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Sunday Edition May 09, 2021 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

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Guyana’s royalty is for oil sold but Exxon recovers costs on everything produced Russians caught on video

Wake Up Guyana!

assaulting Guyanese worker in mining camp

Would you allow a man to come in your house and blatantly rob you and your family? No way!

Well, that is what ExxonMobil and oil companies are doing to every one of us when it comes to our wealth.

Please, wake up Guyanese; your future is at stake!

Murder suspect Health Ministry had Boy, 17, shot wakes up to excluded six COVID-19 during scuffle chopping deaths from its reporting with police in prison over two weeks

World standing at the edge of the cliff with climate change - We can no longer afford big fossil fuel projects anywhere - UN Secretary General Listen to more of the skullduggery going on in the Oil Sector @11am, 4pm, 7pm on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM

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Sunday May 09, 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

Extraordinary measures There is a push by some world leaders “in favour of waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines” (“Taking ‘Extraordinary Measures,’ Biden backs suspending patents on vaccines,” New York Times, May 5).

Times of catastrophic challenge call for responding in like manner. That is, with postures and actions in support of extraordinary measures.

We at this paper take this position and not just as it relates to leadership thinking and reactions to this global pandemic pestilence, but in other areas of similarly grave sensitivity. Extraordinary measures are required in this time of crisis. And when leaders dig deep, weigh the limited options and think outside the normal parameters, then they are already positioning themselves to operate outside any restraining boxes. When they do so, they take their societies along with them. Sometimes it is a severe drag on energies and the spirit, but it just has to be done.

This is what United States President, Joseph Biden, is doing with his thinking and early indications of supporting the lifting of patent protections on the vaccines. As is to be expected, the pharmaceutical companies are neither nibbling nor buying into such a vision without a fight. These companies are giants in their sector and which usually is of a global reach. They have the resources to scuttle such developments right in the cradle and if the early stirrings are any indication, this well-meaning thrust could meet an untimely death. After all, Pfizer alone is forecasted to draw in approximately US$26 billion from its front running coronavirus vaccine. For Pfizer, it would be a bitter pill to swallow, one that causes much choking, if it has to share its trade secrets with the wider pharmaceutical sector, meaning, it’s tooth and nail and dog eat dog competitors.

But this is exactly what the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has appealed for, given the impacts of the pandemic across the globe. As the New Times article noted, “The United States has been a major holdout…over a proposal to suspend some of the world economic body’s protections, which would allow drug makers across the globe to access the closely guarded secrets of how the viable vaccines have been made.” It is all in the money, with the humanitarian, the lifesaving and the dictates of commonsense all giving way to economics. During the throes of the Great Depression in America, almost a hundred years ago, agricultural produce and farm stock were destroyed in an effort to boost prices.

And this is while people were starving by the millions. This is not about fried chicken or soft drink secrets.

In today’s pandemic world, people are sickening and dying at rates approaching those of that much-talked about and much-feared other plague of medieval times. That was called the Black Death and could still bring shudders in the mere contemplation. But in the pushback from commercial interests, what is being heard and what is becoming increasingly obvious is this: business is business. There is nothing racial, personal, intentional, or even lethal that is in mind. It is simply the way that bloodless leaders at disembodied and clinical corporations must operate, if they are going to maintain (and possibly extend) their leadership over rivals.

In fact, the pharmaceutical industry has “responded angrily” through the “president and chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America” when he described the announcement of President Biden’s leanings as an “unprecedented step that will undermine our global response to the pandemic and compromise safety.”

To cut through the politely chosen, but unmistakable words of objection, matters boil down to this hard place: nothing doing, Mr. President. This is most regrettable, since it is so unhelpful, so palpably endangering to so many, especially those in dire need in the poorer places of the world. It flies in the face of putting minds together to come to those compromises, those well-crafted solutions, that bring people together, that knit those in need of healing, that lifts up out of the grave (almost literally). Yet companies and their leaders are balking and this is when there is clear evidence that whole societies are severely stricken, that wide swathes of countries are on their knees.

The profit motive, the selfish agendas, the small

Time for Guyana to consider hedging as oil prices recover DEAR EDITOR, December 20 marked the one-year anniversary of oil being lifted from Guyana’s ocean floor. Who has benefitted the most from our oil? Is it the people of Guyana or the oil companies?

Certainly, there doesn’t appear to be any significant oil benefits to the more than 30 percent of Guyanese living on US$2 a day. At least one oil company has used a strategy to ensure ample profits from our oil even when oil prices fluctuate as wildly as they did last year. The oil companies have been in business for decades while

Guyana is just starting out.

The government should learn from strategies employed by experienced operators in the industry to ensure maximum benefits from the sale of Guyana’s oil.

Guyana has the light sweet crude oil. In 2020, the price of that crude fluctuated from a high of over US$65 a barrel at the start of 2020 to a low of US$16 a barrel in the depth of the ongoing Covid19 crisis. The average price for 2020 was approximately US$41 a barrel.

Hess revealed in early 2020 that it “hedged” 20,000 barrels per day at US$60 per

mindedness all speak for themselves. These are the same leaders, who in different walks of life and empowerment, who speak loudly and boldly about doing the right thing, of maximising benefits for the greatest many. That is, until they

barrel of Brent Crude, the type of oil Guyana produces.

“Hedging” is a financial risk management strategy, which a company can use to protect against a low selling price for oil, and receive a guaranteed higher price, and higher overall income. Think of hedging like insurance, it protects against adverse downside oil price scenarios.

Of course, like insurance, if the adverse scenario doesn’t occur, you lose the premium paid for the insurance.

Guyana did not hedge its oil during 2020, and lost income because of the wild swings in oil prices.

Using recent figures released by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana

received US$246.5 million when it sold about 5 million barrels of oil over the past year. Had Guyana sold its oil in 2020 through hedging, at the average cost of US$41/ barrel, then its take could have been US$205 million from the sale of its 5 million barrels. Thus, it was lucky to avoid a loss of more than US$40 million.

Guyana wasn’t as prudent as Hess in protecting against the wild swings in oil prices in 2020. If we divide US$246.5 million by 5 million barrels, we can deduce that Guyana received US$49.3 a barrel for its 5 million barrels of oil. If Guyana had a US$60/ barrel hedge like HESS, it (Continued on page 6)

are forced to do so by hard circumstances. Then, they don’t.

All the noble posturing, the grand words, fall by the wayside.

If this can be happening at the leadership level during a global viral cataclysm, then it can happen anywhere else.

Sunday May 09, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Beliefs that keep male CSA survivors from coming forward DEAR EDITOR, Throughout Sexual Assault Awareness month in April, many local and international agencies promoted campaigns to tackle sexual violence. Focusing specifically on sexual violence against boys, ChildLinK last month launched and implemented the Blue Umbrella Day (BUD) campaign into its existing One

Thousand Boys (OTB) initiative. The BUD campaign centres on the care of boys and aims to contribute towards public education on the sexual violence that they experience.

There is a public perception that boys are not vulnerable to sexual violence.

A lot of this stems from the belief that young boys, regardless of their age and

capacity, should be able to protect themselves from attacks against them. Those who are proven unable to defend themselves are often ridiculed and shamed for failing to abide by the standards of masculinity that has been set out for them.

Boys in turn, internalise these feelings of inadequacy, fear and shame.

This often causes them to

Gross disrespect DEAR EDITOR, I refer to the article titled, “Foreign Controlled Company sets up Concrete Factory with no EPA, CHPA approval -contributes to rapid destruction of South Ruimveldt Road” (KN May 8). It was just a matter of time before something like this occurred, and now that it did, it emphasises the gross disregard for Guyana’s rules and regulations (whatever they be, and however they apply), and the much grosser disrespect for Guyanese.

The senior officers of foreign companies are no dummies; they are not operating blindly or cluelessly about the degree of laxity that prevails in both Guyana’s political and regulatory environments.

They are au fait with how the PPP government has gutted, embarrassed, and almost totally neutered the

Environmental Protection Agency. It is why I submit that an aggressive barracuda of a foreign company like Superior Concrete, Inc. and it is still more aggressive (overweeningly arrogant) Director, Mr. Ian Christopher Jones, could come to the firm conclusion that carte blanche has been given to do whatsoever pleases.

However, such is wished to be actioned on the ground, and to hell with those ‘mudheads’ going by the name of Guyanese, who can do nothing better than fight among themselves.

If I were Mr. Jones, I would, having surveyed the coast, done exactly the same thing. And given my ancient northern associations, I may have not just “discarded” the Order served, I may have torn it up and threw it in the face of those sorry little people, who dared to serve such an

abomination to us - Superior Concrete, Inc. and interrupt the business of me, namely, said, Mr. Ian Christopher Jones. When I use certain phrases, unlike my fellow Guyanese, I know that of which I speak. And I did speak of ‘barbarians at the gates’ and ‘in the gates.’ Just ask the people of South Ruimveldt.

This is the kind of humiliation that our fearless and fulsome leaders - a president for the ages, and a Vice President who would be most at home in the Dark Ages – have by word and deed incentivised foreigner carpetbaggers and swashbuckling predators to come here, and prowl here, as they wish and without limitation. I am sure that somebody either from Superior Concrete, Inc. or some flunky from the PPP (Continued on page 6)

remain silent about the abuse that they experience as they buy into the belief that they should have been able to protect themselves from it.

This becomes even more difficult as young boys navigate a society that is intensely homophobic and pushes the popular idea that only gay men and boys sexually assault others or can be assaulted.

The reality is that sexual violence has nothing to do with ones current or future sexuality. It has everything to do with the abusers anger and need for power and control over another person. These distinctions are not often acknowledged however, particularly in everyday society that tends to promote hyper masculine aggression

as the standard. So boys who have been sexually assaulted by a male perpetrator can often struggle with questions surrounding their sexuality.

The questioning can become even more intense if it is that they had an erection or ejaculation during the assault – but these bodily functions are really automatic ones that come through mere physical contact and even stress.

Like other survivors of sexual abuse, boys go through similar periods of grief, shame and fear. These responses to assault can often remain with them for a lifetime, particularly if it is that they do not get the support that they need. Unfortunately, we still have a largely victim blaming culture that often discourages male survivors

of violence from coming forward with their experiences due to the fear that they will not be believed or would be blamed for the assault against them.

Victim blaming can also result in young boys distancing themselves from their experiences, as they do not want to believe such a crime could have happened to them, particularly if it was by someone they know.

Supporting boys who have been victims of sexual abuse means challenging a lot of the ideas surrounding who constitutes a “perfect victim” and moving away from the general culture of violence and victim blaming that permeates our society.

Akola Thompson Consultant, ChildLinK

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Abide by our rules, or risk expulsion DEAR EDITOR, I noted with interest the call by environmentalist Annette Arjoon-Martins for the sanctioning of the company responsible for the damaged mangroves in the Malgre Tout/Versailles area.

Indeed, the Government of Guyana has a programme whereby large sums of money is spent on the planting and caring of the mangroves.

Therefore, this call should

be more stern, as a company or entity that comes into a country with no regard for the rules and regulations of that country should be thrown out on their ears - with penalties attached.

Their coming here and requesting permission to operate their business here and then flouting the laws of the country fully qualifies them for expulsion.

Penalties must also be

attached so that a strong message is sent to all investors that they own their investments, not our land, and they must abide by the rules.

Guyana is a sovereign state and Guyanese should stand up for their rights and at least support those who are standing up for them. Thank you.

Yours truly, M. S. Baksh

...Gross disrespect From page 5 government will hasten to engage in that tried-and-true American pastime known as damage control. They will paper over and pooh, pooh

that it was all an honest misunderstanding, a most unfortunate one, and that no effort will be spared to comply to the letter and spirit with local requirements. They can tell that to dumb and mentally deficient Guyanese, but I warn them not to plant that patented nonsense in my earshot.

I think that this will

happen again, but in a more nuanced form. They will get top PPP leaders, those in charge of the numerous vices operative in this country to clear the way for them, and provide cover stories to protect them. Disrespect will go underground, which only makes it more dangerous.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Never attribute to malice that explained by stupidity DEAR EDITOR, I grow tired of the back and forth with race in the letter sections of all the daily newspaper in Guyana. Of note, is MP Amanza WaltonDesir’s clear and contrived message that Indo-Guyanese are “mentally lazy” and President Ali’s inaccurate pronouncement of all races coming to Guyana to seek betterment.

While the President’s message was to try and convey a message of peace and unity, and togetherness, it is MP Amanza’s statements which has been made to attack and divide.

Yet we see writers like

Lincoln Lewis pouring daily that the President is the one who is attacking AfroGuyanese.

Why is it that Lewis is not condemning MP Amanza’s statements? Why is he and others so fixated on dividing the good folks of this country? Surely, Lewis is justified in his displeasure in the inaccurate statements made by the President, who subsequently apologised, but was there not a better tone he could have used? Was the way he expressed himself really the best way to convey his displeasure? Surely, a man as experienced as Lewis in trade unionism could have

shown better decorum. I am disappointed in him for his actions as of late.

To him, I would like to put forward Hanson’s Razor: never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

As for MP Amanza Walton-Desir, I would like to say: take a look at what the President did and apologise.

Let it be from your sense of maturity and recognising that you made a mistake uttering those words. You might be an MP for the APNU+AFC Coalition but your tax is paid for by all Guyanese.

Regards, Amir Khan

...Time for Guyana to consider From page 4 would have received gross revenues of US$300 million.

That is more than US$50 million difference from the US$246.5 million it received.

Even if we assume the price for hedging was US$4 per barrel, thus US$20 million insurance for 5 million barrels, then Guyana’s net take with hedging would have increased by at least US$30 million. For the 228,000 Guyanese living on US$2/day that would mean an extra US$132 or that extra money could have been used to at least pay an extra US$508 dollars to the 59,000 Guyanese pensioners.

This hedge of US$60/ barrel by Hess may be one of the reasons why the oil companies continued to ramp up production in the face of low oil prices and flaring issues, a violation of Guyana’s environmental laws. At least for HESS, a low oil price did not have an impact on its earnings as it had on Guyana’s earnings.

Additionally, if the oil companies used an average price of US$41/barrel as a base for their recoverable expense calculations, it means Guyana has hardly made a dent in paying down the more than US$18.5 billion capital expenses for the Stabroek Block.

Thus, this is likely to stretch out Guyana’s period of low earnings, because of the 75 percent expense cap, longer into the future while the oil companies’ “hedges” ensure their handsome profits.

Brent Crude has recovered to about US$66/ barrel, more than four times the low it hit in 2020. Given these wild fluctuations in oil prices, it seems prudent for Guyana to hedge some of its oil production in 2021 and beyond to protect against downside scenarios.

A hedging strategy can enable better prediction about a minimum amount of income from oil in the future. This enables better planning for

long term projects to meet our national needs such as better hospitals and wide spread access to broadband internet. Without hedging, a 2020 style crash in the price of oil can jeopardise projects whose finances depends on oil income.

Recently, it was reported that Mexico gained US$2.5 billion because it hedged its oil in 2020. Mexico has learnt from the Latin American debt crisis of the early 1980s.

Leading up to its debt crisis in 1982, Mexico had borrowed heavily against potential future income from oil.

When the oil price started to crash during the 1980s, Mexico defaulted on its debts. Guyana should learn from the recent Mexico hedging strategies and not make the mistake, which Mexico made in the early 1980s.

Darshanand Khusial on behalf of the Oil and Gas Governance Network (www.oggn.org/about)

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Family mounrs as Shonette Dover laid to rest

Scenes from Shonette Dovers funeral.

There was barely a dry eye at the Christianburg Community Centre Ground, Linden, as scores of persons, many who journeyed from afar, gathered to pay their last respects to Shonette Dover, murdered at the hands of her now fugitive boyfriend, Shaquawn Alleyne.

The relatives in red jerseys, which signified bloodshed, were inconsolable with screams for justice resounding over the death of the young woman, whose decomposed body rested inside a closed casket.

The short but poignant ceremony was the climax of one stage of closure, which the family had sought since the young woman went missing on April 3, 2021.

Though they had hoped to see her alive, they had also wanted to give her a proper burial if she was dead.

Shonettes paternal grandmother expressed how much it hurt to bury her granddaughter but said all is not lost, since justice must be served. “It is indeed a grievous afternoon, today is hurts deeply to see what went wrong, but the good Lord will give us justice, I stand for justice, God will give us the strength. Whatsoever a man soweth, he shall reap and God will take full control, may her soul rest in peace,” she said during her tribute.

Shonette Dover.

One cousin expressed how painful it was to bury a family member who had just begun to live. “Shonette was very loved by us and to see her go down like this, it is really hard for us to make it but we are trying to make it with the help of the Lord.

It hurts so much and even as I stand here, we are saying, we need justice and justice we must get for our loved one that is gone, she is gone too soon.”

In the eulogy, Shonette was described as a talented, unique, fashionable and loving young woman. She attended the Mount Carmel Nursery School and the St. Aidans Anglican School, where she was successful at (continued on page 18)

Boy, 17, shot during scuffle with police A 17-year-old boy is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after being shot twice by a policeman on Friday.

Reports are that on the day in question, police, whilst in the vicinity of Dennis Street and “D” Field Access Road, Sophia, East Coast Demerara (ECD), a “known character” to law enforcement, was seen riding a red motorcycle with a haversack on his back.

Upon seeing the police vehicle, the teenager immediately made a U-Turn and sped off in a western direction on Dennis Street. A chase ensued, and after navi-

gating several cross streets and back roads, the young man eventually abandoned his motorcycle at his home and ran into his yard. He then scaled his neighbour’s fence with the police in pursuit.

Ranks alleged that as they closed in to capture the boy, a scuffle ensued during which the teenager held on to the firearm of the apprehending police. As the brawl continued, the gun went off.

Two circular injuries were observed on the teenager ’s body. He was picked up and rushed to the GPHC, where he was seen and examined by doctors on duty and listed as stable.

Guyana’s royalty is for oil sold ...

From page 3 the Stabroek Block; it would mean Guyana stands to lose out on 90 million barrels of oil.

This obtains, since crude sold at the current market price, would amount to US$5.850 billion more, which is handed to ExxonMobil and their partners in cost recovery.

Guyana received its first royalty payment in May 2020 of US$4.9 million followed by its second payment in July of

some US$3,698,152. A third payment was collected in November that year, bringing to total for the year to US$12.9 million. It would mean that this represents two percent of oil produced and sold from December 2019 to the end of the reconciliation period for which the payments represents. As such, would mean that some US$645 million worth of crude was sold for the period.

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Dem boys seh...

Deflection and diversion When yuh get ketch in a situation where yuh dont have an answer, de best solution is to deflect de matter.

Dat is what some people does do when dem losing an argument, dem does deflect de matter to some other issue.

Is de same thing does happen when yuh get cornered and is no escape.

Some people does create a diversion in order to distract de enemy and get a way out.

One man deh in problems. People seh how he old and cold.

So out of de blue de man

create a diversion and now instead of people looking at he and he problems dem focusing on de diversion. Now people seh how de old man gat fire in he loins.

Is de same thing with de government.

Dem gat serious problems with de COVID-19 and people tired of reading everyday how much people get infected and how much people dead.

De government is like a cornered rat, so it create a diversion and getting people excited.

It mek dem boys remember de story of de woman who

was seen crying loud in front of a grave in de cemetery. She bin repeating, “Why did you have to die?

Why did you have to die?”

A passerby approached her and said, “I don’t wish to interfere with your private grief, but this demonstration of pain is more than I’ve ever seen before. For whom do you mourn so deeply? Your child?

Your husband?”

De mourner took a moment to collect she self, den say, “My husband’s first wife.”

Talk half and dont be distracted!

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

AG moves to strike out notice of appeal for 1st elections petition case Attorney General, Anil Nandlall S.C has filed submissions to strike out the Notice of Appeal (NoA) for the first election petition case filed on behalf of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU +AFC) Coalition after it was dismissed by Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC. The submissions follow a NoA, which was filed on February 24, 2021.

The CJ dismissed one of the APNU+AFC’s election petitions (99/P) for procedural non-compliance of service on former President David Granger last January.

In the NoA, attorney-atlaw and APNU+AFC Parliamentarian, Roysdale Forde, who represents petitioners,

Monica Thomas and Brennan Joette Natasha Nurse, has expressed dissatisfaction at the decision and are now asking for it to be set aside by the Court of Appeal.

They contended that the Chief Justice erred on several grounds when handing down her ruling, including that she misdirected herself when she applied the doctrine of strict compliance with service of affidavit in a timely manner.

The Notice of Appeal also noted that an error was made when Justice GeorgeWiltshire failed to consider the overriding objective of the petition in making her decision on the content of the affidavit of service.

In response, Attorney General (AG) Nandlall has

asked the Appeal Court to strike out the Notice of Appeal on the ground that the Appeal Court does not have the jurisdiction to hear and determine such matters.

He submits as part of his contentions, that it is trite law that the first duty of any Court is to satisfy itself on its jurisdiction. In this regard, the AG cited the case of Re: Barakat’s Application (2009) in which a ruling was delivered at the Court of Appeal of Guyana.

That ruling noted “...it is the first duty of any Court, whether of first instance, or on appeal, before adjudicating upon any given cause or matter, to satisfy itself on its jurisdiction and, if the Court is of the opinion that it does not possess jurisdiction, in

whatever manner any given matter may be brought before it, it is the duty of the Court, whether the question of jurisdiction, is the subject of formal appeal or of its own motion to pronounce accordingly. As such, the AG said, “We find it necessary to say, that a practice, no matter how seemingly well-established it may be, which is contrary to the intent or prescription of the law, is not a legally justifiable reason for a court to assume that is has jurisdiction (Continued on page 13)

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall SC.

