seeks to continue advancing care of breast cancer patients in Guyana, she also issued a call to President Dr Irfaan Ali to establish a low-cost ra-

diation therapy centre.

“I’ve been advocating for this since 2020, because many, many patients come to me and they can’t afford to pay for the radiation therapy because these costs are from $550,000 and it goes to $1.4

million,” Hassan said. She noted that based on the type of cancer and its stage of advancement, patients may have to get radiation therapy to survive and, therefore, require easier access to this treatment. (G13)

then, she continues to provide care for others in need.

“We try to get our low-income, medically under-served and uninsured persons to get screened for breast cancer. We also do cervical cancer screening. Since 2019, we have partnered with Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital to do our free mammogram and sonogram screening programme,” Hassan said.

She clarified that the Foundation previously conducted cervical cancer screenings through the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), but challenged by its overcrowding, they initiated screening through Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital in January.

Activities

On Tuesday, the Foundation kicked off its

“Cancer is everywhere. It’s not just in October; it’s throughout the whole year. But October is the month that gives us some time to really focus on the issue,” Miller said, according to a Guyana Cancer Foundation social media video.

“I think it’s really great for us to be thinking about what we could be doing to prevent cancer. In Guyana, there are now machines that can do mammograms. Those machines are great, but they’re only good if you get tested,” Miller said.

No Bra Day

The Foundation’s activities continue next Friday with No Bra Day.

“What you normally do on that day, women don’t wear a bra and they take out pictures with a tank top and the men will wear a bra over

en to get screened for breast cancer.

Also, on October 20 is Wear it Pink Friday through which persons are encouraged to wear pink—the colour designated for breast cancer awareness – to highlight their support for breast cancer patients and survivors.

Meanwhile, on October 22, the Foundation will be hosting a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk at 06:00h, from the Seawall Bandstand, along Main Street to the Bank of Guyana and back.

“And then on October 27, to close off Breast Cancer Awareness Programme, we have a candlelight vigil on [East Street, where the Foundation is located] to honour our breast cancer survivors, fighters and also the ones who’ve lost the battle,” Hassan said.

Bibi Hassan, founder of the Guyana Cancer Foundation

Guyana, TT manufacturing bodies discuss exploring forestry trade

culation, relative humidity and temperature can be controlled so that the moisture content of wood can be reduced to a target point without having any drying defects. These kiln-dried products are then used to make furniture.

turers of doors and other wood-related products in Trinidad, [but] Guyanese wood in Trinidad is a premium product. In fact, people boast when they have Guyanese hardwood product in their house… It’s an expensive product,” he posited.

The Guyana

Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) has urged Trinidadian manufacturers to look into the vast opportunities in the local forestry sector – an invitation which the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturing Association (TTMA) has said it would be exploring.

The TTMA is currently fielding a 44-member trade mission in Guyana to explore areas where they can potentially strengthen trade and cooperation among businesses of the two nations.

During a seminar on Wednesday, hosted by ActionINVEST Caribbean

Inc. (ACI) at Parc Rayne, Executive Member of the GMSA, Rafeek Khan, noted that Trinidadian investors are the ones most confident in Guyana’s growing economy, and there is much more scope for collaboration in new areas, such as the forestry sector.

Currently, one per cent of Guyana’s vast forest cover has been allocated to logging activities. But according to Khan, who has a timber company, only onethird of that allocation is currently being harvested.

“So, we have tremendous room for anyone who seeks to invest in logging, sawmilling, or manufacturing of our wood

products. Coming from Trinidad, you will know that our previous hard wood such as Greenheart and Purpleheart, the price of they are in Trinidad. You are the consumers of wood products that are very expensive in Trinidad,” he noted.

Khan, who is currently undertaking Guyana’s first eco-lodges, also highlighted that the products used in constructing these eco-homes can be used for the eco-tourism industry in Tobago.

Khan’s company, DuraVilla Homes, is building a total of 30 lodges at Great Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara to be run by women under the

‘100 women’ initiative announced by President Dr Irfaan Ali.

Initially scheduled to be completed in time for the Cricket Carnival season, to provide alternative luxury accommodation options for the influx of visitors in the country during this period, the ambitious

Khan, who is the immediate past GMSA President, explained that Guyana currently imports about 90 per cent of its “basic furniture” for major initiatives such as hospitals and hotels, and even homes as well.

“At least 5,000 homes are built every year [in Guyana], which should give you the confidence that if you want to manufacture a product - whether it is something as simple as furniture, flooring,

Roach went on to say, “We don’t have a feel, or I certainly don’t have a feel, for the cost of the actual product, so we don’t know if the cost of the product is high, or because of the reputation of the product, the persons who are importing it are making very large mark-ups on it… But TTMA will certainly look into that, to see if instead of having a few niche persons to bring it in, we can price it reasonably and

eco-lodges project faced several setbacks, and the deadline date for completion was pushed back.

Meanwhile, another one of the niche areas that the GMSA official said potential T&T investors can look at is kiln-dried products.

“You have some amazing companies in Trinidad that make doors, that make flooring, that make cabinets – all using wood. Perhaps you’re importing them from Miami, I don’t know. But you cannot utilize any of our wood products for interior construction if you don’t dry it, and this is the biggest gap we’re finding in Guyana. We do not have enough kiln-drying capacity,” he stressed.

The kiln process involves the drying of wood in a chamber where air cir-

doors – it doesn’t matter. It’s a no-brainer because we are importing major of the high-end finished products for our hotels, for our hospitals, and for our luxury homes,” he stated.

The GMSA Executive outlined that, given the price of these imported furniture, it would be more feasible if they are to be manufactured right here in Guyana. He noted that Trinidad has the expertise and capacity to undertaken such a venture.

In response, TTMA President Roger Roach said Guyana’s wood is indeed a premium product in Trinidad, and so the association would explore making the Guyanese wood more accessible and affordable to citizens in the twin-island Republic.

“We do have manufac-

packaged it properly and then we could get a wider distribution in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The TTMA further highlighted the need for the two countries to partner in the area of wood-related paint products, especially given Guyana’s vast skilled manufacturing capacity.

Meanwhile, with the construction boom in Guyana, the GMSA official told the T&T trade mission that there are plenty of investment opportunities they can tap into. These including claybrick manufacturing in Guyana, especially for the housing sector, as well as quarrying.

According to Khan, there are many dormant quarries in Guyana sitting there – waiting for investors. (G8)

GMSA Executive Rafeek Khan

TTMA President Roger Roach

Some members of the trade mission from Trinidad and Tobago at Wednesday’s seminar

Exxon not “positively inclined” to buy Guyana’s high-quality carbon credits – VP

market for future sale agreements but according to the Vice President, Government was not in a rush to sell as it explores which carbon offset market will attract the highest value for Guyana’s credits.

United States oil giant ExxonMobil is not keen on buying Guyana’s “high-quality” carbon credits and is, instead, channelling its investment in other areas locally as part of the company’s overall commitment to fighting climate change.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Thursday when he was asked whether Exxon has expressed interest in purchasing any of the country’s remaining 70 per cent certified carbon credits.

“We raised this matter with them, they have not been positively inclined to do that.”

“Every business or every person has their own business model. Exxon says they’re investing in carbon capture and storage and therefore, that’s their contribution to the fight against climate change. I’m not defending them, because I think they should do more globally and here. But they have indicated, by the way, that they’re prepared to invest in other

things – mangroves and reforestation, and all of that. So, we’ve had a different conversation,” Jagdeo noted.

Back in December 2022, the Guyana Government signed a historic multiyear agreement for the sale of certified carbon credits to US energy major Hess Corporation to the tune of US$750 million –15 per cent of which is going directly towards the development of hinterland communities.

