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January 08, 2021 -Vol. 23 No. 02

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PPP/C yet to disclose studies to justify landing

gas project at Wales The only thing is that I love women…

Mahaica man tells court before he gets 56 years for murder Health Minister Pensioner, GDF, US Coast estimates arrival Guard to conduct 90, burnt of vaccines exercises to death offshore Guyana not before second quarter in house this weekend 19 dorm students tested positive for COVID-19

Commercial Registry demands companies to submit names of beneficial owners Listen how Guyana will soon have to import fish to eat, tune in to The Glenn Lall show tonight at 7:20pm on 99.1/99.5FM Kaieteur Radio

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Friday January 08, 2021

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Task Force stepping PPP yet to disclose up enforcement studies to justify landing of COVID-19 gas project at Wales safety measures E

The National COVID-19 Task Force will be increasing its enforcement of the Gazetted precautionary measures, as the Government continues to ramp up efforts to curb the transmission of the disease.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said that preparations have been made to deal with an expected increase in positive cases, as many persons flouted the guidelines over the holidays.

However, the Task Force, through Operation COVICURB, will be taking steps to ensure that the population remains vigilant.

“I really hope we can have the cooperation and collaboration of everyone so these measures can be more

effectively employed. Once we have them in place and they are working, we would see a reduction in the number of cases we’re having,” Dr. Anthony said, during Thursday’s COVID-19 update. The Joint Services would also be increasing their visits and engagements with entities that have been breaching protocols.

“These are the kinds of activities, and of course you know we have written to a number of establishments that have violated the protocol, and we’ll revisit this. If they continue to do so then other actions would be taken,” the Minister said.

D r . A n t h o n y acknowledged that while it can be fatiguing to continue

to observe the safety guidelines, it is necessary to save lives. He noted that the pandemic is still ongoing and the public must adjust their mindsets to living in the new Covid environment.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, launched Operation COVI-CURB in October 2020 to ensure compliance with the gazetted COVID-19 emergency measures.

It benefits from collaboration among members of the Joint Services, civil society, community groups and volunteers, who utilize education, moral suasion and enforcement to ensure the public complies with the measures to reduce transmission of the disease.

The COVID-19 Task Force will be stepping up its enforcement, Health Minister Frank Anthony says.

ven though Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has disclosed to members of the media that the government has decided to land the gas-to-shore project a t Wa l e s , We s t B a n k D e m e r a r a , t h e administration is still to release the relevant environmental studies, which support that choice.

It should be noted that previous studies, which were commissioned by the Coalition administration, did not list Wales as one of the most cost-effective options for the landing of the project which would bring gas from the Liza Phase One Project for 20 years.

In fact, the former regime had engaged consultancy group, Energy Narrative, in 2017, to undertake a desk study on the options, cost, economics, impacts, and key considerations of transporting and utilizing natural gas from offshore Guyana for electricity generation.

According to the report, an offshore pipeline is estimated to cost between US$165 million and US$270 million to build, depending on the size and landing site location. It said that in shore compression and separation of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is estimated to cost

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo between US$43 million and US$114 million. Finally, distributing the natural gas to the various electricity generation locations is estimated to cost between US$95 million and $127 million depending once again, on the various proposed landing sites.

It was further noted that three sites were under discussion for the landing site of the proposed pipeline.

With respect to the first option being Georgetown, the report said that this location was being considered because of the location of the Sophia substation (and the proposed New Sophia substation as noted in the 2016 GPL Expansion Study).

The second option, which was Clonbrook, was being considered as it is located to the east of the

main city along the Atlantic coast. It was being considered as an alternative to Georgetown, as it is less busy and potentially has more space for development.

The location is estimated to be near the Columbia substation too.

The third option was New Amsterdam, owing to its location along the Berbice River and the potential to develop a new industrial site and deep-water port to support new energy-intensive industries.

Its location is estimated to be near the Canefield substation.

After doing its analysis of the costs, the Clonbrook landing site was considered as the most optimal landing site for the 30 million standard cubic feet per day (MMcfd) pipeline.

The document said that this option would cost US$304 million, including US$165 for the offshore pipeline, US$43.5 million for a compression station and separation plant onshore, and US$95.4 million for onshore pipelines to bring natural gas to power stations in Vreed-en-Hoop, Kingston, Garden of Eden, and Canefield.

Based on the sites it reviewed, it was found that the Clonbrook landing site results in the lowest overall delivered cost of natural gas.

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Friday January 08, 2021

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

It was not going to end well We always thought that the words of Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, had specific relevance to here and only here in this Guyana of ours.

It was when he said in the travails of our national elections, replete with count, recount, and endless haggling over both, that it was not going to end well. To our great comfort, Dr. Rowley’s prophesy passed us by. To the great discomfort of many Guyanese, and to much of the world at large, the PM’s words rather unfortunately took on special meaning late in the afternoon of Wednesday last before a disbelieving global audience, and in the capital of the United States of America, Washington, D.C, of all places. It did not end well.

What did not begin well did not end well at all for four persons now dead. They are dead to megalomaniac rhetoric, dead to spiteful speech, dead to divisive words spewed so effortlessly, but now so tragically. And responsibility for those four deaths belongs foursquare and fully at the feet of the sitting president of the United States.

Play with fire, and burning inevitably results. Pull the pin from live grenades, and it is more than a ticking time bomb in the hand - it blows up in the face. And that was what, after all the verbal antics and electoral hijinks of the president of the United States, did happen on Wednesday last.

What the U.S. president did was not on the steps of some State House in some backwater Deep South capital, but in Washington, D.C., the national capital. The American leader whose official address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is not small-time Governor Orville Faubus in Little Rock, AR in 1957 rallying the bigots and good ole boys to engage in a near full-scale riot, but the president of the United States, with sacred Constitutional obligations. Or as President-elect Joe Biden said of a people, time and place that now needs to return to the basics of honor and dignity.

And the incumbent president of the United States should not be compared to arch segregationist George Wallace from Alabama, the heart of the old Confederacy, though there are considerable grounds to do so, and do so powerfully and irrefutably. But as Martin Luther King once memorably described that same Governor George Wallace as the “most dangerous racist in America today,” the temptation and speculation is that such a comparison is most fitting.

Though things reached a white-hot pitch in Arkansas and Alabama way back in the ‘50s and early ‘60s, nobody died in those turbulent days of confrontation and reckoning.

But on a winter’s afternoon on Wednesday January 6 2021, four people died, and the cause of their violent deaths has to be attributed to the president of the United States.

The president of the United States summoned supporters. The president of the United rallied anarchists and demagogues. And the president of the United States of America, through his incendiary words and unrelenting postures, all but let them loose to wreak whatever mayhem suited their warped individual fancies. There is much responsibility for that long simmering volcano stoked past explosion point that somebody has to take ownership for, should be held accountable for, and ought to be made to pay for before the bar of justice. We know that it is not president-elect Joe Biden.

We do not think that such blame should belong anywhere near to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who tried belatedly (yes), but he did try. In any post-mortem, the finger of God is sure to point into the face of Senator Ted Cruz (R-FL), as an aider and abettor to the delusions of his president, and all in the name of power, the retention of power, and the extension of power.

We know about the struggle for power from long experience, repeated every five years, here in Guyana. We have had our brushes with chaos and violence, as orchestrated and channeled into the mindless, unrestrained furies of the mob, and it’s awesome unleashed power. That was what we saw with a shudder on Wednesday last. That

UG should look into promotions and hiring practices DEAR EDITOR, I am disappointed to learn that recently appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor (VC), Dr. Emanuel Cummings, and other lecturers have not been promoted. I am not familiar with Deputy VC, Dr. Mellissa Ifill’s academic record and as such can’t comment on whether she is deserving of promotion. But I am familiar with some of Dr. Cummings achievements; he is deserving of elevation to Professor. A name comes up repeatedly of the person withholding promotion and in hiring practices. He should be sent on leave pending an investigation of complaints.

T h e r e are many complaints about hiring and promotion practice at UG. Lecturers and some applicants for teaching complain that hiring and promotion is based on political affiliation and ethnicity. Several lecturers complained that although they had applied for promotion, some repeatedly, they have not been promoted even though they have earned it based on academic achievements such as research and publication, experience and enhancing the image of UG nationally and internationally. Qualified applicants, including PhDs, inform me they applied at UG but did not get an acknowledgement. The question is WHY? It is possible that the process of promotion is very slow taking several years or there are elements at UG who are

willfully selective in hiring or promotion.

UG needs to have a transparent process of hiring and sort out its criteria for staff promotion in a fair, deserving, honest, and open manner. This is an urgent matter for the VC, Paloma Mohamed Martin, who should be empowered to bring about profound change at the university.

I never met or conversed with Cummings or Ifill or Paloma. If they have met the criteria upon objective evaluation, they should be promoted. All UG staff members should be t r e a t e d e q u a l l y and fairly irrespective of ethnicity or political affiliation. If a lecturer has fulfilled the criteria for promotion to a certain level then he or she should be so promoted.

In academia, a lecturer is promoted on account of research publications, receipt of grants, respect among colleagues/peers, management of peer-reviewed journals, ratings among students, performance and service in university community, national and international standing, supervising research students, course development, role in academic committees including accreditation, and among o t h e r criteria. Dr Cummings has excelled in all measurements. Moreover, he is well qualified (DVetM; MSc (UClan) and PhD (UClan) and held senior

positions at UG, including Reader in Biochemistry and Dean of the College of Health Sciences and even acting as Vice Chancellor before Ivelaw Griffith became VC. He worked with the late Dr. Max Hanoman in securing the accreditation for the MBBS course at UG. When he was on sabbatical, the University failed to obtain a renewal of the accreditation. Only when he returned, he and his colleagues were able to acquire MBBS accreditation for another five years. With my undergraduate degree in Bio-Chemistry and having done post graduate research on non-communicable diseases, I could relate to some of Cummings’s research published in refereed journals. His research is rare among local based Guyanese on the epidemiology of chronic non-communicable diseases including on prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, cancers, cardiovascular and others highlighting the health and social care problems of Guyanese. He has published some dozens of papers. He and Prof. Jaipaul Singh (PhD, DSc) from the United Kingdom (UK) co-authored several of these papers. I found out that they received a grant from the British Council and the World Bank for research, training, and exchange of staff, students, and UG trained doctors between Guyana and the UK. Dr. Cummings is internationally known and recognized, and moreover, he

has earned respectability among peers nationally and internationally. UG’s course offerings state that Dr. Cummings taught clinical biochemistry for the MBBS (medicine) and BDS (dentistry). He has extensive teaching and research experience exceeding 25 years. He has supervised a number of students for the research projects leading to the award of the MSc degree. Students highly rate his lectures and management. He is a coeditor for research journals and reviewed research papers and grants.

Dr. Cummings studied in C u b a f o r his Vet medical degree and speaks Spanish fluently. Most importantly, Dr. Cummings is a longserving member of the accreditation board for MBBS and BDS in the Caribbean. He is highly qualified in undergraduate and postgraduate course development in many areas of medicine and surgery.

He was able to set up a number of new undergraduate and postgraduate courses and programmes at UG including Pharmacy, Optometry, Public Health, higher postgraduate Diplomas in medicine and surgery, and other fields. Dr. Cummings is an important asset and advisor to have in any university globally. In my opinion, all of the above mentioned criteria more than qualify him (Continued on page 6)

Strong environmental leadership has never been more important DEAR EDITOR, The spread of the coronavirus has left few, if any, communities untouched.

Governments around the Globe have had to react quickly.

Emergency distancing measures have been put in place, workers have been ordered to stay at home, and relief packages are beginning to flow. This is what government action looks like in a time of disruption.

And this newfound sense of rapid mobilisation and response

provides a powerful lesson for the next crisis we know is coming: climate change.

In fact, climate change is already here. Last year was the second warmest year on record, and wildfires ravaged forests in the West. The world was surprised by the emergence of a new disease with global impacts, but climate change is not new. The risk is real and the risk is now.

However, with the public’s attention focused on coronavirus, some governments administration weakened

was what the world saw, too. That is not the exercise of democracy, the same democracy spoken of so nobly by the United States around the world, where it seeks to impose its will and its once admired way. Well, that way just went to the dogs before a watching world.

The prestige of America suffered; its reputation can no longer be spoken of in the hushed terms of before. And as the bells toll a requiem for the four fallen, we do well to remember where and how it started, and the purposelessness of it all. And as for sole and ultimate responsibility, all we have to say is this: does it really matter at all? Does it matter anymore?

environmental rules, allowing industry to self-regulate its air and water pollution. Fuel efficiency standards were also rolled back, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. We must keep the pressure on for strong environmental protections at all levels of government, despite the coronavirus view of oversight of polluting industries.

The most inspiring response to coronavirus has been the mutual aid from person to person. We understand, more than at any time in recent memory, that we share a common societal bond. A solution must be reached together. Once coronavirus is vanquished and it will end, our shared response to the pandemic must inform us how to move ahead and confront climate change.

