Guyana Times -- Friday, March 11, 2022

performance

in pipeline for Police ranks – Pres Ali

GPF records 16% decrease in serious crimes for 2022

...814 persons charged with DV offences

During his presentation at the annual Police Officers’ Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC) at Lilendaal, Greater Georgetown on Thursday, Acting Police Commissioner Nigel Hoppie stated that there has been a 16 per cent decline in serious crimes when compared to the corresponding period last year.

He pointed out that 2021 had seen a successful reduction in serious crimes committed, standing at the lowest figure recorded over a 10-year period.

Further, the acting top cop has said that there has also been a 9.5 per cent decrease in road fatalities, with nine fatalities having been recorded from 15 accidents for 2022. This is compared to 21 fatalities from 20 accidents recorded in March 2021.

“It is anticipated that the vibrant road infrastructure development being carried by Government, coupled with continued vigorous enforcement and education; the observance of the five Cs together with conformation with the road safety rules and regulations; and continued assistance given by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Public Works and the National Road Safety Council and all other stakeholders, will combine to reduce the occurrence of fatal accidents,” the Police Commissioner noted.

To alleviate the degree of threats from society, Hoppie said, trafficking in persons and domestic violence are focal points for the Force, and officers are undergoing

training to handle such matters in keeping with international best practices.

“In relation to domestic violence, currently Police ranks are being trained under the CopSquad 2000 initiative launched by the Human Service and Social Security (Ministry) with the aim of providing specialised training in dealing with issues of gender-based violence. This augments the institutionalised training being done at the Felix Austin College, and ensures that such matters are handled with the required level of seriousness and urgency,” the Commissioner highlighted.

Meanwhile, he revealed that domestic violence units have been established at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and in every policing region throughout the country.

Statistics reveal that the Police Force recorded and

dealt with 1,692 reports of domestic violence last year, with 814 persons being charged. This is in comparison to 1,665 reports that were made in 2021, when 771 persons were charged. For the same period, 35 cases of trafficking in persons were made, and 11 individuals were charged.

In 2021, Hoppie related, a total of 71 firearms were recovered, comprising 36 pistols, 18 revolvers and 17 shotguns. Meanwhile, 536 grams of cocaine were indicted, resulting in 42 cases being made out against the drug mules. Another 589 grams of cannabis were seized, which led to charges being instituted against 419 persons.

In addition, he disclosed that there was a 32 per cent reduction in fatal accidents, along with a 29 per cent decrease in road fatalities. Those represent the best figures in 16 years.

Statistics also showed that 11,708 cases were made out against speeding drivers, 1097 cases for driving under the influence, and 2,089 cases for unlicensed driving

Chronic Renal Disease affects 15% of Guyanese – Health Minister –

reassures of Govt’s assistance of $600,000 for dialysis patients

On the occasion of World Kidney Day 2022, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has cautioned that Chronic Renal Disease affects an estimated 15 percent of the Guyanese population.

In his statement on Thursday, he said this trend is due to complications of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension, among other things. Chronic Renal Disease (CKD) is a non-communicable disease (NCD) that is characterised by the gradual loss of kidney function. It can span from months to years before any symptom manifests itself. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people worldwide has CKD.

The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) has designated March 10 as World Kidney Day, and this year it is celebrated under the theme “Kidney Health for All”.

The purpose of this day is to “raise awareness of the important role the kidney plays in our overall health, and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems.”

According to the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO), NCDs account for most deaths and disabilities in the Americas. In 2018, the WHO statistics showed that 147 persons died from kidney diseases, or 2.47 per cent of total deaths in Guyana.

“The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs. There are millions of tiny structures, called nephrons, with-

in each kidney that filter blood in one’s body to remove impurities. Suppose the kidney is unable to perform this task. In that case, it causes a buildup of waste products, which is detrimental to one’s health. Kidney function can be lost rapidly (acute kidney injury) or over months or years (chronic kidney disease).

“Dialysis is typically needed when approximately 90 percent or more of kidney function is lost. There is no cure for CKD; early in the course of kidney disease, other treatments are used to help preserve kidney function and delay the need for replacement therapy,” the Minister cautioned.

Dialysis is a treatment for severe kidney failure. Dialysis takes over a portion of the function of the failing kidneys to remove the fluid and waste. While dialysis is beneficial, it is expensive for patients to afford care.

In recognising this, the Guyana Government has this year set aside adequate resources to provide each dialysis patient with Gy$600,000 per annum.

In addition, the Ministry

of Health has commissioned the Pan American Health Organization to assess all dialysis centres and make recommendations on improving the quality of care. The Ministry of Health works with various partners to ensure that unserved areas can get dialysis access.

The recently passed Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Act 2022, Dr Anthony noted, also brings new hope for many patients.

“It will now pave the way for establishing the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency and the National Donor and Patient Registries, which would create an enabling framework to assist more persons with CKD who meet the eligibility criteria for transplant. The Government of Guyana remains committed to preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases. We are committed to reducing the high incidents and deaths caused by these diseases through our policies and services. As Minister of Health, I urge you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and visit your health care providers for regular checkups.”

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, March 11 –10:00h-11:30h and Saturday, March 12 – 10:30h-12:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, March 10 – Friday, March 11 – 09:55h-11:25h and Saturday, March 12 – 11:35h-13:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Cloudy conditions are expected with sunny intervals in the late afternoon hours with partly cloudy skies in the evening hours. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 10:20h and 23:20h reaching maximum heights of 2.08 metres and 1.96 metres.

Low Tide: 16:38h reaching a minimum height of 1.15 metres.

Reviewed pay scale, performance incentives in pipeline for Police ranks – Pres Ali

In assuring that their emoluments would be improved in the future, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday detailed to members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) the Government’s plan to realign the current pay scale.

He made this disclosure at the Annual Police Officers’ Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC), while adding that the Government is looking to recalibrate the current pay scale, which would ultimately see better emolument packages for Police ranks.

“An important issue is the realignment of the pay scale… but we also have to look at the pay scale of the Guyana Police Force as against all entities. We had promised an aligned pay scale across agencies in Government. Things

al Police academy.

“We are in detailed discussions with many development partners in the developed world…and we are pursuing a path of development of the Police academy,” he disclosed.

Meanwhile, Ali expressed his satisfaction in the way the image of the Force has been repositioned, as well as the Force’s accomplishments within the past year.

One of the most tremendous accomplishments in the last year is the extremely great results flowing from coordination between our security entities and security bodies. “This is the type of relationship building. There is a tremendous improvement, a visual improvement in the relationship and support of members of the Joint Services… We’re a small population and it requires us to

Stronger divisions

In laying out his expectations for the GPF, the President said a lot of work remains to identify weaknesses and close those gaps.

“We cannot continue on the same trajectory. There

will get better. Conditions will get better. Your emolument package will get better, but also with that would require better performance,” he detailed.In attendance at the conference was Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess; Police Commissioner (ag) Nigel Hoppie, and other senior officers of the Guyana Police Force.

Along with improved salaries, the President informed that introduction of an incentive-based performance system to complement promotions and emoluments has been brewing as a topic. This system, adopted by other countries, has proven successful, and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has been tasked with designing a workable model.

“I’ve asked the Minister of Home Affairs to develop a policy on an incentive-based performance system for the Guyana Police Force. We have seen how this has helped in countries like Rwanda, and has changed dramatically the image of the law enforcement entity. It has brought results, so whilst we have an average time of five to six years for persons moving up the brass, there must be a mechanism in which emoluments are affected other than promotion,” Ali pointed out.

Further, the President, who is also Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, reiterated his administration’s intention of building a region-

work strongly together,” he commented.

must be a rapid improvement to the work of the Force. This is critical. The work of the

Force is linked to the nature of the economy and the development that is taking place, and we’re seeing rapid development of the country from the physical perspective,” the Head of State posited.

Consequently, he called for stronger regional divisions, which would be supported through Government intervention to provide necessary resources.

“We’re strengthening the regionalisation of the Force, to ensure stronger regional divisions, which can be more responsive to crime. We’re also emphasising training and improved working conditions for members of the Force. Notwithstanding these positive developments, it can no longer be business as usual when it comes to policing,” he said.

This year’s conference is being held under the theme "Promoting Improvement of Public Trust and Confidence, Maintaining Safety and Security through Competence, Professionalism and Partnership”.

Editor: Tusika Martin

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Life skills: Good way to start with youths

It’s a fact that youths today make up the larger part of the population of almost every country in the world. This presents certain challenges for policy-makers to develop, implement, and maintain programmes and activities which must be economically and socially oriented to satisfy their (youths’) desires.

It is also well known that the absence of well-thoughtout programmes with respect to youth development impacts negatively on our young people, and sometimes even lead to them resigning themselves to lawlessness and other antisocial behaviours that are damaging to society.

Former Caricom Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque had some time ago said the majority of victims, as well as perpetrators of crimes reported by the Police, are young males 18 to 35 years old. He pointed to the fact that there are a number of socio-economic determinants of crime, the least of which is the high youth unemployment in the Region. This is surely a reason to be concerned, as right away one would begin to worry about the kind of future these persons would have, and the contributions they would make to their societies, if any at all. Certainly, this is enough reason to cause Governments and policy-makers to take a closer look at what is happening in their individual countries, and take steps to remedy the situation.

Certainly, there is a great need for intervention in order to combat the current challenges facing young people. In order to prepare young people for workplace success, job training programmes need to go beyond technical instruction and also teach “life skills” such as communication, reliability, and teamwork. This push to teach youths life skills has been validated by employers, who have consistently reported that, above all, they want to hire employees who possess workplace-ready skills such as communication, teamwork, motivation and responsibility. Technical skills, they say, can be learned on the job.

In addition to teaching youths the life skills employers look for, there is a need to introduce complementary life planning activities in this component. These activities help youths in assessing who they are, their aspirations for the future, and define realistic steps towards achieving these goals.

Guyana has a number of programmes geared towards equipping young people with various skills for the world of work etc. This is commendable, but more focus needs to be placed on combining teaching life skills with the various academic or technical subjects. Meaning, these programmes should include assessment and identification of ways to build competency and skills supportive of healthy behaviours, to help young people as they mature into adulthood.

Additionally, institutions such as the family and religious bodies need to take up their roles more seriously, as happened before. Historically, the older generation had managed to transmit their beliefs, values, traditions, customs and institutions to the younger members of their societies. This was achieved largely because of the impact of agencies of socialisation such as the family, religion and the schools. Today, the impact of these institutions has been challenged and undermined by new forces, particularly television and the internet, and the pop culture as a whole.

Further, the role of the Private Sector should never be underestimated. There is a need for funding for many crucial programmes aimed at creating better opportunities for young persons here. Such programmes, once effectively implemented, would see our young people become well equipped with the necessary skills to develop themselves, and in turn contribute to the overall development of the country. The Private Sector is one of the main beneficiaries of an educated and skilled workforce, and it should seek to invest in, and help to build the pool of, the talent it wishes to draw from.

It is well accepted that progressive countries in the world have strong systems for engaging youths in policy formation and in creating or altering programmes designed to support youths. We believe that if our young people are to make more mature and responsible judgments and engage in activities that are the hallmark of a socially productive adulthood, certain support systems for development must be present in the environment. Teaching life skills is a good way to start.

Good riddance, no love lost

Dear Editor, The people of Guyana will no longer be seeing the infamous Joseph Harmon within the corridors of the National Assembly. This former Opposition Leader was a powerful figure in the failed coalition of convenience APNU/AFC. Over the past weekend, media reports have been circulated that Joseph Harmon, an Opposition Member of Parliament has resigned from the National Assembly, effective March 15, 2022

Under the David Granger-led administration, Mr. Harmon held several key positions, and was a Minister of State and probably the de facto President of Guyana. He was also one of the chief riggers who sought to thwart the will of the Guyanese people at the General and Regional Elections in March 2020; lest we forget.

Joseph Harmon, like his associated political faction the PNC/ APNU/AFC, has been a colossal failure. His departure from the National Assembly is most welcome, as he has failed to contribute anything to the 12th Parliament. This former APNU Chairman was most unimpressive as a Parliamentarian, and even worse as a Minister.

It was only in January that Mr Harmon resigned as the Leader of the Opposition, after much public and internal pressure. It was over for Harmon since December 2021, after he lost a poorly contested People’s National Congress Reform election. This saw him being severely trashed by his opponent Aubrey Norton who won 70% of the votes. Mr. Harmon’s unpopularity is known even among his former party members and colleagues. He was appointed Leader of the Opposition by David Granger, another failure, when the APNU/AFC lost the 2020 General and Regional Elections to the People’s Progressive Party Civic.

Notwithstanding his defeat to Norton in 2021, Harmon attempted to play it out. This tactic was most unsuccessful, as the People’s National Congress Reform, who controls the political faction of A Partnership for National Unity & the Alliance for

Change, demanded that their leader Aubrey Norton be the new Leader of the Opposition, and be allowed to enter Parliament. These demands were intensified with the resignation of former Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry.

