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November 06, 2020 -Vol. 22 No.43

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Three other oil blocks to keep your eyes on...

CGX submits plans to relinquish 25% of Corentyne, Demerara and Berbice Oil Blocks - Says Energy Dept. sees no obstacle renewing licences No-case submission Ex-cop gets 14 years for killing for Gary Best dangerous driving GGMC officer, to be ruled on Dec. 3 security guard

Pensioner charged Deportee found for engaging in sexual guilty of Parika fuel activity with child dealer murder

Guyana deserves detailed explanation for US$9 billion Payara capital cost - OGGN

Kaieteur News

PAGE 02

Friday November 06, 2020

CGX submits plans to relinquish 25% of Corentyne, Demerara and Berbice Oil Blocks Three other oil blocks to keep your eyes on...

- Says Energy Dept. sees no obstacle renewing licences

A

ccording to the petroleum agreements signed with oil companies as well as the overarching law for the industry, companies are expected to give up a portion of their blocks, whether on - or offshore, at the end of the first renewal period for their licences. In compliance with this, CGX Energy Inc. has submitted applications to the Department of Energy and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to relinquish 25% of its Demerara, Corentyne and Berbice Blocks.

This was noted in the c o m p a n y ’s Q u a r t e r l y Highlights for the three and six-month period ended June 30, 2020. CGX noted that the

relinquishment of the said portions of the blocks was done in an effort to progress into the second renewal period for each of the Petroleum Prospecting Licences (“PPLs”).

In the report, CGX said the Department of Energy “has officially indicated” that it sees no material obstacle to a favourable consideration of CGX progressing to the second renewal period in respect of the Corentyne, Demerara and Berbice PPLs, provided that relinquishment details necessary for progression into the second renewal period are agreed upon.

CGX said that the department has also indicated that the second renewal period instruments

in respect of the Corentyne, Demerara and Berbice Blocks can then be finalized immediately thereafter.

According to the company’s recently updated website, CGX Resources Inc. is the operator of the Corentyne Block under a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) with Frontera Energy Guyana Corp. (“FEGC”).

CGX reminded that it had contracted PGS Geophysical AS (PGS) to provide acquisition and processing of a full broadband marine 3D seismic survey over a northern segment of the Corentyne Block while noting that this was completed on November 2, 2019.

The exercise produced seismic data covering

approximately 582 km² of the northern portion of the Corentyne Block with processing completed on June 5, 2020.

The company has since completed the evaluation of the recently processed 3D seismic data and has identified two potentially highly prospective large channel sand reservoir complexes. These channel complexes have been interpreted to contain multiple high potential prospects located in the northern region of the Corentyne Block. This region is located in proximity to the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana and Block 58 offshore Suriname.

The Pluma and Haimara discoveries in the Stabroek Block are located approximately two and eight miles respectively, from the border of the northern region of the Corentyne Block.

Maka Central, Kwaskwasi-1 a n d S a p a k a r a We s t discoveries in Block 58 are located approximately seven, 15 and 20 miles respectively, from the border of the northern region of the

Corentyne Block.

Further to this, CGX said that the prospects mapped in the northern Corentyne Block are interpreted to be situated at the same geological horizons as the nearby significant discoveries already proven in the Stabroek Block and Block 58.

It said too that the prospects identified on the northern region of the Corentyne Block have been interpreted to share the same proven hydrocarbon generating basin and intervals in which the current discoveries are located.

Kaieteur News understands that these prospects are primarily stratigraphic traps composed of sandstone accumulations and deemed to be analogous to many of the discoveries already proven to be successful in the Guyana basin spanning both Guyana and Suriname.

As for the Demerara Block, CGX said noted that in 2014, it shot a 3,100 km² of 3D seismic survey that included gravity/magnetics over the Demerara Block.

CGX said it then completed

Time element (Pre Stack Time Migration) and Depth element (Pre Stack Depth Migration) processing of the seismic data. Based on this new data, CGX completed a fully integrated study of the block prospectivity. Prospect level maps were created along with a complete petroleum system evaluation. Kaieteur News understands that four high quality prospects were identified with a detailed analysis. An independent resource estimate report is currently in process.

With respect to its onshore block, CGX said there is strong evidence that oil has migrated onto the onshore Guyana Berbice Block and has been trapped.

In this regard, it said that its 62% owned subsidiary, ON Energy Inc., had previously drilled three wells on the block and acquired 17 2D seismic lines along with an aeromagnetic and gravity survey. To augment these data, CGX said it conducted a Geochemical Soil Survey in late 2018.

Expounding further, it (Continued on page 16)

Map showing the location of CGX’s two offshore blocks (Demerara and Corentyne) and its onshore block called Berbice.

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Guyana deserves detailed explanation for US$9B Payara capital cost- OGGN T

here needs to be a d e t a i l e d explanation of how the Stabroek Block coventurers arrived at an estimated US$9B in capital costs for the Payara development, which will come on stream in 2024. So says Canada-based engineer, Darshanand Khusial on behalf of the Oil & Gas Governance Network.

This, Khusial said in a letter, following the 2020 Q3 earnings call of Hess Corporation, during which its principals sought to explain US$7.5B of the cost.

The rest, Khusial has called “padded”.

The question about the cost had come from JP M o rg a n a n a l y s t , A r u n Jayaram who said “the F&D [finding and development] cost came in a bit higher than buy side expectations.”

He also wondered about the implications for future Stabroek Block projects.

Hess’ Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, John P. Rielly said, “the net development cost for Hess is $1.8 billion.”

H e s s G u y a n a Exploration Limited, the company’s local subsidiary, has a 30 percent stake in the venture.

“So when you gross that up, it’s approximately $6 billion,” Rielly said. “We do have contingencies in our numbers for that, it’s set especially fairly high contingencies early in the process and it comes to that $6 billion on a gross-up

The Stabroek Block

basis.”

Next up, Rielly added the cost of the Prosperity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO): “And the one thing you also have to add when you’re doing the F&D is the ultimate purchase cost from the FPSO. We did not include that in our numbers, because that’s still — the timing of

that is being evaluated and the cost gets lower as you move out in time.

So we don’t know what that is. Exxon in its Phase 2 release had the FPSO at approximately $1.6 billion, that’s what they disclosed for Phase 2. We expect it to be lower with synergies. So if I round that, it’s $1.5 billion, so you get about $7.5 billion

there.”

How do the co-venturers then arrive at US$9B? Rielly continued: “And then, we do have some pre-sanctioned cost to add. And I know Exxon has got some additional contingencies beyond that.”

He later added, “the thing that I want to add with Payara is all the costs and the

contingencies that we have in our numbers and the presanctioned cost and the expected FPSO cost is in that calculation for the $32 Brent breakeven. So this truly is a world-class asset and adds to obviously then will be the third project in Guyana and we’re looking forward to doing the next project.”

Khusial said that there is

a lot at risk for Guyana when it comes to this cost. Guyana has to repay every cent.

He notes that for Guyana’s US$1.5B 2020 budget, there are hours of videos from Parliament, detailing how it will be spent.

“Did the Government of Guyana do a similar deep dive of US$9 billion cost of Payara?” Khusial asked.

Payara is the third of a series of approved projects

by ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC Nexen. Liza Phases One and Two, and Payara have estimated development costs totaling US$18.5B. Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had said that all costs will be audited, and that it’s only a matter of time.

He said that the development cost audits would have to wait for the completion of the audit of the US$460M pre-contract costs claimed by ExxonMobil for works in the Stabroek Block, conducted prior to the signing of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

But the audit of the precontract bill, significantly lower than the development costs, is moving at a snail’s pace. The government had granted an extension to the auditing firm, IHS Markit, but the deadline has not been publicly stated.

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Tel:624-6456 Editor: Sharmain Grainger Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Trump and the Granger Playbook At the time of the writing of this editorial, although the election has not yet officially been decided or projected, from all reasonable indications, it seems that the incumbent Donald Trump has lost the American elections to his opponent, former Vice President, Joe Biden.

It is not a situation that he is taking lightly by any measure. One of his tweets yesterday afternoon was a simple, manic, in all caps, “STOP THE FRAUD!” one that Twitter helpfully labeled with a disclaimer that reads “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading in an election or other civic process.”

A damning preliminary report by a European Union Parliamentary observer team sent to monitor the US elections sums up the general trend of Trump’s pronouncements and their impact: “Such statements by an incumbent president weaken public confidence in state institutions and were perceived by many as increasing the potential for politically motivated violence after the elections.”

If these words sound familiar to Guyanese, it is because the sentiments they embody are still fresh in our minds in the wake of our own former incumbent administration’s attempts to desperately and indecently retain power, despite clearly and convincingly losing our national elections earlier this year. Even as Trump’s administration was instrumental (with considerable bipartisan support in Congress) in pressuring the David Granger administration into finally relinquishing power, it appears with increasing clarity that the American President is drawing directly from the Granger playbook in seeking to reverse the will of the people in his favour even as he undermines public confidence in the democratic process as a whole.

The fundamental similarities between the bombastic Trump and the reclusive Granger are more than initially apparent. Both men, despite being in their seventies, are relatively late newcomers to formal politics; both rely on trite sloganeering over actual substantive policies, leaving the legwork to incompetent underlings; both are obsessed with self-branding; both see no issue in blurring the lines between the partisan political bodies they control and the state; both are thin-skinned and petulant, more comfortable with sycophants and hacks than with professionals in the public service; both were elected on promises of fighting public corruption and ended up encouraging it; and both are more concerned with pomp and ceremony than actual functionality in government.

Worse than all of this however is that both, though democratically elected, have displayed the same propensity for discarding the democratic process in their attempts to stay in power. In keeping with Granger’s playbook in that regard, the easiest line of attack of course for Trump has been false claims of pro-Trump votes being manipulated or discarded. For example, Eric Trump, the President’s son, tweeted a video of a man supposedly burning Trump ballots, a video that was found to be a hoax with the ballots being burned not real but sample ballots. Guyanese of course, will remember the fiasco of false claims of discarded votes

by Granger, including – during the recount – in boxes that had not yet been reopened.

Then there was the Granger campaign’s false claim of dead voters, including the bogus presentation of names and death certificates, all debunked by this newspaper’s reporting. Right on cue, America was yesterday treated by Trump surrogates, including Rudy Giuliani, claiming without evidence that dead people had voted in the US elections.

The most alarming mimicry of David Granger by Trump was during his rambling press conference last night in which he said he would win easily if only “legal votes” are counted, right in line with Granger’s convenient declaration of a victory on “only valid votes,” with ‘invalid’ votes being defined merely by virtue of the votes his machinery decided that were not valid in sufficient quantity to reelect him. And this after claiming that his Statements of Poll were identical to those concocted by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, which included 20,000 votes that did not

Friday November 06, 2020

Establishment and enshrining of a national ethos Dear Editor, There has been much said and written about Minister (Oneidge Walrond-)Allicock and the l e g a l i t y o f h e r swearing-in, as a Member of the National Assembly.

Two-elders, EB John and GHK Lall, added their voices.

They both contended that the hullabaloo over the matter was unnecessary.

They expressed the opinion that there might have been wrongdoing.

T h e y, h o w e v e r, contended that it was of no serious consequence and should not have distracted the Nation from matters of greater gravitas.

Wi t h o u t c o n c e r n i n g myself with whether or not the swearing-in was illegal, I wish to address the view of the gentlemen that the degree of gravitas should be a determining factor in addressing or not addressing such a matter,

if found to be in breach of the nation‘s guiding principles (ethos).

Essential to the attainment of the muchtouted democracy, good governance and civility is the cultivation of a national ethos (guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a nation), at the core of which should be values, such as honesty and upholding of the law, among other core values.

For such an ethos to take hold, our national leaders have to articulate and embrace it, as well as provide leadership by example. The treatment of, a n d r e g a r d f o r, t h e adherence to nationally accepted guiding principles provide an opportunity for the leaders to lead by example and demonstrate their commitment to a national ethos. If they don‘t, they would be undermining the

existing or evolving national ethos and would lose moral high ground on the question of right and wrong and the authority to call others out for wrong doing.

This inevitably results not only in moral decay, but in a breakdown in law and order.

We cannot have people in high office who are proven or even perceived to be patently dishonest not being called to the books and expect the people at large to subject themselves to the trampled upon guiding principles.

Until we demonstrate unswerving commitment to our democracy and good governance, which are predicated on principles such as responsible conduct, transparency, the rule-of-law and being f i d u c i a r y, w e w i l l b e perpetrating and perpetuating a farce.

On these matters, especially in a fledgling d e m o c r a c y, w h e r e t h e national ethos is still in the making and institutional approaches are still being developed, gravitas cannot determine how we treat with the adherence to our guiding principles.

Every opportunity and effort should be taken to embrace and ensure that those principles are sanctimonious.

That is the only way that they would be institutionalized, owned and upheld.

In closing, may I reiterate that I am not commenting on the Allicock matter, per se. I have used the foray of John and Lall to extrapolate on a fundamental of national building, the establishment and enshrining of a national ethos.

Vincent Alexander

No Electile Dysfunction in America Dear Editor, Comments have been made about the amount of time it takes to count the ballots and declare a winner in last Tuesday’s US presidential election.

Protests and legal action have been pursued to address issues pertaining to ballot counting, causing some people to think that the process or system has been broken or is not working.

The electoral system is working. The country is not at an economic or political standstill.

Unlike what happened in other countries, Guyana being an illustrative example, there is no “electile

dysfunction” in America, playing on the more popular biological term relating to human organ.

I am not sure if any other academics or writers have coined the term “electile dysfunction” but it was discussed with me by Prof.

Ram Shankar of India on Wednesday night.

I Googled it and nothing came up.

I define “electile dysfunction” as a breakdown of the electoral process, preventing people from voting and or counting of ballots, and that has brought the country to a standstill.

That is not happening in America.

exist – the public should perhaps be reminded at this point that Granger has still failed to show those SOPs. The comparison between the two men however has its limitations, one that should be considered by both democracies going forward. While, for example, Trump is trying to undermine democratic structures in the United States, he is largely failing to do so, hence his increasing reliance on misinformation and false rhetoric – Granger on the other hand deliberately and preemptively created an infrastructure that in effect infiltrated the critical democratic infrastructure, with key officers in the Guyana Elections Commission deliberately thwarting the process, from Mingo to Roxanne Meyers to Keith Lowenfield conspiring with political players officials like Volda Lawrence and Carol SmithJoseph to ensure that the will of the people was not reflected in the final official count.

