K
AIETEUR NEWS
Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Alaska recovers US$ billions by suing oil p. 15
Wednesday Edition April 29, 2020 - Vol. 15 No. 17
Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Price $80
Online readership yesterday 194,007
companies for rightful revenues IMF grants US$65.6M for Dominica, Grenada
and St. Lucia to address C O VID-19 Pandemic
p. 11
- Guyana continues to await assistance from other int’l financial agencies Exxon workers arrive on special charter from the UK p.8
The British Airways Dreamliner 787-8 at CJIA yesterday.
Health Ministry seeks PAHO-WHO approval to usep. blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients 7
Another COVID-19 Guyana moves up case confirmed; two places on World - Health Press Freedom Index number at 75 Ministry p. 12
p. 3
Continue vaccination to avoid risk of other outbreaks during COVID-19 pandemic PAHO Director says...
p.2
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Wednesday April 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: SHARMAIN GRAINGER Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Multiple local financial crises to intensify The arresting news caption told only part of the tale: “Financial crisis looms after April - Former Auditor General, Goolsarran” (KN April 28). We say that, though stark and spot on, it is only part of the story that does not merely loom for many in this society, but is already here and intensifying daily. The frightening reality is of multiple converging crises and with intensifying pains for those who can least bear them. Mr. Goolsarran, an expert of enduring pedigree, first pointed out the limitations imposed on filling funding requirements of the state because of the extended political impasses. It was noted that any stopgap measures employed “will be insufficient to meet the cost of essential services.” And this is in a possible best-case scenario, should there be no political resolution to what is best described as a state of hung or lame duck national government. Since any monies accessed would be inadequate to address basic needs, social stringencies are sure to follow, with all their impacts felt by an already besieged and hapless citizenry. But that is still slightly around the corner, and not quite here at this time. What is here, and right now, at the individual and commercial levels are the hardships and agonies delivered in one savaging blow after another. We put a human face to the plights experienced, of which there are many such aggrieved faces and many compounding plights. We plead with our political powers, all of them, but especially the still governing coalition: listen and heed, please. Many workers have been forced to remain indoors full-time. They have no income, which means no spending power, which translates to not being able to access basics for table and family, which signifies not having and having to do without. Many of our fellow citizens live paycheck to paycheck, and now that is gone, has been gone for weeks best not remembered. There is little or no reserve left. That is the disturbing saga of those sent home because their places of employment are either deemed nonessential or the managers are fearful. We need a political resolution and we need it yesterday. It is the same unforgiving circumstances for the many small contingents of citizens who work for themselves (“independent contractors”), those who farm out their skills, their equipment, through various services offered in private residences and businesses with which they have established relationships. The picture that is repeated and encountered continuously is of closed gates and doors, as in nothing doing. Not today or anytime soon is the word from homeowners and business owners, because of mounting unease and a settled lack of confidence over government’s handling of the COVID-19 virus. These independents, too, are not earning and, therefore, are not managing well. Are our political leaders still on this planet? Anywhere around these 83,000 square miles? The expanding ripples - indeed, wave after wave - of the squeezing and enfeebling reach beyond small individuals and families and homes. Business existing in a state of lockdown, or compressed schedules, are not earning, not employing, not paying taxes. They cannot pay to either bank or utility providers or municipal government, among other places owed. The continually cash-strapped City Council of Georgetown could soon be near to screaming point. Now comes the piercing pinches, the many pains on the way, unless something gives. We ask the questions that come too easily at this time of gloom: who is going to collect the garbage in the capital? Who is going to man the markets? And who among those struggling citizens at the bottom of the economic ladder is going to be able to manage without the temporary lifesaver of something to take home to the family? We at this newspaper pause to remind all politicians now locked in a deathlike struggle. Not a single component laid out above, (there are countless others) is of the abstract. It is of Guyanese men and women and their partners and their children, the flesh and blood that chill and crumple before the circumstances that they must confront currently and daily. This country needs a political resolution to our political seizures. And it needs it now. We appeal: come to senses and do it. Just do it!
Caricom leaders will have to guarantee an accurate recount DEAR EDITOR, In reference to your news item (Apr. 28) that the high level Caricom team is expected to arrive on April 30, there is no timeframe when the count will begin or end? Without some kind of terms of reference to deter fraud, those of us who studied political science know it won’t end well – to quote the words of Trinidad & Tobago PM Dr. Keith Rowley. When you study political science (a sub-field called political psychology), you know how political actors behave. Anyone who partakes in democratic electoral processes and places faith in fair outcomes won’t put so many wrenches in the path of or oppose an open, transparent electoral process. If actors had sought advise of political experts, errors would have been
avoided and Guyana would have avoided this electoral dilemma. When this Caricom team arrived in Guyana in mid March, I told my friends the recount won’t happen. Truth be told, the Caricom packed up and left. Six weeks later, the team has been given approval to return on Thursday with certification of negative tests for COVID-19. (I am on record as saying that a recount is not needed. To have a recount, you must first have a certification of the tabulation of the SOPs, which legalizes the count. There was a tabulation and certification of SOPs of nine regions and were all accepted by all the parties. Region 4 was not completed and certified and was challenged in court that instructed GECOM to complete the process. That
should be undertaken to complete the count before the start of a recount. Any other course is fraught with inherent dangers.) When the court ruled three weeks ago that Caricom could observe and validate the process under the supervision of GECOM, friends in Guyana, optimists, told me that the process would commence the same weekend. I countered it won’t be before the first week in May, I was called a pessimist. Three weeks later, we wait. So the team arrives on Thursday, visit the site on Friday, set up the infrastructure weekend and move the containers. The recount may possibly begin next week. Expect more obstacle and more delays! When will the recounting be completed? Not anytime soon as I told friends. There
will be obstacles, challenges, and disagreements strewn in the path of the recount. And will the recount be accurate? Will votes be discarded? Are boxes stuffed? Will recount align with SOPs in the boxes? If two earlier efforts failed, what makes one feel the third attempt would be any different? Well, one cannot give up hope for what other option is there when political actors failed or have no good intention. Will the loser concede? So far, there has not been any evidence of acceptance of a defeat. Will it end well? For it to end well, Dr. Rowley, PM Mia Mottley, and other Caricom leaders will have to intervene to guarantee an accurate count and to end the shenanigans. Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram
True partnership DEAR EDITOR, The production cost of oil is USD 35 per barrel (bbl) and it is being sold at $18 per bbl; a loss of $17 per bbl? By simple calculation Guyana collects every seventh million of production for which we will earn $18M; by the same token, a loss of $119M is accrued during the production of the seven million bbl. May I ask who is/ are responsible for picking up this tab? If it is Guyana, then we must sit with the Operator and work assiduously to lower the production costs; if it is our
partners, then we must not only assist in every way possible to lower production costs, but we must also be willing to readjust our deal to make this venture viable in the short term and profitable in the long term for all concerned. We must engage with the Oil companies as true developmental partners to determine the short, medium, and long term viability of the industry. Guyana must be willing to stand with our partners and help in whatever measure we can to ensure we get the most from our oil
resource and if there is a period where it is costing us more to pull it out of the ground than we can make selling it, we have to agree to halt production if asked by the Operator. We have spoken of partnership with the Oil companies, and much like a marriage, one has to take the bad with the good to make it work. Guyana must use this period to readjust our thinking about oil as simply a ‘crude’ commodity to be lifted and sold. This is the time to think ‘value-added’; for
example, petroleum-based synthetic fertilizers would bring extraordinary value to our agricultural sector. The Petroleum downstream must become part of the Guyanese dream. Guyana urgently needs her legitimate government to take control to ensure this fledgling pillar of the economy is not destroyed as others were in the recent past. Every day lost comes with a cost attached. Sed fugit interea, fugit inreparabile tempus. Respectfully, Robin Singh
The Private Sector Commission under fire from the head
DEAR EDITOR, There is another war of sorts going on amidst our main al ones involving crippling disputes and our viral one (the main one) that tells us how woefully fragmented we are. It tells me more than I need to know, or to which I seek to be anywhere close. From my perspective, our issues are not of the intellectually stimulating, but simply of the psychically encumbering, the spiritually sickening. It is of how far that we have advanced downhill for one specious cause after another; I sense how tragically deep we are committed. In my book, it is fine and healthy for the Private Sector Commission or any other body to be challenging by revealing where things have
fallen short, where we have gone wrong, be it government, or opposition, or the other major planks in society, including that made up by its own constituents with criminal histories. I am all for pressing and calling out and exposing. As examples, I tender the Guyana Human Rights Association and Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc. These are both entities with which I sometimes disagree. But both have stated in unambiguous terms what is wrong, and where they stand relative to Elections 2020 Guyana. They, and others, have stepped forward and voiced their strong objections to what should not be. I laud them. But they have not become so inextricably fastened to the controversies and the respective warring
sides that they are indistinguishable from both. Or worse yet, that they have become committed messenger or part of the narrative of one or the other groups that has served each and every citizen of this country so ignominiously. Like I like to say, we can support as part of our civic obligation, but there is a limit. The clear confines dictated by character and conscience that must not be breached. I venture that this applies mostly in our dealings with and representations of Guyanese politicians. It can be a disturbing journey, a savaging trauma, with too many epiphanies that leave in the most disappointing places. I will be so bold as to state that the Private Sector Commission, such as we know it, had lost its moorings,
and with those any claim to the objectivity that flows from impartiality, no matter the degree of personal and internal convictions of the rightness of its positions and the compulsions of its obligations. As a quick aside, I think that the parts of the diplomatic core also allowed itself to be sucked too far into the raging vortex that is Guyanese politics, with dross hanging for their pains. Being the wise people that they are, they have retreated, at least publicly and verbally. But back to the PSC. I recall that, not so long ago, the PSC had so mangled itself that it was widely accepted that there were two private sectors. It might be regarded as among the sharp birth pains of democracy, but it is also (Continued on page 6)
Wednesday April 29, 2020
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The election impasse warrants an inclusive govt. as per the model below DEAR EDITOR, The fact that the elections result cannot be declared after so many weeks with allegations of: rigging, the PPP has about 17k votes more (SOP), the Coalition does not want to give up power, recount of votes in 156 days. Some said democracy is destroyed, some said both parties are corrupt and they want power to get their hands on the oil money for their friends and family and when in power to hell with you/ people until a next election. Some said Granger, Ramjattan, Gaskin and some AFC guys wants to give up power, but the PNC and the army does not want to give up power. It is believed that the coalition does not want to give up power because they are a major race in the country, and want a part of the authority to represent their people in government.
