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Friday Edition

AIETEUR

November 05, 2021 - Vol. 14 No. 45 Online: www.kaieteurnews.com Online Price $80 readership yesterday, 81,322

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Jagdeo’s excuse for Govt.’s failure to audit Exxon’s US$10B expenses is “irresponsible and misleading” - Chris Ram Czech Republic Exxon's environmental studies to exclude power interested in revitalizing plant, industrial zone Guyana's sugar industry US$900M Gas-to-Shore project...

Court orders GRA to handover tax documents to SOCU for money laundering investigation es u n i t on c t s e t o r to p e e g n Th . a t h c c a r r t fo n o c s ’ l bi o M n Exxo

US CDC recommends NBS/Arjoon appeal further COVID-19 vaccine deferred as court considers for children 5-11 judge's request to recuse self

ExxonMobil tops list of lobby offenders holding back climate action Report finds…

Jagdeo signals likely increase

in cost of US$900M Gas-to-Shore project

…says it's a bad time to bid for anything but we have to proceed

Listen to VP. Jagdeo, Dr. Singh in their own words, the danger on Kaieteur Radio 99.1/99.5FM they are creating for us and future generations.@11:00hrs

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 05, 2021

Jagdeo’s excuse for Govt.’s failure to audit Exxon’s US$10B expenses is

“irresponsible and misleading” “Irresponsible, misleading and unfortunate” were just some of the words Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law, Christopher Ram used to describe the excuse recently proffered by Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo for the government's failure to audit ExxonMobil's expenses within the two-year deadline prescribed in the lopsided Stabroek Block deal.

Ram recalled that the Vice President during his latest press conference had said the government is disappointed that it has not been able to push through with critical audits, which cover over US$9B in expenditure for the Stabroek Block's Liza Phase One and Two Projects.

Expounding further, the Vice President said, “We have been very disappointed that we have not been able to select a group to do the audit

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

of the post-2017 expenditure

by Exxon. The reason is that we didn't have strong local content. We had two groups, two local groups that came in but they were not strong enough. We want to build the capacity

in Guyana to do this audit.

We think that our people have enormous skills, forensic skills and auditing c a p a c i t y . ” The former President added, “…we're looking to

see if we can't have an arrangement where we have a consortium of our local people to come together to do part of this work while working alongside an international group…”

Upon noting the foregoing, Ram told Kaieteur News during an exclusive interview that it is “both misleading and unfortunate” for Jagdeo to lament the absence of local capacity to audit the costs reported by the

- Chris Ram

oil companies. Significantly, Ram said the statement is inconsistent with the Government's own advertisement inviting bids to audit the contract costs.

Ram said, “It was directed to 'internationally recognised accounting and audit firms with extensive experience in … auditing petroleum costs under production sharing contracts and other petroleum agreements and its (sic) fiscal implications.'

Were firms expected to lie about their status and capacity, or was it a condition of the World Bank's US$20 million for a project which includes the audit?”

Speaking to the history of audits of petroleum costs, the Chartered Account said this goes back to the 1999 Agreement signed by the PPP Government, which imposed a two-year limit on the Minister responsible for (Continued on page 17)

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Friday November 05, 2021

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ExxonMobil tops list of lobby offenders holding back climate action Report finds…

ExxonMobil and Chevron are the world's most obstructive organisations when it comes to resistance to governments setting climate policies, according to research into the “prolific and highly sophisticated” lobbying ploys used by the fossil fuel industry.

The biggest US oil companies, as well as the American Petroleum Institute (API), a lobby group, were found to be the worst offenders in a global report by lobbying experts at the think-tank Influence Map. It concluded that companies were manipulating governments to take “incredibly dangerous paths” in their approach to climate action.

Oil giants have mounted “intense resistance” to Joe Biden's green agenda, according to the report, as the U.S. President's

ExxonMobil's Darren Woods has been accused of lying to Congress after he denied that the company covered up its own research about oil's contribution to the climate crisis. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP administration attempted to shift the country away from fossil fuels.

The report was published on Thursday before talks at

the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. It also came a week

VP Jagdeo wants transparency in City Hall land sales Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo is urging members of the City Council to take steps to implement a more transparent process to adequately conduct the sale of properties under its purview.

Addressing concerns during a press conference on T u e s d a y, t h a t “ s o m e persons,” attached to the council have been looking to sell off prime city properties without adequate approval from the appropriate authority in the Council itself. VP Jagdeo recommended that the transactions be made via p u b l i c t e n d e r. “ We understand that there is a cabal going around trying to find out about all the little bits of land that the City Council owns in the city, including on the waterfront, and they have been quietly trying to broker deals with individuals…” Jagdeo disclosed. He recommends that, “If the City Council wants to sell or lease its land out, it should go through a public process.

He explained that: “…Because the brokered deals are generating bribes for some of the people there and the City Council gets just a tiny fraction of the market value of the rental or

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo the sale of the land ...So the City Council cannot maximize its value.”

Jagdeo's comments follow days after the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development announced in a statement that, along with other relevant governance bodies, they continue to monitor the Georgetown City Council.

It was added that here appears to be “a nefarious scheme,” by “some members to undervalue and rapidly dispose of certain city properties. “This is despite concern expressed by the Government over previous attempts.

The Local Government Ministry, therefore, warned the City Council that it will

not condone nor stand idly by, while they continue to pursue actions for negotiated disposal of the city's assets in a manner that contravenes high standards of accountability, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law. As such, the Ministry noted that the reports are being taken with the utmost levels of seriousness, with the relevant authorities being placed on high alert to prevent the transaction(s) from being carried out.

“Members of the City Council must understand that Georgetown and its assets, though within the management ambit of the council, do not constitute personal property in part or whole and, therefore, cannot be sold off based on personal interests nor based on the whims and fancies of its members, and that these plans must cease forthwith,” the Ministry added in its statement.

Further, the Ministry called on the City Council to take careful note of the resolve of the Government on “this crucial matter and avoid the swift and decisive consequences that would be accorded to all parties if these nefarious and dubious deals being contemplated are carried out.”

after ExxonMobil's chief executive, Darren Woods, was accused of lying to the U.S. Congress when he denied that the company had covered up its own research about oil's contribution to the climate crisis.

The report said corporate lobbying tactics explained, in part, why regulators in some countries, such as Australia have struggled to

build support for more ambitious climate policy in the lead-up to COP26, and were increasingly viewed as “a road block in global negotiations”.

Toyota was the worstranked carmaker and the third-ranked offender overall in the report, which drew from more than 50,000 pieces of evidence, covering hundreds of the world's most significant firms and trade groups, to analyze corporate climate lobbying activities.

The report put Toyota among some of the worst polluting companies in the world, because of its opposition to phase out deadlines for fossil fuel and hybrid vehicles.

Ed Collins, a director at Influence Map, said it was clear that the transition to a clean energy future would remain extremely challenging until governments took meaningful action to tackle “the obstructive and antiscience lobbying of vested interests from fossil fuel value chain sectors”.

“The corporate playbook for holding back climate policy has come a long way

from science denialism but it is every bit as damaging,” he said.

“What we are seeing is not limited to efforts to undermine regulations directly. It also involves prolific and highly sophisticated narrative capture techniques, leading governments down incredibly dangerous paths.”

The think-tank's report noted a strong shift among many fossil fuels companies towards pro-gas lobbying and away from coal. This includes lobbying from BP, which was ninth on the global list, the Austrian energy company OMV, which was 10th, and the Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom, which was 17th.

A spokesperson for Exxon said: “There are competing views about how best to address the risks of climate change.

ExxonMobil supports certain climate policies and opposes others. But it would be a mistake to equate such policy disagreements with promotion of climate 'disinformation.'”

(The Guardian)

Govt. to subsidize electricity to 5,000 more homes The Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, said that she is delighted to be able to deliver on yet another promise focused on providing relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Minister Persaud, she is committed to providing vulnerable citizens with financial support, and the Ministry has extended the Government's 75 kilowatts per hour (kWh) campaign to an additional 5,000 households, which will spread across Guyana's ten regions.

“It is envisaged that before the end of November, everybody would have benefitted from that measure, which I think will go a long way to alleviating expenses that they would have experienced through GPL and light usage or electricity usage. You know this is a commitment that would have been made and we have definitely delivered on that.”

This electricity relief initiative is the creation of President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, which he had announced in August, along with the $25,000 one-off cash grant that targets old age pensioners, public assistance recipients, and persons living with disabilities.

During his address, President Ali declared that the electricity credit will be paid to the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), on behalf of households consuming

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud 75 Kilowatts per hour (KWH) or less per month. Moreover, the Minister explained that the one-month free electricity programme, thus far, assisted 49,966 households to the tune of $187.4 million of which 42,724 post-paid and 7,242 pre-paid paid customers saw an automatic reduction on their October 2021 bill.

Meanwhile, the Human Services Ministry is currently contacting the additional 5,000 households to benefit from the project.

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Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

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

The Chinese are coming The Chinese are coming with more and more strength in more places. Chinese companies are heading the pack for such juicy projects as the New Demerara Bridge, and the revived Amaila Falls Project, with more big multimillion projects most likely in the works. We make clear where we stand with Chinese companies coming here to do business.

We have serious problems with how the Chinese company responsible for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project has delivered on its obligations. We are upset that it has been allowed to get away with the equivalent of contract murder, and then top it all off by insulting us.

This has been done through more delays, more cost overruns, and more lame excuses. Government after government, and their respective ministers in charge of the airport project, have been pushed around, run over, and made fools of, without qualm or hesitation by officials of the Chinese company awarded the contract to modernise our international airport.

We want and welcome the Chinese corporations and expertise that they bring in answer to the needs of Guyana.

But this we must make clear: WE AT THIS PAPER WANT AND WELCOME ONLY CLEAN COMPANIES WITH CLEAN HISTORIES AND CLEAN PEOPLE. What we say and write about Chinese companies apply to all foreign companies coming here and seeking lucrative business opportunities. In fact, this also applies to local companies bidding to get a piece of the Guyana pie. It is the only way that we get value for money, and the Guyanese taxpayers are not given the goods again, but receive goods and services and results that stand up to the test of time and rigorous usage.

Yet, the mystifying continues to occur, and as if our leaders, the ones making the decisions at the Cabinet level as to which companies are given the coveted “no objection” go ahead, don’t care who they partner with to execute the business of the people of this nation. The mystifying takes place when Chinese companies (and others from other places) with a lengthy record of either corruption or late delivery or project failure are repeatedly greeted with red carpet embrace, shortlisted, and gifted with “no objection” greenlighting.

It seems that the more we have reported on such companies, sometimes on an almost weekly basis, the more they rush here, and the more they are rewarded by our conniving political leaders, in association with their collaborating handpicked bureaucrats, with handsome business opportunities. It is a well-known fact that Guyanese have had problems, and continue to do so, with foreign companies in a number of its rich, largely unexplored, and wide-open natural resources sector. The same is also true of this country’s behind the times and many infrastructural needs also. For their part, our political leaders from the different governments, and the Ministers responsible for related portfolios, such as Natural Resources and Public Works, position themselves with only a couple of priorities in mind. The first is how to make political foes look bad, while making themselves look good, on the job, in charge, knowing what they are doing, and pushing for fulfillment of contract obligations. It is all smoke and froth, while the foreign companies lay low, let the heat pass by, and everything goes back to the usual routines.

That is, more delays, more corruptions, and more cost overruns, and all of which are followed by more fancy ministerial speeches pretending at the forceful. On another note, many ranking foreign officials in companies worldwide have earned troubling reputations for doing business in largely underhanded ways. They will partake in bribing local leaders and public service officials to make things favour them. Western company seniors are not above such malpractices, but it could be said with some reasonable accuracy that it is a part of the cut-throat competition and culture of companies from the east.

So, when we hear Guyanese political leaders touting the benefits of partnerships with the Chinese, the first question that we ask ourselves is this: what is in for them (the Guyanese politicians) at the individual level? Is it a case of the usual mutual backscratching that ignores all the corruption records of before? This would include anyone and everyone, everywhere.