Some Governments around the globe have an upfront example of the

widespread mobilization required to make important change.

If we can use private industry to produce ventilators and protective equipment in a time of need, why can’t we use the same strategy to build renewable energy capacity and battery storage, in quick order, to transition our electricity sector away from fossil fuel generation? If we could take swift action to construct emergency hospitals across the world during this pandemic, some countries can similarly make use of trained professionals to weatherize, insulate, and install heat pumps in homes and buildings to reduce our energy demand. The risk to our lives, our homes, and our jobs calls for an urgent, allout response. Strong environmental leadership has never been more important.

Yours, Rooplall Dudhnath

Friday January 08, 2021

Who would have thought that this could have taken place in America?

DEAR EDITOR, Who could have thought that this could have taken place in The Mighty USA a place known for the administration of law and order? Who would have thought that hooligans could have invaded Capitol Hill and turned it into a common street brawl? Who could ever have imagined that congressmen and women had to run for cover and barricade themselves in the house after they were assaulted by the mob of an insane dictator? No one would ever have imagined, far less entertained the thought this could have happened in the grand Old USA a bastion of democracy, but it sure did, and right now they are licking their wounds in the aftermath of the onslaught.

Today America is not as frightened of a terrorist attack as they are terrified, plain stiff of a madman called Trump, leading a horde of savages on to Capitol Hill; the fear is real, the fear is evident. The citizens of this country are now locked in fear that something like this could have happened right here at their doorstep, to the point that there might be a second wave, who knows? As someone rightly said the scenes that took place yesterday is reminiscent of Georgetown during and after an election that The PNC has lost. You are talking about the burnings, lootings and shootings, these are all common features that we see time and time again whenever that party loses. If I may add

election violence are real life issues in Guyana.

In fact a friend of mine mentioned that president elect Biden was overheard saying “this is another Georgetown situation taking place here.” I would be the first to put up my hand in critical support of that statement having lived through it so many times over.

The point is - and here is where The Americans are getting a brutal lesson that they will never forget - is the fact that when we related our horror stories here in Guyana to them, they ruefully dismissed it as a joke.

Well come to think of it Trump’s assault on Capitol Hill was no joke, all it took were the insane words from a power hungry leader that he had won the election by a landslide and all hell broke loose. Good sense and logical thinking were thrown out the window as brute force and ignorance (Caribbean version) took over. It was a relive of the seances of a banana republic as the evil forces went on a rampage.

As I close, I shall make this humble suggestion to The American Authorities get a grip on Trump and a firm one at that. This lunatic campaign he has embarked upon must be stopped right now! America has to realize that this is not a matter of Democrats versus Republicans or a matter of us versus them, rather, America has to realize that this is a serious assault on the very survival of democracy in their country.

Respectfully Submitted, Neil Adams

Day of shame and infamy DEAR EDITOR, Wednesday, January 6 will go down as a day of shame and infamy in that country that prides itself as the stamp of democracy.

The many scenes streaming live across our television screens of the storming of the hallowed halls of the Capitol building will forever be etched in our

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minds.

Democracy under attack is how it has to be seen.

Shamshun Mohamed

There is no magic in democracy DEAR EDITOR, Most of the world looked on with shock as events unfolded in America on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

But some of us were not so shocked. You see readers, America has done an excellent job at selling its exceptionalism to the rest of us. So, even as rage took over on Wednesday, many wellmeaning American leaders, opinion-shapers and journalists were still heard repeating the popular refrain—”This is not America.” And that is the root of the problem for America. Its leaders and gatekeepers have been vociferous in telling us that political deviance is a “Third World” phenomenon; that America and Americans are above such afflictions.

Enters Donald Trump. He did not come to power via a coup—he was duly elected by a majority of the Electoral College. What Trump has done in the last four years is expose to the world the dysfunctionality of the American political system and culture. He has exposed the myth of American political exceptionalism. He has shown how the American presidency is as vulnerable to manipulation like any other presidency in the world. He has shown how one man armed with Executive Power and the support of a critical mass can circumvent the rule of law with consummate ease.

He has shown how “democracy” can be as undemocratic as the actors want it to be.

America must own Trump and Trumpism—they can no longer describe his actions as akin to Third World political behaviour. With 74 million people endorsing his candidacy with their votes in 2020, he is essentially American. What we must know is that Trumpism is deeply rooted in the American political tradition— it is not an aberration. Any serious study of American history would reveal that the current dispensation is a

familiar refrain. Americans have always violently pushed back against the threat of fundamental change which threatens to overturn deeply held notions of Americanism.

Yes, America has walked this road before. What occurred on Wednesday is very American. The pushback against Emancipation led to the Civil War and the birth of Racial Segregation. More than 600, 000 Americans were killed in the Civil War— American killing American over what to do about the enslavement of some of its citizens. The Supreme Court and the State Governments endorsed Racial Segregation (American Apartheid), which lasted legally for almost eight decades. And all that time, America convinced itself and the rest of the world that it was the gold standard of democracy.

The Supreme Court via the ruling in the Browne case of 1954 declared Segregation unconstitutional, but a majority of Americans did not comply. There was a decade of “Massive Resistance” which saw American “mobs” led by their leaders storming schools and universities to prevent them from admitting African Americans. Many Southern states closed their schools rather than admitting their Black citizens. It was the Martin Luther King-led Civil Rights movement that pulled America out of that period of political deviance, just as Black voters in Georgia has now given America some breathing space in its fight against Trumpism.

The Richard Nixon-Spiro Agnew presidency that arose as

part of the backlash against the end of legal segregation was as corrupt and corrosive as the current Trump regime. The new brand of Conservatism birthed

by Barry Goldwater’s run for the presidency in 1964 recalibrated the doctrine of Manifest Destiny—the bedrock of the American experiment. The Southern Strategy was birthed as the facilitator of modern White Supremacy in high places. Even liberal members of the political elite were forced to bend to its dictates as America entered the 21st century.

Obama rose to power via “deracialization,” whereby he dissociated himself from anything overtly Black. But the backlash to Obama is Trump and Trumpism. Trump reawakened the ghosts of 19th century Manifest Destiny. He was thrust into office by that current in American political culture and he used it to great effect. He rose to power via the Electoral College which is the most undemocratic electoral system in the world.

What Trump and his soldiers have done since the election in November is to challenge both the letter and spirit of the Electoral College which was set up by the Founding Fathers to negate the popular vote of the citizens. The rank truth is that Congress has the power to overturn the popular vote.

Trump pushed that envelope and opened the door to the events of Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

No amount of deflection by the chattering classes in America and beyond can cover the truth—American

democracy like democracies around the world is fragile and can be manipulated to dysfunctionality by any leader backed by powerful forces. Everything in American politics must now respond the forces set in train

by Trump, for those forces are rooted in something that is real and living in the country’s psyche.

That the “mob” did not take over the country does not translate into the triumph of democracy as some would have us believe. The objective was not to take over the country; the philosophy has already taken over. The events on Wednesday were aimed at signalling to America and the world that Donald Trump and Trumpism are not a fluke or an aberration. Note the ease with which the Capitol was overtaken. Also, note the cordial treatment of the so-called protestors by the coercive forces. Finally, note that when the mob left, the intellectual authors of the insurrection calmly and routinely resumed their manipulation of the power granted to them under the Electoral College. Biden will have to govern against the backdrop of that truism.

There are lessons for Guyana in what is taking place in America. Our country went through its own selfexamination in 2020—a complex development which has been grossly simplified to fit into a partisan matrix. There is no magic in democracy.

David Hinds

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Trump’s trauma trampled the truth DEAR EDITOR, Epiphany - January 6th is observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the gentiles or in the Eastern Church in the commemoration of the baptism of Christ. What occurred on January 6th in America instead, was a last manifestation, perhaps, of the departure of a demon. The day was plagued with turmoil and troubles by Biden’s adversaries and, not until midnight did a shaken and stirred US Congress confirmed and certified Biden’s win and victory. A dark day for democracy in the USA when America was under siege, a coup incited, influenced, inspired and instigated by outgoing President Trump, in a “Dessert Storm” fashion, proTrump mobs, gangsters, thugs and anarchists staged

a violent insurrection to bulldozed their way and physically stampede all over Capitol Hill. A day when America ceased to be the icon for the “Beacon of Hope” and became a sore for the “Symbol of Despair,” two women and two men died, 52 arrested, dozens of people hurt in an unruly crowd and many Capitol Hill police officers injured in the line of duty.

Republicans who voted for the destructor who wanted to make America great again, are now angry and rebuffing Trump as the destroyer who is tearing America apart. When the oxygen is being taken away from supporters, this day has become a turning point and Republicans realized that, might is not right and they were not going to protect America by attacking the Capitol Hill.

Trump encouraged and urged the organized gatherers to walk

down together on to Capitol Hill and take back America, not by weakness but in strength and by being strong, to prevent VP Pence from discharging his legal duty, allowing the smooth process of the counting of the certification of the electoral college votes.

A stomach turning and gut wrenching day, protestors then turned rioters, goons looted and vandalized Capitol Hill, engaged in criminal activities in order to disrupt a constitutional process. It was not dissent but disorder and lawlessness orchestrated at the behest of President Trump, nursing a selfish man’s injured pride, a man who had abandoned his post and chose to wax his time gulfing and instructing the rolling of heads of nonsupportive Republicans in any official office and, insinuating his rebels to (Continued on page 22)

Democracy must be preserved at all cost DEAR EDITOR, Democracy must be preserved at all cost, including the use of sanctions. When those that impose sanctions on others, seek to act just like those (and

worse) upon whom they impose sanctions, they too must be condemned.

In the case of the recent events in Washington, DC the intellectual authors of the lawlessness, including

Trump, should face the full force of the law.

A threat to democracy anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere!

Regards, Wesley Kirton

Coastal management continues to be the top priority DEAR EDITOR, The potential projects proposed for budget 2021 as mentioned by the Attorney General are great forward looking projects that will enhance the development of the country. However, we must not lose sight of what must be considered to be the single most important undertaking over the next several years. This is the improved coastal management along our coastal plains via the following:

1. Restrengthening of our sea defences, 2. The enhancement of our coastal pumping stations and 3. The improvement and maintenance of our drainage and irrigation infrastructure.

Without this must have top priority project along the coastal plain another major flood will affect the economic growth trajectory of the country. We have already started to see the impact of broken sea defences and

koker system failures along the coast line. The cost of implementation of an effective coastal management plan must not be underestimated.

The resulting restrictions on available funds for other key infrastructural projects may be significant enough to push those additional projects further out into the future.

Best regards, Mr. Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

A Warning for 2021 by the Spiritual Leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide DEAR EDITOR, As the fireworks began on New Year ’s Eve in Georgetown, I found myself thinking what are we celebrating this night? The end of a year or the beginning of a new one? And will this year be any different than the previous. As we all know the past year was not any ordinary year, rather, a year full of stress, sorrow and often times causing confusion in homes, communities and nations.

As the new year begins, what have we learned from the previous year? Should we aim to forget 2020 or should we try to take a lesson from what has taken place and how can we recover and do better in 2021.

The head of the On New Year’s Day, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad drew attention towards the hardships faced by humanity during the past year and said that mankind must realise that this is a warning from God Almighty so that mankind may desist from injustices. He stated: “In the past year, we have been facing an extremely dangerous virulent disease. No country of the world is free from the pandemic and it has affected some more than others.

However, it seems that the majority of the world does not wish to consider the possibility

that this pandemic may be a sign from Allah the Almighty about how we must fulfil our obligations and responsibilities.

They do not wish to consider that Allah the Almighty may be trying to awaken us, to guide us and make us realise our duties.”

(Friday Sermon 1 January 2021) It is important that we realize that Covid-19 is not only affected our health, but the virus has also caused many to become greedy and commit injustices. Instead of many recognizing God in this time of need and racing to fulfil their responsibilities, some leaders fed off of the weaker and vulnerable at a time when they needed their leaders the most.

Commenting on the political leadership of today, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said: “Where Covid-19 is affecting people’s health, there is also a huge economic impact. In fact, it is breaking the backs of many wealthy and powerful nations.

Worldly people only see one solution to this. Once they reach a point where their economy is destroyed, they will try to seize the wealth and economies of other smaller countries and will try to entangle them in their webs and then, under one excuse or other they will usurp their wealth. To achieve this, they will form blocs and such alliances are already being cultivated. A Cold War will re-emerge. In fact, it is being said that in a way, it has

already begun and it is quite possible that ultimately war will break out using arms and weapons which lead to catastrophe.”(Friday Sermon 1 January 2021) So how should we move forward from this? We must recognize God in this time of struggle and fulfil the rights we owe to God. At the same time, it is just as important to fulfil the rights of God’s creation. We must ask ourselves if we are fulfilling the rights of humanity solely for the sake of Allah. Or, is it the case that we still need to reform ourselves and elevate the love we hold for others in our hearts? If we do not then one can imagine that the situation will only worsen in 2021 and in the upcoming years Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad concluded by saying: “True celebration will be when all of mankind upholds the values of humanity; when the vengeance between people turns into love.”(Friday Sermon 1 January 2021) I believe that everyone in Guyana can agree that this would be a true and worthy moment to celebrate.