This deal came after Guyana was the first country to receive certification of its carbon credits by the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) on December 1, 2022.

The 33.7 million credits being sold to Hess Corp is just 30 per cent of the carbon sink contained in Guyana’s vast forest. The country’s more than 18 million hectares of forests are estimated to store approximately 20 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The remaining 70 per cent of Guyana’s carbon credits will be put on the

Immediately after the Hess deal was signed last December, ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge told reporters that trading carbon credits was among the options being considered by the oil major in its efforts to manage climate change.

“ExxonMobil is looking at lots of different ways to manage climate change and this [trading of carbon credits] is always going to be one of the considerations,” he related.

Asked whether any discussions have already started in this regard with Guyanese authorities, Routledge indicated he “can’t comment on anything that’s in the future” .

Dismissed

Nevertheless, during Thursday’s press briefing, VP Jagdeo dismissed the notion that Exxon’s unwillingness to make the purchase would bring the quality of the country’s carbon credits into question. In fact, he pointed out that Hess was one of Exxon’s co-venturers and a major investor in the oilrich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where exploration and production activities are ongoing.

“So, I don’t see it as anything [if Exxon doesn’t buy our carbon credits]. Globally, we’re recognised

as the best quality of forest carbon so it doesn’t matter [whether Exxon buys or not]. We’ve had interest from a number of people, but we’re being very cautious before we sell the additional 70 per cent. Exxon is not the barometer or the litmus test for the quality of our carbon credits. But a co-venturer of theirs has bought it and it’s the largest purchase of carbon credits anywhere in the world, including in Brazil or Indonesia or any of the other countries that have substantially bigger forest than ours,” the Vice President contended.

He further outlined that, “We’re not begging Exxon to buy our credit. Our credit is competitive and we’re looking for the best deal. So, if Exxon changes its mind and comes along with an offer that is good and outcompete any other offer, they could participate. If they don’t, then we will go with the higher offer. We’re not begging Exxon to buy our carbon.”

With Guyana now a leading trader in the glob-

Oil and Gas sector

al forest carbon market, Government is looking at ways to increasing earnings from those transactions.

As a matter of fact, Guyana’s is also one of the few credits in the forestry sector that can now be sold in the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) market, which is the compliance market for abating airlines emissions.

With a global push by operators in various sectors to reduce their carbon footprints, VP Jagdeo told <<<Guyana Times>>> back in August that Guyana is receiving broad interest from major players in the international aviation sector that are exploring buying the country’s high-quality carbon credits. These include some big airlines based in Asia.

Jagdeo had noted that the country’s carbon credits would attract a higher value now that they could be traded in the CORSIA market.

He explained, “When we go into the market, peo-

ple look at where the credit can be used: so, if it’s only for voluntary offsets [market] or if it can be used in a compliance market. So, that lends value to the credit itself. That’s why we got priced significantly higher than the market price.”

A carbon credit is a tradable permit or certificate that allows the holder of the credit the right to emit a stated tonnage of carbon dioxide or an equivalent of another greenhouse gas. Countries and companies that exceed their permitted limits can purchase carbon credits from nations that have low emissions such as Guyana.

There are two categories of carbon offset markets in which carbon credits are traded: the voluntary carbon market and the compliance carbon market.

In the voluntary carbon offset market, organisations or countries, in Guyana’s case, create carbon credits by lowering their own greenhouse gas emissions and sell to other organisations or countries that have high emission levels.

With the compliance market, however, there are certain caps on emission levels set by governments and other regulators as a means of achieving carbon reduction targets. This market is also known as the cap-and-trade and similarly, allows organisations that emit less to sell to high emitters but this is driven by legal mandate.

(G8)

Excel Guyana, New Tech Global partner to increase skilled workers

Excel Guyana Inc and Texas-based New Tech Global have partnered to address the shortage of experienced workers in Guyana’s oil and gas industry, thereby combining the former’s local expertise and the latter’s international network of over 44,000 highly-skilled contractors.

Through this strategic partnership, Excel Guyana Inc’s Recruitment Division will work closely with New Tech Global to facilitate business development, recruiting, employer of record services, local content documentation, human resources management, payroll services, immigration, and relocation assistance.

Excel Guyana Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Kris Sammy explained that New Tech offered more than 50 years of experience in offshore exploration and development, which is expected to ensure the safe and sustainable growth of Guyana’s rising energy sector.

New Tech Global has operations in all major oil and gas basins in the United States as well as international locations, and boasts of more than 350 active master service agreements in which the organisation provides customised solutions in staffing, environmental services, and project management.

“The growth in Guyana’s oil and gas sector presents an exciting and challenging opportunity to advance the region. New Tech Global’s

team of engineers, contractors, and technicians have demonstrated experience facilitating safe exploration, construction, and management of offshore oil rigs. We are committed to working with the Guyanese people to advance the region,” said Keith Grimes, CEO and Director of New Tech Global.

Safe and productive operations

Meanwhile, New Tech Global’s Director of Operations and Business Development, Santiago Estefania noted that through this collaboration, the two companies were well-positioned to help their clients maintain safe and productive operations.

“After an extensive eval-

uation of the local market and service providers, we chose Excel Guyana, because the organisation’s management systems, resources, and expertise perfectly complement our services,” Estefania said.

Completely Guyaneseowned, Excel Guyana Inc is registered with the Local Content Secretariat, and has rapidly expanded to provide integrated business management services for local and

international partners.

The company has more than 30 years of experience in the country and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) region at large.

Reiterating Sammy’s sentiments, Excel Guyana’s Vice President of Recruitment, Ewan Shanks expressed the company’s belief in New Tech Global’s ability to advance clients’ goals and Guyana’s overall growth.

“New Tech Global brings vast resources to support the growth of Guyana’s oil and gas industry with proven processes, integrity, and transparency. We are confident that this partnership brings together the right people and resources to advance our clients’ goals,” Shanks said.

Excel Guyana Inc’s Chief Executive Officer, Kris Sammy New Tech Global’s Chief Executive Officer, Keith Grime

ExxonMobil’s head office in Georgetown

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

New interest from companies in Austria, Korea for Amaila Falls – VP Jagdeo …says

Request for Proposal to go out back in 2 weeks

With interest mounting from firms in neighbouring Brazil for the revival of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP), the Guyana Government is now getting proposals from more companies around the world, including in Europe and Asia.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference on Thursday, revealed that Government would soon be relaunching the competitive bidding process in order to revive this critical initiative.

“We’re hoping, within maybe maximum two weeks, to go out back for the Request for Proposal…

Up to last week, we’ve had another interest from a Brazilian company. We’ve had a company from Austria [and] several from Korea, so now I think there is a large number of people approaching us, and the best way to do this is through a public process – a bid process,” Jagdeo stated.

According to the Vice President, instructions

have already been passed on to the technical staff to prepare to launch the new Request for Proposal (RFP). This includes updating the data from the last RFP to reflect new developments, such as the change in electricity demand.

“But we had most of the documents from the past already, so we just need to update them to see that they are more up-todate,” Jagdeo noted.

The 165-megawatt

AFHP was the flagship initiative of the Bharrat Jagdeo-crafted Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), but the project failed to take off despite having a developer in United States-based Sithe Global, which was backed by investment major The Blackstone Inc.

In August 2013, Sithe Global announced that it was pulling out of the project, which it said was too large to continue without

national consensus, and had cited the lack of consensus in Parliament. At the time, the then A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) opposition parties, holding majority seats in the National Assembly, had both expressed concerns about the project, and had voted down key pieces of legislation, which consequently halted the project.