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Pedal cyclist hospitalised with broken ankle after accident with lorry A 54-year-old man is presently hospitalised at the New Amsterdam Hospital with an open fracture to the right ankle after he was struck down from his bicycle by a motor lorry on the Springlands Public Road, Berbice.

The injured man has been identified as Ramnarine Jagai of Number 77 Housing

Scheme, Upper Corentyne.

The driver of motor lorry GYY 9636 has been identified as Mohammed Hafiz, 34 of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder.

Reports are that the accident occurred sometime around 10:15 hrs. on May 7, 2021. Jagai was proceeding north along the western side of the public road on his bicycle ahead of the motor lorry

driven by Hafiz. As Jagai approached a motorcar that was parked facing north on the western side of the road, he proceeded in a north-easterly direction to pass the parked vehicle.

The lorry driver who was proceeding in the same direction behind Jagai tried to overtake the cyclist when the left tray of the vehicle collided with the pedal cyclist. As a result of the collision, Jagai fell onto the road surface and sustained injuries. He was picked up in a conscious state by public-spirited persons and taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital where he was seen and examined by a doctor. He was subsequently referred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he was further seen, examined and

The truck involved in the accident yesterday

later admitted with a fractured right ankle.

A breathalyzer test was conducted on Hafiz, which recorded zero readings he is in custody assisting with the investigation.

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

AG moves to strike out notice...

From page 10 in any cause or matter. Every court of its own motion must satisfy itself of its jurisdiction.”

Nandlall contended further that, “The view that the court’s jurisdiction is a restricted one is not novel.”

He said it has been long recognised and made clear in cases such as the Guyanese High Court decision of Gladys Petrie v The Attorney General and others that the Court’s jurisdiction in this regard is not at large and not “inherent”.

“The jurisdiction is derived from the Constitution.

The Constitution specifies that this jurisdiction is as ordained by Parliament. What is prescribed by Parliament in this regard must strictly be followed by the courts. This means that, for example, the time limitations set out in legislation governing the presentation and progression of an election petition are construed as condition precedents to the validity of the petition,” the AG continued.

To support his argument, AG Nandlall cited the ruling

in Ezechial Joseph v Alvin Reynolds, which said, “In keeping with the strict approach, our courts have generally insisted that the provisions in elections legislation must be strictly complied with ...”

The decision noted too that, “our election courts have consistently stated that they have little or no discretion to waive non-compliance with the applicable statutory requirements. Accordingly, the consistent result is that failure to comply is fatal to the petition rendering it a nullity, unless the court finds that the failure goes to form.”

“The jurisprudence in our courts states that time and other electoral proceedings, statutory requirements are conditions precedent to instituting a proper electoral challenge, which are mandatory and peremptory. The election court has no power to extend time or allow amendments filed out of time unless election legislation so provides,” the AG said in his submission.

Meanwhile, Nandlall

noted he previously sought an order to dismiss Election Petition 99 of 2020, over noncompliance or in breach and in violation of Section 8 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, Chapter 1:04, Laws of Guyana, and Rule 9 (1) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules Chapter 1:04.

He said that, on the 18th January, 2021, the Chief Justice delivered her decision striking out Petition 99 of 2020 on the ground that the Petitioners failed to personally serve Granger in compliance with Section 8 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act Chapter 1:04 and Rule 9(1) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules. In the course of her judgment, Nandlall noted that the Chief Justice reviewed a plethora of authorities, from various common law jurisdictions, which authoritatively laid down the guiding principles of the law on the issue.

“These authorities clearly establish that non-conformity with procedures in respect of elections petition is fatal; that

compliance with these formalities are construed as conditions precedent to the validity of the petition; and more importantly, that the court has no jurisdiction, to hear and determine petitions which are affected by procedural noncompliance (s),” he said.

The Chief Justice dismissed a second APNU+AFC elections petition (88/P) case last month after ruling that petitioners Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick could not satisfy the court that the elections laws had been breached in the March 2, 2020 elections recount process.

The Coalition leadership has said that it will appeal that decision as well.

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Health Ministry had excluded six COVID-19 deaths from its reporting over two weeks A

recent announce ment by the Min istry of Health (MOH) has revealed that it has been under-reporting COVID-19 deaths as far back as April 25.

Yesterday, the Ministry announced the deaths of three persons; a 68-year-old woman from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and two males, a 34-year-old from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) and another 52year-old from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West

Demerara).

In its Press Release, it was stated that they all died on May 7, while receiving treatment at a medical facility. Subsequently, it was reported that an additional six COVID-19 fatalities in which it failed to report from April 25 to May 6, ultimately taking the country’s death toll to 323 deaths.

According to the Ministry’s presented figures, on April 25, a 79-year old woman from Region Four succumbed; on May 2, a 54-year-

old woman from Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne); on May 3, a 79-year-old man from Region Four; on May 5, two males- a 56-year-old from Region Four and a 57-yearold from Region Six; and on May 6, a 43-year-old man from Region Four.

The Ministry would have just noted that, “The patients were admitted with COVID-19 like symptoms but died while receiving care at our medical institutions.

Samples were taken at the time of admission which sub-

sequently returned positive tests.” Efforts made to contact health officials were futile; however, the additional six deaths have since been accounted for in yesterday’s daily dashboard update.

As previously reported

by Kaieteur News, April was named the deadliest month since the start of the pandemic in March last year.

As the month ended, some 65 deaths were recorded, but with the additional death that was not reported, April’s death toll has

now increased to 66 deaths.

The MOH reported 130 new infections via its daily dashboard update yesterday, which shows the total number of confirmed cases increased to 14,203.

The dashboard also shows that 17 patients are in

the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit, another 17 in institutional quarantine, 100 in institutional isolation and 1,691 in home isolation.

Additionally, a total of 12,072 persons have recovered to date with 144 new recoveries recorded yesterday.

Salesmen robbed while conducting business Two salesmen were robbed by two armed men while conducting business yesterday, at Matthew’s Shop in Grove on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

According to information reaching this publication, the two victims are identified as Rondell Dowens, a salesman and Lorenzo Sewchand, a sales assistant who are both employed at Massy Distribution.

Dowens and Sewchand were conducting business at the community shop at 09:20hrs, when they observed two men walking towards them. The perpetrators went up to the victims and one of the men who was

armed with a handgun pointed it towards the two salesmen and told them not to move or he will shoot both of them.

The men then told the duo to hand over their valuables which they did.

The bandits then made their escape on foot into neighbouring Kaneville Village.

Dowens was relieved of a Samsung smart phone valued $26,000 and $51,184 in cash, property of Massy Distribution, while Lorenzo was relieved of $300. The two salesmen reported the matter to the police.

Investigation is in progress since the two armed men are listed as identifiable.

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Family mounrs as Shonette...

From page 8 the Common Entrance Examination and was awarded a place at the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School.

After graduating from CWSS, Shonette landed herself a job at the Watooka Guest House, before moving to the New-Tech Snackette.

“She was a fashionable young woman, loved to design hair, she was a talented person, she enjoyed designing her sisters and family hair.

She was soft spoken, unique and loving, oh what a beauty, she was a queen, natural beauty,” said her relative who eulogised her.

In his sermon, Pastor Andrew Marks prayed that the family be comforted at the sad time and urged the residents of Linden to use this

incident to unite and to look out for each other. “I want to challenge you today, let us be our brothers keeper, let us be our sisters keeper, let us be people who will bear each other up instead of tearing each other down, I want to challenge you today, this situation must cause every community in Linden to come together, Im talking about the villages, whether you are from Christianburg, whether you are from Blue Berry Hill, whether you are from Canvas City… This incident must cause people to recognise that this situation must not happen in our community, neither in our town again,” he said. During the final viewing session, mourners called for the police to aggressively pursue her killer, Alleyne, who

went on the run shortly before Shonettes body was discovered on Friday, April 30, in a shallow grave at the back of his Canvas City residence where the two lived before she died. Shonette Dover was reported missing on Sunday, April 4 by the very same boyfriend who told her relatives that he had no idea where she was and assumed that she left for work. Dovers 15-year-old relative who had admitted to helping Alleyne burying the young womans body and led police to the site, has since been charged with accessory after the fact of murder and remanded to the Juvenile Detention Centre. A post mortem examination conducted found that Shonette died from a single gunshot wound to her head.

Sunday May 09, 2021

Dear Reader, in light of the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our publisher, with you in mind, has taken the decision to extend our weekly review of some of our major stories in their entirety.

SUNDAY SOLAR IS NOW OFFICIALLY CHEAPEST FORM OF ENERGY – IEA – POISED TO BECOME KING OF ELECTRICITY MARKETS According to the estimations of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), solar energy has not only become the cheapest form of energy, but is also poised to become king of global electricity markets.

The intergovernmental organisation which works with countries around the world to shape energy policies for a secure and sustainable future, made this conclusion known in its recent publication of World Energy Outlook 2020. This document is a yearly study that allows the agency to map possibilities for the future.

In the WEO-2020, the agency outlines the “extraordinarily turbulent” impact of the coronavirus on the now “highly uncertain” future of global energy use over the next two decades.

The IEA in its highly influential annual outlook offers four global energy “pathways” to 2040, all of which see a major rise in renewables. The IEA’s main scenario has 43% more solar output by 2040 than it expected in 2018, partly due to detailed new analysis showing that solar power is 20-50% cheaper than thought. In fact, the IEA said supportive policies and maturing technologies are enabling very cheap access to capital in leading markets while adding, that solar energy is now consistently cheaper than new coal – or

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gas-fired power plants in most countries. It said too, that solar projects now offer some of the lowest cost electricity ever seen.

Kaieteur News understands that the IEA’s future estimations also see renewables meeting 80% of global electricity demand growth over the next decade.

Further to this, the IEA said hydropower is set to remain the largest renewable source, but stressed that solar is the main source of growth, followed by onshore and offshore wind.

In support of the agency’s findings, Dr. Faith Birol, the IEA Executive Director said, “I see solar becoming the new king of the world’s electricity markets. Based on today’s policy settings, it is on track to set new records for deployment every year after 2022. If governments and investors step up their clean energy efforts…, the growth of both solar and wind would be even more spectacular – and hugely encouraging for overcoming the world’s climate challenge.”

With respect to the strong growth of renewables, the WEO-2020 shows that it needs to be paired with robust investment in electricity grids. Without enough investment, the IEA said in the document, grids would prove to be a weak link in the transformation of the power sector, with implications for the reliability and security of electricity supply.

As for fossil fuels, the IEA said the sector faces varying challenges. It said coal demand does not return to pre-COVID-19 levels, with its share in the 2040 energy mix falling below 20% for the first time since the Industrial Revolution. On this note, Dr. Birol said, “The era of global oil demand growth will come to an end in the next decade.”

EXXON RESUMES TALKS TO BUY LIZA DESTINY FROM BUILDER

ExxonMobil Guyana has recommenced negotiations with SMB Offshore for the purchase of the Liza Destiny, Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO), in light of better cash flow returns from the operations in the Stabroek Block. The disclosure was had this past week, when the company’s Stabroek Block partner, Hess Corporation, gave investors an update on the operations during the company’s first quarter earnings call.

This represents an aboutturn on the previously publicly stated position in February when SMB Offshore’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Douglas Wood, had told shareholders, “…we had commenced discussion with the client regarding the leases of FPSOs in Guyana which could have a significant impact on the timing of our future cash flow.”

He noted at the time however, that because of these discussions, “we no longer assume purchase of the Liza Destiny in 2021 and we have reverted to reflecting its contract duration to ten years.”

This position has since

changed however, at least according to Hess’ Chief Financial Officer, John Riley, who during the earnings call this past week disclosed that the cash flow positions for the operations have recovered and are projected as such, that right now, ExxonMobil is in discussion with SBM; “they’re having commercial discussions on the purchases of that—the FPSOs—it is ongoing.”

According to the Financial Officer, “the oil price itself doesn’t really have a factor in there but they’re going through these discussions.”

He said, “…we expect to have this information later in the year and we’ll provide the guidance on the timing of the FPSO purchases when we get that information.”

SMB Offshore in its February update to investors this year, had reported on the stalled talks and said “construction activity on the FPSOs Sepetiba, Unity and Prosperity has led to a growth in the lease and operate part of the balance sheet” and that its “construction project debt is directly linked to these projects.”

As such, “lease financing will become non-recourse once the projects reach the operating phase.”

The SBM Finance Officer—Woods—at the time noted, “At the end of the year, the split between nonrecourse operating project debt and construction project debt was approximately 70/ 30.”

The Finance Officer lamented at the time that the company’s backlog increased from US$20.7 billion to US$21.6 billion with the key increases to the backlog relating to projects in Guyana.

He noted too, that the contract for the Prosperity FPSO is a contractual twoyear BOT (Build Operate Transfer) project, “so it adds to the build, lease and operate backlog in the first two years of operation, with the purchases seen in orange

adding to the BOT backlog in 2026.”

As a result, the companies decided to no longer assume purchase of the Liza Destiny in 2021, and that “we have reverted to reflecting its contract duration to ten years.”

Accordingly, pending conclusion of discussions with the client— ExxonMobil—and “of course project lenders, FPSOs Unity and Prosperity are maintained per their contracts with the assumption of a purchase at the end of a two-year lease period.”

It was projected at the time that “we were having discussions about the leases we need to see, where they result, I think over all relative to the backlog I mentioned but we have still, of course, the ability to sell equity but I think what I would also highlight in terms of managing the overall cash flow is the refinancing that we have just done.”

Meanwhile Hess in its update this week noted that with the turnaround in fortunes, the projections in the Stabroek Block, “the first thing we’ll do is increase our dividend.”

The Hess official used the occasion to reiterate, “as our cash flows continues to grow with Payara coming on, the Yellowtail and then like we said, we expect now, up to 10 FPSOs; with significant cash flow growth, we will begin to do opportunistic share repurchases after the dividend increase.”

MONDAY GOVT. NOW SCRAMBLES TO SECURE EXPERTS FOR GAS-TOSHORE TASKFORCE One week after Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, lamented that the advertisements were already three weeks late, the Ministry of Natural Resources has commenced the process of looking to employ at least four

specialists, as part of its gasto-shore working group.

The personnel currently being sought by the Ministry include a Gas Power/ Commercial Negotiator and a Critical Structure Value Engineer.

Additionally, the Ministry has advertised for the provision of consulting services, in the area of Procurement Process Review, namely Oilfield Services and Equipment. The Ministry is also looking to secure consultancies for the provision of Petroleum Data Management.

The identified positions were referenced during a gasto-shore briefing that was led

by Vice President Jagdeo this past week, as he was asked

by Kaieteur News to speak on the cadre of experts already retained for the project, given that there is no Guyanese domestically with the requisite skill set. Guyana has never had a gas producing industry and has only been producing crude in the Stabroek Block for just over the year.

During the briefing led by Dr. Jagdeo, he had lamented that the advertisements, which he displayed copies of at the time, should have already been in the public domain, three weeks prior. He was assured at the time by Petroleum Coordinator at the Ministry, Bobby Gossai, that it would be done before the end of the week.

The advertisements have since been made public with the Ministry noting that the move is aimed at enhancing and improving the efficiency in the petroleum sector in Guyana.

The Vice President during the gas-to-shore briefing was asked directly to identify the experts providing guidance on protecting the interests of the State.

He said, at the time, the government will publish a few advertisements in the coming days which would look to fill certain key positions. The advertised position of Value Engineer would be responsible for ensuring Guyana is getting value for money on all expenditure by ExxonMobil.

The Vice President said at the time that a Legal and Commercial Consultant is being sought to monetise and conclude all of the contracts associated with the gas project, including one for the price to be paid to ExxonMobil for transporting the gas via the pipeline. This consultant would also be responsible for commercialising other aspects of the byproducts derived from the gas project.

(Continued on page 26)

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From page 25 A Procurement Process Reviewer, also on the list of positions advertised would be responsible for ensuring contracts being awarded in the oil sector are not tailored to keep locals from having a fair shot.

Another key person being sought is for Petroleum Data Management for Transparency. The holder of this post would be responsible for ensuring the government has its own repository of credible data needed to hold ExxonMobil accountable. That Consultant would also be required to improve the relationship between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the public.

DAYS AFTER BURYING LINDEN WOMAN IN HIS BACKYARD…FUGITIVE BOYFRIEND WAS BUSY OFFERING REWARD FOR HER RETURN ON FACEBOOK Three days after shooting his 20-year-old companion Shonette Dover in the face, then burying her in a shallow grave in the back yard of his Canvas City, Linden home, Shaquan Alleyne was busy posting numerous heartfelt messages on Facebook, urging citizens to assist him in finding the love of his life.

He even went as far as to offer a reward to anyone who could provide him with information about her whereabouts.

But that veil of innocence, which he used to mask his gruesome actions before the unsuspecting public was soon removed after police acting on information from one of Dover’s relatives on Friday, last, were able to locate the young woman’s decomposing body that was buried in a four foot grave.

Though the discovery has thrown the Dover family into a deep state of emotional distress, it has however, brought an end to assumptions that the young woman who was missing for 27 days, was perhaps abducted by another lover.

That rumour was fuelled in particular by Alleyne, mere days after his girlfriend was killed.

Alleyne, 21, had also worked quite hard to ensure that Dover’s family could not detect a whiff of foul play on his part. As part of his act, the young man ensured that he was the one who encouraged Dover’s family to file a missing person report with Linden police. The 21-year-old who is currently on the run also assisted his girlfriend’s family in every search that was conducted.

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Alleyne also expressed on his Facebook page, the pain he felt from being supposedly clueless about Dover’s whereabouts. On April 6, 2021, for example, Alleyne on his Facebook account under the name “Iswe Boss” posted, “She left the house afternoon hours to go work on Saturday 3 April but she never arrived at work she was last seen by her big brother on Mackenzie shore that said day with a female the brothers says he doesn’t know the female he said Shonette asked him for some money and he gives her 2 thousand dollars and that was the time she was seen …anybody with info I begging u to please come forward I willing pay any amount of money just know that she is fine …if you’re out there just make contact with us and let us know u r fine we are worrying sick.”

On the same date, Alleyne shared a post with a missing teen twice and captioned it, “Wuh de mother sk@nt really going on banna,” and “Me girl first now somebody else.”

Alleyne also shared another missing person’s post, but this time, expressing concern about the prevalence of missing persons.

On April 13, 2021, Alleyne then shared a missing person’s post of his girlfriend and captioned it, “11 days now,” followed by tearful and sad emoticons. Alleyne even shared a post warning females to be wary of their environs.

Though police in Linden had taken statements from Alleyne and others, it was the confession of a relative that helped to crack the case.

Kaieteur News would have reported that it was Dover’s 15-year-old sister who revealed horrifying details of her sister’s demise and where she was laid to rest.

Kaieteur News had reported that on Thursday evening, the 15-year-old was contacted by the police and was interviewed in the presence of a Child Care and Probation Officer. During the interrogation process, the teen allegedly confessed to the crime and agreed to take investigators to the scene where she said, she, along with Alleyne, allegedly buried her sister.

The teen told investigators that on the night the victim went ‘missing’, Saturday, April 3, last, Alleyne was oiling his brownish gun in his living room. She said the 21-yearold then pointed the gun at her sister who told him “he like play and he should put away that thing.” The young lady said she then heard a loud sound, akin to that of a firework.

Alleyne who is not a licensed firearm holder subsequently exclaimed, “Oh shoots, I shoot that girl!” The 15-year-old said she then saw her sister’s mouth open as her blood quickly started to cover her face. Upon seeing this, she said to Shaquan, “Let’s take her to the hospital” but the boyfriend refused as he retorted, “No, she dead already.” Alleyne then accompanied the sister to his father and told him of what he did. Alleyne’s father then told him, “don’t tell (me) stupidness, why (you) playing with the gun?”

After doing their collective deliberation about what to do with the body, they decided that it was best to bury her in the backyard unknown to other parties.

Armed with a spade, Kaieteur News had reported that the suspects dug a shallow hole after which Shonette’s body was rolled into it and covered up. Alleyne then hid the gun.

After the teen’s confession, the suspect’s father, Shawn Alleyne, a high school teacher was arrested.

A wanted bulletin has since been issued for his son.

TUESDAY MINISTRY SILENT ON DAILY FLARING, PRODUCTION DATA …AS EXXONMOBIL TELLS STAKEHOLDERS TO ASK GOVT.—TIGI T r a n s p a r e n c y International Guyana Incorporated (TIGI) — the Local Chapter for the anti corruption international watchdog body — is lamenting the refusal on the part of government and oil operator, ExxonMobil, to provide basic information on the local oil operations.

TIGI has since publicly expressed its disappointment at the stakeholder’s failure to provide the requested information in light of the fact that the oil operator would have directed further requests to the Guyana government.

The position being adumbrated by TIGI, according to its Secretary, Alfred Bhulai, runs counter to public commitments made during a stakeholder meeting in February last, where Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited’s (EEPGL), Chief Executive Officer, Alistair Routledge, said they “wanted to be transparent and accountable.”

Lamenting the state of affairs, the TIGI Secretary said that after taking the trouble to invite the group, “when questions were asked, Mr. Routledge said EEPGL is providing the Government with all the information.”

This, he posited, is “no doubt because the Government is the elected representative of the people and the [stakeholder] meeting was of barely one hour duration.”

Bhulai has since disclosed however, that “after EEPGL did not get back to us with the Zoom recording and the process flow diagram we requested, we felt we should take Mr. Routledge’s advice and ask our Government, who also keep claiming that they are transparent and accountable, to provide us the information we seek.”