This is also why the PNC remained in power for 28 years. Many persons who now grow older think that they are right. In addition, the people think that an inclusive government will be in the interest of all Guyanese, because they are going to be like a watchman to each other thus enhancing transparency and accountability, less corruption. Dr Jagan said, the winner must not take all. Unlike the Coalition the PPP did a rigorous professional campaign door to door and organized transportation for people to vote. Like I always say, when politicians get power they are blinded to reality and when they are out of power on the other side of the fence, then they see reality. This is why Jagdeo, Rohee, Nandlall, Texiera, Ali, etc., are seen by some as the no 1 politicians in Guyana.
When the coalition will be out they are going to realize how many things they could have done differently especially there arrogance and place one race in high positions, etc. If they would have done a rigorous door to door, and not a show off/arrogant campaign they would have won this election. Hence, the PPP 17k votes is not very representative of the Guyana population/ voters. If the Coalition does not give up power, the sanctions will create some hardships, many Indians will migrate, thus putting the PPP as the minority race, like the PNC was a few years ago. Also remember during the Burnham Era when there was no imported foods/foreign exchange, the people survived. Hence, this election impasse warrants an inclusive government. It is believed that a party with corrupt intensions,
opportunists, oil money, will not agree for an inclusive government. Where is the democracy we speak about when one major race is not included in the management of the government, because of the archaic and dictatorial constitution. So please get the Caribbean heads to head this negotiations and, like Dr Hinds said puts it, put the election outcome to rest, and forge ahead in the interest of the people of Guyana. A model of an inclusive government: 1) An IMC, the custodian and implementation of the constitution, including the reform, comprising 7 persons, 1 PPP, 1 PNC, 1 native, Chris Ram, Anand Goolsarran, Freddie Kissoon, Clifford Reece, Yesu Persaud and a white man as head. These names are people who
demonstrate impartiality. 2) PPP allegedly have 17k votes more than the Coalition, they will hold the Presidency Modified, with limited powers, with the responsibility to manage the affairs of the country, the ministers, on a daily basis and a joint cabinet of the ministers. He also holds a no objection authority. He reports to the IMC. 3) Coalition, Prime Minister with a modified responsibility to assist the President Modified or no prime minister, but a Deputy President. 4) Coalition, Ministry of Finance, jointly clean the allegedly corrupt individuals 5) PPP, Ministry of Natural resources, including oil and mining 6) Coalition, Education 7) PPP, Public Security 8) Coalition, Housing and Planning 9) PPP, Agriculture
10) Coalition, Foreign affairs 11) PPP, public Infrastructure 12) Coalition, State Planning 13) PPP, Attorney General The Tender board must be an independent agency and reporting to the IMC. All commissions must comprise non political appointments with the exception of 1 PNC and 1 PPP, 1 native. Now, if you have no intension to be corrupt, get the legal minds to work on this, and any enactment. Please this is in the interest of all Guyanese, and no one party. This is good for the people, transparency and accountability. Do not let this chaos help the oil company to take more advantage, be the watchman to each other in government. Sincerely, Joe Persaud (Canada)
Should the government disban the prison at Lusignan? DEAR EDITOR, Ongoing occurences have revealed that the prison is an open killing field. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, the Russian writer of Crime and Punishment fame once said that “the degree of civilization in a society is revealed by entering its prisons.” While this would seem to be a logical conclusion, sadly it does not hold in Guyana. The country was rapped for its in 2011 by the U.S. State Department for its human rights record. The report on Human Rights Practices by the State Department showed that the most serious human rights abuses among others involved poor prison and jail
conditions. During 2016 the Government of Guyana with the support of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IADB) agreed to conduct an inmate survey. A team of researchers headed by Rodolfo Sarsfield from the University Tres de FEbrero in Argentina was invited to develop the study. Again in 2017, the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, under the auspices of the Office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, strongly recommended to the Guyana Government that the Lusignan Prison be shut down “without delay” and replaced by one that meets
We have a small window of opportunity DEAR EDITOR, The coronavirus pandemic is likely to be followed by even more deadly and destructive disease outbreaks unless their root cause – the rampant destruction of the natural world – is rapidly halted, the world’s leading biodiversity experts have warned. There is a single species responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic – us. Recent pandemics are a direct consequence of human
activity, particularly our global financial and economic systems that prize economic growth at any cost. We have a small window of opportunity, in overcoming the challenges of the current crisis, to avoid sowing the seeds of future ones. Rooplall Dudhnath
international standards. The Working Group found that the Prison clearly fell short of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules). Following a visit to the Lusignan Prison The Working Group found that the majority of inmates in the prison were Afro-Guyanese, kept in appalling conditions with cells being unfit for human habitation. Furthermore, they added the facility was located close to a landfill with foul odour coming from stagnant dirty water. Following the escape in October 2018 of three prisoners from Lusignan prison, the then Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was warned by the Private Sector Commission, of the existing inhumane conditions at the prison, and the security risks being posed to prison guards. “While the Commission is concerned about the safety and security of the public, it is also disturbed by the less than humane conditions under which the prison population at the Lusignan Prison is housed.
No answers elicited, —but I am left floundering about in my dwindling pool of reality, as to the rationale underlying these commissions and investigations, if the recommendations are not being adhered to. Is it simply a case of officials going through the motion with absolutely no notion regarding the conclusion. To quote Alfred Lord Tennyson — Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. In prison safety is a basic necessity for prisoners and staff alike, and protection of prisoners against prisoners is also required. As a consequence institutions have a legal responsibility to protect all prisoners equally. In practice some institutions classify prisoners according to whether they are likely to be victims or aggressors or neither and separate their prisoners into these groups. On April 21, Jason Dundas, a 30 year old inmate of Lusignan Prison Holding Bay was killed during a scuffle between inmates. The death took place just one day after four prisoners managed to gain their freedom from the same holding bay. This is not the time to lay any blame, as
there is certainly enough to go around, but pray tell, by and large who is really in charge of the jail, as it appears that those who dwell within the cell are the ones bent on causing hell? Being imprisoned does not connote safety from harm, as dangerous weapons within the prison is rife, to be used by inmates ready to end each other’s lives. One week after 23 year old Samuel Little was remanded in 2019 for breaking and entering and larceny, he was killed in the Lusignan Holding Bay by another inmate. Two months
prior to Little’s death, Shaheed Ali was killed in the same prison after being beaten by several prisoners, hours after he was transported to the prison. Reports state that in the last few years, the prison system has been rife with problems. No mention made of what remedial measures have been taken thus far. Random searches at the prison have unearthed geometry set compasses, cannabis, lighters, razor blades, needles, cell phones, etc. How often is inmate and environment surveillance (Continued on page 6)
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No more agony please! DEAR EDITOR, When will the Godf e a r i n g j u d g e , Claudette Singh, bring an end to the elections? All the attempts to further delay the proper election result is wearing thin. Witness: a law which is there just to protect the secrecy of a voter’s choice is now, by some legal magic, used to prevent the mandatory total transparency of the election. Also, are we such an uncaring, selfish and immoral bunch with total disregard for our CARICOM friends’ health and welfare? These friends are asked to leave their families and their other responsibilities, exposing themselves to harm for twenty plus days,
to help us get to a result which can be had in half a day. GECOM Chair has the backing of the law to take actions to reduce the risks and get to the election result in a very short time. These three simple steps can be taken. 1 Pair AFC-APNU with PPP/C commissioners to work in teams. They will check on each other. 2 Chair, (with Local observers), oversees the counting and resolves any discrepancies. 3 Live stream count to ALL. No need for overseas observers to be exposed to unnecessary harm; and the actual result will still be arrived at, verified by opposing parties, and witnessed by all stakeholders. Simple. In this extremely difficult
Are we ready for a seamless recount? DEAR EDITOR, CARICOM Team arrives on Thursday. But is the Conference Centre ready to receive them?