Then, during its term in office from 2015 to 2020, the APNU/AFC Coalition Administration again shelved the project.

The revival of the 165-megawatt hydropower project was one of the promises made by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) in its 2020 Manifesto. Construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project was supposed to start last year, with an expected completion date being in 2027.

The AFHP was awarded to China Railway First Group (CRFG) in November 2021, but the contract negotiations were stalled, and eventually annulled after the company indicated to Government its inability to execute the project in keeping with the Build-OwnOperate-Transfer (BOOT) model: an arrangement that Government insists on keeping. CRFG wanted to enter into an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with the Government instead, but this was not facilitated.

At the time of that bidding process, Government had agreed to pursue the AFHP via the BOOT model, wherein the contractor would supply electricity to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc at a cost not exceeding US$0.07737 per kWh, and wherein the company would provide the entire equity required by the project and undertake all the risks associated with the project.

According to VP Jagdeo during a previous press briefing in August, several of the proposals received from bilateral sources are offering the same US$0.07 per kWh.

Only in July, the Vice President had disclosed that at least two proposals were received from companies in Brazil to do the hydro project. He had noted, too, that companies out of the United States have similarly submitted proposals to take over the initiative.

During a visit to the

US in December 2022, President Dr Irfaan Ali said he told Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and her team that the Amaila Falls project is open to US investors.

Meanwhile, back in October 2022, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mark Berman, had disclosed that the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) had also held discussions with the Guyana Government on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project. Canada is well known for its hydropower infrastructure. In fact, the clean and renewable energy supplied by hydropower accounts for over 60 per cent of all the electricity generated in Canada, and Berman has said this is an area in which Canada could provide assistance to Guyana.

AFHP is expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy which is affordable and reliable, and is envisioned to meet a significant portion of Guyana’s domestic energy needs. This project is one of the key features in the Guyana Government’s energy mix as the country moves towards reducing its dependency on fossil fuels.

The leading initiative driving this transition is the model Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project, which includes the construction of an Integrated Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant and a 300-megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant at Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD).(G8)

$150,000 bail for Sophia man on armed robbery charges

Magistrate Alisha George has read two armed-robbery charges to 19-year-old Mwange Smith who appeared before her on Wednesday at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts on charges of committing offences contrary to Section 222 (c) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01.

An unemployed resident of 'B' Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, Smith, who was arrested on October 1 by ranks of the Beterverwagting Police Station, has pleaded not guilty to both charges,

and has been placed on $150,000 bail. His matters have been adjourned until November 15 for report and fixture.

This is not the first time this accused has faced such charges. In October last year, he was charged for armed robbery committed on Himwattie Ramraj when he was arraigned in this same courthouse. During that arraignment, he denied the charge and was later remanded to prison.

This publication is unaware of the legal status of that matter.(G1)

Mwange Smith

An artist's impression of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project

Corpse missing as contractor digs up Rosignol Cemetery to access sand

come in the burial ground,” Ivan has said.

Regional Vice Chairman Rian Pieters has said he received reports of the incident on Wednesday evening, and he visited the site on Thursday.

He said he was told that persons could not find the final resting places of their loved ones, and he has expressed dissatisfaction at the action of the contractor.

“I myself am very surprised that anybody would want to carry out such an act in what we consider a cemetery and the final resting place of our loved ones,” Pieters has said.

Acontractor of a West Bank Berbice community in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has dug up sections of the Rosignol Cemetery, situated at Murphy Dam, to access reef sand, as demand for that commodity has increased in the infrastructure sector.

And relatives of a man who was buried less than three months ago have said on Thursday that they cannot find either his grave or his corpse.

Reports are that this contractor allegedly took machinery into the cemetery over the weekend, and started to dig up reef sand. He has even allegedly removed tombs in his quest to access desired quantities of reef sand.

Officials of the Regional

Democratic Council (RDC) and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) have been called to address the matter on Thursday. The Police have thus been summoned.

Currently, a large number of projects are under construction in Region Five, including the development of a large housing scheme at Shieldstown, West Bank Berbice; and those all require reef sand, thus demand for the commodity is high. However, irate residents and relatives of the dead are not happy with these developments.

Shadeek Bacchus was laid to rest at the Rosignol Cemetery in June of this year, and his wife Tishwarie Lall has said arrangements were being made to place a

headstone at his grave.

The sobbing widow had this to say after visiting the grave on Thursday. “When I come today (Thursday), is nothing at all here; only where they dig up. No piece of board, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.”

Ivan Bacchus, brother of the late Shadeek Bacchus, has said he had received reports that his brother’s grave was removed. He said he was in disbelief at the news. In fact, Ivan Bacchus said he had verbally abused his neighbour who had brought the news to him.

“When I come, I see for myself. My brother’s grave can’t be found. It is Father’s Day my brother bury here; it still should be fresh. He was the first person on the left-hand side when you

This publication understands that the contractor has since said the cemetery is situated on his land. Nevertheless, Pieters has engaged the Rosignol-Zee Lust NDC on the issue, and that NDC has since made available a plan of the area which seems to suggest the cemetery is situated in an area designated as a cemetery.

Rosignol resident Rajindra Victor has told this publication that the excavator was discovered digging sand from the cemetery two Saturdays ago.

“It is till this Saturday and Sunday they move the sand. They time people, and late they move the sand. Our loved ones bury here in this burial ground; my mother, father and sister all bury here,” Victor has said.

According to Regional Vice Chairman Rian Pieters, the act of remov-

ing sand from a cemetery is not something that anyone should support. He has warned that the Police, as well as the RDC and NDC, are investigating the matter.

“I am sure that the person or persons who are responsible will be dealt with according to the law,” Pieters has declared. (G4)

Ivan Bacchus pointing to the spot where his brother’s grave was situated before the contractor allegedly dug it up

Regional Guatemala protests intensify, demanding prosecutor resignations

Tens of thousands of Guatemalans marched peacefully on Thursday for the fourth consecutive day, demanding the resignation of powerful senior Prosecutors accused of working to undermine President-elect Bernardo Arevalo's ability to take office.

The centre-left Arevalo was elected in a landslide win in August, but since then Attorney General Consuelo Porras has intensified efforts to disqualify his anti-graft Movimiento Semilla party and ordered raids on the electoral authority's offices, seizing ballots.

"We're going to paralyse the country indefinitely. We demand the resignation of the Prosecutor, Consuelo Porras," said protester Luis Pacheco, head of 48 Cantones, a large Indigenous organisation.

Pacheco spoke outside Porras' offices in Guatemala City, where other groups have been camping out since Monday, waving Guatemalan flags and hoisting signs demanding an end to corruption.

Another sign read: "Get out coup plotters."

The prosecutor's office has defended what it describes as lawful actions to investigate Semilla over alleged registration issues and the need to secure evidence via raids.

Arevalo, a previously little-known lawmaker who struck a chord with his campaign pledge to tackle corruption, is fighting a bitter post-election battle with entrenched foes ahead of January's scheduled inauguration.

After he secured un-

US restarting direct deportations to Venezuela – security secretary

TheUnited States is restarting deportations of Venezuelans who cross the US-Mexico border unlawfully, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Thursday, part of attempts to curb a record number of migrant crossings.

President Joe Biden, who took office in January 2021, has faced historic illegal border crossings, fuelled by a sharp rise in recent years of migrants fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela.

Washington reached an agreement with Venezuela to repatriate Venezuelans "who do not take advantage

of the lawful pathways and instead arrive irregularly at our southern border and do not qualify for relief," Mayorkas said at a news conference in Mexico City.