As such, TIGI on March 26, in a letter made specific requests to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and this was copied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In that letter by the TIGI Secretary to Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, it was noted that a request was made from EEPGL for a process flow diagram of the operations and the recording of the stakeholder meeting too.

According to Bhulai, “there is absolutely no indication these are forthcoming.”

Additionally, TIGI in its letter to the Minister said, “Would you require elucidation of our request for information and the importance of having it, please contact us forthwith. Thank you in anticipation of a speedy reply.”

As such, Bhulai in his lamentations to the media said, “all they had to do was to fill the daily information, which they are purportedly getting from Exxon[Mobil] in the table of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.”

He reminded that the technical operations presenter at the February stakeholder meeting said, “It was complicated but that the data has to be there for obvious control purposes, so we added a simplified scheme of some of what the table requires.”

TIGI insists, “Both the scheme and the table are based on the fundamental laws of conservation of matter and energy.”

It was noted too that TIGI further offered to elucidate for the MNR and the EPA “any items of our request for information that they did not understand and the importance of having those items.”

Accordingly, TIGI observed Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo’s intention to employ a consultant to get the information from ExxonMobil for Guyana and said, “This is good, but if he did not know what to ask, why didn’t they send our request for the promised daily information

from Exxon.”

The information being sought by TIGI includes the levels for production, flaring, venting, reinjection sewerage discharge and daily pressures, among other readings.

EXXON TO DRILL WHIPTAILWELLTHIS MONTH …AS OPERATOR HEIGHTENSACTIVITIES IN STABROEK BLOCK Days after scoring big with another successful oil discovery at the Urau-2 well in the Stabroek Block, ExxonMobil Guyana is moving ahead with plans to spud (drill) another well – the Whiptail – during the course of this month.

The intention to go ahead with the planned drilling activity for the new well was confirmed this past week, when the US oil major held its earnings call for the second quarter.

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Greg Hill, in giving the announcement, detailed that the Stena Carron drillship has also commenced exploration drilling at the Koebi 1 well and that the exploration well at Whiptail is planned to be spud in May. He said too, that the company plans further exploration and appraisal activities for the second half of 2021 with a total of 12 wells to be drilled.

As such, the Noble Tom Madden, the Noble Bob Douglas and the Noble Sam Croft — which recently joined the fleet — will be primarily focused on development drilling, he said.

According to the ExxonMobil COO, the Stabroek Block exploration programme for the remainder of the year will focus on both Campainian Liza Type reservoirs and on the deeper Santonian Reservoirs.

Additionally, he disclosed that key appraisal activities would be targeted in the Southeastern portion of the Stabroek Block, to inform future developments.

Speaking to the recent

successful discovery at the Urau-2 well, he noted that there were also incremental discoveries at that location, at deeper intervals.

According to Hill, that well had encountered approximately 120 feet of high quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir and was drilled 6.8 miles from the discovery well implying a potentially large aerial extent.

He noted too, that the Stena Drill Max is currently appraising the Longtail discovery and additional appraisal was planned at Mako and in the Turbot area, “which will help to find our fifth and sixth developments on the block.”

Addressing the third development, the first and second being Liza Phase I and II, Hill disclosed, “Payara is also progressing to plan, with about 38 percent of the overall work completed.”

He reminded that this project would utilise the Liza Prosperity, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will have the capacity to produce up to 220,000 gross barrels of oil per day.

According to Hill, the FPSO’s hull is completed and topside construction activities have commenced in Singapore, while “first-oil remains on track for 2024.”

As it relates to Front End Engineering and Design, Hill said, work continues for the fourth development on the Stabroek Block at Yellowtail.

ExxonMobil, he said, expects to submit a plan of development to the Government of Guyana in the second half of this year.

Pending government approval and project sanctioning, the Yellowtail project is expected to achieve first-oil in 2025.

PUBLIC OFFICIALS USING PANDEMIC TO AVOID MEDIA SCRUTINY – GPA PRESIDENT President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir, who was (Continued on page 27)

Sunday May 09, 2021

From page 26 recently named President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), has stated that public officials have been using the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to avoid media scrutiny.

Speaking to Kaieteur News on Sunday, she revealed that at the ACM’s biannual meeting, which was held on Saturday, it was highlighted that there is a lack of access to public officials by the media. She also noted that it is an issue journalists are facing in several territories since many organisations in their respective country report have lamented that the pandemic is being used by these officials to reduce their interaction with the press.

This, she said, is of concern to the ACM. “Officials have been using the pandemic to limit the type of interactions to answer the sort of questions and do the types of interactions that are needed with the media. In Guyana, it is well known that the President had not held a press conference for many months and we had spoken to him on the sidelines of events. He eventually held one last week,” she said.

Notably, in January at the annual Presidential Media Brunch, the GPA President had called for the return of post-Cabinet briefings. She had said that such meetings provide the country with necessary updates on internal affairs and in acknowledgement of her call, His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, had explained that the government has been “very busy” but committed to resuming the briefings and to having more engagements with the local press.

Raghubir, who is also a veteran journalist, noted that despite Ali’s commitment, the briefings have still not returned. She noted too that the last press conference, the Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, would have conducted was since earlier this year. A lack of frequent engagements, she said, would hamper the type of questions that the media need to ask and access to these officials to clarify issues of national interest.

Just last month, former Ethnic Relations Commissioner, Pandit Deodat Persaud, had noted that public officials should not hide from the media but instead facilitate their scrutiny. He asserted that when a person becomes a public official, he or she should welcome interrogation from members of the media since they serve as a layer of accountability in public administration and the

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information they disseminate also bolsters that accountability.

Persaud was keen to note that there are many instances where media personnel may attempt to solicit comments from public officials, both in government and opposition but they are often stymied in these efforts. Making the case that their engagements with the media may foster opportunities for clarification, he had highlighted that such clarification cannot be established if public officials are silent.

According to Raghubir, even though these public officials are capitalising on the pandemic to avoid scrutiny, she is encouraging journalists to not let it hamper their accessibility. She said that “accessibility is what you make it,” stressing that media workers should not wait for a special press conference from their leaders but should instead corner them on the sidelines of events to get the answers they desire.

WEDNESDAY STABROEK BLOCK KEY TO EXXONMOBIL’S REVIVED PROFIT MARGIN…AS COMPANY’S PORTFOLIO IS BEST IN 20 YEARS - CHAIRMAN DARREN WOODS Guyana’s prolific Stabroek Block with a return of a breakeven production price at US$35, and production up 70 percent over the previous year, has contributed significantly to ExxonMobil’s return to a profitable status for the first quarter of 2021.

The revelations were had this past week, when company officials, including ExxonMobil’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Darren Woods, provided an update on the company’s financial returns for the year’s first quarter.

Qualifying the position, that “today’s portfolio of opportunities is the best we have seen in 20 years,” Woods in his report to investors noted that 90 percent of “our upstream investments and resource additions over the next five years including Guyana, Brazil and the Permian generate 10 percent returns at $35 a barrel or less.” With the low break-even margin and Guyana accounting for a significant chunk of the company’s total upstream returns, the company noted that earnings on this front, is up by over US$1.8B for the financial quarter.

Steven Littleton, the company’s Vice President for upstream operations noted

that Guyana’s production increased by approximately 70 percent or 19,000 barrels per day over the same period.

Collectively, ExxonMobil realised in its first quarter for the year, profits of $2.7 billion, or $0.64 per share, compared with a loss of $610 million in the first quarter of 2020. The company saw its total cash flow being realised at US$9.3B. It was noted that the company’s overall oilequivalent production was 3.8 million barrels per day, up three percent from the fourth quarter of 2020.

Spending on the other hand saw first quarter capital and exploration expenditures at $3.1 billion, $4 billion lower than the first quarter of 2020.

“Excluding entitlement effects, government mandates and divestments, oil-equivalent production was up 2 percent,” ExxonMobil said.

According to Woods in his report, “the strong first quarter results reflect the benefits of higher commodity prices and our focus on structural cost reductions, while prioritising investments in assets with a low cost of supply” such as Guyana. He noted too that, “Cash flow from operating activities during the quarter fully covered the dividend and capital investments, and we strengthened the balance sheet by reducing debt.”

Woods, in expanding on the Guyana operations, reported too that with the recent discovery in the Urau2 well, the resource base is expected to grow. According to Woods, “I would think with Guyana, with respect to the potential of that resource base…We’ve talked about nine billion oil equivalent barrels. I would tell you that’s the current estimate and I would expect it to grow.”

He explained that the recent announcement made regarding Uaru-2 confirmed a

deeper play which is suggestive of an additional opportunity and resources that haven’t been fully quantified as yet.

“So I think it’s a very rich set of opportunities that we’re going to continue to progress,” Woods told investors. According to the ExxonMobil Chairman, “I think we have laid out a plan that is pretty consistent with that…working very closely with the government and the people of Guyana to continue to progress that resource and really bring a lot of economic opportunity to the country and the people of Guyana.

And I think we’re beginning to see the benefit of that manifest itself and we’ll continue to contribute on a ratable basis there.”

Speaking to the company’s long term plans for the Guyana operations, he posited, “we’re talking a potential for seven to ten (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) FPSOs.” He said six are projected to come online by 2027, “so we feel really good about what we’re finding in Guyana and a very constructive engagement with the Government in terms of those developments.”

WORLD’S LARGEST AVIATION SAFETY NET MANUFACTURER HERE – CURRENTLY SEEKING LOCAL PARTNER The world’s largest companies continue to be drawn to the multi-billion dollar business potential of Guyana’s growing oil and gas resources – just recently, online industry publication, Guyana Petroleum Digest, disclosed that Frictape Net Ltd, a Finnish company that designs and manufactures the world’s most widely used helideck landing nets and perimeter safety nets is here.The publication

operating out of Toronto, Canada, spoke with Frictape’s Pablo Rivera, Director for the Americas, regarding the company’s business plans.

Rivera said that considering Guyana is relatively starting from scratch with its oil and gas market, “We feel that it is important that the highest standards for safety are established from the beginning. As for helicopter safety solutions, Frictape is that standard.”

He highlighted that his company is globally recognised as the leading expert for the helideck nets while adding that it already has a relationship with most of the multinationals working here, such as ExxonMobil and Hess Corporation, the leading partners on the oil rich Stabroek Block.

While it has the financial prowess to easily dominate the market, Rivera said the company is not looking to ride solo in the industry and is, in fact, seeking to join forces with the right local partner.

Rivera said, “We are currently looking for a relationship with local integrators that can give us ‘boots on the ground’ support… We believe the opportunity is here but we need the correct partner.”

The Director added, “We are very humbled by the feedback. Our clients have been very grateful for the guidance because it has helped them save lives and at the end of the day we want everyone to return safely to their families…”

To date, Frictape has done more than 1,300 installations of helideck safety nets globally for the offshore industry, as well as onshore helipads and mega yachts.

The company’s landing and perimeter safety nets are manufactured from in-house developed, highly engineered semi-synthetic tape, which offers several benefits in

harsh offshore environments.

The company also has Circle & H and HMS Lighting Systems, two subsidiary ventures producing lighting products complementing its core business. For example, with the Circle & H signature product Netlight, Frictape has been able to extend its product range to helideck lighting. Kaieteur News understands that with Netlight, no fixed light structures are required, as no holes need to be drilled as light modules are integrated with the landing net, delivering several benefits in terms of cost and effort compared with traditional lighting solutions.

15-YEAR-OLD RELATIVE CHARGED WITH ACCESSORY TO MURDER – FUGITIVE’S FATHER RELEASED FROM CUSTODY The 15-year-old relative of Shonnette Dover who allegedly confessed to police that she assisted Shonnette’s boyfriend, Shaquawn Alleyne – currently on the run – to bury her in his backyard, has been charged with accessory after the fact of murder; meanwhile, the fugitive suspect’s father has been released from custody.

On Tuesday, the teen appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge. She was represented by attorneyat-law Dexter Smartt.

Commander of Region Ten, Hugh Winter said that all information concerning the alleged confession of the teen relative of Shonnette Dover was sent in the file to the DPP, which outlined that the teen went with Shaquawn Alleyne to the residence of Shawn Alleyne, the fugitive’s father, and informed him that Shaquawn just shot (Continued on page 28)

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From page 27 Shonnette dead.The father then told them, “Don’t tell (me) stupidness, why (you) playing with the gun?” They subsequently left on a motorcycle and collected a spade from a man and dug a hole aback the house, where they buried the dead young woman.

After her appearance Tuesday, the teen was remanded to the Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia, Georgetown, until May 28, 2021. Kaieteur News understands that her attorney did not seek bail, in an effort to keep the young girl in protective custody. The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) however advised Linden police to not charge Shawn Alleyne and he was released Tuesday afternoon.

The case has sent ripples through the former bauxite mining town ever since Dover disappeared early last month and tensions have risen since her body was discovered and Alleyne disappeared. Only Monday, arson was suspected to be carried out on Shaquawn Alleyne’s grandmother’s residence in Block 22 Wismar Linden.

Police said the home of octogenarian pensioner Mary Alleyne was allegedly set on fire by persons unknown early Monday morning. The property came under attack about 04:30 hours, when a window curtain hanging at one of the building’s windows was set alight from the outside. A lone male reportedly was seen running away from the building afterwards. Quick assistance from neighbours quickly extinguished the fire.

Shonnette’s father, Selwin Haywood, said that he needs justice for his daughter and everyone involved, including the 15-year-old relative, must face the consequences. He is confident that Shonnette was killed from the very day she went missing, because of the attire she had on when he identified her body. “She had on a red brassiere and a blue short pants, this is what she does wear when she deh home, so they kill her since the day before, if not, she woulda get on she working clothes,” her father told Kaieteur News.

Haywood expressed disappointment in the teen’s behaviour after the incident: “For 24 days, this girl kept silent, this girl was even feeding he (Shaquawn), with information that we share with she about the search because he used to come and tell me, ‘Y’all hiding things from me’.

This girl used to giving we information claiming she receiving from people, get we searching here…there, see me

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Kaieteur News

collecting money, travelling til to Mabura and ain’t say nothing.”

On Monday a post mortem examination was conducted as it was determined that Shonnette Dover died from a single, close-range gunshot wound to the head.

go.

Ramlakhan revealed then that the ranks had received a report that a white car had pulled up in front of the man’s place. On that occasion, two male occupants reportedly exited the car and grabbed some goats before re-entering the car and escaping.

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

CLIMATE CHANGE REBELLION HEIGHTENS… FOR A SAFER WORLD, 10,000 EMAILS SENT TO REMOVE EXXONMOBIL’S HEAD

EXXON CONTRACT PERMITS BLANK CHEQUE SPENDING …SAYS IF MINISTER DISAGREES COMPANY CAN STILL GO AHEAD

Nasdaq, one of America’s largest stock exchange markets, recently learned that climate activists are looking to get rid of ExxonMobil’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Darren Woods, along with the oil giant’s lead independent director, Kenneth Frazier at this month’s shareholder meeting. During that engagement, both Exxon officials will be up for reelection.

In a bid to remove both parties successfully, Environmental group Sierra Club and other activists have bombarded BlackRock Inc. and Vanguard Group, two of ExxonMobil’s biggest shareholders, with thousands of calls and emails urging that they vote against Woods and Frazier. The two money management firms hold more than 13 percent of Exxon shares combined.

The move to oust Woods and Frazier is seen as strategic, as it would boost an ongoing fight led by climate activists since last year to have four fresh faces sit on ExxonMobil’s Executive Board. Kaieteur News would have reported on this, while noting that Exxon is battling activist hedge fund, Engine Number One, over four seats on the 12-member board. The fund has criticised Exxon’s poor returns from heavy spending on fossil fuels and lack of a clear vision on transitioning to cleaner fuels.

Engine One also has the backing of some large pension funds in California and New York regarding the need to have the interests of the oil giant realigned.

While BlackRock and Vanguard have declined to comment on their stance, both have signed the Net Zero Asset Managers/ Initiative, vowing to press portfolio companies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Nasdaq also stated that an Exxon spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the email campaign.

Be that as it may, Lisa

Lindsley, Director of Investor Engagement at Majority Action, one of the groups pressuring the Exxon shareholders, was keen to note that the leadership of the board of directors should be voted off if the company fails to embrace the Paris Accord’s goal on limiting the rise in the global temperature.

As ExxonMobil continues to face an unprecedented rebellion from climate activists and other likeminded supporters, the American explorer has made several efforts to expand its board, and even pledged to increase spending on lower-carbon initiatives, and lower the intensity of its oilfield greenhouse gas emissions. In a Reuters’ interview last week, CEO Woods said big shareholders have been receptive to Exxon’s climate efforts. Shareholders “are very encouraged by the fact that we’re taking a leadership role and helping to provide solutions to meet some of these broader ambitions,” Woods said.

But his comments in the media have done little to nothing to subdue the growing tide of concerns among activists. According to the Australian-based Sunrise Project, which is a part of a network of climatefocused groups that have zeroed in on the large money managers, supporters from various groups have sent at least 10,000 emails to both BlackRock and Vanguard and made hundreds of phone calls to BlackRock’s offices, asking them to vote against Woods and Frazier.

While they are thankful for the written commitments made by BlackRock and Vanguard on climate change, the activists fighting to reverse the devastating effects of this global phenomenon, insist that the time has long past for this type of approach. They insist that both shareholders must now go beyond their nicely

worded letters and press releases and take firm action against ExxonMobil.

THIEVES CAUGHT ON CAMERA USING CAR TO STEAL GOATS Suspected thieves were caught on camera stealing two goats, which were placed into a silver grey Toyota Allion motor car bearing licence plate PTT 171.

Kaieteur News was unable to ascertain the time and location of the goat-stealing episode.

Someone had, however, recorded the incident with a cell phone and posted it to social media platforms which resulted in it going viral thereby attracting the attention of the mainstream media.

In the video a heavily tinted car slowed as it neared a herd of goats grazing beside a roadway. As the car stopped a short distance away, a man dressed in a three-quarter blue pants and white T-shirt could be seen grabbing two goats from the herd by their ears.

He then pulled them along as he walked towards the waiting car. The rest of the herd followed closely. He proceeded to open the leftside back door of the vehicle and pushed the goats inside after which he entered too and closed the door. At this point the rest of the herd scattered and ran away. The car then sped off.

This is not the first time that Kaieteur News has reported of an incident whereby thieves have used cars to steal goats.

Early last month, Police Commander of Region Six, Jairam Ramlakhan, had told this newspaper that his ranks were forced to intercept a white car that was reportedly used to steal goats from a farmer in Berbice.

Unfortunately, they had found no goats in the intercepted car and were forced to let the occupants

Guyana inked a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), commonly referred to as a contract with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its partners, for the exploration and development of the Stabroek Block in June 2016 and the provisions of the arrangement permits carte blanche spending for exploration.

This, if the Minister with responsibility for the sector or his delegate—identified in this case to be the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)— disagrees with a proposed work programme and budget, it would still be deemed as adopted.

Article Six of the PSA for the Stabroek Block provides for delegation [by the Minister] and co-operation between the Contractor and GGMC. The article provides that the Minister authorises GGMC to provide support in relation to monitoring the petroleum operations carried out by EEPGL and its partners.

This would include the reviewing of a number of reports submitted by the Stabroek Block Contractor, such as, exploration work programmes and budgets.

With respect to the submitted work programmes and budgets, the PSA stipulates that should the Minister or delegate wish to make any proposals with regard to what is submitted, then these are to be provided to the Contractor within a reasonable timeframe.

Additionally, the PSA stipulates that they would meet and endeavour to come to an agreement and that the Contractor should take into account the Minister’s proposal and attempt in good faith to reach such agreement.

According to the PSA however, if the two fail to find an agreement within two months, the proposed work programme and budget “shall [still] be deemed adopted.”

Exploration costs are recoverable by the Contractor

under the Stabroek Block PSA, as long as there is a commercial discovery. The contract also provides that expenses can be recovered from any oil field that is in production in the Block. As such, Guyana has already been presented with a bill in excess of US$460M in precontract costs for exploration activities prior to 2015.

EEPGL is also currently moving ahead with plans to spud another well during the course of this month—the Whiptail.

The intention to go ahead with the planned drilling activity for the new well was confirmed this past week, when the US oil major held its earnings call for the second quarter. EEPGL’s parent company— ExxonMobil—Chief Operating Officer (COO), Greg Hill, in giving the announcement, detailed that the Stena Carron drillship has also commenced exploration drilling at the Koebi 1 well and that the exploration well at Whiptail is planned to be spud in May. He said too, the company plans further exploration and appraisal activities for the second half of 2021 with a total of 12 wells to be drilled.

As such, the Noble Tom Madden, the Noble Bob Douglas and the Noble Sam Croft—which recently joined the fleet—will be primarily focused on development drilling, he said.

According to the ExxonMobil COO, the Stabroek Block exploration programme for the remainder of the year will focus on both Campainian Liza Type reservoirs and on the deeper Santonian reservoirs.

Additionally, he disclosed that key appraisal activities will be targeted in the SouthEastern portion of the Stabroek Block, to inform future developments.

Speaking to the recent successful discovery at the Urau 2 well, he noted that there were also incremental discoveries at that location, at deeper intervals.

According to Hill, that well had encountered approximately 120 feet of high quality, oil bearing sandstone reservoir and was drilled 6.8 miles from the discovery well, implying a potentially large aerial extent.

He noted that too that the Stena Drill Max is currently appraising the Longtail discovery and additional appraisal was planned at Mako and in the Turbot area, “which will help to find our fifth and sixth developments on the block.”

Work is also continuing for the fourth development, (Continued on page 29)

Sunday May 09, 2021

From page 28 on the Stabroek Block at Yellowtail.