Ms. Henry’s resignation from the National Assembly early in February this year was supposed to make way for Aubrey Norton to enter into Parliament. However, this resignation does not take effect until March 31st, 2022.

At this juncture, it is obvious that Norton’s political aspirations are being held hostage by David Granger; the Leader of the List and former President.

With the resignation of Mr Harmon, senior personnel within APNU, the Opposition coalition APNU/AFC (PNC) is now weaker than ever. This comes in the wake of several of their members resigning or moving away from the PNCR and the sham coalition APNU/AFC.

This further strengthens the theory held by many political commentators, that most of the APNU/AFC politicians were merely political opportunists who never cared for Guyana or the Guyanese people they purported to represent. These political hustlers were those on the frontline of the botched election attempt of 2020, plotted as early as 2017.

It would be a great justice to this nation if these political hustlers can be rounded up and dealt with in full accordance with the law. It is simply unfair to this nation, whose people work hard and pay their taxes, for the dishonest members and associates of the former Government to be allowed to ride off into the sunset with taxpayers’ money. This is unprincipled and unpardonable. The fact that so many of the former Ministers and members of the last administration and their political party are guilty of this criminality is just an insult to the honest, decent, and law-abiding citizens of this country.

What is even more incredulous is the manner in which they continue

living life, as if nothing happened; and their supporters’ reactions when confronted with the facts of their misgivings. Some of these failures have opted to continue in their shenanigans. From the benches of the Opposition, their state of nothingness continues. Masquerading in all forms and fashion, the APNU/PNC/AFC politicians are trying to hoodwink the Guyanese people from the reality that now exists.

Guyana is unifying as we prepare for an economic transformation and world-class development of our country and our lives. The deception of the APNU/AFC must not be allowed to take root and hinder our progress on this road to prosperity. The atrocities that were committed by coalition cabal of political misfit during their tenure in office, and the subsequent period thereafter, must never be allowed to be forgotten or repeated.

Only today Raphael Trotman has resurfaced, after grossly mismanaging Guyana’s resources and interests in the Oil and Gas Sector. His poor management of the oil negotiations and his suspicious silence on this most pertinent issue has caused the owner and publisher of Kaieteur News to rant and rave every day to the effect that he has recently mounted a court challenge.

Joseph Harmon’s resignation is supposed to take effect on March 15, 2022. This he clarified yesterday, March 9, 2022. Aubrey Norton, as the potential Leader of the Opposition, is sure to welcome this. This is a result of the coalition having enough negative elements in its current construct. It is also due largely to the fact that, by his own track record, Joseph Harmon is inept. His failure as a politician, a Minister, a Member of Parliament, and as the former Leader of the Opposition is documented history. He and his party failed in their rigging attempt back in 2020, and then he failed to secure the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform.

Sincerely,

Nkosei Williams

Cultural values are vital to evolution of "One Guyana"

Dear Editor,

A national conversation has begun on the concept of “One Guyana”, which was introduced into the political lexicon by President Dr Irfaan Ali. This is an idea that the President believes would bring together the various segments of the community to promote sustainable development and create a good life for all Guyanese.

A unified society (grounded in universal human values: both instrumental and affective) could maximise the benefits to be derived from the oil and other sources of wealth that flow incrementally into the public treasury. However, identifying the cultural forces that could produce a united society is a complex challenge.

The situation is accentuated by pluralism, which is characterised by social cleavages and cultural diversity. Pluralism in Guyanese society is also reflected in the divergent views expressed in relation to the ‘One Guyana’ concept. Some commentators view One Guyana as an op-

portunity to bring together all ethnic groups through adherence to a common set of core cultural values and institutions; some view it as an opportunity to enhance the main ‘creole’ culture system; some view it negatively, as an attempt to stifle specific ethnic cultural values and institutions; while some regard it as an attempt to create a Guyanese nationalism. Yet others view it as an opportunity to create an economic rights-based policy.

The main culture system of Guyana is referred to as “creole.” In the plantation system, there was the need by the colonial class to identify their Christian-based Euro-centric culture system, which has its intellectual roots in 18th-century enlightenment (rationalism, natural rights, and progress) separately from the local emerging creole culture. This “low value” creole culture system has been viewed as distinct from the “high value” European culture. The emerging creole culture system has been evolving through a process called creolisation, in which

syncretism (a combination of two separate cultural elements combined into a new, unique value, such as in chutney music) and acculturation (where people adopt, acquire, and adjust to aspects of the European culture system, such as in education). The impact of acculturation is not uniform, it varies among the ethnic groups.

Many scholars have seized upon, and explained, societal changes in terms of “creolisation,” which has caused “fundamental change in culture and social structure of ethnic groups, but did not lead to a unified society.” (Prof R.T. Smith). The Amerindians, for example, have not been greatly affected, because of their geographic location (hinterland) and away from the centre of political power. Indo-Guyanese have resisted attempts at acculturation/syncretism, and have been inclined to embrace only those cultural values that are compatible with their instrumental (material) needs. Professor Philip Singer and Dr E Araneta highlighted the “tenacity of

East Indian culture despite creolization.”

Previous attempts to push forth unity in Guyana, like Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago, have not been wholly successful in eradicating the plural features of Guyanese society. This point did not escape the scrutiny of scholars like Dr Erique Araneta and Professor Philip Singer, who stated that for Indo-Guyanese, what was evolving has been a process of “Hinduization”, and not creolisation.

While they accept some basic western values and institutions (such as education, dress code, language, commerce, etc.) which facilitate their instrumental (materials) needs, they (Indo-Guyanese) have preserved the integrity of core Indian cultural values, such as songs, music, festivals, rituals, dances, arts, cuisine, and kingship.

Indeed, all the ethnic groups of Guyana have persisted in keeping some core elements of their respective cultural values/institutions intact against the dangling thrust of western values.

In trying to forge nation-

Coalition’s satellite NGOs continue the charade

Dear Editor,

Responding during a press meet to the allegation that, in trying to reach deadlines for completion of projects, due diligence is ignored, with the implication that the quality and durability of completed works are compromised, President Ali challenged the naysayers and doom prognosticators to identify any project on which they base their baseless allegations and attempts to denigrate the undeniable near-miraculous turnaround by the PPP/C Government from the coalition administration’s devastation to progressive transformation of the nation’s infrastructural and socio-economic landscapes.

The President reiterated the oft-noted explanation given by various governmental officials in their responses to the multiplicity of accusations levelled by the discredited NGOs and individuals with coalition-prompted agendas, that every single project goes through a process that is accountable and transparent, with no dereliction of the regulatory factors being evident.

He explained that, as well, there is oversight by the Auditor General and Parliament, mainly through its oversight committees.

Reiterating that “every single question, every single scenario that is present-

ed, we are ready and willing to provide answers where answers are required. There is no hidden agenda. The agenda and the transformation and development of this country are clear. We will stand up to any questions on our agenda. But it is clear that the progress and development and accelerated pace… This is the first country in the world where we have people complaining about the pace at which Government is going.”

Describing as laughable that someone would complain about the pace at which Government is transforming the country, the President challenged the usual suspects thus: “No one should believe that they will derail the development agenda of our country.”

During consideration of the Estimates of Budget 2022, it was a palpable laugh-fest, although it was nothing to laugh about, that the sanctimonious gangsters hypocritically questioned the authenticity of every line item.

Former coalition Government officials and current MPs, who had both secretly and openly raped the nation’s coffers and resources, presented themselves as the progenitors of rectitude, integrity, and moral compasses with the provision of good governance.

Outside of Parliament, the coalition satellite NGOs and media operatives continue the charade.

The discredited, who had disappeared behind a curtain of silence during the inglorious and corrupt maladministration of the coalition Government and its gerrymandering, posturing, rank criminal activities - blatantly breaching the country’s laws and constitutional diktats during its term in office subsequent to the passing of the no-confidence motion - prior and subsequent to elections 2022, have now awakened from their hibernation that lasted for years while the country was fighting on all fronts for resto-

ration of democratic imperatives.

Their fallacious, malicious, envious, scurrilous attempts to cast doubts on the validity of governmental projects, or in the implementation of same, in efforts to impugn the reputations of the undoubtedly committed Government functionaries and to denigrate the progress generated by their efforts, are being viewed as implausible by a wiser population, who are now experiencing the differences between a PNCled and a PPP/C-led governmental construct.

Yours sincerely, Thomas Cole

alism in Trinidad & Tobago, there had been stiff opposition by the Indian leaders, who felt that their traditional cultural values/ institutions would have been downgraded and marginalised. Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams’s response was swift and furious; he described Indians then as “a hostile and recalcitrant minority.”

Guyana’s leaders should avoid this type of caustic rhetoric, and always be mindful that ethnic identity and personality are shaped by cultural values/ institutions, and they exist in a symbiotic relationship that could not be easily severed. People are skeptical of state-sponsored ideology, as experience has shown how this could lead to dictatorship or totalitarianism. They are therefore likely to feel comfortable with a wellthought-out and articulated policy.

What is becoming evi-

dent is that ‘One Guyana’ should be founded upon an economic rights-based policy, and not on an ideology of nationalism. An economic rights-based policy should be built upon some core instrumental values, such as (i) a modern constitution, (ii) equality of access to opportunity, (iii) empowerment programmes, (iv) and mutual respect for diverse cultures. Upon these core instrumental values/ institutions should be added affective universal human values such as (i) natural rights, (ii) freedom, (iii) citizens' allegiance to state, (iv) defense of territorial integrity, (v) and respect for national symbols and national anthem.

In the pursuit of an economic rights-based policy, ethnic groups’ cultural values/ institutions should not be stifled, but respected.

Sincerely, Dr

Tara Singh

Page Foundation

Thursday’s answers

Draw a Venn diagram showing the elements of Set A and its complement

3. What is the mean and mode of the data set 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 6, 7?

i) To find the mean, first add the numbers 1 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 6 + 6 + 7 = 32 then divide that total by the number of addends (numbers you added) = 32 ÷ 8 = 4

In this fun and easy force and motion science experiment for kids, we’re going to explore inertia and friction by seeing if we can flick a coin from the bottom of a stack of coins.

Materials: 12 $5 coins

Instructions:

Stack 11 of the coins on top of each other on a smooth table. Place the remaining coin on the table about one inch away from the stack. Use your middle finger to flick the coin at the bottom coin in the stack. If all goes well, the bottom coin should fly out from the stack without knocking the stack of coins over. A body at rest tends to stay at rest.

How it works: When the bottom coin is struck, the force overcomes inertia and knock the bottom coin away. The remaining coins will simply try to stay at rest and the stack of coins will drop down due to gravity when the bottom coin gets knocked away.

Make this a science project: Try different types of stacks of coins. Try mixing different types of coins in the stack. Try safely using a butter knife to knock away the bottom coin. (sciencefun.org)

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new" — Albert Einstein

By Martin Carter

is the university of hunger the wide waste. is the pilgrimage of man the long march.

The print of hunger wanders in the land.

The green tree bends above the long forgotten.

The plains of life rise up and fall in spasms. The huts of men are fused in misery.

They come treading in the hoofmarks of the mule passing the ancient bridge the grave of pride the sudden flight the terror and the time.

They come from the distant village of the flood passing from middle air to middle earth in the common hours of nakedness.

Twin bars of hunger mark their metal brows twin seasons mock them parching drought and flood.

is the dark ones the half sunken in the land.

is they who had no voice in the emptiness in the unbelievable in the shadowless.

They come treading on the mud floor of the year mingling with dark heavy waters and the sea sound of the eyeless flitting bat.

O long is the march of men and long is the life and wide is the span.

is the air dust and the long distance of memory

is the hour of rain when sleepless toads are silent is broken chimneys smokeless in the wind is brown trash huts and jagged mounds of iron

The come in long lines toward the broad city is the golden moon like a big coin in the sky is the floor of bone beneath the floor of flesh is the beak of sickness breaking on the stone

O long is the march of men, and long is the life and wide is the span

O cold is the cruel wind blowing. O cold is the hoe in the ground.

They come like sea birds flapping in the wake of a boat is the torture of sunset in purple bandages is the powder of the fire spread like dust in the twilight is the water melodies of white foam on wrinkled sand.

The long streets of night move up and down baring the thighs of a woman. and the cavern of generation. The beating drum returns and dies away. The bearded men fall down and go to sleep. The cocks of dawn stand up and crow like bugles. is they who rose early in the morning watching the moon die in the dawn. is they who heard the shell blow and the iron clang. is they who had no voice in the emptiness in the unbelievable in the shadowless.

O long is the march of men and long is the life and wide is the span.

Guyana to get special pavilion to display local products, services at Barbados’s Agrofest

– Barbadian delegation here to strengthen bilateral trade

The Guyanese Private Sector will be getting the opportunity to display local products and services at Barbados’s national agricultural exhibition – Agrofest, an annual event hosted in the island nation.

This assurance was given by a special Barbadian delegation currently being hosted in Georgetown by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), along with the Private Sector Commission (PSC), in an effort to deepen bilateral connections between the two countries.

The visiting team consists of Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Barbados to Guyana and Suriname, Alphea Wiggins, and Consultant of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security of Barbados, Dr Leroy McClean.