Speaking after meetings between senior US and Mexican officials covering issues including migration, Mayorkas described the move as part of efforts to ensure "strict consequences" for those entering the United States illegally.

"We are a nation of immigrants, and we are a nation of laws," he added.

The new policy takes immediate effect.

The announcement was made on the same day

Biden, a Democrat, said he would expand sections of the border wall, a signature policy of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who is the frontrunner to face him in the 2024 presidential election.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have trekked through the treacherous jungle region known as the Darien Gap to reach the USMexico border in the past two years. The record number of arrivals has strained resources in cities across the United States, with Democratic officials in New York and Chicago sounding the alarm.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

expectedly strong support in June's first-round vote, Porras asked a Judge to disqualify Semilla, alleging the six-year-old registration flaws.

Her office's raids have prompted international criticism while also stoking popular anger. A wide range of protesters, including Indigenous people, rural farmers, and teacher and student groups have taken to the streets to demand the resignations of Porras and one of her top prosecutors, Rafael Curruchiche.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Building collapse in Havana's old town kills 3

Atleast three persons have been killed in the collapse of a residential building in the Cuban capital, Havana. The collapse happened late on Tuesday night local time, but it was not until Wednesday afternoon that rescue workers found the body of a 79-year-old resident under the rubble.

The two other victims were rescue workers who were searching the building when a second collapse happened.

Havana is known for its historic houses but many are dangerously dilapidated.

Cuba's Housing Minister said last month that 850,000 homes across the Communist-run island needed repairs.

But for its residents, a lack of suitable housing means that many families are crammed into buildings which are on the verge of collapse.

structures in 2018, but critics say it has concentrated on building hotels in an effort to attract tourists and thereby raise revenue rather than on homing locals.

sands of migrants back into Haiti.

Dominican President Luis Abinader, who is seeking re-election next year, has also said his country is planning the construction of two dams that "without the treaty could significantly affect" Haiti.

The Organisation of American States has called for a resumption of dialogue saying the current situation benefited neither party.

Old Havana is popular with tourists who photograph its once-grand but now decaying houses.

The Government blames the economic embargo imposed on the island by the United States for its inability to source building materials to carry out repairs.

It announced a national programme to build new

The building collapse in Havana is just the latest in a string of disasters to hit the capital's housing.

In May 2022, dozens of people were killed in a gas explosion at the Saratoga hotel.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

LIAT 2020 facing added competition as Caribbean Airlines set to expand

The Dominican Republic is ready to restart a decommissioned canal off a river shared with neighbouring Haiti, it said on Thursday, weeks after shutting down the border to stop another canal being built on the Haitian side that it asserts violated a treaty.

Santo Domingo shut its border in mid-September, cutting off movement of people and commerce through land, air and sea, citing the construction by private parties of a canal off the Massacre River on the Haitian side of the border in the area of Dajabon.

On Thursday, the Dominican government said its INDRHI water authority

had completed tests of three motor pumps installed at the intake site and the La Vigia canal, decommissioned in 2007, was ready to resume operations in Dajabon.

"This immediate solution will guarantee water for local producers who could be affected by the construction of a canal in Haitian territory that diverts the waters of the Dajabon River," the Government said in a statement.

Haiti, facing a humanitarian crisis driven by gang wars, has said that under the treaty it has the right to exploit resources on its side of the border. The countries have tense relations with the Dominican Republic, which deports tens of thou-

"There can be no doubt that Haiti and the Dominican Republic have equal rights of use over the Dajabon or Massacre River and that its water resources are vital for both, given the needs of its inhabitants, especially in the current context of drought," the OAS said in a statement last week. (Excerpt from Reuters)

The Antigua and Barbuda Government’s efforts to build out LIAT 2020 have been dealt a fresh blow, with Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is set to expand both its passenger and cargo operations across the Region.

Trinidad and Tobago Finance Minister Colm Imbert made the revelation during his presentation of the 2024 Budget in Parliament earlier this week, noting that the plans would see the carrier’s fleet size return to pre-pandemic levels.

Reports of the potential

expansion surfaced in April this year, that the Trinidadheadquartered CAL was preparing to submit a strategic plan to the Dr Keith Rowleyled Cabinet before the end of the month, detailing its intentions to expand operations and to increase connectivity to Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the region.

In his presentation on Monday, Imbert stated that the carrier would lease four additional ATR aircraft (to complement the 72-600s already in the fleet), along with three additional Boeing 737-

8s and five Embraer E175 commercial jets.

The latter, Imbert explained, would be utilised to service CAL’s inter-regional travel demand and “to establish bases and hubs across the Region to promote efficiency and cost-reducing measures”.

Meanwhile, two Boeings and two ATRs will be leased “to grow and expand its cargo services across the Region”, as the carrier pursues cargo operations as an essential revenue source. (Excerpt from Antigua and Barbuda Observer)

Mexico rejects new border wall plan

Mexico on Thursday rejected US plans to build new sections of the border wall at the USMexico border as top officials from both countries met in the Mexican capital to discuss immigration and security.

Before sitting down with US officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro

Mayorkas, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned the latest wall plan as a "step backwards".

Amid an increase in the number of people crossing into the US from Mexico, the United States said it would build additional sections of border wall in Starr County, Texas, carrying forward a signature policy of the Trump

Administration.

At the talks, officials pledged to step up cooperation to combat drug trafficking, organised crime and to ease migratory pressures on the border. Afterwards, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena underlined Mexico's opposition to the wall. "We believe in bridges, not in walls," she said,

speaking at a press conference alongside Blinken and Mayorkas.

Lopez Obrador has praised US President Joe Biden for not building more border walls during his administration. The barrier was a major bone of contention between the United States and Mexico during Donald Trump's presidency.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Dominican Republic says it is ready to restart canal after Haiti border shutdown

Mayan Ancestral Authorities demonstrate requesting the resignation of the Attorney General, as part of the blockades and demonstrations held nationwide in the fight for democracy, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, October 2, 2023 (Reuters/Cristina Chiquin photo)

Haitians gather at the construction site of a water channel from the Massacre River, a river shared between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, September 14, 2023 (Reuters/ Octavio Jones photo)

The inside of the three-storey building collapsed while some of the outer walls were left standing

Around The World OIL NEWS

Russian missile strike on Ukraine village kills 51 during memorial to fallen soldier

Oil prices extend rapid slide on demand worries

ARussian missile slammed into a cafe and grocery store in a village in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing 51 people during a gathering to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the incident was a deliberate attack on civilians and "no blind strike".

Large piles of bricks, shattered metal and building materials remained where the cafe and shop were hit early in the afternoon in Hroza village in Kharkiv region.

The attack was the deadliest in Kharkiv region since Russia's invasion

Oil prices fell about two per cent on Thursday, extending the previous session's losses of nearly six per cent, as worries about fuel demand outweighed an Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) decision to maintain oil output cuts, keeping supply tight.

Global benchmark Brent crude futures and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures have declined about US$10 a barrel in less than 10 days after edging close to US$100 in late September.

The combined percentage drop over the last two days was the steepest since May for both crude benchmarks.

Brent futures settled US$1.74, or 2.03 per cent, lower at US$84.07, while WTI crude futures were US$1.91, or 2.3 per cent, lower at US$82.31.

Investors are worried that peak demand for fuel consumption is behind us, said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial.

Oil settled more than US$5 lower on Wednesday – its biggest daily drop in over a year, even after a meeting of a ministerial panel of OPEC+.

It made no changes to the group's oil output policy, and Saudi Arabia said it would maintain a voluntary cut of one million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of 2023, while Russia would keep a 300,000 bpd voluntary export curb until the end of December.