ExxonMobil, he said, expects to submit a plan of development to the Government of Guyana in the second half of this year.

Pending government approval and project sanctioning, the Yellowtail project is expected to achieve first-oil in 2025.

GUYANA SET TO BE CASH ENGINE FOR STABROEK BLOCK PARTNERS …AS YELLOWTAIL IS CONFIRMEDAS FOURTH OILFIELD - HESS Guyana is poised to be a “cash engine” for US-based oil exploration and production company, Hess Corporation, as the Yellowtail discovery in the Stabroek Block has been confirmed as the fourth oil field for development in the prolific contract area, the first three being Liza Phase I, Lisa Phase II, and Payara. The position was made recently, when the ExxonMobil Stabroek Block partner, Hess, in its first quarter report for the year, announced that startup for the new producing field is pegged for 2025.

With advanced plans underway for three developments and another slated for startup in 2025, Hess Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Hess told investors, “Guyana is positioned to become a significant cash engine as multiple phases of low cost oil development come online.”

Hess added, “we’re nearing work for Yellowtail and a fourth development on the Stabroek Block is underway with startup in

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2025.” This, he cautioned however, would be pending government approvals and sanctions.

With the Liza I oilfield already in production, the oil executive noted that the Liza Phase II development is on track to achieve first oil in early 2022 with a capacity of 220,000 gross barrels of oil per day. According to Hess, “our third oil development on the Stabroek Block at the Payara Field is expected to achieve first oil in 2024, also with the capacity of 220,000 gross barrels of oil per day.

He projected too that, “we continue to see the potential for at least six FPSOs (Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessels) on the block by 2027.”

According to Hess, in longer term, this would mean the partners are projecting up to 10 FPSOs to develop the discovered resources on the Block. Guyana, he said, is such that “the payouts are very quick and returns are very high so we are going to be bringing value forward.” Speaking about the most recent discovery in the Stabroek Block at the Urau-2, it was noted that the appraisal is showing very encouraging results. According to Hess, the discovery has “excellent reservoir characteristics, you have high quality oil.”

He noted too that given the proximity of the Urau 1 well and the Urau 2 well, 6.8 miles apart, “it shows the potential for large aerial extent of a highly prolific quality reservoir.”

Speaking about the returns being had from the operations, Hess noted that those from the Stabroek Block are expected to “drive our portfolio breakeven Brent oil price below $40 by the middle of the decade.”

Accordingly, Hess reported that, “as our portfolio generates increasing free cash flow, we will

first prioritise debt reduction and then cash returns to shareholders.” Given the prospects and planned activities in the Stabroek Block, he noted that more than 80 percent of “this year’s capital spend is allocated to Guyana where our three sanctioned oil developments have a breakeven oil price of between $25 and $35 per barrel.”

According to Hess, “to date with gross discovered recoverable resources of approximately nine billion barrels of oil equivalent, and we continue to see multi-million barrels of huge exploration potential remaining.”

SATURDAY GUYANA MUST PAY OIL COMPANY’S BILLS FIRST BEFORE ANYARBITRATION While US oil major, ExxonMobil, shares a longstanding business relationship with the World Bank across countries where it operates, it is of interest to many industry stakeholders that the American based International Financial Institution’s (IFI) dispute arm is named as the arbitrator for the Stabroek Block operations, should there be any disagreements over financial claims.

This state of affairs obtains since the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed between the Guyana Government and Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its partners, named International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes as the sole arbitrator.

Under the PSA, should there be a financial disagreement with the oil major, the country would still have to pay whatever amount is demanded by ExxonMobil as Cost Oil before an arbitration is held by the World Bank funded Centre to determine ‘who owes who and how much.’

The provisions are laid out in the PSA at Article 26, which outlines that in the event of a

dispute, the parties should first make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter amicably within two months or at a specified time. Failing this, the matter is referred to the arbitrator.

According to the Article, in this event, the parties “hereby consent to submit any dispute to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes.”

Under the provisions of the PSA, EEPGL and its partners are allowed to use up to 75 percent of total oil production for the month to offset pre-contract and other costs incurred by the oil companies. Article 11 of the PSA provides for cost recovery and production sharing. Under this provision in the PSA, the contractor—EEPGL—shall bear and pay all contract costs in carrying out Petroleum Operations and shall recover costs from cost oil.

The contract provides that should the amount identified by EEPG—as costs for a month— exceeds the 75 percent cap on oil being produced monthly, then that amount would be taken out the following month.

The same obtains for profit oil, which is to be divided 50/ 50 between partners and if the amount is not known, the calculations for reconciliation will be done monthly.

Additionally, the contract provides that the Contractor must provide the Ministry of Natural Resources with a work program and importantly a budget.

Importantly, if the Minister with responsibility for the sector or his delegate—identified in this case to be the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)— disagrees with a proposed work programme and budget, it would still be deemed as adopted.

With respect to the submitted work programmes and budgets, the PSA stipulates that should the Minister or delegate wish to make any proposals with regards what is submitted, then these are to be provided to the Contractor within a reasonable timeframe.

Additionally, the PSA

stipulates that they would meet and endeavour to come to an agreement and that the Contractor should take into account the Minister’s proposal and attempt in good faith to reach such agreement.

According to the PSA however, if the two fails to find an agreement within two months, the proposed work programme and budget “shall [still] be deemed adopted.”

Importantly, the contract also provides that expenses can be recovered from any oil field that is in production in the Block.

As such, Guyana has already been presented with a bill for in excess of US$460M in precontract costs for exploration activities prior to 2015.

Additionally, the development costs for the Liza I and II production phases have already been incurred and is said to be in excess of US$25B— monies that are already being recovered from oil produced in the Stabroek Block.

The contract signed does provide for audits of the spending, which can be disputed. This process however, calls for audits to be done in accordance with the accounting procedures set out in Annex C of the contract. That section of the PSA however, dictates that the Minister in order to conduct the audit, three months notice must first be provided.

At the conclusion of the audits, should there be any disputes, the government will have two months with which to lodge a report of its objections after which the contractor will have two months to reply to say whether the objections are rejected or accepted.

If the parties however still fail to reach an agreement at this point in time, the matter will be referred to the sole expert as provided for in the PSA—the World Bank.

GUYANACANNOT RENEGOTIATE CONTRACT WITHOUT EXXON’S CONSENT …AGREEMENTALSO PREVENTS NEW TAXES OR MORE ROYALTY ON OIL OPERATOR Political leaders, social

and other commentators have been calling ad nauseam, for a renegotiation of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), but this cannot happen without the consent of ExxonMobil.

This is due to the fact that a stability clause has been inserted into the PSA that was inked with the Guyana Government.

According to that provision, except as may be expressly provided therein, “the Government shall not amend, modify, rescind, terminate, declare invalid or unenforceable, require renegotiation of, compel replacement or substitution, or otherwise seek to avoid, alter, or limit this Agreement without prior consent of the Contractor—EEPGL, whose majority shareholder is ExxonMobil.”

Additionally, the PSA, commonly referred to as a contract, also restricts Guyana from imposing any additionally financial obligations on the oil operations.

Under the same Article in the PSA, subsequent to the inking of the agreement, “the government shall not increase economic burdens of Contractor under this agreement by applying to this agreement or the operations conducted thereunder, any increase of or any new petroleum related fiscal obligations, including but not limited to, any new taxes w h a t s o e v e r, a n y n e w r o y a l t y, d u t i e s , f e e s , charges, Value Added Tax (VAT) or other imposts.”

Under the PSA, Guyana collects two percent royalty on the oil produced and sold from the Stabroek Block.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, the partners divide any profits had, 50/50 after deducting cost oil at a cap of 75 percent of total production.

According to the provisions of the contract, should the government seek to impose any new taxes, fees or other such financial obligations, then government “shall promptly take any and all affirmative action to restore the lost or impaired economic benefits to contractor…”

ExxonMobil Guyana has in the past said, it is amenable to a review of the PSA but not the renegotiation of its contract since that compromise the principle of sanctity of contracts, which is critical for investment planning.

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Coronavirus: Our behaviour patterns are fueling super mutants

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center All around the world, newer variants of the SarsCov2 virus (coronavirus) are being formed as they rapidly spread from person to person.

Some of these variants are responsible for the surge in cases in countries such as Brazil and India.

As a result, the health systems in these and other countries are overwhelmed leading to devastating amounts of deaths on a daily basis. We need to learn from these experiences and avoid similar situations in Guyana.

Today I will share with you the importance of mutations and why we should keep ahead of them and avoid the rising number of deaths that are currently occurring here.

What are mutations?

A virus uses the cells of its host to multiply and form more of itself so that it can continue to spread and thrive.

Ever so often, error occurs when the virus is multiplying in the body of its host and it mutates into a different form of itself called a variant. So far, the coronavirus has mutated thousands of times and it will continue to mutate once there are people available for it to infect.

Many of the mutations have been insignificant but a few of them have resulted in variants that are more infectious and deadly.

The Brazilian, UK and South African variants are examples of more infectious and deadly mutants that have already occurred and are fuelling the new worldwide surge.

Scientists are concerned that the double and triple mutants discovered in India are behind

the deadly rise in cases there and that they may become vaccine resistant forms soon, given the rapid rate of spread there.

Why is it important to track mutations?

It is important that both scientists and the general population keep track of variants as they evolve.

In this way, the more deadly and infectious ones can be detected early and measures be implemented before they spread beyond control like what occurred in Brazil and India. The chance of a new variant forming increases every time the virus infects someone. The obvious solution therefore lies in minimising spread by adherence to prevention measures and of course, getting vaccinated.

What are the variants doing to us?

Each new wave of COVID19 infection worldwide has so far been traced back to a new variant. The first wave of infections came from the original SarsCov2 virus that came out of China.

Then researchers detected a variant called D614G in Southern Europe which was responsible for the 2nd wave of infections worldwide.

Since then, the spread of the infections became diverse and variants of interest from Brazil, UK, South Africa and now India, are the cause of the deadlier 3rd wave hitting the world currently.

In India, variants with double and triple mutations are responsible for the devastation there and scientists

are concerned about similar devastation if they escape and spread worldwide.

Should this happen or these variants mutate into more deadlier forms, we will be facing the possibility of more waves of infections in the months to come.

How will mutations affect vaccines?

So far, the only reliable tool we have against COVID19 are vaccines.

Data so far, still give vaccines the edge over these variants.

However, some vaccines

are showing weaker effects and the concern is that at some point, variants may form that are totally resistant to the vaccines we have.

In Guyana, we have effective vaccines that in theory should be effective against the suspected variants circulating with us. Yet, our death rates and infections are on the rise. We have the luxury that some in other parts of the world are fighting for; we can show up at the many vaccination sites countrywide and get vaccinated within a short time. Unfortunately, we have

so many that are irresponsible and/ill-informed that refuse to be vaccinated. As a country, we have a rare opportunity where there is ease of access to vaccines and numbers that are sufficient to help curb the spread of COVID-19 here.

The difficulty lies in getting sufficient persons motivated so that they can choose vaccination over superstitious or irresponsible thoughts and actions.

I’m not sure what’s the right answer but if you’re reading this article, please become a vaccine advocate

Dr. Zulfikar Bux and spread the facts and encourage those you know to get vaccinated. We can live in freedom again; do your part to help us get there sooner and save many lives in the process.

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Lions Clubs of Zone 2A donate to National Park

The Lions Clubs of Zone 2A, under the guidance of Zone Chairperson Lion Candace Forde, has sponsored seven garbage receptacles for the National Park. The project was executed on May 4, 2021.

According to a release, the initiative saw some $475,000 invested into the environmental enhancement of the Park. Over the years, the Lions Clubs in Guyana have been doing their part to serve their communities better.

Speaking with the media, Mrs. Forde stated that the Lions Clubs are aware of the enormity of Guyana’s

garbage disposal challenge and believe that no one institution can singlehandedly address the many issues arising from an endemic culture of poor garbage disposal. It was with this in mind, that she challenged the seven Clubs in Zone 2A to sponsor and erect the garbage receptacles in the Park.

Mrs. Forde is hopeful that the receptacles will serve to ease the littering within the National Park. She noted that the project would not have been possible without the generous contribution of the businesses that stepped forward and collaborated with

the Clubs. Denise Fraser, Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, stated that the receptacles will serve over a thousand persons who use the National Park and she is very appreciative to the Lions Clubs for their donation.

The Lions Clubs sponsoring the receptacles were: the Lions Club of Georgetown, Lions Club of Georgetown Stabroek, Lions Club of Bel Air, Lions Club of East Demerara, Lions Club of South Georgetown, Demerara Lioness Lions Club and the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus Lions Clubs.

Sunday May 09, 2021

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==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==

Laurie Lewis, Cheddi Jagan and Monica Reece

T

here are four per sons in this life, the shape of whose existence I did not admire and I would never have developed a close relationship with.

But all four showed a more than passing fondness for me. I would say they liked and appreciated me.

It will forever remain for me an inexplicability why they related to me the way they did.

All four were African Guyanese involved in Guyana’s political world where their existence was connected to the politics of a Black president and his Black oriented political party.

I, as an East Indian, never had a relationship with the PNC and/or President Forbes Burnham.

The four personalities were Laurie Lewis, Former Commissioner of Police; Mortimer Codette, lawyer and founder of GUYOIL; Elvin McDavid, President Burnham’s trusted advisor and African rights activist, Oliver Hinckson.

The first three were very attached to President Burnham.

In a past column, I speculated on the reason. I don’t think it was my politics. I believe it had to do with Guyana’s racial volcano. All four men saw me as a genuine multi-racial personality whose life had no use for racial accommodation.

I believe they never

trusted Indian people to be genuinely multi-racial and they saw me as an exception and treated me with some amount of appreciation. Remember I was born in the south Georgetown ward of Wortmanville and four of my siblings married Africans.

I don’t know if the race factor was the real reason but I have to believe in some reason.

Of the four, I knew Lewis very well.

He knew my father as a cricket umpire.

We got along during my student days at UG. Of the four listed here, Lewis had done something personal for me for which I was grateful. I rejected the compulsory imposition of Guyana National Service (GNS) as a UG student and was expelled.

My life was going nowhere. My parents were extremely disappointed that I didn’t finish UG. Since Lewis was the main man in the GNS and I knew him well, I discussed my GNS requirement with him.

He suggested I rejoin GNS and work directly with him at its Broad Street branch. For my impression of Lewis see my column of Tuesday, July 12, 2016, “Laurie Lewis told President Jagan who killed Monica Reece.”

Lewis was facing the fatal side of irreversible diabetes and I think he knew it was a foregone conclusion. I will

not repeat what he told me about the identification of the killer of Monica Reece because it is contained in the 2016 article.

The purpose here is to look at the role of President Jagan in the Monica Reece murder investigation.

President Jagan was criticised consistently for not becoming no-nonsense with Lewis who was the commissioner at the time.

But both men had their reason for wanting the Monica Reece tragedy to fade away. Let us get Lewis’ role out of the way. Simply put – Lewis was compromised. I think temptation overcame him.

It is important for history to outline President Jagan’s position.

Knowing the nature of Jagan, it would be dishonest for the researcher to assert that Jagan didn’t care about the conclusion of the investigation.

There was a bigger picture facing Jagan.

After 30 years in political Antarctica, Jagan had just come into power and his plate was enormously burdened.

But more importantly, he inherited the state machinery shaped by the PNC for 30 years.

One of the crucial actors on that horizon was Lewis who as intelligence chief knew everything about everybody.

Could Jagan have risked alienating Lewis?

The answer was simply no at that stage of his presidency.

Jagan had to tread carefully because his administration could have been seriously undermined by a state sector that was in complete control of PNC personnel.

Khemraj Ramjattan, at that time the head of the PYO, the youth arm of the PPP, was pressuring Jagan to remove Lewis.

He got up at a Central Committee meeting and lambasted the president for retaining Lewis. Mrs. Jagan

showed her annoyance in pyrotechnical ways.

This was Ramjattan the radical youth who has since become one of the stupidest and least liked politicians in the history of Guyana.

It just goes to show. Do not predict people.

A loving priest down the years can become a monster.

The Monica Reece murder probe stalled for two reasons.

First, Lewis was not interested and deliberately let evidence slip, for example, the 4X4 of the main suspect was never swept before it was returned then it was impounded again thus the evidence was

Frederick Kissoon long gone.

Secondly, a brand new president played it safe for reason of survival.

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

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Three women who embody the essence of what it means to be a mother

By Kiana Wilburg

G

iving birth to a child is an extraordinary experience. But being a vessel for this glorious gift, by itself, does not make you a mother.

From personal experiences, being a mother means being able to love and care for a dependent soul in ways you’ve never fathomed; its sleepless nights in awkward positions that may leave your arm with cramps just so your little love is comfortable while nestling in your warmth; its being stern and protective by saying “No,” “Stop” or “Don’t do that!” 100 times and still being their personal human toy and loving every minute of it; it’s seeing them scream or cry in pain and not knowing how to calm them but trying anything that comes to mind; it’s a commitment to being their supporter, confidant and life coach. Being a mother is an agreement to be the world’s ultimate superhero!

Luckily for me, I know three of them. These three wonderful mothers dedicate their lives each day to showing their beloved children how to be capable, smart, kind, humble and God-fearing in a world of endless unknowns.

The first woman I have the honour of saluting in this regard is my aunt, Mrs. Joycelyn Rockcliffe — an outstanding mother of two and living proof that aunts make exceptional mother figures too.

In my eyes, she’s a seamless cross between the perfectionist mom and the protector. When she’s cooking or planning for a party, she’s the type who has already planned weeks in her head, the number of plates, spoons and forks she would need in addition to anything else.

Then, she would pen every detail in a book, neatly. This process follows her getting all the items and crossing them off one by one. When she was planning her daughter’s wedding, the same rigid process was used; needless to say, Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell was wedded to her lifelong love, Hosni, in fine style.

Everything she touches is perfectly executed.

My aunt is also the ultimate protector. Let’s just say, Black Panther from Wakanda’s got nothing on her. I have seen this love fiercely demonstrated for her

grandchildren, (little) Abena, Jael and Nairobi, and her two other prized possessions, her children Ato and Abena.

When I am not in total awe of

as a mom. These values are strengthened daily by her words and deeds and I am forever in her debt for the example she sets in my life.

into the mother of a three-year-old boy and my nephew (who, by the way, has the most heart-melting smile I have ever seen and love to death), Nairobi.

Mrs. Makala Reid-Bascom.

Mrs. Joycelyn Rockcliffe.

Mrs. Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell.

t h e undyin Abena’s heart g love she and soul, holds for her Nairobi. children, I am enamoured by her strong sense of right and wrong, along with how unapologetic she is about her truth. If she doesn’t like you, you’ll know. If you’re wrong to your friend, she will set Mrs. you straight.

A b ena In being my role model for the Amala Rockcliffemom I aspire to be someday, I am is the next mom I truly grateful for the unique ways Campbell a m s o h onoured to know. I she has shown patience, humility, had the distinct pleasure of seeing kindness, simplicity, perseverance, tolerance, forgiveness and empathy this phenomenal woman blossom

Makala’s bundle of joy, Kyra.

A s a young mom, and from my observation, Abena exemplifies the attributes of many types of mothers we’re all familiar with.

She’s the enthusiast mom, the kind who unashamedly goes all out to mimic the grunts of her son’s favourite cartoon character, Peppa pig, so he can giggle uncontrollably and reward her with sweet kisses. She is also keen to carve out “me-time” for adventurous nature walks while managing efforts to build her career and hone her inner entrepreneur.

Her enthusiast side also gives

way for the Investigative Mom in her to take over. That’s right, Abena would go to the ends of the Earth to not just protect her child but also research all that she can to meet his needs and to ensure he enjoys learning.

But of all her endearing qualities, what impresses me the most is her unwavering efforts to be an effective communicator. Not only does she listen to his spoken word, she pays rapt attention to his body language.

She proves with every passing day that as a young mother, she is more than capable of being an outstanding superhero.

The third mother I have the pleasure of saluting today is Mrs. Makala Reid-Bascom. She is the mother of a beautiful one-year-old princess, Kyra. Seeing her as a mom, it is safe to say that she possesses two distinct characteristics. She is unreservedly the “girly type” of mother with her baby; the kind who loves dressing up, taking photographs and making funny videos.

But Makala is also not the type who seeks to cloak her baby from never falling. Under supervision, she allows Kyra to explore the world around her and embrace some of the pains that come with it, like walking too fast and stumbling a bit.

But what is most striking about my dear friend is that as a mother, she embraces the softness of motherhood, she showers her baby with cuddles and kisses. It’s a love that tumbles like a waterfall from every fibre of her being.

Her heart, body and soul are inextricably linked to her daughter’s and there’s no doubt that at this rate, both are bound to be best of friends.

Though these three wonderful moms exude love for their children in their unique ways, one thing is sure — becoming a mother changes you in ways that are unimaginable and oh so beautiful.

What you thought you knew of love is deconstructed and reshaped by the hands and smiles of tiny humans. And there’s no way you can ever see the world the same again.

Indeed, one day is certainly not enough to celebrate and give due recognition to these extraordinary beings amongst us, but on this special occasion, I, like many other friends and relatives, take time out to say—Happy Mother’s Day and I love you!

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Lessons from a Lashpreneur !!!

Lash extensions for different eye shapes

By Latoya Zephyr Nothing about beauty is one-size-fits-all, and eyelash extensions are no exception.

No two eyelash extension sets will look the same, because different clients have different natural eye shapes and different needs. What flatters one eye shape and one set of features will not flatter another, so it is up to the lash artist to assess a client’s features and make an educated guess on what would best flatter their eye shape. Let’s take a look at what are the best eyelash extensions for different eye shapes.