On Thursday, the Barbadian delegation accompanied by GMSA President Rafeek Khan and the Association’s Executive Director, Nizam Hassan, met with the Agriculture Business Development Officer of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) and Executives of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).

At those two meetings, the focus was on deepening mutual ties and exploring possibilities of products and produce that can be supplied to Barbados.

It was noted that the discussions were also centred on “Agrofest”, which is usually held in Barbados to add value to its agricultural sector and promote food security. It is unclear when the annual event will be held this year.

“At this festival, Guyanese products and services will be exhibited at a special pavilion which will offer a taste of Guyana to Barbadians,” a missive from the Private Sector body detailed.

It was further stated that the GMSA’s President reiterated that the St Barnabas accord will see major investment opportunities in both people and businesses with a greater focus on strengthening bilateral trade in specific sectors with synergies for future development.

The St Barnabas accord was signed by Guyana’s President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, seeking to create one domestic space between their countries in areas across multiple sectors.

This visit of the delegation is to further cooperation and collaboration under this accord.

The Barbadian team is scheduled to meet various Government entities, Private Sector organisations, local companies, and other stakeholders to ensure imports and exports are of equal benefit to both countries.

Last October, Guyana and Barbados committed to working together in order to enhance collaboration and trade between the two Caricom nations.

Since then, several meetings and engagements have been held between stakeholders from both countries – both Government and Private Sector – on furthering this.

In fact, President Ali had said at a networking session on the sidelines of the inaugural International Energy Conference, which was attended by Prime Minister Mottley, that Guyana and Barbados would be advancing together with “many projects” in several areas,

including hospitality, food security, agricultural diversification and import substitution.

He added too that a safe space would be created for the Private Sector of both countries to collaborate.

“We’re going to work on creating a space and I want you to hear me and I want the Private Sector to listen. We are going to work on creating a space in which the Barbados Private Sector can also be part of this growth and development. We want to encourage you to do that.

“What we want to do is to create an even platform, bringing opportunities to every segment of the population here and regionally, so

that we can benefit together, grow together advance together. But we can only do so through collaboration and partnerships,” the Guyanese Leader had stated.

The importance of building local capacity and ensuring greater connectivity between the two countries to advance the development of the tourism sector in both countries was also highlighted.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mottley had remarked that through leadership, President Ali continued to be a shining light for cooperation and solidarity within the Caribbean and was the “greatest example of the success of the regional

experiment”.

She says that the relationship which endures between the two countries is historic and she intends to advance discussions with Dr Ali on how to further improve connectivity between the two countries.

“Because believe you me, if we get the connectivity right, you all will do the rest of the heavy lifting … We have to get it right, both in terms of the movement of people as well as in terms of the movement of goods. This region cannot continue to be complaining about the absence of connectivity,” the Barbadian Head of State posited.

Legal Affairs Ministry launches arbitration workshop for young Attorneys

In keeping with its stated commitment to create a modern platform for arbitration as an effective method of settling commercial and other disputes in Guyana, the Government of Guyana has launched its programme of building capacity by training and education.

In this regard, the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Legal Affairs, in collaboration with IMPACT Justice and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Caribbean branch, Young Members Group, will offer a workshop on ‘Drafting Arbitration Clauses: Practical Workshop’, on April 5 and 7, 2022 via the Zoom platform.

This Workshop is open to Attorneys-at-Law and other interested persons who are 40 years old and under. The objective of the workshop is to highlight the relevance of including arbitration clauses in contracts, and to provide an introduction to the drafting of enforceable arbitration clauses.

The workshop is free, and sessions will be conducted by Shan Greer, FCIArb, assisted by Kimberley Williams, MCIArb. Participants would have the opportunity to receive certification.

Notification of this work-

shop was sent to the Guyana Bar Association, the Berbice Bar Association, and the Private Sector Commission, inviting interested persons within those organisations to participate. Other interested persons are hereby invited to participate.

Those desirous of attending the training programme are asked to register via the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs website- mola. gov.gy. The closing date for registration is March 31, 2022.

Linden man found guilty of raping girl, 16

Corwyn Arthur, popularly known as ‘Cross Eye,’ of Cinderella City, Amelia’s Ward, Linden, was on Thursday found guilty of raping a 16-yearold girl back in 2013.

The convicted rapist had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that he had engaged in sexual penetration of a 16-year-old girl on December 17, 2013. He

Convicted killer and rapist Corwyn Arthur

was on trial before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court. Arthur was also charged for assaulting the victim while committing the act, and on Thursday, a 12-member jury, after deliberating, found him guilty on both counts. As such, he will return to court on April 11, 2022 for sentencing.

Action and reaction…

…to the war

While Putin swears he ain’t launch no war, the effects are sure being felt across the world!! And we’re not even talking about all the students etc. being evacuated out of the Ukraine. Your Eyewitness never knew so many Indians were hitting the books in what he thought was an obscure country. But then they’re here, even in Guyana - and where’s more obscure that here? Most folks still think of “Ghana” in Africa when they hear about “Guyana”! They don’t know THEY were the “Gold” Coast while WE were the “Mosquito Coast”!!

But with Russia being such a big oil producer and exporter, Biden and the West’s sanctions on oil shipments are raising our profile another notch!! Users all over the world are salivating over our new “sweet and light” oil from under our Atlantic!! But while Guyana’s gonna be making out like bandits as oil prices shoot up towards the sky (US$200/barrel??) there’s gonna be a downside - higher gas prices at the pumps!! Granny did say, “Wha’ sweeten mout’ a hu’t backside!!” And with every Guyanese family having a car (or tractor or combine or ATV), it’ll be hurting OUR bamsies while the Government’s coffers swell!! Did you see where GPL’s bills are heading? That’s ‘cause they use all that heavy Bunker C!! And it’ll be years before Amaila gets on stream with cheap electricity. All because the PNC coalition just didn’t want Jagdeo to get “good name”!!

So, what to do?? Well, right off the bat, your Eyewitness recommends that the Government gives approval to those fellas who were beating down their doors to get permission for a small modular refinery to take care of our needs! While to us our usage might loom largeeverything’s relative. In absolute terms, we just use about 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily. And from what your Eyewitness had read, the fellas were talking about double that capacity.

Right next door, Staatsolie, the Suriname oil company, has a refinery that produces 15,000 barrels daily - plus all the ancillary by-products. From what your Eyewitness heard, these modular plants are pretty much like Leggos that your kids use for their STEM projects, just on a larger scale!! All we gotta do is identify a site, put down that concrete foundation, and ship in those modules, and BINGO!! We’re producing gasoline for our own use!!

Now, your Eyewitness knows it ain’t gonna be as easy as that – there are all those “save the planet” freaks who’ll be having conniptions by now if they read this proposal!! But hey!! Maybe they’re driving those fancy SUVs that gobble up so much gas? And putting a dent in their wallets??!

…in Opposition Camp

Your Eyewitness keeps on reading about the PPP Government not taking the Opposition seriously - and sharing some power with them. Well, right off the bat, shouldn’t the Opposition be taking themselves a bit more seriously? There’s the old saw about respect being earned and not demanded, no? Like Aretha Franklin crooned so long ago, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” is a two-way street. The PPP must be thinking: “I get tired (just a little bit)/ Keep on tryin' (just a little bit)/ You're runnin' out of foolin' (just a little bit)/ And I ain't lyin'”

How could anyone take seriously a political party that can’t even get their leader into Parliament to replace the old leader who resigned? Oops!! Sorry, he ain’t REALLY resigned!! It’s like those post-dated checks: they can’t be cashed till the date in front!! So, between Joe and Nicolette, they got Norton running around clueless like the Pink Panther!! And who respects the Pink Panther. He’s for comic effect, no?

…on sugar

So, it’s been over six days since those 600 punts of cane were waiting to be processed at Uitvlugt. If they were, were there any sugar left in them to make it worthwhile? Or should’ve they been dumped?

Govt mulls linking GPF’s response system with private security firms to tackle crime – President

To match the pace at which the Guyana Police Force (GPF) operates with the unprecedented transformation which lies ahead for Guyana, President Irfaan Ali has signalled the possibility of deepening the GPF’s ties with private security counterparts for faster crime-fighting and response.

The Head of State highlighted the slow response rate from the Police Force and the setbacks attached to this challenge while addressing Police ranks on Thursday.

In the same breath, he said Government is working to have a more rapid response in policing, and is examining how these operations can be linked to private security firms.

“For too long, there have been reports of slothful response. Our intention is to improve the Force’s communication operational readiness so as to ensure a system of rapid response to crime reports… In order to support the work of the Guyana Police Force, I have asked the Minister to examine how our response system can be linked to private security agencies, because private security agencies are increasing in our country and they have a lot of assets. If we integrate our response system, then we can also have a response mechanism with private security that is supported by Government,”

Dr Ali underscored.

According to him, if the Force’s efficiency is not on par with the fast-growing economy and developments which await the country,

this transformation would be restrained.

“The economy is expanding, but we have a very limited population. So, the strategy has to be built on effective and efficient use of technology. Guyana’s transformation will become restraining unless security vastly improves. Crime must not be the bugbear of development,” he said

“The Government will be investing in the technological advancement of the Force. It will also be equipping the Force with means, both material and human, to bring about drastic improvements for public safety. The Government will also be investing in ensuring a system of rapid and resolute response to crime. Technology has the potential to be a gamechanger in policing,” the President added.

Ali spoke about Government’s vision to have a digitalised and technology-driven law enforcement apparatus – a mechanism that would enable the idea of smart policing. To this end, digital ticketing is being mulled.

“We have started this discussion with the Guyana Revenue Authority. On all our new highways, we’re looking to incorporate this feature, where we can move towards digital ticketing in terms of speeding, seatbelt violations, and so on. That system must be automatically linked to the suspension of licence… We have a lot of modern laws that is there that I wouldn’t say is ineffective, but it’s not giving us the results because the system is not in place.”

Another facet, digital reporting booths, is being con-

sidered to restore confidence in the public to make reports without any fear.

“I want to propose a pilot in which we have digital reporting booths in which people can write their own statements, make their own reports, and send it to the Police or on a platform. If there is a fear of going into a Police setting or a Police station, then the digital reporting booth can help us. This is something we should work on as an experiment,” President Ali proposes.

To have safer roadways for commuters and pedestrians, attention was placed on the installation of radar devices to identify reckless road users. In this regard, the President lamented the irresponsible ways in which people traverse Guyana’s roadways, putting themselves and others in danger.

“Our roads are to move people safely around. They are not racing circuits or local remakes of the ‘Fast and Furious’. I have already signalled that we install speed radars on our main roads, so that we can identify those who use our roads recklessly and for driving infractions. This will be a costly investment, but one which is absolutely essential.”

EBD man found guilty of killing Multiplex Mall owner

Following a twohour deliberation, a 12-member jury found Kurt ‘Banana’ Erskine not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of the owner of Regent Multiplex Mall, Ganesh Ramlall, called ‘Boyo’, back in 2015.

Erskine, of Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara, was on trial before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall for the capital offence of murder.

Convicted of manslaughter, Erskine had pleaded not guilty to murdering the 48-year-old man on July 5, 2015 during a robbery.

Following his conviction, a probation report was or-

dered by the judge, which is expected to be presented on March 28, 2022 before a ruling is handed down. The State is represented by Attorneys-at-Law Konyo Sandiford and Narissa Leander, who are special prosecutors in this matter. Erskine was represented by Attorney-at-Law Lyndon Amsterdam.

Fazeel Bacchus and Lennox ‘Soldier Man’ Roberts were also charged for the murder. Back in February 28, Bacchus was sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment by Justice Morris-Ramlall, and was subsequently released from prison on time served.

TURN TO PAGE 11

GDF Medic delivers baby at Kaikan

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Medic, Corporal Littleton Wilson on Monday evening safely delivered a baby boy at the Kaikan Health Post, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).

A businessman in the community contacted the base and requested the assistance of medical personnel, after the patient, Venezuelan national Yonneline Romero was showing signs of being in labour.

Corporal Wilson, a Grade Two Medical Assistant, who enlisted in the GDF in 2012, had never been involved in the delivery of a baby.

“I made all the necessary preparations according to my training. I panicked at first, but after seeing her in so much pain, I had to focus and remain

calm and I told myself that I just need to ensure that both baby and mother are safe. I held the baby until his entire body was out and was so amazed at the entire process. I cut the cord and I checked the baby to ensure that he was alright. The mother was still in pain, but also shed tears of joy,” he recounted.

Both mother and child are healthy and have since been discharged from the health post.

Corporal Wilson successfully completed the Grade III Medical Assistance Course in 2014 and the Grade II Medical Assistance Course in 2019. He has also completed the Junior Leaders Course, Section Commanders Course, Drill Course, Skill-at-Arms Course, and Combat Medic Course.

Linden man found...

The State was represented by prosecutor Muntaz Ali in association with prosecutors Nafeeza Baig and Latifah Elliot, while Arthur was represented by attorney-at-law Madan Kissoon.