Close-to-close volatility on Brent was at its highest since May, while that on WTI was its highest since June.

"This is typical speculative trading activity – trying to make the best out of a bad situation after the bloodbath on Wednesday, and they (market participants) are trying to pick the bottom," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.

Long positions established in anticipation of US$100 a barrel are being liquidated, said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates LLC.

Government data on Wednesday also showed a sharp decline in US gasoline demand. Finished motor gasoline supplied, a proxy for demand, fell last week to its lowest since the start of this year.

"I don't see gasoline demand getting much above 8.5 million barrels a day until the holiday shopping season kicks in and that's going to be a problem for the market," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

US heating oil futures fell more than five per cent on expectations that a Russian fuel export ban introduced last month would be lifted soon and supply disruptions would be less severe than markets had anticipated.

Data on Wednesday also showed the US services sector slowed while the eurozone economy probably shrank last quarter, according to a survey.

The US dollar eased, but continued to remain near 11-month highs, making crude more expensive for foreign buyers.

On Thursday, the Turkish Energy Minister said a crude oil pipeline from Iraq through Turkey, which has been suspended for about six months, was ready for operations. (Reuters)

more than 19 months ago, a regional official told public broadcaster Suspilne. It also appeared to be one of the biggest civilian death tolls in any single Russian strike.

With eye on China, EU maps out de-risking, economic security strategies

The European Union wants to retain its industrial edge and competitiveness in a world shifting more to digital and green products, but has found itself worryingly dependent on others, particularly China for critical minerals. As geopolitical tensions rise, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and with a USChina standoff, risk is a key word for the 27-nation bloc's economic policy as it ponders how to guarantee supply chains and how widely to share technology.

The bloc wants to limit its dependency for certain strategic products, particularly those required for its green transition such as lithium used in electric vehicle batteries or rare earths found in wind turbine magnets.

China now processes

nearly 90 per cent of rare earth elements and 60 per cent of lithium globally.

The EU wants instead to boost domestic extraction, recycling and processing of critical raw material needs by 2030 and ensure no third countries provide more than 65 per cent of any one key mineral.

The EU repeats that de-risking does not mean decoupling from China, but says it has learnt a tough lesson from relying on Russia for natural gas and then being cut off after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

EU wariness towards China has grown due to Beijing's subsequent closer ties with Moscow. At the same time, the EU's trade deficit with China has widened to 400 billion euros (US$420 billion), double the level of five years ago.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Regional Police told national television the death toll stood at 51, with six injured and three missing. Some of them were mourners gathering in the cafe after a service for a fallen sol-

dier from the village.

"A deliberate missile strike on a village in Kharkiv region on an ordinary store and cafe," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, delivered while attending a summit of the European Political Community in Spain.

"Russian troops could not have been unaware of where they were hitting. This was no blind strike."

Moscow did not immediately comment on the events in Hroza. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians, but many have been killed in attacks that have hit residential areas as well as energy, defence, port, grain and other facilities. (Excerpt from Reuters)

At least 100 killed as Syrian military college hit in drone attack

Adrone attack on a military college in Syria’s Homs province during a graduation ceremony has killed at least 100 persons and wounded 240 more, a war monitor and the Syrian Health Minister have said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 100 persons were killed and 125 injured. An official in the alliance backing Syria’s Government said the toll was about 100.

Health Minister Hassan Al-Ghabash gave a lower figure, telling State television 80 persons had been killed, including six children, but that about 240 persons had been injured. There were concerns the death toll could rise further as many of the wounded were in serious condition

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for

the attack.

Syria’s military earlier said drones laden with explosives targeted the ceremony on Thursday as it came to an end. In a statement, the military accused fighters “backed by known international forces” for the attack.

UN Secretary General António Guterres “expressed deep concern” at the drone attack in Homs as well as “reports of retaliatory shelling” in northwest Syria, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

Syria’s Defence Minister attended the graduation ceremony, but left minutes before the attack, the Reuters news agency reported, citing a Syrian security source and a source in the regional alliance backing the Damascus Government against Opposition groups. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Warmest September on record as 'gobsmacking' data shocks scientists

The world's September temperatures were the warmest on record, breaking the previous high by a huge margin, according to the European Union (EU) climate service.

Last month was 0.93 Celsius warmer than the average September temperature between 1991 and 2020, and 0.5C hotter than the previous record set in 2020.

Ongoing emissions of warming gases in addition to the El Niño weather event are driving the heat, experts believe.

Some scientists said they were shocked by the scale of the increase.

They say 2023 is now "on

track" to be the warmest on record.

September's high mark comes in the wake of the hottest summer on record in the northern hemisphere as soaring temperatures show no signs of relenting.

The data, from the

Copernicus Climate Change Service, shows that the month had the biggest jump from the long-term average in records dating back to 1940. Scientists have been quite shocked by some of the details in the data.

"This month was, in my professional opinion as a climate scientist – absolutely gobsmackingly bananas," Zeke Hausfather, an experienced researcher, wrote on X formerly known as Twitter.

Last month was around 1.75C above the temperatures during the so-called pre-industrial period – the highest figure for a single month ever recorded.

Beating a long term recent average by almost a degree is bad enough, but this masks even greater differences in some parts of the globe. In Europe, for example, the scale of heating was remarkable, beating the long term average by 2.51C.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Rescuers work at a site of a Russian military strike in the village of Hroza, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, October 5, 2023 (Reuters/ Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy photo)

The year 2023 is now "on track" to be the warmest on record.

DAILY HOROSCOPES

Let go of situations you cannot control, and put your focus where it counts. Consider your accomplishments and set new goals. A partnership looks inviting, but make sure to clear up old business.

(March 21-April 19)

Put everything you've got into something meaningful to you. Refuse to tie up your time with chitchat and pastimes that don't interest you. Make decisions that offer something new and exciting.

(April 20-May 20)

Socialize, network and explore possibilities. Listen, but verify what you hear before you agree to get involved in something time-consuming. Selfimprovement is favored.

(May 21-June 20)

Problems will surface if you rely on others. Don't let emotions escalate; go about your business and do something you enjoy. A creative outlet will spark your imagination.

(June 21-July 22)

Shop around; don't put everything you've got in one place. Use your intelligence and physical power to get your way and make things happen. Become the driving force behind your plans.

(July 23-Aug. 22)

Call on those you know and trust for backup. Discuss your intentions, mull over the input you receive and adjust your plans. Change is inevitable, and you will need to be ready.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Take out your frustrations by doing something that will make you feel and look your best. A physical outlet will clear your head and offer insight into the possibilities.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Evaluate your domestic and professional situations, then consider your options. Don't let your emotions interfere with your decision to change your lifestyle, location or direction.

(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Push yourself to participate in activities that require you to use your strengths to get ahead. A physical challenge will be more significant than anticipated.

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Take time to observe what others do and say before sharing your intentions. Emotional conversations will spin out of control, and anger will mount over financial or contractual issues.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Concentrate on what's important to you, and refrain from getting involved in other people's business. Go over financial, medical and contractual matters to ensure everything's in order.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

Do something you enjoy. Entertaining, socializing and networking will be worthwhile. You can expect resistance if you don't provide incentives. Offering equality will help you gain support.

(Feb. 20-March 20)

New Zealand thump England to kick off World Cup 2023

Revenge for the final of the 2019 World Cup was never going to come in the first match of the 2023 edition, but a nine-wicket demolition of England in the Ahmedabad curtain-raiser would have provided New Zealand ample satisfaction. The defending champions have been comprehensively battered, wearing what might end up being one of the most emphatic beatings of the tournament.

