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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL TEL:624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Transition and witch-hunting With every change of government, even in the least contentious of political environments, there is the expectation that some people useful to the outgoing political administration would have no place in the new one. In more mature polities, the principled resignation of political appointees is standard operating procedure. In Guyana, however, as limited as we’ve had changes in political administrations, the last past 30 years have shown us that incoming governments have had the tendency to clean house, witch-hunting persons loyal to one political fortress out of the public service while outgoing governments have had a tendency to, just before demitting office, attempt to populate the public service machinery with loyalists. The outgoing PNC administration of 1992 had so politicized the public service, stretching all the way back to the Declaration of Sophia in the mid-seventies, that it was impossible for the transition to the new Cheddi Jagan administration to be completely bloodless. That said, the then new administration went beyond any rational and just depoliticization and basically cleansed the public service of many highly qualified and politically unaffiliated persons, replacing them with party loyalists. The David Granger administration of 2015 found itself with the particular challenge of being ‘gifted’ many contracted workers in key positions, who were given contracts mere weeks or days before the change of government. While the politically influenced dismissals did not approach the levels of 1992, primarily because the new administration was ill-equipped to transition to managing government, it undertook its fair share of unwarranted firing of public service workers. This brings us to one of the central challenges of any new political administration in as highly divided and contentions a political environment such as Guyana’s. On the one hand, no citizen of this country should be arbitrarily denied legitimate employment in the performance of their public service duties, simply because of their political affiliation. The right of conscience and political choice is a fundamental one that should be respected in this country. On the other hand, no new government should be burdened with an army of political appointees handed contracts deliberately before a transfer of power so that the new government is held hostage to political appointments of their immediate predecessor. Any legitimately elected administration faced with an army of political plants within the core of its central operations should be able to correct any such manoeuvre. The newly elected Dr. Irfaan Ali administration thus has a clear challenge before it. The President needs to prove to the people who have not so distant and unpleasant memories of the spite with which the former Jagdeo regime was not unjustly associated, that he represents a new regime, one that is interested in respecting, retaining and incorporating qualified Guyanese into a government for all Guyanese. However, he also needs to show that he cannot and will not be held hostage to a politicized public service infrastructure established by someone who was voted out of office. There is no doubt that firings will come. Who is fired, and how, will make all the difference. For the transition to be relatively bloodless and to escape charges of witch-hunting, some clear protocol must be followed. If it is that the outgoing Granger administration has in fact decided to play the game of making political appointments either immediately prior to, or at any time after the elections, the first litmus test for justification of the rescinding of any such contract would be based, ironically enough, on the spirit, if not letter, of one of Granger’s own professed policies. One of the very first things Granger, on acceding to office, committed to was the professionalization of the public service, including the moving of contracted workers to the fixed establishment. What happened instead was that while some workers at middle or lower positions were moved into the formal
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Much gratitude to Kaieteur News and Kaieteur Radio for electoral coverage DEAR EDITOR, Please allow us space in your Kaieteur newspapers to voice the views of thousands of Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora. The Electoral Impasse that lasted over 5 months came to a conclusion on August 2nd with the swearing in of Irfaan Ali as President. The views I am expressing are the views of persons from across the political divide, some praising you and some cursing you but we all agree on one thing – the Kaieteur Radio programmes Room 592 and Elections Watch contributed in no small way to the declaration of the Recount results. Pre-Elections 2020, Mr. Gildarie had as guests, candidates from the political parties. Some feel that Mr. Granger was not handled the way you did Mr. Jagdeo or the other candidates in that he was not asked any hard questions, but the platform was available to the different parties, no partisanship. Post-elections however,
the gloves were off especially in Room 592. Indeed the truth was unleashed as Dr. Yog Mahadeo would say. We were receiving, blow by blow, the events as they were unfolding and the persons who were trying to stymie the declarations were being boxed in a corner with each guest and each program. Kaieteur Radio did more than all the other media houses, social media program and journalists put together with Room 592 and Elections watch. More importantly, the guests in Room 592 ranged from the local politicians, including Mr. Ramjattan, Ms. Hughes, Mr. Hinds, Mr. Edghill, Mr. Jonas, Mr. Ramkarran, Dr. Kissoon, Dr. Ali, and Mr. Nandlall with constant updates from GECOM Commissioners from both sides of the table, Mr. Alexander and Mr. Gunraj in particular. The questions were hard, sometimes provocative and at other times allowed some space for the politicians to explain/justify their posi-
tions. More importantly, there were guests of international stature including Prime Minister Own Arthur, Sir Ron Sanders, Ms. Deborah Misir, Mr. Douglas Meurs, Mr. Peter Wickham, Mr. Orin Gordon, Mr. Anthony Astaphan SC and Mr Selwyn Pieters These men and women of international repute contributed greatly to achieving the results we have achieved. Dr. Yog Mahadeo and Mr. Leonard Gildarie using the medium of the Kaieteur Radio kept the fire burning. They were relentless in the fight to restore democracy to this beautiful land of ours. Dr. Mahadeo in particular was sharp and tenacious in his interviewing, not letting anyone get away without answering the hard questions. Guyanese benefitted. Guyanese got to know how their politicians think and what are the international opinions on the Guyana situation. The Mahadeo/Gildarie combination was the best. It is sad that the Elections watch
program is stopped. It should have changed to cater for the current times. We need Kaieteur Radio to keep the current people in government straight, keep their feet to the fire. On behalf of all Guyanese, locally and in the diaspora, a huge ‘Thank You’ to Kaieteur Radio, Mr. Glen Lall, the staff at the radio station and most of all to Dr. Yog Mahadeo and Mr Leonard Gildarie. God bless you guys to continue the good fight for our Democracy! Mark DeFreitas Colin Peneux Avinash Persaud Clement Inshanally Mohamed Rafeek Krish Kumar Singh H. Ramballie Peter Rose Editor’s Note. KN Radio and News appreciate the vote of confidence. While Elections Watch is finished with the elections, the time slot will now be allotted to focus in-depth on citizen and community concerns.
Now is the time for everyone to cooperate for Guyana DEAR EDITOR, A new President was sworn in on Sunday, August 2, 2020 after half of a year of stress, strain and the vagaries of our judiciary. Ironically, we installed a new President as we mark the month of Emancipation of remembering the martyrdom during the most inhumane practice in modern human history, that is, the enslavement of black Africans and the Trans-Atlantic Trade. It was also on the day many have set aside for worship. I congratulate President Ali and in particular VicePresident Jagdeo as they assume the reins of Government. Their well laid out plans at home and abroad have paid off handsomely and we hope
that the initial statements will go beyond the rhetoric and be made reality. Best wishes to them. To the PNC-led coalition, the struggle continues to make manifest our motto of ‘One People, One Nation with One Destiny.’ To them, I say be assertive in the quest for national unity and the government that reflects the hopes and aspirations of this and succeeding generations. Elders who are still around, I know, are willing and capable of being the catalyst to bring about a healthy rapprochement so that we heal and not peel. Everything the new government says and does should be to mend not rend. Some have already ex-
public service structure, senior level contracted workers actually increased, with many positions carved out primarily for Granger’s fellow retired army personnel. The most telling example is the Bertram Collins Public Service Training College, an institution which was ostensibly created to contribute to training and staffing entry level members of that professionalized, fixed-establishment public service that the former president touted, but whose senior management consisted of super-salaried former army officers. The new administration simply, as a first measure, needs to check contracted employees against the fixed public service structure, and if there are any contracts, particularly newly signed ones that do not fit into the fixed public service infrastructure, these should be rescinded. A basic contract is not justification in itself for public service employment and if a contract does not fit into the very fixed structure that Granger himself supported, one would be hard-pressed to justify that contract not being ended. The second litmus test for legitimacy of continued employment has to do with the circumstances of the employment. Just as how there are basic rules for the awarding of contracts for the procurement of goods and services – including advertisement, competitiveness and transparency – similar rules apply for the employment of contracted public
pressed their concerns and fears. I am an optimist and remain hopeful, even as I witness the tears of the declared losers. We must be reminded that from the time we leave our mother’s womb, mankind experiences change and a lot depends on how we respond and adjust to the inevitability of change from infancy, childhood, adulthood on to old age.Be reminded by the old philosophy that the word ‘change’ itself designates one of the most conspicuous and most pervasive features of our sensory and introspective experience – only the related feature of plurality or diversity is equally so. The question I now pose to the leaders on both sides
of our political divide, is how will you respond to the change of August 2, 2020. It is my contention that the first task should be to share our significant history with our children from kindergarten to University.We must remind all of our children about the clever manipulation and the well-practiced divide and rule policy, which unhappily we remain unwitting victims of to this day. The unity forged in the 1952-1953 struggle, thanks to Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, was short-lived. This was due to the Cold War and other circumstances. Unhappily, for reasons well known, this difference between Burnham and Jagan (Cotninued on page 5)
service employees. Any contract that does not meet the basic standards associated with public service employment should be rescinded, re-advertised (if necessary) and rewarded based on merit. The third litmus test for continued employment of course has to do with performance of duties. No contract is intrinsically proofed against breaches of performance, whether with regard to general competence, failure to achieve deliverables, and impropriety. Any officer who has breached any provision of his or her contract has to be answerable and face sanction.These three general criteria established, once an individual employment contract – whether fixed establishment or not – is found to be in compliance, then that worker should, regardless of political affiliation, including whether or not they have appeared on a list of candidates in the recent election, be afforded security of tenure. Now is neither the time for political recrimination in the public service nor is it the time for accommodation of cynical political gamesmanship using the public service as the battlefield. The new administration has to be able to transition not only to a new standard of operation, but also a new culture of fair, meritbased public service employment, absent of any witch-hunting and unfair recrimination, away from the old standard that it had no small part in establishing in the first place.