For Guyanese citizens, constitutional reform – electoral system reform in particular – has to be something that is pushed on the political agenda going forward. Even as the largely vexatious suits filed by Granger served somewhat to allow the legal system to clarify fundamental areas of electoral law, enough remains in the current infrastructure for someone like a Trump or Granger, someone with that sort of manic, delusional political will, to simply decide to not want to give up power and to push the envelope as far as possible to retain it until some external force spanks some sense into him.

For American citizens, and citizens of smaller, more vulnerable democracies - what needs to be considered is that no such ultimate failsafe mechanism exists for the United States.

It happened in Guyana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, and other countries.

Everything is normal in America. There is no instability like what took place in Guyana when a party loses an election. Normal life goes on USA — schools are in session, staffers are at work, and people are milling around, shopping, and so forth.

As someone who studied and taught political science for over 40 years, including American politics, I know enough to make a bold claim that the American political system is strong, very democratic, and working well — no evidence of electile dysfunction.

I cannot think of another

country that has a better political system in terms of balancing of power among the three branches of government and among the central government, state, and local governments.

In America, power rests with the people and not the elected leaders, as say in Guyana. The US may not have the best electoral system, in that, the most popular candidate with the most votes may not necessarily win the Presidency.

But it is the greatest nation with strong democratic credentials.

Elections are free and fair, leaving out the era when (Continued on page 22)

Will Heath-London be held accountable if improprieties found with $30B bond?

Dear Editor, I read that Colvin HeathLondon has been terminated as head of the Special Purpose Unit for GuySuCo. Several reasons were cited for his dismissal including the handling of lands on the East Bank Demerara and East Coast Demerara, In the September 05, 2020 edition of your newspaper, it was reported that President Irfaan Ali’s Administration had initiated a review of the $30B bond raised for GuySuCo, including the utilization of funds received.

The Special Purpose Unit was responsible for this bond issue.

I would like to know whether Mr. Heath-London will be held accountable for any improprieties that are uncovered by the administration’s review of the bond matter.

It would be important for the public to know who benefitted from the bond proceeds, if not GuySuCo. As bearers of our country’s largest state-backed debt, the public deserves transparency.

Ivan Charles

Friday November 06, 2020

Do not let America become Guyana Dear Editor, I am writing this very early, but I think that Senator Joseph Biden has won the race for President of the United States. I did not vote, but I recognize him as my president. Anything else, or anyone else, would be the highest injustice, the exemplification of wrongdoing and for the worst possible purposes.

My first recommendation is for Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to recommend to his president to stand aside and step down and bow out gracefully. Just like he did here with the obstinate and tricky PNCR coalition.

Unlike here, Secretary Pompeo is not restrained by such banalities as internal affairs, or sovereign rights, or those other things that once meant so much, but not anymore. Well, at least, not here, when A m e r i c a n priorities are involved and could be diminished, which renders non-interference not a point for negotiation.

In the confines of the Oval Office or whichever wing or whatever moment he can lean on his party and country leader, Mr. Pompeo must rise to the occasion and do so assertively, fearlessly, and honorably.

I am not meddling, as I am American, too; well, at least the last time I checked.

This is my business and my future and my dignity at stake. And, for these

reasons and more, I respectfully convey to Her Excellency, Ms. Sarah Ann Ly n c h , U n i t e d St a t e s Ambassador to Guyana, that she shares the gist of this message to our president.

After we have been lectured and influenced (rightly) and coerced and commanded (wrongly) into bowing to the dictates of electoral democracy, then I believe that it is only appropriate that the same standards apply at home, in America, in the very bastion of democracy.

I think it would be a gross insult and profanity for the Republican candidate, the loser, to not concede, to resist, to challenge, to misuse and abuse the U.S. Supreme Court with what amounts to a patent barbarity.

For when the Chief Executive does those things, his thinking and position, in essence, is this: unless declared the w i n n e r, a l l e l s e i s unacceptable, found resistible.

He said so much and on more than one occasion before, during, and now after the election. On power and abuse of it, he is proving true, the only times and only things for which this can be said. As to how much more unhinged he will prove to be remains to be seen. I am not optimistic. He is not Al Gore, not by a long shot.

Little room for issues of the past in the Sugar Industry.

Dear Editor, In a recent report on the Indian Sugar Industry, they have reported a challenging cost structure where their cost of production is too high compared to market prices.

This issue has led to government subsidized exports in the past, but these subsidies will not be implemented this production season, according to the recent report.

Guyana’s sugar industry has historically been in a similar situation and will require a restructuring program to turn a profit quickly.

Although it may be comforting to know that these challenges are shared by others, it is also concerning given the current global economic environment.

The support of the union,

the impacted communities and the region will continue to be even more important if a quick turnaround in the industry is to be achieved.

The increasing competitiveness of the global market due to weaker demand leaves little to no room for continued output under-performance going forward if cost reduction is to be put on the right track while increasing employment.

Our national economy will have significant exposure to the industry in coming years and delivering on the recent regional agreements put in place will be important in achieving a successful turnaround.

Jamil Changlee Chairman The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

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Kaieteur News

F u r t h e r, I a m n o t optimistic about the chances of candidate Biden prevailing before the U. S. Supreme Court, though the preponderance of evidence is in his favor.

Mail-in votes in 2020 are the hanging chads of 2000. Unlike Florida and a few tens of thousands of minority votes neutralized in 2000, there are over 100 million votes that feature this time around. And this is whether Michigan or Wi s c o n s i n or Pennsylvania (or all of them) is targeted to be the proving ground before the august accumulated wisdom and singular legal prowess of the justices of the United Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Roberts, though an unpredictable wildcard, could be expected to rise to the occasion and deliver for something so vast in reach and implications.

By that, I mean the incumbent. This is where the confidence placed is repaid a hundred-fold.

Justice Clarence Thomas will follow the conservative flag to hell and back, regardless of how judicially frivolous and pathetic he appears. Justices Samuel

Alito, Jr., Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett can be counted upon in this crunch and clutch. This is where the rubber meets the road with all the marbles in play. It is as rank and as routine as that; or could be m a d e t h a t w a y, s h o u l d these honorable Americans jettison reality, be about the party line, and make a mockery of democracy and things American.

I have lost faith in the president.

By their judgment(s), the Justices of the United States Supreme Court can make America dignified again. I hope that I am not prompted by developments to lose trust in the blindness and rightness of justice.

For those are the two things that come before them, as a still revered institution, and as men and women, who should be of that rarest of breeds: immaculately resplendent in judicial sagacity and fully clothed in the unimpeachable authority of individual and collective integrity. Why, even lowly Guyanese jurists did just so when tested.

GHK Lall

49 ballot boxes and the Presiding Officers Dear Editor, An enquiry must be done to find out why Presiding Officers did not place certain documents in 49 East Coast ballot boxes.

Some Presiding Officers under whose responsibility 49 East Coast ballot boxes fell under, claimed they were ordered by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo not to include certain documents when sealing the ballot boxes.

Others are claiming they did this on their own and not under M i n g o ’s direction.

These documents should normally be placed in the boxes as they were trained

to do in their training programmes.

The ones who claim they did this on their own should be disciplined or charged and an enquiry should be done on the others.

If Mingo did order those documents not to be placed in the boxes, then he should be charged therefore.

Paul Validum Ramlochan

City Hall must work along with the Government of the day Dear Editor, There are two significant areas in which the PNC/ APNU usually claim as their own stomping ground.

These are the public service and the municipality and I must say the party has been doing quite a fantastic job at subversive politics where these two areas are concern. For our discussion today, we shall be stationed in the city taking an in-depth look at this place where recent hotspot events are taking place.

Georgetown is the heartland of the PNC and is the perfect example for them to showcase what a city should not be. For starters, the city is a dirty, smelly place where vagrants and pickpockets roam. It is an overcrowded locale, where poor and sub-standard services is a normality. On any given day it would be the unfortunate experience of anyone conducting business to fall victim to the usual conartist or corrupt artisan. This is Georgetown, led by an administration that is equally known for its mediocrity.

As the seat of government, one would have thought that Georgetown is a place of fine manners, a place that is orderly and wellmanaged, but this is not to be.

The City Council is an atrocious example of that of an itinerant mendicant as the Pandit Mayor who goes around begging for money to run the city.

With cap in hand, he is out asking here and there for benevolent donations.

The new PPP/C Government, for its part, has said that it will be making subventions to the city.

However, that can only be done if the management style of the city changes. In fact, the government has given the city an ultimatum, that there would be no cash coming their way except and until a comprehensive audit is done.

This latest call by the government should sober up the Mayor and City Council to pay strict attention to their management style and straighten up for the better.

We are talking about the instant removal of the dinosaur deadweight regime of Royston King, Patricia Chase-Greene and Oscar Clarke, just to name a few.

Such individuals work in open defiance to the Local Government Ministry and are otherwise obstacles to progress. Business in our capital city cannot continue to go on this way In conclusion, the Municipality of the City of Georgetown must, I repeat, must work along with the new PPP/C Government and not the other way around. This backwardness of a run-down, cash-strapped City Council must end now.

The PNCR-dominated City Hall have been running the city like a cook-up and dog-food stand of a municipality for decades with bad results being the outcome. It is high time for a new and enlightened approach to the management of the city.

Neil Adams

PAGE 6

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

Is the “Granger effect” rubbing off on Donald Trump?

Dear Editor, A nail-biting Tuesday Election Day in America came and went as “The day the earth stood still.” There was no certain answer but a “wait and see” process that can involve days of a nervous and perhaps passionate waiting for the country and the rest of the universe at large.

There is a dreaded lull in the country also as the disciplined forces are on the alert and ready for any riots as expected in many states.

If the result is unsatisfactory and rejected in certain quarters, demonstrations are anticipated and looting can follow.

The situation can become threatening and dangerous and can induce violence in the streets. Many of the business premises have already taken precaution and boarded up and the police remain present, patrolling the scenes along with volunteer guards. Many shoppers

hustled to the stores to stock up on groceries and food stuff.

Biden started Election Day by attending a church service and visiting the graves of his son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015, and his wife Neilia and daughter, Naomi, who died in a car crash in 1972.

He stopped at his childhood home in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he wrote a message on the wall that read: “From this house to the White House with the grace of God. Joe Biden 11-3-2020,” He finished the campaign in Pennsylvania, a battleground state that is likely to play a key role in the election.

Trump gave an unprecedented speech early Wednesday morning, brazenly and falsely claiming that he had won the election and claiming—with no evidence—that election officials were engaging in electoral fraud to try and prevent his victory.

The president demanded that officials stop counting votes in certain states and suggested he would appeal to the Supreme Court to do so. Legal experts have said there is no clear reason for Trump to do so.

According to the NY Times, President Trump spoke with a mix of defiance, anger and wonder that the election had not yet been called in his favor. The president recounted his standing in an array of battleground states before falsely declaring: “Frankly, we did win this election.”

By so doing, he ended his campaign by doing what he began to do from the beginning, i.e. to corrupt the election.

What remains certain, if anything, according to Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Tom Wolf is: “We repeat what the Vice President said tonight: Donald Trump does not decide the outcome of this election. Joe Biden

does not decide the outcome of this election. The American people decide the outcome of this election. And the democratic process must and will continue until its conclusion.”

The US election is certainly taking a grip with world leaders and it has a frenetic global effect of uncertainty with mixed and interesting reactions. The planet weans on American speediness and this unprecedented delay is creating havoc and mayhem in the market, leaving the pundits in fear, scratching their heads and resorting to the guessing game for a winner. Stocks moved higher Wednesday as markets digested a still-uncertain election that appears to be signaling a continued split government no matter who wins the presidency, with Republicans keeping control of the Senate and Democrats holding the House.

In mid-morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average surged about 600

points, or 2.2%, to edge above 28,000.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose nearly 3% to 3,466. And the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped nearly 4% to 11,596.

Twitter and Facebook are censoring all election claims and have put rules in place before the US presidential election restricting content from candidates claiming premature victory.

Meanwhile, underscoring how the drama captured the global audience, here are a few summed up reactions: Chinese social media users watched election day in the United States with bemusement and mockery, as President Donald Trump complained of a “major fraud on our nation” and falsely claimed victory before millions of votes had been tallied; “I’m hearing it may take some time before things are sorted out,” said the Japanese Finance Minister, Taro Aso. “I have no idea how it may affect us.”

In Paris, a Spanish resident, Javier Saenz, was stunned to wake up without a declared winner; Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who has been poisoned and attacked for challenging the Kremlin and trying to make Russia more democratic, even suggested that the delay was comforting, a sign of democracy at work; “That was such a ‘Trump or we burn the country’ moment,” quipped Danny Makki, a Syria analyst, referring to slogans of “Assad, or we burn the country.”

Europe appealed for patience and rigorous votecounting as in Slovenia, the birthplace of first lady Melania Trump, the rightwing prime minister, Janez Jansa, claimed it was “pretty clear that American people have elected Donald Trump,”; the German defense minister, Annegret KrampKarrenbauer, said that “the battle over the legitimacy of the result — whatever it will (Continued on page 22)

National Diya set to light Sunday; no cultural show due to COVID-19 Dear Editor, The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (Hindus for Selfless Service -HSS) will host its annual “National Diya Lightup” on Sunday, November 8th, 2020 at Rahaman’s Park, Houston.

The first National Diya was lit in 2015 at the same location and would have illuminated the entire area, ushering in the period of Diwali. This event will mark the sixth consecutive National Diya of Guyana and as usual, will be attended by Government officials, heads of leading Hindu and other religious organizations and young leaders.

The aim of the National Diya lighting is to promote, preserve and spread awareness of oneness and national unity. The theme for this year’s Diya Light-up is “Fighting COVID-19 with the light (Deepa) of knowledge.”

The period of Diwali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year.

Diwali literally means a row of lights. It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Hindus all over the world rejoice.

It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil.

The meaning of Diwali, its symbols and rituals, and the

reasons for celebration are innumerable.

Diwali celebrates Lord Rama’s glorious and long-awaited return to his kingdom of Ayodhya after his 14 years of exile in the forests.

It commemorates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakaasura, who had kidnapped and terrorized the gopis (devotees) of Vrindavan.