Techniques of child sexual groomers Dear Editor, Child Sexual Abuse is very commonplace within Guyana, affecting children of all genders and backgrounds.

While abusers are often painted as being strangers in the dark, the reality is that they are usually persons that are known and trusted by the child and their family and very often are family members.

This is why it is important to develop and maintain open communication with children while encouraging bodily autonomy and keeping an eye on the adults around your child – even if they are family members and trusted friends.

Child Sexual Grooming can often be a bit difficult to spot given that groomers look and operate much like any other person. On the surface, grooming can look like an innocent close relationship between the adult perpetrator, the targeted child and even the child’s caregivers. This calculated support they offer helps the perpetrator to gain the trust and attention of the child.

Most groomers utilize various grooming techniques

by which they break down the boundaries of both the child and their parents. While the child is the main target, groomers will also groom the parents/caregivers of the child in order to lower suspicion and gain unfettered access to the child.

Often, they target and prey on vulnerable children who might exist in chaotic, neglectful and/or impoverished homes. These sexual predators would exploit the vulnerabilities of the child by seeking to fulfill their needs. This can take several forms such as giving affection or attention to the child, gifts, money and opportunities they might not have access to. Once they have set themselves up as someone the child can rely upon, they will seek out opportunities to be alone with the child and will attempt to further isolate them from other relationships through emotional manipulation.

Commonly, this can look like the groomer telling the child that no one cares for them the way they do.

With an emotional

dependence built, they will quickly begin sexualising the relationship with the child through things such as sexual conversations, pictures and touching, which will eventually develop into sexual abuse. Once sexual abuse is initiated, the abuser will begin using tactics such as secrecy, blame and threats to maintain control over the child so as to keep them silent.

Perpetrators will rarely be caught in the act of abusing a child, but they are frequently observed to press and break boundaries.

Whenever this is observed, it is important to describe how inappropriate the behaviour is and to let them know you are keeping an eye on them, and also ensure that your child is not left alone with them. Having open conversations with your child about the importance of not keeping secrets and family rules about how adults engage with your children can go a long way in helping to ease the possibility of sexual grooming and violence.

Ensuring that you teach

your child about consent and bodily autonomy will let them know that it is okay to say “no” to adults, making them less vulnerable to the tactics of groomers.

It is important to note that grooming is not always obvious, as groomers work hard to gain the trust of you and your child, so trusting your instincts is very important.

If something does not feel right about the interest an adult is showing in your child, trust that feeling and do not let them be alone with your child or do any favours for your family.

While identifying child sexual groomers can often be a bit difficult, keeping in mind some of the techniques that they utilise can aid significantly in identifying harmful behaviours and keeping your child safe from sexual predators.

Akola Thompson Blue Umbrella Consultant, ChildLinK To report or seek counseling, please call 914/ 227-0979/227-2023/2333500

Fundamental factors demonstrated by COP26 Dear Editor, If there are three fundamental factors that COP26 has demonstrated up to this point, they are as follows: 1. G l o b a l i s a t i o n continues to be a formidable, living reality. While for small developing economies, there are numerous negative socioeconomic consequences associated with globalisation, COP26 has demonstrated that globalisation by its very nature, can bring about certain positive outcomes; 2. Global Governance based on new modalities of partnerships between countries of the North and the South has proven at COP26 that partnerships based on mutual respect, common interests and solidarity is a sine qua non for solutions to global problems; 3. I n t e r n a t i o n a l Cooperation can play a powerful role to address mankind’s pressing problems as was demonstrated in the case of the fight to harness the COVID-19 global pandemic and to push an effective international vaccination exercise.

Just as COP26 has brought about a commitment to remove ‘walls’ around national jurisdictions on questions such as cutting methane emissions by 30 percent and their journey to net zero, ending deforestation by 2030, and to speed-up affordable and

clean technology worldwide by 2030, it is reasonable to be equally optimistic that the ‘walls’ created by xenophobic and nationalistic regimes, particularly in Europe, to keep out refugees and migrants are bound to crumble like those of Jericho.

And though the prospects to end global poverty and hunger by conventional means have proven to be elusive thus far, it is only a matter of time when the world will come together just as it did at COP26 to find a way to end, if not reduce these global maladies utilising the road to climate change as one of the routes to achieve these goals.

While the so-called ‘Glasgow Breakthroughs’ on power, steel, road transport, hydrogen, agriculture at COP26 are instructive, the ‘breakthroughs’ have, thus far, fell short of the expectations of mainly the small economies, low- lying costal states and small island developing states. However, looked at from a global perspective the ‘Breakthroughs’ appear to be steps in the right direction.

At COP26 Energy Day, Energy Ministers from around the world will be discussing ways to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by making engines that drive industries cleaner.

Clashes of national interests are expected because the industrialised countries that caused the

problem are now calling on developing countries to reduce their dependency on oil, gas and other fossil fuels in order to reduce adding more greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.

In other words, to cut off one foot and run.

Of interest is the fact that thus far, of the 190 plus participating countries only 23 have committed to phasing out coal power while only 25 have committed to ending the unabated use of fossil fuel.

And notwithstanding the undertaking by the UK government to ‘rewire the global financial system’ to unlock the Paris agreed US$130 trillion to fund the green transition at a global level, the evolving skepticism on the part of developing countries, is based on their historical experiences whereby the financial commitment made six years ago in Paris by the industrialised countries to assist developing countries with their adaptation and mitigation efforts was not realized.

Thus, the trillion-dollar question is whether similar commitments made at COP26 will be realized and at what pace.

To address this burning issue, an important COP26 meeting of the ‘Coalition of Finance Ministers For Climate Action’ with the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) was

convened.

According to a ‘Chairs Joint COP26’ Statement: ‘The Finance Ministers recognised that their ministries need to step-up action to accelerate the decarbonisation of their economies and to ensure a just and orderly transition that is positive for jobs, growth and competitiveness.’

The Statement went on to add that: ‘The Ministers shared perspectives on policy options developed in different contexts and regions, and how they can use the levers at their disposal to implement a systemic shift in their policies.’

From all indications, the big question remains to be access to financial resources not only on the basis of another set of pledges as was done in Paris but fundamentally, by a firm commitment by international financial institutions to support developing countries achieve their Green Transition and help them reach their net zero targets.

Previous commitments at international gatherings such the UN International Conference for Financing for Development; the UN Agenda for Development, and the World Social Summit failed to reach agreed financial commitments to national government of developing countries. The COP26 (Continued on page 5)

Friday November 05, 2021

Guyana is suffering a COVID-19 crisis Dear Editor, It is of great concern how the reporting of the COVID19 situation by Dr. Frank Anthony is being disseminated here in Guyana on TV. I am not referring to the statistics of persons contracting the virus or even those that succumbed.

The way in which this daily report is presented clearly lacks inclusivity for all viewers.

Under the APNU+AFC coalition, a serious effort was made to

ensure that everyone was able to receive information, especially those with a disability.

I commend the PPP/C administration for the translation of relevant information to Indigenous languages, but nothing is being done for those persons with disabilities.

Shouldn’t hearing impaired persons have access to these reports with the use of sign language? The questions displayed on the

screen at intervals during Minister Anthony’s report are definitely not helpful to those persons who are sightless but listen to the audio.

I call upon the PPP/C administration to take into consideration that for such important information to be both effective and useful it has to be designed in a way to be received by all. Persons with disabilities are part of your audience.

Sincerely, Timothy Joseph

JetBlue blues….

Dear Editor, On July 29th, 2021, my wife and I flew for the first time on JetBlue to New York. The flight departed Guyana over an hour late and consequently arrived in New York too late for us to make our connecting flight to Boston.

On clearing our baggage in New York, JetBlue failed to deliver one of our suitcases.

We subsequently learnt that approximately 40 other suitcases had been left in Guyana.

It took us over four hours standing in a queue to duly report the missing suitcase to

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the JetBlue office, where we were assured that the suitcase would be on the next flight to New York and forwarded to our destination in Boston. It never happened. In fact, the next Jet Blue flight was cancelled.

The suitcase was never delivered. We had completed a form providing the required details which directed us on the means for receiving compensation for the failed delivery of the suitcase and which we duly observed.

We finally, having appealed to the local representatives of JetBlue in Guyana, retrieved our

suitcase in Guyana, much later. We, of course, had no alternative but to buy clothes to the amount authorised in the form and submitted a claim as directed.

We addressed the claim to an address given in the Jet Blue form in Salt Lake City, Utah, only to have it returned by the post office, quote ‘address not found’.

We have sent several emails and we have spoken with the JetBlue representative in Guyana, who, to date, has failed to respond.

Yours sincerely Kit & Gem Nascimento

Liza versus Macondo a high risk for Guyana Dear Editor, I refer to your article ‘Govt. working to secure about US$2B from Exxon instead of full coverage insurance’ 02 November 2021.

The Liza, Payara and Yellowtail oil wells are around 18,000 feet deep in the rocks and under 5-6,000 feet of Atlantic water.

BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was about the same depth in the rocks and under the same depth of

water. So the physical difficulty of controlling and stopping an oil spill in the Liza/Payara/Yellowtail wells is likely to be about the same as for Macondo, reckoning positively that Exxon will have learned from the Macondo disaster but negatively that Macondo was only 40 miles off the Louisiana coast with a vast array of industrial resources while Liza wells are more than three times that distance offshore and we have no relevant industrial

support base for oil spill control.

Macondo took 86 days to control. The direct cost to BP was over US$60B, thirty times more than the US$2B that our Government is negotiating for. Please, negotiators for Guyana, put new batteries in your calculators. We want to see Exxon carrying full comprehensive insurance cover, not a token.

Yours truly, Janette Bulkan

Will the New Demerara Bridge be another CJIA fiasco?

Dear Editor, Now that the contractor chosen to design and build the New Demerara River bridge has been announced, I will say what has been in my thoughts for some time - The New Demerara Bridge will be another CJIA fiasco!

Editor not to be pessimistic, but it seems our leaders have learnt nothing, or do not want to learn from the experiences they have had with the Chinese

contractors dating back to the Skeldon Sugar factory to the now never-ending construction at CIJA. Are we in for another project where everything will be shipped in from China at exorbitant prices, including the workforce? Will they receive a free for all in concessions which will then be used to do other projects as in other cases, or undercut the local truck operators?

What will Guyana get except

a bridge that will be delayed and over budget? Why are our leaders persisting with these contractors?

Editor, local content is a hot topic now in the oil sector, but what of local content in large infrastructure projects? In other countries, these are used to create employment for the local population, but as the popular saying goes ‘Guyana is not a real place’.

Suryaveer

Appointment to the Judiciary Mixed messages from of Chancellor and Chief Justice President Ali and VP Jagdeo Dear Editor, In addition to the very articulate reference

by Christopher Ram in SN of November 01, 2021 on the confirmation of the incumbents of the respective positions of Chancellor and Chief Justice, commonsense (the rarest sense of all) would point to the reality that the active participation of the Leader of the Opposition

in the National Assembly is de facto recognition of the Government, and of course its President.

Why is it therefore so difficult for this leader to recognize this admission and rise to the moral status of being larger than the perceived quibbling/quibblers?

Citizen

Fundamental factors demonstrated by...

From page 4 undertakings thus far, taken holistically or separately, closely resemble three of the several elements contained in the late President Jagan’s call for a New Global Human Order made some 27 years ago.

Take for example his call for social and ecological justice. President Jagan made the point that “... There will be no solution to environmental questions, for instance, if the boundaries of poverty continue to expand.”

This is precisely where the complementary roles of the international financial institutions within the meaning of the COP26 undertaking come in.

Once again, the United Nations has placed itself at the centre for human development utilising the pathway of environment for development.

In this regard, the UN Secretary General and his staff must be congratulated.