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Ali’s administration policy priorities are timely and economically sound
Let us hold President Ali and his government accountable and responsible
DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Budget & Policy Institute welcomes the budget and policy priorities of Dr. Ali’s administration. In an interview with the News Room on August 3, 2020, President Dr. Ali identified ‘a re-alignment of public spending to public needs’ and ‘a focus on deliverables and output’ as priorities of his administration. These priorities are both timely and necessary to ensure that public spending addresses the short and long-term needs of the citizens and the economy. The focus on output and deliverables is critical to ensure that public spending delivers on their intended purposes. These policy priorities are consistent with the institute’s priorities that it has been advocating for years and are reflected in the institute’s flagship annual budget report and analysis publication. These policies are not just sensible and timely; they are the correct prescriptions that are necessary given the state the Granger administration has left the economy and public finance. The re-alignment of spending to public needs is likely to have profound impacts positive on the economy. In 2015, when the Granger administration came into office, 13 percent of the national budget was spent on economic opportunity sectors – agriculture, natural resources, and trade and commerce. At the end of 2019, allocations to these sectors were almost halved at just seven percent of the national budget. Funding for these sectors was repurposed to fund an oversized government bureaucracy without a clear legislative and policy agenda. These resources are better spent on the private sector to build productive capacity, grow the economy, and create jobs for people in pursuit of real economic growth. President Ali’s policy focus on deliverables and output, once implemented and enforced, will represent a monumental change in public administration, a change that is necessary for thrusting Guyana to the next level of development. Too often policymakers measure progress by how much money is spent as opposed to what was delivered or achieved with the money. Shifting the focus on deliverables and output will increase value for taxpayers’ dollars; it will also improve the quality of public service and governance, core developmental needs for Guyana. Here again, it is easy to understand why such a change in policy makes economic and financial sense. Since 2015, the government
spent more than a trillion taxpayers’ dollars with very little to show for it except for several icons of policy failure including GUYSUCO, Durban Park, the corrupt Drug Bond deal, Amaila Hydro, Ocean View, and the Demerara Harbour Bridge. President Ali also identified the size of the government and operational efficiency as areas of concern for which his administration will be paying attention to. For years, there has been growing frustration among taxpayers who do not know what they are getting in return for the taxes they pay. Citizens want to know how effectively and efficiently the government is using their money to deliver needed services. They want to know how their money is being spent, why it is being spent that way, and what outcomes their investment yields. Most taxpayers would be hard-pressed to answer these questions. Like the others, this change in policy to focus on output and outcomes is sensible and much needed considering how much of taxpayers’ monies went to governance and administrative overheads under the Granger administration. In 2019, for example, funding to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Presidency totaled more than G$48 billion; this is more than all the monies that were allocated to all 10 administrative regions for agriculture, edu-
cation, health, and infrastructure services; it is almost three times the amount of money invested in all the economic opportunity sectors, and it is more than is spent on public safety and security for the entire country. In 2019, funding for the Ministry for Finance alone was more than the total funding for all the ministries responsible for business, agriculture, and natural resources. Certainly, some of this funding is necessary and vital for efficient operations and planned improvement in these ministries. But even with such considerations, there is simply no conceivable economic and financial logic that could adequately justify these allocations; they simply defied economic thinking and reality. Less than a week ago I cautioned on the need for ending the electoral crisis if we are to save the economy and families. Our political leaders have heeded to that call and all of Guyana is better for it. What is even more encouraging are the policy priorities that the new administration is embarking on; they are properly aligned to public needs and address the fundamental cracks in our economic management system. Once fully implemented, the policies will benefit the economy and more importantly families in both the immediate and long-term. Yours truly, Dhanraj Singh
DEAR EDITOR, In a dramatic development which saw the restoration of constitutional order five months to the day after the March 2 elections, Dr. Irfaan Ali, presidential candidate of the PPP/C, was declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and sworn in by the Chancellor of the Judiciary as the ninth Executive President of Guyana. I extend to him sincere congratulations. The five months have been a period that tested our people, our society, our institutions, including our courts at home, and the patience and tolerance of the international community. During that time, feelings have hardened and the language which pervaded the national and social media has at times been vulgar, irresponsible, racist and misogynistic. But we have to take comfort that, in the end, good sense prevailed and we have survived as a society relatively intact. The divisions wrought by the delay, and the activities during the past five months, will be hard to heal, but heal them we must. More than for any individual or party, this is a victory for democracy, for the people and for the rule of law. I believe that this message is as relevant to the PPP/C as it is to the APNU+AFC Coalition. In an earlier letter, I wrote that our country has changed
governments twice in five years, compared with twice in fifty-one years before that. That is an achievement of which all Guyanese ought to be proud, despite the events in the courts which need no recounting, at least not at this time. Let us build on that achievement by continuing to hold Ali and his government accountable and responsible. No longer must state assets and property be used in the crude manner in which the Chronicle and the NCN have been misused, particularly since the No Confidence Motion. That must be brought to an immediate end. The challenges facing the new administration are formidable and require each of us to make our contributions to a Guyana that is proud, free, democratic and fair to all its citizens. On Saturday I accompanied the Hare Krishna movement as it engaged in food distribution on West Demerara. I felt personally ashamed that I live in a society in which adults and children, without COVID – 19 masks and some with runny noses, join lines to get a box of food. For a country with all the resources with which we are blessed, this is a national disgrace, even allowing for the pandemic which continues to wreak havoc across our country, and particularly in the hin-
Now is the time for everyone to cooperate for Guyana From page 4 was exploited by certain forces to put a wedge between Afro and Indo Guyanese, even though the split of the mid 1950s had nothing to do with race. The resulting suspicion and occasional hostility exist unhappily unto this day, like a cancer eating away at the slender fabric of our society. In the late 50’s, 60’s, the situation became so terrible that one of our Elders and a group of Afro-Guyanese canvassed the idea of partisan. The inevitability of change should compel us to sit and talk as Guyanese to eradicate suspicion and distrust and allow us to see fellow Guyanese not in terms of the colour of their skin, or texture of their hair but only on the content of their character. As a young boy, I learnt of the 1947 Elections, thru my parents and my participation as a teen in the 1953 elections and subsequent involvement of all national elections. This experience suggests that today that between eighty to eighty-five percent of voters cast their ballots based on racial preferences. This charade by our ma-
jor political parties of presenting to the public an Afro number one or Indo, number two, or vice-versa, fools no one anymore, in fact, it may be harmful since it is similar to putting a bandage on a festering sore. The experiment of a mixed, number one and two is a useless, if not harmful deception.Next, our political parties need to encourage more young females to come forward whether from the grassroots, middleclass or professional levels to illuminate and enliven the sociopolitical landscape of Guyana. I was weaned by a woman, my mother of awesome power and therefore appreciate the dynamism of the female.I am reminded of the words of Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, (1979-1990) who said if you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. (Amen). We remember the Yoruba theology, that one of their significant deities, Oshun, is the Goddess of water, purity, fertility, love and sensuality, all essential to a good life. I recall that in 1953, the first females to enter Parliament were the three Js,
Janet Rosenberg-Jagan, Jane Phillips-Gay and Jessie Burnham. Their entry into Parliament brought glory, goodness and grace to the hallowed chambers of our legislature. The period ahead, must not be characterized by spite or recrimination but of wholesome dialogue to find a modus vivendi. If we don’t, we remain mired where our human and material resources are exploited for a master class, not different from the days of slavery and indentureship. This bold but necessary step requires Guyanese of compassion, integrity and genuine patriotism to ensure the period ahead is glorious and not damned. We must not ignore that the events of the 2nd of August; for half of the population, it is foreboding and for the other half it is propitious. This unhappy division, whether we like it or not, is the reality and we must with courage face it if it is to be overcome. Frederick Robertson in his sermon consoled the congregation by stating that out of evil cometh good. Wherever you stand, if you stand on the side of the first group
we must take comfort that history has shown that in many instances out of evil cometh good. If we stand in the second group, it is an opportunity for healing with love.In the words of the National Song “Let us co-operate for Guyana composed and written by W.R.A (Billy) Pilgrim says ‘Let us resolve to fight together, see we do it right together.’He poses the question, Can we do it? We should all with confidence respond, ‘Yes we can!’ Hamilton Green
terland communities. It is as much a failure of governmental policy as it is of our society that we subject so many of our own people – our long-suffering women, able bodied men and intelligent children - to live in such inhumane conditions. Immediately, President Ali and his team, which I hope will be inclusive rather than exclusive, must pursue social and economic programmes under which no one goes to bed without a shelter, wake up without hope, pass a meal time without food, and spend the day without the opportunity of education and work. We have not had a parliament for over a year and a budget presentation for more than 18 months. Let us take whatever lessons that period and those experiences have taught us. The main one of course is that the ballot box is a crucial, but only one element of democratic governance. There must be a place in our society for the likes of Lincoln Lewis, David Hinds and Stanley Ming who will have discovered when they woke up this morning that the sky had not fallen down, that the country has not been taken over by alien monsters. They will soon realise that if there is one lesson that the PPP has learnt over the past five months, and hopefully the five years it was in opposition, is that Guyanese no longer have the tolerance for governmental excesses and abuses, for patronage and (Continued on page 6)
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KAIETEUR NEWS HAS STOOD AS A BEACON OF HOPE DEAR EDITOR, From many sources, tributes and call are being made and rightly so - for us as Guyanese to express gratitude to a number of individuals and organizations who through their persistence and advocacy ensured the survival of our democracy. It is my opinion that foremost most among the recipients of such accolades should be your publication. Kaieteur News has bravely stood as a beacon of hope, replete with facts and
figures, and loudly proclaimed that democracy is basically about fair play. The time in which we live renders truth inimical to the self-interest of many who seek positions of leadership. In this regard your publication has always attempted to be pellucid in its coverage of our sad elections saga. In stark contrast to those who sought to twist and bend the truth, while discombobulating the gullible segment of the electorate,
Kaieteur has worthily and faithfully demonstrated what a decent newspaper should be – fair, unbiased and factual. While not always meeting, in my humble opinion, all the high standards of professionalism, in this case you deserve copious credit for standing for right, standing democracy, thereby ensuring our survival as a free nation. Ta k e a b o w Kaieteur News, take a bow. Yours truly, Lennox Estwick
Granger might not stick to the 70:30 parliamentary seat deal with AFC DEAR EDITOR, Khemraj Ramjattan, who is still the leader of the rapidly shrinking AFC, stated recently on a radio program that his party will be allocated 30% of the total 31 parliamentary seats that the APNU+AFC coalition won at the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections. The 30% amounts to 9 Parliamentary seats. I believe that Ramjattan based his comment on the agreement that the AFC made with APNU prior to the 2020 elections. Mr. David Granger also indicated at that time that he was the Leader of the APNU+AFC l i s t . M r. Granger further stated that he reserved the right to choose all the Parliamentarians from the list. The AFC cannot choose any Parliamentarian. Assuming that Granger chooses the Parliamentarians, it will be interesting to see who will be the AFC Parliamentarians. But we c a u t i o n – M r. G r a n g e r had entered into a prior a g r e e m e n t (Cummingsburg Accord) with the AFC but f a i l e d t o h o n o r m a n y of the arrangements such as the AFC- assigned Prime Minister being responsible for chairing Cabinet meetings and advising on the appointment of heads
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Kaieteur News
of department. Will Granger now honor the revised agreement provisions between the APNU and AFC? The monumental problem facing Mr. Granger is that the revised APNU-AFC agreement was negotiated on the premise that (1) the coalition would likely win the March 2, 2020 elections and (2) that the AFC would deliver at least a similar level of support as they did in 2015 when they captured 10% of the traditional PPP/ C votes. At the elections in 2006 the AFC won 5 seats and at the 2011 elections, the AFC won 7 seats. It was projected that they won at least 8 seats in the 2015 elections. On a GlobeSpan program in 2020 Ramjattan told the moderator that the AFC was good enough for 11 seats. Whether that statement was meant to assure Granger and APNU that the AFC party was strong despite attempts to pull it down, is still baffling to most people. It may be recalled that at the local government election (LGE) in 2018, the AFC was literally obliterated from the political landscape when they failed to win even one local authority area. Why would Granger and APNU believe, therefore, that
Now is a good time to privatize the state media DEAR EDITOR, Now would be a good time to privatise State Media (Guyana Chronicle and NCN). The government of President Irfaan Ali does not need its own media outfit to tell them they looking good or to aim propaganda at the people. We have seen how the state media can be used to distort the truth. What the government needs is free and impartial media to hold it accountable and should cherish when the media is doing so. We’re building on the gains of democracy to leave better institutions than we inherit from our predecessors. Yours truly, Sean Ori
the AFC’s LGE 2018 performance might be transformed at the March 2, 2020 polls? What evidence would APNU possess to indicate that the AFC will deliver enough votes to secure 9 seats? Based o n v a r i o u s sources of information, including the sparse attendance at AFC-led meetings and internal polls, it had become evident to most analysts, that the votes polled by AFC at the 2020 elections might cover at the most, one seat. Why would APNU, therefore, award the AFC with 8 additional seats for their abysmal electoral performance? How would logic and reason explain this phenomenon? F u r t h e r, w h y w o u l d APNU members particularly those who are on the list, allow their leader to allocate 8 additional seats to AFC (a party that has been written off by most analysts), at the probable expense of deserving APNU members? The tension could be high and Granger may be forced to re-think the allocation formula of 70:30. I understand that the revised APNU-AFC agreement wa s not written in stone. If Granger decides to uphold the 70:30 formula, I can anticipate a simmering turbulence within the APNU. It’s rather interesting to see how this plays out. Yours truly, Dr. Tara Singh
It is up to us as citizens to demand what is best for us and future generations DEAR EDITOR, Five years ago, we were in this same situation as we are in this day. The hope of a better and inclusive Guyana made many Guyanese excited about our future. Even the air felt a bit fresher. My hope is that five years down the road we will not be in the same situation we have found ourselves in. While formal power is given to those that are elected, it is up to us as citizens to demand what is best for us and future generations, we should do this every day and don’t wait until the next election. A country’s development should not be built on the foundation of politics. Politics is used to achieve power but it should not be used to govern a nation. If that mistake is
made, whatever is achieved will sooner or later come crashing down. The purpose of all government employees is to serve the entire Guyana, not just a section of the population. Those that have invested their resources into political candidates should understand that their reward is not to have personal return on investment but rather a better Guyana for all. We owe it to this dear land of ours to speak out against corrupt practices and activities that will destroy the bright future that awaits this nation. We should support each other by calling things as they are and not what we want them to be. The leaders of this country should not be allowed to trample on this nation, they should not be
Democracy survives in Guyana DEAR EDITOR, We refer to the article in Kaieteur News August 3rd, 2020 “What Happened Should Never Happen Again in the World” by Freddie Kissoon. The views expressed are fully endorsed by every defender of democracy in Guyana and in the diaspora. We accept that had it not been for the intervention of members of the diplomatic community, Caribbean heads of State and the International Organizations, Guyana would have been plunged into a lifetime of dictatorship. However, as crucial and important a role the international community as well as many key members of the judiciary have played, kudos must be extended also to the many activist groups, individuals and news outlets whose combined and unrelenting efforts helped in maintaining the necessary attention and focus on what really was at stake; democracy. The totality of all the contributions allowed hope to overcome hopelessness. One must not forget the contributions of those who have recently passed. The late Mr. Owen Arthur was mentioned but there was also the work the late Mr. Randy Depoo whose early petition of over 7000 signatures in support of democracy and a call for personal sanctions