It was reported that the victim was walking home from a friend’s birthday party when she was attacked by Arthur, who was armed with a knife. The court heard that the rapist threatened to kill the teenager if she did not comply with his wishes.

The victim had managed to raise an alarm, but Arthur, in retaliation, dealt her one blow to her head with the knife he was carrying.

He reportedly dragged her into a clump of bushes, placed the knife to her neck, and raped her.

The matter was subsequently reported to the

Police and the 34-yearold man was arrested and charged.

Meanwhile, the convicted rapist is currently facing a 15-year jail term for stabbing his ex-lover’s husband to death in 2018.

In 2021, he admitted that on May 10, 2018, he unlawfully killed 40-year-old taxi driver Claude De Jonge, also known as “Sonno”, of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden. It was reported that De Jonge was stabbed to death while at the home of his girlfriend, who reportedly once shared a relationship with Arthur.

De Jonge was found lying motionless in a pool of blood next to the front door of the house. At the time, he was clad in trousers and his body bore several stab wounds to the neck, shoulders, and abdomen.

Increase in national minimum wage being “actively

considered”

by Cabinet – Labour Minister

– as FITUG calls for implementation to curb rising cost of living

With cost of living on the rise, calls are being made for Government to implement the increase in the national minimum wage, but according to Labour Minister Joe Hamilton, he is still awaiting the approval of Cabinet in order to give effect to the pay hike.

“The matter is being actively considered by the Cabinet,” Hamilton told Guyana Times on Thursday.

However, the Labour Minister could not say when Cabinet would green light the introduction of the national minimum wage, which has been increased from $44,200 to $60,000.

This was after the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), in a statement on Thursday, called for the implementation of the increased national minimum wage which the National Tripartite Committee (NTC), chaired by the Labour Minister, had unanimously agreed to over two months ago.

“Since then, we have yet to hear from the Minister on the matter,” the union body has said. According to FITUG, which has long ad-

vocated for an improved national minimum wage, it is necessary now more than ever that minimum-wage workers benefit from the hike and see improvement in their pay levels.

“The Federation felt, given the all-round support, the approval of the hike was a mere formality, and we had high expectations that workers at this time would have benefited from the improvement.”

“Given the hikes in the cost-of-living, most recently evidenced by the substantial hike in the cost of fuel, there is no justifica-

tion to continue to perpetuate denial of the improvement. We urge, at this time, that the procrastination be brought to an end and our nation’s workers receive the deserving hike in the national minimum wage,” the union has posited.

Shortly after taking office in August 2020, Minister Hamilton had announced the increase of the Private Sector minimum wage. However, while an order to this effect was made, there was no timeline set for its enforcement. This was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on businesses.

When the country began opening up last year, these talks resumed. The Labour Minister had been re-engaging the Private Sector on enforcing these increases.

Last year, when Government announced a seven per cent retroactive salary increase for all Public Sector workers, it sparked conversations about pay in the Private Sector. In fact, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana had called on private businesses to follow suit in order to attract and

EBD man found guilty of...

Bacchus was a state witness during the trial against Erskine.

Roberts, who also pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, is expected to be sentenced on March 17.

It was reported that Ramlall, a father of one, was shot five times about his

body, including once to his head, at around 00:10h on the morning of his demise.

Reports are that the businessman had just returned home from a barbeque with friends when he proceeded to use an outdoor bathroom on his premises. However, as the man walked into his yard, he was pounced upon by four men, who opened fire

on him.

His wife raised an alarm and neighbours fired shots at the bandits, but the men managed to escape with Ramlall’s jewellery and wallet.

Ramlall was rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His relatives quickly posted a $5 million reward for anyone with information on the killing.

Shortly after, Police raided a house in Craig, EBD, where Bacchus and Roberts, along with several others, were arrested. When interrogated, the two men reportedly confessed to the murder of the Regent Street Multiplex business owner. They later implicated Erskine.

It was reported that the men had hatched a plot to rob Ramlall two months prior to his demise.

retain their workforce.

The Public Sector minimum wage currently stands at $70,000, and even with this increase for Private Sector workers, it would still be less. The Private

Sector’s minimum wage was last increased in 2017, from an hourly rate of $202 to $255, taking the monthly wage from $35,000 to $44,200.

Minister Hamilton had previously explained that this increase to $60,000 would only impact about 10 per cent of Private Sector workers, who are currently being paid below that wage level.

GPF engages GRA to regularise use of electric bikes – Top Cop

Police Commissioner(ag)

Nigel Hoppie confirmed on Thursday that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) are currently in discussion on regularising the use of electric bikes (E-bikes) on the country’s roadways. He made this announcement during the Police Officers’ Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Center at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

“The Guyana Police Force has engaged the GRA towards the implementation of rules governing their use… We’ve seen persons using these bikes, there is no age limit …we’re in discussion to ensure those things are regularized,” he said.

This is not the first time that concerns have been raised over the usage of E-bikes, especially by young children, many of whom do not know traffic signs and laws. The use of E-bikes af-

ter its introduction to the country’s roadways has re ceived major backlash from many members of Guyana’s community of law enforc ers.

Assistant Superintendent Raun Clark, Officer-in-Charge of traffic in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), in November of 2021 slammed the use of E-bikes on pub lic roadways. Clark said there is no law the Traffic Department can enforce against the users of those

cycles as he raised concerns over the lack of age limit in their use.

He had said, “What we find is that we have children using these cycles with no prior knowledge as it relates to the rules of the road, and they are using the cycles weaving in and out of traffic, which is very dangerous. One of the disadvantages of the electric cycles is that they do not keep any noise so as to alert other road users, including drivers, that they are approaching. So, what you find is that these cycles travel at a fast rate of speed, and are upon you without any prior indication.”

Similarly, earlier this year, Divisional Traffic Officer of Division 4A –(Georgetown), Deputy Superintendent Timothy Williams, had contended that the use of E-bikes would require the creation of policies that would need to be strongly reinforced to cater for those citizens who traverse the roadways with the controversial E-bikes.

“That is a source of concern, those electric bikes. Presently, they are operating unchecked simply be-

cause there is no documentation. These bikes are not registered by GRA, so they are operating unchecked,” he had explained.

The electric bikes, which gained popularity in Guyana at a rapid pace, started receiving backlash from the public after many persons riding the bikes had been involved in fatal accidents.

In December 2021, it was reported that 67-yearold Roopnarine Ramouthar was riding an electric bike along the Number 72 Village Public Road on the Corentyne in East Berbice when he allegedly made a sudden right turn and ended up in the path of the truck, which crashed into the bike.

Ramoutar was flung off his bike onto the road surface some distance away, while the electric cycle got stuck under the motor lorry, which continued driving before stopping about 300ft away.

Ramoutar sustained injuries to his head and about his body, and was picked up in an unconscious condition and taken to the Skeldon

Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, while the driver of the motor lorry was taken into Police custody. In another incident involving the use of an E-bike, in January of this year, 71-year-old Carlon Windsor Barrett of Lot 32 (A) Victoria Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara was crushed by a container truck. Investigations revealed that articulated motor lorry GZZ 6378, with trailer TEE 6391 attached with a 40-foot container laden with lumber, was proceeding south along the centre of the eastern carriageway of Water Street, Georgetown, and as it approached Muneshwer’s Limited, the driver alleged that he put on his vehicle’s right-side indicator to turn west onto the western carriageway of the said road. The driver said he then felt the right-side rear wheel of the trailer run over something, causing him to immediately stop and exit his vehicle, whereupon he noticed the said wheel on top of the cyclist’s body and vehicle.

Replacing COVID vaccine cards will be easier as Health Ministry digitises data

…17 new infections detected in 1

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD

physical distance from others; and the need for good hand-hygiene.

If anyone is displaying

any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, they are asked to con-

tact the COVID-19 Hotline: 231-1166, 226-7480, or 6246674 immediately, or visit us at www.health.gov.gy

The Health Ministry is currently verifying and reconciling its vaccination data to be better able to keep a record of vaccinated persons.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday related that data is being collected from a number of vaccination sites for the initiative. He said that during the peak of the vaccination campaign, there were approximately 120 sites, which he noted could have seen a duplication of information.

“So, we are now working that through to make sure that we don’t have any duplications. So, cleaning the data is a very important exercise, and while we are cleaning the data, we are also digitising it, so that if somebody would need a replacement card, it is much easier to be able to go into this electronic database and to know whether this person has been vaccinated or not,” Dr. Anthony noted.

Currently, if a vaccination card has to be replaced, a manual search has to be conducted, which is said to be time-consuming. The upgrades would automate the process.

Since the vaccination campaign began locally and vaccination mandates were put in place, several persons have been placed before the courts for forging vaccination cards. The exercise is being conducted by the Ministry’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Surveillance Unit.

“If we discover any forgery, then we will turn that information over to the Police, so that they can take the relevant actions,” Dr Anthony has cautioned.

New cases

With 17 new cases having been detected on Thursday, confirmed cases on the dashboard moved to 63,107 – a breakdown of which shows 29,059 males and 34,048 females. Deaths

have remained at 1224.

Statistics provided by the Ministry showed that there are five patients in the Intensive Care Unit, 182 patients in home isolation, 12 in institutional isolation, and 14 in institutional quarantine. Some 61,684 persons have since recovered from the disease.

A breakdown of new infections showed three were recorded in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); two in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); nine in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); two in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); and one in Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).

Meanwhile, Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures, which emphasise the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet

Public Works Ministry rolls out $15.2B Miscellaneous Roads Programme

he Public Works

TMinistry is set to roll out a massive infrastructure agenda for Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six through its Miscellaneous Road Programme.

Contractors have already been invited to submit bids through public notices in the daily newspapers.

A number of roads in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are set to be rehabilitated. Among those are First and Second Cross Streets and Shenny Roundabout Street in Charity; First Long Dam in Perseverance; Fourth Cross Street in Zorg; and Back and Hack Streets in Riverstown in Golden Fleece.

Factory Estate Street, Cross Street and Mandir Street in Johanna Cecilia; Masjid Street in Queenstown; North Dam in Affiance; Primary School Road in Hurry-up Scheme in Hydronie/Good Hope; Bushy

Park Phase Two, and Sixth Cross Street in La Jalousie will also be rehabilitated.

Residents of Mora Boundary Road; Back Dam East from School to Kent Dam and Crown Dam Parika; the road north of Crystal Spring in Malgre Tout; Sarah Cremation Site and Mandir Street; and Melville in Wakenaam will also benefit from the upgrade.

Roads to be rehabilitated in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) include Phase Two Belle West Network One; Lion Street, Best Village; Dem Amstel East Side Line Dam; and Cruickshank Street in Den Amstel WCD; along with Market Old Road at Leonora WCD.

In Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), rehabilitation will be done on Third Cross Street, Herstelling; Jaipaul to Zamo Street, Mahaica; Back Street Hope; First and Second

Cross Street Old Iron, Enmore; and Old Enmore Railway Embankment. In Cane Grove, Eddie Ram Street, Donald/Jango Street and Church Street will see major upgrade, along with Pauline Street and Fourth Street in Strathavon.

Residents of Annandale will also see rehabilitation works being undertaken on Pump Road, Benkey Alley and First Cross Street. Similar works will be carried out in First and Sixth Cross Street in Good Hope Phase One. Training School Road and Cookie Street in Kuru Kururu, along with Martyr’s Ville Seventh Street, Double Road and Second Cross Street in Jango Town in Mon Repos are also set to be rehabilitated.

Residents of Mahaica will not be left behind, as roads in De Hoop Line Top Street, De Hoop Mahaica; Broom Hall; Middle Walk Street, Mahaicony; District One,

West of De Hoop Branch Road, Mahaica River; Road Network, Perseverance; Purain Street, Blairmont No.2 Village; Kassim Street, Cotton Tree; Bachelor Street, Rosignol; Paris Street, No.22 Village; Second Street, Section C, Bush Lot; and the road network in Shieldstown are on the cards for repairs.

Over in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), roads

slated for rehabilitation include Tarlogie Compound Dam; Samrah Street, No.36 Village; First Street, No.43 Village; Third Cross Street, Liverpool; Fourth Cross Street, Whim; No.53 Village Second and Third Cross Street; First Cross Street, No.71 Village; Second Street and Access Lengua Section B, Grant 1806; Cross Street Three Fort Ordinance Housing Scheme;

First Street, Kendall; Fourth Street, Nigg; Fyrish Main Access; Nigg Fifth Street; Russel Street South, Hampshire; Fifth and Sixth Cross Street, Belvedere. Budget 2022 has allocated $15.2 billion towards the Ministry’s Miscellaneous Road Programme, $7.2 billion more than the previous year’s allocation. Over 450 roads were constructed or rehabilitated in 2021.

79% Guyanese have some form of glaucoma – Head of Ophthalmology Dept

On March 6 last, Guyana joined the rest of the world in observing World Glaucoma Week 2022, in order to raise awareness of the ailment under the theme “The world is bright, save your sight.”

As such, the Head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr Shailendra Sugrim, acknowledged that glaucoma is an important disease that has affected many Guyanese. To that end, he encourages persons to get screened for glaucoma regularly.