Though implementation and access to resources will

be a major challenge for many developing countries, those who in the near future will have the financial resources at their disposal, and on the basis o f t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e low carbon development strategies will face the monumental task, following public consultations, to ‘ensure a just and orderly transition that is positive for jobs, growth and competitiveness.’

Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee

Dear Editor, Here are two quotes from the press: 1. “Guyana to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 –Ali tells COP26.” SN, Nov 03) 2. “Jagdeo defends producing oil as quickly as possible from offshore.” (KN, Nov 02) My comment: Is there no limit to deceit and speaking with forked tongues? Is Ali leading Jagdeo or is Jagdeo pulling the strings? Not rhetorical.

Such mixed messages!

Who is telling the truth, and who is not? What will the people believe? Who should

the people believe? I have words to describe such conduct, actions and activities, but they may not be palatable.

Slowly the “gang of […]” is digging their own graves!

I hope that good commonsense prevail so they mend their ways for the betterment of the people and our planet.

Sincerely, Gary Girdhari

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Arakaka Village receives $15M generator grid During an interview with the Department of Public Information, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha stated that the presence of this generator grid shows government’s commitment in modernising Guyana. He further stated that, though Region One is a far distance from Georgetown, the investment of the government is tremendous, and the residents of Arakaka will now have access to reliable and regular electricity.

This is aimed to assist those with entrepreneurial interests to have better resources available to them and create more opportunities for the entire village, which is

populated with over seven hundred residents.

During a phone interview with Regional Chairman, Mr. Ashley, Kaieteur News learnt that the generator is set to have an output capacity of 250 Kilo-Volt-Amperes (KVA), and will provide sufficient energy that will see the entire community benefitting.

In July of this year, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development met with the Village Toshao of Waramuri, Moruca sub-district, Region One, Vivian Edwards, to commission a $12 million generator to help power the new electricity grid.

The generator was commissioned for the distribution of power to the new power grid.

According to the Local Government Minister, (Continued on page 16)

What to expect when building a house Dear Editor, This letter has been a long time coming. We are finally building our first home!

If you have been reading my letters in the newspapers, you’ve heard me talk about it here and there and then it would go silent, be brought up again, and disappear.

But after so many hiccups along the way (it’s literally been a 3+ year process since we started our plans) everything is finally moving along. Through this whole process I have learned so, so much! We’ve made a lot of dumb mistakes, got burned by people, realized stuff cost a lot more than we thought, realized the process was a lot longer, had arguments between myself

Friday November 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

and the contractors over what we want, and so on and so on!

Editor, I wanted to share with you some of the things we’ve learned so if you’re building you hopefully don’t go through the same headache we did!

We’ve been through three contractors and years trying to make this happen, so it’s a lot to share.

Here is what to expect if you’re building a house and how building my dream house became my Guyanese nightmare.

1. Monday.

No workers show up for work because they drank too much alcohol over the weekend.

2. Tuesday, no work because of the rain.

3. We d n e s d a y. N o work because of they don’t have enough people to work on the roof.

4. Thursday. No work because it’s a holiday.

5. Friday. All the workers show up for work.

6. Saturday. The full crew is at work and it is pay day.

7. Sunday. No work because it’s their day off.

Editor, expect to take one to three years to finish building your house.

On a more positive note, the one good thing I find about building the house is shopping at Gafoor Hardware Store; they have all the materials I needed to get the job done.

Anthony Pantlitz

Court orders GRA to handover tax documents to SOCU for money laundering investigations The High Court, on Monday, ordered the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to handover tax documents to facilitate a money laundering investigation by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

According to a release from the Guyana Police Force’s Communications Unit, the High Court dismissed an application for a refusal of a Production Order filed by the GRA and ruled in favour of the SOCU. Commissioner General of the GRA, Godfrey Statia, was directed to comply within the next fourteen (14) days with the Production Order, which was granted by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC, on August 12, 2021.

The Production Order was

CommissionerGeneral of the GRA Godfrey Statia. granted pursuant to Section 24 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, Cap 10:11 The order seeks the

production of documents in the possession of the Commissioner General or a duly authorised officer/agent, of the GRA, a body Corporate in accordance with Section 9 of the Revenue Act, Cap. 79:04, Laws of Guyana, with its head office located at Lots 200-201 Camp Street, Georgetown.

In keeping with the court order, SOCU has been asking the Revenue Authority for the documents, which are part of investigations into money laundering involving in excess of GY$103 million.

The GRA had refused to produce the documents on the grounds that, it is obligated to safeguard the return declarations and other taxpayer information in (Continued on page 16)

Two more women succumb to COVID-19 The Ministry of Health yesterday reported that two more women, who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, have died. As a result of this, Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll has moved to 930.

According to the

Ministry, the latest facilities are that of two unvaccinated women, a 68-year-old from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) who died on the November 4 and a 100-yearold from Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) who died on November 3.

Further, in its latest edition of the COVID-19 dashboard, the Health Ministry recorded 129 new cases, bringing the

total number of confirmed cases to 35,929.

The dashboard statistics also shows that there are 19 patients admitted into the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 56 persons in institutional isolation, 2,552 in home isolation and 17 in institutional quarantine. To date, a total of 32,372 persons who tested positive have recovered.

We need smart investment not NO Health Minister says travellers with investment in the oil and gas sector mixed vaccination can enter Guyana Dear Editor, The most conservative estimate is that the use of fossil fuel will continue well into the next 50 years.

It means therefore refined products from crude Petroleum such as gasoline, ultra-low sulphur diesel, Aviation jet fuel, Bitumen, raw sulphur, etc, will potentially still be a lucrative market for the next five decades and possibly more.

What is the present situation with regards to refining capacity in the Caribbean?

With the exception of the Staatstolie Refinery in Suriname that was expanded and modernised in 1995 to ISO 9001 standards with nearly zero carbon emissions, all the remaining Refineries in the Caribbean were built during the first or second world wars. Most are closed due to the cost for them to lower their carbon emission pollution.

Trinidad and Aruba Refineries are now used as storage terminals. Isla Refinery built by Shell in Curacao in 1917 is facing serious environmental issues with high levels of carbon

pollution. The Limetree Refinery in St Croix has again filed for bankruptcy and is facing lawsuits for polluting the drinking water as well causing skin and lung disease to the inhabitants of the island due to its poor emission control.

Much cannot be said of the Refineries in Venezuela and Cuba given the lack of data but making a logical deduction from their state of their respective economies, you can safely conclude they would not be in any state of the art condition.

To sum things up, in terms of fuel supply and security in the Caribbean region, our supply chain is pitifully inadequate with high carbon emissions. We depend mostly on the Gulf for the supply of refined petro- products and all the Refineries that are in the Panhandle states around the Gulf are high carbon emitters due to their age. With the US ratcheting up stricter emission controls under the present administration, a lot of these Refineries will go under. This will in the near future create a shortage of Refining capacity in the Americas as a whole.

The smart thing to do therefore is to invest in a joint venture with Suriname to build and operate a 200,000 barrels Refinery with close to zero carbon emissions in proximity to the proposed deep water harbour. Both Guyana and Suriname are producing a similar type of light sweet crude which will result in less harmful carbon emissions during refining and with the most technologically modern environmentally advanced treatment plants now available, the emission gases will almost be harmless.

Suriname has personnel that have gained a lot of expertise in Refinery construction and operation which they can bring to the partnership.

A 200,000 barrels Refinery would normally take 4-5 years to be built which will place us in an ideal position as a very low carbon emitter in the global drive to manage climate change.

Viewed from all angles, a joint venture 200,000 barrels Refinery with Suriname will be the smart thing to do.

Yours Sincerely, Reggie Bhagwandin

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony on Monday clarified that mixed vaccination, as stated in the updated COVID-19 emergency measures, is only for persons wanting to enter the country.

Updated orders, which were published in the Official Gazette last Friday, outline that a person is only considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving an approved singledose vaccine, the second dose of an approved twodose vaccine, or any mix-andmatch combination of approved vaccines administered at least 17 days apart.

The Minister made the clarification while speaking at his daily COVID-19 update.

When asked if the mixing of vaccines, as stated in the orders, meant that a booster shot or revaccination is being considered here, he stated that the term does not have anything to do with the two.

“Mixing of vaccine doses not have to do with any of [the] booster shots or revaccination. Mixing of vaccine in some countries is if somebody got an AstraZeneca then they do a

Pfizer… That has been a practice in other countries,” he explained.

He noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other stringent authorities had recommended that countries follow the guidelines that were originally put out, that is, as an example “if you got the first dose of Astra Zeneca that you should get your second dose Astra Zeneca, if you got a first dose Pfizer, then you should get a second dose Pfizer.”

Dr. Anthony shared that those were the guidelines established, but there are countries where people have mixed their vaccines for the purpose of travelling. “For purposes of people coming into the country if they have mixed doses then we will accept them, but we ourselves are not encouraging people to mix the doses. So I think that should be clear,” he said.

The Minister explained further that revaccination meant that a person has both doses and wants to get another because of travel purposes.

Most of the vaccines available, he pointed out

are acceptable to travel, but the United States, which is requiring persons to be fully vaccinated by November 8, is only accepting approved vaccines.

With the majority of Guyanese vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine, a vaccine which has not been approved yet by the WHO, the Minister revealed yesterday for the people who want to get revaccinated because they desire to travel, local health authorities “will have to reconsider because medically, it is not necessary to be revaccinated.”

He added that, despite being fully vaccinated, persons will still have to produce a negative antigen or PCR test to travel.

In terms of booster shots, he made it clear that at this point, the WHO has not made a recommendation.

“In some countries, they have recommended it, but the WHO has not recommended it. The WHO guidance has been that we focus on the unvaccinated rather than we give a third dose or a fourth dose to someone who has been vaccinated,” he stressed.

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BL TLUNT.. UNT...B BL Friday November 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

The UN Secretary General calls the climate crisis 'a code red' for humanity.

Senor Guterres says no more diplomatic niceties.

That could be trouble for Guyana, which barges ahead swiftly to produce.

Our leaders are being warned: listen and pay heed.

Don't be on the wrong side of this climate change crisis.

PAGE 07

Friday November 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Jagdeo signals likely increase in cost of US$900 million Gas-to-Shore project …says it's a bad time to bid for anything but we have to proceed

T

outing the natural gas to be had from the Stabroek Block's Liza I and II oilfield developments as transitional fuel towards the ultimate goal of 100 percent renewables, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo this past week signaled a likely increase in the cost of project already pegged at some US$900M. Dr. Jagdeo gave the assertions during a press engagement on Monday at the Arthur Chung

Conference Centre (ACCC), where he told reporters that despite prevailing global circumstances, government cannot hold back development and, as such, is forging ahead with the project despite likely increases in cost.

According to the Vice President, when factoring in prevailing global conditions, the prices for key commodities needed for the project have increased. He specifically pointed to the fact that the price of steel, for

example, has been escalating on the world market.

Conceding, “…it's a bad time to bid anything,” Dr Jagdeo was adamant however, “we can't slow down the development” and that “we have to proceed,” with the Gas to Shore initiative.

He used the occasion to seek to assure that all expenditure for the project will have to go through a bidding process and, as such, would be transparent.

A c c o r d i n g t o Vi c e

President Jagdeo, the Guyana Government has since also made that clear to Exxon, and that it intends to be involved in selecting contractors for the project.

He was at the time defending Guyana's exploration of its oil and gas resources, in addition to the pursuit of a Natural Gas Power Plant, instead of pursuing a grid that is fully powered by renewables, such as solar, wind or hydro.

Defending the Government's position, Vice President Jagdeo said the world has come to realize that the growth in demand for electricity far outstrips the growth in supply of renewable energy generation capacity and, accordingly, natural gas can serve as a transitional fuel.

I n f a c t , t h e Vi c e President said Guyana supports a global carbon price, saying “if you have a strong carbon price, then it gives a greater incentive to the faster introduction for renewable energy.”

Arguing in defense of the gas project and the

production of oil from Guyana, Vice President Jagdeo pointed out that, in the near future, there would still need to be a significant amount of infrastructure put in place and cited as one example charging stations that would be required for electric cars.

