Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 29-08-2024

President,DrIrfaanAli(fourthfromright)alongwithPrimeMinister,Brigadier Ret’dMarkPhillips(fourthfromleft)andgovernmentministersandcontractors turnedthesodforthereconstructionoftheSoesdyke-LindenHighway(Delano Williamsphoto)

(CNOOC)Group’sVicePresidentandChiefSupervisorProfessorYuJingandidentonWednesday. DiscussionsfocusedonopportunitiesinthegassectorandhowCNOOCcan alignitscorporatesocialresponsibilitywiththegovernment’ssocialagenda. PresidentAliwasjoinedbyPrimeMinisterBrigadier(retd)MarkPhillips,Senior thePublicService,DrAshniSingh;MinisterofNaturalResources,Vickram ofthePresidentphoto)

‘APNU+AFCwillnotkilldevelopment inGuyana’

PRESIDENT,DrIrfaanAlihascalled outtheoppositionAPartnershipfor NationalUnityandtheAllianceFor Change(APNU+AFC),accusingthem ofattemptingtostymiethenation’s development,whiledismissingtheir objectionstotheconstructionofanew BerbiceRiverBridge.

ThePresident’scommentscame duringadiscussionwithAgriculture MinisterZulfikarMustaphaandTourism,IndustryandCommerceMinister OneidgeWalrondonTuesday,while highlightingthePeople’sProgressive Party/Civic-ledgovernment’songoing developmentinitiatives.

HYPOCRISYANDSABOTAGE

PresidentAlididnotholdbackin hiscriticismoftheopposition,especiallytheAFC,labellingtheirrecent objectionstothenewBerbiceRiver Bridgeprojectas“hypocritical.”

TheproposednewBerbiceRiver Bridge,similartotheDemeraraHarbour Bridge,issettoimproveconnectivity betweenBerbiceandDemeraraandis expectedtofacilitatetransportationand

–PresidentAliwarns

––dismissesAFCobjectionstoconstructionofnewBerbiceRiverBridge ––accusesAPNU+AFCof‘fightingdown’development

trade,supportingregionaldevelopment.

“Lookatthehypocritesthatwehave intheAFC,”PresidentAlisaid,referencingtheoppositionactionsto“fighting down”development,especiallyinRegion Six.

Herecountedtheclosureofsugar estatesduringtheAPNU+AFCadministration,whichledtothelossofnearly 8,000jobsinRegionSixalone.

“Theyshutdownallthesugarestates…mostofwhomarefromRegion Six.Outsideofthat,tensofthousandsof peoplelosttheirjobsindirectly,”hesaid.

Hecondemnedtheoppositionfornow questioningthefeasibilityoftheBerbice Bridgeproject,likeningtheirapproach tothepastwhenthey“killed”theAmaila FallsHydropowerProject(AFHP),a projectthatcouldhavehalvedenergy costsinthecountry.

“Andtoday,thesesamepeople,it’s notafeasibilitystudythattheywantfor theBerbiceBridge.Again,justlikethey killedthehydro,”hesaid,highlighting thattheoppositionhasconsistentlytried toblockdevelopmentalprojects.

TheAFHPprogrammewasshelved followingtheAPNU+AFCtakingoffice in2015;however,thePPP/Cadministrationsinceenteringofficein2020 hassoughttobreathenewlifeintothe 165MWproject,asthepartystrivesto achieveenergysecuritythroughanen-

ergymix.

“Todaywewouldhavehadhydro, cleanenergy,andthecostofenergy wouldhavebeenhalfofwhatitistoday. Theykilledthat,”Alilamented.

PresidentAlihighlightedthePPP/C’s commitmenttoinfrastructuraldevelopmentacrossallregions,notjustinspecificareas.

Henotedthegovernment’seffortsto improveconnectivityandinfrastructure inplacessuchasLindenandKwakwani, mentioningongoingandfutureprojects suchastheWismarBridgeandtheCorentyneRiverBridge.

“Anyinvestmentwe’redoing,the WismarBridge,theBerbiceBridge,the DemeraraBridge,we’relookingnowat bridgingtheKwakwaniRiver,”Alisaid, listingvariousprojectsaimedatexpandingproductionandimprovingefficiency.

Alsopointedtoongoingand plannedinvestments,suchasthe CorentyneRiverBridge,thegas-to-energyproject,andthenewindustrial zoneinPalmyra,aspartofhisgovernment’s

S

PresidentDrIfaanAli

‘Wehaveacarefullyarticulatedvision andplanforthiscountry’

ByShamarMeusa

HIGHLIGHTINGthat hisgovernmenthasa new,well-thought-out andcarefullyarticulated planforGuyana,President,DrIrfaanAlihas saidthatthereconstructionoftheSoesdyke-LindenHighwayservesas awidermenuofinvestmentsaimedatthetransformationofthecountry.

TheHeadofStatemade theseremarksonWednesdayduringthesigningand sod-turningceremonyfor thereconstructionofthe Soesdyke-LindenHighway.

Thecontractforthe project,whichhaslong beenintheworks,was inkedtothetuneof US$161millionandwill becarriedoutbyajoint venture,NamalcoConstructionServicesLimited,outofTrinidadand TobagoandGuyAmerica ConstructionInc.from Guyana.

Thereconstructionwill besupervisedbyaKuwait firm,AlHabshiEngineeringConsultantstothetune

ofUS$1.775millionandis thefirstprojectinGuyana tobefundedbytheIslamicDevelopmentBank (IsDB).

Deliveringthefeature remarksattheceremony, PresidentAlistatedthat theinvestmentintothis reconstructionispartofa widersetthatisaimedat thetransformationofthe country,andtheopening upofopportunitiesalong

withtherebuildingand expansionoftheeconomy.

“Thishighwayisintegral,notonlyfortheconnectivitybetweenRegion FourandRegion10,but importantly,itisimportantbecauseitisoneofthe mainarteriesthatsupport thedevelopmentinthe hinterlandcommunities andwiderafield,”hesaid.

DrAlisaidthehighway islinkedtootherkeyand

criticalinfrastructuresthat wouldexpandtheproductivecapacityofthecountry,whilealsoexpandinglandavailabilityand openingupnewareasfor amultifacetedinvestment portfolio.

Emphasisingtheimportanceofthethoroughfare,heindicatedthatthe upgradewillsupportthe transformationofthetown ofLindenasanimportant industrialhubthatwill supporttheminingcommunity,aswellasanimportantmechanicalhub andfurther,willalsoopen uplandsforagriculture, tourismandevenhousing developmentalltheway toBartica.

Heexpressed,“Asyou cansee,thisisacareful articulation,acarefulplan, acarefulvisionthatis beingimplementedacross thecountry.Thisisnot guesswork.Thisisnotaccidentalplanning.Thisis acareful,well-articulated strategythatwillputGuyananumberone.”

Againstthisbackdrop, hesaidthatbythetime hisgovernmentisfinished

Guyana’seconomywillbe themostadvanced,most diversifiedandmostintegratedonewithitsurban andregionalplanningas thebestinthehemisphere.

However,placingthe focusbackontheproject fortheupgrade,President Aliindicatedthatwhen projectsarebeingcarried out,contractorsareimploredtoemploypersons fromthecommunitiesin whichtheseprojectswill beexecuted.

Asaresult,hesaid thatwiththisproject,contractorsarelookingfor some300personstobe employedinvariouscapacitiesforthetwo-year periodinwhichtheproject willbeconducted.

“Wewantthepersons inLindenandontheSoesdyke-LindenHighwayto maximisethisopportunity,”hesaid.

Meanwhile,providing citizensofthecommunitywithspecificsonthe project,MinisterofPublic Works,JuanEdghillsaid thatthepolicyofthegovernmentistoensurethat whenprojectsarebeing

carriedout,thecontractorsmeetwiththepeople ofthecommunitysothat residentsofthecommunitywillbeabletomonitor theseprojects.

Whiletheministerreiteratedthatthisisthe firstdevelopmentproject fundedbytheIsDBhere, hesaidthatgettingtothis pointcanbeattributedto theleadershipandactivismofthePresidentand theMinisterofFinance, whomhesaidworked aroundtheclocktoensure thattheprojectwasin place.

Edghillwentontostate thattheprojectwillsee theconstructionoftwo roundabouts,oneatthe Soesdyke-Lindenjunction andtheotherattheMillie’sHideoutarea,which hesaidwillensurethe smoothtransitionoftraffic goingineverydirection. Furthertothis,he indicatedthatwhenthe highwayisrehabilitated, over2,900streetlights willbeinstalledalongthe entirehighwayandwith

PresidentDrIrfaanAli

Seepage5

‘APNU+AFCwillnotkilldevelopment...

broaderstrategyto transformRegionSix tobuildbackwhatwas takenawaybytheAPNU+AFC.

ThePresidentcontrastedthePPP/C’sapproachtodevelopment withtheopposition’s,recallinghisownexperiencesduringtheAPNU+AFC administration.

Herecountedhow theAPNU+AFCwhen inpower,dismissedthe needforsocioeconomic studiesbeforeclosingthe sugarestates,anaction thatdevastatedmanycommunities.

“Thatwashowthey viewed10,000jobs—as aburdenonthestate,as aburdenonthepeople,” Alisaid,criticisingthe opposition’slackofforesightandplanning.

VISIONFOR APROSPEROUS GUYANA

Heassuredthepublic thattheprojectwould bringsignificantbenefits, includingincreasedtrade, jobcreation,andoverall economiccompetitiveness.

“Wewantprosperity tocometoeverysingle home.WewanteverysinglefamilyinGuyanato enjoythebeautyofliving inGuyanaandenjoythe beautyoftheimproved economicandsocialconditionsofourcountry,”Ali asserted.

MinisterMustapha backedthePresident’s sentiments,highlighting theextensiveinvestments beingmadeinagricultureandinfrastructure, particularlyinhinterland communities.

Henotedthatoverthe lastfouryears,morethan $4.5billionhadbeenspent onagriculturalprojects, transformingthesector andboostingfoodsecurity.

ThePresidentwasadamantthatthenewBerbiceRiverBridgewould becompleteddespitethe opposition’sresistance.

Mustaphaalsopointed outthatundertheAPNU+AFCadministration, Guyanahadlostitsleadershippositioninregional foodsecurity,astatusthat hassincebeenreclaimed underthecurrentgovernment.

“Today,theentireCaribbeanislookingtoGuyanaforthatleadershipin foodsecurity,”Mustapha said,underscoringthe government’sachievements.

Meanwhile,Minister Walrondaddedhervoice tothediscussion,criticisingtheAPNU+AFCfor

itslackofvisionandfailuretoinitiateanysignificantdevelopmentprojects duringitstenure.

Shearguedthatthe coalition’sstrategyhas alwaysbeentoblockthe PPP/C’sinitiativesrather thanproposingtheirown ideas.

“Forfiveyears,nothinghappened.Guyana becameadeadnation,” Walrondstated,highlightingthestagnationthatoccurredundertheprevious government.

Shealsoaddressedthe significantstridesmadein thetourismsector,noting

thatsince2020,visitor arrivalshavebeenconsistentlyincreasing,breaking recordseveryyear.

Thisgrowth,shesaid, directlyresultsfromthe government’sstrategic effortstodiversifyGuyana’stourismofferings andpromotethecountry asaprimedestination.

“Peoplearecoming toGuyana,andthey’re stayingalongertime,and they’respendingtheirdollars,”Walrondexplained, detailinghowthedevelopmentoftourismproducts andexperiencesacross variousregionsarebenefitinglocalcommunities economically.

Againstthisbackdrop, PresidentAlireiterated thegovernment’scommitmenttoensuringthat everyregioninGuyana benefitsfromthecountry’sdevelopment.

TheHeadofState stressedthatthePPP/C administrationisfocused onbuildingaprosperous futureforallGuyanese, regardlessoftheopposition’seffortstoundermine theirprogress.

Instead,thePPP/C governmentwillpush forwardwithitsdevelopmentagenda,ensuring thatGuyanacontinues onitspathofgrowthand prosperity.

UnderPresidentAli, Guyanahasprioritised extensiveinfrastructural development,leveraging oilrevenuestoenhance publicservices.

The2024budgetallocatesover$1.1trillion GYD,withsignificant investmentsinroads ($204.1billionGYD), healthcare($129.8billion GYD),andhousing($78 billionGYD)aimedatimprovinglivingstandards andfosteringeconomic growth.

Keyprojectsinclude theLinden-MaburaHill Roadand45newbridges toboostconnectivityand trade.

Thisfocusaimsto createjobs,reducepoverty,andpositionGuyanaasacompetitive playerintheCaribbean market.

“Wewillcontinueto dosobecausewewant allofGuyanatoprosper,” Alideclared,reaffirming hisvisionforaunitedand thrivingnation. Hewarnedtheoppositionthattheirattemptsto blockprogresswouldnot succeed.

$600Mabattoircompleted atOnverwagt,RegionFive

THEstate-of-the-art$600 millionabattoiratOnverwagt,WestCoastBerbice,RegionFive,hasbeen completed,modernising Guyana’smeat-processing capabilitiesandbringing themuptointernational standards.