It is also celebrated as the day Bhagwan Vishnu married Maha Lakshmi. Diwali is also associated with the story of the fall of Bali – a demon king who was defeated by Lord Vishnu.

In general, Diwali signifies the triumph of good over evil, of righteousness over treachery, of truth over falsehood, and of light over darkness.

However, Diwali is not just a festival of lights so that we may burn candles, fireworks, and sparklers.

Sure, these are wonderful ways of expressing our gaiety.

But it is not the only or true meaning of ‘light.’

Diwali is a festival of the light that dispels the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light that shows us the way on our journey through life. The purpose is not to glorify the light of the lamp or the firecracker. The purpose is to glorify the light of God. It is He who bestows

the real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this mundane world. A candle burns out.

A firework is a momentary visual experience. But, the candle of a still mind and the fireworks of a heart filled with bhakti are divine and eternal; these are what we should be celebrating. The light of Diwali should be within us. It should symbolize the personal relationship between God and ourselves.

Let the light penetrate inward, for only there will it have lasting benefit. A piece of cotton soaked in ghee, lit with a pure heart, a conscious mind and a desire to be free from ignorance is far “brighter” than hundreds of expensive deepaks (lamps).

Apart from the spectacular display of the National Diya, there will be a Maha Lakshmi Puja, Vandhana, few remarks and cultural music to portray the significance of the national holiday. Unfortunately, there would be no cultural show this year due to the COVID19. The event will commence at 5:30 hrs. and conclude at 7:00 hrs. and will be streamed on HSS Guyana Facebook page and local media entities.

Shub Deepavali “Fighting COVID- 19 with the light (Deepa) of knowledge.”

Praem Narine Rambharak (Satesh)

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday November 06, 2020

Deportee found guilty of Parika fuel dealer murder Kurt Thomas called “Deportee” or “Yankee” was found guilty of murder yesterday by a mixed-12 member jury for the murder of Parika fuel dealer, Seeram Singh.

The jury found Thomas g u i l t y o f t h e c h a rg e , following a summing up of the evidence in the trial by Justice Navindra Singh in the Georgetown High Court.

Thomas, who joined the proceeding from the Lusignan Prisons via Zoom, cursed and maintained his innocence.

He was further remanded to prison pending sentence. A date is yet to be fixed for sentencing.

The verdict follows almost two weeks of trial in the Georgetown High Court.

During the trial, Thomas was implicated in the crime by

several witnesses including eyewitness Rajmohan Autar.

In his evidence, Autar told the Court that he operated a shop in the area where the shooting took place.

He recalled that he had seen the accused pacing the area and that he even purchased a Guinness at his shop before the robbery.

The witness claimed that he was inside his shop when he heard a commotion. He claimed that when he came outside, he saw the fuel dealer being chased by a man who was tugging at his gold chain. Autar claimed that there was a struggle between the victim and his robber who was armed with a gun and that he shot Seeram in the process.

The witness said further that after the robber fired the

first shot, he recognized him to be the stranger who he had sold Guinness earlier that d a y. H e s a i d t h a t h e remembered the accused because their eyes “made four.” In response to queries from the prosecution about the location of the killing, the Autar said that the incident occurred under a lamppost, which had lights at the time that the shooting occurred.

The eyewitness testimony followed the scientific evidence of Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, who revealed to the court that the fuel dealer succumbed because of shock and haemorrhage due to gunshot injuries. He gave the court a detailed analysis of the wounds and injuries that were found on the body of the deceased businessman.

Murdered: Parika fuel dealer, Seeram Singh

Convicted: Kurt Thomas.

Dr. Singh’s analysis comes days after the court heard that clothing belonging to the accused as well as his hand had tested positive for gunshot residue (GSR).

Government analyst and expert in trace evidence, Senior Superintendent Phillip Azore, in his testimony, told the court that he found chemicals consistent with gunpowder residue on a black jersey and samples collected from the defendant’s right hand which

were items submitted to him for testing.

Additionally, Inspector Lallbachand Dial and Police Corporal, Krishnadat Singh, had testified to having handed over to Azore several pieces of items containing samples for GSR testing.

Dial had spoken of swabbing the hands and nostrils of the accused for gunpowder residue and thereafter placing the samples to air-dry before handing it over to the analyst

for testing.

I n h i s t e s t i m o n y, Corporal Singh had told the court that he had escorted Thomas to his home from where he said, he retrieved several pieces of clothing which he (Thomas) identified that he wore on the day of the shooting and the following day.

The case was prosecuted

by State Counsel Tuanna Hardy and Tyra Bakker while attorney Lyndon Amsterdam represented the accused.

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Saving Christmas!

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t may not be too late to try to save Christmas. A twoweek total lockdown with strong enforcement may do the trick. Unless that happens, the Grinch called coronavirus is going to steal Christmas.

Over the past two days alone, there were 148 new cases. In all likelihood, at least seven of these persons are going to die.

This is according to the law of probability. At least seven of the persons infected over the past two days are likely to die.

This is what the country is facing while the government continues with its ill-crafted measures to control the pandemic. It is now totally out of control.

Tw o p e r s o n s d i e d yesterday. One of the persons who died cannot be considered an elderly. But elderly people have a right to life too and should not be left to drop dead like flies.

One of the persons who died yesterday was a 74-yearold woman. Eleven members of her family have tested positive. They most likely are among the 52 new cases from Region Four which were recorded yesterday.

The 74-year-old woman died next to her daughter who is also severely ill. The daughter must be thanked for making the details public as to awaken Guyanese to the reality of what is taking place within the society with this pandemic.

There should be no shame

in anyone admitting that one of their relatives died from the pandemic.

The virus is not a curse. It is an infection like the flu, except that it is 10 times more contagious.

In fact, one of the explanations which is now being offered as contributing to the massive increases in infections has to do with the virus mutating and spreading far more easily than in earlier this year.

If you look at the number of active cases in Guyana, it was coming down slowly up to a few days ago. But it would have risen over the past few days. However, the rate of decline is not a hopeful sign.

If the decline in active cases, as of a few days ago, continues, it will still take until next April to bring the virus under control in Guyana.

And that is assuming there is no second or third surge – something which cannot be ruled out, not when we are dealing with these brilliant epidemiologists who are advising the government.

By then a vaccine may be available.

But not in Guyana. The vaccine was supposed to be ready by September. It was not. Then we were told it may have been ready just before the US elections. That date has been pushed back. News then came that it would be ready for December. This was then amended to read that it will be ready just before Christmas. Now we

are told there is only a small chance of this happening.

It is going to take eight weeks for the data to be assessed in relation to one of the front-running vaccines.

This means we are looking at January at the earliest for a vaccine.

And the rich countries have the first call. Guyanese probably will not receive any jabs until next April the earliest. By that time, at the rate things are going, more than 600 persons are going to die.

It is therefore time for a lockdown. A two-week lockdown with only essentials - electricity, water, medical services, transportation and supermarkets may do the trick. Markets and restaurants should be closed since these are heavily trafficked facilities. Two weeks not two months.

In the meantime, those who have lost loved ones have a moral duty to help to create greater public consciousness about the need to suppress the spread of the virus.

They should not shy away from talking to the press about the circumstances which led to the deaths of their loved ones.

Who knows, perhaps, when this happens, people will come to realize that it is not just persons with underlying conditions who are dying but also other persons.

They may also realize that many of the elderly who

People hiding boys seh... behind face mask Dem

As at yesterday, Trump was becoming desperate.

He became so despairing dat he turned to Pumpeo and told him, “If you can’t get Mingo and Lolo-field here in time, at least get de bed sheet!”

De White House is slipping from Trump’s grasp. According to dem boys, Trump cannot go back into de White House because it is For-Biden.

One of dem workers from Kaieteur News leff fuh go home yesterday morning.

He carried a friend with he from de workplace.

As he approached his house he noticed a pile of things in front of de place which he renting.

He turned to his friend and said, “Eh! Like de

landlord helping me clean up.”

By de time he reached de house, his friend turned to him and said, “De landlord is not helping you clean up.

He is cleaning you out. Is put out yuh get put out!”

Is den dem boys find out dat de worker did not pay rent since March.

He keep telling de landlord how because of de coronavirus he nah wukkin.’

But when de landlord called de boss man of de Waterfall paper and was informed dat de man wukkin’ all de time, is den de landlord realize dat he getting con.

Some people using de pandemic fuh con even dem friend.

Dem borrowing money and nah paying back. Some

of dem so presumptuous, dat dem wearing face mask and going and stand up in front of de persons who dem borrow from. And de person nah recognize dem.

One man, however, was not so lucky.

He put on he face mask and went and stand up in front of the man who he borrow money from and nah pay back.

De man recognize he and demanded repayment.

De man who borrow de money was so surprised, dat he ask de man how he recognize him. To which de man answer, “Yuh foot mo bow dan Jagdeo.”

Talk half and remember when yuh gat bow foot, nah try fuh hide behind face mask!

are dying are persons who were infected by others, including in their own households.

Unless there is a lockdown now for two weeks, Christmas will be one

sad event in the country. Is that what we want?

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

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 06, 2020

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The US election result is one of the most shocking events since WW2

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h e r e i s a prominent r e s e a r c h company in the US named Edison Research.

It specializes in electoral trends. It does work for major media firms, government agencies and powerful businesses. Edison Research reported that Donald Trump in the 2020 election has garnered more non-white votes than other US presidents since 1960 when President Richard Nixon held the record.

Why would any nonwhite person on Planet Earth want to vote for a man named D o n a l d Tr u m p t o b e president of the US in 2020 when that very man as

president for four years showed the world that he is one of the most flawed, bigoted and dangerous humans?

The election result, though not official, was a very tight battle in which the predictable winner, Joe Biden, narrowly defeated one of the worst leaders a functioning democracy in the developed world has produced since World War 2.

In every state of the US federal system, the election result was extremely disappointing to people all over the world who think Trump was cultural and mentally unfit to be the head of the US government.

At the time of writing, the

Democratic Party (DP) has suffered losses in the House of Representatives lessening its numbers in the House though it still has a majority.

In the Senate, it is doubtful that the DP will remove the Republican majority. What is frightening about the narrow Biden victory, the DP’s losses in the House and the DP’s failure to capture the Senate is that candidates from the Republican Party who won were open admirers of Trump and praised him during their individual campaigns. In the heartland of American liberalism – New York – the Republicans beat DP candidates for congressional seats, one of which was in Staten Island.

The tantalizing question is: If Biden’s triumph was so narrow then what caused him to just go over the line? All the results are final so conclusive analysis will have to wait but a few guesses should suffice. First is that a mammoth turnout of Black America all over the territory of the US could have brought about close victories in swing states that went to

Trump in 2016. Black America did not turn out for Hilary Clinton in 2016 and that caused her defeat in the Electoral College.

S e c o n d l y, a s m a l l number of White middle class women who rooted for Trump in 2016 turned against him in 2020 because they see him as a man who thinks women are inferior to men. Again, that may have tipped Biden over the line in a few red states. Thirdly, young White college students who attained voting age in metropolitan cities naturally gravitated to liberal candidates.

It may be these factors that pushed Biden over the line. The brutal reality, however, is that Donald Trump was not really beaten by liberal America. So what caused the resuscitation of Trump in 2020? Half of America voted not for Trump but for Trumpism. Every human in the world should begin to accept that the United States of America as we knew it in the 1960s and 1970s is gone.

Maybe it is not gone forever if you believe in

H e g e l i a n dialectics, but for a very long, long time, that half of America that voted for Trumpism in 2020 will continue to preserve Trumpism and Frederick Kissoon will look for other Republican candidates since Obama became to preserve Trumpism. They president. It sees White will birth another Trump in A m e r i c a a s b e c o m i n g 2024. One of the persons infused with lesser races and likely to fill that spot is the that will make America Fox New television host, weaker and a second-class Tucker Carlson. nation. Trump’s slogan, I say in all honesty, and I “Make America Great mean this from the bottom of Again,” is commonly read to my heart, not since the fall of mean put US back as number the Nazi leaders in Germany one on the global map. It has has a powerful, rich and another meaning too – it was d e m o c r a t i c c o u n t r y White America that made the p r o d u c e d a m a n w h o US numero uno in the world; preaches White racist purity i m m i g r a n t s c a m e a n d than Mr. Carlson. This lessened the purity of White flawed character has a shape America, let’s keep them out. of rhetoric and demagoguery Trump was defeated but not that is not almost but Trumpism. Half of America i d e n t i c a l w i t h N a z i believes in racial superiority psychopaths and sociopaths. and that half will keep To think that such a person Trumpism alive to battle can thrive in a great again in 2024. democracy like the US is a (The views expressed in global tragedy. this article are those of the So what is Trumpism? It a u t h o r a n d d o n o t is the psychic transformation necessarily reflect the of the US establishment opinions of this newspaper.)

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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Friday November 06, 2020

Region’s producers complain about increasing amounts of imported sugar The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) met on October 29, 2020 and has registered its concerns about continued undermining of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) for sugar.

Despite the Council for Tr a d e a n d E c o n o m i c

Development (COTED) agreement in 2019 to tighten compliance with the Common External Tariff (CET) and the systems that govern it, individual companies continue to overestimate their requirements for imported extra regional, CET-free sugar.

“In November 2019, COTED mandated the community to introduce a monitoring mechanism to tighten control of sugar imports. So far, this has not materialised. In recent months, exaggerated requests for CET waivers under the safeguard

mechanism indicate scant regard has been paid to the political sentiments expressed by COTED. In one recent case, a single manufacturer has sought permission to import around half of their country’s national annual demand,” SAC said in its statement yesterday.

The situation regarding extra regional imports of brown sugar in contravention of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas rules has resulted in a legal challenge

by Belize in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), a move that SAC and its members have supported.

SAC Chairman R. Karl James said: “Sugar industries across the Caribbean are

investing to meet regional demand for sugar. It is imperative that the regulatory system to support CARICOM businesses steps up to incentivise that investment. This will lead to improved regional food security and a resurgent agro economy in the Caribbean – never more important than now facing the impacts of COVID-19 – while supporting hundreds of thousands of Caribbean livelihoods. It is ridiculous to import most of our sugar from outside the region, when Caribbean sugar is under-utilised at home”.