Therefore, each individual should self evaluate and see how they can fulfil their responsibilities.

Fahd Peerzada Missionary of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Guyana

...UG should look into promotions From page 4 for a promotion to full professorship for life and not a temporary title.

Editor, lecturers at UG are fearful of victimization in lodging complaints about discrimination in promotion.

And some potential lecturers, with PhD, don’t want to file complaints of discrimination fearing it would jeopardize hiring. Some cry on my shoulders in visits to UG and in interactions on the phone, appealing to me to expose what is happening at the university with the hope of redress by the board and the VC. If either the Academic Board/ Council Members or the VC can carry out a private confidential survey among staff, then they would be surprised of the extent of dissatisfaction among the teaching and non-teaching staff. Racial and political discrimination in promotion is the number one complaint and it is rampant in my findings in conversations

with some of them.

Importantly as well, everyone complained about low, unattractive salary.

This was the reason for some staff working in other places to make ends meet, thus neglecting time for staffstudent discussion to solve teaching or counselling issues and problems.

Students also complained that some of the staff members are not up to standard in their field and the teaching notes do not seem to be innovative and modern to the 21st Century.

Students are short changed.

UG needs to attract quality staff to boost its reputation.

Several PhD applicants are not hired; in fact, some told me that their CV has not even been acknowledged by the registrar, VC, Dean, or head of department for months if not years.

This is unacceptable! In a White university that I attended in New York, heads would have rolled. (When I was a student leader, I

organized protests and petitions during late 1970s and early 1980s at City University to bring about change; students and faculty may wish to do same at UG).

Another major issue raised by students is quality assurance of the different courses in the different faculties and lack of student support. Some courses have never been reviewed for years and this could be part of the next academic plan for another 5-10 years.

T h e UG Academic Board/ Council or the VC or government should empanel a committee to discuss issues relating to ‘private’ complaints by staff, applicants, and students and make recommendations on improving academic conditions, hiring practices, and promotions. That committee should also provide feedback on a way forward for UG. Yours truly, Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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L B T LUNT.. UNT...B BL B Friday January 08, 2021

Kaieteur News

The PPP/C Government of Irfaan Ali has selected Wales to be where a gas-to-shore project will be.

There have been warnings that there must be studies to ensure project is affordable.

We can remember all too clearly the Skeldon sugar project which costs extended beyond US$200M.

That project is now a white elephant.

We can recall the promises of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, that he will personally see Skeldon works.

Well, it never did Today, there are questions over the cost of the gas-to-shore project. Will our leaders be cautious, transparent and accountable?

The ball is in the court of President Irfaan Ali.

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Kaieteur News

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Friday January 08, 2021

The only thing is that I love women…

Mahaica man tells court before he gets 56 years for murder A 50-year-old man, who underwent a trial and was convicted for murder by a mixed 12-member jury in the High Court, was yesterday jailed 56 years.

Foster Gravesande, a father of three from Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, will be eligible for parole after serving 28 years in prison.

The sentence was imposed by Justice Navindra Singh, following the presentation of a probation report.

Gravesande’s trial ended last December when he was found guilty of murdering

his neighbour, Courtney Porter. The incident occurred on April 9, 2017.

Gravesande had reportedly beaten Porter with a wood over an alleged altercation that the man (Porter) had with his wife.

During the trial, Gravesande maintained that he was not guilty of the crime.

Prior to the sentence, Gravesande’s lawyer, Dexter Todd, appealed to the court for leniency.

He asked the judge to consider that his client has a clean criminal record prior to

the incident; that he was the breadwinner for his family and an active contributor to the development of the community. The lawyer beseeched the court for mercy claiming that his client has the utmost remorse for what he had done.

Todd asked the court to consider that his client had been a model citizen prior to the incident and a model prisoner during his incarceration awaiting trial.

“If given a chance he is most likely to be rehabilitated and return to society to contribute

Jailed: Foster Gravesande meaningfully,” the lawyer added in his submission.

When he was granted the opportunity to address the court, Gravesande expressed similar sentiments. He begged for mercy noting that he has never been involved in any crimes before.

“It is very difficult for me. I am punishing in prison, my family is hurting, my business is affected and I cannot contribute to my community as I would like

to. I am very sorry for the life lost and I apologize to the family. I am willing to contribute to them in any way possible, I just need mercy … Sir, I’m not a bad person. What you see here, this is just me. The only thing about me is that I love women,” Gravesande stated.

State Counsel, Teriq Mohammed, noted that while the accused appears to be giving the court reasons that warrants leniency, the case concerns the senseless killing of one friend by another. The prosecutor asked the court to hand down a sentence that is suitable for the crime of a loss of life.

Justice Singh agreed with the submissions of the State Counsel.

He noted that although the father of three claimed he was remorseful, he did not believe he was truly sorry about what he did.

“This was truly a senseless act. There is nothing to support your

Murdered: Courtney Porter. claims that this man assaulted your wife. Even your wife in her testimony could not back up your statements…you came into my court and lied to my face … I see no mitigating factors here,” the Judge told Gravesande before imposing judgment.

He nonetheless deducted four years from the base sentence of 60 years for time that Gravesande spent in prison pending trial.

Friday January 08, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 09

Jagdeo is blowing hot and cold In October and November 1991, the World Bank dispatched an economic team to Guyana.

B a s e d o n t h a t t e a m ’s assessment of the state of the country’s economy, a Report was published in 1993, entitled “Guyana: From Economic Recovery to Sustained Growth.”

The Report criticized Guyana fiscal incentives system, noting that it granted tax holidays to firms from the payment of company tax, import duties and consumption tax. The Report stated: “The system includes a wide range of discretion and while it is based on the level of employment and value-added by the investment, the application of these criteria is not transparent… It also gives to new firms in the industry an unfair edge over existing firms.”The World Bank went on to observe that the fiscal impact of the concessions was considerable and estimated at about 15 percent of 1991 revenues. More importantly it noted that the system of tariff protections and fiscal incentives cost the country [read taxpayers] G$150,000 for every job created and G$360 for every dollar of foreign exchange saved.

At that time, the exchange rate was US$1 = G$40. This meant that for every job created through the grant of these fiscal concessions, it cost you and me, the taxpayers of Guyana, almost G$4,000 and for every dollar of foreign exchange earned, it cost the country US$9.

Foreign investors are therefore not doing us a favour.

Since then, the value and

volume of concessions have increased exponentially. The Guyana Office for Investment (GOINVEST) is now a concession application factory with businesses flocking to it, in order to be recommended for fiscal concessions. Foreigners enjoy extremely generous fiscal concessions from the government in the agreements, which they signed with the government.

The APNU+AFC and the PPP/C often defend these dubious deals by contending that these investments will create jobs for Guyanese and will earn foreign exchange for the country. But what they do not tell, is that it is taxpayers who have to shoulder the burdens of creating such jobs and for the foreign currency earned.

The World Bank Report, mentioned above, recommended a major overhaul of the country’s tax system including modification in the structure to eliminate disparities in incentives and in order to generate more revenues. The Report specifically urged the elimination of special exemptions and fiscal incentives that reduce revenues and suggested limiting fiscal incentives for pioneering industries.

ExxonMobil is considered by Jagdeo as a pioneering investment. And so, he blows both hot and cold. On the one hand, he criticizes the lopsided agreement signed with the company but on the other hand indicates that as a p i o n e e r i n g i n v e s t o r, ExxonMobil deserves frontier terms. In other words, he is justifying the overgenerous terms granted

to Exxon on the grounds that it is a pioneering investment.

The World Bank, 25 years ago, did not say anything about granting overgenerous concessions. It suggests that fiscal concessions be limited to pioneering industries.

Jagdeo, in this columnist’s estimation, has become an apologist for the oil companies. He argues, for example, that Guyana does not have the means to explore for oil, pointing to the fact that the total assets of the local banking system is about US$5.6B, while Liza Phase One alone would cost an estimated US$3.5M. He is implying that we need Exxon since we do not have the resources to bring up our oil. This is such an infantile argument. Needing Exxon and bending over to let that company violate us are two different things, something that the Vice President appears indifferent towards.Guyana is not unique in requiring foreign investment for the development of its oil and gas. All developing countries, which have found oil, have faced that situation.

But of the countries surveyed by this newspaper, Guyana got the worse terms.

One does not need to look far to realize how selfd e f e a t i n g i s J a g d e o ’s argument. Suriname is right next door to Guyana.

Suriname has gotten better terms than Guyana, far better terms, and it too, does not have the financial resources to extract its own oil.

It is time Vice President Jagdeo stop blowing hot and cold. He cannot condemn the concessions granted to Exxon and at the same time say that as pioneering

Dem boys seh...

Democracy was never under threat in Uncle Sam

Trump bin study Guyana like he was preparing for de Common Entrance examination. Everything de man seh after de elections was outta Guyana’s playbook. He even talk bout valid votes. He condemn de recount. He bin to court and he seh dat he not conceding. He lose every step of de way.

America’s democracy ain’t ever been under threat. Before de elections, Trump was more popular among de Far Right cause he was constantly under attack from people who been concerned by what they bin see as de fascist tendencies of his administration.

He bin constantly deh under de microscope, being criticized for what he was doing and where he was taking de country.

Americans didn’t cower or remain silent or claim dat they didn’t have enough information to determine who won de elections. Nobody said to throw away de ballot boxes. People stood up against Trump.

The Courts bin stand up for democracy when some who support Trump tried to overturn de election results. Now we seeing officials of his government disassociating demselves from he and wat took place on Wednesday. Congress is having none of it and it got calls fuh Trump get removed immediately from de Presidency.

Trump gat fuh face sanctions. The Americans ain’t condon de attempt of Trump to hold on to power. He will face serious political boomerang in de days to come.

Already he social media accounts get deactivated.

But America’s democracy still deh intact.

Trump could never upturn it. Like de APNU+AFC did in Guyana, dat stunt he pull bound to tun pon he. He gan be humiliated and disgraced... just like you know who.

Talk half and thank God Democracy lives in de USA!

investor, Exxon is entitled to frontier terms. He cannot use the country’s relatively small financial sector as an excuse for implying that we have limited choices when dealing

with the oil companies.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday January 08, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Me, the President, Dr. Gobin Ganga and Scotia Bank

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n a b r i e f conversation with President Ali a few months ago, he said my comments on the commercial banks were interesting.

He said long before he became a minister, much less president, he had heard stories of how the small income savers were treated by the banks.

About a week after, the Bank of Guyana issued some instructions which included three important dimensions: 1 - A driver’s licence is proof

of identification; 2 - If such a document carries place of residence, the banks should accept it as proof of address; 3 - The commercial banks ought to recognize the category of low risk customers and not apply the same rigours as suspected launderers.

I received an email from Ms. Stacey Brown and Pamela Patiram of the Bank of Nova Scotia requesting me, my wife and daughter to come in to update our joint account at the Robb Street branch.

The email listed the usual onerous requirements in keeping with the anti-money laundering act.

The email displayed the two numbers to contact Brown and Patiram if there are queries.

After spending half an hour trying to make contact, I asked a senior banking official to assist me.

That person did help.

One Ms. Khan indicated that at 10 am I would receive a call to discuss my interest.

This was at 8.30 am. So I have to wait an hour and a

half to speak to an official. I asked another senior banking official to intervene.

Ms. Patiram telephoned me to hear my complaints. I had four: 1 - I was not going to wait for four hours as happened in August 2018; 2 We updated our account in August 2018, so why so soon after? 3 - In keeping with the declaration of the Central Bank, why isn’t there a policy for low risk accounts?

4 - Does the bank accept driver’s licence as stipulated by the Central Bank as proof of address?

Here is the response from the Bank of Nova Scotia. It does not accept driver’s licence as proof of address.

Even if I am a low risk account holder, the policy of the bank is to have you come in every two years for the paper work.

I was enraged. I contacted Dr. Gobin Ganga, the governor of the central bank. I have known Dr. Ganga for a long time and regard him as an excellent professional.

He admitted that it would be senseless if the stipulations of the Bank of Guyana were ignored. Of course, he is right.

Why then does the central institution supervise the conduct of financial houses?

I insisted to Dr. Ganga

that my family and I should not be treated as if we are money launderers.

He indicated he would make enquiries.

I told him frankly, how I feel about Raymond Smith, the CEO of the Scotia Bank.

Almost all CEOs of commercial banks bask in the false glory of them being special elites and do not communicate with nonbanking people.

