Black Immigrant Daily News

Teenager Louis Wilson upstaged more seasoned opponents to convincingly win the Barbados Chess Federation’s (BCF) VEXX Tournament.

The 17-year-old Wilson overcame the challenge of senior Barbados representatives Justin Parsons and Emar Edwards to comfortably take top spot when the five-day event ended on Wednesday night at the Coles Building on Bay Street, Bridgetown.

Wilson, the older brother of reigning ladies national champion, Hannah Wilson, finished with six and a half out of a maximum seven points, ending a point and half more than both Parsons and Edwards, who were part of Barbados’ team at the 44th FIDE Olympiad in Chennai, India in August.

A former national Under-16 champion, Wilson, who was seeded at No. 4, emerged as the favourite to win the event after defeating second seeded Parsons on Sunday night and third seeded Edwards the following night. He duly took the top prize after beating veterans Othneil Harewood and Cyprian La Touche in the final two rounds.

Wilson’s quest for a 100 per cent winning record was denied when he had to settle for a draw in the third round against top seed, England-born Chris White, one of four new players entered in the tournament.

Both Parsons and Edwards finished with five points but Parsons took second place on account of winning the head to head clash in the third round.

Twelve-year-old Chanon Reifer-Belle, who won gold medals in the online rapid and blitz events at the Pan American Youth Championships earlier this year, placed fourth with four and a half points. Among her victories was an upset win against Parsons in the last round.

Harewood took fifth place on the tie-break ahead of La Touche and Alex Sargeant after all three players ended on four points.

The tournament, which was not open to players who finished in the top three spots at the National Championship and Ladies National Championship in April, attracted 16 players. Among the newcomers to BCF competitions was president of the Barbados Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, Dr Alfred Sparman.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

door Steven Seedo PARAMARIBO — De topzanger ‘Bryan B’ Bijlhout heeft plannen om in december een tour te doen langs verschillende bejaardentehuizen

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Black Immigrant Daily News

President Dr Irfaan Ali said that the aspirations of the people must be embodied in the innovative direction of the Government.

He said that when this “dynamic blend” is achieved, then the transformational objectives of the country can be realised.

During the feature address at the opening of the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair 2022 on Friday evening at the Albion Sports Complex, the President outlined a number of initiatives on the cards for the region to further catalyse growth and development.

These included the consideration of a new, more modern bridge across the Berbice River and the creation of a stadium at Palmyra.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

President Ali said that his administration is moving ahead with establishing an oil refinery in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and will soon be inviting potential investors to submit their proposals for the construction of the 30,000-barrel facility.

The Government, he reiterated, is working on a series of initiatives at the national level that will lead to the transition and the transformation of the country and its economy.

2030 AND BEYOND

“We are putting the investments in the infrastructure, the human resources, the institutional capacity and the building out of the right adaptable technology that will situate our economy on a platform to perform in a world 2030 and beyond.”

President Ali assured that the structure, dynamism and diversity of the economy that his administration is building will be “so integrated and multi-dimensional, that we will be able to compete among the best economies in the world in every area of structural development that we are pursuing”.

He stated that while his Government is pursuing long-term initiatives, they will focus on building programmes that will deliver short-term results as the country transitions to perennial economic growth and prosperity.

PILLARS OF DEVELOPMENT

Dr Ali listed several pillars upon which the country’s transformation will be built, including healthcare and education systems to satisfy the locals and attract Guyanese in the diaspora, an improved ICT sector and by positioning Guyana to become a global leader in food security and energy development.

“We are not pursuing a one-sided growth approach, but a multi-dimensional approach.”

He added that his administration is also seeking to position Guyana as a leader in environmental and biodiversity services.

“When we speak about the future, we cannot speak about the future without understanding that environmental services and biodiversity system, ecological services will be an important part of the modern economy in the world 2030 and beyond.”

He assured that amidst all of this, Region Six and Five are well positioned to be the centrepiece for growth and development.

The goal, he continued, is to work together to bring prosperity to every single home, to bring development to every household to advance and uplift the lives of every single citizen.

“It is not only about love, but loving each other. It is linked to the development of our country. It is linked to the aspirations of our people. It is linked to the development trajectory and the transformation that we are going after—bringing a new wave of development and a new wave of prosperity.”

President Ali emphasised that this requires every single stakeholder to shoulder the responsibility of transforming Guyana into a leading economy.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Alric Lindsay, who serves as a member of the Grand Cayman Liquor Licensing Board, Utility Regulation and Competition Office (“OfReg”) and National Roads Authority (“NRA”) confirmed that he has resigned from those roles, effective this fourth quarter.

Lindsay explained to Loop that, “although board resignations are sometimes accompanied by some form of controversy, there was no quarrel in this case.”

He further explained: “My time on these boards was rewarding because of the opportunity it gave me to serve the public interest. In doing so, I realized that I had to balance the perception of members of the public that board members should be doing more and the reality that there are limitations under the Public Authorities Act as to what government boards are permitted to do. In any event, I enjoyed helping the boards implement what they could within the boundaries of the Act.”

During his time, in particular as chairman of the NRA, Lindsay encouraged full transparency, accountability and worked to improve public engagement.

Going forward as a non-board member, he said that he “hoped that this transparency would continue and ultimately, revisions would be made to the Public Authorities Act to allow all agreements between government entities and third parties to be published so that members of the public could understand how public funds are being spent and whether value for money is being obtained.”

Lindsay, whose non-governmental board job has always been as a director of Cayman-based investment funds, said he will now turn his focus to more volunteer activities in the community, including with non-profit organisations where he currently delivers meals weekly to the elderly and shut-ins.

His resignations from government boards are effective on the following dates:

Grand Cayman Liquor Licensing Board: October 31, 2022OfReg: October 31, 2022NRA: November 30, 2022

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