SAC announced that regional production for 2021 is likely to exceed 400,000 Metric Tons (MT) of sugar,

far in excess of total regional demand of 280,000 MT. “Yet traditionally only a quarter of this is utilised in the region. Sugar industries are investing to ensure that high quality, food-grade sugar is available for Caribbean products and to ensure that the regulatory mechanisms designed to support Caribbean business work for sugar as they do for other products.”

Guyana has been struggling to meet targets with four sugar estates closed by the Coalition government which is now in opposition.

The new government, under Irfaan Ali, has moved to reopen three of the sugar estates, insisting that sugar is much more than profits.

Friday November 06, 2020

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No-case submission for Gary Best dangerous driving to be ruled on Dec. 3

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ormer Chief of Staff, Gary Best, is expected to know on December 3, whether or not Magistrate Rondell Weever will uphold a no-case submission made by Best’s attorney, Nigel Hughes, in a dangerous driving charge related to the death of national cyclist, Jude Bentley.

Best is currently before Magistrate Weever in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He was released on $500,000 bail for the offence, which alleged that on February 8, 2020, at Clive Lloyd Drive, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle PRR 8182 in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Bentley.

On Wednesday, the matter continued and the prosecution responded to a no-case submission that was made by Hughes.

On October 26, Hughes made the request for the court to throw out the case against his client.

However, on the last

hearing of the matter, the Magistrate set December 3, 2020, for the ruling of the nocase submission that was made by Hughes.

The People’s National Congress (PNC) Executive Member of 108 Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, was also charged for driving under the influence of alcohol.

He denied the charge, which stated that on February 8, 2020, at Clive Lloyd Drive, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle PRR 8182 while his blood alcohol level was at 0.85 micrograms.

Best was granted self-bail on that charge and released on his own recognizance.

In a previous hearing of the matter, the court learnt that Best served his country for nearly 35 years and that he also served as a presidential advisor, a member of the Legal Aid Clinic and is the recipient of a Medal of Service.

Kaieteur News has reported that the accident occurred at around 5:00 am

Tractor crushes man’s head at Barmita

A

Brazilian man’s head was crushed on Wednesday by a tractor at Central Barmita Village, North West District (NWD), Region One. The dead man has since been identified only as “Peu” of Barama Line, Barmita.

The fatal incident took place at around 17:30 hrs.

According to a police report, the man was travelling as a

passenger on the tractor.

Investigators reported that the tractor was ascending a hill at Barmita when it fell into a pot hole and Peu reportedly fell out – the tractor rolled backwards and ran over his head, crushing it.

He was picked up and taken the community’s health c e n t e r, w h e r e h e w a s officially pronounced dead by a medic on duty.

Pensioner charged for engaging in sexual activity with child A pensioner was y e s t e r d a y c h a rg e d f o r engaging in sexually activity with a child under the age of 16.

The defendant, Dennis Persaud, 62, of Levi Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, appeared in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Renita Singh.

Persaud was charged contrary to Section 11(3) of the Sexual Offences Act Chapter 8:03. He denied the charge which alleged that on October 24, 2020, at Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, he engaged in sexually activity

with a 9-year-old girl –he was released on $40,000 bail for the offence.

A c c o r d i n g t o information, on the day in question, the child had gone by the man’s house on an errand for her mother.

It is reported that while she was at the defendant’s house he engaged in sexual activity with her.

The matter was reported and Persaud was subsequently arrested and charged for the offence.

Meanwhile, residents are accusing Persaud of being in the habit of molesting young girls.

on February 8, 2020. Jude Bentley was struck by a black Toyota Land Cruiser which was being driven by Rear Admiral (ret’d) and Former Chief-of-Staff Gary Best.

Reports indicate that Best and Bentley were heading in the eastern direction when the former slammed into the cyclist, taking down a utility pole located on a median at the same time.

According to the facts of

the charge, a breathalyzer test was conducted on Best moments after the accident and it revealed that he was over the legal limit of alcohol which is 0.35.

Best was asked to lodge his passport and to report to the Traffic Headquarters once per month at 9 am to the Officer-in-Charge until the completion of the matter, as part of the conditions attached to bail.

Dead: National Cyclist, Jude Bentley.

Former Chief of Staff, Gary Best.

PAGE 14

Kaieteur News

Ashni Singh appointed Finance Minister -Ramjattan calls move ‘troubling’ Dr. Ashni Singh taking his oath to office

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fter spending years out of the political spotlight, former Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh was yesterday appointed to serve as the senior Minister of Finance by President Irfaan Ali. Singh took his oath in the presence of Cabinet Ministers and other Government officials at a simple ceremony at the Office of the President (OP) last evening. The OP, in a statement issued after, noted that it will retain its oversight role, but Dr. Singh would be responsible for Finance. Notably, Dr. Singh was not on the government’s list of candidates for the 2020 elections and will therefore serve as a technocrat minister,

thereby occupying the second and last technocrat position permitted by law – the other technocrat Minister is Oneidge Walrond-Allicock, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

According to President Ali, Dr. Singh will be part of the team to oversee the agenda of government which include projects, programmes and policies to stimulate growth, expand the country’s economic base and strengthen existing sectors.

Dr. Singh, who is a holder of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Accounting and Finance awarded by the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom, was first (Continued on page 20)

Friday November 06, 2020

54 year-old Region 4 male is the latest COVID-19 fatality The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a new COVID-19 fatality, a 54year-old man from Region 4 (DemeraraMahaica), who passed away at a medical facility yesterday. The new death takes Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll to 131 and is not represented in the MOH’s daily dashboard update. Additionally, 69 new COVID-19 cases were recorded bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 4,393, as

indicated in their daily dashboard update.

The dashboard also shows 11 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, 69 persons in institutional isolation, 772 persons in approved home isolation and 49 persons are in institutional quarantine.

To date, 3,409 recoveries have been recorded and 21,091 persons have been tested for the virus.

Friday November 06, 2020

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Belgium tracks, seizes 11.5 tonnes of coke from Guyana -local shipper of scrap iron, mother arrested Belgian prosecutors said that the drugs were seized at the Port of Antwerp.

Belgian prosecutors have dealt a new blow to a recently disbanded drug gang led by a former Belgian police chief as they announced the largest-ever drug bust shipment “in the world”, after finding 11.5 tonnes of cocaine in a scrap metal shipment from Guyana.

Here, head of Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit, James

Singh, disclosed that two persons have been detained, the shipper of the containers, and his mother.

Local investigators are trying to determine if the containers seized in Belgium are the same ones that left Guyana. They are collaborating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Belgian authorities.

According to the story in the Brussel Times, counter-narcotics prosecutors said they had tracked the trans-Atlantic journey of the cocaine from Guyana, and seized it upon its arrival at the Port of Antwerp.

The catch is “the largest overseas drug bust ever, worldwide,” federal (Continued on page 23)

Belgian authorities said that they found a metal container with the drugs within the container.

Kaieteur News

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Friday November 06, 2020

Sleepy Sanitary Pads Congratulates its fourth $100,000 Winner!

S

Ms. Nafeesa Burnett, right, collects her prize from a company representative.

leepy’s All-Natural Sanitary Pads is e x c i t e d t o congratulate Ms. Nafeesa Burnett of Corentyne, Berbice, for being the fourth $100,000 Winner in the ‘Sleepy Monthly Promotion’.

The fourth drawing was done live on October 31, 2020 at 13:00 hours, via the Sleepy South America Facebook Page. Ms. Burnett won with a total of 62,758 shares on Facebook.

Nafeesa was very excited for her prize money which she will share with her sister who is due to give birth.

The other four top contestants did not leave empty handed. They were each given hampers consisting of various Sleepy products. With two more months of this special promotion left, we urge all women to participate for their c h a n c e t o w i n !

Made from super absorbent materials that lock in fluids and keep you dry, Sleepy Sanitary Pads feminine care products are unique and comfortable. They are made

from all-natural materials such as cotton and bamboo fibres, free from dye and lotion, thus ensuring no rashes or irritations.

Sleepy Sanitary Pads are available in normal (regular), long, thick, ultra-thin and overnight, a variety of choices for your unique body type and menstrual experience.

They are also available in various pack sizes.

Here’s how to enter for your chance to win: 1. Take a creative photo of yourself with your favourite Sleepy Sanitary Pads pack.

2. Submit that photo to our Sleepy South America Facebook Page via Inbox, along with Your Name and Contact Number.

3. Your photo will then be uploaded to our Facebook page, where you and your friends can Share.

4. A Winner will be selected from the Top Five (5) Photos with the most Shares via a L i v e D r a w i n g .

5. Promotion lasts from 15th July, 2020 – 31st December, 2020.

Woman chops man for slapping her several times A woman on Wednesday chopped a 24-year-old man about his body after he slapped her at Logg Hill Village, Baramita, North We s t D i s t r i c t ( N W D ) .

Nursing chop wounds to the body is Deon Henry, a miner of Logg Hill.

The incident according to police took place at around 19:15 hrs. Based on information received from the police, Henry and the woman were consuming alcohol in the village when an

argument ensued between them which resulted in Henry slapping the woman several times to her face. After this, the woman allegedly armed herself with a cutlass and chopped Henry several times about his body.

Police reports further stated that Henry went home and told his family what had transpired; they then took him to the Baramita Health Centre where he was treated and sent away. Investigation is still ongoing.

CGX submits plans to...

From page 2 said that a surface soil gas survey was conducted by Exploration Technologies Inc. (ETI) in collaboration with the University of Guyana - Berbice Campus and several of the Berbice technical institutes. A total of 314 shallow soil gas vapors

were collected between October 27 and November 4 of 2018 from a depth of four feet subsurface.

Kaieteur News understands that the results of this study are now being used to plan a 2D seismic survey and locate the drilling of a well.

Kaieteur News

Friday November 06, 2020

PAGE 17

Three doctors disciplined over children cancer patient deaths The medical doctors who were under investigation for the deaths of three child cancer patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) were relieved of their duties at the hospital and are undergoing a final disciplinary review.

This was revealed to Kaieteur News by a senior official at the hospital yesterday.

The doctors had come under investigation after three children who were undergoing treatment for a type of cancer called leukaemia succumbed after r e c e i v i n g a misadministration of drug dosages from them.

Reports given stated that the medication was given to each of the children in the form of post-chemotherapy injections between January 3 and January 4. On January 5, it was realized that the wrong dosage had been administered to the children and they started to develop unusual symptoms.

Curwayne Edwards was the first of the children to pass away – the seven-year-

old took his last breath on January 14. His death was followed by three-year-old Roshini Seegobin four days later. The last child to succumb was Sharezer Mendonca, a six-year-old, who passed until January 29.

Kaieteur News understands that while one family decided to pursue a legal case, the other two families decided to settle for financial compensation from the hospital. Following the deaths of the children, an investigation was launched by the GPHC to find a reason for the adverse reaction to the medication administered by the doctors.

“That investigation involves the interviewing of all medical persons directly involved, along with an assessment of the medication administered.

Further, the usage of that medication has been discontinued,” the hospital had said.Along with the GPHC’s investigation, the Ministry of Health had conducted an investigation as well and both investigations concluded

Dead: Sharezer Mendonca

Dead: Roshini Seegobin

that the incorrect dosage of drugs administered along with systemic issues at the hospital had contributed to the children’s death.

It was disclosed that the doctors were sent on administrative leave in light of the investigation being conducted and were awaiting its conclusion.

Reports also surfaced that one of the doctors dismissed was employed through the Ministry of Health and will

be in front of a disciplinary committee of the Medical Council, who is currently carrying out their final disciplinary review.

The Council’s preliminary review seen by this publication stated that the Medical Council identified some actions of the doctors in the “Chemotherapy maladministration” to the three children. The review went on to state that the Medical

Council has considered the systemic factors that may have contributed to the deaths of the children and that the GPHC had taken immediate steps to establish new protocols to ensure proper administration and monitoring of complex drug regimens.

“The Council was thus reasonably assured that the possibility of a similar occurrence in the future is unlikely. In considering

whether the doctors involved in this case posed an immediate danger to patients and whether it was prudent to temporarily remove them from practice, the council decided that same was not the case,” the Council said in their review.

The final review will be conducted by the Medical Council’s Disciplinary Committee and, based on the conclusion, further action will be determined.

PAGE 18

Kaieteur News

Friday November 06, 2020

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

Pollsters didn’t predict Trump’s 2016 victory due to failure to account for uneducated voters - Quinnipiac University Poll President

By Kemol King

Y

ou might have heard that public trust in US Presidential Election polls has waned a little, hence, a reluctance to believe the general consensus that Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden will win the Presidency.

The most recent Quinnipiac University Poll, for instance, shows Biden leading Republican nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump by 11 points.

Pollsters had largely failed to predict a Trump victory in the 2016 US Presidential Election, as they mostly had the then 2016 Democratic nominee, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, down as the winner, leading up to

E-Day. Though Clinton won the popular vote by clinching three million more than Trump, the businessman went on to secure the presidency after getting the majority of Electoral College votes.

D i r e c t o r a n d Vi c e President of Quinnipiac University Poll, Dr. Doug Schwartz, PhD said that the inaccurate predictions had to do with the fact that they underestimated White voters without a college degree, who made up a key part of Trump’s support base.

Dr. Schwartz addressed journalists from around the world during a press briefing on polling and analytics on October 15.

He said methodology is a very important indicator of the accuracy of a poll, and that there were polls in some

key states that missed the mark.

“A major reason was that late deciders in those states wound up supporting Trump.” Schwartz explained. “Another reason was that some pollsters underestimated white voters without a college degree.

It’s significant because these voters supported Trump and they were under counted in some polls in important states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, where Trump won by a very narrow margin.”

This meant that White voters with college e d u c a t i o n w e r e overrepresented. Schwartz said that this was not the only reason the polls were a little off, but that pollsters have reassessed their methods, and are now weighting by

education. “Quinnipiac methodology has factored in the breakdown of education groups for years,” Dr. Schwartz was keen to note.

“So, we didn’t have to make a change to our weighting the way some other pollsters did.”Weighting makes sure each demographic is accurately represented as a percentage of the population.

The Quinnipiac University Poll VP said that polls that have made changes to weight their work by education will be more reliable.

Quinnipiac University Poll Director, Dr. Doug Schwartz, PhD.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Friday November 06, 2020

GTT doubles bandwidth to schools in eGov project

T

he Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) yesterday announced that it recently donated 100 hundred percent

more bandwidth to the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), with the intent of providing faster connectivity to students across Guyana.