In fact are all arrangements in place for a smooth and seamless recount activity to commence? Shamshun Mohamed
times, if GECOM Chair feels she needs more power to deal with the necessity to protect the people, she can rely on the legal precedent which supports...doing wrong things for good reasons. God will forgive her. It is ironic, that the institution which is mandated to ensure that every individual’s democratic choice matters, is now hijacked by one single individual to deny that right. Increasing numbers of PNC loyal supporters (AFC has none) are ashamed and disgusted by the brazen machinations committed in their names by the handful of self-anointed messiahs. These loyal supporters also need to be relieved from having to compromise their integrity. GECOM chair must use her power and meet her legal duty to the people. The focus should never be on ways to delay the result, but on how to get to it as quickly as possible. No more agony please! Sincerely, FaiyaZ Alli
The Private Sector Commission... From page 4 the tragedy of Guyana, where everything automatically assumes the irreversible partisan. And for those who thought that such division was bad enough, along came Elections 2020, when the skins were shed, and what I term the daggers were unsheathed in passionate fervors. Too much of the passions and too many of the unhelpful fervors. Whereas before its spokespeople neither hard nor saw nor knew of anything amiss, today there is everything that is wrong and for which they stand as oracles of truth. This is to the discredit of those who have
Wednesday April 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
their firm political beliefs and hard leanings, but are still able to manage to maintain that distance that does not merge them with any political masters. Now there is this political inseparability that injures the intents and standing of what ought to be a powerful and just as strongly respected agency, like TIGI and others. Things and people became too unbalanced, so far gone as not to care, because so much has been invested, so much would be lost. I daresay that such is the space to be occupied by the diehards and fundamentalists in both the PPP and the PNC. There are
enough of them who will sell this country down the drain so that their party can rise above the ashes of what is left. The madness resident in both groups is not needed nor called for (nor should be expected) in organizations, such as the Private Sector Commission, the leaders of our many religious denominations, our professional associations. None of their leaders should feel it necessary-indeed, mandatory-that he or she must take to the public to propagandize or carry the torch for this or that party. Then, the very underpinnings of what is stood for, what is calculated and projected, are due for the harshest of condemnations. Our civic planks and their people must not allow themselves to be converted or used and misused for cheap political purposes. The politicians have plenty of the sycophantic to fetch their oozing and incriminating baggage. Let them get their own people to carry their dirty water for them. They are available and willing. It is why I say: let them do the deeds. I am all for supporting or opposing. I am also all for recognizing when lines have to be drawn in the sand, and which must never be crossed. Not for any group. Not for any leader. Not for any reward. Sincerely, GHK Lall
I hope the recount will be credibly concluded DEAR EDITOR, GECOM is about to conduct a recount of the General and Regional Elections held on 2nd March, 2020, which was forced upon our country by the Returning Officer for District 4, Mr. Clairmont Mingo, failing to complete a credible tabulation and verification from the Statements of Poll, as ordered by the Court, for District 4. The declarations made by Mr. Mingo and accepted by the Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Keith Lowenfield, were seen to be fraudulent and in defiance of the Order of the Court by all of the contesting parties (except APNU+AFC), by all of the Local Observers, by all of the International Observers and by all of the Heads of Missions from the UK, the USA, Canada and the EU, all of whom were present and witnessed the fraud, including me. The votes had already been counted and declared at the place of poll in every
District and publicly posted. The Statements of Poll for every District, except District 4, had been tabulated and verified from the Statements of Poll in those Districts and publicly declared. Copies of the Statements of Poll of every District are in the possession of the contesting parties and the Chief Elections Officer. The results of the elections are already known because the Statements of Poll for District 4 have been added up along with the results officially declared for Districts 1-3 and 5-10 by the contesting parties and the Observers who have possession of all of the Statements of Poll. All that was necessary to complete the elections was the intervention of the Chairman of GECOM to have the District 4 Statements of Poll credibly tabulated and verified against the Statements of Poll in the possession of the Chief
Elections Officer. It is glaringly obvious that her refusal to intervene and then later refuse again to stop, not one, but two fraudulent declarations by Mingo, has led the nation into a wholly unnecessary recount. We are now going into a recount in which a completely compromised Chief Elections Officer is in control, other compromised GECOM officers are likely to be involved and using a format imposed by the Chairman using her casting vote which is a prescription for confusion. We face a recount which provides the opportunity for both of the major contesting parties to cry foul at whatever result is produced. I, for one, will have very little faith in a recount, which should never have had to happen, being credibly concluded. For the sake of our country, I very much hope that I am wrong. Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento
GECOM’s last chance to redeem itself from injustice DEAR EDITOR, Most of us already know that APNU has conduct gross corruption and electoral fraud as they simply area rebranding of the PNC apparatus. The PNC rigged elections for twenty-eight years prior to 1992 and for those who did not witnessed that era, now have the unceremonious privilege to see the destruction of our country from 2015 to present. However, the purpose of GECOM, as prescribed in our constitution, is to protect our democracy from any political party that seeks to destroy it and deprive us from our democratic freedom. Sadly, since the passing of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) to this present moment, GECOM has neglected its mandate and chose to support an undemocratic government in its quest to impose its will on us. It should have been ninety days after the NCM was passed that elections
should have been held and it is only GECOM that kept Granger and its cabal in power from that time to now. It was not until March 2 that the world saw clearly, the cruel intentions of GECOM as they openly attempted to rig the elections for APNU when that unconscionable Mingo went on to declare a fraudulent result in favor of APNU. GECOM then doubled down its efforts to protect its unjust position as they continuously attempted to put APNU back into power. GECOM has caused irreversible damage to Guyana both socially and economically. The pain and anxiety due to losing our most important democratic right and the economic impact on families across the country are the resultsof cruel minds that deliberately inflicted pain on us all without regards for the rights of the people. Now GECOM has one last chance to redeem itself and
restore our constitution to its rightful place. As the recount is about to start, we are however, fearful of the attempts already being put in place to sabotage the process. We must hold firm that all stakeholders will do their part to ensure the recount is done fairly. Claudette Singh must know that the history books have already start writing her name in it and it is not a good start for her. She will be remembered for her actions in the last two months that destroyed our country, but she can also be remembered for making her wrongs right. Claudette Singh must understand that she is legally responsible for protecting the people’s rights and not the interest of APNU. Guyana has suffered too much already by the hands of a few. It is time we get to move on and rebuild our country with the rightfully elected President, Dr. Irfaan Ali. Malcolm Watkins
Should the government... From page 5 conducted and in what manner? Such behaviour raises more questions than answers, especially as it pertains to the guards. On a note of inquiry if not suggestion: Should the government disban the prison at Lusignan? Are the guards
asleep and failing a supervised watch to keep? The time has come for the powers that be to implement rigorous quality assurance, giving strict adherence to prior recommendations regarding prisons and inmates, conduct careful staff selection and possible
rejection, screening of inmates, institute heightened security to foil likely escapees, so that the prison can fulfill its intended role— that of a heavily fortified and supervised enclosure where humans spend varying time after committing a serious crime. Yvonne Sam
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Health Ministry seeks PAHO-WHO PSC Chair threatens Adam Harris with libel suit approval to use blood plasma over Chronicle column from recovered COVID-19 patients
Former Editor-in-Chief of Kaieteur News, Adam Harris has been threatened with a libel suit by businessman, Gerry Gouveia. The warning, issued by Gouveia’s lawyer, Christopher Ram, came after Harris said that Gouveia’s active participation in the electoral process “may be a case of self interest”. The statements made by Harris are from the most recent publication of his new opinion editorial column in the state newspaper, Guyana Chronicle. Gouveia, as Chair of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), has been quite vocal about the electoral process, and has even been accused by the governing coalition of using the PSC’s domestic observer status to advocate on the behalf of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). This stemmed from a suggestion by the PSC to recount only the region four votes. The observer had argued that the other regions – not so contentious – would be a waste of time to recount. In his article, Harris said that he had only recently learned of the motive behind
Former KN Editor-inChief, Adam Harris Gouveia’s persistence to keep the ballot boxes for those regions closed. He said it was because Gouveia needs the PPP in office. Harris said that he wondered whether Gouveia’s “fanatical support for the PPP” implies that he is hoping that a large sum of money owed to the tax collector would not have to be paid, should that party take office. Harris also mentioned a court matter investigated by retired Crime Chief Alvin Smith, which involves
PSC Chair, Gerry Gouveia Gouveia. Writing to Harris, Ram requested an unqualified public withdrawal of the allegations and an apology. Harris told Kaieteur News yesterday that a mix-up in a report filed to GRA caused him to allege that the outstanding payment was that of VAT, when it was actually another line item. On that detail, Harris said that his allegation was incorrect in that regard. But he registered that the rest of the op-ed stands, and that he will not apologise for it.
As the number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continues to gradually rise (it currently stands at 75) in Guyana, the Ministry of Public Health has disclosed that it is seeking approval from the Pan-American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) to utilize convalescent plasma to treat patients who have been infected with the dreaded disease. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood that carries cells and proteins throughout the body. In announcing the aforementioned, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DMCO), Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle emphasised that the method of treatment has not been approved by PAHO/WHO. However the United States Food and Drug Administration (US- FDA) has begun allowing doctors across the US to begin using plasma donated by coronavirus patients to treat the critically ill. Convalescent plasma is obtained from the donor through apheresis, a process in which whole blood is removed from the donor via the
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle
veins and passed through a machine where the blood is separated by filtration or centrifuge into components such as platelets, plasma, leukocytes, lymphocytes and red blood cells. After separation, the desired blood component, in this case plasma, is removed and the remainder of the blood is re-infused back to the pa-
tient. The process takes a couple of hours. Thus far, over 600 patients in the U.S. have been given the treatment, all of whom have recovered. This form of treatment dates back centuries and was used during the flu pandemic of 1918, in an era before modern vaccines and antiviral (Continued on page 10)
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Wednesday April 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Exxon workers arrive on special charter from UK The British Airways Dreamliner 787-8
A
British Airways 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the biggest Boeing aircraft, yesterday touched down at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), bringing another batch of workers for the Liza
Destiny oil operations offshore Guyana. According to DirectorGeneral of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, the flight was not a commercial one, but rather it was chartered. He said that the oil operations on the Liza Destiny floating platform are continuing despite the restrictions of COVID-19. There were about 70 workers coming in yesterday on the Dreamliner flight from London. The flight would
have taken about nine hours. According to the Civil Aviation chief, it is the first plane in its class to touch down in Guyana. The plane, which has a capacity of more than 200 persons, will return with workers who are being relieved. Field said that a smaller charter will come tomorrow with another turnaround oil crew.He said that there are strict restrictions and physical distancing for the staffers of the oil operations on the planes.
Bids opened for four government projects The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) yesterday opened ——-15 bids at their Ministry of Finance office at
Main and Urquhart streets, for four major governmental projects.One notable project included the —-procurement of consultancy services for
the public awareness and education campaign on justice reform in Guyana. Below are the companies and their respective bids.
Ministry of Legal Affairs Procurement of consultancy for the public awareness and education campaign on justice reform in Guyana
Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) - Department of Public Service Provision of security services
Supply and delivery of cooked meals for MoTP
Dependants’ Pension Fund Provision of security services
Ministry of Public Security- Guyana Prison Service Procurement of Bread
Procurement of consumables for Phenom at the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory
Wednesday April 29, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Why work when there are Ma and Pa to provide?