ItisalsoexpectedtounlocknewmarketsforGuyana’sbeef.

MinisterofAgriculture ZulfikarMustaphamade theseremarksduringarecentevent.

Thetransformative projectisfundedbytheInter-AmericanDevelopment Bank(IDB).

Thefacilitywillserveas Guyana’smainslaughtering areaforcattle,asRegionFive issettobecomethehubfor thecattlesector.

“Theyhadatesttheother dayandthecontractorhasto

assoonasthatiscompleted, Iwilldothecommissioning shortly,”theagricultureministerstated.

Headdedthattheabattoir willhelptoenhanceincomes formanycattlefarmersand generateadditionalemploymentopportunities.

madebythegovernmentover thelastfouryearstoboost meatproductionandreduce meatimportation.

Otherinitiativesbeing undertakeninthelivestock sectorincludecultivating cornandsoyabeansand (AI)incattletoimprovethe country’sbreedingstock.

Theseinitiativesaim tohelpGuyanabecome self-sufficientandensure foodsecurity,locallyand regionally.(DPI)

‘Wehaveacarefullyarticulatedvision...

allbridgesthatareexpectedtobeconstructed,therewillalsobe pedestrianbridgesat theside.

Alongthe73km stretch,thePublicWorks Ministerrevealedthat lay-by’swillbeconstructedtopreventaccidentsthathappenwith parkedvehiclesalong thehighwayandadded tothis,designatedrest areaswillbeputinplace alongthestretch.

Additionally,the projectalsocatersfor theimprovementof drainagealongtheentirehighway,whichwill preventfloodingthat hasoccurredinthepast. Withthiswillcomeim-

provementstothebase andsurfaceoftheroad tocaterforthenewlevel oftonnagetraversingthe highway.

Meanwhile,theministerwithintheMinistry ofPublicWorks,Deodat

Indar,addedthataspart ofthereconstruction,10 bridgesandfiveother structureswillbebuilt alongthealignment.

Henotedthatthe signingofthecontract andtheturningofthe

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sodistestimonythat thegovernmenthas beenfulfillingpromises thathavebeenmade andfurtheradded thatallacrossGuyana,therearesignsof economicdevelopment.

INrecentyears,theBoardofIndustrialTraining(BIT)hasbecomea cornerstoneofGuyana’sworkforce developmentstrategy,embodying thegovernment’scommitmenttoenhancingthenation’shumancapital.

LabourMinisterJosephHamilton’s recentupdateonBIT’ssuccesshighlightsatransformativejourneythat hassignificantlyimpactedthousands ofGuyanese.

SinceAugust2020,BIThastrained 12,472individualsindiversefields, thankstoanimpressive$1.2billioninvestmentbythegovernment.Thissubstantialfinancialcommitmentreflectsa strategicvisiontoequiptheworkforce withskillsthatarecrucialforpersonal andnationaleconomicgrowth.

MinisterHamilton’svisittoRegion Six(EastBerbice-Corentyne)provided afirsthandlookattheongoingtraining programmesinelectricalinstallation, cosmetology,commercialcooking, andinformationtechnology.The

resultsarepromising:Ofthe12,400 trained,61percentarewomen.This shiftrepresentsasignificantmove towardsgenderinclusivityinsectors traditionallydominatedbymen,such aselectricalinstallationandwelding. SuchprogressisatestamenttoBIT’s successinbreakingdownbarriersand providingequitableopportunities.

Oneofthestandoutachievements highlightedbyHamiltonisthefiber optictechniciantrainingprogramme. Initiatedin2022,thisprogrammehas alreadymadearemarkableimpact. Thefirstbatchoffifteentraineeswas quicklyabsorbedintothetelecommunicationsindustry,aclearindication oftheprogramme’salignmentwith industryneeds.Thesubsequenttraining batches,includingthosefortheGuyana PowerandLight(GPL),underscore BIT’sresponsivenesstoemergingtechnologicaldemands.ThefactthatGPL nowemploysalmosttwentytechnicians trainedbyBITtohandlefiberopticin-

stallationsandrepairsspeaksvolumes abouttheprogramme’seffectiveness.

Inadditiontotheseachievements, BIT’srecentcollaborationwithCourseratolaunchanonlinelifeskills trainingprogrammemarksasignificant milestone.Thisinitiative,whichoffers coursesinLiteracy,Numeracy,Health andWellness,andEntrepreneurship, aimstoprovideawell-roundededucationalfoundation.MinisterHamilton’s emphasisoncombiningtechnicalskills withtheoreticalknowledgehighlights theimportanceofaholisticapproach toprofessionaldevelopment.Over115 individualshavealreadyregistered, showcasingthecommunity’seagerness toleveragethisinnovativeplatform.

Theuser-friendlyCourseraplatform,withitsfeaturessuchasdownloadablecoursesand24-hourlivechat, ensuresthateventhoseinareaswith unreliableinternetaccesscanbenefit fromthisprogramme.ThisinclusivityextendsbeyondBITparticipants,

reflectingtheministry’sbroadercommitmenttoimprovingemployability andpersonalgrowthacrossthecountry.

TheMinistryofLabour’sefforts arenotconfinedtotrainingalone.The CentralRecruitmentandManpower Agency(CRMA)playsacrucialrole inmatchingjobseekerswithemploymentopportunities,furthersupporting theoverarchinggoalofeconomicempowerment.

AsGuyanacontinuestonavigateits pathtodevelopment,theachievements ofBITandthenewlifeskillstraining programmestandasexemplarymodels ofhowtargetedinvestmentsineducationandtrainingcanfosteraskilled andversatileworkforce.

Theseinitiativesnotonlyaddresscurrentindustryneedsbut alsoprepareindividualsforfuture challenges,ensuringthatGuyana’s workforceremainscompetitiveand resilientinarapidlyevolvingglobal landscape.

PeepingTom’sdisingenuous distortionandmisinterpretation

DearEditor,

PLEASEpermitmetorespondto PeepingTom’sarticle,“ThePresidentneedstopaymoreattentionto fact-checking,”publishedintheKaieteurNewsonAugust25,2024.

Basedontheauthor’sramblings,it wasevidentthathe/shepaidlittleattentiontothePresident’spresentationatthe NTCClastMondayordisingenuously attemptedtodistortthePresident’smessage.

ThesimpleplainfactisthatthestatisticspresentedbythePresidentweretaken fromvariouscrediblesources.

IndemonstratingthattheHinterland Regionsweresystematicallymarginalisedduringthe28yearsthePNC

ruledGuyana,thePresidentpointedout thatin1992,theresidentsintherural interiorwerefacedwithabsoluteand nationalaverageandtheaveragesfor UrbanGeorgetown,UrbanOther,and RuralCoastalcommunities.Thisfactis welldocumentedinvariousreportsand academicstudiesthatexaminedpovertyinGuyana,includingareportbythe WorldBanktitled‘Guyana:Strategies forReducingPovertyReport’,’andthe InternationalMonetaryFundGuyana: PovertyReductionStrategyPaperProgressReport2005,aswellasstudiesconductedbywell-respectedacademicians.

InacomprehensivestudybyJohn Gafarentitled“Growth,Inequalityand PovertyinSelectedCaribbeanandLatin

AmericanCountries,withEmphasison Guyana,”itwasreportedthat78.6per centofthepopulationintheruralinterior werelivingbelowthepovertyline,comparedwithanaverageof43.2percent forthecountry,45.1percentforRural Coastal,23.1percentforUrbanotherand 28.8percentforUrbanGeorgetown.In thesamestudy,theauthorreportedthat over70percentoftheruralinteriorwas extremelypoor,comparedwithextreme povertyof27.7percentatthenational level.Regardlessofthepovertymeasure used,thereisconsensusbyallthereports andacademicstudiesthattheAmerindian thanthecitizensfromurbanGeorgetown, urbanother,andcoastalcommunities. ThePeepermaywishtoconsultthisstudy

andthereportsmentionedearliertoprove thatthePresidentwasmisleadinghisaudienceattheNTCC.

Inhispresentation,ThePresident alsohighlightedthedisparitiesbetween thehinterlandregionsandtherestofthe countryduringtheearly1990s,withrespecttoaccesstovarioussocialservices, suchaseducation,water,sanitation, housing,electricity,andhealthcare.For instance,herevealedthefollowing: Thesecondaryenrollmentratiosfor belowthenationalaverageof54.5per centin1991.

Intermsofaccesstosafedrinking water,theaverageforthehinterland

LabourMinistryhostsseminarto improvesafetyinconstructionsector

TOcombatworkplace fatalities,theMinistryof Labour’sOccupational SafetyandHealth(OSH) Departmenthosteda workshoponWednesday topromotesafetyand healthintheconstructionsector.Theevent aimedtofosterasafe workingenvironment acrosstheindustry.

Theseminar,heldat theRegencySuitesHotel inGeorgetown,attracted80publicandprivate participants.Itfeatured presentationsonproper safetyandhealthpractices tailoredtotheconstruction industry.

Overthepastfour years,therehavebeen 27fatalitiesintheconstructionsector,withsix recordedin2020,five in2021,fivein2022, sevenin2023,andfour in2024.

MinisterofLabour JosephHamilton,inhis remarks,stressedtheimportanceofprioritising safetyandhealthinall workplaces,callingita nationalconcern.

“…Whetherit’sthe publicorprivatesector, safetyandhealthisallof

Theeventwasorganisedinresponsetonumerouscomplaintsfromworkersregardingsafetyissues inthesector.Therewas alsoapaneldiscussion, whererecommendations weremadetoenhance workplacesafetybyimplementingrobustsafety andhealthpractices.

MinisterofLabour,JosephHamiltonspeakingat OSHseminaronWednesday

ourbusiness…Itisanationalmatterandwehave

theconstructionsectoris pronetohazardsbutadded thatsuchriskscanbemitigatedthroughpropersafetyandhealthmeasures.

Theministeralsomentionedthatanycompany thatemploysmorethan ahealthandsafetycommittee.

Heexpressedconfidencethatstakeholders wouldleavetheseminarsarytoolstoupholdsafety andhealthstandardsat theirworkplaces.

GaryHall,Divisional DirectorofQHSEandOperationalSupportatGuyanaPowerLight(GPL) Inc.describedtheseminar astimely,bringingstakeholderstogethertoaddress acriticalissue.

Hallsaid,“[It]cannot comeatthemostopportunetime,whereourdevelopmentalthrustison anupwardtrajectoryand wearechasingbehind alotofthings[like]the infrastructuraldevelopmentandbuildingoutour

MinisterHamiltonacknowledgedtheneedfor workplacefatalities.He notedtheministry’sprogressinthisarea.

Hehighlightedthat

“Iwouldhopethatafter wouldseethe[need]to supportwhatwearedoing.Andthatyouwould seetheneedtodoeverythingpossibletoprotect yourself,yourcoworkers, businessowners,andour

OSHConsultant, GwenethKingalsodeliveredremarksatthe seminar.(DPI)

PeepingTom’sdisingenuous...

regionsin1990waswellbelowthenationalaverage.

Intermsofaccesstoimprovedsanitation,theaverageforthehinterlandregionsin1991was8.4percentcompared withthenationalaverageof31percent.

Only25percentofthehinterland communitieswereheavilyrelianton kerosenelampsandself-generatedpower.

Thehinterlandregionsmainlydependedonlow-tierhealthfacilitiessuch asHealthPostsandHealthCentres,and onlyhad15healthcentresinthe1990s.

Basedonmyreview,thesestatistics areconsistentwiththoseinareport publishedbytheInternationalMonetary FundentitledGuyana:PovertyReduction StrategyPaperProgressReport2005by theInternationalMonetaryFundand reportsfromtheMinistryofHealthStatisticsUnit.ThePeepermayalsowish tocheckthesereportsandprovidethe correctstatisticsifthePresidenthadmisconcerningpovertyandlivingconditions ofhinterlandcommunitiestoshowthat ourAmerindianbrothersandsisterswere notthemostimpoverishedduringthe pre-1992periodwhenGuyanawasthe secondpoorestcountryintheWestern Hemisphere.Thiswouldbemorebenetoridiculethestatisticspresentedbythe

PresidentforthePre-1992period.

Inhisspeech,thePresidentalso shareddataoninvestmentbythePPP/C governmentinthesocialsectorthat wouldhaveimprovedthelivingconditionsofhinterlandcommunitiesinthe 1990s.Theimpactoftheseinterventions isclearlyvisible.Exceptforablindcritic orsomeonewhopreferstopeeprather thantolookatissueswithopeneyes,any objectivecitizen,especiallythosefrom hinterlandcommunities,wouldreadily agreethattheirlivingconditionshave improvedmarkedlyunderthePPP/Cbetween1992and2015.UnderthePPP/C government,Amerindiansweregranted titlestotheirlands,accessedimprovedcationProgramme,andhousingviathe HinterlandHousingprogramme.The investmentsinthesocialsectoralsosaw theupgradeandexpansionofhealthand educationfacilities,resultinginimproved educationalopportunitiesandhealthcare servicesforhinterlandresidents.Our Amerindianbrothersandsistersalsobendrinkingwaterduetotheinvestmentsin thewatersector.Withtheseinvestments, itisdoubtfulthatthelivingconditions ofthehinterlandcitizenswouldhave deterioratedwithimprovedaccesstoeducationalopportunities,healthcare,water, sanitation,housing,andelectricity.Inmy humbleview,therefore,thePeeper’slu-

dicrousclaimthatpovertytodayishigher thanin1991,withoutprovidinganiotaof supportingstatistics,isnotonlyspurious butdownrightscandalous.