“The capacity of fiber internet connection provided

by GTT to the eGovernment agency was upgraded from 3GB to 6GB on October 31, 2020 at no additional cost to

the agency,” the UScontrolled telecoms company announced.

It would come weeks after Guyana, under the Irfaan Ali-government,

swiftly moved to liberalise the sector, almost a decade after decisions were made by the then Bharrat Jagdeo government to break the GTT monopoly on landline and international calls.

GTT has been accused of not doing enough to roll out high-speed internet across the land, with Berbice and Essequibo especially complaining bitterly. Chief Executive Officer at GTT, Justin Nedd, in the statement yesterday, explained the move behind the decision while lauding the eGov for its efforts to keep students and teachers connected.

“Your efforts to deliver broadband to schools across the country is commendable.

Knowing that children have returned to school with an increased dependence on broadband, we thought it best to give this increase as we do our part to support your efforts and the ambitions of our future generation,” Nedd stated.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, who also has responsibility for the telecommunications sector, commended GTT for its contribution to students

across Guyana.

“Without a doubt, this is an excellent move towards building a brighter tomorrow for our children. On behalf of all students across Guyana, we thank GTT for increasing the capacity for faster internet connectivity and look forward to your continued support,” Phillips opined.

Head of the NDMA, Lieutenant Commander (rtd) Floyd Levi, also praised GTT for the timely donation of increased bandwidth, noting it will go to the benefit of students accessing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs and schools with eGovernment connectivity throughout the country. “In these times, we are relying on technology a lot more – for work and learning.

This increased bandwidth will assist in meeting the needs of students across Guyana to ensure continued learning for a bright future.” eGov is a State initiative that connects 158 primary schools, 105 secondary schools, 241 ICT hubs and 33 tertiary institutions.

Ashni Singh appointed...

From page 14 appointed as a technocrat Minister of Finance of Guyana on 9 September 2006 under Bharrat Jagdeo, and served in that post until the fall of the Donald Ramotar administration in 2015.

Singh’s appointment comes in the wake of several legal proceedings against him instituted by the former government, most notably fraud charges against him and former head of the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington.

According to Kaieteur News reporting, in 2018 Singh and Brassington were jointly slapped with three charges of misconduct in public office related to the sale of three plots of state land. Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in January 2020

had adjourned the hearing for the proceedings against the two men. The adjournment was granted as the lower court awaits a related ruling of the High Court from Chief Justice, Roxane GeorgeWiltshire.

After calls to Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon went unanswered, this media house contacted former Minister of Public Security and AFC executive, Khemraj Ramjattan for a comment on the appointment.

“It is,” said Ramjattan, “obviously troubling. One would have expected the PPP/C to leave matters in abeyance by leaving him wherever he was. It will be interesting, in my opinion, the future of that Finance Ministry under Ashni Singh again.”

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 21

Ex-cop gets 14 years for killing GGMC officer, security guard

O

rin Arthur, 32, a f o r m e r policeman has been sentenced to serve 14 years imprisonment for the 2015 murder of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer, Trevor Abrams and the 2014 murder of Sterling Products Security Officer, Wilfred Stewart.

The former accused was initially indicted on two counts of murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when he was given a chance to do so yesterday.

The sentence was imposed by Justice Navindra

Singh on Tuesday at the Georgetown High Court where Arthur admitted to the facts of the case, provided by State Counsel, Tyra Bakker.

According to those facts, Arthur unlawfully killed Abrams, on February 27, 2015, at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

On the second arraignment, Arthur was indicted for murdering Stewart, who was on duty at Sterling Products, Providence on December 8, 2014, during the course of a robbery.

In his response to the charge, the former cop said that he was deeply sorry for

Angoy’s Avenue man charged with break and enter, larceny on Courts, Berbice

Arrested: Sunildatt Persaud

A

38-year-old man of Lot 45 Timmers Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam was charged on Tuesday for Break and Enter and Larceny committed on Courts Guyana Inc. Sunildatt Persaud called “Sunil” was arrested on October 29, and charged on November 3, with the offence. The charge was laid under Section 229(a) of the Criminal Law Offences Act, Chapter 8:01.

The accused appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Renita Singh and was not required to plea. Bail was granted in the sum of $200,000 and the case was postponed to November 25 for report.

Persaud was arrested after he was found walking with the stolen items in his

possession a short distance away from Courts in New Amsterdam on the 28th October, 2020. Police had disclosed that they responded to the Branch located on Main and St. Ann Streets, New Amsterdam and discovered that the main access glass door situated east, which is secured by a manufacturer’s lock, was broken from the bottom half.

Upon further checks around the area, they found Persaud in close proximity of the scene walking with the stolen articles.

He was subsequently arrested.

The items stolen and recovered were one 43" TCL flat screen Television, one black Sony PS4, one black LG Cellular phone, one black Samsung Cellular phone and one black Alcatel Cellular phone.

what he did. He noted that he was young, dumb and followed the wrong company.

Though, Arthur admitted to the crime and pleaded with t h e C o u r t f o r m e r c y, Prosecutor Bakker asked the Judge to let the sentence reflect the nature and gravity of the crimes.

She noted that Abrams’ life was snuffed out for $5M, while Stewart was killed on duty at Sterling Products during a robbery.

Arthur was sentenced to serve 14 years on each of the crimes by Justice Singh who also ordered that sentences will run concurrently.

Reports are that, Abrams, 32, of Lot 131 Samantha Point, East Bank Demerara, was a victim of an execution style killing after gunmen fired multiple shots at his car as he was heading home.

The reports indicated that there was suspicion that Abrams, who had been a (Continued on page 22)

GGMC Officer: Trevor Abrams

Security Guard: Wilfred Stewart

PAGE 22

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Kosovo President Thaci arrested, moved to The Hague to face war crimes charges PRISTINA - (Reuters) Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, a wartime hero turned politician, was arrested and transferred to the detention center of the Kosovo Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, yesterday to face charges of war crimes.

Thaci had resigned with immediate effect earlier in the day after learning that the tribunal had confirmed a war crimes indictment against him.

Thaci and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) are accused of overseeing illegal detention facilities where the movement’s opponents were kept in inhumane conditions, tortured and sometimes killed.

Thaci has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He told a news conference in the Kosovo capital Pristina that he felt his resignation was necessary “to protect the integrity of the state”.

Thaci arrived at Pristina’s military airport in the afternoon and was flown to The Hague, where he was taken into custody by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

The move could bring political instability to Kosovo, a young democracy

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where the 52-year-old former guerrilla became the first prime minister in 2008 and was elected president in 2016.

Prosecutors in July said they hold Thaci responsible for nearly 100 murders of civilians during the 1998-99 war when he was a KLA commander who fought the Serbian police and army.

Thaci, a U.S.-backed national hero, embarked on his political career after leading the KLA’s battle against forces under late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

Ties with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump deepened in September, when Kosovo and Serbia signed an economic relations deal at the White House.

The European Union on

Thursday welcomed Thaci’s cooperation with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, where he is expected to come before a pre-trial judge in coming days.

The tribunal was set up in 2015 to handle cases relating to the war that led to Kosovo’s independence from Serbia a decade later in 2008.

The court is governed by Kosovo law but staffed by international judges and prosecutors.

Many in Kosovo oppose the war crimes court and see the KLA commanders as heroes. “I think a big injustice is being committed here by putting on trial our liberators,” economist Fejzullah Ibrahimi told Reuters at a market in Pristina.

NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999 with U.S. support to

halt the killings and expulsions of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo by Serb forces.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International said the indictment against Thaci gave hope to thousands of victims of the war “who have waited for more than two decades to find out the truth about the horrific crimes.”

In Belgrade, lawmaker Milovan Drecun who is chairman of the Serbian parliamentary committee for Kosovo said the indictment proved that “establishing the truth about war crimes of the KLA and punishing those responsible is an irreversible process.” In July, Thaci met the prosecutors in The Hague to discuss the allegations against him.

...Ex-cop gets for 14 years for killing From page 11 mining engineer with the GGMC since 2012, may have killed because he had written something unfavourable in a recent report from his work in Region One. Following the arrest of two suspects, police confis-

cated firearms and ballistics tests have linked the guns to Abrams’ death as well as to the murder of security guard, Wilfred Stewart, who was shot dead, the previous year when gunmen invaded Sterling Products in search of a safe, containing money and other

valuables.

Abrams and his alleged accomplice, Steven Prescott called ‘Assassin,’ 49, of Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara, were both arrested for the murder. Prescott is currently on remand awaiting trial.

...Is the “Granger effect” rubbing

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From page 6 look like — has now begun,”; “Africa used to learn American democracy, America is now learning African democracy,” tweeted Nigerian Sen. Shehu Sani.

In Zimbabwe, the ruling ZANU-PF party’s spokesman, Patrick Chinamasa, said: “We have nothing to learn about democracy from former slave owners.”

But others said U.S. electors distinguished themselves by voting in great numbers in the midst of the pandemic.

“That would be a remarkable story for democracy, no matter what the result is,” said Leslie Vinjamuri, an international relations expert at the Chatham House think-tank in London.

“But if what we see in the

next few days is a contested election, a president alleging fraud, people on the ground descending into some sort of fighting over the results, trying to block counting, then I think we’re in a wholly different situation.”

Is the USA experiencing what Guyana encountered earlier this year and is the “Granger effect” rubbing off on Donald Trump?

Jai Lall.

...No Electile Dysfunction in From page 4 Black Americans were prevented from voting or their ballots were not counted or some incidents of suppression of minority votes.

The counting of ballots was a problem in 2000 because of hanging chads on computer voting cards, but so far in 2020, the counting of ballots is continuing apace this week and would conclude in a few days.

I do not think the court would intervene to stop the count or prevent a recount. All the ballots will be counted and the right winner will be declared. The trend shows a Biden/ Harris victory. It may take a week if not longer for an official declaration.

The country eagerly looks forward for a declaration. The reason why the counting is taking so long is the large number of absentee and mail-in ballots that are slowly being processed.

This is the first election for mail-in ballots

— which was experimented with because of COVID-19.

The counting of those ballots could not commence until the conclusion of voting on Tuesday night. It is a lengthy process to remove ballots from envelopes, verify signatures and addresses, and then placed on machines to be processed.

There are millions of those ballots. And voters had until Tuesday to mail them and three days for arrival at polling centers.

So officials have to wait till Friday evening to close the process and then count all the ballots. The final results with mail in ballots would not be known before Saturday, at the earliest. President Trump has moved the court to stop the count in swing states.

He is going down to defeat as I had projected in earlier commentaries. It is doubtful the court would rule in his favor.

Dr Vishnu Bisram

Kaieteur News

Friday November 06, 2020

The National Public Health Reference Lab

Backlog of 109 HIV test samples from babies finally cleared The Ministry of Health has managed to clear the backlog of 109 HIV test samples taken from babies that were left sitting in a lab f o r o v e r a y e a r. T h e disclosure was made by the Minister of Health Dr. Frank A n t h o n y, d u r i n g a n interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) this week. “ We ’ v e h a d s o m e challenges with not having reagents to test babies; if their mothers are HIV positive, normally we’ll take a sample and test it in the lab to just make sure that these babies are not infected with HIV. For more than a year, we weren’t able to do those testing. We have now brought in all the reagents, we have started testing and we have cleared whatever backlog there was,” the Minister said.

It was also revealed that early detection of HIV in babies would enable proper treatment and the parents being notified of the child’s status from the onset.

Dr. Anthony had first addressed the backlog in September during his 2020 National Budget presentation. The Minister

had expressed that the PPP administration was shocked when they discovered the test samples that had been left by the previous administration, sitting in the lab “with dust”.

In addition to that, it was found that no effort was made to carry out tests on the samples which resulted in mothers and the new government being hampered from knowing the status of those children - something that was a major concern for the parents and the health system.According to the Minister, a technical team had to conduct assessments to see if the samples could still be tested. Since the backlog has been cleared, any child that has tested positive can now be identified and treated.

During his interview, Anthony also disclosed that the government had to acquire antiretroviral drugs (ARVs ), which are used to treat HIV patients.

The Minister said that the drugs had to be sourced from Brazil and Suriname following a shortage that was also found upon the PPP administration taking office.

The government has

Belgium tracks, seizes 11.5...

From page 15 prosecutors told Belgian media, estimating the street value of the drug load at €900 million. The massive load of cocaine left a port in Guyana on late October and prosecutors were able to track, following the dismantlement of a drug trafficking gang led by a former Belgian counternarcotics chief which revealed the existence of tight-knit links between criminal gangs and counternarcotics and law enforcement officials.Three police officers, a port manager and a lawyer were among some 20 other criminals arrested as part of the operation targeting the “well-structured” criminal organisation suspected of orchestrating large and “regular” drug shipments from South America to

Belgium.

The record-breaking shipment was expected by law enforcement officials as it is suspected it left the port of Guyana after the drug gang’s arrest in Belgium, with drug gangs unable to intercept it once at sea, De Standaard reports.It was disguised as scrap metal and placed inside a steel container which was in turn packed into a sea container and loaded into a transatlantic vessel.

The dismantlement of the drug gang in late September led to the arrest and indictment of 22 people, with three people still in the Netherlands awaiting extradition.

Following the bust on Wednesday, three others were arrested, including one person who is facing extradition to Belgium from the Netherlands.

already put in orders for the drugs, but the ones they sourced are expected to last by the time those that they ordered arrive. HIV kits that were also in short supply have been restocked.

Approximately $3 billion in total has been spent recently to replenish the country’s drug supply.Kaieteur News understands that Guyana was expected to be evaluated this year to see if the country made the criteria for the elimination of mother-tochild transmission of HIV but that evaluation, of course, could not be executed due to the abandonment and backlog of the test samples, as previously explained by Dr. Anthony.

PAGE 23

CDC activates emergency mechanism in response to the flooding The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in a release, on Wednesday, stated that its Director General, Kester Craig, had activated the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) under the direction of the Prime Minister Mark Phillips – who has ministerial responsibilities for disaster risk management – to respond to the coastal flooding earlier this week.

The CDC stated in the release that it had, early on Wednesday, conducted assessments around Georgetown which was most impacted by the heavy rainfalls. This impact was further exacerbated by the continuing above-normal high tides which had been predicted to overtop river and sea defences, the CDC stated.