“We acknowledge that it is an important disease that we need to screen and test for on a regular basis, because it’s a silent disease. Patients are out there with glaucoma without having this knowledge. The only way that you can pick it up is when you do regular testing,” the doctor said.

Dr Sugrim pointed out that persons who are elderly, of African descent, and have high eye pressure are at high risk of being diagnosed with glaucoma disease.

In addition, he said that it is required that aware-

Dr Shailendra Sugrim, Head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

ness around the silent glaucoma disease is raised. He said, “We join the worldwide community in raising glaucoma awareness, because it’s a blinding disease.”

There has been no formal study done in Guyana to determine the percentage of the population that has been diagnosed with glaucoma, but according to a study done in the Caribbean region, an estimated 79 per cent of Guyanese have some

form of glaucoma disease. Open-Angle Glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma in Guyana.

Though there is no cure for glaucoma, like many other diseases that plague the human body, Dr Sugrim assured that it is very manageable with treatment.

“Glaucoma is like a chronic disease, just like diabetes and hypertension. In the sense that we cannot get rid of hypertension, we cannot get rid of diabetes, we cannot get rid of, or cure, glaucoma, but we can control it very well with treatment.”

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, a part of the eye which is vital for good vision. This damage is often caused by abnormally high pressure in the eyes. It is one of the leading causes of blindness for people over the age of 60.

The symptoms of glaucoma are patchy blind spots in your side (peripheral) or central vision, frequently in both eyes, with persons experiencing tunnel vision in the advanced stages.

World Glaucoma Week will conclude on March 11.

Edghill urges local businesses to prepare for wave of opportunities

– as Cevons

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has called on more local businesses to ensure that they are up to standard so that they can capitalise on opportunities coming out of not only the oil and gas sector but other areas as the country embarks on its economic transformation.

Edghill made this remark on Thursday at a presentation ceremony where Cevons Waste Management Inc was accredited with the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 9001:2015 certification standard.

Delivering the feature address, the Public Works Minister posited that more local companies should follow in this direction to prepare themselves for the host of opportunities that would come.

“A simple niche service like solid waste management and disposal will grow significantly, because the population and the city out there will require that service. So, we have to understand that from now, you have to start positioning yourself for the future,” Edghill stressed.

He opined that it was such visionary leadership and thinking that led Cevons Waste Management to position itself for those opportunities. The Public Works Minister lauded the company for already taking

Waste Management gets ISO certification

the step to expand its operations beyond waste management since Cevons has been subcontracted to do the markings on some of the major road projects.

Minister Edghill posited that Guyana’s future was unbelievably bright and this was evident in the magnitude of interest that was being shown by overseas players.

To this end, he noted that the ISO standard would be required with the rapid development that was taking place in the country.

He further encouraged the company not to limit itself to Guyana but to become a brand beyond Guyana’s borders by strengthening its capacity.

“Local Content was designed [for companies like Cevons Waste Management] to ensure that every Guyanese benefit in this new experience that we are having… Look for opportunities. Your training and engineering capacity must not limit you. Keep looking for opportunities,” Minister Edghill stated.

Established in May 1997, Cevons Waste Management has since been pioneering services in the waste management sector, offering a range of services to both the private and public sectors. These include recycling services; solid waste management (residential, industrial, commercial, municipal); skip bin/roll-on roll-off containers; portable toilets’ rental; document destruction; road marking; road sweeping and more.

With the ISO 9001:2015 certification, Cevons Chief Operations Officer (COO) Morris Archer disclosed that the company will soon be joining with international partners to expand its operations to serve the oil and gas sector.

“We will be making a major investment in the oil and gas sector for waste management service. I want to thank the Government of Guyana for making these investments possible for local companies like ours… They’ve allowed companies like Cevons Waste Management to be a part of the development of the country,” Archer asserted.

While the COO did not go into detail about the new project, the company’s Senior Advisor with responsibility for quality, Don Smith mentioned it would include the development of a waste recovery facility along with other environmental-

ly-friendly initiatives.

The ISO 9001:2015 certification was granted by Global Compliance Service, which operates in 36 countries and is the only Accredited ISO Certification Body with a resident office in Guyana.

Global Compliance Service Guyana Inc is a wholly Guyanese-owned and operated business with a team consisting of Guyanese professionals who are qualified ISO Management Systems Trainers and Auditors. Its ISO certifications are issued from GCS office in the USA through a seamless accredited process.

According to the company, its vision is to provide more affordable and competitive ISO certification, inspection, and training services to companies with-

in Guyana. It noted that a presence in Guyana eliminates the exorbitant cost of airfare and accommodations which make ISO certification more affordable for local businesses.

Companies certified by the ISO 9001 standard have established a quality management system, which provides a framework for the delivery of consistent quality of products and services as defined within its scope of certification. This certification is recognised internationally and enables companies to operate more effectively at several different levels, including the ability to focus on customer requirements and constantly find ways to improve and become resilient and sustainable.

Local logistics company receives international anti-bribery certification

PS Shipping and Customs Brokerage (PSSCB) Inc has recently secured an international anti-bribery and anti-corruption certificate (Tcertification), thus raising the bar on standards for local businesses.

The company, which is 100 per cent Guyaneseowned, received its Tcertification from TRACE – an international non-profit business association dedicated to anti-bribery compliance and good governance.

TRACE is widely recognised for establishing compliance standards and advancing commercial transparency worldwide.

The Tcertification review process is based on internationally-accepted standards and requires companies to complete global anti-bribery training, adopt a code of conduct and update due diligence information annually. Reports include a daily screening of names against international sanctions and

enforcement lists. The successful completion of Tcertification demonstrates companies’ commitment to commercial transparency, allow-

ing them to serve as valued business partners to multinational companies.

Just a few months ago, PSSCB took the spotlight by becoming the first lo-

cal company to acquire the ISO 45001:2018 Health and Safety Certification in Logistics, Customs Brokerage, Transportation, and Business Services in

Guyana.

The company simultaneously acquired ISO 9001:2015 for quality in those services. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Phil Surooj shared that this achievement ought not to be seen as a win for his company but for Guyanese-owned businesses here.

“This is not just about PSSCB and what it has been able to achieve. This is a demonstration that local businesses, especially smalland medium-scale businesses, are capable of raising the bar very high and competing even with multinational corporations in terms of standards,” Surooj shared.

He said that he was inspired by President Dr Irfaan Ali’s speech at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) awards ceremony last year, in which the Head of State called on local businesses to “step up” and “think big”.

“The Local Content Act makes it quite clear that the

Government is committed to supporting the Private Sector and ensuring that we benefit from the opportunities here. So, it is now for us [businesses] to step up and show the Government that we also mean business,” the CEO added.

He took the opportunity to encourage other businesses to keep building on small successes and achievements and not to limit their potential, since there is enough room for every Guyanese business to have a share in the market.

Founded in 2001 to make it easier and less expensive to reduce the risk of bribery, TRACE is widely recognised for establishing compliance standards and advancing commercial transparency worldwide. Members include hundreds of multinational companies across all industry sectors.?TRACE is headquartered in the United States and registered in Canada, with a presence on five continents.

Guyana, EU agree on roadmap to improve forest governance, reduce illegal timber trade

Guyana and the European Union (EU) on Thursday agreed on a detailed roadmap for implementing the Guyana-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), which aims to improve forest governance and verify the trade in legal timber.

The aide-mémoire was signed by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

and EU Ambassador to Guyana, Fernando Ponz Cantó, at the Pegasus hotel after a meeting with the various stakeholders.

“In no way, the FLEGT/ VPA or the Low Carbon Development Strategy, that is in the consultative process right now is speaking towards reduction in forest activities, reduction in harvesting, or the production of wood products, what it speaks to directly is the sustainability of it, how inclu-

sive the process is and, also and importantly, how legal the operation and the products are,” Bharrat said.

He made it clear that the agreement in no way meant that the country was “cutting down” on forest activities, but authorities were only ensuring that they were done in a sustainable, legal manner.

He noted that Guyana has one of the best forest management systems in the world.

Berbice phone card agent murder trial

Police

tell Court suspects were captured hours after committing crime

One night after the fatal shooting of Danian Anthony Jagdeo, a phone card agent, Police were able to apprehend all of the suspects as well as recover the murder weapon. This was the testimony provided to the court during the trial on Thursday at the Berbice High Court before Justice Sandil Kissoon.

On February 8, 2017, Jagdeo, of Williamsburg, Corentyne, was shot dead by Mark Dhuman, 27; Abdul Salam Azimullah, called “Sato”; Shuman Batson and Satesh Budram, 24; all of Hampshire Village, Corentyne, and Zaheer Abdulla, called “Gold Teeth”, of Adelphi, East Canje.

The State’s case is being presented by Attorney-atLaw Abigail Gibbs while the five accused are represented by Attorneys Siand Dhurjon, Moti Singh, Ravindra Mohabir, Sasha Roberts, and Surihya Sabsook.

Following a lengthy voir dire, the State called its first witnesses on Thursday.

Forensic Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan explained that Jagdeo received two gunshot injuries to his left arm and another to the left side of his chest.

The Pathologist further revealed that a fourth bullet pierced Jagdeo’s back and damaged the kidney before fracturing a rib. The bullet was found lodged on a rib. Dr Bridgemohan gave the cause of death as shock and haemorrhaging owing to gunshot wounds.

The Prosecution then called Sergeant Philbert Wilbur, who told the court that Police had traversed the

area for an entire night to find the Perpetrators. Following the suspects’ apprehension, the murder weapon was recovered.

The State’s witness related that acting on information, he and a party of fellow Police Officers went to a wake house at Hampshire Village and contacted Azimullah. He was arrested and around midnight, they were able to arrest Budram.

In the wee hours of the following morning, Batson was arrested at a house in Williamsburg. Upon his arrest, he told the Police Officer, “Ah gon tell you everything when we get to the station,” Wilbur told the court.

Upon arriving at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost, Wilbur said Batson told him that he was going to take him to Canje and show him where the prime suspect known as “Gold Teeth” resided.

The Police Sergeant said while taking Batson to East Canje, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle in a bid to escape, but was immediately recaptured.

When they got to the

“We are way above in terms of the management, in terms of sustainability, and eradicating illegal logging,” the Minister noted.

He said the Government has been successful in tackling illegal logging, making more resources available to the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The Administration has also taken steps to curb illegal mining, allocating more than 100 small concessions to small loggers and their associations in Regions One and 10, and monitoring activities.

home of “Gold Teeth”, Police ranks called at the door several times and then observed someone jumping through a window at the back of the house.

However, the suspect, as he made his attempt to escape, got stuck between a picket fence and as such, he was arrested. The officer told the court that Azimullah said Abdulla was also called “Marlon”.

Based on further information received, the court heard, Dhuman was subsequently arrested.

Sergeant Wilbur said as investigations continued, Azimullah, who was in Police custody, told him that they were in receipt of information that the weapon that was used in the shooting was hidden in his yard.

He reportedly told the detectives that he was not sure if the information was correct, but agreed to take them to the location, where a search was conducted, and the weapon was found wrapped in a handkerchief in a heap.

Wilbur told the court that the weapon was later confirmed to be that of Azimullah. The jury was shown the weapon as it was tendered into evidence.

However, defence counsel Moti Singh objected, saying that it was not the firearm used in the commission of the murder, but the lawyer was overruled by the Judge after the Prosecutor argued that the Police Officer was just tendering it as evidence.

The trial continues as the State is expected to call several other Police witnesses, including officers from the Major Crime Unit.

Meanwhile, the EU Ambassador noted that the concerns raised about the forestry regulation were currently being discussed in Europe.

“In any case, we are aware that Guyana is in a situation where it has preserved its forest, I have to congratulate you for that,” he said.

The Ambassador noted that it was timely to have the FLEGT/VPA continue to preserve the forest.

“The FLEGT/VPA is going to be a formidable tool for ultimately helping Guyana and helping all of you to preserve the forest, but also to use it for the benefit of your communities, for the benefit of Guyanese in a way that it is inclusive, that it is sustainable and in a way that the forest continues to be this treasure that you have, but also provides for the current and for the future generations,” Ambassador Cantó said.

The Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) recently conducted a survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).

The survey, which was conducted from November 1 to December 4, 2021, revealed a significant decline in the quality of life of PWDs in Guyana. It was found that 75 per cent of respondents had limited access to health care due to the pandemic, while 47.5 per cent were completely unable to access health services during the lockdown.

In addition, the majority of respondents were of the view that their disabilities resulted in a greater chance of them contracting coronavirus.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the establishment of the Guyana-EU VPA Joint Monitoring and Review Committee (JMRC), which will oversee the implementation of the agreement and includes representatives of all stakeholder groups. Guyana is committed to making funds available to support the implementation of the VPA. Additional financial support is provided by the EU, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

The next meeting of the parties is expected before the end of 2022.

The VPA negotiations began in December 2012. They involved the Private Sector, Government Ministries and agencies, and Indigenous peoples.