I have an ordinary saving account which has seen only small deposits the past 10 years and only on a few occasions.

In 2018, the amount went down because I had to pay for my daughter’s education for her higher degree in London.From September 2018, here is a record of deposits into our account; November 6, 2018 $13,298; February 18, 2019 $19,002; June 19, 2019 $19,032; November 17, 2019 - $14,248; February 24, 2020 - $26, 590; July 19, 2020 - $14,248 and December 6, 2020 $14,248.

In two years, one month, deposits totalled $120, 666.

The sum of $120,000 cannot buy a smart television or the latest Samsung smart phone.

Now here is the surprise for you.

All those deposits were dividend cheques from Bank

Frederick Kissoon DIH, every one of them.

Any jackass, any donkey can see that such an account holder is a non-risk customer. Why then I have to drag my wife at our age every two years into Scotia Bank?

I spoke to three of Guyana’s most prominent bankers who warned me not to trust Dr. Ganga. I told them I do. They insist I must not trust him.

Here is what one of the most known bankers in Guyana said to me; “Freddie, you know how long that guy was governor and the mistreatment by the commercial banks gets worse and worse every year; figure it out for yourself, but don’t tell me about Gobin Ganga.”

The next step is the Finance Minister, then President Ali. This sadistic mistreatment by the commercial banks and New Building Society of low income Guyanese has to be confronted and defeated.

Please join me!

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Friday January 08, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday January 08, 2021

739 Grade 6 teachers, Education Ministry consult on way forward for NGSA 2021 The Ministry of Education yesterday hosted a virtual consultative meeting with over 739 Grade Six teachers from private and public schools across Guyana to discuss the writing of the 2021 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

According to the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, coming out of 2020, she hopes the New Year will possess a higher degree of certainty as the Ministry addresses the issues faced by the sector particularly in a COVID-19 environment.

She said that in 2020 there were several opportunities to lead and do things differently as the sector adjusted and implemented measures to prevent as much learning loss as possible.

Looking forward, the Education Minister said that she hopes the lessons learnt in 2020 are brought into 2021 to be incorporated into the delivery of education.

She thanked those teachers that have stepped up during this time to ensure their students continue to be engaged despite being at home since March 2020.

Minister Manickchand noted that while the sector has had a hard year there are still issues to be addressed this year particularly the Grades Two, Four, Six and Nine examinations.

However, she noted that at this time the Grade Six examination is being dealt with first. She said that whatever decision is made will also be guided by the trajectory of the COVID-19 virus and the advice given by the Ministry of Health.

- parents to be engaged today Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson, during yesterday’s virtual meeting

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson, in his remarks said that the Ministry of Education prides itself in consultations.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, during yesterday’s virtual meeting

“We never seek to move without knowing the views of our partners and stakeholders.”

He said that the Ministry recognizes the importance of primary education and has done many things to reach children so that they remain engaged as much as possible. He explained that timetabled content for all grades is being aired on the Guyana Learning Channel while the Broadcasts to Schools and the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) programs continue to be aired on radio.

He said that the meeting organised by the Ministry should also be seen as a response to concerns that have been raised by parents and teachers over time

regarding the writing of the NGSA. He said that the meeting is important so that officers in the Ministry can know what the relevant stakeholders and partners are thinking on the issue so that any decision made going forward can be well informed.During the meeting, several teachers “shared their views on the matter and made meaningful recommendations on how they believe the Ministry should address the matter,” the ministry said in their statements.

Some of the options discussed included having students write the full examination on content right up to Grade Six, or the full examination but on content up to Grade Five.

The meeting also examined the option of not having children write papers one and two or have them write both papers but with reduced questions. It was also recommended that students can complete projects as a means of assessment.

Consultations continue today when parents and guardians of students scheduled to write the NGSA this year will be engaged.

“Parents and guardians of Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Georgetown will be hosted at 10:00am while parents and guardians of Regions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be hosted at 13:00hrs. Parents are asked to make contact with their schools for the login details.”

Kaieteur News

Friday January 08, 2021

PAGE 13

Health Minister estimates arrival of vaccines COVID-19 vaccine approved for not before second quarter -Pfizer emergency use in Caribbean region

Guyana could receive COVID-19 vaccines in the second quarter of the year, according to the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony.

The Minister said that Guyana can see the arrivals sometime between April and June, however, a Health Ministry spokesman told Kaieteur News yesterday that is the Minister ’s estimation.

His announcement was made on Monday during his appearance on the Beat-TheClock morning programme on News-Talk Radio 103.1 FM. Dr. Anthony said that Guyana could receive the first batch of vaccines during the given time frame, but the government is not sure which of the COVID-19 vaccines will be received first.

This, he disclosed, is because the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility which Guyana is accessing vaccines through has not indicated which of the vaccines will be provided first.

The COVAX Facility, w h i c h i n c l u d e s

The Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and GAVI – the Vaccine Alliance. COVAX was created in April with the aim of ensuring lowerincome countries acquire vaccines for at least 20 percent of their population.

“We don’t know which one we would eventually get but whatever you get will depend also on your readiness, so that’s why we are preparing our cold chain

to take in any one the vaccines ranging from the 70 degrees right up to +8 degrees,” the Minister said during his interview.

Notably, the Ministry of Health has been preparing cold storage facilities for the vaccines since December last year. Dr. Anthony had stated that the facilities will be ready by mid-January this year.

The storage facilities needed to be established since the vaccines have specific storage temperature requirements.

So far Guyana is set to be in receipt of two types of vaccines; the Moderna vaccine and the PfizerBioNtech vaccine from two US drug companies.

It was stated that the Moderna vaccine could be stored in a standard refrigerator with temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit) for a period of 30 days. But, the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at very cold temperatures of minus 70 to 80 degrees which requires cold storage freezers that the

The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at very cold temperatures of minus 70 to 80 degrees.

Ministry has made steps to procure.

Kaieteur News learnt that the Pfizer BioNTech

vaccine has been approved for emergency use in the Caribbean by the WHO and is already in the COVAX

Facility. In light of this, countries within the region are preparing for vaccine roll out.

Kaieteur News

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Friday January 08, 2021

Commercial Registry demands companies to submit names of beneficial owners

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s part of its mandate, the Commercial Registry is calling on companies in Guyana to submit the names of their beneficial owners.

The beneficial owners are the people who ultimately control an asset as well as benefit from its use.

T h e R e g i s t r y, i n a n advertisement in yesterday’s paper, asked companies to submit to them a statement of beneficial ownership, identifying the natural person/s who own/s and control/s 25% or more of the company’s shares.

Importantly, the registry stated in their ad that all notices previously published or issued in relation to

beneficial ownership, including the notice that had been published in the Official Gazette, had been withdrawn.

The call for companies to submit the names of their beneficial owners comes at a time when there is a large contention over the beneficial owners of the Kaieteur and Canje blocks—two oil blocks that were awarded under the P e o p l e ’s P r o g r e s s i v e Party/Civic (PPP/C), by former President Donald Ramotar, just before he demitted office in May 2015.

With the Canje Block, one its owners, JHI Associates, is incorporated in the British Virgins Islands (BVI), a place known as a

secrecy jurisdiction and tax haven.

This is a major red flag for governments that prioritize transparency and mitigation of corruption risks. It is difficult for authorities to gain information from tax havens like BVI. The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Canadian John Cullen, would appear to set the country’s roots in that jurisdiction. Its website was created in June 2015, and has added bits and pieces of information over time. It claims it was formed in 2011 and expanded its core team to support Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas in 2013 – the year the block was applied for. MidAtlantic is the first recipient of the Canje Block and currently retains a 12.5 percent stake.

It is notable that one year before Mid-Atlantic

received the block, JHI had completed a “pre-licence farm-in” with Mid-Atlantic in 2014, according to its website.

It is unprecedented that a

company can “farm in” to a block even before the block was even legally signed a w a y, s i n c e t h e h o s t government would have to (Continued on page 22)

Kaieteur News

Friday January 08, 2021

PAGE 15

‘Buss head’ Pensioner, 90, burnt to death in home gets bail A for robbing Venezuelan pensioner perished yesterday in a fire, which destroyed his wooden home located at 17th Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Investigators told Kaieteur News that the blaze was as a result of an unattended lighted stove.

Dead is Rupert Williams, 90, an amputee who suffered from vision problems.

The fire, which killed him, started close to 09:00 hrs. William’s daughter-in-law, Dorsett

A screen grab of the altercation between the police officer and the suspect.

T

he man who was caught on a viral video brawling with police ranks, receiving a ‘buss head’ last Sunday, was on Wednesday released on bail after he appeared in court for allegedly robbing a Venezuelan man.

The defendant, Clive Fields, 21, called ‘Anthony Prince,’ of Tucville, Georgetown, made his first appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates Court before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, when the charge was read to him. He denied he committed the crime.

It is alleged that on January 3, 2021, at Stabroek Market, Georgetown, while in the company of others, he robbed Ricky Menque, 31, of Friendship, East Bank Demerara, of a Samsung smartphone and $25,000.

It is also alleged that before, during or after the course of the robbery, he assaulted Menque.

It is reported that on the day in question, Menque had just exited a minibus and was walking on the pavement, when three males who were walking in the opposite direction pounced on him and relieved him of his cell phone and cash, before making good their escape.

Around 16:35 hrs., ranks on mobile police patrol responded to a report of robbery with aggravation committed on a man in the Stabroek Market area.

It is reported that the ranks arrested Fields and placed him in the back of the police vehicle, during which Fields allegedly became aggressive and attacked the ranks who then defended themselves.

A physical confrontation ensued between Fields and the police and he was eventually restrained and taken to the Brickdam Police Station. At the station, Fields was positively identified by the victim as one of the men who robbed him.

A police report stated that the suspect had refused medical attention, while the injured police ranks were treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating the matter and is asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident between the suspect and the members of the force, to make contact with the officer in charge of t h e P o l i c e ’s O P R o n telephone number 227-1926 or the Commander of the Regional Police Division on 226-1389.

Burnt to death: Rupert Williams (photo courtesy of Big Smith News Watch)

Solomon, said that she had left him home with her daughter to conduct some business on his behalf in the city.

Williams had (Continued on page 23)

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Friday January 08, 2021

Friday January 08, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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80 pounds of ganja seized, suspects flee in Dukestown operation Three suspects are on the run and a large quantity of ganja seized after a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) operation in the Corentyne, Berbice area on Wednesday.

According to CANU at approximately 16:00 hrs. on Wednesday, its officers, acting on information

received, proceeded to the community of Dukestown, Corentyne, Berbice.

The officers reported that they observed three males walking along a dam, two of whom were carrying bags on their shoulders. “…upon seeing the CANU officers, the men dropped the bags and fled

Friday January 08, 2021

The seized items from the New Amsterdam Prison dorm.

into the bushes.

The officers then discovered two “rice bags” containing several parcels of cannabis.

The parcels were counted and amounted to 15, the approximate weight is over 80 lbs…,” CANU said in its statement yesterday.

The seized ganja.

‘Salt bag’ of ganja, cigarettes found in New Amsterdam prison dorm Ranks of the New Amsterdam Prison on Wednesday confiscated a ‘salt bag’ of weed and cigarettes during a surprise search.

According to the police, on Wednesday, about 19:30 hours, ranks of the prison conducted a search at the northwestern dormitory.

During the search, a salt bag was found abandoned at the northwestern side of the compound.

In the bag, the ranks found two cartons of cigarettes; a small amount of ‘fronto’ leaves; six packs of ‘Bambu’ wrappings and 17 “bulky parcels” containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and

stems suspected to be cannabis.

The matter was reported to the Central Police Station, where the suspected cannabis was handed over. It was weighed and amounted to 1,730 grams (approx. 3.81 pounds).

Police said that investigations are ongoing.

Kaieteur News

Friday January 08, 2021

U.S Admiral on 3-day visit to Guyana from Monday

T

he United States of America (USA) Navy Admiral, Craig S. Faller, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, is expected to visit Guyana in the coming week.

The command is one of the Department of D e f e n c e ’ s s i x geographically-focused unified commands with responsibility for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America, as well as security cooperation with defence and public-security forces in the region.

According to a press release from the US Embassy, Admiral Faller is expected to arrive in G u y a n a o n M o n d a y, January 11th. He is expected to leave two days later, on January 13th.

The release also stated that as part of the US continued commitment to Guyana and its security, Admiral Faller will meet with President Irfaan Ali and Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Godfrey

To visit: Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Navy Admiral, Craig S. Faller.

Bess, to discuss bilateral security partnership between the two countries.

The admiral is also expected take part in the signing of an Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement between the two countries’ militaries. The

Only MATPAL recognized to conduct seamen’s STCW training - MARAD warns The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) is warning that t h e M AT PA L M a r i n e Institute is the only academic institution recognized to conduct Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Programmes.

The warning come days after news that a woman, Simone Fortune, from Berbice, was charged for allegedly running a fraud scheme, ensnaring several persons.