Apartfromside-steppingthestatistics thePresidentpresentedfortheperiods 1992-2015,thePeepercompletelyignoredtheunprecedentedinvestmentin thesocialsectorbyhisgovernmentin hinterlandvillagessince2020.Thedetails oftheseinvestmentscanbefoundinthe annualbudgetsandestimatesfrom2020 tothepresent.ThecurrentPPP/Cgovernmenthasalsoinvestedinthevillageeconomiesthroughoutthehinterlandregions. UndertheexpandedLCDS,forinstance, thegovernmenthasallocated15percent oftheUS$150millionreceivedfrom projectsin2023.Thisyear,thegovernmentincreasedtheallocationto26.5per centoftheUS$87.5millionreceivedin 2024tosupport242Amerindianvillages andnewentrants.Again,itishighlyimprobablethathinterlandcitizenswould whenabsoluteandcriticalpovertywere atthehighestinourcountry.

Indeed,regardlessofthepovertymeasureused,itisimpossiblethatpovertyor thelivingconditionsofhinterlandcommunitieswouldhaveworsenedunderthe PPP/C.Whetherweusetheinternationalessarilycontingentonacountry’snational

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income,oramultidimensionalpoverty measurethatcapturesaccesstosocial thatthelivingconditionsofhinterland communitiesimprovedremarkably.

TheeffortsbythePPP/Cbetween 1992-2015and2020-present,mustbe contrastedwiththeAPNU-AFC’sdecisectorsthatAmerindiancommunitiesare dependentonfortheirlivelihood,abandontheAmerindianLandTitlingProgrammeandcallthem‘avaricious.’These facts,muchlikethestatisticspresented bythePresidentinhisspeech,cannotbe erasedfromourhistoryorthememory ofourAmerindianbrothersandsisterspendenceto1992andbetween2015and 2020undertheAPNU+AFCgovernment. ItisunderstandablethatPeepingTom, inconductinghispeepingactivities,is missinghalfofthedevelopmentsunfoldHowever,theaverageAmerindian citizenwouldnotdenythattheirliving conditionshaveimprovedunderthe PPP/Cbasedontheirownexperiences, withorwithoutanystatisticstocon-

Regards, KevinPersaud

ApplebaumandRamcharran: Areply,part1

IHADthemisfortuneofbeingtaught InternationalRelationsbyWestern professorssteepedinWesternbias.

Believeme;itisanuncomfortable feelingthatisclosetobeinganightmare. Useyourimaginationtothinkwhatit wouldbelikedoingacourseininternationalpoliticsandbeingtaughtbya BlackSouthAfricanprofessorasagainst aWesternsocialscientist?

Icamebackfromstudiesabroadand taughtacourseinInternationalRelations atboththeundergraduateandgraduate levelsatUGand,inmycourseoutlines, Iomittedallthenonsense,bias,and shamelesspropagandaIlearntfromthose professors.Iwasforcefullypellucidin myteachingthattheUSSRplayedthe mostcrucialrolethananyothernation inthedefeatofNaziGermany,afactmy Westernprofessorpouredscornon.

ItwasappallingtoreadaGuyanese scholarDrBertrandRamcharraninhis criticismonGuyana’sgovernancein theStabroekNewsofTuesday,August 27,quotefromoneoftheworld’smost

irrationalant-communist,pro-Israeli,proUkrainianacademic,AnneApplebaum, onwhattheworldisliketoday.

Heacceptsthecanvasoftheworld thatApplebaumpaints,obviouslymissing theencrustations,indeliblestains,and mouldysmellonthecanvas.Ramcharran quotesfromoneofthebiblesofanti-communismandanti-Third-worldism titled,“AutocracyInc.”Itisdoubtfulthat thebookwillevermakethereadinglist ofanylecturerinworldpoliticsfroma ThirdWorlduniversity.

Let’sshowyouthepropagandain Applebaum’sworkwhichRamcharran findsappealing,sohequotesherandrecommendswereadherbook.Irecommend thatasaGuyanesestayfarawayfrom anythingApplebaumwritesandheroutputsincludesupportforgenocide,once thegenocideiscommittedbycounties sheadmirers.

Shelistsanumberofauthoritarian countriesthathavestrongmen,butthe onesthatdidnotmakethelistarethe onestheWesterngovernmentsareclose

to,liketheGulfStatesandSaudiaArabia andIsrael(MsApplebaumisJewish). MacroninFrancedoesn’tmakeher list,eventhoughheexhibitsmoreofa strongmanmentalitythanthePresident ofChina.China,ofcourse,isonher enumeration.

MsApplebaumtellsusthatpeople livebetterlivesinliberalcountries, butshedidnotdoanysurveyinChina,Singapore,theUnitedStatesetc toascertainhowpeoplefeelabout theirleadershipandtheircountries.So smittenisRamcharranbythenonsense andhysteriathatApplebaumputsin herbookthatheoverenthusiastically quotesher,whichisworthreproducing here.

IwillquoteRamcharranonhowApplebaumseetheseauthoritariancountries’ efforttounderminetheUNandwhenI doso,rememberthatRamcharranshould knowbetteraboutwhounderminesthe workoftheUN,becauseatonetimehe wasActingUNHighCommissionerfor HumanRights.

HereisRamcharran:“Thedetailsin thisbookarestaggeringoftheefforts withinthisgroupofcountriestooverturn theprinciplesandrulesoftheUnited Nationscharteranduniversalvaluesof humanrights.”ReallyDrRamcharran! Youarewritingthisnonsensewhen,from lastOctobertothepresent,theUNhas neverfacedamorecrucialmomentof imminentdisintegration.

Icanonlyconcludethatthisgentlemanhasnotbeenfollowingthepressures beingbornebytheUNovertheattitude

bycertaincountriesthatsidewithIsrael attheexpenseoftheUNCharter.In fact,mostdispassionateInternational Relationsscholarshaveopinedthatthe Westerngovernments’freneticembrace ofIsrael’sconductandthesecountries’ stancehaveseverelyweakenedtheUN,a pointthatMsApplebaumwouldfuriously reject.

Butwaitaminute!DoesDrRamcharranknowthattheInternational CriminalCourt(ICC)hasgivennotice thatitwantsanarrestwarrantforMr. Netanyahuandwhilethatwarrantisbeingstudied,MrNetanyahuwasgivena standingovationtwoweeksagoatajoint sessionoftheHouseandSenateandmet withPresidentBiden?

DrRamcharranremindsusthatMs Applebaumbelievesthatliberalcountries offerafargreateropportunityforpeople tolivemeaningfullives.ArethePalestiniansinGazalivingusefullivesandcan RamcharranandApplebaumtellusifthe bad,terribleautocraticcountriesarethe reasonwhythePalestiniansinGazaare starving?

Idon’tknowifRamcharraneverread acopyofTheJacobin,itisabrilliant left-leaningAmericanmagazinethatdida brilliantreviewofApplebaum’sbook.In conclusion,therearenostaggeringdetails ofscholarshipinApplebaum’spublication.

Itisacompendiumofstaggering pro-Westernpropagandathatshould notbeintroducedeventoakindergartenkid.Next–Ramcharran’sfearof autocracyunderthePPP.

‘Self-servinganddetrimental tothecity’sresidents’

––saysmovewillfurther‘burdencity’sfinances’ ––PPPcouncillorblastPNC/Rpush fortaxcutsforpoliticalparties

CITYCouncillorofthe

People’sProgressiveParty/Civic(PPP/C),Alfonso DeArmashascriticiseda policymadebythePeoplesNationalCongress/ ReformledGeorgetown TownCounciltoimplementreducetaxratesfor politicalparties.

Viewingitas‘self-servinganddetrimental’tothe city’sresidents,DeArmas inaninvitedcommenttothe GuyanaChronicleonThursdayeveningarguedthat thepolicy,whichexcludes politicalpartiesyounger than10years,isaformof politickingthatwillfurther burdenthecity’sfinances.

OnThursday,itwasrevealedthatthePNC/Rowes inexcessof$6.7billionin taxesforitsheadquarters (CongressPlace)inSophia.

DeArmaspointedout thatthecitycouncilhasbeen ‘cashstrapped’tomaintain andexecuteitsmandateto

cityresidents.

“Thatpolicyisreprehensible…thePNCpoliticking shouldnotbesomeofthe expensetheresidentsof Georgetown.”

“They’reputtingthepartyabovetheneedsofthe residentsofGeorgetown. Youseehowcashstrapped theyare,theycanbarely maintainthegarbagesituation.Weneedthemoney

desperatelyandwe’regoing togivetheseguysabreak thatisreprehensible,”he stressed,whilequestioning theoppositionledmunicipal body’suseoffundsforgarbagedisposalandresources, suggestingthatthemoney couldbebetterspentoncity services.

Despitethepolicy’sapprovalbythecouncil,De ArmasnotedthatthePPP/C

councillorswouldexplore legaloptionstoopposeit, emphasisingtheneedto protectthecity’sinterests.

OnThursday,ThePPP GeneralSecretary,Dr. BharratJagdeo,pointedout thatasidefromthetaxes owedfortheparty’sheadquartersinSophia,thereare outstandingdebtsforthree otherpropertiesownedby theparty.

AccordingtoDr.Jagdeo, thepartyowes$1.2million, $988,000and$3.5million forthosepropertiesandthe recentpolicyamendments istodeprivethecitizensof Georgetownandthemain TownCounciloftaxesthat areduetothem.

“Thisisapoliticalpartythatisinfluencingthe taxationpolicyinanentity thatitcontrolstobenefit itself.Justimagineifthe PPPwasincontrolofthe CityCouncilanddidthat foritself.”

PNCRowesCityCouncilover$6.7B

––DrJagdeoreveals;sayspartyprioritisingself-interestwithtax-cutmotionpassedbyitscouncillors

CONTRARYtoitsclaims ofcaringfortheCityof Georgetownanditsresidents,thePeople’sNationalCongressReform (PNCR)hasbeenamajor contributortothefinancialwoesatCityHall, withdebtsinexcessof$6.7 billion.

Thiswasaccordingto GeneralSecretaryofthePeople’sProgressiveParty(PPP),

DrBharratJagdeo,duringa pressconferenceatFreedom HouseonWednesday.

DrJagdeoexposedthe PNCR’sdelinquencywhilerespondingtoarecentdecision bytheparty’scouncillorsto reducetaxratesforpolitical parties.

“Wedugabitdeeperandit seemsasthoughthereisspecificreasonforthisproposal. CongressPlaceowes$6.7

billion,andanoticewassent tothemforthissumofmoney.

“Howdoyougetratesand taxesupto$6.7billion?Clearly,theydidn’tpayforalong timeandtheinterestaccrued, andnowtheyhavetopaythis hugesumofmoney,”thePPP GeneralSecretarysaid.

ThisisthesituationdespitethefactthatthePNCR, withamajorityofseatsatCity Hall,leadsthecouncilandis supposedtobeanactiveparticipantinthedevelopmentof Georgetown.

Itwasalsowidelyreported onmanyoccasionsthatthe PNCR-ledCityHallhasbeen cash-strappedforyears,struggling,insomecases,topay staff,honourdebts,andexecutecriticalprojects,among otherthings.

Ignoringthosechallenges andthepervasiveissueoftax defaulters,thePNCRcouncillorswentaheadwithits tax-cutproposal.

OnMonday,duringthe council’sstatutorymeeting, apolicydocumentforinstitutionalratestobegiventopoliticalpartieswaslaid,which

ThePNCRheadquarters,alsoknownasCongressPlace,locatedatSophia wasimmediatelyrejectedby thePPPcouncillors.

“ThePeople’sProgressive Party/Civiccouncillors,our 11councillorsopposedthis amendment.Thiswasnot solicitedbythePPP/Casthe largestpartyinthecountry, andthepartywasshockedthat theywouldbringthisproposal andrushitthrough[the]City Council,”Dr.Jagdeosaid.

ThePPPGeneralSecretaryfurtherpointedoutthat asidefromthetaxesowed fortheparty’sheadquarters atSophia(CongressPlace), thereareoutstandingdebtsfor threeotherpropertiesowned bytheparty.

AccordingtoDrJagdeo, thepartyowes$1.2million, $988,000and$3.5million forthoseproperties,andthe recentpolicyamendments aretodeprivethecitizensof Georgetownandthemain TownCounciloftaxesthatare

duetothem.

“Thisisapoliticalparty thatisinfluencingthetaxationpolicyinanentitythat itcontrolstobenefititself. JustimagineifthePPPwas incontroloftheCityCouncil anddidthatforitself.

“Youwouldhavenotjust seeneditorials,butallweek long,youwouldhavetonnes oftonnesofarticlesexpressingoutrageofthisanditgoes byquietly,”Dr.Jagdeosaid.