Another key finding of the study was that the pandemic greatly reduced the independence of respondents. The majority indicated that both their mobility and financial independence had diminished, which in turn resulted in a notable sense of disempowerment. This is especially important given that most respondents

considered themselves to be relatively independent prior to the pandemic with support from relatives, friends, and benevolent members of society.

In the area of education, the PWDs that were enrolled in educational institutions prior to the pandemic had some difficulty transitioning to virtual learning. The few PWDs that were employed prior to the pandemic and participated in the survey, did not experience any difficul-

ty with their employers, and none lost their job as a result of the pandemic.

Another area that was drastically impacted was the social lives of PWDs. Ninety-three per cent of respondents enjoyed relatively healthy social lives prior to the pandemic which were halted owing to the imposed restrictions and lockdowns. Although many believed that they had coped well with the restrictions, 63 per cent reported psychological and emotional distress.

It is well documented that all Guyanese have been impacted as a result of the pandemic, however, PWDs have been more severely affected due to their vulnerable status and social location prior to the pandemic. The data gathered reflects the need for more inclusive disaster and crisis response policies.

The GCOPD remains committed to working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that persons with disabilities are represented in all spheres of society.

The study was made possible with funding from the US Embassy in Guyana. 47.5% PWDs were

No breakthrough in Russia-Ukraine talks as besieged civilians endure bombardments

Talks between Ukraine and Russia's Foreign Ministers failed to bring respite in the conflict as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in Ukrainian cities sheltering from Russian air raids and shelling.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine entering its third week, officials in Mariupol said Russian warplanes again bombed the southern port city where a maternity hospital was pulverised the day before.

Putin, facing global condemnation for the assault and increasingly isolated, said Russia would ultimately emerge stronger after overcoming the difficulties caused by international economic sanctions.

He told a Government meeting there had been no alternative to what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

"There are some questions, problems and difficulties, but in the past, we have overcome them and we will

of Chelsea soccer team.

Despite Putin's defiance, the invasion has so far failed to reach its stated objectives,

and elsewhere could be evacuated along humanitarian corridors.

At a separate news conference, Lavrov showed no sign of making any concessions, saying the operation was going to plan and repeating Moscow's accusations that Ukraine posed a threat to Russia.

A ceasefire was not meant to be on the agenda at Thursday's talks in Antalya, Lavrov said.

Aid agencies say humanitarian help is most urgently needed in Mariupol, where residents are running out of food, water, and power. The capture of Mariupol would allow Russia to link

but it has caused thousands of deaths and more than two million people to flee the country, while several cities are under siege.

No breakthrough

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba met in Turkey on Thursday in the highest-level talks since the

up pro-Moscow enclaves in the east and the Russianannexed Crimea to the southwest.

Attempts to send aid and evacuation convoys have failed for six days.

Russian warplanes were targeting convoy routes on Thursday, said Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to

overcome them," he said.

But the British Government blacklisted more Russian oligarchs on Thursday, including Britain's best-known, Roman Abramovich, owner

conflict began.

Kuleba said afterwards that Lavrov had refused to promise to hold fire so aid could reach civilians and hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Mariupol

Mariupol's Mayor.

"Air strikes started from the early morning. Air strike after air strike. All the historic centre is under bombardment," he told Reuters by phone.

"They want to absolutely delete our city, delete our people. They want to stop any evacuation."

Lavrov said the hospital struck on Wednesday had stopped treating patients and had been occupied by Ukrainian "radicals". The Kremlin said the incident was being investigated.

Russia's Defence Ministry later denied having bombed the hospital, ac-

leaders it calls neo-Nazis. Kyiv and its Western allies say this is a baseless pretext to invade a democratic country of 44 million people.

But so far Russian forces have failed to crush Ukraine's military and remove its leaders, while Zelenskiy has rallied his people and Western military aid has poured across the Polish and Romanian borders.

Russian troops have ad-

cusing Ukraine of a "staged provocation" there.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked on Wednesday: "What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?"

In Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the hospital attack could constitute a war crime and should be investigated, calling it "inhumane, cruel, and tragic".

Lavrov accused Western countries of inflaming the situation by arming Ukraine.

Asked if the conflict could lead to nuclear war, he said: "I don't want to believe, and I do not believe, that a nuclear war could start."

Russia says its offensive is aimed at disarming its neighbour and dislodging

vanced in the south, but have yet to capture a city in the north or east. Western countries have said they believe that after a planned lightning strike on the capital Kyiv failed in the early days of the war, Moscow has turned to tactics involving far more destructive assaults.

Britain said on Thursday a Russian column northwest of Kyiv had made little progress in over a week and was suffering losses.

The Western-led sanctions designed to cut off the Russian economy and Government from international markets have bitten hard, with the rouble plunging.

“Barbaric”

The pounding of Mariupol underscored US warnings that the biggest assault on a European State since 1945 could become in-

creasingly attritional after Russia's early setbacks. Russia has repeatedly pledged since Saturday to halt firing so at least some trapped civilians could escape Mariupol. Both sides have blamed the other for the failure of the evacuations.

Half of the more than two million total refugees from Ukraine are children. The International Committee of the Red Cross said houses had been destroyed all across Ukraine.

Survivors of the worsthit cities are among the refugees, many suffering physical injuries and psychological trauma.

At the Polish border, Valera, a carpenter in his 50s, looked on nervously as his daughter Anna, 24, was borne on a stretcher.

It was two days since they had left the eastern city of Kharkiv, where Anna, who has cerebral palsy, broke her leg as they ran to a bomb shelter.

"There is positional fighting during the day, air raids in the evenings, they are shelling from everything, fighter aircraft," he said. "The centre is ruined, the outskirts have already been bombed."

He was one of few men to cross from Ukraine as those of conscription age are generally obliged to stay.

Zelenskiy's chief economic adviser said Russian forces had so far destroyed at least US$100 billion worth of Ukrainian infrastructure, buildings and other physical assets. The war has caused 50 per cent of Ukrainian businesses to shut down completely, while the other half are operating at well below capacity, Oleg Ustenko told an online event. (Reuters)

Regional

Venezuelan Vice President meets “good friend” Lavrov of Russia

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Thursday to review their countries’ strategic alliance and discuss the “complex” international situation, she said in a message on Twitter.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin since Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The meeting between Rodriguez and Lavrov took place five days after US officials met Maduro and suggested Caracas deliver some of its oil exports to the United States as part of an agreement to ease sanctions

against the country.

“We held a meeting with our good friend Sergei Lavrov. We reviewed our bilateral strategic relations and the complex international scenario,” Rodriguez said.

“Venezuela reaffirmed the principle of sovereign equality of States as a way to preserve balance for the sake of peace,” she added, without giving more details.

Earlier, Sergey MelikBagdasarov, Russia’s Ambassador to Venezuela, wrote in a Twitter message that the meeting took place in Antalya, Turkey, and published an image of Rodriguez and Lavrov walking side by side.

He gave no details of the meeting, which Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix

Plasencia also attended.

Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Excerpt from Reuters)

South American nations push to exclude fertiliser from Russia sanctions

Six South American na-

tions are proposing the exclusion of fertiliser from sanctions on Russia, a major world producer whose invasion of Ukraine has disrupted supplies, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias said on Thursday.

She said Brazil has secured the support of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for a proposal excluding fertiliser products that will be submitted to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Brazil, an agricultural powerhouse, is the world’s top importer of fertilisers and argues that crop nutrients, like food, should not be targeted by

UNC

sanctions.

Brazil relies on imports for 85 per cent of the fertiliser it needs for its grain crops. More than one-fifth of its imports, totalling nine million tonnes in 2021, comes from Russia.

Dias, who is expected to talk to FAO Director General Qu Dongyu, has called on countries to find a global solution for the issue, noting a shortage of fertilisers will cause food inflation and potentially undermine food security.

She hopes to get enough support from FAO to persuade other UN members to back the proposal.

“Global food inflation is something that should worry all countries,” Dias said in a

recent interview.

Even before the war in Ukraine, the global supply of fertilisers, especially potash, was already being curtailed after the United States sanctioned Belarus, another major producer.

As part of Brazil’s efforts to secure supplies, Dias and Brazilian company representatives will travel next week to Canada, where Nutrien, the world’s largest global producer of potash, is based.

While Russia is Brazil’s main supplier of the NPK fertiliser mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, Canada is Brazil’s main source of potash used to raise crop yields. (Excerpt from Reuters)

slams PM over talk of gas price hike

The Opposition United National Congress (UNC) condemned the Prime Minister on Thursday for hinting that people could be paying higher gasoline prices in the near future.

At a “Conversations with the Prime Minister” at the Bon Air West Community Centre on Tuesday, Dr Rowley said the current high prices of oil on the world market would not insulate Trinidad and Tobago, as the country has been importing

crude oil to refine it for export.

Oil and gas prices have been fluctuating on the international market as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. On Thursday, Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude oil were trading at US$112 and U$109 per barrel respectively. Natural gas was trading at US$4.622 per mmbtu on Thursday.

Dr Rowley said if Government removed the

subsidy, premium gasoline would go from US$5.75 per litre to US$7.58, super gasoline from US$4.97 to US$7.46 per litre, and diesel from US$3.71 to US$6.58 per litre.

“We will see how much funding we can find to take the pressure off the population, but they cannot be insulated completely. I don’t see the hike in oil prices as opening up volumes, because we are not producing the same levels as before.”

Addressing a news conference at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Port of Spain, Senator Damian Lyder claimed these statements by Rowley were evidence of Government seeking “to wage war on citizens”.

He was concerned that people could be paying double or more for gas. Lyder warned that any increase in gas prices could have a knockon effect on other goods and services.

“We will see the cost of everything skyrocketing.” (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Mexican President says criticism over Journalist killings is part of “soft coup”

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday that criticism he has faced over a string of Journalist killings is part of a campaign to undermine his Administration and tantamount to a “soft coup” orchestrated by media firms.

Local activists, international groups and US lawmakers have called on Lopez Obrador to do more to rein in violence and protect reporters, as at least six Journalists have been killed in Mexico so far in 2022, an ominously deadly start to the year for media workers with homicides al-

ready near record levels.

Even US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has expressed concern over the spate of Journalist killings.

“There’s a campaign against the Government I represent that’s taking advantage of this unfortunate circumstance,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference in response to a question about whether his Government had failed to protect media workers.

Following the conference, the European Parliament, the law-making body of the European Union, passed a resolution calling on Mexico “to ensure that human rights

defenders and Journalists can continue their activities without fear of reprisal”.

It also said it “notes with concern the systematic and tough critiques used by the highest authorities of the Mexican Government against Journalists”, in a text published on its website.

Lopez Obrador, who holds daily conferences that often run for over two hours, has ramped up his attacks on Journalists and media outlets he regards as hostile to his Government and accuses of being pawns of the “conservative” right and elites. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Argentines protest IMF outside Congress as lawmakers debate deal

Argentines protested outside Congress on Thursday against a US$45 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with most people peacefully holding banners while others hurled stones and smashed windows as Police responded.

As Lower House lawmakers inside debated the bill, expected to be approved at least partially, thousands of people marched through the streets of the capital, with pockets of violence and some clashes with Police carrying shields.

Protesters with drums chanted as others held signs saying “IMF out”, “No to the IMF” and “No to the IMF deal”, a reference to a staff-level agreement recently struck by the Government after over a year of talks which now needs Congress approval.

A few people set fires in the streets, including burning US flags, while others set up giant letters spelling out “IMF” draped in stars and stripes, a reflec-

tion of how many people locally see the global lender and Washington, the IMF’s largest shareholder, as intertwined.

“It is a colonisation agreement, which can only bring more crisis, more adjustment, more poverty,” said Romina Del Plá, a Lower House lawmaker for the far-left Workers’ Party.

Argentina faces some US$18 billion in repayments to the IMF this year which it cannot pay after years of

economic crisis, swirling inflation running at 50 per cent, dwindling foreign currency reserves, and a weak peso propped up by currency controls.

Officials say the new deal, which replaces a failed US$57 billion programme struck in 2018, is key to averting default to the IMF. But it comes with economic targets, including reducing the country’s fiscal deficit and cutting energy subsidies. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chilean families still seeking justice for victims of repression

In the final weeks of his presidency, Sebastian Pinera visited the port city of Talcahuano, Chile, last month to inaugurate the construction of a navy vessel. The site is sandwiched between the sea and green forest, in an expansive private area exclusive to the navy and their families.

It is a far cry from nearby Libertad, a vulnerable neighbourhood where Manuel Rebolledo Ibacache lives with his wife, Luisa Navarrete. Here, generations of families are packed into cramped homes built in the shadow of large, foul-smelling fishing warehouses.

When Pinera last visited this area in October 2021,

the couple staged a protest in hopes of catching his attention, draping a banner with their son’s face and large letters spelling “justice” along the side of the street.

Their son, Manuel, was killed during a period of violent unrest in October 2019 after he was hit by a navy truck.

“We want justice. We want the man who killed our son to go to jail, and we want the President to go to jail,” Rebolledo Ibacache told Al Jazeera. “The President is leaving office with a clean slate, even though he’s 100 percent to blame.”