against known riggers was the first to be submitted to the US Embassy in Guyana. Unfortunately he was not around to see how the sanctions impacted the final outcome. When a petition appeared on line asking for the recall of HC Lilian Chatterjee of Canada just for using the word “frivolous”, a counter petition online in support of her and other diplomats garnered over 3000 signatures. She must have felt vindicated when several courts including the court of Appeal opined that repetitive court actions were also vexatious and an abuse of the court process. The daily newspapers in Guyana also played a key role by publishing many letters in support of democracy. Many groups and individuals submitted letters to the press which could not publish them. Thousands of volunteers from many countries also signed and shared several petitions, all helped in some way. Unlike others who are being paid and a few who should have been fired, those who should be singled out for special mention are the courageous individuals, who until the end of the recount process and at times braving the rainy weather, kept a 24/7 vigil on the containers in which the ballots were stored; And to those who spent countless
Let us hold President Ali and his ... From page 5 privileges for friends and supporters.We all deserve to be treated equally and we must remind President Ali of the sacred oath he took yesterday before the whole world, that he would “bear true faith and allegiance to the people of Guyana ….. with-
allowed to do as they please. We should hold together, and put aside our political differences until the next election, until then, let’s see things objectively. We don’t have to agree because we voted for the government and likewise we don’t have to disagree because we have voted for the opposition. Should we continue on this path of blindly following our political leaders, this country will never see a transformation that is needed. There is a need for politics in every nation, but there is a time and place for such, it’s called the elections. That is over and therefore let us move on as One People, One nation and One Destiny. Yours truly, S. Singh
out fear or favour, affection or ill will and …. [that he would] honour, uphold and preserve the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.” That holds as well to his Prime Minister and all his ministers. To former President David Granger, he did the right thing eventually and I
extend to him my best wishes in whatever he does for the remainder of his time. And to Dr. Jagdeo, congratulations on leading your party back into Government. Note that the work expected of you by the nation, now begins. Yours truly, Christopher Ram
hours from every corner of the globe organising and demanding action from governments in their countries of residence. Then there were the myriad of video conferencing and interviews, all the advocacies which helped in shaping opinions and influencing key decisions. Democracy Watch 2020 of the GTA in Ontario joined the efforts in mid March, by writing letters asking the Canadian Prime Minister and other world leaders to impose sanctions on the offenders who were trying to steal the election. The ad hoc apolitical group remained active throughout the struggle. An online petition by this group starting in mid July calling on GECOM to declare Dr. Ali President of Guyana, garnered over 200 signatures before it was MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Democracy is alive in Guyana through the steadfast commitment and hard work of all of the above .We hope it will be lasting. The group of volunteers at Democracy Watch 2020 is appreciative of the advice and guidance of retired lawyer and author Mr. Ramnarine Sahadeo. We thank him and all others who helped in the preservation of democracy on Guyana. As Guyana seems poised for a liberated future where cohesion, inclusiveness and participation of the citizenry aided by good governance will hopefully be realized, Democracy Watch 2020 will remain vigilant. Best of luck to the new administration. Yours truly, S. Bernard; S. Alexander; N. Hanif; H. Ragnauth; K. Ramprashad; R. Persaud; N. Megnauth; R.M. Singh; Pandit B. Benimadhu
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Kaieteur News
Ex -army officer sentenced to life for killing reputed wife Former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain, Orwain Sandy, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the unlawful killing of his reputed wife, Reona Payne. The ex-army official is expected to serve at least 20 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Sandy’s sentence was handed down by High Court Justice, Sandil Kissoon, yesterday via a zoom hearing. He had been charged with murder after he shot Payne several times at point-blank range on March 31, 2018, at Masjid Road, Alexander Village. During his initial appearances at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, Sandy sought to use a psychiatrist report as part of his defence that he was innocent of the murder charge. He, however, opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when he appeared before the High Court, last week. His sentence was deferred to facilitate a probation report which was presented to the Court yesterday. Sandy’s lawyer, Ravindra Mohabir, followed the reading of the report, with a plea for leniency. Mohabir asked the court to consider that his client suf-
fered a sudden loss of control due to provocation. The lawyer claimed that his client was engaged in a heated argument with his partner in whom he demanded that she called a man named “Kwame” and end the relationship she was having with him. In response, the lawyer claimed that Payne grabbed Sandy’s pistol and threw it out the window. Mohabir said that this incensed, Sandy and he lost control. Likewise, in his address to the Court, Sandy said that he was deeply affected by his actions. He claimed that he
suffered from a mental breakdown on the day he shot Payne whom he referred to as “his first love”. Sandy told the Court too that he is deeply sorry for his actions. As he begged for a second chance to contribute to society, Sandy promised that he will use his time to become an advocate of mental health issues and against domestic/ inter partner violence. However, Prosecutor Lisa Cave who presented the State’s case against Sandy asked the Court to hand down a sentence that is reflective of
(CGTN) Colombia’s Supreme Court placed former President Alvaro Uribe under house arrest in a unanimous decision on Tuesday while a fraud and witness tampering case continues. Uribe, a mentor of President Ivan Duque who now serves as a senator, has repeatedly declared his innocence in the case and questioned the court’s independence. The court reached the decision after concluding there was potential for obstruction of justice to take place, it said in a statement. ”Senator Uribe will serve out his confinement in his residence, from where he can continue to mount his defense,” the court said. According to local media, Uribe is at his country house in Cordoba province. ”The privation of my liberty causes me profound sadness for my wife, for my family, and for Colombians who still believe that I have done something good for the country,” Uribe wrote on Twitter before the court published its decision. The Supreme Court ruling is the first ever in Colombia ordering the detention of a former president. Duque has repeatedly defended Uribe and said in a video statement on Tuesday
he would always believe in the innocence of the former president. The case stems from a long-running feud between the right-wing Uribe and leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda. In 2012, Uribe accused Cepeda of orchestrating a plot to tie him to rightwing paramilitary groups. But in 2018 the court said Cepeda had collected information from former fighters as part of his work and had not paid or pressured former paramilitaries. Instead it was Uribe who was at fault, the court said, adding that his allies had undertaken new witness tampering efforts even after its original ruling. Uribe and lawmaker Alvaro Hernan Prada face prison terms of up to 12 years. That would put Uribe in the ranks of other former Latin American presidents, including Brazil’s Lula da Silva and Peru’s Alberto Fujimori, who have served time in confinement. ”There is no one in Colombia who is above justice or the law, no matter how influential they are,” Cepeda said in a virtual news conference. Uribe is best known for mounting an aggressive offensive against guerrillas during his 2002 to 2010 tenure. He and his family have long
been accused of paramilitary links. His brother Santiago is facing a murder charge. Uribe’s detention may weaken the cohesion of the Democratic Center in Congress as Duque ties to pass reforms meant to help manage the fallout of coronavirus. Right-wing paramilitary groups, formed in the 1980s to fight leftist rebels, were financed by drug traffickers, ranchers and landowners. The groups ruled through terror, committing massacres, rape and mass displacements.
Sentenced: Ex-army officer, Orwain Sandy
Shot dead: Reona Payne
the crime committed. She said that the sentence must serve as a deterrent to like-minded individuals that such acts against women will not be tolerated. The State Prosecutor also noted that while Sandy accepted responsibility for his actions, the court needs to send a strong message to society to help dissuade perpetrators of domestic abuse. In addition to the Prosecutor’s submission, the Court heard an impact statement from Payne’s children as well as their father Richard Bevany.
Bevany told the court that his children have been deeply impacted by the death of their mother. He said that their performance at school was negatively impacted. The two children also related that they miss their mother very much and wished that she was still in their lives. In arriving at the sentence, Justice Kissoon considered the favourable probation report, Sandy’s remorse and commitment to being a better individual as mitigating factors. Among the aggravating factors, the Judge considered
the use of a gun in the commission of the crime and the number of times Payne was shot at close range. He told the former army officer that he only becomes eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 20 years. On March 31, 2018, Sandy shot Payne, a travel agent at Muneshwers travel service, 14 times at point blank range and surrendered to officers at the Ruimveldt Police Station, shortly afterwards. According to the facts of the case, the couple was arguing with each other as they were approaching First Street, Alexander Village in a White Audi PWW 7163. Payne jumped out of the vehicle and Sandy followed her; he reportedly pulled out his handgun and shot her several times as she tried to escape. He reportedly drove himself to the police station where he reportedly told the police what had transpired. He also handed in his weapon and was placed in custody. Sandy, who was the aide-de-camp to then Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West, was immediately interdicted from duty. Payne was a mother of three and Sandy a father of two. Prior to the incident, the two were living together at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara.
Colombian court places former President Uribe under house arrest Alvaro Uribe
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Gold price climbs to $2,000 per ounce
Gold’s mega rally took another upturn on Tuesday as it surpassed another major hurdle at $2,000 per ounce. Spot gold advanced 1.4% to $2,004.97 per ounce by 3:20 p.m. EDT, after reaching an intraday high of $2,009.20 earlier. Bullion has surged more than 30% so far this year to a record high and is one of the best-performing assets in 2020 as a result of increased safe-haven demand during the coronavirus pandemic. Investors are driven by the belief that the metal will hold its value better than
other assets as fallout from COVID-19 ripples through the global economy. In the US, the world’s largest economy, central bank stimulus has pushed inflation-adjusted bond yields to record lows, making non-yielding gold more attractive. The dollar has also weakened sharply, making bullion cheaper for buyers with other currencies. “The never-beforereached $2,000/oz is a major psychological resistance level, with gold’s 49-year trend channel resting just below it at $1,983,” said
Commerzbank technical analyst, Karen Jones. “Only an end-of-month or, better yet, end-of-quarter close above these levels will signal a break from the channel,” she added. However, because the rally has been so fast, a downward correction is likely and could be brutal, analysts said, before the market attempts another stab higher. Early support is coming in around its 20-day moving average at $1,875 and the bottom of its 4-month uptrend around $1,830. “Below that is more
(Image courtesy of Piqsels) powerful support at the 20week moving average, currently at $1,755,” said Tom Pelc, an independent technical analyst, formerly of Nomura and RBS. Such a fall would not necessarily equate doom the longer-term uptrend, analysts posited. “We continue to see this improving volatility
backdrop, so there’s no sign that the long-term trend is changing,” said Richard Adcock, a former UBS and now independent technical analyst. “The market can carry on higher than people expect.” If resistance is broken, Fibonacci extensions offer short-term targets. These are based on the idea that a rally
will extend in predictable proportions extrapolated from a previous rally. “One is at $2,067, another comes in at $2,286,” said Pelc. “Lucas ratios — a tool using a sequence of numbers similar to Fibonacci’s — suggest gold could rise to $3,598.80 an ounce in 4-5 years,” he added. (Mining.com)
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
Treatment is vital in combating the pandemic
I
have seen a video of someone who tested positive for the coronavirus and became severely ill. This person, prior to his infection, was robust and appeared in the peach of health. What the virus did to that man was unbelievable. It has done extreme damage to his vitals. He is now a shadow of the man he once was. As the number of positive COVID-19 coronavirus cases continues to spike, there is an urgent need for the government to consider a temporary restriction on the persons from Regions One, Seven and Nine leaving their regions. The number of active coronavirus cases has already begun to overwhelm the health systems in those three Regions. The country is not equipped to deal with any continued escalation in cases. The doubling rate of the virus has been shortened. Using a minimum of 30 cases, the first doubling took 11 days. This is not unusual in the early stages of an infectious outbreak. The second doubling took 34 days; the third doubling of the number of positive cases took 40 days. But the fourth doubling took only 35 days. One way of determining how fast an infection is spreading is by looking at its doubling rate. Typically, the number of days which it takes for the number of cases to double should be increasing. But, as of yesterday, the number of days it took for the doubling of the number of cases decreased by five days. This suggests that the situation is fast getting out of control. So far there have been 22
deaths and that is far too high, given the number of positive and serious cases. Of immediate concern, in this regard, is the fact that a disproportionate number of the deaths are young persons. Just a few days ago, a 34-year-old man died. The government’s focus is correctly on containment and the best way to go about doing this is to have more testing done so that cases are identified early. There have been some criticisms about using rapid testing methods. But this is the best way of determining how widespread the infection has been. If a result from a rapid test comes back positive, the person can then be subject to a PCI test. The lack of implementation has been the greatest failure of the national COVID-19 response. This column has bemoaned the reckless approach which was taken to have social restrictions which were not being implemented. Persons, for example, were supposed to stay at home but this was very often been breached. Non-essential businesses were openly flouting the regulations. And even as late as last week, certain bars were opened when they ought to have been closed. At present, all persons are supposed to wear a mask in the public. This is being openly flouted right across Guyana. If there is one immediate step which can and should be taken to contain this pandemic, it is that the police should be ensuring that this regulation is enforced. But there is one aspect of the national response which has not received the desired attention. It concerns treat-
ment. Last weekend, one of Kaieteur News’ Sunday columnists, Dr. Zulfikar Bux, wrote about the different types of treatment which are being utilized. One of those is the cont r o v e r s i a l hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). His view was that HCQ is effective in the early phase of the disease when the virus has not entered our cells enough to overwhelm our bodies. He also mentioned the use of Ivermectin as being helpful in treatment. But no mention was made of a drug which is considered the greatest breakthrough in treatment of the coronavirus: dexamethasone. It is vital that there be a comprehensive response to the pandemic, involving social controls such as isolating hot spots from the rest of the country, social restrictions and social distancing, the mandatory use of masks, enforcement and restricting cross-border travel and agreed upon protocols for treatment. A vaccine is eventually going to be developed. Some predictions now stipulate that the vaccine could be ready before the end of the year. But there will be a lag before every country can receive the desired number of vaccines. In the meantime, cases have to be suppressed. Health care has to concentrate on saving lives. Twenty-two deaths are way too many for the number of cases which we have. Treatment must not be neglected. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Dem boys seh ...
A woman incriminate she self with a live Facebook video Dem boys had to laugh when dem read about de man wah get 72 hours notice fuh move out of de government house wah he living in. De man claim how public service rules entitle him to one month. When yuh living in government house yuh does pack yuh traps before Election Day. Yuh does move yuh things out and lef only yuh toothbrush. De same man wah get 72 hours fuh move nah know how long he gat mo pun de big wuk in de government. Dem boys wan recommend dat he be given 72 seconds fuh clear out he things off he desk. Dat is sufficient time fuh tie he shoelace, turn off he computer and pick up he lunch bowl and
head through de door. A woman bin do wan live video of a car chase in which she was the pursuer. De video was supposed to incriminate somebody else. But the video end up incriminating de person wah mek it. Dat gat to be wan funny, funny twist of fate. Dem boys wan see if she gan tell de magistrate fuh, “get it right!” 72 is not wan nice number. Some people need, 72 seconds fuh get dem affairs in order. Some people need 72 minutes. Some people need 72 hours. And some people like de Bingo Man and de Lolo Man facing de threat of prosecution which could put dem in de pen fuh 72 years. Talk half and see who qualify fuh wan 72.