One of the men was a serving policeman.

She reportedly offered

signing of that agreement will pave the way for the exchange of goods or services of equal value to support future bilateral defence cooperation.

The release noted that the United States and (Continued on page 22)

PAGE 19

the course, promising certificates that would be recognized and allow the participants to work in the oil and gas industry.

Participants claimed that the woman gave them fake certificates and it was all a fraud scheme. They reported the matter to the police, who slapped 17 charges on the woman. She appeared in a Berbice court on Wednesday, and was granted bail in the sum of $680,000.

MARAD, in its warning yesterday, disclosed that the requirements for recognition of

institutions seeking to offer such training, are available from its offices.

“MARAD is committed to working with all applicants to ensure that those requirements are satisfied.”

Charged for allegedly running fake courses: Simone Fortune

A number of the participants who claimed they were defrauded.

Kaieteur News

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Friday January 08, 2021

GDF, US Coast Guard to conduct exercises offshore Guyana this weekend

US Coast Guard, Cutter Stone vessel

A GDF Coast Guard vessel.

T

he Guyana Defence Force (GDF)and the United States of America (USA) Coast Guard are expected to commence their first joint service operation tomorrow to combat illegal fishing activities in local waters.

According to a GDF press release, on Saturday, the GDF and US Coast Guard will engage in their first series of activities, stemming from the Shiprider Agreement that was signed last September by the two countries.

The Shiprider Agreement was signed by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Godfrey Bess, during the official’s highly publicized visit last year. The agreement allows the US Coast Guard to patrol local waters along with the GDF coast guard to combat illicit activities.

The US Coast Guard will be using its Cutter Stone vessel, one of its newest, to conduct the joint service patrol.

On December 28, 2020, the US flagship departed Pascagoula, Mississippi, for a multi-month operation in the South Atlantic to help counter illegal, unregulated,

and unreported fishing, while strengthening relationships for maritime sovereignty and security throughout the region.

The brand new Legendclass national security cutter, will provide a presence and support national security objectives throughout the Atlantic.

Kaieteur News had reported, based on a statement from the US Coast Guard, the multi-month patrol is the cutter’s initial shakedown cruise, following its delivery in November 2020.The release had also stated that: “This is the service’s first patrol to South America in recent memory, engaging partners including Guyana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Portugal.

The cutter also embarked an observer from the Portuguese navy for the operation’s duration.”

The visit will come as a major border case is engaging the attention of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands.

The case centers on claims by neighbouring Venezuela on large parts of Essequibo, Guyana’s gold rich country, and areas offshore Guyana where ExxonMobil is currently producing oil for Guyana.

Kaieteur News

Friday January 08, 2021

PAGE 21

Yuri claims he returned monies to 85% of investors Three weeks after lawyer says only $3M was repaid…

A

lleged Ponzi s c h e m e operator, Yuri Garcia-Dominguez, who allegedly bilked over 17,000 Guyanese of US$20M (over G$4B), last evening claimed that he has repaid 85% of the investors.

He also claimed that over his two years of operating in Guyana, he paid out over US$94M to his clients.

Garcia-Dominguez made these claims during an interview on a social media platform, Big Smith News Watch. He was asked about the number of persons left to be repaid. GarciaDominguez response was that “according to our last checking of the system we have 2,599 persons that haven’t collected yet.”

He is now asking for a few more weeks to pay out the remaining investors.

However, on December 18, 2020, during an interview, his attorney-atl a w, D e x t e r To d d , announced that only a mere $3M was paid out to investors and that the number of investors to be repaid is in the thousands.

A government official close to the investigation last evening insisted that it is highly impossible for Garcia-Dominguez to have repaid almost 15,000 investors within that short

period of time, due to the amount of money involved.

Garcia-Dominguez, along with his wife, Ateeka Ishmael, are the principals of Accelerated Capital Firm Inc. (ACF). Both are accused of running a Ponzi scheme.

They had claimed that they were trading in foreign exchange on the international market.

Kaieteur News had reported that the “investors” includes businessmen and church members, with a number of religious leaders accused of playing roles in recruiting unsuspecting Guyanese.

The couple was slapped with 80-plus fraud charges and two charges under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of T e r r o r i s m A c t (AML/CFT).The latter charges were laid by the police’s Special Organized Crime Unit.

The couple were released on over $30M bail for all the charges.

In September, GarciaDominguez had announced that he would repay the investors.

The repayment process reportedly commenced October 12, 2020.

I n D e c e m b e r, t h e company had offered to repay its investors in digital money, known as crypto

currency.

Crypto currency is a digital method designed to work as a medium of exchange, wherein an individual can do online transactions – the most popular crypto currency is bit coins.

H o w e v e r, A t t o r n e y General (AG), Anil Nandlall, had told Kaieteur News, that the proposed crypto currency repayment method by the principals of ACF is not a legal tender in Guyana.

The Bank of Guyana (BOG) had also stated that Guyana does not use crypto currency.

According to police, Garcia-Dominguez and Ishmael allegedly lured thousands of Guyanese claiming that by investing with their company, persons would get at least 40 percent return.

The company was not recognized by the securities regulator.

The investors were told that the money would be invested in trade of foreign currency and were also encouraged to enlist additional investors on a 10percent commission basis.

According to reports, the company had never advertised their business in the mainstream media and the company is not

19 dorm students tested positive for COVID-19 Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, yesterday disclosed that 19 students have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus so far for this year.

Schools reopened on Monday for face-to-face classes for students in the Grades 10, 11 and 12 classes.

In his daily COVID-19 update, the Minister also said that 10 teachers and eight staff members from the different dormitories have been tested positive for the virus. He noted that testing still continues at all dorms, because not all the students have returned.

Previously, Minister Anthony had announced that all students returning to the dormitories would have to undergo a COVID-19 test. It was also extended to the teachers as well. Both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the antigen tests

The Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony.

are being used. On Monday, when school resumed, Minister Anthony had confirmed that over the last couple of days of testing, the Ministry had discovered a number of students who were positive and they have been isolated. “Generally, these students are all asymptomatic, which means they have no signs or

symptoms,” the Minister said. The students would have to be in isolation for 10 days and if they do exhibit some signs and symptoms, then they would be treated and monitored. Kaieteur News understands that students who are being isolated, are provided with worksheets to continue learning.

registered with the Guyana Securities Council to conduct financial business, as either an investment advisor and/or a broker.

After complaints were made by investors of not receiving their money/returns, the new government launched an investigation into the alleged P o n z i s c h e m e .

This led to the couple’s eventual arrests and a slew of charges.

Alleged Ponzi scheme operatorsYuri Garcia-Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael

PAGE 22

Friday January 08, 2021

Kaieteur News

Capitol Police Chief Resigning Following Insurrection for his resignation came from the union for Capitol Police

By Trump Rioters House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officers also called for him to CAR RENTAL

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From page 14 approve such a farm in.

Why this happened could be explained by exploring the multiple linkages between Mid-Atlantic and JHI, as expressed in a series of articles published by Kaieteur News.

Mid-Atlantic’s sole shareholder, Edris Kamal Dookie and Cullen have history together as the co-founders of CGX. They also, along with another member of JHI (Scott Young) are owners of a company called Oyster Oil & Gas.

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While Guyana knows Dookie is the sole shareholder in Mid-Atlantic, revealing the beneficiaries of JHI will shed much more light on what happened with the Canje block.

It was recently announced that BVI would by 2023, be creating publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership for companies incorporated there.

By then, Guyana would have the opportunity to know who benefitted from the sale of its Canje block to ExxonMobil and Total.

(D-Calif.), who condemned his response a day after Wednesday’s insurrection and called on Sund to step down. “There was a failure of leadership at the top of the Capitol Police. He hasn’t even called us since this happened,” she said, referring to Sund.

Shortly before news broke of Sund’s resignation plans,

step down.

“Without a change at the top, we may see more events unfold like those we saw on January 6th,” the union chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement. We cannot leave our officers and the Capitol Hill community they protect, to the mercy of further attacks amid a vacuum of leadership.”

...U.S Admiral on 3-day visit From page 19 Guyana have a history of security cooperation, and the defence partnership between the two countries includes collaboration against regional threats and challenges, capacity-building engagements, bilateral training, expertise exchanges, exercises, and participation in military education programs.

Last September, during the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit, the two countries signed a Shiprider Agreement which allows the US Coast Guard to patrol local waters.

In 2017, when Guyana became the first South American nation to host the Caribbean Nations Security Conference.

...Trump’s trauma trampled the truth

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department confirmed.

He will formally step down Jan. 16.

Sund had served as chief since June 2019 and had been with the Capitol Police force since 2017 The most high-profile call

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of the election which show that Joe Biden was legally elected as the next President and Kamala Harris was lawfully elected as the next Vice President. As the sitting president, Trump tried numerous legal petitions challenging the results and all were dismissed or retracted, many were appealed and treated indifferently by the Courts in various districts.

It was really surreal and this infamous caucus, saw the end of an era of an erratic Trump endangering the lives of members of Congress who had to dive to shelter for safety, security officers drawing guns to prevent them from being physically attacked. Shocked, surprised and sad, President Elect, Joe Biden, painstakingly addressed the nation saying, “ Democracy is under an unprecedented assault,” requesting Trump to address the despicable situation and go on national television to call off this unlawful act by his supporters and ask them to vacate the premise and go home peacefully. Biden asked Trump to perform his presidential duty and defend the constitution. Donald Trump allowed the unruly crowd to conduct their illegal and criminal activities the whole day and, it wasn’t until almost the end of the day when the 6PM to 6AM curfew in the State of Washington DC was about to kick in, did he in a one minute address video-tape, told his rowdy men and women to go hope peacefully. But, he also reminded them that the election was a fraud, lying to them and that he loved them.

His words would support the violent behaviour and the repercussions, thus, the call

for accountability, impeachment, sanction, a commission for enquiry and also, the enactment of the 25th Amendment.

This Amendment can pave the way for VP Pence to become the President for the remaining period until the 20th of January, Donald Trump being deemed incompetent to occupy the seat as reigning president.

The Mayor of Washington DC adumbrated that it was a cold and horrible day when the assault on democracy was unbelievable shameful, unlawful and unpatriotic. Trump’s violation of duty, his abuse of power and Wednesday’s fiasco was something that happens only in a 3rd world country as acclaimed by Trump’s once close Republican senators and friends. His supportive allies including Graham and Pence, departed from his company, rebuked his actions and asserted that, such revolting actions were tantamount to a revolution and attested to a civil war, a Davis vs Lincoln. It was an active, domestic terror, committed by white supremacists. Two pipe bombs, one from the DNC and one from the ANC and other weapons were found. These groups are related to the KKK, perpetrators of White racism.

The troubled and trembling Republican senator, Mitt Romney, in his address to the floor, pleaded with Trump to desist with his lies and tell the truth, reminding the world that, what they witnessed does not represent America.

Disgusted and disturbed by Trump’s devious and devilish diabolism, his display of arrogance, pompous false ego and bombastic sagacity, staff

from his administration resigned and his closest allies abandoned him in frustration and embarrassment.

The rest of the world was shocked and appalled at the tyranny as they witnessed the shame and disgrace, executed by Trump and his advocates. Guyanese were reminded of the APNU+AFC’s vulgarity and hooliganism displayed by senior members of the party during the counting of the election votes last March.

Guyana was also held under siege by Granger and his cabal, as they attempted to rig the election and refused to concede to a PPP/C victory as confirmed by a CARICOM recount result. Granger and his APNU+AFC party humiliated Guyanese at home and abroad and now, as if tutoring Trump, Trump duplicated Granger’s nescience to paint a day of doom and gloom, tarnishing the image of America at home and abroad. A desolate day that began shakily for the Democrats, ended on a solid foundation as they sealed control of the Senate as they won both of the senate seats in the State of Georgia, thereby securing command of both the House and the Senate.

Not until the wee hours on Thursday morning did Trump pledged an orderly transition to a Biden’s Presidency but still not conceding. He remains isolated in his lonely world, just as Granger remains hiding in his palace. It is humiliating as the world notes that, Twitter and Facebook blocked Trump’s account indefinitely.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

Friday January 08, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 23

Region Four accounts for 12 of London’s Field Hospital To Be Used Amid Acute COVID Pressure 33 new COVID-19 infections Of the 33 newly recorded COVID-19 infections reported by the Ministry of Health yesterday, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) accounted for 12.

This was indicated in the Ministry’s daily dashboard update which showed every

region, except Regions Nine and 10, recording new cases.

The dashboard shows the new total number of confirmed cases increased to 6,469. Further, the dashboard disclosed 287 patients in home isolation, 20 in institutional isolation and five

in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

An additional eight persons are in institutional quarantine and seven more persons have recovered from the virus. The total number of recoveries to date, according to the Ministry, is 5,990

...Pensioner, 90, burnt to death in home From page 15 reportedly sent the daughter out to the shop, but when she returned, the home was engulfed in flames. Because of his disabilities, he was trapped inside.