The 2019 protests, initially sparked by a rise in metro fares, quickly grew into a

broader movement against inequality. Massive demonstrations were accompanied by episodes of arson, looting and violent clashes between armed forces and protesters. Pinera issued a state of emergency, sending out the military and declaring that the country was “at war with a powerful enemy”.

A billionaire conservative, Pinera was accused of human rights violations after his heavy-handed response left dozens dead and thousands injured, including hundreds who were hit in the eyes by shotgun pellets, blinding some of them. Today, families say they are still searching for justice.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Around the World

OIL NEWS

Oil extends losses; Russia to fulfil supply contracts

Oil prices settled about two per cent lower on Thursday after a volatile session, a day after its biggest daily dive in two years, as Russia pledged to fulfil contractual obligations and some traders said supply disruption concerns were overdone.

Since Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, oil markets have been the most volatile in two years. On Wednesday, global benchmark Brent crude posted its biggest daily decline since April 2020. Two days earlier, it hit a 14-year high at over US$139 a barrel.

Brent futures fell US$1.81, or 1.6 per cent, to settle at US$109.33 a barrel after gaining as much as 6.5 per cent earlier in the session. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell US$2.68, or 2.5 per cent, to settle at US$106.02 a barrel, giving up over 5.7 per cent of intraday gains.

The market extended losses post-settlement with Brent down to US$109.09 and WTI down to US$105.79 at 16:55h ET (2155 GMT).

"I think some of the 'war angst' is coming out of the market," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital in New York. "We rejected US$130 twice this week. People are beginning to ask if there really is too much of a supply problem. There's still plenty of Russian supply," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting that the country, a major energy producer which supplies a third of Europe's gas and seven per cent of global oil, would continue to meet its contractual obligations on energy supplies. rea more

However, oil from the world's second-largest crude exporter is being shunned over its invasion of Ukraine, and many are uncertain where replacement supply will come from.

Comments from United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials sent conflicting signals, adding to the volatility.

On Wednesday, Brent slumped 13 per cent after the UAE's ambassador to Washington said the number three Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) producer would encourage the Organisation to consider higher output.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei backtracked on the Ambassador's statement and said the OPEC member is committed to existing agreements with the group to boost output by only 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) each month.

While the UAE and Saudi Arabia have spare capacity, some other producers in the OPEC+ alliance are struggling to meet output targets because of infrastructure underinvestment in recent years.

The United States made moves to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil and efforts to seal a nuclear deal with Tehran, which could lead to increased oil supply. The market also anticipates further stockpile releases coordinated by the International Energy Agency and growing US output.

"With some goodwill, coordination and luck, the supply shock can greatly be mitigated, but probably not neutralised," PVM oil market analyst Tamas Varga said.

Still, traders refused to call the oil rally over. Some said the recent slump could be due partly to profit-taking, noting oil remained up over 15 per cent since the Ukraine invasion.

"We will probably have more speculation and some people who want to sell to take advantage, but we're just in new territory here," said Thomas Saal, senior vice president for energy at StoneX Financial Inc.

"The pattern does not look like we are at the top yet. Just when you think we are, the market finds new energy to go higher," he said. (Reuters)

Putin says Russia will emerge stronger, sanctions will rebound on West

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that sanctions imposed against Russia would rebound against the West, including in the form of higher food and energy prices, and Moscow would solve its problems and emerge stronger.

Putin said there had been no alternative to what Russia calls its special mil-

itary operation in Ukraine and that Russia was not a country which could accept compromising its sovereignty for some sort of short-term economic gain.

"These sanctions would have been imposed in any case," Putin told a meeting of the Russian Government.

"There are some questions, problems and difficulties, but in the past, we have

Wall Street closes lower as inflation hits 40-year high, inviting aggressive Fed tightening

Wall Street resumed its slide on Thursday, ending in the red as inflation hit a four-decade high, cementing expectations that the US Federal Reserve would hike key interest rates at the conclusion of next week's monetary policy meeting to prevent the economy from overheating.

Looming uncertainties surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine also helped convince market participants to recommence their flight to safety.

While all three major indexes ended in the red, they pared their losses late in the day and closed well above session lows, as the US equities market followed its best day in months on Wednesday by

renewing a multi-session sell-off.

"It's more of the same," said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago, noting that the equity market's daily volatility is "being driven more by geopolitical than economic news."

Consumer prices surged in February to a 7.9 per cent annual growth rate, according to the Labour Department, the hottest reading in forty years. read more

"The (CPI) print was not far off estimates," Nolte added. "There will be more to come in the next month or two as some of the rising commodity prices get incorporated." (Excerpt from Reuters)

Hezbollah duo convicted of 2005 bombing on appeal

AUnited Nationsbacked court has convicted on appeal another two Hezbollah members of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) found Hassan Habib Merhi and Hussein Oneissi guilty in absentia of being accomplices to the Beirut bomb attack.

Appeal Judges agreed with Prosecutors that the trial chamber had "erred" by ruling there was not enough evidence.

A third Hezbollah member, Salim Ayyash, was convicted in December 2020.

Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the assassination, and the trial judges concluded that no evidence implicated the Shia Muslim militant group's leaders.

Rafik Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, was a billionaire businessman who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon five times following the 1975-90 civil war.

His last term in office

ended in 2004, after which he aligned himself with the Opposition in Parliament and supported calls for Hezbollah's backer Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon.

On February 14, 2005, Hariri was travelling in a motorcade past the St George Hotel in downtown Beirut when a bomb hidden in a van exploded, killing him and 21 other people.

The assassination brought tens of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets in protest against the pro-Syrian Government, with the finger of blame for the assassination pointed at Lebanon's neighbour. The Government resigned two weeks later and Syrian troops pulled out that April.

After collecting evidence, the UN and Lebanon set up the Netherlands-based STL in 2007 to investigate the bombing. Four Hezbollah operatives were ultimately put on trial in absentia – Ayyash, Merhi, Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra. (Excerpt from BBC News)

overcome them and we will overcome them now.

"In the end, this will all lead to an increase in our independence, self-sufficiency and our sovereignty," he told a televised Government meeting two weeks after Russian forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine. His comments were designed to portray Western sanctions as self-defeating and reassure Russians that the country can withstand what Moscow is calling an "economic war" against its banks, businesses, and business oligarchs.

Putin said Moscow – a major energy producer that supplies a third of Europe's gas – would continue to meet its contractual obligations even though it has been slammed with comprehensive sanctions including a ban on US purchases of its oil.

"They announced that they are closing the import of Russian oil to the American market. Prices there are high, inflation is unprecedentedly high, has reached historic highs. They are trying to blame the results of

their own mistakes on us," he said. "We have absolutely nothing to do with it."

Hitting back against the West, the Russian Government said earlier it had banned exports of telecom, medical, auto, agricultural, electrical and tech equipment, among other items, until the end of 2022. (Excerpt from Reuters)

EU snubs Ukraine's quest to join, braces for long stand-off with Russia

European Union leaders gathered on Thursday to agree on a joint response to the war in Ukraine, with differing views on how far to go with economic sanctions, how quickly to cut Russian energy imports, and whether or not to let Kyiv join their bloc swiftly.

Russia has waged war on its smaller neighbour since February 24, when it attacked from land, sea and air to remove Ukraine's pro-Western Government in an attempt to abort the former Soviet republic's bid to join the EU and NATO.

The fighting has sent more than two million refugees fleeing to the EU, which has slapped unprecedented sanctions on Russia and offered political and humanitarian support to Ukraine, as well as some arms supplies.

"We want a free and democratic Ukraine with whom we share a common destiny," European Commission President Ursula von der

Leyen said in a show of sympathy and moral support. But other leaders made clear Ukraine would not be allowed to join their wealthy club quickly, something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has sought and which has some support from Ukraine's neighbours on the EU's eastern flank.

"There is no fast-track procedure," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a key opponent of EU enlargement. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU should deepen its partnership with Ukraine rather than speak of membership, which would require the unanimity of all the 27 member countries. Scholz did not comment on whether the bloc should ban Russian oil imports, which would also require all members' agreement and which Berlin has ruled out so far. Russia supplies about a third of Germany's gas and crude requirements. (Excerpt from Reuters)

SUDOKU

DAILY HOROSCOPES

21-April 19)

Assertive action will impress someone who can help you speed things up. Get involved in meaningful projects and focus on better health, relationships and overall success.

Express your desires and follow through with your plans. Don't let others influence you to make decisions that are not right for you. Take a secretive approach in order to dodge interference.

21-June 20)

21-July 22)

23-Aug. 22)

20-May 20) (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

23-Oct. 23)

Speak to whomever is in charge to bypass red tape. Getting the lowdown before you begin something new will allow you to act quickly and secure your position.

Educate yourself before you take on something foreign to you. Go directly to the source, ask questions, take notes and head in the direction that offers hope and promise. Share your thoughts.

Discuss money matters, contracts and health issues with someone who can shed light on situations that baffle you. Don't feel obligated to make sudden changes because someone else does. Test your strength.

Hang out with people who have something to contribute. Gather knowledge and experience, and be open to suggestions and doing things differently. You will make worthwhile connections.

Keep emotions in check when dealing with professional matters and discussions that can influence your reputation and goals. If you want to get ahead, discipline and hard work will be necessary.

Take care of personal matters, finances and your home and family. Listen to complaints and offer solutions. Build a place of comfort and convenience that people find welcoming.

23-Dec. 21)

Document what's being said and get what you want in writing. Someone will try to mislead you if given a chance. Talk is cheap; actions speak louder than words. Live up to your promises.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) (Feb. 20-March 20) (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Consider what you do for a living and how you earn and spend your money. You are overdue for a change, and updating your skills and qualifications will help you explore new possibilities.

Do something creative. Turn something you love to do into a profitable pastime. Don't deny yourself the chance to grow personally, financially and emotionally. Romance is featured.

Concentrate on home, family and building a life of comfort and convenience. Take responsibility for your happiness and bring about the changes necessary to help you excel.

The Guyana Rugby Football Union

(GRFU) has shifted gear and has begun recruitment of new rugby players under its Get Into Rugby (GIR) programme.

On Wednesday, a team led by GRFU President Ryan Dey and including Senior Vice President Joshua Griffith and National Selector and Coach Laurence Adonis visited Queen’s College (QC) for a recruitment drive. Griffith, a former student of Queen’s College,

explained the importance of balancing academics and sport, and laboured on the benefits of sports, specifically rugby.

Following discussions, QC formed a rugby club that would be training on Tuesdays and Fridays under the watchful eyes of Coach Adonis. Three rugby balls were also donated to the club.

QC is one of the schools that in the recent past had accommodated rugby as one of its Physical Education (PE) areas. There is a 100

per cent pass rate of students who engaged rugby as their area of study under PE at the Caribbean Council Examinations.

This recruitment activity will continue, as GRFU President Ryan Dey is championing his vision of expanding the sport.

Persons desirous of participating in rugby as an individual, a community initiative, or a school programme can contact the Union’s Public Relations Officer on telephone number 610-5817.

53-y-o bodybuilding phenom Simon wins top-five finish in Dubai

Trinidadian bodybuilder Dexter Simon continues to amaze. On Sunday, two and a half years since he last competed, he finished in the top five of the Ajman IFBB Elite Pro in Dubai, while competing against men 20 years younger.

Competing in the Men’s Physique Professional category, the 53-year-old phenomenon made the top five to advance to the final, where he was also fifth. No wonder he was proud of the work that he put in preparing for the competition.

“After two years and six months off the stage, this start of the 2022 season @ifbbelitepro_official in Dubai was unforgettable,” he said following his latest accomplishment. “The seven months of preparation with a laser-sharp focus and daily sacrifices all paid off.”

Iran’s Mazinar Kiani took the top spot, while Enrique Guitierrez of Spain finished as the runner-up. Balthan Haimour of Jordan was third.

In spite of not finishing within the top three, Simon, who is still in Dubai, was more than satisfied with his showing.

“This is not an easy task at the age of 53 to make a top five amongst men 30-plus years younger,” he said. “My testimony is about self-care and selflove, understanding that age is just what people say you are, and not what you should allow being told you are or should be.”

Simon has praised his twin brother Derrick, who was instrumental in helping him achieve his goal.

“A massive special thanks to my brother for his unwavering support with my daily training for the last seven months. I know you have become very familiar with Panadol, Olfen, and gels ha!ha!ha,” he said. “I could not have done this without you at all, bro!! So many days you helped me through some taxing workouts, and made me uncomfortable until I became very comfortable to suffer and

grow. Your words of advice and belief in me made the journey even better and the result even sweeter. Top 5 was your request and payment for your suffering, and that is what I delivered”.

And delivered he did. Derrick told Sportsmax. TV that during the seven months, he changed some elements of Dexter’s nutritional regime and his overall preparation.

So, what did he think of the outcome? “Excellent!” he said. “When he asked me to support him, I told him I would only help if he did the work to finish in the top five. When he came off the stage, he called me and said ‘You asked for top five, you got it’.”