What are the characteristics of almond eyes?

There are typically no complaints from almond-eyed ladies – their eye shape is considered ideal, because it’s about twice as wide as it is high, which means they are more visually proportionate than other eye shapes. That’s very good news for the client with this shape, because it means they can wear any type of lash style or curl. They don’t need to worry about flattering or correcting

shapes.

What type of lashes will flatter almond eyes?

But even if almond eyes don’t need “correcting” doesn’t mean that the client doesn’t have preferences in terms of the effect they are trying to achieve. You can play with almond eyes in any way you want. For an elongated shape, more lashes and longer lashes need to be applied on the outer corners.

For a more open shape and rounded effect or doll eye shape, the longer extensions need to go in the middle. A C curl works beautifully on this type of eyes, but you can play around with different curls or shapes.

What are the characteristics of hooded eyes/monolids?

Hooded eyes, like the name suggests, are eyes that are hidden under the hood and have no crease and little to no visible eyelid space.

This shape is also known as monolid, which is specific to Asian eyes, especially.

Oftentimes, a client with this shape has rather small eyes, and the lids can appear quite heavy. What a client with this

type of eye shape is typically looking for is to open up their eyes a bit and get the effect of a more lifted eye.

What type of lashes will flatter hooded eyes/ monolids?

The standard C curl won’t work as well here, because of the heavy lids. An extreme curl is needed, from a D to a L or even L+. The flat base and straight curl achieve the effect you are looking for – brightening up the eye. You want the longest lashes to be on the outer corners and up until the middle of the eye.

That does a good job of opening up this eye shape.

What are the characteristics of big eyes/round eyes?

A rule of thumb, for round eyes, is that you should be able to see the whites of the eyes around the iris. They also tend to be large, compared to the rest of the facial features, and prominent. They are naturally very open, so it takes an experienced and talented lash artist to make sure the extensions enhance the eyes of the client and don’t just exaggerate the look of

Guyana Talent Search airs tonight on E1 The management team at the Ministry of Culture, Youth, And Sport will be airing the semifinals part-one of its Guyana Talent Search Competition which is conducting virtual auditions.

The show airs tonight at 7PM on E1. Sitting in for the first time as a judge is Guyanese songbird, Poonam Singh who is joined by the beloved Joel Gansham and Guyana’s Music Princess, Timeka

Marshall. Crowing off the list of top-notch judges is Akelo ‘DJ Akelo’ Elliott. Be sure to catch this week’s episode to see Guyanese showcase their enthralling talent pieces.

Without Remorse to air on E1 Tonight at 10PM, the Enetworks family will be airing yet another exciting movie called Without Remorse. Without Remorse, also known as Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse. It is a 2021 American action thriller film loosely based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy.

It is directed by Stefano Sollima and written

by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples, and stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie TurnerSmith, Luke Mitchell, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Lauren London, Colman Domingo and Guy Pearce. The plot follows John Kelly, a U.S.

Navy SEAL who sets out on a path of revenge after his pregnant wife and unit members are killed by Russian hitmen.

The film had been in development since the novel was published in 1993, with various actors, including Keanu Reeves and Tom Hardy, approached for the role of Kelly. After over 20 years in development hell, Jordan was announced as the lead role in September 2018, and Sheridan was hired to rewrite a script originally written in the 90s. Filming began in Berlin in October 2019, and completed production in October 2020. Be sure to enjoy!

surprise that is often possible with this eye shape.

What type of lashes will flatter big eyes/round eyes?

Because they can come across as quite dramatic on their own, due to the shape and size, the actual extensions should not be as extreme. Shorter lashes are recommended, in order to avoid that surprised look. In addition, a looser curl can also look very flattering on the round eye shape, because it can give the impression of a more almond eye. The longest lashes should be applied towards the outer corner.

What are the characteristics of deep set eyes?

Deep set eyes are placed deeper into the eye socket and have a prominent brow bone. While beautiful, eyes like these can appear a bit dark or cast shadows, which can make them look tired, sad, or small. The goal, with this shape, is to visually pull the eyes forward and highlight them.

What type of lashes will flatter deep set eyes?

This shape does not really benefit from dramatic lashes or a severe curl, but is actually flattered by longer and straighter extensions. A J curl is ideal, but L or L+ also work, depending on the client. A full, heavy, very curly set runs the risk of looking overdone and very unnatural, which might not fit the client’s vision. A wispy, staggered eye shape can also look gorgeous.

What are the

characteristics of downturned eyes?

You can recognize downturned eyes by the fact that the outer corners are angled downwards, rather than upwards, or even towards the middle. This eye shape can sometimes give the impression of sad or tired eyes, which is why most people are looking to visually “lift” the eyes a little bit with clever use of makeup, or in this case, lash extensions.

What type of lashes will flatter downturned eyes?

The easiest way to achieve a lifted effect with lashes is to apply a nice, full

set that are tapered towards the inner corners. So, it’s going to be a cat eye shape, with longer extensions towards the outer corners, visually creating an illusion of a lifted, bright, open, and larger eye. As you can see, while all eye shapes are beautiful, they can also have some characteristics that clients sometime want to modify with the use of lash extensions. Every eye shape can be enhanced or flattered with the right pair of lashes, and it’s up to the lash technician to pick a shape that will make every client look and feel beautiful.

Bombay Sapphire: A uniquely balanced premium gin This week’s feature is the Bombay Sapphire, a brand of gin that was first launched in 1986 by English winemerchant IDV. In 1997 Diageo sold the brand to Bacardi. Its name originates from the popularity of gin in India during the British Raj and “Sapphire” refers to the violetblue Star of Bombay which was mined from Sri Lanka and is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution.

Bombay Sapphire is marketed in a flat-sided, sapphirecoloured bottle that bears a picture of Queen Victoria on the label.

The flavouring of the drink comes from a recipe of ten ingredients: almond, lemon peel, liquorice, juniper berries, orris root, angelica, coriander, cassia, cubeb, and grains of paradise. Alcohol

brought in from another supplier is evaporated three times using a carterhead still, and the alcohol vapours are passed through a mesh/ basket containing the ten botanicals, in order to gain flavour and aroma. This is felt to give the gin a lighter, more floral taste compared to those gins that are created using a copper pot still. Water from Lake Vyrnwy is added to bring the strength of Bombay Sapphire down to 40.0% (UK, the Nordics, several continental European markets, Canada and Australia).

The 47.0% version is the standard for sale at duty-free stores in all markets. Be sure to enjoy this week’s selection that is distributed by Ansa McAL with family and friends responsibly.

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7 Tips to Make Your Eating Habits More Sustainable When you reach for plantbased foods, you’re doing your health a favor. But did you know that the planet is thanking you, too?

Research shows that many of the foods that are most harmful to human health are also the worst for the environment — contributing to everything from climate change to the loss of animal and plant species around the world.

“Choosing a better, more sustainable diet is one of the main ways people can improve their health and help protect the environment,” says Michael Clark, PhD, a researcher at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and lead author of an article published in November 2019 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The article explores the links between food, environment, and human health.

The biggest winners, according to the research: plant foods, such as legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. The worst offenders: animal products, especially red meat.

Indeed, meat and dairy together account for about 14.5 percent of humaninduced global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Of the total livestock sector, beef and dairy contribute the most emissions (41 percent and 20 percent, respectively).

M e a n w h i l e , a study published in June 2018 in the journal Science, revealed livestock’s extralarge footprint on the environment. Meat and dairy provide just 18 percent of

calories and 37 percent of protein but take up 83 percent of farmland. On top of that, forests around the world, including rainforests, are being cleared to make room for livestock, especially cattle ranching, according to the FAO. This deforestation not only causes habitat loss for animals and plants, threatening biodiversity, it also destroys the forests, which play a critical role in helping to absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

When it comes to eating for environmental health, the No. 1 takeaway is to choose plantbased over animal-based foods.

And if you’re not ready to nix choices like burgers and steak entirely, reducing your intake of red meat is a move in the right direction. Large-scale modeling has shown that cutting back on meat and dairy by half could achieve up to a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Below, find seven steps for improving your diet that are also friendly to the environment.

If You Axe One Meat From Your Diet, Make It the Red Variety

The environmental costs of producing red meat — chiefly beef and lamb — take the greatest toll on the top five environmental indicators, including greenhouse gas emissions, degradation of soil and water resources, and disruption of ecosystems, according to the PNAS study.

Producing processed red meat delivers the second worst environmental impact.

Examples of processed red meat include hot dogs, ham, sausage, and beef jerky, as t h e W o r l d Health Organization notes.

Ideally, seek to replace red meat with high-quality plant protein, but even opting for red meat only now and then would be an improvement, per the PNAS study.

More on what makes for a high-quality plant protein later.

Lean on Nutritious Lentils for Plant-Based Protein Plant foods like beans, peas, and lentils are some of the most healthful foods around and can easily substitute for animal protein, according to the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health.

And a study published in

May 2016 in Frontiers in Plant Science calls legumes a win-win for agricultural sustainability.

Nutritionally speaking, in addition to plant protein, legumes provide fiber — a key nutrient, albeit one most Americans don’t get enough of — and B vitamins, and they may play a role in helping prevent certain cancers and heart disease, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG), which specializes in research and advocacy on agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, and drinking water pollutants, ranks lentils as the No. 1 climate-friendly protein.

Opt for Unprocessed, Nutritious Whole Grains Over Those That Are Refined Cereals and grains are unsung heroes, scoring high marks for health and environmental benefits — as long as they are minimally processed and whole.

“Whole grains offer far more benefits to our bodies than refined grains, which are stripped of valuable nutrients,” explains Lilian Cheung, RD, director of health promotion and communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition to fiber, whole grains contain B vitamins, minerals, and protein, as well as compounds that act as antioxidants, helping the body prevent disease, Cheung says.

Take it one step further by opting for ancient grains like buckwheat, barley, wild rice, spelt, and teff, which are even more nutritious and can improve soil health and help offset carbon emissions, according to a report by the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature and Knorr.

Swap Farmed Salmon for Shellfish, Such as Mussels Long a darling of healthful eating, salmon has a serious dark side. Salmon are now

almost exclusively raised in farms — essentially pens, where densely packed fish are often continuously fed antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections, per an article published in September 2018 in PLOS One. That research shows that this practice can breed antibiotic resistance.

As the BBC reports, farmed salmon are also routinely treated with chemicals to ward off sea-lice infestations, which have become common in recent years.

In general, wild salmon is said to be safer for personal health than farmraised. Environmentally, some seafood watchdog groups consider wild Alaskan salmon to be a good option, although that, too, has issues, according to Oceana, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans.

An excellent alternative: shellfish, like oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops. All are nutritional powerhouses and high in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and minerals, per Oceana.

Shellfish also have a low environmental impact and, because they are filter feeders, can actually help clean water resources.

Make Room for Mushrooms Mushrooms have been cultivated for centuries for their flavor and nutritional value, and a study published in January 2021 in Food Science & Nutrition found that adding just one serving of mushrooms to a meal significantly increases fiber and several micronutrients that we often don’t get enough of, such as vitamin D and potassium. In fact, certain types of mushrooms exposed to UV light are the only edible plant source of vitamin D, according to the National Institutes of Health. In addition to a variety of other nutrients like B vitamins, mushrooms contain substances that have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects in laboratory and animal studies, according to a review published in July 2016 in Molecules.

W h a t ’ s more, research suggests that mushrooms may help protect a g a i n s t c a n c e r, including breast cancer in premenopausal women.

As for their environmental impact, mushrooms are noted for their climate-friendly ability to absorb carbon — in other words, they may help reduce the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. They rank among the top 10 food groups in the

aforementioned report from the WWF for Nature and Knorr.

Trade Asparagus for Broccoli for a Smaller Carbon Footprint W h i l e healthy, asparagus is one of 10 common climate-damaging foods, according to Resources the Natural Defense Council (NRDC), a n o n p r o f i t environmental advocacy group. For starters, growing asparagus requires 258 gallons of water per pound, while broccoli, by comparison, uses about 34 gallons per pound. In addition, most asparagus sold in the United States is flown in from Latin America, which significantly increases the vegetable’s carbon footprint. Broccoli, on the other hand, is often grown in the United States and consistently ranks as one of the cleaner vegetables, requiring relatively few of the pesticides that have been associated with problems for both human health and the environment, according to a review published in July 2016 in Frontiers in Public Health.

Most people know broccoli for its health benefits.

Like other cruciferous veggies, it is rich in a variety of plant compounds that may h e l p r e d u c e inflammation and cancer risk, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Cut Cheese (From Your Diet) or at Least Choose It Wisely Cheese is third on the EWG’s list, generating the third highest greenhouse gas emissions after lamb and beef.

These foods produce the highest emissions in part because they derive from ruminant animals, which generate methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to the EWG. Cheese also has a high carbon footprint because it requires a lot of milk — about 10 pounds for 1 pound of hard cheese produced.

If you’re not ready to say goodbye to cheese, the NRDC recommends opting for brands produced locally, to help offset transportation emissions; buying organic products, which aren’t produced with chemical pesticides and fertilizers; and choosing less-dense products, like cottage cheese, which require less milk to produce. (https:// www.everydayhealth.com/ diet-nutrition/tips-to-makeyour-eating-habits-moresustainable/)

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Message from Chateram Ramdihal, President, Institute of Internal Auditors - Guyana Chapter …as International Internal Audit Awareness Month is observed The month of May is being observed as International Internal Audit Awareness Month globally. The year 2021, the Institute of Internal Auditor (IIA) Global celebrates 80 years’ of existence. Congratulations!

The IIA Guyana Chapter supports efforts to raise awareness of the internal audit profession and its value. Its goal is to clarify any misunderstanding of the profession whilst building and enhancing knowledge of the imperative role internal auditing plays in an organisation.

The principal aim of internal auditing is to provide insight into an organisation’s culture, policies, procedures and aids board and management oversight, by verifying internal controls such as operating effectiveness, risk management and compliance with the relevant laws and/or regulations.

There are numerous benefits of why internal audit function is vital in an organisation. Internal audits evaluate internal controls, which comprise actions, systems and processes including monitoring to ensure that they are well designed and implemented and that they are working as they should be no matter who serves in which role. Deficiency in an organisation can be identified and recommendations can be made as to how to streamline, to save time and money, to considers all the identified risks to the organisation, and to analyse whether risk mitigations are working as they should, etc.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), many professions are being disrupted. Organisations are forced to shift their focus and adapt to new measures in order to survive.

The auditing profession has experienced many challenges thus far, and it is unlikely that the current situation will be temporary.

Whilst during this period many competencies of an internal auditor are being tested, internal auditors must think ahead and stay relevant in order to continue to add value to their organisation. There is always a silver lining in

Chateram Ramdihal

every dark cloud. It is evident that more investment in digital capability has allowed many organisations to adapt quickly. The transition to a more digital world has already been introduced in the auditing profession, making it easier for internal auditors to function efficiently and effectively.

The IIA Guyana Chapter pleads with its practitioners and other stakeholders to fully appreciate the value of this noble profession and to encourage internal audit activity to be adequately sourced and be effectively utilised.

In closing, the Guyana Chapter continues to strive for excellence and is providing exemplary leadership and service to the profession.

It is the hope that through a variety of virtual events and awareness campaigns, this Chapter shares the passion for internal auditing in raising awareness of the profession and helping stakeholders understand the value and contributions of internal audit in their organisations. And this awareness of what the internal audit profession has to offer will be highlighted in the month of May.

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The Court Journal

By Renay Sambach

Police multi-million fraud… Several

officers before the court

T

o d a y, I w i l l chronicle for you the facts of ongoing matters that have brought intense scrutiny on the spending of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Before the court are several members of the Force who allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars that were entrusted to t h e G P F ’s F i n a n c e Department.

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the GPF, had charged and placed before the court those believed to have had a hand in the misappropriation.

A total of 11 members of the Force were charged and their matters are being heard in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan.

The ranks who are facing fraud charges are: Deputy Commander of Division 4 ‘B’, Senior Superintendent Lorraine Saul; Police Finance Officer, Superintendent Marcelene Washington; former Deputy Finance Officer, Deputy Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg, and former Deputy Finance Officer, Assistant Superintendent Roxanne Griffith-Adams. It should be noted that Saul and Washington are currently out of the jurisdiction.

Other ranks that were charged are: Officer-inCharge at the Police Finance Department (ag), Assistant Superintendent Kurt Smith; former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis; Sergeants Jermaine Fraser and Michael Corbin; Corporal Rawle Haynes and Constables, Jenneka Carmichael and Tatyana Smith.

S a u l , Wa s h i n g t o n , Jackman-Wilburg, GriffithAdams and Kurt Smith were charged for conspiracy to commit fraud, in relation to the falsification of meals payment.

Adonis, Haynes, Fraser and Corbin were slapped with allegedly stealing millions of dollars that were allocated for ranks who performed extra duties.

While, Tatyana Smith and Carmichael were charged for erasing critical data in one of the fraud cases.

The most recent matter is that of Saul, Washington and Griffith-Adams. The trio was slapped with one joint conspiracy to commit a felony charge and Saul was slapped with an individual

Sunday May 09, 2021

Deputy Commander of Division 4 ‘B’, Superintendent Lorraine Saul. falsification of the account charge.

That charge was only read to Griffith-Adams who was present in court. It alleges that Saul, Washington and GriffithAdams, between November 2, 2020, and November 24, 2020 at the GPF Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, while being officers of the GPF, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons to falsify a feeding account in the sum of $1.1M to purportedly show that meals were provided to Officers and Inspectors of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) who performed fixedpoint duty at the Unit from October 16 to October 31, 2020.

That charge was laid indictable and GriffithAdams was not required to enter a plea – she was placed on $150,000 bail and is expected to make her next court appearance on May 14, 2021.

According to facts of the aforementioned charge, Saul was stationed at the Felix Austin Police College Mess, as the officer-in-charge, and on the date mentioned in the charge, she created feeding accounts for ranks that were performing fixed point duties.

It is alleged that the account that Saul prepared was for duties that never existed. It is further alleged that Saul conspired with Washington, JackmanWilburg and GriffithAdams, who approved and processed the accounts at the Police Finance Department.

Another recent case involves Saul, Washington and Jackman-Wilburg.

They were slapped with two joint conspiracies to commit felony charges. Saul was also slapped with two

individual counts of falsification of accounts.

As Saul and Washington are not in the jurisdiction, the joint charges were read to Jackman-Wilburg.

The charges were indictable; as such, he was not required to enter a plea.

The first charge alleges that Saul, Washington and Jackman-Wilburg between November 2, 2020, and December 3, 2020 at the GPF Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, while being officers of the GPF, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons, to falsify a feeding account in the sum of $2.2M, to purportedly show that meals were provided to ranks who performed fixed point duties at Mounted Branch between October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.

Former Deputy Finance Officer, Deputy Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg.

The second joint charge alleges that the trio on the same date and at the same location, while being officers of the GPF, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons to falsify a feeding account in the sum of $1.4M to purportedly show that meals were provided to ranks who performed fixed point duties at the Suicide Helpline between October 16, 2020 and October 31, 2020.

Chief Magistrate McLennan had placed J a c k m a n - Wi l b u rg o n $150,000 bail and adjourned the matter to May 14, 2021.

A week before those charges were filed in court, a matter that involves Saul and Kurt Smith was called. For that case, the first charge alleges that between December 18, 2020 and December 28, 2020 at Georgetown, while being officers of the GPF, Saul and Kurt Smith conspired with

period.

It is alleged that she also prepared another account and petty contract with the same dates for meals supplied to ranks that performed fixed point duties at the Georgetown Prison between December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2020 to the tune of $648,000. On that account, Saul reportedly inflated the number of ranks and number of meals in the sum of $465,000.

Smith was charged for Former Deputy Finance allegedly conspiring with Saul to defraud and authorise Officer, Assistant the payments when there Superintendent Roxanne Griffith-Adams. was no training for the period mentioned on the account and there was no each other and other persons feeding of the ranks at the to falsify a payment of Georgetown Prison for the $1,350,000 to show that same period. meals were supplied to ranks M o r e o v e r, J e n n e k a of the Riot Unit training Carmichael of Lot 121 between December 1, 2020 and December 15, 2020.

T h e s e c o n d c h a rg e alleges that the duo between December 18, 2020 and December 28, 2020 at Georgetown, while being officers of the GPF, they conspired with each other and others to falsify the payment of $465,000 to show that meals were supplied to ranks working at the Georgetown Prison between December 1, 2020, and December 15, 2020.

Kurt Smith was not required to plead to the Police Finance indictable charges and Chief Officer, Superintendent Magistrate McLennan Marcelene Washington. placed him on $100,000 bail on each charge.

That matter was also adjourned to May 14, 2021.

Onderneeming, West Coast According to the police Berbice, and Tatyana Smith, facts, Saul was the officer- 21, of Lot 43 Third Street, in-charge of the Brickdam Alberttown, on April 21, Police Station’s Other Ranks 2021, appeared before Chief Mess before she was moved. Magistrate McLennan and T h e M e s s p r o v i d e s was placed on $150,000 bail breakfast, lunch and dinner each for allegedly deleting to ranks stationed at various electronic data relevant to stations and locations within one of the fraud cases.