Pursuit of a target of 283 came with 82 balls to spare, thanks to a brutal southpaw combination, with an unbeaten 152 from Devon Conway and an unbeaten 123 from Rachin Ravindra - ODI centuries number five and one respectively. The former broke Martin Guptill's 88-ball record for the fastest 50-over World Cup century by a New Zealander, which was brought up in just 83 balls; Ravindra went one ball better, to become the country's youngest centurion in a global tournament at 23.

Together, these two Wellington teammates now possess the Black Caps' highest partnership in the tournament's history. That their unbroken 273-run stand began at the start of the second over, when Sam Curran snared Will Young down the leg side for a first-ball duck, made it all the more remarkable.

That was the last moment of jeopardy, before Kiwi dominance prevailed in the fastest chase of a 250-plus target in World Cup history. They even blitzed the boundary count 38 to 27.

The defending champions had looked to have reached a competitive total at the halfway stage. Joe Root's 77 stitched together a total of 282 for 9, after Tom Latham had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Yet it was a stuttering effort, thanks largely to Matt Henry's 3 for 48 dovetailing with 2 for 37 from Mitchell. Santner’s 10 overs did not feature a single boundary. The last player to manage that

against England was Kuldeep Yadav in July 2018.

Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway put on an unbroken 273 for the second wicket. Conway's quality in this format is rubber-stamped, and this was his fourth century this year alone, the previous coming in a similarly one-sided affair against England in Cardiff at the start of September.

For Ravindra, this was his first international hundred outright in a first go in the top five. He had previously passed fifty only once. His presence in the XI was as much on bowling balance as to give Kane Williamson a little longer to recover from a ruptured ACL, sustained six months ago in the opening match of the IPL.

It felt particularly neat that an expensive 10 overs with the ball, costing 76, was covered when he reached the same number of runs off 60 deliveries.

Conway put England on

with the 100 up with a single taken off the legspinner's first delivery. It never came.

Even the guest appearance of Ben Stokes during the first drinks break on 17 overs could not bring about a shift. The hero of Lord's was only there to offer advice, missing out on selection with a hip issue. That he is at this tournament in a non-bowling capacity means he'd have hardly made a difference. But even one of his miracles might have only reduced the margin of defeat.

England's efforts with the bat had various jumping-off points for a score greater than the 282 for 9 they managed from 50 overs. For the first time in an ODI innings, all 11 batters reached double figures, yet with just one fifty-plus stand - a 70 between Root and Buttler, ending with the latter's failed attempt at guiding Henry down to third.

Henry's first strike was to remove Dawid Malan, just

start of a series of speed traps laid by New Zealand's slower bowlers. Santner led that front, tempting Bairstow into going over the top of cover, only to misdirect a lofted drive to Daryl Mitchell at long-off.

The left-arm spinner did eventually return 10 boundary-less overs, varying his pace, particularly at the back end of his spell, when Woakes was tempted into a heave that looped to backward point.

had his stumps rearranged by part-time offspin. A bigger prize followed for the Black Caps' own Swiss Army knife when he managed to nutmeg Root and strike leg stump.

alert when driving the first ball of the chase through point off Chris Woakes. But Curran's early strike, along with his two maidens from the get-go, suggested there was something to work with. By the 35th over, Curran was merely fodder for Conway's whims, as he smashed the seamer for 20, starting with a six heaved over wide long-on, before a brace of fours through despairing fielders. His 22nd and final boundary - a slapped four through square leg off Liam Livingstone in the next over - took him to 150 off 119.

Ravindra's shotmaking was crisp from the off, notably when crunching a flat six over square leg from a Mark Wood delivery that registered 148kph, bringing up the team’s fifty in just 6.5 overs. Wood's first over went for 17, and his first three for 38. Just like that, one of Jos Buttler's difference-makers was rendered obsolete.

England, calling upon Adil Rashid, the fifth bowler, after 12 overs, spoke of the need for a shift in fortunes,

reward for an outstanding opening spell. However, Jonny Bairstow at the other end was the opener causing more concern. The second ball of the match, from Trent Boult, was

Given the absence of established bowling options in Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi, Santner proved an important focal point. His thriftiness meant Ravindra could get through 10 overs. And though they were expensive, he was gifted the wicket of Harry Brook early on. Having been thrashed to the midwicket boundary three times in a row - the last one a six - the fourth delivery, equally short, equally there for punishing, was miscued to Conway a few feet in front of the sponge.

Perhaps the most unexpected bonus came through Glenn Phillips. An intermit-

Root was attempting a reverse paddle, in keeping with the fact that all five of his boundaries came behind the wicket. The first was the most bombastic - the patented reverse-lap skying Boult over the keeper for six - in what was otherwise a sensible knock of minimal risk.

The reverse-sweep brought Joe Root plenty of success, as well as his eventual downfall. The half-century came from 57 deliveries, a return to form for a player who just last month averaged 9.75 at home against the same opponents across a four-match series.

And when Buttler arrived with his usual impetus, this

fifth-wicket stand looked to be ideal for the situation at hand. Alas, both were gone by the start of the 42nd over, when Root was the second to fall in a collapse of 4 for 31. The final pair of Wood and Rashid managed to fashion an unbroken 30 - England's highest 10th wicket stand in seven years. And yet, for all their endeavour, they were made to look more than 100 runs short. In the process, their pride and net run rate took a battering. The last time they conceded more than their 81 for 1 in their first 10 overs came at the hands of a Brendon McCullum-inspired Black Caps’ pilfering 116 against them way back in 2015. And while they are a long way from the pedestrian team they were then, this was a defeat with flashes of those dark ages. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

England (50 ovs maximum)

BATTING R B

Jonny Bairstow c Mitchell

b Santner 33 35

Dawid Malan c †Latham

b Henry 14 24

Joe Root b Phillips 77 86

Harry Brook c Conway

b Ravindra 25 16

Moeen Ali b Phillips 11 17

Jos Buttler (c)† c †Latham

b Henry 43 42

Liam Livingstone c

Henry b Boult 20 22

Sam Curran c †Latham

b Henry 14 19

Chris Woakes c Young

b Santner 11 12

Adil Rashid not out 15 13

Mark Wood not out 13 14

Extras (w 6) 6

TOTAL50 Ov (RR: 5.64) 282/9

Fall of wickets: 1-40

(Dawid Malan, 7.4 ov), 2-64

(Jonny Bairstow, 12.5 ov), 3-94

flicked beyond square leg for the first of England's six sixes, with Bairstow accounting for 31 of the 50 accrued in the powerplay.

Bairstow's demise at the end of the 13th over was the

tent wicketkeeper and fulltime dynamo in the outfield, he prised out two batters in the first seven balls of three overs. Moeen Ali, sent in at No.5 ahead of Buttler to counter the dual left-arm-spin threat,

(Harry Brook, 16.6 ov), 4-118

(Moeen Ali, 21.2 ov), 5-188

(Jos Buttler, 33.2 ov), 6-221

(Liam Livingstone, 38.5 ov), 7-229

(Joe Root, 41.1 ov), 8-250

(Chris Woakes, 44.6 ov), 9-252

(Sam Curran, 45.4 ov) •

DRS BOWLING O-M-R-W

Trent Boult 10-1-48-1

Matt Henry 10-1-48-3

Mitchell Santner 10-0-37-2

James Neesham 7-0-56-0

Rachin Ravindra 10-0-76-1

Glenn Phillips 3-0-17-2

New Zealand (T: 283 runs from 50 ovs)

BATTING R B

Devon Conway not out 152 121

Will Young c †Buttler b Curran 0 1

Rachin Ravindra not out 123 96

Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 3) 8

TOTAL36.2 Ov (RR: 7.78) 283/1

Did not bat: Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c)†, Glenn Phillips,Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult

Fall of wickets: 1-10

(Will Young, 1.1 ov) •

Chris Woakes

Joe Root getting a sweep away

Devon Conway lit up the opening game with a century

Rachin Ravindra got New Zealand off to a strong start

Archers return with 9-medal haul

The 5th Caribbean Development Competition, which was hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Archery Federation under the auspices of World Archery Americas in September 2023, had a funfilled and energetic closing.