O
n a very quiet morning a few years ago, a gentleman went berserk in the city and attacked workers in an automotive repair shop. At the time of the attack, there were not many persons on the streets. Fortunately, the police were quickly on the scene and were able to neutralize the threat. Within minutes of this incident, persons began to emerge from neighbouring yards in their numbers. It was simply unbelievable to see the large numbers that emerged from homes. The question that immediately sprung to mind was: Why were these individuals, most of whom were of working age, not gainfully em-
ployed? It is a development that can be seen throughout Guyana. There are hundreds of persons, especially young people who are at home, not necessarily because there are no jobs, but because many of them are simply not interested in finding a job. After all, why go and work all day for a miserly $5,000 when you can wake up late, watch TV all day, enjoy three square meals, dress in the latest threads, and still find time to hang out hours with friends? Is this not the good life, and all of this compliments of Ma and Pa? There are many young persons and not so young persons who are simply not interested in working. And so
they stay at home all day and enjoy life without having to go and work. Not everyone is however that fortunate. The vast majority of our adult population needs to work. And there have been many complaints that jobs are not available. Yet if you pick up the newspapers each day there are a number of vacancies which are advertised. While these will not satisfy the total demand of the unemployed who are seeking jobs, they do amount to a significant number of vacancies. A discussion with employers also reveals some disturbing trends. For one, there is a high turnover of workers. It seems that many young persons do not stick around long
DEM BOYS SEH
Money stash in de Bible Dem boys hear a story: Some time ago, a man and he wife invite a particular priest to dem home. De priest do a lil service fuh dem. After the priest leff, de wife tell de husband: “Ah did put five thousand dollars pun de table.” Dem search but dem nah find the money. Dem conclude dat is only the priest coulda tek de five thousand dollars. Dat a Holy Man would do dat bothered dem for a whole year. One year later, the wife invited the priest back to the home. Unable to resist, the wife asked the priest: “Did you tek the five thousand dollars from the table last year?” The priest replied, “No, my sister, I put it inside de Bible on top of the TV. If yuh check
yuh gun see that I also leff a few extra thousands inside the Bible. It mean that fuh a whole year, nobody in dis house ain’t open the Bible.” Dem boys seh dat story gat a moral for all ah we. Read yuh Holy Book before you shy false accusation. Dem boys seh life is a like a balance sheet: Birth is yuh OPENING STOCK; wha come to yuh is CREDIT; what go from yuh is DEBIT; death is yuh CLOSING STOCK; friends are your ASSETS; yuh bad habits are your LIABILITIES and happiness is yuh PROFIT. Dem boys seh mek sure that your closing stock higher than yuh opening stock and after yuh settle yuh liabilities yuh still happy.
enough, at least not long enough to compensate for the cost of training that is borne by the employers. Secondly, most employers complain about the quality of the workers they are finding. Some of the applicants have excellent academic qualifications, but are often found wanting in the practical aspects of their training. This means that employers have to invest more than usual in training. There is also a serious problem faced by many employers of finding the right employees and in adequate numbers. There is a sign erected on a construction site on the East Coast of Demerara, advertising for workers. This sign flies in the face of the complaints of a lack of jobs. It is not the lack of jobs; it is the lack of the type of jobs that many desire. There is a shortage of labour in the construction sector, and this is not surprising, since many school leavers prefer to work in offices rather than on construction sites. During the run-up to Cricket World Cup 2007, two major hotels were being built, and yet there was a problem obtaining labour to complete one of them.
The company building one of the hotels was forced to increase the remuneration in order to attract skills. Yet there are many persons within our society who indicate that they are willing to work, but cannot find work. Some of them even say that they are willing to work on a construction site. And there are thousands of Guyanese who have left these shores to do construction work in the islands of the Caribbean. Why were they not being employed in Guyana? Some large contractors are able to fund fulltime work for a large segment of their workers. These workers know that once they get into the employ of these large contractors, there will be work, year in year out. However, one of the problems that many unemployed persons face is obtaining information as to where the jobs are. Many of them depend on friends and associates to inform them of some construction site. Some of them also simply turn up at construction sites hoping to be employed. What this shows is that one of the reasons why there is not fulltime employment of those with construction skills is simply because there is no
way in which all those seeking jobs can be linked with those with vacancies. Given the number of houses that are going up in Guyana, and the construction work that is taking place throughout Guyana, we should be importing labour, since there will not be enough to complete all the work that is available. We therefore do not need to complain about lack of capacity. We have the capacity. What we do not have is a system that allows persons to know where the jobs are, as well as there are many who are simply not interested in working, that is not as long as Ma and Pa are alive and well to provide for their upkeep. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday April 29, 2020
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Chris Gayle should not be a victim of Guyana’s uncivilized politics I don’t know the facts behind the claim or accusation by cricket icon (and he is definitely one of the spectacular greats cricket has produced), Chris Gayle, that his contract with the Jamaica Tallawahs was not renewed because of vindictiveness involving party politics in Guyana. It is difficult to arrive at conclusions without hearing the explanation from the owners and movers and shakers of the Tallawahs. Gayle’s version is that during the election campaign in February in Guyana, he was invited to join then Minister Joe Harmon at a meeting in Linden. That meeting was in fact a campaign event. Did he know he was participating in a campaign rally?
Shortly after the political event, Gayle issued an unambiguous statement denying support for Harmon’s party, the government of Guyana, or making any kind of political endorsement. That should have been the end of the matter. Now Gayle is making formidable accusations against the Tallawahs owner, Kris Persaud, and Tallawahs deputy coach, the famous exGuyanese star of West Indian cricket, Ramnaresh Sarwan. Gayle’s claim is unambiguous. Certain bigwigs in the Tallawahs did not like what he did in Linden in February. Kris Persaud is a Guyanese-American entrepreneur. Is he a supporter of the PPP? This is a question
that Mr. Persaud needs to answer. Sarwan has countless fans across the political fences, and he needs to give his side of the story. Gayle is innocent of political partisanship, because he explained that he did not give endorsement to any political party. Shouldn’t that have been the end of the controversy? Shivnarine Chanderpaul accepted a trophy from the Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) as an outstanding Indian achiever in Guyana. I wrote Chanderpaul a letter pointing out two things. One was that the Indian Arrival Committee is an Indian-oriented entity and it could damage his standing among African-Guyanese.
Health Ministry seeks PAHO-WHO...
From page 7 drugs. Some experts have argued that it might be the best hope for combating the coronavirus until more sophisticated therapies can be developed, which could take several months, according to the WHO. Despite the fact that this treatment method is being considered a “trial” by the global health organization, the DCMO stated that “Guyana is poised to possible join one of those trials,” while noting that Guyana has sent the relevant formalities to commence the treatment method. Dr. Gordon- Boyle specifically stated that, “Imagine you transfuse
somebody with antibodies, it’s like giving them an immune boost, and it stands to reason that it should be helpful to people who are struggling to overcome the disease.” She continued, “People who are overcoming the disease or who have been sick and they are now winning the battle –the plasma is rich in antibodies, which are things to fight the disease.”Treatment will immediately begin once the necessary approval has been granted by PAHO/WHO, as the National Blood Bank has gathered three units of plasma from the patients who have recovered from the disease.
Secondly, I pointed out that the IAC is an unashamed supporter of the PPP, and this has implications for the adoration he receives from Guyanese fans. I went to the Pegasus and delivered the letter myself. Chanderpaul went to the National Park, walked on stage, and collected his accolade. African rights groups in Guyana and elsewhere did not denounce Chanderpaul. I haven’t heard any criticism from the leadership of the Democratic Party in the US on how famous, current sport personalities are openly insulting to President Trump. In fact, many of them have refused his invitation to the White House. Golden State Warriors, when they won the national basketball championship declined Trump’s invitation to the White House. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still playing international cricket, and he openly takes political positions when it comes to India’s denunciation of Pakistan. The difference with all these sporting icons and Gayle, is that Gayle has not dabbled in politics, and said shortly after the Linden political meeting that his presence there was not an endorsement of APNU+AFC.
Politicians are demented hustlers. They would use small children or innocent humans to enhance their wicked plans. My interpretation is that Gayle was deceived. Sporting icons normally would not decline invitations from politicians. Gayle probably thought he was going to a rally where he would meet his fans. It was when the S- thing hit the fan, then, Gayle realized he was used. But here is the thing. Let us assume that Gayle did not respond to the charge that he was supporting a certain party, and therefore the world was led to believe that he made a preference in Guyana’s election battle, why should the Tallawahs use his involvement in politics to reject contract renewal? Surely, a serious talk could have been given to him. But matters are complicated if those who own the Tallawahs rejected Gayle because of his politics. If that is the factual situation, then Gayle is being employed out of ideological consideration by his bosses and not his talent. In other words, Gayle becomes a stooge. This is just speculation, and I won’t go any further until I see the responses of Kris Persaud and Sarwan. One hopes this controversy does
Frederick Kissoon not spiral out of control. The Guyanese team has to play in Jamaica. There are also Tallawahs players who no doubt are immense admirers of Gayle. Could we have unfortunate circumstances dominating the CPL whenever it starts? A street in Georgetown is named after Chanderpaul. I am sure Jamaica will name a roadway after Gayle when he hangs up his gloves. This is one of the most exciting and talented sportsmen that cricket has birthed. We should acknowledge his greatness and not seek to denigrate one of the finest players the game of cricket has produced. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Wednesday April 29, 2020
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Kaieteur News
GTT drops broadband prices for corporate customers US-owned Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has announced that it has lowered its prices for select broadband services for its corporate customers to assist them in managing and optimizing their operations during and after COVID-19. This adjustment will range from upgraded data speeds to extending its corporate broadband services at significantly reduced costs. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justin Nedd said the intent is to “provide both
technical and financial assistance for businesses as a direct response to the threat posed to the survival of companies during and after this global pandemic”. “We have said that we are in this together. Internationally and regionally, companies are facing the same business continuity challenges, in terms of providing a consistent quality of service to its customers, keeping staff employed, coping with reduced demand, and so on. Businesses have had to adjust to
a new normal in a very short space of time, and in Guyana, we would like to ensure that we do our best to ensure that our customers are able to traverse this difficult period as best as possible’,” Nedd explained. “We appreciate that in meeting the needs of corporate customers, their individual needs will differ. As such, our team have been and will continue to reach out to our customers so that their individual needs are met and that their staff and business remains connected and able
GTT says it is working with its corporate customers and has slashed broadband prices, at this time.