Regional Division 4A. They denied the charge According to the facts of which alleges that between t h e c h a r g e s , b e t w e e n January 28, 2021 and December 1, 2020 and February 4, 2021 at the December 15, 2020, Saul GPF’s Headquarters, Eve allegedly inflated several L e a r y , K i n g s t o n , accounts for meals provided G e o r g e t o w n , t h e y b y t h e M e s s f o r intentionally and without reimbursement at the Police l a w f u l e x c u s e o r Finance Department. justification, deleted Saul reportedly prepared electronic data from the an account dated December GPF’s computer that was in 18, 2020 and a petty contract the administrative office of dated December 18, 2020 for the Felix Austin Police meals allegedly supplied to College Mess. ranks that performed duties According to the facts of at ‘A’ Division Riot Unit the charge, Carmichael and Training between December Smith are clerks at the Felix 1, 2020 and December 15, Austin Police College. They 2 0 2 0 , t o t h e t u n e o f were charged by SOCU. Last $1,350,000 when there was year, an investigation was no such training done for that launched into the alleged

Assistant Superintendent, Kurt Smith. misappropriation of $150M from the Police Finance Department. SOCU carried out the probe and several senior officials were either sent on leave or relocated. A few officers were already placed before the court for fraud charges.

However, it is alleged that before SOCU could have accessed the computers with the related data, the women had deleted the data.

The women are said to be the only persons with access to the computers.

On March 26, 2021 former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis of 95 Stewartville, West Bank Demerara, and three other members of the GPF, made their first court appearance after they were slapped with a $19M fraud charge.

Also charged were: Rawle Haynes of Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo; Jermaine Fraser of 4116 Phase One West Minster, West Bank Demerara, and Michael Corbin of 315 First Av e n u e , L a P a r f a i t Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.

The four men appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Fraser, Haynes, Corbin and Adonis were slapped with a joint charge, while Corbin and Haynes were slapped with individual charges.

They were not required to plead to the indictable charges after they were read to them.

According to the facts of those charges, the missing $19,030,767 was allocated for officers who performed extra duties.

However, there are documents that show that those officers signed and received the monies, but it (Continued on page 50)

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

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PAGE 50

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Several officers before the court From page 48 was later revealed that the officers never received the monies.The matter was reported and an investigation was launched. The four men were subsequently charged.

Corbin was placed on $250,000 bail; Haynes was placed on $200,000 bail, while

Adonis and Fraser were placed on $150,000 bail each.

Reports indicate that last year Corbin and Fraser were slapped with 21 fraud charges in relation to a total sum of $11,385,000. They had appeared before the Principal Magistrate, Faith McGusty, in the Georgetown Magistrates’

Courts and were placed on $250,000 bail each.It is alleged that the duo on April 4, 2019 at Eve Leary, Georgetown, while being employed as a clerk or servant at the GPF’s Finance Office, with intent to defraud, they willfully made false entries into the accounts of their employer.

Sunday May 09, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Are buildings meeting the Code of Practice for Fire Safety, Use and Occupancy? >>>GNBS IN FOCUS<<<

Recently, a number of fires have engulfed both commercial and residential buildings across the country, costing millions of dollars in damages and losses. These occurrences have raised many questions including whether buildings in Guyana are being constructed according to the country’s building code.

In this week’s edition of ‘GNBS in Focus’, we will look at Part 3 of the Code of Practice for Buildings, which addresses Fire Safety, Use and Occupancy. This section of the Code sets minimum requirements regarding the safety of buildings relating to aspects of fire protection and structural sufficiency.

One of the most important requirements of this section is for buildings to be constructed using design materials and methods that are fire resistant while under load to avoid rapid collapse or disintegration during or immediately after a fire.

Further, built-in equip-

ment and warning systems must be in installed to alert occupants of a potential or current fire. While the document does not specify what those equipment and warning systems are, these can be in the form of smoke detectors, sprinklers or alarm systems that alert the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) when a fire starts.

According to the Building Code, in the event of a fire, adequate fire-suppression equipment shall be available to restrict the fire to the room in which it originated.

Such a system will minimise damage to the building and its contents and prevent the fire from spreading to other rooms or buildings.

In addition, many times, fire fighters are hindered by the amount of smoke emanating from buildings that are on fire. As such, adequate smoke control systems are recommended by this section of the Code to minimise the spread of smoke to escape

paths, compartments and other buildings to enable access. Such control systems also aid in protecting occupants of the building and enable them to leave the structure and its precincts in safety.

It must be noted too that to ensure safety, constructed exit ways should guarantee adequate means of escape in the case of a fire or other emergencies from all parts of the building to a place of safety.

Stairways, ramps, floors and balconies, or any roof to which people have access, shall also have adequate protection to minimise the risk of falling.

Moreover, the Guyana Fire Service has found many fires to be electrical in origin.

This section of the building code stipulates that fire generating and heat producing appliances, mechanical and electrical equipment and systems shall be installed in a manner, which prevents the ignition of materials used in the area where they are

housed/ located. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) also urges that only quality electrical equipment and fittings be purchased and used in building construction.

These must be installed by certified electricians.

In smaller buildings, which include residences, the Code advised that drapes, curtains, cushion coverings and other items made of synthetic materials not be placed in kitchen areas. Further, exterior doors shall open outwards including the kitchen door, to allow easier escape, while interior doors shall open inwards. Meanwhile, ceilings shall not be made of flammable materials and stairways shall be one meter wide for persons to be carried down to safety.

The Fire Safety, Use and Occupancy section of the Building Code also covers many other crucial aspects including fire safety during construction and demolition, access for disabled persons

and special use and occupancy requirements.

Engineers and building contractors should seek to acquire copies of this and other relevant sections of the Building Code, to guide their professional practices. These documents are available at

the GNBS and sold at affordable prices.

For further information, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064/ 65/66. Please visit our website: www.gnbsgy.org and like our Facebook page: gnbsgy.

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==CONSUMER CONCERNS==

By Pat Dial Last Wednesday, 5th May, Indian Arrival Day was commemorated countrywide.

The University of Guyana and the High Commission of India conducted a high powered Symposium and the Media, both print and electronic, carried multi-dimensional stories on indentured immigration and on the descendants of the immigrants.

Moray House also made its contribution.

In this offering, we will touch on a few myths concerning indentured immigration which had not been considered by the otherwise comprehensive media spread.

In 1838, Emancipation came to the slaves who had been toiling on the plantations. With the advent of Emancipation, the freed men began leaving the plantations which had been the places of their terrible suffering and humiliation and moved to villages which they created from abandoned sugar plantations purchased with their savings accumulated over many

Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

COMMEMORATING INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY

years. This was of course, the Village Movement.

Some freed men had remained on the plantations but refused to receive the absurdly low wages they were offered and in the 1840’s they struck twice but both strikes failed after which they made their final exodus from the estates.

The sugar industry and indeed the colony were on the verge of collapse and the planters frantically and desperately began to search for a new labour supply. They tried several countries including China, Madeira, the West Indian islands and India.

They eventually settled on India as providing the kind of labour they wished to use.

The conditions under which the early immigrants lived and worked were very much a continuation of those of slavery. They were housed in the same slave barracks; the food they were given barely kept them alive; they had no medical attention; and were subject to whipping if they did not work hard

enough.

As the century progressed however, conditions slowly improved but these still remained oppressive and there were regular worker protests which were harshly suppressed. There were seven large labour protests which were designated “riots” which licensed the Police to use firearms on the protesters. Workers were killed in all of them and at the last one which happened at Enmore on the East Coast Demerara, seven workers were shot by the Police. These seven workers are remembered as the “Enmore Martyrs.”

On the completion of their indenture contracts, several workers left the estates and set up as small farmers and were responsible for the establishment of several agricultural industries including the Rice Industry, the Coconut Industry and the Dairy Industry.

Indian immigration had initially saved the country from economic collapse and had greatly helped in its economic development. It had

enriched Guyanese Culture and had established Hinduism and Islam making Guyana one of the few countries where the three great world religions existed side by side in the greatest amity.

Several myths have been concocted which seemed to be aimed at causing national discord and especially, to generate adversarial feelings among Indo and Afro Guyanese.

These myths could be sourced from colonial times and sections of the planter class may have been responsible for them since if there was a united working class, they would have less opportunity of exploiting them.

Owing to the constraints of space, we will mention only a few of these myths.

One of the most widespread myths which had even found its way in CXC text books was that Indian indentures were so poorly paid that they depressed the wages of African sugar workers who were forced to leave the estates. The facts belie this myth: After Emancipation,

there was an exodus of the freed men who went on to create villages. Many of them had however remained on the estates which until about 1860 had more Chinese, Portuguese and West Indian workers than Indian indentures.

Indian indentures only became the main workforce on the plantations after 1860 by which time Africans had long left the estates so there could not have been any competition between Africans and Indians.

Another myth is that Indo Guyanese are the richest community in Guyana and in particular better off than their Afro compatriots. This myth was first generated by the planter class to have indentures themselves and others believe indentureship was a lucrative employment and later, to create feelings of jealousy among the communities and divide them.

The statistical facts belie this myth. The overwhelming majority of Indo Guyanese are as poor as their Afro compatriots and the few wealthy high profile business

persons all started their lives as poor men and the biographies of such persons like Yesu Persaud and Toolsie Persaud testify to this.

The Royal Commission under the chairmanship of Dr. Venn had mentioned in passing that African slaves were responsible for digging up millions of tons of earth to create the infrastructure of the sugar estates.

This created the myth that the indentured workers who succeeded the Africans on the estates did much less backbreaking work. This myth is belied when it is considered that the indentures and their descendants had to redig and maintain the canals and dams and in any case, since at least twice as much new land was taken in with the expansion of the sugar industry, the indentured workers had to dig up as much earth as was done as when the original estates were created. Workers of all communities were equally responsible for maintaining and expanding the estates’ (Continued on page 62)

Sunday May 09, 2021

...Camille Deokie-Gorakh From page 52 well-rounded, disciplined individuals with morals.

“Undoubtedly,” she said, “the world needs more kind, empathetic, emotionally intelligent people and this institution makes a concerted effort to produce students who can contribute meaningfully to the country and community.”

In this regard, Camille’s Academy was the first school in Guyana to launch the “commit to get fit campaign” with an annual fitness challenge to promote healthy living among students.

The initiative launched in 2019, encourage the students to participate in the 2020 Caribbean Cross-fit teen challenge in February, this participation led to Camille’s Academy receiving the title “the fittest teen for Guyana in both male & female categories.

In addition, during the pandemic, Camille’s Academy hosted their annual spelling Bee, Essay & poster making (ART) competition using the virtual platform as evident from their Facebook page.

Most recently, the Easter hat making and egg painting was done virtually too. Cultural exhibitions online were also encouraged.

The nursery-level pupils took social media by storm with their cute, intelligent presentations celebrating the various activities.

These practices continued monthly with various programmes including World Teacher’s Day function, Breast Cancer Awareness month, a virtual Christmas concert, Girls and Women’s conference for International Women’s Day and virtual tours.

She said, “All activities are in efforts to promote a wellbalanced curriculum while allowing our children to still experience some sense of normalcy during these challenging times.”

WOMAN IN BUSINESS Given her growth, Mrs. Deokie-Gorakh received a “Women in Business” award from the GCCI for demonstrating good business growth during a pandemic.

This award honours a local female business leader who has demonstrated achievement in ownership or management of a business, or who has made significant contributions to the business environment in Guyana.

The winning individual would have demonstrated leadership in bringing about business growth and have an outstanding reputation.

In accepting the award, the businesswoman encouraged other girls and women to dream big, set smart goals and have a disciplined mindset.

“Choose to challenge yourself, seek out to influence and encourage as many women as possible, thereby creating a positive impact in

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Kaieteur News this world. Focus on your goals, not your fears, fear is just our false expectations appearing real, instead, develop a positive mindset and face everything and rise,” she said.

Though it is obviously a standout especially during the current pandemic, DeokieGorakh said that Camille’s Academy’s ultimate plan is to become a model school in Guyana and the Caribbean region.

But the growth and achievements envisaged would not have been possible if it weren’t for the support of a business coach.

Despite having an MBA, Mrs. Deokie-Gorakh wanted the practical business support from someone who would also hold her accountable. She said that in this regard, Action COACH Guyana, an empowerment, education, and business coaching organisation, has proven to be a blessing.

When the pandemic hit Guyana around March 2020, like many other business owners, Deokie-Gorakh was worried about how the business would survive.

But the intellectual capacity and networking Action COACH brought to the table, was the game-changer in these troubling times, she said.

“The things we accomplished in a short period of time – growth, systemising the business, time management, goal setting, working towards International Organisation for Standardisation [ISO] certification – justify this partnership with Action COACH. With business support from Action COACH, we were able to achieve in one year what we had planned for three years – in spite of the pandemic,” she said.

Deokie-Gorakh is confident that with the budding Oil and Gas industry, there will be lots of opportunities for the economy as well as the education sector “even as institutions move towards providing training in Oil and Gas and meeting the general education needs of a growing and diverse population.”

Toward this end, Camille’s Academy is working tirelessly to become ISO certified in the near future, thereby creating history as the first school locally to be dubbed ISO compliant.

Looking at those prospects, Deokie-Gorakh said Camille’s Academy has certainly come along way and is taking on new challenges.

Appeal Court converts death sentence to 25 years in prison for Mahaica man convicted of murder

S

ix years after, he was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of his wife, Rupert Brown successfully petitioned the Appeal Court and had his sentence commuted to 25 years in prison.

Brown called “Bird Man,” was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of his reputed wife Seema Singh, on October 17, 2014 by High Court Justice Brassington Reynolds.

However, a dissatisfied, Brown with the aid of his attorney Mark Conway, moved to the Appeal Court to have his conviction and sentencing overturned. Conway had argued that the sentencing was excessive and was unconstitutional.

The appeal was heard before the Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Yonette CummingsEdwards and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud. The State was represented by prosecutor Teshana Lake.

In her submission, State

Rupert Brown Prosecutor Lake had conceded that the death sentence handed down by the trial judge should have imposed a term of years or a life sentence onto Brown. As such, the Appeal Court, on Friday granted Brown’s request and converted the death penalty to a term of years.

Seema Singh Brown was found guilty of murdering Singh, 30, a mother of two, at Helena Number One Village, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

According to reports, Singh, who hails from Richmond Village, Essequibo, was stabbed multiple times about her body.

Details of the matter sug-

gested that Brown, who had shared a common-law relationship with the woman, became enraged after she left their Mahaica residence to visit her children in Essequibo.

The woman had promised to return within a certain time but when she did not, Brown went in search of her.

The man eventually caught up with his wife at a relative’s house in Mahaica, where she had sought refuge.

According to reports, Brown, in a fit of rage, stabbed his reputed wife several times about her body.

An eyewitness had recounted that the accused only stopped when the woman ceased screaming and was lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Moments after the incident, the injured woman was taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital but was eventually transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where she succumbed.

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Superhero High

‘This is my cousin’s new school. It’s called Superhero High. This morning she’ll show us around.’

‘First, I’ll put my uniform on.

‘This is our headmaster Mr Kent’s office.’ ‘Hello!

Have you seen my pen?’

‘He’s very strong.’

Short story ‘Let’s go to my first class. This is the “How to get dressed and undressed in a

telephone box” class.’

‘Try again, Peter.’

‘Wow, and I thought maths was difficult.’

‘Quick, the next class is starting.’

‘Which class is it?’

‘It’s the “How to see through walls” class.’

‘OK, Rania, how many pens is Brad holding?’

‘Seven?’

‘No.’ ‘I can’t see any pens.’

‘ Tr y t h e s e s p e c i a l glasses.’ ‘Three?’

‘Well done. That’s correct.’

‘This is my favourite class. We learn how to fly in here. ‘It’s lunchtime, let’s eat!’

‘You really have a great school. Everything is super!’

‘Not everything is great.

Wait until you taste the food.’ ‘Mmm. I think you need a super chef too.’

Sunday May 09, 2021

Junior page Rose Filled Heart Card

by Easy Peasy and Fun What you need: · Colored Craft Paper – 2 to 3 different colors · Scissors · White school glue · Pencil – to trace the template · Template Instructions · You can use any color for the base card, we went with white construction paper in this tutorial. You can make it any shape you want, square or rectangular. We think a square ones looks nicest, unless you will also add a message on the card. · Draw a heart shape on the paper with a pencil. · Cut a round shape out of color construction paper (we have a template for this part if you need some help at the end of this tutorial). Cut it into a spiral. · Take the spiral paper and start to rolling it from the outer edge. · Keep rolling the spiral pattern until you reach the center. . Secure the rose by applying glue on the end of the paper spiral and pushing it under the flower (glue it on the bottom). White school glue is best. · Press down the roll on the center, this will secure and glue all parts of the rose. Continue making more roses. · Done making the roses? Take the card and start sticking them inside the traced heart pattern on the card. It’s best to start gluing them along the outer edge of the heart shape. · Fill the heart pattern with the paper roses. · Once you are done filling the heart, set the card aside for a while for the glue to set. · Take 4 thin strips of colored papers and glue them along the sides of the card to make it even prettier.

FUN WITH POETRY

For my Mother Mommy, I will always love you For all that you have done and still do; I will hug you and kiss you Because I know you love me, too.

I am aware that I will never know All you have suffered and done for me, But the love you show each day Can tell me about this truly.

You feed me and clothe me And teach me to play and pray, So smile because I will love you On this your special day and always.

by Uncle Roy

Kaieteur News

Sunday May 09, 2021

PAGE 59

TEEN TIME

Make Mothers Day the most POETS’ CORNER Love to my Mother important celebration in your life

T

oday we are celebrating what many feel is one of the most important occasions in any persons life.

Apart from the fact that we could not have been here without our mothers, it is easy to find so many other reasons why we have to thank them for what they have done for us.

The majority of parents do not really need their children to give them anything in return for all the sacrifices they made towards their childrens upbringing and welfare, and you will find that the things that would give them most satisfaction would be to know that you have always tried to make the best of yourself.

It would be hard to estimate the work of the 15 or so years of care, hard work and self-sacrifice, not to mention the money and

other resources that your mother has expended on you from infancy to near adulthood.

In reality, she gave to you something you can

never hope to match in return. While a child is first indebted to his Creator as the source of his life, a child

owes his mother a deep debt of gratitude for playing her part in starting his life and all the joys and happiness that would go with that.

How then can a child

express this gratitude?

We know that all the worlds possessions cannot buy life, and you cannot put

a price on human life.

Children should therefore feel obligated to give their mothers what they can, and one of the first things is that they should endeavour to love them as long as they live, and make sure they try to let them know this always by constantly finding ways to express this love.

In this way they can help to make their life worth living when they may be feeling useless and not wanted.

More than anything else mothers have a natural desire to be able to take pride in what their children do and become, in how they have learnt the lessons that they have tried to teach them in their growing years, and in living according to the values which they have tried to impart to them.

In a practical sense, children should be obedient to their mothers but, of course, this does not include anything that you have come to believe is wrong.

If this happens, then you should be careful to show respect to them in telling them of your disagreement while giving them a reason.

It would be good to remember when this occurs that you will one day be a parent, and try to deal with your mother as you would want your own child to treat you.

Try to do all in your power today to make your mother happy, and also plan to act in the future in ways that would make her proud of you, and satisfied that she has done her duty and nurtured a good person.

If I could give you diamonds for each tear you cried for me; If I could five you sapphires for each truth you’ve helped me see.

If I could give you rubies for the heartache that you’ve known If I could give you pearls

for the wisdom that you’ve shown.

Then you’ll have a treasure, mother, that would mount up to the skies, That would almost match the sparkle in your kind and loving eyes.

But I have no pearls, no diamonds, As I’m sure you’re well aware, So I’ll give you gifts more precious My continuous devotion, love and care.

The least you can do to show gratitude to your mother is to try to return the love and care that she has given you from your birth to this day.

TELL IT TO UNCLE ROY Uncle Roy is again appealing to our readers to make a contribution to this column by either giving a feedback on what is published, asking for some help with some personal problem, offering some advice to fellow teenagers, or sharing the news of what is happening in his/her community. Please send your contribution toroypaul2002@yahoo.com

Solutions to last week’s

Ripple effect

Jigsaw Sudoku Puzzles Jigsaw Sudokus (also known as Irregular, Nonomino, or Geometric Sudoku) are very similar to regular Sudoku puzzles, but instead of 3x3 blocks, they are divided into irregular jigsaw-like shapes. Each row, column and jigsaw shape contains all of the digits 1 thru 9.

Samurai sudoku

PAGE 60

How to look after your mental health 1. Talk about your feelings Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled.

2. Keep active Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and feel better. Exercise keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy, and is also a significant benefit towards improving your mental health.

3. Eat well Your brain needs a mix of nutrients in order to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body. A diet that’s good for your physical health is also good for your mental health.

4. Drink sensibly We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary.

When the drink wears off, you feel worse because of the way the alcohol has affected your brain and the rest of your body.

Drinking is not a good way to manage difficult feelings.

5. Keep in touch There’s nothing better than catching up with someone face to face, but that’s not always possible. You can also give them a call, drop them a note, or chat to them online instead. Keep the lines of communication open: it’s good for you!

6. Ask for help None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things don’t go to plan.

If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help. Your family or friends may be able to offer practical help or a listening ear.

7. Take a break A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health.

It could be a five-minute pause from cleaning your kitchen, a half-hour lunch break at work, or a weekend exploring somewhere new. A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you.

Give yourself some ‘me time’.

8. Do something you’re good at What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in? What did you love doing in the past?

Enjoying yourself can help beat stress. Doing an activity you enjoy probably means you’re good at it, and achieving something boosts your self-esteem 9. Accept who you are We’re all different. It’s much healthier to accept that you’re unique than to wish you were more like someone else. Feeling good about yourself boosts your confidence to learn new skills, visit new places and make new friends. Good self-esteem helps you cope when life takes a difficult turn.