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Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Why did they drag it out for five months? A
s the analysts get down to examining the strategies behind the election rigging by the PNC and AFC, the question will inevitably arise as to why they conceded after five months; why until five months? It is outside the scope of one column to comprehensively assess why that decision was made. Here are some brief notes and further columns will delve deeper into this mystery. It dragged on beyond the first week in March because I
think APNU+AFC leaders were in a state of both confusion and shock. The loss was mentally lacerating. They couldn’t understand that they had lost. Wednesday night of March 4, most of the big wigs in the PNC and AFC met at the PNC’s campaign office on Lamaha Street. Many persons at that meeting literally wept. At that gathering, a decision was taken to rig the poll to give them a minority government and this would be done by the GECOM Secre-
tariat. They decided they will do a barefaced thing and bring it to an end on March 14 after Mingo’s second declaration at the GECOM head office in Kingston. So why wasn’t David Granger sworn in on the Saturday of March 14? Two factors were considered. One was that the Mingo’s Kingston thing was not expected to be so crude and it was felt that Claudette Singh would not go along with it since Mingo did not adhere to the Chief Justice’s ruling. The second factor was
that Mingo had messed up so badly in Kingston that it further galvanized the West, the OAS and CARICOM that the bigwigs of the PNC and AFC were confused about what to do next. It appeared that no one supervised Mingo as to how to go about doing a plausible rigging, so Mingo just messed up by using a bed sheet and a piece of cardboard that made the March 4 rigging at the Ashmin’s Building look like child’s play. From March 14, the PNC and the hardliners in the AFC (Cathy Hughes, Raphael Trotman and David Patterson – gang of 3) were undecided as to what they could do next. The problem was that no eminent organization in and outside of Guyana had endorsed a Granger victory and the global doors were closing in. In April, in the midst of the mental quagmire that the kings and queens were living in, the Americans suggested a solution and worked through CARICOM; thus was born the Mottley idea – a recount as what happened in 1997 when CARICOM undertook a similar operation. The third occasion of confusion arose. Granger agreed to the Mottley idea and did not consult the PNC’s war room or the AFC’s gang of 3. The gang of 3 and a cabal inside the PNC finally agreed to use the Mingo dec-
laration after they felt that the Court of Appeal would rule that GECOM was wrong to concede a recount supervised by CARICOM. The fourth occasion of confusion was born. The Court of Appeal comprising Justice Dawn Gregory and Brassington Reynolds ruled that GECOM cannot be stopped by the court from pursuing a recount. The strategy now was to classify the election as highly irregular by continuously shouting too many illegalities occur. The hope was that the CARICOM team would buy into this formula but the threeperson CARICOM team did not. Why? Because the claims of irregularities consisted of stupidities which disgusted the CARICOM group. First, Joseph Harmon claimed thousands of ballots from the security forces were not stamped thus did not count. But it was scientifically impossible for anyone to know this because they voted with ordinary ballots like every other citizen and the ballots were mixed with other ballots in other districts. As the accusations of irregularities evaporated, and the CARICOM team was seen to be accepting that the election was fair, the decision to hold on to power and bargain with the West for power-
Frederick Kissoon sharing was taken by both the PNC and the AFC. But one stumbling block stood in the way - CARICOM and the West were not prepared to confabulate on that topic. The final survival kit was used on Sunday, August 2 when Singh unnecessarily agreed to ask Granger and Bharrat Jagdeo to negotiate a settlement. One must understand that nothing ventured, nothing gained. The PNC had nothing to lose by trying a thing and asking Jagdeo to negotiate power-sharing. Space has run out, so I will follow up by looking at why the PNC/AFC gave up power rather than stay on longer than August. The intention was to stay on. So what factors caused them to choose August? I will offer two reasons. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Procurement officials receive training on compliance, performance
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ontracted by the Public Procure ment Commission (PPC), INPRI Jamaica Ltd recently delivered a three-day virtual instructor-led training for staff of the Operations Department of the Commission and senior procurement staff of selected ministries (Procuring Entities). The programme, according to a PPC release, was conducted over the period June 29, 2020 to July 1, 2020 via the Zoom Virtual Meeting Platform. Participants, it was noted,
were provided with training materials, including an e-copy of supporting text, and were exposed to training content in the areas of public management, performance auditing, performance risk, data collection and data analyses. “The content enabled the participants to enhance their knowledge of the various methodologies used to conduct assessments of procurement systems and draw appropriate conclusions with regard to compliance and performance levels,� the PPC statement added.
The training was conducted by Reginald Cornwall, an experienced lecturer in procurement, who facilitated meaningful interaction and active participation during the sessions utilizing high quality videos and interactive case studies. The PPC provided the participants with the relevant equipment and dedicated training areas, in an effort to efficiently manage the training environment and adhere to required health and safety measures.
Participants during the procurement training.
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
Broomes, bodyguard charged for assault, discharging firearm
F
ormer Youth Affairs Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency, Simona Broomes, and her bodyguard were yesterday charged for assault and discharging a firearm, respectively. Broomes was released on self bail while her bodyguard is still in custody. The charges are related to an altercation which occurred on Monday between Broomes and a PPP City Councillor, Deon Young, in Sophia, Georgetown. In a live video posted by Broomes on her Facebook fan page at around 08:00hrs on Monday last, she and others were seen assaulting Young and another man. Broomes detailed in her live video that she had just finished her morning exercise when she spotted a man with a flap-hat dismantling some signs with a hammer. The signs were planted on the government reserve in front of her house. She alleged that she confronted the man for taking down the signs that she had spent money to erect. Broomes claimed that the man responded by saying, “We want to show you who in power now and who running the country now.”
The ex-minister also made claims that the man threatened to shoot her before entering a waiting car and driving off. Broomes then entered her vehicle and instructed her driver to follow the car, which they trailed to A-Field, South Sophia where it stopped at a bridge. Two men exited and walked over into Plum Park.
Broomes too stepped out of her vehicle, along with her driver, and ran behind the men. As they got closer, her driver took out his firearm and began firing shots in the air. The men were shortly after assaulted. During the assault, Young received a cut to his hand and lacerations to his arms and feet while the worker
Two seriously injured in separate incidents
Two persons are currently hospitalized after they were attacked at two separate locations in Berbice. Kaieteur News was informed that 29-year-old Rena Harrypaul, a male of Lot 107 Alness Village, Corentyne, Berbice was stabbed by an individual whose only name was given as Zokwakie at Alness, Sideline Dam. In a separate incident another man’s arm was severed. Reports suggest that Harrypaul was at a fun day and horse racing activity at an Alness Village location when he and Zokwakie had a misunderstanding. It is alleged that Zokwakie grabbed a beer bottle and broke it,
then dealt a stab to the back of Harrypaul’s left ear and then calmly walked away. Harrypaul was picked up and taken to the Port Mourant Hospital where he was treated and admitted. Police are on the hunt for the suspect. Meanwhile, at Rose Hall Town, two men were said to be imbibing when an argument erupted. According to reports, one of the men armed himself with a cutlass that was nearby and dealt a chop to his drinking partner, severing his right hand. The victim is presently hospitalised at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. The suspect has since been arrested.
Ganesh Mahipaul given 72 hours to vacate Govt. house
Ganesh Mahipaul, Guyana Chronicle’s new General Manager (GM) and Region Three Information Officer for the A Partnership For National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), has been given 72 hours to vacate the government property he is currently occupying at Leonora on the West Coast of Demerara. This is according to the Regional Chairman, Julius Faerber, who told this publication that he has instructed his Regional Executive Officer (REO), Jennifer Dougall, to write the notice of eviction to Mahipaul. The Regional Chairman told Kaieteur News that for over a year and at no cost, Mahipaul has been given privileges to occupy the Leonora house. The Regional Chairman, however, argues that the avid coalition supporter is now “illegally” occupying the building, as he claims that Mahipaul no longer holds the position of Information Officer. Faerber linked Mahipaul’s removal from the regional post to the fact that he is now the General Manager for the stateowned newspaper. To compound issues, Faerber indicated that there are other regional staffers who are in need of the said building and that it is “wholly unfair and illegal” for Mahipaul to continue occupying the space. However when asked, the Regional Chairman could not say when Mahipaul was relieved of his duties. Mahipaul was quick to rebut the Regional Chairman’s claims. He argued that he is still employed as the Regional Information Officer under the Ministry of Communities. Further, he maintained that he is not operating as Guyana Chronicle’s GM but rather as a Director on the Board of Directors and only visits the office on a “need to go basis”. Notably, Articles of Association that governs the newspaper entity do not allow for ad
Ganesh Mahipaul
hoc arrangements in which board members like Mahipaul can function at any capacity in the company. The board will have to specially appoint someone in a substantive position, and in this case, it will be Managing Director, not the GM. In fact, Administrator of the company and acting GM, Donna Todd, was sent on leave and the position should have been given to Finance Director, Moshamie Ramotar, not Mahipaul. Nonetheless, he maintains that he only serves as director, despite even the Guyana Chronicle listing him as the GM in an article dated July 25, 2020. Mahipaul insists that he will not vacate the West Coast Demerara residence. Faerber, however, was keen to point out that if that happens “stern measures” will be taken to remove him.
sustained injuries to the head and feet as well. A report was later lodged at the Turkeyen Police Station by both parties.
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Former Minister, Simona Broomes
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Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
Guyana supports US Nagamootoo hands over for IDB Presidency keys to official residence Supported: Mauricio Claver-Carone
T
he Government of Guyana yesterday announced that it is supporting the candidacy of Mauricio ClaverCarone who has been nominated by the United States of America (US) for the post of President of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB). “Mr. Claver-Carone’s experience in senior positions of the US Treasury Department, the US National Security Council and as US Executive Director of the IMF augur well for his presidency,” the Ministry of the Presidency said yesterday. The IDB will hold elections on September 12 and 13 to succeed the current President Luis Alberto Moreno of Colombia whose term ends on September 30, 2020. “The nomination of Mr. Mauricio Claver-Carone demonstrates the
United States’ commitment to leadership in important regional institutions, and the advancing of prosperity and security in the Western Hemisphere. His leadership of the IDB is expected to strengthen its ability to deliver development impact to the region,” the ministry said. Claver-Carone previously served as the US Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he represented the United States, as the largest shareholder, on the IMF’s Executive Board. He also served as Senior Advisor for International Affairs at the US State Department. The IDB plays a pivotal role in the progress and overall development of Guyana and the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Significant to the transitional phase of the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic government, former Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, on Monday handed over the keys to the official residence of the Prime Minister. The keys to the heritage building were handed over to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Abena Moore. Brigadier Mark Phillips, who was appointed Prime Minister by His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali, is expected to take up residence at the property. Prime Minister Phillips was among several People’s Progressive Party executives who were appointed by the newly sworn-in President after taking his oath of office. Former Opposition leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, was appointed as Vice President, while Anil Nandlall was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. Gail Teixeira was also appointed Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance. The Head of State has assured the nation that his administration will be working in the best interest of all Guyanese. About a week ago, former PM Nagamootoo was insistent that the Coalition had won the March 2nd elections.
The Main Street official home of the Prime Minister. Moved out: Moses Nagamootoo
Wednesday August 05, 2020
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Kaieteur News
Three dead, two injured in Corentyne smash-up - drivers in police custody The car, PGG 8291, which hit the lorry first.
Police at the scene of the accident.
The estate lorry.
T
hree persons, in cluding a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank, were killed while two others, including a member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), were injured in an accident which saw two cars slamming into a parked estate lorry on the Whim, Corentyne, Berbice public road. Dead is 21-year-old Jessica Leitch of Rose Hall Town, Berbice; 21-year-old GDF rank, Kwesi Antonio Lewis of Springlands, Upper Corentyne, Berbice and 25year-old Reon Moriah of Circle Street, Corriverton, Berbice. The two injured, Simon Alder, the GPF rank, and Krishan Raj, were identified as the drivers for both cars involved in the accident which occurred Sunday night. According to a police report, the motor lorry GJJ 5939 was proceeding west on the southern side of the road and motor car PGG 8291 was proceeding in the opposite direction on the northern side of the road. It was revealed too that the driver of the lorry was about to park on the southern parapet when motor car PGG 8291 slammed into the right rear wheel of his lorry and shortly after motor car PWW 582, which was
proceeding west on the southern side of the road, also collided with the rear of the said lorry. However, driver of the lorry, Madray Ramsammy of Whim Village, who is presently in police custody, told reporters that around 22:10 hrs Sunday night he had just brought out some shift workers from the estate and dropped them to their location. He said afterwards he headed home and as he was about to park his lorry on the parapet along the Whim public road he felt an impact at the rear end of the lorry. “When I was about to park, I put on my indicator because I saw the car (PGG 8291) was coming, but I dunno, so fast this man end up hitting my back wheel and the truck just raise up and drop down back so I just stopped the vehicle where I was (rear end tilted out on the public road) and I came out to ass i s t t h e g u y in the car because the car spin. But half an hour after, the next car was coming (PWW 582) from Skeldon side with a speed and lash into me truck,” Ramsammy explained. The man said that he has parked the lorry at the very location many times in the past but this is the first
time that it was involved in an accident. Ramsammy said there were other vehicles with hazard lights that passed shortly before the second impact and it was a villager who was at the scene that alerted him that the second car was coming with a speed. “All I hear the boy seh ‘watch it deh, watch it deh’ and I had to jump in the trench to save myself from being hit,” Ramsammy related. At the home of Leitch, family members, who were being comforted by relatives and friends, refused to speak with reporters. Over at the home of Lewis, the now-dead GDF rank, his mother, Timeka Solomon, although distraught, managed to compose herself enough to speak with reporters. According to the woman, it was her daughter, while sobbing uncontrollably over the phone, who broke the dreadful news to her. “She was crying and I told her please speak and she told me Kwesi got into an accident. So I called a taxi driver and asked him to take her to the hospital because I was in Georgetown. But the police had already called my husband and told him that he (Kwesi) died,” she said. She added that based on the information she was
Dead: Kwesi Lewis given, the driver of the car her son was in, was taking the female occupant home to Rose Hall when the accident occurred. She described her son as a loving and kind child who had decided to join the GDF a year ago. He celebrated his birthday on Saturday last. Meanwhile, relatives of Moriah were not at home when this publication showed up. Kaieteur News was told that Adler, the driver of the car with license plate PWW 582, had left a horse racing event at Alness Village with three other occupants to make a “drop off” at Rose Hall when the car became involved in the accident. As a result of the impact, they were all taken to the Port Mourant Public Hospital where Adler was treated for minor injuries and the other occupants (Leitch, Lewis and Moriah) were pronounced dead on arrival. The driver of PGG 8291 was also taken for medical attention. Breathalyzer tests were conducted and the drivers of PGG 8291 and PWW 582 were both found to be above the legal alcohol limit. The drivers are in custody assisting with the investigation.