Alaska recovers US$ billions by suing oil companies for rightful revenues The U.S. State of Alaska is testimony to the fact that strong countries or states can bring oil companies to heel, and ensure the people get as much value from the extraction of the resource as possible. The State, starting in the 1970s, was able to recover billions of dollars in money rightfully belonging to the people, through legal challenges. It had recovered so much that an analysis undertaken in 2003 states, for the 25-year lifespan of the petroleum sector, that “one dollar out of every six that Alaska received from its oil development was obtained through legal challenges to the industry’s original payment”. The State’s success is documented in a book by author Svetlana Tsalik, called Caspian Oil Windfalls: Who Will Benefit? Caspian Revenue Watch, 200. Richard A. Fineberg, an author contributing to a chapter titled Securing the Take: Petroleum Litigation in Alaska wrote that the State provides a compelling example of the technical challenges of securing the full proportion of revenues owed to the Government. The State’s production of petroleum had been dominated by ExxonMobil, British Petroleum and
ConocoPhillips for decades, with the Government receiving about US$70B in petroleum revenue, in the 25-year period following the start of oil production. The revenues came from royalty payments of 12.5 percent of the value of the oil, and three principal taxes: corporate income tax, a petroleum production tax, and property tax. The challenges came when Alaskan officials overseeing the petroleum sector claimed, based on independent analyses and audits, that “industry chronically reduced the bases for calculating royalty, severance, and income tax payments by underestimating the market value of a barrel of oil at the point of sale. Overstated pipeline shipping charges (tariffs) had the same result.” To remedy this, the government hired skilled contract lawyers and accounting specialists to fuel a prolonged and intensive legal action against the oil companies. Between 1977 and 1994, the Alaskan Department of law reported that the hires cost more than US$217M. But the investment paid off so well that the litigation resulted in the government receiving additional payments from the industry of US$2.7B. While some of the issues were noted to be highly tech-
nical and based on legitimate differences of opinion on how the complex contractual language and tax laws should be interpreted, others were not, Fineberg wrote. The Center for Public Integrity, an American investigative journalism non-profit described many of the cases of differences as based on outright deceit and fraud. In sponsoring its own tracking of the export and value of each barrel exported, Alaska exposed the misrepresentations by the oil companies and the inflation of costs associated with transporting the oil by tankers and pipeline. Fineberg wrote that litigation was able to produce an additional US$10.6B in revenue by 2000, including US$6.8B in direct payments for taxes and royalties, and US$3.8B in increased taxes and royalties related to reassessing pipeline and transportation costs. Settlements were also made, in some cases, amounting to US$1.7B in payments to the State, in the decades preceding 2003. Even then, Fineberg wrote that the figures substantially underestimate the scale of abuse, as other claims were launched against the oil companies, but were settled by private out-of-court deals.
to service their stakeholders during this time,” Nedd said. GTT also recently announced free mobile services for doctors and nurses, as well as its ‘2for2’ ongoing promotion as part of the
company’s response of keeping its customers connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The disclosure from the telephone company comes at a time when the there has
been growing calls for companies like GTT to offer more at reduced prices to thousands of persons who are stuck at home, because of COVID-19 preventive measures.
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Wednesday April 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
No new covid19 cases
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NEWSDAY - Fourteen more samples were submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing yesterday. The number of confirmed covid19 cases remains at 116 with eight deaths. The Ministry of Health’s 4 pm update yesterday said 1,596 samples have been submitted, up from 1,582 listed in the 10 am update. The number of patients discharged remains at 59.
UG student submits... From page 3 out that the base will expand rapidly in the weeks to come. The assistance will have to be for about three months, He recommended help for females, who will be more badly affected, of $50,000 for the next three months. The men, he said, can receive around $40,000 monthly. Acknowledging that government is in deficit, Gaul said that there are a few ways to find the money, including working along with GRA and the NIS. According to Gaul, one of the hardest hit groups would be the persons whose remittance would be cut off. He explained that millions are coming to Guyana annually from overseas for families. One of the areas in the national budget that can be trimmed is that of food – about $5B annually is spent on food at the ministries and Parliament. Gaul believes that this can be reduced by 50 percent. Another area would be $1.5B allocated for national events. This can be redirected. Gaul estimates that about $8B can be re-prioritized by the Ministry of Finance to help to poor families.
Wednesday April 29, 2020
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Kaieteur News
How New Zealand ‘eliminated’ Covid-19 after weeks of lockdown (CNN) - After weeks of lockdown, New Zealand has achieved its ambitious goal of eliminating the coronavirus. But the country isn’t celebrating yet. Over the past few days, newly diagnosed infections have been in the single digits. And on Monday, New Zealand reported just one new case. “That does give us confidence that we’ve achieved our goal of elimination, which never meant zero but it does mean we know where our cases are coming from,” Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand’s Director General of Health, said on Monday, adding that there was only one case since April 1 where authorities were still investigating the source of infection. Monday was the final day of almost five weeks of strict level four lockdown measures, which New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “the strictest constraints placed on New Zealanders in modern history.” On Tuesday, the country eased into a less restrictive
lockdown, with 400,000 more New Zealanders heading back to work and 75% of the country’s economy operating, according to Ardern. The new level three restrictions also mean that New Zealanders will be able to hold small funerals and buy takeaways. New Zealand has reported 19 deaths and 1,472 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Of those, 1,214 — of 82% of confirmed and probably cases — have recovered, the Ministry of Health said Tuesday. But while New Zealand’s success in eliminating the virus might seem like cause for celebration, Ardern is still urging vigilance. “We are not out of the woods,” she said at a press conference Tuesday. “(Level three) is a recovery room of sorts to assess if the incredible work that New Zealanders have done ... has worked.” When it comes to what worked, New Zealand had some advantages in tackling
the virus. It had the benefit of time — New Zealand confirmed its first case of coronavirus on February 28, well over a month after the United States confirmed its first case. It’s a relatively remote island nation, and relatively few flights transit through New Zealand. It’s also centrally governed, meaning it doesn’t have states like the US or its neighbor Australia. But the real key to New Zealand’s success appears to be an approach that could be applied anywhere — moving swiftly, testing widely, and relying heavily on good science. Moving swiftly Like many countries, New Zealand had models that showed that a potential coronavirus outbreak could be devastating if no action was taken. Unlike some other countries, New Zealand responded relatively fast. When Ardern announced on March 14 that anyone entering the country would need to self isolate for two weeks, it was among the toughest border restrictions in the
Coronavirus: ‘One billion’ could become infected worldwide - report (BBC) - One billion people could become infected with the coronavirus worldwide unless vulnerable countries are given urgent help, an aid group has warned.The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said financial and humanitarian aid were needed to help slow the global spread of the virus.It said “fragile countries” such as Afghanistan and Syria needed “urgent funding” to avoid a major outbreak.“There remains a
small window of time to mount a robust response,” it warned.There have been more than three million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide with more than 200,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US. The IRC’s report, which is based on models and data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Imperial College London, estimated there could be between 500 million and one billion infec-
tions globally.It also said there could be more than three million deaths across dozens of conflict-affected and unstable countries. *Live updates from around the world *‘Without food, we’ll die inside out homes’ *Developing world economies hit hard by virus “These numbers should serve as a wake-up call,” said the head of the IRC, David Miliband.
world. At the time, the country had six cases. When, on March 19, Ardern banned foreigners from entering the country, there were 28 confirmed cases. And on March 23, when Ardern announced that the country was going into lockdown, there were 102 confirmed cases — and no deaths. “Decisive action, going hard and going early, helped to stamp out the worst of virus,” Ardern in a statement Tuesday. There’s a few reasons New Zealand took strong action. As Ardern said in a press conference on March 14, New Zealand is a key departure route to Pacific Islands — and the country has a responsibility to protect its Pacific neighbors. But the swift actions were also for the benefit of New Zealanders. “Here in New Zealand, we don’t have a lot of intensive care beds compared to some other countries. That’s why (Ardern) acted really fast,” Auckland University microbi-
ologist Siouxsie Wiles said earlier this month. While New Zealand took prompt action, it is being slow to roll back prevention measures. Even as the country’s cases appeared to trend downward, Ardern opted to extend the most restrictive, level four lockdown measures by five days. Despite that, many New Zealanders support the restrictions. In a Colmar Brunton survey last week, 87% said they approved of the way the government is responding to the pandemic. Testing widely New Zealand has ramped up its testing, to the point that it can now carry out up to 8,000 tests per day, Ardern said Tuesday. To date, New Zealand has carried out 126,066 tests. For comparison, the United Kingdom — a country with around 13 times more people than New Zealand — has completed 719,910 tests. But the real sign that New Zealand’s testing is working is its test positivity rate — the proportion of tests coming
back positive. Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programs, said recently that a good benchmark is to have at least 10 negative cases for every one positive case confirmed. That means if a state or country carries out testing and comes back with positive cases of around 9% or under, then it’s likely that it is testing well. New Zealand’s test positivity rate is around 1%, suggesting that there isn’t widespread community transmission that’s slipping under the radar. On Monday, Ardern noted that in other countries around the world, each person infected with coronavirus infects around 2.5 people. Under New Zealand’s lockdown, that has dropped to 0.4 — less than half a person infected.The real lesson from New Zealand has been the combination of good science and leadership, Professor Michael Baker, from Otago University’s Public Health Department, said earlier this month.
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Premier says Bermuda may start slowly rolling back restrictions next week HAMILTON, Bermuda CMC – Premier David Burt says the territory could “start a very slow rolling back” of coronavirus restrictions next week, as officials beefed-up the capacity to test for the virus. Speaking late Monday during a press briefing, he said the cabinet met yesterday to consider the next steps after the latest round of shelter-in-place restrictions ends on Saturday. “We will not return to life as we knew it before COVID19 for the foreseeable future. The reopening of the airport, closed to regular flights since March 20, would also be discussed at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, he said. Meanwhile, Bob Richards, who was Finance Minister during the One Bermuda Alliance administration between 2012 and 2017, said pay cuts for civil servants should be on the table as the government deals with the huge fiscal impact of the COVID-19 crisis.According to Richards the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), government was likely to face a revenue shortfall in the region of US$200 million this fiscal year as projected tax income failed to materialise
from the battered economy. The national debt stood at $2.67 billion before the crisis began. For his part, Curtis Dickinson, the current Finance Minister, has identified capital spending, hiring freezes, training and supplies, as areas in which he can cut spending. But Glenn Jones, the interim chief executive at the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA), said a return to prepandemic conditions would be an uphill struggle. “The cuts are deep. They had to be. There is no tolerance for business as usual at the BTA when our stakeholders have shuttered their businesses, laid off staff and struggle to plan for a future that is entirely uncertain,” said Jones in a letter to industry members. He added that BTA’s income had been “severely injured” by the loss of tourism fees caused by the COVID19 crisis and had to cut about a third of its budget.BTA figures for March suggested a 70 per cent drop in air visitors for the month and highlighted that 60 cruise ship visits have so far been cancelled. The BTA earlier said that
tourism spending had plummeted by more than $58 million after air arrival and cruise visitor estimates were combined. The Premier has admitted that a “more aggressive” approach could have been taken to secure COVID-19 testing equipment and it was one of the lessons learnt from the response to a coronavirus outbreak at the Westmeath seniors’ care home, where a staff member had COVID-19 diagnosed on April 10. “In a crisis, there are always decisions that have to be made, and in Bermuda we are in the less than opportune position of being a small, isolated country, that does not manufacture our own equipment and we are left to the mercy of international supply chains. The lesson, I think, that is learnt is that we could have been more aggressive. I think what this has shown, in this particular instance, is, yes, we could have been more aggressive. Yes, given the fact that … an order of 10,000 swabs was placed and the first set did arrive in the country on (April 15), we could have actually gotten to the rest home sooner,” the Premier said.