The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was summoned.

Firefighters who arrived extinguished the blaze but could not save Williams or the house.

His charred remains were

removed and an investigation is underway.

The Investigators added that the relative had started cooking and had left the house with the stove lit.

LONDON - (AP) — Britain’s National Health Service will from next week employ a little-used field hospital specially built at a huge exhibition centre in east London in the early days of the pandemic last spring.

NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens said yesterday that the pressures facing hospitals in London and the southeast of England are so acute that the Nightingale hospital at the ExCel London will be opened next week to inpatients.

A few hundred beds for non-COVID patients are expected to be available at first.

“The entirety of the health service in London is mobilising to do everything it possibly can but the infections, the rate of growth in admissions, that is what collectively the country has got to get under control,” he said.

The hospital, which will also be a vaccination hub, was one of several built in the spring to help during the pandemic.

They were named after Florence Nightingale, widely considered to be the founder of modern nursing.

In the event, they were barely used and were mothballed for use potentially during further waves of the pandemic.

Stevens said the health service is in the midst of an “incredibly serious situation” with more than 50% more coronavirus inpatients in hospitals across England than April’s peak.

All this is happening when the NHS is at its busiest because of winter-related ailments.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government has faced criticism for not locking down England earlier — during the Christmas holiday season — given a spike in infections largely blamed on a new variant of the virus around the capital and the southeast of England.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a media briefing on coronavirus, COVID-19, yesterday. (Tolga Akmen/Pool via AP) The lockdown came into effect on Tuesday, more than two weeks after scientists warned the new variant was potentially 70% more contagious.

The UK is recording virus-related deaths on a par with some of the worst days of the pandemic.

Yesterday, government figures showed that another 1,162 people were reported to have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.

That’s just shy of the record high of 1,224 deaths on April 21.

The UK’s total virus-related death toll is now 78,508.

According to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the UK is again Europe’s worst-hit nation in terms of total COVIDrelated deaths.

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Friday January 08, 2021

Friday January 08, 2021

Chattanooga football assistant coach fired after calling Stacey Abrams ‘Fat Albert’ on Twitter Yahoosports A Chattanooga football assistant coach no longer has his job after he disparaged Stacey Abrams on social media. The school announced Thursday morning that Chris Malone had been fired after a Tuesday night tweet calling Abrams “Fat Albert” along with other insults because of the results of Georgia’s Senate elections.

There is absolutely no evidence that any significant voter fraud took place in Georgia in either November or January. Abrams, a former Georgia state legislator and gubernatorial candidate, has led voter registration efforts in the state over the past two years.

PAGE 25

Kaieteur News

Stacey Abrams “Our football program has a clear set of standards,” Chattanooga coach Rusty Wright said in a statement.

“Those standards include respecting others. It is a

message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not waiver on. What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I

Friday January 08, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Discussions with those close to you could lead to the discovery of new concepts, perhaps from foreign cultures. You will want to learn more about them, Aries, as will your friends.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today shows the promise of being a very busy yet fulfilling day. Enterprises involving corporations, churches, or other groups in your community are likely to benefit from your participation.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Emotions that run very deep should bring you a lot of satisfaction today, Taurus. Relationships of all kinds could also be especially promising.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your financial success over the past several weeks may seem too good to be true, Scorpio. It might make yet another leap forward. This should make you happy.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Relations with neighbors, siblings, or other relatives could get a shot in the arm now. For some, your recent business successes cause them to get on the bandwagon.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You're flying high at this point, enjoying the success you've achieved over the past several weeks. Today you could accomplish yet another goal, adding to your feeling of accomplishment.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Success in your work continues to bring good fortune your way. Today you might get reassurance that this isn't a flash in the pan. You're likely to be financially secure for a long time.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) As you continue to enjoy success and good fortune, your self-confidence grows, Leo, and so you're likely to attract new relationships with fascinating people in exciting fields who share your vision and interests.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today your sensitivity joins forces with practicality. Intuitive insights could come to you today, and you might express your new ideas to others, Virgo.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today you might have insights as to how to advance your career. These could come your way through dreams, sudden revelations, or perhaps visions.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) All your relationships should be especially warm and supportive now, Aquarius. This is a great day to form a business, personal, or romantic partnership.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Everything should be going great for your career, Pisces.

It may all seem too good to be true, but rest assured that it's real. Events could involve a job change, promotion, raise, or the opportunity to strike out on your own.

stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effectively immediaely, that individual is no longer a part of my staff.” Chattanooga Athletic Director Mark Wharton also condemned Malone’s post. Malone has already been removed from the football website. “[Wednesday] night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention,” Wharton said.

“The entire post was appalling. The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our athletics department or our university.”

Malone was in his second stint as a Chattanooga assistant. He came to the school from Old Dominion after spending three years with the Monarchs. He’s also coached at numerous other schools including UMass.

...NBA roundup: Last-second From page 28 combined for three consecutive 3-pointers in a late flurry that propelled visiting Los Angeles to a victory over Golden State in San Francisco.

The Pacific Division rivals will meet in a rematch Friday night, also on the Warriors’ home floor. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George scored 21 points apiece for the Clippers, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back after a 116-113 home loss to San Antonio on Tuesday.

Sacramento Kings 128 Chicago Bulls 124 - Richaun Holmes scored 24 points and Marvin Bagley III added 21 as Sacramento showed how good it felt to be home by ending a three-game losing streak with a victory against Chicago.

Harrison Barnes added 20 for the Kings, who dropped all three games on a just-completed road trip. The victory came in the opener of a sevengame homestand. All was not completely positive for the Kings, who lost point guard De’Aaron Fox in the first quarter with right hamstring tightness.

Coby White scored a career-high 36 points for the Bulls and Zach LaVine added 32. Chicago was playing for the second consecutive night after earning a victory at Portland on Tuesday. The Bulls entered with four victories in their past five games.

...Bayern out to cap dream From page 27 in Bayern’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the 2013 European Super Cup. The Best 2020 - The Best FIFA Football Awards™ were also dominated by Bayern – or at least the men’s prizes were. Lewandowski and Neuer respectively picked up The Best Men’s Player and The Best Men’s Goalkeeper honours, while Flick was in the final three for The Best Men’s Coach.

Furthermore, in Lewandowski, Thiago (now of Liverpool), Alphonso Davies and Kimmich, four Bayern players were included in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World11.

FIFA Club World Cup The Club World Cup Qatar

2020 will take place from 111 February 2021 in Doha, where Bayern are aiming to take possession of the crown for the first time since 2013.

European clubs have had that honour 12 times since the inaugural competition in 2000, while teams from South America have done so on four occasions.

Which confederation will win it for the last time in its current format?

The final will be held at the Education City Stadium on 11 February. The complete match schedule is available for download here.

The draw to determine the match pairings will take place on 19 January 2021 at 16:00 CET in Zurich.

...RFU expresses concerns From page 26 sealed back-to-back Grand Slams when they beat Italy in November - were the only home nation to play all their Women’s Six Nations fixtures in 2020.

Scotland were only able to play three of their five matches, while Wales and Ireland played four. This year Ireland, Scotland and Italy’s Six Nations fixtures may also double as World Cup qualification matches given none of the three sides have yet sealed their place in rugby’s showpiece.

Ponsford said there was

“more planning to do over the next week to 10 days” to see “if we can get through the Six Nations or get through as much of it as we possibly can”. When asked if the tournament could move to a different window, Ponsford explained that before Christmas it had been decided “it was the right thing to do to leave it where it was”.

However, she added “the world has now changed again”. “It’s becoming more challenging,” Ponsford continued. “There’s a lot of things to put into the mix.”

Kaieteur News

PAGE 26

Friday January 08, 2021

FIFA President discusses football development with Saudi Arabia sports authorities

FIFA President Gianni Infantino held fruitful discussions with Saudi Arabia’s football and sports leaders and has visited stateof-the-art facilities on a visit t o R i y a d h . T h e F I FA President’s programme included a meeting with Sports Minister HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki AlFaisal, where he was presented with the ambitious plans of the Saudi Arabian government to develop sports over the next decade.

The leaders also discussed ways of cooperation between the two institutions to ensure football continues its progression and maintains its leading position in Saudi Arabia. The visit featured a tour of the new Mahd Sports

Academy, a groundbreaking project launched in 2020 with the aim of identifying and developing local sports talent.

The FIFA President also held meetings with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) leadership under President Yasser bin Hassan Al-Misehal, on a visit which also had a presentation of Saudi Arabia’s regional training centres, discussions with local international referees, a review of the domestic women’s football strategy, and a tour of the SAFF museum.

“I have been very positively impressed here in Riyadh to see the facilities of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and I was impressed by the

professionalism, by the passion and by the skills,” the FIFA President said. “I knew already that Saudi Arabia is a football country, and has football in its heart, but what I see here is a strategy and a vision, and I need to complement His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz (bin Turki AlFaisal) and Saudi Arabian Football Federation President Yasser (bin Hassan Al-Misehal) and all the team who are doing a great work.

“The fruits of this work will be seen, I think, in the years to come. FIFA is proud and happy, not only to be here today, but to accompany this process, because we need the big countries [involved] and Saudi Arabia is definitely a big country.”

F I FA P r e s i d e n t welcomes landmark agreement between Gulf countries - In Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, FIFA President Gianni Infantino welcomed the signing of a historic declaration between the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which took place at the 41st GCC summit.

After years of regional disputes, the summit, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia, saw leaders of all GCC members support a statement that reaffirms the importance of solidarity and stability in the region and aims to restore collaboration among all member states to its natural path.

In a symbolic move, the Saudi Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed the document alongside Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber alSabah, the UAE’s VicePresident Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said, and GCC’s Secretary General Nayef Falah Mubarak AlHajraf. Egypt was also invited to the summit and signed the Al-Ula declaration.

Commenting on the agreement, President I n f a n t i n o s a i d : “ F I FA congratulates all the GCC

m e m b e r s f o r t o d a y ’s declaration, which is a very positive step for the region on the path to reconciliation.

Football has shown throughout this crisis that it is a unique platform of exchange for people of the Gulf and I am sure the game will continue to unite the region in the near future. The FIFA Arab Cup at the end of 2021 will bring 22 Arab countries together, uniting millions of fans from the entire region, and it will be an important step in the preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

This will be the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and in the Arab world, a unique opportunity for the entire region to unite and shine on the global stage.”

Women’s Six Nations

RFU expresses concerns that tournament will not be completed BBCsport - The Rugby Football Union has expressed “concerns” over whether the 2021 Women’s Six Nations will be completed. The men’s tournament begins on 6 February but dates for the women’s event, which is normally played on the same weekends, are yet to be announced.

The competition is a key part of teams’ preparations for the World Cup, which starts in September. A Six Nations spokesperson said organisers are “working on plans to try and hold the championship”.

But RFU head of w o m e n ’s p e r f o r m a n c e Nicky Ponsford told BBC Sport: “I do have concerns about how well we’re going

to be able to get through this period.” The latest coronavirus lockdowns across Europe have complicated planning, with England the only fully professional side in the tournament, while France are semi-professional.

The majority of players f r o m I r e l a n d , Wa l e s , Scotland and Italy are amateur, creating issues around testing, bubbles and travel. Ponsford added: “I’m relatively confident about how England are going to be able to deal with it, but there are different challenges in different unions.”

In 2020, three Women’s Six Nations fixtures were cancelled because of coronavirus. England - who (Continued on page 25)

England won a second successive Six Nations Grand Slam in 2020

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Friday January 08, 2021

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FIFA Club World Cup

Bayern out to cap dream year in Qatar A simplified description of Bayern Munich’s 2019/20 season reads as follows: records, records and more records. The Bavarians set benchmark after benchmark during the 56th Bundesliga campaign and crowned the season with a historic achievement by winning a treble comprised of Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League trophies for the second time after first doing so 2013.

Not only that, they went on to add two more pieces of silverware to their collection with domestic and European Super Cups. Bayern are aiming to turn that quintuple into a sextuple at the beginning of February at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020™. We take a look back on an unbelievable year for the record German champions.

Hansi Flick takes charge - Bayern’s course was arguably set when they appointed Hans-Dieter ‘Hansi’ Flick as head coach.

Prior to that the 55-year-old had been assistant to Niko Kovac, who was dismissed following a 5-1 defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of November 2019.

Bundesliga title - Seven months after Flick took the reins, Bayern lifted the league title for an eighth successive year, sealing the championship with a win away to Werder Bremen on Matchday 32 with two games to spare.

Flick has led his side to victory in 88 per cent of all Bundesliga matches

© Getty Images

contested since his appointment (21 of 24), giving him the best winning ratio of any coach in the league’s history.