Adamant that you can't just stop importing combustion engine vehicles that use fossil fuels, such as gas and diesel, Jagdeo argued, “…you have to put in infrastructure; instead of gas stations you would need charging points across the country.”

A c c o r d i n g t o Vi c e President Jagdeo, Guyana cannot align or set its targets with those of the developed world since as a country, “we have to transition.”

He told those present at the ACCC that, currently, 95 percent of Guyana's electricity demand is being met through Heavy Fuel and Diesel and, therefore, natural gas should be seen as an o p t i o n t o w a r d s decarbonising the planet, however transitionally.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo hints at an increased price tag Pointing to the continued demand for oil and gas globally in the coming decades, Vice President Jagdeo was adamant, it is unfair for Guyana to park its oil sector, while over the next 30 years the world will still be producing 100 million barrels per day.

In recent months, there has been increasing criticism and calls for justification with regards the US$900M price tag which Jagdeo is now signaling could likely increase.

Former Minister with responsibility for the project for some time under the former Coalition Government, David Patterson, has publicly questioned the current administration's price tag for (Continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

PAGE 09

Heads should roll Guyana's failure to conduct cost audits, into the post 2017 expenses of the oil companies, is a public scandal. When one considers the sums involved – running into billions of United States dollars – it is simply unacceptable that Guyana now has to simply accept the tab which was thrown its way by the oil companies.

As was reported by this newspaper in January of this year, Guyana had in excess of US$6 billion in oil related expenses to audit from petrogiant ExxonMobil and its Stabroek Block partners, affiliates and subcontractors. And Jagdeo was fully aware of this fact.

He must explain as the Senior Minister responsible for the petroleum sector what actions he took in relation to expediting this most important auditing process. His excuses do not hold water.

An investigation is needed into Guyana not meeting the deadline for the audit of the post-2017 costs of oil exploration. Unless this is done, this failure will join the long list of debacles under the PPP/C administrations.

The people of Guyana should make it clear to Jagdeo that his lame excuse is not acceptable. He has to come better than he did in this week's press conference.

Jagdeo had sought to excuse his government's incompetence by claiming that the country did not have the capacity to complete the audits. However, the issue is

Dem

boys seh...

not one of capacity since Guyana could have hired a competent foreign audit firm to undertake the audit until such time as the local capacity was developed.

Guyana does not have the capacity to do a number of things. But it has the capability to find those who can. We found a developer for the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project and they did all the preparatory work.

Guyana did not have the expertise to value the carbon in its forests. The Mc Kinsey Group did a study and produced a report which indicated that by protecting its forests, the country foregoes annual revenues of US$580 M per year.

Guyana did not have the expertise to design the new bridge across the Demerara River. It went out to tender for bids for the design of the bridge.

And last year, the said Vice President had indicated that a United Kingdom firm, IHS Markit, was currently handling the audit of costs leading up to 2017, which include pre-contract expenditures. So, it is not as if the Government was unaware that the capacity for auditing could have been outsourced.

A country is not expected to have all the capabilities it wants. Therefore, it farms out that which it cannot provide locally. Jagdeo's pitiful excuse about lack of capacity therefore cannot be accepted. If there is no capacity, then hire that

capacity to undertake the audits, until such time that locals can do the work. And if local content capability does not exist, then hire the foreign firm without the need for a local partner.

As it is now, the oil companies have gotten a free pass. And we are going to be saddled with billions of dollars in cost recovery for which we have not undertaken the necessary checks.

Last November, there were reports that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) had undertaken the audit of the pre-contract costs, that is, the costs which Exxon and the other oil companies would have accumulated prior to the signing of the Production Sharing Agreement. And Jagdeo himself had once said that GRA would be building capacity to undertake the audits.

In February of this year, Jagdeo told reporters that the Government was moving to award a contract for the audit of ExxonMobil's claimed recoverable expenses made after 2017. He went as far as stating that the terms of reference for a new contract to be issued, that there will have to have local content in it, to do the audit between 2017 and 2020.

Jagdeo had said last December that while the Department of Energy was auditing recoverable expenses sequentially, it could very well do so simultaneously. Yet, billions of US dollars in costs have

Dem oil companies face like Smile Orange!

Dem oil company rack up billions of dollars in expenses. Suh dem seh. And dat is in US dollars. Suh dem seh.

Dem send de Bill to de guvament fuh pay.

And de guvament seh how it gan hire a foreign firm fuh audit de expenses.

Dem talk how de foreign firm however gat to wuk with locals.

Is like if yuh building a space ship in Guyana and yuh tell de foreign contractors, he gat to join up with locals.

But yuh nah check fuh see de locals gat de skills fuh build spacecraft.

Dis is wah happen to Guyana. We want locals involve in helping dem foreign firms but now de guvament admitting how we nah gat de capacity locally. And suh de audit nah finish in time and dem oil company smiling. Dat is a billion-dollar

smile.

But dem local audit firm gan mek dem face sour. Because nuff ah dem does feel dat dem could do de wuk and dem gan question how de Vee Pee could seh how we nah gat de capacity.

Was de same thing when de Marriott Hotel bin building.

Before dem start build, dem bin seh how nuff locals gan get jobs.

But when de wuk start, dem boys only see a local gateman and a man pushing a wheelbarrow with rubbish.

Dese days, we gat plenty Cubans, Venezuelans, Trinidadians and Chinese wukkin in Guyana. Dem contractor even seh how dem foreigners wukkin better dan Guyanese.

And dem smiling too. Just like dem oil companies wah gan gat to get paid even though we nah check de bill dem send we.

Talk half and ask de Vee Pee why.

been left unaudited and Guyana has to pay these unaudited expenses.

Last November, Jagdeo had indicated that there was as much as US$20B in costs to be audited. He had indicated that the postcontract costs constitute the bulk of these costs and that reviewing these costs was in the national interest. He now needs to answer whether a fair assessment of his government's management of the audit process has jeopardised the national interest.

On this one, he cannot pass the buck. It was he who was quoted as promising, “We will ensure that every cent, from the beginning, to Payara, all of it, has to be reviewed.”

Every cent has not been audited. Billions of US dollars in recoverable expenses have not been audited.

This matter cannot be swept under the carpet.

Heads must roll for the failure of the Government to complete the audits of billions of dollars.

Jagdeo's excuse is like a strainer: it is full of holes.

And since he has been integrally involved in the management of the oil and g a s s e c t o r, h i s o w n performance should now be subject to a confidence motion.

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

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Friday November 05, 2021

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

GTT and Traffic Awareness Week 20 years ago Twenty years ago, it was 2001. I think before 2001 I had chastised GTT for not producing a correct telephone directory. Now please believe what you are about to read because it is true. Here it is, since 20 years ago, GTT has not produced for any year a competent telephone directory.

Over that 20-year period, I have done this chastisement three times in my columns, one of which highlighted the fact that UG was left out.

The present directory was issued this year and some of its omissions are completely unacceptable.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure or Ministry of

Public Works is missing. But there are some ugly dimensions to this omission.

Here are two. The content page has Transport and Harbours Department (TH&D) on page 54. That is erroneous.

Alphabetically in the section on government ministries, TH&D is on page 56. But there is no listing for TH&D. It advises the reader that TH&D is under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure on page 47.

But on page 47 there is no listing for such a ministry.

This is morbid and evil incompetence in the age of digital technology.

It is simple to understand this 20-year-old monstrosity if you know how to use a database. If UG produces a list of chemistry students each year, then if John Jones is in the data base, his name will automatically come up for each year. The names that will be missing are new students that have not been

entered into the database.

If the City Council publishes a list of home owners each year, Anil Singh's name will come up because he is in the database.

The omission of other property owners is likely to happen because they are new and have not been inputted.

If in previous years you listed UG, then UG is in GTT's database, then how was it left out.So GTT has been doing this for 20 years now and GTT gets away with it because GTT knows that it is operating in a country that has long broken down and that the more things change, the more they remain the same. GTT has not gotten its directory right for even one year and GTT will continue in this vein because who cares about anything in Guyana.

My two landlines aren't working properly as I wrote in my column of Sunday, October 17, 2021 titled, “Service and the state:

Theorising about postcolonial Guyana.” I am going to leave the lines in disuse because I know GTT will not come to service it so there is no point reporting it.

This is Guyana and I know Guyana.

So, 20 years ago I wrote about GTT. Also, 20 years ago I almost hit a cyclist on Sugrim Singh Road who came west out of Station Street. There were no street lights, and he was wearing dark clothes. Now read on for what happened to me on Tuesday, the very day the police force had a Road S a f e t y We e k ( R S W ) campaign.

The campaign was on the Railway Embankment outside my home. My wife, daughter and I were looking at the dozens of motorcycles that were seized and placed into a large open back truck.

RSW has been going on long before GTT came to these shores. But it has an inherent flaw.

RSW has to have a holistic canopy. It is Frederick Kissoon useless to have RSW if you are taking away bou motorcycles for lack of proper documents. RSW lders on the parapet where must be all-encompassing. they live so you cannot Streets must have lights for manoeuvre out of the way of road users to see. The oncoming traffic. There is a p a r a p e t s m u s t n o t b e house on Peter Rose in which encumbered so road users the owner landscaped the can use it for safety for entire parapet and put an entire garden down on the oncoming traffic.

On the night of the very parapet. You have to drive day of RSW (Tuesday), into the garden to avoid while I was coming home oncoming traffic. You can with my dog, I was travelling harm yourself doing so. east on Woolford Avenue. At RSW is not about seizing the junction of Sugrim Singh motorcycles only. It should Road and Woolford Avenue, be more than that. Teach I barely saw a man on his Guyanese how to dim in the night when drivers indicate cycle.

There were no street that your high beam is lights, he wore dark clothes, blinding. What is my point? his cycle had no reflectors, After 20 years things are still and the place was an area of the same. Guyana doesn't change. darkness.

(The views expressed in This was déjà vu. The this article are those of the same thing happened 20 a u t hor and do not years ago. necessarily reflect the People are endangering road safety by putting huge opinions of this newspaper.)

Friday November 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Friday November 05, 2021

Alleged serial robber remanded Alleged serial robber Jason Cadogen, 24, of Lot 48 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, was on Wednesday remanded to prison when he appeared before a City magistrate, for allegedly robbing five persons in one day.

The defendant appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. The first charge stated that on August 18, at DaSilva Street, Georgetown, in the company of others and armed with a gun, Cadogen robbed a woman of a gold

chain valued $200,000. The second charge alleges that on the same date and at the same location, he robbed Ronald Junior of one gold chain valued $120,000 and a one cell phone valued $60,000. The third charge stated that on the same date, he robbed Bibi Bacchus of two gold chains valued $300,000, and seven gold rings valued $250,000. The fourth charge stated that on the same date, he robbed Rajpattie Rangoli of one shoulder bag, valued $4,000; two anklets valued $120,000; two gold chains valued $100,000; five rings

valued $300,000; a bangle valued $300,000; one earring valued $60,000; gold jingles valued $200,000; and USD$2000 and T&T $300.

The final and fifth charge stated that on the same date, the defendant robbed Sachin Khan of two gold rings valued $140,000; two gold bands valued $180,000; and one gold chain valued $120,000.The defendant denied the five charges that were read to h i m a n d h i s l a w y e r, Latchmie Rahamat told the court that her client was at a pool party on the date and

time of the incident, and further noted that her client has ten persons who can testify to the fact.

However, the court prosecutor contended that the defendant and others went to Lot 79 DaSilva Street, Georgetown, armed with a gun and demanded the victims to hand over the mentioned articles. The matter was reported and the defendant was arrested on October 25, 2021, and subsequently charged.

Cadogen is expected to make his next court appearance on November, 17, 2021.

Alleged serial robber, Jason Cadogen.