Deyalsingh: Govt. will provide healthcare funding needed for covid19 NEWSDAY - Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is assuring the public there will be “no financial challenges” in the fight against covid19 after the news of an increased budget deficit. On Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert announced that the budget deficit has increased from $5.3 billion to an unprecedented $15.5 billion. Asked about this at a virtual press conference yesterday, Deyalsingh said he has “absolute faith and confidence” in Imbert. “Once covid19 started, you would have noted I took a note to Cabinet – maybe over a month or five or six weeks ago – where Cabinet, at that time, approved $157 million for the
four regional health authorities in Trinidad to deal with covid19, and an additional $50 million was allocated to the Tobago Regional Health Authority. “I must say that the priority set by the Honourable Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance clearly demonstrates that once any reasonable financial request is made for the parallel health care system, they will be fulfilled.”He said the ministry has got “everything they asked for thus far,” and added, “That last Cabinet note also gives me the ability to come back to Cabinet in case we need more funding to prepare for the second and third wave. I see no financial challenges moving forward with covid19.”
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NBA sets guidelines and timeline for reopening facilities (Reuters) - The National Basketball Association announced on Monday it is modifying guidance on player training, which could allow team facilities to open as early as May 8 in U.S. states easing stay-at-home orders put in place to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak. The opening of facilities would be the first step towards restarting the league, which has been shuttered since March 11 after a Utah
Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. “The purpose of these changes is to allow for safe and controlled environments for players to train in states that allow them to do so, and to create a process for identifying safe training options for players located in other states,” the NBA said in a statement. The changes would allow teams to make facilities available to players for
You are a snake... An NBA logo is seen on the facade of its flagship store at the Wangfujing shopping street in Beijing, China October 8, 2019. (REUTERS/Tingshu Wang)
Wednesday April 29, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You might encounter some rather disturbing opinions or emotions from a friend, neighbor, or relative, Aries. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Some gossip about a friend could reach you today, Taurus, and it might seem a bit shocking at first. Money could be involved. However, don't accept what you hear at face value. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today you might find that others are turning to you for advice today and you are honored to be in such a position, Gemini. Friends could ask for some information they know you have. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Today you might take up some form of esoteric study, such as astrology, numerology, or alchemy that seems incomprehensible to you at first, Cancer. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A friend might be in such a dour mood that you wonder if this is the same person you know and love, Leo. During the day you might be tempted to try to analyze what's going on. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A friend or romantic partner might need your advice, Virgo, and want to discuss a few things that you don't really understand. This could concern this person's job.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you might read a book on exercise or nutrition that seems a bit unsettling, Libra. According to the book, you're doing everything wrong! SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Memories and emotions welling up from the past might excite your creative impulses today. You may not quite be able to understand what all of this means. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A subject you're researching, perhaps for a class or workshop, might prove more difficult than you expected. The resources you consult might be very scholarly and thus difficult to read. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A housemate or family member may offer to help you with some chores around the house, Capricorn, but you may well sense that their heart just isn't in it. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Filling out forms regarding your finances could be a real drag for you today, Aquarius. You'll have to get it done, but you'd rather be elsewhere. It might also seem a little confusing. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A contract of some kind might require your careful consideration today. You could find it a little difficult to understand, as it could be full of fine print and legalese.
From page 21 after Miller had submitted the final list of names Tallawahs had retained. “It has come to my knowledge that out of courtesy or respect, the CPL guys said, ‘Chris, we are not seeing your name here, what happened with you and the Tallawahs?’ I’m like, ‘What?’”
Gayle said he did not contact Miller, but he was hurt. “Jeff always talk of being a professional. But what I’m saying, you take black people for a fool. You take your own for a fool. You always trying to deprive your own black people, Jeff Miller. You’d have never done that with anyone else.”
workouts or injury treatment on a voluntary basis. For teams based in states or cities where government restrictions remain in place, the NBA will work with them to find alternative arrangement. As part of the guidelines no more than four players will be permitted at a facility at any one time and no coaches can participate. Group activity remains prohibited, including practices or scrimmages. Players are also prohibited from using nonteam facilities such as public health clubs, fitness centers or gyms.
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Wednesday April 29, 2020
Khashoggi’s fiancee urges Premier League to block Saudi Newcastle takeover AFP - The fiancee of murdered dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi wrote yesterday to the Premier League warning that a Saudibacked takeover of Newcastle United would “tarnish” the reputation of the competition. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US resident, was killed in 2018 while at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his wedding to Hatice Cengiz. Turkish officials say a 15man Saudi squad strangled him and cut his body into pieces. His remains were never found. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will reportedly take an 80-percent stake in Newcastle should a proposed £300 million ($373 million) takeover be approved by the Premier League. But lawyers for Cengiz said in a letter on her behalf that the Premier League should block the takeover. “It is undoubtedly the right, proper and lawful action for you (chief executive Richard Masters) and the Premier League to take,
especially in light of the ruthless killing of Ms Cengiz’s fiance,” the letter said. “There should be no place in the Premier League, and English football, for anyone involved in such abhorrent acts.” The letter added: “The standing of both the Premiership and English football in general would be tarnished by your connection with those who commit the most appalling crimes and then seek to whitewash them, and who seek to use English football as a way of improving their image and hiding their transgressions.” A Saudi court in December sentenced five people to death over the killing, handing three others long jail sentences and acquitting the remaining three charged in the case. However, rights group Amnesty International condemned the outcome as a “whitewash”. The two top figures investigated over the killing — both part of the crown prince’s inner circle — were exonerated. Both the CIA and a United Nations special envoy have
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has called on the Premier League to block a Saudi takeover of Newcastle United. (AFP/Saul Loeb) directly linked the crown prince to the killing, a charge the kingdom vehemently denies. Critics have accused the Newcastle takeover bid as the latest example of Saudi “sports washing”. In recent months the country has hosted a world title heavyweight boxing clash between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz and the Spanish Super Cup. The Premier League must
Formula One extends shutdown period for second time LONDON (Reuters) - A factory shutdown for Formula One teams and engine makers has been extended for a second time to a period of 63 consecutive days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the governing FIA said yesterday. It said in a statement that its World Motor Sport Council had approved an extension, running potentially into June depending on when teams
started their closures, from the previous 35 days. The shutdown, first announced in March when the sport was hoping to race in May, was initially for 21 days but that was extended on April 7. Teams normally take most of August off, but that period has now been freed up to give Formula One room to reschedule a string of races postponed due to the new coronavirus.
The season is on hold, with the sport targeting an opening double-header in Austria in July, without spectators if the government gives the green light. A revised calendar has yet to be issued, and there are still considerable difficulties to overcome, with much of Europe remaining in lockdown and some countries banning mass events until September. Five of the seven British-based teams have furloughed employees under a government scheme where employers can claim for 80% of employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to 2,500 pounds ($3,100) per month. The FIA said teams could seek permission 50 days into their shutdown period for a maximum of 10 personnel to be allowed to work remotely on long lead time projects. The shutdown for power unit manufacturers was extended from 35 to 49 days.
determine whether the bid fulfils its owners and directors’ test. Oliver Dowden, the UK culture secretary, told a
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a commentator who worked for the Washington Post. (AFP/File/Yasin Akgul) meeting of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee last week it was a “matter for the Premier League” rather than
government. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has not publicly commented on the deal.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be ‘scrapped’ instead of delayed again, says Games chief BBC Sport - The postponed Tokyo Olympics will be “scrapped” if they cannot take place in 2021, says Games chief Yoshiro Mori. Tokyo 2020 is now scheduled to run from 23 July to 8 August next year after being delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Health experts have cast doubt on whether the Games could be held next summer without a vaccine or effective drugs to treat Covid-19 being found. When asked if the event could be moved again to 2022, Mori replied: “No.” “In that case, the Olympics will be scrapped,” he added. However, the Tokyo 2020 president said he was confident the rescheduled Games would go ahead. “This Olympics would be much more valuable than any Olympics in the past if we could go ahead with it after winning this battle,” he told Nikkan Sports. “We have to believe this, otherwise our hard work and efforts will not be rewarded.” The president of Japan’s medical association, Yoshitake Yokokura, said on Tuesday it will be “difficult” to hold the Olympics in 2021 without vaccines or effective drugs being developed. “I am not saying that Japan should or shouldn’t
Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori announced the new dates for the Games in March. (Getty Images) host the Olympics, but that it would be difficult to do so,” he said. “If the infections are under control in Japan, it will still be difficult to hold the games unless the pandemic is over in the rest of the world.” Most experts think a vaccine is likely to become available by mid-2021, though others have warned there is no guarantee a vaccine can be successfully developed. Mori added that the Olympics and Paralympics which will now run from 24 August to 5 September 2021 could share opening and closing ceremonies as a way
of cutting costs. “Given that the situation has dramatically changed, we have to review key areas, including the ceremonies,” he said. “It’s going to a considerable cut in costs and a big message of victory against the global crisis - but it’s not easy.” However, Mori said he had not yet asked the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee whether they would agree to such a plan, and acknowledged that tickets had already been sold for the separate opening and closing ceremonies.