PPP/Ccouncillorson Tuesdayexpressedtheir strongdisapprovalregarding therecentdecisionbythepoliticalmajorityofthecouncil.

Thecouncillors,Alfonso DeArmas,PatriciaChaseGreeneandStevenJacobs madethisclearduringalive broadcastprogrammerecently.

““Wetotallydisagreewith it,wethinkallpoliticalparties shouldpaytheirratesand

taxesbecausewe’reasking ordinarycitizenstodoso,” Chase-Greenesaid. Chase-Greene,whoisa formermayor,addedthatthe councilconstantlycomplains aboutnothavingmoneyto carryoutitsbasicfunctions, butisnowaskingtohave politicalpartiesnotpaytheir ratesandtaxesandnotedhow unfairsuchasystemwould be.

Meanwhile,Jacobs,when askedwhytheywouldoppose themovewhenitwouldbring benefitstotheirpartyaswell, saidthatwhiletheyaremembersofthePPP,theirmandate isrepresentingthepeopleof Georgetown.

“Weheareverydaythat theAPNU-ledcouncilcallingformorehelpfromthe council…butwehaveavery clearcaseherethattheyare tryingtomakeiteasieron themselves,”hesaid.

PPPGeneralSecretaryDrBharratJagdeo

RegionTwoyouthsempoweredwithtech skillsthrough‘OneGuyanaDigitalProgramme’

ByIndrawattieNatram

INasignificantsteptowardsempoweringyoung peopleandboostinghuman capacityinRegionTwo, MinisterofLocalGovernmentandRegionalDevelopment,SoniaParag,has launchedtheOneGuyana DigitalProgramme.

Thisinitiative,inauguratedrecentlyattheAnna ReginaSecondarySchool Auditorium,aimstotrain ambitiousGuyanesestudents asfull-stackdevelopers,providingthemwiththecritical skillsneededtosucceedin

thefast-evolvingtechnology sector.

MinisterParagemphasisedthattheOneGuyana DigitalProgrammeisan extensionoftheGovernment ofGuyana’sOnlineAcademy ofLearning(GOAL)scholarshipinitiatives.Originally plannedundertheMinistry ofthePublicService,where shepreviouslyserved,the programmeispartofthe People’sProgressiveParty’s commitmenttoenhancingthe nation’shumanresourcesby -

Theprogramme’spop-

ularityhasalreadyexceededexpectations,withover pursuingonlinescholarships throughGOAL,surpassing theinitialtarget.

“Thisprogramme,called theOneGuyanaDigitalProgramme,isrunbyaCanadiancompanyincollaboration withtheCanadianGovernmentandtheGovernment ofGuyana,”MinisterParag stated.“Itisdesignedto equipyouwithITknowledge

USD,entirelyfreethrough GOAL.”

Thecoursespanseight monthsandguaranteesjob placementuponcompletion, preparinggraduatestodevelopplatformsthatsupport thebusinesscommunity. MinisterParagurgedthe youthtofullytakeadvantageofthisvaluableopportunity,emphasisingthat theprogrammeisnotjust aboutjobpreparation,butis alsoaboutcreatingafuture workforceequippedwith theexpertiseandresilience neededtothriveinthedigitalage.Thisalignswith thegovernment’sbroader visionofenhancinghuman-resourcecapacity.

Providingfurtherinsight intotheprogramme,Phillipe Walkerexplainedthatitis anintensiveonlinepost-secondaryfull-stackdeveloper traininginitiative.Theprogrammeissettoempower withcomprehensivetraining fromanaccreditedCanadian university,preparingthem forjobreadinessandplacement.

Participantswhoareinterestedintheprogramme

Thecurriculumcovers essentialareassuchasPHP programming,JavaScript, mobileapplicationdevelopment,Pythonprogramming, websitesecurity,andfrontenddevelopment.Thecertificateprogrammeconsistsof fourcourses,completedover twoconsecutivesemesters

(eightmonths),withnoprerequisites,allowingstudents totaketheminanyorder.

ViceChairmanHumace OoditexpressedhissatisfactionthatyouthsfromRegion atransformativeprogramme. Heencouragedmoreindividualstoregister,highlighting investmentinbuildinghuman capacity.

Thisprogrammenot onlyaimstosecureemploymentforitsparticipants, butalsotoenablethemto contributemeaningfullyto Guyana’stechnologicaland economicfuture.

CaribbeanHeartInstitutepioneers ground-breakingcardiologyprocedureinGuyana

THECaribbeanHeartInstitute(CHI) hasannouncedamonumentaladvancementincardiologywiththeerOpticalCoherenceTomography (OCT)procedureinGuyanaandthe EasternCaribbean.

Thisground-breakingprocedure,conductedWednesdayatCHI,locatedwithin theGeorgetownPublicHospitalCorporaRegion’shealthcarelandscape.

OpticalCoherenceTomography (OCT)isacutting-edgetechnologythat allowscardiologiststoviewtheinterior ofbloodvesselswithunparalleledclarity,niqueproduceshighlydetailedimages akintoinsertingaminiaturecameraintosualsthatarecrucialinmakingprecise diagnosesandtreatmentdecisions.This breakthroughenablescardiologiststo accuratelydeterminetheoptimallocation forplacingstents,smalltubesusedto keeparteriesopen.

Additionally,theOCTsystemincordeep-learningimageanalysis,allowing fortheselectionofthemostappropriate

stentsizetailoredtoeachpatient.Recent clinicaltrialshavedemonstratedthat imaging-guidedstenting,asenabledby OCT,yieldsbetteroutcomesthantraditionalangiography-basedapproaches.

DrTerrenceHaynes,anAdvanced InterventionalCardiologistandthelead physicianontoday’scase,emphasised theimportanceofthisdevelopment: “OCTprovidesdetailedcross-sectional imageswithsuperiorclarity.Theprobyenablingmoreaccuratediagnoses andguidingtreatmentswithprecision, ultimatelyimprovingpatientoutcomes andadvancingoverallcardiologyprocedures.”

TheexpertteambehindthispioneeringprocedureincludedDr.Mahendra Carpen,HeadofCardiologyandMedical ServicesattheGeorgetownHospitaland ConsultantInterventionalCardiologistat CHI;CardiacTechnicianJasonSolomon; RegisteredNursesShiniceMooreand Ms.KatyaVillarrealfromAbbottand Ms.VeruschkaSol.

DrMahendraCarpenexpressedhis gratitudefortheintroductionofOCT technologyinGuyana,notingitspro-

foundimpactontheCardiologyDepartment,thehealthcaresector,thenation, and,mostimportantly,thepatients.He praisedtheprocedureforitssafety,reliability,andexceptionalaccuracy.

DrGaryStephens,CEOofCHI,highlightedtheinstitute’sdedicationtoinnovation,stating,“TheCaribbeanHeart Instituteremainscommittedtoproviding innovativesolutionsandelevatingthe standardofcardiaccare.Thesuccessful

useofOpticalCoherenceTomography marksanewchapterintheinstitute’s ongoingmissiontodeliveroutstanding cardiologyservices.”

TheintroductionofOCTtechnologyatCHIrepresentsatransformative stepforwardincardiaccare,setting anewstandardfortheRegionand ensuringthatpatientsreceivethemost advancedandeffectivetreatments available.

26newsecondaryschoolsunderconstruction asGuyanasettocelebrateEducationMonth

EDUCATIONMonth2024

issettobeobservedfrom September1toOctober5 underthetheme,“InvestinginEducation,Bridging Gaps,CreatingOpportunities.”

MinisterofEducationPriyaManickchandrecentlyprovidedupdatesonthisyear’s initiativesduringaninterview onEdYouFM,highlighting

topromoteinclusiveand accessibleeducationacross Guyana.

MinisterManickchand emphasisedthegovernment’s commitmenttoensuringthat everychild,fromnursery throughsecondaryschool hasaccesstoqualityeducation.Theministry’sgoalis notonlytoprovideaccess, butalsotoguaranteeahigh standardofeducation,lifelonglearningopportunities, andrigorousmonitoringand evaluationsystems.

Inadditiontosecondary schools,theministryisalso focusingonconstructingnew primaryandnurseryschools areunderwaytoextendand rehabilitateexistingschools tocreatecomfortableand conducivelearningenvironments.Thisincludesrepairingceilings,fences,washrooms,andensuringproper plumbingandelectricityin schoolfacilities.

However,theminister cautionedthattheseimprovementsmighttakesometime, urgingparents,teachers,and studentstoremainpatient.

“Someofthesethingswill takealittlebitlonger,”she acknowledged.“Iknowpeopleareimpatient,andthey shouldbe.Weshouldallwant thebestrightaway,butwe arebuildingthemostschools weeverbuilt,withthesame numberofcontractors,with thesamelevelofskills.”

Aspartoftheongoing effortstoenhanceeducation,MinisterManickchand emphasisedtheimportance ofparentalinvolvementin children’seducation.The ministryplanstopushfor greaterparentalengagement, highlightingitsvalueina child’sacademicsuccess.

WithEducationMonth

initiativeincludestheconstructionof26newsecondary schoolsacrossthecountry, addingtotheexisting117 secondaryschools.Minister Manickchandremarkedon thescaleofthisundertaking, noting,“Forallthetimewe existed,wehaveahundred; we’renowbuilding26,so we’rebuildingone-thirdof thenumberofschools.That’s ahugeundertaking,andthat’s onlysecondary.”

approaching,MinisterManickchandreflectedonthis year’stheme,underscoring thesignificantinvestments beingmadetoimprovethe educationsysteminGuyana.

“We’reinvestingto bridgegaps,tocreateopportunitiesforourpeople, andsowe’reinvestingin physicalinfrastructure,teacherresources,learningresources,andbetterschool

environmentstobridgethe gapsthatcurrentlyexist,” sheexplained.“Allofthat isdonesothatourpeople couldbemostcompetitive intheworld,andsothat theycouldbeproductive,to createopportunitiesforthem tohavethebestlifethatthey couldpossiblyhaveandto thrivehereinourbeautiful Guyana.”

Lookingahead,themin-

isterexpressedherhopefor moreinnovativeteaching methodsinthenewschool year,includingtheuseof technologyandplay-based learning.AsGuyanaobservesEducationMonth, thegovernment’ssubstantialinvestmentsineducationinfrastructureand resourcesaimtopavethe wayforabrighterfuture forallstudents.

THEMinistryofHealthhasissuedaclarificationregardingtherecentreportingbyKaieteurNews,which statedonAugust21that$31millionisbeingallocated totheNo.10HealthCentre.

Contrarytotheheadline,theministrywishestocorrectthatthissumisdesignatedfortheconstructionof livingquarters,nottheHealthCentreitself.

Accordingtotheministry,the$31millionwillbe usedforbuildingaccommodationfacilitieswithinthe compoundoftheDistrictNo.10HealthCentre,located inRegionFive(Mahaica/Berbice).

Thepurposeofthisinvestmentistoconstructliving quartersformedicalpersonnel.Thisadditionaimstominimisecommutetimes,allowinghealthprofessionalsto respondmoreswiftlytoemergenciesandbemorereadily availableforon-callduties.

Thetotalexpenditurecoversbothlandpreparation andtheconstructionoftheaccommodationbuilding. Thenewfacilityisexpectedtosignificantlyenhancethe efficiencyofmedicalservicesprovidedtothecommunity,whichincludesover1,200residentsinthearea.By improvingtheavailabilityofmedicalstaff,theprojectis anticipatedtocontributetobetterhealthoutcomesforthe localpopulation.

TheMinistryofHealthemphasisesthatthisinitiativeisacrucialsteptowardsimprovinghealthcare deliveryintheregion,ensuringthatmedicalpersonnel areincloseproximitytothecommunitytheyserve.

MinisterofEducation

PriyaManickchand

GuyanaHinduDharmicSabhacelebrates RegionTwo’stopacademicachievers

ByIndrawattieNatram

INasimpleyetmomentous ceremonyheldattheJaigobinHotelinHenrietta recently,theGuyanaHindu DharmicSabha(GHDS) honouredsevenexceptional studentsfromRegionTwo fortheiroutstandingacademicachievements.

Theeventcelebratedthe hardwork,dedication,and excellenceoftheseyoung scholars,allofwhomare studentsoftheAnnaRegina

menttotheirstudies.

PradeshKevicDwarka,a residentofLot10Reliance, RegionTwo,waslaudedfor hisimpressiveaccomplishmentofsecuring26subjects, including23GradeOnesand threeGradeTwos.Venisha Lallexcelledin29subjects, earning18GradeOnes,eight GradeTwos,andthreeGrade Threes.BomekaSinghwas alsorecognisedforheroutstandingresults,achieving16 Twos,whileRudranauth

sitting,obtaining19Grade OnesandsevenGradeTwos.

Dr.VindhyaPersaud, PresidentoftheGuyanaHinduDharmicSabha,extended herheartfeltcongratulations totheawardeesandtheir families.Sheacknowledgedtoachievesuchremarkable results.

oursthathasbeenonaremarkabletrajectoryingrowth anddevelopment,andyou havesomethingwhereyou wouldwanttoseeyourself,” DrPersaudadded.

SecondarySchool.