Simon will next compete at the IFBB Florida Classic from June 25, before he does the IFBB Central American and Caribbean Championships in Barbados from July 27-August 1. He will then travel to Spain for the Arnold Classic from September 15-19. (Sportsmax)

-Queen’s College is newest rugby club on the block GRFU begins rugby expansion

Hammers’ Europa league hopes dented by Sevilla

West Ham’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League hang in the balance after they fell to a narrow defeat at Sevilla in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Munir El Haddadi scored the game’s only goal for the six-time winners, sweeping in superbly from Marcos Acuna’s free-kick on the hour mark.

Until that point, David

then missed his kick with the follow up from close range. Croatian forward Vlasic also saw Bounou tip a low-driven effort around the post, with Tomas Soucek also testing the home goalkeeper and Manuel Lanzini seeing his close-range effort blocked as the Hammers tried to breach the meanest defence in La Liga.

An end-to-end affair also saw the hosts create several

in La Liga, the difficulty of the Hammers’ assignment was evident, and the task was further highlighted by Sevilla’s outstanding record at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, where they have not lost a domestic game all season.

However, Moyes will be more than satisfied by the efficient manner in which his side went about their work.

And he will also have

Moyes’s West Ham side had more than held their own in their first knockout tie in a major European competition since 1981.

Nikola Vlasic headed an early opportunity straight at Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Michail Antonio

openings of note, with Munir heading wide from Jesus Corona’s cross, Youssef En-Nesyri going close, and Lucas Ocampos flashing an effort across the face of the West Ham goal. With Julen Lopetegui’s side occupying second spot

noted the impact of substitute Said Benrahma, whose elusive running caused the Spanish side several problems after his introduction, and he may come into consideration to start the return leg at London Stadium on 17 March.

By Brandon Corlette

West Indies Women are enjoying a brilliant start to the ICC Women’s 50-Over World Cup in New Zealand, recording two big wins in as many matches. West Indies first upset hosts New Zealand, and then stunned defending champions England in the next match.

Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s Team, Courtney Walsh, reflected on the wins thus far, and spoke

2022 ICC

Women’s

50-Over World Cup…

Campbelle has been playing her role very well, says Walsh

about the role Guyanese Shemaine Campbelle will play in the tournament.

Campbelle, a Berbician, recorded a player-of-thematch 66 against England in the second match.

“She has been showing some form since she got here. It was good for her to get that half-century; it will give her some more confidence as well. She has been getting some 20s, 30s and 40s looking the part and stuff, but has been playing a steady role in the middle in terms of the partnership and exactly the role we want her to play, to bat deep,” Walsh has said.

“For her and Chedean to carry us deep into the innings was tremendous. We have been asking for that. Ideally, you want someone in the top four or five. Once we have one of them out there doing that, we can have a score that we can

fight with. The role she has been playing has been very good,” Walsh said.

In the two matches thus far, West Indies have had

DeAbreu emphasises positive

takeaways for U20 Women’s team

Guyana’s Under-20 Women’s Football Team, the U20 Lady Jags, came in for major disappointment Last Saturday, after losing a must-win game in the CONCACAF U20 Championships in the final two minutes of the game.

Sharing his assessment of the team’s run in the competition is Head Coach Paul DeAbreu, who says there is much to learn from the experience.

Despite only making it

Abreu shared some of the high points of the tournament from which the team was able to gain knowledge.

“Our team walked away with a win over Honduras, and made it out of the round of 16; then played Haiti, only to lose 2-1 with 2 minutes left in the game,” De Abreu reflected.

Continuing his assessment, he said, “How well the team came together in such a short period of time throughout the adversity they were

to the Round of 16 knockouts (having reached the quarterfinals in their last outing), DeAbreu is very appreciative of the team’s performance in the CONCACAF Championships.

In a recent communication, he has highlighted a number of positive takeaways for the team and himself. Reflecting on the team’s group matches and the knockouts, Coach De

faced with, and were able to finish on a high note.”

Shifting his perspective to the technical aspects of the Guyanese ladies’ performance, DeAbreu highlighted their ability to match strides with their more experienced Central American opponents.

“The take-away as a Coach playing against the Central American teams (is) the calibre, the style of play,

how technical they were and their aggressiveness. It was an eye-opener for all players. Speed of play and how aggressive they were was mostly the feedback I received,” DeAbreu revealed.

The Women’s Under-20 Head Coach has posited that Guyana can benefit from better preparation in all aspects of the game, going forward.

“Winning a sport starts from preparation. It starts from years, months, and up to the last few hours before competition. Anxiety and nervousness usually take over,” he said on the matter of what is needed for the team from this point onwards.

He further stated, “We need to be better prepared, mentally physically and emotionally going forward.”

After making it out of the Group stage, Guyana fell prey to Haiti in a heartbreaking 2-1 game in the 16-team straight knockout round, to be ousted from the 2022 edition of the CONCACAF Women’s Championships.

contributions from a number of batters, with Hayley Matthews scoring 119, Chedean Nation hitting 36, and captain Stafanie Taylor

making 30 to lead from the front in the first match.

In the second fixture, Campbelle struck 66, Nation chipped in with 49 not out,

45, and the dangerous Deandra Dottin made 31.

Despite the scores not being 300 plus, the bowlers have shown great fight to defend 259 and 225 in the two matches.

“I think it is a very good performance, I think it has been tremendous! The beauty about it is that everyone has chipped in so far in the two games,” Walsh told the media in a virtual press conference.

Walsh added: “It is safe to say that we (are) competing. We believe that we have a very good chance of going all the way. With those two wins behind us, we are not going to get complacent.” West Indies will play India in their next match on Friday, March 11 from 9 pm, Eastern Caribbean time.

GMR&SC gets approval for races this month

The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) has obtained permission from Guyana’s National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) to host two events at the South Dakota Circuit in March.

The first event would be its Circuit Racing event, set for the weekend of March 12-13, and the second is a drag racing event on the weekend of March 26-27.

The approval came following a meeting with the NCTF and GMR&SC executives on Friday last, at which the latter requested approval to run off the said events.

For the March 13-14 event, the club has secured permission to host an event with a ‘no spectator’ policy.

GMR&SC President Rameez Mohamed has said, “We must first and foremost thank the Task Force for granting us this approval. We met with them last week, and they are working with the sport to allow for

the best possible outcome.

“With this approval for the [March 13] event, we can move ahead to getting all our other plans, like the track closure from the CJIA, all other safety and necessary arrangements in place to ensure the running of our first circuit racing event of the year.

As it relates to the drag racing weekend on March 26-27, the club has secured clearance for a limited amount of spectators.

According to committee Member Nyron Maraj, “All spectators need to be fully vaccinated. The Task Force has mandated us to put out two checkpoints for this purpose. A first checkpoint at the entrance to the track (Glass factory road) where teams will be checking for vaccination cards and corresponding IDs, and the second is where we will verify these books and ID once again, to ensure that no unvaccinated person slips in. We want to make it clear that tickets alone will not get you into this event. Persons need to bring along their vaccination books.

“As it relates to ticket sales, the club will begin selling on March 23, and tickets will not be sold at the gates, only at the Club’s office. That is one of the areas the Task Force was very strict with. They said to us that tickets must not be sold on the day, and must not be sold at the venue. And the tickets themselves will be limited in number. We will decide on the amount to be sold in the coming weeks.”

The Task Force, via let-

ter, has outlined strict sanitisation policies for all participants, officials and volunteers present on the day, with social distancing and mask wearing being actively monitored. Enforcement of this will be done by the club with supervision from the Task Force, and all persons pres-

ent at the facility will be randomly selected for the presentation of books and corresponding IDs. Adult tickets will cost $2000 dollars, while children under 12 will pay $500.

WI vs England: Apex Test series,1st Test…

patient century gives

West Indies first-innings lead

Nkrumah Bonner played an innings of patience, resilience and reward to mirror his international career with a hard-earned century in guiding West Indies to a first-innings lead over England.

Bonner fell for 123 shortly before stumps on the third day in Antigua, to the elation of England's bowlers, who had done it tough on a benign pitch against a stubborn West Indies line-up.

Veerasammy Permaul offered keen resistance to remain unbeaten on 26 at stumps, with Jayden Seales yet to score and the hosts 62 runs ahead.

At the age of 33, Bonner raised the second century of his still-fledgling Test career, which is only 10 matches old, having begun in February last year, almost a decade after he made his international debut in a T20 against England at the Oval in 2011.

Bonner played just one more T20I, in March 2012, before eventually earning a recall to the West Indies' set-up, initially in January last year for three ODIs in Bangladesh, before playing two Tests on that same tour.

His first Test ton had come at the same ground as this one, a similarly attritional 113 not out in a player-of-the-match performance in the drawn first Test with Sri Lanka. On this occasion, he batted for nine hours to lead West Indies' recovery from 127 for 4 and build a small but crucial lead to put merciless miles in the legs of an England attack without - no, not those two - an injured Mark Wood, who disappeared to the changeroom shortly before lunch, having bowled just five overs for the day and 17 for the match before succumbing to an elbow problem.

Bonner resumed on 34 not out and with West Indies 109 runs in arrears, having hauled the hosts back into the contest in partnership with Jason Holder after the tumble of wickets had all but ruined the solid foundation laid by an 83-run opening stand between Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell.

Holder fell to Ben Stokes - and his own indecision - early on the third day, adding just two runs to his overnight 43 before making a late move to leave one around off stump and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, ending his union with Bonner at 79.

Stokes almost had Bonner, on 40 at the time, attempting to pull a bouncer which looped towards midwicket, where substitute fielder Ollie Pope dived forward but couldn't manage to grasp it.

Bonner brought up his fifty prodding a single through the covers, and he faced another 15 balls for his next scoring shot, launching Wood over the fence at fine leg for six off a top edge.

He reached his century off 257 deliveries on the second ball of the evening session, sweeping a Jack Leach half-volley on leg stump behind square for four. Bonner celebrated with a relieved sigh as he

embraced Kemar Roach, with whom he ultimately shared a partnership to follow the theme of the daypatience - worth 44 off 173 balls for the eighth wicket.

But when Bonner nudged Leach to backward point and the pair dashed off for a single, they were

century led them to

Their ability to forge significant partnerships was key as they passed the milestone on Thursday, all but the first one held together by Bonner. Joshua Da Silva wisely reviewed his lbw dismissal to Craig Overton when on 16, but there was no such reprieve shortly after lunch when Leach, who at that point had bowled well for no reward, rapped him on the back pad with one that skidded onto the knee roll.

Da

review failed this time, with replays

but they failed to overturn Joel Wilson's decisions, upheld on umpire's call, with ball-tracking suggesting it was clipping leg stump on both They finally broke through when captain Joe Root, running out of ideas, brought Dan Lawrence into the attack with almost immediate effect, when Bonner feathered his fifth delivery to Foakes, although it took an England review to overturn umpire Gregory Brathwaite's not-out decision, with replays showing the faintest of edges. Stokes ended up bowling 28 overswith 2 for 42 to show for it - his heaviest innings workload since 2015, having only just returned to bowling after breaking down with a side strain in the fourth

Much had been made of England's 12-match stretch without breaking the 300-mark before Jonny Bairstow's

‘Six Heads’ Gym to get $10M rehabilitation

at ‘Six

By Jemima Holmes

An afternoon visit to the community of Albouystown on Wednesday turned out to be a more than positive one for the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis

located in the community, since it will come in for some much-needed upgrades in the near future.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, and Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) President Steve Ninvalle on Wednesday paid a visit to the famed facility, which is responsible for churning out some of the best boxers Guyana has to offer, with the intent of assessing the rehabilitation work needed on the building.

Ramson Jr. went on to pledge that Gy$10M would be set aside for the gym’s equipment and rehabilitation.

This move has come in for praise from Ninvalle, who has long lamented the needs of the boxing gym.

“I think it’s a wonderful initiative by the Government to inject some much-needed finance into that facility. We know for some time that gym has been on the down slide, and now Government will be putting a helping hand to bring it back to what it used to be,” Ninvalle told Guyana Times Sport during an invited comment on Thursday.

However, he is not the only one impressed, as he explained that even the residents are grateful for this impending development.

Ninvalle explained, “I think the residents in the area in Albouystown will applaud that. That was seen yesterday (Wednesday) when the Minister…visited that facility, and from the view of the Executive of the Guyana Boxing Association, we’re very, very happy.”

With a close eye on the Boxing calendar for the remainder of the year and beyond, Ninvalle sees the ‘Six Heads’ Gym as a key component in the Guyana Boxing Association’s hosting and training schedules.

“Also, we know that during the course of this year, there was a number of senior and major international boxing competitions coming around, and the ‘Six Head’ Gym being back up, fully equipped and ready, you know it’s something that will allow for us to be better prepared for these international engagements,” the GBA boss has shared.

He added, “Ten million dollars will go a very long way into bringing back that facility to what it used to be.”

Named after one of Guyana’s most famous pugilists, the Andrew ‘Six Heads’ Lewis Gym, even in its current state, has been in the thick of things in regard to the return of the sport of Boxing, as it hosted the Mike Parris/Pepsi Under-16 Championships two