Dead: Reon Moriah
Driver of the lorry, Madray Ramsammy.
Dead: Jessica Leitch
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday August 05, 2020
COI into Ocean View Hospital needed
- Former PPP Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
F
ormer Health Minis ter under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, is of the view that the $1.6B Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital deal requires a special Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to determine whether it was executed within the full ambit of the law. Dr. Ramsammy, in a letter to the Kaieteur News referred to the deal as the “Ocean View Heist” and said that it stands as the poster child for corruption. “This deal must be investigated. There must be a commission of inquiry,” Dr. Ramsammy said. Giving a detailed explanation on his view, the former Health Minister questioned the “soundness” of a policy for a dedicated National Infectious Diseases Hospital. Dr. Ramsammy related that “There never was a policy
discussion for a stand-alone Infectious Disease Hospital… Note that HIV, TB, Malaria and other infectious diseases responsible for thousands of deaths in Guyana never catapulted Guyana towards a National Infectious Disease Hospital.” He also pointed out that Guyana had separate medical facilities dedicated to manag-
ing those diseases but they were later integrated into the overall health sector, becoming consistent with global policy directives. But today, he noted, Guyana moves into a different direction. Dr. Ramsammy touched on the varying price tags placed on the cost for constructing and rehabilitating
the old hotel into a state of the art COVID-19 medical facility – where it moved from $250 million initially, then mysteriously bloated to $1 billion and recently, at the commissioning ceremony, the price tag jumped to a whopping $1.6 billion with no account given for the variance. When President David Granger was questioned about the spending, he could not provide the cost, only saying that the spending was “thoroughly ventilated at Cabinet.” However, it was the Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Colette Adams, during her address, who placed the cost at $1.6 billion. “How are you commissioning something you call the National Infectious Disease Hospital and you do not know the details of the cost, just that the rehabilitation has now exceeded $1.6B?” Dr. Ramsammy questioned. Delving further, he added that the deal gets ‘bizarre” because of the fact that the hospital though commissioned, cannot house patients since it has no equipment. Former Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, had put the cost for acquiring the needed equipment for the hospital at “three times the cost for construction” – something Ramsammy stressed is cause for major concern. “The nation is now warned that the cost of retrofitting the building to serve as a hospital will be in excess of three times the rehabilitation cost – that is about $4.8B. How do they know that? Is there a list of the equipment and a cost estimate done? Or, as feared by many of us, have they given out a contract for the acquisition of these equipment? When this cost is added, the overall construction and equipping cost would be in excess of $6.6B,” he theorised. Continuing, Dr. Ramsammy pointed to several key health projects executed during his tenure as Health
The Ocean View Infectious Diseases Hospital
Former Health Minister, Leslie Ramsammy Minister including the new Linden Hospital, the Inpatient Building at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the Public Health Lab, and the New Amsterdam Public Hospital all of which, he said, the cost for construction and equipping were a fraction of the $1.6 billion Ocean View facility’s cost. Additionally, he raised concerns that an enormous amount of taxpayers’ money was expended to rehabilitate and equip the building without the due tendering process. Further, the past government, he said, had given no indication of whether they would be procuring the property from the owners, only to say that the building is in receivership and that discussions for that part of the deal was taking place. “So outside of the almost $7B expenses for rehabilitation and equipment, there is also the charge for procuring the Ocean View property. This part of the deal is shrouded in secrecy,” he noted. Kaieteur News had received documents spelling out an agreement with the owners and the then APNU+AFC government where they agreed to $13 million per month to lease the more than 5 acres of land at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. Further, one important factor in the deal, Dr.
Ramsammy said, was missing, was a detailed plan. He stated that the coalition had not accounted for the chronic shortage of doctors and nurses that the country is already plagued with because of the Coronavirus and questioned where the human resource would come from. “Because there was no discussion,” he said “no consultation, the availability of other accommodation for quarantining purposes was never explored. Instead, Guyana has committed to an enormous cost, one of the largest ever in the health sector, without any tendering.” Despite the fact that the hospital has no equipment and is ill-prepared to provide basic critical care, COVID-19 patients are still being sent to the facility. One senior public health staffer had revealed this detail and lamented to Kaieteur News that the construction of the billiondollar building was highly flawed because it lacked the basic amenities needed for an Infectious Diseases sanatorium. The deal raised eyebrows and attracted the attention of the Auditor General whose office is conducting a detail audit into the APNU+AFC’s COVID-19 expenditure. That audit started sometime last month and the findings will be made public at its conclusion.
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Early morning fire destroys section of Chase Academy A section of Chase Academy, a privately owned secondary school located on Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown was yesterday destroyed by fire. Apart from damage to the building “all school records” were lost, this publication was told. According to reports, the blaze started sometime after 02:00hrs. The live-in security, William Arthur, told reporters that he was on the corridor of the building when he noticed thick smoke emanating from the principal’s office. The man said he turned off the main power switch of the building and rushed downstairs to investigate. Once there, he said, he started to remove a few window panes and realized that the principal’s office was on fire. Arthur said that he single-handedly tried to contain the flames with water from a nearby stand-pipe but it was too much for him. He was forced to retreat. An alarm was raised and contact was made with the fire department. Fire fighters arrived promptly and sprang into action to contain the blaze. They were successful in preventing its spread to two other buildings in the compound. When Kaieteur News visited the scene it was revealed that the fire might have originated in a room on the bottom flat and then spread upwards in a diagonal manner. Henry Chase, the principal and proprietor of the school, told Kaieteur News that as soon as the investigations are over, the necessary repairs and reconstruction will begin. There were reports that suggested that students’ School Based Assessments (SBAs) were destroyed in the inferno. To this Chase assured, “No! SBAs were already processed and forwarded to the relevant authorities.” However, he did note that “we have lost all school records.” Chase Academy has been in operation for more than a decade in Georgetown producing a number of top performing students.
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The Chase Academy School engulfed in flames yesterday (Photo Credit: Jared Kissoon)
The damage to the building suggests that the flames moved upward.
Joinder list still undecided on particulars of single parliamentary seat
The Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM) are still undecided on the particulars of the single parliamentary seat it won after the March 2, General and Regional Elections. LJP’s Lennox Shuman; ANUG’s Paul Yearwood and TNM’s Asha Kissoon told the media last evening that executives of each party are still to make final decisions on which members will be occupying the seat, following which a statement will be issued to the public. Nonetheless, they maintained that the party will not join forces with the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) nor the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), They also assured that whoever occupies the seat will work in the interest of the Guyanese people. Earlier this year the three parties had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they joined their lists to compete in the March 2 General and Regional Elections. The three parties had gained 5,124 votes,
thereby awarding them one seat in the national parliament. According to Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act (RoPA), the combined votes they receive will be calculated and go towards the allocation of seats on Regional Democratic Councils and the National Assembly.The signed MoU details the guidelines for the joinder ’s actions in the National Assembly. It stated that after the elections are held and the official results are declared, the parties will calculate the number of seats to the National Assembly earned by each party in relation to the votes obtained by each party. Any party, or parties, which have earned sufficient votes so as to be entitled to seats in the National Assembly based on the votes obtained in the elections, will nominate the Members of Parliament for the number of seats to which it is entitled in a procedure to be determined by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Where a party wins one or more regional seats but its overall votes earned by that party show that it is entitled to a top up seat, it shall be entitled to nominate a member
From left: LJP’s Lenox Shuman, ANUG’s Ralph Ramkarran and TMN’s Dr. Asha Kissoon. of the National Assembly for that seat. The document further states that where the leftover votes of each party cumulatively entitle the combination of parties to one or more additional seats, the seat or seats will be shared by the parties in proportion to the leftover votes contributed by that party toward the additional seat or seats as follows: the party with the largest number of leftover votes will be entitled to nominate the first member of the National Assembly who shall serve the length of time that is derived from the proportion of votes; the parties with the second and the third largest number of votes will be entitled to nominate the second and
third members of the National Assembly in accordance with the principle set out and each member of the National Assembly who is appointed by one of the parties, pursuant to the leftover votes obtained by the three parties,
will resign as a member of the National Assembly at the time determined by the combination of parties immediately before the convening of the National Assembly. The MoU went on to
explain that, in respect of the seat or seats shared among them by leftover votes, the occupant of that seat shall vote in Parliament only with the approval of all three parties and otherwise shall abstain from voting.
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Wednesday August 05, 2020
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
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Garbage collector crushed to death, two pinned in truck By Shervin Belgrave A garbage collector was yesterday crushed to death after a canter crashed into the rear end of a parked Puran Brothers waste disposal truck. The horrific accident occurred at around at 05:30hrs yesterday while the now dead man, along with another colleague, was performing their duties of collecting waste. The dead man has been identified as, Zameer Isfehani, 45, of Leonora, West Coast Demerara. In a video seen by this media house, Isfehani was standing behind the truck with his colleague close by. It appeared as if he was placing an object into the truck while engaged in a conversation with his colleague. Within seconds the speeding canter slammed into the back of the truck crushing Isfehani in the process. His colleague managed to escape injury by swiftly jumping to safety. Isfehani, according to reports, died instantly. Both of his legs were crushed and completely severed from his body. The driver of the canter, and a male passenger who was sitting beside him, were pinned in the vehicle. Persons nearby rushed to
render assistance and police and paramedics were contacted immediately. Firemen were also summoned to the scene to assist in removing the men pinned in the wrecked canter. It took almost one hour to cut them free. Paramedics who were at the scene, pronounced Isfehani dead before transporting his body to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC’)s morgue. They also assisted the firemen in removing the driver and the passenger from the canter. They were placed into a waiting ambulance and rushed to the GPHC for emergency medical attention. According reports, at the hospital it was discovered that the driver suffered a heart attack and multiple injuries about the body. The passenger on the other hand sustained a fractured right leg. Family members of the dead garbage collector told Kaieteur News that he had recently returned from neighbouring Venezuela with his entire family seeking a better life. His eldest son related that Isfehani left his Leonora home hurriedly at around 04:30hrs yesterday to report for work.
Dead: Zameer Isfehani
The driver and passenger pinned in the wrecked canter.
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Kaieteur News
Massive blast rips through Beirut, killing over 50 and injuring thousands
Smoke rises after an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon yesterday. (Reuters)
BEIRUT - (Reuters) - A huge explosion in port warehouses near central Beirut killed more than 50 people, injured over 2,750 and sent shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further after yesterday’s blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead. It was the most powerful explosion in years to hit Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections. Lebanon’s interior minister said initial information indicated highly explosive material, seized years ago, that had been stored at the port had blown up. Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, denied any role and offered help. “What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe,” the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross George Kettani told broadcaster Mayadeen. “There are victims and casualties everywhere.”Hours after the blast, which struck shortly after 6 p.m. (1500 GMT), a fire still blazed in the port district, casting an orange glow across the night sky as helicopters hovered and ambulance sirens sounded across the capital.A security source said victims were taken for treatment outside the city because Beirut hospitals were packed with wounded. Ambulances from the north and south of the country and the Bekaa valley to the east were called in to help.The blast was so big that some residents in the city, where memories of heavy shelling during the 1975 to 1990 civil war live on, thought an earthquake had struck. Dazed, weeping and wounded people walked
The scene of an explosion at the port of Lebanon’s capital Beirut (AFP)
through streets searching for relatives. “I promise you that this catastrophe will not pass without accountability,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab told the nation.“Those responsible will pay the price,” he said in his televised address, adding that details about the “dangerous warehouse” would be made public. The interior minister told Al Jadeed TV that ammonium nitrate had been stored at the port since 2014. The U.S. embassy in Beirut warned residents in the city about reports of toxic gases released by the blast, urging people to stay indoors and wear masks if available. Footage of the explosion shared by residents on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the port followed by an enormous blast, sending up a white cloud and a fireball into the sky. Those filming the incident from high buildings 2 km (one mile) from the port were thrown backwards by the shock.It was not immediately clear what caused the initial blaze yesterday that set off the blast.Lebanon’s health minister said more than 50 people had been killed and more than 2,750 injured. Lebanon’s Red Cross said hundreds of people had been taken to hospitals. The governor of Beirut port told Sky News a team of firefighters, who were battling the initial blaze, had “disappeared” after the explosion. President Michel Aoun called for an emergency cabinet meeting today and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared. He said it was “unacceptable” that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored for six years without safety measures.The prime minister called for a day of mourning.