The places where the CDC visited and met with residents in Georgetown were North and South Ruimveldt; East and West Ruimveldt; Alexander Village; Stabroek; Charlestown; Albouystown; Wortmanville; D’Urban Park; and Bel Air. Assessments were also conducted along the East Coast of Demerara, the East Bank of Demerara villages, West Coast of Berbice and Linden.

The Commission detailed that it procured sand and sandbags to assist residents who are at further risk while preparation of sanitation and cleaning supplies have been completed for households that have been inundated.

The release further stated that the NEOC held a virtual meeting as it commenced strategizing for the current situation and the projected impending showers and

Director General of the Civil Defence Commission, Kester Craig. thundershowers which are expected to last until November 10. It saw representation from the CDC; Office of the Prime Minister; the Mayor and City Councillors of Georgetown; Ministry of Local Government; the Guyana Hydrometerological Services; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Public Works; Ministry of Health; Guyana Police Force; Guyana Defence Force; National Drainage & Irrigation Authority; Guyana Red Cross Society; Rotary Club of Georgetown and St. John’s Ambulance Brigade.

The Commission is urging residents of riverain, low-lying and flood prone areas to take all necessary precautions and to contact the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on telephone and mobile numbers 226-1114, 623-1700 and 600-7500 if affected.

PAGE 24

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Friday November 06, 2020

Friday November 06, 2020

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PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

Windies prepared for Black Caps pace attack: Blackwood

West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jermaine B l a c k w o o d s a i d We s t Indies were braced for the onslaught from New Z e a l a n d ’s speedsters during the upcoming twoTe s t s s e r i e s b u t w a s confident the Caribbean side’s batting lineup had the ability to deal with the challenge.

We s t Indies are expected to encounter the likes of seamers Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, all of whom proved a handful on the touring’s side last Test series in New Zealand three years ago.

In fact, Wa g n e r snatched 14 wickets and Boult, 10, on that 2017 tour,

Friday November 06, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may have been feeling more emotional lately. Today a fanciful energy could sweep you off your feet and into another realm entirely.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) People and situations that you were counting on may suddenly run into opposition today. Don't be surprised if the seat you're sitting on is suddenly pulled out from under you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your ego has probably been feeling strong lately, and you may feel an extra boost of self-confidence. Don't be surprised if your ego gets threatened by someone who appears out of the blue.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you knew the truth of all the things that are going on outside your world, you'd be appalled, Cancer. You shouldn't take things at face value today. It's important to simply go and see things for yourself.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) It isn't a good idea to try to fit people into a mold today.

This will only annoy others and frustrate you. It's important that you relax and simply let people blossom into the people they want to be.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Consider subscribing to an alternative newsletter of some sort, Virgo. You will find some amazing information that the general public doesn't necessarily know.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Don't expect others to take much notice of your emotions today. You're more respectful of theirs than they are of yours. Find peace among all you encounter.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your aggressive attitude is likely to start a fight that might be difficult to settle now, Scorpio. There are extremely stubborn forces at work, and you may find that no one is willing to budge from their position.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) ople may be difficult to deal with today, Sagittarius. You may soon discover that they're just as stubborn as you are.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A career goal you've been hoping to reach may seem uncertain now. You could be wondering if your work has gone for naught.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You could develop a stomachache if you try to sort out all the confused issues of the day, Aquarius. There are apt to be too many matters for you to handle alone, so don't even try.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may have your mind set on some big plans that you've been working on for some time now, Pisces. The problem is that today there is some conflict with something or someone with a large ego who suddenly wants a piece of the pie.

propelling the hosts to a comprehensive sweep of the two-Test series as both matches finished inside four days.

“New Zealand have a very good [bowling] attack – they have experienced fast bowlers,” Blackwood told the Observer newspaper here.

“Once we can go out there and conquer those bowlers we’ll come from the tour victorious.

“We know Wagner is going to come and give us a lot of short balls, so we have to be prepared for that and be prepared for anything.”

Blackwood missed the ill-fated tour after being dropped a couple of months earlier after a poor run which saw him manage just 15 runs from five innings.

However, he returned to the side this year following a three-year break, impressing with two halfcenturies on the tour of England where he emerged

...2020 GFF Ordinary From page 31 the governance of football and offers a platform to share the progress we have made in developing football in this extraordinary year. We will also lay out our plans for the next phase of our strategic vision to grow the game. We are confident that 2021 will be a year of growth for domestic and international football for Guyana.”

Football authorities around the world have had to postpone large-scale gatherings this year, with the annual FIFA Congress taking place online for the first time. Next month, GFF Congress delegates will observe strict health protocols during the all-day event to ensure a safe environment, including social distancing, the use of face masks and increased hygiene.

“The safety and health of our community is of the upmost importance and the GFF team is working hard to ensure that the correct measures are in place to deliver a safe and secure Congress, in line with official guidelines,” Forde said.

The Congress is the highest decision-making body of the GFF which brings all voting members together, including the nine regional associations, affiliate associations for referees, coaches, women’s football, futsal and beach soccer, and Elite League clubs.

as the Caribbean side’s leading batsman and the only one with over 200 runs.

We s t I n d i e s ’ b a t t i n g struggled badly on the England tour but Blackwood said the return of left-handed strokemakers Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer would be a filip for the department.

“I have confidence in the top order to now get the job done,” said Blackwood, who averages 30 from 31 Tests.

“Our top order didn’t really get the runs that we wanted in England, but I have all confidence in the

top order because Darren Bravo is back in the team and Shimron Hetmyer.”

Both Bravo and Hetmyer opted out of the England due to concerns over the ongoing COVID19 pandemic.

West Indies open their Test series on December 3 at Seddon Park in Hamilton before travelling to Wellington for the second Test bowling off eight days later at the historic Basin Reserve.

Three Tw e n t y 2 0 Internationals will precede the Tests, with matches in Auckland and Mount Maunganui from November 27-30.

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Kaieteur News

Trailblazers thrash Velocity with Ecclestone’s 4 for 9 ESPNcricinfo - Less than 24 hours after beating Supernovas in the opening match of the 2020 Women’s T20 Challenge, Velocity collapsed dramatically to be bowled out for 47 in the second game, against Trailblazers. In response, Trailblazers chased it down in the eighth over to collect two points in their first game of the tournament.

Trailblazers bowling performance was led by England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who is also the world’s No. 1 T20I bowler, taking 4 for 9 in 3.1 overs. Fast bowler Jhulan Goswami and left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad finished with 2 for 13 each while Deepti Sharma’s offbreak earned her one wicket for just eight runs from her four overs.

Velocity, who now have a negative net run rate, will await the result of the final league game between Trailblazers and Supernovas to see if they qualify into the final. They would hope Supernovas lose to Trailblazers, but if they win, the finalists will be decided on net run rate.

The legend trumps the prodigy Shafali Verma and Danny Wyatt opened the batting for Velocity after their captain Mithali Raj chose to bat, but the Indian teenager was out

Sophie Ecclestone in her follow-through. (BCCI) in the third over trying to play a late cut off Goswami. The experienced bowler bowled a stump-to-stump line and Verma paid the price of not playing to her strength - of hitting in the V - and had to go back for 13 as her off stump was rattled.

Goswami would return for her third over in the powerplay and get Wyatt out, who failed to clear mid-off to a full ball.

Ecclestone shows her class While Goswami got two wickets from one end, Ecclestone took three from the other in her first spell by also attacking the stumps. After the innings, Ecclestone said

she wanted to keep the “stumps in play”, and that was evident in the wickets she earned. Her first was Raj, who was trapped lbw for 1 in the fourth over, and Veda Krishnamurthy was bowled for a first-ball duck next delivery.

Ecclestone was given a third over in the powerplay, and the decision from Smriti Mandhana paid off when Ecclestone clattered Sushma Verma’s stumps with a ball that skid in. At the end of six overs, Velocity were reeling at 22 for 5.

She would eventually return for a fourth over later in the innings, and took the

Deandra Dottin hits out during her unbeaten 29 for Trailblazers. last Velocity wicket too, finishing with 15 dot balls in her 19-ball spell.

Velocity capitulate Poor starts are part of the game when facing bowlers like Goswami and Ecclestone, but the Velocity were also guilty of giving wickets away.

Sune Luus played Gayakwad with hard hands, and popped the ball straight back to the bowler.

Sushree Pradhan swiped across the line to a straight ball only to be trapped lbw by the same bowler. Shikha Pandey was run out trying to pinch a single when there

wasn’t one. And Ekta Bisht, when eight wickets were down, looked to hammer Sharma for a six, only to hit it back to the bowler, who took a sharp catch.

Velocity were bowled out in the 16th over, in an innings that had only three fours and one six, with eight batters returning single-digit performances.

Dottin makes quick work of chase Despite Mandhana’s dismissal for 6 after a slow start in the fourth over of the chase, the other Trailblazers opener, Deandra Dottin

batted aggressively. With No. 3 Richa Ghosh for company, she went up and over at times, and then slogswept the spinners to crack 29 in 28 balls, with three fours.

The only six in the Trailblazers innings was by the 17-year-old Ghosh, who slogged one across the line to hit the winning runs in the eighth over and finish unbeaten on 13.

Scores: Trailblazers 49 for 1 (Dottin 29*, Kasperek 1-5) beat Velocity 47 (Ecclestone 4-9, Goswami 213, Gayakwad 2-13) by nine wickets.

Rossi still COVID-19 positive, Gerloff on standby for European MotoGP round Autosport - Yamaha has named World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff as Valentino Rossi’s standby replacement for the MotoGP European Grand Prix, after the latter failed a recent COVID-19 test.

Rossi was forced to miss the Aragon double-header last month after testing positive for COVID-19 following the French GP. Yamaha has revealed Rossi underwent a COVID test on Tuesday, which returned a positive result, and was to undergo another one Wednesday.

Should this one return a negative result, Rossi will have time enough to undergo a second PCR test and fly to Valencia should that one also come up negative.

However, should Rossi be declared unfit, Yamaha will put American WSBK rider Gerloff in his place for this weekend’s European GP. Gerloff - a former MotoAmerica Superbike rider - made his WSBK debut in

Valentino Rossi is still COVID-19 positive.

2020 with the GRT Yamaha squad and scored three podiums across the Catalunya and Estoril rounds.

Should Gerloff get the call up from Yamaha, it will mark his MotoGP debut and the first premier class race appearance for an American

rider since the late Nicky Hayden stood in for the injured Dani Pedrosa at Honda in the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.

Yamaha’s decision not to put its official test rider Jorge Lorenzo in Rossi’s place comes off the back of the

three-time MotoGP champion admitting he was in discussions with Aprilia about a test ride for 2021 though stressed his priority was to remain with Yamaha.

Yamaha elected against putting Lorenzo the M1 for the Teruel GP, citing a desire not to overload an alreadystretched race team in adapting a different rider to the bike.

However, as per MotoGP’s regulations, Yamaha was obliged to run a replacement this weekend should Rossi be unable to race.

Lorenzo’s experience on the Yamaha in 2020 has been limited to just three and a half days of running at Sepang in February and at the Algarve last month on the 2019 M1.

At the latter test, he ended up four seconds off the pace of the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro.

Gerloff will not be the only new face on the grid at the European GP should Rossi be declared unfit, as Aprilia has put test rider Lorenzo Savadori in place of

Bradley Smith for the final three rounds.

Gerloff called the opportunity a “dream”, stating: “I’m so honoured that Yamaha has considered me for this opportunity. This year has already been quite the adventure, and this would be the cherry on top,” Gerloff said.

“It’s been a dream of mine to ride the Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike since I started racing so many years ago, and to potentially have it happen is really exciting.

“But I am just sorry to get this opportunity under these unfortunate circumstances for Valentino. I feel really bad for him and I hope that he recovers soon, we all miss the number 46 on track!

“All the best to him. If I do end up riding this weekend, it will be an uphill battle not knowing the bike, tyres, brakes, etc.

“Also, I have never been to the Valencia track before.

But I’m confident in myself and ready for the challenge!

Thanks to all at Yamaha. Bring it on!”

Rossi says he returned to being fully fit after only a few days from first developing symptoms and hopes he can return a negative test today as two races on the sidelines for him was “too many”.

“This virus is very complicated and serious,” Rossi said.

“I felt bad for two days, then in a few days I came back to being fully fit, at my 100%.

“I self-isolated at home all the time and I followed the medical advice closely.

“It’s a very sad and difficult situation, but that’s the way it is. Unfortunately, yesterday (Tuesday 3 November), I had another test and it came back positive again, like all previous ones.

“Luckily I still have two more chances to be back on track on Friday or Saturday. I am very sad because I am feeling well, and I can’t wait to be back aboard my M1 and be reunited with my team.

“I really hope the next PCR test result will be negative, because missing two races was already two too many.”

Friday November 06, 2020

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Saudi Arabia announces F1 night race in Jeddah for 2021 Motosport.com - F1 officially confirmed a deal to stage a grand prix in Saudi Arabia as part of a “long-term partnership” with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.

The 2021 race will be held in Jeddah, but there are known to be plans to switch to a newly-built circuit in Qiddiya for 2023.

Plans to add a race in Saudi Arabia to the calendar for 2021 were communicated to teams last month, with the event being included on the draft calendar that was issued.

The announcement confirmed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place in November, and is likely to run one week before the season finale in Abu Dhabi. A full calendar is set to be made public in the next few weeks.

Saudi state energy giant Aramco became a major partner of F1 back in March, and has been the title sponsor for three grands prix through 2020.

The event will become the second full night race on the F1 calendar after Singapore.

“We are excited to welcome Saudi Arabia to

Saudi Arabia has announced an F1 night race in Jeddah for next year. (Motorsport.com) Formula 1 for the 2021 season and welcome their announcement following speculation in recent days,” said F1 CEO and chairman Chase Carey.

“Saudi Arabia is a country that is rapidly becoming a hub for sports and entertainment with many major events taking place there in recent years and we are very pleased that Formula 1 will be

racing there from next season.

“The region is hugely important to us and with 70% of the population of Saudi being under 30 we are excited about the potential to reach new fans and bring our existing fans around the world exciting racing from an incredible and historic location.

“We will be publishing our full provisional 2021

calendar in the coming weeks and this will be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council for approval.”