10. Care for others ‘Friends are really important… We help each other whenever we can, so it’s a two-way street, and supporting them uplifts me.’

Caring for others is often an important part of keeping up relationships with people close to you. It can even bring you closer together.

Kaieteur News

Sunday May 09, 2021

Sunday May 09, 2021

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Kaieteur News

Russians caught on camera assaulting ...

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From page 19 of Labour, Joseph Hamilton.

Hamilton said that he has seen the video and has already discussed issue with his colleagues, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn and the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat.

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lated that Bharrat is gathering the pertinent details to brief himself and Benn on the assault.

He confirmed too that the company involved is Innovative Mining Inc. Prior to the assault video, said Hamilton, he had received

reports that the company has been breaching labour laws.

These breaches according to Hamilton are, “No overtime payment, no leave and leave granted without any payment.”The Labour Minister said that his Ministry has written the company inviting

the heads to a meeting on Wednesday to iron out the labour breaches.

He assured that now that a video of an assault on a worker has surfaced that too will be raised in the upcoming meeting with the company officials.

COMMEMORATING INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY from page 56 infrastructure.

The final myth we will mention was that there were always conflicts between Afro and Indo Guyanese.

The sugar planters tried to segregate these communities and tried to induce adversarial feelings among them, but despite this, there were numerous friendships and even familial relations

between these communities.

Later, the political parties tried to mobilise support by trying to resuscitate the vestiges of this colonial racism but it is now clearly seen and understood that the only persons who talk about race and racism are poli-

ticians and those affiliated with them. The rest of the population now recognise the interdependence of all groups and calls for racial

support by politicians are finding electorates less responsive than two or three decades ago. Racial calls for political support are not awakening the response they once had and from indications will disappear in less than a decade.(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

Sunday May 09, 2021

Suspect remanded for murdering man who refused to give him oral sex A suspect was remanded until August 3, 2021, for allegedly murdering his drinking buddy who had reportedly refused to perform oral sex on him.

The defendant Joseph Kerr, 57, of Matthew’s Ridge, Region One, was charged recently by Magistrate Dylon Bess at the Matthew’s Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

It is alleged that in June 2017 at Jack and Veira Backdam, North West District (NWD), he shot and killed Orlando La Cruz, 40, a miner of the Pomeroon River, Region Two. Kerr was not required to plea to the indictable charge. According to reports, Kerr had been on the run for more than three years and was caught only in February 2021.

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News had reported that around 13:00hrs on June 15, 2017, La Cruz was shot to the right side of his neck with a shotgun. La Cruz was reportedly lying in a hammock at his mining camp when Kerr and another man had visited him. They began consuming high wine together and shortly after, Kerr allegedly asked La Cruz to perform oral sex on him. La Cruz had reportedly refused and an argument erupted among the three men. Kerr then asked his accomplice for a cartridge and loaded his shotgun.Reports stated that he then placed the weapon to La Cruz’s neck and pulled the trigger. La Cruz was reportedly found by police ranks lying motionless in his hammock and bleeding from a wound to his neck.

Strathspey man died from drowning- Autopsy reveals An autopsy report has disclosed that Shelton Harry, the 47-year-old Strathspey man whose partially decomposed body was found in a trench at Buxton, East Coast of Demerara (ECD), on Thursday, died from drowning.

The autopsy was conducted on Friday by State Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary between 10:35 to 11:00 hrs.

The partially decomposed body of Harry also known as Jimmy, of Lot 202 Area G, Strathspey, ECD, was discovered by a close acquaintance who knew Harry

by seeing him daily at an abandoned house next door to his property on Company Road, Buxton. The acquaintance previously related to this publication that he woke up to a stench emanating from in front of his yard and upon investigation he saw Harry s bloated body in a clump of bushes in the trench.

He immediately raised an alarm and the police were summoned to the location.

After the police showed up, the 46-year-old man was positively identified by his uncle, Gavin McPherson. No marks of violence were seen on his exposed body, which was

then taken to the Lyken Funeral Home. A post mortem examination (PME) is expected to be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Although he lived in Strathspey, he was known for doing odd jobs for residents within the village of Buxton and was described by villagers as easygoing. According to the police, Harry was a known alcoholic and was last seen on Tuesday at about 15:00 hrs. by his juvenile relative, lying on Company Road in a drunken state.Harrys body has since been handed over to his relatives for funeral arrangements.

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Sunday May 09, 2021

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Kaieteur News

Harris puts Aguilera to sleep with Anaconda choke in UFC debut

The Referee checks and is in the process of stopping the fight as Carlston Harris (right) locks the anaconda choke on Christian Aguilera last night.

Sunday May 09, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may be asked to slow down today. Whether this comes in the form of a speeding ticket or a scrape on the knee when you trip, you must listen to this message.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Practical matters involving home and family might need some attention today. This isn't anything alarming, just a few tasks that you may have put off, such as house cleaning or yard work.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Don't underestimate the power of other people today. They may se e m flighty and scatterbrained on the outside, but underneath you will find that they have a great deal of wisdom to share.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Remember that there's a benevolent force out there that loves you, Cancer. No matter what, there's always a shoulder to cry on, even if it isn't a tangible one.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't hesitate to say the obvious today, Leo, even if it sounds corny. Many times people hesitate to say what they really feel because they think it's obvious to everyone.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Look to older figures for advice today. Seek counsel with a parent or grandparent on issues you feel strongly about. Relationships with older people are likely to go especially well.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Consider composing a bit of poetry today, Libra. Use this as an exercise to condense your ocean of emotions into a very few words.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Just because your emotions are reserved or somber today doesn't mean you shouldn't share them with others. Work through difficulties by processing your feelings and running them by someone close.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You may need to jump to many different people and situations today, yet something is holding you back.

Listen to this inner voice that's asking you to be conservative at this time.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You feel like you have a stone strapped to your back.

The farther you walk with this load, the slower you go, and the more hunched over you will be by the time you reach your destination.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Feel free to break ties with certain people now. You may be overextending your emotional bank account by investing too much of yourself in others' lives.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Less is more should be your motto for today. The more you cut back in certain areas of your life, the more room you open up to bring in new and exciting things. Go ahead and say no to people, and don't feel badly about it.

Guyanese-born Carlston Harris beat American Christian Aguilera in vicious fashion via the anaconda choke route less than halfway through the opening round of their three-round fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in Las Vegas last night.

Fighting on the undercard of the event that featured a women’s Flyweight bout between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez, Harris made his debut in the UFC a most memorable one.

Hailing from Skeldon on the Corentyne, Berbice, the six foot, 170 pounds fighter started cautiously as his shorter opponent seemed busier of the two.

Both men landing feeling out blows and during one such exchange Harris seemed to connect and forced Aguilera on his bicycle and he sought to go to a clinch.

Known for his grappling ability and wicked submission holds, the Guyanese, who resides in neighbouring Brazil, did not disappoint, working his way into position and flipping the American into the

Carlston Harris is proudly draped in the Guyana and Brazilian flags during his post fight interview. dangerous anaconda choke hold, putting him to sleep in seconds, the watchful referee jumping in quickly to separate the pair and end the contest as Aguilera could not respond.

An ecstatic Harris thanked his Guyanese and many fans and also President Irfaan Ali for giving him permission to use the Guyana flag along with the Brazilian flag on entering the ring.

Harris dedicated the fight to the youths.

Harris has been fighting for nine years and was happy to be called for his UFC debut.

He has won three straight and

seven of his last eight fights which caught UFC matchmakers’ attention MMAMania website indicated. He has five stoppage wins in his last seven victories, which helped his cause.

In the co-main event, Donald Cerrone was to face Alex Morono in Welterweight action.

Seven countries were represented during last night’s action in the United States, Brazil, South Korea, Cameroon, Uzbekistan, Slovakia and Guyana, with Harris proudly flying the Guyana and Brazilian flags.

...Usain Bolt partners with From page 71 2017, is also a four-time Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and the winner of many other awards across the globe.

According to the publishers, The Opus will be the largest and most luxurious celebration of the sport’s greatest icon, measuring 60cm x 40cm, weighing in at 17kg.

Over 260 pages printed on luxurious silk paper will celebrate in the most dynamic way, using high definition photography presented in the most unique way like never before.

It will be in a hand-made clamshell presentation case with the release being followed by a limited number of editions that will be personally signed by Usain making it the greatest tribute to Usain Bolt ever.

An excited Bolt said he is eagerly anticipating the release of the publication. “ I was given the Manchester United OPUS as a gift a few years ago and am thrilled to finally have The Official Usain Bolt Opus,” he said.

“I have seen some sample pages already and am excited that it is going to look amazing and capture all the biggest moments in my career.”

The first editions will be ready for release and shipping later this year.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Former KC hurdler Sherwayne Allen the only black graduate in Pure Mathematics at Auburn SportsMax - When former Kingston College student-athlete Sherwayne Allen graduated from Auburn University on Saturday, May 1, he was the only black graduate with a degree in Pure Mathematics.

He was also the first member of his immediate family to graduate from university.

Saturday also marked the end of a journey of acquiring his first degree and the start of another, his pursuit of a Master’s in the field of Data Sciences.

Looking back at that day, Allen said it was an emotional time for him.

“I had mixed emotions at my graduation. When I think back to all the obstacles I have faced from Jamaica, in college, being the only black kid in the majority of these classes and was the only black graduate in Mathematics, to now reaching the climax of it all, I was elated so much so that I almost cried,” he told Sportsmax.TV. “Being the first of my immediate family to go to a university is a great accomplishment for me. Not having my parents experiencing university, made it somewhat of a challenge as certain questions I could not ask them and would have to seek outside help. But my parents are extremely proud of my achievements.

“However, I also had feelings of uncertainty of my next move, although I have opportunities awaiting me.

The emotions were so wild that two weeks prior I could not stay asleep. Most days I only got four hours of rest, even throughout my finals and leading up to the big day.”

Growing up, life itself was challenging for Allen.

The only child for Wayne and Sherrell Allen, Sherwayne was born into humble circumstances in Kingston where he spent the first six years of his life. He revealed that those early years were not easy for him or his family.

“Well, life for me growing up in Richmond Park was a challenge. Some days were worse than others, whether it was the occasional gunshots that would echo or the financial constraints of my parents which motivated me to want better for myself,” he said.

“I am the only child for both my parents. As far I can remember, initially, my dad was working at the JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transit Company) in Spanish Town before being laid off, while my mom went to school for fashion designing at Garmex in downtown Kingston.”

His parents eventually separated and he and his mother moved to Spanish Town, St. Catherine as she sought a better life for herself and her then six-year-old son.

“I moved to Angels (Estates) because my parents were having problems and my mom wanting a better life for us as a family. However, my dad did not come with us,” he recalled.

It was while living in Spanish Town he discovered his passion for engineering.

“I always had an interest in creating traps, trying to catch rodents in my backyard which was always unsuccessful,” he recalled.

“However, this sparked my enthusiasm for the field of engineering primarily civil engineering.”

While attending Angels Primary School, Sherwayne developed a liking for sports, specifically football and athletics but it was not until he attended Kingston College, that he found his niche in track and field as well as a lasting friendship with 200/400m standout Akeem Bloomfield.

“Kingston College was one of the best decisions of my life. Due to the ‘allroundedness’ of the institution, I was exposed to the different lifestyles of my brothers from different parts of Jamaica. While at KC, I started my career in the 800m before transitioning to the 400m hurdles as I thought it would be easier in obtaining a scholarship to study abroad,” he said.

“My friendship with Akeem started from fifth form while we both doing the sciences and track and field at the same time. I remember that year after we both started the season well, closer to the end we got injured. I got injured before Champs while he got injured during Champs and missing an opportunity to make a Jamaica team,” he recalled.

“We then both attended the same extra math class.

Coincidentally, we found out we lived in the same neighbourhood.”

Bloomfield, he revealed, influenced his decision to attend Auburn where the bond of friendship became even stronger.

Never an outstanding athlete at KC, Sherwayne did his best to contribute to the school’s pursuit of the coveted Mortimer Geddes trophy, the symbol of high school athletic supremacy at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships. Between

Sherwayne Allen 2012 and 2016, he earned valuable points for the school even as he missed out on medals in the 800m and 400m hurdles.

His performances, though, were good enough to win him a scholarship to Auburn University where while still being a middling performer in the 400m hurdles, he rubbed shoulders with World Championships gold medalists Jonielle Smith and Natalliah Whyte and also forged a new friendship with NCAA 400m m e d a l i s t a n d Wo r l d Championship finalist Nathon Allen. He also strengthened the bonds of a friendship that began at KC with Bloomfield.

But leaving Jamaica to attend school in Alabama, proved to be quite a challenge for Sherwayne, who lifted the lid on what life can be like as a studentathlete in a foreign land.

“The transition from Kingston to Auburn for me was a big culture shock as being from Jamaica to Alabama was an experience.

I oftentimes found it boring, accompanied by the fact that 90 per cent of people there were of different ethnicity, had a different culture, and as such had different ways of doing and saying stuff than what I was accustomed to,” he said.

“I always had to make

sure my English was clear and slow while communicating which initially was quite annoying.” There were other more significant challenges as well.

“I initially ventured off to Auburn to become a civil engineer. However, because of my lack of self-discipline at the time, I lost focus.

Because of scholarship requirements, I could not retake the class I had failed and had to switch my major.

The school wanted me to do Exercise Science or another “easy” major as it would have been easier for me to pass and compete at the same time,” he said.

“However, I had no intentions of doing that. I found Mathematics as a way of staying close to my dream at the time of becoming an engineer.”

He continued: “Life for me being a student-athlete was rough, especially for me doing such a demanding major. I remember day-afterday full of classes. I would have a workout where I was literally on the verge of seeing the face of God! “I would then have to take my dead legs up to get dinner really quick and head to tutoring. I would be there from 7 to 10, four days a week for the whole semester.

The challenges that came with that for me personally

was seeing other studentathletes partying, spending little to no time in tutoring and just living their best life.

Also being an athlete we had all these responsibilities, such as going to meetings and early morning drug tests while still having to be a student and maintain the grades in classes so that we can compete.”

However, it was not all bad. Having his fellow Jamaicans close by provided some measure of relief to the grind of life as a studentathlete.

“Sharing a dorm with Nathon was good. I didn’t know him prior, other than seeing him run and competing against Akeem.

However, he was very humble and quiet. We all built a brotherhood and camaraderie, especially seeing that we all came at the same time and being Jamaicans,” he said.

“I have fond memories of when we were all together always making jokes, cooking and playing games together.”

With graduation, Sherwayne has also chosen to close another chapter of his life as a student-athlete. ”My athletic career is done. I will take pride in watching Akeem, Nathon, Natalliah, Raheem, Jonielle and my other pro friends compete,” he said.

Coates says opposition a ‘concern’ but Tokyo Games will go ahead Reuters - Top Olympic official John Coates said yesterday that while Japanese sentiment turning against the Tokyo Games was a “concern”, he could foresee no scenario under which the sporting showpiece would not go ahead.

Questions have been raised about the viability of staging the Games in July and August with Tokyo in a state of emergency as Japan continues to struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coates, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) point

man for the Games as chair of the coordination commission, said he had no doubt that the Games, already postponed by a year because of the pandemic, would proceed as planned.

“Absolutely, it’s going ahead,” Coates told reporters after hosting the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) annual general meeting in Sydney. “The Prime Minister of Japan said that to the President of the United States two or three weeks ago. He continues to say that to the IOC.” Coates expressed

confidence that the “playbook” of health requirements for all participants unveiled by organisers last week was “a guide for a safe and successful Games”.

There is growing opposition in Japan towards the Olympics proceeding, however, and more than 230,000 people have signed a petition calling for them to be cancelled. “That is a concern,” Coates added. “I think that there’s a correlation between the numbers who are concerned about their safety with the numbers who have

been vaccinated in Japan.

“And the numbers are very small, particularly amongst the elderly. And so as the vaccine is rolled out in Japan, I think that will improve.” Coates said it was also important for organisers to relay to the Japanese public the effectiveness of the precautions put in place to protect them, as illustrated by the ongoing Olympic test events in Tokyo.

“These measures we’ve been taking and trialling at the test events are working,” the IOC vice president

added. “The athletes at the test events are in a similar Olympic bubble to that they will be at the Games.” Coates also hit out at the suggestion that the IOC was ploughing ahead with the Games “at all costs” to fulfill lucrative contracts with broadcasters and sponsors. “If we were doing that, we would have pushed ahead with them last year.

We didn’t,” he said.

“I don’t want these kids to miss the one opportunity they have in their lifetime. We’re doing it so these kids can fulfill their dreams.”

Kaieteur News

Sunday May 09, 2021

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Ecstatic Hamilton celebrates his 100th pole in Spain Reuters - Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula One driver to take 100 pole positions after lapping fastest for Mercedes in Spanish Grand Prix qualifying yesterday.

The 36-year-old was already way ahead of the rest in the record books, with retired Ferrari great and fellow seven-times champion Michael Schumacher second on the all-time list of polesitters with 68.

The Briton whooped with delight over the team radio as his engineer told him the news.

“I feel very humble, very grateful. I’m ecstatic, like it’s my first,” said Hamilton after the session at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

R e d B u l l ’s M a x Verstappen joined the championship-leading Briton, who has an eightpoint lead after three races, on the front row with a time 0.036 seconds slower and another wheel-to-wheel duel looming today.

Valtteri Bottas qualified third for Mercedes, a week after the Finn took pole in

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates after qualifying in pole position. (REUTERS/Nacho Doce)

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton reacts after qualifying in pole position. (Pool via REUTERS/Emilio Morenatti) Portugal.

H a m i l t o n ’s p o l e continued a remarkable run of Mercedes domination, with the champions taking the top slot in every race at the Spanish circuit since now-retired Nico Rosberg began the sequence in 2013.

“I can’t believe we’re at 100 and really it’s down to the men and women back at the factory who are continuously raising the bar and just never giving up,” said Hamilton, who will be chasing a record-extending 98th career win today.

“The support that I have, it’s been a dream for me to work with these guys, and the journey that we’ve been on has been immense.”

Only five constructors in the 71-year history of the sport have racked up 100 poles or more, and Hamilton’s milestone puts him far ahead even of Red Bull, who as a team have so far managed 64.

SHOULDER PAIN Hamilton, who took his first pole with McLaren in 2007, had set the fastest time of one minute 16.741

seconds with his first flying lap of the final phase and was unable to improve on it with his second.

It had looked like he had been slowed by Mexican Sergio Perez spinning his Red Bull ahead but there were no yellow warning flags. Perez told reporters afterwards that he had been struggling with pain in his left shoulder that became worse as the session, delayed 10 minutes for marshals to fix barriers, wore on.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fourth with

Esteban Ocon fifth on the grid for Alpine ahead of Ferrari’s Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo will line up seventh for McLaren, one place ahead of Perez, with McLaren’s Lando Norris qualifying ninth and Spaniard Fernando Alonso 10th for Alpine.

Norris had been fastest in the first phase of qualifying, with Verstappen on top in the second part with a stunning 1:16.922 lap.

Hamilton meanwhile

NBA roundup: Luka Doncic passes 5,000 career points in Mavs’ win

R

euters - Luka Doncic scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and passed the 5,000point plateau for his career as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 11090 Friday night.

With his seventh point of the game, Doncic, who played only 23 minutes, became the fourthyoungest NBA player (22 years, 67 days) to reach 5,000 points.

Only LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony were younger.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 points as the Mavericks won for the ninth time in their past 12 games.

Josh Richardson contributed 18 points for Dallas.

The Cavaliers have lost nine straight games and will host the Mavericks on Sunday in the second of two games between the teams this season. Collin Sexton scored 27 points for the Cavaliers.

Bulls 121, Celtics 99 Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished 10 assists to record his fourth career triple-double, and host Chicago cruised to a win over Boston.

Chicago’s Coby White finished

with 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting, including 7-of-12 success from beyond the 3-point arc. Zach LaVine also scored 25 for the Bulls, who won for the second time in as many nights after dropping their previous four games in a row.

Kemba Walker scored a seasonhigh 33 points to lead Boston. Evan Fournier contributed 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but Jayson Tatum made only 3 of 15 shots from the field and finished with nine points.

Heat 121, Timberwolves 112 Tyler Herro scored 27 points to spark host Miami during a victory over Minnesota.

Herro, who missed the previous six games due to an injury to his right foot, sparked the Heat with 14 first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler also returned after missing the Heat’s previous game and he finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals as Miami climbed up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Minnesota lost its third in a row despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ 27 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Suns 128, Knicks 105 Jae Crowder had a strong return after missing eight consecutive

games with an ankle injury by making six 3-pointers and finishing with 18 points in Phoenix’s win over visiting New York.

Deandre Ayton led Phoenix with 26 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 17 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Phoenix remains one game behind Utah in the Western Conference standings with only five games remaining.

Julius Randle led New York with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and RJ Barrett finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Derrick Rose

chipped in 17 points and six assists.

New York sits fourth in the Eastern Conference, one-half game better than Atlanta.

Trail Blazers 106, Lakers 101 Damian Lillard recorded 38 points and seven assists to lead Portland to a crucial victory over visiting Los Angeles.

CJ McCollum scored 21 points for the Trail Blazers, who moved into sixth place in the Western Conference, while dropping the Lakers into seventh place. The top six finishers avoid the play-in

made small adjustments to find more pace and getting the “lazy” car to turn as he wanted before the final shootout.

“It’s quite gusty around here so the wind changes a lot,” said Verstappen. “But nevertheless I think second for us here on this track was very good today. We know they are hard to beat around here but to be that close, I can be happy.”