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Trent Woodhill to advise Cricket Australia on the BBL’s future ESPNcricinfo - Cricketing radical Trent Woodhill has quit as Melbourne Stars list manager to help Cricket Australia chart a way forward for the Big Bash League, in a mirror of his role advising the ECB on the launch of The Hundred. In a role assisting the head of the BBL, Alistair Dobson, with “global player acquisition” and the broader shape of the league, Woodhill will bring his outspokenness and livewire ideas to a competition that is desperately grasping to trend up again after losing crowds and broadcast ratings in the two seasons since it was expanded to a full home and away league in 2018. There are few projects considered more vital to Australian cricket than finding a
way to get the BBL growing once more, after its extravagant build from modest origins in 2011 saw the tournament grow in value to be worth about half of CA’s A$1.18 billion broadcast rights deal with Foxtel and Seven a little over two years ago. Curiously, Woodhill has relinquished his Stars BBL role but will still work as head coach of the Stars’ WBBL team, with CA claiming that his new advisory position will deal exclusively with the men’s competition. “I’m grateful to the Melbourne Stars for their understanding in this decision and I’d like to thank Cricket Australia for giving me this great opportunity,” Woodhill said. “It’s clear that it would not be appropriate to hold a List Manager role while work-
ing more broadly on player acquisition with the league. “I will continue in my coaching role with the WBBL side, which is something I’m really looking forward to. With the recent signing of Australian captain Meg Lanning, we’re putting the pieces together to deliver a competitive squad for this year’s tournament.” The announcement of Woodhill’s BBL role followed a raft of redundancies across CA departments in late June, on the trail of more than 150 jobs being cut across the state associations. “Trent is a highly respected figure in both Australian cricket and across the world. We see him as an important contributor to the League’s ongoing focus on innovation in and around the
Wednesday August 05, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The emotional swings that you could feel today might put a damper on your fantasy world, Aries. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) People around you are apt to be touchy, Taurus, so be careful how you interact with them. You'll find that they can see beyond any sort of facade and easily detect dissention within the ranks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You're in a unique position to understand all sides of the issues, Libra. While this is apt to give you a tremendous advantage over those who still have their heads stuck. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may be feeling rather anxious, Scorpio. Perhaps you have a big date coming up and your mind is buzzing with how to make the best impression.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) While other people may be confused and distressed, you're actually the one with all the answers, Gemini. Indeed, you're best equipped to deal with the difficult situations that are likely to arise on a day like this.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) This could be one of those days in which you feel like you just can't get anything right, Sagittarius. In an effort to appease other people, you may think you have to make some adjustments that make you feel uneasy.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) Be passionate about the thing you love the most, Cancer. Instead of trying to eat every single thing at the buffet table, just pick one or two items that you like the best and eat them with great enjoyment.
CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may feel a need to add some fantasy to your daily routine today, Capricorn. Do you have someone in mind you'd like Cupid's arrow to strike?
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may feel like a skipping record, Leo. You've been scratched and mistreated, and now you continue to repeat the same thing over. . VIRGO(Aug.23–Sept.22) There could be some tough forces questioning your most cherished dreams, Virgo. Be careful about confronting someone who wants to poke holes in your idealism.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Your psychic sense is apt to be keen as you fill your mind with fanciful scenarios, Aquarius. These pictures in your head aren't as farfetched as you might think. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may be having a difficult time getting your opinions across to others, Pisces. For some, your ideas may seem too self-centered. For others, you may come across as insensitive to the situation. Do your best to understand.
Trent Woodhill (seen here in his time with Pakistan) will continue his work as head coach of the Melbourne Stars’ WBBL team. (Getty Images)
game,” Dobson said. “Despite the uncertainties surrounding the current Covid19 situation, we are committed to bringing the best available T20 players to Australia for BBL 10. Similarly, our commitment to innovation, a core part of the BBL DNA, has only been strengthened. We see Trent as a key driver of this fan-first agenda.” Woodhill’s views on the game and how it should evolve go a long way beyond the mooted changes to this season’s competition, including an overseas player draft and numerous in-game tweaks such as: bonus points
available to teams for their progress at the 10-over point of an innings, substitutions also allowed within that same period, powerplay split between the first four overs of the innings and two overs floating elsewhere, free-hits for the bowling of wides, and the addition of extra breaks for advertisements and player strategy after every five overs. He has held a long list of roles in domestic, international and T20 cricket around the world, and had played a large part in helping the ECB formulate its plans for The Hundred, which has been
pushed back by a year due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Woodhill’s position at the Melbourne Stars, over a period in which the club has contended consistently but never won the BBL, has increasingly seen his views being given an audience by CA, particularly after Dobson was poached from the AFL as the new head of the BBL last year. Two of Woodhill’s most enduring relationships as a coach have been with David Warner and Steven Smith, who have worked with him since they first crossed paths in New South Wales more than a decade ago.
Pakistan must... From page 30 test series or a test match,” Misbah told reporters.“We’re aware that England have a slight advantage, but if we’re alert and go 100% in the first test, that’s the only way we can beat England ... otherwise we will find ourselves in difficulty.”England have lost the first game in eight of their last 10 test series, including against the West Indies, but Misbah said the hosts’ latest defeat could have been due to the long break amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. “That was their first test in a long time and obviously after that they played consistently,” said Misbah, adding, “...we should be ready for an England team that have had three matches of experience and won their last two tests.” Misbah said his players were mentally fresh ahead of the series. “But test cricket is different,” he added. “Once you’re in, pressures build sometimes, but we’ll try to keep it so they’re mentally fresh regardless of the results.”Skipper Azhar Ali told a news conference his team were looking forward to the challenge, having drawn their last two tours to England, most recently under Misbah in 2018.“We’ve prepared as best as we could in the time we had. The players have put in a lot of effort and we believe we’re ready for the tests,” Azhar said.“Everyone is raring to go... We have to be on top of our game in all departments against a team like England... We have to have a clear mind and positive attitude that we can win matches here.”Squad for first test: Azhar Ali (captain), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Abid Ali, Fawad Alam, Asad Shafiq.
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NADAL TO SKIP U.S. OPEN DUE TO COVID-19 CONCERNS
NEW YORK (Reuters) - World number two Rafa Nadal confirmed yesterday that he will not defend his U.S. Open crown this year at Flushing Meadows as organisers released the singles entry list for the Grand Slam.Spain’s Nadal had said in June that he had reservations about travelling to the U.S. amid the COVID19 pandemic and he joins women’s world number one Australian Ash Barty in skipping the tournament due to COVID-19 concerns. “After many thoughts I have decided not to play this year’s U.S. Open,” Nadal said on Twitter. “The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it.
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“We know that the reduced tennis calendar is barbaric this year after 4 months stopped with no play, I understand and thank (everyone) for the efforts they are putting in to make it happen. We have just seen the announcement of Madrid not being played this year. “This is a decision I never wanted to take but I have decided to follow my heart this time and for the time being I rather not travel.” The Madrid Open, which was scheduled to take place from Sept. 12-20, was cancelled on Tuesday due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the Spanish capital. World number one Novak Djokovic, a three-time champion in New York, headlines the men’s list
along with last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev and other top 10 players including Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.Nine of the top 10 women’s players, including 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and holder Bianca Andreescu, are on the entry list along with 2018 champion Naomi Osaka.As many as 13 Grand Slam champions are in the women’s draw including Romania’s Simona Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion and 2018 French Open winner, and this year’s Australian Open champion American Sofia Kenin.Organisers said the seedings would be announced closer to the start of the tournament which is scheduled for Aug. 31.
Pakistan must hit the ground running against England, Misbah says (Reuters) - Pakistan will have to hit the ground running if they are to have any chance against England in their three-test series which starts today, coach Misbahul-Haq said. Six months since their last test match, Pakistan go into the games at bio-secure venues in Manchester and Southampton against an England team that beat the West Indies 2-1 last month as internaPakistan’s cricket coach tional cricket returned from the Misbah-ul-Haq speaks during a COVID-19 shutdown. “We have to really come in this news conference at the National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan test series right from the word go at our best if we want to win a December 17, 2019. (Continued on page 29) (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)
Allicock is Guyana’s best chance of an Olympic Medal From page 35 Games Silver Medalist in the Bahamas has an International Amateur record of eight bouts with six wins and two losses including a debut defeat in Mexico to Leouel Gutlerrez on March 12, 2018. In December 2018 in Mexico, Allicock was narrowly beaten in a keenly contested bout against current Olympic Bantamweight Champion and number one ranked Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba. Allicock says Ramirez is the best opponent he has faced so far. In April 2019 in Nicaragua Allicock conceded a controversial ‘Walk Over’ to Alety De Cruz in the semi-finals of the Pan Am Games Qualifiers due to ‘inappropriate attire’. However, the eight Boxers qualified for the Pan Am Games and Allicock was Guyana’s flag-bearer at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Peru where the entire crowd felt he had won his fight against Alexander Fernandez of Uruguay but the judges though differently. His other loss came on June 18, 2018 in the CAC Games in Bolivia to Lucus Fernandez of Argentina but he still won a Bronze Medal. The lightning fast Allicock avenged that loss in July last year. In September 2019 Allicock travelled to Russia for World Boxing Championships. The last time a Guyanese pugilist had quailed for this Event was in 2013 when Denis Thomas and Imran Khan represented Guyana. Last month, Allicock became the only Guyanese in the latest world rankings released by AIBA when he was ranked 19th in the Bantamweight division. His elder brother Dillion Allicock was the last Guyanese to hold an AIBA world ranking over a decade ago. Allicock has fought in Suriname, St Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad, Cuba, Russia, Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua and Australia. Born on June 13, 1999 to Lennard Lawrence Allicock and Pauletta Prince, Keevin spent most of his life in Albouystown, except for a threeyear period when he went to live with
his mom in Grove on the East Bank. The gifted pugilist attended the Albouystown Nursery, Kettle Primary before spending a short time at a Private school not far from Banks DIH Ltd on the ‘Back Road’ in Greater Georgetown and is one of 20 siblings including seven sisters. “I got involved in Boxing at a very young age because of dad who had the love and passion for Boxing and my older brothers. Dad was our first Coach and four of my brothers represented Guyana. The success of the great Andrew ‘six Head’ Lewis along with my brothers inspired to take boxing seriously. I would train with them, training in the afternoon and they went before me and I followed,” added Allicock. Five of the Allicock clan; Orlando, Kevin, Cort, Dame PrinceAllicock, Dillion and Keevin represented Guyana in Boxing. “I was not only inspired by Dillion’s world ranking, which I knew of as little boy, but all of my brothers. This is a gift that God give us. It was not that we were trained to fight but we were born to fight,” said the extremely confident Allicock. “The most difficult part of my Boxing career is in the place I was from. It’s a blessing to grow up there but not being supported financially, having difficulties with my family ….it was very challenging at that moment. But one thing I learnt was to trust in God,” Allicock said after a long pause. Allicock slept on a mattress on the floor of his home but said growing in a harsh environment made him mentally stronger and forced him to lean more on God. He joined the Harpy Eagles Boxing Gym as a six-year-old and under the guidance of Coach James Walcott fought for the first time the same year in the Pepsi Tournament where he was adjudged best Boxer. “I then moved to Forgotten Youths Foundation at 15 where Sebert Blake is the Coach and I have been there since then,” Allicock stated. Harpy Eagles, FYF and the Six head Lewis Gym are the three Boxing Gyms in Albouystown.
One of Allicock’s biggest disappointed came in Peru at the Pan Am Games against Alexander Fernandez. “I knew I won the fight, it was real hard to face a decision like that but the crowd tells all …. I won the fight. Mr (K Juman) Yassin (GOA President) was there and he was very disappointed,” Allicock lamented. He is confident that he will qualify and win a medal at next year’s Olympics. “Well I server a true and living God and there are no limits to what he can do so it’s a hundred percent and it being postponed will give me more time to train and be ready. My aim is to get a Gold Medal at the Olympics which will be history for this Country and I want to make history since I was born to make history.After achieving that I plan to then turn pro since then I will able to make living from Boxing,” disclosed Allicock, whose favourite place is the Gold Coast in Australia. He feels once he becomes a Professional boxer he will have to go overseas to train since there are not enough quality fighters here and not enough facilities to prepare him to go to the next level. “We all know I love this country and representing it is pride and honour but I would love to see much more happen from the Government for sports in general because preparing for the Olympics we could make history so we need their support. I am hoping that they come on board stronger because at the end of the day when we make history everybody will be a part of it so you can’t only want to be a part of the history without being a part of the struggle, so I would love to see more development, more attention for the sport of Boxing from those sitting in high places. Boxing is different from most of the other sports. When you send me to represent the country I take cuff, to war. I fight for this Country I put my life on the line because I could get cuff and die or run mad so it hurts to see how boxers get treated,” Allicock emotionally said.
Facilities are one of the things we need if you come and see the Gyms. Money is not all of it, if you show up and not feeling to train in other places, when you get there the environment makes you want to train. There was a project two years ago for the Six Heads Gym to be upgraded but we never see anything happen.If you look at history and the recognition of the Country, sports have done it, boxing has done it so many times…Andrew ‘six heads’ Lewis, Shondell Alfred, Gwendolyn O’Neil and so many more and now I am here. They say the youths are the future so we need to fix the things that are wrong and work on it. Everybody just wants to enjoy the good part of it. Look at someone like Mike Parris, it really hurts me to see the position he is in. He is our only Olympic Medallist and we must honour him. I want to say thanks to him for opening that door and other boxers for putting Guyana on the map,” said Allicock. “My time in Cuba was a blessing for me. We learnt so much, it was a life lesson for me and for the first three-month stint my boxing IQ get so high. I learnt that if there are difficult situations that face you in life again you could say you went through this already since it was tough…real tough. We spent seven months there and from March 19 when the airports were closed, we spent another 126 days before coming home. During that time, I did a lot of praying and fasting, in the training part we would still would work and train on and off because you could not go on the Road. The meals were the most upsetting part; I could be away from home for 100 months representing my country but most of the days the meals were very bad. We got some assistance from the GBA President (Steve Ninvalle) and help back home with our families. (Former) President David Granger also sent a package for us and Christopher Jones (Director of sports)
also assisted.” Allicock informed that he will return to training this week after his 7-day self-quarantine ended last week Friday. He will work with Coach Blake in the mornings and since the Gyms are not yet re-opened, will train on his own in the afternoon working with the Coach’s programme. Allicock says boxing is not only physical and a lot of mental work goes into his fights similar to the way Floyd Mayweather fights. He attributed his speed to Godgiven from a tender age with some help from the dumb bells which increased his hand speed. “In Cuba I was working on my power since we have to start knocking people out. If the COVID-19 Virus did not come up I knew that I definitely would have done well at the Olympics. I can’t forget how much work was put in by (Cuban Boxing Coach) Francisco Hernandez Roldan. He helped us to develop a lot and we were so prepared. We were ready to execute and make history.” Allicock is not disappointed that the Olympics has been postponed. “I lean not on my own understanding and I always leave things to happen in God’s time. When he says no is no and when says yes is yes,” said Allicock who thanked God, his family, GOA, GBA, his Coach Blake and the Cuban Coach and all the Coaches who helped when he was younger, Gary Sinclair, Leon Moore and all the others who have helped in anyway. Allicock says his favourite sportsmen are Boxer Manny Paccquiao, the only person to win World titles in eight different divisions and who is now a Senator in the Philippines and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who plays for Barcelona.His dream is to be in a position where he can help young people to have a better life by providing facilities which would aid in their development and his wish is to have everlasting life.“If I have nothing material but have God in my life he will provide all that I need,” concluded the unshakable Christian.