“Today is groundbreaking in every sense,” said HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal, the president of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.

“I firmly believe the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be the biggest sports event hosted

in our country’s history and has the potential to change lives, perceptions and reach new audiences and communities like never before. To have the icons of the sport and historic teams race in Saudi in front of young fans and families is truly gamechanging.

“We don’t have a rich motorsport heritage, but in a short space of time as a federation we’ve earned a strong reputation of delivering world-class international events such as Formula E and the Dakar Rally.

“As a result, Saudi Arabia is home to literally millions of passionate young fans of motorsport, many of whom will already be smiling and counting down to seeing their heroes in November 2021.

“Our plans will see us take the sport to even more people with a celebration that reaches all communities and is open to all.”

F1 will become the latest international motorsport event to hold an event in Saudi Arabia. Formula E has held its season-opening round in Diriyah in the past two years, while the Dakar Rally took place in Saudi Arabia last year.

A number of other

international sports have also held events in Saudi Arabia, including football, boxing and tennis, but this has led to criticism over ‘sportswashing’ the country’s human rights record.

Amnesty International issued a statement last week saying that F1 “would be part of ongoing efforts to sportswash the country’s abysmal human rights record” with its plans for a grand prix.

“For decades Formula 1 has worked hard be a positive force everywhere it races, including economic, social, and cultural benefits,” read a statement from F1 responding to questions about its position on human rights.

“Sports like Formula 1 are uniquely positioned to cross borders and cultures to bring countries and communities together to share the passion and excitement of incredible competition and achievement. “ We take our responsibilities very seriously and have made our position on human rights and other issues clear to all our partners and host countries who commit to respect human rights in the way their events are hosted and delivered.”

Ronaldo to make Portugal return against France, Croatia NFL: Ravens place AFP - Cristiano Ronaldo was yesterday named in the Portugal squad to play a friendly against Andorra and Nations League matches against France and Croatia.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner tested positive for coronavirus on October 13 when with the Portugal squad, going on to miss the 3-0 victory over Sweden.

The 35-year-old finally tested negative 19 days later, returning to the pitch with a double for Juventus against Spezia in Serie A action on Sunday.

The Portugal captain also played in Juve’s 4-1 victory over Ferencvaros in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Reigning European champions Portugal take on Andorra on Wednesday before Nations League A3 matches at home against France on November 14 and away to Croatia three days later.

The main absentee from Fernando Santos’ 25-man squad is Pepe, the 37-year-old central defender is out with a foot injury.

“He’s an example for the younger ones at training, with his attitude,” Santos said of

Ronaldo to make Portugal return against France, Croatia.

Pepe, who has just signed a contract extension until 2023 with Porto.

“It’s a shame he’s not there because normally he’s a shoo-in starter.”

Lille defender Jose Fonte, who will offer cover for the absent Pepe, and Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes are both included having recovered from Covid-19.

There are first call-ups for Wolverhampton winger Pedro Neto and Sporting Braga striker Paulinho.

Portugal are joint leaders with France of group A3, each on 10 points.

“The goal will be to once again qualify for the Nations League final four and defend the trophy we won last year,” said Santos.

A secondary objective was to “also have a look at some players who have the quality to represent this team”, the coach added.

Portugal squad Goalkeepers (3): Anthony Lopes (Lyon/FRA), Rui Patricio (Wolverhampton/ ENG), Rui Silva (Grenada/ ESP) Defenders (8): Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/ ENG), Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton/ENG), Jose Fonte (Lille/FRA), Ruben Dias (Manchester City/ENG), Ruben Semedo (Olympiakos/ GRE), Mario Rui (Napoli/ ITA), Raphael Guerreiro (Dortmund/GER), Domingos Duarte (Grenada/ESP) Midfielders (7): Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain/ FRA), Ruben Neves (Wo l v e r h a m p t o n / E N G ) , William Carvalho (Real Betis/ ESP), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG), Renato Sanches (Lille/FRA), Joao Moutinho (Wo l v e r h a m p t o n / E N G ) , Sergio Oliveira(Porto) Forwards (7): Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Diogo Jota (Liverpool/ENG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/ ITA), Francisco Trincao (Barcelona/ESP), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton/ENG), Paulinho (SC Braga)

seven players on COVID-19 list after positive test

(Reuters) - The Baltimore Ravens placed seven players on the COVID-19 reserve list on Tuesday, a day after cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Linebackers ÿþTyus Bowserÿþ, ÿþL.J. Fortÿþ, Malik Harrison, ÿþMatthew Judonÿþ and Patrick Queen, as well as defensive backs ÿþTerrell Bondsÿþ and ÿþDeShon Elliott were added to the list, which is for players who either test positive or have been in

close contact with someone who has. Humphrey returned a positive test after playing in the Ravens’ 28-24 defeat by Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Several teams have reported positive tests among players and personnel since the season began and the NFL on Tuesday said it would enhance its safety protocols, instructing teams to broaden the use of face coverings and improve social distancing.

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Friday November 06, 2020

Mercedes confident Lewis Hamilton will Fletcher focussed on sign new deal and not quit Formula One breaking losing jinx

PA Media - Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team are confident their star driver will not do the unthinkable and quit Formula One next month.

As members of the sport’s all-conquering team cracked open the champagne on a charter flight from Bologna to Birmingham to celebrate their historic seventh consecutive constructors’ championship, Hamilton headed home to Monaco, hours after suggesting this might be his 14th and final season in the sport.

The six-time world champion, who will secure a record-equalling seventh title if he wins the Turkish Grand Prix a week on Sunday, is out of contract at the end of the season.

And speaking after his triumph at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola – one that moved the Englishman 85 points clear of team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the standings with just 104 remaining – he said: “I don’t know If I am going to be here next year. I would like to be, but there is no guarantee of that. There is a lot that excites me about Formula One’s afterlife.”

However, it is understood that Mercedes expect Hamilton, who turns 36 in January, will put pen to paper

The future of Mercedes, team principal Toto Wolff, centre, is also uncertain. (Tim Goode/PA) on an extension which will allow him to chase a recordbreaking eighth title in 2021.

Although Mercedes insist there is no timeframe to completing Hamilton’s new deal – with both parties adamant that formal discussions have not taken place – there is a desire to finalise terms before the end of the calendar year.

The concluding race of this season’s Coviddisturbed calendar takes place in Abu Dhabi on

December 13.

Toto Wolff’s future as team principal of Mercedes is also undetermined with the Austrian, 48, considering a revised role which might see him skip a number of races in 2021.

And Wolff indicated that both his and Hamilton’s post2020 plans could be resolved in one hit.

“We go together in a way,” said Wolff. “We have a symbiosis and obviously it is important where our heart is and mindset is for next year.

“I’ve said that this is my team. I’m in a very proud corner with Mercedes and I’m not going to go anywhere.

“My role may change in the future, and it’s something that Lewis has asked. Nothing is ever secure.

“It was like Niki Lauda in the 1970s: you could wake up one morning at a track and say: ‘I’m just not having fun anymore.’ And I think that can happen to anybody.

“But we want to continue this journey. We are not finished.”

Moenchengladbach’s uncapped Thuram named in France squad AFP - Marcus Thuram, the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, was called up to France’s squad by coach Didier Deschamps yesterday for the first time for internationals later this month.

Borussia Moenchengladbach attacker Thuram, 23, could make his debut for the World Cup holders against Finland in a friendly next Wednesday, or in the Nations League fixtures against Portugal on November 14 or Sweden three days later.

Thuram has scored three times in 10 appearances for the Bundesliga side this season and was the first footballer in Germany to take a knee in protest following the death of the 46-year-old African American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.

Deschamps said the former Guingamp forward had “gone up a level” since joining Moenchengladbach from French side Guingamp in July 2019.

“He has the ability to

make a difference with his power and impact,” said Deschamps, who won the World Cup in the same side as Marcus’ father in 1998 before leading France as coach to glory in Russia two years ago.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe is included despite suffering from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of his club’s 2-1 defeat to Leipzig in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday, but Rennes’ prodigious teenager Eduardo Camavinga misses out with a muscle problem.

RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano is also absent after making his international debut in September while Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, who last featured for his country in November 2018, is omitted again.

France squad: Goalkeepers: Benoit Costil (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ENG), Mike Maignan (Lille), Steve Mandanda (Marseille) Defenders: Lucas Digne

Marcus Thuram took the knee after scoring in May’s Bundesliga win over Union Berlin.

(Everton/ENG), Leo Dubois (Lyon), Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich/GER), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Clement Lenglet (Barcelona/ESP), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich/GER), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/ESP), Kurt Zouma (Chelsea/ENG) Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea/ENG), Steven Nzonzi (Rennes), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ENG), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus/ ITA), Moussa Sissoko

(Tottenham/ENG), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/ GER) Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich/ GER), Nabil Fekir (Real Betis/ ESP), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ENG), Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona/ESP), Anthony Martial (Manchester United/ENG), Kylian Mbappe (Paris SaintGermain), Marcus Thuram ( B o r u s s i a Moenchengladbach/GER)

West Indies batsman Andre Fletcher.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, CMC – Twenty20 star Andre Fletcher says he hopes his third tour of New Zealand can see West Indies break the losing jinx which has plagued them here in recent years.

In his first tour here six years ago, West Indies lost both T20 Internationals and then suffered a 2-0 drubbing in three-match series here back in 2017.

Recalled to the side after a two-year break, Fletcher now hopes he can use his improved batting to help West Indies to a series win in the three-match rubber at month end.

“This is my third time in New Zealand and we haven’t yet won a T20 series in New Zealand so the team goal for me would be to make sure that we can actually win this series,” said the 32-year-old.

“My individual goal is to make sure I can get as much runs as possible where I can actually cement my spot in the T20 squad.

“It’s always a pleasure playing for West Indies and representing the Caribbean on a whole. It’s a great opportunity once again. I just have to make sure I grasp that opportunity and make the best use of it.”

The right-handed Fletcher was once a fixture in the West Indies T20 setup and was a member of the successful 2016 side which captured the T20 World Cup in India.

And he pointed out that one of the major keys to success on this tour would be forging a strong sense of togetherness of the field.

“In 2016 when we won the World Cup, every single player was supporting each other, we were enjoying each other’s success, we had fun,

the management staff [and] everyone was all behind each other, and so far I’ve seen that in the team,” Fletcher said.

“Everyone is enjoying themselves, we have lots of fun and it’s very important during this period and you want to make sure everyone is comfortable and that’s when you get the best out of each and everyone.

“I just hope we bring it on to the field of play, execute our plans as well as possible and for sure we’ll have a good tournament.”

Much responsibility will rest on Fletcher in the series, with him one of the more experienced players in the side, especially in the absence of the likes of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo.

He has carved out six halfcenturies in 42 matches with two of those fifties coming against New Zealand in the Caribbean six years ago, and he believes he is now a much improved batsman.

“I’ve become a more positive player, my shot selection has improved a lot and I’ve worked very hard on my physical aspect as well,” the Grenadian explained.

“I’ve been putting in a lot of strength work behind the scenes as it paid a lot during the CPL. Hopefully I can carry it on the international level and see what I can do best for the people in the Caribbean.”

West Indies arrived here last week for the November 27 to December 15 tour which also includes two Tests.

Eden Park in Auckland will host the opening T20 International before the teams travel to Mount Maunganui for back-to-back matches on November 29 and 30 at Bay Oval.

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Boult, Bumrah, Kishan, Pandya lead rampant Mumbai Indians into IPL final ESPNcricinfo - After becoming the first side to qualify for the playoffs, the Mumbai Indians swatted aside the Delhi Capitals in the first Qualifier, giving themselves a shot at a fifth IPL title. They were asked to bat first, meaning their bowlers had to deal with the dew in the second half, but their batsmen offset that disadvantage by muscling them to an above-par 200 for 5.

During a sideline interview, their coach Mahela Jayawardene said that they were eyeing 170; they got 30 more. Quinton de Kock provided the early thrust at the top, along with Suryakumar Yadav, before R Ashwin’s vintage spell of 40-29-3 briefly pulled them back. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, though, provided a blockbuster finish by taking 60 together off a mere 23 balls. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah then made Mumbai’s already tall total of 200 like the Burj Khalifa by leaving them 0 for 3.

Boult had Prithvi Shaw edging behind and Ajinkya Rahane trapped in front in a stellar double-wicket maiden.

Rohit Sharma let Bumrah loose with the new ball at the other end and he responded by yorking Shikhar Dhawan for a duck as well. Just like that the challenges of bowling

second became a non-factor, and when Rishabh Pant holed out, the Capitals were 41 for 5 in the eighth over, their chase all but over.

While Mumbai will now rest for three days, the Capitals will move to Abu Dhabi to face the winner of the Eliminator between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad for another crack at the final. de Kock, Suryakumar set the pace Mumbai suffered an early jolt when Ashwin found turn with the new ball and pinned Sharma in front of his stumps for a golden duck. de Kock and Yadav, however, kept going after the bowlers in the powerplay. de Kock drove leftarm seamer Daniel Sams through mid-on for a brace of fours and even drilled Ashwin through the covers.

The Capitals had picked Sams over Shimron Hetmyer in the XI seemingly so that they could hold back Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje for the slog overs against Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers. But since Sams conceded 15 runs in his first over, the Capitals had to bring on both Rabada and Nortje slightly earlier. Yadav got into his groove with a dismissive short-arm pulled four of Nortje and then launched a paused-and-delivered offbreak from Ashwin for six

over mid-off. Yadav and de Kock kept picking their spots, pushing Mumbai to 63 for 1 in the powerplay.

Hello, again, Ashwin Ashwin was carrying a hamstring injury into the Capitals’ last league fixture against the Royal Challengers, and had to clear a fitness test to take part in the first Qualifier. Despite the injury concerns, he bowled with great rhythm, getting the ball to dip, drift and turn. In the eighth over, de Kock charged at him, but Ashwin found sharp dip, coaxing a toe-ended catch to long-off.

In his next over, the 13th of the innings, he was up against the promoted Kieron Pollard. Ashwin’s first ball to him was a carrom ball, which Pollard dragged to long-on for a duck. In a game where all the other Capitals frontline bowlers went for at least nine an over, Ashwin had an economy rate of 7.25 while picking up the big wickets of Sharma, de Kock, and Pollard.