Thetopperformersrecognisedattheeventwere AdadezeButters,Pradesh Dwarka,GevashaHarpaul, VenishaLall,Rudranauth Sankar,BomekaSingh,and RandirToney.TheirremarkableperformancesattheCaribbeanSecondaryEducationtionswerehighlightedasa testamenttotheircommit-

Sankarsecured24subjects, including23GradeOnesand oneGradeTwo.

AdadezeButtersfrom Onderneemingexcelledwith 19subjects,including14 GradeOnes,threeGrade Twos,oneGradeThree, andoneGradeFour.Seventeen-year-oldGevashaCyndu HarpaulofLot5Reliance Villageachievedaremarkable27subjects,with15 GradeOnesand12Grade Twos.Meanwhile,Randir ToneyofQueenstownVillage completed26subjectsinone

“Ibelievewithyouroutstandingperformancethere wasalotofhardwork,dedicatedhoursofstudy,and havelikedtodo,butyoufocusedonwhatyouwantedto achieveinlife,”DrPersaud remarked.

DrPersaudencouraged theawardeestocontinue strivingtowardstheirgoals andtoviewthemselvesas inspirationsforotheryouths inRegionTwoandacross Guyana.Sheemphasisedthe importanceoftheirroleas futureleadersinthedevelopmentofthecountry.

inthisincrediblecountryof

Shealsoexpressedher hopethatthestudentswould bedrivenbyadesiretoserve theircountry,highlighting thatserviceisthehighest formof“Seva”andbegins withthebeliefthattheycan

Theceremonyconcludedwiththepresentationof plaquestothetopperformersinrecognitionoftheir exceptionalachievements. RudranauthSankar,one oftheawardees,expressed hisgratitudetotheGHDS foracknowledgingthehard workanddedicationof himselfandhisfellowstudents.

Thecelebrationofthese theGHDS’songoingcommitmenttorecognisingand supportingeducationalexcellencewithintheGuyanesecommunity.

DrVindhyaPersaud,PresidentoftheGuyanaHinduDharmicSabha,alongwiththetopperformersproudly displayingtheirawards.

USEmbassyconductstrainingwithpolice ranksinRegion10

Thetrainingtook placeattheMackenzie RecreationHallinLinden onAugust26thand27th, 2024,from09:00hrsto 15:00hrsdaily.

ThiscollaborativeeffortbetweentheUSEmbassyandtheGuyana PoliceForce(GPF)was spearheadedbyCommanderofRegionalDivision#10,Superintendent GuyNurse,andDeputy

Commander,DeputySuperintendentA.Anthony Austin.Theprimarygoal ofthetrainingwasto strengthentherelationshipbetweentheUSand theGuyanaPoliceForce, whilefosteringpositive sentimentstowardsthe USamongGPFpersonnel.

Thetrainingcovered arangeoftopicsessentialformodernpolicing, includingLoudSpeaker Operations,Face-to-Face Engagement,Propaganda Analysis,PracticalExercises,andFeedback.Each sessionwasdesignedto enhancetheskillsand inattendance.

Uponcompletionof

theprogramme,allparticipantswereawarded oftheircommitmentand participation.Commander Nurseexpressedhisgratitudefortheinformative andtimelytraining,not-cantlyboostpolicingcapabilitiesinRegion#10. Healsoencouragedthe rankstoapplytheknowledgeandskillsacquired toperformtheirduties moreprofessionally.

GPF,JayandSylviaSobhraj FoundationopennewZara ComputerCentreinLethem

THEGuyanaPoliceForce

Thelatestadditiontothe networkofZaraComputer Centresaimstoenhance communityrelationsand broadenaccesstoInformationTechnologyacross Guyana.

Thecommissioningceremony,heldrecently,marked thelaunchofthisstate-ofthe-artfacilityinCentral Rupununi.

TheCentrefeatures twocomputerlabs,each equippedtoaccommodate

32individuals.Thisset-up willservebothresidentsof theregionandmembersof thepoliceforce,providing avaluableresourceforeducationandtechnological engagement.

TheJayandSylvia SobhrajFoundationplayed acrucialroleintheconstructionoftheCentre,reflectingtheircommitment toeducationaldevelopment andcommunitysupport.

TheFoundation’sinitiative extendsbeyondthescopeof technology,focussingoneducationaladvancementand communityprogramming tailoredtotheneedsofthe RupununiRegion.

Theceremonywasat-

ures,includingJaySobhraj, Mrs.SilviaSobhraj,Nardeo Singh;Magistrate,HisWorshipOmadattChandan;Vice ChairmanBertieXavier,and Co-ordinatoroftheGPF’ ZaraComputerCentresASP GladwinHanover.LieutenantRoachandvarious seniorandjuniorranksof theGPFalsoparticipatedin theevent,highlightingthe collaborativespiritbehind theproject.

Secondfromleft:CommanderSuperintendentGuyNursewiththetwofacilitatorsfromtheUnitedStatesEmbassyCrossFunctionalTeamandrankswho

GuyanaNursesAssociationcelebrates96 yearswithannualawards,bursaryceremony

THEGuyanaNursesAssociation(GNA) markedits96thyearof dedicatedservicewith adistinguishedAward andBursaryCeremony heldrecentlyattheir hallonCharlotteand AlexanderStreetsin Georgetown.

Theeventcelebratedtheachievementsof 13nursesfromacross thenationandprovidedbursaryawardsto22 childrenofassociation members.

Theawardshonoured exceptionalcontributions invariouscategories: QualityNursingCare; GloriaNoel,ClinicalLeadership;Marva Hawker,RisingStar;AgnesVanWest,Patriotic; RhondaClarke,Nurse LeaderoftheYear;GillianButts,Infection PreventionandControl; RhondaClarkeandGillianButts

Inhiscongratulatorymessage,Ministerof HealthDrFrankAnthony, commendedtheGuyana

NursesAssociationforits long-standingserviceand underscoredtheimportanceofdocumentingthe organisation’shistory.

“Aswelookforward tothenextfouryearsand your100thAnniversary,

haveaformaldocumentationorabookpublished aboutthisremarkableorganisation,”MinisterAnthonyremarked.

TheministeralsoexpressedtheMinistryof Health’ssupportforthe association’sresearchinterests.“Ifyouhaveacohortofnursesinterestedin research,theministrycan assistbyprovidingguidanceonresearchmethodologyandpublication

Encouragingthebursaryrecipients,DrAnthony urgedthemtofocuson theireducationandcareer prospects.“Youhavea

brightfutureaheadofyou. Makethemostofyour education,asmanyopportunitiesarenowavailable forfurthertraining,”he advised.

Lookingtothefuture,MinisterAnthony revealedthattheministrywillintroducean electronichealthrecord systemstartingnextyear. Heassuredattendeesthat theministrywouldcol-

laboratecloselywiththe nursingassociationand nursestofacilitatethe transitiontothisnew system.

Theceremonywas atestamenttotheenduringcommitmentof theGuyanaNursesAssociationtoadvancing nursingexcellenceand supportingthenextgenerationofprofessionals

‘DigitalIntelligenceUnlocked’ eventsettoempowerbusinesses

THEWomen’sChamberofCommerceand IndustryGuyana(WCCIG)issettohostthe “DigitalIntelligenceUnlocked”eventonSeptember7,2024atthe PrincessRamadaHotel, EastBankDemerara, aimedathelpingbusinessesthinkbigand smartbyleveragingdigitaltoolstomaximize theirpotential.

Theeventispartof theWE3A(Aspire,Ac-

tivate,Accelerate)RegionalProject,designed toaddressthechallenges businessesfacedduring theCOVID-19pandemic andtofosterresilience andadaptabilityinthe digitalage.

TashiBrowne,ProjectCo-ordinatorofthe WE3AProject,highlightedthattheinitiativewas conceivedinresponseto thepandemic’simpact andtheneedforbusinessestothriveinarapidly

evolvingdigitalenvironment.

“Weneededtoreally adaptaspeople,toensure thatwecanthriveinthe digitalworld,”Browne said,emphasizingthe shifttowardsdigitalsolutions.

TheWE3Aproject, whichhasalreadyengagedover800womenin business,isnowextendingitsreachtoabroader audience.

Theseminarpromises

Hydrometissuesheatadvisory forSeptembertoNovember2024

––potentialrisksforHealth,Agriculture,andLivestock

THEHydrometeorologicalService,Ministry ofAgriculture,hasissuedaforecastpredictingabove-normaltemperaturesacrossGuyana fromSeptembertoNovember2024.

Thisperiod,traditionallythewarmesttime oftheyear,particularly inSeptemberandOctober,isexpectedtobring extremeheatandanincreasednumberofheatwavedays,withpotentiallyseriousimplicationsfor publichealth,agriculture, andlivestock.

HealthRisks:Theforecastwarnsthattheheightenedtemperaturescould health,especiallyamong vulnerablegroupssuchas theelderly,children,and individualswithpre-existinghealthconditions. Withthelikelihoodof morefrequentheat-wave days,theriskofheat-relatedillnesses—including dehydration,heatexhaustion,andheatstroke—will beelevated.TheHydrometeorologicalService isurgingthepublicto takeprecautionarymeasures,includingstaying hydrated,limitingoutdooractivitiesduringpeak heathours,andensuring thatlivingandworking environmentsarewell ventilated.

AgricultureandLivestockConcerns:The

forecastalsohighlights potentialchallengesfor farmers,astheSeptember toOctoberperiodaligns withthedriestmonths inNorthernGuyanaand

theonsetofthelongdry seasonintheSouth.Reducedwateravailabilityandincreasedstress oncropscouldleadto loweryields,particularly forwater-intensivecrops. Livestockwillalsobe vulnerableduringthisperiod,withheatstresslikelytoimpacttheirhealth, productivity,andoverall well-being.Farmersare advisedtoensureadequate watersupplies,provide shadedareasforanimals, andcloselymonitorlivestockforsignsofheat stress,suchasreduced feedintake,lethargy,and increasedbreathingrates.

RecordTemperatures Observed:Thewarning comesafterayearofconsistentlyhightemperatures,withaveragedaytimetemperaturesacross GuyanafromJanuaryto

tooffervaluableinsights fromindustryleaderson thelatesttrendsindigital intelligence.Attendees willhavetheopportunity

todiscoverstrategiesfor businessgrowth,explore innovativetechnologies, andlearnhowtomodernizetheiroperations.

TheWE3Aproject, fundedbytheWomen EntrepreneursFinance Initiative(We-Fi)andthe Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank(IDB)Lab, aimstostrengthenwomen-ledandwomen-owned smallandmediumenterprises(WSMEs)across CentralandSouthAmer-

ica.Theproject’sname reflectsitsthreecore components:Aspire,Activate,andAccelerate, whichfocusondeliveringhigh-qualitybusiness trainingthroughinnovativedigitalmethods.

Theupcomingevent promisestobeasignificantopportunityfor businessestoenhance theirdigitalcapabilitiesanddrivegrowthin anincreasinglydigital world.

July2024alreadyexceedingthehistoricalnormof 32°C.Somemonthsthis yearhaveevenrecordedhighertemperatures thanthesameperiodin 2023,whichwasitselfa record-breakingyear.Normally,upto35heatwave daysareobservedduring theSeptembertoNovemberdryseason,butthereis thatthisthresholdwillbe exceeded,posingfurther riskstopublichealth,agriculture,andlivestock.

TheHydrometeorologicalServiceiscallingonallstakeholdersto prepareforthisperiodof extremeheatbystaying informedofweatherupdates,implementingwater-savingstrategies,and takingproactivemeasures toprotecthealth,crops, andlivestock.TheService willcontinuetoprovide updatestoitsseasonaloutlookasnewinformation becomesavailableand recommendspayingclose attentiontoshort-range forecastsandweather analysesfromtheNationalWeatherWatchCenter.

Formoredetailedformation,thepublic isencouragedtovisit theHydrometeorologicalService’swebsiteat www.hydromet.gov.gy orcontactthe24/7forecastingdeskat261-2284 or261-2216.

MemorizingtheQuranandExcellinginCSEC: ZainabMohamed’sremarkableachievement

ByIndrawattieNatram

INaremarkablefeatof perseveranceanddedication,ZainabFaoudAzeez Mohamedhasemergedas thetopperformeratAl-MadinahIslamicAcademy, securingherplaceasthe BestGraduatingStudent of2024.

Withanimpressivetally of13subjectsattheCarib-

beanSecondaryEducation Certificate(CSEC)examination,Zainab’sresults— SevenGradeOnes,Five GradeTwos,andOneGrade Three—standasatestament toherhardworkanddetermination,especiallyinthe faceofdoubtfromthosewho questionedhercapabilities.

BorninCairo,Egypt, Zainab’sjourneytosuccess beganwhenshemovedto

Guyanaatthetenderageof three,settlinginthetown ofAnnaRegina,inRegion Two.Fromayoungage,she demonstratedadeepcommitmenttohereducationand faith,showingthatabalanced approachtobothreligious andsecularstudiescancreate awell-roundedindividual.