Friday November 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 05, 2021

US$900M Gas-to-Shore project…

Exxon's environmental studies to exclude power plant, industrial zone

The proposed onshore route for the gas pipeline

NGL Plant 3P Power Plant

The National Project Schematic provided by the EPA. -30 km onshore

12” diameter pipeline 220 km offshore Georgetown 30 MMscfd

Destiny

20 MMscfd Guyana's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Environmental Resources Management (ERM) to come up with the terms and scope, within which an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study will have to be done, with regards the proposed US$900M Gas to Energy Project—a project for which ERM had conducted studies previously.

At least, this is according to the EPA, as per the document that was approved in September last and since made public.

However, the EPA, in releasing the terms and scope for the EIA to be done, outlined that the environmental study would

be focused on the project's pipeline, onshore and offshore, the natural gas liquids plant, a temporary material offloading facility, and other associated infrastructure.

The document highlighted that “the power plant and distribution of electricity from the power plant are not included in the scope of the EIA, except for their consideration when addressing cumulative impacts for the Project.”

It was explained that this obtains, since the power plant will be constructed, owned, and operated by the Government of Guyana or another entity and, as such, the scope for that project was not included directly.

Unity

NGL Plant

The onshore plant will remove propane, butane, and pentane NGLs—with the ability to be sold—and treat remaining gas to specifications required by the power plant, including dehydration and pressure letdown of gas received through the onshore pipeline.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e environmental studies would focus on the 12-inch pipe lines that would run from the Liza I and II Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Vessels in the Stabroek Block, to the connection to the onshore pipeline.

Under the terms and scope of the EIA to be done, a temporary Materials Offloading Facility may be

constructed on the West Bank of the Demerara River for offloading heavy modules and imported material or equipment, which will have to be taken into account.

It was noted that some degree of construction access road development/improveme nt will likely be required along the onshore pipeline route, and that “this will likely comprise a combination of soil stabilization and temporary hard surfacing, with restoration following completion of construction.”

Additionally, it was pointed out that when it comes to logistics support, ground-based vehicles, maritime and riverine

vessels, and helicopters will provide these services throughout all Project stages.

The Project will be utilizing existing onshore infrastructure support, including but not limited to shore bases, fabrication and fuel supply facilities, and waste management facilities.

According to the EPA, the project is being undertaken by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), which had submitted an application for

environmental authorization for the pipeline and natural gas plant projects.

The EPA has since pointed out that, having conducted a review of the application, it was determined that the Project may significantly affect the environment and, as such, will require an EIA. According to the EPA, “this EIA will be carried out by independent and suitably qualified persons.

Environmental Resources (Continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

PAGE 15

Guyana spent US$100 million importing Heavy Fuel Oil and diesel in 2020- LCDS Draft - Electricity demand to triple within 5 years

I

n 2020, Guyana spent US$100 million on fossil fuels imports, and the country's electricity demand is forecasted to triple in the next five years. This is according to the Government's draft Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

The LCDS 2030 draft was launched last Thursday by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, and after a four-month long consultation the draft was unveiled. The LCDS initiative is intended to help Guyana reduce its carbon footprint and propel this country towards carbon neutrality.

The new LCDS draft was released some 12 years after

the initial one, and it highlights the government's plan to establish incentives that promote global development.

It was stated in the LCDS draft that Guyana has some of the highest electricity rates in the Americas. It was also noted that the country is 97% dependent on imported fossil fuels.

To this end, the report highlighted that the expenditure on imported Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Diesel for the electricity generation in the 12 public grids that are operated by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the Hinterland Electricity Company Inc. (HECI) was approximately

US$100 million in 2020. The Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) is the largest grid and accounts for 78% of the total cost.

It was further noted that power demand in Guyana's public electricity grids will triple over the next five years.

“The DBIS peak power was 126 Megawatts (MW) in 2020. It is estimated that the peak load by 2025 will be 415MW. The DBIS has currently 202MW of firm capacity,” it was stated.

However, some of the aforementioned capacity is from aged generators with low reliability. It has been estimated that by 2025, 300MW of new and firm

Health Ministry to expand Regional Hospitals to accommodate COVID-19 patients

M

inister of Health, Dr. F r a n k Anthony said the Government is further increasing the country's capacity to cater for the hospitalization and isolation of COVID-19 patients across the regions.

During his COVID-19 update on Wednesday, Minister Anthony revealed that each of the regional hospitals to be equipped to properly facilitate care of COVID-19 patients.

The Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) at Liliendaal, Region Four, remains the central facility to house persons who require hospitalization, and has an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with the capacity to house 59 persons.

“In Region One, we have a section of the Mabaruma Hospital that can accommodate COVID19 patients. We also have at Port Kaituma, a section of that hospital that is dedicated to COVID-19 patients.

That's where over the last several months, we have been isolating COVID-19 patients. We also have sections of the Kumaka Hospital in Region One, where we can do that type of isolation as well.”

However, the

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony Government also refurbished the Suddie Regional Hospital (SRH) in R e g i o n Tw o , a d d i n g ventilators and oxygen supplies.

“We have extended the COVID isolation center for West Demerara Regional Hospital, because as you see currently, we have a number of cases in Region Three, and we want to make sure we have the right capacity to take care of those patients,” Minister Anthony explained.

The West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) can now accommodate 50 COVID-19 patients, and with its proximity to Region

Four, critical patients are easily transported to the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal.

Meanwhile, in Region Five, works are ongoing at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital (MCH) to create an ICU facility, while at the Experiment Health Centre, one of the buildings has been repurposed to cater solely to COVID-19 patients.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e capacity has been built to cater for COVID-19 patients at the Linden Hospital Complex, Mahdia, and Bartica Hospitals. Just recently, the Government commissioned a six-bed ICU at the Lethem Hospital.

With the infrastructure being put in place, Minister Anthony is also championing the Government's vaccination campaign.

He further explained that the spread of COVID-19 has decreased in workplaces, as m o r e s t a ff a r e b e i n g vaccinated.

“If the workplace is adhering to the COVID measures, which means that people would have to keep social distance, sanitize their hands, wear their masks, then you will have a reduction in cases…if they are fully vaccinated. So, if people observe these requirements, then the cases will be far less.”

capacity will be needed to cover the demand increase, the retirement of aged generators, increased grid reliability.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, i t i s anticipated that using natural gas as a bridge between heavy fuel oil, along with the Amaila Falls Hydropower

Project coming on stream by 2027, Guyana will see a massive expansion of renewable energy across the (Continued on page 16)

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

NBS/Arjoon appeal further deferred as Court considers Judge’s request to recuse herself

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The appeal case between the New Building Society WANTED (NBS) and its former Chief Female ages 25-40 to take care Executive Officer (CEO), of elderly male in Trinidad. Maurice Arjoon, has been Accomodations provided. deferred yet again.

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dismissed from his job.

Arjoon and two of his managers were fired on allegations fraud. The men endured negative publicity, as well as a trial in Magistrate Court, before they were cleared of the charges.

An Ombudsman’s report had later confirmed Arjoon’s contention that he was framed for refusing to lend some $2B of NBS’ money to the Bharrat Jagdeo- led government for the construction of the Berbice River Bridge.

Arjoon and another manager (Kent Vincent) then turned around and filed separate lawsuits suing the institution for wrongful dismissal. Arjoon’s matter

Court orders GRA to...

From page 6 accordance with Section 23 of the Revenue Act. However, the court emphasised that Sections 111 and 112 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, Cap 10:11 is clear as it

supersedes Section 23 of the Revenue Act Cap. 79:04, and protects the GRA from liability where documents/ information are produced to SOCU. The court further ordered costs against the Guyana Revenue Authority in the sum of $75,000.

Justice Dawn Gregory.

Former CEO of NBS, Maurice Arjoon.

dragged on for more than six years in the High Court before the Court eventually granted a $79M judgment in his favour. However, the matter did not end there, as NBS appealed the Court’s decision

to pay Arjoon.

The matter which was filed in 2017 came up for hearing on Monday at the Appeal Court in Kingston.

During the hearing, NBS’s (Continued on page 17)

...Arakaka Village receives $15M From page 6 Nigel Dharamlall, the generator is to be used to provide electricity to households within a 1.8 kilometre radius, eight hours per day.

Further, the Agriculture

Minister also mentioned that there are plans to put in place agro-processing facilities around those areas.

These facilities are expected to be constructed in Mabaruma, as there is sufficient electricity there.

Jagdeo signals likely increase in cost...

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From page 8 the project repeatedly saying it was 'money for the boys.'

Only recently, Patterson in a public posting said, “my records indicate that in 2017, Exxon proposed to construct a pipeline for between US$400M – US$500M inclusive of onshore processing and an LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) plant.”

He charged that “without any explanation, justification, or further studies, the cost for the exact same project by the exact same company has risen to US$900M.” Patterson at the time had expressed alarm that the project is already suffering from massive cost overruns, even before a single piece of work or study has been completed for same.

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cas Market Intelligence (AMI), Arthur Deakin, had also posited that the massive gap in costs under the two administrations is already a cause for concern, while adding that there needs to be consensus on such a crucial matter before any work commences.

Echoing similar sentiments was an independent United States think-tank, the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI).

In the cases the global watchdog—CPI—examined, it found that cost overruns on

natural gas projects “are the norm rather than the exception, often by 45 percent or more.”

In one of its analytical papers on this subject, CPI noted that initial estimates of capital costs for large petroleum projects are almost never correct. It said this has happened in Australia, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, and Angola.

Taking the cases it examined into account, the American think-tank urged countries, particularly new producers like Guyana to be wary of

the costs for such projects, as the evidence shows they are often times inflated.

In Guyana, the Government says that the planned gas-to-energy project is expected to cost US$900M. But there is no guarantee that this would be the final cost.

The requisite geophysical and economic studies are still being done for the project. Be that as it may, Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, previously gave assurances that the project c osts would not exceed US$1B.

Exxon's environmental studies to exclude...

From page 13 Management (ERM) was approved by the EPA as the consultants to conduct the EIA. The document since released by the EPA outlines that the offshore pipeline will traverse approximately 220 kilometers (km), connecting with the onshore pipeline at a shore landing located west of the Demerara River. That lo-

cation has since been identified as being Crane Village on the West Coast Demerara shoreline. The onshore pipeline will then extend approximately 27 km from the shore landing to the NGL Plant Site.

The NGL Plant Site, according to the EPA, lies approximately 23 km upriver on the west bank of the Demerara River on aban-

doned sugarcane fields, and occupies an area of approximately 40 acres (approximately 16 hectares [ha]).

It was noted that an additional area of approximately 100 acres (approximately 40 ha) adjacent to the NGL Plant Site may be used by EEPGL's construction contractor for support of the Project during construction.

Guyana spent US$100M for importing...

From page 15 country. It was also stated that energy use can increase five times, from the expanded renewable sources, with greenhouse gas emissions remaining practically flat.

Renewables offer the world the best opportunity for the decoupling of economic growth and fossil fuel use for energy.

According to the LCDS 2030 draft, if the electricity

supply mix stays as it is today, consumer costs will not reduce significantly, while greenhouse gas emissions will triple by 2027, and increase steadily thereafter.

In the original LCDS, it was foreseen that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project would have been complete by now, delivering cheaper, cleaner electricity. However, its development was not advanced by the previous ad-

ministration.

It was then stated that the current administration intends to return to a strategy of decoupling economic growth from using fossil fuels for electricity by developing low-carbon energy resources (Solar, Hydro, Wind, Biomass, and Natural Gas) to meet rapidly rising demand and keep greenhouse gas emissions low.

Friday November 05, 2021

PAGE 17

Kaieteur News

NBS/Arjoon appeal further deferred as Court...

Popcaan fined $10,000 for traffic violations ST THOMAS, Jamaica – Dancehall entertainer Popcaan was yesterday slapped with a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to several road traffic violations in the Yallahs Traffic Court in St Thomas.

The artiste, who is signed to Drake’s OVO Sound label, was fined $2,000 for operating a motor vehicle without insurance, $2,000 for driving without a helmet, $3,000 for operating a vehicle without a valid fitness, and $3,000 for operating an unlicensed motor car.