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Bangladesh board denies not paying players ICC prize money
Bangladesh’s Liton Das celebrates with team mates after taking the catch to dismiss Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib. (Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley) (Reuters) The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday dismissed allegations from a players’ body that its international cricketers have not been paid all their prize money. The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) said in a report that the Bangladesh players have not been paid their share of the prize money from events organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).The BCB said it has often given additional incentives to its cricketers, topping up what has been due to them from the ICC prize money. “The BCB has completed prize money payment to play-
ers from all previous ICC events including the last, which was the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales,” the board said in a statement. In its ‘Men’s Global Employment Report 2020’, FICA also listed the Bangladesh Premier League as one of the events where players have faced payment issues. The first few editions of the BPL, which started in 2012, were marred by irregular payments to players but the BCB subsequently restructured the payment system to address the problems. “... the only unresolved/ disputed payment from the BPL concerns four persons -
three overseas players and a coach, of one particular team that had participated in the sixth edition of the BPL held in 2018,” the BCB said. “This is an isolated case in a tournament where more than 170 local and overseas players and support staff were contracted.” The BCB said it has also initiated legal proceedings against the team, which it did not name, to clear pending payments and resolve the issue.The FICA report also listed unresolved payment issues in Twenty20 and 10overs leagues in several minor cricket-playing nations including Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Four wins put Walcott in command at Century Barbadian Rico Walcott.
EDMONTON, Alberta, CMC – It may be early days yet but already Rico Walcott is beginning to turn the screws on the season at Century Mile. On Sunday, the experienced reinsman won four of the 10 races on the day’s card to complete a bumper weekend, which also saw him pick up three wins on Friday’s eight-race card at the western Canada racetrack. Walcott now sits on 26 wins from 77 outings, 12 clear of second placed Rigo Sarmiento, laying the platform for a run at his maiden title at Century in the track’s second year of operations. After not featuring in the curtain-raiser, he opened his account in race two over over a mile when he combined with favourite Tizthunderinow to edge the three-year-old and upward maidens by a nose. The pair duelled with 7-1 bet Smiley through the half in 47:12 seconds before getting clear in the lane. However, they then came under threat from Wiser Times and were
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Pirelli says long stints caused British GP tyre failures
Pirelli says long stints caused British GP tyre failures. (Motosport) Motorsport.com - The Italian company also said that the high-downforce loadings produced by the 2020 cars represent the “biggest forces ever seen on tyres” in F1 history. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz suffered front left failures in the closing laps of the race, with only winner Hamilton making it home without losing a position. Bottas and Sainz dropped out of the points after their last-minute stops. Pirelli’s investigation indicated that the unexpectedly long second stints triggered by the safety car that came out when Daniil Kvyat crashed – co-incidentally because of a right rear puncture – led to the late failures. “The key reason is down to a set of individual race cir-
cumstances that led to an extremely long use of the second set of tyres,” said Pirelli in a statement. “The second safety car period prompted nearly all the teams to anticipate their planned pit stop and so carry out a particularly long final stint: around 40 laps, which is more than three-quarters the total race length on one of the most demanding tracks of the calendar. “Combined with the notably increased pace of the 2020 Formula 1 cars (pole position was 1.2 seconds faster compared to 2019) this made the final laps of the British Grand Prix especially tough, as a consequence of the biggest forces ever seen on tyres generated by the fastest Formula 1 cars in history. “The overall result was the most challenging operat-
ing conditions for tyres. These led to the front-left tyre (which is well-known for working hardest at Silverstone) being placed under maximum stress after a very high number of laps, with the resulting high wear meaning that it was less protected from the extreme forces in play.”Pirelli will stick with its original plan to go one step softer for this weekend’s 70th Anniversary GP at Silverstone, with the C2, C3 and C4 in use, without the hardest C1 compound. However, it is likely to mandate higher minimum pressures as a safety precaution.There was no mention of debris as a contributing factor, despite speculation that Kimi Raikkonen’s late front wing failure could have played a role.
Walsh in at Patriots after Helmot tests positive
forced to battle to the wire in a tight finish. Walcott followed up immediately in race three when he piloted another favourite Backstreet Bobby to a dominant 4-¼ length victory over the three-year-olds and upward in a 6-½ furlong sprint. The six-year-old gelding overcame a stumble at the start to race off the pace before bidding on the final turn, reeling in pacesetter Bionic Bird and storming through the stretch. A short 4-½ furlong dash in race five provided Walcott with his third win of the card
when he carried odds-on bet Bang On to a 1-½ length win over the two-year-old maidens. And he capped off a fine outing when he won race seven with 2-1 chance Dense Fog, going six furlongs for the three-year-olds and upward. Hard To Come Home outsprinted West of Sabinal to the lead before Walcott brought Dense Fog from off the pace to challenge in the stretch and take the wire 2-½ lengths clear of his rivals. The Century season got underway June 21 and wraps November 1.
LONDON, England (CMC) — West Indies fast bowling legend Courtney Walsh has joined the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots coaching staff ahead of this month’s start of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), after Head Coach Simon Helmot tested positive for COVID-19. Noted cricket website, Cricinfo, reported that Australian Helmot was preparing to travel to the Caribbean to assume duties for the T20 franchise tournament being staged in Trinidad, when he obtained the unexpected results. “I tested positive five hours before I was to fly out, and I’m shattered that I won’t be able to be part of Patriots this season,” Helmot was quoted as saying. “I was asymptomatic and
my second test has come back negative, but I’m still in home isolation until the department of health and human services give me a green signal.”He added: “Victoria is currently in stage four of lockdown after a recent spike in cases. Because of my quarantine restrictions, I wouldn’t have been able to make it in time for the season owing to the quarantine protocols. “I’m incredibly thankful to Mahesh Ramani, the franchise owner, and the CPL team of Pete Russell, Tom Moody and the others for working incredibly hard behind the scenes to put it together.” Helmot’s absence is a double blow for Patriots with Assistant Coach Malolan Rangarajan also set to miss the CPL campaign because of
obligations to the Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. As a result, New Zealander Mark O’Donnell will join Walsh for Patriots’ outing in the tournament which runs from August 18 to September 10. Walsh, a former Test captain, holds the record for the most wickets by a West Indies bowler with 519 scalps. Players and officials were expected to begin arriving in Trinidad by chartered flights yesterday for the CPL tournament, which will be played behind closed doors in a biosecure environment because of the COVID-19 pandemic.All participants had to be tested before departure and again on arrival, before undergoing a twoweek quarantine.
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Wednesday August 05, 2020
Andre McCarthy devastated to Bundesliga ready for return miss out on 2020 CPL - Tallawahs of fans if authorities approve
SportsMax - Jamaica Tallawahs CEO Jeff Miller said batsman Andre McCarthy is devastated that he will not be able to play in the 2020 CPL season that begins in Trinidad later this month. McCarthy, 33, and 21year-old Jeavor Royal, a slow, left-arm spinner will both miss this season after they were exposed to someone who had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus just days before they were to depart for Trinidad on Monday. According to Miller, who was in his first day of a 14day quarantine period at his hotel in Trinidad, said he was disappointed that the players will not be in the squad but the health and safety of the other players had to be protected. He explained McCarthy and Royal had tested negative for the virus and would have to take another test in seven days. However, by then it would be too late as there are no commercial flights going into Trinidad. Consequently, they have been permanently replaced
CEO Jeff Miller
Andre McCarthy is devastated that he will not be able to play in the 2020 CPL. by Jermaine Blackwood and Romel Lewis, who Miller said were already on the Tallawahs’ radar. They were on their way to Trinidad on a charter flight Monday night. “This is a devastating blow to McCarthy,” Miller said. “He wanted to prove a lot of his critics wrong.” The Tallawahs had already lost the services of Tabraiz
Shamsi, who was unable to travel to the Caribbean because of flight restrictions in South Africa. Mujeed Rahman, the 19-year-old sensation from Afghanistan, has replaced Shamsi on the team roster.Rahman has 17 wickets from 16 matches in the IPL and has 25 wickets in 19 T20 international matches for his country.
Tennis: Madrid Open cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
(Reuters) - The Madrid Open that was scheduled to take place from Sept. 12-20 has been cancelled due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the Spanish capital, organisers said yesterday. Initially scheduled to be played in May before the pandemic shut down sport, the tournament was to feature both men’s and women’s draws and was seen as an important claycourt event for players to prepare for the French Open which begins on Sept. 27. Organisers said they had created a ‘bubble’ to minimise the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus but over the weekend they were advised by local health authorities not to stage the tournament next month. The tournament’s fate was sealed when a directive was issued that said “social gatherings are to be reduced to 10 people”. “As an act of responsibility in view of the current situation caused by COVID-19 and having thoroughly evaluated the circumstances that the pandemic continues to generate... it has been decided that (the) 2020 Mutua Madrid Open will not take place this year,” organisers said in a statement. Spain, one of the worstaffected countries when the pandemic first hit Europe ear-
General view as the players from both teams and officials line up on the pitch before the match that will be played behind closed doors while the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world. (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay) FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) - Germany’s first and second division football clubs yesterday said they were prepared to allow some fans back into stadiums next season if the country’s political authorities gave the green light later this month. German Football League (DFL) CEO Christian Seifert said the possibility of fans in stadiums depended solely on political leaders giving the go ahead amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “If and when fans will return to the stadiums is not a decision for the DFL but for the political leaders,” Seifert told a news conference. “The DFL does not expect or demand anything but we are preparing to take this small step (with fans in stadiums) when the time comes. “Priority is not full stadiums but the health situation.
We should not take unnecessary risks but we should also not capitulate and just expect it to go away.” The health ministers of the individual German states are due to meet next week to discuss the matter and the new Bundesliga season starts on Sept. 18. The German Cup first round starts a week earlier. “Professional football can only come back in steps. There is no magic switch for politicians to give the green light for full stadiums. That will happen in steps,” Seifert said. “We will have to reclaim normality in small steps.” Seifert said that if fans were allowed into stadiums there would be no visiting supporters at least until the end of the year to minimise the risk of infection, no standing tribunes and no alcohol sales.
“No one at the DFL will demand a specific number of fans. That would be irresponsible,” Seifert said. The Bundesliga became the first major football league to restart its season in May after a two-month break, earning praise for its health and safety protocols that were subsequently adopted by other European leagues. It played out the season in empty stadiums in May and June. The German government has banned all events with large crowds until Oct. 31. The country is fearing a second wave of infections and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 879 to 211,281, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The reported death toll rose by eight to 9,156.
Australia v West Indies T20Is postponed, IPL to not clash with any international cricket Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the final against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas. (REUTERS/Javier Barbancho/File Photo) lier this year, has recorded nearly 315,000 confirmed cases and over 28,400 deaths so far, according to a Reuters tally.Both the ATP and WTA Tours released a joint statement saying the decision was taken in line with local authorities due to “health and safety concerns” and they were reassessing the calendar for the rest of the year. “We would like to recognise the efforts of the tournament organisers who
have gone to great lengths in exploring all options to run this year’s tournament, despite the many challenges presented by COVID-19,” they said in a statement. “Both tours are assessing updates to the 2020 provisional calendars in regards to events following the U.S. Open, and an update will be published in due course.” The U.S. Open is scheduled to be played from Aug.31Sept. 13.
ESPNcricinfo - Australia’s home T20I series against West Indies has been postponed because of the Covid19 situation, and that means the IPL now has an uninterrupted window - between September 19 and November 10 - as far as international cricket is concerned. West Indies were scheduled to play matches in Townsville, Cairns and the Gold Coast on October 4, 6 and 9, with the series being seen as a precursor to the now-postponed men’s T20 World Cup, originally set to start on October 18. Now the only potential clash for the IPL - even if just by two days - is with the proposed Lanka Premier League,
which has a finish date of September 20. However, Sri Lanka Cricket last week stated that it is considering advancing the dates to ensure there is no overlap with the IPL. As such, only two Sri Lankan players - Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) and Isuru Udana (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - are contracted in the IPL. Meanwhile, Australia’s short limited-overs tour of England is expected to end on September 15, leaving players from both sides just about enough time to hop over to the UAE in time for the IPL, which will be held across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. However, the IPL’s SOPs are yet to be made for-
mal, and it isn’t known if players travelling from the UK where the number of Covid19 cases has been much higher than in the UAE - will need to undergo a quarantine period before entering the bio-bubbles of their respective teams, many of whom are likely to begin their training camps in the UAE after the third week of August. Most boards have either provided or agreed to provide no-objection certificates to their players to play in the IPL. However, there are still concerns with regards to the participation of South Africa players since their provincial and international borders remain closed for commercial flights.
Wednesday August 05, 2020
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Situation normal as Pakistan prepare to rise to England challenge again
Naseem Shah bowls under the watchful eye of Waqar Younis.