Atjust10yearsold,Zainabaccomplishedwhatfew canclaim—shememorized

theentireQuran.Thismonnotonlyherexceptional memorybutalsoherunwaveringdedication.Despitethe manysleeplessnightsandthe rigorousdisciplinerequired, sheremainedcommittedto revisingtheQurandaily. Throughoutthisjourney,her motherwasherconstantcom-agementandsupportthat

fueledZainab’spersistence. Theonsetofthe COVID-19pandemicbrought unprecedentedchallengesto studentsaroundtheworld, andZainabwasnoexception. Transitioningtosecondary schoolduringthistumultuous time,shefacedtheabsenceof formalteachingduetolockdownsandrestrictions,which madeacademicprogressseem evenmoredaunting.Some teachers,recognizingthegaps inherconventionaleducation, advisedhertolimitthenumberofsubjectssheattempted. However,twoeducators, MissNadiaPearceandSir AfmatAlly,sawbeyondthese challengesandrecognized Zainab’sextraordinarypotential.Overeightintensive months,theyworkedclosely withher,providingtheguidanceandmentorshipneeded

tobridgetheeducational gaps.Theirbeliefinherabilitiesprovedtobewell-foundedasZainabexcelledinher CSECexaminations,defying theoddsandexceedingexpectations.

Lookingahead,Zainabis determinedtocontinueher pursuitofknowledge--both religiousandacademic.She aspirestobecomeanIslamic Scholar,apaththatwillallow hertodeepenherunderstandingofherfaithandmake meaningfulcontributionsto hercommunity.Additionally, sheplanstopursueanacademiccareer,blendingher religiousinsightswithbroaderscholarlypursuits.

Zainab’ssuccessisnot her’salone;itisacollective triumphthatsheshareswith herfamily.Sheisdeeply gratefulfortheunwavering supportofhermother,father, grandparents,andbrothers,all ofwhomhaveplayedcrucial rolesinherjourney.Theirencouragementhasbeenacornerstoneofherachievements, demonstratingthepowerofa strongsupportsystem.

AsZainabcontinuesher journey,shestandsasaninspirationtoyoungmindseverywhere. Herstoryisoneofresilience, passion,andtheunyieldingsupportoffamilyandmentors.She hasproventhatwithdedication, faith,andtherightguidance, eventhemostdauntingchallengescanbeovercome.

Zainab’sjourneyisjust beginning,andherfuture holdsthepromiseofcontinuedexcellenceandcontributiontobothherfaith andsociety.

POLICEareinvestigatingthediscoveryofadecom-

Thegrimdiscoverywasmadearound5:20p.m.when alocalwoman,drivingthroughthetrail,wasalertedtoa foulodoremanatingfromthedirectionofthebuilding. Promptly,shecontactedthepolice,leadingtotheimmediateinvestigationofthescene. male,approximately50yearsold.Theremainswere foundinanadvancedstateofdecomposition.Following standardprocedure,thebodywasphotographedand transportedtotheSuddiePublicHospital.Dr.Ronaldeceased.ThebodyiscurrentlyattheSuddieHospital Mortuary,awaitingapost-mortemexaminationtodeterminethecauseofdeath.

Initialinquiriesinthearearegardingtheidentity ofthedeceasedhaveyieldednousefulinformation. Authoritiescontinuetheirinvestigationtouncoverthe circumstancessurroundingthisdiscovery.

ZainabFaoud AzeezMohamed

‘Youcan’trunagov’tbyslogans’

––Jagdeodismantlesopposition‘people-centred’sloganeering

––highlightscontrastofPNC/R’s‘wishfulthinking,’PPP’s‘innovation,creativity’

ALTHOUGHthePeopl’es

NationalCongress/Reform (PNC/R)hasboastedof havinga‘people-centred’ approachtogovernance, itspastpoliceshaveonly depicted‘wishfulthinking’ and‘sloganeers.’[sic]

Thisisaccordingto People’sProgressiveParty/ CivicGeneralSecretary, Dr.BharratJagdeo,whoin responsetotheoppositions criticsofthegovernment’s LowCarbonDevelopment Strategy(LCDS),onThursdayhighlightedthecontrast inpoliciesthathavebeen implementedbythetwo parties.

Lastweek,severaloppositionmembers,attempted toderailthiskeypolicyof thePPP/Cgovernmentto continueforest-conservationefforts,adapttoclimate change,earnmoneyfrom thecountry’sresourcesand betterthelivesofitscitizens.

“Akeyelementofthe expandedLCDSisfocusingonbiodiversity,butnot justbiodiversity,wehave expandedittoadaptation,

andwehaveexpandedto theblueeconomy.Wehave expandedittointegratedwatermanagement,”Dr.saidat hisweeklypressconference, heldatFreedomHouse.

BackinNovember 2009,athenPresidentJagdeoandtheformerMinister oftheEnvironmentandInternationalDevelopmentof Norway,Hon.ErikSolheim, hadsignedahistoricMemorandumofUnderstanding (MoU) Intheagreement,Norwaycommittedtoproviding GuyanauptoUS$250Mby 2015toavoiddeforestation,

oncecertainperformanceindicatorsaremet.Thisagreementrepresentedthefirst internationalcommitment offinancialsupporttothe LCDSandwasthefirstpartnershipofitskindbetween adevelopedanddeveloping country.

Later,in2022,theArchitectureforREDD+Transactionsannouncedtheissuance of33.47millionTREES credittoGuyanaforthe five-yearperiodfrom2016 to2020.

TheGovernmentofGuyanainthatsameyearentered intoanagreementwiththe

GuyanawelcomesGrenada’s

PRIMEMinister,Brigadier(Ret’d),theHonourableMarkPhillipswelcomedthePrimeMinister ofGrenada,theHonourableDickonMitchellto GuyanaattheCheddi JaganInternationalAirport(CJIA)Wednesday

afternoon.

PrimeMinisterMitchell, whoalsoservesasthecurrentChairofCARICOM, arrivedwithahigh-level delegationforanofficial visit.

Duringhisstay,the visitingPrimeMinisteris

scheduledtoparticipatein atradeexpoandbusiness forum.Hewillalsoengage indiscussionsaimedat fosteringclosereconomic co-operationandexploringmutualopportunities forgrowthbetweenGuyanaandGrenada.

HessCorporationforthe saleofcarboncreditsfora minimumofUS$750million between2022and2032.

Fifteenpercentofthe earningsfromtheinitialdisbursementswereallocated toIndigenousvillagesacross Guyana,whiletheremaining 85percentwasallocatedto nationalpriorities,suchas climate-mitigationefforts.

“Hedoesn’tunderstand thecarbontransactionsthat tookplace,”Jagdeosaid, callingoutoppositionleader,AubreyNorton,forhis ill-informedcritiques.

“When[theyare]con-

frontedwithaquestionthat demandsasensibleanswer hemovesbacktoslogans.”

Analysingtheopposition’s‘GreenStateStrategy,’ apolicywhichlackedsubstance,Dr.Jagdeopointed outthatitwasan‘agglomerationofwishfulthinking’,pointingoutthatthe previousgovernmenthad noclearstrategyforclimate mitigation,preservationof Guyana’sforestsandits biodiversity.

Incontrast,thePPP/C government’sLCDSoutlinesaclearobjective,settingoutapathwayforthe countrytoearnmoneyfrom itsstandingforest.

“$600oddmillionwill gotoadaptationthatwould helpourpeoplerightacross Guyanatobetterprepare fordroughts,floods,etc.It wouldhelpourfarmers,peoplewholiveincommunities. Youhavetoactive[sic]it, youhavetothinkitthrough youhavetoseethatitis self-financingthatitdoesn’t burdenthecountry,whichis whatwehavedonethrough ourinnovativethinkingand

thoughourcreativity.”

Henotedthattheopposition,despiteechoingcalls fora‘people-centred’developmentstrategy,hasrejectedeffortsbeingmadeby thegovernmenttoimprove Guyana’sinfrastructure, improvehealthcareand expandeducation,among otherthings.

“Peoplewhentheycan’t dealwithsubstance,they sloganeer,peoplecentred doesn’tmeananythingif youdon’tfixpeoplesroads, ifgivethemgoodhealth care,ifyoudon’tgivethem propereducation,ifyou don’tfindjobsforthem,you don’thavechildrentaken caredoff,ifyoudon’tinvest insecuritysotheycanlivein homespeacefully.”

Dr.Jagdeofurther quizzed:“Whatdoespeople-centreddevelopment mean,youareopposedto everythingwedoineducation,inhealthcare,infrastructure,butyou’reforpeople-centreddevelopment.”

Henotedthattheoppositioncushionsitsselfwith sloganstoremainrelevant.

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inatorEliminatorGuyanaNationalStadium, Providence

Fri4October,7pmQualifier 1Qualifier1GuyanaNational Stadium, Providence

Wed25September,7pmQualifier2Qualifier2GuyanaNational Stadium,Providence

Wed2October,7pmFinaGuyanaNationalStadium,Providence Frompage33

SoftballChampionshipinLinden

LINDENteamSpeghtlandstoppedhometeam Kwakwaniby42runs afteramassing178for threeintheirallotted20 oversasthehostscould onlymuster136for7in reply,tocartoffhonours whenthegrandfinalof thePrimeMinisterMark Phillipsinaugural$1M T20softballchampionship wasplayedlastSundayat theKwakwaniground.

Thetournamentwhich startedandendedinthe Sub-DistrictTwoofRegion 10(Upper-Demerara/Upper-Berbice)issettobean annualfeatureandthisyear itattractedsixteenteams fromwithintheregion.

PrimeMinisterPhillips wastheretohelpwiththe presentationandremarked totherapturousapplause oftheenergeticcrowdthat gathered:“Thisissome-

thingthathasstartedin Kwakwaniandwillcontinue.Thisisthefirstedition ofthePrimeMinister’sCup forRegion10.whichmeans thateveryyearwewillhave othereditions,andwewill startithereatKwakwani andwewillfinishithereat Kwakwani.”

InAdditiontothat,the eventwasplannedtobe onethatwillenhancesports tourisminthatsub-district regionaccordingtothe PrimeMinister’srepresentativeOrinWilson.

“So,theplannersneedto identifyifitwillstartatthe endofJulyandfinishatthe

endofAugustandmakeita calendareventandatourist relatedeventforKwakwani,”saidPMPhillipssaid ashehintedattherelevance ofsuchatournament.

Underbrilliantsunshine overthetwodaysofthe weekend,theSpeightland andKwakwanisidestriumphedovertheirsemifinalopponents,Calcuniand MalalionSaturday,tosetup thegrandfinalonSunday.

Speightlandcaptured $500,000andthehuge PrimeMinisterPhillips trophyandbragging rights.Kwakwanifor thatsecondplacedfinish collected$300,000and therunner’s-uptrophy, whileCalcunifordefeatingMalaligot$200,000 andatrophyasMalalihad tosettlefor$60,000.(Joe Chapman)

Thurs29,August7pmAntigua &BarbudaFalconsStKitts &NevisPatriots SirVivianRichardsStadium, Antigua

Thurs29,August7pmAntigua &BarbudaFalconsGuyana Amazon WarriorsSirVivianRichards Stadium,Antigua

Fri30August7pmStKitts &NevisPatriotsTrinbago KnightRidersWarnerPark SportingComplex,StKitts

Sun1September,10amAntigua &BarbudaFalconsBarbadosRoyalsSir VivianRichardsStadium,Antigua

Thurs5September,7pmSt Kitts&NevisPatriotsSaint LuciaKingsWarnerPark SportingComplex,StKitts

Sun1September7pmAntigua &BarbudaFalconsSaint LuciaKingsSir VivianRichardsStadium,Antigua

Wed4September7,pmStKitts &NevisPatriotsGuyana AmazonWarriors WarnerParkSportingComplex, StKitts

KensingtonOval,Barbados Thurs19September,7pmBarbadosRoyalsGuyanaAmazon Warriors KensingtonOval,Barbados

Sat14September,7pmSaint LuciaKingsAntigua& BarbudaFalconsDaren SammyCricketGround,Saint Lucia

Sun15September,7pmBarbadosRoyalsStKitts& NevisPatriotsKensington Oval,Barbados Tues17September,7pmTrinbagoKnightRidersGuyana Amazon WarriorsQueen’sParkOval, Trinidad

Friday20September,7pm TrinbagoKnightRidersAntigua &Barbuda FalconsQueen’sParkOval, Trinidad

Thurs12September7pmGuyanaAmazonWarriorsStKitts &Nevis PatriotsGuyanaNationalStadium,Providence

HARMANPREETKaur willleadIndia’scharge fortheirmaidensenior Women’sICCtitleatthe upcomingT20WorldCup inOctober.

TheIndianWomen's teamhasfacedaseriesof near-missesinICCevents overthepastdecade.

Theywererunners-upat boththeICCWomen'sCricketWorldCupin2017and theICCWomen'sT20World Cupin2020,alongwith severalotherknockout-stage appearances,butthecoveted trophyhasremainedjustout ofreach.

Asimilarstoryunfoldedforthemen'steam,who broketheirtitledroughtearlierthisyearwhenRohit Sharmaledthemtovictory attheICCMen’sT20World Cup,endingadecade-long waitsincetheirlasttriumph atthe2013ICCChampions Trophy.