He was admonished and discharged on the charges of no registration plates.

Popcaan was represented by Matthew Hyatt.

The 32-year-old artiste, whose real name is Andre Sutherland, was charged in late April after the police intercepted his nine-vehicle convoy in St Thomas.

In April, after being charged, Popcaan, who is the promoter of the annual Unruly Fest concert, took to social media to lament that he’s being unfairly targeted by the police.

Dancehall entertainer Popcaan, real name is Andre Sutherland However, Jamaican cops have since denied Popcaan’s assertions, with Commanding Officer for St Thomas, Superintendent Allison Byfield, claiming that the arresting officer did not even know the international dancehall singer. (Jamaica Observer)

Jagdeo's excuse for Govt.'s...

From page 2 petroleum to audit the costs, expenses, accounts and records of the oil companies.

He said that restriction was further entrenched in the 2012 Model Petroleum Agreement published by the Natural Resources Ministry under Robert Persaud during the Donald Ramotar presidency.

“And of course, Raphael Trotman, Persaud's successor under the APNU+AFC Government, sleepwalked into signing a pre-discovery contract for a post-discovery situation. That no such audit has been done in seventeen years of the PPP and five years of APNU+AFC signaled to the oil companies that they were free to do as they please, in all matters concerning their operations, including Local Content, an absolute requirement of the law,” an impassioned Ram stated.

Now that successive governments have failed to protect the country's interest, rein in Exxon, and verify the billions of US dollars charged every month against oil revenue, Ram alluded to the absurdity of the Vice President's excuse to now blame the absence of “strong local content”.

The Chartered Accountant stressed the matter of conducting these crucial audits is not an academic, theoretical issue. He described it as a most serious one that deals with real money. On this note he said, “Just think what even 10% of US$1 billion can do. Why would any Government be so casual with billions of dollars when from day one, those same oil companies have refused to explain the US$92 million discrepancy between the pre-contract costs as at December 31, 2015 and their own audited financial statements?”

Instead of blaming the accounting firms, the Chartered Accountant said the criticisms should be admitted by both the PPP/C and the APNU+AFC governments, which have failed consistently to have audits of the costs reported and claimed by the oil companies.

As a result of Guyana's failure to audit the Liza Phase One and Two Projects which now total approximately US$9.3B, as well as an estimated US$900M in pre-contract costs up to 2016, ExxonMobil and its partners get to recover those sums in full.

From page 16 attorney Pauline Chase began to present arguments on matters when, Justice Dawn Gregory, one of the sitting Justices of Appeal, made objection to the contents being presented.

Justice Gregory had dealt with Arjoon’s malicious prosecution while she was a sitting judge in the High court.

The judge had dismissed Arjoon‘s case. In this regard, Justice Gregory noted she believes that her presence in the appeal case ought not to continue.

“I was involved in one of the matters and I don’t know how those findings will impact on what is taking place now and so I would want to recuse myself from this appeal...,”the judge stated during the hearing on Monday.

Arjoon’s attorney,

Edward Luckhoo, SC, noted that while he is aware of Justice Gregory‘s previous involvement in the matter, he has full confidence that it would not affect her ability to adequate adjudicate in the appeal matter.

The lawyer added: “It is my personal view that this does not at all disqualify your honour from sitting in these proceedings, which involves entirely different issues…I have the fullest confidence that your honour would properly adjudicate on [the matter]…”

Luckhoo noted nonetheless that the request by the Judge is one for the Court to consider. In this regard, the case has been adjourned to December 16, 2021.

NBS had moved to the Appeal Court some five years ago, challenging the recent

$79M judgment in favour of dismissed manager Maurice Arjoon. The company cited more than a dozen grounds, including that it was erroneous and that pension cannot be awarded together with severance and other benefits when an employee is terminated or dismissed.

Back then, following the court’s computation from estimates submitted by Arjoon’s lawyers, a total of $79,282,801 was awarded to Arjoon on July 20, 2017 days after Justice Brassington Reynolds ruled that the former employee was entitled to recover all benefits that were lost as a result of the dismissal.

In its appeal, NBS noted that, under the basis of the trial judge’s conclusion, Arjoon was dismissed wrongfully; hence, he was not entitled to severance pay

by virtue of his status and contracts and according to the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. NBS is contending that pension cannot be awarded in conjunction with severance or any other benefit that relates to termination or dismissal; and that the judge was wrong in law for disregarding the complete systems manual tendered by the society which showed Arjoon did not comply with it.

Among the other grounds the NBS advanced are that the judge’s decision was erroneous on a point of law, that the pension ordered to be paid is not in accordance with the relevant pension rules, and that the court’s system of arriving at the amount had not yet been disclosed.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Friday November 05, 2021

Friend on the run for doctor's murder …car found, suspect's family missing Shervin Belgrave

On the run for the brutal murder of Dr. Collin Roach, whose battered remains were found at his office on Tuesday Night, are his friend and an accomplice.

Kaieteur News had reported on Thursday that investigators were looking for two men, who were seen leaving his office during the time, which they suspect he was murdered.

Ye s t e r d a y, t h i s newspaper was reliably informed that one of those individuals, the prime suspect, was identified as a close friend of the slain doctor, who frequented his office. It is believed that he and an accomplice had entered the victim's premises and beat him to death.

Roach's suspected killers had reportedly then driven off with his SUV and carried

away his cellphones.

Detectives have since located the missing SUV abandoned on the Schoonard Road, West Bank Demerara, with its licence plate removed.

The detectives later turned up at the prime suspect's home and found only his car. He along with his family were missing.

Based on information received, it is alleged that doctor's friend had reportedly fled the area along with his entire household. Detectives have since impounded the car, which they found at his home.

Meanwhile, Roach's employees are still in custody and assisting detectives in their investigations. It was one of them, who had discovered his body around 22:20hrs on Tuesday.

Roach's remains were reportedly found lying face up in a pool of blood in his office located on the second floor of a three-floor building on Duke Street, Kingston, Georgetown. His face was reportedly bashed in beyond recognition, and there were blood splatters all over the walls.

A COVID-19 vaccine card was also found lying on top of his body.

One of the doctor's employees told the cops that Roach operated a clinic in his office from 07:00 to 15:00hrs.

After ending his shift that afternoon, the employee giving the statement said he retired to the living quarters on the top floor of the building, while his colleague went out.

Around 20:00hrs, he noticed a man exiting Roach's office, but he re-

entered seven minutes later.

The next sound he reportedly heard was that of the doctor's SUV driving off from in front of the building.

The employee claimed that he peeped out and saw the vehicle heading north, and also noticed that the lights in his boss's office were still on.

The employee said that he subsequently called Roach's cell phone to notify him that he had left the lights on, but it rang out.

He then called his colleague who had left, and informed that he was using their office keys to enter the office and turn of the lights.

When he got there, however, he found his boss's battered body lying in the examination area of his office.

Murdered Dr. Collin Roach

CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday approved the use of t h e P f i z e r - B i o N Te c h COVID-19 vaccine for children between 5 to 11 years.

The CDC noted that scientists had conducted clinical trials with about 3,000 children and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has determined that Pfizer met the safety and efficacy standards for authorisation in children within the age brackets.

The authorisation for the vaccine comes after the CDC and the FDA weighed the risks and benefits of getting children vaccinated against COVID-19. “The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks,” says CDC. When the FDA had granted the emergency use of the vaccine, it announced that the immune responses of children 5 through 11 years of age were comparable to those of individuals between 16 to 25 years of age.

Additionally, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 to 11 years.

CDC stressed that it is important to get children vaccinated against the virus because while COVID-19 tends to be milder in children compared to adults, it can make children very sick and causes them to be hospitalised.Further, the CDC recommends that children 5 to 11years receive 1/3 of the adult dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and that children will need a second dose of the vaccine three weeks after their first shot.

According to the CDC, children may have some side effects, which are normal signs that they are building protection.

The Center noted that common side effects are pain, redness and swelling on the arm where the child

would have been vaccinated, while throughout the body, some may experience tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chill, fevers and nausea.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony on Monday, during the daily COVID-19 update, had noted that local health authorities are preparing for rollout of the vaccine, pending its approval.

“We have started some amount of training of our staff, because this particular age group would require a vaccine that is one-third of the current doses that we are giving. We have started that training and during this week, we would complete that training,” he had explained.

Friday Friday November October 29, 05, 2021 2021

Kaieteur News

West Dem. Hospital gets COVID-19 isolation center In keeping with its goals to expand the accommodation for COVID-19 patients, Government commissioned a COVID isolation center on Wednesday at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH).

At the opening of the COVID center were: Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand; Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Erica Forte; Hospital Administrator, Melissa Ramdeen; Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo; and Regional Chairman, Inshaan Ayube, among others.

The new COVID unit is inclusive of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and a HighDependency Unit (HDU) and is located in the hospital's compound. With the addition of the COVID center at the West Demerara Hospital, the hospital can now accommodate 50 COVID-19 patients, and with its proximity to Region Four critical patients are easily transported to the COVID-19 Hospital in Georgetown.

Recently, the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, had stated, “We have extended the COVID isolation center for West Demerara Regional Hospital because as you see currently, we have a number of cases in Region Three, and we want to make sure we have the right capacity to take care of those patients.”

In a Facebook post, Minister Manickchand commended the RHO and her team for the amazing work they have been doing, and expressed her gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and support staff at the hospital.

The ribbon cutting of the COVID-19 isolation center at West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH).

Inside of the isolation center.

PAGE 19

Czech Republic interested in revitalizing Guyana's sugar industry The Czech Republic has been seriously looking at developments in Guyana and has expressed a strong interest in supporting the revitalization of Guyana's sugar industry. This was made very clear by His Excellency, Petr Kavan, the Czech Ambassador to Cuba, when he received Guyana's Ambassador to Cuba, Halim Majeed, earlier today.

Ambassador Kavan explained that his country produces various kinds of tractors, trucks, and equipment related to the sugar industry, among other things, and that he would be happy to engage GUYSUCO on this matter.

The Czech Republic, a member of the European Union since 2004, will assume the EU Presidency next year. It has a stable, open economy and is regarded as the most industrialized country in the EU. Ambassador Majeed was informed that the Czech

Republic supplies substantial hardware for the sugar industry in several countries, including Cuba, and that Czech technology is highly respected in Europe and around the world.

Ambassador Kavan also showed interest in Guyana's rum, rice, exotic woods, and gold jewelry, and wondered about the possibility of a Joint Venture arrangement with a Guyanese company to produce Czech Beer in Guyana – regarded highly as the 'Mercedes' of Beer.

The two Ambassadors, noting that Guyana-Czech relations was initiated some 60 years ago, happily recalled the initial visit of the Leader of the People's Progressive Party (PPP) to Prague in 1961, then Premier of British Guiana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan.Ambassadors Kavan and Majeed are expected to meet again to identify specific areas of cooperation. (Compliments of a Czech Embassy release)

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

Friday November 05, 2021

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Pakistan, Bangladesh to kick off Women’s Sanders, Tomljanovic ODI World Cup Qualifier in Harare guide Australia into Billie ESPNcricinfo - The Group B will have teams from opening day of the Women’s Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jean King Cup semis ODI World Cup Qualifier Thailand, Zimbabwe and the

Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the opening game of the World Cup qualifier on November 21 CWI.s

2021 in Harare will witness eight of the 10 teams in action, with Pakistan taking on Bangladesh, the West Indies meeting Papua New Guinea, Thailand facing Zimbabwe and Ireland up against the Netherlands. The tournament will be played between November 21 and December 5, with three spots up for grabs for the ODI World Cup scheduled for next MarchApril in New Zealand. There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of 10 teams in five each of two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches.