Wednesday April 29, 2020
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You are a snake, deceitful - Chris Gayle blames Ramnaresh Sarwan for Jamaica Tallawahs ouster ESPNcricinfo - Chris Gayle has singled out former West Indies team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan for playing a “big part” in Jamaica Tallawahs releasing him from their Caribbean Premier League set-up recently. In an outburst, released in a personal video on YouTube on Monday, Gayle also blamed Tallawahs’ chief executive officer Jeff Miller and owner Krish Persaud for “playing a game” with him and never keeping him in the loop about the team’s plans. In a frenetic last-minute development, Gayle was signed by St Lucia Zouks for the 2020 edition of CPL, scheduled for AugustSeptember. Zouks will be the third franchise Gayle will represent in the CPL after two stints with Tallawahs (201316 and 2019) and a two-year stay with St Kitts and Nevis (2016-17). Last season, Gayle had signed a three-year contract with Tallawahs, who had bought him as their marquee player at the 2019 draft. Gayle
said he had always wanted to end his career in the “uniform” of Jamaica, his home team, but that dream now appears to be over, and Gayle laid the blame primarily on Sarwan, who he called various things, including “snake”, “vindictive”, “despicable”. Alongside procuring Gayle, Tallawahs appointed Sarwan as the assistant coach last season. Gayle said Sarwan wanted to take over the head coach’s role from Donovan Miller, but the Jamaican was sure his former team-mate was not fit for the role. “Sarwan wanted to be the head coach of the Tallawahs’ team,” Gayle said in the video, split across four segments. “I tell Sarwan directly: ‘Sarwan, you’ve no experience in being a head coach, it’s not an easy job’. He decided to say, ‘okay, whatever you want, you are the captain, no problem, we’ll leave it at that’. Not knowing that what I did was eating him out, so they made Donovan Miller the head coach.”
Tallawahs finished last in the six-team CPL last year with just two wins in ten matches. Gayle was their second-best batsman and the only one to record a century. Gayle said Tallawahs had a “good” team last season, but were “traumatised” by Sarwan, who he claimed was close to Persaud. “Sarwan wanted to be the manager, he wanted to be the coach. But Sarwan is like the owner for the team because Sarwan go back and tell the owner what transpired within the team. “Sarwan want to put curfew for players when game starts at 8 o’clock. Sarwan, when me and you play for West Indies, we used to party every night, so why you want to put curfew for players, why do you want to tie down players?” Gayle claimed that it was due to Sarwan that he heard whispers from some of the Tallawahs’ overseas players about him not coming for the team training despite being the captain. Gayle said that it was not a secret that he did not always turn up for
Japan must keep state of emergency, 2021 Olympics ‘difficult,’ top doctor says TOKYO (Reuters) - It is too early to consider lifting Japan’s state of emergency over the coronavirus, the head of a powerful physicians’ lobby said yesterday, adding that Tokyo would find it tough to host next year’s Olympics without an effective vaccine. The comments of the Japan Medical Association (JMA) chief highlight the nation’s concerns about a pandemic that prompted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to call the nationwide emergency until the final day of Golden Week holidays on May 6. Japan is keeping a close watch on virus-related data to decide on an extension beyond May 6, the economy minister said. While new daily infections have declined, testing is still not sufficient to prove that contagion is under control, JMA president Yoshitake Yokokura told a media briefing. “I do not believe it will be possible to lift (the state of emergency) across the whole country at this stage,” Yokokura added. Tokyo confirmed 112 new infections yesterday,
said national broadcaster NHK, up from the capital’s figure of 39 the previous day, which had been its lowest in four weeks. The national tally stands at 13,614 infections, including 394 deaths, according to NHK. That tally is still low compared to other nations, but critics say Japan is not doing enough testing to reveal the scope of a problem that has driven some hospitals to the brink. Yokokura blamed a lack of gowns and other protective clothing for the spread of the virus in hospitals, and urged the government to help speed development of treatments and vaccines, so as to preserve any hope of holding the Olympics next year. “I am not saying that Japan should or shouldn’t host the Olympics, but that it would be difficult to do so,” he said. “Unless an effective vaccine is developed, I expect hosting the Olympics will be difficult.” The announcement last month of a one-year delay in the 2020 Olympic Games was a major blow for Japan, which had spent $13 billion on preparations. The Games would be
“scrapped” if they could not take place in 2021, Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said in an interview published yesterday. Since emerging in China late last year, the pandemic has spread worldwide to infect almost 3 million people and kill more than 200,000, prompting experts to warn that the battle on the virus could be prolonged. Several nations’ laboratories are working to find protective vaccines and drugs to treat virus symptoms. But the need for exhaustive clinical trials of their effectiveness and safety means they could take months to become widely available. Japan could approve Gilead Sciences Inc’s virus treatment remdesivir as early as May, the Yomiuri newspaper said. Fujirebio, a subsidiary of diagnostics and laboratory testing service provider Miraca Holdings, sought govrenment approval on Monday for Japan’s first antigen virus testing kits. Miraca shares surged 4.4% in Tokyo trading yesterday, outperforming a drop of 0.1% in the benchmark index.
Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan during practice. (Getty Images) training, a routine he has followed worldwide in franchise cricket. To make sure his side of the story was heard, Gayle said he called a team meeting ahead of the team’s final match in CPL 2019. “So Sarwan allowed these guys to come and make a mockery of me in front of the younger players while training is going on, so I decided to call the meeting and that’s when I flipped,” Gayle said. “It was a very heated meeting. The only thing left was just to get physical and it almost happened. I had to put everyone in his place, but I didn’t put Sarwan in his place. I left him. I say let his conscience ride him.” Gayle recounted how Sarwan had always been trouble for him from as far back as their Under-19 days in 1996 when they were roommates. At the time, Sarwan’s complaints about Gayle watching TV late into the night forced head coach Gus Logie to evict the Jamaican from the camp in Barbados. Gayle said he had “forgiven” Sarwan but had not “forgotten” the incident, and felt that Sarwan hadn’t changed much. “Sarwan you are a snake. You are so vindictive. You are still immature. You are still stabbing people in the back. You are still carrying news. When you gonna change, Sarwan, seriously? When are you planning to change?” “I am done with you” Cricket West Indies is bound pay attention to Gayle’s remarks considering Sarwan has been one of the past players it has recruited to mentor the senior men’s team. Gayle said that as far he was concerned, he was done with Sarwan. “I can tell you this even if West Indies senior
team take you up on board as a mentor, whatever reason, whatever franchise, any international team you are associated with, mi a bun you out (Jamaican slang for ‘I am done with you’),” Gayle said thumping his chest. “Hear? The team could’ve won a World Cup, me still mi a bun you out. I’ve to show you how deep this is. Wicked. Wicked. I might want entire Caribbean know that.” Gayle said he would let Sarwan know the same in person if their paths crossed in the CPL. “Don’t hide behind the walls. You get your team, it’s your team. Run the team, Sarwan. Just don’t deal with me, I say it straight up. When I see you in person, I will tell you that, as well. Very deceitful and very disrespectful. We no friends.” “Chris, we are not seeing your name here” Gayle said he wouldn’t blame Persaud, but said the Tallawahs’ owner was “persuaded” to release him. According to Gayle, he had been in Guyana recently after being invited by a local politician who was a rival of the party Persaud supported. “Let me tell you why the Tallawahs didn’t really retain me now: this is all politics, alright. He [Persaud] has been persuaded to get rid of Chris Gayle, he’s not that type of person who will say ‘let’s get rid of Gayle’. You may say it’s nothing to do with politics, but it’s a big thing in Guyana. I am not into politics, you used politics against me to get me out of my own franchise. Kris Persaud, no love lost. You still have my respect, if I see you on street, still call you, franchise cricket is business at the end of the day.” However, Gayle did not have the same sympathy for Jeff Miller, who was in
constant touch with the player before the retention window shut on March 31. Miller told the Jamaica Gleaner on April 19 that Gayle’s fate would be decided by the owners, but hinted at an overhaul. “When you have a team that came last in the competition, obviously there are going to be changes, it can’t be business as usual,” Miller was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Gayle said Miller was “lying” and he was totally aware that he was not going to be retained. “Jeff Miller and Kris Persaud knew they didn’t want me. They knew a month in advance that I wasn’t going to be part of Tallawahs team. What they did was actually play a game with Chris Gayle. I don’t know what they were trying to accomplish.” Gayle said Miller was in constant touch leading up to the retention date and even said the franchise was “struggling” financially. As a result, Gayle said he agreed to take a pay cut not once but twice, despite his contract saying he would need to be paid more every subsequent year. Gayle then heard from a third party that Tallawahs were going to release him. Miller laughed it off initially but then went cold. Gayle said he “texted” Tallawahs’ Andre Russell to check if he was aware that the franchise was going to release him [Gayle]. Russell, Gayle said, was “straight up” and said the only thing he knew was the “possibility” of Floyd Reifer taking over as the head coach. “When I texted him, Russell did call me back and share his point of view because loyalty goes a long way.” It was the CPL management that eventually confirmed the news to Gayle (Continued on page 19)
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Fifa’s Infantino suspected of intervening to stop probe - report L A U S A N N E , Switzerland (AFP) — Fifa President Gianni Infantino is suspected of having intervened with Switzerland’s attorney general to try to get an investigation dropped, a Swiss newspaper alleged Monday. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) launched an investigation in early 2016, shortly after Infantino was elected president of world football’s governing body, about his awarding of a television rights contract to an offshore company in his previous role as Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) legal affairs director. According to the Tribune de Geneve newspaper, Infantino was “worried” about this investigation and wrote to his childhood friend, Rinaldo Arnold, who had become a senior prosecutor in Switzerland’s Haut-Valais region where they grew up. “I will try to explain to the OAG that it is in my interests that everything should be cleared up as soon as possible, that it be clearly stated that I have nothing to do with this matter,” he wrote in an e-mail cited by the newspaper. Arnold, who had helped to set up a first meeting
Fifa president Gianni Infantino (Photo: AFP) between Infantino and Attorney General Michael Lauber, replied: “What is important is the meeting in two weeks’ time. If you like, I can come with you again.” The meeting took place on April 22, 2016, the newspaper said, adding that what happened during it remains “a mystery”, and the OAG “refuses to speak about it”. The OAG declined to comment on the Tribune de Geneve article when contacted by AFP. Fifa was also contacted for comment, but there was no immediate response. The Zurich-based federation has always indicated that the meetings between Infantino and the OAG were intended to show that Fifa was “ready to
engage with the Swiss justice system”. In November 2017, “after a third informal meeting” between Infantino and Lauber, the OAG closed the investigation into the contract signed by Infantino at UEFA, European football’s governing body. The Tribune de Geneve also indicated that between July and September 2016, there were more than 20 calls between Swiss prosecutors and Fifa lawyers. “Prosecutors have apparently helped Fifa formulate its requests” as a plaintiff so that they could be “accepted by the OAG” an attitude which “seems incompatible with the OAG’s duty of impartiality”, the daily said.