TheWomen’steamnow hastheopportunitytodoubleIndia’scelebration,with HarmanpreetKaureagerto mirrortherecentsuccessof hermalecounterpartswithin

justafewmonths.

"Wehavebeenreally inspiredbythemen'steam, thewaytheywontheT20 WorldCupthisyear,"Harmanpreetsaidataneventin Delhi,onthesamedayIndia announcedtheirsquadforthe Women’sT20WorldCup.

"Theyworkedreallyhard forthistrophyandwonsome toughmatches.Weneedto learnhowtheymaintained theirbodylanguageforsuch matchesandhowtheyapproachedsuchgames.We're onthesameroadnowand gettingreadyforour(T20) WorldCupcampaign.

“Theteamisworking reallyhardandourattempt willbetogiveourcountry andfansanotheropportunity tocelebratethisyear."

IndiaareplacedinGroup AoftheupcomingtournamentalongsideAustralia, NewZealand,Pakistanand SriLanka.

Withonlythetoptwo teamsadvancingtothe knockoutstage,Indiawill needtobeattheirabsolute best.Theirfinalgroupmatch againstAustraliaisexpected tobecrucial,whilethey'll alsoneedtostayalertagainst SriLanka,whorecentlydefeatedthemintheWomen’s AsiaCupFinal.

Havingcomecloseon multipleoccasions,thepressurewillbeonIndiatodeliver.Harmanpreetemphasised theuniquechallengesthat comewithplayingaWorld Cup,highlightingtheimportanceofpreparationand

managingexpectations.

"TheWorldCupisakind oftournamentforwhichall teamspreparedifferently," Harmanpreetadded."Sono teamcanbetakenlightlyand similarlynoteamshouldbe overestimatedeither.

“Bilateralserieshavea differentkindofpressure andforWorldCupsthereis pressureaswellasexpectationsandhopesoffans.We areworkingextremelyhard toliveuptothoseexpectations,wehavebeenholding campswhereallplayersare workinghard.

“Wehavealsoworkedon themistakeswemadethelast time.Nowwe'rereadywitha positivemindset."

TheWomen’sT20World Cup2024willcommenceon October3,withIndiastarting theircampaignthefollowing day,October9,againstNew ZealandinDubai.

Theywillremainin DubaitofacePakistan (October6)andSriLanka (October9),beforemoving toSharjahfortheirfinal group-stagematchagainst Australia(October13).

Thurs5September,7pmAntigua&BarbudaFalcons TrinbagoKnightRiders SirVivianRichardsStadium, Antigua

Tues3September,7pmStKitts &NevisPatriotsBarbados RoyalsWarnerPark SportingComplex,StKitts

Fri6September7pmSaint LuciaKingsGuyanaAmazon WarriorsDaren SammyCricketGround,Saint Lucia

Sun8September,10amStKitts &NevisPatriotsAntigua &BarbudaFalcons WarnerParkSportingComplex, StKitts

Sat7September,7pmSaint LuciaKingsTrinbagoKnight RidersDaren SammyCricketGround,Saint Lucia

Tues10September,7pmBarbadosRoyalsAntigua& BarbudaFalcons KensingtonOval,Barbados

Fri13September,7pmSaint LuciaKingsStKitts& NevisPatriotsDaren SammyCricketGround,Saint Lucia

Wed11September,7pmBarbadosRoyalsTrinbagoKnight Riders

Sat21September,10amSaint LuciaKingsBarbadosRoyals GuyanaNational Stadium,Providence Wed18September,7pmGuyanaAmazonWarriorsAntigua &Barbuda FalconsGuyanaNationalStadium,Providence

Sun22September,10amBarbadosRoyalsSaintLuciaKings GuyanaNational Stadium,Providence Sat21September,7pmTrinbagoKnightRidersStKitt& NevisPatriotsBrian LaraCricketAcademy,Trinidad Sun22September,7pmTrinbagoKnightRidersSaintLucia KingsBrianLara CricketAcademy,Trinidad Wed25September,7pmGuyanaAmazonWarriorsBarbados Royals GuyanaNationalStadium,Providence

Tues24September,10amTrinbagoKnightRidersBarbados RoyalsBrian LaraCricketAcademy,Trinidad Sat28September,10amGuyana AmazonWarriorsSaintLucia Kings GuyanaNationalStadium,Providence

Fri27September,7pmGuyana AmazonWarriorsTrinbago KnightRiders GuyanaNationalStadium,Providence

Sun29September,7pmElim-

Wimbledonchampion BarboraKrejcikovasufferedanotherearlyexit fromtheUSOpen,losing hersecond-roundmatch instraightsetstoRomanianqualifierElena-GabrielaRuse.

Krejcikovabecame atwo-timeGrandSlam championinJulybyadding theWimbledontitletoher triumphatthe2021French Open.

The28-year-old reachedthequarter-final onhermain-drawdebutat theUSOpenin2021but hassincefailedtogetpast

KINGSTON,Jamaica, (CMC)–MountPleasant FAsecureda2-1victoryoverJamaicanclub rivalsArnettGardens FCinthe2024ConcacafCaribbeanCupon TuesdayatSabinaPark, markingtheirfirstwinin thetournament.

MountPleasant,re-

roundtwoinNewYork.

EighthseedKrejcikova savedasetpointonher

coveringfromanopening matchdefeat,tookthelead inthe33rdminutewhen JahshaunAnglinheaded homeacrossfromDaniel Green.Despitemounting pressure,ArnettGardens’ goalkeeperAsherHutchinsonmadecrucialsavesto keephisteaminthegame, includingaspectacular

ownserveat5-2downand brokeworldnumber122 Ruseatthenextopportu-

stopinthe45thminute.

ArnettGardensequalisedinthe54thminute withaheaderfromShai SmithoffaKimaniArbouinecross.However,Mount Pleasantfoundthewinner inthe82ndminutewhen KimoniBaileyskillfully manoeuvredinsidethebox toscore.

nity,onlytothentamely drophernextservicegame tolosethefirstset6-4.

Krejcikovaservedfor thesecondsetat5-4but Ruse,whostrucktheball confidentlythroughout, broketheCzechtwicein quicksuccessiontocompletea6-47-5wininone hoursand45minutes.

VictoryforRusesent the26-year-oldthroughto thethirdroundofaGrand Slamforthefirsttimein hercareer,atthe10thtime ofasking,andshesank tothefloorincelebration afterKrejcikovawentlong

ThevictoryliftsMount Pleasanttosecondplace inGroupA,trailingonly CavalierFC.Theywill faceMiscellaneousPolice FCinTrinidadonSeptember26.Stillseekingtheir firstwin,ArnettGardens willfacePoliceFCon September19.

Meanwhile,Dominica

withabackhandonmatch point.

Shewillface26thseed PaulaBadosaofSpainin roundthree,withBadosaa 6-37-5winneroverAmericanTaylorTownsend.

FormerUSOpenfinalistMadisonKeyswasanotherearlywinneronday three,defeatingAustralian teenagerMayaJoint6-4 6-0in62minutesonArthur AsheStadium,andthe14th seedwillfaceBelgium's EliseMertensnext.

Later,defendingchampionCocoGaufftakeson Germany'sTatjanaMaria

RepublicsideMocaFC

edgedTrinidadianoutfit ACPortofSpain3-2at EstadioMoca85inthe DominicanRepublic.A latepenaltyfromClifford Thomasinthe91stminute sealedthewin,putting MocaatopGroupB.

MocaFCwilllookto continuetheirunbeaten

intheopeningmatchofthe eveningsessiononArthur AsheStadium. AustralianOpenwinner ArynaSabalenka,OlympicchampionZhengQinwen,VictoriaAzarenka, DariaKasatkinaandElina Svitolinaareamongthe otherseededplayersin second-roundactionon daythree.

HarrietDart,one oftwoBritishplayers throughtoroundtwo ofthewomen'ssingles, takeson19thseedMarta KostyukfromUkraine.

starttothecampaignwhen theyhostOuanamintheFC onSeptember18inthe DominicanRepublic.

ACPortofSpain’s nextchallengewillcome againstGrenadesFCon September17inCouva, TrinidadandTobago.

CWIUnder-1750-overChampionshipresults–2ndround

PORTOFSPAIN,Trinidad(CMC)–Results ofthesecondroundof matchesintheCWIUnder-1750-overChampionshiphereTuesday.

SCORES

AttheNationalCrick-

etCentre:Matchbetween JamaicaandGuyanaendedinanoresult.

JAMAICA152in47.1 overs(OdaneBinns33, VitelLawes22,Deshawn James20,DavidDewar14,TyriekBryan13; RiyadLatiff3-15,JonathanvanLange3-18, DevonWharton2-27, GolcharranChulai2-27).

AtInshanAliPark: MatchbetweenTrinidad andTobagoandLeeward Islandsendedinano result.

TRINIDAD&TOBAGO92-6in23overs (RyanYearwood18, BrendanBoodoo17,DariusBatoosingh14;Micah McKenzie2-4).

AtGilbertPark:

MatchbetweenBarbados andWindwardIslands endedinanoresult.

WINDWARDISLANDS123in34.3 overs(KodiGrant35, TheoEdward30,EdmundMorancie14;Ja-

keemPollard3-10,ZacharyCarter3-30,Shaquan Belle3-38).

BARBADOS29-1 ineightovers(Joshua Dorne16notout).

ZverevcontinuesSlambidwithwinoverMuller

AlexanderZverevcontinuedhissearchfora firstGrandSlamtitlewith victoryoverAlexandre MullertoreachtheUS Openthirdround. Germany'sZverev,27, reachedthefinalinNew Yorkin2020aswellasthe FrenchOpenfinalearlier thisyear.

However,helosttheUS OpenshowpiecetoDominic Thiemfromtwosetsupand ledCarlosAlcarazbytwo setstooneinParisbefore succumbingtotheSpaniard. Zverevsaidhehad doubtshecouldreturnto thetoplevelaftersuffering aseriousankleinjuryatthe FrenchOpenin2022. Thefourthseedhaswon

54singlesmatchesthisyear -morethananyothermale playeronthetour-andaddedanothertohistallywith the6-47-6(7-5)6-1over France'sMuller.

"Ihadsomanydoubts, questionmarkswhetherI wouldeverbetop10ortop fiveintheworld[again]," Zverevsaid.

"WhatchangedisI'menjoyingeverysinglemoment onthesebeautifulcourtsin frontofthousandsoffans.

"Itwassomethingthat wastakenawayfromme two-and-a-half-yearsago andI'mextremelygladtobe playingatthislevel.

"HopefullyIcangive myselfthebestchanceto winhere."

ZverevwillfaceArgentina'sTomasMartinEtcheverrynext.

AmericanFrancesTiafoe andninthseedGrigorDimitrovwerealsoamongthe winnersonthethirddayin NewYork.

HomefavouriteTiafoe wasleadingAlexander Shevchenko6-46-11-0 whentheKazakhretired withinjury,whileDimitrov brushedasideAustralia's RinkyHijikata6-16-17-6 (7-4).

Defendingchampion NovakDjokovicfeatures inthenightsessionon ArthurAshe,withAndrey RublevandTaylorFritz alsoinaction.

BarboraKrejcikovabeatJasminePaoliniintheWimbledon finalinJuly

FromGCAtoICCChairman:JayShah'sJourney

WITHnoIndependentWomanDirectorappointedyet,the InternationalCricketCouncil (ICC)boardcurrentlyconsists of16members.Togetelected totheChair,acandidateis requiredtosecureninevotes, asimplemajority.

Theelectionprocessisprecededbyanominationphase, whereeachcandidaterequires aproposerandaseconder. JayShah,whowaselectedas ChairmanonTuesday,received backingfrom15outofthe16 currentdirectorsinthenominationstage.

Whoisthe16thdirectoris inconsequential,andtherewas noneedforanelection.Among thosebackinghimweredirectors fromAustralia,Englandand NewZealand.

NeverbeforehastheICC boardbeensostronglyunitedin itssupportforasingledirector. Overtheyears,IndiahasexportedseveralleaderstotheICC, includingJagmohanDalmiya, SharadPawar,NSrinivasan,and ShashankManohar,andnoneof themcouldclaimtheunanimous andoverwhelmingbackingof theICCmembers.

Dalmiya(in1997)hadto relyonthevotesofAssociate nationsandtheAsianblocto fendoffchallengesfromthe England-Australia-NewZealand-WestIndiesgroupina verticallysplitICC.WhenPawar ascendedthepositionin2010, AustraliaandNewZealandwere pushingforJohnHoward,the

WESTIndiesfastbowlerShannonGabrielhas announcedhisretirement frominternationalcricket, bringinganendtoa12yearcareerthatsawhim becomeoneofthemost fearedpacebowlersinthe Caribbean.Gabrielmade theannouncementonInstagramonWednesday, expressinghisgratitude fortheopportunitiesand experienceshegainedwhile representingtheWestIndiesontheglobalstage.

“Duringthepast12years Ihavededicatedmyselfto playinginternationalcricket fortheWestIndies,”Gabriel wrote.“Playingthisbeloved gameatthehighestlevelhas broughtmeimmensejoy,but asthesayinggoes,allgood thingsmustcometoanend. Today,Iamannouncingmy retirementfrominternational cricket.”