The Kishan-Hardik bash Kishan was on 10 off 13 balls at one point. The Capitals didn’t want to expose the left-arm spin of Axar Patel to the two left-hand batsmen, Kishan and Krunal Pandya, so they gave Marcus Stoinis a go. The Australia allrounder stepped up with a five-run over that also included the wicket of Krunal.

GTTA planning to restart competition month-end The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is assessing and finalising its plans for the hosting of a ‘Restart Competition’ that they are hoping to serve off from November 27.

The association is in consultation with the relevant authorities and they will follow all rules and regulations set by the national COVID-19 task force and the Ministry of Health to ensure the safety of its players and officials.

In a release to the media the GTTA noted that, “The athletes’ health, well-being and safety is of paramount importance to us, so we want to ensure we get this right as we venture out.

In this regard we will use the National COVID 19 Task Force and ITTF guidelines in addition to the utilisation of some independent health personnel to assist us with the reviewing of our

processes, while ensuring necessary approvals from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport are secured.”

The plan is to use a top 12 and top 16 duel format which would allow us the opportunity to schedule and timetable the matches in advance so players will be aware of their schedules and we will be able to promote the matches in advance.

This format also allows us to limit the amount of players participating in the competition so as to comply with the social distancing policy.

The intention is to invite players as they are scheduled to play, so the venue would not have more than six players in the area at one time.

The correspondence explained that players will only come to the venue based on the schedule of matches.

“We will have a period to allow for sanitizing of the playing area after each match,

so space and time would have to be allowed between matches and for players to warm up”, the release stated.

Another key feature of the GTTA’s restart process is that they would have meetings with the players, umpires and table officials to go over the safety protocols to ensure compliance.

The categories to be contested for the initial ‘Restart’ competition are Men’s Top 16 Duels which will come from among the nation’s top 16 players who competed at the 2020 edition of the Senior National Championships, while the boys’ c o m p e t i t ion will also include the top 16 juniors.

The girls’ clash will be between the top eight junior females, while the Senior Females will be an open battle among the active local players.

The games will be streamed online.

Ishan Kishan pounces on a short ball, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2020 Qualifier 1, Dubai, November 5, 2020 ©BCCI Kishan and Hardik, however, revved up to top gear, using the extra pace of Rabada and Nortje to their advantage.

Kishan rode the bounce of a chest-high delivery from Rabada and pulled it for six before dinking a 150kph delivery from Nortje to the third-man boundary.

As for Hardik, he walloped five sixes in 14 balls, finishing with an unbeaten 37 at a strike rate of nearly 265.

The chase that wasn’t Boult could bowl just two overs before leaving the field because of a groin complaint, but he still had enough time to grab two wickets. Bumrah, meanwhile, took out the other three in the Capitals’ top five.

After Krunal got rid of Pant, the Capitals were in danger of being skittled for a sub-100 score, but Stoinis and Patel helped them avoid the ignominy by putting on 71 off

44 balls for the sixth wicket. It was Bumrah who snapped that stand when he bowled Stoinis for 65 in the 16th over.

Bumrah ended with 4 for 14, the Capitals with 143 for 8.

Scores: Mumbai Indians 200 for 5 (Kishan 55*, Suryakumar 51, de Kock 40, Ashwin 3-29) beat Delhi Capitals 143 for 8 (Stoinis 65, Axar 42, Bumrah 4-14, Bout 2-9) by 57 runs.

Nadal charges into Paris quarters PARIS (Reuters) - Top seed Rafa Nadal was forced to save a set point before overcoming Australian Jordan Thompson 6-1 7-6(3) yesterday to reach the Paris Masters quarter-finals.

A day after becoming the fourth player in the Open Era to record 1,000 tour-level wins, Nadal resumed his pursuit of a maiden ParisBercy title and broke Thompson’s serve twice to claim the opening set in convincing fashion.

The world number two saved a set point on his serve while trailing 5-6 in the second, winning a 26-shot rally which ended with a

backhand error from Thompson.

“He started to serve well in the second set. I missed a couple of returns I shouldn’t have,” Nadal said. “I suffered until the end but I found a way to win the tiebreak.”

Nadal, who has now reached the quarter-finals in all eight appearances at the indoor tournament, will next face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

Earlier, sixth seed Diego Schwartzman eased past Spanish qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 and is now one victory away from qualifying for the seasonending ATP Finals for the first time in his career.

World number nine Schwartzman occupies the

final automatic qualification spot for the season finale at London’s O2 Arena from Nov. 15-22.

The Argentine will next face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who came back from a set down to beat Australia’s Alex de Minaur 57 6-2 6-2 in just under two hours.

“I watched his match and Diego played really well,” Medvedev said of Schwartzman, who has finished runner-up at three ATP tournaments this season. “I think he made five unforced errors and was returning a lot of balls in the court. He served pretty well and it will be a really tough match, because he has been on fire this year.”

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Kaieteur News

Friday November 06, 2020

Guyana now has three FIA bans 3D camera tricks in ‘Pink Mercedes’ F1 clampdown accredited UCI Commissaries

Racing Point’s actions in cloning last year’s Mercedes W10 caused controversy earlier this year. (Motorsport.com) Motorsport.com - Racing Point’s actions in cloning last year’s Mercedes W10 caused controversy earlier this year, with rivals unhappy that the Silverstone-based outfit had gained such an advantage by copying a rival car.

Following a protest from Renault, Racing Point was found guilty of having illegally used Mercedes’ design IP with its rear brake ducts.

The team was fined 400,000 euro and docked 15 constructors’ championship points for its actions.

Amid concerns that Racing Point’s tactics could open the door f o r o t h e r teams to be forced to go down a copycat route to be successful, the FIA moved earlier this year to come up with regulations that would prevent that happening.

T h e F I A’s h e a d o f single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis said at the time: “This will prevent teams from using extensive part of photos to copy whole portions of other cars in the way that Racing Point has done.

“We will still accept individual components to be copied in local areas, but we don’t want the whole car to be fundamentally a copy of another car.”

The new technical regulations have been revealed and explain in detail that teams will no

longer be allowed to share IP with another outfit, or ‘reverse engineer’ rival designs for those listed parts that it must create itself.

The rules make clear that teams can be ‘influenced by the design or concept of a Competitor’s’ design.

However, they can only do so ‘using information that must potentially be available to all Competitors.’

Such knowledge can only be gained at race and test events, so no work on this front can be done away from the track.

To prevent teams from reverse engineering rival designs, the FIA has imposed strict bans on a number of actions that have been open to teams previously.

The FIA states that teams will not be allowed: a. The use of photographs or images, combined with software that converts them to point clouds, curves, surfaces, or allows CAD geometry to be overlaid onto or extracted from the photograph or image b. The use of stereophotogrammetry, 3D cameras or any 3D stereoscopic techniques c.

Any form of contact or noncontact surface scanning d. Any technique that projects points or curves on a surface so as to facilitate

the reverse-engineering process If there are occasions where there are big similarities between listed components on different cars, the FIA has to right to investigate the matter and will ask teams to prove that the design was done independently.

The regulations state: “It will be the role of the FIA to determine whether this resemblance is the result of reverse engineering or of legitimate independent work.”

Teams will be asked to provide data and information to prove that they have complied with the rules and designed components themselves from scratch.

While Racing Point’s 2020 design was in breach of the regulations, and will be used again next year, the FIA says that there will be a cut-off point for judging if components were reverse engineered – so the outfit will not need to change things for next season.

It says that any listed parts components used in 2019, or the first event of the 2020 championship, will be classified as having been designed by teams and not reverse engineered.

However, any new parts used after that period will need to comply with the new restrictions.

Malcolm Sonaram, Andrew Arjoon and Jeffrey Yearwood are now Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) accredited Commissaires having been successful at the International Road Commissaire training/ certification Seminar.

The trio successfully completed the 2020 UCI Commissaires online Course in September through the support of COPACI. A Commissaire is the highest ranking cycling race official (A Cycling Umpire).

According to Linden Dowridge, President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), this puts Guyana in a position to host UCI sanctioned/ranked cycling events (Caribbean/ South American Championships etc).

The trio may also be called upon by the UCI officiate in any UCI sanctioned event internationally. Dowridge extended congratulations to the trio and wished them well.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body of cycling. It groups together 190 National Federations. UCI promotes and nurtures everyday cycling which is a core pillar of the UCI’s strategy to ensure that elite cycling acts as a catalyst to

Malcolm Sonaram inspire even greater mass participation, and get many more people using bikes as part of their everyday lives.

Activities under Cycling for all cover several areas: • At the political level, the UCI will engage with policy makers to encourage countries and international organisations to adopt bikefriendly policies.

• With the UCI Bike City label, the UCI is rewarding and working with cities and regions that invest in elite cycling and everyday cycling

activities; • The UCI is developing a UCI Cycling for All Ambassadors programme to work with professional riders on cycling advocacy campaigns; • With the UN Sustainable Development Goals in place, the UCI will push cycling as a tool for sustainable and inclusive development; • The UCI will support its National Federations, sharing best practice and encourage their cycling for all activities.

Doping - CAS expects decision on Russian appeal against ban by end 2020 (Reuters) - Russia’s appeal against a four-year ban on competing at international events under its own flag has been heard by sport’s highest tribunal, which expects to make a decision before the end of the year, CAS said yesterday.

Russia was sanctioned last year after the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) concluded that Moscow had planted fake evidence and deleted files linked to positive doping tests in laboratory data that could have helped identify drug cheats.

Russia has denied the allegations. Under the ban, Russia’s teams and athletes can only compete at major sporting events, including the Olympics, as neutrals, without the country’s flag or national anthem.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said it had concluded a four-day hearing in Lausanne with most participants taking part via a video link due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) is pictured in Lausanne, Switzerland, November 15, 2017. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo) “While it is difficult to predict exactly how long this process will take, it is anticipated that the (decision)

will be notified to the parties by the end of this year,” CAS said in yesterday’s statement.

Friday November 06, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Archery Guyana’s holds successful virtual AGM Archery Guyana Inc. continues to be among those sporting entities that lead the way as they set a precedent last Saturday 31stOctober, 2020 as it hosted the first Virtual AGM via an online Platform. Members signed onto Microsoft Teams and were given an opportunity to discuss the activities and plans for the way forward to promote the sport of Archery in Guyana.

T h e M e e t i n g commenced with President of Archery Guyana, Mr. Mohamed Gamal Khan delivering powerful Opening Remarks to the members present.

Thereafter, Minutes from the previous Meeting were adopted and then SecretaryGeneral of Archery Guyana, Mrs. Vidushi PersaudMcKinnon delivered a comprehensive Report to the membership, giving a brief background from its establishment in August 2014 to the end of the reporting period of 30thOctober, 2020.

She reported on the status of the website, membership, the various Sub-Committees and the proposed National School programmes which had started just before the

COVID-19 Pandemic, with the introduction to Isa Islamic Academy and Queen’s College.

International events were also reported on such as the World Archery Ranking Tournament, in Santiago City, Chile last year when Wayne Gerald DeAbreu, represented Guyana at this event which also served as a Second stage of qualifier for Pan-American Games, Lima 2019.

The Caribbean B e g i n n e r s a n d D e v e l o p m e n t a l Championships was also reported on with Robert Singh’s participation in Santo Domingo. The Caledon Tournament in Ontario, Canada was highlighted when Devin Persaud created history as the first Guyanese to secure a Minimum Qualification Score for Recurve Men with a 640 score resulting in Guyana being placed on an official List released by World Archery as one of the countries eligible to apply for the invitational place at the Olympics. Double 720 Qualification (Baltimore) was also mentioned where Wayne Gerald DeAbreu and Devin Persaud also participated. This World

Directors of Archery Guyana Inc. who were present at the recently held AGM: (from left) Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, Mr. Mohamed Gamal Khan, Mr. Nicholas Hing.

Archery approved tournament resulted in DeAbreu with a 626 score and Persaud with a 620.

Local competitions were also reported on including several tournaments and training seminars.

She also reported on upcoming events including Guyana’s participation at the prestigious World Archery Americas General Assembly in November by three (3) members: Mr. Mohamed Khan, Mrs. Vidushi PersaudMcKinnon and Mr. Robert Singh.

Gratitude was expressed to those who assisted in one way or the other for reporting

2020 GFF Ordinary Congress to take place on December 12 The 2020 Ordinary Congress of the Guyana Football Federation, postponed in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place on Saturday, 12th December at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown.

The Congress will provide an opportunity to reconvene the football community after a challenging and disrupted year, update the GFF

membership on the Federation’s achievements, and agree on strategic priorities for the year ahead as officials look to phase in football activities.

“We are delighted to be able to stage this important milestone in the football calendar before the end of the year,” said GFF President Wa y n e F o r d e . “ T h e Congress is a vital pillar in (Continued on page 25)

period: The Ministry of Sport, The National Sports Commission, Mr. Ryan McKinnon, Infotrans Guyana Inc, Neutrino Inc., M r. J u l i u s S i m o n , Commissioner General Mr. Godfrey Statia, the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr. Harryram Parmesar, Parmesar Accounting Firm, Members and the Board of A rchery G uyana Inc., Guyana Beverages, Mr. Umasankar Madray, Mr.

Robert Singh, Mr. Ray Beharry, Seven Seas, Massy Industries, Brand Manager of Guyana Beverages Inc, Raymond Govinda, General Manager of Guyana Beverages Inc, Samuel Arjoon, and to the general management of Guyana Beverages Inc., Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) and the media.

Treasurer of Archery Guyana, Mr. Nicholas Hing, then presented the Financial

Statements up to end of O c t o b e r, 2 0 2 0 t o t h e membership. It was verified by the Internal Auditor, Mr. Ray Beharry and reported that Archery Guyana also goes the step further to have external auditors review the financials. In this regard, thanks were expressed to Mr. Harry Parmesar of Parmesar and Parmesar for his usual un-hesitating, professional services rendered to the sporting body.

Boult, Bumrah, Kishan, Pandya lead rampant Mumbai Indians into IPL final

t r o Sp Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his third round match against Australia’s Jordan Thompson.

(Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes) Jasprit Bumrah celebrates yet another wicket, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2020 Qualifier 1, Dubai, November 5, 2020 © BCCI

Nadal charges into Paris quarters

GTTA planning to restart competition month-end GTTA is looking to restart competition on November 27.

2020 GFF Ordinary Congress to take place on December 12 Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.