Robert Lewandowski hit 34 goals to finish as Bundesliga top scorer for a fifth time, all in the last seven seasons. Gerd Muller is the only other player ever to have earned the top scorer’s accolade on at least five occasions, doing so seven times.

DFB-Pokal - The DFBPokal came next, with Bayern beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 at the start of July to lift the trophy for the 20th time. David Alaba gave Bayern the lead with a direct free-kick before Serge Gnabry doubled their advantage shortly afterwards. Manuel Neuer teed up Lewandowski to make it 3-0 with a long-range strike, and although Sven Bender pulled a goal back for Leverkusen with a header from a corner, Lewandowski put the outcome beyond all doubt with a late fourth.

U E FA C h a m p i o n s League - Flick’s side had a flawless record in Europe in 2019/20, winning all 11 of their games and scoring 43 goals while conceding just eight – an unprecedented achievement in the competition’s history.

The finals tournament in Lisbon was effectively a victory parade for Bayern, who humiliated Barcelona with a historic 8-2 thrashing in the quarter-finals before defeating Paris SaintGermain in 1-0 in the final.

Kingsley Coman became known as Bayern’s ‘Mr. Lisbon’ after the Frenchman scored a 59th-minute header from Joshua Kimmich’s cross in a hard-fought titledecider on 23 August 2020.

Manuel Neuer subsequently made some spectacular saves to preserve his side’s lead and help seal the club’s sixth European triumph.

“They had an unfair advantage: Manuel was in top form and has elevated goalkeeping to a new level,” said then PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel afterwards of the Bayern captain’s performance. The victory was the German side’s 21st consecutive win in all competitions.

DFL-Supercup - After a short summer break, Bayern won their next title in their first competitive outing of the new season by beating league runners-up Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in Munich to seal their eighth German Supercup triumph.

Corentin Tolisso put the hosts ahead early on in a game played behind closed doors, before Thomas Muller extended their lead just after the half-hour mark.

However, Julian Brandt pulled a goal back for Dortmund shortly before the interval and Dortmund’s star striker Erling Haaland equalised early in the second half.

Yet Bayern emerged victorious once again thanks to Kimmich’s 82nd-minute w i n n e r, t h e G e r m a n y international scoring as he fell to the ground to ensure

his side earned their next trophy at the expense of their long-standing rivals.

European Super Cup The Champions League holders eventually got the better of their UEFA Europa League counterparts Sevilla in extra time of an intense and hard-fought European

Super Cup. Substitute Javi Martinez scored the winner in the first half of extra time to hand Bayern a 2-1 victory.

“I always try to give 100 per cent and give everything I’ve got whenever I play for Bayern ,” said Martinez afterwards. “I showed that today. I always want to help

the team, and I did so with a goal today. It’s a dream.”

Lucas Ocampos had initially put Sevilla ahead with a 12th-minute penalty, which Leon Goretzka later cancelled out.

Incidentally, Martinez also scored the winning goal (Continued on page 25)

England Women to make first-ever tour to Pakistan in October ESPNcricinfo - England Women will tour Pakistan in October for a three-match ODI series and two T20Is. It will be the team’s first trip to the country, with the tour running alongside the England men’s white-ball tour and featuring doubleheaders for both T20Is in Karachi on October 14 and 15.

England Women will then stay in Karachi for their one-day fixtures on October 18, 20 and 22.

Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket, said she was “delighted” with the announcement.

“The England Women’s cricket team has never toured Pakistan before so this is another important step in our history and journey,” Connor said. “Not only will this be a cricket tour that provides valuable competitive opportunity to both teams, it should also serve as another powerful and positive message as we drive forward our equality ambitions for more women and girls to derive empowerment through the sport.

“I was in Pakistan last year and I know the impact that a women’s tour such as this can have and how memorable an experience it will be for our players and staff.”

Wasim Khan, PCB chief executive, believed that, like their male counterparts, the England women’s visit would pave the way for future tours. “ Wo r l d c h a m p i o n s England accompanying their men’s side for their first-ever tour to Karachi is an extremely powerful and strong announcement for Pakistan, our women’s

Heather Knight will lead England Women on a historic tour of Pakistan Getty Images cricketers as well as for the global sport,” he said.

“Women’s T20Is taking place before the men’s matches at the iconic National Stadium will mean more eyeballs will follow these matches than ever before... the three ODIs against the world champions will assist the Pakistan women’s side to access, gauge and fine-tune their ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 preparations as they aim to produce improved performances than in the past.”

England’s men’s team will make their first visit to Pakistan in 16 years when they play the two T20Is in Karachi. This follows the shelving of plans for a short tour in January because of a crowded international and franchise calendar at this time of year. With Pakistan’s men’s team having travelled to England in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it was felt that the ECB owed Pakistan a reciprocal favour.

“This announcement

reflects the confidence, trust and relationship the PCB enjoys with the England and Wales Cricket Board, and is an acknowledgement for the successful delivery of international and domestic cricket in the challenging and difficult 2020,” Khan said on Thursday (yesterday).

During the English summer, the women’s team had visits from India and South Africa cancelled due to travel restrictions but were able to host West Indies for five T20Is late in the season.

Fixtures for their upcoming tour to New Zealand will be announced later this month, with New Zealand and South Africa both due to tour in the 2021 summer.

Pakistan Women vs England Women fixtures: 14 October - 1st T20I 15 October - 2nd T20I 18 October - 1st ODI 20 October - 2nd ODI 22 October - 3rd ODI All games at National Stadium, Karachi

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Friday January 08, 2021

NBA roundup: Last-second put-back lifts Celtics past Heat Field Level Media Rookie guard Payton Pritchard scored on a putback with two-tenths of a second left to give the Boston Celtics a 107-105 win over the host Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

The 6-foot-2 Pritchard followed up on a missed drive by Marcus Smart.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with a game-high 27 points.

Jaylen Brown added 21 points for the Celtics, who were eliminated by the Heat in last season’s Eastern Conference finals. Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Heat, who have alternated a loss with a win in each of their seven games this season.

Robinson had 16 points, and Bam Adebayo was brilliant with 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Smart, who returned after missing one game due to a thumb injury, scored nine points and dished out a team-high six assists.

Orlando Magic 105 Cleveland Cavaliers 94 Terrence Ross scored 20 points and Dwayne Bacon added 19 to propel host Orlando to a victory over Cleveland. Nikola Vucevic scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who answered a modest two-game skid with back-to-back wins over the Cavaliers.

Magic guard Markelle Fultz sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the first quarter and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Cleveland’s Collin Sexton scored 21 points to set a franchise record of eight straight games with at least 20 points to start a season.

The record was formerly held by LeBron James in 2004-05.

Andre Drummond notched his eighth consecutive double-double after collecting 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have dropped four of their last five games.

Charlotte Hornets 102 Atlanta Hawks 94 - Gordon Hayward scored a careerhigh 44 points as visiting Charlotte snapped a threegame losing streak with a win over Atlanta. LaMelo Ball came off the bench to add 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Terry Rozier scored 14.

The Atlanta offense never got in gear. Trae Young, who entered the game averaging 28.6 points,

scored only two points in the first half and finished with a season-low seven points.

John Collins led the Hawks with 23 points while pulling down 11 rebounds.

Kevin Huerter came off the bench to make a seasonhigh five 3-pointers to score 19 and De’Andre Hunter added 17. Clint Capela had a season-high 19 rebounds.

Indiana Pacers 114 Houston Rockets 107 Malcolm Brogdon scored a career-high 35 points and Myles Turner recorded eight blocked shots as Indiana held on for a victory over Houston at Indianapolis.

Brogdon added seven assists and three steals in 39 minutes. He recorded just one turnover. Domantas Sabonis added his eighth double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Justin Holiday scored 20 off the Indiana bench while Victor Oladipo totaled 18 points and nine boards.

The Rockets, playing without center Christian Wood (sore left knee), were led by John Wall (28 points) and Eric Gordon, who scored 20 points off the bench.

Harden paired 15 points with 12 assists while Nwaba added a season-high 15 points. DeMarcus Cousins, making his first start since April 2019, had nine points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Rockets.

Philadelphia 76ers 141 - Washington Wizards 136 - Joel Embiid scored 38 points and hit all 13 of his free throws to lift host Philadelphia past Washington.

Seth Curry added 28 points to help offset a careerhigh 60 by Bradley Beal as the Sixers won their fifth in a row overall and their 20th straight at home. The Sixers have won seven of eight to open the season, and they sport the best record in the league.Tobias Harris and Shake Milton contributed 19 apiece, Ben Simmons had 17 points and 12 assists, and Danny Green added 15 points. Beal tied a franchise record of 60 set by Gilbert Arenas in 2006.

New York Knicks 112 Utah Jazz 100 - Austin Rivers scored 14 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter for New York, which continued its resurgence by overcoming an 18-point second-quarter deficit to beat visiting Utah.

The comeback win was the second straight for the Knicks, who trailed by 15 points in the third quarter

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) celebrates with guard Carsen Edwards (4) after making the game winning basket against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports Monday before beating the Atlanta Hawks. It is the first t i m e N e w Yo r k h a s overcome 15-point deficits in back-to-back wins since victories over the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 5-7, 2017.

Rivers finished with 23 points off the bench for the Knicks, who have won three in a row and five of six to improve to 5-3 — the first time they have been two games over .500 since Dec. 22, 2017. Julius Randle had a game-high 30 points and 16 rebounds while Elfrid Payton finished with 22 points and eight assists and Reggie Bullock added 12 points.

Oklahoma City Thunder 111 - New Orleans P e l i c a n s 11 0 - S h a i Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points and George Hill made two free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining to lift visiting Oklahoma City to a victory over New Orleans.

Darius Bazley had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Muscala scored 18 and Hill finished with 13.

Zion Williamson led the way for the Pelicans with 29 points, Brandon Ingram had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Lonzo Ball scored 15.

Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in with 13 points each and Steven Adams had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Milwaukee Bucks 130 Detroit Pistons 115 Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and eight rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a home win over Detroit. Khris

Middleton had 23 points and seven assists, Brook Lopez scored 17 points and Bobby Portis added 16 points off the bench for the Bucks.

Milwaukee won its third straight and swept the twogame set with the Pistons after winning the first on Monday. Jerami Grant scored a game-high 31 points and Saddiq Bey had 20 points for Detroit, which lost its third straight.

Phoenix Suns 123 Toronto Raptors 115 -

Devin Booker scored 15 of his 24 points in the third quarter and Phoenix defeated visiting Toronto.

Jae Crowder added 21 points for the Suns, who have won six of eight games to start the season.

Cameron Johnson added 16 points for the Suns and Dario Saric had 15. Deandre Ayton scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Mikal Bridges chipped in with 13, Chris Paul had 12 points and Cameron Payne had five

points and 10 assists.

Pascal Siakam scored a season-best 32 points for the Raptors, who have lost six of their first seven games. Kyle Lowry added 24 points and nine rebounds. OG Anunoby had 20 points; Fred VanVleet added 13 points and seven assists and Norman Powell contributed 13.

Los Angeles Clippers 108 - Golden State Warriors 101 - Patrick Beverley and Nicolas Batum (Continued on page 25)

RHTY&SC kicks off 2021 Programme with donation to RHT Primary School - Some 715 activities planned The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) on Tuesday last launched its 2021 Programme of activities with a donation to the Rose Hall Town Primary School. The club and its ten cricket teams have set themselves a target of 715 activities for this year after achieving for 2020.

The ten teams handed $75,000 worth of items to Headmistress of the School, Ms. Hollis Schwiers during a simple ceremony at the Club’s Area ‘H’ Ground. The donation included a highpressure water pump, water kettle, football, lawn tennis racket, face shields, sanitisers and face masks, large pencil sharpener, and a quantity of stationery. The stationery included paper files, pens, pencils, markers, sharpeners, erasers among others.

Headmistress of the school, Ms. Hollis Schwiers expressed gratitude to the club. She stated that the RHTY&SC has always been very supportive of her school and wish the teams all the best for a successful 2021.

Today, the teams would be making a donation to the Rose Hall Town Outpost of the Guyana Police Force.

Meanwhile, Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the planned activities for the year would be held under a wide array of sub-headings including sports, education, charity, community development, youth development, coaching, religion, anticrime, anti-drugs, antisuicide and personal development among others.

Special emphasis he stated would be placed on the development of the club’s

cricket teams to recruit new members and expose them to different coaching programmes, expansion of the crucial Say No/ Say Yes Campaign and further upgrading of the Area ‘H’ Ground and Office.

Foster also stated that the Rose Hall Town Primary School and the Club enjoy a very cordial relationship.

The school produces a lot of cricketers for the club while it also hosts the annual Christmas Village that the ten cricket teams organise, annually.