The successful competition, which saw 176 archers from 11 countries participating, was held over the weekend in the Tobago capital of Scarborough, at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, following closely on the heels of the Continental Judges Seminar.

With a lot of first-time overseas participants, the Guyana team conducted themselves excellently, and the National Federation, its Continental Judges and National Coach are very proud of this. Although everyone didn’t medal in the respective categories and divisions, they all came away with much more than they had expected, experiencing for the first time how a World Archery International event is organized and executed.

The official practice day (Friday 28th) began with the coaches overseeing the athletes preparing for the following day’s competition.

Saturday’s Ranking Rounds were shot off by all 11 countries’ teams, with athletes vying for their highest possible ranking scores to move on to the elimination and finals’ matches.

In the Recurve Beginner Senior Men’s category, the highest-ranking score after 72 arrows went to Guyana’s Jeewanram Persaud. He shot 608, and Naresh Sukhu placed 7th with 383.

In the Recurve Senior Women’s category, Roshini Boodhoo came in first place with a high score of 539. This was followed by 3rd place Julie Ann Williams with 513. Theresa Deoroop’s 330 placed

9th, Bibi Salim’s 244 placed 10th, and Karin Toppin’s 222 placed 11th.

In the Barebow Beginner Men’s event, Teemahall Lall came in 2nd with a total score of 629 to Barbadian Cole Gill’s 651. Scoring 4th was Richard Dookie with 586, 6th was Courtlee Rodrigues with 536, and 10th was Rasheed Alim with 487.

For the Recurve Beginner U21 Men, Saeed Karim came in 2nd to Jared Nichols of St Vincent and the Grenadines, with scores of 570 to 577 respectively.

For the Barebow Beginner U18 Women’s event, Nataliya Pollard placed 3rd with 205 in her category. In the Exceptional Beginner Recurve Women’s event, Victoria Kum scored a total of 472 over the competition to gain the top spot in her category. This is an impressive personal best for her since she has been shooting.

In the Recurve Developmental Senior Men’s category, Umasankar Madray placed 9th, while Samira

Duncan in the Recurve Developmental Senior Women’s category placed 4th.

For the Mixed Teams, Guyana’s Roshini Boodhoo and Jeewanram Persaud teamed up to place first, while the team

of Barbados &amp; Trinidad came in 2nd, British Virgin Islands &amp; St Vincent &amp; the Grenadines placed 3rd, Curacao and Guyana’s Jair Davelaar and Julie Ann Williams 4th, St Vincent &amp;

the Grenadines 5th and lac Guyana’s Barebow Beginner Mixed Team of Teemahall Lall &amp; Nataliya Pollard placed 4th behind Trinidad & Tobago’s 1st, Barbados and Curacao’s 2nd, and Jamaica and T&T’s 3rd.

Our Mixed Recurve Developmental Team came in 4th behind T&T’s 1st place, Barbados’ 2nd and Jamaica’s 3rd, but over 4th place Curacao &amp; Dominican Republic.

The Recurve Beginner U21 Mixed Team of Guyana & Trinidad saw Saeed Karim of Guyana and Aria Batchasingh of Trinidad place 2nd over Jamaica’s 3rd as St Vincent &amp; the Grenadines came in 1st place.

The Elimination and Final matches were held on Sunday as the athletes gave their best performances for the medals. In the Gold Medal matches Persaud beat Jair Davelaar of Curacao 6-0, while Roshini Boodhoo beat Suzanne Sukram of Trinidad 7-3. Saeed Karim took Gold from Jared

Nichols of St Vincent for 6-2. In her category, Victoria Kum got a bye thru to finals and beat Anandita Sameera Singh of Trinidad 6-2. In his category Teemahall Lall took silver as Barbadian Cole Gill took the gold 6-2. Nataliya Pollard took bronze in her U15 category, and in the teams Boodhoo and Persaud were given a bye thru to semi-final where they shot their way to the gold over Calida Charles &amp; Adam Tryhane of Team Barbados & Trinidad 6-0. And in his U21 category Saeed Karim teamed up with Trinidadian Aria Batchasingh to win silver against St Vincent’s Divya Jiandani & Jared Nichols 6-4.

Final results

Individual medals: Jeewanram Persaud-Gold, Roshini Boodhoo-Gold, Saeed Karim-Gold, Victoria KumGold, Teemahall LallSilver, Nataliya PollardBronze.

Team Medals: Jeewanram Persaud-Gold, Roshini Boodhoo-Gold, Saeed KarimSilver

In a statement, Archery Guyana noted that they are very proud of the athletes and officials who represented the country and wished to thank their sponsor Oasis Water, along with all other sponsors who would have made it possible for our team to travel and return with their respective medals. “We would also like to thank USA Archery National Judge and NTS Coach Mr Phil Graves for taking the time to engage and pass on some of his knowledge and experiences to our athletes and coaches.”

The Board of Directors of Archery Guyana also wished to acknowledge the usual kind support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, National Sports Commission, Guyana Beverages Inc., Mr. Samuel Arjoon and the Management of Oasis Water.

Brown seals series win for Australia, despite another Matthews’ onslaught

Abrilliant display of fast bowling from Darcie Brown helped Australia close out the T20I series against West Indies at Allan Border Field, despite another one-woman show from Hayley Matthews, who was hobbled on one leg.

Defending a total of 190 for 9, set up by a stunning 65 off 34 balls from Tahlia McGrath and a reverse-sweeping and switch-hitting masterclass from Phoebe Litchfield, Brown produced a match-winning spell of 3 for 20 from four overs to swing the game and the series in Australia's favour, as Matthews threatened to rip it away from them. West Indies' captain had raced to 79 from 39 balls, despite being severely hampered by a right quad injury, to lead the visitors to 97 without loss after 10.3 overs, even with the anchor of her opening partner Shabika Gajnabi, who had crawled to 16 off 24 balls after Kim Garth and Megan Schutt had bowled frugally upfront.

Matthews could barely run, and even struggled to hold her shape at the crease, but she still somehow muscled 11 fours and four sixes with a stand-and-delivery strategy that had Australia fearing a rare home series defeat.

But after conceding consecutive boundaries from the first two balls of the 11th

over, Brown responded with a clever back-of-the-hand slower ball to deceive Matthews. She skied it high to cover, and Litchfield took the catch and let out a huge exhale, having dropped Matthews in the same spot in the last match to cost Australia the game.

Matthews became the first player in women's T20I history to score more than 300 runs in a three-match series, scoring 310 for just two dismissals at a ridiculous strike-rate of 174.15. She was named “player of the match” for the third straight game of the series, and for her eighth consecutive match overall.