Wednesday April 29, 2020
BCB and RHTYSC assist over 350 families with hampers The Berbice Cricket Board in conjunction with the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club MS has to date assisted over 350 families in Berbice with food hampers as part of its COVID 19 response project. Additionally a huge amount of face mask was also shared out, while BCB President Hilbert Foster Monday headed a four man delegation to distribute hampers of Bounty Farm chicken products to dozens of less fortunate families in the squatting areas of Williamsburg, Hampshire, Belvedere, Nigg and Toopoo. The popular chicken business has committed to assisting for the next two months with 300lbs of chicken products each month and Foster stated that they would be shared out to families who need assistance the most especially single parent households and the elderly. The BCB President who is also the Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC, MS stated that the distribution of the food hampers and chicken products have been a humbling process as he and his co-workers have been brought face to face with the suffering that families are going through due to being unable to work. He cited one worrying case where a father of four little children was thinking of suicide because he was ashamed that he was unable to provide meals for his family while paying other monthly
bills. Foster stated that the BCB and the RHTYSC strongly believes in making a positive difference in the lives of others and would continue the project as every day both organisations receives numerous requests for assistance. The objective is to share out share out a total of 600 food hampers at a cost of about three thousand dollars each. The BCB would like to urge those who could donate food items and grocery bags to do so that it can reach out to those who need it the most. The BCB would prefer the food items instead of cash and would like to specially appeal to former and present Berbice cricketers, overseas based residents and corporate Guyana. The two entities would like to reassure all donors that all donations would be used for their intended purpose. Updates on the ongoing project can be followed on the facebook account of the Berbice Cricket Board and the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS. Those wishing to donate can contact Hilbert Foster on 337-4443, BCB Secretary Angela Haniff on 3333905, Asst Secretary Ameer Rahaman on 641-0890 or PRO Simon Naidu on 649-6447. The BCB is Guyana most active sports organisation and over the last two years has hosted over 60 cricket tournaments at different levels and completed dozens of developmental programmes. The pro-active board has also assisted clubs
and young cricketers in the ancient county with over six million dollars worth of cricket balls, cricket gears, scorebooks, bicycles, educational materials, cricket uniforms and trophies among other items. Youth and females cricketers who go on to play for Guyana also receive a $10,000 stipend. The BCB has also launched an upgrade of its operation and has undertaken a multi million restoration of its office and has obtained all of the main items for its day to day operation in an effort to cut operational costs. The RHTYSC, MS is Guyana leading youth and sports club and is the only club in our country’s history to receive a national award. Founded in 1990 by three Guyana and Commonwealth Youth Service Awardee, the St Francis Community Developers, the club undertakes a record 700 activities each year under a wide range of sub headings including education, anti drugs, anti crime, sports, charity and community development. The RHTYSC is also one of Guyana leading cricket clubs with close to one hundred championship honors in its 30 years history, while it has also produced over 60 national players at all levels ,won five GCB club of the year awards, have Guyana only female cricket team and is a household name in Berbice for its charity work.
Wednesday April 29, 2020
Kaieteur News
Bristol to provide relief Hampers to GBA Seon Bristol
Steve Ninvalle
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he Guyana Boxing Association will soon be empowered to provide much needed food supplies to the boxing fraternity when it collaborates with Bris O Promotions to deliver a set of hampers. This was disclosed by GBA President Steve Ninvalle yesterday. Ninvalle informed that Bris O Promotions’ Chief Executive Officer Seon Bristol contacted him on Monday with a proposal to assist in providing hampers. “Mr. Bristol made the proposal and we are happy to work with him and his company to make the delivery of the hampers a reality. It is not the first time that the association has been benefited from his benevolence and we hope it is not the last time,” Ninvalle said. He added that the modalities for distribution are being worked out and the hampers should be ready in one week’s time. Contacted in New York yesterday Bristol explained that his commitment to the sport
remains in good or bad times. “I can say without fear of being contradicted that boxers are from tough neighborhoods and it would be a colossal understatement to say that they need help. All kinds of help. With the advent of the Covid19 their need for help has doubled. My intention is to try assisting in the best way that I can,” Bristol explained. A manager at Con Edison in New York, Bristol said he would be working closely with the GBA executive to make sure that at least 40 hampers are provided. “These are trying times for everyone and it’s important that even in such times that we continue to be our brother’s keeper. We expect those hampers will be delivered within a week.” Over the years Bristol has provided continuous support to the GBA and individual boxers. Meanwhile, Ninvalle informed that the GBA will be reaching out to several companies and private individuals to assist in providing more hampers.
AIBA strips Delhi of 2021 world championships, awards to Belgrade
Joseph Ward of Ireland (L) fights Julio La Cruz of Cuba during their Men’s Light Heavy final at the AIBA World Boxing Championship in Doha October 15, 2015. (REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon)
(
Reuters) - Amateur boxing body AIBA has stripped New Delhi of the 2021 men’s world championships and handed them to Belgrade instead, it said in a statement yesterday. AIBA said it had terminated the contract, signed in 2017, after India failed to meet host city payment obligations. India will have to pay a cancellation penalty of $500,000, it added. AIBA’s interim president Mohamed Moustahsane said the plan was to keep the existing dates and hold the championships after the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics if
the COVID-19 pandemic allowed. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year suspended AIBA over issues surrounding its finances and governance. “I’m sure all the nation would be proud to host the Championships in Belgrade. Serbia has everything to organise a great event for athletes, coaches, officials, and, of course, for our boxing fans,” said Moustahsane. “It’s a big step toward our new competition system and also the financial stability of our organisation, which is going to be less and less dependent on the Olympic money.”
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COVID-19 Pandemic
GFF stands in solidarity with the Health Care Workers The Guyana Football Federation wishes to commend the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), health care and other frontline workers who are engaged to keep our country safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was said by President Wayne Forde as t h e G F F ’s S e c r e t a r i a t continue to observe social distancing measures and football operations continues to be scaled down due to the ongoing
pandemic. Forde commended the efforts of the MoPH “to
confront this disease by actively promoting awareness, providing care and support for those affected and for keeping the public well informed.” “The Guyana Football Fraternity stands in solidarity with the health care workers who are on the frontline of this battle and would therefore urge the general public to behave in a manner that values and respect their enormous courage and sacrifice,” Forde added.
Albion Community Center expresses thanks for assistance from BCB
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he President, Executives and Members of the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club (ACCCC) has expressed sincere thanks to the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) for making food hampers available to the Club. The hampers were given to five of the Club’s young cricketers whose respective families are in need. A release from the Club stated, “We sincerely thank the BCB and the RHTY&SC for this kind gesture as this is another
testimony of the wonderful work being done by both organisations.” Meanwhile, the Club which has provided face masks to its membership as part of its efforts to assist in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus/COVID-19 is also currently looking at other activities to provide continued assistance not only to its members but to needy persons in the community. The distribution of sanitizing agents and food items are high on their agenda. According to the release, the Club’s Executives will be having a virtual meeting shortly to finalize arrangements.
FIFA: Games should not return before September NBC Sports - The leading medical expert at FIFA has said games should not return until September 1, at the earliest, as a return date for the 2019-20 season remains totally up in the air. The Medical Committee chairman, Michel D’Hooghe, does not believe games should return due to health concerns and bluntly said “it is not a matter of money, it is a matter of life and death” and fears a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in the UK, D’Hooghe revealed that the main aim for leagues around the world should be to focus on the 2020-21 season and forget about the 2019-20 season. “We are all subject to decisions at national level from the public authorities. It is very simple. Football suddenly becomes not the most important thing in life. I will be happy if we can start, in a convenient way,
the next championship and have nothing before the start of next season,” D’Hooghe said. “If they could start the season 2020-21 end of August or beginning of September I would be happy. Then they could eventually avoid a second attack from the virus, which is not impossible. Everyone has to be very careful for the moment. I have heard in many countries they are thinking about playing football again, with or without the public. “In my long career I have seen many situations where there has been a balance between economic and health. Mostly the economics won, whether that was about jetlag or football at altitude or in extreme conditions such as pollution situations. If there is one circumstance where medical arguments should win against economical arguments, it is now. It is not a matter of money, it is a
matter of life and death. It is very simple.” With the top-flight in the Netherlands and now France canceled, countries across Europe are putting bans on all sporting events, even behind closed doors, until September. This comes hot on the heels of the Premier League and UK government being in talks over ‘project restart’ to get games going again in June, while the Bundesliga and Serie A are also keen to resume the 2019-20 campaigns. FIFA seem to be totally against resuming the current campaign and UEFA now want a plan in place before May 25 from leagues across Europe and if they plan to try and finish the 2019-20 domestic season. FIFA saying that a return date to action should be in September at the earliest pretty much scuppers the rest of the 2019-20 season and will force UEFA to end its club competitions too.
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Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle during their Test-playing days. (Getty Images)
You are a snake, deceitful Chris Gayle blames Ramnaresh Sarwan for Jamaica Tallawahs ouster
Japan must keep state of emergency, 2021 Olympics‘difficult,’ top doctor says Bristol to provide relief Hampers to GBA Medical workers treat a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient in the ICU of St. Marianna Medical University Hospital in Kawasaki, Japan April 23, 2020, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo/via REUTERS)
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