Inhisheartfeltmessage, GabrielthankedGodforthe blessingsheandhisfamily receivedduringhistime

formerPrimeMinisterofAustralia.Srinivasan(2014)managed towinoverEnglandandAustralia,butmanyotherboardswere notfullyalignedwithhim.He was,afterall,oneofthearchitectsofthehighlycontroversial BigThreearrangement.Manohar(2017),whodismantled theBigThreesystem,garnered globalsupport,butquestionsremainedaboutwhetherhehadthe fullbackingoftheBCCIatall.

Atjust35,Shahbecomes theyoungestadministratorto leadtheworldgoverningbody

withunanimoussupport.Itis remarkablethatinaveryshort time,hemanagedtogainso muchtrustfromitsmembers. "JustashehasdoneforIndian cricket,bothmenandwomen, playersworldwidewillbenefit," SunilGavaskarwroteinarecent columninSportstar.

Shah'ssinglemostcontributiontoworldcrickettodatehas beenensuringcricket'sentryinto theOlympics-afeatthatmay wellbehismostlastinglegacy. Historically,theBCCIleaders resistedjoiningtheOlympic

fold,fearingitwouldcompromisetheirautonomyatthenationallevel,particularlyvis-a-vis theIndianOlympicAssociation (IOA).Shah'sperspectivetranscendedsuchconcerns,focusing insteadonthelargerinterestof thesport.WithouttheBCCI's backing,anOlympicberthfor cricketwouldnothavebeen possible,andShahsawtheimportanceoftakingthegameto theOlympicGames.

AttheBCCIlevel,fewcan matchhisachievementsasthe secretary.Fromestablishing

playingfortheWestIndies. HealsoextendedhisappreciationtoCricketWestIndies administrators,coaches,and staffmembersfortheirhard workandsupportoverthe years.

“WordscannotadequatelyconveytheappreciationI haveforyourhardworkand support,”hesaid.“Lastbut

notleast,Iamgratefulto myteammatesandallthose whohavestoodbymeand supportedmealongtheway. Youhavemademyjourney tothetoptrulyspecial.”

Althoughretiringfrom internationalcricket,Gabriel planstocontinuerepresentinghiscountry,club,and franchiseteamsaroundthe

astate-of-the-arthigh-performancecentreinBengaluruto creatingadistinctidentityfor women'scricketandadvocating fortheprimacyofTestcricket, thelistofhisachievementshave beenplenty.Thebestpartofhis five-yeartenureintheBCCI, sincetakingoverasitssecretary in2019,hasbeenthathehas consistentlyplacedhispriorities intherightareas.

OneofShah'sbiggest achievementswasnavigating thechallengingCovidperiodin 2020and2021,whenmuchof theworldhadcometoastandstill.ButcricketinIndiadidnot. Hesuccessfullymanagedseveral internationalhomeseriesand, mostnotably,twoseasonsofthe IPLinastrictbio-securebubble. WhilehisfatherAmitShah'sposition(theUnionHomeMinster) intheCentralGovernmentmay havehelped,thefactremained thatcricketcontinuedtothrivein India,eveninthemostdifficult times.Crucially,heensuredthat the2021T20WorldCupwas heldintheUAE,withtheBCCI retainingthehostingrights.Last year,hedeliveredthemostsuccessfulWorldCupever.

Alandmarkdecisionin Shah'stenurewasthelaunchof theWomen'sPremierLeague (WPL),ensuringthatboththe franchisesandmediarightswere notundervaluedorundersold. Theleague'steamswerecumulativelysoldforanimpressive Rs4,669crore,whilethemediarightsaddedRs951crore,

toayoungIanBishop,and hequicklybecameakeyfigureinTrinidad&Tobago’s first-classattack.Hewon selectionfortheChampions LeagueT20in2011and claimedamaidenfive-wicket haulagainstBarbadosinthe semi-finaloftheregional four-daycompetitioninApril 2012.

numbershithertounthinkablein women'scricket.

ThiscameontopoftheRs 48,390crorefortheIPLmediarights,aneye-poppingand jaw-droppingvaluation.The valueofBCCI'sbilateralrights alsosawaconsiderableuplift, witheachinternationalgame fetchingRs67.8crore,bringing theoverallfour-yearvalueto Rs5,963crore.Thesefigures wouldhavemadeevenLalit Modiproud.

Shah'sadministrativejourneybeganatthedistrictandstate levelsin2009,whenheworked withtheCentralBoardofCricket,Ahmedabad(CBCA),and theGujaratCricketAssociation (GCA)asanexecutive.In2013, hebecamethejointsecretaryof theGCA,whereheplayedan instrumentalroleinraisingthe colossalNarendraModiStadiuminAhmedabad,theworld's largestcricketground.

TakingoverastheBCCI secretaryin2019,Shahalso oversawoneofthefinest phasesinIndiancrickethistory,markedbysuccessatinternationallevel,includingtherecentT20WorldCuptriumph. Notablyunderhisleadership, theBCCI-anorganisation knownforitsfactionalism otherwise-remainedsolidly united.FewcricketadministratorsinIndia,perhaps,can boastofsuchatrackrecord. Worldcricketissuretobenefit fromhisdrivetobringabout improvements.(Cricbuzz)

kainGrosIslet,though thematchendedinadraw. However,hiscareerwas alsomarkedbymomentsof frustration,includinganinfamousdismissalinRoseauin 2017when,tryingtosavethe gameandtheseriesagainst Pakistan,heswungwildlyat adelivery,handingthematch toPakistan.

worldwiththesamepassion hehasshownthroughouthis career.

Gabriel,hailingfrom TrinidadandTobago,first garneredattentionaspartof theinauguralbatchofplayers attheWestIndiesCricket Board’shigh-performance centrein2010.Hisearlyperformancesdrewcomparisons

Gabriel’sTestdebutcame laterthatyearduringthe WestIndies’tourofEngland. HemadeanimmediateimpactatLord’s,takingfour wickets,butabackinjury cuthistourshort.Despite thesetback,Gabrielbecame aregularintheWestIndies side,knownforhisroleasa muscularenforcer.Someof hismostmemorableperformancesincludeasix-wicket haulagainstPakistaninAbu Dhabiin2016andaremarkable9for92inBridgetown in2017,whichhelpedlevel theseriesfortheWestIndies.

Gabriel’sfinesthour camein2018whenhetook 13wicketsagainstSriLan-

Overhis59-Testcareer, Gabrieltook166wickets atanaverageof32.21and aneconomyrateof3.42. Healsoplayed25OneDay Internationals,claiming33 wickets.HemadehisTest debutinMay2012against Englandandlastrepresented theWestIndiesinJuly2023 againstIndia.

AsShannonGabriel stepsawayfrominternationalcricket,hiscontributionstoWestIndiescricket willberememberedforhis fierypace,hisabilityto breakpartnerships,andhis unwaveringcommitmentto theteam.(Sportsmax)

JEMIMAHRodriguesliftedTrinbagoKnightRiders intothe2024MassyWomen’sCaribbeanPremier League(WCPL)finalafter anerve-janglingfour-wicketvictoryoverBarbados RoyalsattheBrianLara CricketAcademyinTarouba,Trinidad.

Chasing131foraplacein today’sfinal,KnightRiders wereinbigtroubleat43-3 beforeRodriguesstepped upwithanunbeaten59off 50balls.

TheKnightRidersneededsixrunsoffthefinal over,butacalmRodrigues hitHayleyMatthewsfora boundaryonthethirddeliverybeforeasingleonthe nextballensuredtheirtitle dreamsremainedalive.

JemimahRodrigues(left)andChamariAthapaththubothmade half-centuries(Photos:CPLT20/GettyImages)

Inwhatturnedouttobea dressrehearsalforthefinal, KnightRiderslostthreeearly wickets,butcapitalisedon sloppyfieldingfromRoyals. Rodriguesreceivedalife on43whenDjenabaJoseph fumbledatshortfineleg.

TheKnightRiders’attack hadstruggledinthetournamentbutbowledsuperbly inthePowerPlaytotearinto theRoyals’top-order.Opener ChamariAthapaththuspearheadedarecoverywith70off 63toliftRoyalsto130-7,but

BarbadianJacobBethelcalledupby EnglandforODIseriesagainstAustralia

LONDON,(CMC)–Barbadianall-rounderJacob Bethellhasbeennamedin England’sOneDayInternationalfornextmonth’s homeseriesagainstAustralia.

The20-year-oldBethell, whoattendedHarrisonCollegeandplaysforWarwickshire,isamongthreeplayerswhohavebeenhanded white-ballcallupsforthe firsttime.

Bethell,alongwithhis WarwickshireteammateDan Mousley,hadbeentippedfor inclusiononthebackoftheir goodformintheT20Blast andHundredcompetitions.

BarbadianJacobBethellhas beennamedinEngland’sODI squadtofaceAustraliain September

HewilljoinfellowBarbadianJofraArcher,whois alsoincludedinthe15-membersquad.

BethellwaspartofEngland’sUnder-19teamthat reachedtheWorldCupfinal in2022.Hewasespecially impressiveinthequarterfinal againstSouthAfricawhenhe

itultimatelywasn’tenough.

Royalshadalready clinchedaplaceinthefinal afterwinningtheiropening threematches.Butitwas highstakesforKnightRiders,whoenteredthematch sittingbehindGuyanaAmazonWarriorsonnetrunrate.

Playwasslightlydelayed duetorainandtheKnight Ridersweredesperateto makethemostofthefavourablebowlingconditionsafter winningthetoss.

SeamerShikhaPandey enjoyedtheperfectstartafter nickingoffMatthewsinthe firstoverwithafulldelivery thatmovedlate.

QianaJosephliveddangerouslyandrodeherluck afterbeingdroppedbyJess Jonassenatmid-off.But

TKRintoWCPLfinalagainstRoyals; AmazonWarriorsknockedout

Joseph’sriskyinningssoon endedwhenshebottom edgedawildslashoffShamiliaConnell,whosespectaculardebutforKnightRiders continuedwhensheclean bowledAaliyahAlleynefor aduck.

Athapaththuheldtheinningstogetherbutcouldnot gettinggoingasRoyalsfell intoalull.Thefrustrations ledtoRashadaWilliamsbeingdismissedbyspinner SamaraRamnathinthe12th overasRoyalsturnedto big-hitterLauraHarrisfora spark.

Butsheholedoutfirst ballleavingtheburdenon Athapaththu,whoaccelerated lateasRoyalsfinishedwith momentum.

KnightRidersstarted

theirchasedisastrouslywith theearlywicketsofHarshitha Samarawickramaandcaptain DeandraDottin.Jonassen attemptedarally,butshewas runoutonthelastballofthe powerplay.

RodriguesandKycia Knightcleverlyworkedinto gapsbutstruggledtohit boundaries.Knightunleashed onlyforNaijanniCumberbatchtotakeabrilliantcatch runninginfromtheboundary.

ButRodrigueshita boundaryinthepenultimateoverandkepther composureastheKnight Riderscelebratedtheir placeinthefinalwithgusto.(CPL)

smashed88from42balls.

JoshHullhasalsoreceivedhismaidenODI call-up,BrydonCarsereturnsafterservingathreemonthsuspensionforbettingbreaches,whiletheuncappedJohnTurnerisalso includedinbothsquads.

Therewasnoplace forveteransJonnyBairstow,MoeenAliorChris Jordan,allofwhomwereinvolvedattheT20WorldCup inJune,whileneitherTom Hartley,whowaswiththe squadintheCaribbean buthasyettobecappedin T20Is,norRehanAhmedare included.

FastbowlerMark Woodalsomissesout throughinjury.

MIDDLE-distanceace MalachiAustinranabrilliant400metresdashat theWorldAthleticsU20 Championshiptotakesecondplaceinhisheatto advancetothesemifinalsin LimaPeru.

Thenational400metres men’schampionfinishedwith the8thbesttimeof46.92seconds,hewasedgedattheline byheatwinnerJapan’sKentaroShirahatawhostoppedthe clockin46.45seconds,anew personalbestforhim.

Thirdplacewentto TrinidadandTobago’sJaden Clementwithatimeof47.63 seconds.

Austinwhoboastsapersonalbestof46.35achieved thisseasonwillbehopingto converthissemifinalplacementintoafinalshowingfor Guyana.

Meanwhile,Tianna Springermissedoutonadvancingby1hundredthof secondinthewomen’s.

Springerrunningoutof lane6camefourthplacewith atimeof54.49secondstobe outthetopthreefinishersfor

automaticqualifiers.

ThetimesawSpringer finishingasthe25thbest athleteintheeventwiththe top24movingon,the24th bestfinisherhavingatimeof 54.48seconds.

Theheatwaswonby ItalianElisaValensinin53.82 secondswithSlovenianKarolinaZvicajniksecondand AustralianAmeilaRowethird in54.10seconds.

IntheotherWomen’s 400metreseventNarissa McPhersonmissedouton qualifyingforthesemifinal ofthewomen’s400metres, asshecameinsixthplace withthetopfiveadvancing inaracewonbyCanadian DiannaProctor.

Shefinishedin54.67to bethe31stathletewithonly thetop24advancingtothe semi-finals.