But it wasn't enough for West Indies. Her dismissal sparked a calamitous collapse that saw them losing 5 for 7 in 12 balls. Georgia

Wareham picked up Stafanie Taylor as she miscued to midon, and Gajnabi ran herself out mindlessly to end a torturous 27-ball innings of 16. Brown then cranked up the gas, rattling Chinelle Henry's stumps, before Shemaine Campbelle chipped a catch to mid-on. West Indies were bowled out for 143 in the 20th over, with Aaliyah Alleyne being the only other batter to make double figures outside of the two openers. Garth picked up two late wickets to finish with 2 for 24 from four overs, having put West Indies behind the required rate early on. Ash Gardner claimed 3 for 32 after being put under severe pressure by Matthews.

Earlier, despite a few wobbles throughout their in-

nings, McGrath, Litchfield and Ellyse Perry produced a powerful display with the bat to underpin Australia's total, after they were sent in to bat. McGrath struck the ball with extraordinary power in her 65. She thumped 11 fours and two sixes, skipping down the track to the spinners, and backing away to the quicks. Perry provided good support with 40 off 30, after Australia had slumped to 31 for 2 in the powerplay following the early loss of both openers.

Their partnership had put Australia on track for anoth-

er 200-plus score, before a mini-collapse threatened to derail them.

But, once again, Litchfield lit up the late overs with a jaw-dropping array of switchhits and reverse sweeps to find all parts of the off-side rope in a 17-ball 36.

Annabel Sutherland made 19 off 13 to help Australia edge towards 200, but an excellent final over from Shamilia Connell saw them fall 10 runs short. She took two wickets, including Litchfield’s, and conceded just three runs to finish with

10-year-old Victoria Kum receiving her Gold medal from USA Archery Coach and Judge Phil Graves

Phoebe Litchfield played an extraordinary stroke over the off side

Hayley Matthews made 79 off 40 balls

3 for 25 from three overs. (EspnCricinfo)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023

Shepherd’s 4-fer, Anderson’s 57 keep Berbice unbeaten

Stellar bowling from Romario Shepherd and a half century from Kevlon Anderson have kept the Berbice side unbeaten in this year’s Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Intercounty Super50 tournament. And now they march into Saturday’s final against Demerara.

In rain interrupted action at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Ground at Bourda, Berbice batted first and got off to a shaky start, as the top three: Kevin Sinclair, Rampertab Ramnauth and Seon Hetmyer, went for scores of 4, 3 and 4 respectively.

After stumbling in the first two matches of the tournament, Kevlon Anderson showed up just when Berbice needed him, hitting 57 from 72 balls. In his first game this year, Shimron Hetmyer pitched in 23 from 22 balls, while Gudakesh Motie did the

heavy lifting at the end, contributing 32 from 25 deliveries, including 2 fours and 3 sixes.

In the end, Berbice posted 170 all out in 38.1 overs,

and hoped they could replicate their heroics of last Saturday in defending 132.

While the rain tried to play spoilsport, the defending champions persist-

Guyana” Basketball Tournament recommences tomorrow

ed in their mission, with Shepherd being the main attraction. The pacer removed Essequibo’s top four: Norman Fredericks, Kevin Boodie, David Williams and Malcum Hubbard, for scores of 1 from 12, 0 from 3, 1 from 8, and 6 from 7 respectively.

Kemol savory stood up to the Berbician to craft a patient 32 from 53, while Captain Anthony Adams backed up with 15 from 10. Neiland Cadogan was a bother for the Berbice bowlers near the end, as he played a stubborn 19 from 26 balls. However, Kevin Sinclair eventually won that war to undo the Essequibo resistance.

Aside from Shepherd’s 4-11 from 4 overs, Shamar Joseph picked up 2-16 from 4, while Sinclair, Clinton Pestano and Motie each had one scalp.

Berbice will now face Demerara for top honours in the Senior Intercounty Super50 tournament on Saturday at the Georgetown

Consistent ‘Tage’ scripts second Demerara win

Asecond consecutive half century off the bat of Tagenarine Chanderpaul has led the Demerara team to another victory and a spot in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Intercounty Super 50 final.

At the Enmore Cricket Ground, East Coast Demerara (ECD), the GCB Select XI won the toss and opted to bat first.

Basketball action returns at the National Gymnasium with the “One Guyana” Basketball Tournament recommencing after a month’s break. Day five is on Saturday, October 7th, 2023 with three exhilarating games.

The Jaguar Conference comes alive with Cummingsburg Bounty Colts’ young stars like Domitre Rankin coming up against the Lamaha Park Springs Pepsi Sonics at 17:00h, followed by McDoom/ Prospect Kobras coming up against Leonora D-UP Rising Stars at 19:00h.

The Harpy Eagles will close off the proceedings as the formidable team from Region 10, Kwakwani Untouchables, battle the Plaisance Guardians in one of the most anticipated clashes. The tournament will see

14 teams divided into two conferences, the Harpy Eagle Conference and the Jaguar Conference, with 56 to 63 games projected to be played.

The tournament will see the teams from the Jaguar Conference and Harpy Eagle Conference playing the teams within their conference twice, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. The number one-ranked team plays the team ranked fourth, and the number two team plays the third-ranked team.

The winners of the playoff games will then advance to their Conference Finals, where they will play the best two-of-three games to determine who advances to the national finals.

The teams of the Jaguar Conference are Stabroek Eagles, Leonora D-UP Rising Stars, Cummingsburg Bounty Colts, Lamaha

Park/Springs Pepsi Sonics, McDoom/ Prospect Kobras, Cummings Lodge and UG Trojans.

The Harpy Eagles Conference squads are the Kitty/Campbellville Ravens, South Ruimveldt Ravens, Plaisance Guardians, Guyana Defence Force, Wortmanville/Werk-enRust Pacesetters, North Ruimveldt Caimans and Kwakwani Untouchables.

The tournament-winning team would receive $1 million along with trophies, while the runners-up would receive $500,000 plus trophies.

The Tournament was made possible by sponsorship from the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry; G-Boats Guyana; National Sports Commission; Guyana Basketball Federation; and Georgetown Basketball Federation.

It was a rocky start for the Select team, having lost the services of Raymon Perez early on the account of Qumar Torrington’s bowling. However, the next wicket would not fall for another 48 runs as Joshua Persaud and Urshadeva Balgobin kept things steady. The duo hit 29 from 37 balls and 19 from 35 balls respectively before falling prey to an in-tune Ronaldo Ali Mohamed. The standout of the Select batters was none other than the experienced Christopher Barnwell who brought up his second half century of the tournament.

Barnwell hit 77 from of 71 deliveries, while Captain Junior Sinclair added a quick 32 from 20 balls to get the team to 204 before being bowled out in 39 Overs. Ali Mohamed ended the innings with 3-44 from 7 overs, while Chandrapaul Hemraj backed up with 2-41 from 6.

Chanderpaul once again showed his class with the bat and temperament to bat through an innings, hitting an unbeaten 93 from 126 balls and including 10 boundaries.

With 3 fours and 2 sixes, Hemraj added 30 from 27 deliveries to Demerara’s account while Mavindra Dindyal looked in fine touch with 43 off 58 deliveries. Though the two were sent back to the dugout, alongside Tevin Imlach; Akshaya Persaud’s 21 helped steer Demerara to victory in 41.2 Overs.

For the Select XI Jonathan Rampersaud, Aryan Persaud and Jeremiah Scott picked up one wicket each.

By virtue of two wins in three matches, coupled with Essequibo’s misfortune,

Guyana

Demerara have secured a spot in tomorrow’s Intercounty final alongside Berbice. The first ball of the final is expected to be bowled at 9am at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Ground, Bourda.

Kevlon Anderson kept Berbice afloat with a half century

Cricket Club (GCC) Ground, Bourda, from 9am.

“One

Tagenarine Chanderpaul picked up another 'man of the match' award for his 93*

A glimpse of what to expect