No driver has won from pole so far this season but the Barcelona circuit rewards grid position more than most, with the winner coming from pole 22 times in 30 races to date.

Hamilton has won there five times, including the last four, and is chasing his third win of a season that has become a battle between him and Verstappen, who is also celebrating his own century of starts for Red Bull.

The 23-year-old triumphed on his team debut in Barcelona in 2016, becoming at 18 the youngest ever race winner.

Further down the grid, Williams’ George Russell made it through to the second phase to take 15th on the grid.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman (16) passes the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Richardson (0) (TimHeitman-USA TODAY Sports)

round.

Anthony Davis registered 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Lakers, who lost for the eighth time in the past 10 games.

Alex Caruso scored 18 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 for Los Angeles.

In other results: 76ers 109, Pelicans 107 Bucks 141, Rockets 133 Jazz 127, Nuggets 120 Spurs 113, Kings 104 Hornets 122, Magic 112 (Field Level Media)

Kaieteur News

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Brazil star Neymar signs contract extension to 2025 with PSG

P

ARIS (AP) — Neymar pledged to help Paris Saint-Germain finally win the ever-elusive Champions League trophy after signing a three-year contract extension yesterday, keeping the Brazil star at the ambitious club until 2025.

PSG posted a video of Neymar wearing a jersey with 2025 on the back and saying “Ici c’est Paris” — ‘This is Paris’, a favorite chant of the fans.

What they and the club demand is the Champions League, a trophy PSG has never won despite spending a world record 222 million euros ($270 million) on Neymar when he joined from Barcelona four years ago.

“Of course, my goal when I came was to help get Paris Saint-Germain to the top, among the very best, and we are getting close,” Neymar said. “We are gaining more and more experience to help us negotiate these types of games.”

Neymar was largely ineffective when PSG lost last year’s final 1-0 to Bayern Munich and made a limited impact when PSG was eliminated from the

Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, center, challenges PSG’s Neymar during the Champions League semifinal second leg soccer match between Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson) semifinals recently, losing both legs to Manchester City for an aggregate 4-1 loss.

“Paris is on the right track, we are getting closer and closer to the taste of winning the Champions League,” he said. “I’m sure we can do it.”

The 29-year-old Neymar would have been out of contract next June, along with striker Kylian Mbappe — who has yet to re-sign and has been linked with a move to Spanish giant Real Madrid.

“I’m really pleased to

continue my adventure at Paris Saint-Germain. I’m very happy in Paris, and proud to be part of this squad,” he said. “These are things that make me believe even more in this great project.”

Neymar also said he

wants to keep working with coach Mauricio Pochettino, who joined mid-season after now-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was fired.

Neymar called the Argentine “a great coach who will certainly help us even more.”

However, PSG is four points behind Lille in the French title race and faces a difficult trip to Rennes on Sunday.

Neymar has scored 85 goals in 112 games since joining along with Mbappe, who joined for 180 million euros ($219 million) from Monaco.

But Neymar hasn’t delivered on the biggest stage so far, failing to score in seven straight knockout games of the Champions League, and his leadership has also been questioned.

Neymar lost his temper and berated a teammate in the home leg against City.

He threw lavish birthday parties in February close to Champions League games and questions have been asked as to whether his persistent muscle injuries are linked to a lack of sufficient recovery.

“I have changed a lot. I have learned a lot. Things have happened that should not have happened,” Neymar

said. “We had fights, a few sad times, but overall, the evolution has been very positive.”

He has been riddled with foot and leg muscle injuries since his arrival, and has never played more than 20 of 38 league games in one season.

If he plays in PSG’s remaining three matches — starting away to Rennes today — he will have appeared in just 70 out of a possible 152.

Neymar has also had suspensions, missing five games after getting two red cards this campaign.

PSG has lost eight league games so far — five more than Lille — and the campaign was rocked early on after six players, including Neymar, Angel Di Maria and captain Marquinhos, came back from a club-sanctioned summer trip to Ibiza and tested positive for the coronavirus.

“I hope that the pandemic will end soon (and) that the fans will return to the stadium to support us and encourage us,” Neymar said.

The 22-year-old Mbappe is PSG’s top scorer with 37 goals in 43 games, including a league-leading 25.

UK adds Turkey to red list; UEFA insist Istanbul to host Champions League final

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BC Sports - The U E F A Champions League final will go ahead in Istanbul, Turkey, say UEFA despite two English clubs, Manchester City and Chelsea, reaching the showpiece event on May 29.

However, this stance has now been complicated as the UK government has just added Turkey to its ‘red list’ due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases, as travel is banned from the UK to Turkey.

That means fans will no longer be allowed to travel to watch the game, plus there will be complications about players and coaches who may not be exempt from quarantine procedures. This latest development, just 21 days before the final is due to take place, will no doubt force UEFA to rethink the host city for this season.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said this on the UEFA Champions League final: “Fans should not travel to Turkey. The FA are in discussions with UEFA

already on this. We are very open to hosting the final, but it is ultimately a decision for UEFA.” There have been calls from many fans and pundits to switch the venue from Istanbul to England, with Wembley Stadium and now Villa Park suggested as more sensible options for the final as the COVID-19 pandemic complicates travel, how many fans can attend and many other factors.

However, European soccer’s governing body have insisted that the final will go ahead, as planned, in Istanbul which was due to host the final last season before it was switched to Lisbon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The UEFA Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on 29 May with a limited number of spectators and we are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force until 17 May should not have any impact on the match,” UEFA said in a statement.

“UEFA continues to work closely with the

Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely. Detailed information regarding the capacity for the match, travel and ticketing details will be communicated publicly by the end of the week.”

Why are there calls to move the final?

With the coronavirus pandemic leading to restrictions on travel for fans of both Chelsea and Manchester City, plus a recent lockdown in the sprawling Turkish city, there are expected to be 25,000 fans at the Ataturk Stadium and just 4,000 tickets will be given to both English clubs for their fans.

If the final was held at either Wembley of Villa Park, it is believed that UK government restrictions could be eased to allow a similar number, if not more fans, to attend.

Our partners in the UK at Sky Sports say that Villa Park has put itself forward as a last-minute solution and its location in Birmingham is smack bang in the middle of

Manchester and London, so it would be the perfect neutral venue.

That said, this is about more than just making it easy for fans of Chelsea and Manchester City, plus the teams, to travel to the final.

UEFA is the governing body of European soccer and has the best interests of European soccer, as a whole, at its core.

Over 12,500 locals are expected to be in attendance for the final in Istanbul and those fans will witness two superb teams going at it for the biggest prize in European club soccer. That will be epic to see in person and you would be taking that experience away from people in Turkey who have been looking forward to this for a long, long time.

Does it make sense for two English teams to travel to Istanbul during a pandemic to play a 90minute game? No, not really.

And given the latest UK government restrictions, it will be tough for UEFA to justify staging the game in Turkey.

But there are so many other factors which come into play here and Istanbul will argue it deserves to be

the host city and having the eyes of the world on it will benefit it financially and beyond.

Kaieteur News

Sunday May 09, 2021

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FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifying

No letting up on intensity as ‘Golden Jaguars’ keep focus on training pitch

By Franklin Wilson Rain or no rain the Senior M e n ’s N a t i o n a l Te a m (SMNT) training scheduled has continued at the Guyana Football Federation National Training Centre, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Yesterday, Kaieteur Sport visited the team during their morning training session led by Head Coach Márcio Máximo, his Assistants, Toledo Wilson and Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, Goalkeeper Coach Ian Deviera along with other National Coaches, Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover, Sampson Gilbert and Vurlon Mills.

Training re-commenced some three weeks ago following Guyana’s first round of qualifying matches

in March 2021 held in the Dominican Republic for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Concacaf which saw the ‘Golden Jaguars’ going down to Trinidad and Tobago 0-3 but rebounded to trounce Bahamas, 4-0 in their second match to close out that round of qualifying.

Now the focus is on the next round which will be contested in June when the Guyanese face host St. Kitts and Nevis away on the 4th with the likely possibility of their home game against Puerto Rico on June 8th also being played in St. Kitts & Nevis owing to the continued challenges being faced by the covid-19 pandemic and Guyana being listed as a level 4 nation.

Máximo shared that

GFF SMNT Head Coach Márcio Máximo supervising his charges during yesterday’s training at the GFF National Training Centre, Providence, EBD. (Franklin Wilson photo) despite the bad weather, some 27 players braved the elements to attend the session which was intense.

“Of course you know the guys have been responding well, we trained for around two and a half hours and the guys showed some signs of tiredness towards the end which is natural, but they must be commended for their commitment and intensity. What it continues to prove is that the players

South America C/Ships set for Ecuador this month-end

By Calvin Chapman A host and new date for the 2021 South America senior athletics championships has been finalised after weeks of suspense threatened a possible cancellation of the event after initial host Argentina announced two weeks before the original scheduled date of May 14-16 that they will not be able to host the meet due to rapidly rising covid19 cases and changes to protocols in the nation.

Head of the local governing track & field body, Aubrey Hutson, during an invited comment with this p u b l i c a t i o n y e s t e r d a y, detailed that the members of Atletismo Sudamericano (South America Athletics) formerly Consudatle (South American Confederation), had a very fruitful meeting in which a consensus was made to have the Championships held in Guayaquil, Ecuador from the 29th – 31st of this month.

Hutson revealed that a total of three countries decided to throw their hat into the ring after Argentina announced that they would’ve been unable to host mainly due to the new covid19 protocols that mandates visitors from Brazil to be

Aubrey Hutson Head of the AAG

quarantined for no less than 10 days. Those nations included eventual host Ecuador, the covid-19 ravished Brazil and Colombia.

The main concerns for the member associations was the covid-19 situation in Brazil, while others noted that their countries have strict guidelines pertaining to travelers from that country which has resulted in many not being able to return home after a visit to the iconic carnival nation.

Hutson iterated that he voted in favour for Ecuador because there, athletes would have more freedom to move about with lesser restrictions; which was p r o v i d e d w i t h documentation. He continued that while the Colombian athletics association did promise less

restrictions for athletes entering to compete, they did not provide the necessary documentation.

Now, the AAG once again will face an uphill battle to gather sufficient funding with the competition being three weeks away.

Hutson mentioned to Kaieteur Sport that the AAG are aiming to have a 10athlete contingent participate with ticket prices ranging from us$800-1500 for US based athletes, while the local based athletes’ ticket prices would be upwards in the region of us$1600.

The shortlisted athletes include Winston George, Quamel Prince, Jeremy Bascombe, Emanuel Archibald, Akeem Stewart, Arince Chance, Devaun Barrington, Andrea Foster, Aliyah Abrams & Jasmine Abrams.

understands our philosophy because soon the league comes again, soon we have games for the local players and they should maintain the high intensity then based on what we are doing now.”

He reiterated that the young generation of players deserves the chance to represent the nation with training now taking place four times weekly. “I Think that we are going in the correct way,” he noted.

Noting that you must take the good with the bad as the process of rebuilding the brand continues, the Brazilian tactician reminded that the process of excelling

would not be achieved overnight, it will take time with deliberate effort and steps being taken along the way.

“Not only the local group, but even the overseas group needs to be renewed with more young players. As you would have seen, for our first two games we selected about five overseas players with an average age of 22 and we did not do too badly.

We need to go this way to guarantee not only the present, but our future as a nation.”

Looking ahead to the two matches, Máximo reminded that both matches would be

difficult encounters playing away but believes that Guyana has an equal chance to move on to the next round.

“I saw St. Kitts, they have a lot of foreign players too and use a lot of local players like we are doing here and I think that it would be an interesting game.

Always we are positive and optimistic that we can take a good result and go to the last round with a chance to qualify.”

The tactical, physical and mental preparations will continue as the GFF strives towards ensuring that Guyana has the best possible chance of moving forward.

Real, Barca, Juve denounce ‘intolerable’ pressure to abandon Super League Reuters - Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, the three clubs still involved in the proposed European Super League, denounced yesterday the “intolerable” pressure put on them by UEFA to drop the project.

UEFA said on Friday that the three clubs will face sanctions and European soccer’s ruling body has started disciplinary proceedings against them.

A breakaway Super League set up by 12 clubs was announced last month but fell apart after 48 hours.

The nine other clubs, including six English Premier League teams, backed out of the plan and have signed a “Club Commitment Declaration” including a series of reintegration steps.

“The founding clubs have suffered, and continue to suffer, unacceptable thirdparty pressures, threats, and offenses to abandon the project,” Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus said

in a joint statement.

“This is intolerable under the rule of law and Tribunals have already ruled in favour of the Super League proposal, ordering FIFA and UEFA to, either directly or through their affiliated bodies, refrain from taking any action which may hinder this initiative in any way while court proceedings are pending.”

The Super League argued it would increase revenue for the top clubs in Europe and allow them to distribute more money to the rest of the game.

UEFA, other teams and fan organisations, however, said the league would only boost the power and wealth of elite clubs.

Juve, Real and Barca said they were ready to reconsider the proposed approach of the breakaway project following the backlash, but said it would be “highly irresponsible” for them to abandon the project.

“We are fully aware of

the diversity of reactions to the Super League initiative and, consequently, of the need to reflect on the reasons for some of them,” their statement added. “ We a r e r e a d y t o reconsider the proposed approach, as necessary.

“However, we would be highly irresponsible if, being aware of the needs and systemic crisis in the football sector... we abandoned such mission to provide effective and sustainable answers to the existential questions that threaten the football industry.”

The nine clubs who pulled out of the Super League have agreed to “take all steps within their power” to end their involvement in the league.

They have been handed financial punishments by UEFA and have agreed to make a combined 15 million euros goodwill contribution to benefit youth and grassroots soccer across Europe.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday May 09, 2021

Coates says opposition a ‘concern’ Abid hits double century as Pakistan but Tokyo Games will go ahead leave struggling Zimbabwe on ropes Reuters - Top Olympic official John Coates said yesterday that while Japanese sentiment turning against the Tokyo Games was a “concern”, he could foresee no scenario under which the sporting showpiece would not go ahead.

Questions have been raised about the viability of staging the Games in July and August with Tokyo in a state of emergency as Japan continues to struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coates, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) point man for the Games as chair of the coordination commission, said he had no doubt that the Games, already postponed by a year because of the pandemic, would proceed as planned.

“Absolutely, it’s going ahead,” Coates told reporters after hosting the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) annual general meeting in Sydney.

“The Prime Minister of Japan said that to the President of the United States two or three weeks ago. He continues to say that to the IOC.” Coates expressed confidence that the “playbook” of health requirements for all participants unveiled by organisers last week was “a guide for a safe and successful Games”.

There is growing

Unbeaten double century for Pakistan’s Abid Ali.

John Coates, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020, speaks during a joint press conference with the organizers of Tokyo 2020 at Harumi Island Triton Square Tower Y in Tokyo, Japan November 18, 2020. (Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Pool via REUTERS) opposition in Japan towards the Olympics proceeding, however, and more than 230,000 people have signed a petition calling for them to be cancelled.

“That is a concern,” Coates added. “I think that there’s a correlation between the number s w h o ar e concerned about their safety with the numbers who have been vaccinated in Japan.

“And the numbers are very small, particularly amongst the elderly. And so as the vaccine is rolled out in Japan, I think that will improve.”

Coates said it was also important for organisers to relay to the Japanese public the effectiveness of the precautions put in place to protect them, as illustrated

India name squad for World Test Championship final and England tour BBC Sport - India have named a 20-man squad, with four players on standby, for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand and the series against England this summer.

Virat Kohli will lead India against New Zealand at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl on 18 June.

They will then face England in a five-Test series in August and September.

Ravindra Jadeja returns from injury having missed the 3-1 home series win over England earlier this year.

However, fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya and spinner Kuldeep Yadav have not been named in the squad, while batsman KL

by the ongoing Olympic test events in Tokyo.

“These measures we’ve been taking and trialling at the test events are working,” the IOC vice president added. “The athletes at the test events are in a similar Olympic bubble to that they will be at the Games.”

Coates also hit out at the suggestion that the IOC was ploughing ahead with the Games “at all costs” to fulfill lucrative contracts with broadcasters and sponsors.

“If we were doing that, we would have pushed ahead with them last year. We didn’t,” he said.

“I don’t want these kids to miss the one opportunity they have in their lifetime.

We’re doing it so these kids can fulfill their dreams.”

AFP - Pakistan took total control on the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club yesterday, outclassing the home side with both bat and ball to take a big step towards sealing a 2-0 series victory.

Zimbabwe were 52 for four at the close in reply to Pakistan’s 510 for eight declared, 458 runs behind.

Opening batsman Abid Ali made 215 not out and Nauman Ali slammed 97 before being stumped off a wide.

The Zimbabwe innings got off to a bad start when 36year-old debutant Tabish Khan struck in his first over before a run had been scored.

Three more wickets fell before the close and Zimbabwe looked in desperate trouble with Roy Kaia not coming out to bat after being struck a heavy blow on his left knee while fielding at short leg on F r id a y. K a i a w a s Zimbabwe’s top-scorer with 48 when Zimbabwe were routed by an innings and 116

runs in the first Test of the two-match series.

He did not return to the field and seemed to be walking with difficulty on a heavily-strapped leg on the boundary edge yesterday.

Zimbabwe went into the match with three leading batsmen missing because of injury. Zimbabwe’s bowlers competed reasonably well until lunch yesterday but took a hammering during the afternoon as Abid and Nauman plundered 169 off 199 balls for the eighth wicket.

The innings ended in bizarre circumstances.

Nauman was 93 not out at tea. He hit the first ball after the interval for four but lifted his back foot after leftarm spinner Tendai Chisoro bowled a wide.

Wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva reacted quickly and took off the bails, with a television replay confirming that Nauman was out.

He had hit 97 off 104 balls with five sixes and nine fours. Having scored most of his runs behind or square of

the wicket in scoring his first 150, Abid blossomed with some handsome drives during the afternoon.

Abid faced 407 balls and hit 29 fours in beating his previous highest score in Tests of 174 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2019/20.

Tabish, a veteran of 598 wickets in 137 first-class matches, shared the new ball with Shaheen Shah Afridi, who started with a maiden over.

Tabish set up Tarisai Masakanda with a series of deliveries outside the off stump then trapped the batsman leg before wicket with a full delivery which snaked back.

Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi and off-spinner Sajid Khan all took wickets as only Regis Chakabva, on 28 not out, was able to reach double figures.

Stumps: Zimbabwe 52 for 4 (Chakabva 28*, Sajid 1-0, Hasan 1-7) trail Pakistan 510 for 8 dec (Abid 215*, Nauman 97, Muzarabani 3-82) by 458 runs.

India captain Virat Kohli (left) got the better of England skipper Joe Root in a 3-1 home series win earlier this year. (Getty Images) Rahul and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha are included, subject to fitness.

India squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vicecaptain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (subject to fitness clearance).

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla.

Nauman Ali sweeps the ball in the air, Pakistan vs South Africa, 2nd Test, Rawalpindi, 4th day, February 7, 2021 © Getty Images/AFP

Kaieteur News

Sunday May 09, 2021

Cartabo Power Rangers, Eddie SC triumph

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Guyana Community of Services supports B’ce Coach

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oseph Ramkumar, Proprietor of the Payless Varity Store and founder of the Guyana Community of Services was on hand at the Rose Hall Town Branch of the Payless Va r i e t y i n C o r e n t y n e Berbice as a presentation w as made to Berbice Cricket Board Coach Winston Smith.

The presentation was by TV personality Rajan Tiwari

to Coach Smith, who works with both female and male players in Guyana’s second largest County.

Smith, who represents the Guyana Community of Services in Berbice, was recognised for his contribution to the development of Cricket in the Ancient County.

T h e G u y a n a Community of Services, a non-profitable organisation

that do different programmes to obtain funding for sports persons and the team is made up of Eugene Noel (chairman), Jumbie Jones, Rajan Tawari, Leslie Black, Bill Rogers and founder Joseph Ramkumar among others.

The Guyana committee of service has embarked on numerous fund raiser ventures to aid sportspersons in need of assistance.

Usain Bolt partners with Opus for release of luxury publication scheduled for release in the fall

The victorious Cartabo Power Rangers. artabo Power Rangers and Eddie Sports Club won the male and female segment when the Eddie Sports Club hosted a fund raising softball competition recently at the Bartica Community Centre ground.

In the male final, Cartabo beat Bataria Five Stars by

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eight wickets.

Bataria Five Stars batted first and managed 73-4 from their five overs. Mark Clark made 40 and Ivor Boyal 15.

Andrew Simmons took two wickets. Cartabo Power Rangers responded with 752 in 4.3 overs. Simmons made 33 to take the man-ofthe-match award.

In the female segment,

Eddie Sports Club overcame De Warriors by eight wickets. De Warriors took first strike and scored 36-6 in five overs. Shena John made 16 as Tesha Kenswil and Wendy Daniels took two wickets each. Eddie SC replied with 38-2 in 4.1 overs. Kenswil made 20 and Fiona Mentis 11. Kensil was voted player-of-the-match.

Members of the Eddie Sports Club female team with organiser Edward Skeete at left.

SportsMax - Opus, a leading publisher of luxury limited-edition books in sports, film and entertainment, has announced a partnership with Usain Bolt to produce the publication of Bolt – The Opus, a luxury limited edition, capturing iconic Olympic moments and treasured memories of the

eight-time Olympic gold medalist and 100m and 200m world record holder.

Bolt - The Opus will honour the achievements of the iconic Jamaican, who is regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time having won eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championship gold medals and who continues to inspire

young people from all backgrounds, cultures and nations.

In addition, the Bolt Foundation serves to create opportunities through education and cultural development for positive changes to help children live their dreams.

Bolt, who retired in (Continued on page 65)