Group A consists of the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands while

Friday November 05, 2021 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A woman, perhaps a colleague who's very bright and sometimes annoying, could visit you today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The possibility of impending changes in your personal or professional life could have you feeling worried and insecure.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A lot of calls could come your way today. Some involve people who live far away, some are from friends with heavy emotional difficulties.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may have been making plans to take a long trip or return to school for an advanced degree. Until now you may have put it off.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Money matters may need attention today. Bills need to be paid, checks deposited, or contracts executed.

The relief you get from handling this should lift your spirits considerably.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Legal papers regarding money that you may have been working on for a while should finally be done today. This should lift your spirits if for no other reason than to have it all out of the way!

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You're in a great mood, and you're raring to go at just about anything. Your physical energy is high, so some exercise is indicated, possibly sports.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Some bad experiences regarding career, family, travel, or education could have a friend, colleague.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today you might feel a strong psychic link with a friend who lives far away that you haven't seen for a long time.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Job stress might be getting to you. Drinking a lot of water would be a good idea.

Moderate amounts of exercise and rest are also indicated.

Don't eat very spicy foods.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Group activities or meetings could prove fraught today as those around you get pulled into discussions about which they feel strongly and on which they don't all agree!

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today you should feel romantic and passionate and want to get together with your love partner. You'll probably do that, but it may be difficult and only arranged at the last minute.

USA. The Super Six stage begins on December 1.

Along with the three qualifiers, the next two teams from the competition will also secure their places in the following ICC Women’s Championship, with the tournament expanding from eight teams to ten in the next cycle.

The other five spots will be taken by the automatic qualifiers of the ODI World Cup - Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand - on the back of their top-five finish in the previous ICC Women’s Championship.

The tournament commences with a set of warm-up matches on November 19. Overall, four venues will be used for the group stage, with four matches held every day. The qualifiers were originally meant to be hosted by Sri Lanka in July 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the tournament, as well as the main event in New Zealand.

Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA.

RHTY&SC female quartet...

From page 23 batter who also bowls medium pace. Mahadeo is a technically correct left handed batter and spinner while at just fourteen years Subramanie is the youngest of the players.

Hicks stated that she would be headache for many batters at the youth level with her pace and swing. The players are working very hard on their physical fitness while special work is also been done on their ground fielding and catching.

Cricket Manager Ravindranauth Kissoonlall disclosed that special sessions would be organised with the current international female players while the quartet would also be involved in social skills seminars along with other junior members of the club.

The club would also be working very hard with the girls to make sure that they remain focused on their educational careers and would be assisting them in this regard with educational materials.

Young females who were born on or after the 1st September 2004 are encouraged to join the club and become a part of the programme.

Prague, (Reuters) - Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic won their respective singles rubbers yesterday to help Australia beat Belarus and book the team’s spot in the semi-finals of the new-look Billie Jean King Cup finals.

Australia, chasing an eighth title within the girls’s workforce competitors which was beforehand known as the Fed Cup, had defeated Belgium in its opening Group B tie and its unassailable 2-0 lead in opposition to Belarus ensured it should end on the prime of its group.

Belarus, which has by no means received a Billie Jean King Cup title, got here to Prague without its prime two gamers – world quantity two Aryna Sabalenka and twotime Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka – and ended up shedding each its group ties.

Under the match’s new format, 12 groups have been cut up into 4 teams of roundrobin play and the group winners progress to Friday’s semi-finals, with the ultimate tomorrow. The Russian Tennis Federation will face 18time winners United States within the first semi-final within the morning with Australia taking over both hosts Czech Republic or

Switzerland within the night session.

The 27-year-old Storm Sanders, who made her match debut this week, gave Australia the perfect begin with a snug 6-3 6-3 win in her first assembly in opposition to an error-prone Yuliya Hatouka, ranked 192nd on the planet.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich jumped to a 4-0 lead within the second singles rubber in opposition to Tomljanovic earlier than the Forty thirdranked Australian, who missed the tie in opposition to Belgium by sickness, discovered her footing within the contest.

Tomljanovic discovered her mark because the match progressed and although she couldn’t save the opening set she did sufficient to beat the 88th-ranked Sasnovich 4-6 62 6-3. “There really is no greater feeling,” stated Tomljanovic. “I came here to help the team and I’ve ended up doing that, so that makes me happy.”

Czech Republic and Switzerland will play the ultimate tie of the round-robin stage within the night with the winner progressing to the semi-finals from Group D after either side defeated Germany of their opener.

PAGE 22

Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

Queen’s Baton travels through “Our region has been economically one dimensional Kenya as environmentally friendly for too long” - Kenneth Williams message issued loud and clear - Region #7 Chairman Anniversary Challenge Cup to be annual Chairman of Region #7 Kenneth Williams whose inaugural Anniversary Challenge Cup has been deemed a resounding success has pledged that the tournament would become an annual affair and would also be expanded to include teams from Linden and Berbice as early as next year. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport on the outcome of the competition which was won

by City side Fruta Conquerors last Saturday at the Bartica Community Centre Ground, Williams also informed that in the not too distant future, international teams would be invited.

While it was just a football competition which was held under strict covid-19 guidelines with persons also afforded the opportunity of taking the covid-19 vaccines at the ground, Williams who has been in eth position for just over one year noted that the opportunity for Sports Tourism in Bartica is very encouraging and it’s an area he’s eager to explore. “I see it as opportunity to promote sports tourism in our region. We need the economic returns from such events. Our region has been economically one dimensional for too long and it’s an opportune time to embrace the vision of the RDC in promoting unconventional methods

to support our Region’s economic viability.”

The other clubs which participated in this inaugural tournament were Rising Stars which lost to winners Conquerors by the lone goal of that encounter, Beacon FC which defeated Middle Mazaruni Warriors, 2-0.

Two female teams also competed, Bartica Golden Girls and GT Panthers, the latter coming out victorious.

Chairman Williams is expressing gratitude to all and sundry for making the tournament a success. “I am truly grateful for the overwhelming support given by Mayor Marshall and Town Council, REO and RDC, Mr. Bacchus of Issano, Mr. Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Coaches, supporters and players of Middle Mazaruni Warriors which travelled four (4) hours through dangerous rapids to participate, Fruta Conquerors, Beacons, Coach and supporters of Bartica Golden Girls (hastily put together but talented group), the Bartica Football Association and of course the host team, Rising Stars FC of which I am the President.

Special thanks also to the Coach and players of GT Panters Female Team of Georgetown.”

Williams also extended gratitude to the football fans that came out in their numbers over the two days to lend support.

Olympians Faith Ogallo and Hellen Obiri leading the journey to the top with the Queen’s Baton.

Insidethegames - As the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Q u e e n ’s B a t o n R e l a y continues, Kenyan athletes have carried the Queen’s Baton and planted new trees.

D u r i n g t h e R e l a y, taekwondo fighter Faith Ogallo sent a strong environmental message.

“We as champions have to champion for the environment,” Ogallo told Kenyan television. “All the champions are green champions. “Being green means responsibility, being responsible. Once we are responsible we will be able to fight for climate change and by that, we will serve the future generation.”

John Ngugi, 1988 Olympic 5000 metres gold medallist, led a group hill run joined by 2018 Commonwealth Games 500m champion Hellen Obiri.

Other runners included tennis player Angela Okutoyi and sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala, who had set a new African 100m record last month.

His presence was a reminder that Kenya’s first Commonwealth Games gold was won by sprinter Seraphino Antao almost 60 years ago at the 1962 Games

in Perth. The training centre is set in an environmental conservation area and discourages the use of plastic bottles within its premises.

As part of the visit, Baton Bearers planted new trees in the forest.

“Trees play a vital role in ensuring we have particularly more oxygen and brings about rainfall which helps us get food,” the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) said on social media. A group of youngsters from Huruma Town sang as they enjoyed a musical bus ride with the Baton. Earlier in Nairobi, NOCK President Paul Tergat, a five-time World Cross Country champion, had joined Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park to launch a city run to the Arboretum. “We welcome the Baton to Kenya, the source and home of athletics giants,” Amina Mohammed said. “The Baton Relay carries with it an ideal and topical theme of Sustainability, Youth and Inclusion. “It complements our national aspirations, renewed hope and resilience.

“It directs our collective energies on rebuilding

countries and reigniting economies across the Commonwealth that have been greatly affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. “I know that everyone who saw the Baton during its journey recognised it as a symbol of the unity and diversity of our Commonwealth of Nations.”

Kip Keino, who won double gold at the 1966 Kingston Games at the start of an illustrious international career, also took part.

Paralympic sprinter Samson Ojuka, Kenyan sevens star Collins Injera, weightlifter Winnie Lagat and student actress and singer Natasha Nyawira also carried the Baton during its journey.

Tergat later handed the baton to Kenya’s first lady Margaret Kenyatta, who wore the distinctive Baton Bearer’s uniform and a face mask for the occasion. The Baton was then passed to former rugby sevens star Humphrey Kayange, who will supervise the transition of the Baton to Uganda for the next leg of the journey.

In total, the Baton will travel for 294/ days, spending between two and four days in each nation or t e r r i t o r y, c o v e r i n g approximately 90,000 miles.

Trees play a vital role in ensuring we have particularly more Oxygen and brings about rainfall which helps us get food

Kaieteur News

Friday November 05, 2021

PAGE 23

Sri Lanka end West Indies title defence with inspired win

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CC - Sri Lanka produced an inspired performance to win their final match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and end West Indies’ hopes of defending their title. Kieron Pollard’s side went into the game knowing that they needed a big win to give them a chance of qualifying from Group 1.

But Sri Lanka, who already knew they were out of qualification contention, put West Indies to the sword after being put in to bat, with Charith Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka scoring outstanding halfcenturies in a daunting total of 189/3.

And in reply West Indies lost both openers Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis in the second over, and never looked like reaching the target, despite lively knocks from Nicholas Pooran (46) and Shimron Hetmyer (80*).

West Indies struggle with the bat - With 190 to get and knowing that a win would only just keep them alive in the tournament, West Indies’ reply got off to an inauspicious start when Chris Gayle fell in the second over, plonking a catch to mid-off for 1 off 5.

Binura Fernando picked up a second wicket just four balls later

when the dangerous Evin Lewis chopped on as he looked for a third boundary of the over. And Sri Lanka struck another blow in the sixth over when Roston Chase was brilliantly caught by Bhanuka Rajapaksa to leave West Indies three down inside the Powerplay.

Pooran, promoted to number three, looked fluent in his 46 off 34, and alongside Shimron Hetmyer gave West Indies a glimmer of hope. But Pooran’s dismissal in the 12th over ultimately ended the chance of the chase, with Andre Russell, Pollard and Jason Holder all falling cheaply.

And even Hetmyer’s explosive finale wasn’t enough as West Indies finished on 169/8, still 21 runs short.

Sri Lanka’s rapid start Earlier, openers Perera and Nissanka had got Sri Lanka off to a strong start in their final game of the tournament. The wicketkeeperbatter, in particular, looked in sparkling form, hitting three boundaries as he raced to 29 off 20 before being dismissed by a spectacular caught-and-bowled by Andre Russell.

But the fall of Perera brought Asalanka to the crease, and the 24year-old showed attacking intent right from the off and putting on a

fine partnership with Nissanka through the middle overs.

Asalanka’s brilliance - The 91-run partnership for the second wicket finally came to an end when DJ Bravo had Nissanka caught on the boundary for 51. But Asalanka just kept on rolling, overtaking Jos Buttler as the highest runscorer at the tournament before falling in the penultimate over for 68.

And skipper Dasun Shanaka rubbed salt into West Indies’ wounds with a sparkling late cameo, smashing 22 off just 13 balls to help his side post 189/3.

West Indies bow out - Sri Lanka’s win saw them end their tournament in style and with hope for the future, particularly after the impressive individual displays of Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga.

But West Indies still have a game to play against qualification hopefuls Australia in what could be the final match of the careers of a number of the West Indian stars.

Sri Lanka 189 for 3 (Asalanka 68, Nissanka 51) beat West Indies 169 for 8 (Hetmyer 81*, Pooran 46, Hararanga 2-19, Fernando 2-24) by 20 runs.