(Getty Images)
Joe Root goes through his paces in training, England training, Emirates Old Trafford, August 3, 2020 © Gareth Copley/Getty Images
ESPNcricinfo - Big picture - It’s almost like a normal English cricket summer, isn’t it? England lost the first Test yet again but came battling back in the series, something they do far more frequently than any other Test side. The batting order was rejigged regularly and debated in increasingly repetitive terms. Ben Stokes came good, and James Anderson and Stuart Broad continued to take wickets. Their detractors kept reminding everyone with indefatigable banality these were only home wickets, as most people smiled and nodded.
The rain made a persistent enough nuisance of itself to send every Test to the final session on the fifth day, which, of course, lit the touchpaper for the four-day Test debate. Coming into the Pakistan series, England have the distinct, irreplaceable advantage of having played three Tests against high-quality opposition, and no amount of intrasquad matches or net sessions can quite match that for Pakistan. The games against West Indies allowed England to tinker, particularly with the bowling attack, which un-
earthed an embarrassment of fast-bowling riches, with Broad, Jofra Archer and Anderson all missing a Test without the attack appearing any less menacing. In addition to those three, they have Sam Curran, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes to call upon. Even the top order, which has never really been the same since Andrew Strauss retired eight years ago, showed flashes of encouraging promise against West Indies. Openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns combined for 460 runs across the three Tests, each batsman averaging over 45. Lower down, Joe
Players must decide by Thursday whether to opt out of season (Reuters) - National Football League (NFL) players have until 4 p.m. ET tomorrow, Thursday, to decide whether they will opt out of the new season, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Reuters on Monday. The NFL’s 2020 campaign kicks off on Sept. 10, with enhanced measures in place to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, but numerous players have already chosen to opt out citing safety concerns. A handful of provisions will allow for players to opt out after the deadline in extreme circumstances, such as the death or illness of a close family member. Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the only active NFL player who is also a medical doctor, was the first to opt out on July 24, citing concern over the viral epidemic. More than 30 players have followed suit. Philadelphia Eagles head
The NFL logo is pictured at an event in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 30, 2017. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri) coach Doug Pederson tested positive for COVID-19, the team said on Sunday, while Detroit Lions put five players on their “reserve/COVID-19” list last week. More than 155,000 people have died nationwide from COVID-19 since the virus was first identified in the United
States in January. Cases nationally fell for a second week in a row but rose week-overweek in 20 states. Deaths in the United States rose for a fourth week in a row to more than 8,500 people in the seven days ended Aug. 2, a Reuters analysis found.
Root may not have got the runs he’d desired but Ben Stokes more than made up for that, scoring over 90 between dismissals and demonstrating he was an automatic pick even if a niggle keeps him from bowling, as it well might in the first Test. Jos Buttler got a half-century. Hell, even Broad did. Pakistan, meanwhile, have hung around the UK since before that West Indies series began, keeping confined amongst themselves and, by historical standards, generating impressively little gossip fodder. The conversations in the squad have revolved entirely around tactics, team combination, player form, and, of course, whether or not Fawad Alam will finally get to play. The side last played a Test in February, with no competitive cricket on offer since the PSL was put on hold before the semi-finals. There has almost been an air of - whisper it softly should you dare - professionalism about how the build-up has gone. England has always seemed to Pakistan a barometer of the state of its cricket; performances here, brilliant or disastrous, have been accepted as representative of the quality of the side. Pakistan tours to England have served as the most useful waypoints for a digestible history of the nation’s cricket, encapsulating most of the recurring themes so distinctly redolent of Pakistan cricket. From perhaps Pakistan’s greatest underdog moment in 1954 to the domination of the fast bowlers in the 80s and 90s, bitter controversy in 2006 and disgrace in 2010, Pakistan’s presence in England has always seemed to put fate on notice.
They will hope the headlines they make remain strictly confined to the back pages, and with the side they have, there’s no reason that won’t happen. Babar Azam has only ever played one Test in England, and is a vastly improved Test cricketer from the one whose fluent half-century was ended by injury two years ago. In Shan Masood, Pakistan have found an opener whose technique and temperament both look to have finally come into their own, and he has the runs to prove it. Azhar Ali, appointed captain last year, also has at his disposal arguably the most exciting Pakistan fastbowling trio in a decade; Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah all boast match-winning Test performances in their nascent careers. Ali’s side may lack experience and be decisive underdogs, but when has that ever stopped Pakistan in England? Joe Root’s, in turn, may well be heavily fancied, but that isn’t a tag they have worn as lightly as they might have wished. In the spotlight Joe Root is almost guaranteed to be the most classical Test batsman on either side in just about any series, but that isn’t quite the case this time around. Opposition vice-captain Babar Azam has seen his red-ball career flourish just as Root’s phenomenal career numbers have begun going the other way. You could almost trace the trend to the last time Pakistan toured England, when a 23year old Babar played his only Test in England. Since that encounter, Root has averaged 38.48 between dismissals, nearly ten runs down on his overall career
average. Babar’s numbers, meanwhile, have soared, his average a stratospheric 68.52 over the same period, 23 runs up from his career mean. The Pakistan batsman has outscored his English counterpart in the centuries department, too, five to Root’s four in fewer than half the innings. There was talk of the famous Fab Four taking on a fifth member in Babar, but the England skipper will have to better his most recent numbers to ensure he doesn’t drop out of it altogether. Team news England have announced an unchanged 14-man squad to the one that was chosen for the deciding Test against West Indies. Root suggested in his pre-match press conference one of Mark Wood or Jofra Archer would play, while Stuart Broad’s place in the playing party appears certain. The final balance of the side will be determined by Ben Stokes’ ability to bowl, having been managing a quad niggle during the Windies series. If England err on the side of caution, then Zak Crawley will again be the fall guy, with the rest of the middle order moving up one slot. Pitch and conditions England were forced to practise indoors on the eve of the game due to rain, and there is more expected for the first couple of days. The weather is expected to brighten up over the weekend, though. The fast bowlers on either side in the West Indies series found plenty of swing at Old Trafford, with specialist offspinners Rakheem Cornwall and Dom Bess playing less of a role than both sides’ respective selectors might have hoped.
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Wednesday August 05, 2020
Kaieteur News
NBA roundup: Lakers clinch top seed with win over Jazz
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) tries to control the ball between Los Angeles Lakers players Dion Waiters (left), Anthony Davis (3) and Alex Caruso (4) during the second half of a NBA game at The Arena at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) Anthony Davis scored 42 points and grabbed 12 rebounds Monday, and the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 116-108 victory over the Utah Jazz at the ESPN Wide World
of Sports Complex near Orlando.LeBron James contributed 22 points and nine assists, and Dwight Howard added 11 points as the Lakers improved to 2-1 in restart games, rebounding from a loss to the defending cham-
pion Toronto Raptors on Saturday.Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, 21 of which came in the first half, and Mike Conley added 24 as the Jazz lost their second consecutive game after winning the opening game of the NBA’s return
Federer pays surprise visit to rooftop tennis girls
(Reuters) - Two Italian girls whose rooftop tennis video went viral have received a surprise visit from Roger Federer. The video of Vittoria Oliveri and Carola Pessina playing on the rooftops of neighbouring buildings in Finale Ligure during the COVID-19 lockdown garnered over 10 million views. The girls thought they were preparing for another media interview when they were asked about their favourite players. “Roger Federer. If I were to meet him, I would jump on him, or I would be starstruck,” Vittoria, 13, said. “I would like to have Federer’s elegance while playing and (Rafa) Nadal’s power,” 11-year-old Carola added. The girls were then left wide-eyed and speechless when Federer came out from behind a curtain. The 20-times Grand Slam champion later played some rooftop tennis with the girls before inviting them for lunch. “I nearly fainted when he showed up,” Vittoria was quoted as saying by The Times. “He figured out the distances pretty fast and
Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates after winning the exhibition match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. (REUTERS/Mike Hutchings) started playing shots between his legs from one roof to another, which was amazing. “I didn’t think he was real. I thought it was a mannequin.” Federer also told the girls he had arranged for them to go to a summer camp at the Rafa Nadal Academy. “Personally, for me, that
was a very special moment in my career as a tennis player to surprise a fan, or children, like I was able to with Carola and Vittoria today,” Federer said.“I have played in many cool places around the world, but this one is definitely up there for me as a special experience. We showed that we can play anywhere and have fun with it.”
Jakob Poeltl (25) of the San Antonio Spurs misses a shot against Tobias Harris (12) and Matisse Thybulle (22) of the Philadelphia 76ers in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at Vusa Athletic Center at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (Mike Ehrmann/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports) in central Florida tomorrow. Philadelphia 76ers 132 San Antonio Spurs 130 Shake Milton hit a 3pointer with 7.2 seconds remaining to lift Philadelphia past San Antonio. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 27 points and nine rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 25 points, and Josh Richardson added 19 as the 76ers improved to 40-27. Milton scored 16 points after going scoreless in a six-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.DeMar DeRozan paced the Spurs with 30 points, Rudy Gay added 24 and Derrick White had 20. Keldon Johnson contributed a career-best 15. Denver Nuggets 121 - Oklahoma City Thunder 113 (OT) Nikola Jokic scored eight of his 30 points in overtime to help Denver to a win over Oklahoma City. With the Nuggets down three starters due to injury — Will Barton (knee), Gary Harris (hip) and Jamal Murray (hamstring) — Michael Porter Jr. moved into the starting lineup and had a career game,
leading Denver with 37 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 24 points, 14 in the fourth quarter. Toronto Raptors 107 Miami Heat 103 Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 36 points, leading Toronto to a win over Miami. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam had 22 points, although he was held to just seven in the second half. Toronto also got 15 points off the bench from Serge Ibaka, and Kyle Lowry finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Miami was led by Goran Dragic’s 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Heat also got 17 points from Kelly Olynyk and 16 points each from Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder. New Orleans Pelicans 109 Memphis Grizzlies 99 Rookie Zion Williamson scored six of his 23 points down the stretch as New Orleans held off Memphis. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 24 points, JJ
Redick had 16, and Josh Hart and Jrue Holiday scored 15 each. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 22 points, and Grayson Allen scored 17 (all in the first half).New Orleans won for the first time in the restart to tighten the battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies fell to 0-3 in the restart and saw their hold on eighth place continue to shrink. Indiana Pacers 111 Washington Wizards 100 T.J. Warren recorded a game-high 34 points as Indiana scored 22 of the final 24 points in the third quarter to pull away from Washington. Malcolm Brogdon chipped in with 20 points, and a team-high six assists for the Pacers, who have won both their games since the restart of the NBA season. Thomas Bryant had 20 points to pace the Wizards, who fell to the brink of elimination from the Eastern Conference playoff chase with their third straight loss in central Florida. (Field Level Media)
Athletics: Doha Diamond League meeting brought forward (Reuters) - This year’s Diamond League athletics meeting in Doha, initially scheduled for Oct. 9, has been brought forward by a fortnight and will take place on Sept. 25, organisers announced on Monday. The event in Doha, which serves as the traditional season opener, had previously been pushed back from its April 17 slot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Due to the ongoing global health situation and ever-changing COVID-19 regula-
tions, the 2020 Wanda Diamond League calendar remains provisional and subject to further changes,” organisers said in a statement. The competitive season is set to begin in Monaco on Aug. 14 followed by meetings in Stockholm, Lausanne, Brussels, Rome/Naples, Doha and a yet to be determined location in China. Diamond League meetings in Eugene, London, Paris, Rabat, Gateshead and Shanghai have been cancelled.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday August 05, 2020
Allicock is Guyana’s best chance of an Olympic Medal C From ‘Ghetto’ to Glory
By Sean Devers aribbean Bantamweight Boxing Champion and 2021 Olympic hopeful 21-year-old Keevin Allicock grew up in the heart of the ‘Ghetto’ in Albouystown and is living proof that where you come from does not prevent you from becoming great. One of 20 siblings, Allicock, grew up in a Community known for its crime and poverty but supported by his strong faith in God, a few good men and a pair of Boxing Gloves he has proved that good can come out of a Community, that in 2001, produced Guyana’s first World Champion, the late Andrew ‘six head’ Lewis, who also attended the 1992 Olympics. If managed properly Allicock seems headed for greatness in the fistic sport and is Guyana’s best chance of winning a Medal in the 2021 Olympics. Mike Parris is the only Guyanese to win an Olympic Medal when won bronze in 1980 in Moscow and the only Boxer in the English speaking Caribbean to do so. John Douglas, who competed in the 1996 Olympics, was the last Guyanese Boxer to qualify for the Olympics. Allicock returned home from Cuba two Fridays ago along with fellow Olympic hopefuls, Desmond Amsterdam, Dennis Thomas
Keevin Allicock (right) in action in an international contest.
and Colin Lewis. After travelling to Cuba in January for a 3month stint to prepare for the Olympic Qualifiers, Allicock along with the three others, were stranded in the Spanish speaking Caribbean Island for 126 days because of the Global spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
The youth is no stranger to being stranded, on his return from last year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia, Allicock, Colin Lewis and Coach Sebert Blake were stranded in China for a day before a three-day delay kept them in Holland. The 2017 Commonwealth Youth (Continued on page 26)
Keevin Allicock will hope to fly the Guyana flag high at the next Olympics.
Australia v West Indies T20Is postponed, IPL to not clash with any international cricket West Indies were supposed to play three T20Is in Australia between October 4 and 9. (AFP via Getty Images)
Walsh in at Patriots after Helmot tests positive
Courtney Walsh
The fantastic four (from left) Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis (Capt), Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas.
t r o Sp
From ‘Ghetto’ to Glory...
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