The ten teams of the RHTY&SC are Poonai Pharmacy Under-12 and 13, Farfan and Mendes Under15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Female, Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under-21 and First Division

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PAGE 29

Golden Jaguars squad and staff tested for covid-19 ahead of resumption of training - Two day physical evaluation on tomorrow and Sunday

The Guyana Football Federation has tested members of its domesticbased Senior Men’s National squad and staff for the COVID-19 virus ahead of the resumption of training for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March and June and the Concacaf Gold Cup in July.

The tests, conducted at the GFF National Training Centre in Providence this week, followed the granting of approval for the

resumption of national team activities by the National Covid-19 Task Force, which paves the way for the safe and responsible return of competitive domestic and international football.

The GFF, supported by medical professionals from the Ministry of Health, tested 32 players who – once given the all clear – will then be free to participate in initial physical evaluations, scheduled for tomorrow, January 9th and Sunday,

Good Success emerge victors of Chung’s Dominoes competition

Alex Chung

G

ood Success turned in a commendable performance to emerge victorious in the Alex Chung New Year’s Day dominoes competition which was contested at Anil Rambaran’s Bar, Belle Plaine, Wakenaam.

Good Success chalked up 78 games to win ahead of Melville with 64 and Sans Souci on 60 games.

Alex Chung made the maximum 18 games for the winners while Vijay Persaud

supported with 16 and Vickey Ramdhanie 15.

Mohamed Kalam and Khemraj Surujpaul marked 16 and 15 games respectively for Melville while Raj Narine Singh scored 16, Heera Sukram 15 and Tom Singh 14 for Sans Souci. Good Success received a trophy and $30,000 while the runner-up collected a trophy. Chung took home a trophy for being named the player-of-thematch.

January 10th at the National Training Centre.

Once those evaluations are complete, the squad will commence training under strict health and safety protocols. Ten members of the national team backroom staff were also tested.

“This is an exciting moment for the players and staff as we make progress in implementing our 100-day ‘Bounceback’ plan, following our engagement with the UEFA Assist

programme,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “We are extremely grateful for the support and guidance of the National Covid-19 Task Force in approving our plans and the Ministry of Health in conducting these tests. We are taking every possible step to provide a Covidsecure environment so that the squad and staff remain safe and well during training.”

“With several important fixtures on the horizon, it is

The Senior Golden Jaguars in a practice session with their U-20 counterparts at the GFF National Training Facility on Saturday January 18, 2020. (Franklin Wilson photo)

important for us to commence our preparations as soon as possible, as long as conditions allow to give Guyana the best chance of success in the 2020 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March and June, followed by our historic return to the Concacaf Gold Cup stage in July.”

The national squad will be split into two groups of 16 for its physical evaluation tomorrow and Sunday, with weekly Covid-19 tests

planned to monitor the wellbeing of the group as it progresses through its training schedule.

“I would like to reinforce the importance of testing for the safety of everyone. All of the players were present without any absences which prove that they are aware of this issue. They represent the nation. We hope that the results are good and that we can continue our work,” said Golden Jaguars Head Coach Marcio Maximo.

Echevarria heads long jump field in Karlsruhe Wo r l d A t h l e t i c s Reigning World Indoor champion Juan Miguel Echevarria will head a strong field in the men’s long jump at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe, which kicks off the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting series on 29 January in the German city.

Echevarria, the 22-yearold Cuban who has electrified the event since he sailed into international prominence in 2018, will compete in the meeting for the third time, following on a victory in 2018 and a runnerup finish the following year.

Echevarria leapt to the world indoor title three years ago with an 8.46m leap, still his indoor personal best, before producing 8.66m and 8.68m leaps outdoors later that year. The 2019 world bronze medallist also has 8.92m (+3.3) and 8.83m (+2.1) wind-assisted leaps to his credit.

The field also includes Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece, another 22-year-old jumper, who is the reigning European champion indoors and out. His 8.38m indoor best and national record propelled him to the continental title in Glasgow

Juan Miguel Echevarria two years ago. His 8.32m outdoor best was set at the 2019 European U23 championships, where he also jumped to gold.

Eusebio Caceres of Spain, a nine-time national champion, is also in the field.

The 29-year-old won for the first time in Karlsruhe in 2015 with an 8.16m leap, still his personal indoor best.

He also prevailed again last year.

Local eyes will fall on

Julian Howard, who will compete at the meeting for the seventh time. The fourtime German champion won in Karlsruhe in 2016 and set his indoor best of 8.03m there in 2015, placing second. The 31-year-old has an outdoor best of 8.20m set in 2018.

In line with current safety regulations, the meeting will not admit spectators. But organisers are inviting fans to submit video messages for

athletes which will be played in the arena during the competition. The fans behind the five most creative entries will win tickets to the 2022 edition.

World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold 29 Jan – Karlsruhe, Germany 9 Feb – Lievin, France 13 Feb – Boston, USA 17 Feb – Torun, Poland 24 Feb – Madrid, Spain

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Friday January 08, 2021

Will Pucovski makes ‘very special’ debut count, the ‘Australian way’

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SPNcricinfo - It felt like a moment the game had waited a long time for: Will Pucovski presented with the baggy green cap. In fact, it has been only four years since he made his first-class debut and three since his maiden century. This Test against India is his 24th firstclass match.

Even from before he played for Victoria, it has felt a matter of when, not if, for Pucovski, although there have been plenty of obstacles put in his way.

There have been nine concussions, the most recent of which was last month and delayed his debut by two Tests. He has taken multiple breaks away from the game to manage his mental health.

In normal circumstances, the morning of a Test debut is also one to savour of friends and family, but these are not normal times. Cameron Green was fortunate early in the series to have family in Adelaide, but the closed border between Victoria and New South Wales has prevented Pucovski’s from being here. Andrew McDonald, Australia’s assistant coach and Pucovski’s first coach at Victoria, presented the cap.

“It was very special.

We’ve been through a lot together,” Pucovski said.

“One of those moments where it was nice to share it with someone with someone I do have such a close connection with.

“I would have loved mum and dad and my

Will Pucovski punches one off the back foot Getty Images

girlfriend to be up here to celebrate with me and my mates, but they obviously couldn’t make it with the Covid restrictions but other than that, obviously it was still a very, very special moment. I was a tiny bit sad, especially dad who has just been there the whole way and been a massive support to me. A bit disappointed that he couldn’t make it up, but only give that one per cent. It was 99 percent elation.”

And so, shortly before 10.30am, Pucovski walked out to the middle alongside David Warner with the task of reinvigorating Australia’s batting after two Tests of struggle. He took first strike, his opening delivery in Test cricket from Jasprit Bumrah

wide enough for him to w a t c h g o b y, a n d comfortably saw out a maiden.

Next over he was off the mark with a tuck to fine leg no duck to start with, which has been the fate for three Australians in their first Test innings.

He soon lost Warner, edging a booming drive to slip, and his first boundary was a top-edge hook but well away from the field. The next stroke was a push straight off mid-on, summing up the simplicity and compact that is a hallmark of his shot selection.

Then came three hours to contemplate those early exchanges as steady drizzle

cut into the day.

Two balls into the resumption there was an appeal for lbw that looked reasonably close with Pucovski coming well across his crease from a leg-stump guard. The next delivery was an elegant push through midoff.

For the next hour, he and Marnus Labuschagne steadily laid a foundation but things livened up in the period into tea. Pucovski’s two clear-cut lives courtesy of Rishhab Pant - the thin edge off R Ashwin and gloved pull against Mohammed Siraj - were moments of fortune few outside of the India team would have begrudged him.

A better piece of fielding by

Bumrah might have seen him run out on 38 as well.

Pucovski started the final over of the session on 45 with fellow debutant Navdeep Saini finally given a bowl in the 31st over. The first delivery was short and wide, dispatched through the covers, and then he pulled a short delivery wide of midon to reach his half-century to an ovation from the socially distanced SCG crowd.

As he moved into the 60s early in the final session, thoughts were just turning to what might be. And then Saini pitched one up at the stumps which Pucovski tried to flick away but missed. It looked stone dead at first glance although the impact

would prove to be umpire’s call.

It therefore wouldn’t have wasted a review had Pucovski chosen to, but to his credit he was not talked into it.

He had also been involved in the first period of the series India lost control of the scoreboard, runs coming at over four-an-over, and in no little part down to Pucovski.

“On the back of a little bit of a momentum shift from Pucovski before the tea break, [Steve] Smith has come out and been ultra aggressive,” Ricky Ponting said on Channel Seven.

“This is much more like the Australian way to play.

They had to get back and play the Australian way, which is to be aggressive, which is to put pressure back on the bowlers.

I think they’ve done that for long periods of today.”

The last three Australia openers to make a halfcentury on debut are Aaron Finch, Cameron Bancroft and Ed Cowan.

Each, for a variety of reasons, have very interesting career stories.

But there is no need to think ahead to where Pucovski’s career might go despite the overriding view that he has what it takes to make it.

This was a young man who has dealt with more in 23 years than some do in a lifetime to reach the pinnacle of the game. And for one day, t h a t ’s w h a t m a t t e r e d .

Australia 166-2: Labuschagne 67*, Pucovski 62. India: Yet to bat

Barty returns to action after 11 months for Australian Open warmup

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elbourne (Reuters) - World number one Ash Barty will return to competitive tennis after a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic when she headlines two WTA tournaments in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, organisers said on Thursday (yesterday).

The 24-year-old Queenslander has not played a match since February, opting not to defend her French Open title and also skipping the U.S. Open in New York as the novel coronavirus wreaked havoc on global sport.

The pandemic is still affecting the tennis calendar, with the year’s first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park to start on Feb. 8, three weeks later than planned. Barty, who held on to

the top women’s singles ranking during last year’s disrupted season, will play for the first time in 11 months at one of two WTA 500 events from Jan. 31-Feb. 6 as part of the Melbourne Summer Series.

The Gippsland Trophy and Yarra Valley Classic, named after regions in the state of Victoria, will include 49 of the top 50 women players. The top 32 players will be split across the two events, with each featuring 64-singles and 32doubles draws.

American Serena Williams, 39, will also return to competitive action after exiting the French Open with an injury and would hope to get some matches under her belt before embarking on her bid for a recordequalling 24th major title.

Players will start arriving Down

Under from Jan. 15 and undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine before playing the warm-up events, which will be held at Melbourne Park. Top men’s players like Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and world number two Rafa Nadal will represent their countries in the 12-team ATP Cup from Feb. 1-5 with those unable to make the cut divided into two ATP 250 tournaments.

The Great Ocean Road Open and Murray River Open will feature players including Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka and local hope Nick Kyrgios. “While we know the circumstances are unique this year, it is a huge coup to secure such strong playing fields,” Cameron Pearson, head of TA major events, said in a statement.

Ash Barty

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Claire Polosak makes history with fourth umpire role BBCsport - Australia’s Claire Polosak became the first woman to officiate in a men’s Test match.

The 32-year-old was the fourth umpire in Thursday’s third Test between Australia and India in Sydney.

L a s t y e a r, P o l o s a k became the first female onfield umpire in a men’s oneday international, standing for the game between Namibia and Oman.

She was also the first woman to stand in an Australian men’s domestic fixture in 2017.

Polosak was joined by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson, TV umpire Bruce Oxenford and match referee David Boon. The responsibilities of a fourth umpire include overseeing pitch preparation and repairs, player injuries and replacements, and organising replacement or new balls.

Polosak is also be on standby should anything happen to the on-field or TV umpires. Australia and India are tied 1-1 in the four-match series.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly discharged from hospital after heart attack Sourav Ganguly is one of India’s most successful captains, winning 21 of 49 Tests. (Getty Images)

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BCsport Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been discharged from hospital after having a heart attack on Saturday. The 48-year-old president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) developed chest pains while exercising at his home gym and had surgery in Kolkata over the weekend.

Ganguly had an angioplasty, a procedure to unblock a coronary artery. “I thank the doctors at the hospital for the treatment,” he told fans waiting outside

the hospital. “I am absolutely fine. Hopefully, I will be ready to fly soon.”

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 one-day internationals, captaining India in the longest format 49 times between 2000 and 2005.

A left-handed batsman, he scored 7,212 Test runs and scored 16 centuries, before taking over as president of the Indian cricket board in October 2019.

India are currently touring Australia, where the third Test began in Sydney on Thursday (yesterday).

Claire Polosak (2nd left) is fourth umpire in Sydney, making her the first woman to officiate in a men’s Test

SMNT Head Coach Márcio Máximo and other Technical Staff chats with players after a warm down session on Feb. 28, 2020 at the GFF National Training Facility. Franklin Wilson photo

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Golden Jaguars squad and staff tested for covid-19 ahead of resumption of training - Two day physical evaluation on tomorrow and Sunday

Good Success emerge victors of Chung’s Dominoes competition

RHTY&SC Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu, Office Manager Joel Pike and Jonathan Rampersaud hands over donation to Headmistress, Hollis Schwiers.

RHTY&SC kicks off 2021 Programme with donation - Some 715 activities to RHT Primary School planned

Alex Chung made the maximum 18 games for Good Success.

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