Fixtures for Fri 05 November Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah New Zealand vs Namibia

Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka hit sparkling half-centuries Getty Images Dubai International Stadium, Dubai India Vs Scotland Sat 06 November Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu

Dhabi Australia Vs West Indies Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah England Vs South Africa

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 05, 2021

NBA roundup: Nets West Indies set for six-match pull away from Hawks T20I and ODI tour of Pakistan Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Reuters - Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 32 points in the third quarter when the Brooklyn Nets surged ahead and pulled away for a 117108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in New York.

Durant also collected seven rebounds and five assists. Teammate James Harden followed up his first triple-double of the season with 16 points and 11 of Brooklyn’s 34 assists. Joe Harris hit six 3-pointers and added 18 points to help the Nets head out on a six-game road trip with a three-game winning streak.

DeAndre Hunter hit a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, but Atlanta lost for the 11th time in the past 13 meetings against the Nets. Trae Young scored 11 points in the opening quarter and finished with 21 and 10 assists on 6of-22 shooting from the floor.

76ers 103, Bulls 98 Seth Curry scored 22 points while Joel Embiid added 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as host Philadelphia handed Chicago a rare defeat.

Georges Niang also contributed 18 points, Tyrese Maxey added 14 and Furkan Korkmaz had 11 for the Sixers, who won their fourth in a row.

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 37 points and 10 rebounds while Zach LaVine added 27. Lonzo Ball had 13

for the Bulls, who had won six of their first seven games entering the night.

Raptors 109, Wizards 100 - Fred VanVleet scored a season-best 33 points and added six assists as visiting To r o n t o d e f e a t e d Washington. OG Anunoby added 21 points and five rebounds for the Raptors, who have won five in a row and four straight on the road.

Svi Mykhailiuk and Gary Trent Jr. added 15 points each for the Raptors.

Bradley Beal scored 25 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards, who have lost two in a row. Montrezl Harrell added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Washington.

Warriors 114, Hornets 92 - Jordan Poole scored a season-best 31 points as Golden State overpowered Charlotte in San Francisco.

Gary Payton II came off the bench to chip in with a season-high scoring total of his own, contributing 14 points and three steals to the Warriors’ sixth win in seven games to start the season.

Stephen Curry and Damion Lee had 15 points apiece.

Miles Bridges poured in a game-high 32 points and Gordon Hayward scored 23 for the Hornets, who lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Grizzlies 108, Nuggets 106 - Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 11 of his season-high 22 points in the fourth quarter as Memphis recorded its

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (12) during the fourth quarter.

second consecutive win over visiting. Jackson made five 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds for Memphis, which escaped with the win after Nikola Jokic’s 11-foot jump shot hit the front rim at the buzzer. Ja Morant recorded 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Grizzlies.

Jokic put up a seasonhigh 34 points while adding 11 rebounds for Denver, which lost 106-97 in Memphis on Monday. Will Barton scored a season-high 26 points.

Mavericks 109, Spurs 108 - Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 31 points, including 13 of Dallas’ final 15 of the game, and grabbed 10 rebounds as the visiting Mavericks outlasted San Antonio.

Luka Doncic scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Dallas. Tim Hardaway Jr. also had 23 points, and Boban Marjanovic hit for 17 off the bench.

Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 23 points, with Devin Vassell scoring a career-high 21. San Antonio fell for the sixth time in the past seven games after Keldon Johnson committed a turnover in the final seconds.

Results elsewhere: Clippers 126, Timberwolves 115, Pacers 111, Knicks 98, Cavaliers 107, Trail Blazers 104, Celtics 92, Magic 79, Kings 112, Pelicans 99.

St John’s, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed that the West Indies Men’s team will play three T20 Internationals (T20I) and three One-Day Internationals (ODI) against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi from December 13 to 22.

The ODI Series will be West Indies fourth series of 12 in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League in which the top seven teams can secure automatic qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. West Indies currently lie in eighth position out of 13 teams and have the opportunity to move above Pakistan into seventh position.

This will be the West Indies’ first tour of Pakistan since April 2018 when three T20Is were contested. The two-time former World Champions will be playing ODIs in Pakistan for the first time since December 2006.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “Today we have confirmed the details for the West Indies Men’s white ball tour of Pakistan in December. CWI would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and our own cricket operations, medical and security teams for the work that has gone into the organization of this tour.

- December 13 to 22

West Indies and Pakistan have always delivered exciting series and we’re looking forward to visiting Pakistan to complete what has been a hectic and momentous year of cricket in the light of the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour starts a new cycle of T20I cricket, building towards next year’s ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. The ODIs also have great significance as West Indies looks to earn more points towards securing qualification for the ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup in India in 2023.”

Independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI) will continue to monitor the security situation in Pakistan, and will also have a

representative assigned to the team for the duration of the tour.

Meanwhile, the West Indies Women’s Team are presently in Karachi, Pakistan for three ODIs as part of their final preparations for the upcoming Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.

Tour Schedule: December 9 – West Indies arrive in Karachi December 13 – 1st T20I, Karachi December 14 – 2nd T20I, Karachi December 16 – 3rd T20I, Karachi December 18 – 1st ODI, Karachi December 20 – 2nd ODI, Karachi December 22 – 3rd ODI, Karachi

‘The time has come’: Windies superstar confirms retirement

Dwayne Bravo ICC - West Indies superstar Dwayne Bravo has confirmed he will retire at the end of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. In August, Captain Kieron Pollard announced Bravo had played his final T20I in the Caribbean.

Following his side’s loss to Sri Lanka yesterday, Bravo confirmed he would be hanging up his boots on the ICC’s postmatch Facebook Live show.

“I think the time has come,” Bravo said.

“I’ve had a very good career. To represent the West Indies for 18 years, had some ups and downs, but as I look back at it I’m very grateful to represent the region and the Caribbean people for so long. “To win three ICC trophies, two with my captain (Daren Sammy) on the left here.

“One thing I am proud about is that the era of cricketers we had we were able to

make a name for ourselves on the global stage.” A two-time T20 World Cup winner, Bravo has played 90 T20Is for the Caribbean outfit, taking 78 wickets and scoring more than 1000 runs.

The seam-bowling all-rounder made his international debut in 2004, going on to play 293 matches. He will round out his career with a 294th match on Saturday when the West Indies finish their T20 World Cup campaign against Australia.

A T20 trend-setter throughout his career, Bravo has been one of the format’s finest exponents of the slower ball and excelled at the death with both bat and ball. In 2012, he was the man to take the winning catch when West Indies won the T20 World Cup for the first time and he was there again when they took out the tournament in 2016.

Monday November 05, 2021

Kaieteur News

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Australia jump to second after crushing Bangladesh ICC - The Australian bowlers, led by Adam Zampa, restricted a hapless Bangladesh to 73, before Aaron Finch’s men stormed to the target in 6.2 overs.

Zampa picked up five wickets with his leg-spin, his 5/19 the best figures of the tournament so far and the best for Australia in T20Is. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had two each.

Bangladesh’s batting woes followed them into their final match of the tournament. Only three batters got into doublefigures, nobody made more than 20, and they were bundled out in 15 overs.

Australia enjoyed a big net run rate boost with the result, leapfrogging South Africa to be second on the table behind England.

Quick chase - The loss to England had hit Australia’s net run rate, and meant that should they find themselves equal on points with South Africa after all the games were played, they would lose out. Hence, Aaron Finch came out swinging, keen to knock off the runs in quick time. He took a fancy to Mustafizur Rahman, targetting the midwicket boundaries and sending the ball soaring into the stands.

Taskin Ahmed too was smashed for back-to-back sixes before Finch was bowled going for another big one, falling for 40 off just 27 balls.

Although Australia then lost Warner as well, they had knocked off 67 runs in the Powerplay, the highest total in that period all tournament.

Another six over midwicket, this time from Mitchell Marsh, completed the formalities.

Pace and spin combine - Earlier, asked to bat first, Bangladesh came undone against both pace and spin in the Powerplay. Starc greeted them with a series of deliveries around 144kph, while also getting late movement. Liton Das was dismissed in the very first ball he faced, bowled by a full and fast one.

Hazlewood came back from being hit through the gaps in the leg-side field for four by Soumya Sarkar to have the batter inside-edge onto the stumps. Glenn Maxwell, brought in for an over of spin despite the pacers doing well, then got some turn to trap Mushfiqur Rahim in front.

Mohammad Naim drove one back past Hazlewood for his third four of the

afternoon, but was caught inside the circle two balls later trying to pull. Adam Zampa needed just one ball to make an impact, with Afif Hossain caught at slip off a googly. And at 33/5 in just over six overs, Bangladesh were in deep trouble.

Shamim, Mahmud Ullah resist - Mahmud Ullah, who had got going with a couple of fours off Starc, finally found a partner in Shamim Hossain to bring a brief period of stability.

Shamim gave Bangladesh fans the first six to celebrate, smashing Zampa over deep square leg to bring out the team fifty.

Two in two for Zampa The stand had grown to 29 in 28 balls when Zampa precipitated another collapse. First, Shamim was caught behind looking to cut.

Then, Mahedi Hasan was trapped LBW first ball, with the review confirming the umpire’s call that it was clipping off stump.

He could have completed the hat-trick in his next over had Matthew Wade held on to an edge. He did add another couple of wickets to his tally in that over, though, picking up his five-for and wrapping up the Bangladesh innings.

Mitchell Starc hands the match ball over to Adam Zampa © Getty Images

From left, Leah Kamalall, Trisha Hardat, Dharshamie Subramanie and Lakshmi Mahadeo.

RHTY&SC female quartet commence preparations with ICC U19 World Cup in mind Since 2008, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) has been the only cricket club to invest in female cricket and currently has the only female cricket club in the country.

The Rose Hall Town Metro Female since its formation has been led by West Indies player Shemaine Campbelle and has never been defeated in numerous tournaments organised by the club and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), which remains the only County to organise

matches for females. The team also won the only national female tournament organised by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) way back in 2009 and has never been given an opportunity to defend the title due to no more tournaments been organised.

The club has commenced a special training programme under the guidance of Ccoach Delbert Hicks for a quartet of female players with the objective of making the national Under-

19 team in 2022 and then the West Indies U-19 team in 2023 for the ICC World Cup. The club has to date produced four international players for the West Indies in Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Sheneta Grimmond and Shabaki Gajnabi and Foster stated that as a visionary organisation, the Club is now planning well ahead to having at least one player in the West Indies U-19 team in 2023.

The four players who are

in the special training sessions are Trisha Hardat, Leah Kamalall, Lakshmi Mahadeo and Dharshamie Subramanie. Coach Hicks shared that the players have the potential to follow in the footsteps of their senior counterparts and one day, wear the famous maroon uniform once they remain focused and committed.

Kamalall is a wicketkeeper and batter while the talented Hardat is a hard hitting middle order (Continued on page 19)

ESCL semis set for Sunday at Reliance The semi-finals of the inaugural Essequibo Softball Cricket League (ESCL) Over-40, 20-overs competition would be contested on Sunday. In the first game at Reliance Ground, Invaders Masters will tackle Sunrisers while in the second fixture Caribbean Sports Club will clash with Raven Sports Club.

In the final preliminary round match played on Sunday last at Affiance, Caribbean Sports Club beat Queenstown Tigers by a comfortable 38-run margin.

Caribbean Sports Club raced to 150-9 from the 20 overs and then dismissed Queenstown Tigers for 112 in the 16th over.

Eshwar Singh led the way for the winner with a well-played 35. Motie Narine captured three wickets for 44 runs from his maximum four overs. When Queenstown Tigers batted, Narine returned with the bat to score 31.

Lukieram Bridgemohan produced an excellent

Lukieram Bridgemohan bowling performance for Caribbean Sports Club by claiming three wickets for 17 runs off his four overs. In the other fixture, Sunrisers got the win over Ravens Sports Club owing to a protest. It was reported that Ravens Sports Club fielded an under-40 player.